Photo taken on Sept. 18, 2018 shows a terminal operated by COSCO Shipping at Zeebrugge Port in Belgium. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan) Upon entering the ship repair zone at the port of Piraeus, southern Greece, one could easily notice the immense floating dock painted in black and red and mirrored in the glossy Aegean Sea. Not far from the giant dock is a much smaller old one, lying idle, rusty. The "Piraeus 3" that arrived in March from Shanghai, eastern China, has greatly improved the capacity of the local ship repair business, a regional pillar industry hard hit in the debt crisis, according to Li Weina, general manager of the shipyard. MORE JOBS SECURED Running the shipyard at Piraeus has been the first concrete project since 2016, when China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) took over the operation of the port of Piraeus. The port is seen as the southern gate of Europe. On Sept. 28, Greek Parliament Speaker Nikolaos Voutsis visited the Piraeus Port Authority. A press release issued by the parliament said that Piraeus was the fastest growing port in the world, now ranking 7th place in Europe and 37th worldwide based on the projects carried out in recent years. "The investment of COSCO Shipping in the port of Piraeus has proved to be mutually beneficial to both sides and it is important that it, in a difficult period, helps the country overcome the crisis," Voutsis was quoted as saying. Following the Greek debt crisis that broke out in 2009, thousands of workers lost their jobs and machines were down at the port. The picture is different now -- some 3,000 people are hired to do the services outsourced by COSCO, and even thousands more jobs have been created in the peripheral industries since COSCO made the 1-billion-euro (1.15 billion-U.S.-dollar) investment. A similar scenario is seen in Belgium, western Europe, where COSCO acquired the port of Zeebrugge in late 2017 and brought in strategic investors in 2018. COSCO bought 76 percent shares of the Zeebrugge port in November 2017, and plans to build a diversified logistics service platform, together with the Zeebrugge Port Authority, to serve the entire continent and the British Isles. Standing at the crossroads of northwestern Europe, the port of Zeebrugge is located on the shore of North Sea, reaching the Hamburg-Le Havre area, facing Britain across the strait, and connects to the railway network extending to the rest of Europe. TRADE GROWTH WITNESSED Before the acquirement of the port of Piraeus, COSCO had participated in its operation for eight years already, helping enlarge tremendously the throughput from 680,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in 2008 to 4.15 million TEU in 2017. A TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent. Encouraged by the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, a water-land express has been established to link the port terminals to the China-Europe railroads, along which the cargo trains are now running at a frequency of 17 trips per week inbound and outbound at the port. Greece is not the only European country that has seen the rise of trade with China. At the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, its throughput of containers has been increasing in the past five years, with a quarter of its inbound cargo coming from China. Moreover, nearly half of China's deep-water cargo routes to Europe choose the largest European port as their first stop. In northern Europe, COSCO's new fleet has started to dock at the Helsinki cargo port to help local pulp and wood producers increase their exports to the Chinese market. The modern ships with the latest design can take voyage both in the high north and down the Indian Ocean. Finland is the world's largest exporter of softwood pulp, and about one-third of the pulp is exported to China. With the new vessels, which are particularly suitable to load pulp products, COSCO is expected to transport more than 1.1 million tons of Finnish goods to China in 2018, 30 percent higher than last year. MARITIME TIES STRENGTHENED Mutual economic benefits have been guaranteed by the improved maritime business -- more investment in ports, better design in cargo vessels and stronger link between harbors and railways. All of this has gained momentum since the idea of building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was put forward by China five years ago. The blueprint aims at economic rise along regions, including southeastern Asia, southwestern Asia, eastern Africa and many coastal areas in Europe. The combination of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Silk Road Economic Belt is also popularly known as the Belt and Road. Trying to rejuvenate the ancient trade routes, the initiative calls for better connections and stresses common interests between different nations. It has been welcomed by European businesses and politicians. "China's Belt and Road Initiative and the position of the Netherlands as the gateway to Europe offer further opportunities for cooperation," Hanneke Schuiling, director general for Foreign Economic Relations of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the audience during a ceremony in the Hague on Sept. 27 to celebrate China's National Day. Concerns over the ambition are not non-existing though. COSCO's investment in the port of Piraeus and its plans to upgrade the shipbuilding zone "will have to deal with the older mentality", said Elias Hajiefremidis, president of the Worldwide Industrial & Marine Association headquartered in Greece. He admitted that the "rigidity" may come from public or private operators. "However if there is communication between all the stakeholders that make up the chain, a common line will definitely be found, always in the light of the common interest," Hajiefremidis underlined. "After sixty years of presence in the shipping industry as shipping agents operating in Piraeus and in the wider Greek area, we have always been convinced that anyone who deals with the sea will never be damaged," he told Xinhua. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Centre is considering relaxing certain provisions under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), including reducing the transaction charges in order to attract more remittances, which will help in boosting forex reserves and in controlling the Current Account Deficit (CAD). The government is taking many steps to narrow CAD. In the coming few days, we will see its impact. One of the suggestions discussed is certain provisions in the FEMA which, if relaxed, will help in boosting the inflow of remittances. We are considering the move, which will help in narrowing CAD, a senior official from the finance ministry told TNIE. Indias CAD widened to 2.4 per cent of GDP in April-June, and on Thursday, the rupee closed at Rs 74.12 per dollar. On Friday, the Prime Minister took stock of the economic situation, specifically concerning the oil price and its impact on CAD. Sources added that the meeting was attended by officials from the finance ministry and the petroleum ministry. According to the Reserve Bank of Indias data, networkers remittances in April-June 2018 were $11.5 billion. According to the World Bank, India was the largest receiver of remittances in 2017, with inflows of $69 billion. The World Bank report had added that three of the five highest cost corridors for sending remittances involved India, from South Africa, Japan and Thailand. Recently, the government has taken multiple steps to reign in the current account deficit, which, the Centre feels will be higher than expected due to international crude oil prices, which are hovering above the $81 per barrel mark. Last month, the government had raised import duties on 19 items, including consumer electronics, diamonds, jewellery, jet fuel, and leather footwear, in a bid to curtail non-essential imports and bridge the CAD. On Thursday, the government hiked tariffs on another seven items, including some electronic items. Earlier this week, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that the current situation was linked more to international factors and the government was taking every possible measure to calm the market and arrest the rupees depreciation. By PTI WASHINGTON: A top US envoy on Iran is headed to India this week for talks ahead of the November 4 deadline set by the Trump administration for countries to bring down their import of Iranian oil to zero. In addition to India, Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook will be travelling to Europe to further discuss US foreign policy toward Iran. ALSO READ | US reviewing India's decisions over import of Iranian oil, S-400 missile deal During this week-long trip, Hook will engage "allies and partners on our shared" need to counter the entirety of the Iranian regime's destructive behaviour in the Middle East, and in their own neighbourhoods, the State Department said. In India, he and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis R Fannon will meet with their counterparts for consultations, and in Luxembourg, he will attend meetings with officials gathered for the European Union meeting of ministers. In France, Hook and Bureau of Energy Resources officials will meet with the executive director of the International Energy Agency, and in Belgium, he will meet with EU counterparts to discuss the Iranian regime's continued missile proliferation, the State Department said. Meanwhile, it said it expected all allies and friends to bring down their purchase of Iranian oil to zero or be ready to face punitive sanctions beginning November 4. Responding to questions on reports that India will continue to purchase oil from Iran after November 4, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said this was not helpful. "Overall with regard to those sanctions that will take effect on November 4th -- and you're referring to the oil sanctions for Iran and countries that choose to continue purchasing oil from Iran -- we have conversations with many partners and allies around the world about those sanctions," she said. "We make our policies very clear to those countries. We continue to have conversations with the government of Iraq about that particular issue and the implications for the reimposition of sanctions that were previously lifted or even waived under the JCPOA," Nauert said. The Trump administration has given the same message to all countries around the world, and the President has said that the United States is committed to re-enforcing all of its sanctions. "We believe that countries coming together and recognising the malign influence that Iran has had around the world is important. We know that Iran and the government of Iran has taken the benefits that it received under the JCPOA and they've poured that money not into their own population, not into the good of the people, not into its medical hospitals and things of that nature, but rather they've used it for its own nefarious programmes," Nauert said. Noting that she has seen reports of India continuing to buy oil from Iran after November 4, she said this was a topic of conversation with the Indian government when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in India last month. "The President had addressed it -- I believe it was just earlier today -- which he was asked about that question about whether or not India would buy oil from Iran after sanctions are reimposed. And the President said -- and I'm not going to get ahead of the President, certainly -- but he said we'll take care of that," she said. "He was asked also about CAATSA sanctions and possible imposition of CAATSA sanctions. And he said, you know, India is going to find out. And India will find out. We'll see. So I'm not going to get ahead of him, but certainly, when we hear about things such as purchasing oil or the S-400 systems, it's not helpful. The United States government just reviews that very carefully," Nauert said. Ashwini M Sripad By Express News Service BENGALURU: A drastic fall of 25 per cent in waste segregation at source as well as before it ends in compactors or dumps, has forced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to consider going for a new garbage contractor system that would focus on micro-level plans for waste segregation. The new system is planned to be implemented in November 2018. The city generates more than 4,500 metric tonnes of waste d aily , of which 40 per cent is wet waste | Express On Friday, Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun expressed her utter displeasure over waste segregation in Bengaluru which has slipped from 50 per cent (two years ago) to 25 per cent. The city generates more than 4,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, of which 40 per cent is wet waste. According to N Ramakanth, BBMP Solid Waste Management Committee member, there are around seven processing units wherein wet waste is ending up to only 20 percent of their capacity. At the same time, BBMPs dry waste collection centres are getting lesser dry waste. The mixed waste is being sent to abandoned quarries at a few locations which are turning into landfill sites. Although the public are segregating waste before handing it over to the pourakarmikas, the compactors standing in queues at the quarries make them to return late. This causes BBMP pourakarmikas to unload previous days waste into the compactors. This delay in the process in turn causes mixing both the wet and dry waste into the compactors, when an attempt is made to reduce the waste backlog. Mayor Gangambike said citys waste segregation has drastically fallen to 25 per cent because there has been a failure on the official side too. I will recommend the BBMP Commissioner to take action against ward engineers and health inspectors who have failed to keep clean or if there is less segregation, she said. D Randeep, BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) said they plan to call new tenders from contractors for picking waste. Unlike the previous time, the tender will be called ward-wise, which will be a complete micro-ward management, details of which will be made available on BBMP website for the public. The public can check the number of pourakarmikas working in their wards along with their phone numbers, and details of compactors and tippers will also be mentioned. If they find the number on the website varies from the one seen on ground, they can raise a complaint. The ward engineers, health inspectors and zonal commisisoner will also have these details, he said. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Two miscreants, who hired an autorickshaw in the guise of passengers, allegedly set fire to the driver as he resisted their attempt to rob him around 12.30 am on Friday. The incident occurred under Viveknagar police station limits. A resident of Richmond Town, Mohammad Asif (30), the auto driver, sustained burns to his left forearm. Police said two miscreants hired the auto from Victoria Road to Ejipura bus stop and after a while they asked him to stop claiming they wanted to attend nature's call. As Asif stopped the auto, they demanded that he give the money he had. But Asif refused. He also assaulted one of the accused persons and then the two overpowered him and took away Rs 500 cash from him. Before leaving, they took out a bottle of petrol they were already carrying and poured it on Asifs hand and set it on fire. Asif managed to douse the fire. As per his statement, the two miscreants were aged between 25 and 30 and spoke in Tamil," police said. By Express News Service KOCHI: Marking a new chapter in Operational Sea Training, the Indian Navy has started giving OST to a Malaysian Navy Ship in Kochi. The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Ship KD Jebat, commanded by Commander Mohammed Noorsyarizal Bin Mohammed Noordin, got the first training from the Indian Navy. The vessel which arrived the other day will get 12 days training under the aegis of the Indian Naval Workup Team (INWT). This is the first time a Malaysian ship is undergoing such a training activity in India. "India traditionally has enjoyed warm relations with Malaysia due to its shared historical and cultural linkages. Malaysia is also an important country in the context of our dialogue partnership with ASEAN and our membership of the East Asia Summit," said a Navy release. The OST of KD Jebat is a major milestone in enhancing naval cooperation between India and Malaysia. It also forms an integral part of Indias policy of capability building of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littoral nations. Over the next two weeks, the INWT will train the crew of KD Jebat in various aspects of operations at sea. KD Jebat is a Lekiu class guided missile frigate and is based at Lumut, as part of the 23rd Frigate Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The ship was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders, Glasgow, England, and commissioned on Nov 10, 1999. It is named after Hang Jebat, the erstwhile Laksamana (Admiral) of the Malacca Sultanate. Earlier, Commander Mohammed Noorsyarizal also called on Rear Admiral R J Nadkarni, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command (SNC), and discussed foreign cooperation issues between the two countries. Later in the day, the Commanding Officer of the RMN ship called on Rear Admiral S J Singh, NM, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), who gave the CO a broad overview of the workup schedule and training-related activities. The fourth round of dialogue between Chinese and Japanese entrepreneurs and former high-level officials was held in Beijing from October 11 to 12. During the talks, the delegates from both sides reached a consensus to deepen economic cooperation, promote globalization and innovation. The annual conference marked the improving ties and increasing high-level contact between the two countries. Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and urged both sides to bear responsibility for world peace and prosperity. The Japanese leader also promised a visit to China, which is set to take place from October 25 to 27 and would be his first in seven years. Observers say this gesture sends a positive message of speeding up enhanced cooperation while easing tensions on territorial and historical disputes. Former Chinese vice premier Zeng Peiyan, also the chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), called on both sides to seize the opportunity, as this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. During the event, participants from China recognized good momentum in bilateral economic ties, with rapid growth in trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges. However, they also admitted the world's second and third biggest economies are together facing risks of rising anti-globalization and protectionism. Experts pointed that China and Japan are closely linked in the global industrial chain. Zhang Dawei, secretary-general of CCIEE, said that China requires investment and technologies for its development while Japanese industries are looking for expanding markets. "China is shifting from fast-growing to high-equality growth, which offers commercial opportunities for Japanese manufacturing and service sectors," he added. The delegates from both sides called on the two countries to work together to oppose protectionism, while safeguarding international economic order. Japan, on its part, agreed that globalization is an irreversible trend, and entrepreneurs from both countries can improve the quality of cooperation in various sectors to contribute to the world economy. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said that China, Japan and other Asian countries have benefited from international order. Therefore, protecting the post-war order is in line with interests of all parties. Fukuda appeared to hold a positive outlook of the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He hoped the two leaders would specify the future of Sino-Japanese cooperative relations, and mentioned the meeting could also be a good turning point to help China ease trade tensions with the US for stable economic growth. The two east-Asian countries aim to ensure continued globalization and economic growth in the region. Both look forward to the materialization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and a free trade agreement between China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Another significant step is to focus on market development in third-party markets, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative. Ning Jizhe, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, during a meeting with Japanese and Thai officials on May 30 this year in Bangkok, said that the countries will jointly work on Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor. The announcement followed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's four-day visit to Japan in the same month. A forum will also be held in Beijing on China-Japan-ROK cooperation in third-party markets late October. Attendees also exchanged ideas to create a favorable environment for coordinated economic growth and social development. Cooperation strategies emphasized on sectors including innovation and high technology, healthcare and green energy. That is supposed to deal with China and Japan's common issues like industrial upgrading, an aging society, and pollution. Representatives from both countries spoke highly of regular exchanges between entrepreneurs and former senior officials. They acknowledged the significance of the platform for deepening cooperation, and promoting understanding. Tokyo will host the next round of talks in 2019. By PTI LOS ANGELES: Actor Gerard Butler has pulled out of a promotional event for his film "Hunter Killer" in Riyadh after the disappearance and possible murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a journalist, has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Butler was due to land in the Saudi capital on Tuesday following stops in London and Tel Aviv to promote his latest action thriller film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was slated for interviews with a few news outlets and was going to attend the premiere of the film but his representative has confirmed that the visit has now been cancelled. "Given the circumstances, it was no longer appropriate to make the trip," he stated. Khashoggi has been a longtime regime dissident and most recently a sharp critic of their ongoing war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has denied the accusations. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: In a series of sops doled out to Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM) president and Jaswant Nagar MLA Shivpal Yadav, Uttar Pradesh government is likely to upgrade his security by recommending Z plus category for the estranged Samajwadi party leader. The state government is set to take a decision in this regard in the wake alleged threat to the life of Shivpal as has been claimed by him. The Secular Morcha founder was allotted a sprawling bungalow at 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg which was vacated by BSP chief Mayawati on May 31, 2018 in compliance of the Supreme Court order for the ex-CMs over their eviction from government accommodation. According to sources, an alleged security threat to Yadav could be the reason for the increased security. A recent Intelligence Bureau report mentioned about the possible security threat to Shivpal who has rebelled against his parent party after getting engaged in a perpetually intense family feud, more so, with SP chief and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav over the transfer of party legacy. At present, VVIP 'Z plus' security cover has been given only to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati in the state. The state government's move to accord upgraded security cover to Shivpal has raised many eyebrows. READ HERE | Want Netajis blessing but will never come between father and son: Shivpal Yadav While fingers were already being raised at the allotment of the bungalow to him, now extending VVIP security cover would, undoubtedly, leave many tongues wagging and trigger speculations in political circles. Already rumours are rife in the corridors of politics in UP that the BJP is trying to woo Shivpal Yadav to widen the rift he has with nephew Akhilesh. Moreover, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had suggested the SSM founder to merge his party with the BJP. Explaining the upgradation of his security, Shivpal said: "I have been a five-time MLA and former minister, so I wanted a bigger space for which I had applied. Before allotting the bungalow to me, the state government had sought a report from the Intelligence Bureau and on the basis of it, this new house was allotted to me. All the rules and regulations have been followed in allotment of the bungalow,-" Yadav claimed. The bungalow situated at 6 Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg was earlier allotted to Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati and was vacated after the orders of the Supreme Court. By PTI BENGALURU: Against the backdrop of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's interaction with present and past employees of HAL on the Rafale deal, the state-run aerospace company Saturday regretted 'politicisation' of its employees and termed it as a fad and regrettable development that would be detrimental to national security and the organisation. An HAL statement, which did not specifically refer to Gandhi's interaction with the employees, came after the event, where the Congress president alleged that temples of modern India were being attacked and destroyed. An official from the agency told PTI that the NDA government has extended full-fledged support (to HAL), having placed supply orders of over Rs 27,340 crore during the 2014-18 period by recognising its premier position. Towards improvement and upgradation of infrastructure, including ramping up of production facilities, funding to the tune of Rs 7,800 crore was sanctioned during the period, it said. The official also said HAL enjoys pride of place in the defence and aerospace industry sector and has made an immense contribution to the nation-building process. "Today's attempt at politicisation of the employees is a fad and regrettable development and will be detrimental to the interest of the organisation, its employees as well as national security," the HAL official told PTI in the statement. In the interaction with former and past employees, Gandhi had accused the Modi government of destroying the country's "strategic asset" in form of HAL and told its employees that Rafale is their right. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. By UNI ALIGARH: After suspending three Kashmiri students, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has issued notices to nine other students after they tried to hold a funeral prayer for Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Manan Bashir Wani, who was killed in a gun battle with security forces in north Kashmir. The Human Resources Development Ministry too has sought a report from the university while the state government has spruced up the security in AMU campus. AMU officials said here on Saturday that show cause notices have been issued to nine other students after a video got viral on Friday about their participation in a condolence function in support of Wani. READ| Sedition cases against two Aligarh Muslim University scholars The students also shouted 'Azadi- Azadi' slogan during the function which was video recorded and uploaded on social media. The nine students, mostly native of Kashmir, are Wasim, Abdul Habib Mir, Pirzada Danish Sabir, Ejaj Ahmed Bhat, Mohammad Sultan Khan, Raquib Sultan,Samiullah Rathar, Shaukat Ahmed Lone and Mahbubal Haq. Earlier too, controversy broke out over the photo of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in AMU campus. AMU spokesperson and Professor Shafey Kidwai said that three students have already been suspended after they tried to hold funeral prayers for Wani near Kennedy Hall in the campus on Thursday. The university has made it clear that there was zero tolerance for any act which would even remotely be described as anti-national, he said with adding that more students, who had joined the meeting would face action. The 27-year-old Wani, had quit PhD studies in Allied Geology and joined the terrorist ranks in January this year. He was killed at Shatgund village in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district during the encounter on Thursday. Anand ST Das By Express News Service PATNA: A police officer was killed and a constable was injured in a fierce gun battle between a gang of criminals and the cops in Bihars Khagaria district in the early hours of Saturday, prompting the Opposition parties to target the state government over the rise in criminals audacity. Inspector Ashish Kumar Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Pasraha police station who led the raid on the criminals hideout, received bullets in his chest and was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival. Constable Durgesh Kumar received a bullet in a leg and is being treated at Bhagalpur. One of the criminals also died in the encounter, which took place in the Salarpur diara (sandy stretch) on the banks of the Ganga along the border of Khagaria and Bhagalpur districts. Singh, a 32-year-old officer of the 2009 batch, was leading a team of four policemen after getting a tip-off about a gathering of criminals from Dinesh Munis gang in the diara. Muni is a notorious gangster wanted in over 20 cases of murder, abduction and loot in eastern Bihar districts. Upon seeing the cops, his men started firing at the cops, who then retaliated. Sources said there was a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides. Ashish Kumar Singh was a brave officer, and the police force is proud of his heroic deed. The state government has released an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for his next of kin and offered a job to a person from his family, said Bihar police ADG (headquarters) SK Singhal. A criminal injured in the firing by police was later found dead, he added. The operation against the criminals, which started at about 1 AM, was based on proper information, said Singhal. Reinforcements were immediately sent to the diara after the encounter began. Raids are being conducted in the entire area by a Quick Response Team and Cheetah Force to nab the criminals who fired at police, he added. Mrityunjay Singh, president of Bihar Policemens Association, accused the police brass of deploying cops for raids on criminals without enough planning. The loss of an officers life at the hands of criminals is tragic. This encounter should be investigated to see if there was enough planning for it, he said. Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav of RJD attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the incident, saying: Nitish Kumar keeps saying that all is well in Bihar. But criminals are now killing police officers after targeting common citizens. All these points at the total failures of the states police machinery and the government. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: Four people, including a woman, were injured when the Paresh Baruah faction of insurgent group, United Liberation Front of Assam better known as ULFA-Independent triggered a blast in Guwahati on Saturday. The attack, which came just a week ahead of the first One Day International between India and West Indies in the city and Durga Puja beginning on Tuesday, is the fallout of the Centres move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The controversial bill seeks to grant citizenship to the non-Muslim immigrants of Bangladesh, besides Pakistan and Afghanistan who migrated to India till December 31, 2014. In Assam, the problem is about illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Various Assamese organisations, as well as the opposition parties, have been for long opposed to the Citizenship Bill. They say the bill, if passed, will not only automatically legalise the stay of the Hindu immigrants in Assam, it will also encourage the immigration of the Hindus from Bangladesh to the state. The blast came amidst speculations in Assam that the Centre will pass the Citizenship Bill during the Winter Session of the Parliament. The speculations got strengthened after the BJP at its recently-held state executive endorsed the bill. ALSO READ: Four injured in low-intensity blast in Guwahati We own up responsibility for the blast. We triggered it as a mark of protest against the Government of Indias attempt to settle the Bengali immigrants in Assam. The attack is also against the conspiracy against the National Register of Citizens (NRC). We will continue such protests in the coming days. We are sad that the hegemony of the locals is increasingly getting hurt, ULFA-Is self-styled commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah told a local news channel. It was not a powerful blast but the rebels act has the potential to provoke the indigenous communities against the Citizenship Bill. Various groups and organisations have already expressed concerns that if the Citizenship Bill is passed, it will adversely affect the locals and make the ongoing updation of NRC meaningless as the Hindu Bangladeshis (read non-Muslim immigrants) will be protected. The police said they were probing if the explosion was triggered through a timer device or remote control. We are also trying to find out the nature of the explosives used and if the rebels triggered it by themselves or outsourced somebody, Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia, said. He said there were no specific threats of subversive activities in the lead up to Durga Puja. He said the police would review the security situation. Assams Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya was critical of the rebel group. What will Paresh Baruah gain by carrying out such acts? And what is he trying to prove? He should apologise, Bhattacharya told reporters at the blast site. Its a wakeup call for us and we have taken it very seriously. We have to take more measures to tackle such acts. Such acts will benefit none, he added. The blast took place beside a footpath near the Sukreswar temple on the bank of the Brahmaputra at busy Pan Bazar area. A concrete wall was damaged in the impact of the explosion. A city bus was also partially damaged. By PTI NEW DELHI: Accusing the BJP of acting "power hungry" in Goa, the Congress on Saturday demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar step down and it be allowed to prove majority by convening a special session of the state assembly. Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Goa PCC chief Girish Chodankar claimed that the BJP is not removing Parrikar from the Chief Minister's post fearing that he might "spill the beans" on the Rafale fighter jet deal. The opposition party also accused the BJP of "betraying" the people of Goa and "killing governance" in the state. Also Read | CM Manohar Parrikar meets Goa cabinet at AIIMS to discuss state functioning "Power hungry BJP first murdered democracy in Goa and is now killing Governance there. The clamour for power has cemented a corrupt, callous and cheat BJP to the CM Chair in Goa. The BJP has no constitutional right to continue in power in Goa, even for a single day," said Khera. The opposition party alleged that the BJP "usurped" power in Goa through the back door. "People of Goa had given the mandate to the Congress. Governor Mridula Sinha should listen to the voice of people of Goa and opposition parties and allow us to prove our numbers on the floor of the House." "A special session of the Goa Assembly should be immediately convened and there should be a floor test. This will clear all doubts about who is in-charge in Goa and who has the rightful claim to head a democratic government," Chodankar said. He claimed the Congress has a majority in Goa and added that "Goans deserve a full-time chief minister and to ensure democracy and constitutional functioning, a floor test is imperative". At the same time, he added: "no constitutional morality can be expected from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah because they are drunk with power". Replying to a query, he said as the Defence Minister, Parrikar must have had a lot of information on the Rafale deal. "So we have no doubt that the moment the Prime Minister and the BJP President pressure him or demand his resignation or they try to remove him, Manohar Parrikar will not keep quiet, he will reveal all the secret information, important information, which can expose our Prime Minister," he claimed. Khera said the Congress has been demanding that the Goa Governor convene a one-day special session so that it can ask the government to prove majority. "The moment we get the first opportunity, we will prove it and we will show we can form the government. Today itself if you call the session that I am here, we will be able to prove majority in the assembly," he claimed. Wishing Parrikar a speedy recovery and long life, he said his ailment cannot be an impediment to the aspirations of the people of Goa as people of the state want governance, administration and progress. "Instead of taking Cabinet meetings in AIIMS Delhi, Parrikar should show moral righteousness and voluntarily step down from his post, and get ready for a floor test," he said. Khera alleged that the "state is headless, governance is paralyzed, the administration is crippled, there is a complete breakdown of authority, rule of law has collapsed, people are feeling cheated with absolutely no policy and direction and Goa is in chaos". Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment in New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), held meetings with party leaders as well as allies on Friday to discuss ways to ensure that his government functions normally. He is expected to shed "many" of his portfolios after Dussehra, according to ministers who met him. But Khera said, "This desperate drama of holding a cabinet meeting in AIIMS and playing musical chairs with the portfolio of ministers is the last straw and is akin to rubbing salt on wounds of people of Goa." In the 40-member state assembly, the Parrikar government has the support of 23 MLAs. These comprise 14 BJP MLAs, three each from the Goa Forward Party and MGP as well as three Independents. The opposition Congress is the single largest party in the Goa assembly with 16 MLAs. By IANS ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said the biggest challenge for Arunachal is connectivity. "The state has great potential in the fields of tourism, hydropower and agriculture-horticulture sectors, but they are not exploited fully due to lack of good connectivity," he said. He was addressing a session on "Inclusive and sustainable development of North East region by 2022", part of "India@75 - Co-creating India of 2022" initiative, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Assam's capital city of Guwahati. Khandu, however, remained optimistic that with the assistance from the Central government on rail, road and air connectivity, this bottleneck would be overcome in the coming days. On hydropower projects in Arunachal, Chief Minister said one of the major hindrances in its growth is the long duration for the hydro projects to obtain clearances that extends beyond 10 years. He said the issue must be discussed to remove such hindrances. Khandu also spoke of the people's sentiments attached with their land. He said locals must be taken into confidence before going ahead with hydro projects, and the concerns of downstream people must also be taken into consideration. Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura Jishnu Dev Varma also attended the session. By UNI SRINAGAR: One militant had been gunned down after a fierce encounter ensued between militants and security forces during Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in south Kashmir district of Pulwama on Saturday, a police spokesman said. #Pulwama encounter is over. One terrorist killed . Arms and ammunition recovered.Identity is yet to be ascertained.@JmuKmrPolice Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) October 13, 2018 He said that the troops of Army, Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched a joint search operation in a village in Pulwama in the wee hours of Saturday following a tip off about the presence of militants. READ| Policeman killed by unidentified gunmen in north Kashmir However, when the security forces were sealing the area, militants hiding there started firing with automatic weapons, police added. The security forces also retaliated ensuing in an encounter. He said that the operation was going on when the reports last came in. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Former employees of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) spoke up against the current NDA government and the Rafale aircraft deal during a meeting with All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Rahul Gandhi in the city on Saturday. The meeting, which began around 4 PM, saw past employees say that they would continue to fight to keep HAL's reputation intact. "We feel insulted, we are a reputed company. Do you want to kill this industry? It is insult and injury to give our engineers jobs to a 12-day old company. I condemn this management. For the first time, I am seeing them issue a circular, directing employees not to attend this function. Many employees would have come but because of the situation of fear they have not. It is illegal, illogical and uncalled for," said Sirajuddin, an ex-employee of HAL who said that he had worked with the company for 40 years and through three wars. Also Read | Rahul steps up attack over Rafale deal, says nation indebted to HAL Mahadevan, a former General Secretary of the HAL employees union said that there was no doubt about HAL's capability to work on the Rafale deal. "Someone in a position of responsibility says that we (HAL) do not have the capability. HAL is legitimately entitled to get the Rafale project. We are now 75 years old. Next month we will meet in Athens to bring up this issue in front of the international forum of trade unions. We are hurt. Governments cannot keep giving up on the public sector," he said. Gandhi, speaking at the start of the meeting, reaffirmed his faith in the company and said that the country owed a debt to HAL for protecting it and creating a scientific vision for progress. "When Obama said the only countries that can challenge the US were India and China, it was because of the work you have done too," he said. Gandhi said that he had come to listen to employees and not to address them. "I want to understand the issues you face and see what we can do to help as opposition as also when we come to power." Shivalingaiah, of the HAL SC/ST employees association, said that the current situation at HAL was dire. "50% of workers are jobless. The aircraft division is jobless. Everybody knows HAL will close in five years because there are no projects," he said. N Umesh, a former employee and a member of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said that there would be a 48-hour strike by trade unions on the 27 and 28 of October. In his closing remarks, Gandhi said that the Rafale aircraft was HAL's right and that it was the only company capable. "One should look at merit and make an objective decision. Based on this, nobody would have chosen the other company. HAL doesn't have any debt but the person who got the Rafale contract has Rs. 40,000 crore debt," he said. Gandhi said that Defence PSU's are the temples of modern India and that they were being destroyed. "There is tremendous amount of experience you have and it cannot be destroyed in this manner. You are fighting for this and I want to tell you that we will also not allow it," Gandhi said. Upper reaches of Yangtze blocked in border area of Tibet, Sichuan More than 24,600 people have been evacuated after a landslide blocked the Jinsha River - the upper reaches of the Yangtze - in the border area of Sichuan province and the Tibet autonomous region, authorities said. As of 6 pm Friday, more than 13,600 people in affected areas in Tibet had been evacuated. The rising water also caused the collapse of some houses in the region. About 11,000 people from neighboring Sichuan were also evacuated, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. The landslide occurred around 7 am Thursday in Qamdo city, though no casualties have been reported. As of 3 pm Thursday, about 100 million cubic meters of water have accumulated in the barrier lake, according to the Sichuan flood control authority. Vehicles are waiting to ship relief supplies on Oct 12. [Photo/Xinhua] At 11 am Thursday, the water flow in the monitoring station 90 kilometers upstream from the barrier lake was 1,320 cubic meters per second. Water flow in the station 70 kilometers downstream from the lake, however, dropped from 1,900 cubic m/s at 8 pm on Wednesday to only 200 cubic m/s, said the authority. Changjiang Water Resources Commission said it has asked monitoring stations to report data every 10 minutes. The scale of the landslide is vast and several bridges, fields and villages were affected. Bolo township, where the landslide occurred, has been isolated after a bridge to the township was inundated, Qamdo authorities said. Local government staff members are continuing the transportation of daily necessities, including beds and food, to the affected area on Oct 12. [Photo/Xinhua] "The local government is continuing the transportation of daily necessities, including beds and food, to the affected area and currently there have been enough to meet the needs of the evacuees," said Tanpa Yarphel, a senior official with the Jomda county government, where Bolo township is located. While all residents in the affected area have been evacuated, searches are ongoing along the river to ensure no one has been left behind. Sodnam Wangchug, Party chief of Bolo township, said they have constructed four shelters to accommodate evacuees and four doctors have been dispatched to the shelters. Tsering Lhamo, a local resident, said they are staying in a tent and have enough to eat. "We are at ease now," he said. The incident has triggered an emergency response from the Ministry of Emergency Management. Affected people rest at a resettlement site in Qamdo on Oct 12. [Photo/Xinhua] The top emergency management authority held an emergency meeting with government bodies related to the disaster relief work, including the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Water Resources and China Meteorological Administration, on Thursday night. A joint emergency response mechanism headed by Huang Ming, Party chief of the Ministry of Emergency Management, was established in the meeting. Under the mechanism, the different government bodies will meet every day to coordinate joint actions in the disaster relief work to root out risks as soon as possible. Ye Jianchun, vice-minister of emergency management, has arrived at the site to guide disaster relief work, leading a joint team from various government bodies, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said it has asked local authorities to evacuate residents from areas that may be affected and ordered reservoirs downstream to discharge water to give space for possible flooding. By Express News Service BENGALURU: All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi will be in Bengaluru on Saturday to address a gathering that is expected to include former and current employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). While the event is expected to be an extension of Congress escalation of the multicrore Rafale deal, the employees union of HAL has categorically refused to take part in Saturdays event. We represent the government and will not meet any political forums. We are government employees and represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. We are pained that HAL has not been given the opportunity to manufacture Rafale, but we have spoken to the Defence Minister about it, said Suryadevar Chandrashekhar, General Secretary, HAL Employees Union. With this, the union has officially declined to be part of the event. ALSO READ | Denied nod, Rahul Gandhi to interact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited employees at different venue The Congress, however, believes that many employees will attend the event in their personal capacity. Rahul Gandhi will be here to speak about the achievements of HAL and stand in solidarity with the employees. Everybody is welcome to take part in it, said KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre. While Congress has stated that Saturdays event outside HALs corporate office at Minsk Square is being organised by private persons who have great respect for HAL, Rahuls visit is expected to be nothing short of a spectacle, given the busy junction that has been chosen as the venue. RAHULS SCHEDULE 1:55 pm: Arrival at Bengaluru airport 2:30 pm: Meeting with Congress leaders at Kumara Krupa guest house 3:30-5 pm: Addressing HAL former and current employees at Minsk Square, near HAL corporate office 6 pm: Departure for New Delhi Rebellion in the Ramanagara district unit of Congress against the poll pact with JD(S) is showing no signs of subsiding with rebel leader Iqbal Hussein threatening to contest as an independent if the party leadership fails to announce its official candidate by October 14. The Congress leadership has authorised its troubleshooter and Ramanagara district minister D K Shivakumar to quell the trouble. Shivakumar spoke to Iqbal Hussein on Friday and appealed to him to adhere to the poll pact with JD(S). Expressing his displeasure at the protest by party workers in Ramanagara and the vandalism at the Congress district office, Shivakumar reportedly tried to convince Hussein that the pact needs to be honoured in the larger interest of the party to defeat BJP. Shivakumar conveyed his strong resentment against another rebel voice and party MLC C M Lingappa, whose son Chandrashekar Lingappa joined BJP. The Congress local leaders in Ramanagara have announced their decision not to campaign for JD(S) candidate Anita Kumaraswamy. Hussein is contemplating contesting as an independent against Anita. He had polled about 70,000 votes against H D Kumaraswamy in Ramanagara in the recent assembly election. A clear picture as to whether Hussein will contest or not is likely to emerge on October 14 and October 16 is the last date for filing of nominations. We need to adhere to certain decisions in the national interest even if those decisions hurt us, Shivakumar said. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant was killed and another suspected militant was injured in the gunfight with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Saturday while a policeman was shot dead by militants in the Sopore area of north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Friday night. A police official said acting on specific information, the police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army launched a joint search operation in the Babagund area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir in the early hours of Saturday. He said militants who were hiding in a house in the area, fired on the team. The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter. In the ensuing gunfight, a Lashkar militant Shabir Ahmad Dar was killed, the official said. Sources in the security forces said the injured person, identified as Showkat Ahmad, was taken to a Srinagar hospital by locals where he is currently under treatment. Police is ascertaining his identity and other related facts of the incident, said a police officer, adding, We will be detaining the person, if he is found to be a militant... Another officer said one more militant, identified as Zahoor Ahmad Thokar, an army deserter, managed to escape during the gunfight. On the other hand, militants shot and killed policeman Javed Ahmed Lone inside his house in Sopore in north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Friday night. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: In what could be seen as a shot in the arm of the Bhartiya Janata Party ahead of the Chhattisgarh polls, a working president of the Congress and a known tribal face Ram Dayal Uike has joined the BJP in the presence of the party chief Amit Shah at Bilaspur on Saturday. Chief Minister Raman Singh, state BJP president Dharamlal Kaushik and other senior party leaders were present during the occasion. While the BJP claimed the decision of Uike will strengthen the party to accomplish the mission of 65 seats, the opposition Congress expressed surprise over the development. "We feel astounded. But the Congress always have an alternative. A strong formidable candidate will replace him from the seat where he was likely to contest", said a senior Congress leader and leader of opposition T S Singhdeo. Uike, who had quit the BJP in 2000 and joined the Congress-led government, vacated his tribal seat of Marwahi from where Jogi later won and became the chief minister. Uike, a four-time MLA, giving a major setback to the Congress, said that he has been feeling suffocated in the Congress party which no longer remains a real well-wisher for the tribals. During the previous one month, Uike was apparently disenchanted with the reported inclination of the Congress party to enter into an alliance with a tribal-based Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) and further meditating to allocate GGP a reserved Scheduled Tribe (ST) seat of Pali-Tanakhar (in Korba district), which was represented by Uike for last last three terms. President of GGP Hira Singh Markam stood at number two on Pali-Tanakhar constituency with the BJP at a third spot in the previous two elections. "Switching sides or changing allegiance to other political party happens before elections. Uike who earlier left BJP to join Congress and again returned to BJP must have assessed his own personal gain. Though as a senior Congress leader he didn't command the same popularity as earlier-", opined Ashok Tomar, a political analyst. It remains to be seen what repercussion Uike's decision might carry in the political arena of the state, his rebellious move is expected to deliver a major blow to the opposition Congress, which is out of power in Chhattisgarh since 2003. In Chhattisgarh Congress, besides the president there are two working presidents one each belonging to ST and SC. Elections to the 90-member state assembly are scheduled to be held on November 12 and 20. Ramananda Sengupta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Pakistans new Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power on populist, anti-Western plank, had to swallow his pride and ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package of over $9 billion dollars to help tide over the countrys acute financial crisis. Following a meeting between Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar with IMF managing director Christine Lagarde at the IMF summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday, Lagarde issued a statement saying that during the meeting, they requested financial assistance from the IMF to help address Pakistans economic challenges. An IMF team will visit Islamabad in the coming weeks to initiate discussions for a possible IMF-supported economic programme. The request comes at a time when Pakistan has barely two months of reserves before it goes bankrupt. An IMF team, which visited Pakistan earlier this month, had noted that while Pakistan had started taking some corrective action, these were grossly inadequate. Then theres the anti-terror Financial Action Task Force, which after putting Pakistan on its gray last earlier this year, has warned that Pakistan has not complied with its promised reforms to escape being put on its blacklist in January. Blacklisting by the IATF would be catastrophic for Pakistan at a time when it is seeking bailouts from foreign institutions. ALSO READ: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor focus must be on job creation, agriculture, says Imran Khan But Khans woes have just begun, since one of the preconditions of any IMF loan would be a full disclosure of the amount Pakistan owes to China for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), whose financial details remain opaque at best. Pakistan has taken $60 billion worth of loans from China, much of which is for the development of the CPEC. In June, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had cautioned against any IMF bailout to Pakistan that would be used to repay its existing debt to China. Make no mistake. We will be watching what the IMF does, Pompeo told CNBC television. An Indian official, while reiterating that the crisis was of Pakistans own making, quipped that half their problems would be solved if they used their terrorist finances for better things. Dicey situation By PTI CHANDIGARH: Scores of farmers Saturday held a demonstration at Punjab's Barnala district, asking the government to come out with a viable solution for stubble burning. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), farmers including women gathered at Barnala's grain market, protesting against the state and central government for allegedly harassing paddy growers in Punjab. They demanded the government give farmers Rs 200 per quintal as the bonus for the management of crop residue if it failed to propose a viable solution for stubble burning problem. Also Read | Crop burning worsens Delhi air, haze makes breathing difficult for second day in Mumbai "The government should come out with a proper solution for stubble burning problem or else give us Rs 200 per quintal as a bonus for the management of crop residue," said BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokrikalan. They sad by using farm machinery, only 9 per cent of the stubble which comes around 20 lakh tonne out of 220 lakh tonne can be managed, said Khokrikalan. He said farmers were being unnecessarily defamed over stubble burning issue. "Stubble burning causes only 8 per cent of air pollution and only paddy growers are being blamed for causing environmental pollution. But nobody speaks about those who cause 92 per cent of pollution," he further said. Farmers also accused private farm equipment companies of making the profit by hiking the cost of machinery. "Farmers do not want that they should burn the stubble as it causes environmental pollution. But they have to do so in the absence of any workable solution to the problem," he said. Punjab and Haryana annually generate 220 and 65 lakh tonne of paddy stubble, respectively. By PTI BENGALURU: Congress president Rahul Gandhi today described HAL as a "strategic asset" in aerospace, saying the country owed a debt to it, as he stepped up his campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal. Reaching out to present and former employees of the defence PSU at an interaction with them here, Gandhi said, work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision. "HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company," Gandhi said at the event organised at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters. He said he was interacting with the employees to understand how to make "this strategic asset" (HAL) more effective "so that when we come to power, we will do it more aggressively." HAL is not just a company, when India got independence, India built some strategic assets to enter specific areas, HAL is a strategic asset to take India into aerospace. The work you have done for this country is tremendous&the country owes a debt to you:Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/HEm7e8pgRt ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he alleges HAL had been overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation preferring Anil Ambani's company. The Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting the Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The presence of Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shatrughan Sinha and former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Thursday at an event to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Jayaprakash Narayan that was organised at the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters in Lucknow, has set off speculation that the actor may contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an SP ticket. After the event, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav held a closed door meeting with Shatrughan as well as Yashwant Sinha. SP leaders, who did not want to be named, said they had drawn Yadavs attention to Sinha. They added that the decision is still pending but deliberations are ongoing.Lately, the actor has been voicing his displeasure against the BJP governments publicly. However, he has not faced any action from the party so far. There is a feeling within the party that Shatrughan may find a large following among the Kayasths in Varanasi, which is adjacent to his home state Bihar, said above-mentioned sources. At the event, Shatrughan and Yashwant launched a full-scale attack against the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance. Speaking about the Rafale deal, Shatrughan exhorted the Centre to clarify its stand on the deal. Why was Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) denied a role in the deal despite having expertise in making planes? he asked, raising questions on the credentials of Anil Ambanis Reliance Defence saying it was included in the deal without even having manufactured the components of a motorcycle so far. Shatrughan also touched on the issue of the demonetisation, claiming it was not a decision taken by the BJP as a party. I am not against the party. I am against those people who are autocratic. Demonetisation was not the decision of the BJP. Demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) have ruined the poor, he said. People often ask me why I speak against the BJP despite being its member. I tell them that I speak the truth. If speaking the truth is rebellion, then I am indeed a rebel, he added.Yashwant Sinha described the scenario in the country as worse than the days of the emergency. He called upon the anti-BJP parties to stitch up a strong and formidable mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) to ensure the saffron partys ouster from the Centre in 2019. If people do not wake up even now, it will be too late, he said. By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The Aligarh police booked two research scholars and several unidentified students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) under sedition charges after a video demanding azadi (independence) went viral on social media on Friday. On the same day, AMU served a show-cause notice to nine students for allegedly offering funeral prayers for slain PhD-scholar-turned-Hizbul-commander Mannan Wani, who was killed in Kashmir on Thursday. Aligarh SSP Ajay Kumar Sahni confirmed that two AMU research scholars, Wasim Ayub Malik and Abdul Hasid Meer, along with several unidentified students were booked. Earlier, on Thursday, AMU authorities had suspended three students for offering the funeral prayers for Wani. However, AMU Public Relations Officer Omar Peerzada confirmed that show cause notices were issued to nine others who had assembled. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRI NAGAR: The third phase of the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will take place on Saturday. A total of 365 candidates are in the fray for the third phase which will cover 96 wards. According to Election Commission (EC) officials, a total of 411 candidates were originally to contest for 207 wards in the third phase however, candidates from 49 wards in Kashmir were elected unopposed while no nominations were filed for 62 wards in the militancy-riddled Valley. Now, a total of 365 candidates are in fray for 96 wards in the state. Of these, 242 candidates are contesting from 56 wards of Jammu while 120 candidates are in fray for 40 wards in the Valley, the official said. J&Ks Chief Election Officer (CEO) Shaleen Kabra said 300 polling stations have been set up across the state and the polling would begin at 6 AM and go on till four in the evening. Two of the major parties in the state, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have boycotted the polls over the Centres stand Article 35A of the constitution which grants special rights to the residents of the state. Separatists and militants have also called for a boycott of the polls, over the issue. The boycotts effect has been very visible. The first two phases of 4-phased ULB polls witnessed a very poor turnout in the Valley. While the turnout in the first phase in Kashmir was 8%, it was 3.4% in the second phase held on October 10. However, the Jammu and Ladakh region has witnessed brisk polling. Authorities have made tight security arrangements for the smooth and peaceful conduct of polls. Did you know that Omegas Seamaster collection is the brands first family of watches? Or that the earliest Omega Seamaster was actually the civilian version of the military issue produced for the British Royal Air Force (RAF)? During the Second World War and between 1940 and 1945, Omega had supplied more than 110,000 watches to the British Ministry of Defence, otherwise known as MoD. These watches were used by the RAF and various branches of the British military. Omega Capitalising on the technology and experienced gained in producing robust watches for the British military, Omega created the Seamaster collection in 1948, the brands very first and now oldest family of watches. In 2018, two special limited edition pieces, the Seamaster 1948 Small Seconds and the Seamaster 1948 Central Second, were launched to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster collection (1948 to 2018). These two were re-editions of the first two Seamasters of 1948 the CK 2518 and the CK 2577. Omega As part of the 70th anniversary of the collection, Omega has also put up a Seamaster Exhibition that is currently being held at the ION Orchard shopping mall located along Orchard Road in Singapore. The exhibition includes a Heritage Tunnel showcasing vintage Omega watches. One interesting highlight being the CK 2444 from 1945 otherwise nicknamed the Omega Malayan Forces watch. It is believed that the Malayan Forces nickname arose because this particular model, supplied to the MoD, was sent to the British military stationed in British Malaya which included Malaysia, Penang and Singapore. Chen Han Wei Omega Another vintage piece to highlight is the Omega Seamaster 300 CK 2913. This is an iconic watch and it is one model of three that has been termed Omegas Holy Trinity. The other two being the Railmaster CK 2914 and the Speedmaster CK 2915, all bearing the famed broad arrow hour hand. The Seamaster Professional 300M reference 2541.80 with a blue dial and powered by a quartz movement seen at the exhibition is probably the most well-known not just amongst Omega collectors but with James Bond fans. Introduced in 1993, this Seamaster 300M was seen two years later in the 1995 James Bond movie Goldeneye as it had become the British master spys watch of choice. Omega In fact, 2018 marks a double anniversary celebration for Omega it is also the 25th anniversary (1993 to 2018) of the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M. As such, the Seamaster Diver 300M has been given a facelift. While its iconic look remains, the subtle changes include the change in the date display position from 3 oclock to 6 oclock, a new conical-shaped helium escape valve, the diving bezel in ceramic with diving scales in either Ceragold or white enamel and of course, the return of the wavy decoration on the dial. The 2018 models were on display at the Exhibition Room in this double anniversary Seamaster exhibition that showcases how Omega will be riding its Seamasters high on the waves once more. By PTI PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is likely to return on Sunday from Delhi, where he has been undergoing treatment for the pancreatic ailment at a hospital, a senior government official said on Saturday. Parrikar (62) was admitted to Delhi's premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on September 15. "The chief minister is likely to be brought to Goa in a special flight on Sunday from Delhi. The doctors who are treating him at the hospital would certify on Sunday morning whether he is fit to travel back home," the official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. If he returns to Goa, Parrikar will stay at his private residence in Panaji, he added. On Friday, Parrikar met Goa BJP's core committee members and ministers from coalition partners at AIIMS to discuss ways to ensure his government functions normally during his absence from office due to ill health. Also Read | Congress claims majority in Goa, wants Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to step down He also reviewed pending development works and discussed the distribution of some of his portfolios to his cabinet colleagues. However, leaders of the ruling BJP and its allies, who met Parrikar separately, had ruled out any change in leadership in the coastal state. Parrikar has been ailing since mid-February and has been treated at different hospitals including those in Goa, Mumbai and the US. Harpreet Singh Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Interrogation of the three Kashmiri students arrested on Wednesday from Jalandhars CT Institute of Engineering and Technology has revealed that Kashmir-based terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) had been planning to carry out bomb blasts in the city during Dusshera, police officers investigating the case said on Friday. The officers, who did not want to be named, added that the three arrested operatives Zahid Gulzar, Yusuf Rafiq Bhatt and Mohammad Idriss Shah had been instructed to watch out for the date on which they would have to carry out the blasts by looking for writing on a tree near a bridge in Amritsar. They added that 19 had been inscribed on a tree, which they had found and that this meant that the date chosen was October 19. The states Intelligence and police agencies are not on the hunt for the person who brought the explosives into the state and stashed them with the arrested operatives. During the interrogation, Zahid said they did not know where they had to place the explosives. He reportedly told officers that he had been in touch with the terror group over six months and had gone to Amritsar on October 7 to collect the explosives from under a bridge. He reportedly used social media platforms to communicate with the group. After the interrogation, the police have started rounding up several others. Four other students who hail from Kashmir were picked up by the city police on Friday evening for questioning. The four are said to be friends with the three arrested operatives and have been staying in the city for some time. Two other students in Jagraon, near Ludhiana, have reportedly gone into hiding and the police are currently trying to trace their whereabouts. Another student, Sohail of Awantipura in J&K, is also under the scanner for alleged links with the terror group. Sohail is studying at a private institute near Chandigarh and was picked up by the J&K police in Jammu. Mukesh Ranjan By Express News Service RANCHI: Putting more hurdles before the formation of a grand alliance by the Opposition parties lead by Congress President Rahul Gandhi for 2019 Polls, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has demanded to share of Assembly seats in Jharkhand before Lok Sabha Elections. Earlier also, giving a blow to Congress' plan to project Rahul Gandhi as future Prime Minister, Soren has cleared that he was in favour of choosing a candidate for the coveted post only by the elected MPs after the polls. Party sources confirmed that Soren has conveyed the message to the senior Congress leaders that the grand alliance for 2019 polls could be possible only after a consensus is reached over sharing of seats for Assembly elections in Jharkhand. JMM being a single largest party in the Opposition which enjoys maximum vote per cent among all parties in the Opposition wants a respectable share of seats for Assembly elections. One of the JMM MLA also asserted that no conclusive decision has been taken so far in this regard. "Though, no conclusive decision has been taken so far, our stand is clear that being the single largest party in the Opposition, also having highest vote percentage among the Opposition parties in all elections, respectable number of seats must be given to us," said Bahragora MLA from JMM Kunal Shadangi. When asked about acceptance over Congress President Rahul Gandhi as a Prime Ministerial candidate, he said that it will be too early to say anything on that. "Party's stand has been made clear to all associated parties that the priority of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is Assembly elections, hence they must refrain from making unwanted statements unless it comes from the horse's mouth," said the MLA. According to party insiders, JMM wants at least 40 seats for Assembly elections, while the Congress leaders are not ready to give more than 30 seats, which has become the main reason of dissatisfaction among JMM. Change of stand by the Congress Party over going into Assembly polls under the leadership of Hemant Soren has also created a sense of confusion among the Opposition unity in Jharkhand. Congress, on the other hand, believes that there is no confusion from their side on the issue as the talks were still going on. "There is no confusion that both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha Elections will be contested together by the Opposition parties and the grand alliance is intact in the State," said State Congress Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan. Leaders of Opposition parties will again sit together after Dushehra and reach to a consensus on sharing of seats, he added. Notably, Soren returned from New Delhi on Friday after having an intensive discussion with Jharkhand Congress in charge RPN Singh, State Congress President Ajoy Kumar and other senior leaders. By UNI ALLAHABAD: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced that very soon Allahabad would be known as Prayagraj as demanded by the saints and others. The CM made this announcement before the media after the meeting of the Kumbh Margdarshak Mandal here. The CM said state governor Ram Naik had already supported the demands of the saints and people of the Sangam city. " The government will soon sent the proposal of changing the name of the city soon to the centre", he said. Yogi Adityanath, Mahant of the Gorakshnath Path in Gorakhpur also announced that pilgrims would be able to see and worship the Akshyabat and Saraswati kup during the Kumbh Mela at Sangam early next year. Earlier in July last, UP Minister Sidharthnath Singh had demanded the same and sent a letter to Governor Ram Naik in this regard. "Mr Naik (former MP from Maharashtra) had helped 'Bombay' to be renamed as 'Mumbai'. I have written to him to consider renaming Allahabad as 'Prayagraj', a long pending demand of the saints and people of the city," said the UP minister in his letter. Mr Singh, grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, hails from the Sangam city and had been demanding for the same from the day BJP came to power in the state. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has once again received plaudits at the national level for its efforts in implementing LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP). The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has announced that the State has topped in all programmes related to energy efficiency such as LED street lighting, UJALA among others. During a meeting of Parliament Members Consultative Committee for the power ministry, chaired by Union Power Minister RK Singh, in Hyderabad on Friday, EESL MD Saurabh Kumar said the State was far ahead than other states in the country in implementation of energy efficiency programmes. The Union minister assured all the states to offer help in energy efficiency activities and commended the EESL and the building energy efficiency programmes (BEEP) for their efforts. While the EESL distributed 31 crore LED bulbs in place of incandescent bulbs across the country, he said the State has distributed around 2.18 crore LED bulbs so far to about 1.16 crore households. Similarly, the EESL has retrofitted around 18 lakh LED streetlights in urban and rural areas in coordination with Energy, PR&RD and AP MAUD departments. Around 4 lakh have been retrofitted by the gram panchayats. Andhra Pradesh is the only State in the country which has completed 100 per cent LED street lighting in four districts, the EESL MD said. No other State has achieved such a unique record so far. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directly monitors led street lighting from his dashboard daily, he added. While the EESL has completed LED street lighting programme in 624 urban local bodies (ULBs) so far as against the target of 941 ULBs, the State has completed 100 per cent installation in all 110 ULBS by end of January 2017 itself. It is estimated that with the LED programme, 4,700 million units of energy were saved and a reduction of 3.24 MT of CO2 emissions were achieved in the country, the EESL claimed. Kumar said the EESL, for the first time, has entered into an agreement with NREDCAP and Discoms of Andhra Pradesh for the supply of one lakh e-vehicles in February 2018. Under Phase-I, the EESL would supply 10,000 e-vehicles and set up 4,000 charging stations across the State. We have completed the tendering and planning stages and now we are executing the e-mobility scheme in the country. However, the State has stood first in implementing the e-mobility as it has already introduced e-vehicles in various cities and introduced a policy to adopt e- vehicles, he said. Moreover, the EESL is undertaking energy efficiency programmes at the national level to achieve transformation through energy efficiency measures. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the dust kicked up over accepting of foreign aid to deal with the flood situation in Kerala is yet to settle, another row over the visiting of chief minister and cabinet ministers foreign countries is set to hit headline with Centre sitting on the request seeking permission of the state ministers. According to sources in the state government, the chief minister and 17 ministers have requested the office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of External Affairs seeking permission to visit foreign countries especially Middle East countries as part of resource mobilization from October 17 to 21, during the Puja holidays. ALSO READ | No foreign government aid for Kerala floods: Foreign Ministry after UAE offers Rs 700 crore But the Centre is yet to give permission for the state cabinet ministers, while it is learnt that the chief minister was given conditional permission to visit foreign countries. It is not known whats are the conditions stipulated by the Centre for the chief minister for visiting the foreign countries. The government sources also clarified that it is not possible for the ministers to hold foreign trip if the decision on their request is delayed a few more days. The Union Government has also courted controversy last year with denying permission to state Tourism and Cooperation Minister Kadakampally Surendran to attend the 22nd session of the general assembly of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), in Chengdu, China. ALSO READ | Kerala flood relief: Policy wonks question Centre's line on foreign aid Earlier, Rajya Sabha member and former Minister Binoy Viswam has moved the Supreme Court, seeking to wield its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to do complete justice and direct the Centre to allow foreign aid for flood relief work and rehabilitation in Kerala, after the Centre turned down the proposal of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide financial assistance to help Kerala. By Express News Service PATHANAMTHITTA: Former Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan said restrictions on the entry of women in the 10-50 age group at Sabarimala was due to speciality of the deity. Gender equality is not violated here, but only the restriction on the age group of the women, he said. Addressing the media here on Friday, he said the protection and continuance of the speciality of the deity would be needed for the very existence of the temple. He said women in the restricted age group wont offer worship at Sabarimala as they are aware of the importance of the temple practice and the speciality of the deity. Even after the SC verdict, women who believe in the ongoing practices wont visit the hill shrine, he said. Devotees wont prevent the entry of women at Sabarimala. However, chances of violation of law and order could not be ruled out if vested interests play a dirty game in the name of the court order, he warned, adding that the authorities should be on alert to prevent any violence. Gopalakrishnan said he is ready to sacrifice his life for the cause of protecting ongoing practices at the temple. Ajay Kanth By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Managing women pilgrims through the 18 holy steps at Sannidhanam in Sabarimala will be a herculean task as an assessment made by the Kerala Police points out if the flow of women pilgrims increases, crowd management at Sabarimala will go haywire. According to the assessment which was discussed in detail at the high power committee meeting, regulating the flow of pilgrims through the 18 steps was the core factor in crowd management during the pilgrim season. For proper crowd control, at least 75 pilgrims should pass through the holy steps per minute and the flow should be steady when the sanctum sanctorum is open to prevent long queues during the peak pilgrimage days. Usually, policemen are deployed in different shifts on either side of the holy steps to help the pilgrims ascend the steep steps. If more women pilgrims arrive, then the flow will become slow delaying the movement of the crowd, a police officer told Express. Above all, it will not be a viable option to deploy women police personnel on the side of the holy steps to physically guide the women pilgrims to help them ascend the steps. A police officer told Express: If male police personnel are deployed to guide women pilgrims, some women may raise objections to it. Another factor is women police personnel will not be able to exert the same physical effort taken by the policemen to regulate the movement of pilgrims. Thiruvananthapuram Range Inspector General Manoj Abraham said the department was taking stock of all possible options to ensure a smooth pilgrimage season this time. We are also considering to implement a totally digital-driven darshan system with time slots for pilgrims. Soon, we will be working out a detailed crowd management plan specially to regulate the flow of women pilgrims, he said. Another worrying factor for the police is the deployment of a large number of women police personnel at Sannidhanam can only be done after ensuring proper facilities for them which include accommodation and mess. We will not be able to use women police personnel for the kind of tasks at Sannidhanam which usually require high physical activity. So, we will not be able to reduce the number of policemen also, said another officer, adding managing women pilgrims at Sannidhanam will not be an easy task for the police. By Online Desk Coming out strongly against the agitations carried out against the Supreme Court ruling permitting women between the age of 10 and 50 to enter the Sabarimala shrine, Bhumata Brigade founder Trupti Desai on Saturday said she is still determined to visit the temple. The Pune-based social activist labelled the position taken by the opposition Congress and BJP in the matter as "unconstitutional." ALSO READ | Rip women daring to visit Sabarimala by half: Malayalam actor Kollam Thulasi Stating that she will soon announce the date of her visit to Sabarimala, Trupti added that the ongoing agitations against the verdict need to be ignored. She also said that her trip to the hill-shrine will not be a solo one, but a group of women will be accompanying her. The Karnataka-born also requested all people to welcome the verdict whole-heartedly. ALSO READ | State will not go back on implementing SC verdict on Sabarimala: Kerala CM Trupti Desai's Bhumata Brigade, a Pune-based organisation, through which she has campaigned against the discriminatory treatment meted to women in religious places like Shani Shingnapur Temple in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, the Mahalakshmi Temple at Kolhapur district and the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik districts. By PTI TIRUCHIRAPALLI: The Dubai-bound Air India Express plane was flying at a speed of 250 km and possibly overloaded when its tyre hit an equipment used to guide a pilot to land a flight and then brushed the compound wall during take-off at the International Airport here early Friday, officials said. Tiruchirappalli airport Director K Gunasekaran has said on-duty Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel had informed the air traffic control (ATC) about the accident, following which the air traffic controller informed the pilots about it. A day after all 136 people on board the Air India Express plane had a miraculous escape, airport officials Saturday said airport staff, including CISF personnel, who informed the ATC about the accident, are being questioned. According to the airline, the pilot in command, Captain D Ganesh Babu, has a flying experience on the B737 aircraft of 3,600 hours. The first officer, Captain Anurag, has an experience of about 3,000 hours on the B737. Ganesh Babu had reportedly told officials that there was no problem in the plane and all the cockpit equipment indicated to him that plane was in good shape, airport officials said. The officials said the pilot was supposed to take-off at a particular point on the '8169 runway,' but he could have crossed that point before taking off leading to the tyre brushing the wall. When the passengers asked about the "scary rocking" experienced by them, they were reportedly told by the crew that it was common. "It is not known when the ATC staff contacted the pilot after the incident. The exchange between the pilot and the ground staff, timing etc will be examined during the investigation," officials said. It was also possible that the plane was overloaded leading to the problem in taking off and reaching a particular height, they said. According to officials, a car passenger, who passed by that way at the same time, was injured as a piece of debris of the wall, which was damaged in the incident, hit her. This would also be investigated, they said. The passenger has been identified as Manimala of Tiruvarur district. A piece of fence mesh was seen trapped near the tyre of the plane and its bottom was found slashed in the impact, officials said. Gunasekaran has said after the air traffic controller informed the pilots about the accident, the pilots reported that "all operations normal. So we allowed them (to proceed)." Airport officials had Friday informed their counterparts in Dubai about the accident and told them that there was no major damage to the aircraft and it was safe for it to land there. However, Dubai airport officials refused to allow the plane (flight IX-611), which took off from Tiruchirappalli at 1. 30 am, to land under the presumption that it was risky to allow it as the tyre had been slightly damaged, throwing the passengers on board into another round of anxiety. The passengers were then told that the plane could land in Mumbai and the permission for it had been obtained. After four hours of flying, the plane landed in Mumbai airport at 5.45 AM. The passengers flew to Dubai by another aircraft. The pilots have been "derostered" pending investigation, Air India Express later said in a statement. El-Sisi and Macron will attend the signing of 17 joint cooperation agreements between the two countries in different fields, including in investment and the economy. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Paris on Monday for an official visit where he will meet with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and attend a reception at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday. El-Sisi and Macron will attend the signing of 17 joint cooperation agreements between the two countries in different fields, including in investment and the economy. The Egyptian president will start his visit to France, his third since he assumed office in 2014, with a meeting with a French CEO, according to the Egyptian presidency. El-Sisi will also give an interview to Paris-based France 24 and will attend a dinner in his honour organised by French Minister of Defence Florence Parly. Egypt has made several purchases of French military hardware in recent years, the most recent of which was a Gowind 2500 corvette naval vessel, which arrived in Alexandria earlier this month. The vessel is one of four such models purchased by Egypt in a deal signed in 2014. El-Sisi will also meet with French PM Edouard Philippe and foreign minister Jean Yves Le Drian. The Egyptian president will discuss with top French officials a number of regional and international issues, including the international efforts to fight terrorism, the developments in Libya and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Concerning the human rights situation in Egypt, presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef said that Egypt is open to discussing all issues including claims made by some regarding the human rights situation in Egypt. Youssef added that the international community, including French officials, understands Egypts views on the issue of human rights. El-Sisi is accompanied on his trip by foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, finance minister Amr El-Garhy, minister of planning and administrative reform Hala Saeed, minister of industry and commerce Tarek Qabil, minister of transportation Hisham Arafat, and the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Khaled Fawzy. Search Keywords: Short link: By Express News Service CHENNAI: S Amrutha (38) of Bengaluru, who claimed that she was the biological daughter of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, has miserably failed to establish the same, the Madras High Court ruled on Friday. Since she could not establish that she was the biological daughter, there was no question of the court allowing her to perform the last rites for Jayalalithaa as per Vaishnavite rituals, Justice S Vaidyanathan said. The judge was dismissing a writ petition from Amrutha, her relatives L S Lalitha and Ranjani Ravindranath. The contention of Advocate-General Vijay Narayan, that Amrutha was trying to defame the late Jayalalithaa, could not be ruled out, the judge pointed out. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday expressed confidence that the grand alliance would win more than 80 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. Speaking after formally inducting Bhoopathi Reddy, a TRS leader and MLC from Nizamabad district, into the party at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad. READ| Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy promises to merge ailing TSRTC with government The TPCC leader said that thanks to an amicable relationship between the grand alliance partners, seat sharing talks would conclude soon. Therell be clarity on seats in the coming few days, he said. He said that he was sure the alliance would win at least 80 seats. We have reviewed the situation in all 119 constituencies and according to our surveys, we can be sure of winning more than 80 seats. Also, TRS will be limited to below 20 seats. Many ruling party leaders are in touch with us and have expressed their interest in joining Congress, he said. TRS end is nearing, he added. Reddy told media persons that Congress was currently planning 12 massive meetings as part of their campaign. Rahul Gandhi will address 10 meetings and his mother Sonia Gandhi would attend a couple of meetings. Leaders from other parties in the alliance, TDP, TJS and CPI, will also participate in them. KCR has betrayed a lot of people. We will highlight these in our meetings, he said. He added that the party had a separate plan to appeal to settlers from Andhra. Addressing the newly inducted leaders from Nizamabad district, Reddy assured that the Nizam Sugar Factory would be reopened within 100 days of forming the government. He added that Pragati Bhavan, the current CM Camp Office in Hyderabad, would be turned into a hospital. Though KCRs daughter is an MP from Nizamabad, TRS failed miserably. KCR and Kavita do not have a right to ask votes from Nizamabad people. I am positive that the Congress government will be sworn in on December 12. We will reopen Nizam Sugar Factory within 100 days after assuming power, said Uttam. By AFP KUNDUZ: A motorcyle carrying explosives blew up among supporters of an Afghan election candidate on Saturday, killing at least 12 people, officials said, in the latest violence to strike a political gathering. Another 32 people were wounded in the explosion in the northeastern province of Takhar where parliamentary candidate Nazifa Yousefibek had been campaigning, provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hejri told AFP. Provincial police spokesman Khalil Assir put the death toll slightly higher at 13. Yousefibek was not hurt in the blast. "The bomb had been placed on a motorcycle and detonated among the supporters of a female candidate in Rustaq district," Assir told AFP. At least nine election candidates have been killed in the lead-up to Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections on October 20. By IANS ANKARA: Missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own death as he turned on the recording function of his Apple Watch before walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, a Turkish daily reported on Saturday. The moments of his "interrogation, torture and killing were audio recorded and sent to both his phone and to iCloud", CNN quoted the privately-owned Sabah daily as saying. It said conversations of the men involved in the reported assassination were recorded. Security forces leading the investigation found the audio file inside the phone Khasshoggi left with his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, according to the daily. Upon noticing the watch, Khashoggi's assailants tried to unlock the Apple Watch with multiple password attempts, ultimately using the journalist's fingerprint to unlock the smart watch. ALSO READ | Saudi rejects 'baseless' murder claims over Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance They were successful in deleting only some of the files, Sabah reported. However, on its website, Apple does not list fingerprint verification as one of the Apple Watch's capabilities. A representative from the company confirmed to CNN the watches do not have the feature. It was not immediately clear whether it would have been technically feasible for Khashoggi's Apple phone to transfer audio to his phone, which he had given to his fiancee before entering the consulate. Saudi and Turkish officials have not yet commented on the Sabah report. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance and says he left the consulate that afternoon. Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence that he left the consulate, as they claim, CNN reported. Saudi Arabia Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz said reports that the Saudi government ordered the killing of Khashoggi were "lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom", according to a statement in the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published on Saturday morning. Abdulaziz also said "some media" have circulated "false accusations" regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. On Friday, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that showed Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. ALSO READ | Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee asks Trump to help solve mystery behind disappearance The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there had been an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. Turkish security units analysed how Khashoggi's reported killing unfolded with the use of a translator, according to Sabah. Sabah also reported that investigation units were currently examining all cell phone and landline records from the consulate and the consul general's residence on October 2. Efforts to locate Khashoggi's body are ongoing, Sabah reported. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went into the consulate to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. By PTI KATHMANDU: Nepal's main Opposition Nepali Congress has warned the Communist government not to curtail press freedom through a new criminal code that makes publishing confidential information, recording audio or taking pictures without permission a jailable offence. Former premier and Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the "press freedom should not be curtailed on any pretext" and called on the Nepalese journalists to be ready to face any kind of challenge. Speaking at a programme organised by the Nepal Press Union in Chitawan district on Friday, he said that the NC would not accept any kind of government interference to press freedom. He was referring to the government's new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedures Code which came into effect in August, amid fears that the new privacy provisions outlined in the codes would hamper free press in the country. The government expects to reform the country's legal system by replacing age-old 'Muluki Ain' through the new legislation. Deuba said the NC is always in favour of press freedom and pledged to promote the right to freedom of expression and opinion. General Secretary of the NC Shashank Koirla said that the press in a democratic society should not face any kind of interference. "We need to be prepared to retaliate in case press freedom is undermined," he said. A number of provisions in the Criminal Code say violation of any individual's right to privacy would result in up to three years imprisonment and fines in thousands of rupees. The new law also makes listening to or recording a conversation between two or more people, or photographing any individual, without consent a criminal offence. Anyone found violating these rules faces one year in prison and a fine of Rs 10,000 or both. Publishing content that damages a person's reputation directly or through satire is also subject to punishment, according to the new law. By UNI ISLAMABAD: By-elections on 35 constituencies of National and provincial assemblies which are scheduled to be held on Sunday, Oct 14 would first-time witness casting of vote by overseas Pakistan nationals. 370 candidates from various constituencies are in the run for elections to be held on 11 national assemblies and 24 provincial assembly seats. The polling is scheduled to begin at eight in the morning and continue till five in the evening without any break, Radio Pakistan reported. The election commission of Pakistan has completed all the arrangements for the smooth conduct of the by-polls. Ballot papers have been handed over to the presiding officers, which will be distributed under the supervision of the Pakistan Army. Out of 7400 polling stations which have been set up for tomorrow's polls, 1727 have been already categorized under highly sensitive area. By AFP WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned Washington would inflict "severe punishment" if he was murdered. The Saudi critic has not been seen since he walked into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with Turkish officials accusing Riyadh of murdering him inside the diplomatic mission. ALSO READ | Missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's Apple Watch may have transmitted death evidence "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday, when asked if Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi Arabia. ALSO READ | Saudi rejects 'baseless' murder claims over Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance The network said it will air the interview in full on Sunday evening. Trump added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter." But when asked what options Trump would consider, the president said he was not keen to limit arms sales to the kingdom -- a position he has previously voiced. "Well, it depends on what the sanction is," he said. "I'll give you an example -- they are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted that order. Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it. We got it, and we got all of it, every bit of it." He added: "I'll tell you what I don't want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that. And you know what, there are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true." Related The rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in an exclusive interview published late Friday that there is no role for the Muslim Brotherhood as long as [he] stays in power, asserting that the Egyptian people would not accept the return of the Brotherhood to power, because their unviable ideology. During the interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Shahed, El-Sisi spoke on issues of Arab national security, the influx of terrorists in Syria, Egypts relationship with Kuwait, and several domestic issues. He talked on the importance of cooperation by the Arab States to protect Arab national security from dangers faced by the Arab nations, adding that such a relationship would create a state of deterrence to those who aim to assault the Arab world. El-Sisi also affirmed the depth of Egypt and Kuwaits special relationship, praising the role of Kuwaits Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in supporting Egypt in critical times. Speaking on the Arab Spring, El-Sisi diagnosed the phenomena as a wrong treatment to a wrong reality, adding that the constructive chaos left destruction and havoc in several Arab states. El-Sisi blamed that chaos on the Brotherhood, due to their roles in countries like Yemen and Libya, while discussing his fear of where the 36,000 terrorists involved in the crisis in Syria, which has only just started to recover from the war, would go. Where will they go after the war in Syria is over, especially if they will be used by intelligence bodies who seek to cause destruction in the region? he wondered. El-Sisi also reiterated the need of renewing religious discourse, stressing that religion doesnt contradict with life. He said that the problem falls on a false understanding of religious texts, as well as them being used incorrectly to push agendas. The president also added that Egypt never conspired against anyone, despite offenses which emerged from an Arab state and other harassment from regional states. He also spoke about economic reforms in Egypt, adding that the plan was not forced on Egypt, but was homegrown and would continue despite objections over it. He also called on media outlets to focus on positive aspects and refrain from spreading hatred and negativity across the Arab states, which he said could be a reason for destruction and strife. Search Keywords: Short link: Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Reporter Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey). UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised on Saturday economic reforms carried out by Egypt and the efforts exerted by its government to improve the investment environment and empower women. Guterres made the remarks at a closed ministerial meeting on financing climate change. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, organized in Indonesias Bali city. The UN chief praised Egypts pivotal role in the Middle East under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. He also stressed his keenness to boost cooperation between Cairo and the UN to maintain security, peace and development in the Middle East. The meeting was attended by President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr. During the meeting, Nasr affirmed that Egypt aims to increase projects in environment-friendly sectors, including new and renewable energy, in addition to sustainable infrastructure and agriculture. The minister also indicated that Egypt has the Middle Easts largest solar power plant, noting in this regard that 11 plants were set up in Aswans village of Benban with total investments of $730 million. Search Keywords: Short link: Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Zimbabwe is a breastfeeding nation with 98 out of every 100 children being breastfed at some point in their lives. However, we still have some loose ends, which need to be strengthened when it comes to observing breastfeeding recommendations for optimum results, she said. These, he said, were the rise in international fuel prices which were not matched by foreign currency allocations and the release of funds for fuel in the form of Letters of Credit which took longer than expected to operationalise, leading to stock outs, panic buying and hoarding. Herald French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Egypt soon, according to a press statements by the state-run MENA news agency on Saturday. In the statement, French ambassador Stephane Roumtier said Macron will either visit Egypt by the end of the year or the beginning of 2019. He added that there was an ongoing diplomatic coordination between the two countries to determine the date of the visit. Roumtier also spoke of the importance of the trip, which he said highlighted the historic and special relationship between Cairo and Paris. The unspecified visit to Egypt will be the first for French President Macron since he assumed office in 2017. It has been postponed multiple times this year. In October 2017, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited Paris and discussed with Macron joint efforts to combat terrorism, the Middle East peace process, and the situation in Libya. Both presidents attended the signing of 16 memoranda of understanding in the fields of renewable and traditional energy, infrastructure, social security, and transportation, with El-Sisi meeting a number of French military manufacturing companies. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will hold on Sunday talks with visiting UK Minister of State for the Middle East Alistair Burt. The two ministers are expected to discuss means of boosting bilateral relations in all fields as well as issues of mutual concern, topped by the Palestinian cause. The top Egyptian diplomat will also convene with UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame. They will discuss the latest developments in Libya and efforts exerted by Egypt to restore the country's stability. They will also discuss measures taken to unify the Libyan military. 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Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe A 22-year-old Bahraini man who attacked an Asian man for overtaking his car has been handed down a suspended one years imprisonment. The Asian man, who was with four of his friends in his car, reported to police that the Bahraini man was driving his car slowly in Salmabad, without allowing him to overtake. Finally, when he managed to overtake, the defendant drove his car fast and intercepted the victims car before coming out and attacking him, according to prosecutors. He was driving on the middle of the road without allowing me to overtake it. Somehow I managed to overtake his car and while overtaking I gave him a stare to make him understand the mistake he was doing, the victim told prosecutors. Real estate in the Seef District and Al Fateh (North Juffair) top the list of most expensive properties in the Kingdom, it has emerged. A recent report showed that properties in the Capital Governorate are also among the most expensive. This also includes areas like Zinj and Mahooz, especially lands in the residential area, as the demand for them is very high. As for the cheapest lands offered for sale this year, villages of the western area such as Sadad and Damistan tops the list. Bahrain Real Estate Society President Nasser Al Ahli said that the prices of lands in residential areas had been noticeably soaring in 2018. Mr Al Ahli commented that social housing projects have contributed to the stability of residential lands, pointing out that more investors and developers are interested in investing in such projects. He said this has made real estate transactions more stable and profitable. The expert, however, said the local real estate market is now quiet and that the prices of most of the lands in residential areas havent changed except some of the areas in Muharraq and the Capital Governorate. He explained that the reason for the stability in the prices of residential lands is the growth of demand for these types of lands, highlighting the need to build more social housing projects to serve citizens. The High Criminal Court has sentenced an Asian man to five years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and forgery. The defendant is said to have purchased four mobile phones worth BD520 using a forged credit card. And he landed in police net after the competent authorities were notified about the incident. However, the Asian man told prosecutors that the cards were given to him by a friend who advised him against carrying cash. I work as a manager with a local construction company. Before I came to Bahrain to visit some friends, I had 65,000 Indian rupees (BD333) and I tried to exchange them with Bahraini dinars. However, an exchange employee recommended me to exchange the cash with three credit cards because Bahrain doesnt allow foreigners to carry more than BD500 when they enter the country through the airport, the defendant told prosecutors. When asked about why he decided to use the cards to purchase mobile phones, the defendant revealed: I wanted to gift them to family members. I didnt know that I was using forged cards to purchase them. The United States said Thursday that it will increasingly restrict civilian nuclear exports to China as President Donald Trump vowed a hard line on trade, bluntly warning not to think Americans are stupid. The US Energy Department said it would make it more difficult to ship nuclear technology to China, one of the few growing markets for new plants as the Asian economy tries to meet rising electricity demand through low-carbon sources. The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of Chinas efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of US-China civil nuclear cooperation, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement. The measures are the latest salvo in a widening US drive to pressure China, with the Trump administration recently slapping $250 billion in tariffs. The Energy Department said it would not end exports to China but would show greater scrutiny and that there will be a presumption of denial for new licenses related to the stateowned China General Nuclear Power Corp. The company was indicted last year along with a naturalized US citizen on charges of conspiring to develop sensitive nuclear material with US knowhow without going through the required approval process. The US already carefully reviews nuclear exports through the Energy Departments socalled Part 810 authorizations, which verify if the technology goes to peaceful use and will not be sent to a third country. For decades China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to acquire nuclear technology to gain economic advantage, a US official said on condition of anonymity. The United States last year shipped $170 million in nuclear exports to China, according to official figures. A 2017 Commerce Department report ranked China as the second largest market for US nuclear exporters, second only to Britain. We understand that the US industry may suffer in the short term from this decision, the official said. However, Chinas concerted effort to emulate and displace US nuclear products could cause the permanent loss of global markets and domestic jobs in the long run, he said. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Saturday UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin who is currently visiting Cairo. During the meeting, Shoukry lauded the relations between Egypt and the UN bodies at various levels, which aim at providing peace and security for all peoples, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Ahmed Hafez. Shoukry also highlighted the regional economic, social and environmental challenges, which require joining efforts to provide a better life for the region's peoples, Hafez added. The FM also stressed Egypt's commitment to fostering cooperation with all UN bodies and enhancing capacity-building programs in order to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). For his part, Zhenmin commended the Egyptian economic and systemic reforms in addition to the positive results achieved at the development and financial levels, adding that Egypt is on the right track to achieve the pursued development. Search Keywords: Short link: The glass eels then start searching for a suitable river to swim up, darkening in colour to become elvers as they head toward freshwater. Swimming upstream, the elvers will cross over obstacles and even go over land to find a suitable patch of river to mature in. Here, they become yellow eels. They will then spend up to an astonishing 20 years living in the rivers and lakes, until some still unknown stimulus marks the final change in the eels life, as the yellow eels turn silver. While scientists have never actually witnessed this, it is then assumed that the silver eels make their long and arduous journey back to the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and then die - and the cycle begins anew. An industry worth billions It is when the eel larvae reaches Europe and turns into a glass eel that they are caught. An estimated 60 tonnes of glass eels are caught legally, largely by France in the Bay of Biscay, but also to a lesser extent in Spain and the UK. Each kilogramme of glass eels contains thousands of fish. But it is thought that only half of these eels are then traded within the EU. The other half of the catch simply disappears. 'There are obviously a number of actors in many different countries,' says Matthew, 'and there has definitely been an increase in illegal activity in the past ten years.' But getting a real picture of the scale is very hard. According to Florian, this year authorities seized around eight tonnes of glass eels as various agents tried to smuggle them out of Europe. When it comes to these sorts of seizures, it is often thought that only around 10% of product is detected, meaning that the real scale of the illegal trade could be up to 100 tonnes a year, according to Europol. This means that the illegal market could be pushing on three times the size of the legal one. The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has presented a handover note to the states Head of Service, Dr. Gbenga Faseluka. The e... The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has presented a handover note to the states Head of Service, Dr. Gbenga Faseluka. The event took place during the special State Executive Council meeting, at the new Governors Office in Ado Ekiti on Friday. Fayose, speaking at the councils meeting witnessed by some traditional rulers, thanked the people of the state for the opportunity to serve. He said, What has a beginning must have an end. It is not the number of years spent but the quantity and quality of achievements. I thank the people of the state for their cooperation and urge them to extend same to the incoming administration. There should never be a vacuum; our priority must be Ekiti in the discharge of our duties. Im a man who came, saw and conquered. I cant finish all. I have done my best. History will be kind to me as a man who has given his best to the people. I will remember you all for your support. I bear no grudges against anyone. The outgoing Governor of Ekiti Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, on Friday presented a handover note to the states Head of Service, Dr. Gbenga Faseluka.This was just as the Governor told the embattled Speaker, Hon Kola Oluwawole to accept his impeachment in good faith, saying it is a price of leadership.The handing over took place during the valedictory session of the State Executive Council meeting at the new Governors office in Ado Ekiti yesterday.He also inaugurated the new Speakers lodge, named Rt. Hon Kola Oluwawoles residence.He told the former Speaker to accept his impeachment in good faith, saying IfI were you, in the interest of Ekiti, I will tell them to carry on. Everything works for good.At the event which was witnessed by some traditional rulers, the outgoing governor thanked the people of the state for the opportunity to serve.He urged them to extend same cooperation to the incoming administration in the interest of the development of the state.Fayose said, What has a beginning must have an end. It is not the number of years spent but the quantity and quality of achievements.I thank the people of the state for their cooperation and urge them to extend same to the incoming administration. There should never be a vacuum; our priority must be Ekiti in but discharge of our duties.Im a man who came, saw and conquered. I cant finish all, I have done my best. History will be kind on me as a man who has given his best to the people. I will remember all for your support, I bear no grudges against anyone.Fayose said he would be available to answer any question on his administration.The Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo and that of Works, Mrs. Funmi Ogun, who spoke at the event thanked Fayose for the opportunity to serve. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the next two decades look bright for Africa if the continent can remain focus on good governance.According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice President said this in a lecture titledThe Challenges of Human Development in 21st Century Africa which he delivered at the Oxford University, United Kingdom, on Friday.Osinbajo said human capital development must be a priority of public policy of governments across Africa to effectively tackle poverty and improve long-term development on the continent.All over Africa, the political will to better the lot of our restive populations is evident, innovative ideas are also in abundance; if we keep our focus, especially on good governance, the next two decades may truly be the African decades, he said.Osinbajo highlighted ongoing efforts of the Nigerian government and the progress it has made in improving the countrys Human Capital Development indices and investment climate, as well as the impact of the National Social Investment Programmes.He said while non-governmental and philanthropic organisations help to bridge development gaps through various interventions, governments have a major moral duty to ensure human capital development is its major priority as tackling poverty will boost growth and development across different sectors.Governments are also best placed to deploy the public policy tools required to bring about synergy between growth objectives and social needs, he said, while calling on African governments to prioritise investments in its people.He said the present administrations N-SIP was among its far-reaching policies in this regard, noting that it will continue to make policies and initiatives to improve human capital development in Nigeria.The Vice President noted that a major plank of the Federal Governments approach to empowerment is to improve financial inclusion.Our Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme is an important tool for financially empowering small businesses, artisans, market women, petty traders, and table top traders, he said.Highlighting the nationwide impact of the N-SIPs, the Vice President noted that 349,000 new bank accounts have been opened, while almost half a million small businesses in Nigeria have accessed the loan under the MarketMoni scheme a short tenor interest-free credit of between N50,000 and N300,000 for small businesses under the auspices of their cooperative societies as a risk management device.Also, by the end of this year, he said two million petty traders nationwide are expected to benefit from the TraderMoni, which provides them collateral and interest-free N10,000 loans.Osinbajo said out of the targeted one million, so far, almost 300,000 households have benefited from the N-SIPs Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, in which the poorest and most vulnerable households in the country are given N5,000 monthly.He said the administrations Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme was an important tool for financially empowering small businesses, artisans, market women, petty traders, and table top traders.The Vice President also noted that the Home-Grown School Feeding programme provides a meal a free balanced meal to over 9.2 million children in public primary schools in 25 states every day, and has helped to tackle malnutrition and improve school enrollment.He said, The programme, by using local produce, livestock and poultry supports local agriculture, provides jobs for 95,440 cooks resident in the various communities in which the schools are located.Osinbajo further said the N-Power programme, which has provided jobs for 500,000 young Nigerian graduates in the last two years, has a target of skilling 10 million Nigerians by 2023.He said, As the proportion of working age group of 15-59 years will continue to increase steadily over the next years, Nigeria has the advantage of demographic dividend. Harnessing the demographic dividend through appropriate skill development efforts provides an opportunity to achieve inclusion and productivity within the country.Over the past two years, through the N-Power Programme, the largest post-tertiary employment programme in Africa, we have been able to offer skills development programmes digitally to over 500,000 young citizens between the ages of 18 and 35. We have set a target of skilling 10 million Nigerians by 2023. It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those... Iraqs outgoing prime minister has gone from being the man who could save Iraq to one mired in ever-deeper controversy Not long ago, outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi was at the top of Iraqi politics and was favoured by the United States and its Western and Arab allies to lead the country through its difficulties, setting it on a new path and offering it a glimmer of hope. However, in the four years since he assumed office Al-Abadis reputation has dwindled as a result of growing domestic discontent because of his failure to start rebuilding the country. Street protests turned into a bloody uprising against his governments inefficiency and rampant corruption. Last week, newly elected Iraqi President Barham Salih nominated Al-Abadis political rival Adel Abdel-Mahdi as prime minister-designate, ending months of deadlock following inconclusive parliamentary elections in May. By nominating Abdel-Mahdi, Salih did not only end Al-Abadis bid for a second four-year term in office, but also ended his Islamic Dawa Partys dream of holding onto power after producing three prime ministers since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since his political bloc ended third in the 12 May vote with only 42 seats in the 329-member parliament, Al-Abadis future has remained under a cloud even as the United States escalated its efforts to get him re-elected in the face of strong resistance from Iran and its proxies in Iraq. The result of the May elections came as a major shock to the United States and Al-Abadis supporters, given the status they had bestowed on him as the Iraqi leader who had defeated the Islamic State (IS) terror group and the hopes they had pinned on him to end the sectarianism that has been plaguing the country. Contrary to such hopes and expectations, the elections reflected the belief among Iraqi voters that Al-Abadi had abysmally failed to rebuild the country following years of political turmoil, civil strife and economic failure. The outcome of the voting seemed like a fundamental break with the high expectations of Al-Abadi just four years ago. It also indicated how far his backers had failed to understand the voters needs and sentiments. Al-Abadi became Iraqs prime minister in 2014, replacing incumbent Nouri Al-Maliki after an attempt by the latter to secure a third term in office was turned down under pressure from Washington. The US had accused Al-Maliki of running a deeply authoritarian and sectarian government that was blamed for the crisis in Iraq. Both Al-Abadi and Al-Maliki are Shia Muslims, and the countrys top executive post is reserved for a Shia under a power-sharing agreement put in place after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled the dictator Saddam Hussein. When Al-Abadi was named Iraqs prime minister, the Western powers, Iraqs neighbours and the United Nations all lauded his appointment as a promising step forward in efforts to salvage Iraq from a looming breakdown. Many Western experts drummed up excitement at Al-Abadis appointment, seeing him as the man who would be able to turn around the failing policies of Al-Maliki. Al-Abadi was a low-key figure in the Dawa Party who had spent much of his life living in exile in Britain before returning to Iraq after the 2003 invasion. He left Iraq for exile shortly after Saddams Baath Party came to power in 1968. Many Iraqis had hoped that the British-educated Al-Abadi, the holder of a PhD in electronic engineering, would be able to bring about drastic changes to Iraqs dysfunctional political system. They hoped that Al-Abadi would dump Al-Malikis divisive legacy and form an all-inclusive government that would stifle the warlords who control a conglomerate of fiefdoms in Iraq and make way for new political forces to share in decision-making. After his appointment as prime minister, Al-Abadi promised to change the tone of the government left behind by Al-Maliki and pledged to take the war-torn nation onto a new path of stability, reconciliation and reform. Al-Abadi presented a six-point programme to the Iraqi parliament to beat back IS and proposed a wide-ranging development plan that included providing basic services and rebuilding Iraqs ailing public infrastructure. In his programme, Al-Abadi also promised Iraqis unprecedented changes to rid the government and security forces of officials suspected of corruption, malpractice and incompetence. However, it soon turned out that Al-Abadi was being plagued with failures across every sector of government, the like of which had never been seen before. After four years in office, Al-Abadi had failed to solve many of the countrys main problems, such as the lack of a regular power supply and of drinking water and other basic services. Iraqs economy, which depends primarily on oil revenues, has faced enormous challenges because of the governments failure to conduct structural changes that could reduce the countrys dependence on oil and generate more money from other resources. Millions of Iraqis remain unemployed, while others by and large remain dependent on various government ministries to earn a living. Meanwhile, poor economic policies, bribery and red tape discourage private businesses from providing employment. Despite its victory over IS, Iraq continues to grapple with daily attacks by IS jihadists who in 2014 overrun many cities and captured huge swathes of land in northern Iraq. For a nation lacking basic amenities such as power in spite of its huge energy resources and with lingering insurgency crises, the choice seemed easy to many: to wage anti-government protests. For several weeks last summer, Iraq was roiled by protests in Basra, a city in the countrys south which provides most of its oil but whose residents have neither electricity nor clean water to counter the severe summer heat. The violent unrest reflected increasing anger at Al-Abadis government and threatened to turn into a nationwide uprising before government security forces and militias managed to suppress the protests. However, the Basra protests underlined the opposition to Al-Abadis policies and to his personality as well, notably his inefficiency and weaknesses. Taken broadly, Al-Abadis downfall speaks volumes of the wrath of a growing force in Iraqi politics. The May elections clearly showed that the Iraqi electorate is more concerned with the performance of its politicians than with their sectarian or ethnic affiliations. It also underscored the malaise of the Iraqi leadership and how weary many Iraqis are of leaders who lack character, competence and honesty. Even with the naming of a new prime minister and the selection of a new Iraqi leadership, doubts remain about whether a new government will be able to turn the beleaguered nation away from the abyss that threatens its very existence. Iraqs post-Saddam leaders have been the targets of frequent criticism for squandering opportunities to rebuild their country into a stable and democratic state. They have shown themselves to be incapable of taking bold initiatives and adopting innovative policies in the past. As was expected, the recent elections recycled the same corrupt and greedy elites that were empowered by the US-led invasion, putting them back in the seats of power in Baghdad where they are bound to commit the same follies as they did before. Al-Abadi was no exception to this rule. The way the Americans and other allies boosted him as prime minister was thus a form of insurance to excuse themselves from responsibility for the failure to start rebuilding Iraq following the campaign against IS. Incompetent leadership is not only the problem of the people who occupy positions in government in Iraq, as it is a reflection of the leadership culture in post-Saddam Iraq as a whole. In such a culture, poor political leadership will continue to produce the bad governance that is Iraqs greatest barrier to political and socio-economic development. Given this reality, Iraq needs transformational leaders with strategic vision, courage, integrity and consensus-building abilities to introduce a new set of political initiatives that will transform Iraq and make it less like a conglomerate of fiefdoms. Without such a transformation, Iraq will not survive the failures of its leaders. Instead, it will continue to suffer regression because leaders who recognise the challenges before them do not seem to exist. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: The rise and fall of Haider Al-Abadi Search Keywords: Short link: Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, says he is under pressure to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Yari, wh... Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, says he is under pressure to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Yari, who is not on the same page with Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the ruling party, said this while speaking with state house correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock. He had accused the national working committee of the APC of attempting to impose candidates on Zamfara for the 2019 elections. Yari said his supporters were aggrieved over failure of the party leadership to acknowledge the primaries conducted in the state last week. I cannot deny pressure from the people that we should leave APC but what I told them is that what we are looking for is justice, he said. However, Yari has vowed to pursue justice in the ruling party, describing himself as a politician who does not jumping ship easily. The governor said mischief makers were giving the impression that he was considering joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). If you check my history since 1998, APP, and 2002 when Buhari joined ANPP, and 2015 APC, no time that I shifted from one party to another. That is not in my culture. So, the issue of leaving the party is not true, he said. But some other people are sending rumour through the social media. I have seen my picture with the PDP and other parties. Yari also insisted that primaries held in Zamfara, wondering why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) barred the APC from fielding candidates for the 2019 polls. The governor also warned the national leadership of the party not to present any list that did not emanate from the state. We conducted election and we want to see what the result is going to look. But I think for any body to come under the national secretariat and say he is going to nominate a candidate, I think, it is a very huge joke. he said There were hitches somewhere but we decided to suspend the area there were problems until the following day. So, the following day, we continued and we concluded the election by the people nominated by that committee to conduct election but the committee ran away and refused to collate the results. So, what we did was that we filed the results and kept it under the watch of those people and waited to see what was going to happen. The second committee waited 32 hours to the closing, we thought the committee will hasten and come up with modalities for the election. But committee wasted about 18 hours discussing about how the modalities were going to be. So, when we realised that, we were actually advised by the supervisory agency that is INEC and other agencies there that the best thing to do as the people had voted and since it was 7am was to start counting. When they finished, they released the materials and we adopted the numbers. Already, we had produced our own set of forms for the national Assembly which we have done and then, when we concluded, I didnt see members of the committee until one and half hours to the time. Reno Omokri, the former aide to Ex-president goodluck Jonathan has attacked Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the reelection campaign of Pre... Reno Omokri, the former aide to Ex-president goodluck Jonathan has attacked Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the reelection campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari for condemning Bishop David Oyedepos meeting with Atiku Abubakar Keyamo on Thursday, while condemning Obasanjos endorsement of Atiku attacked men of God- David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Tabernacle, Mathew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto diocese; and Ahmad Gumi, Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, for accompanying Abubakar to Obasanjos residence. We also note with interest the full participation of some men of God in the entourage of the Peoples Democratic Party for this political re-alignment. We are glad that they have publicly declared their partisan interest and urge all Nigerians to see all their previous, present and future attacks on President Buhari from their pulpits in the context of partisan politics and not in the context of nationalistic or altruistic commitment. We wish them well, he had said. Reacting to Keyamos statement, Omokri on his Twitter page urged President Buhari to caution him. He described the statement by Keyamo as silly, adding that the Bishop could be richer than Atiku hence his visit was not for any financial gain. The ex-presidential spokesman wrote: It is silly of Festus Keyamo to insult Bishop Oyedepo as someone who endorsed Atiku because of gain. Senate President Bukola Saraki has struck a deal with senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop moves to remove him from... Senate President Bukola Saraki has struck a deal with senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop moves to remove him from office. Saraki defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July and since then he has been under pressure to resign. Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the APC, said Saraki would be removed according to the law and democratic norms. When the senate reconvened from its over 10-week recess on Tuesday it was expected that there would be a rowdy session but they had a closed-door meeting where a peace accord was struck. The senators agreed to put aside their differences and opt for peace rather than removing Saraki from office. Thecable reports that senators on Friday gave conditions to the senate president by the APC senators. on Friday gave conditions to the senate president by the APC senators. The sources said Saraki was asked to ensure the confirmation of President Muhammadu Buharis nominees and passage of pending bills sent by the executive. COMPROMISE ON PENDING BILLS After the adjournment he started moving round senators to seek their support but they gave him (Saraki) conditions to make sure all outstanding bills are passed as sent by President Muhammadu Buhari and to confirm pending nominees, the source said. You will note that the INEC budget was passed as originally sent despite adjustment by the committee. Since Buhari assumed office in 2015, he has sent 12 bills to the national assembly. Of the 12 bills, five have been passed: mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Nigeria and other foreign countries; mutual assistance in criminal matters bill; chartered institute of directors of Nigeria bill; national centre for disease control and prevention bill; chartered institute of forensic and investigative auditors in Nigeria bill and the Nigeria natural medicine development Agency bill. The bills pending are: communications service tax bill, national lottery act (amendment) bill, federal institute of industrial research bill, raw materials research and development council (repeal and reenactment) bill and the national water resources bill. Deliberation on the water resources bill was suspended after the senators failed to agree on it. The money laundering prevention and prohibition bill was withdrawn by the executive following a disagreement between Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), and Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Some of the pending confirmation of the presidents appointees are Olanipekun Olukorede as secretary of EFCC; 13 commissioners for the federal civil service commission; and Festus Keyamo into the board of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) among others. NATIONAL ISSUES FIRST On Friday, senate leader, Ahmed Lawan, told reporters that members decided to attend to urgent national issues after resumption. He spoke after observing the Jumaat prayers at the Aso Rock mosque. The national assembly will continue to remain focused on national issues. We must be patriotic, we must be nationalistic and we must put the national interest above individual and parochial or partisan interest, he said. We definitely had to bury our hatchets for us to work for Nigeria and Nigerians therefore perhaps that might have informed the disappointment of many people that there is no crisis in the national assembly. Since the senate returned from its recess on Tuesday, the electoral act amendment bill has passed second reading just within two days. On Wednesday, Suleiman Nazif, chairman of the senate committee on INEC, said all the issues Buhari raised were considered. The third reading of the bill is slated for Tuesday. The bill generated a heated debate among Nigerians after it was rejected by Buhari thrice. The upper legislative chamber has also confirmed 20 commissioners for the National Population Commission (NPC) and Folashodun Shonubi, a deputy governor nominee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is also working to confirm the nominees for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The senate had suspended the confirmation of nominees following the refusal of the executive to replace Magu. Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he picked Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra sta... Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he picked Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, as his running mate for 2019 elections, because he has a vast knowledge of the economy. In a statement issued on his behalf by Gbenga Daniel, director-general of his campaign, Abubakar said Obis choice was also influenced by his youthfulness. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has chosen former Chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, as his running mate for the 2019 presidential election, the statement read. Mr. Obis choice was largely influenced by his youthfulness, vast knowledge of global and local economics as well as being a financial expert, all experience which Nigeria is in great need at this point in time. This ticket will be able to steer our nation back on the path of progress, economic prosperity and unity. Born July 19 July, 1961, Obi attended the Christ the King College, Onitsha, and later proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a bachelor of arts in philosophy. He is also a graduate of several international and national institutions such as the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, Institute of Management, Switzerland, Kellogg Graduate School, Oxford University and Cambridge University. Iraqi Yazidi human-rights activist Nadia Murad was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this week in recognition of her stand against sexual violence, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti in Baghdad The award of this years Nobel Peace Prize to Iraqi human-rights activist Nadia Murad, who will receive the award jointly with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, has been widely celebrated in Iraq, both by the authorities and the population at large. Iraq Media Net put the hashtag #NadiaMuradPeaceIcon in the corner of the screen on its five TV channels and on the front pages of its dailies and weeklies. Nadia Murad, born in 1993, is a young Iraqi Yazidi woman who became a human rights activist and was kidnapped by the Islamic State (IS) group with around 1,000 other Yazidi women and children from their village of Kojo in the Sinjar district of the Nineveh Governorate of northern Iraq about 530 km north of Baghdad. Kojo, with a population of 2,000, was controlled by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters after April 2003, but was attacked by IS in August 2014 after the Peshmerga had left the day before. The Yazidis were given three days either to convert to Islam or be killed, and at the end of this deadline men and older women were killed and young women and children were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery. Nadia Murad herself became a sex slave and was raped dozens of times. However, she eventually managed to escape even as other Yazidi young women in a similar predicament were either killed by explosive devices or caught by IS and executed. Murad then told her story to the world, wanting to halt the use of woman as tools in warfare. She was quoted as saying that telling her story was her strongest weapon against IS and their sex crimes against women. Since her award of the Nobel Prize, Iraqi writer Amer Badr Hassoun has begun a campaign to ask Adel Abdel-Mahdi, the prime minister-designate of Iraq, to choose Murad as a minister in his new cabinet. She must become a minister because of her bravery in breaking the silence on sex slaves in Iraq. While she has not stopped being a victim, she has become a victim who won, Hassoun told Al-Ahram Weekly. Murad has been received by many presidents, UN officials and different religious personalities, among them the sheikh of Al-Azhar in Egypt, yet our minister of foreign affairs did not salute her Nobel Prize in his own name, but only in the name of the ministry. I think there are many who still see sexual slavery as somehow shaming the victims, he said. Hassoun condemned other ethnics whose young women were also kidnapped by IS and became sex slaves, saying that these adhered to a false concept of honour by forcing their young women to stay silent about what had happened to them. The Yazidis urged their freed young women to speak out, on the other hand, seeing their daughters as victims that should be helped and supported. Princess Aouroba Bayazid, a member of the leading Yazidi princely family who is herself a human-rights activist and an adviser to the former governor of Mosul, said the Prize could restore justice to the Iraqi Yazidi victims. The award of the Nobel Prize to Nadia Murad is global recognition of the catastrophe that has hit the Yazidis in general and Yazidi women in particular. Nadia has become the voice of the more than 3,400 Yazidi young women who became sex slaves, Bayazid said. I blame the Iraqi government that has not taken care of the hundreds of Yazidi young women who have lost their entire families and are still living in camps in poverty without any medical care. The Yazidis happiness will not be complete until all Yazidi young women return to their homes. The award of the prize to Nadia Murad is also not only for Yazidis. It is for all Iraqis as Nadia is the daughter of Iraq, she added. Hassoun and Bayazid agreed that the award of the Prize to Nadia Murad was a way of taking a stand against using women in war. However, it could not stop the crime of sexual violence against women as long as there were still those who believed rape could be used to bring about victory. In speaking out against the use of rape in war, Nadia Murad has equated honour with bravery, refusing to see rape as somehow bringing shame. This was underlined by Iraqi President Barham Salih and other high officials who saluted her courage this week in their tweets and messages of congratulation. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Honouring Nadia Murad Search Keywords: Short link: The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has opened a web of questions with few answers It has been more than a week since renowned Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi went missing, and none of the concerned parties have presented definitive evidence about his fate, which fuels mystery and rumour. Anyone can be the culprit. Khashoggi was not an opponent of the Saudi regime. For decades he was a journalist and writer who was close to the Royal Family in the largest oil exporter in the OPEC group. Later, he became a critic when in 2016 his column was banned from publication in the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper, which is owned by an influential Saudi prince. He went into self-exile in the US in 2017, where he was regularly published in The Washington Post, which protested his disappearance by publishing a blank space where his column is usually published, with the title A missing voice. The apparent disappearance of Khashoggi which has mostly been shrouded in mystery, began when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey (where he had arrived five days earlier, according to The Guardian), on 2 October to apply for divorce papers so he can marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. According to Guardian reporter Martin Chulov, Khashoggi went to the consulate after pressure from his fiancees father to expedite the marriage process. Al-Arabiya news channel, which is owned by Saudi investors and which is based in the UAE, quoted members of Khashoggis family as saying they do not know the woman claiming to be his fiancee. They added that they have more right to talk about Khashoggi than Cengiz and demand to know what happened to him, noting that they are confident in the Saudi government and are coordinating with it. Despite opposing some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Khashoggi was not a staunch critic and mostly used an advisory tone in his tweets. In response to a comment by a Saudi citizen who accused him of being a conciliatory opposition, Khashoggi said My country and my people, by God. According to reports by the BBC, The Guardian and others, Khashoggi was reassured by friends he would be safe to go to the consulate. He left the telephone number of a senior Turkish official with his fiancee to call if he did not emerge from the consulate. The BBC reported that Cengiz said she was not permitted to go into the consulate with him, and he was not allowed to take his cell phone with him which is common practice at many diplomatic missions. He left his phone with his fiancee and asked her to call an adviser to Turkeys president if he did not leave the embassy. Cengiz said she waited for him to come out for 11 hours, from 1pm local time (10am GMT) until after midnight. She said Khashoggi was nervous and upset because he was forced to go. Chulov quoted her as saying Khashoggi told her: I am not afraid; there is no investigation against me. The most they can do is interrogate me, and I will answer them. I have nothing to hide. The next day, Cengiz began a sit-in outside the Saudi consulate with several Arab and Turkish journalists. She filed a police report and Turkish authorities began to investigate Khashoggis disappearance at a time of lukewarm relations between Riyadh and Ankara, due to Turkeys support of Qatar during the Gulf crisis when Doha was isolated from most of its neighbours. The media quoted unnamed Turkish officials as saying that Khashoggi is inside the consulate, but one day later Reuters and the BBC reported that Turkish sources said the Saudi writer was tortured and killed and was removed from the consulate. Meanwhile, other media reports stated that Turkish police will reveal Khashoggis location, but these statements were recanted. Saudi Arabia objected to claims he was tortured and killed. The crown prince told Bloomberg: If Turkey asks to enter the consulate, we will allow them. We have nothing to hide. He said investigations by the Saudi Foreign Ministry are ongoing to find out Khashoggis fate. The BBC reported that Saudi authorities allowed journalists to go into the consulate, and several news channels broadcast a short video of the inside of the consulate. Yasin Aktay, adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Khashoggi was killed in the consulate and that 15 Saudis were involved. Aktay, who is also a friend of Khashoggi, did not have evidence to support his claims. He described statements by Saudi officials that there are no cameras inside the building as unrealistic. Cengiz tweeted: Jamal was not killed; I dont believe he was killed, stressing her confidence that Turkish authorities will help her. On Monday, Erdogan said he is personally following the investigations and the results will be announced no matter what. He also told reporters that investigators are inspecting security cameras and airports to verify Khashoggis movements. I expect the outcome will be positive, said Erdogan. Later on in the week, Erdogan said from Budapest, 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. He said he was personally following the case but had no new evidence to table. The Turkish president was very keen in adhering to a measured tone when pressed on Khashoggi, while allowing government officials and state media to drip-feed allegations. Khashoggi, 60, was a popular guest on Arab and Western news channels, commenting on Gulf and Saudi issues after more than 30 years of experience. After graduating from Indiana University in 1983, he returned to Saudi Arabia and began working at the English-language newspaper Saudi Gazette, as well as Okaz, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Al-Majalla and others between 1984-1991 and then became chief editor of Al-Madina newspaper until 1999. Khashoggi was very successful during this period, and travelled to several areas of conflict, including Afghanistan, Kuwait and Sudan, conducting one of the first interviews with the late leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. He then became deputy chief editor of the highly acclaimed English language newspaper Arab News until 2003, when he became chief editor of Al-Watan for a mere 54 days because the minister of information removed him for his criticisms of the religious establishment. He was then appointed as media adviser to then Saudi ambassador to London Turki Al-Faisal until the latter left to become his countrys ambassador to Washington in 2005. Khashoggi returned as chief editor of Al-Watan between 2007-2010, and resigned to spend more time on private projects according to the owners of the newspaper. There were rumours that he was in fact forced to resign. He managed Al-Arab channel, owned by Prince Waleed bin Talal in Bahrain, but that only lasted a few hours. Khashoggis complicated journey makes it more difficult to predict his fate. He is intellectually close to the Muslim Brotherhood, but he is in no way a member. He is the product of the Saudi regime, even though he does not tow their line. He has prolific Saudi, Arab and international connections, which could increase his enemies as well as friends, bring publicity to his disappearance. So far, no one has evidence of what really happened. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Khashoggi: Fate unknown Search Keywords: Short link: Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Saudi Arabia denied allegations regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Interior Minister said late on Friday. He said that allegations about orders to murder Khashoggi were "lies" targeting the government, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials have said that he left shortly afterwards but Turkish officials and his fiancee, who was waiting outside, have said that he never came out. Search Keywords: Short link: U.S. President Donald Trump said in a CBS interview on Saturday that there would be "severe punishment" for Saudi Arabia if it turns out that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi , a prominent critic of Riyadh and legal resident of the United States, disappeared on Oct. 2 after visiting the consulate. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump said. Asked whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave an order to kill him, Trump said "nobody knows yet, but we'll probably be able to find out." Trump added in excerpts of the "60 Minutes" interview that will air on Sunday "we would be very upset and angry if that were the case". Trump said that there was much at stake with Khashoggi case, "maybe especially so" because he was a reporter. But Trump signaled that cutting off U.S. military sales to the kingdom may not be an option, saying, "I don't want to hurt jobs." Turkish sources have told Reuters the initial assessment of the police was that Khashoggi was deliberately killed inside the consulate. Riyadh has dismissed the claims. Search Keywords: Short link: Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen killed 10 civilians in Hodeidah province on Saturday, medics and Houthi media said. Medical sources told Reuters the civilians died when the air strikes hit a Houthi checkpoint in the town of Jabal Rass while a bus was passing through. Eight members of the same family were among the victims, they said. The Houthi movements Al Massira TV said 17 died and many others were in a critical condition. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment. The coalition intervened in Yemens war in 2015 to restore the internationally-recognised government to power. It has conducted thousands of air strikes targeting the Iran-aligned Houthis, and has often hit civilians, but denies doing so intentionally. The war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than two million and driven the country - which was already the poorest on the Arabian Peninsula - to the verge of widespread famine. Search Keywords: Short link: Israeli police said on Saturday they were investigating the death of a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank, after her husband said he suspected Israeli settlers had pelted their car with rocks. Reuters was unable to independently verify the circumstances of the incident but footage of the car, which a Reuters cameraman said bore Palestinian licence plates, showed what appeared to be a blood-stained broken brick at the foot of the passenger seat, which was covered in shattered glass and blood stains. A source at the Nablus hospital where Aisha al-Rawbi was brought said the 47-year-old was dead on arrival and that she had suffered a head injury. Her relatives said an autopsy was to be carried out at another hospital. The woman's husband, Aykube al-Rawbi, 52, said he was driving by a settlement late on Friday after dark along a main road near the Palestinian city of Nablus and that he could not clearly see who pelted the car. "The stones came from the side where the settlement is. I could hear the people speak Hebrew, but I didn't see them," said al-Rawbi. Israeli Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said: "Police arrived in the area and have opened an investigation into the circumstances behind the incident reported." There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials. On Friday, Gaza health officials said Israeli occupation forces killed seven Palestinians in protests along Gaza's border. On Sunday, a Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis and wounded a third in an industrial park next to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank which occupied by Israel, and on Thursday the Israeli military said a Palestinian had stabbed an Israeli soldier in the area. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014 and a bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart them has shown little progress so far. The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem -- territories that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Settlements Israel has built in the West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule, are deemed illegal by most countries. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: At least three people were killed when two suspected suicide bombers struck separately in the southern Somali city of Baidoa on Saturday, police said. Al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militants, who want to topple Somalia's Western-backed central government and impose their own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islam's sharia law, claimed responsibility for the twin attacks. "What seems to be two suicide bombers blew themselves up in two restaurants in Baidoa. So far we know three civilians have died," Ali Aden, a police officer in the city, told Reuters. Residents of Baidoa told Reuters they heard two loud blasts in the early evening, followed by huge plumes of the smoke that were visible from far. The al Shabaab militants had targeted the two restaurants because they were frequented by government troops, Abdiasis abu Musab, the group's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters. The attacks follow a U.S. airstrike against al Shabaab militants in Haradere, a district in Galmudug region. The U.S. military's Africa Command said on Saturday it was still assessing the impact of the strike, which was carried out on Friday together with the Somali military. Somalia has been engulfed by violence and lawlessness since the early 1990s after the toppling of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. 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. On Thursday, Prince's estate has issued a statement asking Donald Trump to cease using Prince songs for his rallies. According to Rolling Stone, Tump's pre-Election Day rally in Mississippi last week had a playlist that featured "Purple Rain." Word reached the Prince Estate, and Prince's half-brother Omarr Baker issued a statement. "The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or The White House to use Prince's songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately," Baker tweeted. The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or The White House to use Princes songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately. Omarr Baker (@PRNFamily) October 12, 2018 Some outlets are reporting that the estate has actually issued a cease and desist, but this is yet to be confirmed. Neither Trump, nor the Prince Estate has immediately responded to the Associated Press's request for comment. Prince is only one among the number of artists who have specifically requested for their songs not to be played at any public events hosted by Trump, and his administration. According to the Associated Press, other artists who've demanded the same of Trump and his White House since 2016 include: "Adele, Neil Young, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Twisted Sister, Elton John, Queen and the estates of George Harrison and Luciano Pavarotti." China's GoerTek has become the first of Apple's leading equipment suppliers to confirm plans to shift production out of the country to avoid being caught up in the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing. Apple had been planning to launch updated AirPods by the end of this year, but the plan could now be rescheduled to next year, according to industry sources. It is not clear whether GoerTek plans to produce the existing or new models of AirPods in Vietnam played any role in the delay. The Nikkei Asian Review has discovered that the AirPods assembler has notified suppliers that it intends to move production of the wireless earphones to Vietnam. At the same time, two other smartphone suppliers -- Taiwan's Pegatron and Cheng Uei Precision Industry -- are looking at expanding capacity outside China for similar reasons, although this may not include Apple equipment. GoerTek has asked all suppliers involved in AirPods production to confirm by the end of this week whether they can ship all necessary materials and parts directly to Vietnam. , The decision has not yet been finalized as it requires further discussion with Apple, which has been informed of the plans. James Wei, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Yuanta Investment Consulting stated for the report that "Apple is the most obvious target if China wanted to retaliate on American companies. Apple and its key suppliers are without doubt subject to highly uncertain political risks as the trade battle continues to heat up." AirPods, along with the Apple Watch and smart speaker HomePod, were initially included in the $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that were hit with 10% tariffs beginning on September 24. However the products won a last-minute exemption. Industry sources said many suppliers are concerned that they could be hit again soon with the U.S. president threatening to impose additional tariffs on the remaining $267 billion of imports from China in the near future. Meanwhile, Cheng Uei, which supplies chargers and connectors for iPhones and Android smartphones, said it is considering bringing some production back to Taiwan and Southeast Asia because of the U.S.-China trade tensions. Huawei is the only Chinese company to feature in the annual ranking of the worlds Most Valuable Brands 2018 compiled by Forbes. Huawei has been included in the list for the second consecutive year ranking 79th with a brand value of US$8.4 billion. Huawei entered the list for the first time in 2017 and ranked 88th with a brand value of US$7.3 billion. After a year of rapid development, Huaweis brand value increased by 15% year-on-year to US$8.4 billion, and its ranking went from 88th to 79th. Technology companies continue to dominate the list by taking the top 5 spots and accounting for up to 20% of the TOP100. Apple came No. 1 for the eighth straight year, followed by Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. The TOP100 brands have come from 16 countries and regions in the world, with the largest number from the U.S. taking 54 places, followed by 12 brands from Germany and 7 brands from Japan and France respectively. Huawei is still the only Chinese brand on the list. 2017 saw Huawei achieve a rapid global development driven by the full range of its products featuring the Mate, P and Nova series. The launch of the Huawei P10 and Mate10 series helped to raise its premium credentials and increased Huaweis influence in the high-end market. Huawei Nova 2s in turn won acclaim among younger generation for its focus on the latest fashion consumer trends. Huawei officially launched Huawei P20 series in Paris in March, 2018. With its unique and innovative Leica Triple Camera, twilight body design and AI features, Huawei P20 series has been a global sales sensation. 10 August, 2018, Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), the global smartphone giant, overtook Apple in second quarter of 2018 to become number two smartphone vendor globally for the first time. According to International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide, Huawei earned 15.8 per cent market ahead of Apple at 12.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Huawei also performed well in other major global brand rankings. Huawei ranked 70th in Interbrands TOP100 most valuable brands released in September 2017, and in February 2018, Brand Finance unveiled the Global TOP 500 Brand Values in 2018 report ranking Huawei at No. 25 with a brand value of US$38 billion. Huaweis continuous growth in the global market and its increasing brand influence have benefited from its multi-year commitment to technology innovation and R&D investment. According to Huaweis annual report, Huaweis R&D investment for 2017 was RMB 89.7 billion, accounting for approximately 14.9% of the revenue, and the accumulated R&D expenses over the past ten years exceeded RMB 394 billion. In terms of patents, as of December 31, 2017, Huawei accumulatively granted 74,307 patents, applied for 64,091 Chinese patents, and accumulated 48,758 foreign patent applications, of which more than 90% were invention patents. In the future, Huawei will continue to innovate its products and technology whilst surprising consumers, with a commitment to make its brand truly loved by global consumers. 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 Mr Robert Ahomka-Lindsey, Deputy Minister for Trade, has said the introduction of tax stamps on textile products is meant to ensure discipline and revive the once vibrant local textile industry. Apart from facilitating the work of regulators including revenue authorities in checking the influx of unauthorised goods, the advanced security features would fight piracy, and help customers to make informed choices on products. Mr Ahomka-Lindsey was addressing a meeting with stakeholders at Denu in the Ketu South Municipality on the tax stamps, to be introduced on November 14, 2018. He said the Ministry would provide adequate space for sensitisation, and tour major business districts, including Takoradi, Accra, Kumasi, and Tarkwa, to help deepen understanding and compliance. The Minister said the stamps were going to be distributed free of charge, and would come in two different forms to make it easier to distinguish between locally-made and imported goods. He said a three-month window would be given to traders to clear existing stocks before the roll-out. Mr Ahomka-Lindsey added that the programme was in six major components, and included the establishment of a new import regime that was going to make the Tema Port the only entry point for imported textiles. The Ministry would also work with local textile manufacturers - build their capacities, and at the same time encourage foreign manufacturers to establish production centres in the country. The Deputy Minister said an import management committee had been formed and mandated to manage the importation of textiles, and underlined their determination to empower the reconstituted tax force to enforce laws in the sector. He called on all stakeholders, particularly, the border agencies to support efforts at securing for the nation its share of trade activities, for national development. 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 President Akufo-Addo says the lives of Ghanaians are intimately linked with the francophone world, and Ghanas membership of La Francophonie should serve as a big boost to addressing some of the countrys mutual concerns. With French set to become one of the worlds most commonly spoken languages, and with French speakers rising to over 700 million, of which 80% will be in Africa, President Akufo-Addo noted that the lives of Ghanaians, therefore, are intimately linked with the Francophone world. As a country bordered to the north, east and west by French speaking countries, and to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana recognises the strategic importance of her immediate neighbours to whom we are bound by profound ties of blood, geography and history, and, indeed, of all French speaking countries, to the development of our country, he said. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday, 12th October, 2018, when he delivered a speech at the 17th La Francophonie Summit, being held in Erevan, Armenia. Addressing the Summit in French, the President noted that during his time as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the government of President John Agyekum Kufuor, he was privileged on 28th September, 2006, to lead a Ghanaian delegation to the 11th Francophonie Summit in Bucharest, which resulted in Ghana becoming an Associate Member of La Francophonie without first having to be made an Observer Member. Ghana, an anglophone nation, is only one of a handful of countries that enjoy membership of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, and we value this situation very much, he said. President Akufo-Addo continued, That is why we are determined to strengthen the bonds of friendship and co-operation with la Francophonie by transitioning from an Associate Member to a Full Member. Ghana, a strong, functioning democracy, the President stressed, shares the aims and values of La Francophonie, adding that Ghana looks forward to playing a significant role in the realization of these values. Our goal is to live, one day, in a bilingual Ghana, i.e. English and French, together with our own indigenous languages. We have already begun to work towards this. On 15th May, 2018, I authorized the signature of a language pact with La Francophonie towards helping to make this a reality, he said. Additionally, President Akufo-Addo indicated that his government has introduced a bilingual classroom project at the basic education level, where certain subjects are taught in both English and French, and the study of French is being made compulsory at the basic level of Ghanas educational system. With 84 members making up La Francophonie, the President noted that an increase in trade and investment co-operation amongst member countries should be deeply promoted and encouraged. History tells us that this is the best route to general progress and prosperity. With the help of digital technology, we can then accelerate economic growth, create the much-needed jobs for our youth, and take advantage of the vast potential of Africas young population, he added. The 21st century, with the aid of science and technology, President Akufo-Addo observed, offers humankind, despite the greed of a few, the prospects, for the first time in human history, of building a world civilisation of prosperity in freedom for all the peoples of the world, where all citizens live in dignity and security. I am an unrepentant optimist, and I am confident that we can work together to build such a new world, with member states of La Francophonie taking the lead, the President said. 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 Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Ade Coker says the National Patriotic Party (NPP) is on a mission to portray former President, Jerry John Rawlings to Ghanaian youth as a murderer. According to Ade Coker the NPP is bent on staining the former president's highly earned reputation and tarnishing his image before he makes the journey to meet his maker. In a recent documentary by JoyNews, Rawlings is being purported as the mastermind behind the murder of three High Court Judges namely, Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie, Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow and Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong, as well as a retired army officer, Major Sam Acquah, who were callously murdered under strange circumstances at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains. But speaking on the subject for the first time, Ade Coker lamented that Flt. LT. Jerry Rawlings new friends; the NPP, are backstabbing him after he backed them to win power from the then NDC Government in the 2016 elections. "Its very sad, see what JJ's new friends are doing to him. At above 70years and preparing to meet your maker, the NPP is exposing you to the youth that you are a murderer, Ade Coker said. Mr. Ade Coker further explained that the current outcome appears to be some payback of a sort to the founder of the opposition NDC who has not failed to wash the partys lapses in public. "This is what you get when you insult and undermine your own party to its defeat and even keep insulting them in opposition claiming you are being disrespected. Call your wife Konadu to defend you," Ade Coker added. Ade Coker finally said, "But for the NDC and Voltarians, the NPP would have eliminated you a longtime ago, see where you have boxed yourself into." The former president has vowed to release a bombshell about the killings when he gives a public lecture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (NKUST) in Kumasi in the coming days and take the opportunity to put issues emanating from the documentary into perspective. Source: ghanaweb.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 Authorities at the Tempane Senior High School (SHS) in the newly-created Tempane District of the Upper East Region, say measures have been put in place to offer counseling to female students who were captured in the video hooting at President Akufo-Addo and Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, under the supervision of Joshua Akamba. Daily Guide gathered that the girls have been subjected to ridicule and feel ashamed of their behaviour since many students and teachers on campus hold the MP in high esteem. On Thursday, October 11, Daily Guide interacted with the students over the conduct the said students. Three young girls, all first-year students, though there are challenges in the school, they are focused on their books to secure better future for themselves. Asked whether they know some of the girls in the video, they all answered in the affirmative. There is one of them in my class. She is very quiet and disciplined, and since the NDC man and his people made the girls to disrespect the President and the MP, she has not been fine again. People have seen the video and she is now feeling shy. Another student said: There are bedbugs, but as for me I keep my corner, my mattress and my bed sheet clean, so they dont get me like other girls. If we clean our dorm frequently the bedbugs will reduce. I think we are many so some students keep their areas dirty, that is why the bedbugs have been increasing. They admitted that the dormitories are congested, but were hopeful the situation would soon improve with the completion of the Girls dormitory by government. In line with a directive by the Regional Office of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Assistant Headmaster in charge of Administration at the Tempane SHS, Alhaji Issaka Charles Abugri, declined to comment further on the matter. The schools counseling unit is up to task and would offer counseling to the traumatized students. Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Tempane Constituency, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, who visited the school on that Thursday, said Joshua Akamba of the NDC has done a great disservice to the children and should appologize to their parents, the school and the entire country, for influencing the innocent children negatively. I dont think the children would have done what they did if they had not been misled and probably compelled by Joshua Akamba to hoot at the president and I. In this area, children are trained to respect the elderly. Anyway, the government is doing a lot to improve infrastructure in the school. Even my own contribution to the school is enough for the children to praise and not hoot at me, as Akamba misled the students to do in that propaganda video, Mr Kpemka said. The situation in the school has normalized and students and teachers are looking forward to the next action to be taken in relation to the headmaster, Dominic Ndegu Amolale, after the Committees investigations and report. 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 Sexually assaulted women in the Democratic Republic of Congo now know that the world is aware of their plight, thanks to Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege After several nominations, Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege was finally awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year, with the Swedish Academys award crowning his life-long efforts in serving women often deprived of the most basic medical, psychological and social services. Mukwege shares the Prize with Iraqi human-rights activist Nadia Murad, also known for her endeavours to combat sexual violence as a weapon of war. The Congolese surgeon won the hearts of the women he treated after they were subjected to rape, earning him the titles of Doctor Miracle and the Angel of Bukavu, a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). After graduating with a medical degree from the University of Burundi in 1983, Mukwege worked as a paediatrician in the rural hospital of Lemera near Bukavu, the biggest city in the east of the DRC. Despite the fact that he loved treating children, after he saw women patients suffering from the absence of proper medical care after giving birth and the subsequent high mortality rates among mothers, he studied gynaecology and obstetrics at the University of Angers in France. In 1989, and after completing his medical residency, he went back to the Lemera Hospital. However, with the eruption of the First Congo War (1996-1997) that overthrew Zaires then dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the Lemera Hospital was destroyed, forcing Mukwege to move to the city of Kivu. In 1999, he founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, and ever since he has been caring for the survivors of sexual assaults, providing holistic, legal, psychological and social assistance for women victims. Stephanie Nolen, a correspondent for the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, wrote in an article entitled Where Repairing Rape Damage is an Expertise in 2008 that Mukwege had treated 21,000 rape victims. The DRC has been mired in almost continuous violence since its independence from Belgium in 1960, rendering millions dead, injured or displaced. The Second Congo War, which began in 1998 and officially ended in 2003, saw militias use systematic rape as a means to control communities and the countrys mineral wealth. Such atrocities are continuing in the country today, and the conflict has extended to areas patrolled by UN and Western peacekeeping forces, complicating matters further. Rape has been used a weapon of war in many conflicts around the world, including in Darfur in Sudan and by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq. It was thus appropriate for the Swedish Academy to announce its support for women victimised by rape and to draw the worlds attention to their need of medical, psychological, social and economic assistance. The US Pacific Standard magazine has reported that the Panzi Hospital in the DRC has treated over 85,000 women suspected of having suffered various forms of assault. It said the US National Library of Medicine had estimated that in 2011 somewhere between 1.69 and 1.8 million women in the DRC had been raped at least once in their lives. In addition to the trauma of the rape itself, rape may also result in diseases such as HIV/AIDS and damage such as vaginal fistulas, which require specialised treatment and reconstructive surgery. Sexually assaulted women now flock to Panzi from all over the DRC. During the first decade after the hospitals opening, most women came from eastern Congo. Today, they come from wherever ethnic strife, which has claimed the lives of thousands, is taking place. Mukweges challenges do not stop at the lack of medical facilities and the thousands of traumatised women who appear at the Panzi Hospitals doors. He has also been targeted for assassination, the most dangerous occasion being on 25 October 2012 when five gunmen broke into his home, killed his bodyguard, and held his two daughters hostage. He fled with his family to Belgium, but returned to the DRC in 2013 to continue his work, saying that it was impossible to be silent when hundreds of women and girls were being raped or brutalised every day. US journalist Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote that Mukwege had been targeted because of a speech at the UN a month earlier in which he had condemned the use of sexual assault as a weapon of war. He also criticised the impunity that is widely spread in the DRC, the government of which has done nothing to stop what he called an unjust war that has used violence against women and rape as a strategy of war. Mukwege uses a five-step treatment to help the victims of rape, including medical care, psychological help, social support, economic empowerment through finding jobs for assaulted women, helping them maintain their previous jobs, or through education and training, and legal assistance by seeking justice and compensation for victims. The Panzi Hospitals doors remain open thanks to Mukweges tireless efforts to seek international support for sexually abused women and children in the DRC and to keep the worlds eyes open to a country torn by violent conflict. Should there be further clashes over power between DRC President Joseph Kabila, who had vowed to step down in December 2016 but will remain at the helm till at least 2019, and his opponents, the armed conflict in the country will likely escalate. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: The Angel of Bukavu Search Keywords: Short link: The overall EU pig herd increased slightly in the year to June 2018, according to provisional figures from Eurostat, however within this there was some contraction in the breeding herd. The latest census results cover 14 countries, including all the major producers, so should be representative of the whole EU. Growth in the overall EU pig herd was driven by the 5% rise in the Spanish herd, which accounted for nearly 80% of the overall increase. While most of the EUs constituent herds recorded rises, declines were recorded by Romania, Germany and France. The number of breeding sows declined by less than 1%, to 11.1 million head. This is, perhaps not, surprising considering prices trending lower year-on-year. Also, assuming sow productivity has continued to increase, fewer sows would be required to produce the same number of piglets. The majority of the major producing countries recorded downwards movement within the breeding herd, compared to last year. The largest declines in breeding sow numbers were recorded by Germany and Romania, which both recorded a decrease of around 47,000 head. The Romanian figures will be influenced by the increasing spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) through the country. Meanwhile in Germany producer optimism has been low due to declining consumption and increasing pressure from animal welfare and environmental regulations. At the other end of the scale, Denmark bucked the overall trend, recording a 3% increase in sow numbers, to 1.3 million head. Also, while Spain recorded a stable sow herd at the time of the census, the number of maiden gilts did record significant uplift (+8%) implying some further expansion may soon occur. The small decline in the breeding herd suggests that growth in pig slaughterings should start to slow moving into 2019, although no dramatic tightening of supplies would be expected. The likely slowdown in production is also suggested by the figures for the rest of the pig herd. The number of non-breeding pigs picked up by 1.6% overall, to 128.7 million head, but the total number of weaner pigs under 20kg was only 1.2% higher. This growth is clearly lower than the 3% rise in pig slaughterings recorded in the first half of 2018. Nonetheless, even this modest increase in output may well mean prices remain subdued in at least the short-term, unless the export market improves, as consumer demand within Europe remains generally lacklustre. Developments in the ongoing ASF situation in China will likely be key for EU pig price prospects. 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 The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts arrived in Kabul on Saturday after meeting Taliban leaders in Qatar in an effort to find a way to end the 17-year-old war in the country, three Afghan officials said. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born U.S. adviser, met with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday and briefed him about his 10-day tour of four countries conducted in a bid to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. A senior member of the Taliban confirmed that Khalilzad met the Taliban leadership on Friday in Doha. "Both sides discuss prospects of peace and the U.S presence in Afghanistan," said the official, requesting anonymity. U.S. officials in Kabul were not immediately available for a comment on Khalilzad's visit. Last month, Khalilzad was appointed as U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation as President Donald Trump's administration launched fresh efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban. Khalilzad's trip started out from Afghanistan. He travelled to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar before returning to Kabul. A senior official working with President Ghani said Khalilzad briefed Ghani about his meetings with senior ministers and top diplomats in four countries who could play a key role in peace talks with the Taliban. Western and Asian diplomats in Kabul said Khalilzad, 67, has knowledge of the country's main languages, culture and politics that could help him engage with all stakeholders in the peace process. "The Trump administration and Ghani's government are now banking on Khalilzad to find a diplomatic way to end the war with the Taliban," said a top Western diplomat in Kabul. But ongoing fighting has raised questions about the viability of the U.S. strategy to end the war, which for the past year has focused on forcing the militants, largely with more air strikes, to the negotiating table. Last week the Taliban demanded a complete withdrawal of foreign forces as the only solution to end the war as they ramped up attacks in strategic provinces. They also directed Afghans to boycott parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 20. At least 8,050 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of 2018, almost half of them targeted by suicide bomb attacks and other improvised devices that may amount to war crimes, the United Nations said last week. Search Keywords: Short link: If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Protestors from across Germany marched through Berlin on Saturday against xenophobia and the far right in one of the country's biggest rallies of recent years. Organisers put the turnout at more than 150,000 people for the demonstration, which followed anti-immigration protests in several eastern cities over the summer and a rise in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party before a state election on Sunday. A police spokesman declined to estimate the size of the crowd at the protest, which was organised by rights groups including Amnesty International. Marchers carried placards reading "Build bridges not walls", "United against racism" and "We are indivisible - for an open and free society". Some danced to pop music on a warm autumn day. The arrival of more than a million migrants, many from war zones in the Middle East, has boosted support for the AfD. It is expected to fare well in the election in Bavaria, long a stronghold of the conservative Christian Social Union, a member of the Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal coalition government. In August, far-right groups in the eastern city of Chemnitz clashed with police and chased people they believed to be foreign after the fatal stabbing of a German man blamed on two migrants. Similar protests took place in Dresden, Koethen and other eastern cities. Nevertheless, the number of violent attacks on refugees and asylum shelters in Germany has fallen sharply in the first half of this year. Two companies have also warned their German employees about the dangers of populism before the regional election in Bavaria. Search Keywords: Short link: Nature's Basket zeroes in on pushing joint ventures, focusing on private labels and re-entering Delhi. Godrej Natures Basket, one of the early brands to have entered the grocery and supermarket store space, is rethinking its strategy as it plans to re-enter the Delhi market two years after it vacated it, explore fresh markets through joint ventures and push its private label business. Avani Davda, the companys new managing director who joined two years ago, says one reason why the company shut down seven stores in the NCR market is that going pan-India is a drain for a chain that has just 37 stores but 32,000 SKUs (product units). By way of example, she points to the $10-billion Yonghui Superstores of China, a grocery chain that has between 7,500 and 8,000 SKUs only. Davda has taken a cue from the success of larger players, shrunk the footprint, slashed SKU count to around 7,500, expanded offerings on fresh produce, meats and bakeries. Avani Davda, managing director of Nature's Basket. Photograph: Courtesy @avani_davda/Twitter. She says the objective is to be seen as a warm and friendly neighbourhood store regardless of the city it operates in. We don't want to be seen just as a gourmet store anymore, Davda says. As far as financials go, the narrative has improved. The average ticket size per customer, which was Rs 800 three years ago, is now Rs 1,400 plus. Revenue in markets where the company is currently present (Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru) has increased from Rs 2.29 billion to Rs 3.25 billion. Over the last financial year (ending 2018) and the company reports being EBITDA positive. Recently, in August, Godrej acquired a stake in Goa-based retail chain Magson's. This will be a joint venture whereby Godrej will assist in sourcing, merchandising and putting together an assortment. Also on the anvil is a plan to expand store count to 90 in the next five years and achieve a revenue target of Rs 10 billion. That will include adding around five stores in Delhi by next year, and another dozen in Mumbai which will aid in shoring up revenue projected to reach Rs 4.5 billion by March next year. Other cities that will drive growth include Hyderabad and Chennai. As example, Natures Basket in Worli that opened in October last year is entirely different from the others. It features better organised aisles, departments are well-illuminated and easy to find. Its almost as if a customer can see everything within 30 seconds of walking and decide what he or she wants to buy. A part of the companys Refresh 2020 campaign designed to galvanise change across the company, Worli became the first store with a layout that its upcoming stores will sport. Godrej Nature Basket's new Worli shop, south central Mumbai. Photograph: Courtesy @krishna_eluri/Twitter. Company officials say revenues are projected to grow at a CAG of around 25 per cent a year to reach Rs 10 billion by 2022 at which time they also hope to have anywhere between 80 and 90 stores. Driving a significant part of that growth are two non-traditional engines. Online sales, which reported 15 per cent growth, is one, and the other is the growth of the firms private label business that is also at 15 per cent of revenue and is projected to reach 25 per cent in the next four years. The private label business comprises three brands that include LExclusif , Healthy Alternatives, and Natures. While the blueprint may seem okay in theory, the reality is that different cities have different targets and different pace of growth. In Mumbai, for example, Natures Basket targets the south Mumbai or suburban housewife who shops for blueberries, avocado, and Dutch asparagus. In Goa, where they are tied up with Magsons, it could be softer alcoholic beverages, snacks and fast food products that fly off the shelves the fastest given the transient tourist population. Effectively knowing the target demographic group is supremely important in retail. Abhijit Ranade, partner and head for customer and channel at KPMG India, says that above and beyond all else, management of all retail businesses must figure out who their customer is. To a large extent, Natures Basket, founded in 2005 with a 1,000 employees, is still figuring out what works and what doesnt. Seasonal experimentation is something that we cant get away from, Davda says. She has a point but continuous experimentation can deter customer frequency, according to analysts. Any grocery store needs to find out whom they want to serve and stick to that demographic in a particular market, says Ranade, adding that one cant serve everyone at a store in a city neighbourhood because socio-economic demographics are too many to cater to. What works for Natures Basket is great customer service and locations in neighbourhoods that have a higher density of the targeted socio-economic groups. That in itself makes for strong branding. The ongoing challenge is curation and gearing stores with the right combination of fresh produce and packaged foods with a specific reference to local markets and sensitivities. But there are even bigger threats. Amazon, Flipkart and Big basket all offer food shopping platforms online. The bigger risk is if you are not omni-channel today, says Davda, adding that she thinks thats the combination that will drive sales for at least a decade. In the meantime, how consumer behaviour changes will determine shifts in retail business. The wife and teenage son of a judge were allegedly shot at by his personal security staff in a crowded market area in Sector-49 in Gurugram on Saturday, police said. IMAGE: Police investigate after a judge's wife and son were shot at by their own guard in Gurugram. Photograph: PTI Photo Deputy Commissioner of Police-East Sulochna Gajraj said the two have been rushed a hospital in the city where they are in a critical condition. Police said the incident occurred around 3.30 pm when Additional Sessions Judge Krishan Kants wife Ritu and son Dhruv had gone for shopping in the Arcadia market. They were accompanied by the judges guard, Mahipal. Some locals informed the police about gunshots being fired outside the Arcadia market. When a police team reached the spot, they found Ritu and Dhruv lying in a pool of blood, Gajraj said. She said Ritu has suffered bullet injury in her chest, while Dhruv in his head. They were taken to the Medanta Hospital where they are undergoing treatment but their condition is critical, according to the officer. Gajraj said the police team could not promptly find Mahipal there. He was later arrested from Faridabad. Police PRO Subhash Bokan said that Mahipal was being interrogated to establish the reason why he opened fire. Thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees on Saturday took to the streets in Kochi against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple, even as activist Trupti Desai announced plans to visit the hill shrine soon. IMAGE: Devotees participate in an agitation against the Supreme Court's verdict on Sabarimala Temple in Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo The Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening. Though the government has not reacted to Desais planned trip to the temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine. Padalam royal family member, Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any provocative move. He also asked the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai, the Bhumata Brigade leader, said in Mumbai that she along with a group of women would visit the temple shortly to offer prayers. We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal the agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine, she told Malayalam TV channels. I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this, Desai said. Holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting his hymns, the protesters marched through the busy roads of Kochi, the states commercial hub, after launching the stir from the famed Shiva temple there. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. IMAGE: Devotees, mostly women, take part in the namajapa (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa ) in Ernakulam against the Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala. Photograph: PTI Photo Meanwhile, the Long March led by BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance reached Kollam district Saturday. Party state president, P S Sreedharan Pillai, who lead the rally, said Desai was visiting Sabarimala as she perceived it to be a challenge rather than a pilgrimage. It is a dangerous approach. She should desist from visiting the shrine and should not make Sabarimala a tension zone, he said. I do not know whether she is a devotee or not. But she is coming to add fuel to the fire, Pillai added. Claiming that the NDA rally was getting tremendous support from all sections of people, the leader said the march would reach the state capital on October 15. It was because of the success of the NDA long march that the ruling CPI-M-led LDF was forced to launch counter campaigns and family get-togethers to explain the Left governments stand on the Sabarimala issue, Pillai added. Activist Rahul Easwar, who already announced hunger strike at Sabarimala during the five-day monthly pooja period, said they would stop Trupti Desai if she attempts to visit the Lord Ayyappa Temple. Ours will be a Gandhian mode of protest. Hundreds of devotees will lay down on roads leading to Sabarimala if Trupti Desai attempts to visit the shrine, he said. Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the Pinarayi Vijayan governments decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. Besides BJP, the opposition Congress was also against the governments decision not to go for review and extended support to the devotees stir. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. Just 3.49 per cent of the electorate voted in the third-phase of the urban local body polls in militancy-hit Kashmir Valley, while a high turnout of 80 per cent was recorded in Jammus Samba district, officials said Saturday. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: A security guard stands outside an empty polling booth in the Valley. The frontier town of Uri in Baramulla district, however, bucked the trend by recording a 75.34 per cent turnout in the Valley, which has witnessed low polling in the first two of the four-phase elections after boycott calls from parties like the National Conference, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Communist Party of India -Marxist. In the 20 wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation that went to polls in the third phase, only 1.84 per cent of the 1.53 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise, the election officials said. Safakadal, a ward in the citys old town, and Chanapora, in the Civil Lines, polled less than 10 votes each. The polling, which began at 6 am and ended at 4 pm, saw 11 SMC wards recording less than 100 votes. They said in Uri, 75.34 per cent of the 3,552 voters cast their votes, while in the Mattan Municipal Committee of Anantnag district, the only town in India other than Konark to have a Sun Temple, witnessed a turnout of 2.81 per cent. The officials said in Sheerpora ward of the Anantnag Municipal Council, where election authorities had ordered a repoll, only 1.39 per cent of the 2,643 exercised their franchise. Though 151 wards were to go to polls in the third phase in the Valley, voting was held only in 40 wards. Forty-nine wards were won uncontested and no nominations filed for 62 wards. The first phase of the polls in the Kashmir Valley saw 8.3 per cent turnout on October 8 while only 3.4 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase held two days later. There are 365 candidates in the fray for 96 wards of eight urban local bodies for the third phase comprising a total electorate of 1,93,990 electors. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: A woman steps out of a polling booth after casting her vote. In Jammus Samba district, of the 31,878 voters, 82 per cent exercised their franchise in the third phase, a repeat of the high voter turnout recorded in the first two phases in the region. The voting concluded in a peaceful manner with about 82 per cent voters registering their choice at 57 polling stations set up across the district, said District Election Officer, Samba, Sushma Chauhan. Voters thronged polling stations across the district to choose their representatives for four municipal committees -- Samba, Ramgarh, Vijaypur and Bari-Brahmana. She said Bari-Brahmana recorded a high 87 per cent turnout, followed by Vijaypur (85 per cent), Ramgarh (83 per cent) and Samba (78.8 per cent). Saturdays polling in Samba completed the elections in all the 10 districts of the Jammu region. The first phase saw a 65 per cent turnout and second 78.6 per cent. The fourth phase on October 16 will be held in six districts of the Kashmir valley. Municipal elections are being held, amid tight security, after a gap of 13 years in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh electors across the state. The officials said 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1145 wards. The counting of votes will be held on October 20. The government has declared holiday on the day of poll in the municipal areas going to polls so as to enable the voters to cast their vote. President Donald Trump said on Twitter he will host U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, released by Turkey on Friday, in the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon. Brunson was flown out of Turkey after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve U.S.-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria and Iran. Trump, who will hold the meeting at 2:30 p.m. ET (1830 GMT), has said there was no deal to lift sanctions on Turkey in exchange for Brunson's release. Search Keywords: Short link: A Venezuelan opposition activist who was freed from jail after four years arrived in Madrid on Saturday where the Spanish government said it hoped his release would help end the political crisis in the South American country. Lorent Gomez Saleh, who was prosecuted for disturbing public order after organising anti-government protests, took a direct flight from Caracas shortly after leaving jail, accompanied by a Spanish official, the Spanish government said. The Spanish government believes that this decision by the Venezuelan government is a step in the right direction towards building the trust that will allow a democratic, peaceful and negotiated resolution between Venezuelans, it said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Samoans are slowly losing the traditional fire knife dancing skills they are known for. The concern was expressed by famous Samoan fire knife dancer, Vaea Vaaulu Vaiaoga, during an interview with the Weekend Observer. Vaea said even at 60 years old, he has never let go of the God-given that allowed him to provide for his family and to travel the world. He is now working at Delta Airlines, but still does dancing as a side job. I left Samoa for 36 years and even though I left Samoa too long I am always proud to be a Samoan and the culture that I have and the dance that I have been blessed with, he said. I have been around the world many times because I travel and every time people hear about fire knife dancing they get so excited especially when they find out that a Samoan is performing this dance. This is how some people come to know of Samoa is through fire knife dancing. Vaea was here earlier this year as one of the Judges for the International Siva Afi competition. He said it was a very difficult task trying to judge the young performers because they were all talented and creative as well. But how did he get into dancing? I never went to Samoa College, I did not attend the National University of Samoa or any other universities, I just completed my school with a diploma from Pesega College, he said. I started at Vaimoso, I just picked up a stick and just started spinning, but my eldest brother, I saw him dancing and I always see him at our backyard getting hurt, getting cuts from what he was doing but he just kept going. So eventually I started doing what my elder brother was doing and I got hurt so many times, I got cuts and got burned from what I got myself into, but I did not give up. Vaea said he danced at the Tusitala Hotel back then (now Tanoa Tusitala Hotel) before his parents sent him to Florida where he danced at the Sea World as a fire knife dancer for two years. Then the Walt Disney World member came and watched me dancing on the stage and then they ask me if I want to go to dance there mind you Walt Disney World is like the next level. So I got the opportunity and silently thanking God for the opportunity so I have been dancing with them for 21 years. In the past five years of his career at Disney, he had the chance to perform at one of the top show in Disney its called the Lion King show which is the festival of the Lion King. So I performed just me and my knife performing in front of thousands of people and it was just an amazing feeling and I was so happy, Vaea said. Let me just say that I am not the best dancer in the world but the minute I step on the stage I dont think of anyone else but me, just me and stick doing our thing and showcasing my Samoan culture and where I am from and who I am. He reiterated that fire knife dancing can help an individual get a better life. Im not a smart person and when it comes to the educational side I am very weak and so I started praying asking God to give me the strength and help me and most especially show me the way where I can be able to succeed in life. Vaeas son and two nephews are also fire knife dancers. He encouraged the young people of Samoa to have faith on what they do because it will help them in the future. Fire knife is a traditional Samoan cultural implement that is used in ceremonial dances. According to history, fire knife was originally composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends with a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers of fire knife dancing (or Siva Afi or even Ailao Afi as it is called in Samoa) twirl the knife while doing other acrobatic stunts. The towels are set alight during the dances, thus the name. Samoa has been an eye-opener for Darryn Bennet and Laura Mcaffer, especially on travel opportunities. The Kiwi pair usually enjoy a more comfortable and luxurious vacation, but this time it was different with what Samoa offered. Dear Tourist met Darryn and Laura at the Taumeasina Island Resort, where they stayed to enjoy the luxurious side of Samoa. Darryn described their visit as a chance to experience something new. Its been really eye-opening to see the Samoan way; it is cool to see how they live. In New Zealand we are really lucky, which I now see more after this experience, Laura said. After their trip to Samoa, they assured that they will definitely travel to more authentic cultural destinations. I appreciate having this mixed experience in Samoa because we go to other countries to experience something new, he said. This resort (Taumeasina) is great; normally when we travel to Pacific Islands we dont choose the fanciest, but still resorts. Rarotong and Fiji are very popular, and Samoa isnt that popular in New Zealand, but it is getting more known. This resort is the standard we are used to with table service, bar, the pool and local staff and here you still get the local experience. I think it is good the resorts been separated, the western style doesnt overrule the traditional, and it is a good gap between the two. They give each other space; you dont want to loose the culture, when you go to Fiji it is much westernised, where Samoa is still cutlural even with the gap, which is probably why. He prefers Samoa than most commercialised destinations. It is nice to go to a paradise that is not populated by tourists. When you go to Hawaii it is very American and we dont really experience the culture. They plan to visit Lalomanu beach and sleep in the fales before they head back to Christchurch on tomorrow. I think we will come back here, its not far from home and different and we really enjoyed our stay, Darryn said. Mona El-Fiqi reports on the economic repercussions of the decision to liquidate the National Cement Company Due to continued financial losses and debt accumulation, the government has decided to liquidate the National Cement Company. The company, established in 1956, was the only public-sector company engaged in the manufacture and trade of cement and related construction materials. At a meeting last week, the companys general assembly agreed on liquidation and procedures for selling off company assets, including land and equipment. The revenues from the liquidation will be used to pay off accumulated debts and compensate workers. According to Hisham Tawfik, minister of the public enterprise sector, the companys financial losses in 2017/2018 were around LE900 million, representing the highest among the 48 companies in the ministrys portfolio. The total accumulated financial obligations of National Cement, Tawfik said, had reached over LE4 billion, of which LE3.3 billion were owed to the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company and LE600 million to the Egyptian Electricity Company. The losses had been incurred due to the high costs of production, as the cost of producing a ton of cement at the company was 60 per cent higher than at competitor companies. The general assemblys agreement was based on a consultancy report by the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University that recommended stopping operations to put an end to the companys losses. The faculty had been asked to examine whether to keep the company operational. While the government asserted that the companys liquidation was the only solution to its losses and debts, some experts and many workers representatives have a different view. Ehab Al-Desouki, head of the Economics Department at the Al-Sadat Academy for Management Sciences, said the decision would have negative repercussions. He explained that cement is a strategic commodity in which the government should maintain a share of production to control prices in the local market. Leaving cement production to the private sector could allow for monopolies, he said. According to Al-Desouki, it was impossible for the company to have made such losses and incurred so much debt at a time when the cement sector is flourishing and private-sector companies have made significant profits. The sector is expanding, and the government has recently issued new licences to establish more cement factories, he said. It would be better if the government changed the management and drafted an efficient development plan to help the company stand on its feet again since it is clear that the problem is one of mismanagement, Al-Desouki added. The companys management is responsible for the losses, according to a report from the Central Auditing Agency. The report, which examined the companys performance, indicated corruption and recommended an investigation by the prosecution-general. It also explained that the decision by the companys board to close factories could be unlawful. According to the report, the company administration was to blame for selling 400,000 tons of clinkers (raw material needed to manufacture cement) without issuing tenders as regulations demand, as this had led to losses estimated at LE130 million because they were sold at less than market price. Abdel-Moneim Al-Gamal, deputy chairman of the Egyptian Labour Union, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the problems the company was facing were because of mismanagement by successive boards since 2012. The decision is illogical and depends on a study conducted by a consultancy not specialising in cement production and trade, he said. He said the liquidation of the company would have a negative impact on over 2,000 workers, in addition to hundreds of individuals who own small businesses that depend on the company in the district of Al-Tebeen near Helwan where it is located. The companys liquidation will increase unemployment in a district where people have limited qualifications to find other jobs, he said. The ministry announced that all the workers would be subject to an early pension programme and could not be transferred to other companies since there was no longer any public-sector cement production. We will defend the workers right to compensation according to the law. This allows them a month and a half of salary for each year during the first five years of work in addition to two months of salary for each extra year, Al-Gamal said. Al-Gamal said he had submitted complaints to the prosecution-general appealing against the decision to liquidate and accusing the administration of corruption. Workers have also filed suits against the company supplemented with documents proving corruption, he added. Al-Gamal explained that in 2015 in an attempt to reduce the high costs of the gas used in the wet process to manufacture cement, the companys board had decided to halt production at its first and second factories and to upgrade the third and fourth in a way that would be environmentally friendly and increase production from 3,500 tons to 5,200 tons per factory per day. The upgrade was scheduled to be completed within eight months at a total cost of LE400 million. Instead, it took three years at a cost of LE1.2 billion and failed to reduce the cost of the gas used in producing cement. It is an issue of wasting public funds, and those responsible should be brought to justice Al-Gamal said. The company has four factories and used to produce three million tons of cement annually, representing 10 per cent of total domestic production, according to Al-Gamal. The public enterprise minister said in September that 26 out of the ministrys 48 companies accounted for 90 per cent of the sectors debt. He said that companies that could not be turned around would be liquidated. The rest would be restructured to start generating profit within around two years. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Liquidating National Cement Search Keywords: Short link: NEW YORK (AP) Facebook says hackers accessed a wide swath of information ranging from emails and phone numbers to more personal details like sites visited and places checked into from millions of accounts as part of a security breach the company disclosed two weeks ago. Twenty-nine million accounts had some form of information stolen. Originally Facebook said 50 million accounts were affected, but that it didn't know if they had been misused. The news comes at a jittery time ahead of the midterm elections when Facebook is fighting off misuse of its site on a number of fronts . The company said Friday there's no evidence this is related to the midterms. On Friday Facebook said hackers accessed names, email addresses or phone numbers from these accounts. For 14 million of them, hackers got even more data, such as hometown, birthdate, the last 10 places they checked into or the 15 most recent searches. An additional 1 million accounts were affected, but hackers didn't get any information from them. Facebook isn't giving a breakdown of where these users are, but says the breach was "fairly broad." It plans to send messages to people whose accounts were hacked. Facebook said third-party apps that use a Facebook login and Facebook apps like WhatsApp and Instagram were unaffected by the breach. Facebook said the FBI is investigating, but asked the company not to discuss who may be behind the attack. The company said it hasn't ruled out the possibility of smaller-scale attacks that used the same vulnerability. Facebook has said the attackers gained the ability to "seize control" of those user accounts by stealing digital keys the company uses to keep users logged in. They could do so by exploiting three distinct bugs in Facebook's code. The hackers began with a set of accounts they controlled, then used an automated process to access the digital keys for accounts that were "friends" with the accounts they had already compromised. That expanded to "friends of friends," extending their access to about 400,000 accounts, and went on from there to reach 30 million accounts. There is no evidence that the hackers made any posts or took any other activity using the hacked accounts. The company said it has fixed the bugs and logged out affected users to reset those digital keys. At the time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg whose own account was compromised said attackers would have had the ability to view private messages or post on someone's account, but there's no sign that they did. Facebook Vice President Guy Rosen said in a call with reporters on Friday the company hasn't ruled out the possibility of smaller-scale efforts to exploit the same vulnerability that the hackers used before it was disabled. The company has a website its 2 billion global users can use to check if their accounts have been accessed, and if so, exactly what information was stolen. It will also provide guidance on how to spot and deal with suspicious emails or texts. Facebook will also send messages directly to those people affected by the hack. Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said the breach appeared similar to identity theft breaches that have occurred at companies including Yahoo and Target in 2013. "Those personal details could be very easily be used for identity theft to sign up for credit cards, get a loan, get your banking password, etc.," he said. "Facebook should provide all those customers free credit monitoring to make sure the damage is minimized." Thomas Rid, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University, also said the evidence, particularly the size of the breach, seems to point to a criminal motive rather than a sophisticated state operation, which usually targets fewer people. "This doesn't sound very targeted at all," he said. "Usually when you're looking at a sophisticated government operation, then a couple of thousand people hacked is a lot, but they usually know who they're going after." And so it continues. The war between Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaois Government and the church, especially the biggest denomination on the land, the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S.) over taxes has taken another ugly turn. It happened this week with confirmation that the Government has moved to enforce the law to tax the alofa of Church Ministers by forcibly seizing funds from the clergies bank accounts. Two of the biggest pillars of life in Samoa colliding. But the Government is not stopping there. As if bullying their way through using their political muscle is not bad enough, they are also threatening to use the law to seize assets and other properties. The Minister for Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, has maintained that the law is the law and church Ministers are not immune. The law applies to everyone. The law does not wait until it is accepted or not. We have given church ministers six months and those who continue to defy the law will face the consequences, Tialavea said. As of last week, we have given all the banks a list of names of the church ministers whose personal accounts will be affected by this seizure. And if they dont have any money, we will seize their cars and lands, whatever asset they own, which has a market value, we will take and again, this is done under the authority of the law. The seizure of funds is for each and every church minister, who has not filed their monthly taxes. Wow, isnt it sad what Samoa has become? What has happened to the so-called Christian-state the Government keeps talking about? Why is that not reverence for God and his representatives on earth not reflected in what the Government is doing now? Think about this for a while. What happens when Tialaveas men turn up to seize a Church Ministers car and he refuses? Are they going to call the Police on him, handcuff him and throw him into jail? Progressive Samoa? Democratic Samoa? Christian Samoa? Youve got to be kidding me. But then what can Tialavea do and say. He is only toeing the line his boss and Prime Minister Tuilaepa tells him to. To avoid all this, Tuilaepa said: That is why the Church Ministers must allow their church officers to remove the taxes before the alofa is handed to him. It is that simple as I am certain that once the Church Ministers get their salary or alofa they wont want to pay taxes. I mean I would probably do the same if the treasury did not deduct taxes before I get my salary, said Tuilaepa, laughing. He then urged the church ministers to leave the responsibility of paying taxes to the church officers so they have to worry about it. It would be interesting to see what the Churches will have to say. Sadly, while the National Council of Churches has declined to comment, the once outspoken Congregational Christian Church of Samoas General Secretary, Reverend Vavatau Taufao, has not responded to emails from this newspaper seeking a reaction from the church. In the meantime, Minister Tialavea cannot stop, reiterating that no one is above the law. He added that the Government did not want to go down this path but they had no choice but to do what is right. They should walk the talk, Tialavea said about church Ministers. They preach one thing yet turn around and do the opposite. Really? What about Cabinet Ministers and their pledge to be accountable, transparent and work in accordance to the principles of good governance? What about Cabinet Ministers who are implicated in deals that have conflict of interest written all over them? What about the countless cases of senior public servants abusing their power and authority to enrich their families and friends at the expense of taxpayers and members of the public? At this point, we want to remind Prime Minister Tuilaepa and his Minister Tialavea that the Bible is quite clear when it says how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. On this White Sunday, lets think about the word hypocrite very carefully and try to avoid becoming one. What these so called self righteous political figures should insist on instead is honesty, integrity and to remember that members of the public are not all stupid. They have very good memories. Lastly, Minister Tialavea insists that Governments decision is about doing what is right. Fair enough. Why then has the Government not done anything to collect an outstanding debt of $87.6 million identified in the Public Account Management Audit report for the 2014-2015 financial years? How did this debt come about? Who in Samoa and what companies are responsible for it? If the principles of accountability and transparency were applied, would the Ministry of Revenue have been left with such a massive debt? And why havent Tuilaepa, Tialavea and their boys applied the law to recover this debt? Why havent they gone ahead and seized financial accounts, assets and properties from the people responsible for this gaping hole? By the way, in case you are wondering what this has to do with taxing church Ministers, well let me tell you, it has everything to do with it. It is this sort of reckless attitude from the Government towards public finances over the years that has resulted in their desperation to do anything including taxing money people offer to God to plug this massive hole they have been digging, which they will eventually end up in. That day is coming. We just know it. Happy White Sunday Samoa, God bless! Dear Editor I read with interest the story titled Govt. refuses to pay $5.58 million for Tiavea land. My interest antenna went up when I saw the Ministers comments regarding the asking price for Tiaveas land, which is being used for the airport. My one unit of economics at a local teaching institution taught me that assets have value. Presumably the Tiavea land on which the airport is being built is an asset, that belongs to nine families. By my rough calculation 23 acres converts to just over 93 thousand square metres and at $30 per square metre, that comes to about $2.8 million. Doubling the square metre price results in a 100% increase in moneys for the affected Tiavea families. The Ministers comments appear to demand that Tiavea accepts the $30 price as being a reasonable offer. This implies that there is a market price for land at Tiavea and surrounding areas and the price of $30 per square is all that the market (in this case the Government) is prepared to pay. The important question here is, who did the land valuation, which yielded the $30 figure. I sincerely hope this valuation did not employ the questionable methodology used in valuing the lands of Salelologa, which got sold, to the government for a fraction of what they were really worth. If there is no agreed valuation then Tiaveas case is worth looking at because $60 per square metre is just as valid as $30 or $100 or whatever. The value of an asset is not dependent on the ability of the buyer to pay. After all, the Tiavea families are going to lose their assets forever and they need to be adequately and appropriately compensated. It is unbecoming of the Minister to issue threats about forcible takeover of land because issuing threats wont lead to any meaningful results. Dare I contemplate the use of the police with their guns to enforce such forceful takeover of Tiavea land. The second interesting aspect of the Ministers comments relate to the benefits that would accrue to Tiavea and the surrounding areas from the airport. These economic benefits have not been articulated by the Minister but if the value of these benefits is high, then surely, the price of the assets from which these benefits will come, should also be high. How high should be a matter of negotiation in good faith between the government and the Tiavea council acting on behalf of the affected families. By the way, apart from Tiavea and the surrounding areas, the government will also benefit from the airport primarily through landing fees and higher taxation revenue from hotel owners and others, from higher tourist dollars. In the final analysis, the government will recoup its investment in the airport and still have an asset, the airport land. For the affected Tiavea families, the price they receive should be enough to compensate them for the complete loss of an increasingly valuable asset, land. Vai Autu Cabinet Ministers should not have shares in any company. That is the view of the Minister for Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt. He made the point during an interview with the Sunday Samoan. In doing so, he joined Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi in expressing similar sentiments. I dont believe in the notion behind the conflict of interest, but I believe in doing the right thing. Once I became a Minister, I transferred all my shares to my family, he said. Last week the Prime Minister said Ministers and Associate Ministers should not be involved in their family business once they are elected into public office. He was responding to questions from Samoa Observer, following revelations a company that was recently awarded a multimillion tala airport contract is owned by Associate Minister Peseta Vaifou Tevaga. They have been elected by their respective districts as their representative, and so the businesses should be handed over to the children and families, while they serve their constituencies, said Tuilaepa. Minister Tialavea could not agree more. He said he supports that train of thought from a moral perspective. My point is, it is a moral issue and no Minister should hold shares in any company. This is assurance to members of the public that there is no shady business going on." In my view personally the Ministers and Associate Ministers once they are appointed to office, should transfer their shares, it makes life difficult for them and their families who are running the business, he added. Tialavea said at the time of their swearing-in, each and every cabinet minister is asked to stay steer clear of their family-owned businesses and offload their shares. But that is my view and it is up to the Minister what they want to do, he said. But in reality, Tialavea said if the Minister does not own shares in his family business, he will still have a say in how it is run. I would be lying to you if I say that I have zero involvement when in fact I advise my children on how to run our family business that is a fact and it will never change. The Minister of Revenue Tialavea Tionisio Hunt says cash-strapped businesses can pay their import duty after 30 days but only if they pay 50 per cent of the tax upfront. Asked by the Sunday Samoan how many companies have already benefited from this arrangement, he said he is only aware of two construction firms that applied and were given the approval. To date in my recollection, only two construction businesses have requested this special favour and I approved it because I have to approve it before the goods are allowed to be released, he said. I dont know about down at the C.E.Os office but I know for a fact that I authorised two container release. The Minister would not divulge the names of the companies. But he said before his ministerial appointment, the Customs Office had a system called side release. Asked to explain, he said this allowed for the release of goods freely with the duty to be paid later. But that changed after he was appointed the Minister for Revenue. The law states that pre-release of cargo can be applied to individuals, he said. However, 50 per cent up front and a 30-days deadline to settle the payment to the Government, but this is not applied to business goods. The containers are only allowed for release once the duty taxes are paid in full. I know this law is not applicable to businesses. However, for me as a Minister if a business is strap for cash flow, I would help them release their goods and they can pay their taxes within 30 days. We have to apply common sense. This was my decision although it is not in line with the law. I am thinking of the bigger picture, if the Government does not help these businesses, they would eventually close down, and the employees would lose their jobs. And we would not collect any revenues. Asked how many businesses were offered this service and how much was the value of the duty owed, Tialavea declined to comment. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi recently said the $87.6 million outstanding debt which the Ministry for Revenue incurred and was cited by Ministry of Finance audit reports is uncollected revenue from previous years. The National Council of Churches has described as insulting an Office of the Ombudsman report that blamed them for exacerbating family violence. The report, based on a two-year national inquiry into family violence in Samoa, concluded that the churches continued to contribute to the impunity of family violence perpetrators. The Village Fono comprised of matais of aiga plays a crucial role in maintaining and preserving peace, harmony, security and stability through customary law and tradition. Samoa relies heavily on this effective system for the maintenance of law and order. However, the church is generally failing in its role to prevent family violence and is reinforcing the patriarchal framework which underpins family violence. Church contributions are spiraling out of control through competitiveness, and a failure of churches to control amounts, leading to undue financial pressures, which in turn trigger greater prevalence of family violence in Samoa, stated the report. But the National Council of Churches general secretary, Reverend Maauga Motu, says the criticisms were unjustified as church ministers play a big part in addressing issues relating to family violence. How insulting are the findings of this report, we have been working with Ministry of Women to conduct consultations in the villages, through the church ministers." It is disheartening to read about the hard work of church ministers being degraded by this report." This does not sit well with those of us who have been working on curbing the matter at hand, he said. The report, which revealed shocking statistics on family violence in Samoa, was launched last month. It also stated that 90 per cent of intimate partner violence in Samoa went unreported. As part of the reports recommendations, churches were urged to increase their capacity to deal with family violence and prevent placing victims at risk of further harm. The report also recommended the need to consult and establish a national guideline for church ministers, when dealing with victims and perpetrators of family violence and dealing with the perpetrators of family violence. Two vehicles collided at the intersection at Siusega around 11 oclock yesterday. The black Toyota Noah was coming from Aleisa heading to Apia and the black Hiace minivan was on its way to Siusega when the crash occurred. According to an eyewitness, Paulo, the Toyota Noah was driven by a man and was carrying a few passengers, including an elderly man. Paulo said the Toyota Noah failed to stop at the intersection when it smashed onto the minivan, which was also driven by another man. The Sunday Samoan arrived a few minutes after the accident occurred before officers from the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority arrived at the scene. PR - Threats of rain did not stop Bluesky from bringing the Sunshine into over 40 family homes this White Sunday! Even as the country celebrates, the company is also promising something extra as a surprise today for their pre-paid customers. Blueskys Top Up and Win promotion ended on a positive high where customers had to Top Up $7 tala and receive for free; 1GB of Data, entries into the draw to win $200 tala cash prizes daily, or a chance to win brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 Mobile phones. In addition to this, food and clothing vouchers to help ease the strains of White Sunday. Bluesky understands this is an exciting time for the Children of Samoa, and every year families put in a lot of thought into their White Sunday preparations, Country Manager, Alex Abraham, said. Therefore we were excited to have come up with a White Sunday campaign to benefit not just our children, but the parents who work tirelessly behind the scenes. We also wanted to ensure that every child receives a fair chance, even if their families couldnt afford to buy $7 tala echarge. Therefore not only did we run a top-up & win campaign, but we also ran a White Sunday Competition on Facebook, free of charge. Creative juices were flowing Blueskys White Sunday Facebook Competition with Children showcasing their talents and memory (bible) versus which people can see when they search up #BlueskyWhiteSunday on Facebook. The most likes receive $250 tala vouchers. This was our way to spread the Sunshine even to those less fortunate this White Sunday says Alex Abraham. Mr. Abraham also hinted that all Bluesky Prepaid Customers will receive a special surprise for this Sunday only; to help share their White Sunday experiences with family and friends everywhere. The management and staff of Bluesky wishes each and everyone a blessed and safe White Sunday, as we celebrate the importance of our beloved children and the contribution they bring in to our families. Another Ayres award Janelle Ayres, an infectious disease researcher at the Salk Institute, has been granted $3.5 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health in a coveted NIH Pioneer Award. Its not just the money. Its the source. The National Institutes of Health is the largest single funder of biomedical research in the United States with $37 billion appropriated by Congress for the 2018 fiscal year. When the NIH funds scientists, it gets noticed. In July, Ayres won $1 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation to fund her microbial research. And in June, Ayres was given the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists. The award is given to scientists 42 and under by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. It included $250,000 to fund her research. Advertisement That research can loosely be described as make peace, not war. Instead of the traditional eradication approach to deadly microbes, Ayres look for ways to tame pathogens so they dont make us sick. Its even in the interest of the microbes, as killing the host deprives parasites of a home. This is nothing more than standard evolutionary theory, but applying this concept to human disease therapies is still a novelty. But the evidence is there to support it. In January 2017, Ayres and colleague Sheila Rao led a study demonstrating that some Salmonella bacteria a common cause of food poisoning actually promote appetite in their hosts. People who feel sick tend to stay in one place and be isolated. Turns out thats not helpful for bacteria that depend on spreading to new hosts to propagate their kind. Scripps Research adds to advisers Scripps Research has added another layer to its ongoing transformation. The La Jolla biomedical nonprofit has added a Board of Overseers, expanding the institutes network of advisers. Its also another example of the ability of Scripps Research CEO Peter G. Schultz to persuade some most distinguished people to help the institute. Local notables include Richard Heyman, a prolific biotech entrepreneur and vice chair of the Salk Institute. Also: -- Dr. Stanley Crooke, chairman and CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. -- Faheem Hasnain, chairman and CEO of Gossamer Bio. -- Kevin Sayer, president and CEO of Dexcom. Outside of San Diego, prominent members include: -- David Gollaher, vice president of policy and public health for Gilead Sciences of Foster City. -- Dr. John Reed, head of global research and development for Paris-based drugmaker Sanofi. Reed is known in San Diego as the former CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. -- Dr. Mikael Dolsten, MD, president of worldwide research and development for pharma giant Pfizer. These have all made formidable contributions to biomedicine. What will they do for Scripps Research? Too many? Could there actually be too many experimental trials of new cancer treatments? Those affected by cancer may have trouble believing it, but thats exactly what an article in the industry publication Fierce Biotech said earlier this month. A bottleneck of immunotherapy clinical trials has put the fields advancement somewhat on hiatus, the article states. The bottleneck is finding enough patients to fill the hundreds of clinical trials of cancer treatments, industry professionals said. Tom Schuetz, CEO of Compass Therapeutics, told Fierce Biotech that hed rather see more extensive animal testing to select fewer but more rigorously screened therapies for human testing. The New York Times made that same point in an article last year. Cancer immotherapys success against previously fatal cancers has led to many other products. Many of these experimental candidates in trials are quite similar, the Times article stated. Yet each drug company wants to have its own proprietary version, seeing a potential windfall if it receives FDA approval. On the other hand, these treatments are all quite new, so over time some versions may be better suited to some cancers, others to different cancers. But the avalanche of trials, for now at least, has outstripped the supply of patients. More than 1,600 cancer immune therapies are now recruiting for clinical trials, according to a search on the official government registry at clinicaltrials.gov. That search excluded completed trials or those not recruiting, along with observational trials. Theres another side to that story; Cancer patients eager to try experimental therapies, but who dont meet the eligibility criteria. The plight of one patient who eventually died was told last year in the Washington Post. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Q:We have a guest house on our half-acre lot that we have rented out [using a short-term rental service]. We are always home in the main house when guests are present. Therefore, there never has been any issue with noise or nuisances over the many times we have rented it out. It has been a nice source of income that has allowed us to pay our utilities, some college tuition for our children and HOA dues. The homeowners association sent a letter to us stating that we were running a commercial business from our home, which is forbidden. Is there anything that protects the ability of a homeowner to rent out a room or, in our case, a spare guest house short of changing our listing to a monthly-only rental? K.A., San Diego Q:Is it legal for one of the other owners in my association to use a unit as a short-term rental without input from the other owners? Privately, it was discussed among those of us who vehemently oppose this callous disregard for our concerns. Is this owner acting within legal parameters? Your input will be greatly appreciated. Advertisement Thank you. I anxiously await your reply. L.H., South Pasadena A: Dear K.A. and L.H.: While you are on opposite sides of this issue, the basic response is the same. Short-term rentals are considered by many as a commercial and therefore non-residential use of the property. While many web-based companies offer convenient advertising of such rentals, it is closer to a hotel-type operation than a tenancy. An increasing number of cities have adopted ordinances regarding short-term rentals, treating them as business enterprises. This subject goes to the heart of what it means to live in a common-interest community. In common-interest communities, a social compact is created by the recorded covenants in which the owners agree to share certain values and give up a certain level of independence in return for the many benefits of sharing ownership or control of the association with ones neighbors. The interests of owners wishing to rent out their residences for vacation-type rentals obviously clash with the interests of those who are concerned about the possible drawbacks of such rentals. While K.A., you have been fortunate to have a rental history that apparently has not impacted your neighbors in the least, the greater likelihood with most such rentals is that they can create an administrative burden for the association and more frequently result in tenants with a lower level of concern for their temporary neighbors. Short-term rentals are still a rental, and all landlords are required by Civil Code 4740(d) to provide the association the tenants name and contact information prior to the rental. My assumption is that this statute is almost never honored by short-term rental landlords. Many associations already have minimum rental terms in their governing documents, and almost all residential association CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions) limit the use of properties to residential purposes. In these days of crowd-based capitalism, associations and their members should decide (if municipal ordinances allow) whether short-term rentals will be allowed, and if so under what conditions. Rentals, short-term or otherwise, should not adversely affect neighbors. Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and Senior Partner of Richardson Ober PC, a California law firm known for community association advice. Submit potential column questions to Kelly@Richardsonober.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com. Egyptian Transport Minister Hisham Arafat said on Friday that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's upcoming visit to Russia aims to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the transportation field. In an interview with Russia Today, Arafat said that an agreement between Egypt and a Russian-Hungarian consortium to produce 1,300 train vehicles at a cost of one billion euros has been finalized. He noted that the Russian company participating in the consortium is one of the biggest train manufacturers in the world. The Russian-Hungarian consortium has been hired to help Egypt establish a local manufacturing line at the National Organization for Military Production, according to Arafat. The first batch of the carriages will be manufactured in Russia and will be a model for the other batches later. Search Keywords: Short link: A recent study from Cushman & Wakefield that looked at tech cities regions with a lot of technology jobs broke down assets of each market in terms of percentage of technology jobs compared to all jobs, tech growth over time, venture capital funding and the percentage of millennials. The San Diego metropolitan area stood out by having the third highest percentage of millennials of any of the 25 tech cities studied. Reader reaction to the Union-Tribunes article about the study was mixed, with some saying millennials should not be considered an asset because of poor work ethic. Question: When it comes to the tech industry, are millennials really an asset? Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Absolutely. Millennials are the first generation to grow up with technology and social media all around them. They therefore excel in using the newest software, are capable of coding, and developing new apps with great ease. They are essential to developing and growing every technology. And just as we want diversity in race, sex and nationality in our workforce we need diversity in age and thinking, which includes millennials. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: Millennials are digital natives, born into the world of technology enveloping their entire lives. They become comfortable with computers from an early age and consider technologies integral and necessary parts of their life. Many easily embrace and are clearly assets for technical pursuits. Stereotypes of slacker temperament and other negative traits are not necessarily warranted. Young people of every generation have consistently been underestimated by their elders and usually survive the challenges left to them. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: As the largest generational group in the workforce, companies that want to thrive will find ways to make millennials valuable employees. The major technology companies employ large numbers of millennials. Given their growth and record of creating innovative products, the evidence is strong that millennials are an asset to these companies. Millennials grew up with technology and are adept at digital communication. They are consumers of technology and bring that perspective into their workplaces. Gina Champion-Cain, American National Investments YES: Although I find it exceedingly ill-advised to generalize based on characteristic descriptions ascribed to entire populations, a millennial's early exposure to technology makes them apt to gravitate toward the tech industry. Their entrance to the job market also coincides with a plethora of tech job openings. None of which means the group is better than the others. Stereotyped hiring is misguided. Tech assets have and will continue to be cultivated across all demographic categories. Alan Gin, University of San Diego YES: While technology is used by people of all ages, millennials grew up with more technology than any generation before them. Many of them have skills and knowledge that are desired by tech companies. Their relative youth allows them to better connect with younger customers. Concerns about lack of work ethic stem from the desire of millennials to have a better work-life balance than their parents and grandparents, which is not necessarily a bad thing. James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: A strong talent pool of engineers and technicians can be a big benefit for many companies. Those of us more seasoned in years can try to keep up but younger people have some advantages when it comes to new technology. Startups can do better in communities where there are more people willing to experiment with new products like dockless bikes (Lime, Spin) and parking services (Spothero). I admire the entrepreneurial spirit of many millennials. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: Millennials form the demographic base of employment for most tech companies. As they age, they must be accommodated throughout the region. While the region has added 35 million square feet of employment space over this century, Downtown San Diego has barely added any. That is about to change, with several new projects which might add 4 million square feet there, eventually employing 23,000 workers. There is already a lot of millennial housing downtown. Less expensive South County is attractive to both young families and new employers, as well. The key to a high quality of life is to work near where you live. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: To say otherwise would be to disown my daughter and skip over her entire generation for one of the few bright outlook industries within our economy. My granddaughters may become more tech savvy, but they may also be more easily distracted and less loyal. One of my best friends is a millennial and he is a great worker when not surfing, playing beach volleyball, lobster fishing or on a ski trip. Jamie Moraga, IntelliSolutions YES: Millennials are highly educated, tech savvy, flexible, confident, eager, and innovative all of which are vital to the tech industry. We need to continue to invest in our local colleges and universities who produce this talent. Challenges to employers are how to motivate, engage, and retain millennial employees as theres a pattern of high turnover. That said, San Diegos growing biotech and innovation cluster needs this workforce. Austin Neudecker, Rev YES: Millennials grew up in a period of rapid technological change (Internet, smartphones, social media). Their conviction that technology will change the world, as well as ability to adapt, make them well-suited to tech. Although cited for entitlement and disloyalty, this generation expects more than a paycheck out of work. They crave purpose, value alignment and a sense that their company cares. If properly engaged, millennials can be invaluable to companies that understand what they seek. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates YES: Millennials were brought up with technology and are the asset that employers need. We must continually work on identifying employers who will attract these millennials and get them interested in settling here. Cities like Phoenix, Austin and Denver are providing competition as their housing costs are lower and they also want those same employers. We may have the climate but we also need to have the total package by reducing taxes and regulations. Lynn Reaser, Point Loma Nazarene University YES: They have grown up on technology and are our first always connected generation. They have never known a world without personal computers. With digital technology and social media central to their lives, the tech sector is a natural fit. They are valuable to an industry eager to reach a population of 73 million millennials. They are creative and see no limits to their imagination. They do not shy away from risk and change, a true asset to technology. John Sarkisian, Motion Ventures Not participating this week. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: Millennials have grown up with technology unlike any previous generation and they expect to use technology at work, home and play. Millennials may be motivated by different incentives than other generations, but when fully engaged, they bring a wealth of tech savvy and creativity to the workforce. Thats evident in health care, where millennial employees are making a real contribution to the adoption of remote digital technology to help care for patients, wherever they may be. Have an idea for an EconoMeter question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com. Follow me on Twitter: @PhillipMolnar At a computer programming class at Mission Vista High School in Oceanside earlier this month, a pair of students demonstrated a video game they created for the Salk Institutes open house. Next door, in the graphic design classroom known as Studio 903, a stack of flyers that design students printed for campus clubs were ready for pickup. The following morning, outside Del Lago Academy in Escondido, culinary students in chefs hats served cheese pastries to members of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce, while San Pasqual High School students demonstrated how to pilot a robotic device that they fabricated and built. The events, scheduled during national Manufacturing Week, allowed local business leaders to learn about career technical education classes, which help students get a taste of the professional world. The courses, often grouped in pathways for sectors such as health care, technology or culinary arts, form the gateway to lucrative careers, officials say. While funding for traditional vocational classes waned as schools focused on academic basics under the federal No Child Left Behind model for education, new economic trends have brought a fresh wave of interest and funding. School officials began looking at potentially lucrative middle skills jobs, which dont require a four-year degree, but do call for additional training beyond high school. Those jobs, in fields ranging from welding to cybersecurity, offer high wages and are in high demand. Advertisement In some programs, students can graduate with skills and certifications that enable them to qualify for good jobs right out of high school, officials say. In others, career technical courses introduce students to subjects for future study. In pretty much all cases, educators say, they keep kids engaged in school, and allow them to test drive their career goals. We are trying to make that relevance very apparent to students, so they can see the connection between education and the jobs theyre going to do in the (future,) said Escondido Union High School District Superintendent Steve Boyle. That connection was clear to Diego Munoz, 16, a junior at San Pasqual High School. During the event at Del Lago, Munoz and his classmates deployed a robot to pick up and stack a set of large blocks. Although robotics have become a mainstay of modern classrooms, this one was well beyond the kits most students use. Members of the San Pasqual robotics club worked in teams to design the device using 3-D modeling, fabricate its metal parts, wire the electrical systems, and program it to perform tasks. Its right up Munoz alley. For me, personally, I want to become a mechanical engineer and work for Disney Imagineering, the arm of the Walt Disney Company that designs and builds its theme parks, he said. His classmate Eli Uva,16, sees the club as a head start toward his goal of becoming a computer-assisted design and mechanical engineer. Daisy Rojas, also 16, is planning for a career in engineering, as well, but she said the robotics club introduced her to a wide range of professional skills. You can learn about managing a business, graphics, financial management, electrical (work,) how to craft metal parts and how gears work, she said. Escondido Union High School District enrolls 2,856 students in career technical pathways including woodworking, automotive, agriculture, culinary arts, graphic design, video productions, printing and layout, construction, manufacturing, architecture and design, according to Mia Funk, director of college and career readiness for the district. Students in the automotive technology program at Orange Glen High School learn about the different shop tools in one of the five automotive classes at the school. (Howard Lipin) Vista Unified School District has 2,230 students in career technical programs in computer science, graphic design, tv/film, digital arts, photography, patient care, state tech, animal science and agroscience, automotive, video gaming, cuinary arts, robotics and drone photography, said Kelly McKinney, career technical coordinator for the district. Both districts draw money through the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, which provided $114.4 million for the 2017-18 school year; the state Career Technical Incentive Grant, which offered $200 million that year; and various other smaller grants, according to a report to the State Board of Education. Career technical education has been here all along, but over the last few years it has definitely shifted, and has focused more on the skills our industry partners are looking for, said Jewyl Clarke, integrated curriculum coordinator, at the San Diego County Office of Education. At the Del Lago showcase, Escondido High School students Jacqueline Granados and Johanna Jimenez arranged roses and greenery in upcycled soda bottles, to showcase the floral activities of the campus chapter of Future Farmers of America. The flowers, Granados said, instantly appealed to her artistic instincts. I love how they smell, I love drawing them, she said. What made me pursue this passion was making people smile. It lets people know, hey, I appreciate you. Granados plans to pursue a career as a biotech engineer, but said shes learned valuable lessons in botany, biology, and even bioengineering by studying the cultivated plants. The schools floral team is more than a training experience; its also a job. Escondido High School students Jacqueline Granados and Johanna Jimenez arranged roses and greenery in upcycled soda bottles, to showcase the floral activities of the campus chapter of Future Farmers of America. (Deborah Sullivan Brennan) Students prepare flower arrangements for weddings and other events, and earn money in the process. During the Del Lago presentation, agriculture teacher Nicole Hoofard said, an official from Vintana restaurant in Escondido discussed hiring the students to prepare flowers for its events. That kind of real-world commerce experience is what hooked Jimenez. She brought in more than $100 making prom corsages and boutonnieres last year, and said she plans to keep going. I learned to market it and I did a really good job, she said. It has inspired me to do business after high school, specifically agricultural businesses. Likewise, culinary students at Orange Glen High School in Escondido learned about the food business when their classes were commissioned to develop recipes for Cravory Cookies and Uber Eats; they created Razzle Dazzle, a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake cookie, and Tres Amigos, a triple meat burrito. Career technical classes sometimes help kids find out what they dont want to do, as well as what fields they do want to pursue, experts said. They introduce students to so-called soft skills such as interviewing, resume writing and business communication, as well as numerous other specific technical skills. The benefits start long before they graduate, however, McKinney said. In Vista Unified, the graduation rates for students who take career technical courses is 98 percent, compared to about 86 percent for the district overall. What we find is kids who take CTE classes, its their motivation to come to school, she said. Its their reason to come to school. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan October 13, 1869 The San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Wednesday, October 13, 1869 In October 1869 The San Diego Union newspaper turned one year old. The four-page weekly was still printed in Old Town. The price remained five dollars a year, in advance, or 12 cents for a single copy. But many things had changed in a year. The founding editor, W. Jeff Gatewood, had moved on. There were now three columns of local advertising on the front page, as well as some local news. And the Oct. 13, 1869 Union introduced a new column from Nell Wayne, one of papers first featured columnists. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: Letter from San Francisco. [FROM A LADY CORRESPONDENT.] SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25, 1869. EDITOR UNION San Franciscans are, at present, revelling in three uncommon blessings, namely: warm bright days, clear moonlight nights, and a Mechanics fair. Sunshine and moonlight uncommon blessings you say? Dont confess any surprise at that, or it will at once be manifest that you have never lived long in San Francisco. Why I tell you we havent had any Summer here this year, only a succession of cold foggy days, and damp chilly nights, which gave the city the constant appearance of a wet hen. Linen suits, draping decapitated wire in front of clothing stores, seemed cruel burlesques, and delicate lawns and muslins flaunting in the shop windows, seemed hollow mockeries. Every body was disgusted, and seemed only to hesitate between two methods of self-annihilation, kicking themselves out of town, or shooting themselves with baked apples. Never was sunshine more welcome. It infuses vigor and animation into the hearts of man and beasts. The City dries her feathers, plumes herself, and warms into new life and activity. The Moonlight Nights are duly appreciated. No one can doubt this who, like myself, occupies a front room, and has his mid-summer nights dream disturbed by innumerable carriages rushing past on their return from the cliff House and other places of resort. The Mechanics Fair is, of course, a host in itself. The crowning glory of its wonders arrived on Wednesday, in the shape of Pullmans Palace Sleeping car, Orleans. Of course an additional crowd assembled to examine this small piece of portable property. The car is 57 feet long, by 119 feet 4 inches wide, exterior measurement. The interior woodwork is of black walnut, and the panels of branch black walnut. The upholstery is of French moquette woven expressly for the car, with the monogram of the company interwoven. The floor is covered with alight velvet carpets and it is furnished with beds, marble wash-stand, and an arrangement for heating the car by steam. It is lighted with seven crystal cut-glass lamps, all the metal of which, rods, hooks, &c., is heavily electro-plated with silver. Rather a magnificent place to be crushed to death in, in case of a collision? View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. Award acceptance speeches at the San Diego International Film Festival ran the gamut from Alex Wolffs thanking his mother for giving birth to him to actress-mom Kathryn Hahns plea that young girls get to be who they are in todays world. Honoree Topher Grace even took out his cellphone at the dais and turned to take a selfie video with the attendees behind him for his wife. He conducted the crowd in a shout-out of: Ashley, you are an amazing wife and a wonderful mother. Grace, who portrays David Duke in the film BlacKkKlansman, was only 22 when he appeared in Traffic, which fueled a love affair between Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones while filming on location in San Diego. I love any excuse to come down here, added the Vanguard Award winner who sheepishly confessed: I had to go right to the dictionary to see what vanguard meant. Advertisement Rising Star Award recipient Christian Navarro, who co-starred in the 13 Reasons Why Netflix series about teen suicide, said traveling all over the globe and meeting young people for the past two years has been a dream come true. But the dream pales in comparison to the reality that weve made something thats changed some peoples lives for the better, he said. 1 / 42 Actress Kathryn Hahn received the Fairbanks Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diegol on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 2 / 42 Actor John Cho received the Spotlight Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 3 / 42 Actor Zachary Levi received the Nemeth Humanitarian Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diegol on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 4 / 42 Musician Kenny Loggins received the Music Icon Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diegol on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 5 / 42 Actor Alex Wolff received the Auteur Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diegol on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 6 / 42 Actor Topher Grace received the Cinema Vanguard Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 7 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 8 / 42 Actress Kathryn Hahn received the Fairbanks Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 9 / 42 Actor Alex Wolff received the Auteur Award at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 10 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 11 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 12 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 13 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 14 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 15 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 16 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 17 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 18 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 19 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 20 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 21 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 22 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 23 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 24 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 25 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 26 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 27 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 28 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 29 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 30 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 31 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 32 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 33 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 34 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 35 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 36 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 37 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 38 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 39 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 40 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 41 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) 42 / 42 Hollywoods finest shined at the San Diego International Film Festivals Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Jared Gase ) But the spotlight of the night shone on someone who didnt win an award Hayley DuMond, the actress and wife of veteran leading man Keith Carradine. Film producer Cecilia Peck presented Carradine a cinematic excellence award named after her father, Gregory Peck. In addition to his film successes, Peck said Carradine remained a beloved friend to her parents for years. He spent many evenings at their home and sang his Academy Award-winning song, Im Easy, at Pecks 80th birthday party and again at both her dads memorial in 2003 and nine years later when her mother passed away. Then Cecilia dropped the bombshell of the evening, saying she hoped it was OK to break the news: Hayley is expecting a baby. Carradine, 69, had three children (now all grown) before he married Hayley, now 44, nearly 12 years ago. They met on the set of the 1999 film The Hunters Moon. He quickly segued from his acceptance script: I am about to be a father again with this extraordinary woman, and I am truly the luckiest man in this room. When it comes to luck, Music Icon Award recipient Kenny Loggins revealed that he wasnt originally tapped to sing the Top Gun movie theme. The act that was supposed to sing Danger Zone was Jefferson Starship, Loggins told the crowd. Apparently, the rock band had a disagreement about the arrangement, or something, so they dropped out, said Loggins, who happened to be recording a song nearby when he got a call asking if he could step in. I was not even on the A list. I just happened to be down the street, he related. He called it luck and being ready to jump when that luck thing happens. Loggins said he is repeatedly asked by media whether Danger Zone will resurface in the Top Gun sequel. His answer: I dont know, he grinned. To the the crowds unexpected delight, though, he retook the stage post-ceremony with guitar in hand and belted out his hits Danger Zone and Footloose. In this 2015 file photo at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, animal keeper Jane Kennedy used a scrub brush to scratch the back of Chuck, a southern white rhino, who was a companion to Nola, the Parks elderly northern white rhino who died later that year. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) Animal magnetism: A National Geographic film crew came to explore the best of San Diego and Balboa Park for a four-part TV miniseries. Made in conjunction with the San Diego Tourism Authority, it will begin airing at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, on the National Geographic cable channel. While here, the photographers had some unusual animal encounters. A sleepy, morning film shoot took place with farm-to-table Chef Steve Brown, who is known for his traveling restaurant Cosecha, which means harvest. They were videotaping at Wild Willow Farms just north of the border by the Tijuana River Valley. Brown has an affinity for Wagyu beef dishes paired with wines, but even he was taken aback when two men in full bullfighter regalia rode up on horses. They asked if Brown had seen a runaway bull. As it turned out, a Mexican rodeo was taking place just down the road, and one of the bulls as escaped. No, the missing steer was not on Browns menu. In a segment on the San Diego Zoos efforts to save the northern white rhino from extinction, the film crew got an up-close-and-personal look at what tickles the fancy of Helene, a two-ton rhino. Who would have thought that rhinos love to have their bellies scratched, just like dogs do? Luckily, the scratching assignment was given to Helenes handler. As the rhino lay on the ground with her legs in the air, her keeper rubbed her belly, wisely using a long-handled broom. When he hit the right spot, Helene kicked her leg with delight all caught on camera. Celebrity chefs Brian Malarkey, left, and Sam Talbot, who both competed on Bravos Top Chef show, joined forces to cook dinner for charity on Oct. 3, 2018 at Malarkeys Little Italy restaurant. (Courtesy photo) Whats cooking? Top Chef alum Sam Talbot joined his celebrity chef pal Brian Malarkey in preparing a charity dinner Oct. 3 at Herb & Wood, Malarkeys Little Italy restaurant. About 100 people joined the duo for a multi-course dinner benefiting Beyond Type 1, a foundation focusing on people with Type 1 diabetes co-founded by Talbot, Nick Jonas and others. The two chefs, longtime friends from Bravos Top Chef competition, served custom dishes then engaged in a Q&A with diners. The big question for the 6-foot-5 visiting chef from North Carolina: Are you single? (Currently, yes.) diane.bell@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1518 Twitter: @dianebellSD Facebook: dianebell.news A San Diego County public defense lawyer tearfully pleaded guilty on Friday to a felony charge of providing a gun to a felon. Andrea Bayers voice cracked and could barely be heard in San Diego Superior Court as she admitted the crime. The 37-year-old attorney could face up to four years in prison when she is sentenced sometime next year. Bayer has been with the Alternate Public Defenders Office since 2005. She was placed on leave after her Aug. 1 arrest, San Diego County Public Defender Randy Mize said. Mize said Friday afternoon that Bayer remains an employee and on leave. Advertisement He said now that she has a felony conviction on her record, she could face discipline, resignation or termination from the county. The felony is considered a crime of moral turpitude and Mize said he expects the State Bar would revoke her license to practice law. If that happens, Bayer couldnt remain a deputy public defender, Mize said. This is beyond heartbreaking, he added. A spokeswoman for the State Bar said it could conduct an investigation, but disbarment would not be automatic. The state Supreme Court makes the final decision on suspending or disbarring an attorney. In exchange for Bayers guilty plea on a felony count of furnishing a firearm to a felon, the District Attorneys Office dismissed a second felony count of aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm by a felon. Judge Michael Groch accepted the guilty plea and told Bayer good luck at the end of the brief arraignment. The lawyers agreed to meet with the judge on April 5 to set a sentencing date. They did not explain why the meeting was set so far in the future. Bayer, who has been out of jail on bail since being booked and released on the same day, was allowed to remain free on her own recognizance until her sentencing. Deputy District Attorney Oscar Hagstrom said he and defense attorney Domenic Lombardo expect that Bayer will be considered for probation, instead of prison, but the sentence imposed will be up to the judge. Hagstrom gave no facts surrounding the case in court, and afterward said he could not do so out of court. The complaint against Bayer says she provided the gun between Feb. 4 and June 29. However, the father of 39-year-old twins who were in court earlier in the day on related matters said Bayer is suspected of giving his sons a firearm. Matthew and Michael Tellechea are in jail on charges ranging from attempted murder, arson, manufacturing hash oil, making threats, brandishing a firearm and vandalism. Their father, Saul Tellechea, said outside of court that Bayer got to know his sons when they lived in Ocean Beach and she would jog on the beach. He said his sons told him that she bought a gun for protection and stored it inside a locked gun safe at their home. Tellechea said he believes the gun safe was stashed in the attic. The charges against them are made up, Tellechea said of his sons. Andrea never gave them a gun. They didnt have the key. pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @pdrepard A judge on Friday ordered the release of a man classified by the state as a sexually violent predator to a home in Jacumba Hot Springs where hell be closely supervised as part of a conditional release program. Alvin Ray Quarles, 56, will be allowed to live in a home at 43050 Desert Rose Ranch Road, about four miles from the East County communitys downtown area. San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill ordered Quarles to be placed in the residence by Nov. 30. Quarles will be sent back to Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County if he violates any terms of his release, the judge said. After a trial in May, Gill found that Quarles was eligible for the conditional release program as the next step in his ongoing treatment. Advertisement County Supervisor Dianne Jacob vehemently opposed Quarles placement in the East Countys backcountry, saying the area should not be a dumping ground for sexually violent predators. Quarles, 56, was dubbed the Bolder-Than-Most rapist because he attacked his victims at knifepoint, sometimes forcing the womens husbands or boyfriends to watch. He pleaded guilty in 1989 to committing more than a dozen sexual assaults in the mid-to-late 1980s and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Prior to Quarles release from prison, the District Attorneys Office filed a petition to have him civilly committed as a sexually violent predator. In 2014, Quarles was committed to the Department of State Hospitals where he had the option of participating in a years-long program aimed at teaching sex offenders to curb their illegal urges. In September 2016, Quarles petitioned the court to be granted release through the Conditional Release Program for sex offenders. Two months ago, the state proposed placing Quarles at the residence on Desert Rose Ranch Road. A hearing was scheduled so a judge could receive comments from the public about the proposal. More than 30 people showed up at a hearing Friday to oppose Quarles release. Among them was one of Quarles victims, who said in court that Quarles told her and her female roommate in 1988 that they should do what he wanted or he would kill them both. My life turned left that night, the woman said. You just never think its going to be you. My lifes been haunted for 30 years. In 2013, the woman and other victims protested when Quarles petitioned to be released from the hospital. He eventually went back into treatment at Coalinga. Gill said he had confidence that Quarles would be properly monitored by Liberty Healthcare, the company contracted to run the conditional release program. According to the District Attorney Offices website, there are five other sexually violent predators living under supervision in the county. Two live in Jacumba Hot Springs and the others live in Campo, Boulevard and Borrego Springs. Public Safety Editor Dana Littlefield contributed to this report. The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and France hit $1.4 billion during the first eight months of 2018, with $460 million in exports and $999 million imports, trade and industry minister Amr Nassar said on Saturday. The information came to light during a meeting that Nassar held with French ambassador Stephane Roumtier to discuss future economic relations between both countries and current French investments in Egypt. French investments in Egypt are estimated at 4.5 billion euros, which include agricultural industries, information technology, construction, new and renewable energy, transportation, banks, aviation, water desalination, infrastructure and tourism. The meeting also touched on preparations for the expected visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Egypt at the beginning of 2019, along with the government's desire to lure further French investments to Egypt. The French ambassador said that the positive economic reforms that Egypt has implemented over the past two years contributed restored Egypts role as one of the major markets in the Middle East and Africa. A delegation of major French pharmaceutical companies will visit Egypt in the coming month to probe the available investment opportunities here. Search Keywords: Short link: With transportation funds strained, the San Diego region has one path to hit the states increasingly strict caps on greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks forego highway expansion in favor of dramatically beefing up its bus network. That was the take-home message from a report by the regional transportation and planning agency the San Diego Association of Governments presented on Friday to its board of 21 elected officials from around the county. To meet the state targets, agency staff recommended elected officials approve more than $400 million in bus projects through 2025, while also enacting a suite of local policies aimed at discouraging driving, such as increased parking fees and highway tolls. San Diego region faces tough choices on transportation through 2025 Advertisement The SANDAG report comes in the wake of revelations this week from the United Nations scientific panel on climate change that humanity has until 2030 to dramatically curb greenhouse gases or face devastating consequences, such as increased drought, wildfire, floods, and food shortages. At an agency board meeting Friday, most elected officials seemed unfazed by the staffs call to dramatically boost the regional public transit system as an extension of Californias internationally watched blueprint to fight climate change. While many city leaders recognized the need to meet state-mandated emissions caps on tailpipe pollution, they also repeatedly advocated for freeway expansion in their home cities. If the question is are we doing more for transit, I would say no, but Im going to make sure that the board does. San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez, who serves on the San Diego Association of Governments board of directors North County officials clamored throughout the meeting for an expansion of state Route 78 between Carlsbad and Escondido. OK, I want the 78. Four lanes. HOV. By 2028, said San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond, shouting over San Diego Councilwoman Georgette Gomez during a workshop session to discuss transportation projects. Gomez, one of the only members in attendance to voice firm support for transit, said she was concerned about the boards commitment to expanding bus and rail networks. If the question is are we doing more for transit, I would say no, she said, but Im going to make sure that the board does. To help the state meet its goals of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, the California Air Resources Board has issued reduction targets for regional transportation agencies, such as SANDAG. Specifically, the region is required to cut per-capita greenhouse-gas emissions from driving by 19 percent below a 2005 benchmark by 2035. To get there, the region has limited funds at its disposal and is facing increasing construction costs. Without a new tax increase, any new trolley projects beyond the $2.1 billion Mid-Coast extension from downtown San Diego to University City are likely infeasible. Instead, SANDAG has suggested doubling down on its network of Rapid buses, which connect residential communities to urban job centers with limited stops, often using dedicated guide ways. While freeway expansion projects throughout the region often include so-called managed lanes that service buses, as well as carpool and toll drivers, such costly highway projects are not necessary to create new Rapid bus routes. Continued focus on the expansion of managed lanes over the last decade have frustrated transit and environmental advocates. They argue that direct investments in new buses and trolleys are required to dramatically improved commute times and increase ridership. We need a transit network that competes with driving, said Sophie Wolfram, an advocate with the San Diego-based Climate Action Campaign. We have a short window to avert catastrophic climate change. We can and we must do better. Many on the SANDAG board agreed that transit times were poor throughout San Diego County. However, they disagreed with advocates on how to remedy the situation, pointing to freeway expansion and managed lanes as the solution. The system is going to be as good as its weakest link, so if you put more buses, theyre not going to go anywhere when you have bottlenecks, said Escondido Mayor Sam Abed. Having an efficient system that reduces the travel time, reduces the bus time, I think that would be key to encourage people to use public transportation, he added. Others such as Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey said that investing in transit was a waste of resources. Even if you beef up the bus networks or add more rail lines, no ones riding it, he said. However, as fuel economy improves to low-emission to eventually zero emission vehicles thats going to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Many elected officials have said that adoption of electric cars will reduce and even eliminate the need for bus and rail networks. However, electric and plug-in hybrid cars are expected to account for just under 16 percent of Californias light-duty fleet by 2030, up from less than 2 percent today. And those electric vehicles will be plugging into a grid thats estimated to be running on just 50 percent renewable power. Even with those advances, according to the air board, Californians still have to reduce their driving by about 1.6 miles a day on average from their car or truck trips to meet the 2035 target a deceptively challenging goal. Twitter: @jemersmith Phone: (619) 293-2234 Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com One of the most bitterly contested races in the Nov. 6 election is in Georgia, where the gubernatorial campaign pits Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a white Republican, against Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who is vying to become the states first black governor. The race became especially heated this week when voting rights advocates filed a lawsuit accusing Kemp, the states top election official, with blocking more than 50,000 voter registrations mostly of black residents to hurt turnout and boost his campaign. Kemps campaign has denied the accusation. The state is among several with laws that require exact matches between personal information on voter registrations and state databases. Abrams campaign has called on Kemp to resign, and spokeswoman Abigail Collazo said Thursday that he was maliciously wielding the power of his office to suppress the vote for political gain. Advertisement The Georgia dispute is among several in various states that voting rights advocates have zeroed in on because of what they describe as restrictive voting laws, changes to early voting rules and polling place closures. They point to studies that show voter fraud is rare in the U.S. The conflicts are often drawn along party lines, with Democrats saying voter suppression is at play and Republicans saying changes in voting procedures prevent fraud. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to toss out a law that requires North Dakota voters to show identification with a current residential address. Voting rights groups said the law will hurt the states Native American voters, as many of them live on reservations and do not have standard addresses. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Ohio upheld the states system for purging those who havent voted in six years from its registration rolls. Civil rights groups in the state, home to high-profile House, Senate and governor races, said the rule hit hard in districts with Democratic voters. On Thursday, an Arkansas state court upheld a law that makes voters show photo identification at the polls. The law lets them use provisional ballots if they have no ID. Democrats are vying to gain at least one of the states four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, all held by Republicans. At issue in several states are changes to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Supreme Court struck down key parts of the act in 2013 that required certain states largely ones in the South with a history of disenfranchising black voters to get approval from the federal government before making changes to voting rules. The debate in Georgia centers on its exact match law, passed last year, that requires names and other information on voter registrations to correspond precisely to state databases. A skipped middle name or hyphen or a typo can put voters on a pending list. Civil rights groups, including the local chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, are suing to overturn the rule, which they consider discriminatory. They say it disproportionately hurts minorities such as the states large black population, which tends to vote for Democrats. If the Voting Rights Act was fully in place, Georgia would most certainly be required to get government clearance for its new ID law, said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. There exists a stark parallel between the voter suppression schemes levied by states around the country prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the insidious tactics used by Secretary Kemp, said Clarke, whose Washington-based group is among those suing the state. Georgia, in particular, has been a hotbed of controversy over voting rules. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution report this summer found that 214 polling place locations had been closed in the state since 2012. The numbers represent about 8% of Georgias polling places. Voting administrators say the closures save taxpayer money by consolidating less popular polling sites. Voting rights advocates say they reduce access to the polls, in particular for rural voters who are minorities. In a high-profile case this summer, national civil rights groups launched a campaign to save seven polling sites in Randolph County, a rural area of northwest Georgia. The Randolph County Board of Elections had proposed closing the sites, which served around 1,700 voters, most of them black, to save money and because some did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amid protest, the elections board switched course in August after a one-minute meeting. President Trump, who has claimed without evidence that there were millions of illegal votes in the 2016 presidential election, this year disbanded a commission to investigate voter fraud and has spoken out forcefully in support of voter ID laws. But changes in voting rules have also drawn criticism from parts of the U.S. government. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which has eight members appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents, released a sweeping report last month documenting what it said was declining voting access across the country over the last five years. It cited 23 states with newly restrictive statewide voter laws in that time period, and 61 lawsuits that were filed challenging state voting regulations for violating federal law. Citizens in the United States across many states, not limited only to some parts of the country continue to suffer significant, and profoundly unequal, limitations on their ability to vote, commission Chair Catherine E. Lhamon said at the time of the reports release. That stark reality denigrates our democracy and diminishes our ideals, said Lhamon, an Obama appointee. This level of ongoing discrimination confirms what was true before 1965, when the Voting Rights Act became law, and has remained true since 1965: Americans need strong and effective federal protections to guarantee that ours is a real democracy. More national headlines Voters in this very liberal, very white state made Kiah Morris a pioneer when, in 2014, they elected her as its first black female legislator. Two years later, another Vermont surfaced: Racist threats eventually forced her to leave office in fear and frustration. After she won the Democratic primary for reelection to the state Legislature in 2016, someone tweeted a cartoon caricature of a black person to her, along with a vulgar phrase rendered in ebonics. The author of the post threatened to come to rallies and stalk her, Morris said. She won a protective order against him, but once that expired, the harassment continued, she said. And the troubles escalated, including a break-in while her family was home, vandalism and death threats seen by her young son. Even after she announced she wouldnt seek reelection, despite running unopposed, a group of youths pounded on her windows and doors at night, forcing her and her husband, convalescing after heart surgery, to leave town. Finally, in late September, she resigned. Advertisement Theres obviously online harassment that can happen, and thats a part of our social media world right now. But then when things started happening in everyday life, thats when it becomes really worrisome and terrifying, she said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. Amid the racial and ideological polarization consuming the country, the Morris case highlights the dangers that politicians of color face. And it reinforces that even liberal enclaves such as Vermont shouldnt get too confident or comfortable in their cloaks of inclusivity. No one should have to endure what Morris did, said Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, a white Democrat. This is deep racism coming out, and there are Vermonters hunting down other Vermonters here. This is awful for our state, Johnson said. Rather than shake our heads and say, Oh, what a shame, we all need to buckle down and figure out what steps we can take, what steps each of us can take, however large or small, to erode some of the system that allows racism to continue. The sheriff of New Jerseys most populous county resigned last month after a recording surfaced in which he made derogatory remarks about blacks and the states first Sikh attorney general. In August, a Georgia man was sentenced to prison for racist threats against two U.S. senators, including black South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott. Racism and racial animus is a chronic illness of this country. Its not something that just comes in waves in certain places. Its always there simmering, said Gloria Browne-Marshall, a professor of constitutional law at New Yorks John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author of the book Race, Law and American Society: 1607 to Present. Vermont was the first state to abolish slavery and, in 2000, became the first to legally recognize same-sex civil unions, a precursor to gay marriage. It has elected Green Party and socialist candidates. Even its Republican governor would be considered left of center in a conservative state. But Vermont is also 94.4% white, according to census statistics. The black population is just 1.4%, or about 8,700 people. In recent years, like elsewhere in the country, racism has bubbled up, including in the form of white supremacist fliers posted this year on college campuses. In a state that wants to promote itself as this liberal bastion, the majority of people outraged should have been there protecting Morris, said Browne-Marshall. Morris said she was dissatisfied with the response by Bennington police when she reported the acts against her and her family; the police chief has defended his departments handling of the complaints. Shes grateful that the attorney generals office and Vermont State Police are now investigating. When independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who despite his liberal politics has struggled to connect with black voters, learned that Morris was not seeking reelection because of the threats, he called the situation outrageous. In a statement to the Burlington Free Press, he said it is not what Vermont is about. In the state of Vermont, no elected official, candidate or person should be fearful of their safety because of the color of their skin or their point of view, Sanders wrote. This corrosion of political discourse is destructive to our democracy, and we cannot let it take hold. Morris said that she has received support from other Vermonters but said the hard part is learning the system is not set up to protect her. I cannot be the legislator that I want to be. I cannot speak my truth in the way that needs to have been said, she said. I cannot do those things, and be secure, and be assured of the safety for myself and my family. And that is really unfortunate. A horrific discovery was uncovered Friday in Michigan when construction workers found the bodies of 11 babies in the ceiling of a funeral home. The tiny corpses two in caskets and nine in a cardboard box were located in a hidden ceiling compartment at Detroits Cantrell Funeral Home. Cops called to the scene immediately ordered a search to ensure there were no other bodies on the premises. A Licensing and Regulatory Affairs agency spokesman said in a prepared statement that the funeral homes mortuary license previously had been suspended for numerous violations, including the improper storage of decomposing bodies of adults and infants. Advertisement That suspension order remains in effect as does our investigation, said spokesman Jason Moon. We will use the evidence gathered (Friday) to add to our open investigation and will continue to work with local law enforcement as this case proceeds. Inspectors shuttered the business in April for violations of decomposing remains and deplorable conditions. The funeral homes license was suspended after rotting corpses were discovered in a squalid back room and nonrefrigerated garage During a previous surprise inspection, Cantrell Funeral Home was cited for 10 corpses lying on tables. Inspectors claim many of the bodies had been left decomposing for months. If President Trump thought he was dropping knowledge bombs on Friday, he might have wished they had been defused first. In another illogical and head-scratching speech this time at a Lebanon, Ohio, rally Trump offered yet more doozies about American history in front of thousands of cheering, MAGA-clad fans. It began with the Presidents assertion that Confederate leader Robert E. Lee had been a great general who was winning every Civil War battle and that Union general and Ohio native Ulysses S. Grant drank a little bit too much. And Abraham Lincoln developed a phobia. He was going crazy, said Trump. And Abraham Lincoln came home, and he said, I cant beat Robert E. Lee. Advertisement The President then riffed that generals who were at the top of their class at West Point didnt know how to win. Thats when, according to Trump, Grant changed the Unions fortunes. And (Grant) went in and he knocked the hell out of everyone, said Trump. And you know the story. They said to Lincoln, You cant use him anymore, hes an alcoholic And Lincoln said, I dont care if hes an alcoholic, frankly, give me six or seven more just like him. He started to win. Long before Grant, who had been training recruits as a major at the start of the war, the Union had claimed numerous early victories. In 1861, the North overwhelmed the South in the Battle of Big Bethel, Battle of Boonville and Battle of Hokes Run. In fact, one of the Civils war most decisive conflicts was the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. While Lee was vanquished, it was at the hands of Gen. George Meade, not Grant. A faithful American pastor freed after two years in a Turkish prison dropped to a knee in the Oval Office Saturday and prayed with President Trump. After thanking Trump and a host of dignitaries for his long-awaited release, the Rev. Andrew Brunson, surrounded by family and White House staff, knelt beside the President and prayed for his administration, the country and prisoners around the world. I ask that you give him wisdom on how to lead this country into righteousness, Brunson, who had pastored a church in Turkey for 20 years, said in his prayer. I ask you to protect him from slander from enemies. Fill him with your wisdom and strength and perseverance. Trump had joked moments earlier that he probably needed the prayer more than anyone else in the room. Advertisement Brunson, 50, who lived in Turkey with his wife and three children, was arrested in 2016 by the government which had accused him of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Gulenist movement, which Turkey blames for a 2016 failed coup. In July 2018 he was released from prison for health reasons and moved to house arrest until his trial. A few weeks later, the U.S.-imposed sanctions on Turkeys justice and interior ministers over his continued detention. A Turkish court sentenced Brunson on Friday to three years in jail, but freed him because of the time he had already spent in detention. From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, thats not bad, Trump said. The issue strained relations between Turkey and the U.S., but Trump expressed hope that the two countries could get back on track. Weve been negotiating long and hard, Trump said at a White House ceremony. We do not pay ransom in this country, at least not any longer. Youll have big problems and lot of bad things will happen. Until this we had a pretty good relationship, Trump said. Im surprised we didnt work this out a couple of months ago. Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for helping with Brunsons release. Brunson, meanwhile, expressed his continued love for Turkey, though he would not commit to returning there. Brunson led a small congregation in the Izmir Resurrection Church. San Diego saw its second gubernatorial candidate visit in as many weeks Friday, as Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom visited a homeless veterans organizations. During a visit to Veterans Village of San Diego, Newsom toured the facility, met with several of the groups resident veterans and spoke with the organizations leadership about programs and services being used to meet the unique needs of one of the most vulnerable segments of Californias homeless population. I was honored to have a tour here and have a chance to see a program that is working at-scale and has been working for decades, a program that is leaving clues that need to be replicated and scaled elsewhere, Newsom said, praising the program for its multi-layered approach and wraparound services. Theres nothing more frustrating to me than the issue of veterans homelessness because theres no excuse for it. The visit to Veterans Village comes with the election just 25 days away and just a week after Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox visited a homeless shelter near downtown San Diego. Advertisement Since the primary, both candidates have increased their emphasis on addressing homelessness on the campaign trail. For Newsom, Friday offered an opportunity to talk more in-depth about a subject he sees as one of the states greatest challenges and central to his campaign. Although the lieutenant governor has gained national attention as a clear opponent to the policies of President Donald Trump and much of the campaign messaging has focused on that homelessness is in fact the issue Newsom said would be his top priority if elected to the states highest office. Referencing his early political career in San Francisco, where he was a member of the Board of Supervisors and then mayor for nearly a decade, Newsom said homelessness had been an important issue to him since the beginning of his public life. He added that every time he visits a facility like Veterans Village, he feels elated. If Im feeling the magnitude of 134,000 souls out on our streets is too much to deal with, I come here and Im like, no, we can get our arms around that easily, said Newsom, praising the remarkable individuals hes met who have turned their lives around. Newsom spoke of his support for a housing first model and said that truly addressing homelessness requires increased investment in housing with wrap-around services rather than just shelters. Shelters dont solve homelessness, they solve sleep, said Newsom, who stressed his support for increasing alternatives such as permanent supportive housing and rapid-rehousing a type of intervention that focuses on a quicker turnaround and is typically geared toward helping individuals and families who dont need long-term supports. Newsom also spoke about incentivizing communities to more aggressively increase their available housing units through tax increment financing, as well as punishing communities that dont meet their housing goals. He recommends linking community transit funding to housing goals in order to increase community accountability. Overall, increased accountability throughout the state was a particular area of emphasis for Newsom who did not hesitate to say that certain cities have been stuck carrying the bulk of the responsibility for addressing homelessness. There are a lot of communities doing nothing, paying lip service kicking folks out, pushing folks into other communities like this one in San Diego, Newsom said. We are all in this together we are all accountable for addressing this issue. It cannot be just the responsibility of some mayors in some parts of the state, it has got to be all of us growing in the same direction, he added. Newsom did not discuss his Republican opponent, except when asked by a reporter. You dont demagogue this stuff, Newsom said, expressing frustration with how his opponent talks about the states issues. Its important we actually have specific plans and ideas, and dont just identify problems. Like Cox, Newsom has been critical of the past efforts or lack thereof of state officials when it comes to addressing homelessness, a point he reiterated Friday when he said that under his leadership the state would do something new and set real goals, objectives and timelines when it came to the issue. Newsom and Cox had a debate on KQED-FM radio in San Francisco earlier this week, and Newsom is expected to return to San Diego again later this month as part of his bus tour. Progress is accelerating on reviving a defunct rail line connecting the San Diego-Tijuana region to El Centro, which could be a local economic catalyst that would reduce border congestion and take thousands of trucks off local roads. Negotiations are under way with U.S. officials on an inspection site in Campo, and the company rehabilitating the 70-mile stretch of rail is studying how to relocate endangered species in the desert that would be affected by the project. The company, Baja Rail, has also begun analyzing how to repair or rebuild dozens of damaged tunnels and bridges along the route, company spokesman Jorge Izquierdo told San Diego City Council members last week. The long-awaited project would allow freight and manufactured goods to be shipped by rail to the east coast from San Diego and Tijuana without going through Los Angeles. Advertisement That would shrink shipping times and make rail a viable alternative to more expensive trucking, which is expected to encourage more manufacturing in the region and boost profit margins on commodities like corn. Delays faced by trucks at border crossings in Otay Mesa and Tecate cost the binational economy about $6 billion and 50,000 jobs a year, according to an analysis by the countys regional planning agency. Baja Rail isnt close to meeting optimistic predictions in 2016 that the line would begin operating this year, but the company has made steady progress since it toned down that optimism a year ago. Rehabilitation of the rail line, which ceased operations in 1950, could be completed in three to five years, Izquierdo told the councils economic development committee. Councilman David Alvarez of Logan Heights, whose district includes San Diegos border communities, said hes encouraged by the greater cooperation and coordination on the project. Its a quiet thing thats happening thats going to be the next big thing for our border, he said during the committee hearing. Im looking forward to the progress. The western portion of the line, from Tijuana to Tecate, is already being operated by Baja Rail, which recently released a preliminary report on rehabilitating the rest of the line. The line continues north from Tecate across the border into Campo, and then through craggy desert hills into Carrizo Gorge. From there, it winds toward Plaster City, El Centro and the Union Pacific Railroad, which heads east. Izquierdo said much of what is manufactured in Tijuana, such as parts for cars and electronics, would benefit from such a connection. Our major markets are in the central United States and the eastern United States, so we need that bypass, he said. The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and business advocacy groups south of the border are also strong supporters of the project. A key hurdle is getting federal Customs and Border Protection approvals for the overall route of the rail line and for an inspection facility, which that agency has insisted be built 6 miles north of the border in Campo. Izquierdo said negotiations have gone smoothly and that his company expects them to conclude soon. Right now, we are on the verge of having approval from Customs and Border Patrol, he told the committee. A comprehensive inspection facility is important to U.S. officials to prevent the line from being used to smuggle illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants into the country. Izquierdo said U.S. officials have been highly cooperative. He also expressed optimism that Mexicos newly elected president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, wont complicate the process. He estimated that issues over species that would be affected by reviving the route would be resolved in six to eight months. Because the route is relatively curved, trains would be limited to a maximum of 60 cars, said Izquierdo, estimating that five to six trains a day would travel the route when it becomes operational. Company officials, who have vowed to spend more than $60 million on the project, plan to rehabilitate the line in phases, starting with the stretch from Campo to Jacumba. The line, which was built by John D. Spreckels at the beginning of the 20th century, has been plagued by fires, floods and economic downturns during its history earning it the nickname the Impossible Railroad. Until recently, different parts of the line were owned by different companies, complicating efforts to rehabilitate it. In 2016, San Diegos Metropolitan Transit System approved Baja Rails plan to revive the line. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick A casually-dressed man who used a threatening note to rob an El Cajon credit union last month pulled off a similar heist Tuesday at a Rancho San Diego bank, according to the FBI, which sought public help to identify the bandit. Tuesdays robbery occurred about 3:45 p.m. at the Wells Fargo branch at the north end of a strip mall on Jamacha Road near Willow Glen Drive, FBI spokeswoman Special Agent Davene Butler said. Like the first robbery which occurred Sept. 14 at the Mission Federal Credit Union at 760 North Johnson Ave. the suspect used a note that threatened a weapon, although he never brandished one, according to the FBI. In both cases, he made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Surveillance photos show the man suspected of robbing an El Cajon credit union on Sept. 14. (Courtesy of FBI) Advertisement Also like the first robbery, the suspect on Tuesday wore a polo shirt with no hat or face covering, and sunglasses on top of his head. During the Sept. 14 heist, which he pulled off about 10:50 a.m., he paired his blue striped polo shorts with khaki shorts and what appeared to be low-cut Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, or similar shoes. A surveillance photo from Tuesdays robbery did not show what kind of shoes the suspect wore, or whether he dressed in pants or shorts. Authorities described the robber as a 6-foot tall white man with a slim build. He had short hair, a goatee and appeared to between 50 and 60. Anyone with information about the robberies or the suspects identity was asked to call the FBI San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can contact the agencies online at www.fbi.gov/tips or www.sdcrimestoppers.org. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com UC San Diegos outdoor shake table in Scripps Ranch will soon give engineers a truer sense of the fury thats released when big earthquakes erupt in places around the globe from the San Fernando Valley to the mountains of Afghanistan. The National Science Foundation gave the campus $16.3 million to upgrade the center so it can more accurately simulate quakes, a complex phenomenon that in some years kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. The table is the largest of its kind and has conducted experiments that have led to tougher building and design codes for bridges and housing. But it can only move structures backward and forward. Quakes can move the ground in many directions. Engineers will modify the table so that it also can move up and down, right and left, and simulate the pitch, roll and yaw that can come with ground motion. Collectively, these movements are called the six degrees of freedom. Advertisement The upgrade involves adding pistons and power to a table thats used by researchers from around nation to simulate quakes big enough to send seismic waves coursing through the earth for weeks. We will be able to reproduce earthquake motions with the most accuracy of any shake table in the world, said Joel Conte, the UC San Diego structural engineer who is overseeing the project. This will accelerate the discovery of the knowledge engineers need to build new bridges, power plants, dams, levees, telecommunication towers, wind turbines, retaining walls, tunnels, and to retrofit older structures. It will enhance the resiliency of our communities. The upgrade comes at a worrisome time in California. In June, the U.S. Geological Survey said that 38 high-rise buildings in San Francisco that were constructed between 1964 and 1994 could buckle if they were hit by the type of earthquake that devastated the city in 1906. The list includes the famed Transamerica Pyramid in the Financial District. Theres also concern about a newer skyscraper, the 58-story Millennium Tower, which has been sinking and tilting, making it more vulnerable to big quakes. San Diego is on shaky ground as well. In 2017, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute released a report that says that 2,000 people could die in San Diego if a 6.9-magnitude quake erupts on the Rose Canyon fault, which runs through the heart of the city. Potential property damage: $40 billion. The EERI emphasized that the figures are mere estimates because modeling the complexities of earthquakes is hard to do with existing models and technology. Even so, engineers have made progress. Since it opened in the late 1980s, UC San Diegos Powell Laboratories has been heavily involved in developing and testing key portions of roads and bridges, leading to changes in building codes. The shake table was added in 2004 to give scientists and engineers better ability to test large structures, ranging from wood-frame buildings to bridge columns to a 70-foot wind turbine. The need for such a table had been apparent for decades. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge quake in 1994 appears to have caused the ground to move vertically as well as horizontally. That vertical movement may be the reason that some bridge support columns rose upward and pierced the decks of bridges. Such wild ground motions werent unknown to engineers. The 1971 San Fernando earthquake, which measured 6.6, appears to have caused the soil to rotate in some areas. That, in turn, may have caused some buildings to turn like corkscrews. The movement contributed to the billions of dollars in property damage inflicted by the quake. The table has been used to relive some of these jarring events, notably the Northridge quake. That temblor caused the thunderous collapse of a parking garage at Cal State Northridge. Engineers from the University of Arizona built a similar garage in 2008, then shook it harder than the real quake. The experiment revealed a great deal about how such structures absorb and distribute energy, leading to a strengthening of national building codes. More recently, a team led by UC San Diego built and tested a five-story building that had many of the features of a hospital such as an ICU and a surgery suite as well as a working elevator and a sprinkler system. The goal was to understand what would happen inside a hospital during a catastrophic quake. To ensure they didnt miss anything, engineers placed 500 sensors in and around the building, and installed 70 cameras. Then they simulated several high-intensity earthquakes, and later set part of the building on fire to replicate a frequent after-effect of temblors. What we are doing is the equivalent of giving a building an EKG, lead engineer Tara Hutchinson later told the media. The experiment helped lead to the design of safer hospitals, and it was followed by a project that focused on a subject of great concern in California four-story wood-frame residential buildings that have garages on the first floor. The structures mostly built in the 1920s, 30s and 40s are now seen as vulnerable to collapse in a huge quake. In 2013, Colorado State University constructed one of the structures on the shake-table and outfitted it with various types of retrofitting to see what would happen. The result was good, and bad. The building survived shake tests with the retrofitting in place. When it was taken out, calamity followed. There was creaking and crunching, then a thunderous collapse, followed by dust and debris floating up, said John W. van de Lindt, the CSU engineer who led the project. Today, Lindt is drawing up plans for a 10-story building that will be built on the same spot. But this time, hell be able to move the building any direction he wants. The U.S. and California have really been at the forefront of this kind of research, Lindt said. The upgrade will help us keep pace with the world. We really need this. Egypt signed on Saturday a $300 million agreement with the World Bank to back infrastructure projects through the Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services program. The agreement was inked by the Egyptian Minister of Investment Sahar Nasr and World Bank Group Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in Bali, Indonesia. The deal falls under the framework of the government's efforts to improve infrastructure in rural areas in the most-needy governorates, such as Sharqiya, Dakahlia, Damietta, Gharbiya and Menoufiya, in addition to enhancing social protection networks for 892,000 citizens of the poor and limited-income brackets. Nasr said that about 818,000 citizens have already benefited from the project's first phase. The original $550 million program was launched in 2015 in support of the governments National Rural Sanitation program. Nasr underscored that investments in quality of life and infrastructure projects tops the government's priorities. Belhaj said that the bank's decision to invest in Egypt comes as a result of the reforms that Cairo has implemented, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive leap in healthcare and education services, as well as improving social protection programs. Search Keywords: Short link: In a worrisome sign for two endangered Orange County lawmakers, a major Republican Party funding group has passed over the pair in its opening round of broadcast television advertising across Southern California. The omission of Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Mimi Walters by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a political action committee closely aligned with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), comes at a crucial inflection point in the midterm election when the two parties begin assessing their likely winners and losers. The decisions are particularly acute for the GOP, which is facing a tsunami of Democratic campaign cash ahead of a feared blue wave on Nov. 6. Republicans are taking a cold-blooded look at races to decide where to put resources and where to withdraw resources to put somewhere else, said Stuart Rothenberg, a nonpartisan election analyst who has spent decades sizing up campaigns. Advertisement The GOP has already cut loose several incumbents, including Reps. Mike Coffman in the Denver suburbs and Mike Bishop in southern Michigan. Democrats need a gain of 23 seats nationwide to take control of the House, which they surrendered after a blowout loss in the 2010 midterm election. Candidates in California, where more than half a dozen seats are being seriously contested, are at particular risk of being cut off financially because of the states exorbitant advertising costs. Money saved in the costly Los Angeles media market can be spread over several contests in other states that may be considered more winnable. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which collects multi-million-dollar checks from the Republican Partys biggest donors, says it is spending nearly $12 million on cable television ads in four House contests in Southern California On Friday, the super PAC launched an additional $5-million ad campaign on the main broadcast stations in Los Angeles, the nations second most expensive media market after New York. But the funds opening broadcast ads support only two of the four Republican candidates in the Southlands hardest-fought races: Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale and Young Kim of Fullerton, relegating its Rohrabacher and Walters ads tocable channels with fewer viewers. Courtney Alexander, the super PACs communications director, declined to comment on its advertising maneuvers. If the election were held today, we believe that both Mimi Walters and Dana Rohrabacher would win their reelection, she said. The fund is free to add Walters and Rohrabacher to its broadcast lineup later. But millions of Californians have already received their ballots by mail, so immediate advertising is crucial to the fate of the two lawmakers, who are each facing their most serious challenges ever. Rohrabacher has served 15 terms in Congress and Walters is bidding to win her third term. Their Democratic challengers are already spending heavily on broadcast television ads. Walters has aired some broadcast commercials too, but Rohrabacher has not. Nationwide, Democratic candidates have raised far more money than Republicans. As a result, GOP candidates are counting on outside groups like the Congressional Leadership Fund to come to the rescue. But those groups must pay as much as quadruple the rates that television stations are required by law to offer to candidates, so the Democratic dollars are buying far more ad time. And those dollars are expanding the political battlefield, pressuring Republican strategists to make hard decisions on where to commit precious resources and which candidates to let go. While most people talk constantly about whether [Democratic enthusiasm] will translate into turnout, its definitely translating into dollars, said Rob Stutzman, a veteran Republican strategist in Sacramento. Dollars arent decisive always, but its always a big advantage. When youre these national committees and youve got problems in the suburbs of Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, Philadelphia, youve got to start making decisions on where you can most effectively spend, Stutzman said For Knight, facing a formidable fundraiser in Democratic challenger Katie Hill, the new boost from the Congressional Leadership Fund came as a big relief. Were happy to have the help, Knight strategist Matt Rexroad said. Kim, the other Republican getting broadcast ads from the fund, is battling Democrat Gil Cisneros to succeed Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton. A Rohrabacher spokesman did not return a call for comment. Dave Gilliard, a strategist for Walters, warned against reading too much into the latest machinations. Theres a lot of head fakes and games of chicken that occur between various outside spending groups in all these congressional districts, he said. Everybodys trying to head-fake the other side to get them to spend money where they dont need it. A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said the GOPs congressional campaign arm is now broadcasting a spot supporting Walters and attacking her challenger, Katie Porter. But he declined to say whether the committee would step up its advertising in either Orange County district if the Congressional Leadership Fund keeps Rohrabacher and Walters limited to cable. Still, the spokesman, Jack Pandol, said there were no plans to retreat. Its full speed ahead, he said. These are extremely competitive and close races and theyre absolutely winnable. michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT mark.barabak@latimes.com Twitter: @markzbarabak Standing in a drizzle in this southwestern Iowa city, in a line that snaked around the arena and an adjacent field house, the people in red hats and raincoats were nonetheless cheery and eager, even those who traveled hours to be there. You dont get many opportunities to be in the same room as the president, said Sarah Beach, who drove from Lincoln, Neb., with her family. President Trump wouldnt land for another hour, but the people waiting Tuesday evening to enter Mid-America Center, an arena just off Interstate 80 near a truck stop, a Horseshoe Casino and a Hooters, were enjoying the wait and the anticipation of an experience theyve seen so many times on television. This was the first of four Make America Great Again rallies he would hold this week, and the presidents appearance here, on the border between two Republican-red, rural heartland states, marked yet another visit to Trump country places far from major cities and the coasts where his audience is mostly white, blue-collar and loyal. Advertisement Im proud as heck of Trump, said Tom Carls, explaining why he and his wife of 45 years, Debbie Carls, had driven eight hours from Sycamore, Ill. Id stand in front of somebody if they tried to shoot him. Hes just a good person. I know he says a lot of dumb things, but it is what it is. Hes himself. If they had to stand in the rain, so what? To see him, Id do it forever, said Carls, wearing a hat noting his service in Vietnam. His wife clutched his military discharge form and one of his medals, in case they needed to talk their way in. I just thought it might help, she said. (Los Angeles Times) Whether in Iowa or his next nights stop, Erie, Pa., where Trump lands is no accident: You see him in states and markets where his policies are the most popular and where Democrats have been least supportive, Bill Stepien, the White House political director, said in an interview. Of 34 cities where Trump has held rallies since taking office, counting a scheduled event Saturday night in Richmond, Ky., only three are among the countrys 30 most populated: Phoenix, Las Vegas and Nashville. Most are not cities at all. Charting his stops yields a map that reflects his base, mostly red states and rural communities a base that he hasnt tried to expand upon. Since early in his presidential campaign, when Trump traveled beyond early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire to places like Mobile, Ala., and Springfield, Ill.; Lowell, Mass., and Beaumont, Texas he has often gone where rivals and past presidents didnt. Many are places that have struggled economically and where people are unaccustomed to such visits, in keeping with his professed appeal to the forgotten men and women. The presidents schedule is driven by shifting calculations about the midterm election now less than four weeks away. While he has been welcomed in places like Elkhart, Ind., Springfield, Mo., and Wheeling, W.V. red states where Republicans are trying to unseat Democratic senators Trump has steered clear of battlegrounds in Florida, California and New Jersey, where control of the House may be decided but he is an especially polarizing figure. After a number of trips in August and September aimed primarily at boosting Republican Senate hopefuls all but one of them (Nevada) in states he won in 2016 Trump has recently been campaigning mostly for House candidates, hoping to prevent Democrats from winning the 23 seats they need for a majority. But the locations also are similar to the places he visited as a candidate in 2016 and reflect his own calculations for the 2020 reelection effort. Iowa, for instance, is a politically beneficial destination for 2020 as well as 2018. In Council Bluffs, however, Trump joked about his surprise that much of the crowd seemed to be from Nebraska. He recognized among the crowd, and endorsed, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican seeking a second term, and Rep. David Young, who is in a tight race to hold his House seat, branding their opponents as extremists and falsely alleging the Democrats will end ethanol, the fuel blend made with corn, much of it from Iowa. But he also referenced two Nebraska Republican incumbents, Reps. Don Bacon and Jeff Fortenberry, and that states governor, Pete Ricketts. More than most rallies, this one straddling two farm states had many green Trump caps among the red ones, reading Make Our Farmers Great Again. This is my first rally, said Andrew Eberspacher, a farmer from Seward, Neb., wearing one of the green hats, which hed purchased on the Trump campaign website along with two for the friends with him. Trump, he said, has struck a nerve with the American people to wake them up from where theyve been, so I think thats where you see the enthusiasm coming from. The presidents blunt-force attack lines against Democrats are meant to benefit Republican candidates and energize voters. He has taken to describing Democrats as an angry mob, wacko and unhinged and has said they seek to drive the country maybe into poverty and ultimately into chaos. After the Iowa rally, the next night Trump was in Erie, Pa., vowing to help Rep. Mike Kelly with a promise to replenish sand alongside a local lake and also vouching, as he has before, for the Republicans Senate candidate, Rep. Lou Barletta, running against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. Trump has lost support in Pennsylvania, however, after capturing the state in 2016 on the strength of votes from working-class whites. As Trump stumps the country, so does Vice President Mike Pence, in what political aides call a division of labor one that allows Pence to fill in where the president may not be helpful. Pence rather than Trump campaigned this week in suburban Dallas for Rep. Pete Sessions, a senior House Republican whos facing a tougher-than-expected reelection fight, largely due to Trumps toxicity with more-educated Republicans in the suburbs. Political advisors figure that up to 60% of those attending Trump rallies are Republicans and the rest are folks drawn to him, not the party; the goal is to persuade that latter group to vote for the local candidates hes there to endorse. He has tended to be pretty open to going where he is helpful and where he is not helpful, said one official at the Republican National Committee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss how the party works with the White House to determine the fall campaign travel schedule. Trumps appearances, the official said, generate significant revenue for the RNC he typically holds high-dollar fundraisers before the rallies as well as a surge in volunteer sign-ups and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts. Every rally attendee must submit their email address, which party officials then use to follow up with information about voter registration deadlines and repeated reminders to vote. Even so, some Republican consultants, especially those with eye on swing districts crucial to the partys chances of holding on to its congressional majorities, worry that the intensity of Trumps efforts to fire up the base will backfire with more moderate voters. He fires up the Republican base, but he also reminds Democrats of the stakes, said Alex Conant, a Republican media consultant who worked for Florida Sen. Marco Rubios presidential campaign in 2016. Theres no question that when he goes to North Dakota and West Virginia, it helps those candidates, Conant said, adding, If he goes to red states and delivers his message and doesnt make news that dominates the national conversation the next day, that is very helpful. When he goes and makes comments that will distract from the message in swing suburbs, its problematic. With polls suggesting Republican enthusiasm rising a bit after the fight over Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court, some Republican candidates in turn are gaining in a number of Senate races, including those in Missouri, Montana and West Virginia, states where Trump is likely to hold additional rallies over the final weeks before election day. But even in these red states, not all of Trumps supporters are a lock to support the candidates hes stumping with. Jill Mowery, a nurse from Council Bluffs, stood on her feet for much of Trumps 76-minute speech here, and she wasnt alone. That doesnt mean she plans to vote for Young or Reynolds, the Republican candidates, just because theyve got Trumps endorsement and an R next to their names on the ballot. Im not going to vote strict Republican, she said. Im going to vote whatever I think is good. Im not just going to do what he says. As much as she loves the presidents spirit, she said, shes tired of the intense partisanship in Washington. I want something done, Mowery said. Im kind of mad that both those parties are up there fighting like a little bunch of girls. We pay them a bunch of money to get something done, and all that moneys being wasted with all the fighting and crap that theyre doing. The latest from Washington eli.stokols@latimes.com @EliStokols President Trump vowed to inflict severe punishment on Saudi Arabia if the U.S. discovers that nations government is behind the suspected murder of missing American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In his first interview with 60 Minutes since his sit-down after winning the 2016 presidential election, Trump said the Saudis have denied in every way imaginable any role in the disappearance of the Washington Post contributor, a vocal critic of the Saudi government despite a growing amount of evidence suggesting the regime was directly involved. Its being investigated, its being looked at very, very strongly, the President said in a clip of the interview released Saturday. And we would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it, and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes. Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama. President Trump vowed to inflict severe punishment on Saudi Arabia if the United States discovers they are behind the suspected murder of missing American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images) Advertisement Turkish authorities have said a team of Saudis killed Khashoggi, and U.S. intelligence has revealed officials discussed plans to lure the journalist a Saudi citizen who had been living in the United States from his home in Virginia and detain him in Saudi Arabia, according to the Washington Post. Saudi Arabias interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz in a recent statement condemned the claims as baseless allegations and outright lies. Trump added that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, spoke with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also said he did not give any order to have Khashoggi killed. His comments come as a growing number of businesses and groups continue to withdraw from an upcoming global summit In Saudi Arabia. Theres a lot at stake and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter, Trump said. Theres something youll be really surprised to hear me say that theres something really terrible and disgusting about that if that were the case, so were going to have to see. Were going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment. When asked whether he would consider imposing sanctions Trump said that it depends. Ill give you an example, they are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted that order. Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it .We got it, and we got every bit of it, he continued. Ill tell you what I dont want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, I dont want to hurt jobs. I dont want to lose an order like that. And you know what, there are other ways of punishing, to use a word thats a pretty harsh word, but its true. In a White House ceremony Saturday, Trump said canceling the military equipment deal would be foolish. I actually think it would be punishing ourselves if we do that, Trump said. I think that would be very foolish for our country. The 60 Minutes interview is slated to air in full Sunday evening. Chula Vista, the second-largest city in the county, is on the cusp of an exciting era. Crucial details of a $1.1 billion, 535-acre hotel and convention center on the bayfront were finalized in April, after years of fits and starts. And a University and Innovation District planned on 375 acres of city-owned land in Eastern Chula Vista could also be transformative and become a hub of the binational regional economy. While developing the bayfront and establishing a university have been the goals for a generation of Chula Vista leaders, Mayor Mary Salas deserves at least part of the credit for recent advances. In 2014, a key theme of her mayoral campaign was the need for her city to think big. Shes also been a steady hand on city finances, helping Chula Vista bounce back from the Great Recession. Her record is not unblemished. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board opposed Measure A in the June 5 election, which raised Chula Vistas sales tax from 8.25 percent to 8.75 percent, on the grounds that it was being sold deceptively. Salas and others told voters it would lead to beefed-up public safety. Instead, the extra funds are going to be needed for ballooning pension costs. But Salas, a Democrat, is the easy choice over her Republican opponent Hector Gastelum, an Otay water board member better known for inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks than stellar public service. Gastelum is a loose cannon who shows little grasp of Chula Vista issues. Vote for Salas for mayor. Advertisement For our interview with Salas, go here. For our interview with Gastelum, go here. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Melania Trump has little to complain about Re First lady says shes been bullied (Oct. 12): Gee, folks, maybe we should cut Melania Trump some slack. After all shes an immigrant and she just doesnt understand what bullying really is. Perhaps we can find someone to explain to her that when the cost of the clothes youre wearing to visit impoverished countries could feed countless children in those countries for a year, your wardrobe is fair game for discussion. And maybe someone could explain to her that the media calling out her pith helmet is not in the same category as dissing a man who was a POW and served his country beyond the call of duty. If her heart is set on curtailing bullying, maybe she should just put on her big girl designer pants and take away her husbands cell phone. Advertisement Susanne Stevenson San Diego Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. In a closed-door ministerial meeting held on the sideline of annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Indonesia, Egyptian Minister of Investment Sahar Nasr called on the World Bank and the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) to increase their support for Egypts renewable energy sector. Nasr highlighted Egypts role in renewable energy and its success achieved in the field, using the Benban solar park in Aswan as an example, which is the biggest in the Middle East. According to Nasr, the project is being financed by a consortium of nine international banks, who are all investing in the sector for the first time. The 1.8 GW capacity Benban project, which was announced by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in 2015 and allocated a 37-square-kilometer plot, is set to be completed by mid-2019. The 13 solar power plants, which are expected to generate 590 megawatts, will cost $823 million in total, with the IFC providing $653 million, according to the ministry of investment in October 2017. She told the attendees, which included the heads of World Bank and the IFC, and the IMF, that Egypt aims to increase the number of environmental-friendly projects, including renewable energy, sustainable development, and agriculture. Egypt has been aiming to upgrade its power plant capacity and renewable energy projects in order to meet rising power demand and resources. Egypt aims to generate 20 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2022 and 42 percent by 2035. Search Keywords: Short link: Why do so many Westerners so doggedly misunderstand what is at stake in contemporary Egypt Some colleagues who recently went to Europe were appalled by what they heard from various officials there. They still do not understand the true nature of the Muslim Brotherhood. They are still unaware of our predicament, these colleagues said. I discussed the issue with them, and many preferred an explanation emphasising European bad faith. The Europeans are afraid of radical Islam. They know it is here to stay for some time, so they prefer to placate it and to deflect its fury, with Arab societies paying the price, they said. My colleagues did not understand why many of our Western colleagues persistently underestimate the risk of civil war, and they did not understand how post-modern societies such as those in Europe could seriously think extremism does not pose a threat to women and minorities. They did not understand why many European analysts and scholars could spend so much time studying stupid thinkers belonging to the Islamist camp. These thinkers simply eructate, belching out high-sounding nonsense, and the European academics say this is deep and beautiful logic. A few Egyptian colleagues think the European discourse is the legitimisation of an ongoing plot. While I share my friends concerns, I believe the story is a much more complicated one. It may be useful to try to understand it, if we are to adopt a critical perspective on such discourses. I would like to begin by dwelling on two issues. Are we sure, as Egyptians, that we understand our own society better than foreigners? Is Egyptian society a likeable one for everybody? This article can only suggest tentative answers to such questions. We should admit that Western academia has produced a lot of deep and useful knowledge about our society. Mentioning my own personal debts to it would require a book, and I am fully aware who my teachers are. The main problem would seem to be that syntheses of this knowledge have either not been available to students or have gone wrong. It has not been summarised as a totality, and it has not been effectively transmitted. Governments focus on listening to what academic specialists on extremism have to say and pay little or no attention to others who are often more knowledgeable. We should also admit that our own knowledge is both limited and reliant on narrow perspectives. Egyptian academic discourse is too often Cairene. It can, of course, study Egyptian villages and the Egyptian countryside, but it looks at these things through Cairene eyes. Even scholars whose own roots are in the countryside quickly adopt Cairene lenses. Every country produces its own norms of political correctness, and these are a dangerous foe of knowledge. Political correctness often hinders critical thinking. It always hinders discourse, as an important part of knowledge is oral, not written, and it has the virtues and the drawbacks of orality. The main sponsor of Egyptian research in the social sciences is the state, or other Arab states, and many sponsors do not publish the results of the work they commission. Last, but not least, Egyptian scholars often have to work in increasingly difficult conditions. Each camp is quick to detect the ideological biases of the other, but each is largely oblivious to its own. The situation is made worse by the self-righteousness of contemporary academia, an infantile disease whether it is post-modernist or nationalistic in origin. Let us be clear in saying that we should not overestimate our own knowledge of our own society and let us admit that this deserves serious criticism. But it should also be clear that we have our own virtues. We instinctively know what religion is and what it means, for example, and we understand the difference between religion and ideology. We know what kind of passions religion can arouse. The US academic Mark Lilla once claimed in one of his books that the West had crossed a river some centuries ago as far as religion is concerned and that it was no longer able to understand those who had not done so. I think he was right, with of course some qualifications. We also know the actors involved, or at least many of them. We often have to deal with them on a daily basis, or on a professional and personal level. We know their networks, their past, their evolution, their official and not so official discourses. Of course, a Westerner can know them too. It is not impossible. But many are unwilling to make the effort and are content with quick interviews with them. We are also more aware of the cultural complicities in our own country and of the tacit general acceptance of things, patterns and norms that may look strange or even unacceptable to foreigners. Being a foreigner has its own virtues, of course, as it can make an individual more alert and more curious. If he makes the effort, he can understand two different cultures, and this is a huge asset. But there is also a trap, or a circle, that threatens everybody whatever his origins in that anyone who studies Egypt brings with him his own preconceptions and questions. Study should lead the researcher to modify these, if only because a subject seldom yields the answers one expects. But modifying views requires time and an agile mind. There needs to be a willingness to reconsider assumptions and the social and academic context that allows this to take place. Moreover, any modification should not be seen as a threat to the researchers own discourse on himself. It should be seen as a way of bettering it. These considerations are incomplete, but I prefer to switch to another issue. Any young person, Egyptian or foreign, who studies Egyptian society after finishing his formal education has many reasons to be shocked. Relations between those in power and those in subordinate positions often look like master/slave relationships, for example. The work ethic is not our strongest virtue. Relations between women and men are often despicable. The crude differences between rich and poor can be heartbreaking. Worse, fewer and fewer people can climb the social ladder. Despite talk to the contrary, there are low and not so low levels of violence. Political behaviour is often grotesque. A young scholar then has a choice: he either thinks that this is appalling and that the country needs a revolution, or he recognises the strangeness all about him while seeing that it seems to work. His task then becomes how to understand it and how and why it reproduces itself. Recent years have seen an expansion of the radical left on Western university campuses and of radical Islam on ours. Therefore, the option of identifying revolutionary forces and supporting them has become more and more popular in the West. While the second option also had many supporters, the Arab Spring and the general mood in Western academia largely destroyed it. Even the second option was not hostile to extremism, however, and it praised Political Islams ability to help the poor through charitable work and so on. * The writer is a professor of international relations at the College de France and a visiting professor at Cairo University. * A version of this article appears in print in the 11 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: The discourse on Egypt Search Keywords: Short link: Joint development of Celukan Bawang berth The signing marked the second collaboration between the parties, following their initial agreement in April 2017 and the successful deployment of Dream Cruises Genting Dream in North Bali later in the year. Todays agreement highlights the continued joint initiative to develop facilities at Celukan Bawang in North Bali, allowing ships of up to 350 meters alongside. In addition, both parties will explore possible joint development of additional cruise ports operated by PERSERO that would expand the collaboration beyond North Bali and further across Indonesia. 'At Genting Cruise Lines, we remain highly committed to the development of Indonesia as a key cruise hub for the region, as well as an important source market and destination for the tourism industry. We recognize the need for updated cruise infrastructure in the area and have actively taken the lead in pioneering improvements to port facilities in order to ensure the future growth of the cruise business,' said Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines. Plans to nurture additional ports Zhu pledged his company will continue working closely with its Indonesian counterparts to create new opportunities for cruise tourism to flourish as evidenced by the successful deployments of ships to Jakarta, Medan, North Bali and Bintan Island, complemented by a series of ongoing collaborations to develop additional ports across Indonesia. Representing PERSERO, president director Doso Agung expressed excitement about the rapid growth of cruise tourism in Indonesia and establishing closer ties with Genting Cruise Lines for the development of cruise ports. 'We are proud of the development under our portfolio, particularly in Celukan Bawang. The ability to prepare the port in double quick time to receive Dream Cruises Genting Dream in December 2017 reiterates our joint commitment to cruise tourism in Indonesia,' he said. The cyclone and the accompanying heavy rain have wrought damage in Bengal's Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur districts adjoining Odisha. Kolkata : Cyclone Titli weakened into a deep depression and entered West Bengal on Friday, triggering incessant rainfall even as it claimed four lives -- three in Odisha and one in Bengal. It left one person dead in Paschim Medinipur district and uprooted trees along state highway number 5, holding up traffic, authorities in the two districts said. Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram are witnessing incessant rain since Thursday night. The MeT department warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Gangetic West Bengal till Saturday, ahead of Durga Puja festivities. It said the cyclone has weakened into a deep depression and is moving northeast. Paschim Medinipur district Magistrate P Mohan Gandhi said a 35-year-old security guard was killed when a 12-foot factory wall collapsed on him at Kharagpur following heavy rains on Friday. 10 others were injured in various rain-related incidents. In neighbouring Jhargram district, the storm caused mud houses and Durga Puja pandals to collapse in Rohinibazar, Sankrail and Jhargram block areas. The weatherman said the deep depression is likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain in North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, Howrah and Hooghly districts. Heavy rain is likely in Kolkata, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts till Saturday, the Met department said. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha, deep sea areas of North and Central Bay of Bengal till Saturday. Tourists at Digha and other adjacent sea-side resorts have been advised not to get into any sea-bound activities till Saturday as squall with speed of 45 to 55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph will prevail along and off the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha. In Odisha, the toll in the natural calamity rose to three after two bodies were recovered in Ganjam district, near where it made its landfall, as the state government deployed National Disaster Response Force and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel to speed up rescue and relief operations. One of the two bodies was that of a 40-year-old fisherman from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, police said. The other body is that of a 45-year-old man of Bhuta Pankal village under Sorada block in Ganjam district. On Thursday, the body of an eight-year old boy, who had slipped into a canal at Saradhapur village under Hinjili police station, was found by locals, police said. In Andhra Pradesh, eight lives were snuffed out by the storm on Thursday. The Odisha government is, however, yet to confirm the deaths. "We have seen media reports of the deaths of two or three persons in districts. We are verifying it," Chief Secretary A P Padhi told scribes on the human casualty due to Cyclone Titli. The state deployed NDRF and ODRAF personnel Friday to speed up rescue and relief operation mainly in the southern districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada where more than 60 lakh people were affected by flood due to heavy rainfall triggered by the cyclone. The flood situation in three districts, which received the highest rainfall for three days under the impact of Cyclone Titli, is grim as the water levels in major rivers like Rushikulya and Bansadhara have crossed their danger marks, official sources said. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said people in Balasore district were also affected by the flood. The decision to step up relief and rescue operation was taken at a high-level meeting where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took stock of the situation. In a video conference with the district collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada, Patnaik gave instructions for intensifying rescue and relief operation on a war footing as people faced the twin calamities of cyclone and floods. Patnaik stressed on quick repair of breaches in several river embankments and directed district collectors to provide cooked food to people evacuated from their homes. He constituted a three-member ministerial committee to visit the three worst-affected districts to monitor rescue and relief operation. Two helicopters were requisitioned from the Indian Navy mainly for rescue and air-dropping of relief materials in Ganjam district as its villages are cut off due to the submergence of roads with rain and flood waters, Padhi said. Low-lying areas in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and the pilgrim town of Puri were also waterlogged due to rains. The swollen Mahendratanaya river submerged vast stretches of Gajapati district cutting off road communication between Andhra Pradesh and Paralakhemundi in Odisha's Gajapati district, official sources said. Train services were affected by the cyclone and floods and at least 16 trains were cancelled and several others rescheduled by East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Friday due to submergence of railway tracks, an ECoR official said. Director of Bhubaneswar meteorological centre, H R Biswas said heavy to very heavy rainfall will continue to pound parts of the state, including Balasore, Bhadrak and Dhenkanal districts, till Saturday. 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(0x7f3fdc756628)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc741288)', '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(0x7f3fdc756628)') 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(0x7f3fdc741288)') 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(0x7f3fdc6fe060)') 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(0x7f3fdc741288)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc741288)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbe49c90)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc62e8b8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc62e8b8)') 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(0x7f3fdc8949e8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc8fc0e8)', '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(0x7f3fdc8949e8)') 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(0x7f3fdc8fc0e8)') 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(0x7f3fdc8aace0)') 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(0x7f3fdc8fc0e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc8fc0e8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fc4e40410)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc8afd68)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc8afd68)') 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(0x7f3fdc31b710)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc239660)', '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(0x7f3fdc31b710)') 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(0x7f3fdc239660)') 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(0x7f3fdc32ad80)') 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(0x7f3fdc239660)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc239660)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbe48ac8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbe48498)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbe48498)') 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(0x7f3fdcbad870)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcd2b068)', '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(0x7f3fdcbad870)') 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(0x7f3fdcd2b068)') 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(0x7f3fdcbaf450)') 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(0x7f3fdcd2b068)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdcd2b068)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbe78df8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdcbb0990)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdcbb0990)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Nigerian troops foil Boko Haram attack on base: army Kano, Nigeria, Oct 13 (AFP) Oct 13, 2018 Nigerian troops have foiled an attempt by Boko Haram fighters to overrun a military base in the restive northeast leaving six soldiers wounded, the army said on Saturday. Troops "successfully repelled (a) Boko Haram terrorist attack" on a base in the town of Arge in Borno state on Friday, army spokesman Texas Chukwu said in a statement. "Several members of the Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised while others fled with gunshot wounds during the encounter," he said. "Unfortunately, six soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at the military facility." Chukwu said three Boko Haram trucks were destroyed and one other vehicle recovered in the latest attack in the area. On August 29, IS-affiliated Boko Haram jihadists claimed to have killed "several" Nigerian soldiers in mortar strikes on the Arge military base. The claim could not be independently verified. Boko Haram's Islamic State group-backed faction -- known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) -- operates in the Lake Chad region and has in recent months intensified attacks on military bases in Borno and nearby Yobe state. The attacks are seen as a sign of a hardline takeover in ISWAP by more radical lieutenants who executed the group's de facto leader because of his opposition to indiscriminate killings and willingness to hold peace talks with the government. Scores of soldiers have been killed, injured or missing in attacks but the military have repeatedly denied or played down losses to the jihadists. On Monday, the Islamists attacked a military base in Metele near the border with Niger, leaving seven soldiers dead, according to the military. But civilian militia sources said 18 soldiers were killed in that attack and several weapons stolen or destroyed by the jihadists. More than 27,000 people are thought to have been killed in the nine-year Boko Haram Islamist insurgency that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1.8 million people without homes. Cambodia offers to resume search for US Vietnam War missing Phnom Penh, Oct 13 (AFP) Oct 13, 2018 Cambodian leader Hun Sen has offered to resume working with a US programme that recovers the remains of American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War, as the premier seeks to defuse criticism of a flawed election. Hun Sen stated his intention to restart the "important" mission in a letter published on government mouthpiece Fresh News Saturday and also shared on his official Facebook page. It was addressed to two US state lawmakers who visited Cambodia ahead of the vote earlier this year and who this month had written to Hun Sen about reactivating the project. The searches, which have recovered the remains of 42 American servicemen in Cambodia -- dozens are still unaccounted for -- were suspended in September 2017 as relations soured between the two countries. Hun Sen halted it after Washington stopped issuing visas to senior Cambodian officials in reprisal for the country temporarily refusing to take in Cambodian nationals deported from the US for committing crimes. He had also accused the US of assisting an opposition leader who was charged with treason, claims the ambassador at the time called absurd. The rise in tensions came during the lead-up to a flawed vote in July that was swept by Hun Sen's party after the Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition. But after securing victory, the 66-year-old strongman requested pardons for activists and opposition members who had been arrested in a crackdown on dissent before the ballot. Analysts say Hun Sen is trying to ward off possible consequences such as potential trade sanctions by the European Union, though he has bristled at suggestions that he is under international pressure. The programme "had been running successfully for more than 30 years, before it was suspended", Hun Sen said in his letter, adding that his government would restart cooperating with the mission with a "compassionate spirit". America's secret bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War remains a sensitive subject and is a touchstone of fiery speeches by Hun Sen. The US emerged from the Cold War as one of Cambodia's biggest donors, though the Southeast Asian country has tilted towards China in recent years thanks to loans for infrastructure and few complaints on human rights issues. New York, October 13, 2018 (SPS) -The United Nations (UN) Security Council, which met Thursday in New York, reiterated its strong support to the UN Envoy for Western Sahara, Horst Kohler to hold the first round of direct negotiations between the Polisario Front and Morocco in Geneva, and called the two sides to engage in these talks in good faith and without preconditions. The Security Council expressed unanimous support to Kohler who intends to invite both sides for negotiations in Geneva, a close source told APS following an in camera meeting on the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum on Self-determination in Western Sahara), held in New York. According to observers, this support is important to Kohler whose role will not be decisive without the Security Councils support. The statements made by the Security Council members stress the need for both parties to engage in negotiations in good faith and without preconditions. The members of the Security Council also emphasized the importance of the MINURSO as a mechanism of conflict prevention that contributes to regional stability. The Thursday meeting preceding the traditional annual discussions on the renewal of the Mission's mandate was devoted to the presentation of the new report of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on Western Sahara. Released on Wednesday, the final version of this document reported developments on the ground, notably the progress of political negotiations, the challenges facing MINURSO's operations and the measures to overcome them. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS New York (United Nations), October 13, 2018 (SPS) In a statement before the UN Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (4th Committee), the Representative of the POLISARIO Front to the United Nations, Dr. Sidi M. Omar, has underlined that the continuous consideration by this Committee of the situation in Western Sahara, at the request of the General Assembly, is a testament to the unfinished decolonisation of the Territory. He added that, it is also a testament to our peoples right to self-determination and independencea right that is inalienable and can never be overtaken by the current colonial realities created by Morocco in the Territory through its prolonged occupation and intensified settlement and repressive policies,, in a statement before the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee. Bellow is the full text of the statement of the POLISARIO Front Representative to the United Nations,Dr Sidi M. Omar, before the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (4th Committee), on 12 October 2018: Mr President, Distinguished Representatives and Delegates of Member States, Allow me to begin by congratulating you, Mr President, on assuming the Presidency of the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, a committee whose objectives are dear to my own heart, and that of my people. I also thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the Committee on behalf of the Frente POLISARIO, the legitimate representative of the people of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara, which has been on the agenda of this Committee since 1963. Mr President As you know, the decolonisation process of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara was violently interrupted due to Moroccos military invasion and occupation of the Territory on 31 October 1975, an occupation that was deplored by the Security Council and the General Assembly in a clear and strong manner. In its resolution 380 of 6 November 1975, the Security Council strongly deplored the holding of the Moroccan so-called green march which marked the beginning of the military invasion of our country. In operative paragraph 2 of resolution 380, the Security Council (I quote) Calls upon Morocco immediately to withdraw from the Territory of Western Sahara all the participants in the march (unquote). The General Assembly, representing the common voice of the international community, has also deplored deeply the Moroccan occupation, which was carried out in violation of the objectives and 2 purposes of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of International law. In operative paragraph 5 of its resolution 34/37 of 21 November 1979, the General Assembly (I quote) deeply deplores the aggravation of the situation resulting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory recently evacuated by Mauritania (unquote). In operative paragraph 6 of the same resolution, the General Assembly further (I quote) urges Morocco to join in the peace process and to terminate its occupation of the Territory of Western Sahara (unquote). Morocco, therefore, is the occupying power of Western Sahara, and this is a well-established fact, despite the futile efforts of the occupying power and its apologists to convince the Committee otherwise. The deplorable Moroccan occupation and annexation of parts of our land continues to date, with dire consequences for our people, both in terms of well-documented gross human rights violations in the occupied Territories and with respect to the massive plunder of our natural resources, among other things. Mr President, Moroccos occupation and illegal annexation of parts of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara remains the chief obstacle to the decolonisation of the Territory. Its flagrant attempts to appropriate sovereignty over a Non-Self-Governing Territory on the agenda of this Committee and without a due and valid decolonisation process is the root cause of the long-lasting conflict in Western Sahara. Mr President, The continuous consideration by this Committee of the situation in Western Sahara, at the request of the General Assembly, is a testament to the unfinished decolonisation of the Territory. It is also a testament to our peoples right to self-determination and independencea right that is inalienable and can never be overtaken by the current colonial realities created by Morocco in the Territory through its prolonged occupation and intensified settlement and repressive policies. The responsibility of the United Nations towards the people of Western Sahara, which is reaffirmed every year in the General Assembly resolutions on the matter, should be assumed without further delay. The UN Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy, Mr Horst Kohler, is trying to breathe new life into the long stalled UN peace process in Western Sahara. We have officially accepted his invitation to an initial roundtable meeting planned to take place in Geneva in early December 2018, and we stand ready to engage in direct negotiations with Morocco in line with Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Each year, the Frente POLISARIO, on behalf of the Sahrawi people, comes to the Fourth Committee to relay the hopes and aspirations of our people. Every year, we and many people around the world come here to defend our peoples internationally recognised right to right to self-determination, only to see little advancement in our cause. But this year, we hope, that the tide is turning, and that the people of Western Sahara will be given the opportunity to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. After all, this is the only valid way forward to bring about a peaceful and just end to the long-awaited decolonisation of the last colonial case in Africa, and with it the end of one of the ugliest and most brutal chapters of the history of our continent. I thank Mr President. (SPS) 062/SPS Awserd (Refugee Camps), October 13, 2018 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, called on Friday the United Nations Security Council to enable MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) to carry out its mission for which it was created, namely the organization of a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people, reaffirming the need to put an end to the procrastination and intransigence of the Moroccan occupier. We call on the Security Council to enable MINURSO to carry out the mission for which it was created, namely the organization of a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara and to take measures able to protect and enshrine the legal status of Western Sahara as well as its territorial integrity, said President Ghali in his opening speech of the festivities commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the National Unity coinciding with October 12th. President Ghali also called to put an end to the Moroccan attempts aimed at using MINURSO as a tool to legitimate an illegal military occupation. The international community-through the UN general assembly, its committees and Security Council resolutions, expressed its commitment to preserving the legal character of the Sahrawi issue, as it is a decolonization issue that must be resolved by enabling the Sahrawi people to exercise their right to independence, like all the colonized peoples and countries, added Sahrawi President. It is time to put an end to the sufferings of the Sahrawi people who have resisted for a long time, he stressed, calling once again to end the Moroccan occupiers intransigence. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS The State of Server-Side Ad Insertion 2018 SSAI is one of the crucial innovations that has allowed over-the-top (OTT) video to become a viable industry, because it opens up paths to monetization and helps to both absorb infrastructure costs and create profit centers where cost centers have existed. But while technologists are bullish on SSAI, some vendors and content publishers are a bit more cautious. This article takes a look at the state of SSAI, both its successes and the challenges it still faces, including scaling to large audiences and privacy concerns. According to a recent Interactive Advertising Bureau study called Live Video Streaming: A Global Perspective, 70 percent of consumers watch digital video once a day, 67 percent have live streamed content, and more than half (52 percent) prefer free, ad-supported content. Stream stitching and SSAI allow ads to be inserted directly into the programming stream, making for a more seamless viewing experience. If you can stitch ads in on the server-side and make sure the VAST [Video Ad Serving Template] impression pings associated with the individual ads are properly tracked, then all of a sudden you can send out one integrated stream, says Chris Xiques, senior director of video infrastructure at CBS Interactive. Theres no buffer wheels where youre waiting for the ads to load in the middle of the stream. It looks more like television. And if SSAI makes viewers happy, its making content publishers and distributors even happier. The move to SSAI has opened up significant live and linear OTT inventory, says Allen Klosowski, senior vice-president of the advanced solutions group at ad serving platform SpotX. SSAI has simplified video on demand (VOD) as well, because the same technology can be deployed across all media assets. This has quickly driven scale in multi-platform distribution and monetization for our clients, he says. What Is SSAI? SSAI seamlessly inserts ads into streaming video content, allowing monetization on any device that can play video, says Andrew Broadstone, director of product management at Brightcove. SSAI works with both Live or VOD and is really the only way to have live advertising (more on that later). Previously, ad stitching came about because of device fragmentation in which some viewing devices lacked client-side capabilities. The crux of the problem is that most current ad technologies, including programmatic trading, viewability, measurement, and interactivity, were first created for the client-side ad serving and werent supported by SSAI. This is no longer true. SSAI creates an individualized media stream for each unique viewer, in which different viewers get different ads. The ad break communicates with an ad decision server, which decides what to serve each particular viewer, based on information such as viewing history, demographics, and geographical location. All of this takes places on the server side. The thing to know about server-side ad stitching is that the video chunks for the ads and content are not literally being stitched together. All youre really doing is knitting text files together, says Xiques. Youre basically taking manifests that point to ad segments and the manifest that points to content segments and creating a new manifest that points to them both. A simple graphic breakdown showing how TV ads in the original broadcast stream (top) are replaced by different ads in the individually targeted stream (bottom). Image courtesy Switch Media. Defeating the Ad Blockers SSAI is the only way to show ads on many of the growing diversity of connected TV devices, where it is difficult or impossible to build custom clients for every device, says Broadstone. These platforms represent a significant area of growth among our media customers. Traditional web publishers also are using SSAI more to avoid ad blockers and to improve the user experience. Ad blockers work by detecting ad calls that are made in the client. However, with server-side stitching, the ad call and ad stitching are performed before the stream reaches the client, meaning the ad blocker doesnt detect an ad call and therefore is unable to block the response, says David Springall, founder and CTO of Yospace, which provides server-side dynamic ad insertion for live and VOD streaming. Preventing ad blocking is one benefit of SSAI, since the stream cant be detected as coming from a known ad-serving URL. Another benefit is being able to replace and personalize ads already embedded in a stream. Balancing Personalization and Privacy Magnus Svensson, media solution consultant at Eyevinn Technology, helped Bonnier Broadcasting, MTG, Discovery Networks Nordics, and Telia Co. develop a technical specification for SSAI. The broadcasters were not able to monetize online streams when distributed by an operator, since it was sending out content with the original broadcast ads with no ability to measure ad views. To start selling online advertising, they needed to make changes in the distribution workflows. The trend in the Nordic region and in Europe now is definitely moving away from client going to server side, Svensson says. The project eventually was extended to include all the major broadcasters in Sweden together with the operator and distributors agreeing to start doing server-side ad insertion. We developed a technical specification highlighting how this should be done between a broadcaster and an operator starting with Sweden, but since most Swedish broadcasters are across the Nordics, its all now starting to spread there. Svensson says he spent an equal amount of time addressing data privacy as he did the technical requirements to implement SSAI. Telia is now able to offer ad personalization and frequency capping while anonymizing data to follow new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines. Telia is targeting based on approximate geographic area (since the exact area is considered personally identifiable information), content, screen size, and device type. The specification document can be found online. Theres no real logical reason to stick to doing any client-side [ad insertion], says Svensson. The only thing remaining is to agree on some kind of ad tracking server side as well, because today the only way of doing proper tracking is done doing client-side insertion. The same tracking can now be done on the server side, but the measurement organizations are less comfortable with this. He adds, The measurement institutes and ad agencies dont really trust server side, because its opened up a little bit more for fraud that you can actually manipulate the data. The fear of leaving ad dollars on the table was enough motivation to get the Scandinavian groups to work together. So what are the technical issues that anyone implementing SSAI needs to look at? Handling Ad Breaks The first step is identifying how the video player knows whats an ad and what is content. Broadcast content generally has a SCTE (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers) marker embedded as part of the stream, which includes information about when an ad break starts and how long it is. Traditional broadcast has two types of SCTE markers104 for baseband (HD-SDI) and 35 for IP video. These markers are read and translated to OSMF cuepoint messages that are passed between server and player for content/ad stitching via discontinuity signals. But not all content has SCTE markers. In order to support SSAI, the client needs to be able to handle HLS DISCONTINUITY tags or MPEG-DASH manifests containing multiple periods. In SSAI, you dont start and stop a stream as you do in client-side ad insertion (CSAI). Instead, the segments are delivered in a continuous stream server-side, with ad segments stitched into the manifest. DISCONTINUITY tags (or, for MPEG-DASH, multiple periods) are used to inform the player that the upcoming segments have different characteristics. The presentation time stamp (PTS) reset is one clear example; changes in frame rate end encoding are other differences that might occur between the original video and the ad segments. Because of how the SSAI component can in a scalable way create the virtual streams it is also required that the video player is capable of playing HLS with DISCONTINUITY tags and MPEG DASH containing multiple periods, Jonas Birme, solution architect at Eyevinn Technology, wrote in an August 2017 blog post. "These are the mechanisms in the streaming formats that makes it possible to replace video chunks in the original media stream with the ad video chunks. The packager chunks the video stream into encrypted video file segments according to the different DRM systems and also creates the streaming format manifests. To signal where an ad break start and ends in the case of HLS it can use the tags EXT-X-CUE-OUT and EXT-X-CUE-IN, and for MPEG DASH it creates a new period, Birme notes. The SSAI component then fetches the HLS-and MPEG DASH-streams from the origin and parses the streaming format manifests to be able to create a personalized and unique virtual stream for the viewer. The virtual streams also contain the necessary information that the DRM decryption module needs to be able to acquire a license from the DRM system. [T]o be able to have server-side ad insertion and DRM protection you need a DRM provider that can handle more than one DRM system and an SSAI component that can handle both HLS and MPEG DASH, Birme concludes. If you dont have the DRM requirement it is sufficient with an SSAI component that handles only HLS as most devices can handle HLS as long it is unencrypted. A schematic showing the SSAI specification adopted by Bonnier Broadcasting, MTG, Discovery Networks Nordics, and Telia company. The trend in the Nordic region and in Europe now is definitely moving away from client [and] going to server side, says Magnus Svensson of Eyevinn Technology, which helped develop the specification. Click for a larger version. Image courtesy Eyevinn. Another Use Case Every video publisher and distributor will have unique requirements when it comes to SSAI, and not all applications support SCTE markers. I work at a media company and we have rules about users not being able to skip ads, not playing an ad more than once, and requirements to do third-party tracking of ad playback. That means that there are components in our player that need to know exactly when an ad is on the screen so that seeking can be disabled in the UI and video click-through can be passed to advertisers web sites, says Xiques. Theres no standard way of interpreting SCTE-35 markers on the 15 different application platforms that I support. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned China said Friday it is in contact with the United States amid reports of a planned meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump next month following a dive in the U.S. stock market blamed partly on a growing trade war between the world's two largest economies. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang offered no specifics, but said that "I have also seen the relevant reports." "China and the U.S. maintain communication on dialogues and exchanges at all levels," Lu told reporters at a daily briefing. The reported meeting would take place during the G20 summit in Argentina in late November. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post both cited officials saying Trump has decided to proceed with the meeting with Xi. Trump's top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, told CNBC Thursday that, "There's some movement toward" a meeting at the G20. "They have lots to talk about. So we'll see," Kudlow said. Global indexes gained Friday after their recent sharp declines, on word of the possible presidential meeting, along with strong Chinese export data. Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5 percent to 22,694.66 after sinking early in the day and following a nearly 4 percent loss on Thursday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 2.1 percent to 25,801.49. The Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.9 percent to 2,606.91. Shares recovered in Taiwan and rose throughout Southeast Asia. Wall Street was set for an optimistic open after two days of steep losses. S&P 500 futures gained 0.8 percent to 2,766.80. Dow futures rose 0.8 percent to 25,378.00. That followed a swoon that wiped more than 1,300 points from the Dow over two days and dragged the S&P 500 down more than 5 percent. Buddhist Business Forum 2018 on Buddhist Leadership Practices in Business View(s): The Buddhist Business Forum 2018 organised by the National Council for International Affairs of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and will be held on October 16 at the BMICH Colombo. The forum has been a regular feature of the World Fellowship of Buddhists since it held its 25th General Conference in Sri Lanka. According to the organisers, the main objective of the forum is to practice and propagate the sublime doctrine of Lord Buddha in the conduct of Business, Social, Educational, Cultural and other Humanitarian Services and to Secure Unity, Solidarity, Brotherhood and Networking amongst Buddhists. Eminent Buddhist Monks, learned academics and professional and business leaders will address the Buddhist Business Forum. The inaugural session will be presided by the Ven. Dr. Galboda Gnanissara Nayaka Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple while the Chief Guest is Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. The keynote address on Buddhist values in Business Sigalovada Sutta and Buddhist approach to business will be delivered by Ven. Prof. Madagampitiya Wijithadhanna Thero Head of Pali and Buddhist studies at University of Sri Jayawardanapura. The session on A New Paradigm for sustainable Business Founded on Buddhist values and Ethics includes two presentations on Buddhist Ethics and spirituality in leading Business organisation by Deepal Sooriyarachchi, Management Consultant and Entrepreneurship, Technology, Innovation and Networking for Sustainable Business by Dulith Herath, Founder/Chairman Kapruka.com The session on A Radical Transformation of Attitudes, perspectives and Practices for Business Development based on Buddhist Values will include addresses on Education and Skill Enhancement for business development by Dr. Harsha Alles, Chairman Gateway Group of Schools and Social and Environmental Responsibility for a Sustainable Corporate World by Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary Sarvodaya. The final session is a panel discussion on Business Success based on Buddhist Values with the Chairman/Moderator of the session being Prashantha Lal De Alwis PC, Deputy Chairman Siyapatha Finance Plc. The panelists are Aravinda Perera, Managing Director Royal Ceramics Lanka Plc; Kulatunga Rajapakse, Managing Director DSI Samson Group (Pvt) Ltd; Mahendra Jayasekera, Managing Director Lanka Tiles Plc, and Ms. Ramya Weerakoon, Chairperson Ramya Holdings and Apparels. CEB unlikely to raise power rates due to oncoming elections: Fitch View(s): Fitch Ratings has affirmed Sri Lanka-based Ceylon Electricity Boards (CEB) National Long-Term Rating at AAA(lka) with a Stable Outlook. CEBs rating is equalised with that of the Sri Lankan sovereign (B+/Stable), reflecting strong linkages with the parent, in line with Fitchs Parent and Subsidiary Rating Linkage criteria. The equalisation takes into consideration CEBs strategic importance to Sri Lanka in ensuring power security and supply of affordable electricity to the public as the monopoly electricity transmitter and distributor in the country. CEB also accounts for around 70 per cent of the power generation in the country, Fitch said in a media release. Fitch assesses the linkages between CEB and the state as strong, reflecting high ownership and management control, explicit guarantees and financial support through equity infusions and debt funding. The government also implicitly guarantees CEBs project loans (about 80 per cent of outstanding debt), which are extended by bilateral and multilateral agencies and routed through the government for development of power infrastructure. CEB provides electricity at subsidised rates, fulfilling an essential service for the government. We do not expect CEBs linkages with its parent to weaken in the medium term as the governments need to provide electricity at subsidised rates can be carried out only by a state entity such as CEB, as private companies would not be willing to incur losses. Fitch views CEBs standalone credit profile as much weaker than its support-driven rating and believes providing a notch-specific standalone credit view of CEB is meaningless due to poor margin visibility and the need for continued state support to sustain operations, the release said. Fitch said it didnt expect the government to increase electricity tariffs in the foreseeable future to levels that adequately cover CEBs generation, distribution and transmission costs. The government sets tariffs based on its socio-economic objectives and has not revised tariffs for almost three years despite rising generation costs. CEBs average cost of supplying a unit of electricity to customers in 2017 was around 20 per cent higher than the average tariff. The government faces elections in the next 24 months, and amid rising living costs due to higher fuel costs and local-currency depreciation, we do not expect the government to raise electricity tariffs or implement a cost-reflective pricing formula, Fitch said. While generation costs would remain high in the next couple of years amid rising oil prices and volatile contribution from low-cost hydropower, Fitch said: We expect the share of hydropower in the generation mix to remain below historical levels due to declining load factors and very little new capacity additions. We expect CEB to turn to high- cost oil-based sources to meet the shortfall. Dankotuwa Porcelain re-introduces Laklain locally View(s): Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC, renowned for its luxurious and elegant porcelain tableware, recently re-introduced its value-for-money heritage brand Laklain to the local market. Now available with several new offerings that feature a similar high-quality standard to the more upmarket Dankotuwa Porcelain brand, Laklain is marketed at a more affordable price point with easy customer accessibility. Laklain products are manufactured at the same ISO-certified facility as Dankotuwa Porcelain under the same factory conditions. Therefore, these products are manufactured using the traditional raw materials which are Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) free. Also, just like most Dankotuwa Porcelain products, Laklain products do not contain bone ash so it is completely animal cruelty free. Depending on the design, Laklain products can also be microwave and dishwasher friendly, the company said in a media release. Featuring intricate and colorful floral designs on pristine white ivory porcelain plates, teapots and cups, Laklains re-vitalised product portfolio includes Fade Pink, Lotata, Nausi, Pink Rose and Tulip Pink, each of which comes in a Dinner range, consisting of six-piece, 15-piece and 24-piece sets. Additionally, a range of Tea Sets is also offered in 12 pieces, 17 pieces and 18 pieces for these five variants. Laklain was the very first brand introduced by Dankotuwa Porcelain in the early 2000s, one which was considered by all as the heritage brand reputed for its elegant designs, stated Dr. Sajeeva Narangoda, Chief Executive Officer Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC, adding that it is a familiar and trusted brand name to many households in Sri Lanka. Doctorpatient relationship needs to be physical By Raj Moorthy View(s): View(s): While technology has advanced to a stage today where doctors and patients are connected via a technologically developed device, it lacks the kind of physical relationship between the two. Technology in that kind of a remote relationship is helpful in some respects in terms of triaging patients, says Prof. James Batchelor, Clinical Informatics and Healthcare Innovation Director, from the University of Southampton in the UK. Speaking to the Business Times on the sidelines of the launch of the 10th Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics (APAMI) 2018 held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo on Tuesday, he said that while medicine should be a connected relationship, as doctors and nurses are really important for a patient, the relationship between the two should be a physical one. A doctor must examine a patient physically and mentally where certain symptoms of the patient will not be felt by the doctor whatsoever over the technological device. Technology in that kind of a remote relationship is helpful in some respect in terms of triaging patients, he added. In hospital systems triaging means the first stage on arrival at the emergency department is assessment by the hospital triage nurse. This nurse will evaluate the patients condition, as well as any changes, and will determine their priority for admission to the emergency department and also for treatment. It needs to be operated in a model which allows a fair role that adds value to the system. This lacks the kind of personal relationship a patient will have with a doctor by physically being in front of him or her, Mr. Batchelor pointed out. He also stated that the future of healthcare is going to be very interesting while technology is supporting the sector from strength to strength. Technology is helping advance in the biomedical research to understand the human behavioral patterns allowing treating patients with more accurate measurements. Doctors can be specific about how they treat and look after the patients. Today medicines come in different shapes and sizes and there are personalised medicines through various new technologies. Adapting to the new technology in the medical industry is a long term investment, he stressed. There are biomedical staff who dont want to adapt to new technology. If technology is delivered in the correct way, it becomes very simple to use and adds value to their day-to-day work. Adoption is all about simplicity and making application of technology of value to them as an individual in their treatment and care of patients, stated Mr. Batchelor. He noted that Sri Lanka is at the forefront in terms of technology in the biomedical industry. As a developing country Sri Lanka has taken vast measures to adapt to new technology and the country is a real innovation hub for this type of working development. New legislation to protect microfinance borrowers By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s): The government is planning to enact new legislation to protect microfinance borrowers from loan sharks where unethical lending practices by some individuals have created problems in some parts of the country. To salvage women entrepreneurs from such problems the government has written off debts of 45,000 microfinance female borrowers amounting to Rs. 1.25 billion in the North and the East, said the Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera at the inauguration ceremony of the Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) Regional Policy Forum with the 70th Executive Committee Meeting and the 21st General Assembly held at the Hilton Colombo last Monday. The Minister said the government has initiated the Enterprise Sri Lanka scheme to address some of the obstacles to minimise difficulties caused to the SME sector and encourage 100 entrepreneurs with start-ups within the next 12 months. Under a new scheme graduates will be provided with interest free loans amounting to Rs.1.5 million and will encourage project-based lending than colateral lending. He said to encourage women entrepreneurs the state has offered them with subsidy on loans under which differently abled persons too will be able to obtain loans under the Enterprise Sri Lanka scheme. Entrepreneurs face difficulties in setting up and running their SME businesses where the situation in Sri Lanka and in the rest of the region was the same according to surveys done around the world. Under Enterprise Sri Lanka around 20,000 persons have applied for loans during the past four months and this will create one million jobs. The Minister said globally SMEs represent a significant component of all enterprises and in Sri Lanka the majority of companies are in the SME category that contributes to the bulk of employment. Countries in the world have identified the importance of SMEs in their economies as a practical instrument in achieving sustainable economic growth but persistently face difficulties when setting up businesses. He said the Sri Lankan governments intention is to introduce SMEs into the formal sector and to establish a hard and soft infrastructure frame work to facilitate their growth. Measures are being taken to improve access to credit and markets and to encourage value chains that connect SMEs with large firms. Meanwhile this years APRACA member banks from the Asia Pacific region have gathered in Colombo to evaluate issues relating to Financing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise. APRACA is a non governmental organisation involving central banks, Agricultural and Development Banks, commercial banks, apex organisations, and Federation of Financial Institutions and Rural Development Institutions in the region involved directly in Agricultural Credit and Rural Development. The State Minister of Primary Industries, Daya Gamage, the Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon Ronald Perera, CEO /General Manager Bank of Ceylon Senerath Bandara and other dignitaries also spoke. Thondaman to muscle political support for wage hike By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): CWC MP Arumugam Thondaman is threatening to muster support from other political parties to pose a challenge to Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) by obtaining support to increase basic wages through a budget proposal, should wage talks fail. Wage talks between the estate workers unions and the RPCs are still underway and the main party, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) wants the basic living wage to be increased to Rs.962 per day from the existing Rs.500, Mr. Thondaman told the Business Times on Thursday. RPCs have proposed a basic wage increase upto Rs.575. Certain other allowances like the price wage supplement of Rs.30 that has been stagnant since 1992 needs to be increased to Rs.50, the CWC said. The CWC, drawing a hard line at the talks, insists that if no agreement is reached by October 15 the RPCs would be compelled to pay the arrears as well by the number of months if discussions get delayed. In addition, the workers union is attempting to exert pressure on the government to agree to a basic wage of Rs.1200 to be submitted as a budget proposal. In this respect, Mr. Thondaman said that they would hold discussions with all political parties to gain their support for this genuine cause and obtain an increase in the basic wages of estate workers upto Rs.1200 through a budget proposal. Failing these conditions, CWC sources said the CWC would obtain the support of the opposition to attempt to defeat the budget. The last discussion between the RPCs and the worker unions was held on Tuesday at the Employers Federation of Ceylon office at Rajagiriya and the next scheduled meeting will be held tomorrow (Monday) at 3 pm. At present the number of workers on the plantations has dwindled to about 150,000 with workers increasingly looking for jobs outside the estates for higher pay and better working conditions. Biting the hand that fed you View(s): My dear Maithri, I thought I should write to you when I heard that you had met Mahinda maama and Basil for a chat at SBs home last week to try and see whether you could work together and oust the Greens from the government. Many were shocked to hear that but knowing you, I don think they were surprised. The meeting created quite a stir, with some newspapers and media outlets saying that a caretaker government with Mahinda maama as PM was imminent. Since then, nothing much has happened. All we know is that some pohottuwa chaps are quite angry that this idea is even being considered. Maithri, pardon me if my memory doesnt serve me well but I distinctly remember you telling us in an address to the nation no less, just before the last general election three years ago, that even if the Blues won that election, you wouldnt be appointing Mahinda maama as your Prime Minister. At that time, the Greens were very happy with that statement which probably cost the Blues many votes. Now, you yourself are virtually begging Mahinda maama to join you, so you can oust the Green Man. Maithri, you have just shown us that you have less shame than those Pidurangala boys! Of course, trying to change history so that it reflects you in a better light is nothing new to you. While in New York recently you said that it was you who stayed on in the country in the last two weeks of the war while both Mahinda maama and the Field Marshal fled the country due to security risks. Even those who were foolish enough to vote for you wouldnt believe that story. The Field Marshal ticked you off, saying that only those who think like corporals and sergeants would say so. Whats more, you have now admitted that you were out of Colombo and in hiding in case of air attacks! I know you wanted the details of your meeting with Mahinda maama kept a secret but you didnt have much of a chance with Basil very keen to let the rest of the world know about what happened. Also, the meeting was held at SBs home and he is a blabbermouth recognised even by the Supreme Court! You were told in no uncertain terms by Mahinda maama that they have little desire to join forces with you unless you demonstrate that you are genuine in your intentions by pulling the Blues out of the government, so the Greens would lose their majority. Thats a tough demand to meet, isnt it? At that meeting, Maithri, it must have felt like the good old days (or the bad old days, if that is how you wish to see it), with Mahinda maama telling you what he wants done and demanding that you follow his instructions. No wonder then that nothing positive emerged from that meeting! Mahinda maama has been in this game longer than you have and he must be remembering how you promised to oust the Green Man with that infamous motion of no confidence. At the eleventh hour, you pulled out, leaving the pohottuwa chaps and even the Blues who voted against it, high and dry. That is why Mahinda maama is now demanding his pound of flesh. He knows he is much more popular than you ever were, because even when you won against him, that was with the Green votes and only because the Greens asked us to vote for you- and not because you were the better candidate. I do feel sorry for you, Maithri. Three years ago, you enjoyed the confidence of the nation. You gave us hope that you would take us in a different direction by cleaning up the system, abolishing your all-powerful office and then retiring, making room for a cleaner and better brand of politics. Instead, like Satellite and Mahinda maama before you, you broke your promises. You want to run for office once more. While we had hoped you would be above party politics, you wanted to take over the Blues and run it according to your wishes. You wanted to lead the Blues instead of leading the nation. Maithri, your days at the top are numbered. You can try every trick in the book to stay put but youve bitten the hand that fed you not once, but twice. That is why, by January 2020, you will be out of a job. Remember, you can only be elected to your office, not appointed- unlike grama sevakas. Yours truly, Punchi Putha PS- First you stabbed Mahinda maama in the back and took his job. Then you stabbed the Green Man in the back, forgetting that you are where you are because of him. Brutus and Judas must be quite happy because whenever there is a great betrayal, people wont talk about them anymore, they will talk about Maithri instead! Mayhem, murders and a warning of what may come View(s): The Supreme Courts affirming of the conviction of former parliamentarian Duminda Silva and three of his supporters for causing the death of politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and others on 8th October 2011 reflect innovative judicial reasoning that has been ignored in typically sensationalist media coverage of the case. Well-articulated judicial reasoning No doubt, murders of and by politicians are a pedestrian occurrence in this region, occasioning no more than a cynically raised eyebrow at best. But this case was different to a run of the mill political homicide, first for the manner in which the legal process faltered during the Rajapkasa Presidency, despite the fact that this had been a killing of a stalwart of the old Sri Lanka Freedom Party. The second distinguishing factor concerns media dynamics around the case, aggravatingly peaking to unprecedented partisan levels after the final outcome, which I will come to later. Perusal of the Divisional Benchs ruling delivered under the hand of outgoing Chief Justice Priyasath Dep this week indicates well-articulated and eminently comprehensible grounds on which it is affirmed that the accused (excepting the first accused) had been members of an unlawful assembly, as proven beyond reasonable doubt on the day in question. Offences were committed in furtherance of the common object of such assembly, including that of murder, shooting and causing injuries to persons, criminal intimidation of voters during the local government elections, rioting and intimidation of the police. But what is innovative is the judicial link that has been drawn between the provisions of the criminal law prohibiting unlawful assembly and the overall importance of the right to vote. This was reflected in the judicial rejection of a key defence argument that former parliamentarian Duminda Silva (the eleventh accused) had withdrawn and ceased to be a member of the unlawful assembly before the final act of shooting took place and therefore could not be held liable for the offence of murder. Linking the right to vote with penal concepts A particular mainstay of the defence was that Silva had suffered injuries to his head, was unaware of what transpired afterward and that the act of shooting was unforeseen as it was brought about by the sudden altercation that took place between the parties. This altercation, according to the defence was a supervening incident which fundamentally altered the course of events which took place thereafter. However, in dismissing the feasibility of a supervening event in no uncertain terms, the Court looked at the events of that day against the background of several statutes that regulate the behaviour of candidates and supporters during election times for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the same. Writing for the Court, the outgoing Chief Justice pointed out that, in a democratic society ensuring that the voter is free to exercise the franchise freely is of paramount importance. In this context, it was added that the electoral laws are geared towards maintaining public tranquility, the very essence of the concept of vicarious liability under unlawful assembly. Elaborating on this point, he observed that the eleventh accused who happened to be a member of a Parliament was expected not only to be alive and to adhere to the norms of conducting peaceful elections but also to lead by example and reflect the importance of abiding by the law. But on the contrary, the conduct of accused was completely the opposite. As remarked, the presence of political stalwarts accompanied by their associates armed with fire arms, to my view, is sufficient to kindle a fear psychosis in the minds of the average voter. Such a scenario would certainly have an intimidating effect on the minds of a voter. The Court concluded that the behavior of the accused leading up to the incident of the fatal shootings, were assistive and operative on the actions of the unlawful assembly. The accused had lent himself to a criminal enterprise, knowing that the weapons that were carried will be used with an intent sufficient for murder. The mere fact that he suffered the first injury in the course of that transaction was not held to be a sufficient countervailing factor. Palpably mischievous media reports And now we proceed from the judicious to the patently absurd. Even taking into account, the steep deterioration of standards by academics, professionals, journalists among judges and lawyers in this country, media reports on the appeal outcome were palpably mischievous. Lacks clarity screamed one headline, even if read hundreds of times, the basis for upholding the conviction cannot be understood proclaimed another headline, quite oblivious to the fact that the full judgment had been made available for scrutiny only later. So a reasonable question arises in this context. Were some journalists actively taunting the Supreme Court to take action against them? As we know, contempt has been upheld on occasions far less provocative than these. And as the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena now languishing in prison and bereft of his customary swagger, found out to his dismay in recent months, it is unwise to poke the bear with malice and intent aforethought. Moreover, apart from repercussions that may be visited on media reporting, there is a more pertinent issue at stake. Simply put, such conduct amounting to irresponsible reporting at the best or motivated journalism at the worst deeply undermines difficult attempts at law reform responsibly seeking a balance between the right to know of the public and the due administration of justice. In fact, this type of problematic conduct is quoted by many in the legal fraternity as a classic instance as to why judges must be able to exercise contempt of court powers to full intensity over the media. Encouraging this hardening of attitudes on the part of those who view the media with profound (and I might well say, justifiable in some cases), suspicion is certainly a pity. But this is an inevitable consequence of the asinine conduct of some, rebounding on many. A frighteningly fitting reminder of the past In sum, the murders committed on that day (viz; 8th October 2011) and the mayhem at the hands of intoxicated thugs acting under political patronage, as set out in excruciating detail in the Courts decision forcibly remind us of the thuggery and violence prevalent at the time. This is a frighteningly fitting example of the complete absence of the Rule of Law under the Rajapaksas, no more and no less. Today, economic and governance failures of the unity Government fashion a receptive environment enabling the potential return of those very desperados. Even so and with all the many yahapalanaya ignominies that we have to contend with, it must be said that the institution of the Sri Lankan judiciary has been returned to a level where a decision of this nature can be delivered by the Court, notwithstanding the tug and pull of intense political pressure. That gain, albeit incremental and insufficient, must be acknowledged in all fairness. Melania Trump says she loves President Donald Trump and has "much more important things to think about" than allegations he cheated on her with a porn star, a Playboy Playmate or anyone else. Mrs. Trump, who was interviewed by ABC while touring Africa last week, said people are just spreading rumors about her marriage. "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip," she said. "But I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines ... and, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today." She insisted allegations of her husband's infidelities are not a concern. Trump, who during the 2016 presidential campaign was heard on an old "Access Hollywood" tape talking about groping and try to have sex with women, has been accused of having multiple affairs. Porn star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal have said they had sex with him years ago. Trump has denied the trysts with Daniels and McDougal but has acknowledged reimbursing his lawyer for a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels. Mrs. Trump has generally kept quiet on the subject. Asked in the ABC interview if she loves her husband, Mrs. Trump said, "Yes, we are fine. Yes." She played down a suggestion the repeated rumors of his philandering had put a strain on their marriage. "It is not concern and focus of mine," she said. "I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do." MPs fiddle with Constitution-making while fuel prices burn the populace By Chandani Kirinde- Lobby Correspondent View(s): View(s): The Constitution-making process in the country, like most other things, is off track. While the Government began its Constitutional process in January 2016, a move which hasnt made much headway, the JVP introduced the 20th Amendment to the Constitution to Parliament last month, only to have most of its clauses shot down by the Supreme Court (SC) this week. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced the SCs determination to Parliament on Tuesday, in which the 3-member Bench of the SC said that, much of the Bill would need to be approved by a special majority in the House, as well as by the people, at a Referendum, to become Law. As to why the introduction of an Amendment to the Constitution is needed, at a time when the Government is looking to bring about a brand-new Constitution, begs the question behind the real motive for such a move, which, if enacted, would have given more power to the Prime Minister, while taking away some of the Presidents powers. While amending and making new Constitutions maybe the fancy of politicians, it is the last thing in the minds of the people these days, given the economic hardship they are facing, brought on by 3 consecutive monthly hikes in fuel prices, based on a mysterious pricing formula. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised the issue of the fuel pricing formula in Parliament, asking the Government to make public the methodology used when revising fuel prices. We have asked several times to table that elusive formula in Parliament. We used the provisions of the Right to Information Act as well, to obtain it but, we have not been given it. Nobody knows what this formula is. Even the Finance Minister of the country says this formula is prepared by a formula gang and he does not know of it, the JVP MP said. He asked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to either table the formula or explain it to this House. However, the Prime Minister himself seemed to be in the dark on how the fuel pricing formula works and said he did not have the workings. Price increase of fuel is inevitable in the current global context, be there a pricing formula or not. Whatever the methodology used to calculate the pricing formula, the impact of the highly volatile global situation will be felt, the Prime Minister said. He also warned that difficult days are ahead for the economy, if the US imposes sanctions on Iran in November, thus deepening the global crisis. World oil consumption usually increases from November to April because of the winter season. Some even predicted that the price of a barrel of crude oil, which is at US$ 80, could rise to even US$ 90. On the other hand, the US$ is getting stronger and, as a result, the currencies of many developing countries have depreciated. As a Government, we are ready to deal with these twin crises, while giving the necessary relief to the people, the Prime Minister said. He added that India revises the oil prices daily while some other countries revise the oil prices weekly, but Sri Lanka does not have the technical expertise to make daily adjustment to the oil prices and hence, the monthly adjustments. Oil price revisions were an administrative decision of the Government until 2015, when we proposed to go by world market prices and hence, give the benefit to the people by reducing the prices. I can only explain the policy decisions. You have to sort out any technical matters with (Finance) Minister Mangala Samaraweera, he said. Meanwhile, the media came under the spotlight in Parliament this week, with both Development Strategies & International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama and MP Hirunika Premachandra claiming that, certain media organizations were on a personal vendetta against them. Minister Samarawickrama was angry about media reports that alleged a sum of Rs 150 million had been credited to his Bank account and the Central Bank had frozen the funds. This is a totally false allegation. I have checked with the Central Bank and I am informed that no such funds had been received to be credited to anyone of the Cabinet Ministers accounts, he said, adding that, the Speaker must take necessary steps to prevent MPs being insulted and defamed by the irresponsible media, coming out with fake news. If not, no decent person will want to enter Parliament, he said. Colombo District MP Hirunika Premachandra too made a hard hitting speech against some media institutions that were engaged in mudslinging campaigns against her, and demanded that the Government and the Speaker take action against these organizations. Police chiefs crime theory off the target View(s): Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera is in the eye of a political cyclone with President Maithripala Sirisena wanting him to quit and sections of his coalition partner in the UNP administration wanting him to stay put.The President is disappointed over the rise in the crime rate. Some UNP ministers, much the same way they claim Sri Lankas economy is the best in Asia, insist that crime is under control. IGP Jayasundera, who meets his senior DIGs periodically at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) auditorium had his own explanation. The Police Chief says that while the rate of crime is less, the brutal nature of some crimes makes them more visible. He says that when two murders happen in close proximity to one another, the news goes out through various media and gets amplified. Coming from the man who leads Sri Lankas Police Department, it is laughable, indeed. In the years past, crimes were committed mostly with iron rods, kris knives and shot guns. Even the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) used locally turned out crude Gal Katas which fired shot gun cartridges. Now, however, criminals use sophisticated weapons, largely leaked from the three-decade-long separatist war. There are automatic pistols, assault rifles, grenades and even sub machine guns. That has not only sophisticated the crimes but has also increased incidents. Police detection of such weapons has been rare. Yet, the Police Chief says new preventive programmes are being launched in villages. He says there will be a more visible presence of Police in villages as well as towns. Plans are also afoot to send out Police teams in bicycles. These, indeed, have been done before. Taking part in the conference were senior DIGs, including those from the Narcotics Division, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Special Task Force (STF). Parliamentarians unite for Gandhi and his policies A special four-hour parliamentary session was held on Friday to commemorate the 150th birth Anniversary of the late Mahatma Gandhi. President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan and a host of other lawmakers from across the board took part in the proceedings and spoke on Gandhian philosophy, values and their relevance to the present day. Several of the speakers drew reference to the inspiration that Sri Lankans gained from Mahatma Gandhis struggle for independence, his policy of Satyagraha or non-violent resistance and to his visit to the country in 1927 when he travelled widely over a three week stay in the island. Jaffna MC wants to rewrite history The Jaffna Municipal Council has appointed a five-member committee with the task of ascertaining whether the contents were accurate in a plaque put up at the Jaffna Library. This was after a Tamil National Alliance member complained at the council meeting that a plaque at the entrance to the library gave the wrong history. He wanted it removed. The Jaffna Library was set ablaze on May 31, 1981. It was renovated in 2003. TULF Leader Veerasingham Aanadasangaree was to declare it open. However, the LTTE ordered that the Library should not be opened by Mr. Anandasangaree, an upright politician of yesteryear and former MP for Kilinochchi. He was in the bad books of the LTTE. It was opened without a ceremony a year later. Hence a committee is now looking into the contents of the plaque before taking a decision. The content on the plaque is as follows; This renovated Jaffna Public Library was declared open by Hon Veerasingham Anandasangaree, MP for Jaffna District and President TULF on 14th February, 2003 at the request of His Worship Sellan Kanthiyan, JPUM, Mayor of Jaffna in the presence of Hon Municipal Councillors and Municipal Commissioner E. Ramalingam. Minister does justice, as officer vies for post The Justice Ministry Secretarys position was falling vacant with the incumbent official due to retire shortly. An officer who thought she was the most eligible person for the post started a campaign for it and sent text messages around that she would be succeeding the topmost official. The same official was earlier responsible for carrying out a campaign against another senior official leading to an investigation against her. The officer had been cleared of the allegations and was set to return to her previous job. Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorala who was made aware of the on-going competition has now told the Ministry Secretary to stay on for another six months and an extension has been granted. Defence Attache in Moscow: Dayan gives his version` It was like a 1000 kilogramme GP (general purpose) bomb dropped on a target by a Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft during the separatist war. Our report last week about the countrys Defence Attache being recalled to Colombo, like the ferocity of the bomb, echoed both in Colombo and Moscow. The collateral damage fell even on the business sector which is raking in profits from million dollar deals with Moscow causing discomfort and anger. First to a letter sent to the Sunday Times and MTV and posted on his Facebook page by Dayan Jayatilleke, Sri Lankas new Ambassador to Russia. References made to other matters not relevant to the subject in question have been deleted. Your newspaper published a story last Sunday about the Sri Lanka embassy in Moscow and actions purportedly taken by the Head of Mission with regard to its Defence Attache. The story is factually inaccurate. The headline of the newspaper story Defence Attache recalled from Moscow after Dayans protest is false. I made no such protest, still less an official complaint. Furthermore at no time did I send in a report to the Foreign Ministry nor tell anyone that I could not be the head of only one part of the Embassy. I have made no official complaint about any staffer and have sent nothing in writing to either the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Defence which is anything remotely like a protest, complaint or criticism about any staffer. While I did make certain minor critical observations about a staffer in good humour, in agreement with his superior officer at an informal dinner observations about minor infringements that I had already made to the staffer in question these have been taken out of context and embellished or spun, which is unfair both to me as Head of Mission as well as to a staffer who is extremely competent in the discharge of his professional duties. In the interests of balance and fairplay the newspaper should have checked the story with me, which it did not. I would be grateful if your newspaper were to publish my refutation of your story of last Sunday. Jamis Banda adds: As is clear from Ambassador Jayatillekes response, his thrust is to disassociate himself from the recall of the Defence Attache though he claims he had made certain minor critical observations. Firstly, it is a matter of time before the Defence Attache returns to Colombo since his organisation has already advised him to be ready to leave at short notice. As for embellishing or the report being spun, we must bow to his superior knowledge and wide experience on embellishment and spin. He is emphatic that he had not forwarded a written complaint over an extremely competent staffer but only made minor observations. I stand corrected. However, I might add that pressure moves are already afoot to retain the services of the DA in Moscow at the highest levels. Education Minister gives lesson on how to cut through traffic Its not often we see a government minister hopping on the pillion of a bike to hitch a ride to Parliament. So when the youthful Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam did it on Tuesday to head to the legislature in a hurry after his ministerial escort was stuck in heavy traffic at the Parliament road due to a protest by pensioners, it made big news. The Minister decided to ditch his luxury vehicle and hop on the nearest two wheeler to cut through the traffic. I was stuck in traffic for nearly an hour and got off the vehicle as I had to get to the House on time. There was a scooter that was going by. I put my hand out and asked the boy to drop me off near Parliament as I had to get there in a hurry, the Minister said. The young man had been in a bit of a shock but had obliged. The security, keeping to their duty, started running behind the bike, but the Minster had asked his security escort to take their time and come once the traffic cleared. The scooter cut through the traffic and the Minister managed to get to the House on time with files that were needed to answer three questions that had been listed under his name. On arrival in parliament, a journalist noticing the minister without the helmet pointed out he would have to pay a fine for the offence. The minister quipped, No its not me, but the rider who brought me. However, not all who were stuck in traffic were as that sporty. UPFA Parliamentarian Chandima Weerakkody who was stuck in traffic raised a privilege issue from the Floor of the House and complained that he had been obstructed from coming to Parliament, a matter that comes under the outdated Parliament (Powers and Privileges) Act. Given the number of protests that take place near the Parliament area, it is best that MPs get used to hitching motorcycle rides in future to cut through the traffic. Unperturbed Ranil rises above the din View(s): In the hallowed precincts of a near 200- year old colonial institution Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe gave todays students of Oxford University a lesson in colonial history and more. Some of them might not have been aware of the birth and death of the British Empire and what happened in between the beginning and the end. There used to be those pith-hat wearing colonial officials who gloated over their conquests and the growing achievements of the empire. How all this was achieved would not only take too long to tell but would also be to recall some of the darkest hours of British history. There was a time when British colonialists dispatched to the most distant corners of Asia, Africa and the Americas boasted the sun would never set on their empire only to be told by some subject races that this was because nobody trusted the British in the dark. As a leader of a one-time British colony and the invitee of a famous institution at Oxford University, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe politely ignored those parts of British history that would have been an embarrassment to todays undergraduates who are probably lectured to on human rights, the rule of law and democratic norms, while the ex-colonies now sovereign are hectored on how they should conduct themselves on the international stage. Moreover, though colonialism (more correctly imperialism) is generally on the retreat it is not entirely dead. In fact a 21st century abrasive colonialism is on the march and as long as leaders of major powers such as US President Donald Trump are stomping around the world with inglorious intent, small but proud nations need to tread carefully in their relations with the rich and powerful but without kowtowing to them. So when British State Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field spends a few days in Sri Lanka lecturing us on civilised conduct and how we must behave on our own patch while they are free to do whatever, not only on their own soil but even on that of others, it behooves us to resurrect events and remind them of their past to restrain them from hectoring others on humanitarian conduct. This Ranil Wickremesinghe refrained from doing in London last week possibly out of courtesy for his host. But after Mark had a field day in Sri Lanka on his civilising mission a riposte might not have been out of place. Still Wickremesinghe decided to play the civilised gentleman unlike the one-time British Foreign Secretary David Miliband who, on a political visit to Sri Lanka to rescue the LTTE, appropriated the role of a colonial master and tried to bully the then Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa only to be taught a lesson he hopefully still remembers. But Wickremesinghes address was more general and in keeping with the conduct of a national leader on a particular mission. It was devoid of the bull-in-a-China-shop approach of a Donald Trump thrashing around in a morass of unpredictability. Trump can afford to do so as the leader of worlds strongest military power and leading economy and whose finger is not far from the nuclear button. His uncertain behaviour and wayward foreign policy makes Trump an untrustworthy ally and an even worse enemy. Washingtons firm allies of not too long ago are learning that under Trumps presidency long standing friends quickly end up as enemies. With the US playing an increasingly assertive role in the Indian Ocean, even New Delhi under Narendra Modi, who was trying to forge a new alliance with Trump, is having second thoughts on its feasibility and reliability. That is why India is extremely cautious about allowing US warships to call at the Andaman Islands. That is not merely for fear of upsetting China but the uncertainty of relying on Washington under a Trump presidency, particularly if it runs into another term. While some Tamil lobbyists conducted megaphone politics some yards from the Oxford Union hall, the din outside hardly perturbed the Sri Lankan PM. His more academic-style speech that made a broad sweep of history from around the 16th century was a reminder that there were great civilisations before the industrial revolution swept Europe to the fore. Before 1500 AD, the great centres of world power were outside the Western world. In the Far East, South Asia, the Middle East and the pre-Columbian Central America, there were centres of innovation and creativity, wealth, social organisation, and great economic prosperity. For instance, in the 15th Century, China had an enormous fleet of ships, the greatest fleet in the world. Yet because of the rising affluence of the merchant class, the political elite decided to destroy this fleet and address the more pressing concern of the invading Mongols. The reference to Chinas maritime power was apposite. For we seem to have come full circle. Todays concern among regional powers in the Indian Ocean and even nations outside it is directed at Chinas expanding blue water navy and Beijings moves to stake a permanent place from the eastern Indian Ocean to the African nations bordering the Indian Ocean and beyond. This presents a major challenge not only to those in the Indian Ocean but also those in the Pacific region as China exerts its power in the South China Sea. With Washingtons chaotic foreign policy even Pacific region nations that came under American hegemony in the post-Second World War era are now trying to slacken their reliance on the US and forge new links to establish more reliable and enduring relationships. This is the new World Order that Wickremesinghe was trying to convey and why regional states must create a structure to ensure their sovereignty and maritime security for peace in the region. Sri Lanka, a small littoral state has come under increasing scrutiny and western media attacks since Chinas involvement in infrastructure development and financial and military assistance to Sri Lanka to defeat a separatist insurgency that for years had debilitated Sri Lanka and caused irretrievable damage. The main target of attack has been Chinas role in port development especially the Hambantota harbour, which to suspicious western eyes could serve as a Chinese naval base in Beijings quest for maritime expansion. US Vice President Mike Pence, another of Trumps neocolonial faithfuls but less militaristic than national security point man, the irascible John Bolton, in an important speech recently referred to Sri Lanka as a country that has fallen into Chinas debt trap and surrendered the Hambantota port to China. Hambantota port has been so much in focus in western, especially US, geostrategic studies, and commentaries that it was inevitable questions on it would be fired at Prime Minister Wickremesinghe at the Q and A that followed the lecture. He was quick to dismiss the assertion saying that some people are seeing imaginary naval bases in Sri Lanka and insisted there was none. It was surely appropriate that within a couple of days of his Oxford lecture that focused on the changing world order and the need for peace in the important Indian Ocean region, he was presiding at a regional conference in Colombo on the subject Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future. At that gathering he called for the establishment of a rule-based maritime order in the Indian Ocean before geopolitical power interplays in the region to convert the Indian Ocean into a centre of tension. He said the security and stability of the Indian Ocean could not be left to chance and that states needed to take advantage of the benign strategic atmosphere that exists, to create a maritime order in the Indian Ocean that can withstand the challenges that may emerge in the future. This, he said, could create a more manageable future. In this context it would not be irrelevant to recall the late 1960s and early 1970s when non-aligned nations were calling for an Indian Ocean free of big power rivalries. It was then that Sri Lanka under Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike moved a resolution at the UN General Assembly to declare the Indian Ocean a peace zone free of nuclear weapons. Sri Lankas concern is understandable. Geographically located less than 20 kilometres from its nearest neighbour India, with which it has had a chequered history, growing relations with China, fast emerging as a major military and economic power and building strong ties with Indian Ocean states stretching all the way to Africa and the Gulf and the US casting covetous eyes at the Indian Ocean, small sovereign nations seem caught in a cleft stick. Moreover the major East-West sea lanes carrying precious cargo and petroleum products to an energy-starved Pacific region pass a few nautical miles from the strategic Hambantota port. It is these geostrategic concerns that require long-term safety structures to ensure peace and security for small nations that Sri Lanka sees as imperative. But would international laws and regional safeguards be enough when international conduct that smells of a new imperialism with a complete disregard for international norms and laws like the US under the Trump administration begins to act like the gun-toting Mafia of days past. Indian Ocean: Need for a National Security Advisor View(s): With Sri Lankas proposal at the 26th UN General Assembly sessions to declare the Indian Ocean a Zone of Peace (IOZOP) now submerged in history, these seas have seen an escalation of tension and muscle-flexing by countries with large navies and an eye for securing trade routes in the future. All said and done about modern long distance transportation, maritime transportation is still seen as the mode of moving goods in the future. When Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike made that proposal in 1971 to determine the limits of airspace and the ocean floor, India was not happy with the adoption of a Resolution. India felt it had the legitimate right to control the Ocean named after it. But its strategists of yesteryear did not anticipate at the time, the emergence of a blue water navy by China at the turn of the century. There are the warships of the US-India-Japan axis zigzagging these waters to keep the PLA-N, the Chinese navy, from grabbing all the ports in the area and establishing their presence, nay their dominance. If the Indian Ocean is to service more than half the worlds population by way of trade, and the supply of energy to fuel the economies therein, the sea lanes need to be secured. At this weeks Track 1.5 conference in Colombo organised by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), the President of Sri Lanka had nothing to say. He is seemingly too embroiled in domestic compulsions. The Prime Minister, however, was to speak of this issue that relates to the future of this country. He was to say, what he said earlier in the week at the Oxford Union, that advantage must be taken of the currently somewhat benign strategic atmosphere in the region to create a maritime order that can withstand future challenges that could emerge. Just last month, speaking on the same topic in Viet Nam, he asked the pertinent question; should countries like Sri Lanka be expected to take a stand in this big power rivalry in the waters that surround us. In our editorial of September 2 this year, we recommended that it was time Sri Lanka had a high calibre National Security Minister or Adviser in the PMO to monitor the big picture around the Indian Ocean so that it is not caught wrong- footed in the not too distant future as big nations play their cards, and the stakes are very high. Energy for the future With the price of fuel rising every month, related to the geopolitical issues of the Indian Ocean is Sri Lankas exploration of its marine resources. Apart from the traditional fisheries, there has been a long on and off search for oil and natural gas. Imagine a future where Sri Lanka is self-sufficient in oil! The Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government declared an Economic Zone, which included a vast sea area around the island and encompassed a size many times the landmass of the country. That Government also took a shot at searching for oil and gas in the Mannar Basin (at Pesalai) with the help of the Soviet Union. The then Opposition pooh-poohed the initial effort because the Soviet Union was not considered an expert in the field of oil exploration. Today, its successor the Russian Federation is a major player in oil and natural gas that has fuelled its economy to great heights. In 1978, the J.R. Jayewardene Government resumed the abandoned efforts and in 1984, a Canadian company was called in to do a study. But these forays have been in fits and starts going nowhere in the end. Today, two French industry giants Total, the worlds fourth largest oil and gas company, and Schlumberger, the worlds leading provider of technology for reservoir characterisation, drilling, production and processing to the oil industry are engaged in a new survey around the country. These will be around the Mannar Basin and the Cauvery Basin in the northwest of the country. Data collected show the discovery of deposits of natural gas. The studies include three dimensional (3D) seismic data on 1,750 square km around these areas of the northern part of the island. Apart from these hi-tech scientific studies, the humble villager in and around Mannar knows only too well that nothing grows in the arid soil on the mainland. They attribute this to the existence of oil underground like Arabia and the desert. This area for decades was subject to the Northern separatist conflict and LTTE control, which at the time raised suspicions in the South as to why the Western powers were so interested in supporting the LTTE. It was a suspicion that could not be easily dismissed. With the price of oil rising in the world market and a chunk of the countrys foreign exchange going to pay the oil import bill, the exploitation of these resources, if any, seems a sound option. It is said that the Government is planning to call for bids to start serious oil exploration work. Already, the Government has signed a Petroleum Research Agreement in 2008 (before the Sri Lankan conflict ended) with Cairn India to explore and produce hydro-carbon and natural gas in Mannar with the production shares divided between Sri Lanka and the company calculated by a method called Investment Multiple (IM), a ratio of accumulated Net Cash income to accumulated investment. Petroleum Development Secretariat officials were in Russia last week to discuss the abandoned exploration work of the 1970s by the former Soviet Union with their counterparts. The Russians are said to be good at shallow water drilling. The problem with oil and gas discoveries is that it can be a double-edged sword. The world can see what has happened in West Asia and the Arabian Gulf. These areas have been turned upside down because of the battle for these fossil fuels. The multinational companies of the West, hand-in-glove with their respective Governments, make a beeline to the spot. Unless sovereign Governments in the area play ball with them, they stir the pot until they get a firm foothold. While the cost-benefit factor must surely be weighed by the authorities, the fact is, the world is moving away from fossil fuels into what is commonly termed as clean energy wind and solar power. Sri Lanka has plenty of wind and sun and it is hoped that the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy would be bolstered with greater funds voted in the forthcoming Budget. For starters, the Ministry of Housing should have solar panels on the mega projects it has started so as to cut down on the countrys future oil bill. These natural resources the energy of the future are there aplenty in sunny, windy Sri Lanka. Astrid and her acoustic guitar are back with a song for the children By Sashini Rodrigo Dont miss The Country Roads 30th anniversary concert on October 20 View(s): View(s): Over its long 30- year journey, many talented performers both local and international have graced the stages of the Country Roads series of concerts, donating their time and efforts for a worthy cause. The passion for sharing their music and helping underprivileged children kept some of these artists coming back for more, and this years line-up is a wonderful example of this generosity. This years Country Roads concert on Saturday, October 20 at 6.30 p.m. at the Mount Lavinia Hotel is a celebration- the shows 30th anniversary. To mark this milestone,the line-up features returning headliners The Mavericks from Germany, this time with a full five-piece band and Harald Yendis on fiddle, the incomparable Astrid Brook from the UK, as well as beloved local favourites Cosmic Rays, Anno Domini and the Country Revival Band with Feizal and Jury. As they prepare for what will certainly be a show for all ages, the Sunday Times caught up with Astrid Brook, who shares her journey over the years as she returns to perform at Country Roads for the ninth time. Astrid Brook is a folk music artist based in London, UK. Her songs explore universal themes such as hope and perseverance, overcoming adversity, and victory and liberation. She has independently released two albums: Wild River in 2008 and Full Circle in 2011, with her upcoming album slated to be released in 2019. Her involvement with Country Roads began in 2007, when a mutual contact put her in touch with the Country Music Foundation (CMF), who were looking for a solo artist from the UK. She jumped at the opportunity and worked hard to prepare her songs, as the concert was in just a few weeks time. Since then, Astrid has been a favourite with the crowd as she works closely with the organisers of the show to select the best songs that will both resonate with the audience and fit in with the other artists, making the music a unifying experience for all. She believes that being a solo folk artist works well for Country Roads, as she adds variety to the overall show. The audience seem to enjoy the change of pace whilst I play country folk songs with just me and my acoustic guitar. She adds that afterwards they love the more up-tempo music from the fabulous Mavericks and the other bands. Country Roads is heartfelt and fun too, and everyone leaves feeling uplifted. Astrid has always been a humanitarian at heart, as she feels compassion towards people who are in need of support. She has been involved in many projects like Country Roads, and is also an Ambassador for a UK-based charity called Music4Children who have helped build and manage a shelter for girls in Nepal. The best way I know how to help others is to offer my services as a musician and raise money and awareness whenever I can, she says. The desire to return and continue being involved comes from the simple knowledge that a childs life has been enhanced in some way by their efforts. She explains that the best part for her is when children share their dreams with them, their hopes and their future plans. They want to learn and grow, and become teachers, lawyers and astronauts. These are big dreams and I believe the CMF plays a big part in helping children overcome adversity and make a better life for themselves. Her moving and fulfilling experiences in Sri Lanka makes her consider it a second home, as it feels so warm and familiar. She describes the positivity she has enjoyed getting to know the friendly people, visiting the sights, and learning about the fascinating Buddhist culture. Coming to Sri Lanka has been instrumental in Astrid becoming a Buddhist, which has had a profound impact on her life. Its such a special place that Ive recommended it to many people in the UK, and quite a few of them have visited. Maybe I should ask for a commission from Sri Lanka Tourism! she jokes. Astrid expresses her pride in being part of Country Roads, calling it compassion in action in the way it brings so many people together from the organisers, to the generous sponsors, the talented musicians and the wonderful music-loving audience all to help disadvantaged children. She adds that the success of the Country Roads is dependent on the support and generosity of the sponsors and people who buy tickets to see the show. Id like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported Country Roads over the years, and to all of those who will be coming along to this very special 30th Anniversary concert. I look forward to seeing your smiling faces once again. The Country Roads 30th anniversary concert will be on Saturday, October 20 at 6.30 p.m. at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. Main Sponsor Dialog, as well as Dilmah, Cargills, HNB, LOLC, CPR, Firefly and host hotel Mount Lavinia Hotel are supporting the 30th anniversary concert. The Sunday Times has also supported Country Roads from its inception. Tickets priced at Rs. 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000 are already available online via Ticketing Partner 444 powered by Dialog. Additionally, tickets are available at the host hotel and Cargills Food City outlets in Kohuwela, Rajagiriya (Parliament Road), Kirulapone, Staples Street, Majestic City, Mount Lavinia and Katubedde (Big City). Fiddler Harald, new face in Mavericks Fiddler Harald Yendis takes the stage at this years 30th anniversary Country Roads concert for children, looking to wow the audience with his fiddle solos and as part of the already raucous Mavericks ensemble. We are excited by the presence of a fiddle player in the Mavericks band. Harald is also said to be a top quality fiddle player and guitarist in Germany, said Feizal Samath, President of the Country Music Foundation, the organizer of this long-running concert series. Bringing out her Lankan roots in her jewellery By Sashini Rodrigo View(s): View(s): A piece of jewellery is often a piece of art, and in the case of Muthu Jewellery, every piece tells a story of culture, identity and aesthetic beauty. The brand is the brainchild of Thilini Godamanne, a 28- year- old Sri Lankan-born Australian citizen. Her creative force and deep appreciation for her cultural roots helped her start her jewellery line in Sydney, that she has now brought to the PR Concept Store in Colombo. She shares her journey with the Sunday Times. What inspired you to start making jewellery, and then to launch your own business? Making jewellery was initially a hobby and creative outlet for me that started in high school. I would hand make beaded necklaces as gifts for my friends. It wasnt until years later in 2012 when I had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned Australian Jewellery Designer Samantha Wills, that I designed a ring and necklace [under the name Manik]. From this experience onwards, I decided to focus the remainder of my University Design degree on Jewellery and Metal Work. I started working in the industry to gain as much insight as I could, whilst also networking and getting exposure to the business side. Through these experiences and new contacts, I was able to discover what it would take to start my own brand. After countless hours of hard work, I launched my first collection for MUTHU in December 2014. What has running your own business been like? When launching my brand, I hadnt yet completely processed what it would take to run a business all on my own. But I think that naivety at the time helped me to take that leap without being afraid or overthinking it too much. The cons are part of every line of work, and for me it is being a solopreneur and having to run almost every aspect of the business on my own. It can feel quite daunting knowing that I have all that pressure and responsibility on my shoulders. However, there are wonderful pros such as the creative freedom that I have, the flexibility of my working days and the networks I have formed which have allowed me to meet and collaborate with some of the most amazing and talented people! Your brand and designs are heavily inspired by Sri Lankan culture and imagery- What is your connection with Sri Lanka like? Having grown up in Australia nearly all of my life, there were many moments where I would feel the need to change who I was to fit into western society. Thankfully, as the years passed, I grew a deeper understanding and appreciation for where I come from and am most certainly proud of that. I am truly blessed to have travelled back to visit Sri Lanka every few years, which has kept me in touch with my roots. I have also trained in Kandyan Dance since the age of 10, which is what I believe, has mainly helped me continue to stay connected through the culture of traditional dance. What aspects of Sri Lankan culture and your personal cultural identity do you want to share with the world? On a personal level, my mums father, Muthuraja Saralis, was an artist in Sri Lanka renowned for his Buddhist paintings and statues in temples. He passed away when I was young and it wasnt until my visit to Sri Lanka in 2014, that I saw some of his work for the first time that really resonated with me deeply. I wanted to somehow continue his legacy of Sri Lankan art in whichever way I could and therefore was what sparked the direction for my initial designs. What has the feedback been about your designs? Since launching my first collection and not knowing how my Ethnic Luxe style would be received, I am very blessed to say I have had a positive response by both Sri Lankan and non-Sri Lankan customers. Sri Lankans that stumble across my designs would have that emotional connection to their roots back home, whilst many Australians are also able connect with some of the shapes or patterns that they remember seeing on their travels. Tell me a little about the specific inspirations for your designs When someone is drawn to my designs, I am so happy to be able to explain the meaning behind it and take it away from being just an item of jewellery to wear and to educate and create an emotional connection that they can then carry with them and share with others. The Moonstone artefact is a classic example of the deep iconography and symbolisms that ancient Sri Lankan designs incorporate. From a young age, the Moonstone always fascinated me in particular, whilst visiting temples and ancient ruins such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. I loved the intricate carvings and seeing the variations between regions. Though there are a few different symbolic rings within the Moonstone. In my necklace design I chose to focus on the centre of the Moonstone, being the Nelum Mal (lotus flower). I loved that it represents enlightenment and peace, which was a positive message I wished to share. What are your future plans for the brand? My ultimate fulfilling goal for MUTHU is to use this platform to work closely with social enterprises, charities, support local communities, fundraisers and create awareness for specific topics which I am passionate about through my work. Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs who are trying to find their footing in the world? Believe in yourself and always pay attention to your intuition. Take that leap towards your goals and dreams, as there is only one of you and that is your power. Your ideas are unique as long as you stay authentic to yourself and realise that this is what will help you stand out of the crowd to be seen, to be heard and to be different. Success will then follow organically. A handpicked selection of MUTHU can be found exclusively at the PR Concept Store, 41 Horton Place Colombo 7, as well as on their online store at www.muthujewellery.com En Route to more Jazz classics By Tarini Pilapitiya Jazz band led by Dr. Gananath Dasanayaka speaks to the Mirror Magazine about the final installment of their series The Great American Songbook and keeping this genre alive for the generations to come View(s): View(s): Were still en route! playfully jibes pianist Dilip Seneviratne of the four piece Jazz ensemble En route as they prepare for the final installment of their series The Great American Songbook. Taking place October 20, at the British School Auditorium, En Route aims to bring a bigger spotlight to the local Jazz scene. The band has undergone some transformations from their first concert as Dr. Gananath Dasanayaka remains the only founding member to date. At present En Route compromises of members; veteran musicians Shobi Perera on bass and Dilip Seneviratne on piano whilst Charith Fernando mans the helm as the bands drummer. Performing together for some time and individually with other well known musicians, En Route is well known for serenading the lobbies of renowned hotels in and around Colombo. Dr.Gananath shares, It was 7 or 8 years ago when hotel lobbies first started looking for this type of music. As Shobi recalls the merriment in the lobbies which would back then play danceable numbers from baila to pop was later replaced by Jazz groups and string quartets. Currently En Route inhabits the Hilton lobby every Thursday from 8 pm to 12 am crooning to the Blue Skies of Colombo. Formalizing the band in February 2014 were founding members Dr. Gananath Dasanayaka (lead vocals/ saxophone), Debbie Arnolda (piano), Maxi Pietersz (bass) and Niroshan de Silva (drums). Shobi who was coincidentally initially considered for bass couldnt commit at the time because of prior commitments to Sohan and the Experiments. The band performed 2 volumes of The Great American Songbook prior to Dilip joining the band in 2016. En Route, meaning in transit, formed its moniker by a series of spontaneous yet intermingled events. Dr Gananath a stickler for the classics, picked up a route 66 number plate as a souvenir from a holiday in the US. The romanticized route which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles through the heart of the US, led the saxophonist to Get his kicks on route 66 hanging the memento in their practise room. Gananath explains that the fourth volume of the series, will expand to take on a big band concept by giving reign to guest performer Lelum Rathnayake to man the percussion accompaniments, as former band mate Ramesh Nonis will also makes an appearance on guitar as Madawa Perera tickles the ivories of the keyboard. Seasoned musician Sureka Amerasinghe will step in to play the flute in two scores and Mazi Rozario will do a guest spot on vocals were also informed. Dr. Kovindu De Seram, will take on his much loved stage presence of Dean Martin again, whilst also trying his hand at some impressions of the iconic Sammy Davis Jr. as well. He has an incredible stage presence, Gananath shares adding that from the positive reception of his past performance on the Great American Songbook, Kovindu has now become a much anticipated part of the show. Ideally embodying an atmopshere of a vegas-esque setting aptly brought out by the warm ambiance of the British School Auditorium, En Route gets up and personal in their performances with classy one liners, humorous anecdotes, tidbits of information and a rat pack like panache in delivering performances making this a concert you wouldnt want to miss out on! Another reason to not miss it is it might sadly be the last under the title of the American standards were informed, the band looking into exploring new repertoires for future performances. The novelty of creating something new continues to excite Dilip who shares that all it takes is a quick glance, a non verbal cue or even just a feeling for one musician to change the rhythm and the others to follow suit. Everyday its something new he says adding were doing our part on keeping this genre of music alive, Dilip says . Even though it may not be the mainstream music Jazz is still as relevant today as it was in the past, Charith shares adding local audiences need to realize that Jazz is a repertoire that goes beyond being lobby music. En Routes show goals are very simple, Gananath shares we want people to sit back, relax and just enjoy the music. The Great American Songbook will take place October 20 at the British School Auditorium from 8 pm onwards. Tickets priced at Rs. 2000 and Rs. 3000 will be available at Park Street Mews. Check out their FB page (@enroute) and The Great American SongBook Vol. 4 FB event page . Homegrown plays on parade By Joshua Surendraraj View(s): View(s): Theres no point in doing a play which doesnt strike a chord, is the belief of playwright Sashi Mendis. Some scripts work and some dont. That is why the script has to be balanced and has to constantly engage the audience, she says firmly adding that drama is all about being creative. To her personally, the stage is not just meant for performing, its also about exploring issues and arriving at ideas and concepts through that exploration. This sense of thinking is the main thrust behind Plays Parade 2018 which is a collection of five plays devised by Sashis students. The plays embrace a range of themes which are quite relatable to a Sri Lankan audience. It will be showcased on October 20 and 21 at the Punchi Theater, starting at 6.00pm. Sashi enjoys working with devised drama, because it taps into the creativity of her students and engages them in that process. She adds that when you write a script, you deal with a whole procedure of exploring and discussing issues. That in itself has value and at the end of the day its something original. Referring to the whole screenwriting operation as a collaboration between both teacher and student, she explains her method of teaching includes a process of improvisation. This encourages her young actors to create a character with a complete background. They then go into rehearsals with no script and improvise until the story-lines emerge. Sashi would also go through the dialog that comes out of the transcripts and adds the finishing touches. Whilst putting these scripts together, she would also focus on some of the key elements, which would have an audience hooked. These include looking at the type of play and understanding whether it should be a comedy or a tragedy. Dialogue is key, she says, and thats why you have to create a script that is relevant or appropriate to the character who is speaking them. Youre looking for a certain kind of flow when it comes to the characters, because it has to hold the attention of the audience. Sashi also believes that having the audience relate to the play is as important.If the audience can relate to the characters, they immediately forge a connection with them. In fact one of the plays, which was devised by her older students, called Makeup deals with issues that are relevant or which concern young people. In that sense when you write a script of the sort, you have to be sensitive to the reality of teenagers and give thought to whether youre depicting their situation. Does the dialog really reflect what theyre going through? As easy as it maybe for Sashi to purchase the rights to a script, she firmly believes that this would not be the same as one that is homegrown. The play Kalupan and Friends in Plays Parade is the perfect example for this. It portrays the comical relationship between three men of different races, who forged a friendship in prison. Although it is packed with humour, it also highlights to the possibility of racial harmony. Plays Parade 2018 will be adjudicated by an examiner from Trinity College London , under the category, Plays In Production. But she adds that despite this, her students will still remain true to the stories and put on a performance that is both insightful and entertaining. Tickets are priced at Rs.1000 (Downstairs) and Rs. 600 (Upstairs) and are available at the Punchi Theatre and with Sashi on 0777009258. Welcome to My World Janaka is back in action in Sri Lanka View(s): Janaka Palapathwala, is back in Sri Lanka, after three years of touring around the world, for a grand concert on October 23 to bring to life the old time favourites of Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, im Reeves etc. The Concert is titled Welcome to My World and scheduled to be held at the Bishops College Auditorium from 7.00 pm. onwards. The show is being organised in association with Sight First team of the Lions Clubs International District 306 C2, in order to raise funds to perform one thousand Cataract Surgeries on the needy people of the society. Once Janaka was known as The Elvis of Sri Lanka but afterwards when he diversified his repertoire singing Jim Reeves, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Don Williams, Engelbert Humperdinck etc , the fans around the world embraced him as the best answer to the Legendary Gentleman Jim Reeves. Janaka had held Sell out Concerts in last couple of years in many parts of the world such as Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Holland, Australia and New Zealand. Distant Drums, From a jack to a king, Mexican Joe, Yonder Comes a Sucker, Delilah, Burning Love, Judy, Jailhouse Rock, Rhinestone Cowboy, Sweet Caroline, The famous Engelbert Medley, Italian O Sole Mio are some of the songs that are lined up for the show. Young Maestro Dinesh Subasinghe and his entire orchestra will be backing Janaka while Revelution the Western Choir of Colombo University will sing the harmonies. This is the third time Janaka performs with such a big orchestra. Kalashuree HarshaMakalande and the veteran Music director Suresh Maliyaddes orchestras backed Janaka as in his previous concerts in Sri Lanka. Janaka was interviewed sometime back on UK hit radio programme The Inspirational Voices which also played his songs for 45 minutes. The programme was hosted by highly acclaimed Jillian Haslam and Alan Cox. He was also on 6EBA World Radio Brunch Time programme, which is one of the most popular programmes in Australia, hosted by Gordon Stacy, Laura and Michael. On popular demand, in the following week, he was also featured on a repeat programme on the same channel titled The Goan Show hosted by Delfino, Harvey and Charmaine. On a request by the fans unable to attend the concert in the UK, Australia and Holland, among other countries, a special video edition of the live programme was aired as a production of the NCCSL. Janaka will be performing a host of Jim Reeves hit songs including Welcome to my world , Blue side of lonesome, Bimbo, Mexican Joe and Hell have to go. Tickets for Welcome to my world by Janaka are available at Bishops College Auditorium, Torana Liberty Plaza, V& I Opticians Dehiwala, Yamaha Music Centre, Ticketslk.com and all their franchises. For inquiries contact James on 0777889868 or Manik on 0773731117. Adulterated palm oil: Counsel turns petitioner after client withdraws case View(s): The Attorney, who represented a consumer rights advocate in the case of an adulterated palm oil shipment detained by Sri Lanka Customs, has filed a fresh writ application in the Court of Appeal, after his client withdrew from the case. Public Interest Litigation activist and Attorney-at-Law Nagananda Kodithuwakku said he felt compelled to file his own writ application this week, after his client withdrew from the case. Mr Kodithuwakku said he filed his petition after a Customs inquiry in July this year, ordered the release of 24 containers with some 400,000 kg of adulterated palm oil that Customs had detained in 2016. Though Mr Kodithuwakku had earlier appeared in the same case, on behalf of the consumer rights advocate, he said he had to withdraw that writ application and file his own, after the consumer rights activist informed court that he had no interest in proceeding with the case. Customs Director General Sudath J. De Silva, Deputy Director K.H.P. Kumarasiri and Sena Mills Refineries (Pvt) Ltd have been named as respondents in the case filed by Mr Kodithuwakku. Mr Kodithuwakku notes that the initial Customs Inquiry conducted by the 2nd Respondent uncovered irrefutable evidence that the palm oil shipments at issue had been mixed with fatty acid, which is mutagenic and carcinogenic, and is therefore, injurious to health. It was further uncovered that the exporter in Malaysia had mixed the palm oil with the fatty acid at the request of the importer. This fact was confirmed by the Malaysian Governments Palm Oil Board to the Sri Lanka Customs, in a report dated June 8, 2016, the Petitioner points out. According to the Food Act, palm oil recommended for human consumption should not contain more than 0.1 free fatty acid. Analysis of oil samples from the detained consignment, tested by the Agriculture Faculty of the University of Peradeniya (UoP), had found that the average free fatty acid content of the stock was 19.9, far above the limit noted in the Food Act. Accordingly, the UoP report had concluded that the samples contained unacceptable levels of free fatty acids that are not suitable for human consumption, the Petitioner further notes. Mr Kodithuwakku further points out that the Court of Appeal, on February 6, 2017, dismissed a petition filed by the importer, Sena Mills Refineries (Pvt) Ltd, challenging the holding of the Customs Inquiry. The petition was dismissed with costs, after it was established before court that analysis reports on the consignment indicated they could be adulterated palm oil and that, the actions taken by the Director General of Customs to detain the suspicious consignments, was well within the Law, the Petitioner notes. The Petitioner states that, further to the aforesaid order made by the Court of Appeal, another Customs Inquiry was held before the 3rd Respondent, who was appointed as the Inquiring Officer. The inquiry was conducted on July 12, 2018, and in his observations, the 3rd Respondent had referred to the aforesaid evidence and yet ordered the release of the entire stock of adulterated palm oil, despite the clear violation of the Food Act, as the commodity had been confirmed to be not fit for human consumption, the Petitioner adds. The Petitioner is requesting the court to grant interim relief restraining the 1st Respondent from releasing the contaminated palm oil, until the final determination is made by the court. Home Just In Eight climbers killed in Nepal snowstorm Kathmandu, October 13 Eight climbers have died in a snowstorm on Gurja Himal, the lowest peak of Dhaulagiri Mountain Range in western Nepal. Five South Koreans assisted by four Nepali porters were on a mission to conquer the 7,193 metre peak, and eight of them died at the base camp in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-1 of Myagdi district, according to local police. DSP Bir Bahadur Budha Magar of the District Police Office says the remaining one climber is missing since the incident. Meanwhile, bad weather conditions and difficult geographical terrain blocked the rescue works. A helicopter had left Pokhara to the incident site, but it could not land due to bad weather, according to the official. Budha says another effort will be made to fly the chopper to the site in the afternoon. The expedition team had left nearby Gurja village for the base camp on Sunday last week. After they could not be contacted for long, villagers had sent a search mission to the base camp on Friday. The mission members had found the bodies at the base camp yesterday. It was the first expedition on the peak in past 10 years. Concrete elevated highway from Kelanitissa to Galle Face By Damith Wickremasekara View(s): View(s): The US$ 300 million proposed elevated highway aimed at easing traffic congestion in Colombo city will get underway in December this year, with the money coming from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a loan, officials said. Bids have already been closed for the 5.3 km project from Kelanitissa power station junction via the Colombo Port premises to Galle Face (Chaithiya Road and Galle Face Roundabout) and Fort, Road Development Authority (RDA) engineer Nihal Sooriyaarachchi said. Five Chinese Companies and a South Korean company had submitted bids for the project with the contract due to be awarded in December and the project scheduled to be completed in three years, he said. Preliminary work for site clearance is already underway. Mr. Sooriyaarachchi said the elevated highway consisting of four lanes would also be linked to the Katunayake Expressway, enabling traffic to move into the city without a hindrance. Project Director and Engineer Mohamed Nizar said the structure would be on concrete pillars and they would not use iron to avoid corrosion. Mr Nizar said that under the project they would have to construct a 17-storey building and a workshop for the Ports Authority as it would be losing some of the buildings due to the project. He said even containers trucks could ply on this highway. The highway would be maintained by the company for five years while there would be an eight-year grace period to begin the repayment of the loan. Former MP Duminda Silva and 3 others guilty as charged, rules Apex Court View(s): In a detailed decision of fifty one pages, comprehensively dealing with relevant law and facts, a Divisional Bench of the Supreme Court presided over by former Chief Justice Priyasath Dep who retired this week, affirmed the majority decision of the Colombo High Court to impose the death sentence on former parliamentarian Duminda Silva and three other accused associates. The first accused who was a police officer assigned to Duminda Silvas security detail was acquitted and released from all charges levelled against him. The accused had been charged on 17 penal counts comprising interalia, committing and conspiring to commit murder of four individuals, including Bharatha Premachandra, Dharshana Jayathilaka, Mohamed Azmy and Manimel Kumaraswamy and inflicting gunshot injuries on Mr.Premachandras bodyguard Rajapurage Gamini after being members of an unlawful assembly on October 8, 2011, at Walpola, Mulleriyawa. In affirming the High Court decision, the apex court considered the question as to whether the accused were in fact, members of an unlawful assembly, stating that, if so, the liability will extend not only to offences committed in prosecution of the common object but also to offences which the members of the assembly knew to be likely committed in prosecution of that object. It was further stated that, in deciding as to whether there exists an unlawful assembly or not, events that occurred during the day in question must be considered cumulatively and not in isolation. Applying these principles to the factual situation that the judges were called upon to consider, the sequence of events on that day relating to the flouting of election laws and prohibited actions by the eleventh accused and his associates was examined. In response to counsel for the eleventh accused (Duminda Silva) arguing that he, along with others in his convoy were merely visiting from one polling center to the other during which journey he had an altercation with the deceased, the Court observed that in fact, the eleventh accused and his the other accused had been acting in clear contravention of election laws. Due to his interfering with voters at Thamilnadu watte near a polling booth and his remaining in the vicinity of that polling booth from 7.30 am till about 11.30 am on the day in question, the police officer had viewed his presence and that of his group as inappropriate under the circumstances. The Court took this as a factor confirming that the eleventh accused had embarked on a prohibited journey in flouting the elections law. Subsequently the eleventh accused and the others with him had become intoxicated; starting from the time the polling commenced and till the time it was drawing to an end, the eleventh accused spent his day, marauding between polling stations with weapons, defying officials discharging their duties, and assaulting and victimizing people Thus, the Court opined that the final act of confrontation that took place around 4 pm between the deceased and the eleventh accused was undoubtedly influenced by these events that took place on that day. The group of people who had arrived with the eleventh accused at Rahula Vidyalaya used obscene language, intimidating the crowd gathered there. It was pointed out that the evidence established that the occupants of the van that came behind the eleventh accuseds vehicle displayed around 8 T-56 guns. Dismissing the argument of the defence that a mere a question as to who someone had voted for cannot amount to intimidation, the Court remarked that the same question when asked by a well-known politician on an election day surrounded by a group of people who arrived in brazenly carrying weapons could acquire a completely different hue. The person from whom that question had been asked, had to retreat elsewhere for safety. Meanwhile persons who came with the eleventh accuseds convoy had assaulted people gathered there, threatened certain others using fire arms and chased after several others as well. A Special Task Force Officer discharging his duties near the polling station gave evidence that he was threatened with a firearm being pressed to his chest. Considering these facts, the Supreme Court found that the evidence which had not been controverted, overwhelmingly indicated the sudden escalation of tension that took place with the arrival of the eleventh accused with his convoy and the scare, the threatening and arms-display took place quite boldly while an election was being held on the other side of the road in the polling station which militates against the defence contention that the eleventh accused was only supporting and monitoring the area. If so, the Court observed, there could not have been any necessity for him to travel with an entire battalion of people in 10-15 vehicles, flaunt T56 guns, use obscene language, threaten the civilians and interfere with the officials who were stationed there to maintain peace. It is further stated that the conduct and the reaction it generated is wholly incompatible with showing support and unrelated to the purported vigilantismwhen the arms and the conduct of the accused persons are factored in, there can be no doubt that they had the illegal objective of intimidating the voters in the area. The encounter between the deceased Baratha Lakshxman and the eleventh accused had taken place shortly after the tense situation at the Rahula Vidyalaya. The Court notes that it is an important factor that the distance between the two places was around 500 meters and the time difference was not more than 5 minutes between the two incidents. Assessing the testimony of several witnesses, it is observed that the evidence indicates that the eleventh accused obstructed the vehicle of the deceased Baratha Lakshman, there are clear signs that when fire broke out, the deceased Baratha Lakshman, understanding the difference of fire arm power, attempted to retreat and flee the scene and there is also evidence that the eleventh accuseds pilot vehicle proceeded forward without any hindrance which could only mean that the eleventh accuseds obstruction of the deceaseds convoy was deliberate. Evaluating legal precedents, the defence argument that the eleventh accused took no active participation in the incident after he suffered a head injury was also dismissed. The Court posed the question to itself; Where there is clear evidence that a person who is the leader of a group commits the first act in a criminal offence and thereby triggers retaliation, and during the course of that retaliation which he himself triggered, ends up receiving the first injury, should he escape the liability for his actions and intentions? Weighing these factors, the Court concluded that the evidence clearly established the existence of an unlawful assembly which continued and existed at the time of shooting. (Please see Focus on Rights on page 22 for analysis of the Supreme Court decision) No provision to accept Submissions as a sealed document: Magistrate View(s): Counsel appearing on behalf of an Attorney-at-Law who claims attempts were made by two Attorney Generals (AG) Dept officials to forcibly obtain an affidavit related to the Perpetual Treasuries Ltd (PTL) case on the Bond scam this week, raised objections to the AGs Dept trying to file written submissions as a sealed document, to courts. Wasantha Navratna Bandara P.C., appearing on behalf of Attorney-at-Law Chandana Perera, told the Colombo Fort Magistrates Court this week that, there was no provision or Legal right to submit the submissions as a sealed document. The AGs Dept was responding to a previous allegation that two of its officials had used undue methods to collect evidence from the Lawyer and employees of W.M. Mendis & Co. in the PTL case against Arjun Aloysius and Kasun Palisena. When the case was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna, Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda P.C. told courts he was totally denying the allegations by Mr Perera that his Dept and the CID had influenced him or the employees. Mr Kodagoda said he was submitting observations of his Dept and the CID as two separate documents, and the courts could take appropriate action after studying the documents. The Magistrate questioned as to why the documents were being submitted in a sealed envelope. Mr Kodagoda responded saying it contained sensitive information and therefore, it was being submitted as confidential documents. The Magistrate said that to her knowledge there was no provision to accept a sealed document in this manner. She said that, if such document is accepted, it should be included in the case file and an issue of confidentiality would arise. Magistrate questioned if the documents could be included in the file and Mr Kodagoda said the courts could decide on it. The Magistrate thereafter handed over the sealed envelope to IP Wimal Jayaweera of the CID, after stating that such a document could not be accepted by courts and that court will make its observations regarding this matter, after study. Suspects Aloysius and Palisena were further remanded until October 25. Notice re-issued in RADA case By Ranjith Padmasiri View(s): View(s): Megapolis & Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has been re-issued notice to appear in the Colombo High Court on October 18, to testify as a witness for the Prosecution, in relation to the criminal misappropriation case filed against the Reconstruction & Development Agencys (RADA) former chairman Tiran Alles and 3 others. The Minister had been earlier noticed to appear before court on Wednesday (10), but had informed court he would be unable to do so due to urgent Parliament business. Accordingly, Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluaarachchi re-issued notice on the Minister to appear in court on the 18th. Former Presidents Secretary Lalith Weeratunga did appear in court this week as a Prosecution witness. Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris, who led his evidence, showed the witness a copy of a presidential directive issued to set up RADA, and asked him if he could identify the document. Nalin Laduwahetti PC, who appeared for Mr Alles, raised objections over this, stating that the Prosecution was presenting secondary evidence and that it needed to present the original document rather than a photo copy. DSG Peiris however, argued that he had a right to show the document to the witness as the latters signature was on the document and that the witness could verify its authenticity. The Defence stated that the question of whether there was a legal basis to proceed with the case using photocopies should be determined. After considering the arguments, the judge said he would allow the prosecution to show the document on the grounds that the witness who is said to have signed it was present to verify whether it was genuine. Upon being shown the document, Mr Weeratunga identified that it was his signature on the document and told court that the document was genuine. Aside from Mr Alles, the other accused in the case are former LTTE Financial section head Emil Kanthan, RADA Chief Operating Officer Saliya Wickramasuriya and Dr Jayantha Dias Samarasinghe. The case continues without the 2nd Accused, Emil Kanthan, who is absent. The next hearing was fixed for October 18. Rs. 2.1 billion asked for mystery school uniform order By Chrishanthi Christopher View(s): View(s): Cabinet is considering a joint ministerial request to approve a Rs. 2.1 billion payment for school uniform material ordered years ago from India by the now defunct Lanka Salu Sala. Once approved, the cloth will be distributed to schoolchildren in special circumstances. The request was contained in a joint cabinet memorandum submitted for approval last month by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Education. Cabinet Memorandum No. 2018/55 dated September 19, 2018 seeks approval to purchase some 8.4 million metres of uniform material ordered back in 2015. The cloth was meant to be sold to school students under the voucher system. The 8.4 million metres is part of an order placed on December 15, 2015 by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce for the supply of 12.1 million metres of uniform material (including shirting, robes and trouser cloth) from Varcheswi Marketing Agencies (VMA) of India through Varcheswi Overseas (Pvt) Ltd in Colombo (VOPL). Due to delays, the first consignment of 468,609 metres of cloth arrived only on February 24, 2016, four days before the expiry of vouchers already distributed to school students for the purchase of the material. The consignment was cleared by Lanka Salu Sala and is still lying in a private warehouse, Global Transportation Logistics (Pvt) Ltd, in VOPLs custody. The second consignment of 862,577 meters reached Colombo Port on November 24, 2016 and is lying uncleared in a port warehouse. The rest of the material, it is understood, is lying in a warehouse in India. The supplier says this stock 7.1 million metres cannot be sold off in India as it had been manufactured to Sri Lankas specifications. An investigation carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce reveals that the order had been placed without approval by the ministry, the board of directors of Lanka Salu Sala or the Ministry of Education. There were doubts about the bidding process. The chief internal auditor of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated in a report that violations of contract obligations of procedures had been committed by all sides. A committee of five officers headed by the Additional Secretary (Internal Trade) was appointed to study the auditors report. It recommended that the case be submitted to a suitable institute for further investigation as there is a doubt about financial fraud. Despite the suspicions about fraud the committee recommended that action be taken to settle the due amount to the supplier through suitable procedure in a diplomatic manner without making any harm to the relationship between India and Sri Lanka. On May 3, 2017 a letter along with relevant documents was sent to the Attorney-General, seeking his opinion on the issue. A reminder was sent on November 8, 2017, for which a reply is awaited. The Ministry of External Affairs of India, through the High Commission of India in Colombo, approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to settle the matter amicably. Following discussions with the supplier, it has been agreed that as procurement guidelines had not been followed, payment will be offered for 8.4 million metres (the produced and supplied quantity only) of the initially agreed amount of 12.1 million metres. According to the per-metre price agreed on with the supplier in 2015, the payment would be $US11.8 million equivalent to about Rs. 2.1 billion. The exact sum will depend on the foreign exchange rate at the point of opening the Letters of Credit and making payment. As neither the Education Ministry nor the Ministry of Industry and Commerce have the human resources, facility or machinery to cut and pack the material, Treasury is being asked to bear an additional cost of $US2 million for this job at the rate of $US0.23 a metre. The material will be distributed to government school students facing deprivation due to natural calamities. The provision will not affect the existing voucher system. SLAFs Air Symposium 2018 on October 18-19 View(s): The Colombo Air Symposium 2018, the 4th consecutive symposium organsied by the Sri Lanka Air force (SLAF), will take place on October 18-19, with over 40 foreign delegates from 20 countries in attendance, said SLAF Spokesman Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne. The theme of the conference will be Air Strategy in Substantiating the Geo-Strategic Importance of Sri Lanka. The topic selected aims to reach a better understanding of productive geo-strategic deployment of collective air-power in meeting national, regional and global challenges in the future. The Conference will also explore the conditions and necessities on maritime security in the Indian ocean with respect to Geopolitical perspective of Sri Lanka, and discuss the role of the collaborative Air-power in the Asia Pacific region, he told reporters at a press conference. Several research papers too will be presented at the symposium. The 6 sessions will focus on topics such as How Sri Lanka Air Force can exploit the advantage of her geo-strategic location, an Air Strategy for a small maritime nation, how Air-Power can stimulate growth and ensure national security, how the Air Forces and aviation units of the region can work in unison to meet regional challenges, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Management (HADR) and cross services cooperation. Tamil activists move to involve Sri Lanka in London arrests By Neville de Silva in London View(s): View(s): British MPs of a pro-Tamil lobby and Tamil activists are trying to drag the Sri Lanka Government and its High Commission in London into the arrests last Monday of four Tamils demonstrating against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes presence at the Oxford Union. Tamil groups claim they were detained and released the next day following complaints by Sri Lankan officials. The British MPs, in a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid and copied to the British Foreign Secretary, allege that action against the protestors was urged by Sri Lanka Government officials who also filmed the protest. Our inquiries suggest this is another case of fake news provided to mislead British MPs. Curiously, this letter purportedly coming from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG-T) that carries the names of 8 signatories, but not a single signature, states, According to information provided to us by sources at the scene, the arrests were carried out at the behest of Sri Lankan Government officials who were filming the protest. Our sources suggest, the complaint to the Thames Valley police, against some protestors carrying the LTTE flag and one wearing a tee-shirt displaying Prabhakarans portrait, was made by a British citizen and not by a Sri Lanka official or one at the High Commission. The Tamil protestor who was detained overnight and his London residence searched and some items examined by police, was a member of the Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) led by New York resident Visvanathan Rudrakumaran who was one time Legal consultant to the LTTE. In an attempt to tie up the Oxford event to Sri Lanka Independence Day celebration at the London High Commission, which resulted in the recall of the Missions Defence advisor, Tamil news reports say the official who urged the police at Oxford to act, was also spotted at the London celebration. This is an attempt, not only to mislead the MPs, but also pressure the British Government for an inquiry into the purported action of High Commission officials or, ones from the Sri Lanka Government, Sri Lanka diaspora sources said. It is understood that, though the unsigned APPG-T letter is copied to Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the FCO is not expected to pursue this matter, leaving it to the Home Secretary to respond. Though, those held overnight last Monday were released next day, police are expected to continue with its investigations under UKs Terrorism Law Sections 11 and 13 which states that: A person commits an offence if he belongs to a prohibited group. An offence is committed if a person wears an item of clothing or, carries and displays items that arouse suspicion that they are part of a forbidden organisation. Urban flooding View(s): Urban flooding has become a biannual occurrence in Sri Lanka occurring with the advent of the North East and South West monsoons. The main reason for this flooding has been illegal constructions which block drains and drainage outlets leaving many areas flooded. Last week after many areas were left flooded in the aftermath of the recent rains, the Beruwela Pradeshiya Sabha took matters into its hands. It commenced swiftly removing illegal constructions in the Panadura, Walatara, Beruwela and Aluthgama areas, thereby unblocking drains that had been obstructed by illegal structures. PS Menaka Wimalaratne, Chairperson of the Beruwela PS said that two days of heavy rain had left many areas flooded. He emphasised the reason behind the flooding was encroachment onto state land and illegal constructions. He said the PS had already removed a number of these structures. He pledged action to remove such structures swiftly in the 82 Grama Sevaka areas which came under his purview. Book lovers who spread the word By Tarini Pilapitiya The latest edition of Book Swap, the brainchild of a mother and daughter duo saw Herman Gunaratne talk about his latest book Gods Secret Agent A Battle against Dark Forces View(s): View(s): Care to share- the innocent question resonated among the friendly faces at the Colombo Book Swap on October 6 at the Colpetty House as readers gathered to listen to author Herman Gunaratne animatedly speak on his latest book Gods Secret Agent A Battle against Dark Forces. Herman, author of four previous books; The Plantation Raj, For a Sovereign State, Tortured Island and the Suicide Club candidly narrated the mystical events of his latest story which brings to focus mysterious dark forces and the confrontation between good and evil. This book is about a strange subject all of you have heard about but very few have experienced, Herman said as he launched into an excerpt from the book. An initial skeptic himself, he captures his inner battles of belief in the intangible and the practices which he saw with his own eyes. What of the backlash of this somewhat controversial topic of the occult which Herman explores in his narrative? He goodnaturedly laughs aloud Im the guy who loves bringing in mud to the sitting room. The stories were so preposterous I didnt think anyone would believe me, he muses, but his motivation to pen his idea of the truth was what ultimately drove him to publish. Brainchild of mother and daughter duo Chandrika Gadiewasam and Nadeesha Paulis, the Book Swap has grown from five friends meeting at the mall food court around five years ago to currently having a reputed social media presence and a growing network of 6000 avid readers in their community. A family of writers, Nadeesha has dabbled in journalism while Chandrika was a sub- editor and journalist in reputed publications for many years. The idea came to Chandrika when she observed the numerous publications the family had accumulated and thought of exchanging them, while also expanding their reading horizons without too much cost. A Facebook group saw the idea take off with strangers turning up and exchanging books with other readers. In future, Nadeesha hopes to encourage more Sinhala and Tamil readers as well. I also want to take it out to places where there isnt much literature, she states hoping to expand the initiative to include school students. Meanwhile University students will soon host a public book swap in Kandy, she tells us. The initiative has now branched out to include other events like Authors Talk, Book Talk and Creators Edition where people can share their music or writing in an open-mic setting. Childrens author Nadishka Aloysius who was at the authors meet- up has been participating in the Book Swap since 2015. I liked the idea of exchanging books and meeting people who liked reading. Its opportunities like this which people shouldnt take for granted as it brings more culture and education and something different to society, she said. Hosting Sri Lankan authors is intentional were informed with Nadeesha stating, Were trying to encourage readers to read Sri Lankan books. They started with Nayomi Munaweera and hope to have Chhimi Tenduf-La and Ashok Ferrey soon. Intimate conversations with the authors themselves further fuels our understanding of their vision, Nadeesha believes. Its a people driven social movement, she adds, its all the people who come for these events and I just advocate it. She expresses her joy in being a part of this volunteer-based non-commercial movement which has just started penning the opening of its own story. Check the Book Swaps Facebook group for more updates. Dont drive our jumbos to death Govt. should implement cabinet-approved policy, former DWC DG, Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya tells Kumudini Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s): Humans and wild elephants have lived together for aeons in Sri Lanka. In fact, the country has bestowed upon elephants, domesticated ones of course, an honour not given to any other creature that of carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha around the streets of Kandy to be venerated by large crowds. As a country we are also unique drawing in precious dollars as tourists converge here to see the largest land animal, the elephant in the wild and a little distance away the largest marine animal the blue whale in the seas surrounding the country. Where on earth, except in Sri Lanka, can one see a majestic elephant peacefully feeding in the jungles sandwiching the Dambulla-Habarana Road sending ripples of excitement among motorists and passers-by or as many as 300, mostly cow elephants and their babies, picking at the tasty morsels of tender grass which carpet the Minneriya and Kaudulla tank-beds, as oohs and aahs emanate from both locals and foreigners at such a spectacular sight? Over the years though, with unplanned expansion of human habitats and development into the homes of these animals, there has been conflict between human and elephant. How, as a nation, should Sri Lanka go about mitigating the Human Elephant Conflict (HEC)? The answer is simple and obvious go by evidence-based knowledge gathered over the years and learn through bitter lessons from previous actions which have had disastrous consequences. (Please see the images) So the humble plea from all those lovers not only of wild elephants but all animals is: Lets not repeat the tragic mistakes made earlier. Lets not go back to square one, as we have enough evidence to move forward where both humans and wild elephants can live together, with a little adjustment. And such a plea is for selfish reasons as well because we need to keep the ecosystem balance for the very survival of humans! In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times on HEC Management Will we ever learn from our past mistakes? the former Director-General (DG) of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya stressed that studies in Sri Lanka have shown that translocation, drives and confinement are not a viable management strategy and will jeopardize the survival of Sri Lankas elephants, both within and outside the Protected Areas (PAs). There will be no benefit towards reducing the HEC, Dr. Pilapitiya was emphatic, just a few days before he was scheduled to give a public lecture. Elephant habitats are declining and the frequency and severity of the HEC are increasing, calling for alternative approaches to HEC management, he said. Continuing to attempt to restrict elephants to PAs of the DWC will not reduce the HEC because it requires reducing their current habitat to about 30 percent of what they use at present. This cannot be done without killing over 4,000 elephants, it is learnt. Dr. Pilapitiya is crystal clear in his explanation: Most National Parks (which are part of the PAs) are already at or even beyond carrying capacity and hold the maximum number of elephants they can support. Additionally, National Parks are generally primary or mature forests providing only sub-optimal habitats for edge species, such as elephants. Elephant density in primary/secondary forests is 0.2 elephants per square kilometre, while savannah grasslands and scrub jungle can retain around 3 elephants per square kilometre. Since the DWCs PAs have minimal human intervention, biological succession results in the conversion of degraded lands within PAs into secondary forests. Therefore, the DWCs PAs are unable to carry a high density of elephants. The situation in Uda Walawe National Park is a case in point, he says citing an example. Minneriya, Kaudulla and Maduru Oya are National Parks that are exceptions due to their habitat being largely grasslands. The primary reason for elephants to gather in such large numbers on the Minneriya and Kaudulla tank-beds is for the fodder they get from the grasslands, which are nourished by nutrient-rich sediments deposited there during the period of inundation. With the water from the reservoirs being released for agriculture, a growth of new and succulent grass emerges on the exposed tank-beds. This is why there are 300-400 elephants during The Gathering in August and September, Dr. Pilapitiya points out. However, such parks also already carry the number of elphants they can support. According to him, since the 1950s the strategy for HEC Management in Sri Lanka has been three-fold: Capture and translocate problem elephants; Conduct large-scale elephant drives in an attempt to move all elephants from the areas earmarked for development into PAs; and Confine the elephants within the PAs with barriers. Had this strategy been successful, the HEC should have been solved or be on the decline. But the data indicate the opposite. Despite implementing this strategy for more than 50 years, a survey conducted by the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR) has shown that there are elephants in 44% of the country that is outside PAs, says Dr. Pilapitiya, explaining that basically, these elephants are co-existing with humans, albeit with some level of conflict. While it may appear that humans and elephants can be separated, with elephants being confined to PAs, after more than 50 years of trying, if we realize that it cannot be done, there seems to be merit in re-evaluating and revising that strategy. The main reasons elephants cannot be limited to PAs are due to the PAs being at their carrying capacities. Elephants are also an edge species and there is better elephant habitat outside. So it is not surprising that over two thirds of elephants live outside the areas controlled by the DWC. Dr. Pilapitiya is quick to point out that research has shown that elephant drives, conducted mainly in response to political and social pressures have failed to eliminate crop raiding elephants from the drive areas. While herds composed of females and young tend to be driven, the crop raiding males often remain behind. Communities have confirmed that elephants remaining after drives become more aggressive and develop into a bigger threat to people. Construction of electric fences along the administrative boundaries of the DWC PAs has failed to yield the expected outcome of HEC mitigation, since DWC PAs are often surrounded by elephant habitat. Therefore, this results in elephants being on both sides of the fence and fence breaking by elephants, it is understood. Realizing this, the DWC led a multi-stakeholder process to develop a National Elephant Conservation Policy, says Dr. Pilapitiya, adding that it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2006. The policy states that when elephants lose their range, they die. It further adds: The prospects for long-term survival for the elephant in Sri Lanka are good. There is already a well-established PA network, which supports a proportion of the elephant population. However, a significant proportion of the elephant population ranges outside of the PAs. Ensuring the future survival of elephants that range inside and outside PAs is both central and crucial to the conservation of elephants. Dr. Pilapitiya stresses that if Sri Lanka is serious about the conservation of elephants in the wild, we should learn from our mistakes and past experiences and implement the provisions of the Cabinet-approved policy and not try to limit elephants to the DWC PAs. Weapons needed for battle against poachers; but AK 47 not the answer The former DWC DG Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya will deliver a Lecture on Human Elephant Conflict Management Will we ever learn from our past mistakes? on October 18 (Thursday) at 6 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH, Colombo 7. Organized by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), the lecture is open to members and non-members and entry is free of charge. Prior to the lecture next week, when asked by the Sunday Times as a former DWC DG, what he thinks of the DWC need to procure 2,567 AK 47 assault rifles, Dr. Pilapitiya said: I feel that DWC officers need weapons more sophisticated than the repeater shot guns they have at present, for anti-poaching operations because currently some poachers are better armed than DWC officers. The DWC has lost officers in battles with poachers. However, I am no weapons expert. So, I am not sure whether the most suitable weapon is an AK 47. To the query that the Cabinet Paper of July 18, 2018 is not on anti-poaching, but requests that these weapons be procured for HEC management and what his views are, he said that the HEC has two participants humans and elephants. As officers of the DWC whose mandate is to conserve wildlife, no officer should be shooting an elephant. This means that the weapon could be to deal with the other stakeholder, who is a human. DWC officers cannot shoot people either, so I am at a loss to understand why such a sophisticated weapon is needed. For personal protection, DWC officers may need a weapon but in my opinion, it should not be a weapon that could kill an elephant instantly, added Dr. Pilapitiya who is an Environmental Scientist. Dr. Pilapitiya briefly held the post of DWC DG before resigning on matters of principle. He is researching elephant social behaviour in the Yala, Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks and their surrounding landscapes. Echoing serious concerns about suggestions to restrict all wild elephants to PAs, the Head of the Centre for Conservation and Research (CCR), Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando said that such was the thinking about 50 years ago, which led to an increase in the HEC and killed lots of elephants. Modern research has shown the way and thats why the National Elephant Conservation Policy was developed in 2006, says Dr. Fernando, painting grim images of the results of limiting wild elephants to PAs. The elephants driven and restricted to PAs, which would mostly be non-problem causing cow elephants and their babies, as well as elephants that were in the PAs, starve to death due to exceeding of the carrying capacity, he said with emotion, pointing out that the elephants which are left behind in human habitation areas after drives, become very aggressive because they were very fearful of humans after being severely harassed by humans in their bid to relocate them. Hence, the HEC increases in drive areas. Going back to attempts to restrict elephants to PAs will severely escalate the HEC and kill lots of females and young ones, reasons Dr. Fernando, appealing to the authorities not to revisit such disastrous attempts. It will also nullify all the forward steps taken in mitigating the HEC and send Sri Lanka down a very slippery slope, having a severe adverse impact on elephant conservation. #Samcheong Re-education Camp Victims of detention camp during military junta file damage suit against gov't Former victims of forced labor and harsh military training at a detention camp set up by the military junta in the early 1980s have filed a damage suit against the government, a la... #S Korea-Pacific islands-FM talks S. Korea, Pacific islands hold FM talks Foreign ministers from South Korea and 14 Pacific island countries held virtual talks on Tuesday during which they agreed to hold a summit of their leaders, Seoul's foreign ministr... East meets west at Gandhi 150th birth anniversary celebrations View(s): The Nelum Pokuna theatre was the venue for a splendid east meets west musical extravaganza last week when the Liepajas symphony orchestra from Latvia was hosted alongside Dr. L. Subramaniam, the legendary violinist. The glittering evening was held to mark the start of the launch of the uber-luxury apartments Sapphire Residences by ITC Hotels while also coinciding with the commencement of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. The event was supported by the High Commission of India, Colombo, in association with the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival. Dr. Subramaniam is Indias violin icon and has previously played with the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and the Swiss Romande Orchestra among others. He is founder and director of the Lakshminarayana festival and has a strong bond with Sri Lanka. His father, a great violinist himself, was once based in Sri Lanka while Dr. Subramaniam spent his early childhood in the island. The Liepajas orchestra, with over 60 musicians, was the largest ever to perform in Sri Lanka. It is also the oldest orchestra in the Baltic States. Led by its art Director and chief conductor Gintaras Rinkevicius, the orchestra blended seamlessly with Dr. Subramaniams music. Getting to the roots of going organic in SL By Randima Attygalle View(s): View(s): Surangi, travels to Colombo every weekend from a suburb to purchase organic fruits and vegetables for her little son, not yet turned one. Although its an additional trip and I have to pocket out more, it is still worth it as Im giving my child toxin-free food, she says. Surangi who patronizes a leading organic food outlet in town is confident she gets her moneys worth. Ama who is expecting her first child will not settle for anything less than organic rice, fruits and vegetables. When I hear of all these horror stories of excessive fertilizer, I fear for the health of both myself and the unborn baby, says the mother-to-be who buys her weeks stock of organic produce from another organic outlet in one of the citys suburbs. With supermarkets dedicating an entire section to organic food and stores selling organic food mushrooming, organic has become a buzzword today. The green leaves, fruits and other vegetables which grew on our hedges or home compounds in the good old days, which most may have taken for granted, have become sought after consumer products now, given the fertilizer and pesticide abuse the country is reputed for today. Yet because a label claims the product to be organic how genuine is the claim? How confident can a consumer be that he/she is paying for a non-toxic product? What challenges do the organic farmer and industry have to counter? The Sunday Times spoke to several leading partners in the industry to find out more. Organic food, as Prof. Buddhi Marambe, Chairman, Board of Study Crop Science, Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya and Chairman of the Agriculture Sector Committee of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) explains, are products of farming/production systems that have avoided using most conventional synthetic agrochemicals, growth regulators and/or feed additives. In general, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and irradiation are prohibited in organic food production, he says. For the consumer to determine if the produce is genuinely organic is a tricky issue as Prof. Marambe points out. Unless there is a product and process certification, the end-user will not have any clue whether the product is organically grown or not. Labelling of products by a trustworthy organization will provide some evidence and confidence to the end user that the food purchased is real and not fake organic food. The work ethics of the producer and seller play important roles here. For example, food supplied even from a natural environment has no guarantee that the product is organically grown or that the habitat is not contaminated. Further, a product supplied to a market by a crop grower whose cultivation is organically certified with the support of a large group of out-growers whose cultivations are not certified to be organic, give arise to issues related to marketing of organic products. The third party certification, where independent inspections are carried out by a certifying organization, has gained recognition worldwide compared to that of first-party certification (grower gives an assurance) and second-party certification (an organization to which the grower belongs to, gives an assurance) he says. There is a call to test for chemical residues in the final product as it will help the consumer to identify residue-free (e.g. pesticide residue-free) finally consumed products. However, such a residue-free tag gives no guarantee that agro-chemicals or other synthetic products have not been used in the food production process, he warns. To support organic food production further, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) has developed standards for preparation of composts and completed obtaining public comments for the standards proposed. It is heartening to receive a large number of comments from the general public which has helped SLSI to further refine the standards proposed for preparation of composts, Prof. Marambe says. The biggest drawback of organic food production systems has been the lower productivity, says Prof. Marambe. The need for organic inputs such as composts in bulk is another issue which also adds to the costs of labour and time. Both these are likely to enhance the cost of production further in large scale production to meet the food demand of people. In 2007, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) introduced organic standards for the country which are however confined to organic farming. As the SLSI sources state, these standards are now being revised. It is also learnt that SLSI is in the process of receiving the Sri Lanka Accreditation Boards (SLAB) accreditation for further recognition in organic certification.As the National Standards body, we maintain our independence when issuing certification and presently there is a considerable number of organic producers supplying to the local market who are SLSI certified, SLSI sources said. Although we often tend to think along the lines of vegetables, fruits and grains, even poultry products as meat or eggs could be organic when animals are not given antibiotics or any other growth and feed additives as the Head of Nutrition Department, Medical Research Institute, Dr. Renuka Jayatissa explains. In order to assure an ideal organic farming setting, the land should be free of outside contaminants flowing to it, says Dr. Jayatissa. For instance, an organic farm could be threatened by a neighbouring land using agro-chemicals as they tend to flow during the rainy season. Hence organic cultivation should ideally take place on hilly lands or in a green-house setting where these outside contaminants can be avoided. While the nutritional composition of organic food remains the same as in the case of non-organic food, the main concern is the absence of agro-chemicals in the former. Long term exposure to agro-chemicals could result in serious health hazards including liver disorders and cancers, says Dr. Jayatissa who urges for intense research and development in the area of agriculture. There has to be a serious national policy on agro-chemical abuse and there has to be research and innovation in the areas of pest-resistant grains, seeds etc. Our research has shown that the majority of our rural farmers on whom we depend, are malnourished. To make matters worse, they are affected by floods and droughts and are poverty stricken. They neither have a voice nor a good price for their crops. This scenario has to change if we are to be on par with global agricultural trends. As Good Market co-founder Dr. Amanda Kiessel explains, all organic exporting companies need to be certified based on the standards of the receiving country. The majority of organic exporters in Sri Lanka are certified for meeting EU, USDA or JAS (Japanese) standards since these standards are recognized in many countries. The organic logo on the package indicates which standards were used. The Sri Lankan Accreditation Board (SLAB) accredits that certification bodies have acceptable certification practices and are competent to inspect and certify according to the standards. Currently there is only one certification body that has national SLAB accreditation for EU, USDA, and JAS standards, which is the Control Union, but others are also in the process of applying, says Dr. Kiessel. Control Union is headquartered in the Netherlands, but operates a local office in Sri Lanka. Some internationally accredited certification bodies also send inspectors to Sri Lanka for certification. The National Organic Control Unit (NOCU) is being established under the Export Development Board (EDB) to ensure that all products labelled as organic are verified by accredited certification bodies. Third party certification is required for international export, but there is also a low-cost alternative called a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) that can be used for local markets and short supply chains where producers and consumers can meet. The purpose of PGS is to make organic more affordable and accessible as Dr. Kiessel explains. The Export Development Board (EDB) information stipulates that the new independent body (NOCU) which is now being set up to obtain the third country registration in Europe will be mandated to govern the organic sector in the country and register Sri Lanka in the third country list of the EU, reducing the cost of certification and facilitating organic products to penetrate the EU member countries. The exercise aspires to eliminate tariff barriers on organic agricultural products and enable the exporters to be competitive in catering to the international markets to fetch a premium price. Citing the Australian experience with organic farming, Nissanka Ratnayake, Director, Organico Guru Pty Ltd, an Australian Certified Organic food supplier with its distribution arm in Sri Lanka says that the present (2018) Australian Domestic Organic market is estimated to be worth A$ 2.4 billion. The market has grown 88% since 2012. Australia has 35 million hectares under Certified Organic Management, which is about 10% of all of Australian agriculture land and 53% of worlds organic farmland. Charitha Abeyratne, Director, Branding and Marketing, Saaraketha Organics points out that growing organically is a difficult process as crops are more susceptible to pests and weeds and farmers cannot use synthetic chemicals to protect the crop. Even if the farmer wants to grow organically, there arent many buyers who would pay a higher price for the effort they make to cultivate organically; therefore theres no real incentive to ensure that a farmer should continue practising organic growing methods. The only way to encourage organic farming is to create a better demand for it. In terms of national policy, Ms. Abeyratne identifies several areas which need to be addressed. A more accessible supply of organic seeds is vital she says. Post harvest infrastructure and logistic support is another area which needs addressing. Our countrys post-harvest loss is 40% mainly because of the lack of storage and proper transportation options available. Since organic produce needs to be handled with care, the absence of a support structure makes it even more challenging, says Ms. Abeyratne who appeals for reduced freight rates for organic exporters. Current freight rates make Sri Lankan produce uncompetitive in the export markets. She also urges consumers to take more interest in understanding the journey of food from the farm to the plate. Its important that we ask who grew it, what fertilizers went into it, how did it travel to reach me, am I empowering a farmer who followed ethical practice? Am I feeding my family a good, clean, healthy product, observes Ms. Abeyratne who goes on to note that since maintaining the organic integrity is a very costly process, more demand for organic produce should be made to reduce the price of the product. Letters to the Editor View(s): The need for a potent force as the Govt. reneges on its pledges The government has not fulfilled its pre-Presidential and General Election promises and what the masses should do unlike the Joint Opposition efforts is not to topple the government, but to make it keep to its pledges. It appears that the Government is incapable of arriving at a consensus on even a single crucial policy. Every issue seems to be left in suspense pending a conclusion. The Parliamentary debate on the Constitutional amendments has been postponed without fixing a date for its resumption. There is no agreement on the main features of the Constitution; Presidents powers, Executive Presidency, devolution of state power, unitary state, federalism, state religion, North East merger, electoral system etc., which have repercussions on the country. Neither is there a firm decision on any of the major development projects. Even in the ongoing Expressway projects there are conflicts in nonpayment of due compensation for those who sacrificed their ancestral lands. Nobody seems to know how much of land is to be allocated for the Hambantota project. There is no transparency at all. The President says the Hambantota project is not finalized, but the Prime Minister goes ahead and starts it and receives the fury of the people in the South. The Prime Ministers committee for reconciliation recommends the employment of foreign judges, lawyers and prosecutors to conduct the legal cases against armed forces accused of war crimes. However, a Minister who is one of the government spokesmen totally rejected these recommendations. Some Ministers are voicing contradictory views on the next Presidential candidate stating that President Maithripala Sirisena will be the Presidential candidate of the SLFP in 2020. But Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the Cabinet spokesman says there will be no Presidential election in 2020 and President Sirisena has not changed his stance that the Executive Presidency should be abolished. Minister Susil Premjayantha speaks about the difficulties in maintaining the coalition with the UNP. These kinds of utterances reveal the deepening conflict within the government.Yet the President says no one could topple this government until it runs its course. The Prime Minister says the government is performing excellently. These are crucial matters that may influence the people. The monetary down turn which is continuing, could have its roots in the vagueness and unpredictability of strategy, arising out of the intrinsic contradiction between the two parties. The economic development of a country cannot afford hindrance due to uncertainty within the government. In a ruthless and highly competitive world such delay could be disastrous and cause irreparable damage. A government incapable of solving its internal problems obviously cannot have the capacity to govern a country. But it still proclaims that it will endure no matter what happens at the expense of the people. The only solution hence is the formation of a broad national force, consisting of specialists in different fields, scholars, dignitaries, intellectuals etc., to bring the country on the precise pathway to progress. Sunil Thenabadu Australia Apeksha The Maharagama Cancer Hospital which lives upto its name Patients and loved ones experience the true meaning of Apeksha when they enter this place. It happened to me. The name Cancer Hospital put me off at first. This was going by my visits to see patients a long time ago. But on my most recent visit I was amazed at the change. The very appearance, cleanliness, the smiling faces of the staff and their readiness to help the helpless and above all the professional skill, which mixed with kind words and commitment boosted my morale. The impression I have had all these years became history as I walked in. The individual files of outdoor patients, the pharmacy, the rooms for injections are all so well organized that you need not waste time searching for records. The doctors are punctual for clinics. They encourage patients to get treatment there which is free of charge unless it is a major surgery which may involve an affordable sum. The service includes the services of the minor staff as well. Cleaners start their work early in the morning and do all the rounds before they finish for the day. The food is substantial and has the necessary nutrients for the patients and is always served on time. A big step in the achievements of Apeksha is the setting up of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Bone marrow treatment was earlier limited only to those who could afford the treatment abroad which was a very disheartening factor to those who could not afford it. Others who belonged to the majority had to be satisfied with the short life span left for them without this treatment. The team of consultants have done a wonderful job, giving new life to patients who would otherwise have to give up all hopes of life. You can see all details regarding this when you access the website http://www.bmtsrilanka.org/ . You will be inspired when you read the details and be proud of our very own Sri Lankan doctors dedicating themselves to save lives. The public admires and appreciates these immensely supportive endeavours. People from all walks of life most willingly donate highly expensive medicine such as drugs given for chemotherapy and other necessary injections. There are many voluntary groups that come there to prepare tea in large quantities and take them to serve each and every patient in the hospital. It is my earnest wish and I am sure the wish of all Sri Lankans that APEKSHA would fulfil its noble mission: To provide comprehensive cancer care through collaborative training, education, and research in compliance to international standards and realise the vision to be a centre of excellence for cancer care as a leader in South Asia by 2020. Dulini Senaratna Via email Supper Club dishes up another culinary treat View(s): In nearly two years, Colombo Supper Club founder, Naserah Tyebally, has enticed and educated the palates of Sri Lankans with upto 16 pop-up dinners, with cuisines from Latin America to Catalan, Singapore, Japan, India the list goes on. Colombo Supper Club aims to uplift the food culture within Sri Lanka by introducing clients to a range of rare ingredients that stretch the palate, as well as showcase unique culinary technique. The upcoming pop-up event on Saturday, October 27 at Taru Villas will feature renowned Chef Andrew Walsh, who runs the Asian-inspired bar & grill, Butcher Boy, located in Singapores buzzy Keong Saik dining stretch. Butcher Boys key offerings, as its name suggest, are cuts of grilled meat specialties with Asian sauces, alongside an array of Asian-centric cocktails, baos and buns, sharing plates, and decadent desserts. Inspirational paired cocktails will be mixed and provided by Wineworld CSCs long standing beverage partner. The venue partner for the event, is Taru Villas a collection of small, intimate Boutique Hotels and Villas located along the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The pop-up event will take place at The Long House. For tickets contact Naserah Tyebally on +94 772 300 038. He will be my Flag Lieutenant until I retire By Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psn, MPhil View(s): View(s): Twenty-five years ago on January 18, 1993, at Fort Hammenhiel, Karainagar, two officers and forty-two sailors, all volunteers from the Navy, underwent a special training to start a new unit known as the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) or the Naval Commando Unit. The SBS was formed to fight LTTE Sea Tigers in lagoons and waterways. Our training also focused on attacks behind the enemy lines to destroy Sea Tiger installations. Britains Royal Marines Special Boat Squadron was our model. I was fortunate enough to command this unit and train my men to be the Bravest of the Brave in the Navy. I was a young Lieutenant Commander at that time and my Second-in-Command was an officer more than 12 years junior and younger than me. He was Acting Sub Lieutenant Samantha Waruna Gallage from Dehiwala. An excellent swimmer and a fearless fighter, Samantha was also an excellent boat handler and a top marksman. We trained together for eight months in the Karainagar lagoon with the intention of taking over boat operations in the Jaffna lagoon from our small detachment at Nagadevannturai.On November 2, 1993, our naval detachment in Nagadevanthurai and the Pooneryn Army Complex came under heavy attack from the enemy. One by one small detachments around the main Pooneryn Army Complex fell into the enemys hand like a house of cards and more than 700 military personnel were trapped in Pooneryn. As there was no possibility to reinforce the besieged Army Complex from the air, military commanders decided to send in reinforcement through an amphibious landing. My unit SBS, the brand-new Naval Special Force, was tasked to carry out the first wave of landings.Landing on an enemy beach is a suicidal task. If you want to see how it looks like, please watch the first half hour of Steven Spielbergs award-winning film Saving Private Ryan. Its bloody and chaotic. There is no cover for you until you get some cover by crossing the beach area. Enemy obstacles and gun positions were there to slow down your advance and there was a 90 percent probability of getting killed or injured during this crossing. Orders were issued; Samantha and I were commanding two Inshore Patrol Craft (commonly known as Water Jets) which carried fifteen Commandos each, followed by fiberglass boats carrying six commandos each. My orders were very clear to Samantha. I told him that I would land first because I wanted to assess the situation. Navy gunboats started bombarding the beach early morning with their 37mm guns, and we were given clearance to do the landing with the lull of heavy gunfire. Our two Water Jets raced towards Pooneryn beach. Two enemy machine guns started firing towards us and suddenly Samantha increased the speed of his Water Jet and landed first and nullified enemy machine gun positions with his grenade launchers. I was very angry with Samantha. My orders were very clear as I told him that I would be landing first. However, I was happy that he destroyed the enemy gun positions in quick sessions with no casualties to us. The landing was successful and we established the beachhead for our landing craft to beach and reinforcements poured in. The rest was history. The Pooneryn landing was successful. The SBS was hailed as the Bravest of the Brave in the Navy. After accomplishing our task successfully, we returned to Karainagar that evening to rest and relax. That night I asked Samantha why he disobeyed my orders and landed first. He said with tears, Sir, I was afraid that you would be hit by enemy machine gun fire! I did not want you to get killed. I told him that he would have had the same fate. He said, Sir,I can die. Thats not a concern. My father and mother will cry. But, not YOU! You have a wife and a son (my son was one year old at that time). You should live Sir! I want to protect you, Sir! (Incidentally, I was the only married person in the SBS at that time.) This was the calibre of officers and men with whom we went to war. We were fortunate commanders to have officers like Samantha as our subordinates. They were ready to sacrifice their lives to protect us. One day I saw Samantha going through the Navy List. Navy List is a book which denotes the seniority and qualifications of naval officers. I asked why he was referring the Navy List and he said as per the seniority gap between two of us when I became a Rear Admiral, he would still be a Lieutenant Commander. I promised him if I made it to Rear Admiral one day, I would take him as my Flag Lieutenant [Aide-De-Camp (ADC)]. He was happy and he had mentioned this even to the SBS senior sailors. Before I embarked on difficult operation, I used to tell my wife Yamuna that I would be away for a few weeks and her only question to me always was Is Samantha Gallage going with you? She had a belief that Samantha would look after my safety and bring me home safely. In 1995, Samantha got married to Nishika, a young lady naval officer who was a teacher at our Naval pre-school. Samantha died in an SBS and Army Special Forces joint operation at Nallathannithuduvai in Chalai, Jaffna on October 20, 1996. His only son, Rumal was only eight months old when he sacrificed his life for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our Motherland. He was awarded the Weera Wickrama Vibushanaya posthumously for his valour and bravery during this operation. His wife Nishika died of cancer in 2011, leaving young Rumal alone in this world. Today 25-year-old Rumal is doing his higher Education in Australia. Keeping my promise to Samantha, I never took a Flag Lieutenant when I became a Rear Admiral on July 15, 2009. Even though Samantha is dead, I kept my promise to him. The seat and the table of Flag Lieutenant next to my office for last nine years were kept empty as an honour to my buddy who was ready to sacrifice his life for my protection. As the Navy Commander and now as Chief of Defence Staff, a four-star Admiral, I do not have a Flag Lieutenant. I have only Personal Security Officers (PSOs) but not a Flag Lieutenant. Every time I pass his empty chair and table, it reminds me of Samantha, my buddy who was ready to sacrifice his life for my protection. Lieutenant Commander (SBS) Samantha Gallage, WWV, RWP and Bar, RSP will remain as my Flag Lieutenant until the day I retire. They will grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the Sun and in the morning We will remember them Indias dangerous Pakistan policy By Shashi Tharoor, exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s): NEW DELHI Judging by the unsavory exchanges between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers at the recent United Nations General Assembly, the already deeply troubled bilateral relationship has reached a new low. What immediately preceded the UN session was bad enough. Less than 24 hours after agreeing to a bilateral meeting of foreign ministers on the margins of the General Assembly, India cancelled, citing the killing of three Indian police officers on their shared border and Pakistans issuance of a postage stamp honouring a slain Kashmiri terrorist. But such border incidents including both killings and retaliation are not new; several have already occurred this year. And while the stamps were certainly an unpleasant manifestation of Pakistans chronic glorification of anti-Indian violence, they were issued in July, a month before Prime Minister Imran Khan whose new government proposed the bilateral meeting was even sworn in. The Indian foreign ministrys allegation that these incidents exposed Khans true face was a mere fig leaf and a churlish one at that. In fact, with a general election six months away and five state elections set to take place before the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modis government simply did not want a meeting with Pakistan at a politically sensitive moment. Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to have decided to contest the upcoming elections on a hardline Hindutva platform. Hindutva, the ideology of Hindu chauvinism, prides itself on hostility toward Muslims in India, as well as toward Pakistan. Smiles and handshakes in New York would not have served that strategy. This reading is reinforced by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swarajs use of the UN podium to deliver a political campaign speech in Hindi to BJP voters back home. In it, she lambasted Pakistan and mentioned Modi twice as many times as she referred to India, on whose behalf she was supposed to be speaking. This is not to say that Khans government has been a paragon of diplomacy. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has taken a bizarre and damaging approach, alleging, for example, that Pakistan is under siege from Indian terrorism, a phenomenon that no objective international analyst has yet recognised. Qureshi also blames India for a 2014 attack on an army school in Peshawar that has been credibly attributed to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, a home-grown terrorist group waging war on the Pakistani government. Given that the one government the Pakistani Taliban hate more than Pakistans is Indias, the idea that they were doing Indias bidding on Pakistani soil is both grotesque and fatuous. Can the supposedly responsible governments of two nuclear-armed countries sink any lower? Unfortunately, it seems entirely likely. In Pakistan, Khans government, anointed by the Pakistani military, will progressively consolidate power. In India, election fever is hotting up under a government that has not hesitated to politicise the military and often substitutes marketing for tangible achievements. For example, the BJP constantly boasts of cross-border raids on terrorist camps in Myanmar and Pakistan. Last month, it celebrated the anniversary of one such raid across the Line of Control in Kashmir, despite the fact that the raid had no lasting geostrategic impact. Cross-border terrorist incursions, aided and abetted by the Pakistani military, have continued in the two years since. Meanwhile, foreign-policy experts are wondering whether India under Modi has a Pakistan policy at all. After demonising Pakistan in his campaign speeches, Modi invited his then-counterpart Nawaz Sharif to Delhi for his 2014 inauguration, raising hopes reinforced by exchanges of shawls, saris, and even sentimental letters to each others mothers of a new dawn in bilateral relations. Less than two months later, India and Pakistan were exchanging artillery fire across the still-sensitive border. Talks between their respective foreign ministers were called off when the Pakistanis proposed meeting Indian Kashmiri separatist leaders a common practice, to which earlier Indian governments had responded with official indifference. That November, at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Nepal, Modi pointedly stared at a brochure instead of greeting Sharif, though it was later revealed that the two leaders met privately in a hotel suite belonging to an Indian businessman. The pattern has repeated itself throughout Modis tenure. One day, the ruling party avers that talks and terror dont go together, and that Pakistan cannot be rewarded with a visit from Indian leaders until it makes progress on punishing the perpetrators of 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. The next day, Modi is winging impulsively to Lahore to attend a family celebration at Sharifs home, sending Indias surprised high commissioner scurrying late to the airport to receive his boss. Shortly after that impromptu visit to Lahore in late 2015, seven Indians were killed by Pakistani militants at the Pathankot Air Force Base, putting the bilateral relationship on ice again. More attacks from Pakistan have followed, bringing more inconsistent and episodic responses from India, typified in the latest UN setback. It is true that many Indian officials have found it frustrating to talk peace to a civilian government that because the military calls the shots in Pakistan seems unable or unwilling to deliver on any commitments. But the fact remains that Indias government lacks a cohesive policy framework for negotiating the relationship with its most turbulent neighbor, much less a compelling vision for lasting peace. Modis is a foreign policy by whim, not by design. As Indias election campaigns heat up, one can only hope that those whims and the incendiary rhetoric that often accompanies them do not ignite a conflagration. Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, is currently Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and an MP for the Indian National Congress. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018. www.project-syndicate.org This page no longer exists or may have been moved.If you believe this is a mistake please email Hurricane Michael death toll hits 13 Mexico Beach, United States, Oct 12 (AFP) Oct 12, 2018 The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to at least 13 on Friday amid fears it would continue to climb as search-and-rescue teams scour the debris of the Florida town that bore the brunt of the monster storm. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Florida Governor Rick Scott said of the town where Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. "It's like a bomb went off," Scott said as he toured the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. "It's like a war zone." Rescue teams were using sniffer dogs in Mexico Beach on Friday in a grim search for victims who may be buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that he expected the number of deaths to rise. "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically but I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest hit areas," he said. "What's happening is search and rescue is trying to get into the rubble to make sure that there's nobody covered up, trying to assess if there's additional casualties there," Long added. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach -- homes, shops and restaurants -- were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155-mile per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. "Storm surge causes the most amount of loss of life." - 'Sticks' - State officials said Mexico Beach was under mandatory evacuation orders but some residents decided to stay and try to ride out the storm. "You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else," Florida Senator Marco Rubio told CNN. But judging from the number of homes reduced to "sticks," he said "my sense is they are going to find more victims." Bob Tenbrunson, a Mexico Beach retiree, rode out the storm at his daughter's house in nearby Panama City and returned to survey the damage to his home. "I was going to stay here until it turned to a Cat 4," he said. "So I followed the mandatory evacuation order and left with my wife. "Luckily we did not get a surge," Tenbrunson said of his home. "I've got two trees on the roof and a couple of holes on the roof. I have been trying to patch it up the best I can." The rest of Mexico Beach did not fare as well, and most of the beachfront homes, restaurants and stores were obliterated by the storm. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here so I can't sell it now," Tenbrunson said. "I just have to be hopeful that (the town) will be rebuilt and fixed." At least four deaths from the storm have been confirmed in Florida, five in Virginia, one in Georgia and three in North Carolina. The latest two deaths in North Carolina occurred in McDowell County when a car struck a tree that had fallen across a road, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say it could be weeks before power is fully restored. - Trump to visit - President Donald Trump said meanwhile that he planned to visit Florida and Georgia next week. "People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia," Trump tweeted. "I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit -- and we are with you!" Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began in 1851. Many of the damaged Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. FEMA's Long expressed hope that in the future "we don't rebuild to the same standards" and called for "real building codes across this country." About 5,000 US servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, the Pentagon said, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to the F-22 stealth fighter, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. The base was evacuated ahead of the hurricane and the costly fighter planes were flown to other installations out of the path of the storm. Hurricane Michael death toll hits 17 Mexico Beach, United States, Oct 13 (AFP) Oct 13, 2018 The death toll from Hurricane Michael has risen to at least 17 with fears it would continue to climb Saturday as search-and-rescue teams scour the debris of the Florida town that bore the brunt of the monster storm. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Florida Governor Rick Scott said of the town where Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. "It's like a bomb went off," Scott said as he toured the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. "It's like a war zone." Rescue teams were using sniffer dogs in Mexico Beach on Friday to search for victims who may be buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. US media later reported one death in the town -- an elderly man found alone, according to Mayor Al Cathey. Officials said his body was found hundreds of yards from his home. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that he expected the toll to rise. "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically but I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest hit areas," he said. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach -- homes, shops and restaurants -- were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155 miles per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. "Storm surge causes the most amount of loss of life." - 'Sticks' - State officials said Mexico Beach was under mandatory evacuation orders but some residents decided to stay and try to ride out the storm. "You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else," Florida Senator Marco Rubio told CNN. Bob Tenbrunson, a Mexico Beach retiree, rode out the storm at his daughter's house in nearby Panama City and returned to survey the damage to his home. "I was going to stay here until it turned to a Cat 4," he said. "So I followed the mandatory evacuation order and left with my wife. "Luckily we did not get a surge," Tenbrunson said of his home. "I've got two trees on the roof and a couple of holes on the roof. I have been trying to patch it up the best I can." The rest of Mexico Beach did not fare as well, and most beachfront homes, restaurants and stores were obliterated by the storm. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here so I can't sell it now," Tenbrunson said. "I just have to be hopeful that (the town) will be rebuilt and fixed." Some residents arrived Friday with vans or moving trucks, hoping to recover as many personal effects from their splintered homes as they could. Others came with nothing -- as there was nothing left to save. Eight deaths from the storm have been reported in Florida, five in Virginia, one in Georgia and three in North Carolina. The two deaths in North Carolina occurred in McDowell County when a car struck a tree that had fallen across a road, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say it could be weeks before power is fully restored. - Trump to visit - President Donald Trump said he planned to visit Florida and Georgia. "People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia," Trump tweeted. "I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit -- and we are with you!" Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began in 1851. Many of the damaged Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. About 5,000 US servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, the Pentagon said, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to F-22 stealth fighters, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin HS Dillon and Bahtiar Manurung (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 11:19 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777890fc 3 Opinion Nobel-Peace-Prize,war,sexual-violence,gender-based-violence,crimes-against-humanity,human-rights Free Human rights advocate Nadia Murad and physician Denis Mukwege have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in bringing wartime sexual violence into the spotlight. This is a timely reminder that sexual violence is being systematically and strategically used as a tool for the expansion of widespread terror and eventual military success around the world. In Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State (IS) group enslaved women, complete with price tags, and trafficked them at markets where they would be sold into slavery. Indeed, the temptation of sexual slavery was used to recruit young men to join IS, or Daesh. For those opposing Daesh, meanwhile, it inculcated fear, undermined family structure and polluted the blood line of the population. The sexual violence was gruesome, with those refusing being burned alive in cages as examples, women and girls sold in markets, either electronically over a mobile phone messenger app where their photos and slave numbers were exchanged, or in market halls and prisons at prearranged times. They were then chained, beaten, raped and passed around like animals among the men. Women and girls began to scratch and bloody their own appearance in an attempt to make themselves unattractive to potential buyers. Others preferred to take their own lives by slitting their wrists or throats, hanging themselves or jumping off buildings. In total, 6,383 Yazidis were enslaved and transported to IS prisons, military training camps and the homes of fighters across eastern Syria and western Iraq, according to Iraqi parliament member Vian Dakhil. Murad was among the victims, who after three months imprisonment managed to escape and make her way to Germany as a refugee. The extraordinary number of Yazidi victims is now coming to light since IS has begun to lose territory in both Iraq and Syria, allowing the victims to be freed. Yet if this provides hope for the progress of humanity in the Middle East, there are still the minority for whom the light of hope has yet to dawn. Besides Congo and Iraq, sexual violence has also been used as a weapon of war in other parts of the world. This includes Myanmar, a country whose state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, was herself awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. As the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission reported, women and girls were the victims of sexual violence by the countrys armed forces. Similar to the IS strategy, sexual violence has been used to humiliate, terrorize, instill widespread fear and collectively punish the victims in this case, the Rohingya. It is also a calculated tool to force them to flee their homeland and prevent their return. The mission chaired by Indonesias Marzuki Darusman collected credible information on brutal rapes, including gang rapes, and other forms of sexual violence, often targeting girls and young women. The team was convinced by women who showed fresh and deep bite marks on their faces and bodies sustained during acts of sexual violence. Information received from medical experts and counsellors also overwhelmingly corroborated the accounts of rape survivors. Worse, the recent report of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that over half the girls they had treated following sexual assault were under 18 years old. Of those fleeing Rakhine state who had come to the clinic for treatment relating to rape, around half were aged 18 or under, including one 9-year-old girl and several others under the age of 10. They had fresh and deep bite marks on their faces and bodies, and their body parts had been mutilated. Many of those who were raped even died from their injuries. Given the similarities between the Yazidi and Rohingya, three pressing courses of action need to take place. First, hard though it may be, victims should be encouraged not to accept traditional social codes that require them to remain silent and ashamed of the abuses to which they have been subjected. Second, human rights intervention is urgently needed to remediate the appalling violence against the victims, because failure to do so would be a betrayal of the women and girls brave enough to share their trauma. Third, is the need to intensify joint international efforts to outlaw such violence and to prosecute the perpetrators, holding them fully responsible for their actions. Thus, in the case of the Rohingya violence, for instance, Marzuki and other investigators have called for a series of appropriate actions. Top priorities could include the United Nations Security Council imposing an arms embargo on Myanmar, subjecting its officials to targeted sanctions and setting up an ad hoc tribunal to try suspects or refer them to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. The award of this years Nobel Peace Prize is a reminder of the need to end this unacceptable use of sexual violence against women as a weapon of war, the need for protection and care for the survivors, the need to bring the perpetrators to justice and hold them fully accountable for their actions. *** HS Dillon and Bahtiar Manurung are respectively the co-founder and operations director at the Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards (FIHRRST), where Marzuki Darusman is chairman and co-founder. 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 (Agence France-Presse) Mumbai, India Sat, October 13, 2018 08:04 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877778ea3 2 Entertainment India,bollywood,Movie,film,MeToo,sexual-harrasment,gender Free India's growing #MeToo storm halted production of a Bollywood blockbuster Friday, with the film's lead calling for harassment claims against its director and his co-star to be "stringently" investigated. Star Akshay Kumar said he had requested that the making of Housefull 4 be stopped following allegations against director Sajid Khan and one of the film's actors, Nana Patekar. Accusations that Patekar behaved inappropriately on a film set 10 years ago sparked India's #MeToo movement, which has since engulfed Bollywood figures, a government minister and several comedians and top journalists. Patekar denies the allegations. "I've requested the producers (of Housefull 4)... to cancel the shoot until further investigation. This is something that requires stringent action," Kumar said on Twitter. "I will not work with any proven offenders and all those who have been subjugated to harassment should be heard and given the justice they deserve," the 51-year-old actor added. Khan, 46, tweeted his own statement shortly afterwards to announce that he was stepping down from the film "until the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth". Three women, an actor, an assistant director and a journalist took to Twitter on Thursday to accuse Khan of sexual harassment. Read also: #MeToo gathers steam in India, at last The actress said Khan had insisted that she strip during an audition while the journalist alleged the director had flashed his penis at her during an interview. Kumar's statement came two days after Bollywood power couple Aamir Khan and his film-maker wife Kiran Rao announced that they were withdrawing from the film Mogul over a molestation case against director Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor denies the charges. Kumar and Khan's interventions are being lauded for possibly signalling a watershed moment in Bollywood, where established male stars rarely speak out in support of victims. Some Indian actresses have long said that the industry, which is dominated by a few powerful players, needs to create an environment where victims can come forward without fear of being ostracized. Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane announced at the weekend they were severing ties with Bollywood director Vikas Bahl over a sexual assault allegation. Bahl denies that he sexually assaulted a female employee of Phantom Films, the production house behind Netflix original Sacred Games, in 2015 and has threatened to sue Kashyap and Motwane for defamation. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mathew Scott (Agence France-Presse) Busan, South Korea Sat, October 13, 2018 06:03 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087777614b 2 Entertainment Philippines,film,Movie,Busan-International-Film-Festival,film-festival,politics Free The Philippines' rich history of political and socially conscious cinema was on display this week at Asia's largest movie gathering, shadowed by the controversy over President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war. Busan International Film Festival delivered a record number of features from the nation, which has a turbulent political past, widespread poverty and is in the international eye due to condemnation of the president's narcotics crackdown. The 19 offerings gave an unflinching dive into the country's frailties and obsessions, including its political landscape. As the event that closes Saturday kicked into high gear on October 5, Duterte's leadership was fiercely criticized by Filipino director Mike de Leon, whose latest was screened at BIFF. "My country has hit rock bottom... again," he wrote on Facebook. "We have de facto become a dictatorship again, in everything but name." He was referring to the rule of Ferdinand Marcos who used martial law from 1972-1981 to shutter the legislature, muzzle the free press and jail or kill opponents. While Duterte has sky-high approval among Filipinos, according to polls, opponents charge he has resorted to similar abuses since taking power in 2016. De Leon, whose politically pointed family melodrama Citizen Jake made its international premiere at Busan, said he made the picture to document the nation's condition. It is an "indictment of the unchanging nature of Philippine society that, in my opinion and as shown in the film, is almost irredeemably damaged," he posted. Duterte, however, had his supporters among Filipino film-makers who made the trip to Busan, including Cannes-honored Brillante Mendoza. Read also: 'Ten Years Japan' film omnibus imagines post-nuclear future - 'Family and politics' - The director best known for his hyper-real depictions of the Philippines' dark underbelly of crime and poverty has defended Duterte's leadership and effort to eliminate drugs from the nation. His Netflix series Amo sparked controversy earlier this year with a tale of a young man swept away by his involvement in narcotics that critics called an argument in favour of Duterte's crackdown. "Cinema is addictive. It can change your life," Mendoza told journalists. "It became clear to me that films have a purpose. They can make a difference." The directors were reared in a nation with a deep tradition of movies that plunge into its troubled past and current social ills like sex trafficking. "Our films concentrate on our political concerns and on family," said Filipino film historian Tito Valiente. "They have followed our path from colonialism to nationalism." A Filipino retrospective at Busan also included a rare screening of Lamberto V. Avellana's class-war themed classic A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1965). Audiences at the festival, known for an open atmosphere where fans can connect with stars, also saw the world premiere of the triptych Lakbayan which touches on the issues of illegal land grabs and the plight of poor farmers. A host of filmmakers and stars from the nation travelled to South Korea's second largest city, including actors Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong. BIFF also saw a series of seminars looking at the history and future of Philippine cinema, which Philippines officials now plan to take to festivals around the world. "To understand our cinema you need to understand what the Philippines is," said veteran actor Joel Torre, part of the nation's delegation to BIFF. "We are a very mixed culture," he added. The festival concludes Saturday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Charles Onians (Agence France-Presse) Florence, Italy Sat, October 13, 2018 07:09 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877776ccd 2 Entertainment television,Netflix,streaming-service,series,united-states,Italy,Frank-Spotnitz,Amazon Free The once disruptive relationship between streaming producers like Netflix and national broadcasters is now inspiring a global renaissance in television drama, says a producer of such blockbuster series as the Medici saga. This is the best time ever for television, period, Frank Spotnitz told AFP TV at the Medici Palace in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and the setting for his latest dramatic bonanza, Medici: the Magnificent. Everywhere. it's the best time ever, there's this explosion in drama, not just in drama but in high-quality drama." he said in an interview this week. "But I think it's even more exciting in Europe and I think you could argue it's especially exciting in Italy, added Spotnitz, who started off writing for the 1990s series The X-Files and more recently created the hit Amazon series based on Philip K Dicks book The Man in the High Castle. The second Medici series, one episode of which was premiered to journalists in Florence on Wednesday, will be shown first by Italian state broadcaster RAI and then streamed by Netflix. It is produced by Italys Lux Vide, Frances Altice and Spotnitzs London-based Big Light Productions, an example of European cooperation, made by a largely Italian crew and Italian-British cast, shot in English and later to be dubbed in Italian. The Medici series charting the power-plays, backstabbing, sexual intrigue and artistic environment of Renaissance Florence as Lorenzo De Medici (played by teen heartthrob Daniel Sharman) rises to power, climaxes with an attempt on Lorenzos life in the citys cathedral at the hands of the rival Pozzi family, headed by Jacopo Pazzi played by Sean Bean. Just as the spirit of competition and patronage against a background of sporadic bloodletting created the Renaissance, so also the often tense relationship between traditional state broadcasters and Internet streaming services is now bearing fruit. Theyve been disruptive They've completely changed the way television is made, you're seeing that all over the world, said Spotnitz, with traditional studios from Hollywood to Europe having to adapt quickly, and viewers the undisputed winners because of the choice available. One of Spotnitzs upcoming projects is Leonardo which portrays the Renaissance polymath as a gay outsider and is being produced by The Alliance, a co-production group of top European broadcasters RAI, France Televisions and Germanys ZDF, created specifically earlier this year to combat streaming giants like Netflix. Read also: AT&T to launch streaming service, latest to counter Netflix - Drawing younger audiences - I don't think the traditional broadcasters need to be in conflict with streaming services and I actually think that far more often than not they work in partnership together, said Spotnitz, noting that, at the end of the day, the rivals provide different products. Netflix and Amazon are coming into these home countries, especially Netflix right now, and making shows in French and German and Italian, which is great, and they're shows that the traditional broadcasters would never make, he said. But for the day-to-day programming the traditional broadcasters are doing things that the streamers would never do, so I think it's important that they are valued and remain strong and continue to draw in younger audiences. The American producer, 57, has worked in Europe for eight years, living in Paris and commuting to work in London. The tricky part of being a producer in Europe is that we don't have these giant media corporations based in Europe (Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV)... so you have to still cobble together financing from different sources, he said. On the other hand you're still truly independent which is really a big plus. The first Medici series, starring Dustin Hoffman, was a huge success, particularly in Italy where it drew many young viewers away from their phones and tablets and back to the television. That has been the challenge for traditional broadcasters, not just in Europe but in the United States as well, the ageing of their audiences, said Spotnitz. I think the thing they need to do is to keep doing shows which will draw in the younger viewers so they watch television as well, not just streaming, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Cho Chung-un (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network) Sun, October 14, 2018 05:09 1129 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877798ee2 2 Lifestyle beauty,South-Korea,lifestyle,skincare,Cosmetics,K-pop Free Western cosmetics giants have dominated the beauty industry for a long time, but Korean brands are increasingly setting new standards of beauty, driven by the worldwide popularity of K-pop. A growing number of people, regardless of gender and age, are investing time and money on beauty products from Koreas cosmetic shops. This includes a large portion of foreigners searching for K-beauty -- a new norm referring to a wide range of skin care and makeup products that originate from Korea, and the unique looks they create. Emphasizing skin texture and tone, as well as colors seldom found at existing foreign brands, K-beauty styles defy stereotypical looks for Asian women, such as thin, arched eyebrows, smoky eyeshadow and dramatized cheekbones. Instead, K-beauty highlights age-defying porcelain-like skin and natural colors that blend well with ones skin tone. Natural and moist skin expression and idol-like makeup styles that make people look young and cheerful are the secrets of K-beauty, said Kim Bo-gyung, a senior makeup artist at Ahnangjae, a hair and beauty salon in Gangnam, southern Seoul. K-beauty evolves while absorbing fast-changing beauty trends thanks to YouTubers like Pony and RiSabae. The global popularity of Korean beauty products is led by cosmetic giants like Amorepacific, but there has also been growing interest in smaller cosmetic brands, such as 3CE. It is very popular in Vietnam. Many people in Vietnam find the price acceptable, and its better (than styles from US and Japan), said Thanh Nga, a tourist from Vietnam, while picking up 3CEs lipstick No. 401 at a Shilla Duty Free store in Seoul. Its easy (to apply) and smooth. Furthermore, consumers no longer fall for airbrushed images of Hollywood stars in advertisements, preferring instead to watch videos and pictures of bloggers testing products. Read also: The Foxconns of fast beauty propel South Korean cosmetics' success in China Many Chinese customers come to the store after they check how the colors of products turn out on actual skin on social media platforms like WeChat or Instagram, said Ahn Jeong-hyun a beauty consultant for 3CE at a Shilla Duty Free store. Many of them like this brick-colored lipstick, No. 909, as it makes their skin color lighter. This brownish red cant be found at other foreign brands. Korean cosmetics brands appeal to Chinese consumers in particular.Korea overtook France to become Chinas No. 1 source of cosmetics imports by value for the first time last year, according to reports. Data from the Customs Service showed that the value of Korean cosmetics exports was $3.9 billion, more than three times the value of those it imported last year. Duty-free operators have picked up on this trend. For instance, Shinsegae launched a retail zone exclusively for Korean cosmetic brands at its duty-free stores in Myeong-dong and Gangnam. The zone in Myeong-dong houses 154 Korean cosmetic brands, an official said. K-beauty has also been making inroads into the West. From facial mask sheets to cushion foundation packs, interest in K-beauty has been growing as Korean styles reinterpret conventional notions of beauty. I received so many messages from women and men from all ages and cultures who decided to try the Korean skin care routine and saw their skin -- and confidence -- transform for the better, wrote Charlotte Cho, the founder of Soko Glam, a New York-based online cosmetics retailer. On her website Cho suggests following the 10-step skin care routine to achieve near-perfect complexion including two steps of cleansing, four phases of nourishment and two more for protection. My hope is that learning about beauty from a Korean perspective will change the way you think about your skin and how you treat it, she wrote. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 10:03 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777877d9 1 Food Balis-Best-Eats-Awards,restaurant-awards,Bali-restaurants Free In order to provide a guide for diners to choose the best dining venues in Bali and to show all the great work that chefs on the island are doing, FoodieS magazine and Aqua Reflections has presented Balis Best Eats Awards and Guide 2018. The awarding event in Bali follows the resounding success of Jakartas Best Eats Awards and Guide, which recognized outstanding dining establishments in the capital. Jakartas Best Eats Awards gave accolades to the top 40 restaurants in town and awards in the categories of Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year and Bar of the Year, at a gala event in February. Now that FoodieS and Aqua Reflections have expanded their Best Eats concept to Bali, locals and visitors will be able to learn about the creative talents behind the developing landscape of Balis culinary scene. Reputable industry experts from all walks of life have been assembled to ensure credible, honest and fair judgment. The panel of judges consists of celebrity chef Yuda Bustara, Ubud Food Festival founder Janet de Neefe, chef and hotelier Sandra Djohan, sommelier and hotelier Guillaume Epinette, gourmand and member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs Baillage Bali Pierre Lang, celebrity chef Rinrin Marinka, president director of PT Tirta Investama (Danone AQUA) Corine Tap, Bali Food Safari founder Simon Ward and Jed Doble, publisher of FoodieS magazine. Restaurants will compete in one of three categories: Fine Dining, Upscale Dining and Casual Dining. They will be judged on criteria such as cuisine, quality of service, drinks menu or wine list and interior design or character. Read also: Kaum Jakarta named capital's restaurant of the year Following Jakarta, Bali may be considered the next thriving food hub of Indonesia. One of the island's restaurants, Locavore, has been placed at number 21 in the San Pellegrino and Acqua Pannas Asias 50 Best Restaurants 2018. This is Locavores third year in the ranking, following its debut at number 49 in 2016 and then 22 in 2017. Previously, Mozaic restaurant in Ubud ranked 50 in 2013, followed by Sarong at number 47 in 2014. More than just to give accolades, Balis Best Eats Awards has a bigger purpose. Flora Tobing, brand manager of Aqua Reflections, said in a press release that the awarding event was aimed at encouraging the growth of local culinary talent. We are taking a tangible step to show our commitment as Aqua Reflections in contributing to raising standards in quality for Indonesias culinary industry through Balis Best Eats. In addition, we hope that Balis Best Eats will encourage more local culinary talents to keep progressing and innovating to achieve excellence in the Bali culinary industry, Flora said. In order to compete, restaurants in Bali should register here. (acr/mut) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jossa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 07:54 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777780dc 1 Art & Culture UK-ID,cultural-diplomacy,festival,british-council,disability-equality,artists,music-festival,mental-health Free The British Councils annual UK/ID Festival returns for its final edition of the three-year UK/ID program. Running from Oct. 11 to Nov. 4, this years festival highlights three main themes under the central theme of Breaking Boundaries and they are creative technology, biodiversity, as well as disability and the arts. British Council Indonesia director Paul Smith explained that the boundaries mentioned in the theme referred to the creative relationships between Indonesia and the United Kingdom, as well as both nations diversity. We are breaking boundaries by celebrating and understanding the diversity in this country in obvious areas, like gender, ethnicity, the fabulous ethnic spread of the archipelago, But were also focusing this year on one very special area of diversity. We are celebrating the different creative abilities of different people under the diverse idea of diff-ability; that concept where everybody has a different and diverse kind of creative capacity, Smith said, adding that the concept of diff-ability will be further explored in the newly launched Festival Bebas Batas (Borderless Festival). Inspired by the biennial Unlimited Festival, Bebas Batas is billed as the first arts festival focusing on art by people with disabilities. The festival will run from Oct. 12 to 29 at the National Gallery of Indonesia, Central Jakarta. British Council Indonesia director of arts and creative industry Adam Pushkin said Bebas Batas was a priority for the council because no other country in the world is anywhere near perfect when it comes to disability rights. Britain has a lot of problems, but one of the things we have been good at the last 40 years, and especially in the last 10 years, has been creating an ecosystem for artists who are disabled, and creating opportunities for disabled people to use art to share experiences and perspectives to break boundaries, Pushkin said. Bebas Batas opens with a performance by Indonesian dance troupe CANdoDance along with London-based inclusive dance company Candoco, which performed for the first time in Indonesia. Highlights from Bebas Batas include Jakartas first deaf rave with Troi DJ Chinaman Lee, an installation on identity by Caglar Kimyoncu in collaboration with Abdi Karya and Pamflet. Indonesian artist Hana Alfikih, known as Hana Madness, will also showcase In Chains, an installation about individuals with mental disabilities, including those who experience pasung (shackling). Along with Bebas Batas, the 2018 UK/ID Festival also contributes to the closing of Wallace Week 2018 the councils yearly initiative celebrating British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace and his findings on Oct. 17 through a performance by indie rock band British Sea Power, Indonesian electronic duo Bottlesmoker and DJ/environmentalist Ninda Felina. After the closing performance, British Sea Power will be joined by Bottlesmoker and Greenpeace to record natural sounds from the Indonesian forests, which will be showcased at Brightspot Market on Oct. 27. In the field of fashion, British womenswear brand Teatum Jones will showcase a collaboration with Indonesian label Sean Sheila at Jakarta Fashion Week on Oct. 21. Finally, the festival will end with a segue to The Other Festival, which celebrates creative technology done in collaboration with Double Deer Records, which will be held at Hotel Monopoli from Nov. 2 to 4. The Other Festival will feature a lineup of performances and installations, ranging from Indonesian electronic duo Kimokals collaboration with Chris Massey of Sprechen Music to an installation by WAFT Lab and Robbie Thomson, where a two-stroke engine is hacked to play electronica. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Sat, October 13, 2018 14:13 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087778df42 1 National flood,flash-flood,North-Sumatra Free At least 11 students have died while another 10 are missing after a flash flood inundated a school building in Muara Saladi village in Mandailing Natal regency, North Sumatra, on Friday afternoon. The deluge that was preceded by downpours since Thursday also damaged 22 houses and electricity poles in the provinces southern regency. Mandailing Natal Disaster Management Agency head Yasir Nasution said the flood suddenly arrived at 4 p.m. while the students were in class at SD No. 235 state elementary school. Eleven students were found dead, while dozens are still missing, Yasir told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. He said search and rescue teams were on site trying to find the missing students, but were hampered by disrupted telecommunications and access in the area. It was also reported on Saturday morning that another two, a police officer and a bank official, died after a vehicle that carried them fell into the overflowing Aek Saladi River. The heavy rain earlier caused floods on Thursday that inundated Sikara Kara village, cutting road and electricity access in the area. A bridge also collapsed because of flooding, but there were no casualties in the incident. Another flash flood hit Sibolga, the city in the north of the province, on Thursday, killing a family of four. Their bodies were found under the rubble of their house in Sibolga Ilir subdistrict. Sibolga mayor Syarfi Hutauruk sent his deepest condolences for the deaths of the four residents. He explained that rainstorms had occurred in several areas in Sibolga since Thursday at noon, prior to the flooding Several areas in Sibolga, Syarfi went on to say, are prone to flooding and erosion when the rainy season comes, especially in Ketapang and Dolok Martimbang. Some areas here [in Sibolga] are prone to disaster, thats why we always ask the public to be cautious, especially for those who live on the riverbanks or hill slopes, Syarfi said on Friday. In Simalungun, a severe flood killed a husband and wife who were dragged by the strong currents that struck their house. Their bodies were found 2 kilometers away from their house. (dpk/wit) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Sat, October 13, 2018 12:23 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777899bb 1 Business bni,banking-industry,#IMFWBG,banks,UOB,standard-chartered,HSBC Free Indonesian lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) has strengthened its cooperation with its regional counterparts Standard Chartered, DBS, UOB and HSBC, during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Nusa Dua, Bali. It held a series of discussions on, among other things, export development and business partnerships from Thursday to Friday, it said on Saturday. BNI treasury and international business director Rico Rizal Budidarmo said the cooperation with the regional banks would help boost its trade finance services and support business expansion. Prior to the Bali meetings, we have been working together on various services, such as trade transactions, banking guarantee, remittance, treasury and syndication We expect to further upgrade our services to customers in our branches across Indonesia and eight branches overseas in Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, London, New York, Seoul and Yangon, Rico said in a statement. BNI is an official banking partner of the meetings. It provides currency exchange services and also issues virtual account assistant (BNIVast) cards for finance ministers, central bankers and and debit account cards for delegates during the meetings. At least 25 finance ministers have attended the meetings, at which more than 34,000 delegates from 189 countries were also present. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fulya Ozerkan (Agence France-Presse) Aliaga, Turkey Sat, October 13, 2018 08:50 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877780412 2 World Turkey,pastor,diplomatic-spat,united-states Free An American pastor held for two years in Turkey was flying home to the United States Friday after a court freed him in a case that sparked a crisis in Ankara's ties with Washington and trouble for its economy. The court in the western town of Aliaga convicted Andrew Brunson on terror-related charges and sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail, an AFP correspondent said. However, he was released taking into account time served and his good conduct during the trial, with the court lifting his house arrest and overseas travel ban. After briefly going back to his home in the nearby city of Izmir to collect belongings, Brunson was driven to Izmir airport where he boarded a US military plane. US President Donald Trump had pressed Turkey to release Brunson, who has become a cause celebre for Trump's conservative Christian base. Trump said he would meet the pastor as soon as he returns. "Good news, Pastor Brunson is in the air," Trump told reporters as he arrived in Cincinnati on a campaign stop ahead of congressional elections. "He is coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday." The president opened the campaign rally by telling supporters he was "proud to report" Brunson's release. "I think he's going to be in great shape," Trump said. The pastor was initially en route to the US air base of Ramstein in Germany, from where he would head onwards back to the United States, his lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP. Brunson, who was first detained in October 2016, faced up to 35 years in jail on charges of aiding terrorist groups and espionage. Prosecutors then demanded a sentence of up to 10 years. He was convicted on charges of aiding terrorist groups while not being a member of them. Brunson and US officials insisted he is innocent of all charges. "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey," he said in his final defence. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. Brunson's detention caused not just one of the worst diplomatic rows of recent times between NATO allies Turkey and the US, but also led to a crash in the Turkish lira which exposed the country's economic fragility. But further strains remained. After Brunson's release, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to free "quickly" other Americans in detention. "The world should know that (Trump and the State Department) continue to work hard to bring home all American hostages and those wrongfully imprisoned and detained," Pompeo tweeted. NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month. And two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was on Friday denied release in a separate court hearing. Anthony Skinner, director of Middle East and North Africa at the Verisk Maplecroft consultancy, said that the US and Turkey had plenty of disagreements beyond Brunson. "The clamp has now been removed, which opens the way for bilateral negotiations to address other sources of disagreement, but Washington and Ankara still have to navigate through a minefield," Skinner said. He pointed to the order by Turkey of Russian S-400 missile defence systems which has riled its Western allies, as well as Ankara's determination to do business with Iran in defiance of US sanctions. Turkey is bracing for potential fines from US authorities over Iran sanctions busting by Turkish lender Halkbank, which has already seen the jailing of its deputy director general in the United States. The release of Brunson came at a sensitive time for the Turkish leadership, which is under global scrutiny over how it handles the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul last week. Both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump have pressed Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi. If the Brunson issue is resolved to Washington's satisfaction, it could help the two sides coordinate their Saudi policy more closely. Erdogan, who has in the past taken aim at Brunson, appeared to distance himself from the case in his latest comments earlier this week, saying he could not interfere in judicial affairs. US broadcaster NBC said Turkey and the United States had reached a secret deal for Brunson to be released on Friday and for some charges against him to be dropped, in exchange for the US easing "economic pressure" that included sanctions which have hammered the lira. Trump denied any deal, saying, "We spoke to Turkey and went through a system." Skinner, the analyst, said the "key question" remained what Turkey received for freeing Brunson. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13 2018 Following a recent string of accidents involving the citys Bus Rapid Transit service, PT Transportasi Jakarta president director Budi Kaliwono has said that such accidents are caused by external factors. Most Transjakarta accidents are caused by other people, he said on Thursday as quoted by tempo.co. Budi added that some accidents were caused by driver negligence, saying that external factors triggered most of them, such as motorcyclists who used bus lanes or pedestrians who crossed them. 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 Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 19:00 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877793fcf 1 Politics death-penalty,Indonesia,Malaysia,AmnestyInternational,usman-hamid Free Indonesia should follow in Malaysias footsteps in abolishing the death penalty, a human rights group has said. Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said an initiative to abolish the death penalty could come from the House of Representatives. In Malaysia, the initiative comes from the government. In Indonesia, it could come from the House, as the initiator of the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes, he said, adding that such a move would be supported by the global community. Usman said he appreciated a statement made by Charles Honoris, a member of the Houses foreign affairs and defense commission who suggested that Indonesia learn from Malaysia. We recommend that the House communicate with the Malaysian parliament as soon as possible to process the proposal of a death sentence abolition Usman said. Previously, Malaysia's cabinet agreed to abolish the death penalty, with more than 1,200 people on death row set to win a reprieve following a groundswell of opposition to capital punishment, AFP reported. Capital punishment in Malaysia is currently mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking, among other crimes, and is carried out by hanging a legacy of British colonial rule. Malaysia's communications and multimedia minister Gobind Singh Deo confirmed that the cabinet had resolved to end the death penalty. "I hope the law will be amended soon," he said as quoted by AFP. British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik (right) and Australian Finance Minister Josh Fraydenberg walk after placing flowers at the Bali bombings monument on Friday. The two officials visited the monument on the sidelines of the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group to commemorate the anniversary of the 2005 bombings, which killed 202 people and injured 209, mostly foreign tourists. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)(right) and Australian Finance Minister Josh Fraydenberg walk after placing flowers at the Bali bombings monument on Friday. The two officials visited the monument on the sidelines of the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group to commemorate the anniversary of the 2005 bombings, which killed 202 people and injured 209, mostly foreign tourists. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 17:51 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777932a3 1 World Netherlands,Indonesia,tortures,Court,colonialism Free The Dutch government has appealed a court decision that holds it liable for abuse and torture against an Indonesian man while he was held captive by the Dutch army in 1947. Yaseman testified before a district court in The Hague, the Netherlands, through Skype in July 2017, saying that he was abused while in detention and during questioning by the Dutch army more than 70 years ago. On July 18 this year, the court in The Hague stated as proven that Dutch soldiers smashed the skull of the captured Yaseman with a stick in 1947 and put out a cigarette on his head, the Committee of Dutch Honor Debts (KUKB), which is providing legal advocacy for Yaseman, said in a statement on Thursday. The ruling required that the state pay Yasemans relatives 5,000 euros (US$5,787), it added. Yaseman himself did not get a chance to hear the ruling as he died shortly after giving his testimony. He was 89. KUKB chairman Jeffry Pondaag lamented the Dutch governments move to appeal the ruling. Beyond a doubt, this is a violation of human rights of the first order, he said in the statement. Yasemans lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld echoed Jeffrys sentiment, saying, It is a known fact that the Netherlands engaged in large-scale torture during the independence war. Of all the victims, only one has registered with the court, and that is Mr. Yaseman. It is a shame that the state will not take responsibility, even for this one case." Yaseman was arrested by the Royal Dutch Indies army in 1947 when he was 18 years old on suspicion of being an Indonesian independence fighter. During his 13 months of captivity, Yaseman said he was tortured in a variety of ways, including waterboarding and electrocution. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 15:33 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308777908dc 4 City teachers,contract-worker,Bekasi,salary,city-budget Free Thousands of contract teachers in Bekasi, West Java, have not received their salaries for the past two months on the back of the stalled deliberation of the revision to the city budget. Around 3,800 teachers have not been paid for their services in August and September, the coordinator of the Bekasi branch of the Indonesia Contract Worker Defenders Front Firmansyah said. The teachers salary was recently raised to Rp 3.8 million (US$250) per month after they were reclassified as contract teachers. They previously received Rp 2.7 million per month as associate teachers. Although classed as contract or associate teachers, they are usually employed full-time. Firman urged the Bekasi's administration to disburse the payment to the teachers, who were struggling to make ends meet. They are thinking hard on how to cover their daily expenses, he said as reported by kompas.com on Saturday. Bekasi Education Agency head Ali Fauzi said the funds to pay the contract teachers were allocated in the 2018 city budget. However, since their salary was raised, the funds available were inadequate to pay the teachers. The administration was waiting for the 2018 revised budget to be endorsed by the Bekasi Legislative Council, so that it could disburse the adjusted salary. We only need to wait for the revised budget to be approved by the city council, he said. (gis) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Nusa Dua, Bali Sat, October 13, 2018 08:43 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087777fdd4 2 World Donald-Trump,Xi-Jinping,China,trade-war,G20-meeting Free U.S. President Donald Trump would go through with plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit next month if it looked like it would be a positive meeting, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday. "If it looks like we can make positive direction, then I'm sure that the president will have the meeting. But we need to do work in advance to make sure that there will be changes and that we can have a more balanced trading relationship," Mnuchin told CNBC in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings inBali, Indonesia. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sri Wahyuni (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 15:14 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087779044a 1 Politics UGM,freedom-of-assembly,Prabowo-Sandiaga,Prabowo-Subianto,sudirman-said,Ferry-Mursyidan-Baldan,academic-freedom,political-polarization Free The School of Husbandry at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) has prohibited a seminar involving two former ministers, who are members of presidential candidate pair Prabowo SubiantoSandiaga Unos presidential candidate camp, from taking place at the faculty auditorium. A statement jointly signed by the schools dean Ali Agus and Student Executive Agency (BEM) chairman Angger M. Ghozwan Hanif declared that the seminar was not part of the BEMs activities, therefore the school canceled the permit they had issued earlier. The Seminar on Leadership in the Millennial Era was due to present former energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said and former agrarian and spatial planning minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan. Both were ministers under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo but are now members of the Prabowo-Sandiaga camp. The chairman of the seminars organizing committee, student Jibril Abdul Aziz, said the forum was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. on Friday at the schools auditorium. He said the organizing committee got the permit from the faculty on Thursday afternoon. Jibril shared a copy of a letter with The Jakarta Post, containing a request to use the auditorium. The letter heading was that of the BEM and Angger signed the request. The head of Husbandry Science and Industry Study Program, Diah Tri Widayati, also signed the request as a notified party. But this morning, at about 9 a.m., the campus told me that the permit to use the auditorium was canceled, Jibril told the Post on Friday. He said a school staff member told him that the cancelation was made for security reasons, over fears that the meeting might cause unrest. He said he also received threats from the staff member. If you insist on conducting the seminar here, you could be ousted from the school, Jibril said, quoting the staff member as saying. Iva Ariani, head of UGM's communication and protocol department, denied any such threat. "There was no such thing," she told the Post. Avoiding possible further conflict with the campus, he said, the organizing committee finally decided to move the seminar to a restaurant on Jl. Magelang, located some 5 kilometers to the northwest of the school. Jibril claimed the program was free of political interest. He added that two weeks prior to the event both former ministers had been asked to leave any political attributes behind, considering their positions as members of a presidential candidates camp. They were also told not to insert any political messages into their speeches. Both had agreed to do so, said Jibril, adding that even after being moved to the restaurant, no political messages or attributes emerged in the seminar. The third speaker in the list was Zaki Arrobi, a writer and a former junior researcher at UGMs Center for Security and Peace Studies. It was purely academic, as part of [preparations] to face the Industrial Revolution 4.0, Jibril said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Purbalingga, Central Java Sat, October 13, 2018 14:30 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087778eb23 1 News Sumanto,cannibalism,race,Purbalingga,tourism,tourist-attraction Free The Purbalingga regency tourism office in Central Java held a race on Sunday, Oct. 7, in which participants were "chased" by former cannibal, Sumanto. Purbalingga tourism office staff member, Prayitno, told The Jakarta Post on Friday, The idea started as a joke among us, but then it was approved by the regent and we held a trial at a new tourist attraction: Klawing Riverside. According to Prayitno, the race event was such a success that similar events will be held at other tourist attractions in Purbalingga, also featuring Sumanto. Winners of the race were awarded local souvenirs such as Klawing rock carvings and a variety of local produce. Participants of the race are 'chased' by Sumanto in Purbalingga, Sunday, Oct.7. (Purbalingga regency administration public relations/File) Read also: 'Raw': a blood-soaked coming-of-age flick Sumanto, who is a Pelumutan village resident, made the news back in 2003 when he was charged with cannibalism. His interest in learning black magic saw him steal cadavers and consume the flesh to increase his supernatural powers. Sumanto was sentenced to five years imprisonment, but he was released in 2006 under remission. Experts believed Sumanto was mentally disturbed. Following his release, Sumanto was rehabilitated at the An-Nur rehabilitation house in Karanganyar, Purbalingga. (asw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 13, 2018 13:31 1130 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087778c8d3 1 News Wings-Air,Karimunjawa-Islands,Semarang,travel,flight Free Wings Air, a subsidiary of the Lion Air Group, has launched a new route that connects Dewadaru Airport on Karimunjawa and Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang, both in Central Java. Wings Air will be the only airline that links both airports on a regular basis as the flight will be available once a day, with the first flight scheduled for Friday, Oct. 12. The IW-1916 flight will depart from Semarang at 11:20 a.m. local time and arrive in Karimunjawa at 11.50 local time. Meanwhile, the IW-1915 will take off from Karimunjawa at 12:10 p.m. local time and land in Semarang at 12:40 p.m. local time. Read also: Wings Air to open Surabaya-Labuan Bajo route With the duration of around 40 minutes, the route will use the ATR 72-500 or ATR 72-600 with a capacity of 72 economy seats. Redi Irawan, Wings Airs operations director, told kompas.com that both Semarang and Karimunjawa are ideal and interesting destinations to explore. This new route is a way to connect both places, Redi said. Our plan is to bring more travelers to Karimunjawa. (wir/mut) Tomi Adeyemi. Image: Luigi Novi.Given that the movie is coming out this month, now would be the perfect time to pick up Angie Thomas' hit YA novel: inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The Hate U Give follows Starr as she attempts to navigate the aftermath of her best friend Khalil being shot by the police. The book has made waves since its release due to the honest and matter of fact way it deals with police brutality towards African-Americans, so definitely a must read for Black History Month.Children of Blood and Bone is an epic fantasy novel following an all-black cast of characters (a real rarity in fantasy!) as they fight to return magic to their land. I read this book this year and it's one of my favourite books of 2018, it's a super exciting adventure story with really flawed and complex characters and such an awesome magic system. Fantasy fans will eat this one up!Noughts and Crosses is the first of a five book series (the fifth book comes out next year), in a world where racism is reversed, Crosses (black people) are the ruling class and Noughts (white people) are treated as inferior. The story follows Sephy, a Cross, and Callum, a Nought, childhood friends who fall in love despite the prejudices of their society and have to deal with the fallout which comes from that. This book is one of my absolute favourites, I reread it a couple of years ago and it's still just as powerful now as it was then,Reni Eddo-Lodge's viral blog post about racism led to a smash hit book released last year on the same topic. In her book, Eddo-Lodge explores different issues surrounding race; white dominance, white privilege, white feminism and the links between class and race. An an absolute must-read.One of the most famous books written by a black author, The Colour Purple follows three African American women living in Georgia in the 1930s and the struggles they face in an increasingly unequal society. Alice Walker was the first ever black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with this book in 1983.If you find yourself missing Barack Obama (as many of us do...), then you can always pick up his memoirs. Written before he was even a senator, let alone President, this book will remind you of better times, while reading the life story of a very inspiring man.As Nnedi Okorafor's sci-fi fantasy novel has been optioned for TV by HBO, with George RR Martin executive producing, this would be the perfect time to become familiar with her novel. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of Sudan where the light skinned Nuru oppress the dark skinned Okeke and the protagonist is a mixed race girl (the product of rape of her mother by a Nuru man) who goes on a quest to defeat her father.Dear Martin is another Black Lives Matter book, but this time from a male perspective. Dear Martin follows teen Justyce McAllister who starts writing a journal to Dr Martin Luther King Jr as a way of dealing following an incident of police brutality.It stands to reason that in Black History Month, you might want to read some real black History, so with that in mind, Hidden Figures, a book written by a black woman about real black women who made a very real contribution to the Space Race in the 1960s, would be the perfect book to try. And if you like, you can watch the really great movie afterwards!The Belles is a recent YA release which is set in a world called Orleans, where everyone is "grey" (ie ugly) and they can only be made beautiful by the Belles, women who have control over Beauty. The story follows Camellia who wants to be the chosen Belle to the Queen of Orleans but in her fight to be chosen, has to make a difficult choice whether to save her life and protect the status quo or risk untold danger by reviving the ill princess of Orleans. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low around -4C. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. 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. mkjhorse : I need an adaptor for a Sony SA-CT260H sound bar to a Samsung Series 7100 TV. Is there such adaptor? Get whatever length of cable you need. Here is an example which is cheap and will work. There are various length options. There are longer options and shorter options too, if you want something else Dabord buteur contre lex-Swaziland (4-1), Mohamed Salah est finalement sorti sur blessure avec la selection egyptienne. Lattaquant de Liverpool sest blesse dans les dernieres minutes de la rencontre et devra passer des examens plus pousses pour connaitre la duree de son indisponibilite. Il sest fait une petite elongation, nous allons faire une radio des que possible. Je ne pense pas quil pourra jouer mardi prochain , a estime un porte-parole du staff medical apres le match. I am visiting Greece at a critical time after some difficult years in our relations. We are making a new start. This was evident in our talks. Greece and Germany are approaching each other again. We are looking at our common future. An important message in this direction is the creation of a Hellenic-German Youth Foundation. I am very happy that my friend, President Pavlopoulos, and I were able to start it together," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Friday. 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: Arne List License: CC-BY-SA APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), has installed three new weighbridges at the kingdom's prime port at Hidd, as part of its plans to streamlining its operations. The company's investment in the three new weighbridges is aimed at enhancing its VGM (verified gross mass) service offerings. It comes as part of APM Terminals Bahrain's continued efforts to upgrade the KBSP infrastructure and provide increased efficiency and sufficient capacity for future export growth. The new pit-mounted weighbridges, includes a combination of fully and semi-automated weighbridges which will be located at three different points, that is two in the weighbridges at the entry gate and one at the weighbridge inside the container terminal. This will be in addition to the two manually-operated weighbridges currently operational at the terminal. The new weighbridges are expected to ensure uninterrupted truck flows with streamlined operations. This will also enable container trucks to have smooth and safer access to the weighbridge at road-level. They will be linked with the KBSPs terminal operating system to automatically provide a VGM record for the container thereby reducing costs, risks and delays for customers. All trucks entering the terminal will have to be pre-registered and will be supplied with an RFID card by APM Terminals which the truck driver is required to swipe on entry and exit enabling generation of VGM. Furthermore, digital loads cells have been installed on the new weighbridges to improve weight accuracy and minimal maintenance, thus enabling exporters to perform double transactions reducing the overall waiting and queuing time by trucks inside the terminal. The new weighbridges is yet another initiative from APM Terminals Bahrain to facilitate smooth trade flows in the kingdom aligned with the governments strategy on developing best-in-class national infrastructure that supports development of Bahrains maritime and logistics services that facilitates overall trade growth.-TradeArabia News Service It might seem like an odd confluence of events, but the WWE is now in the middle of an international incident involving the suspected murder of a Saudi journalist in Turkey and a wrestling event that's due to take place next month in Riyadh. The WWE has been expanding into Saudi Arabia, hosting a major event earlier this year which was marked by controversy over showing women wrestlers during a promotional segment. Its next event, The Crown Jewel, will see the likes of Triple H and Shawn Michaels come out of retirement for a tag-team match against the Undertaker and Kane, who recently won a mayoral election. (Yes, really.) Senator Chris Murphy of CT (home of WWE HQs) says if the Turkish allegation of murder is true, it should represent a fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia. This could end up being troublesome for WWE's event deal with Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/nkUKoZDqMs Wade Keller (@thewadekeller) October 10, 2018 However, since news broke about the suspected murder of Jamal Koshoggi, a vocal Saudi journalist who disappeared when he entered his home country's consulate in Turkey, WWE's event has come under fire by fans and politicians alike. Koshoggi has been a vocal critic of the current regime under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father, King Salman, and his disappearance has shocked the world. Richard Branson of Virgin pulled out of two of his advisory roles in the Saudi Vision 2030 projects, whilst a number of businesses - including CNN, The Financial Times, Viacom, and CNBC - have all pulled out of the Saudi Future Investment Initiative. The WWE event, however, is still going ahead as a statement released by Vince McMahon only mentioned that the WWE is "monitoring the situation." Even without the added context of Jamal Koshoggi's disappearance and alleged murder inside a Saudi consulate, the WWE has been under fire for hosting events in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's stringent laws against both women and the LGBT flies in the face of many performers in the company, not to mention the WWE's audience itself. The event, particularly the Crown Jewel, will earn the WWE a significant payday if it goes ahead, however US politicians have been urging sanctions against Saudi Arabia in light of the situation. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and represents the state WWE is based, has urged them to call off the event. "Id hope that they would be rethinking their relationship with the kingdom especially with respect to events coming up in the next weeks like (the WWE Crown Jewel)", Murphy told the IJR. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied that Jamal Koshoggi was murdered in their consulate. Human development is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices. In the streets of Lima, the number of informal vendors has multiplied since 2015. The newcomers are mostly Venezuelans and they are easy to recognize they wear caps with a shiny V on the front and jackets with their homelands yellow, blue and red flag across their chest. They also sell atypical products for Peruvians, like Venezuelan pastries and arepas, a national staple made from maize flour. Luis Antonio Perez sells hot chocolate and sweet bread. The 24-year-old came all the way from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, on foot and by hitchhiking. It took him and his best friend 20 days to reach Lima. Antonio was studying philosophy at a university in Venezuela, but as the situation worsened, he had to drop out. It was either studying or eating, and I chose to eat, he says. Over two million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015. Over 450,000 have made their way to Peru, the highest arrivals figure after Colombia, which has nearly one million Venezuelans in its territory. Peru has also become the top destination country for Venezuelans seeking refugee protection, with over 150,000 asylum requests. See also: UNHCR to intensify aid to Venezuelans in Colombia I commend Peru for keeping their doors open and creating alternative legal ways to allow Venezuelans to stay. Addressing the humanitarian needs of Venezuelans and easing their legal requirements to work and access social services in host countries should be a regional priority, and it will require more support from the international community, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during a visit to Lima and Tumbes, at the Peru-Ecuador border. Grandi is on a week-long mission to South America to see first-hand the needs of Venezuelans who have left their country, and to discuss best responses with the hosting countries in the region. "They remain more vulnerable if they do not register themselves formally. Luis Antonio stands with his thermos on a busy corner across from the headquarters of Perus National Superintendence of Migration. Since May 2018, the office has been open 24 hours a day to attend the overwhelming number of requests from Venezuelans looking to legalize their status in the country. Lima is the only place where they can obtain the documents needed to get a temporary permit which allows them to work and thousands visit the office every day. A reception area has been turned into a childcare centre, where volunteer primary school teachers take care of kids while their parents wait for their paperwork. The toys, crayons and blocks available are all donations from migration officers. Migrations office in Lima is open 24 hours a day to attend thousands of Venezuelans looking to obtain a temporary stay permit. UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo Luis Antonio Perez (centre), 24, from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, sells hot chocolate and sweet bread outside the Migrations headquarters in Lima, Peru, accompanied by fellow street vendors from Venezuela. UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo Luz Tamara Angulo (left) provides psycho-social social support for Venezuelan children at the Scalabrini shelter in Lima, Peru. UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo Peru is trying to ease the process of regularizing Venezuelans migratory status, in an effort to give them quick access to work opportunities. In January 2017, the Peruvian government established a Temporary Stay Permit for Venezuelans who legally entered Peru, granting them the right to work, study and open a bank account for one year, with the possibility of renewal. More than 110,000 Venezuelans have so far obtained the permit. We needed a mechanism that would allow them to stay in Peru. They remain more vulnerable if they do not register themselves formally, says Roxana del Aguila, general manager at the National Superintendence of Migration, about the Temporary Stay Permit. Gaining access to social services saved the life of Kelvin Bricenos wife. Shortly after the family reunited in Lima in January 2018, Marelis fell severely ill. One night she collapsed, and Kelvin took her to the hospital. Marelis spent 22 days in the intensive care unit with kidney failure. Kelvins earnings selling iced tea on the street were not enough to pay for the hospital bills. On top of that, he had to take care of their two-year-old daughter, Jimena, by himself. I did not have the money to pay, I did not have health insurance, Kelvin says. I was scared that she would fall ill again, because we could not afford to get her dialysis regularly. Special residency card saves life of Venezuelan in Peru (Marta Martinez, producer / Roberto Villanueva, camera-editor / Marion Viguier, editor) Three weeks later, Marelis went into a crisis again. She spent another 12 days at the hospital. But by this time, she had been able to legalize her status in Peru due to her illness. Her residence card grants her access to the public health system. Very few Venezuelans only 0.6 per cent of those in Peru are granted extraordinary residency related to vulnerability like Marelis and thereby have access to the national health system. Marelis is now able to get her regular dialysis. Kelvin is in the process of getting the Temporary Stay Permit for him and their daughter Jimena yet currently the permit does not grant access to the health system. Only pregnant women and children under five have public health access. The family gets by selling empanadas Kelvin cooks early in the morning and a local church offered them a space to live. I was scared that she would fall ill again, because we could not afford to get her dialysis regularly. Venezuelan refugees and migrants arriving in Peru are in dire need of advice and support. Beyond food and shelter, the difficult journeys they have gone through has had a lasting impact on their psychological health. Soon after her arrival at the Scalabrini temporary shelter, Luz Tamara Angulo began providing psychosocial support to other fellow Venezuelans. Although she has only been in Peru for four and a half months, Luz has become the go-to person for the 80 Venezuelan migrants and refugees currently living at the shelter. She patiently listens to their stories and answers their questions about how to find a job or legalize their status. Over a quarter of them are children. Luz pays special attention to their psychological needs. Many are anxious about the unknown, because they have lost their home, Luz says. It was their community, their family losing all that in the blink of an eye is something they dont understand. Luz has also noticed many children who had not had enough to eat for a long time. That has a huge impact on the cognitive aspects of the child, she says. The type of job they are performing also has a psychological impact. Psychologist Julio Rondinel has noticed similar patterns among adults. He works with a group of Venezuelans in Callao, a working class suburb of Lima that has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Venezuelans living there. Depression and anxiety are very common. Many suffer an emotional crisis due to the fact that a big part of their family is still back in Venezuela, the psychologist explains. They represent the hope for the whole family to survive. Being here means I came to save the others, he says. See also: Vulnerable Venezuelans find help in Colombia Another factor that increases their emotional stress is that many of the Venezuelans arriving in Peru are educated professionals, says Rondinel. Back in Venezuela they were teachers, doctors, engineers while here in Peru they struggle to get any jobs and often end up as informal sellers on the street. The type of job they are performing also has a psychological impact, he says. It affects their self-confidence, their social acceptance. Migsoe Moreno, 40, is one of Rondinels patients. She was a teacher back in Venezuela, but in the three months she has been living in Lima she has not been able to find a stable job and has had to resort to street selling to maintain herself and her two daughters. We come prepared, and we want to contribute our knowledge to this country, Migsoe says with tears in her eyes. We want to formalize our stay in this country that is opening its doors to us. UNHCR UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is shocked at news that 11 people were killed today, after the car they were in collided with a truck in northern Greece. The report comes just days after two women and one teenage girl were found dead near the Greek bank of the Evros River, which demarcates the border with Turkey. We are deeply saddened by the devastating news from an area where thousands of refugees have risked their lives and crossed into Greece on irregular routes, said Philippe Leclerc, the representative in Greece of UNHCR. More than 12,700 refugees and migrants have crossed to Greeces north-east so far in 2018, according to data compiled by UNHCR, more than double the number that crossed in 2017. At least 40 deaths have been recorded in the region in 2018, nearly half having drowned in the fast-flowing Evros River. These horrific deaths are part of the broader dangers faced by people who find themselves at the mercy of human smugglers, who exploit their vulnerability. UNHCR once again calls for alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection through safe and legal channels to reach the European Union, including family reunification and resettlement. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter UNHCR regularly recruits voluntary interns to support teams within UNHCR UK and UNHCRs global fundraising team. These internships are usually for six months, full-time, and are a great way to help make a difference to the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and abroad. The internships offered are in four different areas of work: legal protection, external relations, fundraising and admin/ finance. More general opportunities for training and developing knowledge of the sector will be available to all interns. Information on how to apply is available at the bottom of the page. Websites Quality Assurance Internship UNHCR is offering a Websites Quality Assurance Internship position within the Digital Solutions Team in our London office. The internship will be with UNHCRs Digital Engagement Section, which sits within the Department of External Relations (DER). This exciting internship is a unique opportunity to gain experience in digital, websites quality and online user experience as well as experience working within the UN system. We are seeking a dynamic and proactive team player, with a strong interest in digital, websites quality and online user experience. Title: Websites Quality Assurance Intern Duty Station: London, UK Duration: Six months Contract Type: Internship Closing date: 7th November 2021 (Midnight CET) Start date: December 2021/January 2022 For more information and to apply. Goodwill Ambassador Team Internships UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador Team seeks to utilise celebrity and high profile support to leverage the strategic communications, fundraising and advocacy goals of UNHCR. Based in UNHCR's offices in London, England, this is a unique opportunity to gain experience within the UN system as part of UNHCR's Division of External Relations, specifically working within the Goodwill Ambassador team. The role will provide insight and experience in communication and relationship management functions involving high profile supporters and digital influencers, as well as administration and team support within the context of an international humanitarian organisation. Social media plays a significant role in the teams work and an aptitude and interest in this area will be an advantage. One internship will also take more of a focus on sports related supporters, so a demonstrated interest in sport and sports media would be desirable. Title: Goodwill Ambassador Team Intern Duty Station: London, UK Duration: 7 months, Mon 6th December Friday 8 th July 2022 Contract Type: Internship x 2 Closing date: 23:59 (GMT) on Thursday 4th November 2021. Written tests will take place between 8th -9th November 2021 and interviews on 10th -11th November 2021. For more information and to apply. Goodwill Ambassador Internship: [email protected] UNHCR London Office UNHCR 10 Furnival Street London EC4A 1AB Legal Protection Internship: [email protected] External Affairs Internship: [email protected] Administrative/Finance Internship: [email protected] Please note we are unable to offer placements outside our internship programme. This regrettably includes work experience or summer placements. Dodoma,Oct 12 (UNI) Mohammed Dewji, 43, Africa's youngest billionaire was kidnapped by gunmen in Tanzania's economic capital Dar es Salaam . He was abducted as he entered the gym of a hotel in Dar es Salaam,police said. According to the report published in CNN,the kidnappers, who are believed to be foreign nationals, accessed the gym through gates which were left open deliberately. "They came in a car to the hotel and started shooting in the air before they took him away. We are questioning the staff who were on duty at the time," the police commissioner said. The motive behind the kidnapping is still unknown, although police expect this to be a "ransom" kidnapping. Dewji is Africa's youngest billionaire and runs the METL group,which operates across six African countries. According to Forbes Magazine ,he has a net worth of $1.5 billion which makes him Africa's youngest billionaire. In 2016, Dewji promised to donate at least half his fortune to philanthropic causes. Earlier, he also served two terms in the Tanzania parliament before he resigned in 2015 to dedicate more time to the family business. UNI XC AVK 0647 An adult live pangolin smuggled from Assam on way to Nepal, seized in Bengal Siliguri, Oct 13 (UNI) An adult live pangolin, the most poached animal on earth, was on Saturday safely rescued by the forest officials of West Bengal from poachers of Assam, who were smuggling the manis to Nepal, Baikuntapur forest rangers Sanjay Dutta told UNI. He said, they had laid a trap on the NH 31 since Friday evening after a tip off that some poachers from Assam would pass through the north Bengal corridor into Nepal for selling a pangolin to foreigner with an hefty price. " During a frisking cars on the highway this morning we found a parked SUV with no occupant in it. After searching we found a swelling school bag and two packed cartons. Opening the school bag we found the live pangolin and ganja weighing over 32 kilos in the cartons," Mr Dutta said. 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 Kabul, Oct 13 (UNI) At least 13 people were killed and 32 others injured in a blast that hit a election rally in Afghanistans northeastern Takhar province on Saturday. A police spokesperson said that explosives were placed in a motorcycle near the rally for Nazifa Yousufi Bek, a prominent candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections but she had not arrived at the rally when the explosion occurred. Local authorities said there was no claim of responsibility yet. Takhar province in northeastern Afghanistan, which borders Tajikistan, has seen continued Taliban activity over the last years. Afghanistan parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on Oct 20 where more than 2500 candidates including 417 female candidates would vie for the seats. Afghanistan has witnessed three major attacks after the official announcement of campaign for the parliamentary elections. UNI XC JAL 1639 Focused study enables Aakash Institutes Mrinal to score 720 in NEET UG 2021 16 Nov 2021 | 6:41 PM Vijayawada, Nov 16 (UNI) Following a well-balanced routine marked by focused sessions of study and adequate breaks, Mrinal, a student of Aakash Institute, Hyderabad scored 720 marks in NEET UG 2021 and secured AIR- 1. Once a chemical engineering aspirant, Mrinal decided to be a doctor as a class 9 student when he realized that the medical field would give him a better opportunity to serve the society, and a career in healthcare would always be interesting and challenging. see more.. Telangana: Ruling TRS announces its nominees for MLC election under MLAs' quota 16 Nov 2021 | 6:39 PM Hyderabad, Nov 16 (UNI) The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Tuesday announced the names of its candidates for the MLC election under MLAs' quota, scheduled to be held on November 29. see more.. Hearing in Tarun Tejpal case adjourned till Nov 24 16 Nov 2021 | 6:37 PM Panaji, Nov 16 (UNI) Goa Bench of Bombay High Court adjourned hearing in the Tarun Tejpal case till November 24, 2021. see more.. IAF displays capabilities for emergency operations, air show held at expressway 16 Nov 2021 | 6:37 PM Sultanpur, Nov 16 (UNI) A stretch of the Purvanchal expressway, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, converted into an airstrip as IAF aircraft landed and took off from the highway, in a display of how particular stretches of roads can be used in situations of national emergency. see more.. India-Azerbaijan sign protocol on trade and economic, science & technology cooperation New Delhi, Oct 12 (UNI) India and Azerbaijan agreed to further strengthen and expand their cooperation in trade and investment, transportation, energy and hydro-carbons and SMEs and decided to have regular exchange of information about trade exhibitions, fairs, conferences and other business events. The fifth meeting of India-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Science and Technology Cooperation (IA-IGC) was held on October 11-12 here. The two countries also agreed to cooperate in the fields of agriculture, food safety and environmental protection, tourism, culture, health and pharmaceuticals, space technology, education and scientific research, chemicals and petrochemicals and mining. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Government of Republic of Azerbaijan, Mukhtar Babayev. The two sides exchanged views on current economic situation and reviewed the current status of bilateral trade, investment and their cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, science and technology. Trade turnover between India and Azerbaijan in January-August 2018 was USD 657.9 million. Both sides felt that bilateral trade was far below the potential and there was a need to step up the cooperation to enlarge the trade basket and increase bilateral trade and investment. Both the countries agreed to take measures to enhance trade relations and expand business relations. It was decided to send trade delegations to raise awareness regarding economic developments and reforms in the two countries and have regular exchange of information about trade exhibitions, fairs, conferences and other business events. Both sides agreed to convene the next meeting of the India-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Science and Technology co-operation in Baku. The dates for the meeting will be mutually agreed through diplomatic channels, according to an official statement on Friday. UNI RSA ADG 1707 Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka stressed on strong bilateral relations 16 Nov 2021 | 5:54 PM Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNI) Foreign Minister of Sri Lankan Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris called on the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A K Abdul Momen on Tuesday at State Guest House Padma at 1500hrs. see more.. UNHCR to stockpile fresh Afghanistan aid in Uzbekistan 16 Nov 2021 | 5:24 PM Tashkent, Nov 16 (UNI/Sputnik) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plans to deliver additional humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan to storage facilities in the Uzbek city of Termez by the end of November, a UNHCR spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday. see more.. Turkey, Gazprom discuss extra gas supplies via TurkStream: Deputy Energy Minister 16 Nov 2021 | 5:05 PM Abu Dhabi, Nov 16 (UNI/Sputnik) Turkey and Russian energy company Gazprom are discussing a partial extension of old contracts and the signing of new contracts for gas supplies through the spare capacity of the TurkStream pipeline, Turkish Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said on Tuesday. see more.. Polish helicopter arrives at border, migrants throw stun grenades 16 Nov 2021 | 5:04 PM Bruzgi Checkpoint, Nov 16 (UNI/Sputnik) A Polish helicopter has arrived at the Polish-Belarusian border, while migrants are throwing stones and stun grenades, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Tuesday Meanwhile, the Belarusian state-run Belta news agency reported that Polish forces target migrants with eye-corrosive liquid, and many of them are coughing as a result, while some are getting sick. see more.. Pashtun rights activist Gulail released after detention Islamabad, Oct 13 (UNI) Pakistan has released leading Pashtun rights activist Gulalai Ismail after a brief detention for nearly nine hours in Islamabad following an outcry among the people of Pakistan. The detention of Gulalai Ismail on her return to Pakistan from the United Kingdom on October 12 had sparked a furore and raised fears that Pakistan was cracking down on dissent. Ismail's brief detention by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency when she arrived at Islamabad's airport prompted Amnesty International to put out a statement demanding her release, reported RFE/RL. Activists said the agency released Ismail, whose work on women's rights has received international awards, but officials kept her travel documents. Qatar slams Israeli aggression against protesters Gaza, Oct 13 (UNI) Qatar has strongly condemned the brutal repression and the use of live bullets by the Israeli occupying forces against the protest calling for lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza and demanding the right to return to their homeland, Great March of Return protests on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, which left six Palestinians dead and dozens injured. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the Israeli escalation was a violation of international laws and conventions, calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to assume their responsibility in containing the Israeli war machine and its collective punishment policy directed against the Palestinian people, Gulf news reported. The statement also called on the international community to provide protection for the innocent civilians. For several months prior to the finalising of the defence deal that was signed in New Delhi on 4 October 2018 there were apprehensions in several quarters whether the deal would be signed or not. The threat of CAATSA (Countering Americas Adversaries through Sanctions Act) loomed large. In a sense it still does. Nevertheless both countries took the bull by the horn as the saying goes and the deal was signed. The purchase of the S 400 Triumf air defence missile systems has been effected and delivery will start around 2021-22 as per current estimates. After signing the deal both sides played it down. No fanfare and no mention referring to it in the joint statement. It could not have been more low-key. Earlier the government had conveyed to the US that it respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the contracts linked with other countries. To convey both its concerns and the fact that India was obliged to sign the deal with Russians several high level visits had taken place. The apprehensions of the government of India prior to the signing have been discussed in the media and various quarters since long. These reached a higher pitch in the build up to the 2-plus-2 meeting in New Delhi between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and defence Secretary James Mattis on the US side and ministers Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman the foreign and defence ministers on the Indian side. As reported the negotiations and signing went off smoothly. Among other aspects India was keen for access leading-edge US technologies in the defence, space and allied fields. These should be forthcoming in the coming years all things being equal. However, it has to be appreciated that as in the past there are going to be protracted and often frustrating negotiations before transfers actually take place with several conditionalities that India will find difficult to agree to leading to further negotiations and waivers. During the 2-plus-2 talks the question of India purchasing the Russian S 400 Triumf missiles would certainly have come up with the Indian side forcefully putting across their pleas about the long-standing defence relationship with Russia and the fact that the negotiations had begun far earlier and hence CAATSA waiver should not be made applicable. The growing closeness of the US-India strategic relationship would be a major factor in the waiver. Iran would have also been referred to. However, this paper limits itself to the Russian deal and its wider ramifications that impact many players in the global arena. The dilemma that India faced was that had it acceded to the US request to not negotiate the deal with Russia and being promised in turn impressive sweeteners of US high-tech as well as latest systems similar to the Russian one. Going through with the Russian deal would have unforeseen consequences for the country should the US decide to turn its back on several other key military-related deliveries in the pipeline as a consequence. It was not an easy decision for the Prime Minister having realized that reneging on the Russian deal under US pressure would considerably lower Indias image in the region and its partners and friends around the world. It would have been a setback from which India would not have recovered for a long time. Most importantly, Indias decade long strategic bonds with Russia would have been sundered. Hardly any country would have trusted India as a reliable partner hereafter. Even countries very close to India like Japan and Vietnam would have had second thoughts. While the difficulties are not yet over Indias standing in the region and beyond has gone up. The countries around India feel reassured, more so in the subcontinent. A few of them attempting to play off one country against other will become more cautious. While several aspects geopolitical and economic would have been considered by the Prime Minister in the coming years the key consideration would have been the dilemma that the US was facing with regard to India should it decide to go ahead with the deal with Russia. President Trump has already severely mauled it close allies and put on notice practically every major country and player in the world. India was the only major country remaining. Treating India in the same manner seeing its size and importance in the world would have isolated the US to the extent that many in Washington would have been alarmed, to put it mildly. That will hold true for the foreseeable future. Both the US and India realize that the relationship that has been maturing over the years is extremely important to both. Having dealt with the aspect from the lens of Washington and New Delhi it needs to be remembered that the third party that was the reason for the concerns highlighted above, Russia was viewing the developments with as equal concern as India. For Russia the deal was no less important than India [1]. In the last decade or so and especially after the seizing of Crimea and the tensions in Ukraine caused by the breakaway Russian majority province in the East, Russia has come under major sanctions from the US and its allies in Europe. No matter the brave front that Moscow puts on it Russia is suffering greatly from the sanctions. Its economy seldom robust in recent years since the sharp decline of the oil prices had made its position difficult if not precarious. It had no option but to solidly ally itself with China. This had two results. Chinas purchases of Russian oil and gas and advance payments for longer term commitments with the construction of pipelines and committed supplies for 20 years considerably eased Russias financial burdens. Additionally together China and Russia could confront the US more boldly, especially the latter. Its negotiating position and ability to stand up to the US improved considerably once Russia was on its side. This continues to be the case. There is an even more important aspect relating to Russia that merits consideration. In the coming years its geopolitical as well as geostrategic position could improve towards the West. Many European countries are already looking askance at US unilateral actions. Germany with the Nord Stream pipeline soon likely to come on stream at very high cost cannot allow President Trump to thwart its economic interests that are the strength of Germany and make it a global player. Other countries notably in Eastern Europe notably Hungary are keen to normalize relations with Russia. More countries would stand with Germany and possibly France to arrive at an accommodation with Russia, seeing that Turkey the NATO member with the largest Army has already started spinning away. For its part Russia would have to give cast iron guarantees that it would not again invade the Baltic Republics, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It would further reassure the Scandinavian countries as well adding to greater trade benefits for Russia. Once Russia is comfortable in the West its gaze will automatically turn towards China. It has become much too powerful and economically stronger for Russias comfort in the coming years. Its military strength now moving forward in all dimensions of warfare is causing worries in private circles in Moscow who were never comfortable with the closer relations with China that is already displacing Russia in its backyard in Central Asia. The Belt and Road Initiative with outlays ultimately reaching up to nearly one trillion dollars cannot become economically viable any time soon, if ever. It is more a geopolitical initiative reaching up to countries of Eastern Europe, the fact that is already worrying the Western countries. Russia will be the biggest loser if it is reduced to helplessly watching the way Chinese workers are flooding the countries in between. Some worry and backlash though tentative has started. Russia worries do not end there as its population declines by 2050 to less than 100 million, out of which the Russian population following the Orthodox Russian Church projected as less than 70 million. Other countries in addition to Chechnya and Dagestan could also become more troublesome. Chinese are already demographically eyeing expansion in Siberia and Central Asia, in the latter case on the back of the BRI. Chinese have already started marrying locally in Kyrgystan and in the Republics bordering Xinjiang. Clandestine move into sparsely populated spaces in Kazakhstan and Siberia would be an ongoing process. Planners in Russia are aware of it. In the latter case after taking over as President after the disastrous Yeltsin years on his first visit to the far-eastern province the governor of Siberia reportedly told Mr. Putin that in fifty years the language spoken in his province would largely be Chinese and Korean. As mentioned in an earlier paragraph the deals made in Delhi during President Putins visits in early October 2018 had far deeper geostrategic significance for Russia than the $ 5.43 accruing from the signing of the S 400 Triumf deal. In the coming years Indias power and prestige will continue to grow in the world. India is a very big country on the southern flank of China as viewed from Russia. The apprehensions of expansionist China would continue to be shared by both countries present accommodations necessitated by circumstances notwithstanding. That was the reason that Russia had been insisting with China for several years that India be brought into the SCO as a member going beyond its observer status. Ultimately China acceded to the Russian demand. There were bound to have been trade- offs. As a last word it is not in the interest of Russia and India to have antagonist relations with China. The same applies for China. The looming planetary decline will demand that these three important countries in the global arena take the initiative from the US to decide on steps necessitated to reverse the decline. Danny Trejo. Photo: JC Olivera/Getty Images Its easier to imagine actor Danny Trejo tearing across hell on a machine gun/motorcyle hybrid than mending together the generations of a Latinx family estranged by prison time. Thats undoubtedly why ABC (correctly) assumes youd tune into a Danny Trejo sitcom, to see if he can pull off family comedy as easily as he would, say, a drug barons severed arm. According to Deadline, the network has put Trejos upcoming multi-cam Food & Familia into development. Dont assume, however, that Danny Trejos sitcom dad will be, by necessity, un-badass-ified. The show, based loosely on the actors own life, features the Sons of Anarchy actor as an ex-con tasked with taking over his late mothers restaurant while repairing his damaged relationship with his daughter, who is resentful of the time he spent behind bars. And so, as one ass-kicking actor passes on into network fame, somewhere else, a new one is born. And thus the cycle of action stars continues its dance. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend I Want To Be Here Season 4 Episode 1 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Robert Voets/The CW Welcome to senior year of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! I hope Rachel Bloom & Co. are hard at work on a parody of Time of Your Life, because Im already getting sniffly at the realization that this is the last season-premiere the show will ever have. Having wrapped up season three with Rebeccas courtroom confession and guilty plea, it seemed like we were primed for another time jump. But the premiere picks up right where the finale left off, with Rebecca in chambers insisting that she deserves jail time as penance, even as a now-forgiving Paula tries to convince her shes lost her mind. Rebeccas unique blend of stubbornness and entitlement ultimately wins out, annoying the judge into awarding her a test run in the L.A. County lockup. Even as she endures degrading showers and cavity inspections and mean bunkmates, Rebeccas mantra is I deserve this. As the audience, were supposed to find that silly, even though we live in a society that argues a lot of women who dont look like Rebecca do deserve this. I get the desire to close out last season with a climactic speech, but I still dont love that Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna chose to emphasize the horrific American prison system as some kind of convenient atonement for Rebecca. But to their credit, they take pains in this episode to show that the situation is, well, a lot more nuanced than that. That effort is centered on Whats Your Story?, a funny yet depressing riff on Chicagos Cell Block Tango that makes no bones about the structural inequalities abusive relationships, insufficient social-safety nets, racial bias in sentencing that underlie doing time in the U.S. As Rebeccas enthusiasm for all the lurid details on her fellow prisoners gently descends into a morose realization of her enormous privilege, the song becomes another addition to the shows ever-growing list of meta-narratives, musing on the appropriateness of swiping someone elses tragedies for your own art. Yet despite having 18 episodes instead of 13 to play with this year, I still think CXG is trying to cram in too much plot per episode. (Rebecca allegedly spends six weeks behind bars easily enough for a full episode but shes out by the last third of this one.) Sure, the dynamic of Rebeccas prison theater group is basically just a recasting of her BPD support group with orange jumpsuits. But rushing through jail means failing to explore some interesting moments, especially Rebecca literally trying to rewrite her childhood by recasting herself as the star of the South Pacific number from the pilot. Thats especially frustrating because the rest of the episode takes us back to a lot of places weve already been. Nathaniel is still sublimating his feelings into hardcore workouts this time, getting beaten up and thrown into the woods by Death Wish Adventures, the worlds meanest Outward Bound course. George is still Nathaniels diehard toady, rescuing him with bratwurst and romantic counsel. And Josh is still circling the drain of figuring out what to do with his life, diagnosing himself as five kinds of mentally ill via BuzzFeed, er, QuimblePop quiz. Hes wrong, of course (hes actually just not all that bright), but it does end up landing him in this shows equivalent of Valhalla: facing that really nice-looking leather therapy chair used by the Drs. Akopian. Most frustratingly, the episode once again yanks us back into the on-off Rebecca-Nathaniel dynamic that pervaded season three. Id have bought Nathaniel being put off by Rebeccas willingness to sacrifice their relationship to go to jail, but he confesses that he still loves her, and vice versa. Instead, the sticking point is that Rebecca doesnt want to get away from it all with him in Hawaii, but rather stay in West Covina and deal with her privilege and problems. Its the exact same beat we already saw last year with Rebecca putting off Nathaniel until her BPD got under control. I know we have to set up the love triangle again with the impending arrival of New Greg, but this is too much. The episodes other tune, the chorus-nerd ballad No One Else Is Singing My Song, does acknowledge that the dynamic is feeling a little staid at this point by the end, every major cast member (even Grocery Clerk with Half an Eyelid!) is confessing to feeling uniquely stuck in the exact same way. This season presents the interesting challenge of depicting what real growth looks like for the West Covina crew, without falling on the tired narratives the previous three have torn to shreds. Itll be interesting to see where that takes us, even if we might be headed there a little too quickly at times. Other Notes Speaking of old habits, it looks like Mama Paula is back to her manipulative ways, basically torturing a confession out of Trent to free Rebecca. Though as a fellow graduate of, um, college in Boston, I can say that weve never been roasted more thoroughly and deservingly. With that said, I remain enough of an unrepentant snob to agree with Rebecca that Cats is bad. It has no plot! Pete Gardner is always so great, but that little bit in which he tries to give the fake ceviche to Rebecca was next-level funny. Also, is Darryls baby still named Habecca? I really hope not. I need to know why Hector is such a Charlotte, because Heather is definitely not a Carrie. (Shes a total Samantha, right?) Either way, I never tire of the meta-jokes: This is such a messed-up episode of Sex and the City. Kanye West and Donald Trump. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images On Thursday afternoon, Kanye West had a bizarre meeting with President Trump in the White House, where the musician spoke uninterrupted for ten minutes about this, that, and the other. (Or rather, MAGA hats, Montessori schools, and how to improve SNL.) Prior to that, West appeared on TMZ to wax poetic about slavery and the Democratic Party. Well, Wests complimentary musings about Trump have made their way back to his old pal Dave Chappelle, and lets just say he isnt too pleased that Yes worshiping at the shrine of POTUS but hes not mad in the way you might think. Thats my brother. I love him, I support him. But, you know, I dont have to agree with everything that he says, Chappelle explained during a CNN interview with Van Jones. I just trust him as a person of intent. But yeah, he shouldnt say all that shit. He added, recognizing Wests virtuosity as a musician: Kanyes the artist, man. And hes a genius hes not inconsistent with what hes saying. Chappelle also acknowledged how he regrets encouraging Americans to be more open-minded about Trump, who was just elected president, during his SNL monologue back in 2016. I said we should give Trump a chance because hes the president of the United States, he explained. I shouldnt have said that shit. Hey, at least hes not the only one with SNL regrets. Late journalist Kim Wall. Photo: via Remembering Kim Wall The story of Swedish journalist Kim Walls murder is being turned into a six-part TV series, months after her killer Danish inventor Peter Madsen was sentenced to life in prison. The Investigation will be directed and written by Tobias Lindholm, who wrote for the hit Danish TV series Borgen, the Guardian reports. In a press release announcing the show, Lindholm said that Madsen will at no time figure in the series and that it will primarily focus on the police investigation of Walls murder. He also said that he aims to make a crime series that cuts out all the colorful stuff and depicts the reality and the facts soberly and precisely. Wall went missing in August 2017, after boarding Madsens homemade submarine for a profile she was writing about him. Her dismembered body was found floating in the Copenhagen harbor shortly afterward. Madsen maintains that Wall died in an accident on the submarine, and that he buried her at sea, though the evidence says otherwise. He was found guilty of her murder in April. At the time of Walls disappearance, there were frequent comparisons to Scandinavian noir dramas and crime fiction, both of which have become increasingly popular worldwide in the last decade. This prompted criticism from those who believed such comparisons were distasteful and disrespectful to her memory. Walls parents, Ingrid and Joachim Wall, will be closely involved in the making of The Investigation, as will Jens Mller, the Copenhagen polices head of homicide. We decided early on that Kims fate should not be forgotten and we developed a close relationship with Jens Mller over the course of the case, Walls parents said. Our conversations with both Jens and Tobias have caused us to trust that the story of how Kims murder was solved will be told from the right perspective and with respect for all who knew and loved Kim. Reese Witherspoon. Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for AT&T Were not saying soon Reese Witherspoon will be producing every show with a female protagonist on television. Were saying if all goes as planned Reese Witherspoon will be producing every show with a female protagonist on TV. To whit, the Big Little Lies stars latest project, Americanized, is currently in development with a script commitment from ABC, and its being developed through her Hello Sunshine banner. Based a memoir of the same name by iZombie writer Sara Saedi, Americanized the sitcom will tell the tale of an Iranian immigrant family establishing a new life in America while living with a huge secret: theyre undocumented immigrants, a fact the author discovered when she was 13. Saedi will write the pilot, executive produce, and, like all creators working with Reese Witherspoon, undoubtedly field constant family requests to meet Reese Witherspoon. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit OVL adds 11th team to the league for 2022 season 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. Advertisement By Mike Cooper, West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 12, 2018 | GRAVES COUNTY By Mike Cooper, West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 12, 2018 | 08:00 PM | GRAVES COUNTY A state official met Friday with local officials and residents to discuss the future repair and reopening of the Bethel Church Road bridge on the Graves/Carlisle county line. Grave County Judge Executive Jesse Perry told West Kentucky Star that the bridge has been closed since 2013, and it has caused a hardship for those living in both counties. The bridge is located in northern Graves County, just a few yards from the Carlisle County line. Completion of the bridge would save a five mile detour, which some local resident have to make several times a day. KYTC officials said that if funding is approved for this project, it would only take approximately six weeks to complete. Kentucky Commissioner of Rural and Municipal Aid Gray Tomblyn met with Perry, along with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet representatives and local residents. One resident said, "this is a huge step for us to have Commissioner Tomblyn here and talk with us about how they are highly concerned in Frankfort to get this put back in, to help get this community put back together, and it not be a hardship. For me, this is super important and I'm just proud that he was able to come down today and be here to talk about the steps that we need to take to move this project forward." Tomblyn added, "the Governor wants us to be at the ground level and to be able to speak with the locals, because they know what's best. They know what's best for their community, they know what they want, and what they need. So the trip down here today is just to be able to look through the lens that they look through, and see how it affects their lives every day." LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- An Indianapolis man is going to jail for three years, and will have to pay back as much as $141,000 to a Lafayette company. Brian Nehrig was sentenced Friday for corrupt business influence and theft. According to court documents, Nehrig worked for Schilli Transportation services on Brady Lane until March 2015. He was supposed to handle insurance claims for the company, but he and a co-conspirator pocketed many of the payouts through 2014. Schilli Transporation said Nehring also altered records to make the thefts harder to detect. From November 2013 to October 2014, he deposited at least ten checks from various claims, ranging from $3,495.37 to $21,543.33. Prosecutors say he also gave nearly $30,000 dollars to his accused co-conspirator, Marc Bumbalough. After his time in the Department of Corrections is up, Nehring will spend two years in Community Corrections and one on probation. . . ( 1985 .), ( ). ... WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Purdue students are already camping out to receive housing for next year. The 12-year-tradition has students waiting for what they call the best apartments on campus. Students say they are close to campus and to nightlife. Basham Apartments has 80 units available. They are first come, first serve. The apartment hunters have to camp out because there's a random role call. If you aren't in line, then you may lose your spot and potentially lose out on the apartment. One Purdue junior was a little worried what his parents had to say. "My mom being a nurse, I don't know if she would appreciate this cause she's always concerned about my health. But my parents don't know I'm camping out currently." This weekend the students figure out if they receive their first choice apartment. 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 Amazons much heralded decision to increase workers wages to 9.50 an hour in the UK and 10.50 in London is a fraud. According to a report from the GMB trade union, any wage increase workers receive will be largely cancelled out by the loss of share and productivity incentive schemes. Currently, Amazons warehouse workers receive one Amazon share for every year they work at the company, and one additional share after five years. If workers hold on to the shares, known as Restricted Stock Units (RSU), for two years, they are able to cash them in tax free. Under the new programme, workers will be stripped of these stock bonuses in favour of a sharesave scheme, which would permit Amazon employees to buy shares at a discounted price over three or five years. With Amazon share prices having seen a 70 percent increase just this year, and continuing to grow, the loss of these share bonuses over the next years will likely see Amazon workers losing out on much more than the 1,500 a year that these stocks are currently worth. The loss of share benefits is equivalent to roughly half the 3,120 increase promised to Amazon warehouse workers outside of London, who currently earn a poverty wage of around 17,000 a year before tax. Amazon employees will also lose cash bonuses for meeting performance targets. These bonuses, known as Variable Compensation Pay (VCP), allow employees to earn 8 percent on top of their monthly salary, and 16 percent over the busy Christmas period. According to an Amazon employee who spoke to Yahoo Finance, the average Amazon worker usually receives between $1,800 (1,377) and $3,000 (2,295) a year through the VCP program. The pay rise therefore leaves Amazon workers in almost the same position financially as before. Indeed, when the loss of VCP bonuses is factored in, many workers may in fact see a net loss. Faced with the exposure of its smoke-and-mirrors deception, Amazon has replied by vaguely asserting that the significant increase in hourly cash wages more than compensates for the phase out of incentive pay and RSU and that because its no longer incentive-based, the compensation will be more immediate and predictable. There is no doubt that whatever minimal raise is given to Amazon workers will be more than made up through ever greater exploitation, higher paces and more workplace injuries. The company already uses electronic devices to monitor productivity and time workers during their bathroom breaks. New technology is being tested that will even use sound pulses to redirect a workers hand if he moves it in the wrong direction while moving items from a bin to a delivery box. Figures also compiled by GMB released earlier this year show that in three years 600 health emergencies required paramedics and ambulance attendance at Amazons 14 UK-based distribution centres. In over half, the patient was taken to hospital. This month, the GMB published findings of an investigation showing that more than 440 serious health and safety incidents at Amazon warehouses have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive since 2015/16. The GMB noted that workers have suffered fractures, head injuries, contusions, collisions with heavy equipmentand one report detailed a forklift truck crash caused by a lapse of concentration possibly due to long working hours. These shocking figures will no doubt only increase as Amazon pushes for greater and greater productivity from its staff. The UK media was complicit in selling this wage increase fraud as a major success story, with the Guardians Larry Elliott describing Amazons pay offer as a seriously big increase and a victory resulting from the strong campaigning, skilful PR and the channelling of [the] populist anger of workers. It is the media that is trying to channel workers anger here. One newspaper after another dutifully noted that the pay rise brings the wage of Amazons 17,000 full-time and 20,000 temporary agency staff above the voluntary UK Living Wage of 8.75 an hour (10.20 in London), and 21 percent higher than the current national minimum wage of 7.83. But if Elliot thinks this is a seriously big increase, he should try living on it. With Amazons new pay rise, a fulltime worker in London will earn around 17,300 a year after tax and National Insurance contributions are subtracted. For workers outside the capital, their annual post-tax salary will be roughly 15,900. According to the online Minimum Income Calculator, designed by organisations including anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a single person living on their own in Inner London would require 30,455 a year (24,090 after tax) just to afford a minimum decent standard of living. A lone parent in London with one infant child would require a post-tax income of roughly 40,900, over 23,000 a year more than the Amazon wage offer. A single parent with a child living outside London would require around 41,400 (31,530 after tax) to achieve this minimum decent standard of living. That a yearly income of less than 16,000 is now hailed as a major victory for workers is a testament to the drastic and deliberate degradation of the conditions and pay of the working class over the last decades. Amazon has become a by-word for the brutal exploitation of workers, low pay and dangerous working conditions. The company is emblematic of a broader and prolonged shift in economic relations that has seen the proliferation of poorly paid and insecure jobsoften to wage rates even worse than those at Amazon. This process was exacerbated in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, which was seized by the capitalist class and governments around the world to accelerate the decades-long assault on the social position of the working class, replacing higher paid full-time positions with a modicum of job security and working benefits with low-wage and precarious employment. UK wages are 31 a week lower than the pre-2008 average. Around 20 percent of Britains 33 million workers earn an annual salary of 15,000 or less, with 50 percent earning no more than 23,200. The decade since 2008 has seen the growth of the working poor, with 60 percent of those in Britain classed as poor in 2017 and living in a household in which at least one person works. This drastic decline has been facilitated by trade unions like the GMB, whose calculations showing workers subsisting on rock bottom pay are an indictment of their own efforts to suppress the class struggle. Functioning as industrial police on behalf of the government and employers, they have worked to systematically limit strikes and prevent any significant coordination by workers across borders. The study on pay is the sum of GMBs efforts, which it hopes can be leveraged to wrest union recognition and new sources of revenue for the union. The GMB has no intention of leading a strike or any other industrial action against Amazon, which would immediately pose the question of the international unity of Amazon workers, under conditions in which the multi-trillion dollar firm has been hit by strikes and protests in Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Italy, as well as worker agitation in its American home base. Any suggestion that the interests of workers can be secured through the supposed benevolence of multi-billionaires like Jeff Bezos, whose entire fortune depends on the continued brutal exploitation of the working class, is false. The rights of the working class will be won only through organized class struggle, independent of the trade unions and capitalist political parties. This requires the formation of rank-and-file committees in every workplacewith the International Amazon Workers Voice providing a powerful and global organising mechanism. Last month, the South Australian Liberal Party government announced that it will partner with a major international education software provider, Civica, to transform school and preschool operations. The decision underscores the pro-business agenda behind the Gonski 2.0 plan for Australian school education. The Gonski 2.0 report, announced in May, was overseen by David Gonski, a prominent member of Australias corporate and financial elite. It advocates an even more regressive testing regime than the NAPLAN (National Assessment ProgramLiteracy and Numeracy) model, implemented by the Rudd Labor government in 2008 as part of its Education Revolution. NAPLAN itself was based on testing regimes introduced decades ago in the US, following business demands that schools adopt standards and standardised testing. According to academics, the test industry in the US alone is now worth $48 billion annually, part of a $4.3 trillion global education industry. Civica states on the companys website that its Civica Education Suite has been designed to enable schools to fully embrace the Gonski 2.0 report recommendations. It is to be rolled out to 30,000 teachers and 185,000 students in the state of South Australia. For its part, the New South Wales (NSW) government, in Australias most populous state, has made clear its determination to proceed with the Gonski 2.0 agenda, following the publication of the Gonski 2.0 report by announcing that it would be conducting a major review of the NSW school curriculum. However, while the review would take 18 months to complete, NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes decided to declare its outcome in advance. It will implement the findings of the Gonski 2.0 report. The speed with which governments have taken up the Gonski 2.0 recommendations is only matched by their failure to investigate why the current education model has, according to the Gonski 2.0 report, failed a generation of students. It also confirms the warnings made by the WSWS from the outset, that the fundamental aim of both NAPLAN and Gonski 2.0 is to align school education ever more closely with the rapidly evolving interests of so-called edu-business. Ex-federal education minister Julia Gillard promoted the NAPLAN testing regime on the basis that it would improve education outcomes, especially for low achievers. In reality, and predictably, it has had the opposite effect. The already stark inequities in Australias school system have widened and the concentration of disadvantaged students in disadvantaged schools increased to one of the highest in the OECD. The Gonski 2.0 blueprint titled, Through Growth to Achievement: Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools is being sold as an education model that promotes individualised learning. A key component of its recommendations is for schools to measure individual students learning progressions, rather than assessing progress according to a students age or year level. In other words, in addition to the NAPLAN periodic assessment every two years, teachers will be required to continuously analyse a students proficiency in relation to hundreds of new criteria. The fact that a pilot mass data collection system, ALAN (Assessment for Literacy and Numeracy), has been set up in hundreds of NSW schools this year, and rejected by teachers as unworkable, has done nothing to halt the rush by governments and business to forge ahead with Gonski 2.0. The NSW Education Department was forced to pause the rollout of ALAN after teachers found it time consuming and overwhelming. Teacher Dan Hogan told the Sydney Morning Herald that the workload involved addressing more than 1000 indicators, across seven so-called sub-elements of literacy and numeracy, for each child. These learning progressions have to be micro-audited to document a childs progress from beginner to master of a subject, with teachers updating each indicator every five weeks. The micro level to which teachers are expected to be assessing and plotting children is beyond ridiculous, one teacher told the NSW Teachers Federation. Dismissing teacher objections, NSW Education Department secretary, Mark Scott, endorsed ALAN, declaring it was in line with Gonski 2.0s recommendation for more focus on individual growth. Academic Anna Hogan has warned that profit making, not evidence, underpins the agenda of edu-business. Writing on NAPLAN she stated, According to ACARA (the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority responsible for developing the test), NAPLAN is delivered by experts across the field. It seems problematic that experts in this case are not teachers, curriculum developers or even university researchers. Instead experts are constituted by their ability to offer value-for-money on competitive tender applications. Hogan also raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest, whereby edu-businesses are contracted to develop aspects of NAPLAN, but also create revenue through marking the NAPLAN test and the selling of resources to improve NAPLAN results. The NAPLAN market includes practice tests, student workbooks, online programs, tutoring, teacher professional development and data analysis for schools. One such test, the PAT (Progressive Achievement Test) records data that is utilised to prepare for NAPLAN. PAT has been purchased by over 7,000 of Australias 9,400 schools. Gonski 2.0 will open up opportunities for edu-business to reap far bigger profits. In June, Deputy President of the NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF), Joan Lemaire, claimed, following what she described as productive discussions with the NSW Education Department, that the mass data collection by teachers would be slowed down. In reality, the opposite is the case. In July, Correna Haythorpe, President of the Australian Education Union (AEU), told delegates at the NSW Teachers Federation Annual Conference that the federal government intends to tie school funding to the introduction of Gonski 2.0s learning progressions and an online assessment tool. Moreover, while the NSW ALAN trial only covered two curriculum areas, maths and literacy, the National School Reform Agreement between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments would cover 15 areas: the seven Key Learning Areas, in addition to 8 general capabilities, an initiative outlined in the Gonski report designed to boost student workforce skills. At the same time NAPLAN would be retained. So NAPLAN, learning progressions, online assessment toolswhen will teachers actually have the time to teach? Its a resource-intensive, one-size-fits-all school reform, without any additional resources, Haythorpe told the Conference. The teachers unions are well versed in posturing as opponents of the governments pro-business education reforms. In 2010, following mass opposition to NAPLAN, they pledged to organise a national boycott of the regressive testing regime, only to call off the ban at the last minute, after the government agreed to include the union in its working party to examine the use of student performance data. The union then insisted that their members administer the tests. Haythorpes main concern over the introduction of Gonski 2.0 reforms is not their impact on teachers, but the fact that the unions have not been consulted. The teachers unions will enforce, not fight, the pro-business agenda of the entire political establishment. The Socialist Equality Party has established the Committee for Public Education in order to mobilise the rapidly growing opposition of teachers, parents and students, outraged at the ongoing dismantling of public education. Such a struggle can only be based on a socialist perspective, fighting for the transformation of society as a whole in the interests of the working class, not the privileged few. We urge all those who agree with the CFPEs perspective to become actively involved in this vital political initiative. Hurricane Michael moved off the US Atlantic coast Thursday night as a post-tropical cyclone, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction from Florida to Virginia. As of Friday afternoon the death toll stood at 13. That number is expected to rise as authorities begin the grim job of combing through the wreckage left behind by the storm. More than a million people remain without electricity across seven states. Michael made landfall Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane, charging ashore with 155 miles per hour winds and a storm surge as high as 13 feet. The storm, the strongest on record to hit the area and the third strongest to hit the continental US in recorded history, left in its wake crushed and flooded homes and residents reeling from the loss of their homes and possessions. Hardest hit was Bay County, Florida and the city of Mexico Beach. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel were assessing the damage in the small seaside town on Friday. Nearby Panama City was also badly hit. Mexico Beach, known for its pristine beaches, fishing and boating, resembles a war zone, with the vast majority of its structures demolished. Cars, boats, furniture and debris were lifted by the winds and storm surge and slammed into houses far from their original locations. The fire department said that 95 percent of structures were uninhabitable. There is no power and little food. FEMA head Brock Long told reporters in Washington that those who had evacuated the Panhandle coast should not return to their homes. Its still not safe to return, particularly to Bay County, Florida, he said. There is no infrastructure there to support you and quite honestly its a dangerous area to go back into. He said it would be a long time before theyre actually able to go back and return to those places because it was heavily damaged. People who had remained in Mexico Beach to ride out the storm, along with those who did return, ventured out Thursday and Friday to assess the damage. The vast majority found that little remained of their homes. Dawn Vickers, who stayed in the city during the storm, had been taking shelter in one of the few condos still standing, invited in by a local resident. Her house and vehicles were demolished. She told CNN, This has been the worst nightmare Ive ever been through in my life. Media outlets began referring to Mexico Beach as Michaels ground zero. The city is largely cut off from the rest of the state, with roads blocked by debris and cell phone coverage mostly out. Residents borrowed reporters satellite phones to contact loved ones. Scott Boutwell described to CNN how his walls collapsed and someone elses couch had been swept inside. Our lives are gone here. All the stores, all the restaurants, everything, he said. Theres nothing left here anymore. The citys Jinks Middle School was torn apart by Michael. In a bitter irony, the school had welcomed children displaced by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year. Gadsden County in northwest Florida took a direct hit from Michael as it moved northward on Wednesday. The Sheriffs Office reported four deaths that were in relation to or occurred during the storm, including one man who was killed when a tree crashed through the roof of his house. In Georgias Seminole County, on Floridas border, officials reported the death of an 11-year-old girl in a mobile home, killed when she was hit in the head by a metal carport tossed in the air by Michaels winds. Georgia officials also reported severe damage to pecan, cotton, vegetable and peanut crops. The rainfall from Michael as it churned north triggered flash floods in parts of Virginia and the Carolinas, areas still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence last month. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper reported that first responders rescued nearly 100 people and evacuated many more due to the flash flooding threat. A 38-year-old man was killed Thursday afternoon in Iredell County when a tree fell on the vehicle he was driving. Five hurricane-related deaths were confirmed Friday morning in Virginia. Four of the deaths occurred when people were swept away in floodwaters along roads. The fifth to die was a firefighter who was killed when a tractor-trailer hit him as he was trying to help with a crash along Interstate 295. As in similar disasters, authorities are quick to chastise residents who dont heed evacuation orders, but they provide minimal assistance in helping them to do so. FEMAs Long said the storm posed a direct threat to people living on the coastlines who ignored warnings and evacuation orders, given the forecast severe winds and storm surge. Very few people live to tell what its like to experience storm surge, he said coldly. The elderly and infirm face particular challenges in evacuating. Others are unable to find a shelter that will accept them with their pets. Low-income households often simply cannot afford the cost of evacuating. Those unable to evacuate often live in mobile homes and other substandard structures that are unable to withstand the fury of a hurricane, especially one with the power of Michael. The FEMA website advises the public what to do in the face of a hurricane. First, people must evacuate if told to do so. But state-provided transportation is not organized in the form of buses or trains. People are advised to keep their cars in good working order with a full gas tank. This assumes that people can afford to keep their cars in good shape and pay to fill their gas tanks, if they even own a car. They are also urged to stock their emergency preparedness kits with food and water sufficient for at least three days, along with medications, first aid supplies and cash. All of these things are a considerable expense and pose an economic burden for many households in hurricane-prone areas. In the wake of disasters, government agencies rely on charities like the Red Cross and Salvation Army and the kindness of neighbors and bonds of communities to take the place of a systematic government response. Hurricane Michael came ashore with limited notice from the National Hurricane Center, which issued its first public advisory on Saturday, October 6. It was not even a named storm then, but simply called Potential Tropical Cyclone Fourteen, which the center noted was getting better organized over the northwestern Caribbean Sea. By Monday it had a name; on Wednesday it was pummeling the Florida Panhandle. A study this year in Geophysical Research Letters said that since 1986 the intensification of storms like Michael has increased by about 13 miles per hour. In 2015, research at Florida State University on how ocean temperatures affect hurricane intensity in the North Atlantic found that intensification increases by 16 percent for every 1.8 degree increase in average sea-surface temperatures. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are creating an energy imbalance with more than 90 percent of the remaining heat trapped by the gases going into the oceans. While there might not be an increased number of storms, most studies show storms getting stronger, producing more rain, and packing a bigger storm surge. The strength and speed of Hurricane Michael may be an indication of the effect of this climate change on storms. Such warnings will fall on the deaf ears of global warming denier-in-chief Donald Trump. This is the same president who disputed official Puerto Rican figures that said 2,975 died as a result of Hurricane Maria, and claimed that his administration had done a fantastic job responding to the storm. The government of recently-installed Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week launched a concerted bid to blame immigrants, including refugees, for the soaring living costs and deteriorating basic infrastructure that confront millions of working class people. The Liberal-National Coalition government is seeking to whip up a xenophobic and anti-immigrant social base. It is accusing migrants of causing congestion in Australias biggest metropolitan areasSydney, Melbourne and Brisbane-Gold Coast. The turn to scapegoating immigrants is another indication of the wholesale lurch to the right within the political establishment signalled by the late August backroom removal of Morrisons predecessor Malcolm Turnbull. Within weeks of taking office, Morrison told Fairfax Media last month that he wanted a fair dinkum conversation about population and tougher rules to slow the entry of migrants into congested cities. His comments echoed the calls issued by far-right and anti-immigrant outfits, such as Senator Pauline Hansons One Nation. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who triggered Turnbulls ouster, is already boasting of having slashed the annual immigration intake from about 190,000 to 160,000. On Tuesday, Population Minister Alan Tudge foreshadowed plans to force newly-arrived immigrants to live in designated parts of the country. We are working on measures to have more new arrivals go the smaller states and regions and require them to be there for at least a few years, he declared in a speech at the Menzies Research Centre, a Coalition thinktank. Fearing widespread opposition in Australias increasingly internationalised working class, which is comprised of workers from all over the world, Tudge provided no information on how such a regime would be monitored, policed and enforced. The mooted scheme would resemble an apartheid-style system in which immigrants would be compelled to carry identification, and be under constant surveillance by the Australian Border Force. Nor did Tudge refer to the penaltiesmost likely detention or deportationfor families who breached the zoning system. Scenes like those in the United States, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers swoop on homes and workplaces of alleged undocumented migrants, would be certain to follow. The type of measures being drawn up behind closed doors was indicated by Australian opinion columnist Niki Savva. She asked if immigrants would be treated like prisoners released on parole. Would it be like home detention with ankle bracelets or subcutaneous devices to alert authorities to their whereabouts? she suggested. What happens if people are found residing outside the borders of their designated living areas? Would they be rounded up, detained, returned to the country towns they are meant to be inalong with their partners or childrenor sent back to their place of origin for breaching their visa conditions? There is a dark history of such measures in Australia. Many indigenous people were confined to missions and reservations until the 1970s and thousands of enemy aliens from Italy, Germany and Japan were rounded up and interned during World Wars I and II. Tudges speech specifically targeted people of Chinese descent. He warned that the multicultural composition of our population is also changing rapidly, noting: Today, over a million Australians have Chinese heritage. These divisive remarks were made in a definite context. The Trump administration has embarked on an escalating tariff and economic war to prevent China from challenging the US as the global military and corporate hegemon, accompanied by provocations that could trigger armed conflicts in the South China Sea and elsewhere, leading to another world war. Tudge alleged that immigration was producing unprecedented integration challenges. There were people who struggle to speak the national language, a higher than ever concentration of the overseas born in particular areas and a small minority that was challenging our values and sometimes using violence to do so. Tudge has previously proposed stronger English language tests to block unwanted migrants. One aim of compelling immigrants to live in specified zones is to make them available to employers as a cheap labour force, driving down wages for all workers. This already occurs in regional areas where refugees, international backpackers and Pacific Island temporary visa holders are ruthlessly exploited, often as fruit pickers or meatworkers. Above all, the parliamentary establishment is seeking to channel the growing popular discontent over inequality and falling living standards in reactionary nationalist directions. Tudge essentially accused incoming migrants of clogging the roads and trains in the urban centres, saying average peak time commuting now took almost twice as long as it did a decade ago. In reality, working class people face worsening traffic and public transport logjams and delays because of the profit-driven character of urban development under capitalism. Billionaire property magnates dominate residential construction, build with little or no regard for the transport, education, health and social needs of residents. Banks, investors and speculators have driven up housing prices, forcing workers to live on far-flung city outskirts. Basic services, including water, power, public transport, roads and airports, have been privatised or franchised, adding to the chaos and costs inflicted on working people. Tudge claimed the government was undertaking a massive boost in infrastructure expenditure to build road and rail networks. In fact, the level of spending has fallen per head of population. Moreover, the projects he listed are mostly expensive toll roads and other developments that will proceed only if they generate huge profits for their corporate operators. Even if the Morrison governments supposed record $75 billion in forward 10-year plans materialises, it stands in stark contrast to the $200 billion allocated for military weaponrythat is war preparationsover the same period. Morrison and his ministers know they have backing throughout the parliamentary elite for their immigrant-bashing. On the eve of Tudges speech, Labor Party leader Bill Shorten wrote to Morrison proposing a bipartisan population task force, indicating support for a new settlement policy to redistribute people away from Sydney and Melbourne. From their White Australia origins onward, Labor and the trade unions have long records of trying to isolate and divide workers in Australia from their fellow workers in Asia and globally. Spearheaded by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the last Labor government began to cut immigration numbers and advanced a similar plan for regional settlement zones. The underlying Labor-Coalition unity was displayed again this week when New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian followed Tudges speech by saying immigration had been allowed to balloon out of control in Sydney and her state. State Labor leader Luke Foley objected that Berejiklian had panned him in March for issuing a similar call. In March, Foley sought to fuel racist sentiment, claiming that immigrants were causing a white flight from Sydney suburbs. As in the US and Britain, the Murdoch media is fanning the anti-immigrant scare-mongering. Recent editorials in the Australian have urged politicians not to be afraid of a frank and sensible debate about the pros and cons of immigration, claiming it was the barbecue-stopping concern of voters. Exactly the opposite is true. The ruling class, exemplified by Murdoch, and its political servants are seeking to cultivate a right-wing constituency and use it against the growing opposition in the working class to social inequality and deteriorating conditions. Workers should reject the poisonous drive to pit them against each other along national, ethnic and communal lines. Immigrant workers and their families have the basic democratic right to live and work where they choose. The only way to reverse the corporate offensive on living standards and halt the lurch toward war is to unify the struggles of the working class on a global basis to overturn capitalism and reorganise economic and social life to satisfy human need, including by pouring trillions of dollars into the advanced infrastructure necessary for modern life. Amid mounting evidence that the Saudi regime tortured and murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its consulate in Istanbul on October 2, President Donald Trump summarily rejected calls for the US to cut off its massive arms shipments to Riyadh. Asked at a press briefing Thursday whether the disappearance and apparent murder of the Saudi journalist would affect US arms sales to the Saudi government, Trump said, I dont like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States. Because you know what theyre going to do? Theyre going to take that money and spend it in Russia or China, or someplace else. Trump was referring to a $110 billion US arms deal brokered by his administration with Riyadh last year, even as the Saudi monarchy was stepping up its near-genocidal war against Houthi rebels in Yemen, using US weapons and critical logistical and intelligence assistance provided by Washington. The Trump administration has deepened the US alliance with Saudi Arabia maintained by successive Republican and Democratic administrations as the centerpiece of an effort to build a common front between the Gulf oil monarchies, Israel and the US to isolate, destabilize and prepare to militarily attack Iran. Earlier on Thursday, in an interview with Fox & Friends, Trump said American investigators were working with Saudi and Turkish officials to determine what occurred with Khashoggi, but he hastened to add that US relations with Riyadh were excellent. On Wednesday, the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a bipartisan letter to Trump urging him to impose sanctions on the Saudi government and invoking the 2016 Magnitsky Act, which gives the executive branch 120 days to decide whether to sanction foreign officials deemed to have violated human rights. The evident murder of the well-connected Washington Post contributor and former Saudi regime insider Khashoggi has stirred up simmering tactical differences within the US national security establishment related to Trumps lavish praise for the despotic regime and the US role in the mass killing of civilians and the humanitarian disaster being inflicted on Yemen. At the same time, the establishment media, corporations and politicians in both parties are seeking to distance themselves from the Saudi regime and conceal their longstanding ties to it. CNN reported Friday that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence confirming that Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate, which he had visited to obtain divorce papers before marrying his Turkish fiancee. A source familiar with the Turkish investigation into Khashoggis disappearance said the evidence proved there was an assault and a struggle inside. They described the nature of the evidence as shocking and disgusting. You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic, a source told the Washington Post. You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered. Also on Friday, Turkey and Saudi Arabia announced that they would conduct a joint investigation. Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly suggested that Riyadh was responsible for Khashoggis death, he has avoided accusing Saudi Arabia publicly. Previously, it was reported that a commando group of 15 Saudi intelligence officials arrived in Istanbul on the day of Khashoggis disappearance and left soon after. Among them was an autopsy expert reportedly equipped with a bone saw. According to some reports, Khashoggis corpse was dismembered before it was removed from the consulate. Khashoggis assassination is yet another expression of the complete disregard for international law under conditions of a deepening capitalist crisis. It reflects not only the ruthless character of the Saudi regime, but also of its main backer, US imperialism, which has built up Riyadh as a key regional ally in its drive to secure unchallenged dominance over the Middle East. Washington has adopted the policy of drone assassinations pioneered by Israel and applied it on an unprecedented scale, killing thousands of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia and other countries. It has given its stamp of approval to Israels shoot-to-kill response to unarmed Palestinians demonstrating on the Gaza-Israel border, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of men, women and children over the past six months. Successive US governments, led by Democrats and Republicans, have funneled billions of dollars in military supplies and aid to Riyadh, which is one of Washingtons main customers for arms exports. Many of these weapons have been used to repress any sign of social opposition within Saudi Arabia to the totalitarian regime and to continue the bloodbath in Yemen. One of the highest-paid firms representing the Saudi regime in Washington is linked to the Clintons. The Glover Park Group, which receives $150,000 a month from the royal family, was started by former Clinton administration officials. In an effort at damage control, sections of the ruling class are now hypocritically seeking to distance themselves from Riyadh and calling for a harder line. Several business figures and media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times, have declared their intention to withdraw from an investment conference due to be held by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later this month. The CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and the Blackstone Group, one of the worlds largest investment firms, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have confirmed their plans to attend the gathering, dubbed Davos in the Desert. The principal fear among these circles is that the brazen display of savagery in the Khashoggi case will hamper their efforts to cloak their imperialist goals in the Middle East and elsewhere behind concern for human rights and democracy. They also worry that Khashoggis assassination and other brutal acts could fuel popular opposition to the House of Saud and its imperialist patrons, both inside Saudi Arabia itself and internationally. Billions of dollars in investments are at stake. According to the Saudi Arabia General Investment Agency, total American investments in the kingdom amount to some $55 billion. In 2017 alone, as Prince Mohammed bin Salman began his so-called modernization drive, 16 new US companies entered the Saudi market with projects valued at approximately $100 million. While the US is Riyadhs main patron, Washingtons ostensible allies in Europe are also deeply implicated in propping up the dictatorship. Britain, France and Germany have all sold billions of dollars worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, and these sales have only increased during the three-and-a-half-year war in Yemen. Having recently mended a diplomatic spat with Riyadh over its campaign against Qatar, the German government has remained relatively muted on the Khashoggi affair, with little more than token statements of concern. In a joint appearance with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly just a week prior to Khashoggis disappearance, German Foreign Minister Heiko Mas praised Saudi Arabia as a country that plays an important role for peace and stability in the region and the world. Asia India: Sanitation workers union calls off East Delhi Municipal Council strike Thousands of East Delhi Municipal Council sanitation workers ended their month-long strike on October 10 following directives from the Swachhata Karmchari Union. The strike against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led municipality, which began on September 12, was for permanent jobs and regular payment of salaries. The Swachhata Karmchari Union called off the industrial action claiming the mayor had given assurance that the council would phase in permanent employment for contract workers. The East Delhi Municipal Council has around 16,000 workers, half of whom are contract employees. The decision to end the strikes came a few days after municipal authorities on October 8 terminated the jobs of 26 contract sanitation workers and suspended 17 others for allegedly obstructing work. On the same day police in New Delhi attacked a large protest of sanitation workers. Meanwhile, sanitation workers in Vijayawada, a major city in Andra Pradesh state, remain on strike after walking out indefinitely last week in protest against the privatisation of sanitation services and to demand higher pay and permanent jobs. The strike action, which was called by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, has seen hundreds of workers stage sit-down protests in the city. Strikers want a minimum monthly salary of 18,000 rupees ($US246). India: Auto-component workers protest in Gurugram Hundreds of workers from different automotive companies operating in and around Gurugram in Haryana state held a one-day hunger strike and demonstration in the city last week. The auto workers were protesting against recent large-scale layoffs in the industry and the Indian federal governments abolition of permanent employment in the public sector and introduction of contract employment. They also demanded the reinstatement of sacked Maruti Suzuki auto workers and the release of 13 Maruti Suzuki workers who were framed-up on bogus charges and last year sentenced to life imprisonment. The protest was organised by Bellsonica Auto-Component Workers Union and supported by workers from some of the major automotive companies, including Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Bellsonica Corporation, Rico Auto Industries and Endurance Technology. Pakistan police arrest teachers for protesting in February Pakistan police have started arresting teachers employed by the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) in Islamabad for demonstrating in February to demand immediate payment of six months outstanding salaries and benefits. Over 2,000 teachers are employed by CADD on a daily wage basis. They have also called for permanent jobs and their monthly pay to be increased from 12,500 rupees ($US101.67) to 25,000 rupees. Bangladesh garment workers demand reinstatement and higher pay Tamishna Fashion Wear (Unit-2) factory workers at Sreepur in Gazipur demonstrated on October 4 to demand higher piece rate payments, reinstatement of terminated workers and an end to management harassment of female workers. Workers allege that the company had victimised a number of workers in the last few months. Tamishna management responded to the protest by shutting the factory. According to news reports and the Gazipur industrial police, the demonstration ended after factory authorities promised to increase piece rate. Union calls off national truck drivers in Bangladesh A national strike by Bangladesh truck drivers was called off by their union, the Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Transport Agency Owners Association, on October 9. The powerful walkout, which began three days earlier, had a major impact on businesses and, according to media reports, stopped all trucks leaving Dhaka, the national capital, during the strike and affected transport in other districts. The drivers were protesting against amendments to the recently enacted Road Transport Act 2018. Under these laws, truck drivers can be sentenced to five years jail or 500,000 takas ($US5,913), or both, for traffic offenses. The law also states that if a driver kills anyone they can be charged with murder or culpable homicide. Calling off the strike, Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Transport Agency Owners Association president claimed that the union had held a fruitful meeting with the Bangladesh home minister. No details of the discussion, however, were released. The striking drivers were also demanding unconditional release of all drivers arrested over previous truck accidents, proper licenses for all heavy vehicle drivers, an end to police harassment and other demands. Taiwan doctors protest vacation cuts Taipei Doctors Union members protest on October 4 against a government policy forcing medical professionals to undertake workplace courses during their vacations. Hospital staff often need to sacrifice up to 100 hours of vacation time each year to attend such courses. These can include general courses, safety drills and more specialised training programs. If medical workers fail to participate in this study their pay can be cut. The protesters said that they wanted a collective agreement with the hospitals that the training will be carried out during paid employment periods. Australia Western Australian bus drivers strike over pay and conditions More than 300 Western Australian drivers employed by private bus operator Transdev struck for four hours last Thursday after negotiation for a new work agreement stalled. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is calling for a 3 percent pay increase, extended annual leave and greater job security. Most of the drivers are employed on a casual basis. The strike affected services on routes in Fremantle, Joondalup, Rockingham and Perth. At meetings held during the stoppage, the drivers voted to continue industrial action and not switch on their bus ticket machines. Transdev responded to the walkout by standing down the drivers for 48 hours. The bus drivers plan to work- to-rule for three days next week. The TWU has repeatedly appealed to the company for further negotiations, signalling its willingness to push through a sell-out deal. New Zealand Go Bus drivers strike again in New Zealand Over 100 Go Bus drivers in Hamilton struck on October 3the fourth time bus workers in the Waikato region have taken industrial action this year. The drivers are barely paid above the minimum wage, work dangerously long hours and have complained of poorly maintained buses. First Union, which covers the drivers, is desperate to contain its members anger on the low pay. Negotiations have been dragged out for over a year, and the Employment Relations Authority has now been brought in to mediate the discussions. The strike was held during off-peak hours to deliberately minimise disruption to bus timetables, according to the unions media statement. The union has also called for a Fair Pay Agreement for all bus drivers in New Zealand. An FPA will boost the political power of the union bureaucracy and ban strikes during nationwide pay negotiations. New Zealand stationary company workers strike for five days Workers at Wincs Auckland distribution centre struck from October 1 to 5 before the company agreed to return to negotiations. Winc was formally known as Staples and was bought twice within the last 12 months. Workers are concerned about redundancies and low pay, around the minimum wage of $16.50. The negotiations are for a collective agreement, which will also cover workers in the companys Wellington and Christchurch branches, who did not go on strike. Print workers strike for 24 hours in New Zealand Workers at print shops owned by the Blue Star Group struck for 24 hours on Wednesday. The walkout came after months of unsuccessful negotiations by the E tu Union. Blue Star workers banned overtime in May. The strike was in reaction to company demands that workers agree to shift changes without consulting them first and demands that staff reveal if they had second jobs. A recent press release by E tu does not reveal whether the union has called on the company to increase pay. The crisis shaking the French government since the resignation of Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, one of the earliest supporters of President Emmanuel Macron, intensified this week. Last week, Macron announced a major cabinet reshuffle, but as of this writing the cabinet changes have still not been announced. Following eight ministerial resignations over the past two weeks, further departures took place this week. Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen, Agriculture Minister Stephane Travers and Regional Cohesion Minister Jacques Mezard all announced plans to step down. The naming of a new government has been announced and then delayed multiple times. On Tuesday, the press was invited for an imminent announcement. But it was rescheduled at the last minute for Friday, reportedly after Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe failed to reach an agreement. Macron purportedly did not want a cabinet reshuffle that would allow Philippe to make a new statement of general policy before the National Assembly, insisting that his own July 9 statement to both houses of parliament at Versailles remained the authoritative statement of overall government policy. At a press conference Friday, with the media reporting that the cabinet reshuffle would not be announced, Macron seemed totally overcome by the situation. He lamely declared, I do things calmly and with respect for people. I am trying to do things in a professional way One must do things with calmness, method and at a good rhythm. There is no crisis, the government is at work, no posts are vacant and things are advancing. Officials have admitted that one of the main difficulties in finding new ministers has been repeated refusals by politicians to join the Philippe government. They all fear risking their careers by joining a government whose days seem to be numbered. This is an unprecedented situation in French politics, where politicians offered a ministerial post have traditionally rushed to accept. The replacement of Collomb at the interior ministry has posed a particular challenge under conditions of rising discontent within the security forces, which for years have been demanding a rise in their budgets so they can carry out the mass repression the government demands of them. Nine ministers have cancelled key public appearances. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire did not go to the yearly meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Bali, Indonesia. Whatever the composition of the new government, it is already clear that Macrons agenda of deep austerity, militarism and police state rule will not change. All of the major bourgeois parties support this program and Macron has announced that he will work more closely with the trade unions to impose it. In line with the trajectory of the entire French and European bourgeoisie toward the far right, the cabinet reshuffle will mark a new and violent rightward shift. Since Collombs resignation, Prime Minister Philippe has taken steps in this direction, pushing for the integration into the government of figures from the right-wing Gaullist The Republicans (LR) party. For now, it is the various factions of this party that are pushing the hardest against the Macron-Philippe government, denouncing its indecision and accusing it of spreading indecision at the highest levels of the state. Speaking in the National Assembly, Christian Jacob, the head of the LR parliamentary group, said, They were not able to tell us anything because we are not even sure if there will be a government. LR deputy Guillaume Larrive declared, Eight days after the compulsory resignation of Mr. Collomb, it does look very serious that we still do not have an operational government The ship of state no longer has a pilot. We are not capable of finding an interior minister. That is pretty surprising! Factions of LR around Alain Juppe, the former prime minister under right-wing President Jacques Chirac, are coming forward to offer themselves for a proposed coalition. Juppe set off a massive rail strike in 1995 by announcing a direct attack on pensions and public services. Another former Chirac prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said one should go towards a logic of coalition, with people of the center left and the center right people close to Alain Juppe, for example. Another LR faction closer to the far right, around ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy and current LR party leader Laurent Wauquiez, was omnipresent in the interview and matinee radio shows. Brice Hortefeux, the former interior minister under Sarkozy, who is close to Wauquiez, denounced what he called institutional disorder and political chaos on a scale never seen before at the highest summits of the state. Just a few days after French neo-fascist leader Marine Le Pen met with Italys neo-fascist interior minister, Matteo Salvini, and declared that she wants to take power, her party is conspicuous by its absence, at least for the present. Neo-fascist deputy Sebastien Chenu told BFM-TV on October 9, This is a lot of noise over nothing. The same moderation could be observed in Jean-Luc Melenchons Unsubmissive France (LFI) party, whose leaders reacted by mildly criticizing the government without doing anything to inconvenience it. LFI spokeswoman and deputy Daniele Obono said in an interview, We are not seeking crisis for the sake of crisis, adding, Macron may be in crisis we are spectators. With Macron leading the most right-wing regime in France since the end of World War II and the Nazi occupation, the Morenoite wing of the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) wrote on its website Permanent Revolution that Macron is worn out because he is losing his center-left base, which is frustrated with his right-wing policies. The NPA was, in typical fashion, leaving open the possibility that a more center-left tendency in the ruling elite could lead an opposition to fascistic forces. The heart of the NPAs political strategy is to subordinate the independent interests of the working class to the supposedly democratic wing of the bourgeoisie. But all of the bourgeois parties are moving in the direction of counterrevolution and the far right, the supposedly democratic no less than the openly neo-fascist. In Germany, the grand coalition of the main democratic partiesthe Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Unionis adopting the politics of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which won only 12.6 percent of the vote in the last election. Last week, AfD leader Alexander Gauland published an article rehabilitating anti-Semitism and Hitlers blood and soil policy in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germanys main newspapers. The key question is the growing conflict between all the different wings of the bourgeoisie and the working class, the only consistently progressive and revolutionary force in capitalist society. In France, the ruling elite is for the time being trying to carry out its move toward the far right under some political cover, working through the so-called center-right or center-left factions that surround Macron and Philippe. But this changes nothing with respect to the basic trajectory of the government, which is entering into collision with the working class. Jean-Luc Melenchon kept silent for weeks after the official in his Unsubmissive France (LFI) party tasked with geopolitical issues, Djordje Kuzmanovic, made a statement calling for the defense of French workers against foreigners. Kuzmanovic had hailed the xenophobic Aufstehen (Rise Up) movement launched by Melenchons German ally, Sahra Wagenknecht. By his silence, Melenchon is tacitly supporting forces within LFI orienting toward Wagenknechts right-wing populism. Reacting in early September in LObs to the formation of Aufstehen, which promotes hostility toward refugees on the grounds that they are stealing native-born workers jobs and supports European remilitarization, the former paratrooper Kuzmanovic called for hustling votes by promoting a chauvinist program. He declared, Certain left-wing voters are shifting toward right-wing populism, but the main problem is that a large part of the lower classes are abstaining. If there is an electorate that we should be winning over, its that one! The danger is that if we do not manage it, we will be in a situation like Italy, where the progressive forces are blown apart and the xenophobic right is in power. Sahra Wagenknechts line on the immigrant question therefore seems to me a question of public cleanliness. Having thus echoed the praise of the German far right for Wagenknechts party, Kuzmanovic demanded that the security forces rapidly deport all refugees whose right to asylum is denied, claiming this to be a Marxist policy. Kuzmanovics interview created some disquiet within LFI. A few days after it appeared in LObs, Melenchon asked the magazine to remove its reference to the fact that Kuzmanovic is an adviser to him. He also asked LObs to add a note that he had drafted to the text of the article, stating: The point of view he expresses on immigration is strictly personal. He is starting debates that are not my own. Melenchons attempt to distance himself from Kuzmanovic is politically dishonest, as LFI has no fundamental divergences with Kuzmanovic or Aufstehen. He is trying only to prevent the xenophobic positions of LFIs central leadership from discrediting his movement in the eyes of voters. Those who voted for Melenchon in the last presidential election did so overwhelmingly to express opposition to Trumps air strikes in Syria as well as hostility to austerity and horror over refugee drownings in the Mediterranean, not to support nationalism or neo-fascism. However, LFIs statements testify to the broad support Kuzmanovics xenophobic positions have within the LFI leadership. Alexis Corbiere, an LFI deputy and spokesman who is Melenchons top assistant, came out in defense of Kuzmanovic, saying, Djordje is a friend, precious and intelligent, who does not deserve the crude caricature being made of him. Inrockuptibles magazine cited a historic member of LFI, who explained that Kuzmanovic was protecting Melenchon by floating a trial balloon. He said, As I read the interview, I dont see that Djordje diverges from what Jean-Luc said in his speech in Marseille. He added, This looks more and more like a tactical and not a fundamental difference. Kuzmanovic is serving as cover on the immigration issue. No one would have dared criticize Jean-Luc directly. Kuzmanovic himself spoke about his LObs interview, saying that he regretted having added Yes and rapidly when speaking about people who should be deported due to their ineligibility for the right to asylum. He added, Journalists can look at what Jean-Luc Melenchon has said on these questions and compare it to what I replied If it is different, then I did not hear the music right. In fact, four days after the LObs article appeared, Melenchon backed Wagenknechts initiative, publishing a Facebook post calling on his followers to understand the text of a Liberation article citing Wagenknecht as saying, More immigration means more and more competition for jobs and, of course, a greater burden on social infrastructure. Melenchons tacit support for the xenophobic policy of Kuzmanovic and Wagenknecht exposes LFIs essential hostility to Marxism and the working class, which they seek to divide along national lines. As social anger grows against Macron and his attempts to demolish workers basic social rights, the LFI leadership is trying to block a movement to the left in the working class. It prefers to spread among the workers a xenophobic line compatible with far-right politics, and even invite the right-wing The Republicans (LR) party to LFIs summer school to discuss military issues. This confirms the Marxist critique formulated by the World Socialist Web Site over the last decade of Melenchons populist and anti-Trotskyist politics. As the WSWS wrote on Kuzmanovics interview: The more recent founding of Syriza, Die Linke, Podemos, LFI and now Aufstehen ultimately provided only a facelift for nationalist, petty-bourgeois forces coming from Stalinism or Pabloismlike Melenchon, who began his political career in the Organisation communiste internationaliste (OCI) of Pierre Lambert. The OCI had broken with the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and with Trotskyism in 1971. Melenchon joined the PS (Socialist Party) in 1976 and worked closely with PS President Francois Mitterrand. LFIs shift toward an openly xenophobic line points to Melenchons strategy and the nature of his break with the PS. After the PS suffered electoral defeats in 2002 and 2007 due to workers hostility to the PS governments of Mitterrand and Jospin, Melenchon tried to rebrand Jospins Plural Left alliance with Stalinist, Green and Pabloite forces, launching the Left Party (PG) with a section of the PS in 2009 and then forming the Left Front. There, he worked with similar Stalinist, Pabloite and eco-socialist elements to try to win voters who were to the left of the PS. As the PS disintegrated during the 2012-2017 PS presidency of Francois Hollande, Melenchon in 2014 announced the death of socialism and the left. The anti-Marxist populist positions he then took, on the pretext of updating methods of popular struggle for the 21st century, were signals launched in the direction of the far right. A decade after the eruption of the global capitalist crisis in 2008, growing social inequality, the buildup toward world war, and the police state policies being adopted by capitalist governments throughout the world are driving an international radicalization of the working class. In this context, Melenchon and the forces in the affluent middle class that he represents are moving rapidly to the right, in line with the evolution of the entire European political establishment. Wagenknecht has been in discussions with the neo-fascist Alternative for Germany (AfD), as factions of Spains Podemos party are applauding Italys neo-fascist Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, while remaining silent on the deportation of migrants. All take as a model the policies in Greece of Syriza, which, as the leading force in a coalition government with the far-right Independent Greeks (Anel) party, is implementing savage austerity and jailing immigrants in concentration camps. On October 2, Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian published an article titled Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship, incorporating the results of a year-long effort to publish hoax articles, deliberately comprised of bunk facts and irrational and reactionary conclusions, in academic journals associated with gender, racial and identity studies. The results expose the intellectual bankruptcy of identity politics and postmodernist philosophy. Their proponents, who dominate university humanities departments worldwide, are charlatans who have published or given favorable revise and resubmit comments to the most absurd and vulgar pseudo-scientific arguments. These include: a purported 1,000-hour study of dog humping patterns at dog parks that concludes by calling for human males to be trained like dogs to prevent rape culture; a long-form poem produced through a teenage angst poetry generator about women holding spiritual-sexual moon meetings in a secret womb room and praying to a vulva shrine; a proposal to develop feminist robots, trained to think irrationally, to control humanity and subjugate white men; and additional articles relating to male masturbation. Another proposal, which was praised by reviewers in a paper that was ultimately rejected, encouraged teachers to place white students in chains to be shamed for their white privilege. There is an element of humor in the fact that such drivel could win accolades from academics and journals. The dog park article was even selected as one of the most influential contributions in the history of the Gender, Place and Culture journal! But the implications of the study are deadly serious. Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian have confirmed the right-wing political essence of identity politics and postmodernist thought, based on anti-Marxism, irrationalism and the rejection of the Enlightenment and objective truth. Most chillingly, the authors also submitted a re-write of a chapter from Hitlers Mein Kampf, with language altered to reference female identity and feminism. The paper, titled Our struggle is my struggle: solidarity feminism as an intersectional reply to neoliberal and choice feminism, was accepted for publication and greeted with favorable reviews. I am extremely sympathetic to this articles argument and its political positioning, one academic wrote. Another said, I am very sympathetic to the core arguments of the paper. In the wake of their public disclosure, Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian have come under attack by the proponents of postmodernism and identity politics, who claim the hoax is a right-wing attack on social justice disciplines. Typical is the argument of Daniel Engber, who wrote in Slate: How timely, too, that this secret project should be published in the midst of the Kavanaugh imbroglioa time when the anger and the horror of male anxiety is so resplendent in the news. Its a very scary time for young men, Trump told reporters on the very day that Pluckrose, Lindsay, and Boghossian went public with their hoax. Both express a fear of false attacks on men, whether levied by regretful sluts, lefty liberals, radical academics, or whoever else. In reality, the hoax has exposed the fact that it is the proponents of identity politics who are advancing views parallel to the far right. While they are enraged with those who voice concern about the elimination of due process and the presumption of innocence for the targets of the #MeToo campaign, they are unbothered by the fact that the writings of Adolf Hitler are published and praised in feminist academic circles. Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian are self-described liberals who are concerned that the present identity hysteria is pushing the culture war to ever more toxic and existential polarization, by fanning the flames of the far right. As a result, identitarians are affecting activism on behalf of women and racial and sexual minorities in a way which is counterproductive to equality aims by feeding into right-wing reactionary opposition to those equality objectives. In contrast, the authors aim is to give peopleespecially those who believe in liberalism, progress, modernity, open inquiry, and social justicea clear reason to look at the identitarian madness coming out of the academic and activist left and say, No, I will not go along with that. You do not speak for me. The hoaxs authors are correct to link the identity politics proponents hostility to equality with their opposition to rationalism, scientific analysis and the progressive gains of the Enlightenment. But the roots of this right-wing, irrationalist, anti-egalitarian degeneration are to be found in the economic structure of capitalist society. The academic architects of postmodernism and identity politics occupy well-paid positions in academia, often with salaries upwards of $100,000$300,000 or more. As a social layer, the theoreticians of what the World Socialist Web Site refers to as the pseudo-left are in the wealthiest 10 percent of American society. Their political and philosophical views express their social interests. The obsession with privilege, sex, and racial and gender identity is a mechanism by which members and groups within this layer fight among themselves for income, social status and positions of privilege, using degrees of oppression to one up each other in the fight for tenure track jobs, positions on corporate or non-profit boards, or election to public office. A chief purpose of the #MeToo campaign, for example, is to replace male executives and male politicians with women, while ignoring the social needs of the vast majority of working class women. The weaponization of identity politics is directed down the social ladder as well. By advancing the lie that white workers benefit from white privilege, for example, the proponents of identity politics argue: the spoils of Wall Street should not go to meeting the social needs of the working class, including white workers, who face record rates of alcoholism, poverty, opioid addiction, police violence and other indices of social misery. Instead, the worlds resources should go to me. It is this visceral class hatred that serves as the basis for absurd and reactionary arguments like those advanced in the hoax papers. Nor have the politics of racial identity improved the material conditions for the vast majority of minority workers. Inequality within racial minorities has increased alongside the introduction of affirmative action programs and the increasing dominance of identity politics in academia and bourgeois politics. In 2016, the top 1 percent of Latinos owned 45 percent of all Latino wealth, while the top 1 percent of African-Americans owned 40.5 percent and the richest whites owned 36.5 percent of white wealth. The influence of postmodernism in academia exploded in the aftermath of the mass protests of the 1960s and early 1970s. Based explicitly on a rejection of the revolutionary role of the working class and opposition to the meta narrative of socialist revolution, it is not accidental that identity politics and postmodernism have now been adopted as official ideological mechanisms of bourgeois rule. In recent decades, a massive identity politics industry has been erected, with billions of dollars available from corporate funds and trusts for journals, non-profits, publications, fellowships and political groups advancing racial or gender politics. Identity politics has come to form a central component of the Democratic Partys electoral strategy. Imperialist wars are justified on the grounds that the US is intervening to protect women, LGBT people and other minorities. The growing movement of the working class, broadening strikes across industries and widespread interest in socialism on college campuses pose an existential threat to the domination of postmodernism. Pluckrose, Lindsay and Boghossian have struck a well-timed blow against this reactionary obstacle to the development of scientific socialist consciousness. Plantation workers in Sri Lankas Nuwara Eliya district are intensifying calls for a 100 percent wage rise as the spending power of their poverty-level wages is eroded by the rapidly rising cost of living. Early this month more than 1,000 workers from Brunswick and Murray plantations and nearly 600 workers from the Mocha and Gartmore plantations in Maskeliya protested near their estate factories. They held placards demanding that their wages be increased from 500 rupees ($US2.94) per day to 1,000 rupees. The protests were initiated by the National Union of Workers (NUW), following a demonstration and meeting at Talawakelle involving seven unions, including the NUW, on September 23. The unions organised these protests out of fear that they could lose control of estate workers growing demands. Many estate union leaders, including P. Digambaram who heads the NUW, are ministers in the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government and endorse its social austerity program and cuts to workers conditions. The collective agreement between the unions and the Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) expires this month. While plantation workers are demanding a 1,000-rupee wage, the unions have called for a reasonable increasei.e., an increase that will protect company profits. Planters Association of Ceylon chairman Sunil Poholiyadde recently told the Daily Mirror that the peak body has proposed a miserable 10 percent or 50-rupee wage rise. The association, he emphasised, however, wanted a different model based on productivity and share of revenue. Addressing the associations annual general meeting on October 5, Poholiyadde praised the unions over last agreement, pointing out that they supported a productivity-based wage structure and agreed to look into a revenue share model. The revenue sharing system, he stressed, needs to be aggressively pursued for the sustainability of the industry and hoped that the unions would support and implement this program aggressively. Under the estate revenue share (share-cropping) system, around 1,000 tea bushes are allocated to a workers family, who must tend the crop and sell the produce to the estate. The company deducts expenses for the tools, fertilisers and other inputs it provides and then claims its profit rate. The remaining portion is given to the worker. While the union bureaucrats make demagogic speeches at protest rallies about defending workers living standards, behind the scenes they are preparing to sign a collective agreement that would ruthlessly implement the companies demands. Mocha Estate workers spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters about the difficult hardships they confront, voicing anger against the unions, the companies and the government. One worker said: The government and plantation companies have refused to increase our wage. Why does the government treat us as second-class citizens? Without a fight we wont be able to even get a small wage increase. In 2016 we struck for 10 days but the trade unions betrayed our struggle and subordinated us to a 50-rupee increase per day. Another worker explained that the unions had supported increases in productivity. If we cannot reach our target of 16 kilos of tea leaves per day we dont get the 140-rupee allowance, he said. Last month, most workers only got only 4,000 rupees, after deductions. When we complained to the unions they said the agreement was based on those conditions. The unions secretly negotiate with companies without consulting us and we dont know what they are discussing. In the 2016 wage deal, the unions agreed to implement the revenue share system but this has met enormous resistance from plantation workers, so only a handful of companies have been able to implement it. While it has been introduced at Tillary estate, Battalgala estate of the Kelani Valley Plantation and some other plantations, workers have started to reject the system. At Tillary estate in Dickoya, 80 workers have handed back plots they were allocated and are now working under the previous wage system. A Tillary estate worker told WSWS reporters: Under this revenue sharing system we will become debtors. The unions, however, continue to campaign for this socially regressive scheme, falsely claiming workers will benefit from revenue sharing. During the Brunswick workers protest, NUW organiser K.Thyagarajah demagogically declared: If the plantation companies refuse to give a reasonable wage increase then we have to demand that they divide up the estates and give it to the workers to manage. A. Raveendrarajah, a member of the NUW local council in Maskeliya, justified the revenue share system, claiming that workers will increase their income under this system. K. Theresa, a Mocha Estate worker and mother of three children, told the WSWS: We cant tolerate this cost of living. Our wage is not even enough to buy the food we need and we dont have enough money to pay for our childrens education. We are forced to borrow money. This time we cant accept less than 1,000 rupees per day. We voted for this government but they forget us. Punithawathy, from same estate, said workers had to pluck 16 kilos of tea leaves per day just to get a wage of 730 rupees. If were unable to do that they cut our pay. I got only 4,000 rupees last month and my husband also received the same. How can we live? We have four children and for their education we need at least 20,000 rupees a month. The trade unions are useless. They are not fighting for our rights. Wijeluxmi said housing conditions on her estate had worsened. My house and the homes of seven workers were damaged in a recent landslide. We were displaced and had to take refuge in a school, she said. After returning, we are now living in the same damaged houses and nobody helps us to build or repair these houses. She said a trade union representative visited the workers after they were displaced, gave some rice and biscuits, and then vanished. How can we spend money building houses when our wages are not even enough for food? she asked, adding that workers must travel 15 kilometres to Maskeliya to purchase basic necessities, spending 80 rupees each time they made the trip. Vadivel Ganeshan, a tea factory worker from Brunswick estate in Maskeliya, rejected union leaders claims about the revenue sharing system. Under this system, he said, we will be compelled to make our children and elderly parents work. The companies will try and exploit whole families. All workers must come forward and oppose this system. The trade union leaders join with the government, get ministerial positions and then enjoy a life of luxury. During one election an NUW leader came to our estate and laid a foundation stone to build a bridge. Its now nearly four years since then and nothing has been built. Hundreds of students have to use a risky bridge and in the rainy season its very dangerous. Ganeshan said some workers on his estate decided to stop paying their union dues and have established a separate committee to solve the problems they face. WSWS reporters discussed this important political development with Ganeshan. They explained that estate workers could fight the government and employers attacks only by breaking from the unions, building action committees and uniting plantation and other workers on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. Alexei Kudrin, one of Vladimir Putins closest allies, has stepped up his campaign for a rapprochement with the imperialist powers. In recent days, Kudrin made several statements indicating that a powerful wing in the Kremlin seeks to mend ties with the West. On Wednesday, Kudrin argued that the sanctions by the West create great risks for the speed of [economic] growth. They would make it virtually impossible for Putins outlined goals for social improvement to be realized, Kudrin said. This comes after years in which the Kremlin has officially tried to argue that the Western sanctions have had no significant impact on the Russian economy. Then, Kudrin warned that the sanctions which are now being discussed in the EU and above all the US could lead to a recession already in the next year. Therefore, he continued, Russias foreign policy had to be oriented toward minimizing the tensions with other countries and at least maintaining and lowering of the sanction regime, and not its escalation. He added that he would measure the effectiveness of [Russian] foreign policy on the basis of whether or not sanctions would continue. A few days earlier, Kudrin was in Riga, the capital of NATO-member state Latvia, and made a case for the improvement of Latvian-Russian relations. This is under conditions where Latvia, like the other two Baltic states, has been at the forefront and a major staging ground for the NATO military build-up against Russia. In none of these remarks did Kudrin even so much as mention the systematic encirclement of Russia by NATO, denounce the endless imperialist provocations over the alleged Russian hacking of the US 2016 elections and the alleged Skripal poisoning, or describe the sanctions as the economic warfare on the part of imperialism they objectively constitute. Judging by Kudrins line, the question of mending ties with imperialism was solely a matter of Russia changing its foreign policy. Kudrin also recently expressed concerns about prevailing mass poverty in Russia, stating that given the GDP per capita that we have, it is dishonourable to have such levels of poverty in our country. Kudrins remarks reflect broader discussions and shifts within the Russian oligarchy. Now the head of the Audit Chamber, which functions as a watchdog for the budget, Kudrin has been a key figure in Russian politics for decades. He rose to power and wealth alongside Putin under the shadow of Leningrad mayor Anatoly Sobchak in the 1990s. In the first two presidencies of Putin, he was finance minister and responsible for a major wave of social cuts in the early 2000s. If there is mass poverty in Russia, Kudrin is amongst those primarily responsible for it. A few years ago, he founded the Center for Strategic Research, a think tank which has provided the blueprint for the deeply unpopular pension reform bill that Putin signed just last week. While meeting suspicion and opposition from sections of the elites, especially in the military and the military-industrial complex, Kudrin is viewed as a possible link to the pro-US liberal opposition and is popular in international finance circles. In this years state of the nation address in March, Putin had already signalled that his fourth presidency would involve much more far-reaching concessions to the liberal opposition. Numerous pro-Kremlin outlets greeted his reelection as an opportunity to enact the very reforms of the liberal opposition that voters had expressed their opposition to in voting for Putin. The widely hated pension reform is itself part of this attempt by the Russian oligarchy to make concessions to both the imperialist powers and the liberal opposition, which for decades have been demanding such an assault on workers living standards. The fact that US imperialism has made absolutely no sign of lowering its pressure on Russia in recent years, no matter what concessions the Kremlin was willing to make in domestic and foreign policy, but, on the contrary, has only continued to escalate it, underscores the desperation of the Russian oligarchy. Without any prospect of being rewarded for its concessions to imperialism, it is frantically trying to manoeuvre itself out of its historical dead end. Underlying the recent push toward improving relations with the imperialist powers are above all the class tensions in Russia itself. In light of an ongoing economic crisis, which has been significantly exacerbated by the Western sanctions, there is enormous anger about the oligarchys decade-long monopolization of wealth and political power. The ramming through of the pension bill, which will raise the retirement age for Russians by five years in the face of opposition by some 90 percent of the population, has significantly exacerbated social and political tensions. The social discontent has found an initial reflection in the recent regional elections, which saw opposition candidates from the far-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and the Stalinist KPRF win in several regions, while the votes for United Russia plummeted in numerous regions by 10 to 20 percent. (See: Kremlin suffers defeats in regional elections) The election results have caused enormous nervousness in the Kremlin. While both the KPRF and the LDPR have proven over decades to be a reliable loyal and right-wing nationalist opposition to the ruling United Russia party, the oligarchy is well aware that the votes for these parties express much broader political and social opposition to the status quo. The growing struggles of workers internationally add to the concerns of the oligarchy that the working class in Russia too will sooner rather than later be driven into struggle. These fears were spelled out quite concretely in a lengthy piece published October 10 in the Kremlin controlled Rossiiskaya Gazeta. The author is Valerii Zorkin, the 75-year-old head of Russias Constitutional Court, who for decades worked for the Stalinist regime before becoming a major figure in Russian legislation during capitalist restoration. In his piece, he raised alarm about the potential political fall-out from the prevailing extreme poverty and social inequality in Russia. According to Zorkin, the Constitutional Court is receiving a large number of complaints about the lack of social welfare assistance in Russia. There was enormous discontent, Zorkin argued, over economic and social injustice and the impact of three decades of reforms, meaning even if Zorkin did not dare put it this wayalmost three decades of capitalism. He wrote: Society perceives most acutely and sharply the extremely unequal distribution of the burden of the economic reforms that have been conducted in the country, the main testimony of which is first and foremost the extraordinary social inequality. ... Over 20 million Russians live beneath the poverty line. In this context, one cannot fail to note that a year ago we celebrated the centenary of the events of 1917, which, as is clear today, were provoked above all by the deep socio-economic divide within Russian society. Among the proposals Zorkin presented was greater political pluralism, including the opportunity for the opposition to actually get into positions of power, and constitutional reforms. None of his proposals would benefit the working class. Rather, like Kudrins proposals, they amount to a plea for greater collaboration of all sections of the oligarchy with US imperialism and sections of the upper middle class that back the liberal opposition, with the aim of uniting against what they perceive to be their common enemy: the working class. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - After seeing the devastation in coastal Franklin county communities, one Alabama local wanted to help in any way he could. Dozens of families in Franklin County are filling their arms with food, water and supplies. And it's all thanks to Roy Morton. He drove from Birmingham, Alabama to deliver a U-haul full of supplies to be given out to families. Morton says the morning after Hurricane Michael hit, he started buying everything from generators to chainsaws to cleaning items. He dropped off a full U-haul at the Franklin County Sheriffs Office for deputies to hand out to those who are most in need. Morton says getting down to the coast was rough. He says it took nearly four hours to drive a few miles on Thursday, but to him, it was well worth it. "This place took a huge hit down here and people don't know about this area. And so we thought we'd tried to bring some awareness about what's going on down here," said Morton. "It's been completely devastated and a lot of people down here don't have anything." That's why Morton says it wasn't a debate for him. He says helping out neighbors in need, especially during a time like this is what matters to him. Morton tells us he has a home in Apalachicola that he hasn't even started cleaning up. His main concern right now is helping get supplies to families in Franklin County who need them most. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - First responders run towards an emergency situation, not away. They are our heroes on the front lines assisting those in need in the communities they serve. Never is their dedication to service more evident than during a crises like Hurricane Michael. Tallahassee Police Department Spokesperson, Officer Rachelle Denmark, described her experience as a first responder during Hurricane Michael and says the primary mission and focus was the safety of the community. She describes how they stayed out assisting people until weather conditions became too dangerous and then it got scary when she was trying to do some last minute assistance. I had a tree break right next to the car I was in. My police car. Driving down the road trying to get to shelter, a tree snapped in two and landed," said Denmark. "I heard it snap and I heard it crash and it landed right beside the car as I drove past and that's when I knew it was time to get to shelter." In the wake of the hurricane, Denmark says first responders in our area are still in emergency response mode and working around the clock to assist with clean up, recovery, and keeping those in the community safe. COLQUITT, Ga. (WTXL) - Many small towns in south Georgia were hit hard by Hurricane Michael, including Colquitt. Colquitt is known for Swamp Gravy, the annual Mayhaw Festival, and for being Georgia's Mural City, but if you were to take a look around the area, it's almost unrecognizable. Many roads are still blocked either because of trees or infrastructure damage. Despite this, resources are being deployed to the citizens as fast as possible, with cases of water being available to the community on Friday. Although a boil water notice is in effect for Colquitt residents, a mandatory curfew is not. Instead, Cory Thomas, the Deputy Director of the Miller County Emergency Management Agency, is urging residents to use common sense and not wander around at night. "Remember who we are. We're a loving community. We're a neighboring community that when one is down, we pick each other up. I would just like to encourage everyone, let's come together through this," said Thomas. "Let's make this a better community because of this. Let's work together, help each other out." The effects that Hurricane Michael left on Colquitt are sobering to say the least, but first responders and volunteers from all over the state have come out to lend their assistance to the city. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The tropics have been active lately and First Alert Chief Meteorologist Casanova Nurse explained why hurricanes are more likely to form closer to home this time of year. History and climatology tell us the western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico are hotbeds of tropical action in the month of October. The waters in the region don't quickly cool down with the change of seasons. Absent any tropical systems, surface water temperatures linger in the low to mid 80s. Under ideal atmospheric conditions, blobs of moisture can gather around developing low pressure and become a late-season nuisance. Since 1900, 66 hurricanes have formed in the Caribbean in October, most of them getting their start in the western half of the sea. Many of these disturbances tend to move north, sliding around a high-pressure zone typically in the Atlantic Ocean, and deflected northeastward by early-fall cold fronts sweeping into the Southeastern U.S. But when cold fronts are late in arriving, tropical troubles can sneak deeper into the northern Gulf, putting the gorgeous Florida beaches at higher risk for late-season hurricane harassment. LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Leon County Sheriff's Office is helping other area counties that were impacted by Hurricane Michael. LCSO has received requests, through the state Emergency Operations Center and the Florida Sheriffs Association, from the Jackson County Sheriffs Office, the Liberty County Sheriffs Office, and the Bay County Sheriffs Office since Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday. In those requests the Jackson County Sheriffs Office and Liberty County Sheriffs Office requested deputies to assist with patrol functions. LCSO stated they have sent sworn personnel to both of those counties. The Jackson County Sheriffs Office also lost the ability to use their office and dispatch center due to storm damage and LCSO is providing its mobile command center to assist Jackson County in dispatching their first responders. The Bay County Sheriffs Office requested assistance with their jail. Their personnel had not been able to take time off since the storm made landfall. LCSO is sending corrections officers to assist Bay County as well. The LCSO Aviation Unit has also helped local officials assess storm damage, inspect the power lines, and inspect the power plants. LCSO said they have flown communication gear to Calhoun and Gulf Counties and helped the Florida Department of Corrections with contacting the Gulf Correctional Institute after they were unable to contact their employees. When our neighbors need our help we are all in. The employees of the Leon County Sheriffs Office are here, not just for the citizens of Leon County, but for our sister counties when tragedy hits," said LCSO Sheriff Walt McNeil. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida Department of Children and Families, along with Farm Share, will host a free resource fair and food distribution for residents of Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties on Saturday. The free event will bring together organizations serving Big Bend communities to help residents learn more about health, family support, and elderly services available throughout the region. After Hurricane Michael over 30,000 pounds of food was donated for those in disaster areas. "Folks need it when a disaster hits like this, it's spread through out everywhere around here and inundated with tress and power lines down and there is no food for them," said Dave Reynolds, Facility Manager for Northwest Farm Share. "We need to bring that product into the disaster relieve areas and get it to them as quickly as possible." The event will be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will take place at the Wakulla Community Center in Crawfordville. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-12 22:13:33|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with members of the advisory board of the elite Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with members of the advisory board of the elite Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing on Friday. "All countries in the world are closely linked. China will unswervingly deepen reform and expand opening up, constantly enhance mutual understanding of each other's history and reality through exchanges and cooperation with people of all countries, so as to deepen mutual trust, learn from each other, strengthen cooperation and work together to address common risks and challenges," Wang said. "China hopes that the board members will continue to actively participate in and witness China's economic construction and contribute to promoting exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and foreign countries." The advisors, including Jim Breyer, chairman of the advisory board and Breyer Capital's founder and CEO, said China and foreign interests are blending deeply, and the foundation of mutual understanding, trust and respect is becoming increasingly solid. The board is willing to continue to make positive effort for China's economic development and education. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan also attended the meeting. The advisory board was founded in 2000 and consists of professors from foreign universities and CEOs from multinationals. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 01:24:11|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIGA, Oct 12 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's New Conservative Party announced its proposals on Friday for the Baltic country's next coalition government, offering to distribute ministerial portfolios among five political parties, leaving two parties in opposition. New Conservative Party leader Janis Bordans said at a news conference that had he invited political newcomer KPV LV, liberal alliance For Development/For, right-wing National Alliance, and center-right New Unity to join his would-be government. The proposal means that the left-wing Harmony, which won the highest number of votes in last week's general election, as well as incumbent Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis' centrist Greens and Farmers Union, would be left in opposition. The New Conservative Party also presented its proposal for the distribution of ministerial portfolios. The New Conservative Party is claiming the position of prime minister and also wants to take control of the ministry of environment protection and regional development, as well as the interior ministry. For Development/For has been offered the portfolios of finance, welfare and health ministers. KPV LV would be in charge of the economics and transport ministries, and the National Alliance could appoint the ministers of culture, education and science and agriculture. New Unity would get the portfolios of defense and justice ministers. The coalition would have to take a joint decision on who to appoint as Latvia's next foreign minister. Bordans said his party expected the potential partners to respond to the proposal by the middle of next week. He also stressed that his party would not agree to broaden the government coalition and insisted on leaving the Greens and Farmers Union out. Since election winner Harmony has not been able to attract any partners to form a majority government, the runner-up New Conservative Party has come forward and started talks with the other political parties that have won mandates in Latvia's new parliament on forming a center-right government coalition. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 01:44:18|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Oct. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) DUSHANBE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday lauded the China-Russia bilateral relationship, which has kept high-level development momentum and made remarkable achievements in economic cooperation. Li made the remarks when meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held here. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen comprehensive strategic coordination with Russia, Li said when speaking of the successful meeting of the two countries' leaders at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in September in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok. New impetus can be injected into bilateral cooperation by expanding cooperation fields and converging interests of both countries, Li said. Under the current complex and changing international situation, China is willing to innovate cooperation ideas together with Russia to further explore potential, Li said. He added that cooperation in energy, finance, as well as science and technology, should be boosted to enhance bilateral high-quality cooperation. For his part, Medvedev said with steady and practical cooperation in all fields, positive development of energy cooperation and deepened regional exchanges, the bilateral trade is expected to exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars this year. Russia is willing to work with China to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, contributing to the world peace, stability and prosperity, said Medvedev. He also said that he expects to visit China this year for the China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 02:04:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The expert commission overseeing Germany's planned exit from coal power generation wants the federal government to offer affected mining areas generous assistance in their structural redevelopment, the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported on Friday. SZ cited a draft of a report by the "Growth, Structural change and Employment" Commission on how to manage and finance the phasing out of coal power which it had obtained. The final document is scheduled for presentation to the government in late October. In the draft, the commission proposed an "areal bonus" for Germany's most affected regions when it came to the expansion of traffic and telecommunication infrastructure. Alongside the creation of research facilities and new government institutions, such structural development was urgently needed to lessen the blow to the material and career prospects of local populations. The report marks the first time that details of the commissions' recommendations are published after a lengthy public debate over the future of coal in the eurozone's largest economy. In total, 27 cities and districts would benefit from the preferential regulatory treatment envisioned by the commission. The latest "ARD DeutschlandTrend" poll suggests that an overwhelming majority of voters (84 percent) want Berlin to prioritize climate change in its treatment of the national coal industry. Plans by the energy company RWE to fell the Hambach forest in North Rhine-Westphalia as part of its regional coal mining activities have recently galvanized widely-publicized protests in the country with as many as 50,000 marching peacefully in the contested woodlands. Aside from managing resulting structural change, one of the key objectives of the coal commission is to limit the extent to which Germany falls short of its own climate policy objectives. Not least due to Berlin's abrupt decision to gradually exit nuclear power in 2011, Germany continues to rely to a significant degree on highly-polluting coal to meet its national energy needs. German Social Democrat (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles has recently warned against a hasty exit from national coal power generation in Germany without taking the impact on regional unemployment into account. Nahles' appeal echoed calls by the mining trade union IG Bergbau, Chemie and Energie (IG BCE) for legislators to soften the blow of the planned exit from coal power. "The coal miners know that there is an expiry date on their profession," IG BCE president Michael Vassiliadis told Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa) earlier. He emphasized that large-scale investment was needed to make former German coal mining areas more attractive as locations for high value-added industrial manufacturing rather than low-skill, low-wage professions. According to the draft seen by SZ on Friday, the coal commission mainly wants to tackle this issue with re-training programs for people working in the industry. The government's overarching goal should be to "preserve and expand the well-paid industrial jobs with their specific knowledge" in this context. The commission further emphasized that the establishment of new companies or corporate headquarters in former coal mining areas could not be hampered by a lack of skilled labor. "The affected regions should become innovation regions which embark on entirely new paths," the draft report read. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 03:09:37|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Oct. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) DUSHANBE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to better dovetail development strategies with Belarus, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here on Friday. Li made the remarks during a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of Government in Tajik capital Dushanbe. Speaking highly of the rapid development of China-Belarus cooperation, Li said bilateral cooperation on Belt and Road construction has reaped an early harvest with the successful implementation of the China-Belarus industrial park. China stands ready to better dovetail its development strategies with Belarus, promote win-win practical cooperation, intensify cultural and people-to-people exchanges and expand cooperation in the areas of tourism and education, he said. Rumas said his country would like to enhance cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative via the platform of the China-Belarus industrial park and take the opportunity of this year's Belarus-China Tourism Year program to boost tourism cooperation. Belarus would also like to strengthen cooperation with China on education and between the universities and colleges in the two countries, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 03:24:39|Editor: yan Video Player Close HELSINKI, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Environment ministers of the eight Arctic countries on Friday said they want to reduce the amount of black coal, which speed up the melting of ice and snow in the Arctic area. The ministers wound up a two-day conference in Rovaniemi, northern Finland. They also addressed protection of biodiversity and welcomed the recent treaty on banning unregulated fishing in central Arctic sea. The ministers also discussed the need to increase cooperation on adaptation and on strengthening the resilience when faced with climate change. Finnish Minister of the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen told media that the intention is that observer countries would also join the effort to curb black coal. Tiilikainen elaborated that emissions of black coal are not durable and thus they are easier to control. Black coal does not accumulate in the atmosphere in the way carbondioxide does. The Finnish measures against black coal include, for example, the use of cleaner fuels in shipping. But Finland is not planning to curtail the use of timber in household furnaces for heating. Tiilikainen assured that wood is actually a renewable energy source. Norwegian Environment Minister Ola Elvestuen said Norway is to ban fossil-based heating oil in 2022. Dmitry Kobylkin, Russian Minister for Natural Resources, warned during the conference about the current international situation. He said political tension is "even more dangerous than the climate change". He noted though that everyone will feel the effect of the climate change "pretty soon". Representing the United States, Judith Garber, Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science, underlined that the U.S. is not "anti-environment". She said the U.S. national security strategy guides that the country continues as a leader in the environmental sector and works for the reduction of greenhouse gases. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 03:39:41|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close People cross a makeshift bridge on River Suume in Bukalasi sub county, Bududa district, eastern Uganda, Oct. 12, 2018. The death toll from landslides that hit the eastern Ugandan district of Bududa on Thursday had risen to 38, a senior government official said on Friday. (Xinhua/Daniel Edyegu) KAMPALA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from landslides that hit the eastern Ugandan district of Bududa on Thursday had risen to 38, a senior government official said on Friday. Martin Owor, commissioner of relief, disaster preparedness and management, told Xinhua by telephone that after the landslides hit Bukalasi and Buwali sub-counties, 38 bodies had been recovered. In addition, 15 people were injured and 143 houses destroyed. Owor said heavy downpour halted the search and rescue operation on Friday afternoon as it was becoming dangerous. Sowed Mansur, Elgon region police spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that the rescue operation will continue on Saturday. "We still have hopes to rescue some people alive especially on the other side where the bridge was cut off. They were not so much affected. It's the cut-off bridge hindering the teams," Mansur said. Torrential rains on Thursday caused River Suume to burst its banks, triggering landslides that devastated two villages in Bukalasi and Buwali sub-counties, leaving scores of people dead and property destroyed. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 04:54:57|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Oct. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) DUSHANBE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political reconciliation in Afghanistan and help with the country's peaceful reconstruction, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang here on Friday. Li's remarks came as he met with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of Government in Tajik capital Dushanbe. Calling Afghanistan a traditional friend and good neighbor, Li said China will continue with its friendly policy toward Afghanistan and hopes to see the security situation in Afghanistan keep improving so as to provide a peaceful and stable environment for development. Li said China will continue to support the Afghan government in safeguarding national security and stability and promoting the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political reconciliation and will continue to play a constructive role to this end. China is willing to help Afghanistan boost reconstruction and improve its people's livelihood by aligning the two countries' development strategies and deepening bilateral practical cooperation, said the premier. China also encourages more capable Chinese enterprises to participate in Afghanistan's infrastructure construction so as to boost the country's connectivity with other countries in the region, said Li. He added that China will enhance anti-terror cooperation and personnel training with Afghanistan, and promote trilateral cooperation among China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Noting that China has always been a good friend of Afghanistan, Abdullah expressed his gratitude to China for its long-term assistance to his country. Afghanistan is willing to enhance cooperation with China in such areas as economy and trade, electricity generation, agricultural produce and counterterrorism, and to actively participate in China-Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation, said Abdullah. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 04:59:58|Editor: yan Video Player Close HAVANA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 representatives of different institutions of the Cuban civil society on Friday demanded U.S. president Donald Trump put an end to the almost six-decade-old economic embargo against the island and continue the process of normalizing ties. In their annual meeting against this U.S. policy, different organizations said the blockade is the main obstacle for Cuba's economic and social development which has cost the island over 133 billion U.S. dollars since it was imposed in 1961. "The main goal of this obsolete policy continues to be the same as when it started. It seeks to destroy the Cuban revolution and interfere in our country's internal matters," Elsa Gutierrez, international relations chief of the Cuban Women's Federation, said at the forum. Gutierrez said the blockade is a "flagrant" violation of human rights against the Cuban people and also seeks to stifle the island's economic relations with other nations in the world. Meanwhile, Pedro Luis Veliz, president of the Cuban Council of Scientific Institutions, said the setback in bilateral relations due to alleged "sonic attacks" on U.S. diplomats in the island is an "excuse" by the White House to once again start a "confrontation" with Havana. "We denounce false pretexts such as the alleged acoustic attacks on U.S. diplomatic personnel to justify Trump's aggression against the dignity of Cuba whose history demonstrates its unrestricted respect for international law, especially the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations," he added. Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, director of U.S. affairs in the island's foreign ministry said on behalf of the government, this year's civil society forum takes place in a context marked by a "setback" in ties with Washington. He indicated that even after relations with the Untied States were restored in 2015, the embargo remained intact causing great harm to Cuba's economy and commercial relations with other nations. "The blockade is a failed policy as it was recognized by former U.S. president Barack Obama but it continues to affect the lives of millions in Cuba," said the official. On Oct. 31, Havana will present for the 27th time before the UN General Assembly a non-binding resolution condemning the unilateral policy. Year after year Cuba receives the overwhelming support of the international community. In 2017, only the United States and Israel opposed the Cuban initiative, while 191 countries condemned Washington's policy towards the Caribbean nation. However, the Untied States is not obliged to comply with the UN mandate and claims the blockade is a bilateral issue with Cuba and must be resolved between the two nations. In its annual report to the United Nations, Havana indicated that economic losses due to the U.S. blockade totaled over 4.3 billion U.S. dollars between April 2017 and March this year, a policy that has been reinforced during Donald Trump's administration. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 05:15:00|Editor: mym Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The pair of Germany's Vanessa Seeger and Bulgaria's Kiril Kirov won gold thanks to a 10-3 victory in the 10m air pistol mixed international event at the Youth Olympic Games. The Seeger-Kirov combination proved accuracy under pressure to defeat India's Manu Bhaker and Tajikistan's Bezhan Fayzullaev, who themselves had looked impressive after registering 10 points in both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches. However, 16-year-old Seeger, who finished 10th in the 10m air pistol women's category, and 18-year old Kirov, who finished 11th in the men's 10m air pistol competition, registered 10 points for the third time in a row to seal top spot on the podium. Kirov expressed his joy at winning gold. "I feel very excited for this opportunity, I love my country and it was incredible to represent it in these Games," he said. Seeger added: "I can't believe I won the gold! I think it will take me a few days to realize what I achieved with my partner, I am completely happy." The bronze medal was won by the pairing of Mexico's Andrea Victoria Ibarra Miranda and Ukraine's Dmytro Honta, who defeated Iraqi shooter Fatimah Abbas Waheeb Al-Kaabi, and Belgium's Jerome Son. The mixed international team event, which made its Youth Games debut at Nanjing 2014, requires the first-placed male shooter in the finals of the individual event of the discipline to pair up with the female shooter who ends up at the bottom of the standings. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 07:05:19|Editor: mym Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Seventy years after her grandmother swam in the London 1948 Olympic Games, New Zealand swimmer Gina Galloway took up the torch to represent her country at Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics, and in the same discipline. "I think she's pretty proud," said Galloway, 17, of her grandmother Ngaire Lane, who turns 93 at the end of October. Lane was the only woman on New Zealand's seven-member Olympic team in 1948. After a six-week boat trip to London, she competed in the women's 100m backstroke, finishing 11th overall. And now Lane is New Zealand's oldest living Olympian. Backstroke is also Galloway's speciality. She swam in five events in Buenos Aires, namely 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, 100m butterfly and mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. "I remember listening to all her stories from all her travels, the friends she's made, the experiences she's gained from swimming," Galloway said of her grandmother. "It came naturally, my love of swimming, and the shared bond we have over swimming and the love of the sport. It's really motivated me to continue to swim to this day." Lane believes her granddaughter will excell in the pool. "Gina's lucky: she's got killer instinct and is a good competitor - and focused. In our day we thought we were training hard, but it's incredible how little we did compared to now," Lane said in an earlier report. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 08:00:26|Editor: mmm Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The specter of China-bashing has seemingly run over Washington of late, rearing its ugly head most visibly in U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's tirade last week against the Asian country. In his Oct. 4 speech at the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, Pence not only repeated such trite allegations as unfair trade and technology theft, but went as far as accusing China of being ungrateful to historical U.S. aid and meddling in U.S. elections. The address and the broader smear campaign indicate that some policy-makers in Washington are having a severe Sinophobia attack and succumbing to illusions. The accusations are so spurious and so absurd that they cannot stand any serious fact check. There are at least five major fallacies in Pence's China speech. First, the claim that the United States "rebuilt" China over the past decades is just preposterous. China's remarkable development is driven by the hard work of the over 1.3 billion Chinese people and facilitated by the country's win-win cooperation with the rest of the world. Second, the expansionism accusation is the United States calling white black. What China has been doing is a just defense of its core interests and legitimate rights, while it is the United States that has kept throwing its weight around on Taiwan, the South China Sea and many other issues in disregard of other countries' rights and interests. Third, by accusing China of engaging in unfair trade practices, Pence deliberately ignored the nature of mutual benefit of bilateral economic exchanges. While helping boost China's development, China-U.S. trade has brought U.S. businesses a massive market, the American people quality and affordable products, and the U.S. economy incentives to upgrade. Fourth, by questioning China's commitment to reform and opening-up, the U.S. leader turned a blind eye to Beijing's unremitting efforts to comprehensively deepening reform, expanding market access and lowering tariff levels. China has pledged that the changes in the external environment will not alter its own plan and pace of reform. Last but not the least, the assertion that China is projecting influence in the United States and interfering in U.S. elections is a pure illusion. Buying advertising space in U.S. newspapers is a legitimate and common practice, and major media outlets around the world have noted that Pence offered no evidence. In a country constantly preaching press freedom, the claim smells of an attempt to prevent the U.S. public from knowing more about the truth of China-U.S. trade frictions. Although Pence called for a relationship grounded in fairness, reciprocity and respect for sovereignty, his entire speech was just the opposite of it. Many have pointed out behind the United States' recent broadside against China is its reluctance to accept China's rapid development and the corresponding reshaping of the international landscape. As former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, Washington "is busy ... thinking about China as an enemy," and "thinking too much about adversarial relations as opposed to diplomatic relations." China-U.S. ties represent one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. For China's part, it has consistently advocated the building of long-term, healthy and stable relations with the United States featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. For the United States' part, Washington is all over the map. Its increasingly harsh stance toward China has put bilateral ties at a crossroads 39 years after they established diplomatic relations. For the benefit of both sides and the entire world, the United States now needs to stop playing ripped-off almsgiver and restore sanity and responsibility to its China policy. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 08:55:32|Editor: mmm Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The city of Yiwu, a marketplace for small commodities in east China's Zhejiang Province, introduced a series of new rules Friday to welcome more foreigners. The rules, issued by the city's human resources and social security bureau, include lowering standards for foreigners who want to work in the city, and a new point-based system, which could be critical for the extension of work permits. Foreign workers in China have been classified into categories A, B and C. A, as top-notch personnel; B as professional talent; and C as ordinary workers. "Around 90 percent of foreigners in Yiwu are ordinary workers on the basis of the current categories, meaning that those who are over 60 can hardly work in China," said Wu Shenlan, a bureau official. Wu said that some foreigners at the age of 60 might consider ending their business or cutting their investments in China, as they could be worried about getting a work permit. However, the problem might be solved through the new point-based system, which awards points for foreign applicants depending on their abiding law, income, tax, contribution to local employment, years working in Yiwu, insurance, education, Chinese language skills and individual social credit. "The more points you get, the longer the permit extension could be. Even those who are older than 60 can get permit extension if they have high scores," Wu said. "My family members all want to stay in Yiwu for a long time. These new rules give us a sense of security, which allows us to plan things in the long term," said Sarmi, an Ethiopian trader, who has worked and lived in Yiwu for more than 10 years. Wu said: "We are still working on rolling out more policies to benefit foreigners, and wish they can achieve their goals and realize their dreams in Yiwu." Dubbed the "world's supermarket," a growing number of foreigners have been attracted to the city. Around 15,000 foreign traders from more than 100 countries are stationed in Yiwu, and more than 400,000 foreigners come to the city to do business every year. An Afghan electioncommission worker checks the identity of a man at a voter registration center in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah) KABUL, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- As Oct. 20, the day set for parliamentary polls in Afghanistan, is nearing, the candidates for Wolesi Jirga or Lower House of Afghan parliament have intensified their campaigns by holding public meetings, hanging up posters, banners and visiting houses to win voters' support. In Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the eye-catching pictures of parliamentary candidates on billboards, building walls, pylons and streets demonstrate the aspirants' resolve to defy the threats posed by anti-government militants in the polling process. The anti-government armed insurgent groups, especially Taliban and the rival Islamic State (IS), have dismissed the elections as a U.S. trick to deceive the Afghans and vowed to disrupt the voting process in Afghanistan. Taliban militants in the past elections had also targeted both the candidates and the voters. In the 2014 presidential elections, the militant group, besides opposing the election process, had also cut off the fingers of nearly a dozen people whose used their franchise in the polling. In Kabul alone, 753 candidates including 108 women are contesting for 33 seats in the 249-seat Lower House of parliament amid security threats. Across the country, there are about 2,500 candidates. "Let's go ahead for better future," is the slogan of a female candidate Maryam Sama inscribed in her poster. A male candidate Najib Paikan in his poster said, "Let' join hands to alleviate poverty, promote education, fight against corruption and ensure justice" in the country. Nearly 9 million registered voters, including 3 million women, out of some 12 million eligible Afghans will cast their ballots during the upcoming polls. Local residents watch a TV screen displaying top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un receiving South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Pyongyang International Airport for their third inter-Korean summit, at a station in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho) SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to hold high-level talks next week to discuss the implementation of the Pyongyang Declaration, which the leaders of the Koreas signed in their summit meeting in Pyongyang last month, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. The senior-level dialogue would be held on Oct. 15 at the Peace House, a South Korean building in the truce village of Panmunjom. The South Korean delegation would be led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon. During the talks, the two sides would discuss ways to implement the Pyongyang Declaration and determine schedule for the follow-up working-level dialogues, according to the unification ministry. The ministry said the South Korean government would speed up the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration and the Pyongyang Declaration to advance the inter-Korean relations to a higher level, while continuing efforts for peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula. The Panmunjom Declaration was signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un after their first summit in April at the border village. The Pyongyang Declaration was inked by Moon and Kim last month in Pyongyang. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 12:20:54|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top securities regulator has approved new IPO applications from two companies, which will raise up to 900 million yuan (about 130 million U.S. dollars) in the A-share market. Xinjiang Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd. will be listed on the small- and medium-sized enterprises board in Shenzhen, while Yusys Technologies Co., Ltd. will be listed on the ChiNext board, according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The companies and their underwriters will confirm IPO dates and publish prospectuses following discussions with the exchanges. Under the current IPO system, new shares are subject to approval by the CSRC. China is gradually switching from an approval-based IPO system to one based on registration. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 12:40:57|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stands by his Middle East peace envoy after a senior Palestinian official criticized the envoy has gone beyond his role in the possible Gaza deal, said a UN spokesman on Friday. Guterres "fully supports" the efforts of Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres. Mladenov and representatives from Egypt and Qatar are mediating a calm deal between Israel and Hamas, including relaxing the Israeli blockade and improving the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Since March 30, violence in Gaza between Israel and Palestinians has been escalating as Palestinians held every Friday anti-Israel marches. Mladenov has been working tirelessly with all concerned parties, particularly with the Palestinian National Authority, Egypt and Israel, to change the dynamics in Gaza, to avoid escalation, to support intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to address all humanitarian issues, Haq said. The statement came after Ahmed Majdalani, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, said Thursday that Mladenov is no longer acceptable to the Palestinian leadership as he allegedly went out of his way to strike a deal over Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza and is in rivalry with Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Haq said the UN chief hopes that relieving the humanitarian pressure in Gaza will reduce the tensions that risk a devastating armed conflict in Gaza and create space for Fatah and Hamas to engage seriously with Egypt on reconciliation. Several agreements on Palestinian national reconciliation have been reached under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt in the past years, but none of them has resulted in a tangible breakthrough to end the division that began when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007. Last October, Hamas and Fatah signed an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation pact in Cairo to heal their prolonged rift. Under the deal, Hamas should fully hand over its power in Gaza to the Ramallah-based consensus government last December. But the differences between the two sides forced a delay in the implementation of the deal until further notice. What is needed is a political breakthrough that will restore intra-Palestinian unity under a single, legitimate national authority; a lifting of the closures of Gaza; and, ultimately, progress toward advancing a negotiated two-state solution based on relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements, said Haq. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 13:11:00|Editor: mmm Video Player Close THE HAGUE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming official visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to the Netherlands will inject new impetus into the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries, Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Wu Ken has said. It's the first time that Li is paying an official visit to the Netherlands as Chinese premier. The last time a Chinese premier visited the country was 14 years ago. "The two governments will further strengthen dialogue and integrate development strategies to foster new growth points for cooperation," Wu told Xinhua in a recent interview, saying it will certainly bring opportunities and instill new energy into Sino-Dutch relations. In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose the Netherlands as the first stop of his first European tour since taking office. Xi's visit has laid a solid foundation for the Sino-Dutch comprehensive cooperative partnership that stresses openness and pragmatism, and marked a historic high in bilateral relations, Wu said. The ambassador said China is currently the second-largest trading partner of the Netherlands outside the European Union (EU) and the Netherlands is China's third-largest trading partner within the EU. In 2017, their bilateral trade volume hit 78.6 billion U.S. dollars, setting a new record in history. The Netherlands' direct investment in China reached 2.1 billion dollars in 2017, taking a lead within the EU, while Chinese investment in the Netherlands was also at the top within the EU bloc with 22 billion dollars by the end of 2017. The Netherlands now hosts some 10,000 Chinese students and three Confucius Institutes, and receives over 350,000 Chinese tourists every year. Citing a popular saying among Chinese netizens, Wu said Sino-Dutch cooperation is "fully charged with positive energy." He said Sino-Dutch relations are at an all-time high, enjoying the geographic benefits of being linked with the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and seeing the aspirations of the governments, enterprises and peoples of both countries to enhance cooperation and exchanges. The willingness of the European country to participate in the Belt and Road construction is particularly impressive, said Wu. As a "gateway to Europe" and an important hub on the Belt and Road, the Netherlands has had its Eurasian connectivity further extended in recent years thanks to the continuous growth of Asian trade volume at the Port of Rotterdam, direct flights linking Amsterdam and seven Chinese cities and railway cargo expresses linking Rotterdam-Tilburg-Chengdu. "What we have achieved demonstrates the potential of opportunity and benefit with the development of the Belt and Road. We can do more, especially in industry and technology cooperation, in e-commerce, in circular economy and in third-party markets," said Wu. The Chinese diplomat viewed the cooperation in science and technology as well as innovation as particularly promising. "Let's combine 'Dutch design' and 'Made in China.' We can upgrade the cooperation in new energy, new material, biomedicine, environmental protection, smart city, etc. We can explore joint industrial parks or incubators, joint industrial investment, trading in technology or joint training, for example," he said. "E-commerce also presents huge potential as online consumption is growing rapidly in the Netherlands and leading Chinese companies in this field are very interested in entering the Dutch market. Making the Netherlands a European e-commerce center will strongly support the growth of bilateral trade," Wu added. On cooperation in circular economy, Wu said he expects new growth points. "The Dutch are strong in green growth; we Chinese are eager for a greener life. Cooperation in this field will offer not only a bigger market for Dutch enterprises, and a better life for the Chinese people, but also best practices for the sustainability of the whole world," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 13:26:02|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Many livestock farmers in Australia's New South Wales are struggling to cope with a growing number of wild kangaroos dying from the latest drought, with the carcasses at risk of contaminating precious water supplies in the state, according to local media. The iconic Australian animals are getting stuck in muddy dams drying out in the heat across the state's far west, the ABC news channel reported on Saturday. The dams "become boggy, and as they do, kangaroos go in for a drink and get bogged and die," farmer Lachlan Gall, who is also president of the local pastoralists' association, was quoted as saying. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of dead kangaroos around" and the marsupials "have to be removed before they putrefy and pollute the water supply," said Gall, adding that the authorities need to better manage the animals' "impact on the environment and on farming families." One of Australia's most severe droughts has hit large swathes of its major eastern agricultural states in recent months, with authorities increasing aid for farmers dealing with low crop production and livestock losses. The New South Wales government alone has since rolled out measures to rein in the number of kangaroos competing with local livestock in grazing areas, according to the news channel. But animal welfare groups said the kangaroos actually need to be better protected and preserved in the current climate. "Now we've had a good 12 to 18 months of drought, we have grave concerns for the conservation of kangaroos in NSW ... If there are any kangaroos left we should be protecting those kangaroos," Australian Society for Kangaroos president Nikki Sutterby told the channel. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 13:41:03|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua)-- Eight climbers, including five South Korean nationals, who were part of a trekking expedition, have been killed after an avalanche buried the base camp of Mount Gurja in western Nepal, police and authorities said here on Saturday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 13:51:05|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close DUSHANBE, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Prime ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday gathered here for their annual meeting to discuss the organization's development, with mutual understanding and traditional friendship strengthened. Established in 2001 by China, the SCO has significant potential, especially after the accession of India and Pakistan as full members in 2017. In a joint communique issued on the outcomes of the meeting, the SCO prime ministers agreed to deepen and expand cooperation as well as to explore significant potential in the fields of politics, security and trade. They were committed to the further implementation of various SCO strategies including the agreements reached during the 18th SCO Summit held in June in eastern China's Qingdao. The SCO countries also stressed the importance of people-to-people cooperation, which brings numerous benefits to the people of the SCO member states. Considering the current international trade challenges such as the rising of unilateralism and protectionism, the member states agreed to promote the construction of new international relations based on mutual respect, equity and justice, and win-win cooperation, as well as the formation of a common vision of creating a community of a shared future for mankind. The SCO countries supported the further improvement of global economic governance, agreeing to further deepen cooperation to jointly build an open world economy. Six SCO countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan reaffirmed their support for China's Belt and Road Initiative, advocating the creation of a broad, open, mutually beneficial and equal partnership in the SCO space. ECONOMIC COOPERATION The prior direction for SCO development is to jointly create favorable conditions for the expansion of trade, economic and investment activities, according to the communique. SCO countries should develop high-tech sectors of the economy and modernize various industries to improve their economic competitiveness and bridge the technological gaps between them, the document said. It is important for SCO states to implement projects for infrastructure development covering transit and logistics, energy, agriculture, information and communication, among others. To improve the livelihood of the SCO population, the organization agreed to facilitate the free movement of goods, capital, service and technology, to ensure multilateral trade and economic cooperation and further regional economic development. To increase investment, innovation and employment, the leaders expressed their readiness to deepen exchanges and cooperation in e-commerce and trade in services. The leaders stressed the importance of further deepening multilateral cooperation in transport and customs affairs through building transport networks, creating favorable road conditions, developing an integrated transport management system, which is unified and effective. The SCO member states need to continue cooperation in the energy sector including using renewable and clean resources, shifting to an energy-efficient and sustainable economy, as well as building relevant infrastructures. The leaders advocated further strengthening of practical cooperation in the financial sphere, including ensuring financial arrangements, applying national currencies in mutual settlements and supporting small and medium enterprises. The SCO countries support active agricultural cooperation in such areas as processing and trade of agricultural products, scientific researches, joint projects implementation and food security. PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE COOPERATION While laying out a roadmap for further promoting trade and economic cooperation within the SCO framework, the heads of government also called for expanding people-to-people cooperation. They underlined the importance of further developing cooperation in a wide range of fields including culture, healthcare, education, science and technology, tourism, environment protection, mass media and sports. In particular, the SCO countries confirmed the need to actively implement a series of agreements previously signed on cooperation in various humanistic areas. They advocated further development of cultural ties by holding joint cultural events and strengthening mutual understanding between the SCO people, especially through platforms dedicated to communication between youths and women. The leaders agreed that civil diplomatic mechanisms play an important role in strengthening mutual understanding as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges among SCO member states. They stressed the need to improve the legal basis of the SCO agreements and facilitate security cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism. They emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation to prevent and minimize the impact of disasters and emergencies, as well as to build emergency response capabilities to cope with outbreaks and spread of infectious diseases. The SCO leaders approved the outcomes of ministerial meetings within the SCO framework in all fields and supported the development of interregional cooperation with the participation of regional heads of member states. In addition, they reiterated their readiness to expand cooperation with the SCO observer states and dialogue partners, as well as the United Nations and other international and regional organizations, on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 14:01:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people have been killed and four others missing after their cave hideout crumbled in a rockslide triggered by severe cyclonic storm Titli in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, officials said Saturday. The incident took place near Baraghara village in the state's Gajapati district. "A group of 22 villagers took shelter in the cave near a hillock to escape Titli that made landfall in the state Thursday," a police official said. Efforts are on to track the four missing, he added. The state's Special Relief Commissioner, Bishnupada Sethi, said the district administration has been trying to reach the remote village. "This village is located far away from the coast and was not within the 20-km immediate impact zone of the cyclone," he told the media. Cyclone Titli hit Odisha and the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh Thursday and weakened in the next 36 hours. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 14:06:06|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Eight climbers, including five South Korean nationals, who were part of a trekking expedition, have been killed after an avalanche buried the base camp of Mount Gurja in western Nepal, police and authorities said here on Saturday. "Five South Korean nationals and three others were found dead after the avalanche followed by snowstorm buried the base camp of Mount Gurja," Birbahadur Buda Magar, deputy superintendent of police of Myagdi district in Gandaki Pradesh, quoted local eyewitnesses as saying. Another person has gone missing in the incident, Magar said. Wangchu Sherpa, the managing director at the Trekking Camp Nepal, which is the expedition company of the team, confirmed to local Himalayan Times online that team leader along with their support staff were killed in the incident. "Local eyewitnesses have told us by phone that eight dead bodies are found scattered around the base-camp. Rescue teams are yet to reach the site," the police official told Xinhua from the district headquarters. A helicopter with rescuers was sent to the site Saturday morning, but it failed to land at the base camp due to bad weather, Magar said. He said that the rescue operation will start later in the afternoon once the weather condition is improved. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 14:26:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Afghan airstrikes killed two Taliban militants in Bagram district in north of Kabul on Friday, provincial police spokesman said on Saturday. Two Taliban insurgents, according to Mohammad Salim Nuri, were planting a mine on a road in Bagram district on Friday evening to target security personnel while the fighting aircrafts struck them and killed both on the spot. Bagram district 50 km north of Kabul is the main base of U.S. military stationed in Afghanistan. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 14:56:13|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close QALAT, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 militants have been confirmed dead as clash broke out between security forces and Taliban group in Shinkai district of the southern Zabul province on Friday, provincial police chief Mustafa Mayar said Saturday. Speaking via telephone from provincial capital Qalat, Mayar added that three more insurgents had been injured. He also admitted that only two police were killed in the fighting. Meanwhile, unofficial sources believed that over a dozen security personnel have also lost their lives in the skirmishes begun on Friday evening. Taliban militants are yet to make comment on the situation in Shinkai district. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 15:06:16|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close MADRID, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Spain must aim at branding its image at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, a Spanish economy and business expert said recently to Xinhua. This goal is key if the country wants to enter with good conditions in the Asian market, said Guillermo Martinez from the Department of Economy and Business of Casa Asia, an organization under the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. "Building a brand image is essential because it will increase the recognition of Spanish products by the Chinese consumers, who are very well informed," said Martinez. He stressed that Spain can enhance its advantages which are already competitive, such as agri-food. "We must identify very well the sectors where we want to create that brand and give a good image of the product," Martinez said. According to the expert, the fair should also serve to continue improving the market share of Spanish companies in China and better balance the trade between the two countries. To the expert, trade deficit is "normal," but he said Spanish companies can make efforts to reduce the gap "as Germany did in the past." "... it is important to see which sectors would fit well on China's economic path towards a model of domestic consumption and focused on the third sector," said Martinez. The 36 companies selected by Spain for the CIIE will have an exhibition space of around 400 square meters, including companies from food and beverage sectors, fashion and habitat companies and other institutions. Martinez noted the good moment that both economies are experiencing in the context of bilateral business thanks to the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Bilateral trade has experienced rapid growth in recent years. China is Spain's largest trading partner outside the European Union (EU) and Spain is the sixth largest trade partner of China within the bloc, while the volume of bilateral trade rose from 12 million US dollars 45 years ago to a record of more than 30.94 billion US dollars in 2017. The environmental sector should also be explored by Spain at the CIIE, the expert noted. "Spain, from my point of view, can help China in the environmental field," he said. Martinez said that the technological advances that the country is experiencing in urban cooperation, sustainable development, water resources and environmental care, can play a role in China, which is immersed in an urbanization process and a middle-class rise. Furthermore, he recommended a strategy for medium-sized companies that will go to the CIIE. "I would tell them to bet on second-tier cities. Of course, Beijing and Shanghai are very attractive, but all the big companies have already arrived there. However, in smaller cities such as Chengdu or Wuhan, there is still a lot of room to grow," Martinez said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 15:56:21|Editor: zh Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday freed the long detained U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, a gesture of compromise but not enough to defrost the bilateral ties that had been overshadowed by a group of divergences, U.S. experts said Friday. RESPONSE TO RELEASE A Turkish court decided earlier Friday to release the 50-year-old pastor, who was detained about two years ago over espionage charges and links to a network led by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the July 2016 coup bid. The detention caused one of the worst diplomatic rows between the two NATO allies, as the Trump administration imposed a slew of financial sanctions on Turkey to press for Brunson's release. In return, Ankara increased tariffs on imported American cars, alcohol and tobacco. Washington welcomes the pastor's release, adding that "we remain deeply concerned about the continued detention of other United States citizens in Turkey and around the world, and urge the resolution of all these cases in a transparent and fair manner." Before Brunson's release, U.S. broadcaster NBC reported that Ankara and Washington had reached "a secret deal" for Brunson to be released on Friday and some charges against him were dropped, in exchange for the United States easing "economic pressure" that included blows to the Turkish currency in summer. U.S. President Donald Trump denied the report, saying there is no deal at all. RAPPROCHEMENT ON HOLD Turkish officials implied that Trump wants Brunson's release to please evangelical voters, a critical constituency for him and the Republican Party in November's midterm elections. "This is big news domestically because of the administration's stance on religious freedom," said Ford O'Connell, political analyst and Republican strategist. For Turkey, it would also like some relief from steel tariffs, Darrell West, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, told Xinhua. "The two countries likely will talk about ways to work together on trade issues and reach some accommodation that is helpful to both sides," West said. For Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office, the release might allow a new warming in the overall U.S.-Turkish ties. However, Trump's personal attitude toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not clear yet, White said, adding that "the personal dimension between Trump and Erdogan will likely continue to be a sizeable -- perhaps dominant -- factor in where U.S.-Turkish relations go from here." "There are still broader concerns about the strength of the relationship given the approach taken by Erdogan regarding the consolidation of his powers and Turkey's posture in the region," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president at the Washington-based Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua. Stephen J. Flanagan, senior political scientist at the California-based RAND Corporation, also warned that although the release will warm up the Trump-Erdogan relationship, "significant policy differences remain on stabilization of Syria and the Turkish request to extradite Fethullah Gulen." KHASHOGGI CASE HELPS Brunson's release will strengthen Turkey's hand to move the United States into its corner ahead of a possible crisis with Saudi Arabia, Washington's close ally, regarding the mysterious disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul after he entered the Saudi consulate there, said experts. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi leadership, was killed, according to unconfirmed reports. While Ankara and Riyadh agreed to form a joint investigation team, the Khashoggi case also drew Washington's close attention. Turkish officials have been very helpful on the Khashoggi case by providing "the most important information pointing to Saudi involvement," said West. "Turkish information has garnered considerable good will within the United States on this high-profile case." Ankara has a strained relationship with Riyadh due to several issues, most importantly the Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar, an important Turkish ally, and Turkey's support to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to Flanagan. Ankara has incentives to expose Riyadh's apparent misdeeds, which were probably a violation of Turkish sovereignty, said Flanagan, adding that Ankara probably thinks its cooperation with Washington in the Khashoggi case will help improve bilateral relations on economy. Trump wants to get to the bottom of Khashoggi's death, said O'Connell. "Trump's in a situation where ... he's going to need more than the Saudis to know exactly what happened." (Matthew Rusling from Washington also contributed to the story.) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 16:11:24|Editor: zh Video Player Close DHAKA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least one people was killed and 7 others injured due to gas pipeline explosion inside a house in the Bangladesh capital city of Dhaka early Saturday, officials said. The incident happened at around 4:00 a.m. local time from a leak in the gas pipeline on the ground floor of the three-storey building, said a fireman. Shafiqul Islam, a senior station officer of Dhaka's Uttarkhan Fire Service and Civil Defence, told journalists that after the blast a fire swept through the residential building, leaving eight members of the same family burn-injured. He said all the injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital's Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit. "One of the victims injured in the blast succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning," Md Bachchu Mia, sub-inspector of the hospital's police outpost, told journalists. He said the conditions of five of the victims are stated to be "critical." Children play in a devastated area as workers are installing new electricity lines in the former rebel-held areas in Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus on Sept.25, 2018. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) DAMASCUS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nour al-Habbal has recently explained to her son what is television when he turned eight-year-old because he spent previous years knowing nothing about electricity when the rebels were in control of their area in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus. The single mom remained in the town of Kafr Batna in Eastern Ghouta when the region was under control of various rebel groups. She said that children had known nothing but fears and horrors when the rebels were in control. The electricity was non-existent in her area throughout the war that ended in Eastern Ghouta last May. She told Xinhua how her son first reacted when he saw electricity and the electrical devices. "When the fan first worked, my son, got scared. He thought it was going to fall on him because it was something new he was experiencing. When he first watched TV, while we were happy the electricity had returned, he thought that the cartoon characters were talking and playing with him," she recounted. Electricity workers fix power lines in Daraya, suburb in the southwestern countryside of Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani) She even said that her son had electrified himself twice when he tried to stick a needle into the wire before he realized it was hazardous. Al-Habbal lives next to Samar Sbeini, another woman who lives with her 30-year-old daughter and grandchildren in a lane in Kafar Batna. 50-year-old Sbeini said she had a hard time coping with the situation of no electricity before the army restored Kafr Batna and other areas in Eastern Ghouta. As a housewife, she had to cope with the situation as if she had returned to the time of the Stone Age. Speaking to Xinhua, Sbeini said she used to hang the food from the ceiling to keep it a little bit cold as she couldn't use the fridge. For a relatively old woman like her, washing clothes with her hands has was a burden. Her daughter Hana has also spoken of how people used to live without electricity, saying that due to the fact that there was no electricity, people started selling their electrical belongings at very cheap prices. "When we had no electricity, we used to wake up upon the crack of dawn and go to sleep when the dark falls. As there was no electricity or light, people used to escape from the dark night by going to bed," Hana told Xinhua. Now Hana has taught her four-year-old boy how to turn on her laptop and got him a small cellphone. Displaced Syrian families gather to collect relief aid from humanitarian organizations at the battered district of Hamadaniyeh, Aleppo, northern Syria, on July 30, 2015. (Xinhua/Abd Fayad) The boy and his sister also enjoy the cartoons on TV and still interact with them as if they were real. The agony of these people faded away when the rebels had fully withdrawn from Eastern Ghouta. The Syrian government has started exerting efforts to rehabilitate the areas. Electricity workers in Kafr Batna were still roaming from one place to another when Xinhua team visited the area for the first time after its liberation. Power lines and electrical transformers were being checked as the streets were bustling with life where shops and restaurants returned to open. Muhammad Shurbagi, director of the electricity emergency office in Eastern Ghouta, told Xinhua that the electrical work has been ongoing since the areas were recaptured by the government forces. "The electricity is back 70 percent to the populated areas in Eastern Ghouta but we have some difficulties because we are starting fresh in this area as the previous electricity tools and gears had been stolen by the terrorists or damaged," he added. The electricity sector in Syria has been largely affected by the more than seven-year war in the country with recent estimates placing losses in the sector at four billion U.S. dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 16:31:26|Editor: zh Video Player Close MOSCOW, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The construction of the Russian industrial zone in the area of Suez Canal has begun, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Trade between Russia and Egypt is increasing, currently exceeding 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, Lavrov wrote in an article for Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram Daily newspaper, quoted by Sputnik news agency on Saturday. Besides the industrial zone, a Russian-style nuclear power plant in the northern coastal town of El Dabaa also has started its construction, according to Lavrov. The diplomat praised the work of intergovernmental commissions on trade and economic and defense industry cooperation. Russia was ready to boost coordination with Egypt on various multilateral platforms for maintaining peace and security in the Middle East, added Lavrov. In late May, the Egyptian and Russian governments signed in Moscow, an agreement to build a Russian industrial zone on an area of 5.25 square km in the SCZone, with investment estimated at 7 billion dollars. The Suez Canal Corridor development is one of Egypt's mega national projects that the country counts on to attract foreign investments and boost economy after years of slowdown. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 16:36:27|Editor: zh Video Player Close Award-winners pose for photos during an award ceremony of the 13th "Chunhui Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for Chinese Overseas Students (New York division) in New York, the United States, Oct. 12, 2018. Chinese consulate general in New York hosted a grand ceremony Friday to highlight the entrepreneurship for overseas Chinese students. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) NEW YORK, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese consulate general in New York hosted a grand ceremony Friday to highlight the entrepreneurship for overseas Chinese students. The event combined an award ceremony of the 13th "Chunhui Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for Chinese Overseas Students (New York division) and a networking. It aimed to boost entrepreneurship among Chinese students and pave the way for them to establish enterprises when they return to China. The "Chunhui Cup" competition's New York division was launched in 2014 and this year 74 projects of the 108 applicants in this area stood out, according the Chinese consulate general in New York. Innovation in China is developing rapidly and has become a major promoter for productivity, while "Chunhui Cup" serves as an important platform for overseas Chinese students to realize the value of life, Zhao Yumin, acting Chinese Consul General in New York, said at the ceremony. He also hoped the overseas Chinese could make further contribution to the innovative development of China. The "Chunhui Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for Chinese Overseas Students, initiated in 2006 by China's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology, is aimed to encourage talented individuals from around the world to seek out China as a place to start and grow new businesses. So far, 2,528 projects have been awarded, with hundreds incubated in China. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 16:51:29|Editor: zh Video Player Close Children stand by the door of the house rebuilt in the old city of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 12, 2018. Younis Abu Rajab and his family are the first to return to their house at the badly destroyed al-Qali'at neighborhood in the old city center in Iraq. Abu Rajab rebuilt his two-story house, which looks elegant with its light color painting, amid surrounding rubble, smell of death and fearful darkness at night. (Xinhua/Yasser Jawad) MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Younis Abu Rajab and his family are the first to return to their house at the badly destroyed al-Qali'at neighborhood in the old city center in Iraq. Abu Rajab rebuilt his two-story house, which looks elegant with its light color painting, amid surrounding rubble, smell of death and fearful darkness at night. About 15 months after liberation from the extremist Islamic State (IS) militant group, Iraq's second largest city of Mosul still lies in ruins and residents are still struggling to rebuild their life. In the old city center of the western side of Mosul, which witnessed one of the fiercest battles since World War II, the devastation left no building and stone in it, but Abu Rajab's house appears from the right side of the city and defiantly. "I built the house with my own effort and help from a local organization," said Abu Rajab, a blacksmith who used to own one of the oldest workshops in the blacksmith market in Mosul's old city center. Although Abu Rajab is deeply in debt and his move seems hasty, the pain and suffering of being displaced for long time pushed him to take his decision. "I wish my return could bring life back to my neighborhood and encourage many of neighbors to do their best to rebuild their houses," Abu Rajab said. "This is the start of rebuilding our life here in the abandoned neighborhood, beside buried deaths under the rubble of the neighborhood," he said pointing to his house. "If they (government) unearth the deaths who are buried under the debris of the houses life would return easily," he added. Many residents have family members buried under the rubble, but unable to move them. The extremist IS militants holed up in the narrow alleys of Mosul's old city center and forced the Iraqi forces to make slow progress due to the stiff resistance of IS militants and a large number of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings. In addition, IS snipers took positions in the buildings and narrow alleys of heavily-populated neighborhoods, where thousands of civilians were still living under IS rule. On July 10, 2017, the Iraqi government army recovered the heavily populated city after nearly nine months of fierce fighting and heavy bombardment. Observers believe that insufficient efforts have been made by the Iraqi authorities since July 2017 to retrieve thousands of bodies buried under debris in Mosul, particularly in the old city of Mosul. Three months ago, workers retrieved more than 5,200 bodies who were buried under debris of the devastated buildings in the old city center of the western side of Mosul. Many people expressed their willingness to do anything that may help regain their normal life, despite the lack of money and equipment until the world and the Iraqi government would launch the long-awaited campaigns of reconstruction. A large part of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, including its capital Mosul, fell under the IS control in June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 17:01:33|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on Oct. 9, 2018 shows the Dushanbe No. 2 thermal power station in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. (Xinhua/Zhang Ruoxuan) By Xinhua Writers Shi Hao, Liao Bingqing DUSHANBE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Muyassar Sadykova, 56, cannot remember how many cold and dark winters she had "lived through and suffered" in the Tajik capital until a new thermal power plant was put into service two years ago. "We used to wear lots of clothes and light up a stove ... Thank God, our apartment has become warm and comfortable this year," she said cheerfully. She recalled the tough days when there was no light, no heating and no hot water. "It was very difficult for us before. We even threw in the stove old shoes and rubbish as there was nothing else to burn," Sadykova groaned. Now, with another winter drawing near, living in a cozy three-room apartment with her son, the Dushanbe native said she is grateful for the better life brought by the stable operation of the central heating system that came into use in November 2016. SENDING WARMTH Tajikistan suffered for years a severe power shortage in winter as the country used to rely on hydropower that goes down drastically during the dry season, thus a limited use of electricity and heating is quite common across the country. In 2011, the Tajik government and China's TBEA energy company jointly launched the project of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station, a combined heat and power plant with a total installed capacity of 400 megawatts. Completed in 2016, the station now meets 60 percent of the power demand here. At the same time, the plant enabled the restart of central heating for more than 700,000 Dushanbe residents after 15 years of suspension. "The completion of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station has solved the country's long-existing problem of power shortages in winter," said Wang Jian, director of the TBEA office in Tajikistan. Wang stressed that the project uses latest technologies to cut pollution and reduce environmental impact to the lowest. BUILDING ROADS While people in Dushanbe are embracing another winter of warmth and light, commuters in the Kazakh capital of Astana are expecting a much easier trip from home to office as the sometimes nightmarish traffic in the city during the rush hours is likely to be improved. The China Railway No. 2 Group, the China Construction Sixth Engineering Division Corporation and the Beijing Urban Construction Group are busy working on the Astana light rail transit (LRT) project, the first of its kind in Kazakhstan. Scheduled to operate in 2020, the 22-km line with 18 stations will run across downtown Astana and connect the city's airport with its new railway station. The driverless light rail based on Chinese technology and standards will operate at a speed of about 80 km per hour, transporting about 160,000 people daily, a number that is likely to reach 360,000 in five years. "As temperature in Astana can climb up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer and drop up to minus 50 degrees Celsius in winter, the construction of the light rail is no doubt a big challenge," said Xing Daisi, a project manager of the China Railway No. 2 Group, adding that frequent gales also pose a threat to the communication system. However, all these problems have been solved by constructors using China's cutting-edge technology in this area. For residents in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) literally means more convenient transportation as the Chinese government is renovating for free 23 streets with a total length of 38 km in the city. New technology of rubble mastic asphalt is used and the material will make the roads more durable, water-proof and easy to maintain, said Zhang Xin, who is with the China Road & Bridge Corporation and in charge of the road renovation project, the largest ever in the history of Bishkek. The China Road & Bridge Corporation entered the Kyrgyz market in 2001 and has built and renovated roads about 1,600 km long in over 20 projects in the country since then. "China today is such a great country. Our relations have been even closer in recent time. As for the economic ties, I think we need each other," said Nurlan Eshenbayev, head of Bishkek's construction management department. CREATING JOBS The construction of the LRT project has provided about 900 jobs in Kazakhstan. Tasqyn, 26, is one of them. "The LRT project under the BRI will help reduce traffic jams and make the city more beautiful," he said, adding that people in Astana will be very proud since it is the first light rail in Central Asia. Tasqyn further shared his satisfaction with his job. He said that when he was a boy, he dreamed of becoming a diplomat and establishing friendship between Kazakhstan and other countries. "This job brings me closer to my dream." Tasqyn also showed his strong belief in the BRI, which from his perspective will do good to other countries, including Kazakhstan. "Everybody knows China's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years," he noted. Meanwhile, more than 600 local employees are working at the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station and many of them received training in China. Hikmataullo Zoirov, now a deputy head of the boiler and turbine floor, was trained in 2012 in China, where "the best" specialist in heating boilers taught them not only theories but also practice. "I think what the Chinese have built here for us is nothing but friendship," said the 30-year-old engineer. (Xinhua writers Zhang Ruoxuan, Li Dongxu also contributed to the story) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 17:56:41|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close SUVA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government is offering first home buyers with an annual income of less than 50,000 Fijian dollars (about 23,000 U.S dollars) 15,000 Fijian dollars (about 7,000 U.S. dollars) in grant in a move to help more Fijians own their own homes. The First Home Buyer Grant Policy is being offered by the Housing and Community Development Ministry. Fijians who earn 50,000 Fijian dollars (about 23,000 U.S. dollars) a year and above, are qualified for a grant assistance of 10,000 Fijian dollars (about 4,600 U.S. dollars) provided for the land-and-house package or 5,000 Fijian dollars (about 2,300 U.S. dollars) for a ready built home. To be eligible, applicants must be a Fijian citizen residing in the island naiton, be 18 years of age and above, have an annual household income of 100,000 Fijian dollars (about 46,000 U.S. dollars) or less, have never previously purchased or owned a home in Fiji and the individuals must meet the financial institution's loan. Fiji's Housing and Community Development Permanent Secretary Joshua Wycliffe said the need was vital for Fijians to know more about this government initiative. "One of those things that we would like to see is we are able to promote this product much more stronger throughout Fiji so more and more people can make use of this," Wycliffe said. Wycliffe has encouraged Fijians to seek advice from any financial institution or visit their office for any clarification. Wycliffe said the process for first home buyers has been trimmed down and will take at least two to three weeks before the banks get a response from the ministry. About 55.9 percent of Fiji's population of over 880,000 reside in urban areas which is a growth of little more than 16 percent from 2007, according to the 2017 Population and Housing Census. The Reserve Bank of Fiji, the central bank, was working with the Fijian government to provide affordable housing services, especially to low-income earners as housing affordability was a growing global challenge. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 18:11:44|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close RIYADH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz condemned on Saturday allegations about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi against his country. The minister highlighted in a statement issued by Saudi Press Agency that what have been circulating about orders to kill the journalist are "lies and baseless allegations" against the government of the kingdom. He praised cooperation with Turkey through joint investigation penal to know the whereabouts of Khashoggi and details about his disappearance. He stressed the importance of the media in sticking to facts and not to affect the investigation and judicial proceedings. The Saudi journalist vanished since Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The disappearance case attracted the world attention with the allegations that Khashoggi might had been killed or arrested inside the Saudi consulate, which had been dismissed by Saudi Arabia. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 18:31:48|Editor: zh Video Player Close KAMPALA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has hailed China's financing of infrastructure development in Africa, saying it will fast track the continent's development. Museveni, according to a State House statement issued on Saturday, made the comments while visiting Britain where he was asked about China's loans to Africa. "I don't speak Chinese; I speak English. But if English does not bring factories, what do we do?" Museveni said, noting that China is financing key infrastructure projects in Uganda like construction of hydro-power plants. "We are negotiating the railways project. This, coupled with electricity, will bring the cost of doing business down. We had huge deposits of phosphate for a long time and tried to hog it around for the West but they were not interested until the Chinese came," Museveni said. Museveni, who was meeting the British business community, urged them to invest in Africa, noting that the continent's economies are growing fast. "We have started our economic integration of Africa with the East African Community of 170 million people, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 500 million people and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. If you invest in any of these, you can sell to the rest," Museveni said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 19:01:55|Editor: zh Video Player Close TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government militants targeted an election gathering organized by female candidate Nazifa Big Yusufi in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province on Saturday, killing 13 people and injuring dozens of others, police said. "Obviously it was a motorbike bomb targeting the electoral campaign of female candidate Nazifa Big Yusufi in Rustaq district today, leaving 13 people including some security personnel dead and injuring more than 32 others," police spokesman in the province Abdul Khalil Asir told Xinhua. He added that Nazifa Big Yusufi escaped unscathed. Meanwhile, another official said on condition of anonymity that 35 people were injured in the blast, some in critical condition. Khalil Asir blamed anti-government militant groups for the deadly attack, saying the enemies of Afghanistan, a reference to the Taliban and associated militant outfits, could be behind the blast to terrorize the people and sabotage the electoral process. The elections for Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of the Afghan parliament, are slated for Oct. 20 with more than 2,500 candidates vying for the chamber's 249 seats. Campaign for the parliamentary elections began on Sept. 28. Earlier this month, anti-government militants targeted an electoral campaign in Kama district of the eastern Nangarhar province, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others. In a similar attack, the militants attacked an election gathering in the southern Helmand province last Tuesday, killing seven people including the candidate, and injuring 11 others. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 19:36:59|Editor: zh Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has allowed the United States to resume its search for the remains of American soldiers missing in Cambodia during the Vietnam War after it has been suspended for more than a year. The resumption was made after U.S. Senator Doug Ericksen wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Oct. 2, wishing for the re-activation of the prisoners of war or missing in action (POW/MIA) program in Cambodia. In a letter in response to Ericksen dated on Friday and released to the media on Saturday, Hun Sen said the Southeast Asian country decided to allow the United States to resume its search for the remains of American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War half a century ago. "As we have discussed before and at your personal request as well as that made by other U.S. organizations, my government, in the same compassionate spirit, agreed to resume this important POW/MIA field mission, regardless the United States visa restriction in place," the Cambodian prime minister said in the letter. Ninety American soldiers had gone missing in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Cambodia suspended cooperation with the United Sates in finding the remains of Americans killed in the Vietnam War in September last year after Washington imposed visa restrictions on Cambodian Foreign Ministry high ranking officials. At that time, the United States said the visa restrictions were made after Cambodia refused to accept or unreasonably delayed the return of its nationals, whom Washington seeks to deport. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 19:42:00|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Guests attend the opening ceremony of the Youth Forum on Jointly Building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in Macao, south China, Oct. 13, 2018. The two-day forum attracts over 1,400 guests including delegates from the Greater Bay Area cities and youth representatives. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) MACAO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On called for concerted efforts Saturday to create better conditions for young people in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, who could strive to achieve their dreams within this city cluster. In his speech to open the Youth Forum on Jointly Building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chui said he believed the city cluster initiative would serve as a new platform and bring unprecedented opportunities for young people's personal development. The two-day forum attracts over 1,400 guests including delegates from the Greater Bay Area cities and youth representatives. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area initiative involves a city cluster formed by the two special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macao, and nine cities in Guangdong Province, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Xiaoming, in his speech, said enhancing the well-being of the people in the Greater Bay Area, particularly in terms of creating more opportunities for young people, was one of the intentions of the city cluster initiative. Recent policies announced by the central government and the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao SARs had created a stronger framework for young people from Hong Kong and Macao to study, work, start a business and live in the mainland, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 20:12:04|Editor: zh Video Player Close ASSADABAD, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two militants affiliated with the hardliner Islamic State (IS) outfit were killed and two others injured as their explosive device went off prematurely in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province on Saturday, said a statement released by the army's 201 Silab Corps. According to the statement, four IS fighters were planting a mine on a road in Chawkai district to strike security convoys, but the device exploded prematurely, killing two on the spot and wounding two others. The IS outfit has yet to make comment on the incident. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 20:32:08|Editor: zh Video Player Close KABUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two separate explosions left 11 insurgents from the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) group dead in Afghanistan on Saturday, officials confirmed. In the first incident, four militants affiliated with the IS outfit fell victim to their bomb blast as their explosive device went off prematurely in the eastern Kunar province. According to a statement of the army's 201 Silab Corps stationed in the eastern region, four IS fighters were planting a mine on a road in Chawkai district of Kunar province to strike security convoys, but the device exploded prematurely, killing two on the spot and wounding two others. Also on Saturday, nine Taliban fighters were killed and another injured as their explosive device exploded prematurely, said Zabihullah Shijah, police spokesman in the northern Baghlan province. According to the official, 10 Taliban fighters were planting a mine on a road in Qala-e-Naw area outside Baghlan's provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri to target government forces, but the device exploded accidentally, killing nine insurgents on the spot and wounding another. Neither the Taliban nor the IS outfit has commented on the incidents. In war-plagued Afghanistan bomb attacks by militant groups often claim the lives of civilians and security personnel. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 20:52:11|Editor: zh Video Player Close SALFIT, West Bank, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Scores of Palestinians on Saturday afternoon took part in the funeral procession of 48-year-old woman who was killed after settlers hurled stone at her vehicle traveling on a main road in the north of the West Bank Friday night. Aisha Rabi was hit with a deadly stone on her head as she was traveling with her husband near Israeli military checkpoint Za'atara, near West Bank city of Nablus. Her husband was slightly injured. He said he was driving the car and had to pull over after the attack. Rabi was rushed to hospital but succumbed to wounds by the time she got there, according to medics. Her body was laid to rest in her hometown Bidya, near West Bank city of Salfit, amidst feelings of grief, and the autopsy showed the cause of her death following the attack by settlers. Rabi was a mother of eight, one of whom is preparing to get married in two weeks. The Israeli police spokesman declared a gag order on the incident after the Israeli army issued a statement on Saturday saying it was investigating the incident. Palestinians have repeatedly warned against settler attacks on their farms, homes, property and individuals. Such incidents have seen a particular rise along with the olive harvest season. "Settler violence has been on the rise since the beginning of 2018, with a weekly average of five attacks resulting in injuries or property damage, compared with an average of three in 2017 and two in 2016," said the latest situation report on protection of civilians by UN Office of the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Sept. 27. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 21:32:16|Editor: zh Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Political parties in Pakistan have concluded their weeks-long campaigns for the country's by-elections scheduled on Sunday in 35 constituencies of the National Assembly, or lower house of the country's parliament, and four provincial assemblies. Local media reported on Saturday that, following the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), all the candidates ended their campaigns on Friday midnight after increasing the pace of their campaigns during past week. The by-elections will be held on 11 National Assembly seats and 24 seats of provincial assemblies, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh provinces, according to the ECP. According to detail shared by the ECP, out of 11 seats of the National assembly, eight is in Punjab province, one each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces and one in the federal capital Islamabad. Twenty-four seats from provincial assemblies included 11 seats for Punjab Assembly, nine for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each for Sindh and Balochistan, said ECP. As many as 1,727 polling stations out of the total 7,489 have been categorized as "highly sensitive" by the election commission. Meanwhile, the ECP has printed over 9.9 million ballot papers for the by-elections. As many as 641 candidates have been contesting in 35 constituencies of the National assembly and provincial assemblies. Pakistan Army personnel have taken the responsibility of the polling stations, both inside and outside. They will be deployed at the polling stations till Oct. 15. Over 9.23 million registered voters, including overseas Pakistanis, are eligible to cast their ballots. This will be the first time that overseas Pakistanis will cast their votes in the by-polls. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 21:57:22|Editor: zh Video Player Close BUDAPEST, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto introduced a total ban on smoking on the premises of not only the ministry and its buildings but also in all of the Hungarian embassies around the world, according to official sources here on Saturday. "Smoking is henceforth prohibited in all of the locals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade," the Hungarian official journal announced. "The ban concerns all of the real estates falling under the management of the ministry, may it be owned or rented, in Hungary or abroad, such as embassies," the journal added. The new measure also forbids the designation of new closed smoking areas reserved for smokers, that has been the practice up to now. The existing closed smoking areas will be terminated and smokers will be allowed to smoke only outside on the streets. The directive does not stipulate how often employees can have a break to smoke their cigarettes. All kinds of advertising smoking have been banned in Hungary since 2002. In Hungary, it is forbidden to smoke in public transport vehicles or on playgrounds. It is not allowed to smoke in bus-, trolley- and tram stations in Budapest, the capital, as well as in metro stations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 22:12:29|Editor: zh Video Player Close SANAA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 passengers fleeing escalating war in Yemen's war-torn port city of Hodeidah were killed on Saturday when a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit two buses near a security checkpoint, a provincial hospital official said. The airstrike hit the buses in Masbarah area at the top of Jabal Ras hill near a Houthi-manned security checkpoint south of the port city. "Most of the victims are women and children," the official told Xinhua by phone on condition of anonymity. He said 20 others were wounded and were transported to several hospitals. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported the air attack, while there was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition. The Saturday attack was the latest in a series of airstrikes against the civilians since the coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015. On Wednesday, a coalition airstrike killed five farmers near a charity drinking water pump in al-Jah district in Hodeidah, according to the local hospital officials. The war has escalated in the Red Sea port city following the collapse of peacemaking efforts last month by the UN in Geneva after Houthi rebels refused to attend. The Hodeidah port is a main entry point of about 70 percent of Yemen's food, medicines, aid and fuel. Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen on March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthi rebels forced him into exile. The war has killed over 10,000 people and displaced nearly three million. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 22:37:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan royal navy rescued Friday 165 suspected illegal immigrants off the Mediterranean city of Nador, Morocco's army said Saturday. The migrants were carried by several inflatable boats heading to Spain, the army noted. A total of 140 among the migrants are from sub-Saharan African nations, including 15 women, while 25 are Moroccans, it pointed out. All the migrants were brought safely to Nador Port, the army said. In one week, the Moroccan navy arrested more than 1,200 migrants off the country's northern coasts. In recent months, Morocco has been witnessing a significant hike in illegal immigration attempts. The Moroccan government said its security services have thwarted at least 54,000 attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants into Europe in the first eight months of 2018, compared with 39,000 attempts a year earlier. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 22:57:34|Editor: yan Video Player Close KAMPALA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- As the world commemorates World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, conservationists in Uganda are striving to protect the habitats of the birds when they visit the east African country during the winter season elsewhere in the world. Achilles Byaruhanga, executive director of Nature Uganda, told Xinhua by telephone on Saturday that thousands of migratory birds have started arriving in the country. He said the birds are from south and central Africa as well as Europe. "Most of those long-range migratory birds go to breed and later return to Uganda because our environment and climate is suitable throughout the years," Byaruhanga said. "We do not have summer and winter like those other countries." However, as Uganda pursues its development, the habitats of the birds are being damaged. Wetlands are being damaged. Byaruhanga said through public awareness and education events in the country, people are told about the importance of birds and their habitats. "Birds are not only important for tourism but also for agriculture. Most people do not also understand these movements of birds. We have to tell them that we are in a global village, where birds keep moving depending on seasons," he said. "The public needs to know that to keep these birds alive we have to protect their habitats such as wetlands, lakes and forests," he added. Simplicity Gessa, a communications officer at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a state agency charged with conservation of wildlife, said there are efforts to ensure that the ecosystem is kept clean and as natural as possible. "On the river banks, we undertake regular health monitoring activities. We also take strategic interest in unprotected areas through working with local governments to ensure that habitats are not degraded," Gessa said. Uganda has over 1,057 bird species, according to UWA. "We are a unique country with more than 50 percent of all species in Africa. For instance, there is a Shoebill in Mabamba swamp in central Uganda. Such birds are not common in the world," Gessa said. Bird-watching contributes part of the 1.4 billion U.S. dollars that Uganda earns from tourism annually. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 23:32:39|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Former Malaysian deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail leave the ballots counting center after winning parliamentary by-election in Port Dickson, Malaysia, Oct. 13, 2018. Anwar Ibrahim returned to the political center stage after winning a by-election to become a member of parliament (MP) on Saturday. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) PORT DICKSON, Malaysia, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Former Malaysian deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim returned to the political center stage after winning a by-election to become a member of parliament (MP) on Saturday. Anwar won comfortably by securing more than 70 percent of the votes in a multi-corner fight, despite a lower turnout of 58.3 percent compared with more than 80 percent in the general election in May, according to Malaysia's election commission. Anwar said his victory is "vote of confidence" to the Pakatan Harapan government led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mahamad. Expected to be sworn-in on Monday, Anwar said he will focus on assisting "effective parliamentary reforms." The 71-year-old Anwar was granted a royal pardon on his sodomy conviction following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the general election. He has since won the presidency of his People's Justice Party unchallenged. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the previous member of parliament for the Port Dickson constituency. Mahathir has also broken his decades-long practice not to campaign for by-election, attending an earlier campaign event to support Anwar. The reconciliation between Mahathir and Anwar was crucial for Pakatan Harapan's victory, and Mahathir has promised to hand over the premiership to Anwar. Becoming an MP will pave the way for the succession. Herders graze in Marsabit, one of the most severe drought-hit regions in Kenya, on March 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) NAIROBI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Africa has become an epicenter of violent conflicts and forced migration thanks to frequent eruption of natural calamities linked to climate change, experts said on Friday at a pan-African climate forum underway in Nairobi. According to the experts, global warming that has escalated resource based conflicts in Africa bodes ill for the continent's quest to sustain economic growth, stability and cohesion. Henry Mutembei, scholar with Nairobi-based Wangari Maathai Institute for peace and environmental studies, warned that the continent's stability is at stake as climate change-linked disasters fuel inter-communal skirmishes and forced migration of productive segment of the population. "The nexus between climate change and surge in conflicts, insecurity and migration in Africa is overwhelming thus placing a heavier responsibility on governments to address this phenomenon with urgency," said Mutembei. He noted that the Horn of Africa and Sahel regions have become flashpoints as famines and water stress disrupt the livelihoods of agro-pastoral communities. "Rapid desertification is already causing a migration crisis and sporadic conflicts in the Sahel region. These climate refugees that are increasing in numbers pose serious threats to global security," said Mutembei. He stressed that targeted investments in resilience projects including climate-smart agriculture and restoration of vital ecosystems could forestall resources-based conflicts in Africa. Withered crops are seen at a farmland in the drought-hit Masvingo province, southern Zimbabwe, Jan. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Stringer) Delegates attending the three-day conference renewed call for governments and multilateral lenders to realign climate resilience in the continent with security, peace and inter-communal harmony. Bethlehem Abebe, an analyst with regional bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said the security and forced migration dimension of climate change in Africa should be accorded priority. "It is evident that climate change is causing forced mobility and tensions among communities as they compete for scarce resources. What is required now is better resilience for refugees and host communities," said Abebe. Ruth Omondi, a Kenyan conflicts specialist, said that skirmishes linked to climatic shocks are bound to increase in Africa hence the need for governments to prioritize coping mechanisms for communities living in the hotspots. "Severe climatic conditions are pushing pastoralists and small-scale farmers to the edges hence the need to develop adaptation programs that ensures their livelihoods are not destabilized," said Omondi. She added that regulated mobility for communities affected by climatic shocks is key to prevent conflicts. "Mobility is an adaptability mechanism for communities affected by harsh climatic conditions and should be regulated to ensure they do not put a strain on water, fertile land and pasture in their new settlements," Omondi said. File photo shows members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group speak during a demonstration in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, Jan. 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa) ABUJA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 833 children were on Friday released from the ranks of a local vigilante movement involved in the fight against terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria's northeast region. The minors were mainly recruited and used as spies or sent on errands by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) assisting the military to fight Boko Haram, according to Tokunbo Alabi, a local security analyst. "The kids don't carry arms, theirs is to give information about suspected Boko Haram fighters and their whereabouts. It is a good development that they were released to live as innocent children that they are, to own their own lives," Alabi told Xinhua by telephone. As of today, a total of 1,469 children, including 1,175 boys and 294 girls, associated with the CJTF have been identified within the city of Maiduguri, capital of the northern state of Borno, said the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) office in Nigeria. In a statement, the UNICEF said the first formal release of the minors from the CJTF was part of the commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts. The release on Friday followed an action plan committing the group to put measures in place to end the act since September 2017. "The release of these children from Civilian Joint Task Force shows commitment to implement the provisions of the Action Plan and to uphold the international humanitarian law, human rights laws as well as other regional and national legislations protecting children's rights," the UN agency's statement said. UNICEF described the children's release as "a significant milestone" but expressed worry that many more children remain in the ranks of other armed groups in either combat or support roles. "We call on all parties to stop recruiting children and let children be children," it added. Geoffrey Njoku, an information officer of UNICEF in Nigeria, told Xinhua by telephone that negotiation was ongoing for the release of more children in the ranks of armed groups in the West African country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 00:57:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close HANOI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has seized nearly 34 kg of rhino horns at Noi Bai International Airport in the capital of Hanoi, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Saturday. The horns were shipped by a sender in South Africa on a Qatar Airways flight to an individual in Hanoi. Conservationists have warned that rhinos will become extinct within the next 10 years if poaching is not stopped. The last Java rhino in Vietnam was killed at Cat Tien National Park in 2010. There are only 25,000 wild rhinos in the world at present, with the population dropping by 95 percent over the last four decades, the agency reported. South Africa is home to some 20,000 rhinos. U.S. pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C,L) arrives at Adnan Menderes airport in Izmir, on October 12, 2018 after being freed following a trial in a court in Aliaga in western Izmir province. (Xinhua/AFP) WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday freed the long detained U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, a gesture of compromise but not enough to defrost the bilateral ties that had been overshadowed by a group of divergences, U.S. experts said Friday. RESPONSE TO RELEASE A Turkish court decided earlier Friday to release the 50-year-old pastor, who was detained about two years ago over espionage charges and links to a network led by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the July 2016 coup bid. The detention caused one of the worst diplomatic rows between the two NATO allies, as the Trump administration imposed a slew of financial sanctions on Turkey to press for Brunson's release. In return, Ankara increased tariffs on imported American cars, alcohol and tobacco. Washington welcomes the pastor's release, adding that "we remain deeply concerned about the continued detention of other United States citizens in Turkey and around the world, and urge the resolution of all these cases in a transparent and fair manner." Before Brunson's release, U.S. broadcaster NBC reported that Ankara and Washington had reached "a secret deal" for Brunson to be released on Friday and some charges against him were dropped, in exchange for the United States easing "economic pressure" that included blows to the Turkish currency in summer. U.S. President Donald Trump denied the report, saying there is no deal at all. RAPPROCHEMENT ON HOLD Turkish officials implied that Trump wants Brunson's release to please evangelical voters, a critical constituency for him and the Republican Party in November's midterm elections. "This is big news domestically because of the administration's stance on religious freedom," said Ford O'Connell, political analyst and Republican strategist. For Turkey, it would also like some relief from steel tariffs, Darrell West, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, told Xinhua. "The two countries likely will talk about ways to work together on trade issues and reach some accommodation that is helpful to both sides," West said. For Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence Office, the release might allow a new warming in the overall U.S.-Turkish ties. However, Trump's personal attitude toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not clear yet, White said, adding that "the personal dimension between Trump and Erdogan will likely continue to be a sizeable -- perhaps dominant -- factor in where U.S.-Turkish relations go from here." "There are still broader concerns about the strength of the relationship given the approach taken by Erdogan regarding the consolidation of his powers and Turkey's posture in the region," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president at the Washington-based Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua. Stephen J. Flanagan, senior political scientist at the California-based RAND Corporation, also warned that although the release will warm up the Trump-Erdogan relationship, "significant policy differences remain on stabilization of Syria and the Turkish request to extradite Fethullah Gulen." KHASHOGGI CASE HELPS Brunson's release will strengthen Turkey's hand to move the United States into its corner ahead of a possible crisis with Saudi Arabia, Washington's close ally, regarding the mysterious disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul after he entered the Saudi consulate there, said experts. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi leadership, was killed, according to unconfirmed reports. While Ankara and Riyadh agreed to form a joint investigation team, the Khashoggi case also drew Washington's close attention. Turkish officials have been very helpful on the Khashoggi case by providing "the most important information pointing to Saudi involvement," said West. "Turkish information has garnered considerable good will within the United States on this high-profile case." Ankara has a strained relationship with Riyadh due to several issues, most importantly the Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar, an important Turkish ally, and Turkey's support to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to Flanagan. Ankara has incentives to expose Riyadh's apparent misdeeds, which were probably a violation of Turkish sovereignty, said Flanagan, adding that Ankara probably thinks its cooperation with Washington in the Khashoggi case will help improve bilateral relations on economy. Trump wants to get to the bottom of Khashoggi's death, said O'Connell. "Trump's in a situation where ... he's going to need more than the Saudis to know exactly what happened." The picture published by the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee shows a counter-terrorist operation in the country's Republic of Dagestan. MOSCOW, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and the National Guard killed two followers of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the country's Republic of Dagestan on Saturday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said. During a counter-terrorist operation, the security authorities received intelligence that armed gangsters involved in a number of terrorist crimes were hiding in a private house in a village, said an NAC press release. The picture published by the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee shows a counter-terrorist operation in the country's Republic of Dagestan. The FSB special forces, backed by the National Guard and police, blocked the house where the suspects were hiding and evacuated the residents of the nearby houses. Two gunmen who refused to lay down their arms and surrender were killed in an exchange of fire. Two FSB special forces officers and one National Guard officer were wounded. No civilians were injured. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 02:28:04|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police vowed Saturday to intensify patrols along the border with Somalia to thwart al-Shabab attacks. Police spokesman Charles Owino said security agencies are also on high alert for any possible attack by the militants targeting security installations and any other soft targets along the border between Mandera and Elwak in northeast Kenya. "This follows the latest development across the border for the past two weeks, in which the militants have been converging close to Kenyan border," Owino said in a statement issued in Nairobi. He said the buildup has been evident in areas of Hola, Dura, Jidahaley, Juma and Ilkabere in northeast Kenya where the militants have been carrying out terror attacks in recent past. The statement comes barely a week after the Islamic militants raided a local school in Mandera, killing two teachers. More than 20 assailants believed to be al-Shabab militants raided teachers' quarters in Arabia Boys Secondary School, Mandera County, about 1 kilometer away from the Kenya-Somalia border, killing the two non-local teachers while two others escaped the death dragnet. Owino said police operations have established that Hassan Hodey, a Somali national from neighboring area of Damasa, was behind that heinous act. "Security agencies are pursuing the culprit and will not relent till he is brought to justice," Owino assured. The police attributed the current movement by the militants towards the Kenyan border to ongoing purge on their bases in Somalia by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and allied forces. "Our officers are on high alert monitoring their movements so as to counter any attempts by these criminals to cross over to our country to cause fear and despondence," said Owino. He called upon members of the public particularly those living along the border to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement by individuals or groups to any nearest security personnel. Security in Mandera remains volatile with the militia who cross over from their neighboring country responsible for the numerous attacks that have rocked the area. Kenya's northeastern region has suffered the brunt of grenade and gun attacks in the last several years since Kenya took its troops to Somalia to fight the al-Shabab militia group. Many people, majority of them non-locals, have as a result lost their lives with others left with permanent injuries. Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2018 shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), main venue of the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Ding Ting) by Fu Yiming, He Miao STOCKHOLM, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) "reaffirms commitment" from the Chinese government to its opening-up policy," Erik Bresling, CEO of Danisa told Xinhua recently in an exclusive interview. Danisa, the internationally well known brand of the traditional Danish Butter Cookies, is the crown jewel of the Danish Speciality Foods, a Danish company, led by Bresling, that has enjoyed strong growth in China. The company is one of over a dozen Danish companies that announced their participation in the first CIIE which will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, aiming to seek new business opportunities. "Danisa, like many other Danish brands, is the beneficiary of China's opening-up to the world policy," said Bresling, emphasizing that "even though Danisa is not the first company to enter China, we have been marketing and running business since early 1990s and enjoying tremendous growth." "Now, we are the market leader in butter cookies category in China. We are very grateful for the strong support from Chinese government and warm welcome from our Chinese consumers," he added. Bresling believes that in the next five years, China's huge demand to import products and services globally, "provides a historic opportunity for enterprises across the world to enter the huge Chinese market". And the CIIE event "serves as a drive for business people in the world to market their products in China and for Chinese consumers". "On top of that, we believe that through this event we will have better exposure in China and find more partners to help us distribute our products to not only tier-1/tier-2 cities, but also further into tier-3/tier-4/tier-5 cities," he added. Year 2018 is also marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Bresling believes 40 years of China's opening-up benefited other countries globally by providing "good products with reasonable prices"; meanwhile, with the huge purchasing power of Chinese consumers, "the world also enjoys exporting their products to China". "We have been witnessing China's robust growth in the past 20 years. In the meantime, we have seen Chinese government's determination of opening up to the world, plus hard-working spirits from its people during the years we are doing business in China," Bresling emphasized. Eyeing ahead, Bresling "strongly believe that China's economy will continue to grow and consumer spending will increase solidly." "Besides, Chinese consumers will embrace better and higher standard of products. So for Danisa, this is huge potential we see to increase our sales in China," he said. "As the beneficiary of China's opening-up to the world policy and market leader in butter cookies category in China, we are happy to participate in the event and will give our full support accordingly, " Bresling said. "We wish CIIE a huge success this year!" he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 03:48:17|Editor: ZX Video Player Close DUSHANBE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray over the phone late Saturday to discuss international trade. During the phone conversation, Videgaray briefed Wang on the recent signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), saying Mexico is an independent sovereign state and the agreement will neither affect the exchanges between China and Mexico in any respect, nor lead to any restriction on bilateral trade, investment or political relations between the two countries. China is a trustworthy partner for Mexico, he said, adding that Mexico is willing to further develop the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Wang said China and Mexico, as comprehensive strategic partners, have always had mutual understanding, trust and support on major issues. Any bilateral or multilateral free trade agreement should not be directed against a third party or used to restrict other members' legitimate rights and interests, nor should it be in the vein of exclusionism, Wang said. Both China and Mexico are emerging economies and they should work together to safeguard multilateralism and the free trade system, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 04:53:32|Editor: yan Video Player Close CHICAGO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 Chinese American scientists and engineers gathered in the suburbs of Chicago on Saturday to communicate at the 26th annual conference of the Association of Chinese-American Scientists and Engineers (ACSE). Addressing the conference at the opening ceremony, Minna Xiao, president of ACSE, said that under the principles of cooperation, development and contribution, ACSE's mission is to emphasize and promote science and technology-related activities to better serve the community and the society. To promote U.S.-China cooperation and economic development is also a mission of ACSE. "We continued to promote healthy exchange and improved cooperation friendship and understanding between the U.S. and China in all aspects (in the past year)," Xiao said. Since its establishment, "ACSE has been an indispensable bridge to connect the two countries." In a speech, Liu Jun, acting consul general of Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, applauded ACSE's long-lasting efforts in promoting economic and technological exchanges between China and United States in the past years, and urged it to contribute more to the friendship and mutual understanding of the people of the two countries. "Technological development should serve the public good and welfare of the humankind," he reiterated. Under the framework of U.S.-China Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology, scientists from the two countries have cooperated in more than 20 sectors including energy, environment, agriculture and basic sciences in the past years, Liu said. Chinese American scientists are not only the witnesses to the scientific and technological cooperation and development between China and United States, but also the promoters and practitioners of this cooperation between the two countries, Liu added. Under the theme of "Disruptors of the Next Decade", scientists exchanged views on such topics as blockchain and its impact on economic system, blockchain technology and regulation, materials innovation for better living, big data and applications, and cross-discipline innovation and entrepreneurship. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White sent congratulatory letters to the conference. Founded in 1992, ACSE is one of the largest Chinese-American professional organization in the United States, as well as the most influential organization in the U.S. state of Illinois. It now has more than 6,000 members in 30 U.S. states. ACSE has 18 local chapters and 15 professional societies. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 05:33:36|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close VADUZ, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Liechtenstein in the center of Europe has become a popular stop for Chinese tourists and Chinese visitors have thronged its streets in the extended 2018 summer months. "China is a very important and interesting market for the Principality of Liechtenstein. We got 350,000 tourists last year and the number is growing," Renate Bachmann, head of Tourism Liechtenstein Marketing has told Xinhua this weekend. Situated between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein has a total area of about 160 square kilometers and a population of over 38,600. The country is gearing its information to Chinese. "One of our staff in the Tourist Office speaks perfect Mandarin and Cantonese. And there are also plenty of the staff in other shops speaking Mandarin because of many visitors from China," noted Bachmann. "The Vaduz Castle is a popular destination," said Bachmann. The castle towers over the city. The Chinese visitors also visit the array of museums and art galleries in the capital. The Liechtenstein National Museum is currently hosting an exhibition titled "Elegance and Savor -- Life and Wisdom in Chinese Culture." Donat Buechel, curator of the museum, told Xinhua, "The exhibition aims to introduce China's rich and unique culture by presenting selected aspects of Chinese landscapes, plants and animals, festivities, historical customs and conventions." The exhibition includes Chinese day-to-day life, the world of literary figures and others. Paintings of high quality created by famous Chinese artists were presented. Buechel said the displayed included art works created since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as brilliant masters in China in the 20th century, such as Qi Baishi, Li Keran and Guan Liang. The combination of extremely important masterpieces is from the collection of the Beijing Fine Art Academy. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-14 05:43:39|Editor: yan Video Player Close BEIRUT, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Army Command said that an Israeli military boat violated on Saturday the Lebanese territorial water near Ras AL-Naqoura, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported. According to NNA, the boat violated Lebanon's water for 555 meters in two minutes. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is following up on the issue. Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said earlier this month that Israel has violated Lebanon's airspace, land and sea over 1,500 times in the past eight months. Moreover, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun called upon the United States in August to put pressure on Israel to stop its violations of Lebanese sea and airspace. The Hungarian governments policies are increasingly understood and appreciated in the United States, Zoltan Kovacs, the government spokesman, said at the end of a four-day official visit that included discussions at think-tanks and media outlets. More and more people in the US understand the work that the Hungarian government is carrying out, Kovacs told MTI late on Thursday, insisting that the tone of conversation had changed markedly in recent years. Referring to areas of Hungarian policymaking such as our support for persecuted Christians, our economic achievements and approach to illegal migration, Kovacs said the governments consistency in policymaking over the past eight years was valued. Regarding a letter signed by 22 Democrat lawmakers to the US State Department criticising Hungary and the state of Hungarys media, Kovacs insisted the letter was part of international left-wing political campaigning against Hungary. Kovacs said Hillary Clintons speech in Oxford last week, in which the former secretary of state criticised Brexit as well as Tory MEPs for siding with Hungary on the Sargentini report, was part of the campaign before the US mid-term elections. The international left wing wants to cast Hungary as a black sheep, he said. MTI photo: Soos Lajos Since the end of September, a full-fledged diplomatic war has broken out between the Hungary and Ukraine. Relatively few Hungarian journalists know anything about foreign affairs, and those that do are usually preoccupied with the United States and Hungary. Therefore Hungarians are not likely aware of the situation with Ukraine and the possible implications of Hungarys behavior on world politics. When it comes to Hungarys relations with its neighbors, Romania, thanks to the number of Transylvanians who settled in Hungary in the 1980s and after, is pretty well covered, but the same cannot be said about Ukraine, a country that became a neighbor of Hungary after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The other day a well-known reporter suggested that the current Ukrainian-Hungarian diplomatic crisis is nothing more than a spat artificially fed by both governments for domestic reasons. She is gravely mistaken. It is a deadly serious diplomatic game being played by Viktor Orban at the behest of Vladimir Putin. After watching debate on the Ukrainian-Hungarian diplomatic crisis between a young politician of Momentum, Andras Revesz, and Gabor Stier, the pro-Russian former foreign editor of Magyar Nemzet, now Magyar Hang. It is hard for someone, who has been intently following Viktor Orbans relations with Ukraine, to agree with Stiers assessment that the blame lies solely with the Ukrainians. Viktor Orban, soon after becoming prime minister in 2010, visited Ukraine, where he praised Viktor Yanukovychs government for stabilizing Ukraine just as he was working on stabilizing Hungary. A few months later, during one of his visits to Brussels, he commented favorably on Yanukovychs presidency and called him a reliable partner. For four years Ukrainian-Hungarian relations remained close. All that changed when Yanukovych was ousted and Russia occupied Crimea. From that time on, Orbans relations with Ukraine have been tense and lately outright antagonistic. It is hard not to link Orbans change of attitude toward Ukraine to his close relationship with Russia. Hungarys intransigence goes far beyond a bilateral squabble. It has already affected U.S.-Hungarian relations and raised concern in NATO. Russia is considered a threat to Europe and, just lately, diplomats from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States urged the Orban government to lower the volume and make a deal with the Ukrainians. After all, it is in the interest of Ukraine to remove the barrier Hungary erected, which stands in the way of its developing a partnership program with NATO. Similar entreaties came from NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, to no avail. U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said recently that the United States certainly supports a NATO-Ukraine Commission. We have urged and will continue to urge Hungary not to oppose it. It is important. By the way, only one Hungarian foreign policy analyst, Csaba Kancz, talked at all about U.S. and NATO requests to the Hungarian government regarding the Ukrainian dispute. Nothing has had any effect. Relations have gone from bad to worse. Hungary is simply not ready to negotiate provisions of the education law that restricts the use of Hungarian in schools. As far as Budapest is concerned, only a complete withdrawal of the law would satisfy the Orban government. Since the education law was introduced in order to restrict the use of Russian in the eastern provinces, Kiev cannot repeal the law altogether, but it would be willing to make exceptions in the Hungarian case. Orban is such a faithful servant of Putin, however, that he is ready to risk Hungarys standing with the United States and other NATO countries for the sake of Russias interest in Ukraine. Inflexibility on the Hungarian side led to a similar rigidity on the Ukrainian side. Eventually, Kiev expelled the Hungarian consul, and there has been talk about going after those Ukrainians who have taken out Hungarian citizenship. A far-right nationalistic website, which Hungarians charge is working hand in hand with the government, has been compiling lists of dual citizens. We are at a point that The New York Times published an article about a week ago titled At war with Russia in East, Ukraine has worries in the West, too. According to the article, the Hungarians in Berehove/Beregszasz, who constitute about 50% of the population, live as if they didnt belong to Ukraine at all. The locals even set their watches to Hungarian time, an hour ahead. A Hungarian flag flies in front of city hall. And when the Hungarian State Opera performed in town, the audience stood mute during the Ukrainian national anthem and then burst into boisterous song for the anthem of Hungary. One reason for this state of affairs is the lavish support this small community receives from the Hungarian government. Meanwhile hysteria is growing in both capitals. Peter Szijjarto accuses the Kiev of compiling a death list, which he is also on. The latest is that the Ukrainian government wants to expel dual citizens and instead fill Berehove with refugees from the east. Today Zsolt Bayer, in his opinion piece in Magyar Idok, admits that the language of the education law is not directed at the Hungarians but at the Russians and says that the West is quiet because they find stripping the Russian minority of their rights acceptable. But for Hungary the fate of the Russian minority is just as important as that of the Hungarian minority. Therefore we must make clear to the villainous Ukrainian leadership that under these circumstances they cannot even dream of NATO. This is an honest description of Hungarys role in this basically Russian-Ukrainian struggle: to be the Western diplomatic hit man for Vladimir Putin. This is not at all in the interest of Hungary, as will become clear when we take a quick look at current U.S.-Hungarian relations. We have been waiting for months for the Orban government to sign an agreement with the State of New York that was already approved by Budapest. Nothing has happened since, and the December 31 deadline is fast approaching. Ambassador David Cornstein in September had a lengthy conversation with Viktor Orban, who seems to have fooled him; at least this is what I gathered from the ambassadors optimistic remarks. In addition, he had a rather unfortunate interview with Szombat, a Jewish publication. But yesterday he gave a lecture to the faculty and students of Central European University that indicates to me that Cornstein is slowly realizing the true nature of the Hungarian regime. The ambassador said that he had spent most of his time in the last 100 days trying to resolve CEUs precarious situation. He also admitted that his initial good mood that existed between himself and the Hungarian government has changed, I guess for the worse. The ambassador expressed his surprise about Orbans intransigence because there is every reason to develop good relations with the present administration. The Obama administration didnt want to do anything with Viktor Orban, but Trump supports the present government. If they want to keep up this good relationship, the road they chose is the wrong one. He told his audience that he was the one who asked Trump to phone Orban and congratulate him after his electoral victory. It is now time that the Hungarian government reciprocates for everything it has received so far from us. Magyar Narancs, which reported on Cornsteins lecture, recalled that the ambassador after his arrival stated that he had four goals as ambassador. The first was improvement of U.S. financial help for military airfields; the second, the establishment of an oil pipeline from Romania; the third, ending the CEU crisis; and the fourth, reestablishment of good relations with Ukraine and Hungarys support of Ukraines partnership with NATO. We dont know much about the progress, if any, made in the first two matters, but we do know that neither the problem of CEU nor Ukraines NATO partnership has been solved. If anything, the opposite is true. CEU is seriously thinking about moving its campus to Vienna, and Hungarian politicians swear they will thwart Ukraines ambitions, even at the cost of the countrys own national interests. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online Click here to Share Your Story David Cornstein, the US Ambassador to Hungary stressed the importance of the Central European University (CEU) at an event held in the university on Wednesday afternoon, according to Index.hu. He said that during the first 100 days of his work in Budapest, the issue of CEU was the most frequently discussed question. According to the ambassador, in a few weeks an important meeting will take place where the universitys fate can be decided. He said that Prime Minister Viktor Orban wont be present, but his office will be represented on a high level. According to Cornstein the Trump administrations relations with Hungary have been better than the Obama administrations. He added that so far the US government hasnt asked anything in return, but they can soon ask the Hungarian government to do something, for example to solve CEUs case. This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online Click here to Share Your Story MTI Photo: Czegledi Zsolt Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in his regular Friday interview to public radio, said it was a significant achievement in recent years that a formerly clandestine Soros network has been revealed, a network which has not been authorised by anyone to impact the lives of people. Concerning the United States, Orban said that President Donald Trumps forces and those of Soros are fighting a battle over whether to return to the grounds of American national interests or build a globalist government to which nation states would be subordinated. He said that Hungarys opposition also promoted the same idea of global government, but the oppositions weakness, he added, rendered such endeavours insignificant. The prime minister also insisted that such networks operated as outsourced secret services and sought to delegate their agents to important positions. Referring to the Hungarian economy, which he said was performing well, he said: where theres money, there are speculators; where theres flesh, there are flies. Orban pledged to shoo off such speculators as George Soros. Referring to the United Nations migration pact, Orban said that Soross international network sought to use the UN to get migration accepted as a good thing so that Soros and his kind can say that they have international authorisation. Meanwhile, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans visit earlier in the week, Orban said Hungary has to gather friends rather than enemies. The structure of the Turkish state is an internal affair, Orban said. He has always kept Hungary away from the bad western European attitude of lecturing other states on how to behave, he said. This trend was introduced by the US, which in the meantime has also realised that this does not lead anywhere, he said. Turkish policies have a direct bearing on Hungarys security, Orban said, noting that Turkey hosts 4 million migrants. If the Turks let them, a large number of these people would appear at the Hungarian-Serbian border within days. A strong political system and a strong leader in Turkey is in Hungarys basic interest, he said. Regarding the re-election bid of Istvan Tarlos, Budapests mayor running for a third term on a Fidesz ticket, Orban said that he had asked Tarlos to run again for mayor with the authorisation of the Fidesz-led district mayors. Tarlos had set preconditions for accepting the nomination and secured substantial rights for the city, Orban said. On the topic of extra subsidies for people who care for permanently sick family members, the prime minister said: We continue to reach out to demographic groups in difficult situations. MTI photo: Szigetvary Zsolt XpatLoop Media Partner Mupa is regarded as Hungary's top cultural brand, and the most modern cultural institution in the capital. It opened its doors in 2005 to provide events of international quality to a diverse audience, bringing together all the varied disciplines of the arts in a unique fashion. To this day it provides a cutting-edge home for classical, contemporary, popular and world music, jazz and opera, as well as contemporary circus, all types of dance, literature and film. Carrie Biegler, a teacher from Northern Liberties, started "Strength Source Project," where she photographs women and asks: What have you done in the past or what is something you do now that has made you feel strong inside? Read more Carrie Biegler confesses that she wasn't feeling especially strong when she started photographing strong women. It wasn't one thing; it never is. It was dealing with sexism in her own life, around the time that Donald Trump made comments about women that she then had to try to explain to her 11-year-old daughter, when women were starting to put into words and hashtags and movements the feelings they'd bottled up for years. "I felt like I was carrying around a lot of pain and frustration," the teacher from Northern Liberties said. "Like a lot of women, there was this buildup inside, and it was taking up a lot of my energy." At an Art Museum exhibit of women's photography, Biegler, 44, became inspired: "What if I started asking women, all kinds of women, something that highlighted their strength," she thought. "What if instead of asking, 'What has been done to you?' I instead asked, 'What have you done?' you know, kind of flipping it and bearing witness to their strength, their power." Biegler called it "Strength Source Project" and started with people she knew: friends, family, her daughter. She then hit the streets to find women who caught her eye. She'd take their photograph and ask one question: "What have you done in the past or what is something you do now that has made you feel strong inside?" She was as eager to hear their answers as some were to give them. Some of the answers: fighting cancer, coming out, moving on from bad relationships and choices, caring for family, for themselves, embracing their history. Spinning fire (yes, you read that right, and yes, I want to meet this woman.) "I asked this question because I had to," Biegler said. "I needed to hear other women tell me how they draw strength. I wanted to draw strength from them. I wanted us to draw strength from each other." One of the first women she found was Kelli Caldwell, 36, who was sitting on a bench near Sister Cities Park, on a break from her job at Municipal Court. Caldwell, who lives in Mount Airy, recalls loving the idea. She jumped at the chance to tell Biegler about her work with victims of human trafficking. She'd organized a march in 2015 to raise awareness for the cause, and through the Hope Bag Mission, she helps provides basic toiletries and other care items to survivors. "To know that what I'm doing is making a difference drives me," Caldwell said. "It builds me up to keep going." That's a sentiment many of the women Biegler has photographed and profiled have echoed, gaining strength from giving to others even if it's forgiveness for the unforgivable. In her profile, Angelique Bouffiou, a 40-year-old Reiki healer and writer from New Jersey, shares her memories of a brutal attack. It is painful and honest and courageous, a raw retelling framed in empowering forgiveness. "It was not that five men had attacked me," she wrote. "It was that five men cannot kill me." Since starting the project last year, Biegler has photographed more than 80 women, of all ages and backgrounds, which is part of her goal. She's been to senior centers and mosques. She's reached out to people in the LGBTQ community, eager to capture women's strength in her photos and in their own words that she then posts to her website, Facebook, and Instagram. "I don't ignore the other things there's no way to ignore the reality around us," she said. "But this makes me feel like we're moving forward by reminding ourselves of what's inside of us, of everything we have already overcome." She recently applied for a grant to fund a showing of her photographs, but even if she doesn't get it, she plans to continue asking women where they draw their strength from for as long as they want to answer. I don't think she has to worry about that. In honor of International Women's Day, which is Thursday, I posted her question on social media and women didn't hesitate to share. And like the women in Biegler's project, their answers were heartwarming and heart-wrenching and funny and furious and wonderful. And a source of strength, which is something we could all use these days. Drexel President John Fry touts success of the university's enrollment overhaul. He recently got a five-year contract extension, to 2023. Read more Four years ago, officials at Drexel University looked at enrollment numbers and didn't like what they saw. Only 8 percent of students offered admission had chosen to enroll, down from nearly 25 percent less than a decade earlier. With tuition, fees, and room and board hovering around $60,000, Drexel was showing up in rankings as one of the nation's most expensive schools. And not enough of its freshmen were making it to graduation. So Drexel overhauled its enrollment process a risky venture in a highly competitive marketplace, one with a declining number of high school graduates and a battle to recruit them. Along the way, it is also cutting costs and capping tuition increases. It has not been a smooth ride. Two years ago, 600 fewer freshmen came than the year before. For a private, tuition-dependent institution, less revenue meant cuts in staffing, wage freezes, employee unrest. "Candidly, there were panic moments," said Randall Deike, a Drexel senior vice president who oversees enrollment. "You can't turn a ship this large and expect everything will be where you want it to be in a year or two." Fast forward to this spring: The university's most recent six-year graduation rate 71 percent was the highest in school history. Nearly 90 percent of freshmen returned for sophomore year in 2017, up five percentage points from four years ago. Drexel is on target this fall to enroll one of its largest incoming classes. >>READ MORE: Ivy League identity crisis: What does Penn's Fels Institute want to be? There is still progress to be made on the West Philadelphia campus of the 24,000-student university. But officials are confident about the change in direction. "We made the principled decision to really do something courageous, and step back and reinvent ourselves at a time when most people would have said, 'Why are you messing around with this?'" said president John A. Fry. "I think the reward is big, full, super-qualified classes of students who are really happy to be here." Drexel's board of trustees appears satisfied, too. Last month, it unanimously voted to give Fry, 58, a new five-year contract to 2023, which would extend his tenure to 13 years and enable him to continue his focus on raising the university's local and national profile. Contract terms were not disclosed. Beyond presiding over new buildings, a renovated campus quad and better landscaping, Fry initiated the $3.5 billion Schuylkill Yards plan that seeks to transform University City in one of the region's defining development projects. Ludo C.P. Scheffer, outgoing chair of Drexel's faculty senate and a professor of psychology, is a bit more cautious about its future. "I always said, change in enrollment strategy was the right thing to do, and I still believe that," said Scheffer, who is stepping down Friday from the faculty leadership after five years. "I'm still cautiously optimistic. It's been a very painful ride but I think if we see the same kind of enrollment numbers for the next two years, then I think we are really on a different path." Is this the right model? For years, Drexel was flooded with applications more than 50,000 a year but few applicants were serious. Some didn't even know where the school was. So Drexel in 2014 added a $50 application fee and eliminated its "VIP" fast application, which allowed students to skip the essays and recommendations and apply with little more than a mouse click. The hope, officials said, was to attract applicants who were truly interested in Drexel, a private research university with a law school, business school, and medical school, and known for a co-op program that sends most students into the workforce for a few semesters during their college career, enabling them to get paid experience and typically graduate in five years. >>READ MORE: Dickinson College president opens doors to former captives of terrorist group, and it's not the first time In the first year after changes to the process, applications fell by more than 50 percent and the number of enrolled freshmen declined to about 2,900. The smaller class meant less tuition revenue an expected decline but one that led to layoffs of several dozen administrative employees in 2015. The next year, freshman enrollment plummeted, to about 2,300, less than hoped for. Though other factors were in play two of its biggest competitors, Temple and Pennsylvania State Universities, took unusual steps that may have drawn students away the sudden decline in Drexel freshmen caused significant angst. "When the bottom fell out, people were like, 'Is this really the right model?' " Scheffer recalled. "We all anticipated there would be some pain. We just didn't realize what the depth of the pain would be." With enrollment down, Drexel was faced with lowering its standards and admitting more students, or holding the line and keeping the strategy in place. Drexel took the smaller class. "Enrollment isn't about who you enroll, it's about who you keep," Deike said. The school froze wages that year for staff and faculty earning more than $75,000 (although top administrators got deferred compensation, a form of a bonus). More than 140 faculty and staff also agreed to an early retirement package. During the last school year, the school froze all staff and faculty wages, and did not award deferred compensation. Fry, who earned $1.9 million in 2015-16, according to the most recently available tax records, said he, too, took no wage increase. Overall, Drexel cut more than $100 million in the last five years, Fry said. Some cutbacks also were driven by Drexel's decision to cap annual tuition, fee and room and board increases to 2 percent through next year, addressing concerns that the school had grown too expensive. Tuition, fees and room and board for incoming students this fall will reach $67,358. >>READ MORE: Villanova University surpasses fund-raising goal by more than $150 million "At one point we were one of the [country's] top five most expensive," Fry said, referring to a review of institutions Drexel considers to be its competitors. "We're now out of the top 10 and heading further back into the pack, which is where we want to be. Our price is coming back in line with our value." He anticipates that annual increases won't top 2 percent for at least the next three years. Fry also said he intends to propose wage increases later this year. "I'm very proud how we weathered through this transition," he said. "I think it took a whole community working really hard together." Changes on and off-campus Drexel has also revamped its recruitment and orientation for new students. Before Deike arrived, the university made only 75 visits to high schools; this year, admissions officials visited more than 2,400, especially in growth areas such as the Southwest. The school re-formatted its week-long orientation and even changed the move-in process, hiring a company to assist with moving in the large volume of students; this year, the school expects 3,350 freshmen this fall. "It has done a world of good in community-building," Deike said. Drexel officials hope the gains continue to return to 25 percent of students who were accepting actually enrolling, to improve selectivity (it accepted 77 percent of applicants this year, not much different than before the overhaul), and graduate 80 percent of students within six years. They also hope to see improvement in the quality of incoming freshmen, which has gotten better in terms of average GPA, but not in standardized test scores. "There have been some bumps," Deike said, "but I think we have done exactly the right things." Sharon L. Hirsh, president of Rosemont College, said the school no longer will require students to submit SATs or ACTs if they have a 3.0 high school GPA or higher an agree to an interview. Read more Niki Mendrinos' high school guidance counselor told her she'd never get into the college of her choice, Pace University in New York. The reason? Her SAT scores weren't high enough. Mendrinos, a solid student and cheerleader who participated in theater and served as student government president, wasn't discouraged. She got into Pace, and every semester she'd write to that counselor with an update on her progress when she made the dean's list, when she became senior class president, when she was selected as commencement speaker. What's more, while working on her doctoral research at Temple University, she looked at how accurately SAT scores predict a student's college success and found that they didn't. Her research showed that freshmen with lower scores but a solid high school record outperformed freshmen overall, she said. With Mendrinos' research in hand, Temple continued to study the issue and in 2014 scrapped the requirement that students submit SAT and ACT scores. Now, Mendrinos is leading admissions at Rosemont College, a small, Catholic liberal arts school on the Main Line, which has announced that it will take the same step beginning next year. And the two area colleges are part of a virtual explosion in schools making the test optional over the last five years, said Bob Schaeffer, public education director for FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. "What I'm hoping for is that the students understand that we understand that they are more than just a test score," Mendrinos said. "We really value a more personalized approach." Since the first college made the test optional in 1969, the movement has grown steadily, and since 2013, 130 more schools removed the requirement that students submit SAT or ACT scores, bringing the total to more than 1,000, Schaeffer said. Stockton University in South Jersey said in August that it would phase out its requirement over the next two years. Rider University, also in New Jersey, made the same announcement last spring. In the region, many other schools including Bryn Mawr, Cabrini, Dickinson, Eastern, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Immaculata, La Salle, Muhlenberg, St. Joseph's, Rowan, Susquehanna, Ursinus, and the University of Delaware already have gone that route to varying levels. Some require students to have a minimum high school GPA to avoid submitting test scores; others require scores for certain academic programs or ask students to submit an essay. Driving the growth, Schaeffer said, is the satisfaction of schools that have made the change and intense competition among colleges vying for more applicants. Colleges, he said, also have sought to attract more applicants from lower-income families who may be the first in their families to go to college. Critics for years have said the SAT is a better measure of family affluence than of college readiness. This year, the University of Chicago, which admits less than 10 percent of applicants. became the first top-10 research university to go make the test optional. Meanwhile, faculty leaders at the University of California, one of the nation's largest systems, announced last month they would launch a study on whether SATs and ACTs accurately predict college success. To be sure, the SAT and the dread for some that comes with taking the test remains a key requirement for many of the nation's most competitive schools, a uniform measure that helps schools distinguish the best applicants rather than relying on GPAs that can vary by high school. And even at schools that have made the test optional, many students still submit scores. At Masterman, a top Philadelphia magnet school, students said they wished that more schools would make the test optional. "I don't think the SAT measures intelligence at all," said senior Maria Bellacosa, 17. "And I think it can be very detrimental to a student's mental health." Senior Cameron Scott, 17, said students should have the option. He wants to submit his SATs a 1470 out of 1600 on reading and math rather than write an essay. "But not all students are test takers," he said. "I know there are many smart people whose SAT scores don't exactly reflect their possible contributions to the school." Still, some students questioned whether not submitting scores would hurt them, especially at a school such as the University of Chicago. "I feel like it's still kind of new," said senior Ida Ghohestani, 17. Bellacosa isn't sure she will send her scores to the University of Chicago. She will send them to Temple, noting that they are higher than Temple's average. At Temple, 18 percent of current freshmen were admitted without submitting test scores and instead were evaluated on their high school academic record, extracurricular activities, and essays and other measures, said Shawn L. Abbott, Temple's admissions vice provost. At Rosemont, which accepts applications year round, 22 percent of students who applied since the school announced the change last month have not submitted scores, Mendrinos said. Rosemont said students could forgo submitting scores if they have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher and agree to an interview. "We think we can analyze and get to know students better than a test does," said Rosemont president Sharon L. Hirsh. Rosemont, Hirsh said, made the decision after several national reports showed non-submitters performed as well or slightly better in college than those who submitted scores. It's also a move to stay competitive. Rosemont saw a drop in freshmen this year, which Hirsh said was a result of increasing admission standards to improve retention at the school. Overall undergraduate enrollment is 452, down from 502. For Mendrinos, Rosemont's move represents a way to reach students who might not have thought they could apply. She never let her standardized test scores stop her, even when she was nearly kept out of Temple's doctoral program. Richard M. Englert, now president of Temple and provost at the time, made the decision to let her in, she said. "His response was: 'Absolutely. I had Niki in my classes. I know what she's capable of,'" she recalled. "It's not all about the test score." Trash dumped in the town of Centralia, Columbia County. Coal mines beneath the town caught fire in 1962 and still burn today. Read more CENTRALIA, Pa. The morning crew pulled into this burning ghost town just before 9 on Saturday and grabbed gear that the miners of old never took down with them. There were rakes instead of pickaxes, industrial-size trash bags, safety-orange vests, and gloves in case any of the volunteers were brave enough to pick up the dirty diapers piled up by the hundreds just off Paxton Street. A taco truck was coming around noon to feed all the workers, but the dumpster got filled with trash long before then. "Ignore the graffiti if you can, especially for the kids," said Robert Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR). "Parents, you might have to do some explaining to the kids about the graffiti. You know, the birds and the bees maybe." It's been 55 years since an anthracite seam beneath Centralia, Columbia County, caught fire and kept burning. In the decades that followed, the state, along with federal agencies, spent millions trying to put it out, and when that failed, they focused their money on buying out residents through eminent domain. The population dropped from more than 1,000 in 1980 to fewer than 100 a decade later. Seven homeowners who fought the condemnation in federal court were allowed to stay. They are forbidden from selling or passing their property down to relatives. Someday, no one will live in Centralia. The zip code is already gone. Many people still visit Centralia, though, slowly driving past the sidewalks overgrown with brush and the chain-link fences that now enclose trees instead of houses. On this warm and sunny Saturday, there's no evidence of the fire, no black smoke to be seen or smelled in the hills by the cemeteries. Bees and box elder bugs were everywhere, along with dozens of "No Trespassing" and "No Dumping" signs. Motorists on their way to Mount Carmel or Bloomsburg slowed down by the old municipal building, probably shocked to see so many people milling around. Sightseers and photographers can't resist Centralia's "Grafitti Highway," the former Route 61 that went through town and has been closed to traffic for 20 years. Owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the highway is potentially dangerous because of the fire beneath it. "There's large voids under the ground and they can give way with no warning," said State Police Cpl. Corey Wetzel of the Bloomsburg barracks. Still, the graffiti-covered road surface bears witness to furtive visitors, who are regularly cited by the state police for trespassing. Centralia's streets also make it easy to drive in, dump trash and bigger items, and take off. Hughes said he first noticed the dumping about 20 years ago, and it has only gotten worse as more houses have been built in the surrounding areas. Contractors often discard building materials; people who don't want to pay fees to trash tires, refrigerators and televisions come into Centralia at night and toss them from trucks. There are spray-paint cans because many of the walls and sidewalks are covered in neon names and curses, or teenage devotions of love inside crudely painted hearts. That's why 50 people, including children, joined EPCAMR, a nonprofit that helps reclaim old mining land, to fan out into the hills and brush on Saturday, their pockets stuffed with trash bags. "Last year we found some kittens, about five, so don't be surprised," Hughes told them. "There's three cat carriers just in case." Most of the volunteers were former residents and relatives, many of them members of a Facebook page about Centralia. Some belonged to a Jeep off-road club. Students from an environmental science class at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre got dropped off, too. One couple who race drag cars on weekends drove two hours from Parsippany, N.J., to help clean. "I used to drive around and take a lot of pictures. It used to look a lot nicer, if you can believe that," said Jim Young, 47. "I just did a lot of research and watched a lot of videos, and I just totally got into the story of the town and what these people went through." During the boom times of the anthracite coal industry in the early part of the 20th century, Centralia had nearly 2,500 residents. Anthracite coal kept 330,000 miners busy during the height of the state's coal empire in 1918; today, about 1,000 make their living from it. Pennsylvania's bituminous coal industry, west of the Susquehanna River, is larger. There are still active anthracite mines near Centralia, where only a few houses remain, neat and plain with manicured lawns and Halloween decorations. Those residents have repeatedly declined to talk to reporters in recent years and did not respond to requests for comment. Hughes said they've long grown tired of talking about it. One man walked a dog on an empty street toward one of the homes, nodding at the volunteers as he passed. Bags filled quickly with the easy trash, the typical blend of fast-food wrappers and plastic bottles, but used tires, some new and others with trees growing through them, were also scattered about by the dozens. In a clearing off a rocky trail, by the mounds of diapers, a few old televisions had been blasted to pieces with shotguns. "I used to help organize the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy clean-ups, and every year it's 100 tires, three full dumpsters," said Bob Kahley, a recent retiree of Aqua Pennsylvania making his first Centralia cleanup. "Sometimes you're just keeping up with it." The graffiti highway was off-limits even for the cleanup, and Hughes hopes cameras can eventually be installed in town to catch both trespassers and dumpers. The fire under Centralia is moving slowly toward Mount Carmel, a borough of 5,893 about four miles away in Northumberland County. No one has an exact timeline on when it might go out. Hughes said it could be decades, but that's a guess. "It can't burn down any lower than the water level," he said. "Eventually, though, it will burn itself out." The Centralia mine fire hasn't stopped nature from thriving and reclaiming the concrete and asphalt grid that mapped the town. There are no dead, gnarled trees, just vegetation everywhere and after Saturday afternoon, slightly less trash. When the final residents die and their houses are demolished, trees will take their place, too. "That's what's been going on here for about 40 years," Hughes said. "It's the succession of the forest." A Little Egg Harbor couple was sentenced Friday in Ocean County on charges related to their theft of more than $1.4 million from more than 20 victims who hired their home improvement companies to fix their homes after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the Mid-Atlantic in 2012. The state Attorney General's Office said the victims paid Jeffrey Colmyer, 43, and his wife, Tiffany Cimino, 35, and the couple's home improvement contracting companies to repair or rebuild their homes, primarily using Sandy relief funds. The money, however, was used to pay for the couple's gambling habits and on luxury items. Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced Colmyer to seven years in state prison; his wife got five years' probation. Colmyer and Cimino pleaded guilty on May 29 to charges of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received. Colmyer also pleaded guilty to second-degree money laundering on behalf the couple's companies, Rayne Construction Management Services and Colmyer & Sons. State officials said the couple diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars their victims had paid in advance to pay for luxury expenses, including a $17,000 diamond ring, and gambling trips to seven Atlantic City casinos. Meanwhile, they abandoned jobs, or in many cases failed to even start them, leaving many victims with uninhabitable homes. Most of the funds that were stolen came from the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program, a Sandy relief program administered by the state and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. After the Attorney General's Office sued the couple and their companies, a consent order was issued ordering the defendants to pay $695,402 in restitution to victims and $655,243 to the state as restitution for stolen Sandy relief funds. Racist literature supporting the KKK was left on residents' lawns in the Old Orchard section of Cherry Hill overnight. Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn declared, "This type of hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in our town." Read more Racist literature left on at least 30 front lawns in Cherry Hill overnight has elicited an angry response from the mayor and the area head of the NAACP, along with a call from police for the public's help in finding who is behind the hate-filled leafleting. With rain in the forecast through Saturday morning, the printed messages were inside plastic bags and left at homes in the township's Old Orchard section, police said. They referenced the Loyal White Knights, a North Carolina group that considers itself an active chapter in the Ku Klux Klan. "This type of hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated in our town," Mayor Chuck Cahn said in a statement issued by email Saturday afternoon. "We will investigate this matter until we identify the individuals responsible and will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law." The flyers included a cartoon decrying efforts by "justice-minded white Americans" that gave African Americans the right to vote. It used the N-word a few times. The other, titled "Liberals Have No Tolerance For The Truth" and "Shocking Crime Facts That Could Save Your Life," was a litany of accusations linking black people to criminal conduct. Lloyd Henderson, president of the Camden County East NAACP, heard of the leafleting Saturday while attending the annual NAACP convention in Princeton. In a phone interview from the conference, which continues through Sunday, he called the material "hateful and poison" and blamed the Trump presidency. "It has to point to the administration that's in Washington and the climate that has been permitted to be out there," Henderson said. "Now it's a badge of honor to be a racist." At least one of the leaflets was similar to those distributed to homes in Hatboro, Montgomery County, in May. >> READ MORE: KKK literature with candy hearts thrown onto Hatboro lawns Anyone with information is urged to call the Cherry Hill Police Department at 856-488-7828. Tips may also be submitted anonymously at tips@cherryhillpolice.com or http://cherryhill-nj.com/forms.aspx?FID=84. Tiberio J. Panaccio, 91, the last civilian commander of the Frankford Arsenal when it finally closed in 1982, died Tuesday, Oct. 2, of kidney failure at Briarleaf hospice in Doylestown. Mr. Panaccio, a longtime Philadelphia resident, had been living with his daughter, Linda Anne Kalski, in Furlong, Bucks County, she said. The Frankford Arsenal was officially closed in 1977 but did not fully shut down until 1982. And that's when Mr. Panaccio retired after a nearly four-decade civilian career at the historic munitions facility, which at its height had 22,000 workers and produced 1 billion bullets during World War II "every small-caliber round fired by American troops in the European and Pacific theaters," the Washington Post reported in 1977. Mr. Panaccio was "the man who locked all the doors" when the Frankford Arsenal shut down, according to a 1986 Inquirer article. Mr. Panaccio was born in Philadelphia to Italian immigrants Domenic and Filomena Panaccio. He was the last of 15 children, and one of only six who survived past early childhood, his daughter said. In 1944, at age 16, he graduated from Northeast High School and went to work at the arsenal. Before World War II ended the next year, he joined the Navy and served for 18 months until 1946. He then returned to the arsenal, where he held many supervisory positions until he was appointed to the civilian commander role. He met his future wife, Janice Flanagan, when she took a job as his secretary when she was 19 and he was 25. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Mr. Panaccio was involved in coordinating possible evacuations of civilians in Philadelphia in case of nuclear war, his daughter said. She recalled that he would bring home military survival rations for her to taste. Mr. Panaccio had a sharp mind and excelled at crossword puzzles, and once won a $25,000 prize in a puzzle competition during the 1980s, his daughter said. He was predeceased by his wife in 2012. In addition to his daughter, Mr. Panaccio is survived by a son, Tim, and a niece, Lisa, whom he regarded as a daughter. The viewing and funeral will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Beck-Givnish Funeral Home, 7400 New Falls Rd., Levittown. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery at 5201 Hulmeville Rd. in Bensalem. Contributions in his memory can be made to Cat Tales Inc., P.O. Box 165, Warminster, Pa. 18976. For some time, anger has been the defining mood of the nation expressed in Trump rallies, in street marches and protests, in online trashing and bullying, and more tragically, in mass shootings. For the past few years especially, more and more women have been expressing their anger over physical and sexual assault, erosion of rights, pay inequities and more. Then, in late September, Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her 35 years ago. Kavanaugh responded with blistering and blusteringscreed that did nothing to stop his ultimate confirmation, but did serve to polarize people even more. Here are some of the voices of women in Philadelphia and beyond, talking about what they're mad about, and what they're doing about it. Paige Wolf Author, publicist, and advocate; creator of www.phillytweens.com, On October 6, as Vice-President Mike Pence presided over the vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, he repeatedly called for order amongst what can only be described as a cacophony of primal screams. It brought me to tears. They were the screams of women who have spent centuries not being believed. I was 12 when I believed Anita Hill. But it took decades for me to finally believe myself. I didn't believe myself when I was sexually assaulted. I didn't believe myself when I was sexually assaulted again. I questioned myself when my doctor didn't believe me that I was sick. Then there were the doctors who didn't believe me when I was really sick, dismissing me as hysterical when I was, in fact, in septic shock. But now, at almost 40, I believe every single word I say. My rage is very real and rooted in the fact that I know what is true and what is right. I've turned my anger into conversation. I will talk about voting and the election with any human who breathes near me. I interrogate my Uber drivers and delivery people, befriend women in parking lots, commiserate with cashiers. It is impossible for me to shut up and I'm fine with that, because, sometimes, it has actually made a tangible difference. Sometimes they believe me. They believe their votes will make a difference. Marisa Porges Head of school at The Baldwin School, an all-girls independent school in Bryn Mawr Over the past year, we've seen women speak out more and more. Yet, as an educator of girls, I'm still concerned. Because, by and large, women are still not being heard and young girls aren't being taught how to use their voices. Research shows that, at work, men speak more than women, interrupt more often, and are more likely to self-advocate and that there's gender bias at play in school that reinforces many of these behaviors early on. What's on my mind is how address this reality to better prepare girls not just to protect themselves from discrimination or sexual harassment but to self-advocate, too. It's not enough to help young women be confident, resilient, and brave. We also need show them how to boldly speak up and, in the process, help transform entrenched systems of gender bias. Above all else, it's about reminding every young girl that her voice matters. In this moment. I think about why it's so important for schools, families, and communities to tell our girls that we value them speaking their minds and then teach them how use their voice, loudly and effectively. Heather Mac Donald Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the of The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture I disagree with the selection criterion of this feature, and reject even more strongly the hysterical feminist tribalism that has gained epic proportions in the wake of the Brett Kavanaugh nomination. (See, e.g., "Our rage burns so brightly. I look out, and I see a nation of women incandescent with rage. We will burn patriarchal institutions to the ground.") Females are not an oppressed class in the U.S. today. Every mainstream institution is twisting itself into knots trying to hire and promote as many women as possible. From the moment a girl gains consciousness, she is surrounded with "You go, girl!" messages of empowerment. Foundations, governments, and private companies spend millions encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers; boys are left to fend for themselves. Destroying due process and the presumption of innocence, as the #BelieveSurvivors credo demands, is no solution to harassment, however. #BelieveSurvivors' peremptory assignment of guilt and innocence on the basis of gender displays a stunning ignorance about how despotically governments have acted throughout human history when unconstrained by the rule of law. Soraya Chemaly Author, Rage Becomes Her There's a rising tide of women's being fed up with double standards. We're being told today that #MeToo is a dangerous movement, because it empowers women to destroy the lives of "innocent men," and that we have to defend the presumption of innocence. That presumption of innocence is extended to men in a way that it's not extended to women who come forward with their stories of harassment and assault. Women on the left and right are angry, but women's anger on the right tends towards looking at the past, into a history that excluded most people from political and social benefits. It is the anger embedded in the refrain that America should be great "again," an anger of resentment, looking back at what is perceived to be lost. The anger of women's on the left is of a different sort, it is a call for accountability and the extension of full citizenship and rights to women. It is fueled by an incredibly hopeful anger, based as it is on the idea that if we speak and say clearly and loudly what's important to us, we will be believed and that what we say will be considered important by our society. That is a risky proposition for women, because we live in a culture in which our credibility, rationality and authority even authority as experts of our own lives are constantly challenged. Jazmyn Curry University academic advisor I am angry, but it's more of a mix of anger and disappointment. Since November 2016, I feel like America has been in this weird dream without a moral compass. We're in "The Upside Down" (a reference to the show Stranger Things). Where is the morality? Where is the humanity? We can see that with the whole confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. That shows me that America doesn't believe or protect women. As a black woman, my voice is drowned out. It's like we are screaming but our voices are mute. Even if we speak, we are silenced and ridiculed. I feel that women can band together. White women can use their white privilege to help all women. Consider their womanhood, before their whiteness. Stop letting predatory behavior slide. Stop making excuses for people that violate women and children. Stop with the "boys will be boys" and "that's the way it's always been" rhetoric. Doreen McGettigan Author I'm angry but my anger hasn't been influenced in the same way mobs of women are being influenced and systematically used by politicians to over react emotionally. My anger is more rational. I'm of an age where being groped and harassed was considered boys being boys. I hate that term. I don't know one woman my age that doesn't have a #MeToo story. I'm relieved it's being talked about, finally. What infuriates me is when inequality, groping and harassment are confused with sexual assault. I was raped. Rape is life-altering trauma. Groping and harassment, while wrong, is not rape. We also need to punish to the full extent of the law those who come forward with false reports and character assassinations. Every time it happens it sets back the credibility of real victims. That infuriates me. I have three daughters and six granddaughters. I'm not worried about them. They have the right and the opportunity to be whatever they want to be. I'm rationally terrified for my seven grandsons. If they grow up to be successful men, anyone from their past can lie and accuse them of a crime with no proof and ruin their lives. Kimya Johnson, Esq. Senior counsel, Ogletree Deakins I feel more frustration than raw anger. When we really look at the gains we thought women had made, whether in the workplace or politically in terms of having our representation and issues of equality come to the forefront, it is really frustrating to be confronted with issues that show that is not really the case and it is causing me to really re-think. I thought we had come so far as a country in so many ways and frustrating that it appears not to be the case. As an employment lawyer I have handled sexual harassment and pay-equity cases so for me my focus is on "How can we address the workplace and provide equal access for women as well as others to really be able to not only have a voice but to have a voice related to pay, resources and opportunities for ascension and success in a company. Kathleen Padilla Director of Business Diversity for a large transit agency Am I angry? With the white hot fury of a thousand suns. The ongoing assault on women's autonomy over their own bodies. The ongoing assault on transgender people's autonomy over their own bodies. The normalization of sexual assault by men in the highest public offices and that credible allegations against a now Supreme Court Justice didn't even warrant an adequate, impartial investigation. That the President encourages violence against protestors and members of the press and that he has no voice when one is murdered by a country he allies with. That we put children in concentration camps separated from their parents and place pre-verbal children before judges to testify. That people of color have been murdered by those sworn to protect them. That so many formerly incarcerated people lose the right to vote forever. That so many women of color with transgender histories are murdered in hate crimes. I'm working to provide economic opportunities for women and people of color. Standing against transgender othering and disempowerment. And most importantly now; supporting progressive women candidates for office. Marsha Cohen, Esq. Executive director, Homeless Advocacy Project I'm infuriated that the President of the United States speaks like a mean middle-schooler. I'm heartbroken over our relations with the rest of the world and at a loss to explain who we've become to my non U.S. friends. I'm enraged that a group of white men could determine who my boys may love and marry and that my future granddaughters might not have access to safe, healthy abortion if they ever face that heartbreaking choice. I'm insistent that my teenage boys "listen" to those who disagree with them and that they find a way to use their words, respectfully, to challenge those with different opinions. I'm fierce that my boys and all men learn that "no means no" and that victims of assault be heard and acknowledged. I'm hopeful for a different tomorrow. I'm going to fight like hell to get us there. Monique Howard Executive Director, W.O.A.R. I'm disheartened that the same senators who believed Brett Kavanaugh over Christine Blasey Ford actually sat in the same room, 27 years ago, and believed Clarence Thomas over Anita Hill. And I am truly angry at the voters who keep electing these people into office and at the systems that allow it to happen. It tells me that the work that gender-based and gender-violence organizations like ours is doing is having an impact only in certain pockets of America. We are not yet impacting that bigger place, where power and authority still perpetuate rape culture by asking, "Why didn't she come forward?" Brett Kavanaugh's behavior during the hearing was so outrageous that it was clear he was told beforehand that the job was his, no matter what. Why else would someone act the way he did on a job interview? If anyone else had acted that way, he'd have been escorted out by security. Instead, he was given a job for life. But what do we expect in a country that elected a president who has been accused by 22 women of sexual misconduct? So I'm angry and disheartened. But, sadly, I am not surprised. Katherine Gilkenson Housecleaner, westphillyscrub.com As a professional housecleaner watching Dr. Ford's testimony, I was left deeply angered, realizing that if the assault of a financially privileged, white doctor isn't believed, what message is sent to domestic workers like myself, who have few legal protections under federal law while working cleaning homes? Philadelphia domestic workers housecleaners, nannies, and private caregivers are highly marginalized. Most of us are women and femmes, people of color, immigrants, and low wage workers invisibilized as we care for homes and loved ones. Domestic workers are stuck in a gig economy that provides few financial and legal support systems. I have heard too many accounts of fellow workers experiencing sexual harassment, assault, and even rape while working in homes. The 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting sexual harassment does not include protections for people who work in workplaces of fewer than 15 virtually all domestic workers. This maintains power dynamics introduced during slavery, when white men owned their domestic workers and could do as they please. There is real action that can be taken to include domestic workers in the Civil Rights Act sexual harassment protections. I have teamed up with the Pennsylvania Domestic Workers Alliance to close this unsafe and discriminatory loophole. Deja Lynn Alvarez Trans activist and advocate I am beyond angry. I feel like safety measures that we thought we had in place in the government, which has already not been very good to women and to people of color, have been completely lost. People can do whatever they want to us. I was a guest speaker at a women's health event and we were about to talk about reproductive health and an older lady in the audience said, "I don't want to hear about trans stuff and addiction and sex-worker-rights that. I'm here because my son has disabilities and I need help! You're steering away from the causes I care about!" People think because other people's concerns are different from ours and they need help that it will mean something is going to be taken away from us. We have to understand that all our concerns matter, and we have to fight for all of them together, because we all have human rights. Farah Jimenez President and CEO, the Philadelphia Education Fund My news filter is overrun by stories featuring angry women. Red faces, mouths agape, rage prickling through their veins. I feel guilty looking at these images. They scream, "Rise up woman, get angry." But, I'm not angry. To some that may seem like heresy. After all, I'm a woman, a child of immigrant parents, Latina, and of color. I've been told I should grab a nasty t-shirt, knit hat and take to the streets at the next gender-allegiance protest march. But, I've never been one to be moved by anger. Even growing up, when I shared a room with my sister, I was the one who would annoyingly stick a toe across the imaginary line she would draw down the middle. I saw no reason to give energy to what divided us, when there was so much more to unite us. Our anger has turned us into a nation of line drawers divorcing our families and unfriending childhood pals. Yet, there are no winners to come from these new battle lines we've drawn. In the current climate, allowing others to translate our righteous indignation into an anger-fueled political contribution does little to solve our nation's most pressing problems. Those solutions will come only from dialogue, debate and compromise a trifecta out of reach when we can't even be in the same room together. As Democrat Senator Chris Coons demonstrated at the Pompeo hearings to the tearful gratitude of Republican Senator Bob Corker it is possible to stick a toe across that imaginary line that divides us. It is possible to work together, even in disagreement. It is possible to erase lines and build bridges. No. Not anger for me. I embrace hope. 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... New Delhi: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is a 'Desi Girl' indeed! The actress has been living abroad for quite some time and is also all set to tie the knot with international singing sensation Nick Jonas. However, a video that has been doing rounds on internet shows that Pee Cee is and will always remain a desi girl by heart. The actress is currently in London, shooting for Shonali Bose's 'The Sky is Pink'. In the viral video, Priyanka can be seen cracking open a coconut to commence the shoot of the film. The practice of cracking open a coconut before starting something is considered to be auspicious in the Indian culture. Check out the video, as posted by a fan club on Instagram: In the movie, Priyanka plays the role of Aditi Chaudhary who is the mother of motivational speaker and author Aisha Chaudhary, reports DNA. Zaira Wasim plays Priyanka's daughter in the film and it will be interesting to see the two actresses share screen space for the first time. The film also stars Farhan Akhtar. Priyanka and Farhan were last seen together in 'Dil Dhadakne Do'. The film has been written by Shonali Bose and the dialogues have been penned by writer Juhi Chaturvedi. Bose has earlier directed offbeat films like 'Margarita with a Straw' and 'Amu'. At least nine students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has been issued a show cause notice by the Proctor of the University in connection with the prayer meeting held for slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Manan Wani on Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus. In a letter issued to the students along with the dean and several other officials of the university on October 11, the proctor asked the students to submit their explanation within 48 hours, from the date of receipt of the notice. It warned that if the students failed to reply within the stipulated time action will be taken against them. The Proctor added that if the students failed to reply ex-parte action will follow against them, as per the rules of the university, presuming that they have nothing to say in their defence. The letter said the nine students, along with other unidentified students, were responsible for leading and assembling around 150-200 persons at the university's Kennedy Hall Auditorium lawn on October 11 at about 3 pm without prior permission from the Proctor's office. It further said that they then resorted to sloganeering and other objectionable activities which disturbed the peaceful conduct of University academic activities. The letter further added that the students didn't comply with the Proctor's order for refraining from such activities and resorted to raising abusive and derogatory slogans against university authorities and misbehaved with the subordinate staff of the proctorial team. The incident has led to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty amongst university students and has tarnished the image of the university, added the letter. It has been prima facie established that the students have committed acts of indiscipline and misconduct as provided under part II, of AMU Students' Conduct and Discipline Rules, 1985, said the letter. Earlier on Friday, an FIR was registered against two individuals from Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the prayer meeting held for Wani. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aligarh had said that the police were examining videos in which some people could be seen raising anti-national slogans demanding Azadi. A probe is on to identify and find other people who were involved in the incident. "FIR registered against 2 individuals from J&K. We're also examining videos in which some ppl can be seen raising anti-national slogans demanding Azadi. Probe on to identify and find other ppl involved," SSP Aligarh said. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, earlier in the day, asked AMU for a report on the mourning incident on university campus over the death of Wani, who was shot dead on Thursday during the Handwara encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. 27-year-old Wani was a former student of AMU who quit PhD studies in Allied Geology and joined the militant ranks in January this year. He was killed at Shatgund village in Handwara area of Kupwara district during the encounter. Following his death, AMU Registrar had said that he was once a student at the varsity, however, he was later rusticated. The AMU has nothing to do with Wani now, he added. The university registrar further said that a few students tried to hold a gathering over his death after which three of them were suspended. Banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen suffered a setback when its top commander Wani was killed along with his associate in a gunbattle with security forces in north Kashmir. The encounter broke out in the early hours in Shatgund following specific intelligence about the presence of Wani along with two others in the village. Outstanding in studies, Wani, who got his basic education in Jawahar Navodya Vidyalay and Sainik School Manasbal, was considered to be the chief recruiter for militants in north Kashmir area following the elimination of some of the top ultras in the region over the past two years. After the due legal process, Wani's body was handed over to his family for last rites in which over 10,000 people participated at his native village at Tekipora in Lolab area of Kupwara district. At least four people were injured after a low-intensity explosion took place Guwahati, Assam, on Saturday, police said. The explosion took place at a construction material dump in the Pan Bazar area when the four passersby, including a woman, were injured around 11.45 am, police said. "We don't suspect it to be a bomb explosion as there were no splinters found and the injuries were due to stones hitting them," said DCP Ranjan Bhuyan who is at the site. "We don't suspect it to be a sabotage or terrorist activity from the nature of the blast. It happened in a dump of sand kept for roadside drain construction. It may have had an unexploded shell which went off today," the DCP said. An expert bomb squad would be arriving soon, he added. According to Joint CP Diganta Borah, "Around 11.45 am, an explosion occurred at the riverfront. Preliminary investigation rules out any sabotage activity. Bomb disposal squad is present at the spot, further investigation is underway." The four injured suffered minor wounds and they were being provided medical care at the MMC Civil Hospital nearby, the police official said. The cause of the explosion has not been ascertained yet. An investigation is underway. The Assam Police is already present at the spot where the explosion occurred. New Delhi: Delhi Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik allegedly received an e-mail that threatened that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be assassinated. According to the one-line email sent to Patnaik's official mail, the Prime Minister will be killed in November 2019. An investigation to look into the alleged assassination threat and identify the sender has been initiated. Media reports suggest that the mail was sent from a northeastern state. Following the incident, the security agencies have been put on high alert as PM Modi is likely to address several public rallies ahead of Assembly polls in five states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana. In June this year, the Pune Police had claimed that they seized PM Modi's "Rajiv Gandhi-like" assassination bid letter from the residence of one of the five activists arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence. Police had arrested five left-wing activists, after raiding their homes in several states for suspected Maoist links over the Elgar Parishad meeting which was held a day before the violence. Pune Police intercepts internal communication of Maoists planning a 'Rajiv Gandhi type' assassination of Prime Minister Modi. pic.twitter.com/o2rt2al4aj ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2018 "Com. Kisan and few other senior comrades have proposed concrete steps to end Modi-raj. We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi type incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a good chance that we might fail, but we feel that the party PB/CC must deliberate over our proposal. Targeting his road-shows could be an effective strategy," the letter read. Taking a dig at the alleged threat to PM Modi's life, the Congress said that the Prime Minister plants such stories whenever his popularity decreases. "It is PM Modis habit that whenever his fan following loosens, he spreads the rumours that hes going to be assassinated," Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said. "I am not saying this is completely untrue but it has been PM Modi's old tactic since he was chief minister. Whenever his popularity declines, news of an assassination plot is planted. So it should be probed how much truth is in it this time," Nirupam added. Here's the full text of the letter: Dear comrade Prakash Red Salutes! We received your last letter (20/3). Regarding the current situation here Arun, Vernon and others are equally concerned about the two-line struggle that is slowly taking shape on the urban front. Followed by the very unfortunate demise of Bijoy da. He was a strong leader with great vision and selfless devotion to the party and the Red revolution! His leadership was greatly needed in today's critical times. Things were far better before Prashant's egoist agenda took over the larger interest of the Party and the pol. prisoners. Com. Saibaba had raised this issue with you back in 2013 when Prashant revolted against Saibaba. We think that in one way the Gadchiroli court's judgment has helped by restraining Prashant in doing further harm to the Party. With that said, we are working tirelessly to put up a strong defense for Saibaba. Every possible legal help in favor of the jailed comrades is being sought. HB has been given all the responsibility to coordinate programs and protests to raise public opinion in our favor. On 20th April we will organise another program under the banner- Committee for the Defense and Release of G N Saibaba. We would leave no stone unturned in providing relief to all pol. prisoners. Com. Ashok B, Amit B, Seema, and Sudhir have strongly pitched for more frequent meetings of CRPP EC. It will facilitate smoother coordination of numerous pending cases in Delhi, MH, 1H, Odisha, CHH. On the other side com. Siraj has shown willingness to contribute for the party in all possible ways. He has been studying the party literature, resolutions and the party constitution for past several years. Despite challenging situations he is ready for second APT cross-over. This time I would like to send another comrade with Siraj. His CV is in the memory chip with this letter. Sometime in last year Vishnu had met com. Basanta to facilitate the deal. At that time com. Kisan was unable to meet directly. I hope by now you have received details of the meeting and requirement of 8Cr for annual supply of M4's with 400000 rounds. Please convey your decision. Defeating Hindu fascism has been our core agenda and a major concern for the party. Several leaders from secret cells as well as open organisations have raised this issue very strongly. We are working to consolidate ties with like-minded organisations, pol. parties, representatives of minorities across the country. Modi led Hindu fascist regime is bulldozing its way into the lives of indigenous adivasis. In spite of big defeats like Bihar and West Bengal, Modi has successfully established BJP govt in more than 15 states. If this pace continues then it would mean immense trouble for the party on all fronts. Greater suppression of dissent and more brutal form of Mission 2016 (OGH). Com. Kisan and few other senior comrades have proposed concrete steps to end Modi-raj. We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi type incident. It sounds suicidal and there is a good chance that we might fail but we feel that the party PB/CC must deliberate over our proposal. Targeting his road-shows could be an effective strategy. We collectively believe that survival of the party is supreme to all sacrifices. Rest in the next letter. With warm greetings IR/M/17 Srinagar: A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist was gunned down by the security forces on Saturday during an encounter in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. The security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Babgund area of the south Kashmir district during the night after inputs of the presence of terrorists in the area. Police said that the search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorist fired upon the forces who then retaliated. In the ensuing gunfight, the terrorist was killed in the morning, a police official said. He further added that the slain terrorist has been identified as Sabir Ahmad Dar who belonged to HM outfit. Some arms and ammunition were also recovered from the encounter site, the official said. (With inputs from PTI) Indian Navy joined a select list of international navies with the ability to search, locate and provide assistance to submarines out at sea. On Saturday, it inducted its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) at its base in Mumbai while another would be added to its base in Vishakapatnam by 2019. The DSRV can reportedly be deployed at short notice for providing assistance to submarines in distress. Complete with an associated kit in fly away configuration, it can be crucial in quickly locating submarines through the vast expanse of sea and can be mobilised by air and water for rapid rescue. DSRVs have played a significant role in saving lives as well as submarines during emergencies. Most of these are capable of rescuing 24 people at depths of up to 600m in one go. Countries which currently have DSRVs in their naval fleet - apart from India, are Singapore, United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, UK, Sweden and Australia. Each of these countries have their own version of DSRVs based on their specific needs and the requirements of their respective naval fleets. Hours after India was elected to the top human rights body of the United Nations (UN) on Friday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin expressed his happiness and praised India's win with the highest number of votes as a reflection of the country's standing in the international comity. Speaking shortly after India won a seat to the Human Rights Council, Akbaruddin assured that India will strive to continue its balance and moderate approach towards the promotion and protection of human rights globally. "India's victory today at UN General Assembly during elections to human rights council is a reflection of high standing that our country enjoys globally. We're grateful to the many many friends that we've across the globe who came out and voted in such large numbers to ensure that India got the highest number of votes among all the 18 candidates. We would like to assure them that India will continue its balance and moderate approach towards the promotion and protection of human rights globally," said the UN envoy in New York, US. An exuberant Akbaruddin tweeted, along with pictures, saying, "Happiness in the trenches. Team @IndiaUNNewYork is all smiles as India tops tally of votes garnered by all candidates elected to the @UN Human Rights Council today. Voting for a Happy Outcome. Thanks to the support of all our friends @@UN, India wins seat to Human Rights Council with highest votes among all candidates." India was elected to the United Nations' top human rights body for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates. The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections for new members to the UN Human Rights Council. The 18 new members were elected by absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council. India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India's election to the Council was all but certain. In the Asia Pacific category, India got 188 votes followed by Fiji with 187 votes, Bangladesh 178, Bahrain and Philippines 165 each. India got the highest number of votes among all 18 countries in the five regional categories. The new members will serve a term of three years beginning January 1, 2019. India had previously been elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 term. Its last tenure had ended on December 31, 2017 and in accordance with the rules, it was not eligible for immediate re-election since it had already served two consecutive terms. Created by the Assembly in March 2006 as the principal United Nations body dealing with human rights, the Human Rights Council comprises 47 elected Member States. On the basis of equitable geographical distribution, Council seats are allocated to the five regional groups as follows: African States, 13 seats; Asia Pacific States, 13 seats; Eastern European States, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean States, 8 seats; and Western European and other States, 7 seats. The new members elected Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Eritrea, Somalia and Togo in the African States category, Bulgaria and Czech Republic in the Eastern European States group, Argentina, Bahamas and Uruguay in the Latin American and Caribbean States group and Austria, Denmark and Italy in the Western European and other States category. Commenting on the elections, rights group Human Rights Watch said, "In ridiculous vote devoid of competition, UN General Assembly elected #Philippines, #Eritrea, #Bahrain & #Cameroon to be among new members of @UN#HumanRights Council in 2019-2021. Such votes make mockery of word 'election'." It said Human Rights Council member states should seek to neutralise any attempts by its ?worst members to shield themselves and other serial rights abusers & keep doing good work on #Yemen, #Myanmar, #Syria, #Burundi & other crises.? Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet assumed the role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September this year, succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who had in June this year released a first ever report on Kashmir that was rejected by India. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday met and interacted with the employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) outside its headquarters in Bengaluru in Karnataka. As the event started, the Gandhi scion said, "I am here to listen to you, about the issues you are facing". Referring to the cancellation of Rafale fighter jets contract, a senior employee said that HAL was "insulted" with the move, urging all to "fight for the company's right till the issue reaches its logical conclusion". Here are the highlights: # I apologise to HAL for what has been done to them by the government of India, says Rahul Gandhi. # If HAL does not have the capacity to build Rafale, what about the person who has been given the contract, says Rahul Gandhi. # We are not going to allow the destruction of temples of modern India, says Rahul Gandhi. # Several employees of HAL, who work in aircraft division, have been sitting jobless for the past one year and a half, says HAL employee union SC/ST wing president. # On your grave new foundations will be built. You can't cut a living organ to attach a new limb, says former IAF engineer. # HAL is the only organisation that worked for the Russian and western technology. HAL is one of the best in Asia, says former IAF engineer. # Former Indian Air Force engineer says IAF and HAL are two wings of same flight. "IAF, HAL, DRDO, ISRO, they are not for profit, they are like organs in a body". # Former general secretary and convenor of HAL union says "Defence Minister said that HAL does not have the capability, but I want to say that HAL is very capable". # The management has issued a statement to the employees, asking them not attend this event. They have created an environment of fear, senior HAL employee tells Rahul Gandhi. # HAL is not an ordinary company. I want to thank employees and ex-employees of HAL, says Rahul Gandhi. # If Barack Obama says that India and China can compete with the US, he says that HAL is one of the reasons for the same, says Rahul. # "HAL has just one employee union, which is not affiliated to any political group. We are not here in association with any political party. We have been insulted. We were thrown out of the agreement on Rafale deal. We were hurt actually. The government is killing us," says a senior HAL employee. # We were not just taken by surprise, we were insulted. It's like someone hitting on face with a slipper, says a senior HAL employee on Rafale contract being given to Reliance Defence. # It is an insult and injury. We will not tolerate this. We will fight out till our last breathe. This management I will condemn in my personal capacity, says a senior HAL employee on Rafale contract being given to Reliance Defence. Karachi: The Pakistan Film Producers Association (PFPA) has demanded a complete ban on the release of Indian films in the country. Chaudhry Ejaz Kamran, a senior official in the PFPA, said when Pakistani films are not screened in India, why should they screen Indian films here. "We have to think seriously about this because true our distributors and exhibitors make money from screening Indian films but in the long run it is hurting the growth of our industry," Kamran told PTI . The demand for a complete ban on release of Indian films comes at a time when in recent months a number of Indian films have been barred from screening in Pakistani cinema houses due to different reasons. The films banned from release in Pakistan include "Padman", "Veere Di Wedding", "Mulk" and "Raazi", among others. Kamran said the PFPA has sent a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking him to issue necessary directives for a final decision in this matter. He said the association believes that, for the sake of our local film industry, the government should impose the ban. "If this ban is not imposed, then the local cinema owners will continue to give preference to Indian films which in turn is hurting our industry." He said the recent Pakistani releases on Eid have done good business because cinema owners gave them proper slots for screenings. "We have struggled for the welfare of our local film industry and this is why we decided to contact Imran Khan. We are hopeful that he will listen to us and impose the ban," Kamran said. A petition for a ban against Indian films has also been submitted to Lahore High Court. Reacting to the PFPA's move, a well-known film distributor and exhibitor who has stakes in digital cineplexes in the country said if Indian films were completely banned it would be a step backward for the industry. "The truth is Indian films help cinema owners make good revenues and recover costs as well. The last time Indian films were banned the cinema owners suffered big losses and the industry also faltered," he said. "Such a ban will discourage investors and disturb the business," he warned. A senior member of the Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association said an appropriate solution would be about give priority to local films, if they were good enough, instead of banning Indian films. Pakistan on Saturday warned of "10 surgical strikes" against India in response to a single such attack, in the latest war of words between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Major General Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson of Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations, stated this while talking to the media in London, where he is accompanying Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on a visit. "If India dares to launch a surgical strike inside Pakistan, it will face 10 surgical strikes in response," Ghafoor was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. He also said, "Those who think of any misadventure against us should have no doubt in their minds on Pakistan's capabilities". The military spokesman said the Pakistan Army was the custodian of the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and that the mega project will strengthen the economy of the country. Ghafoor said the army wanted strengthening of democracy in Pakistan, and claimed that the general election in July was the most transparent in the history of the country. "If anyone has evidence of rigging then it should be brought forward," he remarked. He also rejected reports of restriction on the media and said there was "complete freedom of expression" in the country. He said there were more good developments in Pakistan than bad and that the international media should also highlight the good things. One more person has been arrested in the bank robbery case in Delhi's Dwarka after the police on Saturday arrested the first suspect. #UPDATE: One more person arrested in connection with robbery by armed assailants yesterday at Corporation Bank in Delhi's Khaira. pic.twitter.com/UIy5G0fHKb ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 Both the suspects have been arrested in connection with shooting a cashier in Delhi's Dwarka area. On Friday, four people looted cash from Corporation Bank, Khaira Ganv in Chhawla area in Dwarka and shot the cashier before fleeing from the incident. At least three people were reported injured in the incident. Police had registered a case on Friday and investigations are underway. The remaining three accused are still at large. (With Agency Inputs) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government from outside the headquarters of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru in Karnataka. After interacting with employees and ex-employees of HAL, the Gandhi scion said that the public sector unit firms staff members wanted an apology from Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her statement on Rafale deal. They (HAL employees) expect an apology from the Defence Minister for insulting HAL. We understand that she wont apologise. She comments on the lack of experience of HAL but she does not have anything to say on the lack of experience of Anil Ambani, the Congress president told mediapersons. Rahul Gandhi further alleged that the hard work and patriotism of the HAL employees have been insulted. They (HAL employees) said that they are the most experienced and best company in India to manufacture defence equipment. They are insulted and hurt that their hard work and patriotism has been insulted and questioned by the government of India, the Gandhi scion further said. Earlier, addressing the employees and former employees of HAL, the Congress president had said that he would not allow the temples of modern India to be destroyed. Some employees and ex-employees of HAL also spoke at the event organised outside the companys headquarters in Bengaluru. One of the senior employees said that he and other staff members felt insulted because of the government taking away the Rafale contract and giving it to Reliance Defence. The employees asserted that HAL had given the Indian Air Force several jets and aircraft and has all the qualification and capability required for Rafale fighter jets. Addressing the gathering, former general secretary and convenor of HAL union earlier said, "Defence Minister said that HAL does not have the capability, but I want to say that HAL is very capable". New Delhi: The #MeToo wave has hit Bollywood after it created a storm in the West. Several B-Town biggies have been accused of sexual harassment charges, leaving the fans in a state of shock and disgust. Writer-producer Vinta Nanda alleged in her Facebook post that Alok Nath not only harassed her but also raped her back in the 90s. After she shared the incident through a social media post, it went viral with various other female colleagues of the senior actor accusing him of sexual harassment. Read her full post here: Alok Nath and his wife filed a defamation case against Vinta over rape accusations. The couple filed a complaint in a local court seeking defamation proceedings to be initiated against writer-director Vinta Nanda for accusing him of rape. According to PTI, "In the complaint filed before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate, Nath and his wife sought a direction to the suburban Amboli police station to take cognisance of the letter sent by them in which they sought defamation proceedings against Nanda." The complaint filed by the couple says, "The complainants (Nath and Ashu) have on October 12 addressed a letter to the Amboli police seeking action under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 of the Indian Penal Code against Nanda." The police, however, said since the offences are non-cognisable in nature, it would be appropriate if an order is passed by the concerned court of law, it said. "We are, hence, seeking the court to pass necessary direction to the Amboli police station in-charge to take cognisance of their complaint and hold an inquiry," the complaint said. "The complainants have suffered grave and irreparable loss, harm and injury which could never be compensated in terms of money," the complaint read. "Without commenting on anything about her (Nanda), the fact remains that all such occasions, such as the #MeToo campaign, are being encashed by way of utilising the social media for the purpose of either gaining some name and fame or for the purpose of defaming the reputation of a person," the complaint said. It added that because of the 'baseless allegations', Ashu and Alok Nath were 'terrorised' to even step out of their house as people are looking at them with a 'different attitude'. The senior actor is known for his portrayal of 'sanskari' babuji or the elderly figure in movies and TV shows. These accusations have sent shock waves down the spine as Vinta's account is chilling. Several actresses who have worked with Alok Nath previously have vouched for his harassing behaviour towards women. Known television and film celebrities such as Himani Shivpuri, Deepika Amin, Sandhya Mridul among others have backed Vinta for speaking out the truth. Bollywood is currently hit by #MeToo wave as several big names such as Nana Patekar, Sajid Khan, Kailash Kher, Chetan Bhagat, Rajat Kapoor, Vikas Bahl have been accused of sexual harassment. It all started after actress Tanushree claimed in one of her recent interviews that Nana Patekar harassed her sexually in 2008 on the sets of her film 'Horn OK Pleassss' and also demanded to do an intimate dance step with her. She also named choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang and producer Sami Siddiqui as accomplices in the harassment she faced. After her shocking allegations, several Bollywood celebrities such as Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Farhan Akhtar, Sapna Pabbi, Kangana Ranaut have supported the actress. However, others have chosen either not to comment on it or back Nana Patekar. The senior actor has outrightly denied the allegations. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing #MeToo movement, Iranian model-turned-actor Mandana Karimi has also spoken out about the alleged harassment she faced by 'Kya Kool Hain Hum 3' director Umesh Ghadge. While speaking with ANI, the 30-year-old accused Ghadge of on-set harassment and said it was because of his behaviour that she decided to quit acting. "An experience led me to leave my profession which I loved. Harassment just doesn't mean to touch me; it also means to make my life hell. I was too miserable. I didn't talk to anybody about it," she said. "Umesh Ghadge started harassing me by changing the steps in the song, putting other people in the song saying this is last minute decision, calling me really early on set, asking me to wear clothes that I was not even supposed to wear among others. He created an image that I wasn't easy to work with," said Karimi. Further, she lauded Tanushree Dutta for being courageous and opening up about the harassment she faced at the hands of veteran actor Nana Patekar on the set of ''Horn Ok Pleasss' in 2008. "It's a very exciting time for India and I am happy that finally, a lot of people are talking about it. Hats off to Tanushree because she is the one who actually started the movement. It takes a lot of courage to talk about any sort of harassment," concluded Karimi. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday offered prayers at hometown Ranchi's Divri Temple. Dhoni went to offer prayers to at the temple to mark the fourth day of Navratri. Jharkhand: Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni offered prayers at Ranchi's Divri Temple on the fourth day of #Navratri. pic.twitter.com/J7Q609yGhC ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 Former Indian captain is currently resting as the Indian Cricket Team is playing their second Test match against West Indies in Hyderabad. Dhoni had earlier in 2014 retired from Test cricket format. He will next be seen playing the One Day International series (ODIs) against West Indies scheduled to start from October 21. The five-match ODI series will end on November 1. Mumbai: Sussanne Khan feels that the #MeToo movement in India is being ineptly used by women. The 39-year-old, while speaking with the media on Friday, further stated that the campaign is being used for false accusations. "I definitely feel there is a lot of false pretenses, false allegations and a crazy behaviour. They are using a platform badly and that's not a good thing," she said, adding, "If they use the platform correctly, it's supposed to be a good thing." The #MeToo movement, which began in Hollywood a year ago, took flight in India after Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of harassing her on the sets of 'Horn Ok Pleassss'. The campaign is now gaining momentum with allegations being levelled against prominent personalities. Voicing a differing opinion, actor Fardeen Khan said that the allegations need to be taken very seriously. "This is a worldwide phenomenon that is going on. Women, especially in this condition, are vulnerable. I do believe they deserve the benefit of the doubt but at the same time I do not believe that making an allegation against someone automatically assumes guilt," he said. The 'Heyy Babyy' star added that there needs to be a fair process "as it is a very serious and an important issue. Any allegations of this nature have to be taken extremely seriously." Mumbai: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has distanced himself from his "Gangs of Wasseypur" casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who has been accused of sexual harassment, saying he had "cut-off" ties with the him way back. Kashyap's response came after a Twitter used tagged him in a post saying the filmmaker had shared with her that he is planning to reveal the stories of Chhabra's "misogynistic ways". "So @anuragkashyap72 told me recently that if no one speaks out about @CastingChhabra and his misogynistic ways he will. He also said he has cut off all ties with Chhabra. Im holding you to this @anuragkashyap72 . Waiting. #metoo #timesup," the user wrote. In his reply, Kashyap said he does not have any evidence of misconduct against the well-known casting director. "I neither have any #MeToo stories nor evidence about mukesh Chhabra. I cut-off ties with him for lot's of reasons related to casting and reasons that I don't feel the need to put out in public domain," he tweeted. Kashyap has recently been under fire for inaction in Vikas Bahl sexual harassment case. Last year, a woman employee at Phantom Films, which had Bahl as one of the partners along side Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had levelled allegations of molestation against Bahl, who she said behaved inappropriately during a trip to Goa. In a recent article in Huffpost India, the woman has reiterated the allegations, sharing further details about the incident. According to the report, in October 2015, the woman reached out to Kashyap and detailed her experience, but no action was taken while Bahl continued to harass her until she finally quit the company. Kashyap said he was "ill-advised" in the matter by his lawyers. Apart from "Wasseypur" series, Chhabra has done casting for Kashyap's "Ugly" and "Bombay Velvet". In a latest report published on Mid-Day, four aspiring actors have accused Chhabra and another casting director Vicky Sidana of harassing them during audition process. Chhabra has denied the "unsubstantiated wild anonymous allegations" in a letter posted on his Twitter handle. "It is very unfortunate that years of hard work and building is been muzzled with a series of unsubstantiated wild anonymous allegations. To put it into perspective, we have a ICC committee put into the place for years and we could have appreciated if the complaint received could have been forwarded to the said committee for probe and investigation," the letter read. "This is a clearly motivated piece and we deny any incident as alleged took place," it further read. Chabbra is known for working on films such as "Dangal", "Rockstar", "Shahid" and "Kai Po Che!" among others. New Delhi: Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta sent the industry in shock when she alleged that actor Nana Patekar had sexually harassed her back in year 2008 on sets of 'Horn Ok Please'. Tanushree had also claimed that she had filed a complaint with CINTAA back then however, her voice went unheard. Now, CINTAA joint secretary Amit Behl has told news agency ANI that Tanushree's complaint wasn't adressed properly back in the day. He further added that Tanushree's lawyer has sent them a letter, asking them to relook into the 2008 complaint. ANI shared on Twitter, We agree that Tanushree Dutta's complaint wasn't addressed properly in 2008, don't know why they only looked into the monetary ( financial) aspect of her complaint & not considered her complaint of sexual harassment: Amit Behl, Sr Joint Secretary CINTAA. We agree that Tanushree Dutta's complaint wasn't addressed properly in 2008, don't know why they only looked into the monetary ( financial) aspect of her complaint & not considered her complaint of sexual harassment: Amit Behl, Sr Joint Secretary CINTAA. pic.twitter.com/tkFqo9SMPK ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 Another tweet by the agency reads, We have received a letter from her lawyer to relook into her 2008 complaint but we can't act on that, she has to file a complaint personally or authorise her lawyer to communicate with us. We are in the process to form a sub-committee to look into sexual allegations: Amit Behl We have received a letter from her lawyer to relook into her 2008 complaint but we can't act on that, she has to file a complaint personally or authorise her lawyer to communicate with us. We are in the process to form a sub-committee to look into sexual allegations: Amit Behl pic.twitter.com/f1cWyl9Zmz ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 After Tanushree's allegations, various women came forward and shared their own sexual harassment ordeals. Names like Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl and Sajid Khan have been put forward. New Delhi: 'Queen' director Vikas Bahl, who has been receiving a huge setback professionally with allegations of sexual misconduct coming forth in the #MeToo movement, has finally found a support in his ex-wife. Vikas's former wife Richa Dubey has written an open letter on Twitter saying how Kangana is using as a pawn in her vendetta against Hrithik Roshan. She has retorted sharply saying that Kangana was always friends with Vikas and suddenly changed her stance. Here's what she wrote in her post: "This is going beyond boundaries and tolerance level now. This is not a #MeToo but #meme. I want to ask all the omwen.. if a man makes you uncomfortable.. touches you inappropriately.. would you have a good friendship with that man? Would u not cut ties with that man and make your interaction minimum with that person or would you still giggle, go out wining dinning with this person? Or because you want to work with that man, because he's good at his work ... you are willing to bypass this? Especially, when you are strong, fearless gutsy person... I don't understand this at all! Here are the loopholes: 1.No 2015, at Madhu Masaba wedding ... Kangana did an item number with Vikas.. a special room for her was booked, her entourage was there.. makeup, hair costume, the works.. why would you dance with a dirty man like this and take so much effort to practice and plan the dance? You could have done this easily with anyone else. 2. I read the several messages between you and Vikas which were extremely friendly till now.. with this media opportunity everything changed?? 3. Having an affair with a married man or an Unmarried man is a woman's prerogative. You would know that... 4. If she had a problem with an issue why didn't she speak up then.. They know each other so well.. U could have easily told him on his face if u didn't like this behaviour? She is extremely successful and even if she wasn't why would she compromise on her values. 5. One of the articles I read she said she complained to Anurag... why would u complain to him.. since when has he become the boss of Vikas?? Whythe fierce and vocal fighter for equal rights kept quiet about Vikas if this was such a serious issue. you could have spoken to media or ten other senior important people? The loop holes are endless.. it's just pure slander! Please stop this nuisance. It's so difficult for women to come out and Speak about the harassment and abuse we go through.. don't make it disrespectful and this media game defeats the entire purpose of truth coming out! 6. Who are you to call anyone.. trophy wives. they are hardworking career woman... that doesn't count is it? So only u can balance career and look good is it? Enoug is enough.. stop using Vikas for own vandetta.. it is not that cool. the world can see thru it. Please in the god's name now stop! 7. Not interested in media battle with you as that's the thing you mastered and have full advantage of it and se your power of being a celeb? You must not be havig all the time in the world to plot, plan , PR agency and the works... I'm a working woman who has real commmitments and I don't have the time to battle and have a line of assistants to do things for me.. and I don not belieed you at all and don't care about what you have to say. 8. I want to ask all the media what authencity does she have which Vikas doesn't have. Whose side are you on? Only interested in printing gossip as it's sell right? You have any idea how you destroy someone life by irresponsibly reprting anything.. anyone as a celebrity status can say anything. i sthere a free pass for them? You don't have the ability and intelligence to see what's going on? How can u without any checking with the person involved in it just go ahead nd print anything? 9. The whole hting is one bigg mess and ugly plot in the name of me too! Disgusting! Even though I'm his ex wife.. I cannot bear to this watch this dirty drama! Give the man a chance to prove himself.. let th truth come out before calling him disgraced and what now.. whe he will be proved right? what description would u give him then? Vikas Bahl has been accused by a former employee of now disolved Phantom Films of sexual misconduct. Following the controversy, several celebrities with likes Kangana Ranaut, Hrithik Roshan, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Hansal Mehta came out and slammed the filmmaker for his 'shameful' act. While Kangana revealed her own share of horrific experience of working with the filmmaker, actor Hrithik Roshan expressed his disappointment over the same while asking the producers of the film to take a harsh stand on the issue if need to be. Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he would call Saudi Arabia's King Salman on missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey. Trump's remarks at a campaign event came amidst mounting pressure on him from Congressmen and the media as reports coming out of Turkey suggest that Khashoggi was brutally killed by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, 59, a Washington Post contributor, had gone there to collect some papers for his marriage. "I will be calling at some point King Salman. I'll be speaking to him yes," Trump said. "We're going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey, having to do Saudi Arabia and the reporter. And nobody knows quite yet. Nobody has been able to put it all together. People are starting to form ideas. And as they're formed, we'll let you know. But it certainly is a terrible thing," Trump said. The President declined to indicate the nature of his conversation with the King. "I can't tell you but I will say that they're looking very hard and fast and not only us, a lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation. So we'll see what happens," he said. Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel wrote to Trump urging swift action in the disappearance of Khashoggi. "President, we value our relations with Saudi Arabia. Yet murder and other blatant violations of international norms and agreements cannot be done with impunity," they wrote. Royce and Engel urged the president to use all pressure necessary to encourage greater Saudi cooperation in the investigation into this incident. "Unless the Saudi government fully discloses what it knows about this disappearance and likely murder, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should cancel plans to attend the upcoming 'Davos in the Desert' conference. "Participation in this conference is not critical to our economic security and would potentially undermine efforts to show the Saudi government and others around the world that brazen attacks on civilians inside consular facilities are unacceptable," the letter said. Trump told reporters that a final determination has not been made yet. "I guess a lot of people are going over to an investment conference. And he (Treasury Secretary) actually called this morning and he will make that determination. But he was partially over there anyway. "We'll see what happens. Maybe some won't be going. We'll make that determination very soon," Trump said. Nearly two dozen influential Democratic Senators, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, on Friday urged the Trump administration to reassert America's moral leadership in protecting freedom of expression. "Recent cases show that some foreign governments increasingly believe that silencing critics through violence and coercion is an acceptable practice for curbing dissent," the Senators lead by Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said in a letter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. These governments, however, should recognise that the United States disagrees with their strong-arm tactics and will continue to be the loudest global voice advocating for the rights of those speaking out against corruption and repression. No one should get a free pass, said the letter. "Although we lack a full understanding of the circumstances that led to his disappearance, media reports indicate that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might have played a role. "According to press reports, Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and may have been murdered while inside," they said. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, thus far in 2018, 43 journalists have been killed. Since 2017, as many as 267 journalists have been arrested and detained. Last week, the Chinese Communist Party detained Interpol President Meng Hongwei under suspecious circumstances and Chinese authorities have reportedly threatened his wife and family. The Myanmar government recently convicted two Reuters journalists for reporting on the military's role in the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. "Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report condemning the government of Pakistan for cracking down on its press and calling for an end to 'the disturbing trend of impunity and attacks on journalists to shore up this faltering pillar of democracy," the Senators said. In their letter, the Senators urged Pompeo that America must retain its moral high ground and continue working to protect individual freedoms around the world. "We respectfully request that you evaluate how the US government can better bring to bear its full set of tools and resources to more forcefully oppose authoritarian efforts aimed at silencing critics around the world and brief us on your findings as soon as possible," the Senators wrote. "In fact, many are concerned that America's inaction abroad, accompanied by President Trump's caustic rhetoric toward America's own press and those who disagree with him, are creating a permissive environment for those inclined to pursue repressive behaviour," the letter said. Islamabad: Imran Ali, who was convicted in the rape and murder case of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur in Pakistan's Punjab province, will be hanged on October 17. On Friday, a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had issued black warrants for the convict, who was awarded 21 death sentences in the case. As per an order issued by Judge Sheikh Sajjad Ahmed, Ali`s death sentence will be carried out on the stipulated date, Geo News reported. The minor, a resident of Kasur, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre in January. Few days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump. According to the post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times. The incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan. The ATC found Ali guilty of sexually assaulting the girl and slapped him with numerous criminal counts and a hefty fine of Rs 1 million. He was subsequently awarded the death sentence for committing an unnatural act. The convict had earlier appealed to the Lahore High Court, saying that he did not do anything and pleaded for the verdict to stand "null and void." However, the court had rejected his plea. In June, the Lahore Registry of Pakistan Supreme Court had quashed Ali`s appeal against the death sentence awarded to him for the brutal rape and murder of the minor. Months before Pakistan formally asked the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package, the US has said that no such financial assistance should be given if it is used to settle Chinese debts. And days after Islamabad made a formal request, the Americans remained steadfast in their 'objection.' The IMF confirmed on Thursday that Pakistan had made a formal request for financial assistance to rise from financial doldrums. It is being reported that the bailout package sought could be to the tune of $8 billion. Even as an IMF team is now getting ready to touch down here for talks, the US is keeping a close watch. "In all cases, we examine that closely from all angles of it, including Pakistans debt position, in evaluating any type of loan programme," said Heather Nauert, US State Department spokesperson. Nauert also blamed Pakistan's current economic woes on debt it had racked up with China. "I think part of the reason that Pakistan found itself in this situation is Chinese debt and the fact that there is debt that governments have incurred that they maybe thought wouldn't be so tough to bail themselves out of, but has become increasingly tough." The economic situation in Pakistan is indeed alarming. By their own admission, the country is in desperate need of an IMF bailout package just to stay afloat. "The number that we need to borrow, according to the budget, is $9 billion," finance minister Asad Umar had told the country's senate in August. But money won't be coming easy. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo had made it amply clear months ago that American dollars should not be given to settle debts with China. Experts now say that it is highly unlikely that IMF would turn a deaf ear to one of its largest contributors even if a fraction of what Pakistan has asked for could be granted. What and how the Imran Khan government does with any possible deal with IMF remains to be seen. Reportedly, 2911 Ukranian militaries died, as a result of combat activity in the east of Ukraine Open source From the beginning of combat activity in Donbas, 46 military medics died. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed this during his visit of the 61st mobile medical unit in Mariupol, reports the press office of the Ukrainian President. Related: 24 hours in Donbas: Militants use artillery and IFV, no casualties observed Almost four thousand military medics were directly involved in the provision of medical aid in the combat zone and at the forefront of defense. Unfortunately, not all of them returned from the battlefield 46 military medics died. We bow our heads before medics, paramedics, nurses who gave their lives performing their military duty, Poroshenko noted. Later, the memory of the diseased medics was honored with a minute of silence. Related: OSCE records truck convoy in Donbas near border with Russia Earlier, Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko claimed that 2911 Ukranian militaries died, as a result of combat activity in Donbas. At the beginning of June, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin claimed that 240 children died, as a result of combat activities in the east of the country. The National Interest The pro-Russian militants violated the truce in Donbas conflict zone 11 times. This was reported in the press center of the Joint Forces Operation on its page on Facebook. "The enemy conducted aimed fire from mortars of 82 mm caliber, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. Russian-occupying troops fired at the positions of the Joint forces in the settlements of Krymske, Katerynivka, Troitske, Chermalyk, Hnutove, Vodiane and Lebedynske. During the day, the enemy also carried out fire attack from mortars of 82 caliber on the defenders of Troitske, the message says. As a result of hostilities, no losses among the Ukrainian servicemen reported. Earlier President Petro Poroshenko dismissed the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak from military service. This Poroshenko said during a speech that was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel. Stepan Poltorak resigned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the rank of Army General. Poltorak remains the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, but filed a report on dismissal from military service, since from January 1, 2019, the Defense Ministry should be headed by a civilian. Poroshenko satisfied this report. "I appreciate the contribution of Stepan to the revival of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and before that to the restoration and establishment of the National Guard of Ukraine, I decided that he should continue to lead the defense department as a civilian minister," Poroshenko said. Stepan Poltorak has been heading the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since October 14, 2014. Prior to that, he commanded the National Guard, and even earlier, after the Revolution of Dignity he headed the Internal Troops prior to their disbandment. The rule regarding civilian minister of defense is spelled out in the law on national security. According to the document, starting next year, the Ministry of Defense should be headed by a civilian minister, and the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Chief of the General Staff, will be divided between the two leaders. We recall that the General Staff is headed by Victor Muzhenko. Related: Ammunition again detonate at Ichnia depot - three explosions reported Open source The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said that the representative of the US Department of State for Ukraine Kurt Volker only in words advocates the Minsk agreements, but in fact "works to destroy them." This is stated by the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Speaking in words for the Minsk agreements, Volker actually works to destroy them. This is precisely the aim of the concept of DNR and LNR full occupation promoted by the UNs so-called peacekeepers , establishing there an international military-civilian administration and transferring Donbass under the control of the Kyiv authorities without granting the region a special status and ensuring the safety of its people, as agreed in Minsk ", the press service informed. According to the ministry, Moscow was perplexed by the statements of Volker, who rejected Russia's initiative to create a UN mission to protect OSCE observers in Donbas under the pretext that it "will preserve the existence of the so-called people's republics, which have no place in Ukrainian legislation or the Minsk agreements." The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the Minsk agreements are signed by representatives of the "republics". A reasonable question arises whether Volker read the fundamental documents of the Ukrainian settlement, which he seems to be doing stated in the department. In addition, the message recalls Volkers calls for increased sanctions pressure on Russia, which "is completely beyond his mandate." Earlier at the briefing in Brussels, Kurt Volker, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, said that Russias idea to conduct a referendum on Donbas status was not approved in Washington as it it contradicts with the Ukrainian Constitution and Minsk Agreements. The U.S. rejects the initiative on a referendum. There is no legal basis for this in the Constitution of Ukraine and Minsk Agreements, he stressed. Also, he urged to recall that as a result of Russian aggression, more than a million of Donbas residents had to become IDPs. Earlier, Bloomberg, referring to the sources, reported that the Russian President Vladimir Putin after his meeting with the U.S. President Donald Trump proposed to carry out a referendum in Donbas. According to the interlocutor, Trump asked Putin not to discuss the idea of the referendum at the press conference after the Summit so that the U.S. President had time to think about it. The source added that Putin offered to hold voting among local residents in Donbas concerning the status of their region. Everything has to be carried out under the auspices of the international community. Russian sources state that such a referendum should not follow a Crimean scenario, it should be only about the autonomy of Donbas in Ukraine. Later, Garret Marquis, the Head of the U.S. National Security Council, stated that the Administration was not considering the support of the referendum. In his turn, Ukraines Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that the sequence of such statements of the Russian authority is a breakdown of Ukraine. Related: Volker presents declaration on non-recognition of Crimea's occupation This is the first such consultations between Ukraine and Japan Ukraine and Japan signed a memorandum on cooperation and exchanges in the defense sector, reports the press office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The first Ukrainian-Japan consultations for defense took place in Tokyo on October 12. Related: Poroshenko signs law on "Glory to Ukraine!" army chant The sides discussed matters connected with security policy and defense, the security situation in the regions and bilateral cooperation. An agreement was reached on the continuation of such consultations and the date and venue for the next round was determined through diplomatic channels. During the visit, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of Japan signed a memorandum on cooperation and exchanges in the defense sector. Related: Trump signs decree on increasing sanction pressure on Russia It should be noted that in 2018, the army of Japan takes 8th place in the word, when the Ukrainian army 29th, according to rating Global Firepower. Reportedly, Ukraine and the European Union have signed the memorandum on the provision of the macro-financial aid for one billion euros. In the frameworks of these agreements, the tranches on macro-financial aid would be equally divided for 500 million euros in each part. At the same time, it is expected that the first part of the tranche would come to Ukraine this autumn after the completion of inner procedures regarding the document coming into force and fulfillment of the requirements by Ukraine. Earlier, the United States Senate recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people Utah recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933, as a genocide of the Ukrainian people, reports the press office of the Embassy of Ukraine in the US. On October 10, in Salt Lake City in the presence of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Valeriy Chaly and Honorary Consul of Ukraine to the State of Utah Jonathan Friedman, the Governor of the State of Utah Harry Herbert signed the Declaration of honor to the memory of the victims of the Holodomor-genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, reads the message. It is noted that Valeriy Chaly and Harry Herbert focused on the issue of increasing trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the State of Utah. Reportedly, The Senate of the U.S. has recognized the Holodomor 1932-1933 as the genocide of the Ukrainian people. It is noted that the Senate included the conclusion of the government commission of the U.S. on the famine in Ukraine dated April 22, 1988, to the document. It states that "Stalin and his environment committed genocide against the Ukrainians." Thus, the resolution condemns the systematic violations of the human rights, including the rights for the self-determination and freedom of speech committed by the Soviet government against the Ukrainian people, expresses the condolences to the victims and their families as well as contains the urge to spread the information to raise awareness in the world about the artificial nature of this tragedy. Earlier President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko urged the UN to recognize Holodomor as genocide during his speech at the UNGA. The Holodomor lasted for 17 months from April 1932 to November 1933. The researchers have not defined the number of victims yet. They name the numbers from 1,8 million to 10 million. Most of the experts believe that the number of victims is from 3 to 3,5 million. Many countries, including some states in the U.S. and governments of particular cities, recognized Holodomor of 1932-1933 as the act of genocide of the Ukrainian nation. 112 Agency President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called the Ukrainians to pray for autocephaly on Sunday, October 14. The head of state appealed to people on his Facebook page. I was approached by a group of respected community leaders, including Yuri Shcherbak, Dmytro Pavlychko, Mykhailo Slaboshpytsky. They offer Ukrainian society to pray together for Ukraine, its army and the united church that we are creating together on October 14. I urge all those who are not indifferent: to come out with a prayer for the autocephaly of our Church. I propose to gather at the historic Sofiivska square on October 14 at 9.30 a.m. God and Ukraine unites us! ", wrote the president. We remind you that on October 11, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate supported the extension of the granting of autocephaly to Ukraine, and also officially approved that the mother church of Ukraine is Constantinople. The Synod also removed the anathema from the head of the UOC-KP Filaret and the head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Macarius. The head of the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate, Filaret, said that in the near future a unifying Bishops' Council would be held to create a single Ukrainian local church. Orthodox Christians in Ukraine are currently divided between a semi-autonomous branch loyal to Moscow and Kirill, the one lead by the Filaret, and third church which emerged in the 1920s as a response to Soviet repression. With Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the fighting in the east, the Ukrainian government and lawmakers joined the calls for ecclesial independence from Moscow. Praising the Thursday ruling, President Petro Poroshenko said it "dispelled the imperial illusions and chauvinistic fantasies of Moscow." "This is a victory of good over evil, light over darkness," he said in televised remarks. The victory for Kyiv could boost Poroshenko's reelection bid ahead of March 2019 elections. Russian church prepares 'decisive and harsh' response While there is no equivalent of the Catholic pope among Orthodox Christians, the Constantinople patriarch is often regarded as "first among equals" and wields a measure of traditional authority among other patriarchs. This position has often put the Istanbul-based religious leader at odds with the patriarch of Russia, who has direct control of the biggest patriarchate in the Orthodox world. Currently, Russia's Orthodox Church boasts some 150 million believers, or roughly one half of all Orthodox Christians. During the independence row, representatives of Moscow Patriarchate warned the resulting conflict could be comparable with the Great Schism from 1054, which split the Christian church into Catholics in the West and Orthodox Christians in the East. Speaking to Rossiya-24 TV channel, senior Moscow Patriarchate official Igor Yakmichuk said the Moscow-based church will decide on its countermeasures after a Synod meeting set for next Monday. "The response will be very decisive and harsh, it will be adequate to the situation that had developed," he said. People complain of feeling bad, although the authorities refuse to accept the fact of new emissions and call them provocative Open source The residents of Armyansk on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia once more complain about air pollution in the area of Crimean Tytan, report Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and Dozhd TV channel. Last time the emission was on October 10. My children have the same symptoms they had before the evacuation from the city: eyes are swollen, the skin is covered with spots, a terrible cough has appeared. My eyes are swollen too. My acquaintances experience the same. Everything starts when you go out for 10-15 minutes. Took the baby to a hospital, they said to leave the city if there is a chance to do so. Moreover, the hospital is full again, resident of Armyansk Kateryna Pyvovar claimed this to Novaya Gazeta. Related: Citizens of Crimean Armyansk report on new chemical emissions The other residents of the Armyansk have also confirmed the information about the emission. The residents of Krasnoperekopsk village, which is in 20km from Armyask, started complaining of feeling bad on October 11. My tongue constantly burns, scorched sky, I feel all this stink. I also left the city for good, then came back and it started stinking again. The problem is very serious. They hide the problem saying that everything is okay, but it burns, resident of Armyansk Ihor Makarevych claimed this to Dozhd. Related: Five Ukrainian border guards still in hospital after chemical emission in Crimea As we reported, an unknown substance was discharged in the air in Armyansk, North Crimea. A greasy mud with a yellow shade appeared on metallic objects, roofs, and leaves on the trees. Later, Sergey Aksyonov, head of the annexed Crimea claimed that the situation with the discharge of the unknown substance in the air goes beyond the norms. Moreover, toxic chemicals were detected in the air in the Kherson region, southern Ukraine. Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Crimean Tatars Mejlis claimed that the evacuation of the children due to the emission of the unknown substance has begun in Armyansk. Earlier it was reported that the hit of the shells at the technological tanks during the training of the detachments of the Armed Forces of Russia became the reason for the chemical emission at the plant Crimean Tytan. Related: Chemical emission in Crimea: situation normalized On September 6, it was reported that the plant on the production of the titanium dioxide, the subsidiary of Titanium investments in Crimean Armyansk will completely stop to work on Sunday, September 9. Reportedly, 61 Ukrainian border guards were affected by the emission of chemicals. Five of them have been hospitalized. They are in Odessa Clinical Hospital of State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), the results of their tests will be known today. Open source President Petro Poroshenko dismissed the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak from military service. This Poroshenko said during a speech that was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel. Stepan Poltorak resigned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the rank of Army General. Poltorak remains the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, but filed a report on dismissal from military service, since from January 1, 2019, the Defense Ministry should be headed by a civilian. Poroshenko satisfied this report. "I appreciate the contribution of Stepan to the revival of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and before that to the restoration and establishment of the National Guard of Ukraine, I decided that he should continue to lead the defense department as a civilian minister," Poroshenko said. Stepan Poltorak has been heading the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since October 14, 2014. Prior to that, he commanded the National Guard, and even earlier, after the Revolution of Dignity he headed the Internal Troops prior to their disbandment. The rule regarding civilian minister of defense is spelled out in the law on national security. According to the document, starting next year, the Ministry of Defense should be headed by a civilian minister, and the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Chief of the General Staff, will be divided between the two leaders. We recall that the General Staff is headed by Victor Muzhenko. Related: Ammunition again detonate at Ichnia depot - three explosions reported NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Adient plc (Adient or the Company) (NYSE: ADNT). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Adient and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here to join a class action] On January 17, 2018, during an investor conference, Adient disclosed that its near-term results are being significantly impacted by the Companys capital-intensive metals business (the SS&M business). On this news, Adients stock price fell $8.03 per share, or 9.8%, to close at $74.15 per share on January 18, 2018. On January 29, 2018, during an earnings call, Adient announced disappointing financial results for Adients first fiscal quarter of 2018, again citing issues with the Companys SS&M business. On this news, Adients stock price fell $5.53 per share, or 7.6%, to close at $66.77 per share on January 29, 2018. On May 3, 2018, Adient announced that the Company had recorded a $299 million impairment charge related to its SS&M business and admitted that certain previously announced operational goals were no longer going to be achievable. On this news, Adients stock price fell $6.14 per share, or roughly 10%, to close at $55.84 per share on May 3, 2018. Then, on June 11, 2018, Adient announced the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer, Bruce McDonald, and sharply lowered the Companys earnings guidance. On this news, Adients stock price fell $8.88 per share, or 15.6%, to close at $48.10 per share on June 11, 2018. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bunker Hill Mining Corp. (the Company or Bunker Hill) (CSE: BNKR) announces that the Company has accepted the resignation of Bruce Reid as President and CEO and as a Director of the Company. Mr. John Ryan, Director of the Company, shall assume the function of the Companys President and Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis. The Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. Reid for his contributions to the Company. About Bunker Hill Mining Corp. Bunker Hill Mining Corp. has an option to acquire 100% of the Bunker Hill Mine. The Bunker Hill Mine was the largest producing mine in the Coeur D'Alene zinc, lead and silver mining district in northern Idaho. Historically, the mine produced over 35M tons grading on average 8.76% lead, 3.67% zinc, and 155 g/t (4.52 ounces per ton) silver (Bunker Hill Mines Annual Report 1980). Information about the Company is available on its website, www.bunkerhillmining.com, or in the SEDAR and EDGAR databases. For additional information contact: John Ryan, Interim CEO Nicholas Konkin, Marketing & Communications (843) 290-8930 (416) 477-7771 x205 info@bunkerhillmining.com Cautionary Statements Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as within the meaning of the phrase forward-looking information in the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations. The forward looking statements made herein are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations or assumptions with respect to, among other things, the ability of the Company to successfully complete the acquisition of the Bunker Hill Mine Complex on the terms as announced or other satisfactory terms or at all, and fund the initial payments for which the Company does not have funds at this time, the Companys present and future financial condition, the Companys ability to secure financing, and the state of financial markets. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan, and may include statements regarding, among other things, the terms of the Bunker Hill Mine Complex acquisition and funding of the acquisition. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, and the Companys financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: the inability of the Company to successfully acquire the Bunker Hill Mine Complex on the terms as announced or other satisfactory terms or at all, and fund the payments for which the Company does not have funds at this time; the inability of the Company to budget and manage its liquidity in light of the failure to obtain additional financing; the inability of the Company to develop or sustain an active public market for its securities; development of changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for precious metals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Companys forward-looking statements. These and other factors made in public disclosures and filings by the Company should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Companys forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The agreement bears the signatures of Indecopi Chairman Ivo Gagliuffi and CNR Executive Director Rogelio Canales. Under this agreement, both institutions will implement policies to promote and respect intellectual property for the benefit of Peruvian and Salvadoran creators, as well as inventors. Additionally, they will carry out training sessions on patent application aimed at professionals from both entities. The memorandum will also facilitate inter-institutional cooperation and technology transfer with the purpose of enabling international searches and the improvement of databases. Likewise, both institutions are committed to exchanging information on legislative matters and administrative rulings issued in accordance with the legal system of each country. WIPO Assemblies WIPO Assemblies bring together member states, allowing them to take stock of the progress in the Organizations work and to discuss future policy directions. (END) MDV/MDV/DTK/RMB Perus National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property ( Indecopi ) and El Salvadors National Center of Registries ( CNR ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).Published: 10/12/2018 Spellbound Christina York's three-year-old daughter had lodged a tree bud inside her ear. by Laura Cowan From the October, 2018 issue Any parent can relate to what came next: a trip to the ER, and lots of anxiety. Because the girl was so young, staff had to strap her to a papoose board to hold her down, followed by general anesthesia in the OR, just to use tweezers to remove the object. "When you're a parent, you're anxious enough about your child," York says of the incident two years ago, "and all of a sudden, they're having to pin your child down, and it's traumatizing her. But, what else can they do?" York found the answer in her own company, Spellbound. She'd founded it in 2016 to develop an app that added interactive features to children's books. Just scan a barcode on a book, and all kinds of cool interactive 3-D characters would pop up on your phone. It was a great tool for engaging kids with learning. But after that ER visit and a conversation with a friend in health care, York saw a more pressing need. Spellbound pivoted to focus on reducing children's anxiety during medical procedures. Once the app is installed on an iPad, a caregiver just has to point the tablet's camera at a Spellbound printout card to make a 3-D animal such as an elephant pop up above the card on the screen. The caregiver can then engage with the animal interactively. Point it at another card, and a story unfolds about a castle. Doctors, therapists, and child life specialists can use the animations to create narratives with a child about a medical procedure, or to distract them while they're getting a shot or an IV. "We found that using a learning app and storytelling narratives to distract children during medical procedures greatly reduces the need for extreme medical interventions such as restraints or general anesthesia during simple procedures," York says. With her own child and others, she says, it's made the difference between feeling extreme anxiety and not even noticing a procedure. J.J. Bouchard, patient technology ...continued below... coordinator at Mott Children's Hospital, has added Spellbound to the tools the hospital uses to distract and engage young patients. "My job is to bring technology like video games, virtual reality, and augmented reality to help doctors, therapists, and child life specialists integrate that into their practice," he explains. "We use the tech to brighten up their day, to wake them up, get them excited."Bouchard describes watching a Mott child life specialist use Spellbound to comfort a child before surgery. The specialist was trying to explain what to expect, and the child was nearly inconsolable. But when the specialist brought out her iPad and a Spellbound character popped out, the child stopped crying, engaged in the story, and began asking about the characters. They walked back to surgery with the story running, and the child excited and happy.Bouchard says that Spellbound can also encourage kids who are working to improve arm or fine motor movements. One day he would love to see bigger images that spread over whole walls or windows as virtual reality posters that kids can engage with--not only for distraction or motivation, but to encourage them through rough patches in treatment.York says that Spellbound's technology is also useful for more mundane situations. "Just think about how many needle-related medical procedures such as vaccines that even a healthy child has to go through in a lifetime," she says. "It doesn't just create phobias. It leads to [adults] resisting health care that could save them trouble down the road, such as a person who delays seeing a doctor because they might need an IV."[Originally published in October, 2018.] VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: VLC) (Velocity or the Company) announces the closing of its non-brokered private placement announced on October 2, 2018 (the Financing). The Financing raised aggregate gross proceeds of $1,005,064 through the issuance of 6,700,433 units (each, a Unit) at a price of $0.15 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant (each, a Warrant) entitling the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $0.20 per Share for a period of 36 months from the issue date. All securities issued in connection with the Financing are subject to a hold period of four months and one day in Canada. Certain officers and directors of the Company (collectively, the "Related Parties") participated in the Financing pursuant to the terms described above, purchasing in aggregate 1,437,266 Units. These constitute related party transactions pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company relied on Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements, respectively, as at the closing of the Financing, neither the fair market value of the Units issued in connection with the Financing, nor the fair market value of the consideration received by the Company for same, insofar as it involved the Related Parties, exceeded 25% of the Company's market capitalization. In connection with the Financing, the Company paid aggregate finder's fees consisting of $57,013 in cash and 380,084 non-transferrable finder's warrants (each, a "Finder's Warrant"). Each Finders Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $0.15 per Share for a period of 12 months from the issue date. Leede Jones Gable Inc. received finders fees consisting of $52,375 cash and 349,167 Finders Warrants, and Haywood Securities Inc. received finders fees consisting of $4,637 cash and 30,917 Finders Warrants. The proceeds of the Financing are intended to fund ongoing work at the Companys Rozino gold project (the Project) in Bulgaria and for general working capital. About Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on eastern Europe. The Companys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. The Company recently announced the results of a preliminary economic assessment on the Project, located in southeast Bulgaria (previous news release NR18-17, dated September 17, 2018). A technical report prepared pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects on the Project will be filed on SEDAR on or before October 31, 2018. About Bulgaria Bulgaria is a member of NATO (2004) and a member of the European Union (2007). The local currency (BGN) has been tied to the Euro since 1999 (1.956 BGN/EUR). The country is served by modern European infrastructure including an extensive network of paved roads. Bulgaria boasts an exceptionally low corporate tax rate of only 10%. The countrys education system is excellent with good availability of experienced mining professionals in a favourable cost environment. Foreign mining companies are successfully operating in Bulgaria. The countrys mining law was established in 1999 and updated in 2011. Mining royalties are low and compare favourably with more established mining countries. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Keith Henderson" President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-638-3456 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the above-mentioned securities in the United States. The foregoing securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release includes certain forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Financing, the filing of a technical report prepared pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects on the Project on SEDAR and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as pro forma, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that costs will remain stable over the relevant period, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Project in a timely manner, construction and continued operation of the Project, and the Companys projects generally, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities for the Project, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital to fund the Companys business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, the inability to or delay in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSX Venture Exchange for the Financing), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading. Risk Factors in the Companys annual managements discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Companys profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, Oct. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are witnessing the extinction of the Atlantic salmon from the Miramichi River in slow motion as bureaucrats in the Moncton office of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Gulf Region do little to address the issues facing the salmon. Scientists, camp owners and conservation groups like the Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) and the Collaboration for Atlantic Salmon Tomorrow (CAST) want to know why. Predation by growing populations of bass and other challenges mean that only 1% of wild Atlantic salmon are making it back to the river from the ocean. This is not enough returning fish to allow for a long-term, sustainable salmon population. This year was the worst to date for wild Atlantic salmon returns on the Miramichi. We dont need more study, more talk or more of the status quo we need immediate action or it will soon be too late. CAST has a science-based, action oriented plan. In May 2015, DFO permitted the capture of wild Atlantic salmon smolts (3 year old juvenile salmon) migrating to the ocean to be raised for two years at the MSA hatchery, giving them a head start and a better chance by avoiding predators on their trip to the ocean. CAST believes the head start program could make a positive difference like it has on the Upper Salmon River near Fundy National Park, as well as the Tobique River where DFO Maritimes Region Halifax office have approved and been supportive of similar restocking programs. The adult salmon from the MSA hatchery would then be released into the river to spawn naturally, increasing wild Atlantic salmon eggs in the Miramichi. There has been substantial funding provided to CAST over the past four years a total of $5.4 million, including $2.3 million in private funding, $1.3 million from ACOA (Federal), $500,000 from DFO (Federal) and $1.3 million from the Province of New Brunswick. Since 2015, DFO has approved the collection of 16,500 wild salmon smolt, yet it has only approved the release of 80 mature egg-bearing salmon in 2017 and 2018 these fish have been raised at the hatchery over the past four years at significant expense. Without explanation, on October 5 (last Friday), DFO confirmed there would be NO approved release of additional salmon permitted on the Miramichi in 2018. Approximately four million salmon eggs for the next generation will be lost if these adult fish are not released to spawn in the next two weeks. Without a permit, up to 1,000 fish may have to be destroyed and there is uncertainty for the fate of the remaining 13,000 maturing salmon in the MSA hatchery. Why is DFO allowing this waste of salmon, time and money to take place? DFO had requested a 3rd party scientific review of the technical merits as well as the risks and benefits of the program. CAST has complied and completed two reviews over the last two years. The scientific peer review panel made recommendations. CAST complied with all the recommendations. CAST has the benefit of having major scientific partners University of New Brunswick, Canadian Rivers Institute, and the University of Laval. We are fortunate enough to have a first-class science team composed of 11 PhD and graduate student researchers who are experts in fish habitat, tracking technology, and genetics. This year has been the most devastating for returning salmon, fishers and First Nations on the Miramichi. Camp owners all along the river have gone on record with written appeals to DFO to approve the release of the salmon at the MSA hatchery. Camp owners and scientists have also asked DFO to approve increased bass quotas for First Nations to reduce the threat of predators on wild salmon. All of these appeals have gone unanswered. CAST have complied with everything DFO has requested. Wild salmon are on a downward spiral that unchecked, could drive the species to the verge of extinction on the Miramichi. DFOs failure to act is sealing the fate of this iconic Miramichi fish, the families who have operated camps along the river for generations as well as the First Nations who depend on the salmon for food. Why is DFO refusing to help save wild Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi? About CAST CAST is a unique New Brunswick organization that includes scientists, conservation groups, government and industry volunteers. The common ground we share is our commitment to save and strengthen wild Atlantic salmon populations. Funding for CAST research comes from federal, provincial and industry partners. CAST has invested time, talent, and significant financial resources to support four research projects by eleven respected, world-class scientists from UNB and the University of Laval. We need DFO to show leadership NOW. There is no time to waste. Please contact your local federal Member of Parliament, provincial MLA or mayor to voice your support for adult salmon release on the Miramichi to help conserve the Atlantic salmon. Contact the DFO Gulf Region at info@dfo-mpo.gc.ca This week federal Minister Wilkinson announced Canadas five-year plan of concrete actions the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will take to help rebuild Pacific wild salmon populations and their habitats. We the undersigned agree, we need this same passion and commitment in New Brunswick for wild Atlantic salmon! Push and Be Damned Camp McKeil Camp Gilman Brook Camp Ledges Inn Corp. Mountain Channel Lodge Sutter Salmon Club Buttermilk Pool Camp Harris Ledge Camp Wilsons Sporting Lodge Rocky Brook Camp Rocky Bend Fishing Camp Miramichi Salmon Club The Mayor and Council of Doaktown Mayor and Council, Village of Blackville Rural Community of Upper Miramichi (Boiestown) CAST Cooke Aquaculture J.D. Irving, Limited Woodlands Division Canadian Rivers Institute MSA Conservation For More information go to: CASTforsalmon.com Media Contact: Andrew Willett Executive Director of CAST 506-654-7758 info@CASTforsalmon.com A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3159e02f-50c5-46a5-b5c0-17045c845d5a Infant delivery through incisions made in the mothers abdomen and uterus known as a cesarean section (or C-section) has long been a point of debate in the health world. Now, with new research showing that the rate of C-sections has nearly doubled, its primed to ruffle even more feathers. The study, published in The Lancet, found that C-section rates went from 16 million (12.1 percent of all births) in 2000 to 29.7 million (21.1 percent of all births) across the globe in 2015. Women in some countries were more likely to have C-sections than those in others, and in at least 15 countries more than 40 percent of all babies were delivered by C-section. The Dominican Republic had the highest rate 58.1 percent of new moms there delivered via C-section, the study found. A new study from the Lancet found that C-section rates have doubled worldwide. (Photo: Petri Oeschger/Getty Images) What the research says The study comes on the heels of new guidance released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday as part of a growing effort to curb unnecessary C-sections. A caesarean section is a surgical procedure that, when undertaken for medical reasons, can save the life of a woman and her baby, the guidance states. Many caesarean sections are undertaken unnecessarily however, which can put the lives and well-being of women and their babies at risk both in the short and the long-term. The WHOs recommendations include educational interviews, the use of clinical guidelines to determine when a C-section is necessary, a requirement for second opinion for a C-section, and interventions aimed at health organizations, like having midwives collaborate with ob-gyns. What the medical experts say Cesarean rates are epidemic, and weve got to stop doing this, Michael Cackovic, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The most common reason why women have a cesarean in the U.S. is that they gave birth via C-section before, he says. What were really trying not to do is that first cut, Cackovic says. Story continues While C-sections are unnecessary in some situations, its important to note that there are valid medical reasons for having one performed. Doctors have described the increase as an epidemic. Photo: Getty Reasons to have a C-section Common reasons to have a C-section include a moms choice to decline a trial of labor after a history of a prior cesarean, breech presentation, fetal heart rate abnormalities during labor, and lack of progression of labor either due to lack of further dilation or movement of the babys head despite moms effort to push for several hours, Lisa Valle, DO, an ob-gyn at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Problems with the placenta, carrying a very large baby, a maternal infection like herpes, maternal high blood pressure, and carrying multiples that arent in a good position for a vaginal delivery can also be viable reasons, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Why doctors dont encourage C-sections Women can elect to have a C-section, but its not really encouraged, Valle says. Her ob-gyn or midwife should have an extensive discussion regarding the risks of a C-section versus the risks of labor and vaginal delivery so that she can make a fully informed decision, she says. Her physician or midwife should also inquire about her reasoning for an elective C-section and address her concerns directly. For the record, doctors usually want to try to have a patient do vaginal birth if they can. We will always try to avoid a cesarean section, and we would only recommend one if we felt it was in the best interest of both the mother and baby, Gerardo Bustillo, MD, an ob-gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle. If a cesarean is needed, it is important to know that it is a common operation which is not experimental, and although surgical risks exist, the medical team is equipped to provide the procedure safely and without pain to the mother. If you have a doctor that you really trust, listening to your doctor is important, Cackovic says. Lower the risk of needing a C-section Women can lower their risk of needing a C-section by getting good prenatal care, avoiding excessive weight gain during pregnancy, and actively engaging with her obstetrician and support staff during pregnancy, Bustillo says. If youre told you need to have a C-section, you shouldnt panic. It is the most common surgery thats done in obstetrics, and it is done very well, Jessica Shepherd, MD, a minimally invasive gynecologist and founder of an online womens health forum called Her Viewpoint, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Women who may be displeased with the news that they have to have a cesarean have to look at that fact that its a frequently performed surgery and, at the end of the day, were ultimately looking for a safe and healthy baby and mom, she says. If theres something hindering that outcome, a C-section may be the way to go. However, if your doctor tells you that youll need a C-section in advance of your birth and youre not completely confident in that decision, Its OK to get a second opinion, Shepherd says. On a muddy outcrop on the banks of the Sume river, grief-stricken families gaze at enormous boulders that stand testimony to the force of the deluge which engulfed their homes. Hundreds of newly-deposited rocks, each the size of a van, litter the riverbanks after Thursday's landslide which killed 42 people and swept away nearly 150 homes. At one spur just below Wanjenwa village, two colossal boulders match the size of the houses they smashed as the torrent propelled them down the mountain, crushing everything in their path. Evelyn Wantsema was at home in the riverbank village of Nyehe with her two boys, Muhammad, 4, and Joseph, 2, when she heard unsettling noise approaching. "I looked out and saw this catastrophe coming with a lot of rocks and trees," she said. "There was no time. I ran with Joseph and had to leave Muhammad," sobbed this young mother of 20. "I thought I'd lost him." As soon as the worst of the waters subsided, Wantsema rushed back to her home and found Muhammad buried in mud. "I saw one of his hands, grabbed it and pulled him out alive." - 'So fast' - Thursday was market day in Wanjenwa and although it had been raining for a couple of days, witnesses said it was not unusually heavy and people were walking around meeting friends. "Until this week, the Sume was like a stream -- even children could play in it," said Amos Wabianga a 45-year-old farmer. "The first sign something was wrong was soil in the water which made it dark," said Michael Namutambo, a primary school teacher. "People didn't think it was a problem and didn't run. Then what followed was the real calamity -- rocks, timber. People couldn't manage the speed of the mudslide -- it was so fast," the 33-year-old said. "Whoever took this direction survived somehow," he said gesturing to the right. "Those who took the other direction died" The official death toll stands at 42 with 858 people displaced and an unknown number missing. - Improved monitoring - The government agency in charge of relief said a landslide in the forest high above the villages blocked the Sume river causing it to burst its banks and sending a cascade of huge rocks tumbling down the hillside. "The Bukalasi landslide-triggered disaster is the 67th registered between May and October this year," said a statement by Martin Owor, commissioner for disaster preparedness. He said there had been 67 landslides this year, but only this one had resulted in deaths whereas in previous years, every landslide had caused fatalities, attributing the improved preparedness to a community-based Landslide Risk Monitoring System. But Godfrey Mujuni a government meteorologist told AFP there was no early warning system in the area, with local people confirming that other than the standard seasonal advice, they did not receive any additional warnings. The government says families at risk of landslides across the country will be resettled elsewhere but villagers say the land offered them is unsuitable and promises remain unfulfilled. - 'Where should we go?' - Nathan Tumuhamye, director of an organisation which helps communities recover from natural disasters and conflict, told AFP that although several households had been resettled under a government programme, the scheme had largely failed. "People were being moved from mountainous land which is so fertile you could just throw a seed in the soil and it will grow, to areas which are extremely flat and where the conditions for farming are extremely different." Those living in vulnerable areas were hesitant to leave their ancestral homes and "felt a great psychological attachment to the mountains," he said. In March 2010, at least 100 people were killed in the same mountainous region, which lies on the border between Uganda and Kenya and is a high-risk area for landslides. Namutambo, the school teacher, was also caught up in that disaster and recalled how government officials turned up to register people for resettlement but took no further action. "They came and took our photos but then disappeared and never came back," he told AFP. "The place they told us to go in 2010 is land that floods and no one can farm," he said. "We have always been warned we should move but the question is, where do we go?" Huge boulders, some as large as cars or houses, litter Wajenwa village after Uganda's Sume river burst its banks "Until this week, the Sume river was like a stream," one farmer said, saying nobody had any idea of the tragedy waiting to happen The torrent of mud and rocks which came racing down the mountainside left people with hardly any time to run, witnesses said The Sume river in eastern Uganda runs through a mountainous area on the border between Uganda and Kenya which is at high-risk of landslides A second wave of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where an initial outbreak has already killed 125 people, a minister said Saturday. The latest wave is centred in Beni, a town in North Kivu near the border with Uganda, said Health Minister Dr Oly Ilunga. "We don't yet know the scale of it," he added. "The epicentre, which was in Mangina is now in Beni." The two towns lie about 20 kilometres (12 miles) apart. This second wave occurred as a result of community resistance to measures taken to tackle the disease, Ilunga said. "The epidemic in Beni is high risk.. and the situation is worrying." Two new cases were confirmed in the Beni region, according to health ministry statistics published Saturday, taking the total to 127 in the area since August 1. There were 35 other suspected cases. On Friday, the World Health Organization expressed concern over the growing number of cases in recent weeks, especially in Beni. The latest outbreak is the 10th in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976. Officials in Beni have announced measures to protect health workers after a number of incidents where response teams were assaulted. Fears and misconceptions about the virus have led to widespread mistrust and resistance to Ebola response workers, including those who come into communities wearing hazmat suits to orchestrate burials. A staff member of the UN peacekeeper mission MONUSCO was among the latest victims of the virus, the UN and health ministry said. The work of health officials is also hampered by violence in a region which has long been ravaged by armed conflict. The latest outbreak is the 10th in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976 Roger Federer admitted that he was lacking the "punch" of 13th-seeded Borna Coric after the Swiss great was turfed out of the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Saturday. The Croatian stunned the 20-time Grand Slam champion 6-4, 6-4 in what was an unusually error-strewn performance from Federer. The 21-year-old Coric will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final after the Serb thrashed Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-1, leapfrogging Federer to number two in the world rankings. Federer has not been at his best all week, dropping sets in the two opening matches of his wobbly title defence. The 37-year-old top seed was more like his old self on Friday, defeating eighth seed Kei Nishikori in two high-quality sets. But he made a slow start against Coric, ranked 19 in the world, getting broken in the first game. There was a subtle shake of the head when Federer similarly lost his serve at the start of the second set. "I thought he was better, I think he had more punch on the ball. He served better," said Federer, proclaiming himself pleased nevertheless with his form. "I feel like I'm explosive out there, returning well," he added. "Serving, I think, it's okay, could be even a little bit better. "I don't think I played a match where I didn't get broken, so that's something a bit more unusual for me." In contrast, Coric -- who is into his first Masters 1000 final -- was largely untroubled on his serve. Federer won the Australian Open at the start of this year but has had a mediocre season by his sky-high standards. He exited the US Open in the last 16 at the hands of unheralded Australian John Millman, ranked 55th, and only made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Coric, who has only two career titles, has now beaten Federer twice -- the previous time was in the final at Halle this year. Coric described Djokovic as a close friend. "I was looking up to him since I was really, really young," he said, calling the upset over Federer one of his best results. "It's absolutely there. If not the best one, then it's in the top two or three." - Ruthless Djokovic - Celebrating his 1,000th match in style, the 14-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was clinical against a shell-shocked Zverev. The 31-year-old is in imperious form and this was his 17th ATP victory in a row, as he taught the rising German star a lesson. Djokovic will be up to second in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday, but he is desperate to take injured Rafael Nadal's number one spot before the year is out. The Serb, who had elbow surgery in February but recovered to win Wimbledon and then the US Open last month, said: "Being number two after this tournament is also a great achievement, considering the first four, five months of the year and considering I had the surgery. "And where I was about four months ago and where I am today is quite an extreme opposite." The 21-year-old Zverev was off-colour most the match and bad tempered at times, angrily throwing his racquet at the start of the second set as Djokovic ramped up the pressure. An increasingly exasperated Zverev issued more punishment to his racquet at 3-1 down in the second, earning a code violation and tossing the battered piece into the crowd. "I did what, 24 unforced errors and seven winners? I don't think I'm beating anyone with that, to be honest," said the fourth seed. Roger Federer won the Australian Open this year, but has otherwise had a mediocre season by his sky-high standards Serbia's Novak Djokovic will become number two in the world after beating Zverev in the Shanghai Masters Final Fresh from his release after four years behind bars, Venezuelan opposition activist Lorent Saleh said Saturday he had seen the sunrise for the first time since he was detained as he arrived in Madrid. Emotional, the 30-year-old spoke to reporters and Venezuelans at Madrid's airport just a day after being freed from the cells of state intelligence services in Caracas. "After four years I can see the sunrise, I saw it today," he said. His release -- which was welcome by Spain on Saturday -- was such a surprise that he was still digesting it, he said. "In Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars," he added. They "deserve to cross the bridge like I did". His release came just four days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage. Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out. Saleh had in the past denounced what he said was the torture inflicted on detained activists and the deaths in custody. The United States and Venezuela's opposition say Maduro's authoritarian government has some 200 "political prisoners". The Venezuelan regime is struggling to manage the fallout from economic collapse in the once wealthy country, whose leaders are under US sanctions. Maduro, meanwhile, accuses the United States of manipulating the opposition in his country and of seeking to oust him. Saleh is the president of NGO Operation Freedom, which works to promote human rights, democracy and civil liberties in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America. He was kicked out of Colombia in September 2014 for illegal "proselytising activities" and the Venezuelan government says he has links with Colombian paramilitary forces. In 2017, he was one of the recipients of the European parliament's prestigious Sakharov prize for human rights, which went to several Venezuelan opposition activists. Lorent Saleh's release comes just days after another opposition activist, Caracas city councillor Fernando Alban, died in custody, provoking protests in Venezuela and international condemnation The tiny West African state of The Gambia will journey into its grim past on Monday as it begins a probe into atrocities committed under former dictator Yahya Jammeh. Dubbed the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), the panel faces high expectations of justice in this struggling young democracy. But it is far from clear whether the man at the centre of it all will ever be put in the dock. "Prosecuting perpetrators is a lesson to others that no amount of time or distance or power can prevent justice," human rights activist Madi Jobarteh told AFP. "Justice provides solace and relief to victims, even if it does not fully restore the rights, dignity and properties they lost, or ease the pain they endured." For 22 years, Jammeh was kept in place by a web of oppression that touched nearly every part of Gambian society. Death squads, disappearances, sexual violence, torture and summary detention were its hallmarks. - Need to heal - The nightmare -- but not the memories -- ended only when Jammeh was forced out in January 2017 after he stunningly lost elections to opposition leader Adama Barrow. He flew into self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea after regional countries intervened diplomatically and militarily. Despite taking the helm of one of the world's poorest countries, Barrow has earned much praise for sweeping away Jammeh's structure of oppression. But healing the wounds largely lies with the TRCC, a project inspired by the South Africa's famous post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Created under an act of parliament, it aims at using openness and a court-like approach to investigate how abuse began and became systemic and the impacts it had. Victims and witnesses will be invited to testify in public hearings, with specific sessions on certain themes or the role of institutions. The commission will be empowered to recommend financial compensation and advise prosecution of perpetrators. Eleven commissioners, drawn from all the major regions, its five main ethnic groups and two religions, will be sworn in on Monday. The panel, led by a retired UN diplomat, Lamin Sise, notably includes four women, one of whom is deputy chair. Gender-based violence is expected to be a major theme of the two-year mission. - Hundreds of cases - The Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations, an NGO set up by victims and relatives of victims, says it has already documented hundreds of cases, although the full extent of abuse may never be known. Political dissidents and the media were especially targeted. One such victim was the BBC's former correspondent in Banjul, Lamin Cham, who was picked up in June 2006 and tortured by Jammeh?s personal bodyguards at the headquarters of the dreaded National Intelligence Agency (NIA). "I was asked why I chose to report for a particular foreign media organization, and why I mentioned Yaya Jammeh's name on my reports," Cham told AFP. Senior members of the NIA are already on trial in a major case, and some members of Jammeh's ultra-loyal death squad, known as the "Junglers" are behind bars. - Challenges - In South Africa, the trail-blazing Truth and Reconciliation Commission began its work after an orderly, negotiated end to apartheid and democratic elections. But the TRRC does not enjoy the advantages of political closure. It must juggle the anger of victims with the resentment of Jammeh supporters and the absence of the former autocrat himself. The tense mood is reflected by brawls outside the trial which began last year of nine NIA officials, including its director general and deputy director general, accused of torturing to death a political activist, Solo Sandeng, in 2016. Marta Colomer of Amnesty International said the TRRC's immediate task was to ensure "people from all over the country fully understand its mandate and missions." "This will be key to managing the victims' expectations," she told AFP. "They suffered terrible human rights violations for many years and some of them have really high expectations of what the TRRC will be doing for them." - Shadow - The TRRC's work will unfold even as Jammeh continues to cast his shadow over the country. In July, the country was shocked by a leaked 10-minute audio recording between Jammeh and a senior figure of the former ruling party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). It was the first time, Jammeh's voice had been heard since he went into self-imposed exile. In it, Jammeh, 53, was heard laughing and cracking jokes. "I... once told Gambians that they will not know who I am until I leave that country," he said, in remarks that some feared were a hint of a comeback. Present but absent: The figure of former president Yayah Jammeh, now in self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea, will loom over Gambia's truth and reconciliation panel Protest: Hundreds of cases of abuse have been documented, but the full scale may never be known VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Congratulations to Sto:lo Xwexwilmexw Treaty Association (SXTA) and the governments of Canada and British Columbia on the signing of a unique Memorandum of Understanding that will advance the negotiations table to Stage 5 of the BC treaty negotiations process. The agreement establishes a revitalized living treaty approach based on government mandates for rights recognition and the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. With the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, the six First Nations of the Sto:lo Xwexwilmexw Treaty Association, Canada, and British Columbia are advancing their nation-to-nation relationship with innovative approaches to treaty negotiations, said Chief Commissioner Celeste Haldane. The BC treaty negotiations process is proving to be the best nation-building opportunity for Indigenous Peoples in the country through Indigenous rights recognition. SXTA is a multi-community First Nation representing six communities: Aitchelitz, Leqa:mel, Skowkale, Skawahlook, Tzeachten, and Yakweakwioose. There are approximately 1,435 SXTA members, with traditional territory in the Lower Mainland of south-western BC, centralized around the upper Fraser and Chilliwack River Valleys, lower Harrison Lake, and the lower Fraser Canyon. Chief Commissioner Celeste Haldane and Commissioner Tanya Corbet were in Leqa:mel last night to witness the signing and celebrate with the Parties. Quick Facts 38 First Nations, representing 73 current or former Indian Act bands, are in active or completed negotiations. As of October 12, 2018, there are 9 First Nations, representing 23 Indian Act bands, in Stage 5 of the BC treaty negotiations process: Kitselas and Kitsumkalum [Tsimshian First Nations], K'omoks, Lheidli T'enneh, Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw, Samahquam and Skatin, Sto:lo Xwexwilmexw, Te'mexw, Wuikinuxv, and Yekooche. There are 7 First Nations implementing modern treaties negotiated through the BC treaty negotiations process: Huu-ay-aht, Ka:'yu:'k't'h/Che:k'tles7et'h', Tla'amin, Toquaht, Tsawwassen, Uchucklesaht, and Yuuuiath. The BC Treaty Commission released its 2018 annual report on October 10. Read it online: http://bit.ly/2OlO1yL FOR MORE INFORMATION: Odette Wilson / Communications Advisor / t: 604-482-9215 / c: 604-290-4059 / owilson@bctreaty.ca Mark Smith / Director of Process / t: 604-482-9208 / msmith@bctreaty.ca About the BC Treaty Commission The Treaty Commission is the independent body responsible for overseeing treaty negotiations among the governments of Canada, BC and First Nations in BC. It has three roles: facilitation, funding, and public information and education. Visit www.bctreaty.ca to learn more about the Treaty Commission. A motorcycle carrying explosives blew up among supporters of an Afghan election candidate on Saturday, killing at least 14 people, officials said, in the latest attack on a political rally. Violence related to the parliamentary vote has killed or wounded hundreds of people in recent months and more militant attacks are expected ahead of Afghanistan's October 20 poll. More than 30 people were wounded in the explosion in the northeastern province of Takhar where candidate Nazifa Yousefibek had been campaigning, provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hejri told AFP. Interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said most of the 14 killed were civilians. "The explosives were placed in a motorcycle and detonated behind a tent where Nazifa Yousefibek was campaigning," Rahimi said. Yousefibek was not hurt in the blast. No group has claimed responsibility. Ambulances have been sent to the remote district of Rustaq where the attack happened, but officials also are seeking to airlift the wounded to hospitals, Hejri said. Khan Jan, who told AFP he saw the explosion, said there had been a powerful blast and "a lot of people" had been killed. More than 2,500 candidates are contesting the long-delayed legislative elections. At least nine candidates have died so far, most of them in targeted killings, according to the Independent Election Commission. A candidate was among eight people killed in a suicide attack in the southern province of Helmand -- a Taliban stronghold -- on October 9. No group has claimed responsibility. That incident came a day after the Taliban warned candidates to pull out of the "bogus" election, describing it as a "malicious American conspiracy". The group vowed to attack the ballot and those involved in it. An attack on a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar on October 2 killed 13 people and wounded more than 40. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, which the candidate survived. Violence had been expected to escalate ahead of the poll. Preparations for the ballot, which is a test run for next year's presidential vote, have been in turmoil for months and there has been debate about whether the vote should go ahead. Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of industrial-scale fraud and an eleventh-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the process, which is three years late. Some 54,000 members of Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces will be responsible for protecting more than 5,000 polling centres on election day. But there are concerns over how they will manage as the Taliban and the Islamic State group step up attacks across the country. Afghan volunteers transport an injured man on a stretcher to a hospital following a bomb attack on an electino rally in Taloqan Afghan relatives of victims looks on as they stand in front of a hospital following the attack Anwar Ibrahim won an overwhelming mandate in a parliamentary by-election Saturday, setting the stage for his return to frontline Malaysian politics and sealing the once-jailed opposition figure's remarkable resurrection. Winning the seat was a key requirement for Anwar to succeed 93-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who jailed his former protege and heir apparent on sodomy and corruption charges in 1998 when their relationship soured. Mahathir returned to the premiership this year after a shock election win, saying he would stay in power for only two years before handing the reins to Anwar. Figures from the Election Commission showed Anwar got more than 71 percent of the total votes cast in a seven-way contest -- which included a former aide who lodged the sodomy charges that landed Anwar in prison for a second time in 2014. "I am happy with the results. Allah bless us all," Anwar, 71, said after the victory, which marks the charismatic politician's stunning political comeback from prison to parliament. Anwar was in prison when he forged an unlikely alliance with Mahathir in a bid to unseat then-prime minister Najib Razak, who had called elections for May amid massive corruption allegations. Anwar said late Saturday he told Mahathir about the win and the prime minister was "pleased with the result". - 'Influential leader' - "In parliament, I will focus on assisting our MPs to embark on carrying out effective reforms," he declared. But James Chin, a Malaysia specialist at the University of Tasmania, said he expects Anwar to be appointed to the cabinet soon. "A person like Anwar cannot be a backbencher for long. He has to be in the cabinet," Chin told AFP. "I can guarantee you that people will now be calling this government the Mahathir-Anwar administration, a throwback to the 1980s." Underscoring the drama of Saturday's vote, one of Anwar's six challengers was Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the ex-aide who had accused him of sodomy, still illegal in the largely Muslim country. Saiful got only 82 votes. Polls opened under cloudy skies at 8am (0000 GMT) and closed nine and a half hours later in the sleepy southern coastal town of Port Dickson, home to a sizeable ethnic Chinese community that has traditionally been one of Anwar's pillars of support. "We are voting for the next premier. We need an influential leader to bring long-overdue progress to Port Dickson," said 60-year-old voter Lee Tian Hock. "This morning, I prayed to Allah for a big win for Anwar," retired truck driver Mat Taib, a member of the country's ethnic Malay majority, told AFP. "I want him to be our eighth prime minister." As Anwar hugged his wife and partymates, dozens of supporters erupted into shouts of "Reformasi" -- his battle cry while in opposition -- after he was declared winner. - Charismatic politician - There had been little doubt the charismatic politician would win the seat, which was vacated after a member of the ruling coalition stepped down to pave the way for Anwar's return. But he campaigned hard to secure the multi-racial constituency, promising voters development, clean government and a boost to local tourism. Anwar did not discuss the sodomy accusations on the campaign trail. He has always maintained the charges were trumped up to derail his political career. But he has campaigned doggedly on the multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1MDB, which led to dozens of corruption charges against former leader Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor. Both face the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in jail in a scandal that saw Najib's coalition lose office for the first time since the country declared independence from Britain in 1957. Political heavyweights including Mahathir have campaigned for Anwar during a comeback that was unthinkable even six months ago. The duo went onstage together at one campaign event, prompting wild cheers from supporters. After he was dumped as finance minister and jailed in the 1990s, Anwar led a reformist opposition movement while fighting to overturn his convictions. Mahathir, his mentor turned tormentor and now ally, came back from retirement to lead the Alliance of Hope coalition that won power in May. Anwar Ibrahim is expected to easily take the seat in Port Dickson Dozens of supporters shouted "Reformasi" -- Anwar's battle cry while in opposition -- as he was declared winner Political heavyweights including Mahathir have campaigned for Anwar in a road back to office that was unthinkable even six months ago Anwar Ibrahim won more than 71 percent of the total votes cast Two men have been arrested after it was alleged one of them raped a nine-month-old girl while the other filmed the attack. Tennessee men Dequan Hayes, 19, and Daireus Jumare Ice, 22, will face a grand jury on Tuesday on charges including aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. The men were reported to police in 2016 when the girls mother found footage of the attack, according to the Shelby County District Attorney Generals office. Isaiah Dequan Hayes (left), 19, allegedly raped a nine-month-old girl while Daireus Jumare Ice (right), 22, allegedly filmed it. Source: WREG/ CNN She was able to identify the men from the video. The release says investigators determined Hayes was in the video and Ice filmed it. Hayes also was indicted on a charge of aggravated rape of a child. Further Ice was indicted of being criminally responsible for the conduct of another person in the aggravated rape of a child. With Associated Press A father has been run over with a lawnmower after allegedly attacking his son with a chainsaw. Douglas Ferguson, from Bristol in Tennessee, has had to have his leg amputated after he allegedly attacked his son while he was mowing the lawn, The Bristol Herald Courier reported. It is alleged as Ferguson, 67, came at his son with a running chainsaw. His son defended himself by running his father over with a lawnmower. Tennessee man Douglas Ferguson, 76, allegedly attacked his son with a running chainsaw but was run over with a lawnmower. Source: Sullivan County Sheriffs Office and Getty Images (File pic) The incident happened in June but police only pressed charges on Tuesday due to Fergusons injuries. He remains in jail charged with second-degree murder. Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean former bishops for allegedly sexually abusing minors, the Vatican said on Saturday, after a meeting between the pontiff and Chile's president. The decision to expel former archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and former bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez -- the latest heads to roll in a country hit hard by the cleric abuse scandal -- is not open to appeal. Both were stripped of their priesthood "as a consequence of overt acts of abuse against minors", it said. The announcement came a day after the pope accepted the resignation of Washington DC archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests. Saturday's defrocking was "an extremely unusual, if not unprecedented" move, wrote Ines San Martin, a Vatican expert working for specialist Catholic website Crux. Defrocking is considered the Church's harshest penalty for priests, barring the offender from exercising any clerical duties at all, even in private. Scores of new cases involving the abuse of minors by priests have come to light in Chile, deepening a crisis in the Roman Catholic Church that has also embroiled Pope Francis. On Saturday, Francis met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the Vatican for talks on the "difficult situation" in Chile. They discussed "the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment", the Vatican said. The leaders "shared the hope that the church could live a true rebirth," Pinera said in a statement. A total of 167 bishops, priests and lay members of the church in Chile are now under investigation for sexual crimes committed since 1960. - Years of allegations - Fernandez became a bishop in 2006, at the age of 42, but resigned just six years later, allegedly for health reasons. It later transpired he had been accused of sexual abuse, sparking both a church and a civil investigation. "The civil investigation is still ongoing because he's never responded to a court subpoena to give testimony," Vatican expert San Martin said. Last seen in public in 2013, Fernandez has reportedly been living a life of penitence and prayer in Peru, she wrote. The allegations of abuse against Cox date back to the 1970s. The Vatican said he would remain part of the Schoenstatt Fathers institute in Germany. Now 85 and reportedly in poor health, the prelate has lived at the institute since 2002, San Martin said. In a statement, the Schoenstatt Fathers reaffirmed its "willingness to collaborate" with anything that the judicial authorities required. It pledged to "ask for a medical evaluation to determine whether it is possible for Francisco Jose Cox to return to Chile". Legal proceedings were initiated in Germany against Cox over the alleged abuse of a child in care in 2004, Deutsche Welle radio reported. - Good day for survivors - Francis has already apologised repeatedly to Chileans over the scandal, admitting the church failed "to listen and react" to the allegations, but has vowed to "restore justice". In May, the Argentine pontiff accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops following allegations of abuse and related coverups. Francis himself became mired in the scandal when, during a trip to Chile in January, he defended 61-year-old bishop Juan Barros, who was accused of covering up abuse by paedophile priest Fernando Karadima in the 1980s and 1990s. Karadima was suspended for life by the Vatican over allegations of child molestation. Francis eventually accepted he was wrong to defend Barros and subsequently accepted his resignation. On Saturday Juan Carlos Cruz, one of Karadima's victims, tweeted that it was "a good day for the survivors of these monsters". "Now it's up to the Chilean justice to do something!" Pope Francis has apologised to Chileans over the sex abuse scandal involving clergy, admitting the church failed "to listen and react" to the allegations Pope Francis's annoucement came after he met Chile's President Sebastian Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel at the Vatican Violent storms hit Portugal early on Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power before carrying heavy rain on into Spain, authorities said. Leslie, which was a category one hurricane but weakened to a post-tropical storm as it made landfall late Saturday, left 28 people with minor injuries, civil defence commander Luis Belo Costa told reporters. The region around the capital Lisbon and the centre of the country at Coimbra and Leiria were worst hit with trees uprooted, cars and houses damaged and local flooding reported. Aveiro, Viseu and Porto in the north also suffered damage with rescue services reporting a total of 2,500 incidents. The civil defence services said 324,000 people were left without electricity while more than 60 people had to leave their damaged homes and flee to safety. Power was being restored across the north and centre of the country during the morning. Leslie was dubbed a "zombie" hurricane as it first formed on September 23, only to meander through the Atlantic Ocean for weeks before making landfall. There were fears it could be the worst storm to hit the region in more than 150 years, but it weakened to a post-tropical storm before reaching the Portuguese coastline. "The greatest danger has passed," Costa said. "The north and centre were the worst affected." More than two dozen flights were cancelled in or out of Lisbon. At Mealhada, in Aveiro district, the roof blew off an indoor sports stadium putting an end to the European final of the women's roller hockey competition. Portuguese authorities had urged those living by the coast to batten down the hatches and stay indoors, while telling fishermen at sea to return to the nearest port. The beach resort of Figueira da Foz, near Coimbra, saw a peak gust of 176 kilometres per hour (109 mph), France's La Chaine Meteo reported. "I have never seen anything like it," one witness told SIC television. "The town seemed to be in a state of war with cars smashed by fallen trees," he said. "People were very worried." Only five hurricanes have ever arrived in this region of the Atlantic Ocean, and it had been feared Leslie could turn out to be the most powerful storm to hit Portugal since 1842. Over the past 176 years, only Hurricane Vince has made landfall on the Iberian peninsula, hitting southern Spain in 2005, according to weather records. In October 2017, strong winds from passing Hurricane Ophelia fed forest fires that killed around 40 people during a heatwave. Ophelia then made landfall in Ireland as a violent storm, killing three people. On Tuesday, intense rain sparked flash floods in the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, killing 12 people. The region around capital Lisbon and the centre of the country at Coimbra and Leiria were worst hit with trees uprooted, cars and houses damaged and local flooding reported Leslie smashed into homes in the beach resort town of Figueira da Foz, near Coimbra Hurricane Leslie weakened to a post-tropical storm before reaching the Portuguese coastline in the early hours of Sunday US President Donald Trump threatened Riyadh on Saturday with "severe punishment" if a journalist was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, as Saudi officials were to hold talks in Turkey about his fate. With the mystery over Jamal Khashoggi unresolved 11 days after he walked into the consulate and failed to reappear, a pro-government Turkish daily said the Saudi national had recorded his own interrogation inside the mission on an Apple Watch. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and lurid claims have been leaked to media that he was tortured and even dismembered. Saudi insists Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor whose writings have been critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left the building safely but has yet to offer visual evidence of this. The outcry surrounding his disappearance threatens to not just harm brittle Turkey-Saudi relations but also alarm the kingdom's supporters in the West and tarnish the reform drive spearheaded by the crown prince. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they (Saudi) deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. But he again voiced his reluctance to limit US arms sales to the kingdom, which analysts see as one of Washington's key potential levers. Trump, who has become notorious for his attacks on American journalists, added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter". - 'Sensational claims' - The Saudi delegation was in Turkey and due to have talks this weekend in Ankara and take part in a working group on the disappearance, official Turkish media said. The NTV channel said the 11 person delegation had on Friday inspected the consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh has warmly welcomed the creation of the working group but Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef slammed claims that the kingdom ordered Khashoggi to be killed inside the consulate. He described the allegations as "baseless allegations and lies". Ankara has so far trodden carefully in the controversy, with the most sensational allegations splashed in the pro-government press but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far stopped short of directly accusing Riyadh of wrongdoing. Turkey and Saudi have an uneasy relationship, with disputes over the ousting of the Islamist government in Egypt and the blockade imposed on Ankara's ally Qatar. But Erdogan has generally been wary of needling the oil-rich conservative kingdom and on Saturday again gave a long speech to supporters without mentioning the issue. The spokesman of Erdogan's ruling party, Omer Celik, acknowledged Saturday that there were "extremely sensational claims" about Khashoggi's fate in the media and said there would be "severe consequences" for anyone found responsible if they were true. "Far from the speculation, work is being carried out in the most sensitive way to find out what happened," he said in televised comments. - 'Recorded by Apple Watch' - The latest claims reported by the pro-government Sabah daily said that Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate which was synced with an iPhone left outside with his fiancee Hatice Cengiz. It said that the watch had recorded what happened inside the consulate and this was uploaded to his cloud, although Saudis sought to partially delete it. "The moments of Khashoggi's questioning, torture and killing were recorded on the Apple watch," said Sabah. Analysts say that Turkey is hoping to find support from its NATO ally the United States in the case, although Ankara-Washington have been in crisis over the detention for the last two years of a Protestant pastor. But the pastor, Andrew Brunson, was freed on Friday and allowed to fly home by a Turkish court, in a move that could help normalise ties. - 'Horrified' but still attending - Meanwhile Prince Mohammed's big October conference -- the Future Investment Initiative dubbed by media as the "Davos in the Desert" after the annual conference in the Swiss resort -- has suffered a litany of cancellations over the controversy. Key business figures like the chief executive of ride hailing app Uber -- into which the Saudi's own investment fund injected money -- are no longer showing up while media groups like the New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg have pulled their sponsorship. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that he still planned to attend, as did IMF chief Christine Lagarde. She said she was "horrified" by the case but has to "conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world and with many governments". Saudi Arabia hit out at accusations Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside its Istanbul consulate The missing Saudi journalist disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Turkish and foreign media have been camped outside the Saudi consulate all week Graphic on the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said Saturday, the first time either side has officially confirmed talks. The direct negotiations -- a longstanding Taliban demand -- were held as Khalilzad seeks to coordinate efforts with regional countries, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to convince Afghanistan's largest militant group to engage in talks. The meeting with Khalilzad and other American officials took place in Doha on Friday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. Taliban and US negotiators discussed a "peaceful end to the invasion in Afghanistan", Mujahid said, referring to the US-led intervention in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime. But the group made clear that the presence of foreign forces in the country was a "big obstacle" to peace. Both sides "agreed to continue such meetings", he added, without providing further details. In a statement, Khalilzad said all Afghans "must be a part of this reconciliation process", but he did not mention meeting with the Taliban. A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul declined to comment. - Win for the Taliban - In July, the Taliban reportedly met with US officials, including Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Neither side would go on the record to confirm that meeting, but there has been speculation since then that more talks were planned. The reported July meeting followed an unprecedented ceasefire involving Afghan security forces and the Taliban in June, which fuelled hopes that fighting could be brought to an end after 17 years. But a wave of attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months and a failed attempt at a second ceasefire have poured cold water on the nascent optimism for peace. The Taliban's decision to issue a statement on the meeting suggests it sees the talks with Khalilzad as a propaganda win, analysts said. The group has long called for bilateral talks with the United States, but Washington has repeatedly refused, insisting the process must be Afghan-led. But under pressure to break the impasse with the group, Washington appeared to change tack in June when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his country was prepared to "participate" in talks. "The meeting is a success for (the) Taliban. They were demanding to directly meet with the US for a long time and they finally got it," said Afghan political analyst Atta Noori. "Although they have not agreed on anything... they could bypass the Afghan government." A Western official in Kabul said the Taliban went public on the meeting because "it suits their propaganda". The Taliban statement was issued as Khalilzad returned to Kabul after a regional trip that began with his first visit to Afghanistan since his appointment last month as US envoy. On Monday, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior leaders in Kabul before travelling to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for further talks. On the same day Khalilzad met with Afghan officials, the Taliban issued a statement vowing to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, which the United States is helping to finance. Afghan-born Khalilzad, a high-profile former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, is known as a blunt negotiator with hawkish foreign policy views. Fluent in Pashto and Dari, Khalilzad's experience as a foreign policy operative in the country dates back to the 1980s, when he served as an adviser to the Reagan administration. Recently-appointed US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is seeking to convince the Taliban to engage in talks An unprecedented ceasefire in June fuelled hopes for peace, but a wave of militant attacks has poured cold water on that nascent optimism The Taliban insist that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan is a 'big obstacle' to peace The Taliban have vowed to target Afghanistan's upcoming parliamentary elections Thousands of Palestinians attended funerals Saturday for seven young men shot dead a day earlier by Israeli troops during fresh demonstrations along the Gaza border, an AFP correspondent said. Mourners, including leaders of the enclave's Islamist rulers Hamas, chanted slogans condemning Israel for shooting civilians and called on the international community to deliver justice. The Israeli army said five Palestinians had been killed during the protests Friday after they broke through the heavily-guarded border fence and attacked an army post. Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said around 20 Palestinians had crossed the border in an "organised attack" after an explosive device destroyed a portion of the fence. About five of those who got through the fence assaulted an Israeli army position and were "repelled", he wrote on Twitter. The enclave's health ministry said seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as thousands of protesters approached the heavily-guarded Israeli border. On Saturday, the ministry named the victims as: Ahmed al-Taweel, 27, Mohammed Ismail, 29, Ahmed Abu Naim, 17, Abdullah Daghma, 25, Afifi Atta Afifi, 18, Tamer Abu Armaneh, 25 and Mohammed Abbas, 21. The army said approximately 14,000 "rioters and demonstrators" took part in Friday's protests. At least 205 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since protests began on March 30. The majority were killed during border demonstrations, though others have died in airstrikes and tank shelling. One Israeli soldier has been killed. The protesters are demanding to be allowed to return to land now inside Israel, from which their families fled or were displaced during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of the Jewish state. They are also calling for Israel to end its crippling blockade of the strip. Israel accuses Hamas of leading the protests and using them as a cover for attacks. There had been hopes the protests would ease after a UN-brokered agreement to ease the strip's energy crisis took effect this week. But thousands gathered once again on Friday at sites along the border, AFP correspondents said. They added that Hamas leader Ismail Haniya also attended the protests east of Gaza City and hailed the ongoing demonstrations. The mother (C) of Palestinian Ahmed al-Taweel, shot dead by Israeli troops during protests along the Gaza-Israel border, mourns at his funeral in central Gaza's Nuseirat camp on October 13, 2018 Forget about the high-tech military challenges from China and Russia, the Pentagon is facing a fast-growing national security threat that could be even trickier to tackle: America's obesity crisis. A study released this week has found that nearly one-third of young Americans are now too overweight to join up, a worrying statistic for military officials already facing recruitment challenges. "Obesity has long threatened our nation's health. As the epidemic grows, obesity is posing a threat to our nation's security as well," the Council for a Strong America states in its new report. The Army last month announced it would miss its goal of attracting 76,500 new recruits in 2018. The shortfall is of about 6,500 soldiers -- the first time since 2005 the service had missed its hiring targets. A strong US economy and tight jobs market played a role, but the numbers highlight the dwindling pool of applicants the Pentagon has to draw from. According to the Defense Department, obesity is one of the top reasons why a stunning 71 percent of Americans aged 17-24 do not meet the military's sign-up requirements. "Given the high percentage of American youth who are too overweight to serve, recruiting challenges will continue unless measures are taken to encourage a healthy lifestyle beginning at a young age," states the study, entitled "Unhealthy and Unprepared." Other factors such as prior drug use or a lack of academic qualifications are also taking a toll. The report, compiled by a group of retired generals and admirals, notes that the obesity issue is a particular worry as it comes when fewer young people are interested in joining the military in the first place. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine general, last month said the shrinking pool of Americans eligible to serve was a "big concern." "It's a sad state of affairs when 71 percent of the 18 to 24-year-old males in this country cannot qualify to enter the United States Army as a private," he said. The problem should be addressed at the local level, he said, praising efforts of retired service members who are working in schools "to try to restore physical education where it's been taken out, to try to get school lunches to be things that fuel the body, instead of just giving them crummy food." - 'Pudgy soldiers' - The obesity problem persists even after boot camp. According to retired Army major general Jeffrey Phillips, the military spends more than $1.5 billion each year treating obesity-related health conditions and filling positions vacated by unfit troops. "I saw it myself: pudgy soldiers visibly pushing, or beyond, the 'height and weight' standards," Phillips wrote in a Military Times commentary. The new report says the Pentagon has recognized the long-standing obesity problem, and is taking steps to improve the health of its troops. One Army program, known as the Performance Triad, "aims to improve soldier readiness and encourage healthy behaviors, and to provide support to soldiers in these areas." The Army has also introduced a new physical fitness test that measures the likelihood recruits will go on to meet the physical demands of their selected military job. Many military facilities are equipped with top-notch gyms, and dining facilities on US bases around the world often provide nutritional guidelines. The report concludes that the solution lies in ensuring children and parents learn about the vital importance of healthy eating and physical activity from a young age. "Basic training lasts weeks, but building strong troops takes years. Encouraging healthy lifestyles early in life will help our nation prepare for future challenges," retired Air Force general Richard Myers said. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year found that 2.2 billion people worldwide are believed to be overweight, and more than one in 10 people are obese, fueling a global health crisis that claims millions of lives every year. Of the world's most populous countries, the United States leads the way in terms of obesity among children and young adults, at 13 percent. A study released this week has found that nearly one-third of young Americans are now too overweight to join up, a worrying statistic for military officials already facing recruitment challenges Marine Corps recruits arrive at a boot camp at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina in 2013 An acclaimed US charity operating in Liberia has admitted to major failings after girls at a school set up to save them from a life of sexual exploitation were systematically raped. "We are profoundly, deeply sorry," the charity More Than Me said on its website on Saturday after US investigative media said girls at a pioneering school in a slum had been repeatedly abused by the charity's co-founder, Macintosh Johnson. Some victims were as young as 10 and there are fears he infected some with the AIDS virus, of which he eventually died, the investigative site ProPublica said in a piece co-published with Time. "To all the girls who were raped by Macintosh Johnson in 2014 and before: we failed you," More Than Me said. "We gave Johnson power that he exploited to abuse children. Those power dynamics broke staff ability to report the abuse to our leadership immediately. "Our leadership should have recognised the signs earlier and we have and will continue to employ training and awareness programmes so we do not miss this again." The assaults took place at a school at West Point, a notorious slum in the capital Monrovia. It opened in 2013 to a blaze of publicity, becoming the first of 18 schools that More Than Me opened in the impoverished West African state to empower girls. The charity eventually raised more than $8 million in funding, nearly $600,000 of which came from the US government, and gained the support of Liberia's then president and Nobel Peace Laureate, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. ProPublica described Johnson as a "charming hustler" who insinuated himself with Katie Meyler, who created the charity. Meyler, an evangelical Christian, had come to Liberia to try to help the country after its emergence from 14 years of civil war. She threw herself into the task of helping girls in the slums. Back in the US, she rubbed shoulders with philanthropist Warren Buffett, TV star and activist Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities in her campaign to drum up donations. After some of the girls came forward to reveal what was happening, Johnson was suspended by the school and arrested. He was put on trial in 2015, but this ended in a hung jury amid suggestions of bribes, ProPublica said. He was facing a retrial when he died in 2016 from an illness that the site said was AIDS. In its statement, More Than Me said it had been "naive to believe that providing education alone is enough to protect these girls from the abuses they may face -? strong institutions, safeguarding policies and vigilance are needed to do that." Among the changes it had introduced, the charity maintained, was the providing of "private, school-wide HIV testing" to all students. The West Point slum in Monrovia is home to an estimated 90,000 people -- poverty, crime, drug addiction, rape and sexual exploitation of women are rampant Sean Williams hit a quick 41 to lift a struggling Zimbabwe team in the second Twenty20 international against South Africa at Senwes Park on Friday. Williams' 28-ball innings was a lone highlight as Zimbabwe were restricted to 132 for seven after winning the toss and batting on a pitch which looked ideal for run-scoring but which had some variable bounce. South Africa's pace bowlers held sway, with Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson and Robbie Frylinck each taking two wickets. Andile Phehlukwayo did not take a wicket but conceded only 15 runs in four overs. Left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was the only expensive bowler, taking one for 37, with his last over leaking 24 runs, including three sixes by Williams. Shamsi was South Africa's only specialist spinner following a decision to rest leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who was man of the match after taking five for 23 in South Africa's 34-run in the first match in East London on Tuesday. Williams' assault on Shamsi came after Zimbabwe scored only 73 for four in the first 14 overs. But the left-handed Williams fell in the next over when he was bowled by Paterson. Sean Williams' 28-ball innings was a lone highlight as Zimbabwe were restricted to 132 for seven Keith Batman is offering yard signs to supporters of his state Assembly campaign after sign thefts were reported in the town of Moravia this week. Batman, D-Scipio, shared a Moravia Republican Register story on his social media accounts Friday which describes the thefts. Residents reported that signs supporting the Assembly candidate and Democratic congressional challenger Dana Balter have been stolen. On Saturday, Batman issued a news release jokingly condemning the "brazen band of sign stealers." "Hey, I get it: Who doesn't want Batman merchandise?" he said. "In all seriousness, please respect your neighbors and leave their signs alone. If you'd like one for yourself, contact my office and one will happily be provided free of charge." Batman's campaign office can be contacted at (315) 563-1496 or by emailing info@batmanforassembly.org. It's not uncommon for yard signs to be stolen during the course of a campaign. In the 23rd Congressional District race, supporters of Democratic candidate Tracy Mitrano were blamed for the theft of yard signs placed by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Reed's campaign. Stealing yard signs from a residential property is a crime. Thieves could be charged with petit larceny and face jail time or a fine. Batman, a Cayuga County legislator and former Scipio town supervisor, is challenging Assemblyman Gary Finch in the 126th Assembly District race. Finch, R-Springport, has been in office since 1999. The 126th Assembly District includes parts of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland and Onondaga counties. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 3 As you might know, School Board Recognition Week is October 22 - 26, 2018. On behalf of all staff members at Cato-Meridian we want to thank our school board members for their tireless efforts to improve opportunities for our entire school community. Above all, our School Board members serve the children of this community. School Board members make the time to serve our community. They face difficult issues and demanding challenges, some of which people do not understand. A School Board members job includes an endless string of meetings and school activities to attend, reading reams of reports, agendas, proposals, and other information to think about and study. Our School Board members are tirelessly looking to grow and improve. Often they participate in professional development opportunities within Central New York or with the New York State School Boards Association. Our School Boards fiduciary responsibility is enormous and year after year our school district continues to score AA+ bond rating. The school board oversees our school budget of $21,360,267. Another strong indicator of success for our School Board is a very consistent school tax rate. They charitably give themselves to guarantee that decisions about our schools are made by community members. These are challenging times for all School Boards as they face tough choices while they take on a vast array of job responsibilities. Their ultimate goal is always on the future success of our students. We applaud their willingness to serve as advocates for our school district and for the voice of the public educational system. This week please take the time to tell a school board member how appreciative you are for their service to our community. Please thank our School Board members Mr. Mike Lees, President, Mrs. Kathy Bratt, Vice-President, Mr. Paul Byrne, Mrs. Carol Hunter, Mr. Todd Kacur, Mrs. Jenny Kyle, and Mrs. Monica Waite. These people truly make a difference. Dr. Terry L. Ward is superintendent of schools for the Cato-Meridian Central School District. All thank you letters are reprinted as submitted. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cayuga County will be able to provide additional DWI patrols during holiday crackdowns thanks to a more than $10,000 grant from the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation, the county announced Friday. The STOP-DWI Foundation awarded at $12,300 Crackdown Enforcement award to the county, which will be used to fund overtime patrols in a multi-agency partnership between the Cayuga County STOP-DWI Program, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, and the Auburn, Moravia, Port Byron and Weedsport Police Departments. The participating departments will conduct overtime patrols during crackdowns around Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Super Bowl, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor day. "We want to make sure Cayuga County residents are able to enjoy safe holidays with their families and friends, said Lloyd Hoskins, Cayuga County STOP-DWI coordinator in a release. "We appreciate the awarded funds that will help staff sobriety checkpoints and other high-visibility activities in the county." Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler said the funds would be crucial in allowing for proactive enforcement, and said he hoped no one would be arrested because they heeded warnings instead. "This community has suffered tremendously from past incidents of alcohol-related tragedies, so please remember, enjoy the holidays with your family and friends, but if you drink, do not drive, and get a ride!" Butler said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LAS VEGASMulti-talented director/performer/gay star Dominic Pacifico has announced a bold new project. Titled Repent, it's a Gothic story about young priests in an 18th-century monastery possessed by forbidden sexual desires. Shot in a rich, glowing palette and fog-infused light that evokes classical paintings, Repent offers up ten scenes of fetish and edgy sex between men who can no longer repress their attractions. The first episode premieres today on DominicPacifico.com. The sexy monks are portrayed by an all-star cast that includes Pacifico himself as a vector of dark smoldering sin, Casey Everett is an angelic priest who strays to the dark side, and Joseph Banks and Brodie Ramirez as incestuous brothers. Recent arrival Nic Sahara and veteran performer Fx Rios are also in the cast. Set in and around a Gothic-style chapel lit with dozens of candles, Repent shows director Dominic Pacifico aiming to deliver a visual tour de force. Ten erotic scenes run the gamut from raw sex and bondage to playful seduction with touches of humor. After the first episode premieres October 12 on the all-new DominicPacifico.com web portal, subsequent episodes will appear weekly with a full DVD release to follow. The rollout represents Dominics first major project since his relaunched website hit the internet in September, turbocharged by the technical and marketing expertise of new partner WebMediaProz/Zbuckz. Leaving marketing and web design to the experts at Zbuckz has allowed Dominic to focus on creativity, content and the artistic output of his studio. The director/star adds, "It was exhausting work taking on a big project like Repent, but it's fantastic how far it exceeded all our expectations. I can't wait till everyone gets a chance to see the finished product. It's major." Pacifico tested the waters with a few Repent scenes in the past, and finally this year was able to bring his full idea to life in this feature-length version. Combining sumptuous costuming, gorgeous locations and an enigmatic story, its the biggest gay adult project he has taken on, and its certain grab attention as it unfolds this season on DominicPacifico.com. Californias new net neutrality law will get its first day in court on November 14, to answer a lawsuit brought by the United States Department of Justice in what may provide the first indications of whether or not the nations most populous state will be permitted to protect open internet, or if the new federal rules giving more power to big telecommunications companies to determine what internet users may read, see and hear will stand up. The Donald Trump administration sued California immediately after the states governor, Jerry Brown, signed the new net neutrality bill into law on September 30. Attorney General Jeff Sessions condemned the states law as extreme and illegal. Net neutrality rules prevent big internet service providers from letting traffic from certain sites zip through the digital pipes at full speed, while other sites see their data blocked or slowed to a crawl. On Thursday, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission, which repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rules effective in June, gave a preview of how it plans to attack the California law, filing a brief in a separate case with a Washington, D.C., federal court claiming that the FCC has the authority to classify internet service providers not as telecommunications companies, but as information services, which are subject to much less government regulation than telecommunications, a classification created for telephone companies in the era when Ma Bell dominated the phone market. The Obama-era rules had classified ISPs, many of which, such as AT&T and Verizon, are also telephone companies, as telecommunications services, allowing them to be more strictly regulated by the FCC. In the Thursday brief, according to a Washington Post analysis, the FCC also claimed the investment by the big ISPs in improving their services and networks had slowed since the 2015 net neutrality rules took effect. But in an earlier brief filed by 22 states as well as the Mozilla Corporationmaker of the web browser Firefoxnet neutrality advocates scoffed at the FCCs claim that internet investment had been stifled, saying that the Commission had no evidence to support that claim. The FCC also disregarded the serious risk that providers will engage in abusive practices that undermine the open internet, according to the earlier brief filed by Mozilla and the states. According to the Post, most experts expect the battle over net neutrality to end up in front of the Supreme Court, where it could be decided on a 5-4 vote with new Justice Brett Kavanaugh providing the vote that kills the open internet. In a lengthy dissenting opinion from last year, when a net neutrality lawsuit came to the D.C. Circuit Court where Kavanaugh sat, he called the rules unlawful and said that net neutrality must be vacated. Photo by Cory Doctorow / Wikimedia Commons News US urged to help more people escape Taliban-led Afghanistan Private groups, particularly with ties to the veteran community, have played an important role in the evacuation and resettlement of tens of thousands of Afghans since the US ended its longest war and the government fell to the Taliban. Hurricane Florence floods Interstate 40. Photo from the N.C. Department of Transportation. $176 million for a Homeowner Repair and Rehabilitation Fund to help homeowners and renters. $180 million for the State Acquisition and Relocation Fund to buy out, acquire, and reconstruct homes outside the 100-year floodplain. $50 million for the Housing Finance Agency to address the shortage of affordable housing. $12 million for the Back@Home Rapid Rehousing Program. $20 million for small business loans and grants. $5 million in assistance for Historically Underutilized Businesses. $200 million for the NC Farmer Recovery Reinvestment Program to help farmers. $75 million for the NC Farmer Resiliency Fund for hog farm buyouts and incentives to convert open lagoons. $12 million in Commercial Fishing Assistance. $25 million for wastewater and drinking water grants to promote resiliency to help systems withstand future storms. $25 million to Golden LEAF to provide infrastructure grants to restore water and sewer systems and repair storm drainage systems. $25 million to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund for flood abatement and surface water quality protection and improvement. $5 million for a Dam Repair Cost Share Fund. $88 million for flood-mapping projects, flood mitigation studies and planning. $14 million to the City of Lumberton to support floodgates for the VFW Road underpass. $25 million to help local governments with an Emergency Repairs and Renovation Reserve. $25 million to Golden LEAF to help local governments repair and rebuild government facilities. $50 million to leverage federal transportation money to build more resilient roads to mitigate effects of extreme weather. $25 million in Flexible Emergency Funding for Public School Operations. $10 million for stay-in-school assistance to help university and community college students. $47 million for mental health services. $3 million for substance use treatment programs. $10 million to establish the Office of Recovery and Resiliency to streamline recovery programming and assistance. $13 million to Department of Environmental Quality to address critical operational support and staffing for responding to and recovering from disasters. $10 million in Rebuilding and Capacity Grants to help financially distressed local governments to support two-person rebuilding teams. $10 million in Emergency Financial Assistance Grants for local governments that need immediate cash flow assistance. $24 million in cash flow assistance to distressed agencies to help when federal awards greatly exceed small, local government operating budgets and cash reserves. Gov. Roy Cooper has asked the General Assembly to authorize $1.5 billion to cover the state's portion of what initial estimates show is nearly $13 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Florence.In a statement issued Wednesday, Oct. 10, Cooper said he wants the legislature to make $750 million available when lawmakers return in special session Oct. 15. The money would assist not only recovery but also moving people and businesses such as hog farms out of the flood plain.The governor's total spending request would exhaust much of the $2 billion amassed by state lawmakers in North Carolina's Rainy Day Fund.said Joseph Kyzer, a spokesman for House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland.Bill D'Elia, spokesman for Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, also thanked the governor while remaining noncommittal on specific requests.D'Elia said.Meanwhile, Hurricane Michael was nearing landfall in the Florida Panhandle, with a northeastern trajectory aligned with North Carolina. Cooper signed Executive Order No. 74 Wednesday declaring a state of emergency for 66 North Carolina counties. Additional counties could be added if needed. The order authorizes the use of state resources to help local governments, should expedite requests for federal or state assistance, and activates the state law against price gouging.Cooper also signed Executive Order No. 75 temporarily waiving the cap on maximum hours of service for trucks and heavy vehicles traveling in and through North Carolina. It lifts size and weight restrictions for trucks so farmers can harvest and transport crops and livestock more quickly when the storm hits. It can also help storm response vehicles and equipment moving into or through the state.Hurricane Florence caused 40 deaths, and damage was about the same as losses from Hurricanes Matthew and Floyd combined, said Cooper, who has spent the past month surveying the devastation. Residents remain displaced, businesses destroyed, farms and crops flooded, and transportation and public works infrastructure damaged.In his budget recommendation Cooper called for bipartisan cooperation to use state money to leverage federal disaster assistance funds. Other budget documents are available here Cooper said the statePreliminary estimates to handle damage and recovery were set at $3.9 billion to businesses, $3.4 billion to housing, $2.4 billion to agriculture, $816 million to utilities, water and sewer systems, $554 million to natural resources, $406 million to government property and revenue, $435 million to transportation, $297 million to education, $233 to health and human services, and $194 million in recovery operations.Cooper's recommendations include the following highlights: Should Beaufort County's commissioners be resolved to ask the federal government to defend our Southern Border by ending the Biden /Harris Open Border policy in regards to that one border that is intentionally made OPEN? Yes, Illegal Migrants are a huge expense to local governments. No, the cost of Undocumented Immigrants is insignificant in our providing a pathway for Dramatic Demographic Upheaval.. At Texas A&M, Chris Meyer, the associate vice president for safety and security, said that campus carry has had "virtually no impact at all." At Sam Houston State University, Phillip Lyons, dean of the College of Criminal Justice, says that he "expected it to be largely uneventful, and those expectations have been pretty much borne out." At Tarleton State University, an assistant vice president for marketing and communications reported that "Other than the accidental discharge incident, campus carry was implemented at Tarleton very smoothly and without incident." The accidental discharge incident refers to a concealed carry permit holder who accidentally fired his gun inside a dorm two months after the law went into effect. No one was hurt. The accidental discharge incident refers to a concealed carry permit holder who accidentally fired his gun inside a dorm two months after the law went into effect. No one was hurt. And at the University of North Texas, Erich Fritsch, chair of a campus carry task force and a criminal justice professor, noted that: "It's not the CHL [concealed handgun license] people who are going to be an active shooter." The fight for gun rights on campus is often contentious and generally does not favor the Second Amendment. But in August, pro-gun advocates won a major battle when a federal appeals court threw out a legal challenge by three University of Texas at Austin professors to Texas's "campus carry" law.Campus carry, approved by the Texas legislature in 2015 and implemented a year later, allows those with concealed carry permits to possess firearms on public college campuses. The ruling expanded a 20-year-old law by allowing concealed carry permit holders to carry firearms inside buildings, rather than only on campus property open spaces.In the two years since the law took effect, Texas colleges have been free of mass gun violence, much like previous years.When the proposal became law, professors statewide protested, and three UT-Austin professors brought a lawsuit against the state, claiming that it violated their academic freedom and increased the likelihood of violence.But the grave threat to academic freedom claimed by professors has been nothing more than fear-mongering. In fighting against campus carry, the professors argued that students able to carry firearms into their classrooms made them fearful of discussing controversial topics. Tempers might flare, they said, and the situation could escalate into violence. They were especially incensed that the law did not let them individually ban firearms from class.Some professors went so far as to transfer to another school or engage in performance art. Charles K. Smith, a community college professor at San Antonio College, came to class wearing body armor to protest the passage of a similar campus carry law for community colleges. Nobel laureate Thomas Sudhof refused to teach at UT-Southwestern because of theBut in upholding the campus carry law, the court said that the professors must provide concrete evidence that a concealed carry permit holder would be likely to resort to violence.Some Texas colleges have embraced the new law. At Texas Tech University in Lubbock, university leaders seem much less opposed to the law than the school's faculty. In an interview with a local radio show , Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec didn't seem to think much about the law:The issue, Schovanec noted, is now rarely discussed.Texas Tech's police department came out in support of the law too, arguing that it has made the school safer. Texas Tech police department Lt. Amy Ivey opined The police believe that the law deters prospective shooters who are intimidated by the possibility of armed students or staff at the school.Texas Tech University had an incident in which a student shot and killed a campus police officer in 2017, two years after the law passed. But the new law was irrelevant: the shooter was 19 years old and couldn't legally obtain a concealed carry permit. Of course, the new law did not act as a deterrent either, as proponents claim.Aside from Texas Tech, school officials across the state have shared similar sentiments Though these five schools have embraced campus carry, other public Texas colleges have only begrudgingly accepted the rule change. And most private colleges still prohibit concealed firearms on campus-only three colleges allow them: Amberton University, East Texas Baptist University, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.Even at UT-Austin, a hotbed of social justice activism , the campus carry debate has largely settled down since the initial flurry of activism. The administration has accepted the law despite faculty opposition, and the implementation of the law has been without incident. (Unless an investigation of one student who showed his concealed firearm for a New York Times article is considered an incident.)There was good reason to expect that this law was low-risk : for starters, it only applies to a small number of Texas college students. Under the law, openly carrying a firearm on campus remains illegal and gun owners must be at least 21 years old to obtain a permit to carry. Officials at UT-Austin estimate that only 500 students who live on campus are over 21 and fewer than 1 percent of those students have concealed carry permits.It is important to note that concealed carry permit holders are some of the most law-abiding people in the United States . A study found that, while the general Texas and Florida populations commit about 3,800 crimes per 100,000 people, concealed carry permit holders in those states commit about 2.4 crimes per 100,000 people.Since the campus carry law's implementation in 2016, it has been clear that the law has not put students at risk for firearm-related violence. Professors and students opposed to the law produced a great uproar over a non-issue. But the court decided that dubious claims of academic freedom do not allow public school professors to violate students' Second Amendment rights. This time, emotional outbursts on campus could not dictate policy and the Texas legislature produced a model reform for other higher education systems. 13. 10. 2018 cas cteni < 1 minuta 150,000 people demonstrated against racism and anti-immigrant rhetoric in #Berlin today. That's 25 (!) times as many as demonstrated against immigrants and refugees in #Chemnitz -- But who will be their voice in politics? (Pic by Markus Schreiber/AP) pic.twitter.com/RTkjwI1PVs Because of course they would. President Donald Trump's son Don Jr., along with pro-Trump extreme right wing media, are exploiting Washington Post contributing journalist Jamal Khashoggi's interviews with Osama bin Laden to imply that he supported Islamic terror, reports The Daily Beast. Khashoggi is reported to have been abducted, tortured, killed, and dismembered by agents of the Saudi government, inside their embassy in Istanbul. Will Sommer, Daily Beast: The latest attack on Khashoggi's reputation started Friday with Patrick Poole, a terrorism correspondent for conservative website PJ Media. Poole ran images from a 1988 article Khashoggi wrote showing Khashoggi holding a rocket-propelled grenade with fighters in Afghanistan opposing the Soviet Union. Khashoggi was among a number of journalists who interviewed Bin Laden in the 1980s and '90s. But the picture and article, Poole claimed, was proof that Khashoggi was "tooling around Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden." "He's just a democrat reformer journalist holding a RPG with jihadists," Poole tweeted. "Huh," Davis wrote. "It's almost like reality is quite different than the evidence-free narratives peddled by media with a long history of cooperating with or getting duped by Iran echo chamber architects." Trump Jr. then boosted Davis' post, retweeting for his 3 million Twitter followers the attack on Khashoggi. The State of Maryland got a bit of a surprise when the FBI informed state officials the contractor responsible for much of Maryland's voting infrastructure was, unbeknownst to Maryland, purchased by a Russian oligarch in 2015. Via CBS News: "We were briefed late yesterday, along with Governor Hogan, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the software vendor who maintains portions of the State Board of Elections voter registration platform was purchased by a Russian investor in 2015, without the knowledge of state officials," Maryland State Senate President Thomas Mike Miller, Jr. and Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch, said in a joint statement Friday. State officials say they were told they were told their voter registration system, ByteGrid LLC, is financed by AltPoint Capital Partners, whose fund manager is "a Russian" and largest investor is Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin. ByteGrid LLC performs a vast array of voting-related functions for the state, including voter registration, the state's online voter registration system, online ballot delivery and unofficial election night results. "While the FBI did not indicate that there was a breach, we were concerned enough to ask Attorney General [Brian] Frosh to review the existing contractual obligation of the state, as well as asked for a review of the system to ensure there have been no breaches," Miller and Busch said. We have also instructed the State Board of Elections to complete all due diligence to give the voters of Maryland confidence in the integrity of the election system. We are also asking the federal Department of Homeland Security Election Task Force to assist the State Board of Elections for any corrective action deemed necessary." Bafana Bafana are currently well placed in their qualifying group for AFCON 2019 but some key fixtures loom for them to ensure qualification. PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! Bafana Bafana are currently second in their group behind leaders Libya. Both have 4 points followed by Nigeria on 3 points. Seychelles are yet to collect a point. Although Bafana missed a glorious chance to assert themselves when they could only draw at home to Libya, an opportunity now presents itself. The home and away fixtures against Seychelles are arguably the easiest games ahead and Bafana should aim to get the maximum of 6 points. READ ALSO: SABCs offer for Bafana rights was discourteous fumes Danny Jordaan The first encounter takes place on Saturday at the FNB stadium with the away leg scheduled for Tuesday. To sweeten the deal for Bafana, their rivals Libya and Nigeria will inevitably take points from each other as they have a double-header of their own. If Bafana earn maximum points over the 2 legs while Libya and the Super Eagles play out to 2 draws, it would leave Bafana sitting pretty with a healthy lead at the top of the group. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story. Check out the awesome video below! Subscribe to Briefly Cartoons for more Animated Jokes! To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Source: Briefly.co.za Opinion / Columnist President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF regime, as the government of the day, had the legal obligation to hold free, fair and credible elections; the highest law of the land, the constitution demanded it, and they failed to deliver. There can be no debate on the matter; the elections were rigged."The right to stand was provided for, the elections were competitive and political freedoms during the campaign were respected," reads the EU Election Observer Mission Final report. "On Election Day, voters enjoyed the right to vote and both the campaign and election day were largely peaceful."However, the right to an effective legal remedy was not adequately provided for, there is no equal suffrage and shortcomings in the registration of voters somewhat compromised universal and equal suffrage. Notably, major shortcomings in the pre-election environment impacted on the free expression of the will of electors, state resources were misused in favour of the incumbent and coverage by state media was heavily biased in favour of the ruling party."Further, the electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner. The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability."Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards."President Mnangagwa and his regime's official position is that the elections were free, fair and credible. The regime has never acknowledged much less explain why ZEC results "lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability", for example.ZEC's task was to tally the votes for each presidential candidate from the 1 100 or so V11 forms from each polling stations in each of the 10 provinces. The only logical reason why ZEC officials could not tie the results to any relevant V11 is that they did this deliberately. A close look at the country's election history shows the Genesis of ZEC deliberately mudding the electoral process.In 2008, Zimbabwe had 2 000 polling stations and Robert Mugabe, the Zanu PF presidential candidate lost to Morgan Tsvangirai's 73%, by Mugabe's own Freudian slip. It too six weeks to cook the result and announce with the 73% whittled down to 47% to justify a run-off. In the 2013 elections Zanu PF increased the number of polling stations to 9 000 and this year it was over 11 000; a staggering 550% increase compared to 2008!The more polling stations the easier it would be to make the result untraceable!So President Mnangagwa and his junta blatantly rigged the recent elections and, as the EU reported also noted in its report, this is not the first time the regime has done this."Many previous elections have been contentious and with reports of abuses, and so while the commitment to hold credible elections by the interim president was welcomed, a legacy of the past was a low level of trust in the democratic process and institutions, which permeated the electoral environment," noted the report.Rigging elections is NOT a victimless crime! Zimbabwe is suffering from serious economic meltdown with the consequences of 90% soaring unemployment rate, the collapse of the country's basic services such as supply of clean water and health care, etc. have brought about heart-breaking human suffering and deaths. The people have failed to remove Zanu PF's office even when it was evident the party was corrupt and incompetent.The country has also suffered from political oppression with the Zanu PF ruling elite riding roughshod over the people's freedoms and rights denying them the right to free and fair elections and even the right to life. Over 30 000 innocent have been murdered to establish and retain the de facto one-party dictatorship that has ruled the country for the last 38 years. As the EU report, rightly noted, Zanu PF continues to terrorise the nation in pursuit of the one-party state agenda."Following the declaration of results, there were reports of violence, and human rights defenders documented over 150 human rights violations between 1-7 August, including retributive acts against supporters, agents and candidates of the opposition. Reports of such of such acts persisted in the post-election phase. "(On 1 August) Soldiers fired live rounds into the crowd leaving at least six people dead and 14 injured."The six murdered are part of the over 30 000 murdered and the "retributive acts" are to sow fear in the populous so come the next elections the regime will remind everyone the party will punish those who fail to vote for the party, "operation harvest fear" as the Zanu PF thugs call it.Indeed, the relative peace Election Observers noted was the party harvesting on the wanton violence of 2008 and 2013 elections!The age of criminal responsibility in England is 10. This means that you cannot be charged with a crime if you are younger than that, but there are other things that can happen. You may be banned from being in a public place between 9pm and 6am, unless you are with an adult.President Mnangagwa and his junta are criminally responsible for blatantly rigging the recent elections. The immediate question is what can the people do particularly when the regime has captured all state institutions such as ZEC, Con-Court, etc.?Still, there is one institution Zanu PF has not captured, at least not completely, the court of public opinion.The international community public opinion has given President Mnangagwa their verdict on the recent elections; Zanu PF rigged the elections. They have also dished out the punishment; the regime will NOT be receiving any economic assistance."We, in the international community cannot accept the result of the election and the UK government must take a lead to ensure that the Zimbabwean government is seen for what it is a mark 2 Mugabe regime and one that deserves no support whatsoever," stated British MP, Kate Hoey. She too was in Zimbabwe to observe the elections.The Americans have told Zanu PF leaders the targeted sanctions will remain firmly in place.The British government itself was slow in responding but respond it did. The outgoing UK Ambassador told the regime to its face "the electoral playing field was not level" and the next thing was the British called off talks they were spearheading to reschedule Zimbabwe's debt with IMF, WB, etc.There is no doubt that Zimbabwe needs massive foreign currency injection to kick start the country's comatose economy. President Mnangagwa himself has readily acknowledged this hence his now family "Zimbabwe is open for business!" dawn call. Sadly, they have been no takers.Investors have continued to shy away from investing in Zimbabwe because by rigging the elections Zanu PF confirmed the country is still a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs. No one wants to invest in a country whose next regime change is through yet another military coup or a river of blood following countrywide protests!The notable players missing in the Court of Public Opinion are the ordinary Zimbabweans themselves. It is Zimbabweans themselves who must now stand up and demand that President Mnangagwa and his junta must step down.What is the point of people demanding free, fair and credible elections if they are not going to do anything about it when elections are blatantly rigged!What is the point of demanding that no one should be above the law when we allow those who commit high treason to get away with it scot free!After 38 years of rigged elections it for the ordinary people to demand free, fair and credible elections and mean it. And what better way to show they mean it than demanding that the regime must resign because it rigged the elections.The EU EOM final report is clear, Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 30July 2018 elections. It is now for Zimbabweans ourselves to see to it that Zanu PF is punished for this treasonous crime against the nation. Zanu PF must be forced to step down and not be rewarded by being allowed to stay in power.If Znu PF remains in power to 2023, the party will rig those elections just as blatantly as they rigged this year and past elections. The time to act and demand Zanu PF to step down is now, not next year! NOW! By James Pomfret HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong authorities on Friday barred a former lawmaker from contesting an election next month given her past advocacy of greater autonomy for Hong Kong, in a decision critics called another instance of political and electoral suppression. Lau Siu-lai of the Labour Party was elected a lawmaker in 2016 but later disqualified from office along with five other pro-democracy lawmakers for taking improper oaths of office. Lau, who is also a sociology lecturer, will not now be able to try to win back her seat in a by-election in November. Hong Kong's government was widely criticized at home and abroad a week ago for effectively expelling a British journalist for hosting a speech by an independence activist at a press club. 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. Lau has advocated self-determination for Hong Kong, suggesting it should enjoy greater autonomy from China. The government said in a statement Lau did not comply with electoral laws "since advocating or promoting self-determination" contravened a legal requirement that all candidates must uphold Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, which states that the city is an inalienable part of China. Lau was also accused by an electoral officer of not accepting China's sovereignty over the financial hub. Lau was not given an opportunity to defend her candidacy with authorities before the decision. A small group of pro-democracy lawmakers and activists protested outside government headquarters, holding up banners decrying the decision as "political suppression". Hong Kong authorities in January banned democracy activist Agnes Chow from contesting a separate by-election, fuelling fears of tightening political "red lines" by Beijing that could deny Hong Kong's disaffected young people any political outlet beyond street protest. Another pro-democracy candidate and former veteran lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan submitted his nomination on Friday for the by-election that is crucial for the city's opposition to recapture their disqualified seats and veto bloc. "The disqualification is dirty play on the part of the government. They're trying to manipulate the whole election to benefit the whole pro-government camp," Lee told Reuters. "My objective is to win and I think we can win ... because the people are outraged. They are trying to deprive people of their political rights so I think the people will support me." (Editing by Janet Lawrence) BEIJING (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit China from Oct. 25 to 27 in the first official visit by a Japanese leader in seven years, China said on Friday, as the United States steps up trade pressure on Beijing and Tokyo. President Donald Trump has made clear he is unhappy over Japan's $69-billion trade surplus with the United States, and wants a two-way agreement to address it with the U.S. ally. He has also slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports for what he calls its trade abuses, prompting retaliation from Beijing. "We hope this visit by Prime Minister Abe can help consolidate and elevate mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and promote continuous new development in ties," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in Beijing. China welcomes investment from Japanese firms, he told a regular briefing, adding that increasing trade and economic cooperation between the two major economies benefits both them and the world. "We attach importance to China-Japan relations." Visits by Abe in recent years to attend multilateral events in China have not been considered official visits. In September, after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia, Abe said the two sides had agreed to work toward an October visit, in what was seen as a sign of warming ties between the two Asian rivals. "Both Japan and China share a big responsibility for the peace and prosperity of this region," Abe said in a speech in Tokyo on Friday. He added that he aimed to drive ties between the neighbors to a new level through mutual visits by their leaders and expanded exchanges between their people. Abe returned to office for a rare second term in December 2012, promising a hard line toward China in a territorial row over tiny islands in the East China Sea. Although the dispute simmers, relations have stabilized recently amid trade actions by Washington toward both countries. (Reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING and Yoshifumi Takemoto in TOKYO; Editing by Nick Macfie and Clarence Fernandez) HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's largest telecom-equipment maker, plans to invest 1 billion yuan ($145 million) over the next three year to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for its cloud business, it said on Friday. Zheng Yelai, president of Huawei's cloud unit, also said the company planned to start offering public cloud service in South Africa, as it is "a strong base from which to develop cloud business in the African continent". Huawei established BU in 2017 to go into the public cloud service market in China, currently dominated by Alibaba. Huawei already offers cloud services in Hong Kong, Russia and Malaysia outside mainland China. Huawei earlier this week unveiled two AI chips that it said are more powerful than existing chips in the market in an attempt to boost its cloud business. ($1 = 6.9154 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Sijia Jiang; Editing by Mark Potter) BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-led air strikes destroyed much of Syria's Raqqa while crushing Islamic State last year, but the coalition has done little to help it recover, rights group Amnesty International said on Friday. Nearly a year after the battle, 80 percent of the city is in ruins and thousands of bodies lie in the rubble, with funding to recover them poised to run out, said Anya Neistat, Amnesty's senior director of global research. "It's absolutely shocking in Raqqa how little over this last year has actually been done to bring life back to the city," she said at a news conference in Beirut after visiting Raqqa. "The coalition, given that they have the money to carry out this very, very expensive military campaign, should have enough money to work with its consequences," she added. Raqqa was the Syrian capital of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate and was retaken last year by a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition. The jihadists made it hard to take the city without killing civilians, blending in with the local population and using car bombs as they retreated from street to street. By the time Kurdish fighters tore down the group's last flag on October 17, entire districts lay in ruins, Reuters reporters covering the battle said. "30,000 houses in Raqqa have been completely destroyed and 25,000 are partially destroyed," said Neistat. So far about 2,500 bodies have been dug from the rubble. "To the extent that they are able to identify the bodies, they believe that the majority of them are civilians. And the majority of these civilians have died as a result of coalition air strikes," she said. "Nobody knows what's going to happen to the 3,000 bodies that still lie in the ground come 31 October when the funding for this team runs out," she said. The coalition says it works on stabilization in Raqqa, not reconstruction. "The number's around 3 million people liberated, which is a good thing. There was a lot of damage. I don't think the problem lies with coalition countries not wanting to help," said Colonel Sean Ryan, the coalition spokesman. He pointed to coalition countries not being able to work with the Damascus government, which opposes their presence, as an obstacle to channeling help. Amnesty in June said coalition strikes may have broken international law, which it denied. The coalition says it worked hard to avoid deaths and is transparent in its efforts to investigate. People in Raqqa said their main priority was education after suffering years of Islamic State rule, but the few schools that had reopened were heavily overcrowded and riddled with war damage, Neistat said. (Reporting By Angus McDowall, William Maclean) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google unit has told U.S. lawmakers it was considering "a variety of options" to offer additional services in China, but declined to detail plans for addressing Chinese censorship. The company has come under criticism after reports it was considering re-entering China's search engine market and would comply with its internet censorship and surveillance policies. In an Aug. 31 letter to six senators made public on Friday, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said the company was "thoughtfully considering a variety of options for how to offer services in China in a way that is consistent with our mission." The letter was reported earlier by The Intercept, a news website. Google declined to comment. Reuters and other outlets had reported in August that Google planned to launch a version of its search engine in China that would block some websites and search terms. The move would mark its return to a market it abandoned eight years ago on censorship concerns. Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said on Friday he was "really disappointed with Google's response," through the letter, to questions from senators about the company's plans in China. Google said it was "unclear" if it would move forward with a search engine in China, and that it was "not in a position to be able to answer detailed questions." "Their response to the Senate failed to provide any information about Google's reported plans to consider launching a censored search engine in China," Warner said. "Any effort to get back into China could enable the Chinese government in repressing and manipulating their citizens." In September, a bipartisan group of 16 U.S. House lawmakers asked Google to disclose precautions it would take to protect the safety of its users if Chinese regulators allow its search engine to operate. The letter said Google was "committed to promoting access to information, freedom of expression, and user privacy, as well as to respecting the laws of jurisdictions in which we operate." On Thursday, three other U.S. senators wrote Pichai to explain why it delayed disclosing vulnerabilities with its Google+ social network. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Paresh Dave in San Francisco; Editing by Will Dunham and Richard Chang) Michaelle Jean has lost her bid for a second term as secretary general of la Francophonie, as member nations opted for Rwanda's foreign minister to take up the mantle going forward. In a closed session Friday at the organization's biennial summit in Armenia, members of the organization of French-speaking nations chose Louise Mushikiwabo to replace Jean. The appointment was confirmed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office, which said there was "consensus" for the Rwandan lawmaker. Mushikiwabo had the support of France and several African Union countries going into the summit, and both Canada and Quebec said they would back the "consensus candidate," pulling their support for Jean earlier this week. Jean, appointed to the post in 2014, was the only secretary general to not hail from Africa since the post was created in 1997. Jean's final plea After a four-year term marked by controversy, the former governor general was considered a long shot for a second stint. But Jean refused to withdraw her candidacy as support dwindled. On Thursday, she made a final plea to member nations to hold onto the post without naming her Rwandan rival, warning them that rights and democracy shouldn't take a back seat to partisan ambitions. "At a moment when we march toward the 50th anniversary of la Francophonie, let's ask ourselves here in Yerevan, in all conscience and in all responsibility, on which side of history do we want to be," Jean said. Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press "Are we ready to accept that international organizations are used for partisan purposes?" Jean asked. "Are we ready to accept that democracy, rights and freedoms are reduced to mere words, that we make them meaningless in the name of realpolitik?" The Rwandan government, of which Mushikiwabo is a high-ranking member, has been accused by various humanitarian groups of flouting democratic rights and press freedoms. And in 2010, French was replaced by English as the national official language in Rwanda, particularly in the education curriculum. Story continues 'Outright wrong' Rwandan President Paul Kagame pushed back against the criticism in an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, saying that Jean's comments came across as bitter and angry, given consensus had formed around Mushikiwabo. "I think it was outright wrong," Kagame said of Jean's message. "To tell people who've made a choice that they are wrong that it should be her and not everyone else in that way, I think it displays the problem." Observers say Canada made a geopolitical calculation in choosing to abandon Jean in favour of the African camp, as Ottawa eyes a seat at the UN Security Council in 2020. African countries make up the bulk of the 54 states and member governments that voted Friday. At the United Nations, they represent more than a quarter of the member countries. Canada also had to consider its relationship with France. French President Emmanuel Macron had backed the Rwandan bid in a move widely seen as increasing that country's influence in Africa. Macron said Thursday that the future of la Francophonie goes through Africa. Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili and Premier Scott Moe got an early start on the coming fall sitting by trading barbs over climate policy. This week the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a 728-page report detailing how Earth's weather, health and ecosystems would be in better shape if world leaders could somehow limit future human-caused warming. The report caused widespread reaction from around the world. On Thursday, Moe, quoted a tweet from the head of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which used a figure of a $5,500 per tonne carbon tax, which was an example of a potential cost in year 2100. British Columbia's carbon tax is $35 per tonne, rising to $50 by 2021. The 88 per cent Moe is referencing in that tweet is this Angus Reid poll from July. The question was if Saskatchewan was right to oppose the carbon tax in court. The provincial government has filed a reference case to the court of appeal to see if Ottawa has the jurisdiction to impose a carbon tax on Saskatchewan. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has done the same in his province. Last week, Manitoba pulled out of the federal government's carbon tax plan. Last December, Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan released the province's plan to reduce emissions without a carbon tax. Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said the Saskatchewan plan "wouldn't hit our standard, because it applies only to heavy industry instead of being economy-wide." CBC SaskPower has committed to using 50 per cent electricity capacity from renewable resources and reducing overall GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2030. Saskatchewan's greenhouse gas emissions were 75 million tonnes in 2015, which was a reduction of 0.7 per cent from 2014, according to Canada's National Inventory Report 2017. Canada produces approximately two per cent of global emissions. Saskatchewan produces 10 per cent of Canada's output. In August, Duncan announced "performance standards" for large industrial emitters that, if successful, are expected to reduce the province's overall emissions by 1.1 per cent by 2030. Meili has said he supports the federal government's plan to put a price on carbon. The provincial NDP has said it disagrees with the provincial government's position and its climate policy but has yet to put forward its own position. The National Energy Board has laid out next steps for a review of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project's effects on the marine environment, and has given 99 stakeholders tight deadlines to make their submissions. The federal pipeline regulator is giving the company and key federal government departments until the end of the month to present evidence, while other Indigenous, industry and environmental stakeholders will have until Nov. 20 to file their submissions. Last month, the Liberal government gave the NEB 22 weeks to review the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project to consider the project's impact on the marine environment. Dr. Rob Steedman, the NEB's chief environmental officer, said he is prepared for a "very busy" period as the regulator works to meet the Feb. 22 deadline. "I'm not going to say it's not a challenge," he told CBC News. "The process is designed, as we always do, to make sure there's fairness and transparency on the information that's filed, that people can listen to the oral sessions, they can see all the transcripts and documents in public." Steedman said that because the subject areas for review are narrow limited to the impact of the expansion and increased tanker traffic on the marine environment, and specifically on the resident killer whale population the NEB is confident is can meet the deadline. He said he wouldn't "speculate" about whether those impacts could be considered too great to be overcome with mitigation measures. "We'll get the evidence from everyone that has it to offer, and who offered to participate, and the board will have to consider those facts," he said. "They'll have to weigh the facts and consider the conflicting evidence which inevitably comes up." The NEB also revealed its review will assess the impact of increased oil tanker traffic out to about 12 nautical miles from the B.C. coastline. Story continues Steedman says the distance was based on comments received from interested parties. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation in British Columbia, one of the environment groups that sued Ottawa over its original environmental review of the project, said the distance doesn't go far enough. "From the get-go it looks like a political exercise, not an environmental one," Misty MacDuffee, a conservation biologist at the foundation, told the Canadian Press. MacDuffee said the 12-mile distance could leave out a number of endangered or at-risk whales. Raincoast had wanted the new review to extend 200 nautical miles from shore. Criticism from appeal court On Aug. 30, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the approval of the $7.4-billion pipeline project, which would nearly triple the flow of oil from Alberta's oilsands to the West Coast. The court criticized the lack of attention given to how increased tanker traffic off British Columbia's coastline would affect the environment, and said Canada's efforts to meaningfully consult with Indigenous people, as required by law, fell short. Earlier this month, the federal government announced that retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci will lead the new consultation process with Indigenous people on the project. Iacobucci will act as the federal representative, designing and overseeing the consultation with affected Indigenous communities. The government has said it does not plan to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal ruling that halted the project. With files from the Canadian Press. IZMIR, Turkey American pastor Andrew Brunson walked out of court a free man today after 24 months of imprisonment, including house arrest. A Turkish judge convicted Brunson on charges of providing aid to terrorist groups without being a member, while sentencing him to time served and lifting a ban on foreign travel, clearing the way for his return to the U.S. Brunson hugged his wife and shed tears of joy as he left the courtroom flanked by an American delegation. Making a statement in perfect Turkish, the Evangelical Presbyterian minister, who moved to Turkey in 1993, said, Im an innocent man I love Jesus, and I love this country. Brunsons release ends a sore diplomatic saga between Turkey and the U.S. Both President Trump and Vice President Pence have been outspoken in their calls for Turkey to release the pastor. After repeated attempts to negotiate a deal to secure Brunsons release, the U.S. responded with sanctions against Turkey, worsening an economic crisis that has seen the Turkish lira lose nearly 40 per cent of its value this year. Brunsons final hearing also came at an opportune time for Turkey as investigators continue probing the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. American pastor Andrew Brunson arrives at his house in Izmir, Turkey, in July where he was held under house arrest after his release from prison. (Photo: Emre Tazegul/AP) Brunson, who had maintained his innocence throughout the the trial, ran a small Evangelical Presbyterian parish in the coastal city of Izmir with about 50 members. He was active in humanitarian aid projects to serve Syrian refugees, and thats where Turkish investigators say he came in contact with members of terrorist groups. He was jailed in October 2016 amid accusations of having links to groups Turkey blames for a bloody coup attempt three months earlier. Several of Brunsons parishioners testified as witnesses, both for and against him. The final courtroom drama played out in a series of bizarre and dramatic surprises as several witnesses for the prosecution recanted their testimonies. One woman said she did not personally know Brunson. Two men contradicted their past assertions. When the newly appointed prosecutor asked them about past statements they made asserting that a parishioner a member of the blacklisted Kurdistan Workers Party was building bombs, both men said that the statements were rumors they had heard from the other. Story continues One witness accused another who testified against Brunson of holding a vendetta after he was kicked out of the congregation. Another witness was asked by the prosecutor why he believed Brunson was connected to terrorist groups. The man replied, I never saw any bombs or bombers, but Im a Turkish nationalist to me, all Syrians are terrorists. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: India and Azerbaijan has signed protocol on trade and economic, science and technology cooperation. It was signed at 5th meeting of India-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Science and Technology Cooperation (IA-IGC) held on 11-12 October, 2018 in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and Azerbaijans Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev. Highlights of meeting Both counties exchanged views on current economic situation and reviewed current status of bilateral trade, investment and their cooperation in fields of trade, economy, science and technology. They also emphasised to further strengthen and expand their cooperation in trade and investment, energy and hydro-carbons, transportation, SMEs, agriculture, food safety and environmental protection, tourism, culture, health and pharmaceuticals, space technology, education and scientific research, chemicals and petrochemicals and mining. Both sides also felt that bilateral trade was far below potential and there is need to step up cooperation to enlarge trade basket and increase bilateral trade and investment. Currently trade turnover between India and Azerbaijan in January-August 2018 was US $657.9 million. Both sides also agreed to take measures to enhance trade relations and expand business relations between the two countries. They also decided to send trade delegations to raise awareness regarding economic developments and reforms in two countries and have regular exchange of information about trade exhibitions, fairs, conferences and other business events. They also agreed to convene next meeting of IA-IGC in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. Malaysias Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has agreed to abolish death penalty for all crimes and halt pending executions. This decision was taken in pursuance of strong domestic opposition to colonial practice for being barbarous and unimaginably cruel which has put terrible stain on the countrys human rights record. It is also in line with move away from capital punishment in the rest of the world. Key Facts Currently capital punishment in Malaysia is mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms, treason and drug trafficking, among other crimes. The death penalty in Malaysia is exclusively carried out by hanging and has been legacy of British colonial rule. More than 1200 people are on death row in Malaysia. Background At present, the sentence of death penalty has been abolished in 103 countries, while penalty of capital punishment is still in 56 countries. There are still provisions for capital punishment in countries like China, India, America, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan and Sri Lanka. United Nations General Assembly passed the resolution in 62nd session in 2007 to impose universal restrictions on the death penalty. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) celebrated Silver Jubilee (25 years) on October 12, 2018. NHRC was set up on October 12, 1993. The silver Jubilee celebrations were held in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the function and appreciated role of NHRC. NHRC also released special silver jubilee logo and commissioned documentary titled NHRC: 25 years, Billion Hopes capturing the 25 years of its journey. It also organized Human Rights Mela and Human Rights Street Theatre Festival in New Delhi. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) NHRC is apex statutory watchdog of human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by Constitution or embodied in the international convents. It was established on October 12, 1993 as per t statutory provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It is multimember body consisting of Chairman and four members. President appoints Chairman and members of NHRC on recommendation of high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister. Its headquarters is located in New Delhi. NHRC can either take suo motu cognisance of cases through media reports or complaint filed by victim or any other person on his or her behalf or on basis of reports received from the police department. Functions of NHRC Governments premier think tank NITI Aayog has inked agreement with Microsoft India to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address challenges in agriculture and healthcare and promote adoption of local language computing among others. This partnership will help NITI Aayog to move beyond pilots and understand how to scale AI implementation in sectors characterized by preponderance of public goods. Key Facts Under the agreement, Microsoft will provide NITI Aayog advanced AI-based solutions to address challenges in agriculture and healthcare including farm advisory services, healthcare screening models at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and build capacity for AI through education among others. It will also support NITI Aayog by combining cloud, AI, research and its vertical expertise for new initiatives and solutions across several core areas. Microsoft will also accelerate use of AI for development and adoption of local language computing, in addition to building capacity for AI among workforce through education. Additionally, it will also promote STEM education in areas of AI studies and data sciences for young women in institutes identified by NITI Aayog. In 2000, American climber Tommy Caldwell faced an agonising decision that would forever change him and alter the course of his life: kill or be killed.Caldwell grabbed hold of life and chose to kill. He steeled himself and got ready to push one of his armed captors off a steep cliff face and into a dark abyss.Just 21 at the time, Caldwell was one of four gifted young rock climbers from the US who had found deep trouble in the remote Kyrgyzstan mountains.While sleeping in their portaledges, a kind of small tent which climbers fasten to rock so they can spend multiple nights on a big wall climb, Caldwell and his group awoke to the sound of bullets cracking into nearby granite. Splinters of rock zinged and sprayed around them.Some 300 metres below, four heavily-armed men fired a series of warning shots around the hopelessly vulnerable portaledges and the terrified climbers inside.Caldwell and his girlfriend, Beth Rodden, 20, Jason Smith, 22, and John Dickey, 25 were signalled to the ground. Leaving their kit inside the portaledges, the quartet of young Americans rappelled down.Waiting for them were four men from a militia group called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The rebels were also holding an enemy Kyrgyz soldier hostage.For six nights the American climbers were held captive by the rebels. They were marched through Kyrgyzstan's Pamir Alai range at night, and hid from Kyrgyzstan soldiers under boulders and inside rock cervices in the day. During the ordeal, the Kyrgyz soldier was clinically executed with two bullets to the head.With no warm clothes, and 3000 metres above sea level, Caldwell and the others quickly grew tired, cold and hungry. Their captors were not immune from the hardship.Several days in, two of the militia men split from the group. Later, a third rebel left the Americans in the hands of a sole hostage taker to go and find food.It was then that an increasingly spooked Caldwell and the others began to hatch an escape plan. They started scheming about pushing the last remaining rebel off a cliff during one of their night walks. It seemed like the only option. The big question was, who would do it?Caldwell asked his girlfriend Beth if he should throw the man over the edge. She said nothing. He took that as a yes. That night, as they walked, Caldwell crept up behind the rebel, grabbed him by the gun strap and sent him flying over the edge. The man hit a ledge, bounced and fell into darkness.Now free, Caldwell and the others walked on and were eventually intercepted by the Kyrgyzstan army and taken by chopper to safety. They flew back home to America and into a media storm.REMARKABLE TWISTSpeaking with nine.com.au, Caldwell says the harrowing experience in the Kyrgyzstan mountains 'profoundly affected' him.'I went to Kyrgyzstan a boy and came back a man, in a positive and negative way. I had an idealistic view of the world before going there, and in a lot of ways that came crashing down. But in other ways it helped me build confidence and to become a more complex human being.'Back home in Colorado, Caldwell sat with the burden of believing he had killed someone. He became 'darker', more thoughtful and introspective.'I think Kyrgyzstan created this ripple effect. It really affected so many other things in my life. And one of them was I became very, very driven. And I kind of felt like I needed to live every day to its fullest. When you are that close to death, life seems so much more tangible and important.'In a remarkable twist, journalists from NBC's Dateline later travelled to Kyrgyzstan and made a startling discovery. The rebel Caldwell had pushed off the cliff was alive and languishing in a prison. Incredibly, he had somehow survived the fall.Caldwell felt a tremendous sense of relief at that news. But two other significant life episodes would again redefine him, and push him on to becoming the best big wall free climber in the world.A year after returning from Kyrgyzstan, Caldwell chopped off most of the index finger of his left hand while using a power saw. Left with just a small stump, it seemed the climbing prodigy's career would be irreparably impacted, if not altogether finished.Two years later, in 2003 Caldwell married Beth Rodden, the girlfriend who had been with him in Kyrgyzstan. The intensity of that shared experience, and its aftermath, fused the two together. But it was a bond that broke in 2010.'IMPOSSIBLE TO CLIMB'Caldwell was hit hard by the divorce. He went to the one place he had always found peace, climbing. Over the next five years, he began to obsessively plan an ascent up the never-before climbed 914-metre Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.Comprised of more hard pitches than every other route on the fabled El Cap combined, The Dawn Wall ascent is the most continuously difficult rock climb on the planet. The elite climbing community thought Caldwell was nuts.'The [Dawn Wall] face looked totally blank, it looked completely impossible to climb,' Caldwell remembers.'But having spent so much time on El Cap, I was the one person who knew even if it looks totally blank from afar there are actually little tiny edges that form on that type of rock; they're quite small and quite sharp.'Its 32 complex pitches required virtuoso skill. Caldwell also needed a partner. He found Kevin Jorgeson, a world-class boulderer from California but someone who had zero big wall climbing experience.For years the two ventured into Yosemite, exploring the individual pitches of The Dawn Wall, trying to work out how to piece the seemingly unsolvable puzzle together. Together, they exhausted 40 pairs of climbing shoes on those missions of discovery.When Caldwell first began to show him the route up El Cap's sheer face, and the level of extreme skill required, Jorgeson initially found himself overcome with disbelief.'I was like, 'seriously?' That is part of how we spent those five or six years in preparation, figuring out how to make these extremely subtle body positions work, and training our bodies to be able to make the impossible possible.'Jorgeson describes some of the miniscule hand and foot holds as like two credit cards pushed up flat against a vertical wall.'Imagine standing on that little edge and trying to grip those edges, maybe that would be a good analogy,' Jorgeson says.In January, 2015, Caldwell and Jorgeson captivated the world as they set out to climb the Dawn Wall. They spent 19 physically and mentally demanding days on El Cap, before making it to the top.Pitches 14 and 15 were always viewed as probably the most difficult part of the climb. At one point, following a series of falls and battling severely cut fingers, it looked like Jorgeson would not be able to move past this most critical juncture.As the pair's Dawn Wall mission gathered momentum, it had ignited a frenzy of global media attention. Television crews and reporters camped out at the bottom of El Cap, watching the drama unfold, including Jorgeson's repeated falls and struggles at 14 and 15.'That is definitely the most pressure I have ever been under,' Jorgeson remembers.'Sometimes you have to put yourself in a position to fail or in a position to experience so much pressure in order to discover what you are capable of.'Eventually he navigated through those pitches and the two made their way to the top, on the 19th day. Not long after, then US President Barack Obama sent a tweet to them both, acknowledging their incredible feat. 'So proud of [Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson] for conquering El Capitan. You remind us that anything is possible.'HARDSHIP IS INEVITABLECaldwell says it was El Cap's razor sharp cracks and vicious finger cuts that had almost thwarted their efforts. They climbed in winter because the skin on their fingertips was harder and more durable in the colder temperatures. They also did much of climb in the night and under headlamp, setting out about 5pm when the sun would leave the wall, until 1am. Any fractional advantage was searched for and taken.'For such a big brute it was crazy the climb could have come down to the skin on our fingertips,' Caldwell says.'I'm quite good with physical pain. And I'm kind of curious about the limits of mental pain. I'm always looking to push myself in those ways.'Caldwell admits he is 'a bit of a masochist'.In the 12 months after their ascent, which has been documented in the just-released film The Dawn Wall, life was dizzying in the media spotlight. Jorgeson says the attention eventually died down, and it was then that he experienced an unusual flatness with the years-long mission knocked off.The successful climb underlined the simple adage of not giving up, believing in yourself and going for it, Jorgeson says.'What I've learned is when your ambition exceeds your ability hardship is inevitable. If you learn to embrace that hardship, use it as fuel, then you are much more likely to overcome, and raise your ability levels to match what your ambition is.'The Dawn Wall is screening nationally in selected cinemas from 20 September, check the website for details:FOLLOW: Mark Saunokonoko on Twitter Sonic Booms And A Descending Rocket Falcon 9 Launch 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.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.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. Naval Sea King helicopter flew from INS Dega to Srikakulam on Friday for air dropping food packets and relief material in areas most affected by cyclone Titli. Visakhapatnam: A Naval Sea King helicopter flew from INS Dega to Srikakulam on Friday for air dropping food packets and relief material in areas most affected by cyclone Titli. The helicopter also carried the Diving Team, Gemini and an OBM. two Chetak helicopters were also deployed at Asika village at the confluence of Rushikulya and Bara rivers in Behrampur district of Odisha for relief operations. A diving team from INS Chilka is already at the site undertaking rescue and relief operations. INS Ranvijay has been diverted to arrive off Srikakulam by Friday evening to provide support for helicopter operations in the area. On Thursday, diving teams with inflatable Gemini boats and associated diving equipment from Visakhapatnam, which were pre-positioned at INS Chilka, were immediately deployed for rescue operations in Gopalpur district of Odisha. A naval Dornier aircraft undertook an aerial survey of the affected area and identified the flooded areas. Photographs of these areas have been handed over to the district administration. The Eastern Naval Command has been put on high alert since October 9 to provide assistance towards rescue and relief operations. The severe cyclonic storm Titli crossed the east coast of India between North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha. Ships, aircraft and diving teams have been kept on standby for immediate deployment for rescue and relief operations. New Delhi: Expressing his love for Pakistan once again, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has said that visiting the neighbour country is better than going to South India due to language and food problems. He also reiterated that he does not regret hugging Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. Sidhu was in Kasauli to participate in the 7th Khushwant Singh Literature Fest. The actor-turned-politician said, When I go to South India, I can hardly understand a word, except for two-three like vadakkam. I am okay with the food there. I can have dishes like idli but then I cannot have the South Indian cuisine for long. That culture is totally different. But if I go to Pakistan, they speak Punjabi and English and I can relate to them more. The statement gave birth to fresh controversy as the Punjab minister was already facing political storm after hugging the Pakistani army chief during Imran Khans oath-taking ceremony in Pakistan. He had later clarified that it was a spontaneous reaction after Mr Bajwa told him that Pakistan would open the Kartarpur border for Sikhs from Indias Punjab to visit to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. When asked about the hugging row, Mr Sidhu said that if Pakistan actually opens the corridor for Indian Sikhs, leave aside jhappi (hug), I would give him a pappi (kiss). Punjab is no longer the state it used to be. It was made up of five rivers, but two went to Pakistan after partition, he further added. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had backed Sidhu by calling him an ambassador of peace when he was criticised by the ruling BJP. Those in India who targeted him are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent - without peace our people can't progress, Mr Khan had said. I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com Phan Dinh Loi (L) is arrested in Ha Tinh Province on Thursday for human trafficking charges. Photo courtesy of Ha Tinh Police 28 people were being smuggled to Taiwan via mainland China, but an accident killed two on the way last year. Police in the central province of Ha Tinh have detained 30-year-old Phan Dinh Loi on human trafficking charges relating to a group of people taken to Taiwan late last year. Loi, a native of Nghe An Province in central Vietnam, was arrested Thursday for arranging the illegal transportation of the 28 people to Taiwan via mainland China. Police say that he collected nearly VND400 million ($17,183) from them in return for arranging their trip to Taiwan for illegal work. The workers were taken by bus to Lang Son in the north, which borders China. Here, Loi is said to have handed over VND180 million ($7732) to an unidentified woman for taking the group to the other side of the border. After successfully getting into China using small routes, the group continued their journey to Taiwan by boat. Around this time, two people in the group were killed in an accident about which no further information is currently available. The other 26 people were apprehended following the accident. Taiwan is a top destination for Vietnamese workers looking for jobs overseas. Around 67,000 Vietnamese workers were sent to Taiwan last year, accounting for half of the workers Vietnam sent overseas that year. Vietnamese customs officials at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi seize 13 rhinoceros horns and related items from South Africa. Photo by Vietnam News Agency Authorities in Vietnam seized 13 rhinoceros horns and related items from South Africa on Friday, just days after the seizure of 10 tons of illegal wildlife products Vietnam is a major consumer of rhino horn, which is believed to have medical powers, and a transit point for elephant ivory to consumers mostly in China and the United States, destined to be made into jewellery and home decorations. The country bans trade in rhino horn, elephant ivory and pangolins, but weak law enforcement has allowed a black market to flourish and supply a global multi-billion-dollar industry in animal parts and exotic pets. Authorities found nearly 34 kg (75 lb) of rhino horns was shipped by a sender in South Africa on a Qatar Airways flight to an individual in Hanoi who refused to pick up the package, local media reported. Vietnam has cracked down on illegal wildlife products as part of its commitment to a conservation treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Last week, authorities in Da Nang in central Vietnam seized around 10 tons of ivory and pangolin scales hidden in a plastic waste container imported from Nigeria. In 2016, the Southeast Asian nation carried out its first destruction of illegally traded ivory and rhino horn. The mother and son traveled through Gia Bac pass in Binh Thuan Province, one of the most dangerous mountain passes in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Vi Yen A 62-year-old Saigon woman has gone on a trans-Vietnam tour by motorbike together with her son, covering 5,795 kilometers in 28 days. Chau Chi Dat, a senior medical student, said he had intended to go alone but his parents demurred, and it took a few days to convince them. But then his mother, Truong Nho, thought it would be a fun experience and asked to tag along. Then his father began to worry about their safety. But with the help of his older brother, who had previously taken Dat on a backpacking adventure across Vietnam before, they managed to assuage his fears. It took them four months to plan and prepare for the trip, which began on July 17 in Saigon and ended on August 14 in Hanoi. Despite going on a similar trip in the past Dat had butterflies in his stomach before leaving. The day before departure he had kept checking the weather forecast and felt nervous as if he was about to take a really important exam. He took lots of medicines since he was traveling with his mother. He thought it would be important to always stay on high alert and away from risky situations. When they were at Van Roi pass in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands, locals told him about a shortcut, but there was a landslide on that route. Not wanting to take any chances, he decided to head back to Gia Lai Province and spent the night there. His caution had not been misplaced: there were reports of five landslides that night. 62-year-old woman, son travel across Vietnam by motorbike Son takes 62-year-old mom on a trans-Vietnam bike tour Dat said his mother was a very strong person and a true adventure seeker who had loved the thrilling feelings when passing passages in the central region. Her age did nothing to stop her from having fun. She did not once complain about her wonky back despite occasionally having to sit and give it a long rest. Their luggage made things a bit hard on their motorbike. So at one pit stop in Quang Ngai, she sent three kilograms of items like hangers, extra clothes and others home by post. She even sent back a book I was reading. Photo by VnExpress/Vi Yen Their favorite passage was the Truong Son Dong Trail since they could see the beautiful horizon sky line. For him, it is the loveliest spot in Vietnam and must-visit destination for any backpacker. He also gushed about the beautiful landscapes near Krong Hnang hydroelectric power plant in Song Hinh District in the south-central province of Phu Yen, saying it would be impossible for visitors not to stop and enjoy the breathtaking views. Halfway through their adventure, she suddenly felt uneasy and wanted to return home, and he had to persuade her to continue. When they reached Hanoi, Dat did not want to visit the northwest, and she encouraged him to keep going. How can we call it a successful trip if we do not visit Sa Pa town and Mount Fansipan?" she had asked him. The trip also made them realize the importance of spending time with family, relatives and friends. Dat would definitely do such a trip again if the opportunity arises. While the capital Hanoi and HCMC are must-see destinations in Vietnam, visitors sometimes miss out on other wonderful spots like Phu Quoc Island. Photo courtesy of Instagram account linhlaplalaplanh18 Malaysia's World of Buzz newspaper has written about the country's largest island in the southern province of Kien Giang, saying it would one day become one of the top destinations in Southeast Asia. Photo courtesy of Instagram account Chiara Breschi Stunning, pristine beaches The beaches and small islands around Phu Quoc are a perfect getaway on the crowded vacation scene these days. You can visit Sao Beach, Long Beach, Truong Beach, Hon Chong Island, Hon Rom Island, Thom Island, and more. The options are endless. Photo courtesy of Instagram account grishabuben Rich history Not many people know that Phu Quocs history is another magnet drawing visitors. Phu Quoc Prison witnessed horrifying scenes of oppression during war time. Ngu Well is also worth a visit. This is where Lord Nguyen Anh found a freshwater source while fleeing from the enemy. He was the founder of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), the last in Vietnams feudal history. Other popular sites are Trung Truc Temple at Cape Ganh Dau. Photo courtesy of Instagram account instaudreyttt Untouched nature Phu Quoc would not rise to stardom in Vietnams tourism landscape without its stunning natural beauty. Phu Quoc National Park is ideal for hiking, diving and kayaking. At Da Thoi Stream you can jump into fresh water and explore the wilderness. Photo courtesy of Instagram account instaudreyttt Spiritual relics When seeking to explore Vietnams culture, visitors intrigued by its spirituality often head for temples. Phu Quoc has plenty of them, with Ho Quoc Pagoda, Dinh Cau Pagoda, Su Muon Pagoda, and Cao Dai Temple (pictured above) being very popular with visitors. Photo courtesy of Tran Viet Anh Eat your way to paradise Restaurants serving seafood and delicious drinks dot the island, especially at the Phu Quoc and Dinh Cau night markets. Some highly recommended dishes are herring salad, mackerel soup, vermicelli, grilled porridge, grilled onion grease, and melaleuca and jelly beans. In its list of five up-and-coming Asia Pacific destinations not to be missed during the autumn, CNN in September chose Phu Quoc Island. Debris lines a street in Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Photo by AFP The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to at least 13 on Friday. Many fear the figure would continue to climb as search-and-rescue teams scour the debris of the Florida town that bore the brunt of the monster storm. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Florida Governor Rick Scott said of the town where Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. "It's like a bomb went off," Scott said as he toured the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. "It's like a war zone." Rescue teams were using sniffer dogs in Mexico Beach on Friday in a grim search for victims who may be buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that he expected the number of deaths to rise. A bulldozer clears up debris in Mexico Beach, Florida, following Hurricane Michael "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically but I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest hit areas," he said. "What's happening is search and rescue is trying to get into the rubble to make sure that there's nobody covered up, trying to assess if there's additional casualties there," Long added. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach -- homes, shops and restaurants -- were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155-mile per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. "Storm surge causes the most amount of loss of life." 'Sticks' State officials said Mexico Beach was under mandatory evacuation orders but some residents decided to stay and try to ride out the storm. "You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else," Florida Senator Marco Rubio told CNN. But judging from the number of homes reduced to "sticks," he said "my sense is they are going to find more victims." Bob Tenbrunson, a Mexico Beach retiree, rode out the storm at his daughter's house in nearby Panama City and returned to survey the damage to his home. "I was going to stay here until it turned to a Cat 4," he said. "So I followed the mandatory evacuation order and left with my wife. "Luckily we did not get a surge," Tenbrunson said of his home. "I've got two trees on the roof and a couple of holes on the roof. I have been trying to patch it up the best I can." The rest of Mexico Beach did not fare as well, and most of the beachfront homes, restaurants and stores were obliterated by the storm. Hurricane Michael was the most powerful to hit Florida's northwestern Panhandle in more than a century, and shredded roofs in Panama City. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here so I can't sell it now," Tenbrunson said. "I just have to be hopeful that (the town) will be rebuilt and fixed." At least four deaths from the storm have been confirmed in Florida, five in Virginia, one in Georgia and three in North Carolina. The latest two deaths in North Carolina occurred in McDowell County when a car struck a tree that had fallen across a road, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say it could be weeks before power is fully restored. Trump to visit President Donald Trump said meanwhile that he planned to visit Florida and Georgia next week. "People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia," Trump tweeted. "I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit -- and we are with you!" Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began in 1851. Many of the damaged Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. FEMA's Long expressed hope that in the future "we don't rebuild to the same standards" and called for "real building codes across this country." About 5,000 U.S. servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, the Pentagon said, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to the F-22 stealth fighter, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. The base was evacuated ahead of the hurricane and the costly fighter planes were flown to other installations out of the path of the storm. Ukrainian national police deputy chief Oleksandr Fatsevych has ordered a large police presence to keep public order around religious buildings ahead of the festival of Protection of the Holy Virgin. "It is necessary to bring police guards closer to all houses of worship, to guide all the teams of the response units of the patrol police and special police services, and to pay attention to all houses of worship, without exception, regardless of what religion they belong to," Fatsevych said during an action meeting held in the premises of the ministerial Situation Center on Thursday. Such measures are aimed to prevent possible breach of public order and ensure the security of people celebrating the Defender of Ukraine Day or participating in various religious services dedicated to the festival of Protection of the Holy Virgin. The measures are thought to prevent possible clashes or conflicts on religious grounds, particularly, those involving a seizure or blocking of any buildings or property belonging to churches, police said. On October 14, the Kyiv police will work in a beefed-up security regime, Ukrainian First Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Yarovy said. "On the occasion of the Defender of Ukraine Day and owing to the beginning of the process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, police and the National Guard of Ukraine will significantly enhance security measures. In particular, approximately 6,200 law enforcement troops, including 3,500 National Guard soldiers will be deployed to protect public order in the capital on October 14," the liaison department of the Kyiv police said in a statement. Police will also patrol more intensively streets and public gathering places in Kyiv, it said. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said that nearly four thousand military doctors took direct part in the provision of medical care in the combat zone and at the front of the defense, 46 military doctors were killed. Poroshenko said this in Mariupol, visiting 61st military mobile hospital, the presidential press service reported. "Today, the personnel of the combat brigades is fully provided with individual medical first-aid kits. Just as with bulletproof vests, assault vests and everything necessary for the protection of the Homeland. We have restored the infrastructure of military medicine. We have not only restored the infrastructure, but also adapt it to NATO standards in accordance with the Law on National Security," the president said. The president on Friday handed over to the military doctors 20 modernized sanitary vehicles. According to him, by the end of the year the medical service will receive additional one hundred cars adapted to the operation in severe field conditions. He laid flowers to the Memorial to the deceased military doctors and presented awards to the doctors and wounded soldiers. The Ministries of Defense of Ukraine and Japan have signed a memorandum on cooperation and exchanges in the field of defense. "The purpose of this memorandum is to create conditions for the promotion of bilateral cooperation and exchanges in the field of defense," the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The document was signed amid the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Japan on October 11-12, which was headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar and Ukraine's Deputy Minister for European Integration, Lieutenant General Anatoliy Petrenko, with the aim of "holding the first Ukrainian-Japanese security consultations." "Ukraine and Japan have signed a memorandum in the field of defense. A qualitatively new step for the development of defense and security cooperation. By the way, Ukraine is the first state of our region with which Japan signed such a document," Bodnar wrote on Twitter. Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted 26 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA), the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "Russian invaders opened fire on the positions of our troops 26 times. At the same time, the enemy used weapons banned by the Minsk agreements four times ... During the hostilities, one soldier of the JFO received minor injury," the JFO said on Facebook on Saturday morning. The enemy shelled Ukrainian positions near Zolote-4, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Novozvanivka, Troyitske, Svitlodarsk, Novoluhanske, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Taramchuk, Novotroyitske, Starohnanivka, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske. "The militants resorted to 120mm mortars, 100mm artillery systems, and cannons of infantry fighting vehicles to shell our strongholds near Novoluhanske, while the defenders of Troyitske and Svitlodarsk came under fire from 82mm mortars," it says. "Since Saturday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted two attacks on the Joint Forces positions near the village of Shyrokyne, using heavy machine guns and small arms. No heavy weapons have been used. There have been no casualties among the Ukrainian troops," the staff said. According to Ukrainian intelligence, two enemy troops were eliminated and another two were wounded. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova has said that the Russian side, in response to her requests, provides irrelevant information about the health of Ukrainian political prisoners in the Russian Federation. "Mikhail Fedotov [Head of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation] has responded to my appeal on the state of health of Volodymyr Balukh, Asan Chapukh, Bekir Degermendzhi, and Arsen Dzhaparov. The president's advisor of the Russian Federation wrote that Ukrainian Volodymyr Balukh was on hunger strike for a month only. No more than 200 days, as everyone counted, but only 30. And it seems that the political prisoner started eating at the end of April. But we all know that only on October 9, Balukh wrote a letter about the suspension of the protest during transfer to colony," Denisova wrote on Facebook on Saturday. According to her, the health condition of Balukh and three other political prisoners is assessed by Russian doctors as supposedly satisfactory, but they do not provide Kyiv with any medical documents. The crew of the Mi-24 helicopter from the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) shot down the Orlan-10 UAV on Saturday morning, which is on service with the armed forces of the Russian Federation, the JFO press center has reported. According to the Ukrainian military, the drone maneuvered, performing a reconnaissance flight along the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk route. "The JFO commander Lieutenant-General Serhiy Nayev made a decision to destroy the target by attracting a Mi-24 helicopter of fire support operations," the JFO said on Facebook. The drone was shot down at 09:58 near the settlement of Borovske (Luhansk region). Subunits of the ground forces of the JFO found its fragments and identified them. Russia must stop the supply of lethal weapons to its proxies in Donbas, the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine has said. "A picture is worth a thousand words. Russia must stop providing deadly weapons under cover of night to its proxies in eastern Ukraine. These weapons, including those @OSCE_SMM spotted by UAV, kill soldiers and civilians alike. Only Russia can bring an end to bloodshed in Ukraine," the U.S. Embassy said on Twitter referring to the information provided by the OSCE SMM. "In a non-government controlled area of Donetsk region near the border with the Russian Federation, an SMM UAV again spotted convoys of trucks along a dirt road where there is no border crossing facility in the middle of the night. One of the trucks carried an anti-aircraft gun," the OSCE SMM said. The Islamic Republic's judiciary has upheld the death sentence for an ethnic minority Kurdish citizen of Iran, his lawyer says. Hossein Ahmadiniaz insists the verdict against his client, Hedayat Abdollahpour is an unjust decision resulting from an "unfair legal procedure". The verdict has raised the number of Kurdish inmates on the death row in Iran to one hundred, Ahmadiniaz says. Based on the last census conducted in 2006, the four Kurdish-inhabited provinces in Iran West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah Province, Kurdistan Province and Ilam Province have a total population of 6,730,000. Kurds form a significant portion of this number. Hedayat Abdollahpour, who maintains his innocence, has lost the final stage of his appeal against the sentence. The verdict has been announced to his lawyer and family. Ahmadiniaz, the political prisoners lawyer told New York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), the twenty five-year old auto mechanic, Abdollahpour, was arrested on June 15, 2016, in city of Oshnouyeh (or Oshnavieh or Shonu in Kurdish) and later sentenced to death by a court in Urmia, northwestern Iran. The arrest took place after a clash between the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps forces and members of Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). However, according to the witnesses, Abdollahpour was not involved in the clash and he was called up to repair a vehicle, which he did and left the area long before the shootout. Even though he played no role in the clash and wasnt even there, the death verdict was issued against him said Ahmadiniaz, adding, One of the Supreme Court judges explicitly told me and his father that Hedayat was innocent because he had nothing to do with the clash and its aftermath, but the death sentence was confirmed because of pressure from Iranian military and security authorities in Kurdistan." Earlier, the Supreme Court initially withheld the primary court's decision, sending Abdollahpour's case for retrial to another court in city of Urmia. But on January 18, 2018, Abdollahpour was again condemned to death by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in the city of Urmia for cooperating with a Kurdish opposition group. Later, Branch 47 of the Supreme Court upheld the sentence on October 7, 2018. Citing the young auto mechanic's father, CHRI reports, "Abdollahpour was physically and psychologically tortured while in custody." Hes been under torture the whole time, the father reiterates, "But he is innocent. Our son never collaborated with the democrat party." There are 100 Kurdish citizens inmates on the death row in Iran, says Ahmadiniaz, without naming the convicts. Kurdish citizens condemned to death, Ebrahim Eisapour, Habibollah Latifi, Houshang Rezaei, Anvar Rostami and Mostafa Salimi are among the 100. Furthermore, three young Kurdish citizens recently were hanged in Iran. On September 8, hours after UN Rapporteurs urged Iran to halt the execution of three young Kurds, Fars, a news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), confirmed that they were hanged The three, all in their 20s, Ramin Hossein Panahi, Loghman Moradi and his cousin, Zanyar were sentenced to death for armed rebellion against the Islamic Republics establishment. In its latest annual report, London based Amnesty International said that at least 507 were executed in 2017 in Iran. Iran has been ranked second, after China, for executing convicts. While the impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran is deepening week by week, the Islamic Republic's official news agency, IRNA, says, the number of Iranians travelling abroad in the past six months has dropped by 13%, compared with the same period, last year. Nearly 28 million local and foreign passengers travelled through Iran's airports on 230,000 flights in the past six months, IRNA reported on Friday, october 12. According to the Ministry of Roads an Urban Development (RUD), the number shows a drop of 13% for internal and 10% for international passengers, compared with the last year [Iranian calendar ending March 20). Following the dramatic plunge of the value of the national currency, rial, and significant increases in the price of local and international air tickets, demand for air travel has dropped in recent months, in Iran. Meanwhile, the return of the U.S. sanctions against Tehran in August has forced many western airlines to halt their operations in Iran. British Airways (BA) suspended its London Heathrow-Tehran service on September 23, leaving Iran Air as the sole operator on the route. BA had argued that the route is no longer commercially viable due to fewer business travellers. A day later, Dutch airline, KLM also ceased operating the Amsterdam-Tehran route, blaming negative results and financial outlook. Soon, Air France and Austrian Air also joined their British and Dutch counterparts in leaving the Iranian market. Nevertheless, RUD's report shows that Iranian airlines, including Iran Air and Mahan Air have not been capable to fill the vacuum left by the European airline. Based on RUD report, during the past six months, Tehran's old airport, Mehrabad (opened in 1938) was the busiest across the country, with 65,973 flights and relocating 7,665,864 passengers. Mashhad and Tehran's Imam airports ranked second and third with nearly 35,000 flights, more than five million passengers, 27,569 flights and below 4.5 million passengers, respectively. Citing experts and analysts, the local news outlets had earlier warned that rising ticket prices and fewer travellers were detrimental to the "existence" of Iranian airlines. Latest estimates show that 60% to 70% of the operating cost of local airlines are paid with foreign currencies, forcing them to raise ticket prices. The rise of cost and prices have been "shocking", to the extent that President Hassan Rouhani ordered his officials to try to reduce it. In the meantime, according to another report, "After strong growth in 2016 and 2017 (following the removal of previous sanctions), Iran-Western Europe seat capacity is set to fall by 30% this winter." Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 13. 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. 13 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The legal logic says that the funds confiscated in Britain from Zamira Hajiyeva, the wife of the ex-chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Jahangir Hajiyev, should be returned to Azerbaijan, the Member of the Legal Policy and State Building Committee of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Gudrat Hasanguliyev said. "I believe the relevant agencies of Azerbaijan should also appeal to the British side. If there are evidences of the appropriation of funds of the state bank, the evidences should be submitted to the UK court," Hasanguliyev added. The Azerbaijani MP noted that after the completion of the trial, Azerbaijan should send an appeal for the return of these funds to the country. The UK government has passed a new anti-corruption law. According to the law, the owners of movable and immovable property with a high value must submit a declaration of the funds spent on the property. Hajiyeva was demanded to submit a declaration for a villa worth 25 million, but she could not provide information. As a result, the property was confiscated by a court decision. The case has now been transferred to the Supreme Court of Great Britain. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The Armenian side should properly assess the reality and avoid repeating mistakes of the previous regime, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told reporters in Baku Oct. 13. Hajiyev noted that the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan can create real opportunities for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and in the result, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, as before, can again live in peace and tranquility as part of territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has rich traditions of multiculturalism, representatives of various ethnic and religious communities have lived in the country in peace and prosperity since ancient times, he said. Azerbaijan promotes these values at the national and international levels, while Armenia is a mono-ethnic state, he added. The entire international community is aware and well informed about the crimes committed by the Armenian side in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, including the crimes committed in Armenia itself against various ethnic minorities, as well as the indigenous Azerbaijani population. Therefore, the Armenian side should rightly assess the reality, avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous regime, and, taking constructive steps to resolve the conflict, make efforts to ensure sustainable peace in the region. 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. Details added (first version posted on 15:10) Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Armenia is in every way impeding the contact of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told reporters in Baku Oct. 13. Hajiyev noted that the leadership of Armenia resorts to various statements and puts forward claims that distort the true essence of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. These statements are absurd and absolutely far from reality, he said. In particular, the attempts of the Armenian leadership to link the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with human rights, or the views that Azerbaijan allegedly demands territories in Nagorno-Karabakh without the Armenian population are completely unacceptable and far from reality. The reality is that the Armenian side occupied Azerbaijani territories and carried out military aggression against Azerbaijan. As part of the aggression policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan, numerous war crimes and criminal acts were committed against humanity, and this means gross violation of international humanitarian law. Hajiyev noted that the Armenian side even refutes the fact of the existence of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh, and in every way impedes the contact of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. I would like to remind Armenia that all international documents on human rights clearly and unequivocally indicate that exercising any other rights when human rights are violated is absolutely unacceptable, and this is the wrong approach, he added. It is enshrined in all documents on the protection of human rights that these rights are universal in nature, and should be equally ensured. It is obvious that such assertions of Armenia are nothing more than hiding the fact of aggression and occupation. Armenia is taking steps to deceive and mislead the international community. Hajiyev added that the fact that such appeals of Armenia coincided with these days is not accidental. Thats because an event called the Francophonie Summit is taking place in Armenia, and in this context, Yerevan aims to deceive the international community, Hajiyev said. However, all these steps are being taken in vain. The international community strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as part of internationally recognized borders, the Azerbaijani positions in this direction are constantly being strengthened, and this is supported by the documents adopted by international organizations. Armenia should put an end to destructive actions in this direction and take constructive steps to resolve the conflict. 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. Details added (first version posted on 15:41) Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The Armenian side should properly assess the reality and avoid repeating mistakes of the previous regime, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told reporters in Baku Oct. 13. Hajiyev noted that the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan can create real opportunities for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and in the result, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, as before, can again live in peace and tranquility as part of territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has rich traditions of multiculturalism, representatives of various ethnic and religious communities have lived in the country in peace and prosperity since ancient times, he said. Azerbaijan promotes these values at the national and international levels, while Armenia is a mono-ethnic state, he added. The entire international community is aware and well informed about the crimes committed by the Armenian side in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, including the crimes committed in Armenia itself against various ethnic minorities, as well as the indigenous Azerbaijani population. Therefore, the Armenian side should rightly assess the reality, avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous regime, and, taking constructive steps to resolve the conflict, make efforts to ensure sustainable peace in the region. 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. 13 By Ilkin Shafiyev Trend: The German embassy in Baku may implement the ASAN visa system for issuing visas to Azerbaijani citizens, Stefan Kaegebein, coordinator of the working group digitalization at the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, told Trend. The negotiations with the German side are held within the "ASAN visa 2 concept". It envisages the issuance of visas to Azerbaijani citizens to travel to foreign countries in a simplified form through the "ASAN visa" platform. The first stage of the project was aimed at facilitating the entry of citizens of other countries into Azerbaijan. "We would be very glad if the negotiations are successful and this will help simplify the process for Azerbaijani citizens to obtain visa not only to Germany, but also to other EU countries. I hope that this technology will be used." Kaegebein also said that German businessmen are interested in the development of relations with Azerbaijan in the field of information and communication technologies. "At the beginning of 2019, we will meet with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government to discuss the latest developments in the economic sphere," he said. "Today, the Azerbaijani economy is greatly dependent on the oil and gas sector. The ICT sector can make a great contribution to its diversification. In our view, there are good opportunities here." --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakhstan intends to resume grain exports to Egypt, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Egypt Arman Issagaliyev said at a briefing at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, according to Kazinform. "Kazakhstans Food Contract Corporation has expressed its intention to participate in tenders held in Egypt. In addition, we have hope for private business contracts for the supply of oilseeds and other crops worth $10 million have already been signed," he said. Issagaliyev added that Egypt is interested in creating a base of Kazakh grain on its territory for its further distribution in the region. Kazakhstan annually supplied about 1 million tons of grain to Egypt in 2008, 2009 and 2010. However, the supply of Kazakh grain was later stopped as a result of unstable political situation in Egypt. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $62.4 million in 2017, as much as $50.7 million of which accounted for Kazakhstans imports from Egypt, and $11.7 for exports. The trade turnover between the countries in the first half of this year reached $60.6 million. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Signing of the agreement between the energy ministries of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transmission line project took place In Ashgabat, according to Turkmenistan Today. The foundation-laying ceremony of this energy bridge was held in February with the participation of the heads of state and government of the countries involved. At this stage, issues related to the laying of transmission lines on the territory of neighboring states were agreed. In particular, the agreement defines the volume of electricity that will be supplied to Afghanistan via the new transmission line 300 megawatts to Herat and Kandahar cities each. In the future, they are planned to increase to 1,000 megawatts. For years Afghanistan has been receiving electricity and liquefied gas from Turkmenistan at discounted prices via the YmamnazarAndkhoy and SerhetabatHerat transmission lines. This summer, Rabat-KashanKalay-Nau border transmission line with a capacity of 100 megawatts per hour was commissioned for the supply of Turkmen electricity to Northern Afghanistan. "A lot of work has been done to implement this project, within the framework of which the Turkmen specialists have built a number of power supply facilities, including substations and transmission lines with a total length of 112 kilometers," Turkmenistan Today noted. In addition, a protocol of intent was signed between the energy ministries of the two countries on the construction of the Kerki-Hamyap-Garkyn transmission line. According to the program of socio-economic development of Turkmenistan, it is planned to increase the total volume of electricity to be produced in the country in the next seven years to 33 billion kilowatt-hours. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 13 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan has been fruitfully working with leading UK energy companies, such as BG Group, Shell, Buried Hill (Serdar) Ltd. and BP. This was stated during the Ashgabat meeting of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov with Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) of Great Britain, Lord Ashton of Hyde Thomas Henry Ashton. The prospects for bilateral trade and economic cooperation were discussed at the meeting, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Noting the important role of interaction in the international organizations, the parties considered further steps to expand cooperation, the message says. The parties spoke in favor of regular political consultations. Noting the need to expand cooperation in culture and education, the parties considered further steps to intensify the mechanism of learning English. The collaboration on environmental issues was also reviewed. British companies occupy a prominent position in the Turkmen market. Dragon Oil has been operating in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea since 1999 and is one of the largest foreign investors. Another company, Petrofac, completed in September 2013 a service project to develop the Galkynysh gas field, the second largest gas deposit in the world. Gaffney, Cline & Associates has been actively involved in an independent audit of gas fields. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: Interests of the Uzbek people are the top priority in agriculture, just as in other sectors, and it is necessary to cultivate crops that generate more income, press service of the President of Uzbekistan quoted Shavkat Mirziyoyev as saying during a visit to the Buka district in the Tashkent region. In the Tashkent region, Mirziyoyev was at the cotton field of the Valikhon Ota farm and got acquainted with the harvest process. The president held a conversation with the farmers of the region and the agriculture officials. In 2018, the weather was unfavorable for cotton growing. There was a shortage of water, the number of pests increased. Cotton growing lagged behind in development. It is necessary to not only cover costs, but also make a profit. To make tomorrow better than today, everyone must rely on their own strength. Today, the winner is the one who seeks and works, said Mirziyoyev. The president noted that it was time for farmers to see the fruits of their labor, and it is necessary to organize the harvest before the onset of inclement weather. In July 2018, the head of the republic identified urgent tasks for revitalization of cotton cultivation and crop harvest. In accordance with them, the necessary agro-technical measures were carried out in the Tashkent region. Cotton is grown on areas totaling 76,000 hectares in the Tashkent region, including almost 13,000 hectares in the Buka district. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Matanat Nasibova - Trend: Azerbaijan's Naxcivan Duz Istehsali LLC plans by the end of this year to increase the production of food and industrial salt, which may exceed 6,000 tons, director of the company Anar Asadullayev told Trend. He noted that every year the company produces about 6,000 tons of salt. "At the end of last year, the volume of production was close to this indicator, but we believe that by the end of the current year this volume will be above the specified figure. We plan to increase production in order to start exporting our products to other countries." "Currently, the produced volumes fully meet the needs of the domestic market in Nakhchivan. We sell our products throughout Azerbaijan." "Once we exported salt to Georgia, but due to the lack of demand in the Georgian market, the exports there were suspended. Next year, we plan to start exporting salt to Turkey, Russia and Iraq," Asadullayev said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.13 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: OPEC spare capacity fell below 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) in September, the lowest level since December 2016 when global oil inventory levels were much higher, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its October Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). "In June, members of OPEC, along with Russia, agreed to increase oil production levels to the original crude oil production target set in November 2016," said the report. " In the third quarter of 2018, OPEC members (other than Iran and Venezuela) increased crude oil production by more than the amount that crude oil production in Iran and Venezuela declined." However, according to EIA, recent price increases indicate that oil market participants have concerns about the ability of Saudi Arabia, other OPEC members, and Russia to continue to offset expected further production declines in Iran and in Venezuela. Increases in OPEC crude oil production to offset declines in Iran and Venezuela have resulted in declining OPEC spare crude oil production capacity, said the report. In December 2016, at a meeting of oil producers in Vienna, 11 non-OPEC member countries, including Azerbaijan, agreed to cut oil production by a total of 558,000 barrels a day. The agreement was concluded for the first half of 2017 and was extended until the end of the first quarter of 2018 at a meeting on May 25, 2017. At the last OPEC meeting in Vienna, the agreement was again extended until the end of 2018. Azerbaijan supported the decision. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.13 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Iranian barrels are declining fast, and Saudi Arabias promise to balance the market will face a reality check in a months time, the US JP Morgan Bank said in its report obtained by Trend. The Kingdoms oil minister stated that KSA is producing 10.7mbd in Oct18 and that it is providing every barrel requested by the consumer/buyer. "However, after taking 10.7mbd in our balances we agree that markets are just flat when we assume 0.8mbd of Iranian barrels out of the markets in 4Q18, and by 1Q19 we forecast at least 1.5mbd of Iranian exports out of the market." Iranian crude export has declined to 1.6 mbd in Sep18 as major importers scaled back significantly. Initial estimates suggest China, Irans largest crude buyer, surprisingly reduced imports by 145 kbd followed by Japan, which scaled back by 139 kbd to a mere 22 kbd in Sep18 based on Bloomberg data. India, on the other hand, raised imports by 80 kbd to 488 kbd. JP Morgan Bank believes India is front-loading and will reduce imports from Iran to less than half of what it is currently importing. "There is a risk that those imports could go down to zero in the next few months while India waits for further clarity on US sanctions on Iran and whether it can manage to get any waivers. This implies that more than 500 kbd of supply is at risk (after including India, EU, Turkey, and Japan from their current levels) once US sanctions come into force on 04 Nov." --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: The timing of signing of the protocol between Azerbaijan and Iran on the issue of coordination of the procedure of equal use of frequency resources in the border areas has been postponed, a source in Azerbaijans telecommunications market told Trend. The issue is under consideration by the Iranian side, and in this regard, a meeting with the participation of both sides is expected, where the issue will be considered, according to the source. "The timing of the meeting has not been agreed yet," the source added. The final protocol will be signed based on the results of the monitoring of the use of frequencies in the border areas. The agreement provides for streamlining the use of the radio frequency spectrum and reducing the likelihood of interference by radio-electronic means in the border areas. Earlier, the two countries reached an agreement on the use of GSM-band frequency resources in the border areas. The parties signed a protocol on equal use of 900 and 1800 megahertz frequency spectrum channels for GSM communication, which is aimed at eliminating cases of frequency crossing, as well as ensuring the normal functioning of mobile communication in the border areas. The agreement allows to streamline the use of the radio frequency spectrum, as well as to significantly reduce the likelihood of interference by radio-electronic means in the border areas. Azerbaijan signed a similar agreement with Georgia and Russia. Iran Embassy in Russia announced that officials of the two countries are to discuss opening of new consulates during the upcoming Sixth Joint Consular Meeting, IRNA reports. According to the Media Section of Irans Embassy in Moscow, the Sixth Joint Iran-Russia Consular Meeting to be co-chaired by directors of the consular departments of the two countries foreign ministries will be held in Moscow next week. During the meeting, various consular issues including accelerating issuance of visa, implementation of relevant agreements and cooperation in the field of easy access to consulates were discussed by the two officials. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Irans non-oil exports to European countries increased by an average of 26.33 percent in the first half of the Iranian year, compared to the same period last year, IRNA reported. In the first half of this year, 56.644 million tons of non-oil products were exported, according to customs clearance statistics. Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, France, England, Greece, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Portugal, Denmark, Croatia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic are among 100 countries where Iranian products are exported. At the same time, the US and Mexico were among the main countries for Iranian exports during the period. Compared with the first half of last year, Irans exports to these countries showed a 19 percent increase in terms of value. The European countries, which import the greatest share of products from Iran, are Croatia, England and Germany. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 13 Trend Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda said Dushanbe and Tehran could forge closer cooperation in the sector of energy. In a recent meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi in Dushanbe, Usmonzoda hailed the current level of ties between the two countries, the official website of Irans Foreign Ministry reported on October 13. He added that the two nations have great potential to enhance their energy ties. Usmonzoda also praised the performance of the Iranian companies and engineers in his country development projects. Sarmadi has traveled to Tajikistan to attend a two-day conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was expected to focus on boosting cooperation in fighting terrorism, besides deliberating on pressing regional and global issues. Tehran, Iran, Oct.13 Trend: Referred to the design and production of 13 new grades of polymer products, the Jam Petrochemical CEO, Seyed Hossein Mir Afzali said that by designing and producing these 13 grades of petrochemicals, the value added would be $50 million a year, which, if the product`s value chain complete, the value added will be $100 million per year. The capacity of producing more than 1060 new polymeric products per hour at the petrochemical complex has now been provided. According to need assessment, 40 percent of the new products will be consumed in the domestic markets and the rest will be exported abroad, the director of Jam Company for Commercial Affairs Saeed Shirdel said. In addition to Europe, as of the main target markets, the countries of the Central Asian, Caucasus, Russia, Turkey, India and China are also the markets of these strategic products, he said. The Jam Petrochemical Complex is the first and only manufacturer of three SBS, SB and LCBR products in seven major grades in the country's petrochemical industry, the chairman of International Affairs of Jam Petrochemical Company Hossein Safari said. The project will be operational by the mid-next year, he added. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The upcoming visit of the American president's national security adviser John Bolton to the South Caucasus and in particular to Azerbaijan confirms the interest of the American side in this strategically important region, Andrei Shenin, Professor of the Department of Regional Studies at the Gumilyov Eurasian National University, told Trend Oct. 13. Bolton will embark on visit to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia on October 20. Shenin noted that Bolton is a fairly well-known person in the post-Soviet area, and he is usually referred to the neoconservatives who gained fame during the administration of George W. Bush. We can assume with high probability that the main items on the agenda will be Afghanistan and energy issues that are crucial for the US in the region. Concerning Afghanistan, Bolton will reinforce agreements on transportation of cargo through ports of the Caspian Sea; as for the energy issues, the talks will possibly be dedicated to the business projects which are already being implemented, as well as the solution of the current problems." "As for Azerbaijan, at the moment the United States regards this country as an important strategic partner in the region. The large assistance for the American troops in Afghanistan will be delivered through Azerbaijan. At the same time, one should also not forget about the main pipelines - TAP and TANAP," Shenin said. He noted that the implementation of the large-scale Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which provides for transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is a priority for the United States. TAP, worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, and will be connected to another gas pipeline, TANAP, at the Turkish-Greek border. It will run across the territory of Greece, Albania, along the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, and then will go to the south of Italy. The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it. TAP's shareholders are: BP - 20 percent, SOCAR - 20 percent, Snam - 20 percent, Fluxys - 19 percent, Enagas - 16 percent, Axpo - 5 percent. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, George Kent, who is visiting Georgia on October 11-13, said U.S. is very supportive of Georgia holding a successful election, meeting international standards, CivilGe reports. We understand that elections in every country, including our own are, often times, the moments of heated rhetoric, but we do hope that the dialogue between Georgians can remain civil and in particular the members of civil society are not attacked for their rights as citizens to express their views, Kent said at todays press conference. He also underscored that tension between members in society and those in office is essential in every democracy, including U.S. and Georgia, but in healthy democratic societies there is a healthy balance and dynamic between those two. In Tbilisi, Kent met with Georgian leaders, presidential candidates, members of the business community and civil society, confirming U.S. support for Georgias sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. He said his visit also demonstrates his countrys support for Georgias ability to create a dynamic economy, and its strength of democracy so it can realize its goals of being a contributing member of both EU and NATO. The Moroccan authorities have redoubled efforts to crack down on illegal migration as the north African country has became a favourite route for migrants dreaming of reaching Europe, Xinhua reported. With Spain just 9 miles (about 14 km) away, illegal migrants are increasingly using the Morocco's Mediterranean coast to reach Europe. The UN Migration Agency said a total of 40,598 migrants and refugees had entered Spain by sea by Oct. 10 this year, three times more than Greece and about eight times that of Italy. Apart from those who entered Spain by sea from Morocco, thousands of others were stopped by Moroccan authorities from reaching Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish ports in the Moroccan territory, either by sea or land. The Moroccan government said its security services have thwarted at least 54,000 attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants into Europe in the first eight months of 2018, compared with 39,000 attempts a year earlier. About 1,900 boats used in illegal migration were seized, and 74 criminal networks active in human trafficking and illegal migration were dismantled, according to the statistics. In less than a week, the Moroccan navy arrested a total of 1,067 migrants off the country's northern coasts. The navy said it has been even "forced" twice this month to fire on boats carrying illegal immigrants. On Sept. 25, a Moroccan naval patrol opened fire on a speed boat driven by Spaniard, killing a 22-year-old Moroccan woman and wounding three others. On Tuesday, the Moroccan navy opened fire on another boat, wounding a Moroccan teenager. In addition to foiling migration attempts, the Moroccan authorities have also conducted regular preventative raids in areas where migrants suspected of planning to illegally travel to Spain stay, especially in the northern cities of Tangier and Nador. As a result of these raids, some migrants have been relocated from Morocco's north to the country's southern part, for fear that they will attempt to sneak into Spain. The country has also introduced voluntary return programs for the illegal migrants, in coordination with the diplomatic missions of the countries concerned. Official figures showed that some 1,400 migrants have returned to their countries of origin since the beginning of 2018. Faced with this unprecedented hike in illegal migration attempts, Morocco has repeatedly called for more involvement of the European Union (EU) to tackle the issue. In July, the EU agreed to spend 55 million euros (63.8 million U.S. dollars) to help Tunisia and Morocco manage their borders. Asked about this EU move, Mustapha El Khalfi, spokesperson of the Moroccan government, said at a press briefing in August that such support remained far below the efforts and prices paid by Morocco to stop these migrants from reaching EU countries. A strong cooperation, where the parties have fair share of responsibilities, has become more urgent than ever, the spokesperson said. The municipal government of Shenzhen plans to use tens of billions of yuan to provide liquidity support to listed firms and ease pressure of forced liquidations amid a downturn, Reuters reports citing the Shanghai Securities News. Under the plan, the city that hosts Chinas second-largest stock exchange will provide liquidity via loans and equity investment in select companies, it said, citing unidentified people familiar with the plan. The Shenzhen Composite Index .SZSC has fallen 32 percent since the end of last year, including a 10 percent drop so far in October. That has put shareholders who have put up shares as collateral for loans at risk of being forced to sell, which could further dent share prices. The liquidity support in Shenzhen would be carried out by Shenzhen government-owned investment platforms, the article said. The report said there are 281 listed companies in Shenzhen, of which 198, or 70 percent, had outstanding equity pledges as of Aug. 20. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray over the phone late Saturday to discuss international trade, Xinhua reported. During the phone conversation, Videgaray briefed Wang on the recent signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), saying Mexico is an independent sovereign state and the agreement will neither affect the exchanges between China and Mexico in any respect, nor lead to any restriction on bilateral trade, investment or political relations between the two countries. China is a trustworthy partner for Mexico, he said, adding that Mexico is willing to further develop the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Wang said China and Mexico, as comprehensive strategic partners, have always had mutual understanding, trust and support on major issues. Any bilateral or multilateral free trade agreement should not be directed against a third party or used to restrict other members' legitimate rights and interests, nor should it be in the vein of exclusionism, Wang said. Both China and Mexico are emerging economies and they should work together to safeguard multilateralism and the free trade system, he said. Three migrants drowned and 354 were rescued from dinghies in Spanish waters on Friday, the maritime rescue service said, Reuters reported. The nationalities of the dead and rescued were not immediately known. Spain has become the main entry point for migrants fleeing Africa to seek a better life in Europe, overtaking Italy and Greece, as Italys new populist government refuses to admit rescue boats. The Spanish coastguard found the three bodies and rescued 35 people from a sinking dinghy in the sea of Alboran in the western Mediterranean, after the vessel was spotted by a rescue plane, a spokesperson said. As of Friday afternoon, a total of 354 people had been rescued from nine boats in Spanish waters. While the numbers of people migrating are down across Europe, Spain has seen a sharp increase in arrivals this year. A total of 35,218 migrants had entered Spain by sea so far this year by the end of September, Interior Ministry data shows. This is more than three times the number for the same period last year. The UN envoy for children and armed conflict welcomed the release of 833 children on Friday by a vigilante group in northeast Nigeria, Xinhua reported. "This is an important development for boys and girls of northeast Nigeria whose lives have been deeply affected by violence and insecurity," said Virginia Gamba, special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict. She said the release of children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was the result of months of productive work and collaboration between a UN task force in Nigeria and the vigilante group. "We expect more children to be separated from the CJTF soon," said Gamba in a press release. Nigerian authorities will provide reintegration services to all released children, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund and partners. "We have an opportunity to help these children heal and rebuild their lives," said Gamba. "I call on all those who can support this process to work with us to ensure they have access to the best possible services." The CJTF was formed in 2013 to protect communities in northeast Nigeria and to support the country's security forces in the fight against Boko Haram. After intervention of the United Nations, the CJTF agreed in September 2017 to end the recruitment of children and to release all children from their ranks. While Friday's release of children is an important milestone for the protection of children in Nigeria, Gamba reiterated her concern that children in the country's northeast continue to be subjected to grave violations committed mainly by Boko Haram, said the press release. During the first half of 2018, 37 children, the majority of whom were girls, were used as "human bombs" to harm civilians. During the same period, 349 children were killed or maimed, and another 140 children were abducted, it said. Gamba is also concerned about children detained by the Nigerian authorities for their or their parents' alleged association with armed groups, it said. She appealed to the Nigerian government to consider these children primarily as victims, with detention used as a last resort and for the shortest period of time. She also called on the Nigerian government to adopt a protocol for the handover of children allegedly associated with armed groups to civilian child protection actors without delay. Japan plans to include 20 US-made advanced stealth F-35A fighter jets in its new medium-term defense plan for the 2019-2023, Sputnik reported citing Yomiuri Shimbun. Japan intends to have 42 such fighter jets in its Air Self-Defense Force by 2024 fiscal year, the Japanese newspaper stated. The new defense plan, which will be formed by the end of 2018, prescribes the additional purchase of 20 more such aircraft and all of them must be deployed in Japan by 2028 fiscal year, the publication said. The newspaper said citing government sources that procurement of F-35A jets is necessary to deter the growing military activity of China. The fighter jets will be stationed at bases located in Miyazaki, Ibaraki and some other prefectures. The F-35A is the most lightweight and low-cost version of the F-35 fighter jet. Earlier, the government of Japan planned to deploy 10 such aircraft during the financial year which began on April 1, 2018. Japan's decision to purchase more jets comes following the state government's approval of the largest budget in the country's history for the next fiscal year (starting from April 1, 2018) in the amount of 97.7 trillion yen ($897 billion) announced late last year. Defense spending increased 1.17 percent year-on-year to 5.19 trillion yen ($47.6 billion). The military budget increase was explained by North Korea's growing activity in the development of its nuclear and missile programs, as well as Tokyo's intention to improve its anti-missile defense. Russia and Egypt continue working on taking the multifaceted partnership between the two countries to a new level, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote in his article "Russia and Egypt: Time-Tested Friendship and Cooperation" published on the website of Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper on Saturday, TASS reports. Lavrov noted that political dialogue between Russia and Egypt is actively developing, and bilateral trade turnover is growing after "exceeding the level of $6.5 billion per year." "Cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres allows Egypt's armed forces and law enforcment to counter terrorist threats more effectively," the foreign minister noted. "New forms of cooperation in this sphere are successfully tried out. In October 2016 on the territory of Egypt and in September 2017 on the territory of Russia, joint anti-terrorist "Defenders of Friendship 2016" and "Defenders of Friendship 2017" drills were held between the air forces of the two countries," he added. Moscow and Cairo "consistently support the settlement of multiple crises and conflicts through exclusively political and diplomatic means, as well as uniting the international community for countering terrorism and extremism, and strengthening the regime of the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Lavrov said. "We are ready to boost coordination at different multilateral platforms, particularly with the aim of ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East, as well as observance of the right of peoples in the region to independently determine their future," the foreign minister stressed. "Thus, all necessary prerequisites are apparent for taking the multifaceted partnership between Russia and Egypt to a new level, in the interest of prosperity of our citizens, of maintaining global and regional stability," the Russian foreign minister concluded. The state commission set up by Russias State Space Corporation Roscosmos to probe the abortive Soyuz booster launch has never established any special group to study the option of deactivating the International Space Station (ISS), Roscosmos told, TASS reports on Saturday. "The state commission has not established any group for the issues of deactivating the ISS. This information has nothing to do with reality. The issue of the stations deactivation is not being considered," the Russian space agency said. Some media outlets reported earlier that the state commission probing the Soyuz booster launch incident had set up a special group to study the option of leaving the worlds sole orbiter crewless. Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Programs Sergei Krikalyov said that the International Space Station might be left without a crew and leaving it unmanned was a stipulated option but specialists would try to avoid this scenario. "Theoretically, the ISS can be left without a crew. An unmanned mode is stipulated. We will do everything possible to prevent this because the station was created for manned flights. The procedure to deactivate the station is prescribed but it is undesirable and we will try to avoid it," Krikalyov said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13 Trend: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said expressed hope that US and Turkey will continue their cooepration. Dear Mr. President, as I always pointed out, the Turkish judiciary reached its decision independently, he wrote on his Twitter account. I hope that the United States and Turkey will continue their cooperation as the allies that they are, and fight together against terrorist groups," Erdogan added. A Turkish court ruled on Friday to release the US evangelical Christian pastor Andrew Brunson at the center of a bitter diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington, a move that could be the first step toward mending ties between the NATO allies. The court passed a 3 years and 1-1/2 month sentence on Brunson, who had been charged with terrorism offences, but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016. The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Friday as President Donald Trumps administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, Reuters reported citing the Wall Street Journal. The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that American officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives. The Journal said it was not clear what the two sides discussed. Khalilzad, who is trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, is currently on his first trip as the special representative. His 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The State Department declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. We cant confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations, said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the spokesperson added. Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what were described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced very positive signals. The second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un is expected in the next coming months, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said in an interview, Sputnik reported. "We'll see a meeting, I think, between Chairman Kim and President Trump sometime in the next couple of months," Bolton said in an interview with broadcast journalist Hugh Hewitt published on Friday. Bolton said the combination of the potential use of military force against North Korea and the maximum pressure campaign brought the countrys leader to the negotiating table. If North Korea denuclearizes completely and irreversibly, then its country could have a very different future, Bolton added. The situation on the Korean peninsula improved this year since the leaders of North and South Korea began bilateral talks that resulted in a joint agreement to reach a peace deal. In June, the United States and North Korea reached an agreement requiring Pyongyang to denuclearize in exchange for sanctions relief and a halt to US-South Korean military drills. The death toll was expected to rise this weekend in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael as hundreds remained unaccounted for along the Florida Panhandle where decimated communities remained cutoff and in the dark, Reuters reports. As of early on Saturday, state officials were reporting that at least 18 have been killed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Rescue teams, hampered by power and telephone outages, were going door-to-door and using cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for people in the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities, such as Port St. Joe and Panama City. We still havent gotten into some of the hardest-hit areas, said Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday, noting that he expects to see the number of people killed climb. The Houston-based volunteer search-and-rescue network CrowdSource Rescue said its teams were trying to find about 2,100 people either reported missing or stranded and in need of help in Florida, co-founder Matthew Marchetti said. Social media websites were crowded with messages from those trying to reach missing families in Floridas Bay and Gulf Counties. Marchetti said his volunteer search teams, consisting mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters, had rescued or accounted for 345 others previously reported to CrowdSource Rescue. Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach on Wednesday afternoon as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, with winds of up to 155 mph (250 kph). It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding. The tropical storm, which grew in less than two days into a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, tore apart entire neighborhoods in the Panhandle, reducing homes to naked concrete foundations or piles of wood and siding. President Donald Trump thanked Turkey on Saturday for freeing US pastor Andrew Brunson after two years in custody and said it would help improve strained relations, but he denied cutting a deal with Ankara, Reuters reports. I dont make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey! Trump wrote in a tweet. Trump specifically thanked President Tayyip Erdogan for his help, drawing a curt response from the Turkish leader, who has repeatedly said it was a courts decision to make, not his. To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry. Disclaimer Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that 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, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. The festival that will be inaugurated at the Nishagandhi Auditorium on Feb. 4 will be screened at 12 theatres until Feb. 11. Paris [France], Oct 13 (NT): Amid the oppositions allegations and hullabaloo over the 2016 Rafale deal inked between India and France, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday visited to the production plant of French aerospace major, Dassault Aviation, in Argenteuil near Paris. Sitharaman also met Dassault Aviation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier here. Worth mention here The Defence Minister is on a three-day visit to France for the first India-France Ministerial level yearly Defence Talks. She took part in the meeting with her French counterpart Florence Parly. During the defense dialogue held on October 11 in Paris, the two ministers widely reviewed the whole extent of the bilateral defense cooperation. It is a key pillar of the India-France strategic ties. They also talked about contemporary regional and international developments of mutual interest. Both sides exchanged views on ways to extend defense-related official as well as operational level interactions. It was agreed to develop the scope and complexity of the regular joint exercises such as Shakti, Varuna and Garuda in the future. Recognising that India-France ties in the Indian Ocean Region is important for preserving and encouraging the mutual strategic and security interests. Both the ministers asserted the continuing implementation of the "Joint Strategic Vision of India-France cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region". During the visit, Sitharaman also addressed a special gathering on the 'India-France Defence Engagement in a Multi-polar World' at the French Military College's Institute for Strategic Research. This is a well-known think-tank for military and strategic affairs located in Paris. KATHMANDU: The natural disasters are creating havoc and becoming threat for the humans as on one hand India is facing destructive Titli cyclone and on other a strong storm hit its neighboring country Nepal. Due to this storm Seven people, including South Korean climbers, were killed and two more are missing on Gurja Himal mountain. Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank wedding: Guests sell Royal gift bags online upto 1,000 As per the reports of KZTV Action 10 New, Sharing information about the storm, police official Bir Bahadur Budamagar said that A storm Friday night destroyed their camp and two rescue helicopters sent on Saturday were unable to land due to poor weather conditions.The police official further added that Villagers who reached base camp Saturday afternoon found the bodies of four South Korean climbers, two Nepalese guides and another person yet to be identified, while the search was continuing for two more. Visit these ancient Goddess temples of India to make your navratri special Since the weather is main hurdle for the rescue operation and it is unlikely it would get clear therefore helicopter flights were likely to be possible only on Sunday. It is to be noted that Gurja Himal mountain is 7,193 meter high mountain and climbers from all around the world comes to climb this mountain. The climbers who died were also attempting to scale climb the mountain during the autumn climbing season. Wed., Nov. 17, 12-1 p.m. Lectures & Meetings Edwards Group, LLC is an estate planning and elder care law firm. They guide families through their legal, financial and care options as they navigate the journey of aging. This discussion will cover an introduction to basic estate planning and the legal documents involved. By the end of the session, attendees should have an understanding of the differences between, and when one might need, essential estate planning tools: Powers of Attorney, Trusts, and Last Will & Testament. Lunch & Learn Programs are free monthly, one-hour sessions offered to current, future and prior caregivers. AgeLinc, Your Link to Aging Well 217-787-9234 New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 83F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight A clear sky. Low 58F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. MELBOURNE, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The Australian Defence Force on Saturday said its deliveries of F-35 fighter jets from the United States were still on track, despite the planes being grounded after one of the aircraft crashed in September. All U.S. and international F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp were grounded this week so that fuel tubes could be examined in an investigation of the crash on Sept. 28 in South Carolina. The pause in operations of the warplanes would not "affect the delivery of aircraft to Australia", the ADF said in a statement, according to broadcaster ABC TV. Australia has taken delivery of nine F-35 jet fighters and has committed to buy 72, with all aircraft expected to be fully operational by 2023. The nine planes remain grounded at a training base in Arizona. "Australian F-35 aircraft currently based in the United States will return to flying operations once safety inspections are complete," the ADF said. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) A worker walks by rolled up steel sits in the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Mark Blinch By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada does not hold out much hope that Washington will quickly lift tariffs that it imposed on steel and aluminum exports and is resisting a U.S. push to agree to strict quotas, two sources familiar with the matter said. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the sanctions on Canada and Mexico in June, citing national security reasons. Although Canada and Mexico agreed a renewed continental trade deal last week, the measures remain in place. Canada is the single largest supplier of both aluminum and steel to the United States. Washington worries that nations could try to ship supplies through Canada and pretend the metals had been produced in Canadian facilities. In a bid to address those concerns the Canadian government - acting on a promise it made in March - on Thursday said it would impose new quotas and tariffs on imports of seven categories of steel from many countries to head off a potential rise in imports. A tariff of 25 percent will apply starting Oct. 25, 2018 to imports "in cases where the level of imports from trading partners exceeds historical norms", a government statement said. Mexico, one of the countries targeted by the new measures, said on Thursday it "lamented" Ottawa's decision and would seek to have its exporters' steel products excluded from the trade protections. Jerry Dias, head of Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, said the safeguards would keep out subsidized steel from China and South Korea. "It's also sending a message to the United States," he said in an interview. "Now that the issue is resolved, there's no meaningful reason for the U.S. to continue to punish the steel industry on both sides of the border." Story continues The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pessimistic about the chances of the U.S. tariffs being removed soon, said the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, given the sensitivity of the situation. In March, the United States signed a deal with Seoul whereby in exchange for an end to steel tariffs, South Korea agreed to cut exports by 30 percent of the past three years' average. During talks on the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), U.S. officials told Canada they wanted a similar arrangement for steel and aluminum, one source said, declining to give specific details. Canada rejected the demand and made clear any cap on the metals would have be at a level higher than current exports to allow room for shipments to grow. The source noted the USMCA stipulates that if Washington imposes autos tariffs on national security grounds, Canada would get a tariff-free passenger vehicle quota of 2.6 million units. This is well above current export levels. Two other sources directly familiar with the talks on metal quotas between Washington and Ottawa said the export limit the United States sought on aluminum would have caused investment in the industry to plunge. "It was so unacceptable that the discussions just ended before they began," said one source. Trudeau, who tried and failed to have the punitive measures removed before the USMCA negotiations ended on Sept. 30, said last week he was pressing Washington hard to remove the tariffs. The United States, Mexico and Canada are due to sign the USMCA at the end of November. The office of Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is charge of relations with the United States, did not respond to a request for comment. (Additional reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto and Dave Graham in Mexico City; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Sandra Maler) LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 12, 2018 / Charles Laverty made the announcement this week that Advanced Bifurcation Systems (ABS) has chosen a facility in Livermore California as its first manufacturing facility. ABS is a pre-FDA approval medical device manufacturer headquartered in Southern California. Laverty, whom serves as the company's chief executive, announced ambitious expansion plans late last year that he said would lead the company to soon seek FDA review of its patented, coronary stent platform. Charles Laverty says the facility is a crucial element in Advanced Bifurcation Systems' 2018 expansion plan and that the company will create an estimated 35 to 50 new jobs to start. This facility will serve as the company's global manufacturing hub through its application to the Food and Drug Administration. The company says that that facility has its own Class 10,000 Cleanrooms which will be certified to build and assemble the company's offerings. Ultimately, Laverty does expect the company to create manufacturing facilities for the company's products in other markets but says that Livermore facility has additional capacity which would allow it to meet large increases in demand. The Bay Area and Silicon Valley region is the world's top center of innovation and has one of the greatest collections of minds found anywhere. "Talent is the key to our mission," Laverty wrote, "and ultimately that was the most important factor in why we selected this area." While the company expects to create approximately 35-50 new jobs initially, following anticipated FDA review, the company could expand the facility to handle the anticipated large growth potential. "We will join many other great companies in exporting American innovations from here to around the world," Laverty says, "Ultimately, I do expect we will want to secure additional manufacturing outside the US." The Advanced Bifurcation Systems platform uses a novel mother-daughter system that Laverty says allows for more precise placement of stents, reducing failures and allowing for placement in bifurcations. Laverty has called heart disease the top global health challenge and notes that analysts expect the total coronary stent market will reach $10B in 2025 with bifurcation disease making up around $2.5B of that. Story continues Laverty has been an advocate for more medical innovation, particularly to address major, global health problems including the worldwide growth in heart disease. Advanced Bifurcation Systems was co-founded by Interventionist Cardiologist, Dr. Mehran Khorsandi of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Henry Bourang who serves as Chief Technical Officer and has amassed over 100 patents. Earlier this year, the company announced that Tom O'Neill had joined the company's board or directors. Charles Laverty says that the company has been awarded three dozen patents around the world and hopes to have a total of 50 or more awarded soon. Contact: Advanced Bifurcation Systems Charles Laverty Chief Executive Officer charles_laverty@advancedbifurcation.com (949)432-4824 SOURCE: Advanced Bifurcation Systems Steam rises from the Syncrude Canada Ltd. upgrader plant in this aerial photograph taken above the Athabasca oil sands near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018. Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images The price of Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude dropped more than US$55 per barrel below North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate on Friday. The widening discount is evidence the commodity may be in its darkest days, according to one industry analyst. Dan McTeague, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, points to a confluence of factors including U.S. refinery outages and issues with Enbridge Inc.s (ENB.TO) plan to replace its aging Line 3 pipeline. However, he says none are more pressing than the lack of new takeaway capacity to relieve the growing crude glut in Western Canada. Even basket-case Venezuela can get $67 for its heavy oil. Were lucky to get $15. That should be a national disgrace, he told Yahoo Canada Finance on Friday. Were in this situation primarily because we have allowed ourselves to find our capacity boxed in with no viable short-term, reasonable solutions. WCS, Canadas main grade of crude, has seen a dramatic decline in recent months, plunging below $16 a barrel. Meanwhile, WTI prices rallied to a recent peak above $76 earlier this month, before retreating to about $71. Auspice Capitals Canadian Crude Oil ETF (CCX.TO), which tracks the companys Canadian Crude Index, has plunged more than 40 per cent since mid-May. Story continues Canadian producers across the spectrum are not benefiting from higher global prices, Capital Economics senior Canada economist Stephen Brown wrote in a research note on Friday. If the capacity constraints that have caused the discounts to widen are sustained, it would clearly be bad news for energy investment. McTeague blames Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal government and environmental activism for delaying pathways for Canadian oil to reach overseas export markets. Activism is now starting to hurt the Canadian economy in ways that people are not imagining. Traditionally, WCS has always stayed within about $15 a barrel to WTI, he said. Its causing a flight of capital investment in Canada. The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in August that the National Energy Board (NEB) review of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was too flawed for the federal government to base its decision on. The court cited a lack of consultation with Indigenous groups and inadequate marine impact assessment. The $7.4-billion project, formerly owned by Kinder Morgan Canada (KMI), will be run as a crown corporation until a new owner can be secured. Twinning the existing 1,150-kilometre pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, B.C. would increase its capacity from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day, according to Kinder Morgan. Last month, Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi announced that the NEB will have 22 weeks to re-examine the project. These might be the darkest days for WCS, McTeague said. But one pipeline, one opening that takes us to any one of the oceans on either cost of the country would see WCS restore itself to within $10 to $15 dollars of WTI. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Using a gene-editing method that has emerged in the last few years, Chinese researchers have created viable mouse embryos using cells from two males and, separately, from two females. The implanted embryos grew to term but the male-only pups died a few days after birth, the researchers report in Cell Stem Cell. It is the first case of mammals with two fathers and no mothers, though Japanese researchers created fatherless mice with two mothers in 2004. That time, researchers converted an immature female egg into a sperm-like cell and removed a pair of genes involved in fetal growth. Most of the pups did not survive to adulthood, probably due to the interference with their genes, but one did and had pups of her own. Other animalsincluding turkeys and many reptiles, amphibians and fishcan self-fertilize when unable to find members of the opposite sex. Some can even change their sex in order to reproduce in the local male-heavy or female-heavy community. In the recent Chinese project, researchers used a more precise gene-editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9, which allowed them to trim three stretches of genetic information known to otherwise interfere with single-sex embryo development. The pups grown this way from two female parents grew up and had normal fertility, though they did suffer from some abnormalities. Forming embryos from two male parents required trimming more genetic material in six places. However, the interference caused those pups to grow in grotesque proportions, inflated by internal fluid until their guts leaked, their tongues swelled and they could not close their eyelids. They lived only 48 hours. The researchers have no plans to do similar experiments in humans, they told Science News. Because of differences between the genetic code in each species, it may not even work in humans. But if researchers could adapt it to other species, they might be able to help save endangered ones such as the northern white rhinoceros, of which only two females remain. Studying the effects of suppressing different genetic passages on embryos in the laboratory might also teach researchers more about how genes guide normal development. But as soon as they turn to humans, It is really a big ethical question mark, Monika Ward of the University of Hawaii told National Geographic. Dan Gelber, mayor of Miami Beach/photo by AM Holt Dan Gelber, mayor of Miami Beach/photo by AM Holt While Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was managing the citys response to a hurricane of historic proportions, his supporters were engaged in a separate storm because of a negative campaign ad lobbed by backers of the Democrats gubernatorial opponent, Ron DeSantis. With Hurricane Michael barreling toward Floridas Big Bend and Panhandle regions, the Republican Party of Florida unleashed a caustic television ad declaring Gillum is running for governor and also from the FBI. While the city of Tallahassee has been the focus of a long-running federal investigation, Gillum has insisted he is not a target of the FBI probe into possible public corruption. The mayor has severed his friendship with Adam Corey, a lobbyist who appears to be at the center of the investigation. Among other things, Republicans have drawn attention to a trip to Costa Rica in which Gillum paid cash for his share of a rental house shared with Corey and others. In the ad that ran as Michael left hundreds of thousands of Northwest Florida residents and businesses without electricity, Republicans called Gillum not just radical but corrupt. The ad drew the wrath of Democrats throughout Wednesday and Thursday, with Gillums campaign asking TV stations to yank it. It is abundantly clear that Congressman DeSantis is a liar who has no respect for Floridians and no positive vision for our state, Johanna Cervone, a Gillum spokeswoman, said in a statement. Also Thursday, a number of former prosecutors held a conference call with reporters castigating Republicans for the shameful spot. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a former federal prosecutor, rebuked Republicans for running untrue ads in areas where panicked Floridians were glued to their TVs in preparation for the storm, which devastated coastal communities such as Panama City and Apalachicola. Gillum is a witness who has cooperated with the FBI in the public corruption probe, Gelber, a former state senator, said. It should be abundantly clear to people that DeSantis has become the say-anything and do-anything candidate, Gelber said of the former congressman whose early endorsement by President Donald Trump helped the Republican cruise to victory in the August gubernatorial primary. The GOP yanked the ad, which sparked a firestorm on social media, as Michael continued to spread havoc in Northwest Florida. As we stated earlier today, the order to take the ads down in the affected areas was made. Any statement to the contrary is simply wrong, Republican Party of Florida spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice said in a email blast Wednesday. Jim Turner and Dara Kam report for the News Service of Florida. This image released by Discovery Channel shows filmmaker Rory Kennedy during the filming of her new documentary, "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow," premiering Saturday night on the Discovery Channel. (Discovery Channel via AP) NEW YORK (AP) -- Filmmaker Rory Kennedy couldn't resist the obvious place to open her new documentary on NASA. That's a news clip of her uncle, President John F. Kennedy, challenging the space agency to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Kennedy said she wanted to give people who were not alive in the 1960s a sense of the excitement and energy that surrounded the Apollo missions and space flight in general. The movie about NASA's 60th anniversary, called "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow," premieres Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern on the Discovery channel, after a short theatrical run. "I really wanted the film to appeal to a large audience that is excited about NASA and its accomplishments and wants to learn more about them," she said. Discovery approached Kennedy to make a film about the space agency's 60th anniversary. While she's had a special place in her heart for NASA because of her family history, Kennedy said it hadn't been a particular passion and that she learned a lot while making the film. A line midway through the film succinctly sums up the chief lesson: "The farther we travel, the better we understand home." While powerful telescopes point beyond Earth, NASA also looks back. The agency has 19 different satellites in place studying different aspects of the home plant. From the vantage point of space, NASA scientists can trace changes in the Earth's environment, such as the melting of polar ice and the damage done to coral reefs. The Mars rover expedition is studying that planet in part to answer the question of whether that planet could at one time have supported life, and what happened in the interim. Story continues "The more NASA has looked into space, starting with our solar system and galaxy to the universe, the greater appreciation it has had about the preciousness of our planet and the uniqueness of our planet," she said. "With all of its extraordinary exploring and breakthroughs in the universe, we have yet to find another planet like Earth." The discoveries about changes to the Earth because of climate change are outlined in a non-combative way in Kennedy's film. She didn't want to risk alienating the audience by diving too deeply into a political fight on the issue. These politics, she believes, plays a role in NASA having only a fraction of the federal funding that it had during its 1960s heyday. "My intention was not to make this a climate change film, and I think it's ultimately a film about NASA," she said. "But the same scientists who are hanging off the space station and doing space walks and building (the) Hubble (telescope) are the same scientists who are saying this is an urgent matter." The film touches upon NASA's failures, like the explosions of Challenger and Columbia and sending up a space telescope that initially delivered blurry pictures, but it's mostly an admiring look at the agency. "Above and Beyond" shows prototypes of vehicles that would be used for a potential mission to Mars. Kennedy said she's not sure when or whether NASA would be able to accomplish that. One difficulty is the short length of political administrations making it difficult to build the political will for such projects like was done in the 1960s. "I feel there's a huge urgency to what NASA is doing," she said. "I think we're on the brink of very exciting breakthroughs in our understanding ... of the universe." MOSCOW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Friday that he had full confidence in the U.S.-Russian space relationship, but that a rocket failure this week showed the importance of having more than one way of getting people into space. Bridenstine spoke to reporters in Moscow a day after Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin and American Nick Hague made a dramatic emergency landing in Kazakhstan after the failure of the Soyuz rocket carrying them to the orbital ISS. Bridenstine said he had full confidence in the safety and reliability of Russian-made Soyuz space rockets and that he expected U.S astronauts to fly again on Russian-made Soyuz rockets. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn Writing by Tom Balmforth Editing by Christian Lowe) Investors in Nordic American Tankers Limited NAT need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Jan 17, 2020 $10.00 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today. What is Implied Volatility? Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy. What do the Analysts Think? Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Nordic American Tankers shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Nordic American Tankers is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) in the Transportation - Shipping industry that ranks in the Bottom 37% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has widened from a loss of 9 cents per share to a loss of 12 cents. Given the way analysts feel about Nordic American Tankers right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected. Looking to Trade Options? Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details: 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 Nordic American Tankers Limited (NAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Hawaiian Electric's (HE) systematic investments in utility infrastructure coupled with gradual recovery in the Hawaiian economy are likely to drive the company's future performance. U.S. Air Force has awarded three American corporate giants with contracts worth $2 billion in a bid to develop propulsion systems in the country. The Pentagon deal, formally known as Launch Services Agreement, could help U.S. stop using foreign launch systems such as Russias RD-180 rocket engine. Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman NOC and United Launch Alliance have been appointed to develop an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) each. According to a CNBC report, Blue Origin will receive $500 million to develop its New Glenn rocket, Northrop Grumman will receive $792 million for its OmegA rocket and United Launch Alliance (ULA) is slated to get $967 million to work on its Vulcan Centaur rocket. The funds are part of cost-sharing arrangements, also known as Other Transaction Agreements. The success of these projects will give United States unrestricted access to space. In fact, such access will allow American companies to explore space entrepreneurship and generate robust revenues through ventures like space tourism. As this development makes the prospects better for the U.S. aerospace industry, it is advisable to add a few stocks from this industry to your watch-list. Key Goal of New Launch Systems The Air Force will eventually narrow down the companies from three to two. These two companies will compete for national security launches from fiscal 2020, a report by Defense News cited. At present, the Air Force uses SpaceX and ULAs propulsion systems. ULA, which is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin LMT and Boeing BA, has been a launch provider for the Pentagon for quite some time, putting to use its Atlas and Titan rockets. SpaceX joined the league in 2016 with its Falcon 9 rocket, ending ULAs domination in the area of military propulsion projects. The public-private partnership for new EELV systems will help the United States not only to distance itself from relying on foreign propulsion systems but also to hasten its national security space launch requirements. Story continues Leveraging domestic commercial space launch systems is good for the Air Force, and a revitalized commercial launch industry is good for the taxpayer, Heather Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force, said. The EELV systems have launched 72 national security strategy missions since 2013 using Delta IV and Atlas V propulsion vehicles, according to a Geospatial World report. How the Industry is Expected to Benefit The Trump administrations goal to make United States Space Force a new military branch by fiscal 2020, with an aim to have this specialized unit prepare for extraterrestrial wars, is perhaps the center of Pentagons push to take control of space accessibility. The U.S. governments steps in this regard give aerospace giants an opportunity to focus more on space tourism. Commercial space flights are being developed by Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic among others to take advantage of the huge customer base that is willing to pay for a trip to space. As the new domestic propulsion systems come into use from fiscal 2020 and development of reusable rockets brings down the expenses of space flight, the aerospace segment is expected to see rapid revenue growth. According to Morgan Stanley, global space industry revenues are expected to increase to $1.1 trillion or more by 2040. Bank of America Merrill Lynch also predicts along the same lines, citing that the space industry could be worth $2.7 trillion in the next three decades. Stocks in Focus FLIR Systems, Inc. FLIR is a leader in advanced sensors and integrated sensor systems that find widespread use in commercial, government, industrial and consumer markets globally. The company develops everything from consumer-use thermal camera smart phone accessories to highly advanced aircraft-mounted imaging systems for military and search and rescue applications. FLIR carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The companys shares have gained 18.4% year to date and its earnings are expected to grow 18% in 2018. Teledyne Technologies Incorporated TDY caters to an array of consumer markets including aerospace and defense. Teledynes strategy focuses in growth in core markets of instrumentation, digital imaging, aerospace and defense electronics and engineered systems. The company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and its earnings are anticipated to grow 29.1% for the current year. Teledynes shares have gained 21.4% since the beginning of the year. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. WAIR offers supply chain management services to the global aerospace industry. The company has a Zacks Rank #3 and its shares have gained 43.9% year to date. Wesco Aircrafts earnings could grow 33.9% in 2018 . The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> 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 Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. (WAIR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report FLIR Systems, Inc. (FLIR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research WeWork, the company that provides shared work spaces popular with startups, is facing a lawsuit over the mishandling of sexual assault reports. Ruby Anaya, 33, was fired in early August following her complaints that the company did not adequately follow up on two sexual assault reports she had made over the course of her employment, the New York Post reports. Anaya, formerly WeWorks director of culture, had worked at the company since 2014. According to the lawsuit, NBC reports, Anaya said she was grabbed from behind at a company Summer Camp event in August 2017. She reported the incident to HR, and was told the employee would take a sexual harassment prevention course. He had reported no recollection of the incident, having been black-out drunk, says the lawsuit. In the second incident, Anaya said she was forcibly kissed at a company Summit in January 2018. She filed a complaint with HR, but was told after a month passed by that the man in question did not recall the incident, and the investigation had been closed. The sexual harassment and assaults of [Anaya] did not happen in a vacuum, reads the suit, according to NBC. They are product in part of the entitled, frat-boy culture that permeates WeWork from the top down. Anaya stated that the companys mandatory Summits are a huge, three-day, alcohol- and drug-laden party for all employees at the company. She said WeWork also hosts Friday happy hours, where attendance is strongly encouraged. WeWork has denied these allegations and said they properly handled Anayas complaints. These claims against WeWork are meritless and we will fight this lawsuit, the company responded in a statement, according to the Post. WeWork investigated this employees complaints, took appropriate action, and this employee was terminated solely because of her poor performance. The lawsuit, however, says Anaya received almost exclusively positive feedback on her work efforts and performance. WeWork faced another lawsuit in 2016 following alleged wrongful termination of an employee after she notified coworkers of potential violations of Californias Labor Code, Buzzfeed News reports. At the time, WeWork said that employee was fired for failing to comply with company policy. Yodgor Fayzov has just been named head of Tajikistan's eastern Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region in what appears to be the government's latest attempt to increase control over an area that arguably has little in common with the rest of the country. President Emomali Rahmon visited Gorno-Badakhshan's administrative capital, Khorog, on September 15 and criticized local officials for failing to rein in lawlessness, which Rahmon suggested was the work of "five or six criminals." Rahmon said that if local authorities could not bring order to Gorno-Badakhshan within one month's time, the government would be forced to send additional security forces to the region -- a potentially fraught idea for locals who have seen the consequences of government security operations several times already. The government in Dushanbe has never had complete control over Gorno-Badakhshan. No one ever has. For hundreds of years, China, Russia, and an assortment of emirs and khans had claimed the area, but probably few of those living there ever knew they were part of any empire -- or even that there was an empire. Difficult To Reach "The gates are mine to open, As the gates are mine to close, And I abide by my Mother's House,' Said our Lady of the Snows."* Those lines, from Rudyard Kipling's Our Lady Of The Snows, could have been penned about Gorno-Badakhshan, an area high up in the Pamir Mountains. Until very recently, only one road led from the Tajik capital to Khorog, and that road is closed by snow and avalanches most of the year. (There has long been another road from Kyrgyzstan through the Tajik town of Murghab to Khorog, the lifeline for Gorno-Badakhshan during the civil war.) During Tajikistan's 1992-97 civil war, travel was regularly interrupted on the Dushanbe-Khorog road. During the winter, small planes are the main means of transport to Khorog, but unpredictable and often severe weather through the high Pamir Mountains can make flying impossible for days, and sometimes weeks. Gorno-Badakhshan accounts for some 45 percent of Tajikistan's territory, yet only about 220,000 of Tajikistan's 9 million people live there. Tajik language is spoken there, but local languages, Pamiri languages, are also still spoken, including Shugnani, Rushani, Yazgulomi, Ishkashimi (Vakhani), and Sariquli (the latter in the Chinese border area), preserved by isolated communities in the region's remote valleys. Most of the people in Gorno-Badakhshan are Ismailis, Shi'ite Muslims, the people of the Aga Khan. Fayzov, the region's newly named head, also heads the Aga Khan Fund office in Tajikistan and follows several Ismailis who were previously in charge of Gorno-Badakhshan. The Aga Khan, Prince Karim, and his fund have provided more assistance to Gorno-Badakhshan than any other individual or group, including the Tajik government. The Aga Khan Foundation has helped build small power stations, developed hybrid crops that can grow at the high altitudes of Gorno-Badakhshan, established a university in Khorog, and built bridges across the Pyanj River to open up trade with Afghanistan, among other projects. But the region has no major industries to speak of. Unemployment is believed to be well over half of the eligible workforce despite a government figure of around 20 percent. Reports for decades have cited smuggling as a major source of income in the region. The same "narrow defiles and strong situations" that Marco Polo used to describe the land of "Balashan" and giving "apprehension of any foreign power entering it [Badakhshan] with a hostile intention" are also well-suited to smuggling, from precious stones and narcotics to cigarettes. The Soviet government was probably the first government to actually control Gorno-Badakhshan. Gorno-Badakhshan borders Afghanistan and China, so there were strategic military concerns. But Soviet policy sought to rid the U.S.S.R. of illiterate peasants, and great progress was made toward teaching all the inhabitants of the Soviet Union, including the mountain villagers of Gorno-Badakhshan, to read and write in Russian. In the 1970s, Soviet authorities decided to move large groups of Pamiris from the eastern mountains to the flatter agricultural lands of southwestern Tajikistan. The policy appeared to accomplish two goals at once: further integrating the Pamiris into the relatively developed areas of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic and providing extra labor in the fields. Mountain people don't tend to fare well when moved to lower altitudes and hotter climes, and so it was with the Pamiris. But following 1991 independence, these Pamiris had other pressing concerns. Back in their native region, a nationalist group called Lali Badakhshan had quickly sought greater autonomy from Dushanbe; then when civil war broke out in 1992, Lali Badakhshan sided with government opponents. The Pamiris who had been forcibly resettled in the west less than two decades earlier were easy targets for pro-government supporters, and they were massacred. The western part of Gorno-Badakhshan, along the road from Dushanbe, was the scene of protracted battles. Russian border guards protected the border at a series of posts along the frontier with Afghanistan (and were later briefly joined by "peacekeeping" troops from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan), the only areas in Badakhshan that could be generally regarded as having something resembling law and order. Khorog was nominally under government control, with help from Russian troops. The rest of Gorno-Badakhshan was beyond anyone's control, and remained so after the Tajik peace accord was signed in late June 1997 and peace settled in. 'Informal Leaders' With only the most tenuous of holds over the region, the Tajik government allowed powerful local figures -- "informal leaders" -- to administer to Gorno-Badakhshan as representatives of the Tajik government. Many of these local officials, natives of the region, have been suspected of being part of smuggling operations. One example of the influence, or lack thereof, the Tajik government has had in Gorno-Badakhshan came on February 23, 2008, when an armed group loyal to Mamadbokir Mamadbokirov, the former chief of the Murghab border-guard unit, attacked the Interior Ministry building in Khorog. The Interior Ministry gave Mamadbokirov's gang until 6 p.m. local time on February 26 to surrender and hand over their weapons. Mamadbokirov ignored the deadline. Asia-Plus at the time quoted many residents of Khorog in support of the Interior Ministry's intention to disarm "illegal armed groups"; several hundred locals came out into the streets to demand that such groups be neutralized. The government appeared to have lost much of its support when it announced it was incorporating six districts of western Gorno-Badakhshan into Tajikistan proper. By mid-March 2008, several hundred Khorog residents were protesting against the government's move. Dushanbe then sent reinforcements to Gorno-Badakhshan, which appeared to increase local resentment. At the start of July 2008, the government signed a deal aimed at ensuring law and order in Gorno-Badakhshan. Signing on behalf of Gorno-Badakhshan were local leaders Imomnazar Imomnazarov, Tolibbek Ayombekov, Yodgorsho Mamadaslamov, and Mamadbokirov, the latter being not only still free but also back in a position of authority. Tolibbek Ayombekov later resurfaced. In July 2012, members of Ayombekov's alleged gang were accused by the authorities of killing Gorno-Badakhshan's regional security chief, General Abdullo Nazarov. At the time of the killing, Ayombekov was the commander of the Ishkashim border detachment; he was subsequently accused by the government of being a tobacco and gem smuggler after Nazarov was dragged from his car, in the Ishkashim district, and stabbed to death. The government sent more troops, and dozens of people were killed in the ensuing violence. (Eurasianet recently did a fine job of recounting the events of summer 2012.) Ayombekov, still free, was in the news again recently, rejecting -- in comments posted on RFE/RL's Tajik Service (Ozodi) website -- reports that he had beaten Shodikhon Jamshed, the man Fayzov this month replaced as head of Gorno-Badakhshan. There are dozens of figures like Ayombekov or Mamadbokirov in Gorno-Badakhshan. They probably know the people there far better than officials in Dushanbe. It is still difficult to imagine the government establishing firm control of Gorno-Badakhshan, and the authorities in Dushanbe seem disinclined to take steps that could arguably help the region. For example, trucks that cross from China into Gorno-Badakhshan pay no customs fees until they arrive at Dushanbe. That policy deprives Gorno-Badakhshan of revenues from cargo trucks that transit the region. The Tajik government does not appear to have debated any plans for building factories or plants in Gorno-Badakhshan. There are no obvious development plans for Gorno-Badakhshan, except to claim it as part of Tajikistan. So there is Gorno-Badakhshan and there is the rest of Tajikistan. With limited resources, Gorno-Badakhshan probably needs whatever support and supplies the Tajik government can offer. But equally, the terrain; the cultural, religious, and linguistic differences; and recent historical animosities suggest the Tajik government might never gain firm control over Gorno-Badakhshan except through statecraft that Dushanbe does not appear willing to engage in with respect to its eastern region. * Thanks to Karl Meyer and Shareen Bryan for including that Kipling passage in their excellent book Tournament Of Shadows, a must-read for those interested in Central Asia. RFE/RL's Tajik Service contributed to this report. Also thanks to Edward Lemon, formerly from the Harriman Institute, currently working at the Kennan Institute, for his help. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL The U.S. envoy on an Afghanistan peace initiative has met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, a day after he held talks in Qatar with Taliban leaders. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born U.S. adviser and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, briefed Ghani and Abdullah on October 13 about his meetings with senior ministers and top diplomats in four countries as part of a diplomatic mission aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. Since Khalilzad last visited Kabul on October 4, his tour has taken him to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. A statement sent to journalists on October 13 by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Khalilzad met Taliban representatives on October 12 in Qatar's capital, Doha, to discuss ending the Afghan conflict. Mujahid said the Taliban representatives told Khalilzad that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan was a "big obstacle" to peace and that both sides "agreed to continue such meetings." A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul would not comment on the Taliban statement. The U.S. State Department has said only that Khalilzad has had "a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement" to the war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad was appointed in September as President Donald Trump's special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation as part of renewed efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. A statement from the Afghan president's office on October 13 said Khalilzad told Ghani and Abdullah that the United States was "ready to do anything to help with the peace process," but insisted the process should be led by the Afghan government. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials about Khalilzad's latest visit to Kabul. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and The Wall Street Journal That Amendment 74 the statewide ballot measure to require governments to compensate property owners when regulations might impact their property values is drawing opposition from city, county and state officials is no surprise. But the measure is also increasingly being opposed by those who could be considered part of the measures base of support, including civic organizations representing 44 of Colorados 64 counties that are normally friendly to oil and gas interests. There has also been silence on the measure from two of Colorados oil and gas trade groups, the Colorado Petroleum Council and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. The constitutional amendment is seen as a counterpunch to Proposition 112, which would restrict oil and gas development across Colorado by boosting setbacks between homes and new drilling operations from 500 feet to 2,500 feet. Under Amendment 74, a landowner whose property is reduced in fair market value by law or regulation would be entitled to just compensation from government. It does not mention 112, but restricting oil and gas development on private property would likely reduce its market value and presumably entitle the owner to compensation. As a constitutional amendment, 74 will require a 55 percent yes vote to pass. The Colorado Farm Bureau was the public face of Amendment 74 during the petition process, although the real muscle (and money) behind the measure is coming from the oil and gas industry and one of its chief voices Protecting Colorados Environment, Economy and Energy, a.k.a. Protect Colorado. This year, Protect Colorados independent expenditure committee has raised more than $30 million from big oil and gas companies. That money was spent to get Amendment 74 on the ballot and persuade voters to approve it, as well as fight against Proposition 112. If 74 is approved, some are warning that the measure would have unintended consequences that could bite the oil and gas industry in the wallet, or at least in the courts. For example, if government regulations allowed an oil and gas drill to be set up close to homes, the homeowners could sue the government, claiming the rig lowers their property values. That may explain why more and more groups that have traditionally aligned with the oil and gas industry are coming out against Amendment 74, and perhaps none more prominent than Club 20, the Western Slope organization that in September held the first-of-the-campaign-season debates. The events named sponsor was oil and gas giant Chevron, and many of the questions posed in the 17 Club 20 debates, from state Legislature all the way up to governor, focused on oil and gas issues. Club 20 calls itself the voice of Western Colorado, representing individuals and groups, including elected officials, from 22 Western Slope counties. Also now opposing Amendment 74: Action 22, which represents individuals and groups, along with elected officials, in 22 southern Colorado counties. Action 22s board of directors includes Chad Vorthmann, executive vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau. So far, Progressive 15, the voice of northeastern Colorado, has yet to take a position on the measure. The group includes counties in the heart of Colorados oil and gas industry, including Weld County. Its website lists support for or opposition to seven of the 13 ballot measures but doesnt say what it thinks about Amendment 74. Call the Colorado Petroleum Council to ask what they think about the measure and the reaction is interesting. Justin Prendergast, a spokesman for the council, told Colorado Politics the group is neutral on the measure. But less than an hour later, Reid Porter of the American Petroleum Council in Washington, D.C., the Colorado groups parent, contacted Colorado Politics to say that Prendergast is only a contractor (he works for Novitas Communications) and that the council would have no comment on Amendment 74. A spokesman for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association told Colorado Politics it has not taken a stand on 74. The strongest opposition to Amendment 74 is coming from the Colorado Municipal League and Save Our Colorado, which is funded by an issue committee backed by environmental groups, such as the League of Conservation Voters, Conservation Colorado and John Powers, who runs the Denver-based Alliance for Sustainable Colorado. The issue committee has raised about $1.2 million, but that pales when compared with what the oil and gas industry is willing to put into its committee, Committee for Colorados Shared Heritage, which has raised more than $3 million, mostly in nonmonetary contributions from Protect Colorado, which is solely funded by the oil and gas industry. Sam Mamet, executive director of the Municipal League, says the anti-74 side doesnt have the money to match the oil and gas industry in this fight. Its David vs. Goliath, but Im heartened by the newspaper editorials that have come out against it, Mamet said. We dont have the money and will never have that kind of money. Our focus instead is on community by community across the state. Mamet said the Farm Bureau did not want to see this turn into a fight between towns and agriculture or between the bureau and the Municipal League, but thats now what has happened. The measure is also opposed by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Competitiveness Council, Colorado Counties Inc., the Colorado Association of Realtors and the Colorado Homebuilders Association. Mamet and others point to lessons learned in other states that have tried something similar, to their regret, and point specifically to Oregon. In 2004, Oregon voters approved similar language, known as Measure 37, with 60 percent of the vote. In the two years after the measure passed, more than 2,700 claims were filed, with an estimated value of more than $3 billion. In 2005, an Oregon judge ruled the measure unconstitutional, and in 2007, 62 percent of Oregon voters approved a modification to Measure 37 and threw out other provisions of the law. Even those who support Colorados amendment arent wild about changing the state constitution, a move that can be hard to undo. Former lawmaker and Ag Commissioner Don Ament of Iliff said he has concerns about the constitutional amendment. But Ament said his bottom line has been impacted by oil and gas regulations. He has leased irrigation water to oil and gas companies for fracking in the past, around 5,000 acre-feet. (One acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons.) But with all the anti-fracking noise, the companies didnt renew the leases this year and gave no reason, Ament said. Government regulations have required million-dollar sewer systems for small towns or for small school districts, Amend explained. These are all impacts of government regulations and they impact landowners, too. But that said, Id rather this not be a ballot measure. Id rather see the Legislature work this out and maybe do something through a referred measure. Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. 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. A 27-year-old man with convictions for illegal drugs, assault and child abuse was arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of a Fort Carson Army officer in the developing south downtown area. Gilberto Chavez Jr. of Colorado Springs is being held without bond at the El Paso County jail on suspicion of first-degree murder with extreme indifference. Capt. Daniel Chamberlain Lehman, 28, was shot on the corner of East Costilla Street and South Nevada Avenue about 2 a.m. Sept. 15, police have said. His body was found around 7:30 a.m. two blocks away lying in the street in the 400 block of Costilla just east of Wahsatch Street. Police suspect Chavez was high on methamphetamines and worried someone was following him when he pulled his .22 revolver and shot Lehman, who had just left the nearby Bar-K minutes earlier, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KRDO. An anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers led to his arrest, the television station said. Lehmans mother told the Santa Fe New Mexican that police told her he probably was walking home when he was killed. Chavez already was in jail on warrants related to careless driving in April and a felony drug possession charge from 2017. He was found guilty on the drug charge and sentenced to two years of probation but failed to appear at a September hearing, prompting the warrant. Chavez was found guilty of third-degree assault and child abuse in 2012 and driving while impaired in 2009 and 2010. Lehman graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 2012. He was in the 4th Infantry Divisions 3rd Brigade Combat Team and served in Afghanistan for four months in 2013. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team mourns the loss of Capt. Daniel Lehman and extends our sincerest condolences to his family and friends, the units commander, Col. Michael J. Simmering, said in a statement in September. He will be sincerely missed by each and every member of our team. Dan will always be remembered as an incredible leader and a fierce friend. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 444-7000. Those who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477. Twitter: @lizmforster Phone: 636-0193 Dan Nordberg serves as the SBA's Region VIII Administrator and is based in Denver. He oversees the agency's programs and services in Colorado, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The Russians have come, and Colorado Springs is a bit shaken after learning that a Putin-directed military intelligence operation purloined data from a local nonprofit. For decades, Colorado Springs was on the lookout for Soviet spies. But when the Cold War ended, locals lightened up. With federal indictments this month against Russian hackers who targeted the Springs-based U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, leaders say it may be time for a new Red Scare. This is a real wake-up call, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers warned after speaking at the National Cyber Symposium at the Broadmoor last week. Just think of all the information there is to steal in Colorado Springs. The mayor is right about Colorado Springs being a ripe target. With some of the nations most prominent nonprofits, 200 aerospace and defense firms, five military bases along with Americas leading commands for space, continental defense and missile defense, a well-planned hack here could cause national chaos. Its alarming enough that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and his National Guard boss, Maj. Gen. Michael Loh, are taking notice. It brought it closer to home here in Colorado, explained retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jay Lindell, who heads military programs for Colorados Office of Economic Development and International Trade, of the Russian hack. Russian hackers started work on the anti-doping agency after Russian athletes were banned from the 2016 games after accusations of a state-sponsored campaign to gain an illegal edge in competition. The attack on the anti-doping agency, outlined in a grand jury indictment, sought to gain emails and other data that Russia could use against American athletes and agencies along with the International Olympic Committee to sow chaos and build sympathy for its cause. In many instances, the stolen information was publicized as part of a related influence and disinformation campaign designed to undermine the legitimate interests of the victims, further Russian interests, retaliate against Russian detractors and sway public opinion in Russias favor, federal prosecutors wrote. Hack no surprise While the Russian hack on the Colorado Springs nonprofit may be new to most in the Pikes Peak region, it is no surprise to intelligence experts. The former CIA and National Security Agency boss, retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden said in an exclusive interview with The Gazette that hacking is an outgrowth of Russian tactics that have been on display for a decade or more. The Russians, he said, are hacking their way back to the superpower status they lost at the end of the Cold War. For Russia, this is particularly important because they dont have many tools of influence, he said. Building fleets of ships, clouds of military jets and massive armies is tremendously expensive. With $69 billion in annual defense spending, Russia has just a tenth of Americas Pentagon budget to flex its military muscles, but hacking is cheap. Just seven hackers pulled off the anti-doping agency hack, and federal prosecutors say theyre the same bunch that stole emails from the Democratic National Committee to influence the 2016 election. Hayden said the Russians have shown they can use a handful of troops to pull off what an army could not accomplish. The Russians have used that as an arm of their military services, he said. Russias use of cyberattacks on enemies and rivals goes back at least to a 2007 strike on Estonia amid a diplomatic spat. Estonian officials say the Russians took down financial and government systems while also hitting their countrys media. Russian neighbor Georgia saw the use of cyberwarfare alongside ground troops during a brief 2008 conflict. Hackers disrupted Georgian communications networks and took down government and media servers. It was the first recorded instance of a cyberwar accompanying ground troops in battle. The most notorious Russian operation, though, may be the attacks on the 2016 American election that combined email hacking, online propaganda and targeted use of social media to sow discord and damage the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. But Colorado has long been in the crosshairs for Russia. Their military intelligence arm was tied to a 1996 hacking operation called Baby Doe that hit the Colorado School of Mines. Becoming tough target The attack on the U.S. Anti- Doping Agency in Colorado Springs also came in 2016, just as Colorado took an unprecedented step to protect the states businesses, nonprofits and government agencies from cyber threats. Even as Russian hackers gained access to thousands of anti-doping agency emails and records, leaders were setting up the National Cybersecurity Center in Colorado Springs. The goal of the center is to raise awareness of cyber dangers and to share tactics and techniques to thwart hackers across the public and private sectors. This isnt something thats going to get solved by one branch of the military or one agency of government, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday during a stop at the centers annual Cyber Symposium, that drew hundreds of security experts from around the country. Vance Brown, who heads the center, said the only way hackers can be stopped is if entire communities take steps to defend themselves. Thats what we have here, he said. Another factor that makes the Pikes Peak region more prepared to take on hackers is a Pentagon mandate. The Pentagon pumps more than $18 billion into the local economy each year, feeding those 200 aerospace and defense contractors that call the area home. And, as of Dec. 31, each of those contractors was required to have adequate security on its computer systems according to a new Pentagon rule. They are also required to report hacking attempts to the Defense Department, which shares the information so contractors have the latest intelligence on threats. Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, whose agency just earned top national honors for election security, said incidents including the Russian military hack targeting Colorado Springs, have local governments, businesses and nonprofits on the lookout for hackers. The things you saw with the election and the anti-doping agency show that you have to have the skills and be prepared to respond, Williams said. No national plan vs. hacking While businesses and nonprofits may be ready to repel hordes of Russian hackers, the federal government is apparently still weighing how to respond. For years, politicians, generals, experts and activists have argued about how the military, intelligence agencies and other national interests should react to hacking. Getting a federal response plan in place is crucial, Hayden said, because no matter how well-prepared an entity may be to defend its computer networks, it will never have the resources that Russias military hacking arm can deploy, Hayden said. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency shouldnt have to square off against a nation-state, he said. The Russians unleashed a litany of hacking techniques against the anti-doping agency, court papers show. Malware-laden emails, called spear-fishing, were sent. Phony websites were established to target the agencys workers. Hackers prowled the network with sophisticated surveillance and spies stalked anti-doping agency officials in Brazil with a phony Wi-Fi system in a bid to penetrate their computers. While the United States has issued sanctions and criminal charges against hackers and issued calls for better cyber defense, America has yet to turn loose its own tremendous hacking power in response to an attack. At the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think-tank, cybersecurity expert Klon Kitchen said America hasnt figured out how its computer powers should be used. It is not a matter of whether the United States has the capacity, we can effect our will in cyberspace, he said. What this comes down to is a question of political will and coherent strategy and doctrine. In 2010, the U.S. reportedly carried out one of the most audacious operations in the history of hacking to slow the Iranian nuclear program. Using a virus called Stuxnet, agents from the National Security Agency were able to destroy uranium refining equipment with just a few lines of programming code. Hayden, who served as head of the National Security Agency and later led the CIA under President George W. Bush, would neither confirm nor deny the American role in Stuxnet. All I can say is, whoever did it, they were very good, Hayden said with a smile. But despite several Russian provocations, U.S. leaders havent unleashed internet warfare. Hayden said while the Trump administration has pondered counterattacks, those plans have been quickly shelved. I thought their automatic rejection was a bit too automatic, he said. Instead, the administration has relied on sanctions and other diplomatic tools. In Colorado, National Guard boss Loh said deterrence could be a key tool in fending off future attacks. We need to do whatever we have to hold them accountable, he said. But triggering an online fight could be worse for the United States than its enemies, Kitchen warned. America has become a nation with a smartphone in every pocket. No other nation is so tied to life online. We are vulnerable, he explained. But in the absence of a stronger response, Russia shows no signs of slowing its military hacking programs. It is reasonable to conclude that Russia feels emboldened to take these kinds of actions, Kitchen said. If we want to change that calculus, then we have to change the calculus. Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 New York State Department of Health Warns of Potential Measles Exposures in Rockland, Westchester Counties and New Jersey International Traveler with a Confirmed Case of Measles Visited Multiple New York and New Jersey Locations ALBANY, N.Y. (October 13, 2018) - The New York State Department of Health today announced that an international traveler returning from Israel who has been confirmed to have measles visited multiple venues in New York State and New Jersey, potentially exposing others to measles between October 4th and October 11th. Anyone who visited the following locations in New York or New Jersey may have been exposed to measles: Congregation Bais Elazer, 26 Voyager Court, Monsey, NY on 10/4/2018 between 8:00 am and 11:00 am Mia's Reflexology, 191 South Main Street, New City, NY on 10/4/2018 between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm Lifetime Gym, 10 Van Riper Road, Montvale, New Jersey on 10/5/2018 between 8:30 am and 12:00 pm Wesley Kosher, 455 Route 306, Monsey, NY on 10/5/2018 between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm Congregation Borov, 2 Parker Road, Monsey, NY 10/5/2018 between 6:45 pm and 9:45 pm 10/6/2018 between 9:00 am and 1:45 pm Costco, 50 Overlook Blvd., Nanuet, NY on 10/7/2018 between 1:30 pm and 5:00 pm Care 365, 1 Main Street, Monsey, NY on 10/8/2018 between 10:00 pm and 12:00 am Westchester Medical Center Emergency Room, 100 Woods Road, Valhalla, NY on 10/11/2018 between 3:45 am and 4:15 pm These times reflect the period that the infected individual was in these areas and a two-hour period after the individual left the area, as the virus remains alive in air and on surfaces for up to two hours. Individuals are considered protected or immune to measles if they were born before 1957, have received two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, have had measles disease, or have a lab test confirming immunity. Individuals who are not immune to measles and were exposed are at risk for developing measles. Preventive treatment for measles is recommended for those without evidence of immunity as follows: MMR vaccine can be given to eligible exposed individuals within 72 hours of exposure OR immune globulin can be administered within 6 days of exposure. All individuals who were exposed to measles, particularly those without immunity or who are not sure if they have been vaccinated, should contact their health care provider if they develop measles symptoms. Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose. Symptoms usually appear 10-12 days after exposure but may appear as early as 7 days and as late as 21 days after exposure. To prevent the spread of illness, the Department is advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care. This will help to prevent others at these facilities from being exposed to the illness. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected people. People first develop a fever, then may have a cough, runny nose and watery eyes, followed by appearance of a rash. People are considered infectious from four days before to four days after the appearance of the rash. The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated. Individuals should receive two doses of MMR vaccine to be fully protected. If a person is unsure if they are immune they should contact their healthcare provider. Typically, the first dose of MMR vaccine should be given at 12-15 months of age and the second dose should be given at four to six years of age (age of school entry), although individuals may also be vaccinated later in life. In New York State, measles immunization is required of children enrolled in schools, daycare, and pre-kindergarten. Since August 1990, college students have also been required to demonstrate immunity against measles. The state Department of Health will issue a health advisory to health care providers to notify them of the potential exposures. Health care providers should report all suspected cases of measles to their local health department. More information about measles can be found at https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2170.pdf. Industry Reacts As MMA: AIMP, A2IM, Music Biz, ASCAP, SoundExchange, BMI, Sound Royalties The Music Modernization Act is finally the law of the land. With Kid Rock at his side, President Trump signed the bill on Thursday in the White House's Roosevelt Room. Almost universally approved of by the music industry, the multifaceted copyright and royalty legislation passed both Houses of Congress on unanimous voice votes. Michael Eames, President of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP); Alisa Coleman, AIMP New York Executive Director; and John Ozier, AIMP Nashville Executive Director Today marks a historic step forward for independent music publishers, songwriters, and the entire music industry, as President Trump has signed the Hatch Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA) into law. This marks the first significant federal legislation since 1998s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to address the needs of rights-holders in todays online age. We can look forward to a variety of long-overdue reforms that will make it easier to negotiate for and collect fair royalty rates while also establishing once and for all that digital services must pay for the use of pre-1972 recordings. In addition, it ensures independent publishers and songwriters a seat at the table for the new mechanical licensing collective. The AIMP is committed to ensuring that the independent publishing community and songwriters are represented fairly in the implementation and enforcement of the MMA, and we look forward to working with our partners across the music and technology industries as we move ahead in this new era. We offer our sincere gratitude to David Israelite and his team at NMPA, to the NSAI and SONA, to Senator Orrin Hatch and Congressmen Bob Goodlatte and Doug Collins, and to all parties from all sides who fought to provide a balanced outcome for all involved. Richard James Burgess, CEO of A2IM "The signing of the Music Modernization Act into law, by the President, is the culmination of a gargantuan struggle that was resolved by an unparalleled alliance between all music industry stakeholders and the relevant tech companies. In this digital age, more music is enjoyed by more people than at any time in the history of humankind. The signing of this bill represents a significant step towards better lives for music creators and those that support them. A standing ovation is greatly deserved for all involved in this historic achievement." James Donio, President of the Music Business Association "The Music Business Association applauds and congratulates its members and valued partners across the industry on their extraordinary and unprecedented efforts to bring the groundbreaking Music Modernization Act to fruition. What an amazing achievement for creators and their commercial partners to have come together in solidarity, and joined with Congress, to make long overdue copyright reform a reality. This is the start of an exciting new era for the entire business of music. Bravo!" Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP Chief Executive Officer Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of our ASCAP music creator and publisher members, industry partners and champions in Congress, a more sustainable future for songwriters is finally within reach. The MMA's unanimous passage in the House and Senate proves that the power of music is a great unifier. ASCAP is gratified to have stood alongside creators, music publishers, and many more to make this dream a reality. Paul Williams, songwriter, ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President A young songwriter once wrote, You give a little love and it all comes back to you; Youre gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do. Decades later, this could not be more true. Songwriters across this country now and in the future will remember those who fought so hard for the Music Modernization Actboth in Congress and across the music industry. On behalf of the music community, we are so thankful for the love and will return the favor with music for generations to come. Michael Huppe, SoundExchange President and CEO "With today's signing of the Music Modernization Act, we mark a historic accomplishment. But more importantly, we mark what it means. For creators, it means getting paid more fairly. For those who recorded music before 1972, it means assurance you'll get paid for your work. For songwriters, publishers and producers it means making the digital economy work for you. "SoundExchange's 170,000-member community was a driving force in getting the bill from the halls of Congress to the White House. When the music industry speaks with one voice, Congress listens. I urge you to stay active because there is much more work to be done before we can truly say all music creators are treated fairly." Mike ONeill, BMI President and CEO This is truly a historic moment for the music industry, especially for the American songwriters and composers at its core, who will see significant and deserved benefit from this legislation. Passage of the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act was a hard-fought process that hinged on tremendous collaboration and unprecedented support among diverse stakeholders who ultimately united to safeguard the future of music. We are gratified by this extraordinary outcome that recognizes the essential contributions of creators and streamlines the use of their music across businesses. While BMI will keep advocating to protect the livelihood of music creators in the digital age, we thank Congress and the President for taking this important step in implementing the most meaningful music licensing reform in decades." Sound Royalties CEO Alex Heiche For years, music professionals have been stuck in an archaic, broken system that made it extremely difficult for music services to locate and pay creatives. This should never happen in any industry, especially not one as centric to our lives as music. But todays landmark passage of the Music Modernization Act is an enormous step in the right direction to correct this wrong and ensure that creatives are fairly compensated for their work. This was a long-awaited and hard-fought victory, and Sound Royalties salutes all those who battled tirelessly to make this dream a reality. The passage of the Music Modernization Act today marks a historic win for songwriters, music publishers, artists, record labels, producers, streaming services and the entire industry that services them. Music is intrinsic to every part of our lives, and this law will help ensure that the music can play on by creating a path to fair compensation for the creatives behind the songs we all know and love, both the classics recorded before 1972 and the new. Share on: 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 On Oct. 12, 1949, Hoosier Sherman Minton was sworn in as Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court after a contentious nomination and confirmation hearing process. Minton attended Indiana University for an undergraduate degree and for law school. The Democrat served first as United States Senator and a federal Appeals Court judge in Chicago before serving on the Supreme Court for seven years. President Harry Truman nominated Minton on Sept. 15, 1949 to fill a vacancy left by the death of associate Justice Wiley B. Rutledge. An article in The (Columbus) Republic, Sept. 15, 1949. The Franklin (Indiana) Evening Star reported that Minton's nomination came as a surprise, as two other men were mentioned as favorites for the nod because they were Catholics. The (Muncie) Star press reported Sen. Homer E. Capehart of Indiana was disappointed that the President didn't name a Republican, "'to maintain a bi-partisan representation.' But he expressed satisfaction that the President chose a Hoosier." Confirmation Hearings Minton did not testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee before the full Senate voted on his confirmation, which some found problematic. The Associated Press reported that the committee at first ordered Minton to appear, but withdrew that order when Minton said he thought it would be inappropriate for him to testify. "[It] raises a serious question of propriety, particularly when I might be required to express my views on highly controversial and litigious issues affecting the court," Minton wrote. So the committee voted 9 to 2 to forward the nomination to the full Senate. On Oct. 4, two Republican Senators proposed a measure to send the nomination back to the Judiciary Committee with instructions to require testimony from Minton. That proposal failed on a 45 to 21 vote, and the Senate voted to confirm Minton with a vote of 48 to 16. Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton, 1954 (National Archives) At issue was Minton's previous support of President Roosevelt's effort to add more justices to the Supreme Court, after it struck down several of his "New Deal" measures. AP reported at least one Senator wanted to question Minton about his support for the "court-packing" plan and his highly partisan political career. But Sen. Jenner, a Republican of Indiana, said "there is every indication he (Minton) has abandoned his radical beliefs." On Oct. 12, Minton took the oath as associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in a ceremony on the White House porch outside President Truman's office. "I've got a duty to perform which is one of the most pleasurable in my political career," Truman said during the ceremony. "I'm handing Mr. Justice Minton his commission as member of the greatest court in the world." Record on the Court According to the Maurer School of Law, Minton was known for his "broad view of powers and for his abhorrence of racial segregation, which he voted to strike down in Brown V. Board of Education." Despite his liberal politics while a Senator, Minton believed the judiciary "should not intrude on the actions of the other branches unless absolutely required," according to the American Law and Legal Information Law Library. Historian Bernard Donahoe says Minton was an "ardent New Deal liberal in the 1930s" that became a "rock solid believer in judicial restraint and a defender of governmentla power at the expense of the individuals's civil rights." Minton retired from the court in 1956 due to health problems. He died in 1965. As former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) in northwest Indiana Friday, current Vice President and former Governor Mike Pence told a room full of Republicans in Indianapolis why they should elect Donnellys GOP opponent Mike Braun. Pence was the keynote speaker at the state GOP fall fundraising dinner. Much of Pences speech focused on the Trump administration and its efforts. He also made sure to note his predecessors trip to Indiana to stump for Donnelly. Pence said what drew him home to Indiana was the states crucial U.S. Senate race between Donnelly and Mike Braun. Mikes going to bring that practical experience and that principled conservative agenda into the well of the United States Senate, Pence says. Pence also reserved plenty of attacks for Donnelly. A vote for Joe Donnelly is a vote to turn the United States Senate into the center of resistance," Pence says. Republicans launched a new TV ad the day of Pences visit with the vice president attacking Donnelly. On October 3, Jamal Hamidi, director of the loading station in Bandar Khomeini of Khuzestan Province, said: On Sunday, most truck drivers at the loading station went on strike. While 2,000 trucks are active in this loading station each day, only 300 accepted to load any goods on Sunday. The Regime wants desperately to break the truckers strike and had made hundreds of arrests so far, even threatening the death penalty, but they refuse to make any concessions towards the better working conditions that the strikers desire. Instead, mullahs like the regimes Chief Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri and judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei have seen fit to slander the truckers and claim that they were provoked by enemies of the Regime. Of course, what they fail to take on board here is that the Iranian people are all enemies of the Regime. Colonel Kavos Mohammadi, a deputy of the Fars provincial police force, said: Police will deal with sensitivity and vigilance with the smallest insecurity factors in coordination with the judiciary, and the process of confronting with the disrupters of order and security of the roads and axes of Fars province will continue on a daily basis. The police monitor and control all the roads in this province, visibly and invisibly, and resolutely deal with all elements of disrupters of order and security in these areas. Demands So, what could the truckers be asking for that is so outlandish that the Regimes only response is to arrest or execute them? Their demands include: a better wage, to help them cope with increased living costs the ability to buy spare parts and tires through the low government exchange rate decreased truck prices increased pensions free elections in the truckers guild increased road safety and security supervision over fees demanded by transportation companies decreased commissions for loads and renovating the truck fleet permanent fuel rations for transport trucks decreased highway tolls more control over the process of load terminals health and recreational facilitation for the drivers at loading stations punishments for authorities that bribe drivers The list might be long, but its hardly outrageous. It shows that the truckers are fed up with the Regime. This is also true for the rest of the country, with the majority of Iranian workers unions supporting the strikes, including the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC), Haft Tapeh Sugar Refinery Workers Syndicate, and the teachers unions. The strike has also garnered support from abroad, with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) expressing their support for the strikers and concern for their welfare. Reza Shafiee, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), wrote: It is a big mistake to see the truckers strike as an isolated incident. It is well connected to other protests taking place every day in Iran because they have the same roots. The country has been in turmoil since January and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is trying very hard to play it down. The US State Department responded by rejecting the ruling, which demanded the suspension of any sanctions that impede humanitarian goods and services including aviation safety equipment. The International Court of Justice has no mechanism by which to actually enforce the judgment if the US fails to comply, although Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained that existing sanctions laws already make relevant exceptions for items like food and medicine. Pompeo also said that the US was cancelling the treaty in order to forestall any further legal judgments stemming from an agreement that long preceded the 1979 Iranian revolution, which turned the countries into bitter enemies. He accordingly described the move as being long overdue. Nonetheless, the USs extrication from the treaty will take approximately a year, and in the meantime the US will face at least one more judgement in the ICJ that is based on a case initiated by Iran in line with the Amity Treaty. Reuters reported on Monday that lawyers representing the US had asked the court to dismiss the Islamic Republics efforts to recovered 1.75 billion dollars worth of Iranian assets that were seized as a result of a ruling by the US Supreme Court involving Irans historical support for international terrorism. That 2016 ruling initiated the appropriation of the money as payment of damages for victims of Iran-backed incidents like the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Iran argues that this judgment, like current sanctions, violates the 1955 treaty. Richard Visek, a legal advisor to the State Department, cited Irans ongoing support for terrorism when explaining the American request for the case to be tossed out. But a day before that request was issued, the Iranian parliament undertook what might be regarded as an effort to strengthen the countrys defense on issues related to international terrorism. The Associated Press reported on Sunday that a narrow minority of Iranian lawmakers 143 out of 258 voted to join an international convention for Combating the Financing of Terrorism. In theory, Irans status as a signatory to that convention would prompt a change in its policies regarding various militant proxies including Lebanese Hezbollah and armed Palestinian groups. But as the AP report points out, it is unlikely to have any such effect in actual practice. Tehran has a longstanding habit of applying the terrorist label to regional non-state actors that it opposes, such as Syrian rebel groups, while withholding it from militant groups that enjoy Iranian backing, such as Shiite paramilitaries in Syrian and Iraq, as well as the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. Insofar as there is no sign that Sundays vote coincides with a change of policy with regard to any such groups, it stands to reason that the intended purpose of Irans participation in the CFT is only to influence public relations while giving some sense of legitimacy to the Iranian regimes self-professed role as an opponent of terrorism in the Middle East. But Tehran also has a long history of violating the principles expressed by conventions in which it is technically a participant. This fact was underscored once again last week by the execution of Zeinab Sekaanvand, a 24-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been convicted of the murder of her husband when she was just 17 years old. Human rights organizations disputed the fairness of her trial as well as emphasizing the fact that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child both ban the execution of anyone who was under the age of 18 at the time of their crime. Despite Irans status as a signatory to both those agreements, Sekaanvand was at least the fifth such individual to be executed by the Islamic Republic this year. On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the execution on that basis and on the basis of the defendants overall mistreatment. In view of Irans unserious approach to international agreements in the past, one might expect that there will be substantial doubt about the significance of Tehran joining the CFT. And at least in the short term, this doubt will be amplified by the nature of Irans theocratic system, which allows the unelected Guardian Council or the clerical supreme leader to override parliamentary decisions, especially if they are deemed to be out of step with the regimes interpretation of Islamic law. Those authorities may yet cancel Irans membership in the CFT, or else codify the selective application of its principles, as by highlighting perceived differences between terrorism and resistance to foreign occupation. On Monday, the Media Research Center pointed to instances of Iran, along with Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing this vague distinction in remarks before the UN General Assembly last week. The potential impact of those remarks on Irans application of CFT principles is made clearer by the fact that Iranian officials frequently characterize domestic strife as being rooted in foreign plots. Last month, ISIL and Iranian Arab separatists simultaneously claimed responsibility for an attack on a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz, which killed two dozen people. But Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and other prominent figures quickly placed the blame for that attack on a triangle of enemies consisting of the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, claiming without evidence that the relevant terrorist groups had backing from these countries. An Iranian missile strike on terrorists in eastern Syria on October 1 was explicitly described as a warning to those foreign enemies. The strike was also an apparent sign of Irans entrenchment in Syria, which is staunchly opposed by those same enemies. White House National Security Advisor John Bolton recently reiterated that American troops will remain in Syria until Iranian forces depart. Bolton added that this goal extends to both the IRGC and the proxy militias that have proliferated in both Syria and Iraq. True to form, the Islamic Republic tends to characterize those proxies as fighting terrorism, but most other countries regard them as terrorist groups in their own right, often explicitly modeled on Hezbollah. It remains to be seen whether Irans efforts to sanitize the image of those proxies will be taken seriously by international authorities, and whether the vote to join the CFT will influence the perception of those authorities. The judgment by the International Court of Justice in the pending case against American seizure of Iranian assets may represent a test case. But as Reuters reports, although hearings at The Hague will continue through Friday, it is yet to be determined when the court will rule. Improving Black/Latino Relations is Their Job, Not Others Improving Black/Latino relations was never really a major political priority in Los Angeles but should have been. Why? Sustainable collaboration between the two groups, based on mutual respect and an explicit commitment to honor the terms of any agreement to work together, is really the only way to strengthen their relationship and respective goals. In Los Angeles, among the reasons this has not happened, at least for many years, is the huge increase in the Latino population and a lack of political will and leadership initiative and coordination on both sides, to make improving relations between the two groups a real priority. Todays column does not address this issue of Black and Latino per se, it has done so in the past and will do so in the future. Rather, the reason today is to stress the sheer importance of mutual respect and self-determination by Blacks and Latinos themselves as well as the harm inflicted by paternalism and arrogance of any other group (s) attempting to define anothers agenda. This columns reference to an earlier op-ed by a group of diverse Los Angeles liberal leaders on improving relations between Blacks and Latinos illustrates the point. In that case, the problem was, and remains, no matter how well-meaning the groups intentions, only Blacks and Latinos themselves, working together, can legitimately determine what is, or is not in their respective best interests. ADVERTISEMENT More than a decade ago, (2006) four prominent liberals Angelinosan Asian, Black, White and Latino, collaborated on an op-ed calling for a Blueprint for African American and Latino Cooperation on Shared Goals. The authors included the president and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, director of the Pat Brown Institute, Cal State University LA and president and CEO of the California Endowment. For this and similarly constituted racial/ethnic groups to make recommendations on what Blacks and Latinos should do was and is presumptuous and patronizing. It is inconceivable that this group, or any other, would do such a thing if the target groups were say, Chinese and Japanese Americans, Jewish and Arab Americans, Whites and Blacks, or any other two racial and/or ethnic groups. The op-ed group asserted, As the most demographically diverse metropolis in the country, we (Los Angeles) can set the pace for eradicating the increasingly violent clashes between Blacks and Latinos in neighborhoods, schools and jails, and provide a model for the U.S. Two recent reports were cited as pointing to similar challenges faced by Black and Brown communities: The Latino Scorecard: Grading the American Dream by the United Way and The State of Black Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Urban League and the United Way. The authors also cite two conferences as important first steps, the LA County Sheriffs Multi-Faith, Clergy Breakfast and the First National Conference on Latino and African American Race Relations. Neither of these conferences had significant follow-up and appeared well intentioned but were not substantive. Inadvertently, or not, the group was quick to patronize, asserting that to be effective, a sustainable and energetic Black/Brown alliance needs to be formed capable of carrying out a policy agenda and working with committed elected officials, business and civic leaders of all races and ethnicity. Certainly Blacks and Latinos are appreciative of such sage wisdom, but the groups observations were hardly revelations. Rather, they seemed more expressions of liberals intent to suggest ways proceed, than thoughtful concern for improving Black and Latino relations. It is difficult to ascribe validity to observations and recommendations that come from others, and not crafted or validated by the subjects of such observations and recommendations. The op-ed authors may have relied too heavily on the two ecent reports mentioned, and two or three community organizations efforts to support their position. Issues covered ranged from culturally relevant healthcare and public school accountability to affordable housing, development and greater police accountability. Different priorities and feelings in Black and Latino communities are acknowledged, e.g., HIV/AIDS, homicides, jobs and immigration. ADVERTISEMENT The authors also proclaimed a new level of civil empathy is required and, African Americans and Latinos must commit to thoughtful dialogue, especially regarding the flash point issue, immigration. (Such patronizing pronouncements border on insulting because they lacked the necessary participation and concurrence of Black and Latino leadership and much broader representation from both groups. SO a fundamental flaw was the authors presumptuous attempt to recommend uncorroborated strategies for improving Black/Latino relations. They may have been genuinely concerned, but frankly, crafting such strategies and recommendations was, and is not their business. Blacks and Latinos themselves must do that In other words, the op-ed failed to understand, or recognize, that Blacks and Latinos separately, then together, must craft mutually beneficial agreements that address their respective concerns and interests. Directly related, but highly sensitive and seldom discussed, is the failure of Black and Latino leadership, political and otherwise, to clearly set forth their strategies, action plans and proposals that unapologetically advance the interests of their Black and Latino constituents. Kavanaugh Confirmation a Betrayal of Senates Duty Todays vote is a betrayal of the Senates constitutional duty to advise and consent. The Urban League Movement opposed this nomination because of his extremist positions on civil rights, workers rights, and social justice. A complete vetting of his background was impeded by the White House, which withheld the vast majority of pertinent records. The FBI investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct was a naked sham. And Kavanaughs abhorrent behavior throughout his confirmation proceedings revealed his true partisan agenda and open hostility toward those who disagree. We are dismayed the United States Senate would violate its sworn responsibility, instead acting as a rubber stamp for a compromised president who may soon face judgement by the very same justice. We look to the court as a whole now to act as a moderating influence on this extreme and divisive appointment. ADVERTISEMENT Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Grand Performances Collaborate to Present a Free Music Showcase as Part of Grand Ave Arts All Access Festival Saturday, November 3, 2018, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Grand Performances collaborate to present a free showcase of its musicians, its community partners and the four Fellows of The Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship on Saturday, November 3, 2018, as part of Grand Ave Arts All Access, a festival set in the citys epicenter for the arts. Sharing Grand Performances stage from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. are Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Quartet, Street Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and violinist Sydney Adedamola, violinist Ayrton Pisco, violist Bradley Parrimore and cellist Juan-Salvador Carrasco, the LA Orchestra Fellows. The showcase also features crafts for children and the opportunity for Angelenos to celebrate collaboration and the power of music to unite. The LACO/Grand Performances showcase takes place at the Spiral Court, 300 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. More information on Grand Ave Arts All Access is available at http://grandavearts.tumblr.com/ Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) ranks among the worlds top musical ensembles. Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Orchestra is known as a champion of contemporary composers, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, as well as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks. Headquartered in the heart of the countrys cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed Americas finest chamber orchestra (Public Radio International), LAs most unintimidating chamber music experience (Los Angeles magazine), resplendent (Los Angeles Times) and one of the worlds great chamber orchestras(KUSC Classical FM). Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra presents orchestral, Baroque and chamber concerts, as well as salon evenings in private spaces and unique experiences that explore classical musics cutting-edge sounds. LACOs long history of educational outreach encompasses programs integral to its mission of nurturing future musicians and composers as well as inspiring a love of classical music. Jaime Martin, praised as a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous (Platea Magazine), is LACOs Music Director Designate and takes the podium as Music Director in the 2019-20 season. Celebrating its 32nd year, Grand Performances aims to inspire community, celebrate diversity, and unite Los Angeles through free access to global performing arts. Called a grand gift to the publicdemocracy in musical action by the Los Angeles Times, Grand Performances presents high-quality music, dance, theater, and more during the summer at the breathtaking California Plaza in the heart of downtown as well as at other venues throughout the year including the Los Angeles World Airport. Follow @GrandPerformances on Facebook, @GrandPerfs on Twitter and Instagram and our YouTube Channel at youtube.com/grandperformances. For more information visit www.Grandperformances.org. ADVERTISEMENT Nobel Prize for Healing Rape Survivors in Midst of War For 15 years, I have witnessed mass atrocities committed against womens bodies and I cannot remain with my arms folded because our common humanity calls on us to care for each other. Those were the words of Dr. Denis Mukwege, a physician working in one of the most dangerous regions of the world. Now, Dr. Mukwege, founder of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nadia Murad, an Iraqi survivor of sexual violence, are this years co-winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Known as the rape surgeon, Dr. Mukwege has helped care for more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence even as he himself is at risk and attacks against women are on the upswing. ADVERTISEMENT Im sorry to say that three years ago the situation was better but now many armed groups are growing again and the number of women who are raped is increasing again, Dr. Mukwege told the BBC. The 63-year-old Congolese gynecologist set up the Panzi hospital nearly 20 years ago, shortly after his first experience treating a woman who had been raped and mutilated by armed men. His crusading work has seen him honored on many occasions, receiving the Olof Palme Prize in 2009, the Sakharov Prize five years later, and the Seoul Peace Prize in 2016. He has been nominated for the Nobel award on numerous previous occasions. He has also been recognized by the United Nations, which he addressed in 2012, criticizing the Congolese government and neighboring countries for pursuing an unjust war that has used violence against women and rape as a strategy of war. Panzi hospital now cares for more than 3,500 women a year. Sometimes Dr. Mukwege performs as many as 10 operations a day. It has grown to be a major health facility in eastern DR Congo with over 300 doctors, nurses and support staff. U.S. playwright Eve Ensler wrote: He has not only saved lives, he has also travelled the world to bring attention to these womens fate, everywhere from the UN to the European parliament to Washington DC. He together with women survivors has woken the world to the use of rape as a tactic of war and armed conflict in DRC and elsewhere. ADVERTISEMENT City of Joy, a documentary which spotlights the survivors and Dr. Mukweges work, is available on Netflix. Archaeologists have discovered at least 58 shipwrecks filled with ancient objects in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey. The discovery is believed to be the largest concentration of wrecks ever found in the Mediterranean. The sunken ships were found near the islands of Fournoi. They gathered there over a long time period, from time of ancient Greece to the 20th century. Most of the ships are from the time of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations. Peter Campbell is leading the underwater research of the wrecks for the RPM Nautical Foundation, a group that studies ancient objects. Campbell said, The excitement is difficult to describe, I mean, it was just incredible. We knew that we had stumbled upon something that was going to change the history books. The international team began the underwater study in 2015. They found 22 shipwrecks that year. That number has climbed to 58 with the latest discovery. The team believes there are even more secrets lying on the seabed below. Campbell called it one of the top archaeological discoveries of the century. He told Reuters, we now have a new story to tell of a navigational route that connected the ancient Mediterranean. The wrecks and their contents show ships carrying goods from nearby areas like the Black Sea, Greece, Turkey, Armenia and Italy. Other goods come from places farther away such as Spain, Sicily, Cyprus, Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa. The team has raised more than 300 ancient objects from the shipwrecks, including many amphorae, tall jars with two handles used by ancient Greek and Roman people to carry liquid. George Koutsouflakis is with the Greek governments Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. He said The amphora is a vessel used mainly for transporting liquids and semi-liquids in antiquity, so the goods it would be transporting were mostly wine, oil, fish sauces, perhaps honey. He added that fish sauce from the Black Sea region was an expensive good in ancient times. How did they get there? Bad weather is the most likely explanation for why the ships all sank in the same area near Fournoi, a stopover point for ships to spend the night. The region also experiences a lot of sudden, fierce storms and is surrounded by rocky shores. In later times, pirates were also active in the area, attacking ships filled with expensive goods. Because of the discoveries, researchers want to create a center for underwater archaeology in Fournoi with a museum to show their finds. Im Bryan Lynn. Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a Reuters story. Mario Ritter was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story civilizations n. well-organized and developed societies that have existed through time stumbled upon v. to find something unexpectedly navigational adj. related to find ones way by sea, land or air route n. a way to get from one place to another pirates n. someone who attacks and steals from ships at sea Many people who work in the U.S. television and movie business are known to resist President Donald Trump. Award shows and social media make fun of Trump. Celebrities such as Katy Perry, George Clooney and LeBron James publicly supported Hillary Clinton when she ran against Trump two years ago. But Hollywood as the business is called cannot oppose Trump in a presidential election until 2020. So workers are using their power and creativity to help opposition party candidates for state and local offices. Elections for those positions will be held on November 6 of this year. A group that calls itself OMG WTF On a recent night in Los Angeles, more than 100 people came together to talk politics at a popular piano bar. It was lit by a sign that said OMG WTF. The sign is the name of a group that supports Democrats in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas and Florida. OMG WTF is from the first letter of each state. Ben Sheehan started OMG WTF to call attention to these races. At the piano bar, Sheehan explained his thinking. State office holders can work against Trump, he said. For example, attorneys general have the power to sue to block federal laws. Secretaries of state can affect voting rules. Many governors can reject voting areas that are created to support one party. Also, he added, state leaders become the national leaders of the future. OMG WTF said it raised more than $100,000 in the first few weeks after it launched this summer. The money is given directly to candidates. It also helps pay for events and information at university campuses. Most target voters under age 35 a group that has low voting numbers. What effect do celebrities have on voting? The effect celebrities have on elections is not clear. In 2016, many Hollywood stars urged voters to support Hillary Clinton. When she lost, some wondered if voters became angry that Hollywood stars told them to how to vote. Now, strategists are directing celebrities to races in their home states, where they know about important issues and have friends. Hannah Linkenhoker is a senior political strategist at talent agency ICM Partners and founder of ICM Politics. She said, (If celebrities) have a genuine connection to the candidate or race, I dont think that hurts. Im Susan Shand Reuters reported this story. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story celebrity n a person who is famous sue v. to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something strategist n. a person who is skilled in making plans for achieving a goal genuine adj. sincere and honest Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The archbishop of Washington was recently named in a report accusing church leaders of covering up sexual abuse. Wuerls predecessor, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, was forced to resign in late July. He had been accused of sexually abusing several people, including children. A Vatican statement Friday said Pope Francis had accepted Wuerls resignation but named no replacement. The letter said Wuerl made some mistakes in dealing with sex abuse cases. However, the letter said Wuerl was not accused of trying to hide them. The Pope asked Wuerl to stay on until a new archbishop is named. Wuerls office released a statement saying, Once again for any past errors in judgment I apologize and ask for pardon. My resignation is one way to express my great and abiding love for you the people of the Church of Washington. In August, the state of Pennsylvania released a grand jury report connected to abuse in the Catholic Church. The report accused Wuerl of helping to protect some priests who had sexually abused children in Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006. Wuerl was bishop of Pittsburgh at the time. The report said he permitted priests accused of wrongdoing to be moved or reinstated. Critics questioned Wuerl over his claim of not knowing about alleged sexual wrongdoing by McCarrick. Catholic League president Bill Donahue, however, defended the cardinal. He told the Associated Press, No bishop or cardinal in the nation has had a more consistent and courageous record than Donald Wuerl in dealing with sex abuse by priests. David Clohessy is with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. He said Wuerls resignation is long overdue. But he said it would likely do little to stop other clergy from covering up for abusers. I'm Ashley Thompson. Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story church - n. the Christian religion seen as an organization predecessor - n. a person who had a job or position before someone else reinstate - v. to put (someone) back in a job or position that had been taken away consistent - adj. always acting or behaving the same way courageous - adj. very brave error - n. something that is not correct abiding - adj. continuing for a long time : not changing alleged - adj. accused of having done something wrong or illegal but not yet proven guilty overdue - adj. used to say that something should have happened or been done before now The United States has a long history of systemic inequality in its treatment of minorities, especially African Americans. Now, a new study suggests that higher education is yet another part of American society that treats black people unfairly. The study comes from the University of Southern Californias Race and Equity Center, which released its findings in September. Researchers from the center looked at information from the U.S. Department of Educations Integrated Postsecondary Data System. This a database of information gathered from every college and university in the U.S. that accepts federal financial assistance. The researchers also looked at population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The centers researchers used data from the 2016-2017 school year to examine four qualities of most of the countrys public colleges and universities. They did not include community colleges or public historically black colleges and universities. One quality the study examined was the percentage of black undergraduate students. Researchers looked to see if it matched the overall college-aged black population in the schools home state. Researchers also considered the percentages of black male and black female students attending each school. They compared those to the national percentages of male and female university students of all racial and ethnic groups. The third quality under study was a schools rate of graduation among black students within six years of their entry, and how it compared to overall graduation rates at the school. And finally, researchers looked at the number of full-time black professors in relation to the number of black students. The University of Southern Californias researchers graded all four qualities of the schools on a scale from zero to four. A four meant the school is serving African American students in the best way possible in a given area. The researchers took the average of those grades and gave them an overall grade on the same scale. Then, they combined the grades of all the schools they looked at in a state, using the averages to give each of the 50 states an overall grade, as well. All 50 states received a grade of less than three. Shaun Harper says this shows just how poorly the U.S.s public higher education system is serving African Americans. He is the executive director of the Race and Equity Center and he helped write the report. Sure there are many institutions that are relatively high-performing on one or two of the metrics, Harper told VOA. But when we look across all four metrics, there are very few colleges and universities that really stand out. Harper notes that most colleges and universities have tried to increase diversity as well as help the success of minority students. And he admits that they have improved conditions for minorities overall. However, schools have done little to solve the specific problems individual racial and ethnic groups face, he argues. He says African Americans have traditionally faced many barriers to higher education. He says many grow up in areas where public education is severely lacking in financial resources and other supports at the high school level and below. So African Americans have to work harder to reach higher education. And once they get there, non-black professors are likely to treat them as though they will not succeed, Harper says. Mike Baumgartner is the executive director of Nebraskas Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. The report listed that state second to last in the country in terms of how well is serves African American students. Baumgartner notes that, earlier this year, the research group the Education Trust praised his states efforts to improve its service of black students. The group found that Nebraska had the largest gains in numbers of black students successfully earning college degrees of any state since 2000. But he also admits that the report represents an unacceptable failure on the part of Nebraskas public colleges and universities. And he says the state must do what it can to solve this major problem. Baumgartner says a big part of the problem is geographic. He notes that most of the African Americans in his state live in the larger cities. Some of the public colleges serve small, local communities far from students homes and families. And for black professors, these communities are so small their husbands or wives may have trouble finding employment. The rural nature of the state, and the fact that some of our colleges are pretty far away from the population centers makes it difficult for them to retain the African American students, Baumgartner said. However, Harper says that is an unacceptable answer. He argues that African Americans pay taxes that support public colleges and universities. So the schools have a responsibility to reach out to high schools across their state and try to get black students to want to study there. Jessica Cruz says that is exactly why her position was created in 2016. She is the chief diversity officer at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. The Race and Equity Centers report listed her school second to last in the nation in terms of how well it serves African-American students. Cruz has already begun to take several actions suggested by Shaun Harper and the report to improve the situation. For example, her school is home to a group called the Black Student Union, which operates a program called BSU on Wheels. It sends current African American students in Marquette to high schools in Detroit, Michigan, about 600 kilometers southeast. There, they share their college experiences with the younger students. Cruz also recently launched a program called Aim North. Once her school admits students from the Detroit area, the program connects them with one another and helps them build a sense of community at their new school. Still, she notes, barriers remain that can prevent black students from feeling like they belong at such a rural school like Northern Michigan University. With the community being predominantly white, we are not going to have the same kinds of services available that you would have in a place like Detroit or Grand Rapids. Food, hair products and hair services, and religion; things like that, said Cruz. Hilary Shelton is the head of the Washington, D.C. office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the U.S.s oldest civil rights groups. He says he fully agrees with the reports findings on the failings of public schools. But he says there are additional problems that the report did not examine. A major barrier, he says, is cost. In 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau found that black households have had the lowest average yearly earnings out of any racial group since 1967. And about 22 percent of African Americans live below the poverty level; again, more than any other group. African Americans have long depended on financial assistance, like that from the federal Pell grant system, to help pay for higher education, says Shelton. But in recent years, the cost of college has severely increased and the value of such aid has decreased. We have still not caught up with the spending power of the Pell grant, even from the 1960s, to make sure that students have what they need to actually pay their tuition, he said. Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy. Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do you think colleges and universities might be able to best serve the specific needs of different minority groups? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz Quiz - US Public Colleges Fail to Serve Black Students, Study Finds Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story undergraduate adj. used to describe a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree graduation n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university grade(d) v. to give a rating to something scale n. a range of numbers that is used to show the size, strength, or quality of something institution(s) n. an established organization metric(s) n. a system or standard of measurement diversity n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization specific adj. special or particular degree(s) n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university retain v. to keep someone in a position or job predominantly adv. mainly or mostly tuition n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there The Bella Vita apartment building rises high over the fast growing town of Luis Eduardo Magalhaes in northeastern Brazil. The 20-floor high structure provides housing for the very wealthy and people earning a lot of money. It comes with a private movie theater and helicopter landing area. Local soybean producers have to pay as much as $500,000 to live in the Bella Vita. Nearby farm equipment sellers, car dealerships and building supply stores are also busy expanding their businesses. About 8,000 kilometers to the north, in the United States, many farmers are setting limits on their spending. At a recent trade show in Boone, Iowa, corn and soybean grower Steve Sheppard was in no hurry to purchase equipment for his farm. Im not buying any machinery. Im not spending any money, Sheppard said. Two countries. Same business. Two different stories. The reason is China. A growing trade war between the United States and China is re-ordering the international trade in grains. After President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on Chinese goods, China announced tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. Among them was a 25 percent tax on soybeans, the single most valuable U.S. farm export. U.S. growers sold $12 billion worth to China last year alone. The reaction has been quick. China, the worlds largest importer of soybeans, has cut back on purchases of U.S. grain. China is turning instead to Brazil, which has profited from Chinese demand to become an agricultural powerhouse. Brazilian soybean exports to China rose 22 percent by value between January and September of 2018, compared to the same period a year ago. Brazilian producers are not only selling more grain, their soybeans have a higher price than beans from the United States, thanks to Chinese buyers. Prices for U.S. soybeans have fallen to levels that American farmers say are below the cost of production. The drop has made the agricultural industry a concern for an otherwise healthy U.S. economy. The Trump administration said in July it would spend up to $12 billion to help American farmers deal with trade-related losses. But, for the time being, Trump trade policies are helping Brazil, a major agricultural competitor of the United States. And American farmers fear the lost ground will be hard to regain. Boon to Brazil Like U.S. farmers, Brazils farmers produce much more grain than is needed at home. Nearly 80 percent of Brazils soy exports are now shipped to China. Experts say Brazils total soy growing area is expected to expand to a record 36.28 million hectares this season because of strong Chinese demand. Once a rural area with farms stretching in every direction, the city of Luis Eduardo Magalhaes is now home to 85,000 people. That is bigger than Sioux City, Iowas fourth-largest city. While Brazils overall economy is hurting, the nations agricultural industry experienced 13 percent growth last year. Chico Flores Oliveira is the managing partner of the John Deere dealership in Luis Eduardo. He said farm equipment sales grew 15 percent in 2017. And he expects the growth to continue this year. The local property market is also improving. Another new luxury apartment building is set to open next year. Single-family homes are being built throughout the city. U.S. farm communities hurting The economic situation is much worse back in Iowa, long considered the heart of U.S. agriculture. Iowa is the nations top corn-producing state and the second biggest producer of soybeans. But its trade ties with some markets have suffered under Trump. The president walked away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that would have opened markets such as Japan to more American farm products. His renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement had Mexico exploring other suppliers, including Brazil. Now the Chinese are pulling back. The city of Boone lies right in the middle of Iowa. Worries about the U.S. trade war with China were evident at the recent Farm Progress show, which comes to Boone every other year. Equipment dealer Lee Randall noted prices of used tractors and other equipment have dropped over trade tensions and low crop prices. Farmers problems are also showing up on bank balance sheets. The percentage of local agricultural loans reported as having repayment problems was up earlier this year. Rodney Jensen, who farms near Algona, regrets not making deals to sell soybeans from his autumn harvest when prices were higher. Like many farmers, he is storing his crop, waiting for better times. He worries China will not buy as much U.S. soy as it used to, even if the two nations settle their differences. Its been pretty pessimistic around here, Jensen said. I'm Jonathan Evans. And I'm Caty Weaver. The Reuters news agency reported this story. George Grow adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pessimistic adj. deeply distrustful We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Jamal Khashoggi is one of most influential Arab journalists in the world. No one has seen or heard from him since October 2. That was the day when he walked into Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul. Turkish government officials have said he was killed inside the office. Saudi Arabian officials deny harming the journalist. Jamal Khashoggi has worked for Saudi, American and international publications. He is highly critical of the government of Saudi Arabia, the nation of his birth. Khashoggi lived in the United States after fleeing Saudi Arabia in June 2017. When asked why he left, he told Al Jazeera television in March, I dont want to be arrested. Early life Jamal Khashoggi was born 59 years ago in Medina, Saudi Arabia, one of the holiest cities in Islam. He comes from a wealthy and powerful family. He is the grandson of Muhammad Khashoggi, a Turk who served as the personal doctor for King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia. Jamal Khashoggi is a nephew of Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi businessman who was involved in an arms for hostages deal, the Iran-Contra scandal. In the 1980s, Adnan Khashoggi was reported to be worth $4 billion. After completing his studies at Indiana State University in 1983, Jamal Khashoggi began working as a reporter for the English language newspaper Saudi Gazette. In the 1990s, he reported from Afghanistan, Algeria, Sudan and the Middle East. He later wrote for other English and Arab language newspapers. He rose to become deputy editor-in-chief of Arab News, the top English newspaper in Saudi Arabia. In his reporting and opinion pieces, Khashoggi often criticized Saudi religious values and pushed the government to carry out reforms. He made an enemy of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and son of King Salman. In 2017, Saudi police arrested nearly 50 political and business leaders in what critics saw as a power move by the Crown Prince. This action was quickly followed by the arrest of 17 womens rights activists. The government threatened to execute human rights activists Israa al-Ghomgham and her husband. Fearing for his safety, Khashoggi fled to the United States, where he lived outside Washington, D.C. I have left my home, my family, and my job, and I am raising my voiceWe Saudis deserve better, he wrote in his first guest column for The Washington Post. Khashoggi entered the Saudi diplomatic office in Istanbul to complete paperwork he needed to get remarried. His wife-to-be, a 36-year old Turkish woman, said she stood 11 hours near the door to the consulate, waiting for him to return. When he did not appear, she reported his disappearance. Im Susan Shand. VOANews.com reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the story for Learning English. Her story includes information from Bloomberg. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story journalist n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio consulate n. a government building whose employees is to live in a foreign country and protect and help the citizens of his or her own country who are traveling, living, or doing business nephew n. the son of a brother or sister scandal n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong column n. an opinion piece, usually appearing in a newspaper or magazine Bahrain will receive before the end of this year, $2 billion from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait as part of the $10 billion pledged by the three regional allies to help the tiny kingdom avoid a debt crisis. Two unnamed officials told Reuters that the $2 billion; a portion of last week-pledged $10 billion, will arrive before the end of 2018 and would figure in the 2019 budget. One official added that another $2 billion scheduled for end of 2019 may be reflected in the budget, Reuters reports. The $10 billion have been tied to fiscal reforms and will be released in installments. The small Gulf kingdom has been on verge of financial collapse since 2014 due largely to the fall of the oil price. The country has been facing budget deficit since 2016. The deficit was equivalent to 14 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. Public debt was 90 per cent of the DGP and is expected to increase to 100 per cent next year according to the Financial Times. As part of the aid package agreement, Manama released a 33-page fiscal plan. The plan proposes the improvement of the countrys finances and the abolition of the budget deficit by 2022. The government as per the agreement will have to cut public spending, impose value-added tax and bring changes to the pension system. A government spokesperson also indicated that some of the promised funds are in the kingdoms coffers. He declined to give more details. Our data does not support claims ... American Canyon may be getting a new sit-down restaurant, much to the delight of local residents who have long complained about the lack of fine dining in town. Laso Restaurant will offer a menu described as Nepalese Infusion that combines cooking from Nepal with California cuisine. Owner Mingyur Dorjee told the Planning Commission on Sept. 20 that their restaurant is slated to open in November or December at the former site of Robertos Bakery, located next door to the Catholic Church and just off Highway 29. Robertos Bakery closed recently, according to city officials. Dorjee said their new restaurant is a dream project of his and his brother, Sonam Sherpa, a former Buddhist monk turned chef trained in Nepalese and Western cuisine. Both were born in Nepal, and later became U.S. citizens. Dorjee moved his family to American Canyon about a year ago. We love it here, he told the commission. Laso means greetings in Nepali, according to Dorjee. We want everyone to come in happy, he said. Their establishment will be a full-service restaurant offering wine and beer. They applied to the Planning Commission for a conditional use permit, which is required of a business wanting to serve alcohol. The commission approved the permit unanimously. Dorjee and Sherpa have 10 years of restaurant experience in Napa and Sonoma. Sherpas background as a chef includes French, Italian and Nepalese cooking. Entrees will range in price from $18-$26. Salads, starters, small plates and desserts will also be offered. Dorjee said they intend to be open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m, eventually. Asked by the Planning Commission if they would stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays, Dorjee said they plan to do a soft opening at first and offer only dinner. If things go well, they will add lunch and possibly more. Laso will be able to seat 50-60 people between indoor seating and the patio. American Canyon has great weather, Dorjee said in explaining their plans for outdoor dining. News of a new sit-down restaurant was warmly greeted by residents and nearby businesses. Wow, this is awesome, said Karina Servente. We crave this here, she said of having more dining options and eating outdoors. Kenta Kamohara, general manager of the Holiday Inn & Suites, located within walking distance of Laso, said at the Planning Commission hearing: Our guests are going to love the type of food youre going to bring to the town. Sherpa said he first learned to prepare food for hundreds of young monks at a monastery. There, he learned about Tibetan, Indian and Nepalese cuisine. In 2008, Sherpa left the monastery and emigrated to the U.S. He trained under chef Pemba Sherpa at the Taste of the Himalayas in Napa. He later learned how to prepare French cuisine and worked at Farm. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Hi, I wonder how many of you attended state Sen. Bill Dodds Senior Issues Forum at our Napa Senior Activity Center on Sept. 28? Sen. Dodd not only made the gathering fun and upbeat, but we learned a great deal from him about upcoming bills. Plus he had invited several interesting, informative speakers to educate us on health care issues, fraud protection, services available for seniors, and other helpful issues facing us here in Napa County. Whether were a Democrat or a Republican, we should take advantage of every opportunity that arises to become more familiar with bills well be voting on, and the many services there are in our county for seniors. Were grateful to our senator for giving us a heads up morning in areas that are of interest and assistance to us seniors. Thank you, Sen. Dodd. I read something pretty wonderful about a dear friend of mine, one of an army of good friends who value her friendship and dedication to services for Napa Valley seniors. Id like to share with you part of the story Robert Hayes has recently written about our good friend, Celine Regalia, plus learning a little more about Adult Day Services, now known as Collabrias Day program. Robert begins: Twenty years have passed since an ambitious young social worker, Celine Regalia, opened the doors of Adult Day Services here in Napa. With one participantone who still attends regularlyshe set to work on building what would become an award-winning, leading edge program, which has become the model for many others in California and beyond. A little personal note from me: Ive had the pleasure of knowing Celine for almost 20 years. She has worked diligently for Adult Day Services, as well as forming a group of like-minded leaders of various senior organizations here in Napa. The group she formed is called HAPI, co-chaired by Naomi Dreskin-Anderson, another champion, and hard worker for fair play for Napa seniors. In addition to the kind words Robert has to say about Celine Regalia, you will also learn more about this amazing program. Im hopeful that you will find it interesting if you happen to be someone caring for another who can no longer care for themselves. Robert continues: Approximately 155 participants are served in Napa County. The Day Program recognizes the family (both participant and their care partners) as the unit of care so support and educational opportunities are available to family members, extending the benefits of care to a much larger population. The Day Program offers dignity and independence to those who may otherwise need institutional care. It offers much needed respite to the care partners, who can engage in other activities confident that their loved one is being very well cared for while having a lot of fun. We offer wrap-around services for the families, says Celine Regalia. Our professional staff includes nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and a host of talented volunteers all problem solvers who address the many issues that program participants and their care partners face. The program is built on the idea of using respect and empowerment to protect or, in some cases, restore participants personhood. Their life stories drive the program, so rather than placing individuals in existing activities or programs putting the peg in an existing hole person-centered care modifies the hole to fit the peg. If Joan likes quilting, or Tom likes singing, programming is created around those activities in a way that allows those participants to help develop, and often facilitate, the activity. Collabria Day program is particularly supportive of the care partners, who often suffer isolation, ill health, and financial difficulties while caring for a loved one with Alzheimers disease or other serious illness. We are in it for the long haul, says Regalia, and the care partners know they can rely on us as a long-term solution. Twenty years from now, says Regalia, we plan on being a flourishing program, caring for the Napa community with the same care, compassion and dignity that we have built our reputation on. Congratulations, Celine, on your 20 years with The Day Program, and all of your many friends will be sending you congratulations, as well. We wish you many more successful years ahead. Thank you, Robert, for letting me borrow parts of your lovely story about Celine, and the amazing services Callabria Care offers. Oct. 23 is drawing closer. You probably already have this date marked on your calendar. Its time, once again, to enjoy one of Kal Edwards Retirement Renewal Forums. I know we all love to laugh, to be around folks who laugh.it just makes the world a little brighter. Laughter is part of what well be enjoying on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Last time I attended one of Kals Forums, I saw many people who have become regulars, so even though were a little over a week from the Forum; I strongly urge you to make your reservations. Well be meeting in the Gasser Community Room at Collabria Care, 414 South Jefferson St. in Napa, at 5:30 to 7 p.m. This is a free community event. Early reservations are strongly advised: 707-258-9087 ext. 272 or healthedcoordinator@collabriacare.org. Keeping the Lausashaghter in Our lives! Strategies for Good Health and Feeling Alive is the programs title, and Kal reminds us that one of the challenges of being retired or thinking of retirement is to keep smiling when things grow difficult. Attendees need not worry; the speaker will be Dr. Miki Paul noted humorist and geropsychologist. Dr. Paul will explain the health benefits of laughter and how it affects our mental and physical health as we age. The Retirement Renewal Forums are part of the Community Conversation Series sponsored by Collabria Care and Aegis Living of Napa. Remember, this is a free community event. Looking forward to seeing everyone. These Forums are always very entertaining and well done. Well meet Kals Crew next week. I hope we were helpful in finding something of interest for you. Thanks for your good company. Sorry I missed seeing you last week. I was delighted to have family visiting from out of town for the week. See you next week with more ideas to encourage you to join the fun, and meet new people. Two prominent legal cases affecting Napa County those involving Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk John Tuteur and Bremer Family Winerycontinue to see red-letter court dates delayed. As of Friday, no new dates had been set for either case by Napa County Superior Court as each case winds through various complications. The 2017-18 grand jury accused Tuteur of four counts of willful or corrupt misconduct and seeks his removal from office. Tuteur court filings called the accusations a misadventure and a waste of judicial and public resources. A court hearing for Tuteur to respond to the accusations was scheduled for April 24, then multiple times thereafter, most recently for Oct. 19. All dates were canceled amid Tuteurs efforts to obtain grand jury materials through discovery. The court in early May unsealed transcripts of the grand jurys interviews with witnesses. But Tuteur also wants to obtain grand jury investigative notes, the original complaint from an Assessors Office employee and other materials. Superior Court Judge Mark Boessenecker in May granted Tuteurs discovery request and the grand jury filed an appeal with the states First District Court of Appeal. The wait to settle the matter has stalled the Tuteur case. Attorney Steven Piser in a court filing on behalf of the grand jury called the sought-after notes and other materials confidential. He wrote that he was representing the grand jury for free and not at the countys expense. The state Attorney Generals Office, which brought the grand jury charges to court as required by law, had no objections to Tuteurs discovery request. In order for Tuteur to exercise his right to object to the accusations, he has to be afforded the means to do so, a May 11 filing by the Attorney Generals Office said. Tuteur in an Oct. 4 press release said he is frustrated by the postponements caused by the delaying tactics of the 2017-18 grand jury foreperson. The grand jury accused Tuteur of failing to pay back taxes following an assessment error and taking various actions involving farmland policies possibly self-serving, since he owns a ranch that cost the county and other jurisdictions tax money. The other case that has seen delays is Napa Countys lawsuit against Bremer Family Winery in the mountains east of St. Helena for allegedly breaking county rules. To the surprise of county officials, the case could have larger implications for the countys ability to restrict winery activities. The Bremer trial after several delays was to begin in Napa County Superior Court last Tuesday. Instead, Judge Victoria Wood recused herself from the case. Wood couldnt be reached to state the reason for recusing herself. Court records dont elaborate on the recusal. Napa County in court papers called Bremer winery a continuing public nuisance. It accused the winery of doing everything from producing too much wine to having too many visitors. But a tentative court ruling referred to in court papers apparently agreed with the Bremers interpretation of the winerys 39-year-old use permit. Under this interpretation, the visitor limitations dont apply because they appear only in the original winery application, not in the Planning Commission conditions of approval. If the tentative ruling becomes final, it would potentially have significant and widespread impact on the county and its regulation of the wine industry and zoning in general, a county court filing said. Judge Diane Price is to hold a trial management conference on Tuesday. 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. Why are Californias gasoline prices so much higher than those of the rest of the country? The advocates for Proposition 6 will tell you its because of the gas-tax increase passed in Sacramento last year. Part of the difference is higher taxes, but thats not all there is to it. Selling and refining gasoline in California simply costs more than in other states. But theres also a mystery surcharge on gas in the Golden State: In the last few years, the price gap has jumped higher than costs and taxes can explain. So far this year, Californias gas price has been about 80 cents a gallon above the average of all other states. Higher state gas taxes account for about 23 cents of the difference. An additional 3 cents on average is due to local sales taxes, which vary by county. Then there are the fees to address environmental impacts, mostly climate change. The states cap-and-trade program on greenhouse gases has added 12 cents a gallon in 2018, and our low carbon fuel standard has pushed the cost up by about 8 cents. Finally, we pay 2 cents to clean up old gas station sites where fuel leaked into the soil. Add that up and Californians are paying about 48 cents a gallon more to state and local authorities than the average American. Thats real money considering that we use about 1 gallon of gasoline per person per day. At least that 48 cents buys us some real benefits: It goes to repairing roads and bridges, building needed new infrastructure for our rapidly expanding economy, and helping low-income California families afford energy. A bit of it, its true, goes to more controversial projects such as high-speed rail (about 3 cents), but the majority pays for bread-and-butter public services that we use every day. But what about the rest of that extra 80 cents a gallon? A slice of the remaining difference pays to refine oil so that it meets Californias cleaner-burning gasoline formula, adopted in 1996. Most analysts think that the cleaner formulation adds no more than 10 cents to what we pay at the pump. That leaves the mystery surcharge, which is 22 cents a gallon this year. Ive broken down the cost of gas annually for more than a decade: The surcharge averaged 2 cents from 2000 to 2014 and was never more than 12 cents in any of those years. But everything changed in 2015. As chair of the Petroleum Market Advisory Committee to the California Energy Commission, I watched gas prices skyrocket after a refinery explosion in Torrance in February 2015. The committee expected tighter supply to drive up prices, as it had done after previous refinery accidents. But we also expected prices to return to normal levels after the refinery resumed production. They didnt. For the rest of the year, the mystery surcharge was about 48 cents a gallon. What was more disturbing was that it continued at unprecedented levels in 2016 (29 cents) and 2017 (27 cents), well after the Torrance refinery was back at full production. Our 22-cent mystery surcharge this year is nearly twice as much as the 12-cent gas-tax increase, and yet no one is trying to abolish the surcharge. Since February 2015, it has cost Californians more than $17 billion, or about $1,700 for a family of four. And none of those dollars have gone to building infrastructure or helping poor families. Lawmakers thanked the PMAC for our final report on the mystery surcharge in September 2017, and then promptly went back to fighting about gas taxes. Looking at gasoline prices nationwide over the last four years provides clues that may explain some of the mystery. The surcharge doesnt come in at the production end of gasoline. The commodity price of California gas spiked in 2015, after the refinery fire, but it dropped again in 2016. Since then, the commodity price differential with the dirtier fuel used elsewhere has been around 10 cents, lower than in any year of the previous decade. Instead, the surcharge shows up between the refineries and our gas tanks, in the distribution and retailing network. Many characteristics of these sectors suggest that California lacks the competitive pressure of other states. Far more stations here are owned by refiners or have long-term contracts that give the refiners significant control over gas prices. Less gasoline is sold through off-brand stations such as Costco or Safeway, which means they put less pressure on the major brands. In California, the price difference between majors and off-brands averages 23 cents per gallon, according to data from Gas Buddy. Elsewhere in the country, that difference is only 7 cents. Those facts dont nail down the cause or the exact beneficiaries of the mystery surcharge, and they dont identify policies that would reduce it. To get to those answers would require a serious and well-funded investigation by the state. Instead of voting against a gas tax that benefits us all, tell your representatives in Sacramento that its time to solve the gas-surcharge mystery. Severin Borenstein is a professor at UC Berkeleys Haas School of Business and faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times. Measure C, funded by the rich, was narrowly defeated by a smear campaign. A Napa Valley Popular Front emerges from the crucible of defeat. In November, this popular front is poised to gain ground on the valley's rich and their Democrat Party proxies. Napa Greens spearhead the electoral insurgency. A popular front is a coalition of centrists, liberals, socialists, and communists aimed to advance social democracy and economic justice, by mobilizing the proletariat against the far-right and winning elections. Historic cases, e.g. 1930s France and Spain, prior to Franco's fascist takeover. Napa Valley's Popular Front is decentralized, comprised of autonomous players; most are Democrats and belong to liberal environmentalist groups, e.g. Vision 2050. A majority of people, loosely associated, with this popular front aren't registered Green. Yet, Napa Greens lead the electoral charge to battle. American Canyon (Jason Kishineff), Napa (James Hinton), and Calistoga (Don Williams) City Councils, St. Helena's mayorship (Geoff Ellsworth), and Napa Valley College (NVC) Board of Trustees (BOT) (Amy Martenson, Beth Goff, and Xulio Soriano), are the only contested Napa Valley races. While these candidates often differ in approach, they coalesce around a grassroots vision for local government. Kishineff, Hinton and Martenson are a Green trifecta; Hinton and Martenson are both endorsed by the Napa Valley Taxpayers Association, forging what Ralph Nader calls "the emerging left-right alliance to dismantle the corporate state." The Leninists would shudder to hear, but Napa Greens are Napa Valley's revolutionary vanguard. While Greens don't follow a dogmatic Marxist-Leninist-Maoist line, we're the largest, by virtue of membership and ballot access, anti-capitalist U.S. political party; by virtue of affiliation, this makes Greens the valley's left opposition. As for sex appeal, we're the most viable electoral vehicle in town. Amy Martenson fights a Goliathan battle for reelection against the Dodd Dynasty via J. Dodd, state Sen. Bill Dodd's son. Dodd senior, Republican-turned-Democrat, "misstated the facts" about Measure D during June's primary, behind a smoke screen of public safety, e.g. Measure D will block PG&E's helicopter access to areas for emergency operations. An impartial legal analysis in the voter guide says, "Measure D does not change or effect [current county code]" which grants emergency helicopter services and land sites. Dodd sponsored SB 901, a PG&E taxpayer bailout bill. "PG&E is a six-time convicted felon from the San Bruno fire" and "corporate criminal" according to Harrington Investments CEO John C. Harrington. While one shouldn't crucify the son for his father's sins, J. Dodd and his dad both represent the same corporate interests. J. Dodd's own record is swampy. An "environmental lawyer," J. Dodd worked for Syar against a citizen lawsuit to protect lower income neighborhoods from cancerous silica. He also works for the Halls, a bourgeoisie political power couple. In 2009, the Halls evicted residents from their mobile homes south of St. Helena. Shortly thereafter, they drafted plans to develop a luxury hotel on site. Alan Galbraith, St. Helena Mayor, said "the whole [project] looks semi-fraudulent. Maybe strike the word 'semi'." In 2014, Amy promised integrity, transparency, and accessibly at NVC; she's honored her campaign promises, e.g. meetings are videotaped/posted online, aligning board actions with California Ed Code, board uses data-driven planning/measurable goals. She's the only trustee concerned about public-private partnerships, a neo-liberal policy whereby one cleaves public asset, like slices off a Thanksgiving Day turkey, to sell to the private sector. Why does the Dodd Dynasty oppose Amy? Hinton supports clean air, water, and fights the downtown fat cats. He's the only candidate opposed to Napa's "City Hall, Taj Mahal," a proposed public-private partnership with soaring public costs. A cannabis consultant, he recently led the NVR editor on a tour of ReLeaf in Vallejo, a "model for how [a Napa dispensary] should be built, secured, and run." Kisheneff's, American Canyon, platform includes participatory budgeting, a glyphosate ban, a better skatepark, and to bejewel a farmers market along Highway 29, the valley's crown, in Walmart's parking lot. His main opponents are two incumbents; Mark Joseph, three-term Democrat, and David Orso, appointed to fill Belia Ramos' vacancy. Orso publicly opposed Measure C. Visit Napa Valley is a $10 million annual honeypot funded via a 2 percent bed tax (on top of the existing city 12 percent bed tax), self-assessed by the hospitality-government-industrial complex. Hinton and Kishineff both want to end Visit Napa Valley, raise the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) to 14 percent, earmark 2 percent for workforce housing, and appropriate millions to support services for Napa Valley's lumpenproletariat and blue-collar workers. The rich killed Measure C and didn't win the war. Measure C lost by a slim margin of 641 votes. We're fired up. The coming battle in autumn is a chance to hold the line against local crony capitalism. Alex Shantz St. Helena Liz Alessio has passion and integrity It is no wonder Liz Alessio has been endorsed by the Napa Police Association, the Napa City Firefighters Association, Ed Henderson (former Mayor of Napa) Juliana Inman (former Vice Mayor of Napa) and so many others. She is a strong, passionate leader who wants to do what is right for the residents of Napa. She understands the delicate balance of business and communities, and she understands quality of life in Napa Valley. She is a fourth-generation Napan and her granddaughter will be sixth-generation. Liz is passionate, hardworking, insightful and has the integrity which is so rare in todays politics. Watching the debate at the Napa County Library reinforced to me that she is the best candidate for the Napa City Council. Sylvia Andrews, Napa Narvaez has the breadth to meet challenges Our city of Napa continues to move forward under the leadership of our Mayor, Jill Techel. We will continue to growand with growth have challenges. Housing will be a primary focus and need. This is the major issue facing employers and employees in Napa. We need leadership with realistic and timely solutions. There are two council seats up for election. They need to be filled with candidates having breadth in our community to understand and the leadership skills to bring forth solutions to the issues before us. Bernie Narvaez is such a person. Berniean experienced local business owner and employerwas named Latino Business Leader of the Year. He has served as a Napa Parks & Rec Commissioner; is a Big Brother, mentoring our youth. As a new homeowner, Bernie understands the tough housing environment. He wants to help both renters and buyers into market rate housingand to help our employees stay in Napa. Bernie has the breadth and experience to enhance the leadership needed on our Napa City Council. Ballots are in the mailtime to vote. Please join me and vote for Bernie. Brian Kelly, Napa Dodd and Mott deserve your votes Of course, I know all my fellow seniors will be casting their votes soon. What Id love to hear, after the votes are counted is, Jeff Dodd is a winner. Im his very proud grandmother, and he is running for the Napa College Board of Trustees. As his grandmother, I can vouch for his integrity, honesty, openness and his transparency, and forgive me Jeff, my grandson is also very kind. I love kind, dont you? He attended Napa Valley College, was raised in the Napa Valley and was involved in leadership activities growing up. He is an attorney who believes in abiding within the law. As I understand it, all elected officials must take a sworn oath proving honesty and commitment. Jeff has always taken his responsibilities seriously. I know that education is in the forefront of his passion. As he and his wife Kelly will soon become parents, Im sure they both envision their child having the best education opportunities. Jeff certainly values the community college system because of his own experience as a student which has laid valuable groundwork for him. Please join me in voting for Jeff Dodd. Im sure that you will not be disappointed. Also, being an elder advocate, Id like to also recommend a true friend of us seniors, our very generous Peter Mott. Lets keep him in his seat on the City Council. He has the experience, the knowledge and he has a handle on what makes our city run smoothly. Hes honest and sincere and with Peter what you see is what you get, no hidden agendas. Im hopeful that my fellow seniors feel as I do, and vote to keep Pete in his seat as our City Council Member. Betty Rhodes, Napa A new hope for Napa Valleys future? Measure C, funded by the rich, was narrowly defeated by a smear campaign. A Napa Valley Popular Front emerges from the crucible of defeat. In November, this popular front is poised to gain ground on the valleys rich and their Democrat Party proxies. Napa Greens spearhead the electoral insurgency. A popular front is a coalition of centrists, liberals, socialists, and communists aimed to advance social democracy and economic justice, by mobilizing the proletariat against the far-right and winning elections. Historic cases, e.g. 1930s France and Spain, prior to Francos fascist takeover. Napa Valleys Popular Front is decentralized, comprised of autonomous players; most are Democrats and belong to liberal environmentalist groups, e.g. Vision 2050. A majority of people, loosely associated, with this popular front arent registered Green. Yet, Napa Greens lead the electoral charge to battle. American Canyon (Jason Kishineff), Napa (James Hinton), and Calistoga (Don Williams) City Councils, St. Helenas mayorship (Geoff Ellsworth), and Napa Valley College (NVC) Board of Trustees (BOT) (Amy Martenson, Beth Goff, and Xulio Soriano), are the only contested Napa Valley races. While these candidates often differ in approach, they coalesce around a grassroots vision for local government. Kishineff, Hinton and Martenson are a Green trifecta; Hinton and Martenson are both endorsed by the Napa Valley Taxpayers Association, forging what Ralph Nader calls the emerging left-right alliance to dismantle the corporate state. The Leninists would shudder to hear, but Napa Greens are Napa Valleys revolutionary vanguard. While Greens dont follow a dogmatic Marxist-Leninist-Maoist line, were the largest, by virtue of membership and ballot access, anti-capitalist U.S. political party; by virtue of affiliation, this makes Greens the valleys left opposition. As for sex appeal, were the most viable electoral vehicle in town. Amy Martenson fights a Goliathan battle for reelection against the Dodd Dynasty via J. Dodd, state Sen. Bill Dodds son. Dodd senior, Republican-turned-Democrat, misstated the facts about Measure D during Junes primary, behind a smoke screen of public safety, e.g. Measure D will block PG&Es helicopter access to areas for emergency operations. An impartial legal analysis in the voter guide says, Measure D does not change or effect [current county code] which grants emergency helicopter services and land sites. Dodd sponsored SB 901, a PG&E taxpayer bailout bill. PG&E is a six-time convicted felon from the San Bruno fire and corporate criminal according to Harrington Investments CEO John C. Harrington. While one shouldnt crucify the son for his fathers sins, J. Dodd and his dad both represent the same corporate interests. J. Dodds own record is swampy. An environmental lawyer, J. Dodd worked for Syar against a citizen lawsuit to protect lower income neighborhoods from cancerous silica. He also works for the Halls, a bourgeoisie political power couple. In 2009, the Halls evicted residents from their mobile homes south of St. Helena. Shortly thereafter, they drafted plans to develop a luxury hotel on site. Alan Galbraith, St. Helena Mayor, said the whole [project] looks semi-fraudulent. Maybe strike the word semi. In 2014, Amy promised integrity, transparency, and accessibly at NVC; shes honored her campaign promises, e.g. meetings are videotaped/posted online, aligning board actions with California Ed Code, board uses data-driven planning/measurable goals. Shes the only trustee concerned about public-private partnerships, a neo-liberal policy whereby one cleaves public asset, like slices off a Thanksgiving Day turkey, to sell to the private sector. Why does the Dodd Dynasty oppose Amy? Hinton supports clean air, water, and fights the downtown fat cats. Hes the only candidate opposed to Napas City Hall, Taj Mahal, a proposed public-private partnership with soaring public costs. A cannabis consultant, he recently led the NVR editor on a tour of ReLeaf in Vallejo, a model for how [a Napa dispensary] should be built, secured, and run. Kisheneffs, American Canyon, platform includes participatory budgeting, a glyphosate ban, a better skatepark, and to bejewel a farmers market along Highway 29, the valleys crown, in Walmarts parking lot. His main opponents are two incumbents; Mark Joseph, three-term Democrat, and David Orso, appointed to fill Belia Ramos vacancy. Orso publicly opposed Measure C. Visit Napa Valley is a $10 million annual honeypot funded via a 2 percent bed tax (on top of the existing city 12 percent bed tax), self-assessed by the hospitality-government-industrial complex. Hinton and Kishineff both want to end Visit Napa Valley, raise the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) to 14 percent, earmark 2 percent for workforce housing, and appropriate millions to support services for Napa Valleys lumpenproletariat and blue-collar workers. The rich killed Measure C and didnt win the war. Measure C lost by a slim margin of 641 votes. Were fired up. The coming battle in autumn is a chance to hold the line against local crony capitalism. Alex Shantz, St. Helena As Bhutan goes to its final phase of polls on October 18, the Doklam and China factors will keep India on tenterhooks because Bhutan has started slowly changing its stance in a subtle way. Both India and China, two of Bhutans giant neighbours will be closely monitoring the outcome. The tiny Himalayan nation is geo-strategically tucked between the two mighty neighbours. And, for both India and China, Bhutan has become a strategically important neighbour. There has been some discomfort in India following the elimination of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Tsering Tobgay in the preliminary round. Tobgay was considered as pro-India. Probably Bhutanese people do not want their country to be branded as pro-India. Tobgays shocking defeat has also been attributed to Doklam factor by some of the keen observers of Bhutan politics. Chinas growing presence in South Asia as well as its consistent efforts to gain ground in Bhutan is a major area concern for India. Bhutan has been a trusted ally of India since decades. But in 2012, India was taken aback when Druk Phuensum Tshogpa government in Bhutan led by first elected Prime Minister Dasho Jigme Yoser Thinley met Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the Rio Earth Summit at Brazil. At that time Bhutan kept India in the dark about the meeting. Upset at Bhutans gesture, India withdrew petroleum subsidy to its neighbour before the 2013 elections. Thinley wanted Bhutan to open up to its other big neighbour like China for economic reasons. DPT was ousted in 2013 elections and the PDP came to power with a landslide victory. Immediately after that the PDP had announced rebuilding bilateral ties with India as its top priority. Five years later, the scenario has changed again. DPT is again in the race for government formation in the Himalayan Kingdom but now under the leadership of Pema Gyamtsho. India is well aware of the fact that its relation with Bhutan was under stress during the DPT regime. Social media posts are also trying to highlight the possible impact of Indo-Bhutan relations if DPT comes to power. If DPT comes to power be ready for six things due to partys poor relation with India. This is also the reason why DPT has minimum pledges compared to all other parties A) Double price for Gas and increased price for petrol and diesel B) No or reduced 12th plan money from India and so many developmental activities stopped since India is largest donor. C) No hydro projects happening. In 2013 elections time GoI wanted to stop hydro projects if DPT came to power. This means no new revenue. No pay hike for civil servants and corporations. D) Power rates of existing projects will be reduced like in 2013 when GoI announced removing tariff subsidy from Chukha. This means current revenue will drop. E) With reduced funds from India and less revenue the rupee crisis will come again and F) Chinese give only commercial loans and so like Sri Lanka and Pakistan did DPT will have to mortgage Bhutanese land for 99 years to Chinese for funds, a Facebook post says. Also read: Who is next PM of Bhutan: Lotay Tshering or Pema Gyamtsho Chinas hostile behaviour and claims on Doklam also surprised Bhutan. This has also probably compelled Bhutan to cautiously build deep relations with India which is not without terms and conditions. Tensions between China and Bhutan started way back in 1951 following Chinese occupation of Tibet. China claimed considerable territory in central and northwestern Bhutan in its map. Both China and Bhutan differ not only on Doklam but also on Jakarlung and Pasamlung valleys in northwestern Bhutan. Since 1984 both the countries are holding annual parleys on boundary issues. Chinas proposal to exchange its claim over the Pasamlung and Jakarlung valleys for Bhutans northwestern territory in Chumbi Valley is also another area of concern for India. Chumbi Valley lies in close proximity to the Siliguri Corridor which is Indias one of the most strategic and sensitive territories. The Siliguri Corridor is very important as it connects the entire Northeast India with the rest of India. The common perception among the Bhutanese is that Bhutan should maintain its ties with India and at the same time open up for China also and establish diplomatic links. Regardless of which party comes to power in Bhutan, it will be interesting to see how the new political dispensation formulates its foreign policy with its two giant neighbours. And India will be keen to see whether the last bastion within its sphere of influence remains intact. Vibhavariben Dave, Minister of State for Women & Child Welfare, Education (Primary & Higher Education) & Pilgrimage, government of Gujarat along with Statue of Unity high-level state delegation consisting of MLA, MP and government officers met the Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and invited him to take part in its unveiling program of the statue. More than double the 93-meter Statue of Liberty, off the coast of New York City, the Statue of Unity in Gujarat is an iconic 182-meter tall tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It will be the worlds tallest statue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil of the Statue of Unity on October 31, Sardar Patels birthday. Later Minister Vibhavariben Dave along with her team interacted with the media at the state guest house, during which she gave details about the Statue of Unity so that the people of the state are aware of it and also visit Gujarat to see it and thus pay tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel more popularly known as the Iron Man of India. Ann Linde shares deep concern over situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border Armen Grigoryan: Pashinyan received Biden's invitation to participate in Summit for Democracy, confirmed participation WSJ: Ohio attorney's office sues Meta for $ 100 billion NEWS.am 16.11.21 BREAKING: Situation is tense on Armenia-Azerbaijan border Armenia Security Council Secretary receives France Ambassador Armenia MOD: Armenian side has casualties and injured, there is news about loss of two military posts MFA: Armenia, in accordance with the UN Charter, has the right by all means to reflect the use of force by Azerbaijan Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan Defense Ministry is trying to blame Armenian side for its large-scale provocation Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijani armed forces invaded and unlawfully deployed near Armenian communities Armenia Security Council Secretary: There are injured and casualties Security Council Secretary: If Armenia fails to resolve crisis via Russia and CSTO, it will have to use other mechanisms Armenia MOD: Situation hasn't changed essentially, adversary has major losses of armored vehicles and manpower Newspaper: Armenian side has 10 casualties as a result of exchange of fire Russian and Iranian presidents discuss situation around Nagorno-Karabakh Security Council Secretary: We are applying to Russia with call to protect Armenia's territorial integrity Bitcoin price collapsed Armenian Defense Ministry on situation on Azerbaijan border: Local battles are ongoing Armenia MP calls on CSTO, OSCE, PACE and EU to implement necessary acts of restraint Armenia recalls Ambassador to Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia TASS: Yerevan applying to Moscow with the call to protect Armenia's sovereign territory Issue on fate of Armenian captives removed from Armenia parliament's agenda, main speaker was absent Majority faction MP: Armenia has suffered positional losses Hraparak.am: Azerbaijanis capture 6 Armenian servicemen Deputy Mayor: Gunshots being fired can be heard in Goris Armenia MOD: Situation at eastern part of border with Azerbaijan remains tense Networking capacity of office of high commissioner for Armenian diaspora to be expanded Armenia Security Council chief, Russia ambassador discuss situation on border with Azerbaijan MOD: Azerbaijan armed forces fired at Armenia positions Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM now lawmaker Gevorgyan case court session put off for 1 month Armenia ex-president Kocharyan, former deputy PM now MP Gevorgyan criminal case court hearing reconvenes Biden expresses concern over China's actions regarding Tibet and Hong Kong Oil is getting more expensive 5 more persons die of coronavirus in Karabakh Armenia ex-defense minister: Yerevan-Goris highway is, in fact, under Azerbaijan control Turkish lira hits record low against dollar Acting mayor appointed to Armenias Artik town 572 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Over 4,000 pilgrims, escorted by Russia peacekeepers, visit Artsakhs Amaras, Dadivank monasteries in 1 year Parliament to hold closed session today to discuss fate of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan Armenia opposition MPs leave legislature sessions hall Pentagon continues to express concern over India's decision to buy Russian S-400s Armenia parliament convenes regular sessions Tense situation in Armenias Byurakan village Newspaper: Why Azerbaijan army becomes more active at Armenia borders? Newspaper: Azerbaijan to transfer money for flight through Armenia airspace Armenia PM, representatives of IT companies discuss prospects for public-private partnership Traces of ancient easternmost Roman aqueduct discovered in Armenia Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group view 'with deep concern' recent events on Armenia-Azerbaijan border Putin, Macron discuss situation regarding settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenia Parliament Speaker: Checkpoints are placed in territories that are considered Azerbaijan Ukrainian MP: Yerevan and Kyiv are working on regulating and strengthening bilateral ties Situation on border discussed during opposition 'Armenia' faction's session chaired by Robert Kocharyan Political scientist: Armenian-Ukrainian relations have tremendous potential 41-year-old Azerbaijani man dies in mine explosion in Akna Armenia Parliament Speaker assures that new defense minister will be the best one in Armenian history Armenia FM: Peace cannot be achieved by the good will of one party alone Armenian and Chinese governments sign agreement on technical-economic cooperation Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case on Azerbaijani army trespassing state border Russian and Turkish MFAs discuss launch of '3+3' advisory mechanism in South Caucasus Armenia parliament majority faction has new secretary NEWS.am daily digest: 15.11.21 Armenia MP: Armenian community is one of the most active communities in Ukraine's public-political life Armenia parliament to not hold special session based on opposition's demand Baku proclaims occupied sections of Armenia's territory as 'sovereign territory of Azerbaijan' Armenia finance minister receives Asian Development Bank delegation Armenian MFA: Armenia-EU Common Aviation Agreement signed Advocate: Armenia's ex-police chief is acquitted Armen Gevorgyan to attend 9th Meeting of CIS Security Council Secretaries in Moscow Armenia parliament's opposition factions to hold special plenary session today at 8 p.m. Armenia PM introduces newly appointed Defense Minister Suren Papikyan to the top military officials Armenia emergency situations minister meets with Georgia's Charge d'Affaires Armenia PM, World Bank vice president discuss priorities of partnership Armenia woman, 28, dies of Covid 11 days after giving birth Ukraine MP: Armenians and Ukrainians are fraternal peoples, and this is irrefutable Armenian Ambassador on Zelensky's visit to Armenia Dollar gains value in Armenia Ambassador: Armenia-Ukraine relations are progressing Opposition 'Armenia' faction MP Artur Sargsyan is arrested 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 YEREVAN. The Armenian authorities are interested in creating an attractive business environment for investors, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. According to him, Trudeau declared his readiness to intensify Canadian investments in Armenia as the Canadian companies have already been established in Armenia. Pashinyan highlighted the need to correctly represent the ongoing processes in the country which are related to combating corruption, as sometimes the process also affects foreign companies. However, our goal is not to try to prevent investment or even expel companies. On the contrary, we want to create an environment where business will not depend on the whims of officials and so that ecology matters are taken into account to be confident that any cooperation cannot be above national and popular interests, he said. Trudeau, in his turn, noted that Canadian entrepreneurs show interest in different areas: water management, infrastructure, and the implementation of liquid and solid waste. Asked to comment on the opening of the embassy, Trudeau noted that this depends both on the development of business relations, and relations between people. The PM promised to return to the question later. Home | News | General | Breaking: APC reportedly appoints new spokesperson The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has reportedly appointed Mr Issa-Onilu as the new spokesperson of the party. Premium Times reports that Issa-Onilu confirmed the appointment even though an official statement is yet to be released to the effect. The new spokesperson who is from Ilorin in Kwara state came second behind Mr Bolaji Abdullahi in the original election for the position of national publicity secretary of the ruling party. READ ALSO: Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate for presidential election Mr Issa-Onilu will be taking over from the acting spokesperson, Yekeen Nabena, who will now revert to his position as deputy national publicity secretary of the party. Issa-Onilu will be taking over from the acting spokesperson, Yekeen Nabena. Credit: Premium Times Source: Facebook Recall that following the resignation of Bolaji Abdullahi who defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Yekeen Nabena took the spokespersons position in interim capacity. Issa-Onilu is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. He also holds MS Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University, Virginia, U.S.A. NAIJ.com had reported that the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday, December 1, announced Bolaji Abdullahi, as its new national publicity secretary. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Abdullahi succeeds Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was sworn in as the Minister of Information and Culture in 2015. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Naij.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | APC newspaper predicts results of 2019 election, says PDP will only win 4 states (see state by state breakdown) Ahead of 2019 general election, a Facebook page associated with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has on Friday, October 12, released its prediction for the election. In its prediction, APC newspaper predicted that the ruling party will win in 30 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win only in 4 states. It also predicted that the states of Delta and Cross River would be shared equally between the two leading political parties. READ ALSO: Why APC senators won't impeach Saraki - Senate leader Below is a breakdown prediction of 2019 general election state by state as posted by APC newspaper. 1. Abia state - APC 45%, PDP 55% 2. Adamawa state - APC 90%, PDP 10%, 3. Akwa Ibom state - APC 60%, PDP 40%, 4. Anambra state - APC 70%, PDP 30% 5. Ekiti state - APC 80%, PDP 20% 6. Bauchi state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 7. Bayelsa state - APC 30%, PDP 70% 8. Benue state - APC 60%, PDP 40% 9. Borno state - APC 98%, PDP 2% 10. Cross River state - APC 50%, PDP 50% 11. Delta state - APC 50%, PDP 50% 12. Edo state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 13. Ebonyi state - APC 30%, PDP 70% 14. Enugu state - APC 30%, PDP 70% 15. Gombe state - APC 95%, PDP 5% 16. Imo state - APC 70%, PDP 30% 17. Jigawa state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 18. Kaduna state - APC 89%, PDP11% 19. Kano state - APC 95%, PDP5% 20. Katsina state - APC 98%, PDP 2% 21. Kebbi state - APC 95%, PDP5% 22. Kogi state - APC 80%, PDP 20% 23. Kwara state - APC 70%, PDP 30% 24. Lagos state - APC 97%, PDP 3% 25. Nasarawa state - APC 85%, PDP 15% 26. Niger state - APC 90%, PDP 10 27. Ogun state - APC 90% PDP 10% 28. Ondo state - APC 80%, PDP 20% 29. Osun - APC 70%, PDP 30% 30. Oyo state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 31. Plateau state - APC 80% PDP 20% 32. Rivers state - APC 60% PDP 40% 33. Sokoto state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 34. Taraba state - APC 90%, PDP 10% 35. Yobe state - APC 98%, PDP 2% 36. Zamfara state - APC 98%, PDP 2% 37. FCT Abuja - APC 80%, PDP 20% PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, picked former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi in Abuja, as his running mate for the 2019 presidential elections. NAIJ.com reported that Obi arrived at Abubakars residence in Asokoro neighborhood this afternoon and both had undisclosed talks. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Naij.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 26-year-old serving corps member drowns in Bauchi A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Bauchi state, Joseph Adebayo, who went on a picnic to celebrate the end of his service year on Thursday, October 11, drowned in Gubi river in the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis. Bauchi state police commands public relations officer, DSP Kamal Datti, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, said the deceased, along with two of his colleagues, had boarded a faulty canoe, which capsized with them. The spokesman said two of the corps members were rescued by villagers while Adebayo got drowned, adding that his floating corpse was recovered on Friday, October 12. READ ALSO: APC newspaper predicts results of 2019 election state by state On Thursday at about 8.30 pm the command received a report from one Mahadi Sada, a Zonal Inspector of NYSC, that on the same day at about 5pm, some corps members attached to Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue went on picnic at Gubi dam to celebrate the end of their service year. Three of the corps members boarded a canoe but unfortunately, the canoe was faulty, and so water drifted into it, resulting in the canoe capsizing. However, two of the corps members were rescued by villagers fishing in the Dam while one Joseph Adebayo, 26, who hails from Ogun state, got drowned and eventually died, he said Datti said the corpse of the deceased was recovered on Friday at about 8am and deposited at the mortuary of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for medical examination, adding that investigation on the matter had commenced. PAY ATTENTION: Get best news on Nigeria's #1 news app In a previous report by NAIJ.com, corps member serving in Bayelsa state have been reported dead after falling into a river while trying to take selfie. According to reports gathered by NAIJ.com, the yet-to-be identified man was taking a selfie when he met his untimely death. The sad incident took place on Friday, May 4 in Ogbolomaibiri, Nembe. The late corps member was capturing his beautiful moment at the top of a jetty when he reportedly slipped and fell inside the river. His corpse was recovered about 30 minutes later. Nigerian youths reply to President Buhari over 'lazy' comment trailer. - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | PDP reacts to the emergence of Peter Obi as Atiku's running mate - The People Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra chapter has reacted to the announcement of Peter Obi as Atikus running mate - The chairman of PDP in Anambra, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, described the choice as a great honour to one of its founding father, late Dr Alex Ekwueme - Nwobu said Obi possessed all the requisite quality to occupy the position having been a successful governor and a seasoned technocrat The People Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra chapter has described the choice of Chief Peter Obi as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a great honour to one of its founding father, late Dr Alex Ekwueme. Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, chairman of PDP in Anambra said this while reacting to the announcement of Obi as Atikus running mate in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka. Nwobu said the nomination was a round peg in a round hole as Obi possessed all the requisite quality to occupy the position having been a successful governor and a seasoned technocrat. READ ALSO: Court summons Orji Kalu over Nnamdi Kanus whereabouts He said the state chapter was happy that the PDP hearkened to its call that Anambra be given the slot as it had plethora of individuals who could partner with any president to chart a new course for Nigeria. It is a welcome development, the choice of Obi is that of a round peg in a round hole, a governor he set Anambra on a pedestal for economic growth and left huge dune of money for future generation. During the campaigns, we told the aspirants that they should consider Anambra strongly for the slot of Vice President as a sign of appreciation to Late Dr Ekwueme who for his great work as a founding father of PDP. For the chapter here in Anambra, we are happy that Obi was picked and we are fully of confidence that the Atiku/Obi ticket is the magic wand Nigeria needs in all sectors especially economy, he said. Nwobu said the PDP through its primary had shown that it was the custodian of Nigerian democracy and had set great example which other political parties could learn from. Also reacting, Oseloka Obaze, Anambra governorship aspirant of the PDP in 2017 congratulated Atiku on picking Obi, saying he made the right choice. Obaze, a diplomat, said it was a hard headed decision which was best in the interest of the country at this point in time. His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar has made the right choice in picking Peter Obi as his running make. Atiku has just the exhibited the ability to make hard-headed decision required of purposeful leaders. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Lets get Nigeria working again, God bless Atiku, God bless Peter Obi, and God bless Nigeria, he said. NAIJ.com previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has picked former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi in Abuja, as his running mate for the 2019 presidential elections. Obi arrived at Abubakars residence in Asokoro neighborhood on Friday, October 12 and both had undisclosed talks. The former Anambra governor was widely speculated as the running mate to Atiku for the 2019 general elections. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Naij.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019: Okowa advocates alternative source of funding for INEC AS members of Nigerian Guild of Editors brainstorm on how to achieve a credible general elections in 2019, Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated for change in the funding of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the commission is truly independent. The governor spoke on Friday at the executive session of Day 3 of the 14th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) which had as its theme, Credible Elections, Sustainable Democracy and the Role of the Media, in Asaba. According to the governor, INEC is supposed to be an unbiased body, so, how can they truly be unbiased? How will they get their source of funding? How will they work on their process of appointments? These and more questions are what we are supposed to address and they have to be dealt with in such a manner that we can give them enough power, make them truly independent in such a manner that they do not walk cap in hand to the executive to ask for funding, because when you know that somebody controls the funds, you will definitely not be in a position to be truly independent. Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (left) and President of Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, during the 14th Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, held in Asaba. It will be hard to say, no when such individuals in charge of the funds make certain request, and I believe that INEC is gradually moving, I still believe that there is a lot to be done which means that our legislations must be in such a manner that will truly make INEC independent and if they are going to be answerable to anybody at all, they should be answerable to the legislature and not any other arm of government which will be better, Governor Okowa said. Governor Okowa used the occasion to disclose why the Peoples Democratic Partys special Convention Planning Committee which he was the Chairman was able to organise a free, credible and acceptable presidential primary election of the PDP, saying, we did our best to conduct the primaries that one can truly say that we did things, the way they ought to be, because we had to extract from our National Executive that we would be allowed to do what is right otherwise, we will not accept the nominations to conduct the primaries and I thank God that they allowed us do what is right and once we do things right, it becomes easier for one to move forward and the press is very important in trying to turn things around for our country. 2019: Re-electing Okowa is electing happiness Ossai If all of us work together and that means that the press must be able to report appropriately, they must be in the position to advise us the politicians appropriately and they must be in a position to fully inform the people and beyond the information, they must put us, politicians, under pressure and it is very important that we must realise that not just the Guild of Editors but, the entire press need to play the role it ought to play if we are able to do things better that will gradually improve the situation, so that we can conduct elections that are credible, Governor Okowa added. The governor who used the occasion to reel out his achievements in Delta State, emphasised, generally, in our country, I do believe that the need for voters education, the need to ensure that we take our people out of the poverty level are motivations that will help us to improve on the electoral process because, as long as our people continue to remain in the poverty bracket, there will be no integrity. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General -Insists primaries held in Zamfara By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari The dust raised by the just concluded primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has refused settle as the Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, Friday stated that he was under intensive pressure to dump the party with his supporters. Yari, who is the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum met with President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed-doors after the Friday jumaat service at the State House Mosque, Abuja, and handed over to the President the results of the primaries he conducted. The Zamfara State Governor who was initially reluctant to talk to State House correspondents that waited to know the outcome of his meeting with the President, later said that his supporters were aggrieved over the turn out events following the party leaderships refusal to acknowledge the primaries conducted last week in the state. Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had in fact, barred the party from fielding any candidates for the 2019 poll in Zamfara for not conducting primary elections. The Governor said the development had caused frustration among his supporters even as he warned the national leadership of the party not to present any list that did not emanate from the primaries conducted before the expiration of the deadline for the primaries. But he also promised that despite the pressure from his people to dump the APC, he will remain with the party and fight against any injustice. Flanked by the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Yari who reacted to his purported romance with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on social media said, I dont know whether that is a joke or otherwise. But for me, if you check my history since 1998, APP, and 2002 when Buhari joined ANPP, and 2015 APC, no time that I shifted from one party to another. That is not in my culture. So, the issue of leaving the party is not true. But some other people are sending rumour through the social media. I have seen my picture with the PDP and other parties. Yes, I cannot deny pressure from the people that we should leave APC but what I told them is that what we are looking for is just justice. We conducted electon and we want to see what the result is going to look. But I think for any body to come under the national secretariat and say he is going to nominate a candidate, I think, it is a very huge joke. Home | News | General | 2019 Elections: Win your constituencies, Secondus tasks PDPs BoT National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has urged the partys Board of Trustees (BoT) to ensure victory in their respective constituencies in the 2019 general elections. Uche Secondus Secondus made the call at the meeting of the BoT members with the partys Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Thursday night in Abuja. Secondus attributed PDPs failure in 2015 presidential election to complacency, saying every BoT member must deliver his or her unit, ward or constituency. We must build a consensus and arrangement that you will be rewarded and be recognised when you deliver. We cannot play the type of Abuja politics that made us lose in 2015, he said. Secondus said that the BoT should not leave the task of winning 2019 general elections to the younger ones, but give them the support and encouragement necessary to get the desired result. Our task now is to focus and remain focused. Our target is to win all the polling units in the country and we will be able to do that, with the strategies in place. A popular candidate has emerged. He is grounded in Nigeria. What is left for us to do is to take the message home, he added. He expressed optimism that if free and fair elections were conducted in 2019 the PDP would have a landslide victory because people appeared to be tired of the governing All Progressives Congresses (APC). Responding, the BoT Chairman, Sen. Walid Jibrin congratulated Atiku over his success at the partys primary election held in Port Harcourt, urging him to reach out to his co-contestants with a view to keeping them in the PDP. Now that you are the clear winner you must work with all and embrace everybody in order to win the 2019 election. Our youth and women should never be left behind in the campaign train, Jibrin said. He pledged the boards commitment towards the success of the partys standard bearer, saying the BoT wishes to assure you of our free service in order to make you the President of Nigeria in 2019. As our Presidential Candidate and without any iota of doubt the President of Nigeria come 2019, you stand to beat any presidential candidates of all the political parties, especially the APC. On the choice of running mate for Alhaji Atiku, the BoT Chairman said that consultations were ongoing to select from a zone that would attract more votes, adding that the decision would be made known at the appropriate time. We are not wasting time at all. The strategy is that wherever the vice president will come from will translate to additional votes for the party. In his remarks, Atiku thanked the party leaders and members for his emergence as PDPs flagbearer, urging them to gird their loins for the election proper. He implored the BoT members to use their endowments toward ensuring that the party records resounding success in 2019, stressing the need to take seriously his opponents in the contest. I can assure you that I am prepared to work with and reward all of you if we unite together to achieve success. I must commend the sense of patriotism displayed by my fellow contestants. From the very day I delivered my acceptance speech, we have been working together. I believe it is our duty to provide that sense of unity and leadership to the rest of our party members. On his visitation to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, he described it as a successful outing. I may not say whether he is a PDP member or not, but he is with us body and spirit. Even before he delivered his statement, we retired to his private room where he gave me his statement to go through and possibly edit. He said he would launch my campaign to the presidency with a statement. That is vintage Olusegun Obasanjo for you. On his part, the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that Atiku had set the pace for others to follow with his exemplary leadership. Saraki said that the party was united in the objective to remove President Muhammad Buhari and replace him with Atiku. I can assure you, on behalf of the BoT members, we will give you our total support. The meeting with former contestants in the convention, gubernatorial aspirants and stakeholders is sending a strong message across the country that we are united. Just one thing remaining, to remove the President, he said. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | LG polls: PDP accuses Plateau government of creating unnecessary tension Jos The Plateau chapter of the PDP has accused the state government of creating unnecessary tension by insisting on announcing results of local government elections while collation was ongoing. Lalong Mr Damishi Sango, the state chairman of the party, told newsmen on Thursday in Jos that ward and local government Returning Officers were still at the various collation centres when the results were announced in Jos. Mr Fabian Ntung, Chairman, Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), who announced the outcome of the polls Thursday morning, had said that the APC won 11 out of the 13 local government where the process was concluded. He said that results from two local governments Langtang North and Mangu were inconclusive. Reacting to PLASIECs declaration, Sango alleged that the entire process was marred with irregularities. Sango cautioned the ruling party against actions that could lead to the breach of the delicate peace Plateau residents were enjoying. The Plateau government should allow the peoples will to prevail. To insist on subverting the peoples choice is not healthy for the state, he said. According to him, in some cases, while anxious voters were waiting at the local government collation centres for results from the wards, electoral and returning officers disappeared into thin air, leaving room for avoidable anxiety. Kogi herders/farmers, communal clashes: 44 killed, N541m properties destroyed, 115 suspects identified He advised government against plunging Plateau into yet another needless political crisis. I have spoken with the State Director of the State Security Services and the Commissioner of Police and made it clear that the state government should be held responsible for any breach of peace over the local government elections, he said. Meanwhile, youths have blocked the Mangu Jos highway in protest against the alleged refusal of the Returning Officer to announce the outcome of the local government results. The youths, who took over the road Thursday morning, stopped vehicles from moving from Shendam and Langtang to Jos, while those heading to the central and southern parts of the state were also denied passage. Their spokesmen, who gave his name as James, vowed that the youths would occupy the road until the results were declared. Among those blocked was the Plateau deputy governor, Prof. Soni Tyoden, who was heading to the capital city, after the polls. NAN reports that efforts by Mr Irimiya Sarpiya, Chairman of the Mangu Local Government Caretaker Committee, to convince the youths to leave the road proved abortive as they insisted on remaining there until the results were released. The situation was found to be the same in Bokkos, Kanke, Langtang North and langtang North Local Governments, where various routes were blocked by irate youths protesting over the election results. Dapchi residents say delegations visit renews confidence in FGs efforts on Leahs release Contacted, Mr Terna Tyopev, spokesman of the Police Command in Plateau, said that security personnel had been deployed to affected areas to ensure that that the protests were peaceful. The situation is currently under control; we want to ensure that it remains so, he told NAN in a telephone interview. Meanwhile, Gov Simon Lalong has advised the people against taking the law into their hands over the results of the local government elections. Lalong, in a statement signed by Mr Yakubu Datti, the Commissioner of Information, advised those aggrieved to go to court rather than doing anything that may affect the peace of the state. Those who are aggrieved should ventilate their grievances at the local government election tribunal, he said, adding that the tribunals were inaugurated even before the elections. The governor denied allegations that he had interfered with the process, saying that PLASIEC was an independent institution headed by a credible leadership that could make clarifications over the process and the outcome. All concerns should be directed at PLASIEC and not the governor, the statement said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Lai Mohammed visits Leahs mother By Sam Eyoboka EXACTLY 235 days after the Islamic fundamentalists group, Boko Haram abducted 110 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State, a Federal Government delegation visited the home of the lone Christian captive, Leah Sharibu yesterday. Lai Mohammed The first official visit by any agent of government since February 19 when Leah Sharibu and 109 schoolgirls were abducted from their school was led by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed together with three unidentified female officials. Monitor disbursement of UBE funds to avoid corruption Falana According to a source close to the Sharibu family, the brief visit was to empathise with the mother of Leah, Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu and reassure her and her husband to be patient because the Federal Government would do everything possible to ensure freedom for the lone Christian schoolgirl.The visit came a few days after President Muhammadu Buhari called Leahs mother on phone conveying his emotion. FG to review policy on environment Our source told our correspondent on phone: The Information Minister led the delegation made up of three other women with a message from the President, reassuring the family and the Christian Community in Dapchi that the lady will soon be released. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Only alternative funding can make INEC truly independent - Governor Okowa - Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated for change in the funding of INEC - The governor said the move will make the electoral body truly independent - He made the statement at the All Nigeria Editor's Conference (ANEC) in Asaba Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated for change in the funding of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the commission is truly independent. The governor made the call on Friday, October 12 at the executive session of Day 3 of the 14th All Nigeria Editor's Conference (ANEC) which had as its theme, Credible Elections, Sustainable Democracy and the Role of the Media, in Asaba. READ ALSO: Afenifere reacts as Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate According to the governor, INEC is supposed to be an unbiased body, so, how can they truly be unbiased? How will they get their source of funding? How will they work on their process of appointments? These and more questions are what we are supposed to address. We can give them enough power, make them truly independent in such a manner that they do not walk cap in hand to the executive to ask for funding, because when you know that somebody controls the funds, you will definitely not be in a position to be truly independent. It will be hard to say, no when such individuals in charge of the funds make certain request, and I believe that INEC is gradually moving, I still believe that there is a lot to be done which means that our legislations must be in such a manner that will truly make INEC independent and if they are going to be answerable to anybody at all, they should be answerable to the legislature and not any other arm of government which will be better. Governor Okowa used the occasion to disclose why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s special convention planning committee which he was the chairman was able to organise a free, credible and acceptable presidential primary election of the PDP. His words: We did our best to conduct the primaries that one can truly say that we did things, the way they ought to be, because we had to extract from our national executive that we would be allowed to do what is right otherwise, we will not accept the nominations to conduct the primaries and I thank God that they allowed us do what is right and once we do things right, it becomes easier for one to move forward and the press is very important in trying to turn things around for our country. If all of us work together and that means that the press must be able to report appropriately, they must be in the position to advise us the politicians appropriately and they must be in a position to fully inform the people and beyond the information, they must put us, politicians, under pressure and it is very important that we must realise that not just the Guild of Editors but, the entire press need to play the role it ought to play if we are able to do things better that will gradually improve the situation, so that we can conduct elections that are credible. The governor who used the occasion to reel out his achievements in Delta state, emphasised, generally, in our country, I do believe that the need for voters' education, the need to ensure that we take our people out of the poverty level are motivations that will help us to improve on the electoral process because, as long as our people continue to remain in the poverty bracket, there will be no integrity. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app On Thursday, October 11, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Okowa had urged the media to retain its credibility as an unbiased umpire as Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general elections. They made the call at the opening ceremony of ANEC which commenced Thursday in Asaba, the Delta state capital. Nigeria Latest News: Not Too Young to Run Pay a Visit to APC and PDP | Naij.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | No time, Atiku is a formidable force - APC chieftain admits, tells party what to do ahead of 2019 - An APC chieftain in Niger state, Mohammed Santuraki, has urged the party to step up its game ahead of 2019 - Santuraki said that the APC must be up and doing especially considering the fact that the PDP has a formidable force, Atiku Abubakar, in the electoral battle - He further stated that no stone must be left unturned in relation to the ruling party's campaign strategies before the 2019 polls An All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain in Niger, Mohammed Santuraki, has called for vigilance to ensure that the party emerged victorious in the 2019 general elections. Santuraki, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Suleja on Saturday, October 13, said APC needed to put its house in order to achieve this. READ ALSO: Complete profile of Atiku's running mate Peter Obi He said that the various disputes that came up in the course of the partys national and states assemblies must be quickly resolved for unity. He added that the emergence of the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku should serve as a wake up call for serious home cleaning by APC. Santuraki said: Whether we would like to admit or not, the Presidential candidate that the main opposition party, the PDP, settled for is a formidable opponent, even if not a credible one. Within a week of emerging as the presidential flag bearer, he appointed his campaign team and named his running mate. This to me indicates a much needed sense of urgency. We, in APC must respond in like manner. The clock is ticking. We must push the button, he said. On the disputes within the party in the state, he expressed satisfaction that measures are already being taken to address them. I am happy to note that 10 long days after the Tuesday, October 2 primary elections in Niger, better judgement eventually prevailed. Agreed, it was a choice between a rock and a hard place, but it shouldnt have been a difficult choice. While the election results were adjudged incomplete, flawed and inconclusive in Zone A, and the results also contested in the other zones, a greater level of injustice would have been perpetrated if the tickets were auto-awarded to the incumbents. Its commendable that the national chairman finally accepted a more logical reasoning by awarding the victory to the presumed winners of the elections. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! I congratulate and thank HE Gov. Abubakar Sani Bello, the senatorial aspirants, the elders and other APC stakeholders for their resolute stand on the side of our people, for fairness throughout this process. I firmly believe that a flawed democratic process is better than outright dictatorship. Santuraki called for purpose driven measures from the state government, Niger APC and party members to ensure the partys victory across the country in the 2019 general elections. Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that Atiku had 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: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | NYSC: Buhari reportedly expecting communications minister to resign - Sources - Report has it that President Buhari is expecting the minister of communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, to resign for not participating in the NYSC scheme - Sources reportedly said the president made it clear that Shittu did not have to wait for him to act before doing the needful - When contacted, Shittu said he was just hearing from the reporter that the president asked him to do the needful President Muhammadu Buhari is reportedly expecting the resignation of the minister of communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, over his failure to participate in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme. The Punch reports that top sources in the government on Friday, October 12, disclosed that President Buhari had asked the embattled minister to do the needful. One of the sources allegedly said Buhari had made it clear that Shittu did not have to wait for him (the president) to act before doing the proper thing in this instance. READ ALSO: Afenifere reacts as Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate The truth is that the president has made his position known to the minister and there are witnesses. What the President said was that people should not be waiting for him to act the way he did in the case of a former minister of finance (Mrs Kemi Adeosun) before they do what is needful. I am sure he is very clear on the matter the way he addressed the issue, and the minister understands this, the source said. The presidential spokesmen, Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina, could not be reached on the telephone for comment as of the time of filing this report. When contacted, the minister told The Punch correspondent that he would speak with the correspondent next week. When asked if the president had asked him to do the needful on the matter, Shittu said: I am hearing that from you. Recall that the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) recently disqualified the minister from contesting for the partys governorship ticket in Oyo state for failing to failing to participate in the NYSC scheme after his graduation from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Osun state. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Shittu had in an interview said he believed having been elected a lawmaker shortly after his graduation, he needed not to participate in the national service because his membership of the state assembly was itself a service. In an earlier report by NAIJ.com, the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had said the party had to disqualify the minister of communication, Adebayo Shittu, and his women affairs counterpart, Aisha Al-Hassan, in order to protect the partys core values. Oshiomhole said the partys governorship screening committee was not convinced with explanations offered by Shittu that his service as lawmaker in the Oyo state assembly and minister was equivalent to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. What Should President Buhari do to Adeosun Over Alleged Certificate Forgery? | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Enelamah assures of amicable solution to Ladol, Samsung dispute Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah has promised an amicable resolution of the ongoing dispute between Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria (SHI) and the management of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics, (LADOL). Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Speaking during a courtesy call by the South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Maj. Gen. In-tae Lee (Rtd.), he said all parties in the dispute were already being engaged by the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and he believes the engagement process will restore normalcy. Political class, Christian community have failed Nigeria Anglican Church We will work with you, Samsung, NEPZA and all the parties involved to resolve this amicably. We have an excellent relationship with South Korea and we will like to continue that, the Minister said, pointing out that, successful resolution of problems generates goodwill. Earlier, Ambasssdor Lee had sought the intervention of the Minister in the dispute. Nigeriall support ECOWAS on labour, employment Ngige Korean companies that are eager to invest in Nigeria are watching the dispute closely and it is in the best interest of both countries to get this behind us. LADOL, operators of the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading recently sacked SHI from the free zone over expiry of its operating licence. The Managing Director of LADOL, Dr Amy Jadesinmi had said: Samsung failed to meet the minimum standard required to qualify for an Operating License in a Free Zone, their license has therefore expired without renewal. Samsungs Sublease Agreement has been duly terminated. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Davido And Chioma Visit Super Cop, Abba Kyari (Photos) Davido and his girlfriend have visited Nigerians super cop, Abba Kyari after reports emerged online that the two are having a stormy relationship. Nigerian musician, Davido alongside his girlfriend, Chioma have paid a surprise visit to popular Police officer, Abba Kyari. Kyari took to his social media page to share the photos writing: A surprise visit to my office by our mumber 1 super star artist Davido and Chioma today. Am So much grateful for this great gesture. The visit comes after reports emerged online that the relationship between Davido and his girlfriend Chioma might have hit the rocks. But, recent events show that the two are still waxing stronger. See photo below: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | What Anambra monarch said about Peter Obi's nomination as Atiku's running mate - An Anambra traditional ruler, Igwe Innocent Obodoako, has congratulated Peter Obi on his nomination as the running mate to PDP's flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar - Obodoako said that Obi is the perfect choice for the party - The monarch urged the running mate's detractors to have a rethink and support the Atiku-Obi collaboration ahead of 2019 Igwe Innocent Obodoako, the traditional ruler of Agulu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra on Saturday, October 13, praised the choice of former governor of the state, Peter Obi as running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. READ ALSO: Anambra monarch reacts to Peter Obi's nomination as Atiku's running mate Obodoako told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview that Obi, who hails from Agulu, was a right choice for the party. "When we heard of his selection, we were so happy. I know what he can do.By the time he ends his tenure as vice president, Nigerians will see his goodness, the monarch said. Obodoako, who said that the people of Agulu and by extension, Anambra are excited, also said the PDP would get massive votes because of Atikus position on the issue of restructuring. According to him, restructuring will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging and ensure that our children are massively employed. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! The monarch appealed to those agitating against Obis selection, especially some stakeholders in the southeast to have a rethink and support the Atiku-Obi joint PDP ticket in the interest of the zone. Earlier, NAIJ.com reported that many Enugu residents on Saturday, October 13, expressed joy, as Atiku named Peter Obi, his running mate for the 2019 presidential election. Some of the residents, who spoke with newsmen in Enugu, said that Atiku made a right choice in picking Obi. Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Atiku: Obasanjo dares APC over US entry ban allegation - Obasanjo says he is not ready to respond to APC's allegations - He dares the party to provide evidence of its claims before he responds - The former president chides the party to face governance and leave unproven accusations Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has denied allegations by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he was reportedly working to help PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar lift his US entry ban. Premium Times reports that Obasanjos spokesman Kehinde Akinyemi said the former Nigerian ruler was not interested in joining words with the APC. READ ALSO: President Buhari bans 50 high-profile Nigerians from travelling He said: Baba cannot be responding to frivolous allegations by a vicious political party. Let them bring any shred of evidence to back their false claim. It is unfortunate that they are trying to distract the attention of Nigerians in the lead up to a general election rather than focus on campaigning on serious issues to lift the country out of its current state. NAIJ.com reported that the ruling APC alleged former president Obasanjo made moves to secure entry visa to the United States for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. A statement signed by Yekini Nabena, APC acting national publicity secretary and made available to NAIJ.com, the ruling party said Obasanjo is lobbying US authorities to withdraw the ban reportedly placed on Atiku after a $500,000 bribery scandal in 2005 that involved Atiku's fourth wife, Jennifer and former United States Congressman, William Jefferson. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The party further noted in the statement that Obasanjos intervention in Atikus ban from the United States of America is evidence of his self-serving interest in national affairs. Is Atiku the Right Man to Defeat President Buhari? 2019 Election - Nigeria Street Gist - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Why APC should be re-elected in 2019 - Buhari - President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the APC deserves to be re-elected in 2019 - Speaking to leaderders of religious groups across the country, Buhari urged all who are aggrieved to put aside their grievances and consider the country's stability as the ultimate priority - He further urged politicians in the country to discharge their political responsibilities with integrity and the fear of God President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday, October 13, in Abuja, insisted that the All Progressive Congress (APC) deserved re-election in 2019, in view of the achievements of the party in Nigeria. Buhari then advised religious leaders and traditional rulers to encourage their adherents and subjects to read every political partys manifesto carefully and vote wisely in the 2019 general elections, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. READ ALSO: We invaded Dino Melayes house to arrest him, Kogi ADC has nothing to do with it - Police Speaking at the Interfaith Conference on Religious Harmony in Nigeria, organized by the Interfaith Initiative for Peace, the president urged religious leaders to desist from partisan politics in order not to lose their value in the society. Buhari also called on all aggrieved persons to always consider the stability of Nigeria first before their individual political ambitions, and to seek redress in court where necessary, rather than resorting to violence. It is my hope that all, who feel aggrieved will put the stability of our country first before their political ambition, or accept the decisions of their political parties or seek resolution through party reconciliation mechanisms or the law court. Very soon, political campaigns will commence leading to elections in February next year. It is my hope and prayer that we will even perform better in the polling stations and see to the peaceful conclusion of the entire process without resorting to the negative use of religion and ethnicity. Having recognised the role our religious leaders have been playing so far, I appeal to them to eschew partisan politics and appeal to their respective members to read the manifestos of each political party, discuss and pray for Gods guidance before casting their votes. Religious leaders should not be seen to involve themselves in partisan politics or political controversies, otherwise they risk losing their status and public respect. On their part, the traditional rulers are also requested to enlighten their subjects, encourage them to ask questions and clarifications before going out to vote. As you are present, I will request that you encourage your subjects to come out and exercise their voting rights as responsible citizens. To all of us politicians, I ask that we discharge our political responsibilities with integrity, bearing in mind that we will one day give account to God almighty. I am proud to say that our country has moved on; the era of free money, lack of transparency and accountability is over. We deserve continuity, we deserve a better future for the coming generations. I sincerely hope that 2019 will move us closer to these goals and so I look forward to a peaceful, fair and credible election come 2019, the president said. In his address, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, stated that religious harmony is crucial to fostering peaceful coexistence. Religious harmony is very important for peaceful co-existence because there must be understanding before we could collectively move forward as a country. Progress and development would continue to elude us if acrimony, mistrust and backbiting are being promoted. However, we succeeded in securing the commitment and trust of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Police, and other critical stakeholders that would be involved in the electoral process. We had similar efforts in 2015 and it resulted in peaceful elections that led to surprise defeat of the incumbent president. We hope that peace and tolerance will envelop the forthcoming elections. It is only God that can give power to whoever he pleases and also take it from him without even prior notice. The President has repeatedly guaranteed us level playing field for peaceful general elections next year and we are grateful to him for that. We have identified a common problem that has held down Nigeria, and that informed the theme of the conference, `Religious Harmony in Nigeria: Towards the 2019 General Election. We are traditional and religious leaders with massive followership and loyalty. It is expected of us to re-educate and enlighten Nigerians so they could deeply participate and make good choices at the polls, the sultan said. Also in his address, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, expressed the belief that the original sin holding the country down is selfishness. According to him, selfishness has become the primary objective and moving principle in the lives of Nigerians. He said: Selfishness at all levels personal, family, tribal, regional, and even religious. This is at the root of corruption, violence, disloyalty and the win-at-all-cost and by-all-means syndrome at elections. If we continue this way, good governance, genuine democracy, national unity, peace and prosperity for all Nigerians will continue to elude us. According to him, the country needs a concept of politics that is based on the readiness of politicians to serve Nigerians. We need a concept of politics that is based on the readiness to serve the common good of all Nigerians. The emphasis should be on service. Not self-service. We the people, on our part, should stop looking for local heroes and tribal champions, who most of the time, do not care, really, about our local needs nor those of the nation, he added. Onaiyekan sad that politics should no longer be an avenue for money-making at the expense of the people, who are supposed to be served. He, therefore, urged all those interested in making money to go into competitive business, where hard work and competence determined success. He further urged Nigerians not to allow people to continue to take advantage of their political positions to steal the countrys wealth. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! This is the change that Nigerians should be looking for, beyond slogans and emotional speeches and promises. In my view, this is what the forthcoming 2019 elections should be about. There is need for revolution, a change of mindset, attitude and behaviour patterns. This means addressing the heart and soul of Nigerians and leading them into spiritual combat. This is what religion any genuine religion is supposed to be all about. As religious leaders, we need to move from emphasis on competition for dominance to cooperation towards the common good of the entire society. We must join hands and our voices to preach a common and clear message of peace and justice, ready to condemn evil, wherever it is found, Onaiyekan stated. Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna central senatorial district, had said that Buhari and the APC deserve re-election in the 2019 general elections. The activist turned politician stated this while interacting with newsmen who visited him to mark the Salah celebration at his Kaduna residence. Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Nigerian troops foil Boko Haram attack on base Nigerian troops have foiled an attempt by Boko Haram fighters to overrun a military base in the restive northeast leaving six soldiers wounded, the army said on Saturday. Troops successfully repelled (a) Boko Haram terrorist attack on a base in the town of Arge in Borno state on Friday, army spokesman Texas Chukwu said in a statement. Several members of the Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised while others fled with gunshot wounds during the encounter, he said. Unfortunately, six soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at the military facility. Chukwu said three Boko Haram trucks were destroyed and one other vehicle recovered in the latest attack in the area. Nigerian troops rallied to flush out Boko Haram rag tag forces in Guzamala On August 29, IS-affiliated Boko Haram jihadists claimed to have killed several Nigerian soldiers in mortar strikes on the Arge military base. The claim could not be independently verified. Boko Harams Islamic State group-backed faction known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operates in the Lake Chad region and has in recent months intensified attacks on military bases in Borno and nearby Yobe state. The search for General Alkali The attacks are seen as a sign of a hardline takeover in ISWAP by more radical lieutenants who executed the groups de facto leader because of his opposition to indiscriminate killings and willingness to hold peace talks with the government. Scores of soldiers have been killed, injured or missing in attacks but the military have repeatedly denied or played down losses to the jihadists. On Monday, the Islamists attacked a military base in Metele near the border with Niger, leaving seven soldiers dead, according to the military. But civilian militia sources said 18 soldiers were killed in that attack and several weapons stolen or destroyed by the jihadists. Troops eliminate scores of Boko Haram insurgents in Garshigar More than 27,000 people are thought to have been killed in the nine-year Boko Haram Islamist insurgency that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1.8 million people without homes. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General The Consul-General of Ghana in Nigeria, Mr Maxwell Awiaga, says the relations between Nigeria and Ghana is still intact despite the efforts of some miscreants to cause rifts between the two Nations. File: President Buhari hosts FMR Ghana President Awiaga made this known on Saturday in an interview with newsmen in Lagos. According to him, there will always be a smooth and strong relationship between the two countries as it has always been in the past. Ghana and Nigeria relationship is excellent since creation of the world, as Ghanaians migrated from Ile-Ife and went along the coast to Ghana. We were as well colonised by the same colonial masters and run almost the same educational and governing system, and that was what bonded us together. There are a lot of Ghanaians doing well in Nigeria, same as Nigerians businesses thriving well in Ghana. Super Eagles will win FIFA World Cup one dayPinnick We cherish our relationship with Nigerians and we will continue to cherish it as the same blood runs in our veins. When we talk of the heroes of Ghanas independence, we cannot do without mentioning some Nigerians that assisted us in that struggle, he said. He, therefore, urged citizens of both countries to continue to live with each other in peace and harmony. Make safe medicines accessible to Nigerians, pharmacists task FG Newsmen report that the two nations are the largest economies in West Africa and their relationship is a very crucial one. However, a recent dispute between the two countries concerning the status of Nigerian traders in Ghana is a reminder of past bilateral tensions that have occasionally worsened political and economic relations. The government of the two countries have since moved to resolve the disputes. NAN CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General OnePlus 6T release date confirmed, How to pre-book in India? New Delhi, Sun, 14 Oct 2018 Deepak Kumar OnePlus 6T release date announced and it will be released in India on 30 October. Company has confirmed the release date of this phone. Phone will be released on 30 October 8:30PM in New Delhi. On the same day company will release OnePlus 6T worldwide. Phone will available for sale from November 2 world wide. Some websites and stores are offering pre-booking of this phone. In India this phone is available for pre-booking from Amazon, OnePlus stores. Amazon is offering cash discount and gift card with the booking of OnePlus 6T from its website. How to pre-order OnePlus 6T? Amazon is offering pre-booking for OnePlus 6T and offering Rs. 500 cashback along with free Type-C Bullets Earphone. Here is how you can pre-order OnePlus 6T on amazon.in and get free gifts: You vist amazon website and Email Gift card page. Choose the denomination of Rs. 1,000 and purchase the OnePlus 6T Gift Card Receive the Gift Card in your email Purchase the OnePlust 6T on 2nd or 3rd November Get Rs. 500 cashback in your Amazon Pay Account by 6th Novermber Get a coupon code to purchase the OnePlus Bullets Earphones for free in your email by 15th November Price of OnePlus 6T Until now there is no official information about the expected price of OnePlus 6T in India and worldwide. But various post on the internet suggest that the expected price of the phone would be somewhere around Rs. 35,000 in India. How to attend Delhi launch event? Company is also providing the options for fans to attend the OnePlus 6T launch event in Delhi. The ticket for launch event is available at a cost of Rs. 999. Company said "Launch invites will be available at Rs 999 via oneplus.in from 10:00 AM IST on Wednesday, 17th October, 2018. Attendees will be the first in the world to experience the style and power of the OnePlus 6T at the experience zone at the launch venue. In addition, all fans who attend the launch event will get a gift hamper full of super add-ons and OnePlus merchandise." OnePlus 6T specification and features OnePlus 6T is expected to have following specs: 3700 mAh battery power OnePlus 6T will come with a water-drop notch on a screen Screen expected size 6.4 inches diagonally To be powered with Qualcomm snapdragon 845 processor OnePlus 6T to come with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage Faster fingerprint sensor OnePlus 6T to come with dual-camera system on the back and single front camera. OnePlus 6T is premium most advanced phone from company which will run on Android Pie OS with the custom OxygenOS UI. Actual price of the phone will be reviled at the time of relase in New Delhi. --Deepak Kumar There are no solutions to complex problems except when the problem becomes so complex it must have a simple solution. That is the paradox thrown up by global warming and the shattering report of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report cries out for dramatic, simple remediation of the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere every day by industrial society. The complex solution is a case-by-case, country-by-country, industry-by-industry, polluter-by-polluter remediation: power plants, automobiles, trucks, trains, ships, aircraft and manufacturers. The simple solution to this complex problem is to tax carbon emissions: a carbon tax. Make no mistake, it would be tough. Some industries would bear the brunt and their customers would carry the burden -- initially a light burden growing to a heavier one. The obvious place to start is with electric utilities. Those burning coal would get the heaviest penalty. Those burning natural gas the fuel favored by its low price and abundance in the nation -- some penalty, but not as heavy. Nuclear, which is having a hard time in the marketplace at present, would be the big winner of the central station technologies, and solar and wind would continue to be favored. When it comes to transportation and farming, the pain of carbon taxation rises. The automobile user has choices like a smaller car, an electric car or simply less driving. But heavy transportation, using diesel or kerosene, is where the pain will be felt: buses, trucks, tractors, trains, aircraft and ships. The burden here is direct and would push up prices to consumers quickly. Jets are a particularly vexing problem. Although they represent about 3.5 percent of pollution, it is the altitude at which they operate (above 30,000 feet) that makes them particularly lethal greenhouse gas emitters. A carbon tax must be introduced gradually but firmly so that technology and alternatives have a chance of coming to the rescue. Some things, like airline tickets, will just cost more before manufacturers improve engines and work on new propulsion. Farming will he hard hit, and farmers may have to get rebates. Related: Oil Markets Take A Bearish Turn When a carbon tax was proposed in the 1970s, it was defeated in Congress by a phalanx of industry groups led by the American Petroleum Institute and the National Coal Association, now part of the National Mining Congress. Its purpose then was to cut demand for fuel during the energy crisis, which was in full swing. Today these groups are less vocal on the subject as their members begin to entertain the idea of a tax. Although Congress is still opposed to it -- an anti-carbon tax resolution was overwhelmingly passed in the House in July -- industry is coming around. ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total have signed on, and several Republican lobbying groups outside of Congress are working with members of the House and Senate, including the new Americans for Tax Dividends. Alex Flint, executive director of the Alliance for Market Solutions, an influential group of Republican graybeards and financiers, says they get a good hearing in private conversations with lawmakers. The U.N. climate study with its awesome conclusions may have come too late to play a big role in the midterm elections. But, especially after hurricanes Florence and Michael, it will blow through the 116th Congress at gale force, the public demanding action. The quick fix -- rough-and-ready and punitive -- may be the only quick fix: Tax carbon where it enters the atmosphere. History tells us the economy will adjust creatively. By Llewellyn King for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia's Gazprom next year will resume imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan that it stopped three years ago, the energy giant's chief executive has said. In an interview with Turkmenistan's state television channel during a visit to Ashgabat on October 9, Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller said he expected purchases that had been suspended due to price disputes to resume at the beginning of next year. "We are talking about the resumption of purchases of Turkmen gas by Gazprom in the very near future -- from January 1, 2019," Miller said, adding that details of the new deal still must be finalized. Russia was once the leading importer of Turkmen gas until it was displaced by China around the beginning of the decade. Relatively cheap imports of gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries enabled Russia to boost its exports to Europe. In 2015, Gazprom announced its intention to cut imports of Turkmen gas to 4 billion cubic meters per year, down from the 10 billion level that it had been importing since 2010. The move was followed by a complete cessation of purchases announced at the beginning of 2016, putting significant pressure on Turkmenistan's economy, which is highly dependent on hydrocarbons as a source of hard currency. Related: The Overlooked Giant In Renewables Gas deliveries to China from Turkmenistan along the Central Asia-China pipeline are currently between 30 billion and 40 billion cubic meters a year. A large part of the revenues from Turkmenistan's sales to China are believed to be used to pay off debt on the pipeline link, which also traverses neighbors Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and was financed by Beijing. Turkmenistan, which sits atop the world's fourth-largest reserves of gas, exported similar volumes of gas to Russia before exports dropped dramatically following a mysterious pipeline explosion that occurred amid a price dispute in 2009. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: India hasnt worked out yet a payment system for continued purchases of crude oil from Iran, Subhash Chandra Garg, economic affairs secretary at Indias finance ministry, said on Friday. Indias Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has conveyed the message that his country would continue to buy Iranian oil to some extent, Garg told CNBC TV18 news channel, as quoted by Reuters. Recent reports have it that India has discussed ditching the U.S. dollar in its trading of oil with Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, instead settling the trade either in Indian rupees or under a barter agreement. India is Irans second-largest single oil customer after China and was expected to cut back on Iranian oil purchases, but it is unlikely to cut off completely the cheap Iranian oil that is suitable for its refineries. India wants to keep importing oil from Iran, because Tehran offers some discounts and incentives for Indian buyers at a time when the Indian government is struggling with higher oil prices and a weakening local currency that additionally weighs on its oil import bill. But the United States continues to insist that it expects Iranian oil buyers to bring their purchases down to zero. Earlier this week, Indian officials said that they hoped India could secure a waiver from the United States, because it has significantly reduced purchases of Iranian oil. Late last week, the United States hinted that it was at least considering waivers. Meanwhile, Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook is currently touring India and Europe to discuss U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, the U.S. Department of State said on Thursday. Special Representative Hook and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon are will be meeting with Indian government counterparts for consultations. During this trip, Special Representative Hook will engage our allies and partners on our shared need to counter the entirety of the Iranian regimes destructive behavior in the Middle East, and in their own neighborhoods, the State Department said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Three days after Hurricane Michael's devastating strike, search teams in Florida pressed their hunt for victims into hard-to-reach areas Saturday, as the death toll rose to 17 and officials scrambled to deliver aid to those who lost everything. The mammoth storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, claimed lives in four states, but Florida suffered the worst damage by far. Large parts of the state's panhandle were pulverized by the strong winds and rain, and eight storm-related deaths have been reported in Florida so far. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Governor Rick Scott said of the town hardest hit by the hurricane, the most powerful to hit the United States in decades. "It's like a war zone," he said while touring the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. Rescue teams with sniffer dogs were searching for possible victims buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. US media have reported one death in the town -- the body of an elderly man was found hundreds of yards (meters) from his home. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that the death toll could yet rise. "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically. But I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest-hit areas," he said. Government and private relief centers were opening up to provide badly needed food, water and other aid to people whose lives were upended by the monster storm. As somber residents began making it back to homes still intact, officials said it could take 10 days to compile a final damage estimate. In Mexico Beach, dozens of structures -- homes, shops and restaurants -- were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and winds of 155 miles per hour (250 kph). Some were moved hundreds of feet inland while others were simply smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. "Storm surge causes the most amount of loss of life." Building codes on Florida's Panhandle, in the state's northwest, are less rigorous than in the state's south, where severe hurricanes hit more frequently. The devastation wrought by Michael has sparked debate on whether an era of warming oceans and more severe storms might require tougher building standards in coastal areas. Underlining the unpredictability of modern storms, a category one hurricane dubbed Leslie was heading Saturday on a highly unusual path toward the Iberian peninsula. - Nothing left to save - Across the storm-hit US region, relief efforts were shaping up. In Panama City, Florida, the Salvation Army and other charitable groups opened distribution points for food and supplies. A few stores were reopening, and cars lined up at the few open gas stations. At the city's St. Andrew Baptist Church, associate pastor Mark Bateman told AFP the church was gearing up to feed up to 500 people, with supplies -- including pet food -- provided by a statewide Baptist group. "We're doing good," Bateman said, despite damage to the church's roof. "But lots of our members are not doing so well." Back in Mexico Beach, residents were picking up the pieces. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here. So I can't sell it now," retiree Bob Tenbrunson told AFP. "I can't sell it now. So I just have to be hopeful that (the city) will be rebuilt and fixed." But some found nothing left to save. Beyond Florida, five storm-related deaths were reported in Virginia -- including that of a fireman whose firetruck was struck by a semitrailer truck. One died in Georgia and three more were killed in North Carolina. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say that, even with line crews arriving from across the country, it could be weeks before power is fully restored. - Communication problems - Meanwhile, a wide swath of Florida's northwest coast has been without telephone or Internet service, adding to the daunting challenges facing residents, loved ones trying to reach them, and the work crews struggling to bring them relief. Daniel Fraga, an electrician, told AFP he has only an extremely weak and intermittent signal. "Basically everything has shut down," he said, adding that there are "too many people on the same service." Governor Scott tweeted Saturday that cellphone provider AT&T was providing resources in impacted areas, "including sending numerous phones and other mobile resources that will enhance communication for first responders." President Donald Trump said he planned to visit Florida and Georgia early next week, tweeting, "We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit -- we are with you!" The Pentagon said about 5,000 US servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to F-22 stealth fighters, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. US President Donald Trump threatened Riyadh on Saturday with "severe punishment" if a journalist was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, as Saudi officials were to hold talks in Turkey about his fate. With the mystery over Jamal Khashoggi unresolved 11 days after he walked into the consulate and failed to reappear, a pro-government Turkish daily said the Saudi national had recorded his own interrogation inside the mission on an Apple Watch. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and lurid claims have been leaked to media that he was tortured and even dismembered. Saudi insists Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor whose writings have been critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left the building safely but has yet to offer visual evidence of this. The outcry surrounding his disappearance threatens to not just harm brittle Turkey-Saudi relations but also alarm the kingdom's supporters in the West and tarnish the reform drive spearheaded by the crown prince. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they (Saudi) deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. But he again voiced his reluctance to limit US arms sales to the kingdom, which analysts see as one of Washington's key potential levers. Trump, who has become notorious for his attacks on American journalists, added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter". - 'Sensational claims' - The Saudi delegation was in Turkey and due to have talks this weekend in Ankara and take part in a working group on the disappearance, official Turkish media said. The NTV channel said the 11 person delegation had on Friday inspected the consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh has warmly welcomed the creation of the working group but Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef slammed claims that the kingdom ordered Khashoggi to be killed inside the consulate. He described the allegations as "baseless allegations and lies". Ankara has so far trodden carefully in the controversy, with the most sensational allegations splashed in the pro-government press but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far stopped short of directly accusing Riyadh of wrongdoing. Turkey and Saudi have an uneasy relationship, with disputes over the ousting of the Islamist government in Egypt and the blockade imposed on Ankara's ally Qatar. But Erdogan has generally been wary of needling the oil-rich conservative kingdom and on Saturday again gave a long speech to supporters without mentioning the issue. The spokesman of Erdogan's ruling party, Omer Celik, acknowledged Saturday that there were "extremely sensational claims" about Khashoggi's fate in the media and said there would be "severe consequences" for anyone found responsible if they were true. "Far from the speculation, work is being carried out in the most sensitive way to find out what happened," he said in televised comments. - 'Recorded by Apple Watch' - The latest claims reported by the pro-government Sabah daily said that Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate which was synced with an iPhone left outside with his fiancee Hatice Cengiz. It said that the watch had recorded what happened inside the consulate and this was uploaded to his cloud, although Saudis sought to partially delete it. "The moments of Khashoggi's questioning, torture and killing were recorded on the Apple watch," said Sabah. Analysts say that Turkey is hoping to find support from its NATO ally the United States in the case, although Ankara-Washington have been in crisis over the detention for the last two years of a Protestant pastor. But the pastor, Andrew Brunson, was freed on Friday and allowed to fly home by a Turkish court, in a move that could help normalise ties. - 'Horrified' but still attending - Meanwhile Prince Mohammed's big October conference -- the Future Investment Initiative dubbed by media as the "Davos in the Desert" after the annual conference in the Swiss resort -- has suffered a litany of cancellations over the controversy. Key business figures like the chief executive of ride hailing app Uber -- into which the Saudi's own investment fund injected money -- are no longer showing up while media groups like the New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg have pulled their sponsorship. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that he still planned to attend, as did IMF chief Christine Lagarde. She said she was "horrified" by the case but has to "conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world and with many governments". Saudi Arabia dismissed on Saturday accusations that Jamal Khashoggi was ordered murdered by a hit squad inside its Istanbul consulate as "lies and baseless allegations", as Riyadh and Ankara spar over the missing journalist's fate. A Saudi delegation was in Turkey for talks on the case, which threatens not only to harm fragile relations between the two countries but also to do serious damage to the reformist credentials of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom's ties to the West. As the controversy intensified, the Washington Post reported Turkish officials had recordings made from inside the building that allegedly proved their claims Khashoggi was tortured and killed at the consulate. Big names from media and business have already cancelled appearances at a major conference in Riyadh this month and both the IMF chief and the US treasury secretary made their attendance conditional on the findings in the case. In the first Saudi ministerial reaction to Turkish accusations that Khashoggi was killed, Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef condemned "what has been reported in certain media concerning false accusations against Saudi Arabia... in the case of the disappearance of citizen Khashoggi". "What has been reported on the matter of orders to kill him is a lie and a baseless allegation," the minister said in comments carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. he added the kingdom was "in compliance with international laws and conventions". Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. - Working group - The Saudi delegation, whose composition was not immediately clear, is expected to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara at the weekend, state media said on Friday. It is likely that they will take part in a joint working group on the case, whose creation was announced Thursday by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin following a request by Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official source quoted by SPA news agency said it was "a positive move" Turkey had agreed to the creation of what it described as a "joint action team". The Turkish leadership has so far stopped short of accusing Saudi Arabia, although pro-government media have published sensational claims, including that an "assassination team" was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi left the consulate safely. Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in the US since September 2017 fearing arrest, criticised some policies of Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. The Washington Post reported the Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings which show how Khashoggi was "interrogated, tortured and then murdered" inside the consulate before his body was dismembered. Turkish officials contacted by AFP refused to comment on the veracity of the report. - 'Horrified' - IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Saturday she was "horrified" by reports about the Saudi dissident's fate, while US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed "concern". But both said that for now they still planned to attend an October 23-25 conference in Riyadh, dubbed "Davos in the Desert" after the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort. "The answer is for now I am" still going, Mnuchin said. "If more information comes out over the next week, I will obviously take that into account." Lagarde said she had to "conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world". "So at this point of time my intention is to not change my plans and to be very attentive to the information that is coming out in the next few days." Bloomberg, the Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times withdrew as the event's media sponsors, while the CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi said he would no longer be attending unless "a substantially different set of facts emerges". - 'Arguments, shouting' - Ankara and Riyadh have been on opposing sides in the region on key issues, including the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and last year's Saudi-led blockade on Turkey's regional ally Qatar. Yet as key Sunni Muslim powers they have maintained cordial relations. But despite Riyadh's agreement on Tuesday to let Turkish authorities search the Saudi mission, the probe has not yet taken place. The two sides have been in intense contacts to resolve the issue, local media reported. Pro-government Turkish newspaper Sabah said officials wanted to search the building with luminol, a chemical that allows forensic teams to discover blood traces, but the Saudis had so far refused. Officers were looking into sound recordings sent from a smart watch Khashoggi was wearing when he entered the consulate to a mobile phone he gave to his Turkish fiancee outside, Hatice Cengiz. Turkish daily Milliyet reported "arguments and shouting" could be heard on the recordings. burs-raz-sjw/kir/dwo/jkb An American pastor held for two years in Turkey on terror-related charges arrived home in the United States on Saturday and sat down with US President Donald Trump, who signaled an easing in the diplomatic crisis sparked by the case. Andrew Brunson -- who has become a cause celebre for Trump's conservative Christian base -- received a hero's welcome at the White House shortly after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Brunson thanked Trump and his administration, saying "you really fought for us" and later kneeled to pray for the president, his hand on Trump's shoulder. Trump repeatedly thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his help on the case, which caused not only a serious diplomatic row between the NATO allies but led to a crash in the lira, exposing Turkey's economic fragility. "It's not an easy situation for Turkey either. They had a lot of difficult situations going on and I do want to thank President Erdogan for making this possible," Trump said. On Friday, a Turkish court in the western port city of Aliaga convicted Brunson on charges of espionage and aiding terror groups. It sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail -- but released him based on time served and good behavior. Erdogan has said the court's decision was "taken independently." Both Trump and Erdogan have denied reports that the two sides reached a secret deal for the 50-year-old Brunson to be released in exchange for the US easing "economic pressure" on Ankara. "There was absolutely no deal made," Trump told reporters on Saturday. "We don't pay ransom" for hostages. But as he tweeted earlier, "There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!" Erdogan later responded: "I hope that the United States and Turkey continue cooperation in a manner that befits two allies." - 'I am an innocent man' - Brunson is an evangelical Presbyterian clergyman who lived in Turkey for nearly half his life, initially moving there in 1993 as part of a missionary program. He was first detained in October 2016 and faced up to 35 years in jail. Prosecutors then demanded a sentence of up to 10 years. The pastor steadfastly insisted he was not guilty. "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey," he said in his final defense. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. After gathering his belongings, Brunson was driven to the airport in the Turkish city of Izmir, where he boarded a US military plane for Germany. Upon arrival there for a refueling stop, he kissed an American flag presented to him by Richard Grenell, the US ambassador in Berlin. - 'Navigate through a minefield' - While the strain in US-Turkish relations eased with Brunson's release, problems remain. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to "quickly release" other Americans in detention. He said Washington would "continue to work hard to bring home all American hostages and those wrongfully imprisoned and detained." NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven and a half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month. And two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was denied release on Friday. Anthony Skinner, director for Middle East and North Africa at the Verisk Maplecroft consultancy, said that the US and Turkey had plenty of disagreements beyond Brunson. "The clamp has now been removed, which opens the way for bilateral negotiations to address other sources of disagreement, but Washington and Ankara still have to navigate through a minefield," Skinner said. He pointed to Turkey's order for Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which has riled its Western allies, as well as Ankara's determination to do business with Iran in defiance of US sanctions. Turkey is bracing for potential fines from US authorities over sanctions-busting by Turkish lender Halkbank, whose deputy director general has been jailed in the United States. Brunson's release comes at a sensitive time for the Turkish leadership, which is under global scrutiny over how it handles the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul last week. Both Erdogan and Trump have pressed Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Now that the Brunson issue has been resolved to Washington's satisfaction, it could help the two sides coordinate their Saudi policy more closely. Fishermen and tourists gather on a beach near the town of Le Carbet of the French Caribbean island of Martinique in July, 2014 Tourism and fishery-dependent Caribbean nations plan to test the acidity of the Caribbean Sea as a result of increased absorption of greenhouse gases, a senior regional official said Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency "will assist" with the project, said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. "I am very positive that we will have things going by next year," he told AFP in Barbados where Caribbean agriculture ministers are holding their annual meeting. Haughton said the Caribbean would also be establishing laboratories and training personnel to conduct future testing. Scientists already believe that the increased acidity is caused by the sea's absorption of carbon emissions. "In more recent times scientists have realized that the absorption of carbon dioxide in the ocean is actually causing serious, serious problems in the ocean itself. Basically, the seawater is becoming more and more acidic and that is not good for the living marine organisms," Haughton said. He added that acidic and increasingly warm seas were causing coral bleaching and dissolving the carbonates that shellfish require to make their shells. "The fact is that for many of our countries, our fisheries are based on the health of the coral reefs," Haughton said. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the United Nations said Monday. It warned that the world must become "carbon neutral" by 2050 to have at least a 50/50 chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 C. Explore further Coral reef experiment shows: Acidification from carbon dioxide slows growth 2018 AFP 10 minutes ago Strong sales, profit from Walmart on cusp of holiday season NEW YORK (AP) Walmart topped almost all expectations in the third quarter, an encouraging sign for the upcoming holiday shopping season already beset by snarled supply chains and rising costs. The Bentonville, Arkansas, company also raised its full-year earnings guidance and shares rose before the opening bell Tuesday. Read Article A Lompoc man charged with felony DUI and murder in connection to a Sept. 21 crash that kille How to get involved To get involved with the Central Coast Literacy Council's Adult Spelling Bee as either a speller or sponsor, contact the nonprofit at 805-925-0994 ext. 2837. For more information, visit www.centralcoastliteracycouncil.com. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Oct 13 (Reuters) - China's vice finance minister Zou Jiayi on Saturday acknowledged debt issues with some of its 'Belt and Road' projects, saying the government will strengthen macro-supervision on the debt sustainability aspect of its overseas investments. China has been promoting an ambitious Belt and Road initiative since 2013, as President Xi Jinping expands trade corridors along a modern-day Silk Road linking Asia, Europe and Africa, pumping credit into building roads, railways and ports in a trillion-dollar infrastructure initiative. "The debt sustainability issue of Belt and Road (projects) is a complicated issue, but we will take care of it," Zou told a panel on the sidelines of annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in the Indonesian island of Bali. The senior finance official said China could optimise and diversify its Belt and Road debt financing with more foreign direct investment, public-private partnerships, and equity investment, as opposed to commercial loans that could be more expensive. But the initiative has been met with growing scepticism as some countries, such as Sri Lanka, became saddled with debt that they had difficulty in repaying. One of the top recipients of China's largesse, Malaysia, has recently stopped work on a $20 billion rail link between its east and west coasts, a rare setback for the Belt and Road initiative. Zou said the Chinese government fully respects Malaysia's decision-making and judgment, stressing the projects were inked on a commercial basis, and countries are free to vet and evaluate the terms of the projects. "Malaysia adequately communicated with the China side on the issue. We respect Malaysia's decision based on their debt sustainability analysis," she said. (Reporting by Yawen Chen Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) Tourism and fishery-dependent Caribbean nations plan to test the acidity of the Caribbean Sea as a result of increased absorption of greenhouse gases, a senior regional official said Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency "will assist" with the project, said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. "I am very positive that we will have things going by next year," he told AFP in Barbados where Caribbean agriculture ministers are holding their annual meeting. Haughton said the Caribbean would also be establishing laboratories and training personnel to conduct future testing. Scientists already believe that the increased acidity is caused by the sea's absorption of carbon emissions. "In more recent times scientists have realized that the absorption of carbon dioxide in the ocean is actually causing serious, serious problems in the ocean itself. Basically, the seawater is becoming more and more acidic and that is not good for the living marine organisms," Haughton said. He added that acidic and increasingly warm seas were causing coral bleaching and dissolving the carbonates that shellfish require to make their shells. "The fact is that for many of our countries, our fisheries are based on the health of the coral reefs," Haughton said. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the United Nations said Monday. It warned that the world must become "carbon neutral" by 2050 to have at least a 50/50 chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 C. Over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre, saying the Indian independence hero had done nothing for the southern African country. Work on the statue began two months ago along a road named after Gandhi. The Malawi government says it is being erected as part of a deal that will see New Delhi construct a $10 million (8.6-million-euro) convention centre in Blantyre. "Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawis struggle for independence and freedom," a statement from the "Gandhi Must Fall" group said. "We therefore, feel that the statue is being forced upon the people of Malawi and is the work of a foreign power aiming at promoting its image and dominion on the unsuspecting people of Malawi." The petitioners claim that Gandhi, who early in his career practised in South Africa and fought against apartheid-era segregation laws, was racist. "We are not comfortable with imperialistic and neo-colonial ideologies that seek to impose... foreign influence which deprives us of honour," Wonderful Mkutche, a member of the group told AFP on Saturday. "Now more than ever, our nation must rise above pettiness and weakness in international deals.... This must mean that we should only accept investments, partnerships... that are responsible, fair, equal, honourable, sustainable, efficient and transparent." But Isaac Munlo, Principal Secretary in the foreign ministry, defended the project saying: "It should be recognised that Mahatma Gandhi promoted values of simplicity, fight against social evils, promoting human and civil rights as well as uplifting of social well-being of people. "It is also worth noting that all African freedom fighters that fought against colonialism and oppression and thus demanded independence were influenced by what Mahatma Gandhi fought for. In other ways, Mahatma Gandhi is a role model of a human rights campaigner for both Africa and India," he said. Malawi and India established diplomatic ties in 1964 and New Delhi is one of the country's biggest donors. While many countries have decriminalised the use and possession of the drug, abandoning prison sentences for consumers, just a handful have gone as far as to make it fully legal, including for medicinal purposes Canada is about to legalise recreational use of marijuana, which will make it the second nation in the world to do so after Uruguay more than five years ago. While many countries have decriminalised the use and possession of the drug, abandoning prison sentences for consumers, just a handful have gone as far as to make it fully legal, including for medicinal purposes. Here is an overview: - Latin America - - Uruguay in 2013 became the first country in the world to legalise the production, distribution and consumption of marijuana. Under Uruguayan law, citizens and residents can buy up to 40 grammes (1.4 ounces) of pot a month from pharmacies, grow it themselves at home, or join cannabis clubs where members tend to the plants together. The government has licensed two private companies to produce and distribute marijuana. - Several other Latin American countries have legalised cannabis for medicinal use: Chile in 2015, Colombia in 2016 and Argentina, Mexico and Peru in 2017. - North America - - US federal law prohibits the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. However eight states and the national capital Washington, DC have legalised marijuana for recreational use, with the last to date, California, becoming on January 1, 2018, the biggest legal market in the world. Twenty-nine states and the capital have legalised marijuana for medical use. - Canada will on October 17 become the first Group of Seven (G7) member and second country in the world to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis. The legislation will limit personal possession to 30 grammes and four plants per household. - Europe - - The Netherlands in general, and Amsterdam in particular, have tolerated the sale and use of marijuana in iconic coffeeshops since 1976. That year the Dutch decriminalised the sale of small amounts of cannabis -- less than five grammes -- and allowed individuals to legally grow five plants each for personal use. Dutch coffeeshops generate hundreds of millions of euros in sales annually, and in major hubs such as Amsterdam they have proven a major tourist draw. Story continues In recent years, however, politicians have pushed back against these tolerant policies. A controversial 2012 law bans the sale of marijuana to non-residents and tourists in three southern provinces. The capital The Hague banned cannabis from the city centre in April this year. But in July the Dutch government gave the green light to a wide-ranging experiment to allow up to 10 municipalities around the country to legally grow cannabis. - Spanish law allows for the private production and consumption of cannabis by adults, though its sale is still illegal. - The Czech Republic imposes only fines on people in possession of up to 15 grammes of marijuana or who have only five plants at home. - In July 2018 the Constitutional Court in Georgia abolished fines for using marijuana but stipulated that growing and selling it would remain an offence. - Several other European countries have legalised cannabis for certain medical purposes including Austria, Britain, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. - The French government has announced plans to soften penalties for cannabis use, swapping potential prison sentences for on-the-spot fines, but it remains opposed to legalising the substance. - South Africa - In September 2018 South Africa's top court ruled that private, personal cannabis use by adults was legal. The court ordered parliament to draft new laws within 24 months to reflect the order. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was a "provocation" backed by Washington. He described the move as "provocation by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, undertaken with direct public support from Washington" during a media interview, according to a transcript of the exchange on the foreign ministry's website. "Interfering in Church life is forbidden by law in Ukraine, in Russia and, I hope, in any normal state," he said. The Holy Synod chaired by the Patriarch of Constantinople in Istanbul on Thursday said it had agreed to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has historically operated under Moscow's umbrella. The move was met with fury by the Patriarch of Moscow, who would effectively lose influence over thousands of parishes if they decide to split off and join the new independent church. Earlier Friday, the Kremlin said it would "protect the interests" of Orthodox believers in the country. This protection would be "exclusively political and diplomatic," he said. The Patriarchate's announcement is set to drive a further wedge between Kiev and its Soviet-era master. Relations broke down during the Maidan uprising of 2014 followed by Moscow's annexation of Crimea and ongoing conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The study was commissioned by Qlik and produced by Wharton academics and IHS Markit A new academic study has revealed Singapore as the most data literate nation globally. This was the result of the countrys high corporate data literacy levels. The report, commissioned by US business intelligence provider Qlik and produced by Wharton School academics and IHS Markit, sought to establish a link between enterprise value and data literacy and identify corporate data trends and gaps. PSB Research surveyed 604 enterprise business decision makers, who came from global publicly traded companies with at least 500 employees and 62 per cent of them having more than 5,000 staff and spanned across 10 geographies: US, France, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, India, Japan, Australia and Singapore. The organisations came from range of industries, including financial services, communications, healthcare services, insurance, manufacturing, professional services, resources and construction, retail, transportation, as well as utilities and personal services. 204 of the respondents came from APAC countries including Japan, Singapore, India and Australia. The report did not specify how many firms in Singapore were surveyed. The report measured corporate literacy levels based on three factors: The data skills of the employees (human capital) Data-driven decision making Data skill dispersion (how widespread the use of data is throughout the organisation) Singapores emergence as the most data literate nation globally (with the highest Corporate Data Literacy score of 84.1) means that organisations in Singapore have scored well on all three dimensions of corporate data literacy, Qliks Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, Julian Quin, told e27. This could be enabled due to a range of factors including Singapores strong focus on education and lifelong learning (human capital), investment in technology infrastructure which makes it easier to access and use data, as well as its hub role for the region which encourages a culture of sharing/disbursing information, he added. Story continues Singapore emerged as the most data literate nation globally, with the highest Corporate Data Literacy (CDL) score of 84.1 compared to 81.3 in the United Kingdom and 72.6 in the US. Within APAC, India had a score of 76.2; Australia had a score of 72.4; while Japan had a score of 54.9. Also Read: Singapore to host the finals of high school accelerator Young Founders Summit in November Overall, Asia Pacific Pacific recorded the highest increase in the importance of data in the last 5 years moving faster than the US and EMEA. The banking and finance industry led the way in terms of achieving the highest average CDL score in APAC. Despite that, one in 10 companies in APAC have made changes in the way they use data and only 20 per cent are willing to pay higher salaries to employees who are data literate revealing a severe disconnect between the state of affairs and how enterprises are dealing with it. Globally, healthcare, retail and real estate industries underperformed on data literacy (with respective data literacy scores of 67.1, 69.2 and 70.7), while the administrative, technical services and finance industries performed more consistently (81.1, 80.2 and 77.4 respectively). Globally, there is still a gap between how companies perceive the importance and relevance of data, and an appreciation for data literacy. This is evidenced from their lack of willingness to commit resources for data literate employees, said Quin. Globally, 92 per cent of business decisions makers believe it is important for employees to be data literate yet only a third (34 per cent) of firms currently providing data literacy training. Two-thirds of companies (63 per cent) plan to hire more data literate employees but only 36 per cent are willing to pay higher salaries to employees who are data literate, he said. The report also said that only 8 per cent of firms surveyed have made major changes in the way the data is used over the past five years. This is why it is still important for everyone to work together from government, organisations to individuals to foster a data-driven mindset. Government and organisations can do this by providing all employees with access to relevant data as well as the tools and encouragement to turn it into insights, and individuals can start by asking more questions and interrogating facts and information given, said Quin. Only then will companies be able to reap the full benefits and derive significant enterprise value, he concluded. The post Singapore is the most data literate nation globally, according to new report appeared first on e27. Despite the softening demand from expatriates, the private residential leasing markets outlook appears to be promising in 2019... Singapore scored highly in terms of family benefits and overall quality of life. Singapore has once again for the fourth consecutive year emerged as the best place for expats to live and work, reported Channel NewsAsia citing an HSBC survey. New Zealand came in second, while Germany, Canada and Bahrain rounded up the top five list. More: Singapore Lords Over Worlds Most Expensive Cities While expats in the city-state received less on average at US$160,000, compared to those in Hong Kong who earn US$180,000 annually, Singapore did better when it comes to ratings of family benefits and overall quality of life. In fact, almost three-quarters of expats in Singapore felt that the overall quality of life of their children is better here. The quality of childcare and education are considered better than at home for many expats and 60 percent say their childrens health and well-being has improved, said the survey. And with four out of five expats expressing confidence in the countrys economic and political stability, 78 percent said they would recommend Singapore to anyone planning to work abroad. More than a quarter of Singapore expats may have originally been sent by their employer (27 percent), but almost half (47 percent) have stayed in this safe, well-organised city and its lush, vibrant surroundings for the great quality of life it offers them and their family, added the survey. The survey of 22,318 expats, however, revealed that living in the city-state can be stressful, with 46 percent of the expats saying that stress levels at work in the Southeast Asian country are higher compared to what they witnessed back home. Singapores high cost of living also posed a problem to some expats, with two in four saying they could not afford to buy a home in the city-state. Meanwhile, Singaporeans who moved abroad said they enjoyed better work/life balance, with 50 percent saying they found personal fulfilment working abroad. Story continues Having left a well-organised, structured and carefully managed culture to plunge into the great global unknown, far more Singaporeans abroad (51 percent) feel the experience has made them more adaptable than the global average (39 percent), noted the survey. Can you afford a property in Singapore? Check your affordability now. Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg Swedish Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson gives a news conference after a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament in Stockholm Swedish Moderate party leader Ulf Kristersson gives a news conference after a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament in Stockholm, Sweden, September 27, 2018. TT News Agency/Pontus Lundahl via REUTERS By Daniel Dickson and Niklas Pollard STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's largest centre-right party said on Friday it was prepared to form a government without other parties in its bloc, in an attempt to clear a political impasse left by last month's inconclusive election. Swedish Moderates leader Ulf Kristersson said the other parties could support his cabinet from outside government - in an apparent bid to get around their refusal to work directly with nationalists who currently hold the balance of power. Other members of the centre-right Alliance bloc did not comment on the plan - which was quickly rejected by other groups. If the scheme fails, the centre-left will likely get a chance to form a government next week. Failing that, the country could face fresh elections. The plan followed weeks of fraught negotiations after neither Kristersson's centre-right Alliance bloc nor a grouping of centre-left parties won enough votes on Sept. 9 to form a majority. The vote left the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, which has been shunned by all other parties, holding the balance of power in a deeply divided Riksdag. GRAPHIC: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/SWEDEN-ELECTION/0100808Q0J6/SWEDEN-ELECTION%20GOVERNMENT-01.jpg Kristersson published a long Facebook post proposing that his party form a government which other members of the centre-right Alliance block could support in votes but not have to formally join. "Neither the Sweden Democrats nor the Left Party would be given influence over the government's political direction," he wrote. Nevertheless, the Sweden Democrats or left-wing parties would at least have to agree not vote against any such minority government for it to survive. None of the other members of Alliance members - the Centre Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats - commented on the proposal. Several members of the centre-left Social Democrats, which is currently in a caretaker government, dismissed the plan, saying it would depend on support from the far right. Story continues "Kristersson is showing his true colours," Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson said in a tweet. The Sweden Democrats, which wants substantial curbs on immigration, also appeared to dismiss the scheme. "It feels completely unreasonable that we would allow a government that clearly declares that we won't get any influence what-so-ever," party leader Jimmie Akesson. "That will of course not happen." (Additional reporting by Johan Sennero; writing by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Toby Chopra and Andrew Heavens) By Fiston Mahamba GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A plumber working for the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the health ministry said on Friday, the first case of a U.N. worker contracting the disease during the current outbreak. The plumber is believed to have contracted the virus at a health centre in the city of Beni run by a traditional healer where someone with Ebola had sought treatment, the ministry said in a daily bulletin. The Ebola outbreak in Congo's eastern borderlands with Uganda and Rwanda has worsened markedly in recent weeks due to community resistance to health workers and insecurity caused by rebel groups active in the area. The health ministry said five more confirmed cases and five new deaths had been recorded. That brings the total number of deaths to 130 and confirmed or probable cases to 205 since July. It added that the plumber's colleagues have registered to be vaccinated on Saturday and have been placed on paid leave for 21 days, the maximum incubation period of the virus. "A U.N. colleague based in Beni has tested positive for Ebola, and is now receiving the necessary medical treatment," the head of Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission, Leila Zerrougui, wrote in a letter to employees. She said the employee had not been to work for several weeks and that tracing of the person's contacts had begun immediately. U.N. workers have taken an active role in the response to the outbreak, including by providing security to first responders in areas threatened by militia groups. Ebola is a haemorrhagic fever that spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of its victims and typically kills about half of those it infects. A senior World Health Organization official told Reuters on Thursday he expected the outbreak to last at least another three or four months and said it could spread to Uganda or Rwanda. (Writing by Aaron Ross; editing by Kevin Liffey, Andrew Heavens and Chris Reese) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #41 Posted on 13 October 2018 by John Hartz IPCCs Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5oC and the Hurricane Michael-climate change connection, A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week including numerous articles about the Editor's Pick Mary Robinson on climate change: Feeling This is too big for me is no use to anybody The former president of Ireland has a new raison detre: saving the planet. Yet, despite the dire warnings of this weeks IPCC report, she is surprisingly upbeat Human rights has always been a struggle ... Mary Robinson in her office in Dublin. Photograph: Johnny Savage/Guardian On the morning that the worlds leading climate scientists warn that the planet has until 2030 to avert a global warming catastrophe, Mary Robinson appears suitably sombre. She wears black shoes, black trousers and a black sweater and perches at the end of a long table at her climate justice foundation, headquartered in an austere, imposing Georgian building opposite Trinity College Dublin. The only dash of brightness is a multicoloured brooch on her lapel. It symbolises the sustainable development goals, she says. Its the one good emblem that the United Nations has produced, so I like to wear it. There seems little reason for cheer on this Monday. The landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just warned that urgent, unprecedented changes are needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5C; even half a degree beyond this will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. Donald Trump, rejecter of the Paris climate agreement, is riding high on the back of Brett Kavanaughs elevation to the US supreme court. Britain and the EU are consumed by Brexit Brazil is on course to elect a president who wants to open the Amazon to agribusiness. Closer to home, the Irish government is flunking its climate policy goals. Now, climate scientists warn that the clock ticks ever closer to midnight. Governments are not responding at all adequately to the stark reality that the IPCC is pointing to: that we have about 11 years to make really significant change, says Robinson, sitting ramrod straight, all business. This report is extraordinarily important, because its telling us that 2 degrees is not safe. Its beyond safe. Therefore, we have to work much, much harder to stay at 1.5 degrees. Ive seen what 1 degree is doing in more vulnerable countries ... villages are having to move, theres slippage, theres seawater incursion. Robinson sips a glass of water and sighs. Were in a bumpy time. Were in a bad political cycle, particularly because the United States is not only not giving leadership, but is being disruptive of multilateralism and is encouraging populism in other countries. This could be the start of a depressing interview that concludes we should hitch a ride on Virgin Galactics first trip to space and try to stay there. But it turns out to be surprisingly upbeat. Despite the headlines, Robinson, who served as the UN secretary generals special envoy on climate change after serving as the president of Ireland and the UN high commission for human rights, is hopeful. She has anticipated the IPCC report by writing a book-cum-manifesto, Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience and the Fight for a Sustainable Future, published this week. It tells stories of farmers and activists, mostly women, who tackle climate change in Africa, Asia and the Americas. They are examples of positive change that Robinson thinks can help turn the tide. I dont think as a human race that we can be so stupid that we cant face an existential threat together and find a common humanity and solidarity to respond to it. Because we do have the capacity and the means to do it if we have the political will. Mary Robinson on climate change: Feeling This is too big for me is no use to anybody by Rory Carroll, Science, Guardian, Oct 12, 2018 Links posted on Facebook Sun Oct 7, 2018 Mon Oct 8, 2018 Tue Oct 9, 2018 Wed Oct 10, 2018 Thu Oct 11, 2018 Fri Oct 12, 2018 Sat Oct 13, 2018 Image is everything nowadays, but this statement is even more true when it refers to fashion. The industry has always thrived on iconic, dreamy, powerful, strong and unusual shoots created by famous photographers and published on glossy magazines. The Cristobal Balenciaga Museum in Getaria, Spain, looked in previous exhibitions at the power of images and at their impact on fashion: last year for example the museum analysed during special workshops and exhibitions the influence of Jose Ortiz Echague's photographs of Spanish popular events on Balenciaga and his Haute Couture collections. A recently launched event - "Distincion: A Century of Fashion Photography" (until 27th January 2019) - looks instead at the images created by influential photographers on the Spanish national scene over the last 100 years. Produced in collaboration with the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Barcelona Museum of Design), the event includes rarely seen images from the fashion photography collection of the Catalonian institution. Through the 107 images taken by 37 photographers in Catalonia and Spain, curators invite visitors to wonder if there are any common features between different photographers, if fashion photography has evolved and why it keeps on fascinating us. Curator Juan Naranjo interprets the title of the event - "Distinction"- in a dichotomic way, referring to differences and constrasts, but also to elegance and a form of excellence that sets someone or something apart from others. The event develops in a chronological order and it is divided in seven sections: the origins of fashion photography are presented via the works of Pere Casas Abarca, a Modernista who experimented with photography in the field of advertising. His images call to mind photographs by Mariano Fortuny: Casas Abarca was indeed influenced by allegorical, mythological and exotic themes and was a representative of Pictorialism, the first ever photographic artistic movement which advocated a style of photography that imitated painting at the turn of the 20th century. As the years passed, Spain started developing its own visual language, also thanks to magazines D'Aci i D'Alla, Tricornio, Las cuatro estaciones and Imatges and Ford. The images produced around this period of time and included in the section of the exhibition entitled "New Vision" had two main aims - illustrating articles that presented new trends when it came to Spanish couturiers and advertising their work. Among this first generation of Spanish fashion photographers that emerged during this period, there was also Ramon Batlles who destabilised in his images the more conventional symmetries, taking his shots from unusual points of view. The arrival on the fashion scene of the magazine Alta Costura (Barcelona 1943-1969), the first major fashion publication that showcased fashion photography in Spain, introduced new ideals and hopes. During the long post-war period photographers presented a seductive woman at times inspired by Hollywood stars, portrayed in refined interiors or urban settings. Dior's New Look triumphed in these images, but Oriol Maspons and Juan Gyenes also took images of models in sculptural gowns by Spanish designers Saint Eulalia and Rosina. The exhibition section entitled "Movements" is dedicated instead to fans of the dance and fashion connection. The '60s brought on the scene counter-cultural groups, Pop Art, Mods and hippies, radical debates and social revolutions and photographers started to introduce in their static images a sense of movement with models in dynamic poses and gestures. One of the many examples in this section is a picture of a model shot by Juana Biarnes twirling in a dress by Miguel Rueda. Biarnes is an important figure as she worked her way in a man's world and had to confront in her life many prejudices. She was very determined, though, and ended up developing important photojournalism series like the ones focused on pearl fishers in Japan and on the women connected with Pancho Villa in Mexico. Extravagant fashion narratives and manipulated, simulated and recreated stories prevail instead in "Stagings and Fantasies", a more modern section that combines film and literature with a Surrealist magic (check out Eugenio Recuenco's Tim Walker-inspired "Cinderella" Haute Couture shoot) or futuristic aesthetic, introducing also provocative and erotic fantasies courtesy of Txema Yeste. Portraits in the past were a sign of status and power, but things changed more recently: new trends and social movements have prompted photographers and fashion to look at identity and differences and celebrate them, breaking all sorts of conventions and boundaries, from class and sex to age and religion. Images included in the "Identity and Difference" section go from Bela Adler & Salvador Fresneda's to Enric Galceran photographs taken in Bali that, featuring models posing among real people in urban environments, act as a sort of link between this part of the exhibition and the very last one - "Landscapes". The latter takes visitors on a journey through urban or natural landscapes, on a trip through real or fictional architectures, from densely populated areas with skyscrapers in the backgrounds to desolate untamed, wild and barren spaces in which natural elements such as water or rocks prevail. Though the images are divided in these even themes, it is not difficult to spot here and there some unifying elements and links between different eras, artistic vanguards and currents of thought that prompted social changes in each period and inspired the various photographers (seduction, provocation and glamour are indeed common themes in some of these shoots). There is a further point of "distinction" between this exhibition and other ones about photography and fashion images: the Cristobal Balenciaga Museum values the importance of images and, to allow all visitors to enjoy this event, it has devised a programme for people with special needs. Visitors with visual functional diversity will be able to enjoy the exhibition content thanks to a series of services and resources incorporated in the exhibition content - from laminated flyers in relief and braille to audio-descriptions and accessible guided tours. After all, fashion is at its best when it speaks the language of diversity and inclusion and reaches out to all sorts of people. Image credits for this post 1. and 2. Pere Casas Abarca (1875-1958) 1902-1903 Silver gelatin on baryta paper, printed in 1902-1903 3. Juan Gyenes 1940-1950 4. Ramon Batlles (1901-1983) Barcelona, 1934 El Dique Flotante collection Silver gelatin on baryta paper, printed in 1934 5. Oriol Maspons (1928-2013) Barcelona, 1956 Dress by Saint Eulalia Silver gelatin on baryta paper, printed in 2012 6. Oriol Maspons (1928-2013) Barcelona, 1966 Pertegaz collection Silver gelatin on baryta paper, printed in 2012 7. Antoni Bernad (1944) Barcelona,1968 Lambda on baryta paper, printed in 2012 8. Juana Biarnes (1935) Madrid, 1960-1970 Dress by Miguel Rueda Silver gelatin on baryta paper, printed in 1960-1970 9. Eugenio Recuenco (1968) Cinderella, 2005 Giclee on UltraSmooth Fine Art cotton paper, printed in 2012 10. Txema Yeste (1972) There Somewhere Delta del Ebro, 2011 Giclee on Photo Rag Baryta paper, printed in 2012 11. Bela Adler & Salvador Fresneda (1959 and 1957) Barcelona, 2009 Giclee on Photo Rag paper, printed in 2012 12. Enric Galceran (1973) Bali, 2006 Giclee on Fine Art Baryta paper, printed in 2013 13. Manuel Outumuro (1949) Tokyo, 1995 Giclee on Fine Art paper, printed in 2010 14. Daniel Riera City Suits, New York, 2009 15. Pep Avila, 2008 First Lady Melania Trump finally spoke up about her I really dont care, do U? jacket she wore in June on a plane to a Texas detention center housing children who were separated from their parents at the border. Considering how she wore it at the height of the controversy over the decision by her husbands administration to split up children from their parents at the border, many saw the jacket as highly insensitive. But the first lady said in an interview that the jacket was meant as a message to the media. And the key, the first lady said, was when she wore the jacket. Advertisement Melania Trump said it was obvious she didnt wear the jacket for the children. I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane, Melania Trump explained in an interview with ABC. And it was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me and I want to show them that I dont care. You could criticize whatever you wanna say, you can say but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melania Trump tells @TomLlamasABC she wore the I really dont care jacket for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me. And I want to show them that I dont care. #MelaniaTrump https://t.co/EqEyfZkJvZ pic.twitter.com/2EWeCKB0de ABC News (@ABC) October 13, 2018 Advertisement When Tom Llamas asked her whether that meant she was sending a message with the jacket, she confirmed she was. It, it was kind of a message, yes, she said. After the visit I put it back on because I see how media got upset about, obsessed about it. She became frustrated when the media chatter became all about what she wore and not what she had gone to Texas to do. I would prefer that they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear. That marks quite a contrast from what her spokeswoman said when the jacket became a topic of controversy. At the time, her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said it was a jacket and there was no hidden message. President Trump though had written on Twitter that the jackets message refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares! Advertisement I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U? written on the back of Melanias jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018 Advertisement During the interview that was taped during her recent trip through several African countries, the first lady said the policy to separate families at the border caught her offguard and she had no idea it was coming. I didnt know that that policy would come out, the first lady said in an interview with ABC News. I was blindsided by it. She said she didnt hide her feelings from the president. I said to him that I feel thats unacceptable, and he felt the same, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Melania Trump says speculation about her husbands alleged infidelities are not a concern and focus to her: Im a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do. #MelaniaTrump https://t.co/z5Dwb4saew pic.twitter.com/Gy2YoHsSw2 20/20 (@ABC2020) October 13, 2018 Melania Trump also dismissed speculation that she spends lots of time worrying about her husbands alleged infidelities. It is not concern and focus of mine. Im a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do, she said. I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage. Although she recognized that its not always pleasant to hear the allegations, the first lady also insisted she knows what is right and what is wrong and what is true or not true. When Llamas asked the first lady whether she loved her husband, she said, Yes, we are fine. Advertisement Members of the far-right mens group Proud Boys beat up at least three protesters Friday in the streets of Manhattan after an event Friday night. The members of the pro-Trump organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as a hate group had gathered at the Metropolitan Republican Club on the Upper East Side to hear a speech by the groups founder, Gavin McInnes. Minutes after they left the event, some 30 members of the group took part in the beating, which allegedly began when three anti-fascist protesters knocked a Make America Great Again hat off the head of a Proud Boy member. Advertisement Here's video of the Proud Boy mob assault from tonight up close pic.twitter.com/frW09dcDHn Adam (@leftkist) October 13, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Videos posted on social media show the violence that included apparent members of Proud Boys beating protesters while shouting faggot and cocksucker. None of the Proud Boys were detained for the attacks although three anti-fascist protesters were arrested. Police accused the protesters of attacking a 30-year-old man who was leaving the rally. The New York Police Department said it would be reviewing additional video and other evidence to see if other crimes were committed. If so, [we will] identify those perpetrators and make further arrests as warranted, NYPD spokesman Phillip Walzak said. Advertisement Advertisement Two journalists who were at the scene, Sandi Bachom and Shay Horse, talked to the HuffPost and described how the confrontation turned into a mob assault with Proud Boys vastly outnumbering the protesters. They turned it into a pummeling, Horse said. This was three people on the ground and people just kicking the shit out of them. After the attacks, the Proud Boys members posed for a photo while flashing white power hand signs, according to a photo posted on Twitter. I havent seen a fight that violent in a long time, Horse tweeted. The proud boys were totally ready and willing to be violent tonight. They didnt even wear masks. Members of the group also reportedly shouted I like beer repeatedly, a clear reference to what Justice Brett Kavanaugh said during his confirmation hearings. Advertisement Advertisement The Proud Boys even waited to do a group photo after the fights. They were hyped the fuck up after that. Flashing their white power hand symbol before marching towards a downtown train. pic.twitter.com/JP6jiM8Yud Shay Horse (@HuntedHorse) October 13, 2018 Advertisement I havent seen a fight that violent in a long time. The proud boys were totally ready and willing to be violent tonight. They didnt even wear masks. Shay Horse (@HuntedHorse) October 13, 2018 Advertisement A video posted on Twitter shows McIness waving a sword outside the event. Fox News posted the video on its account and implied that it was the anti-fascist protesters who were responsible for the violence and the sword. During the event at the Metropolitan Republican Club, McInnes reenacted the samurai sword assassination Japanese socialist leader Inejiro Asanuma. On Instagram, McInnes had described the assassination as an inspiring moment. Exactly one year after Moira Donegan started the Shitty Media Men list, one of the men named in that Google spreadsheet has filed a defamation lawsuit against her. Stephen Elliott, the founder and former editor in chief of the literary website the Rumpus, is asking for $1.5 million in damages for what the suit says were malicious actions taken solely to damage [his] reputation and career. In his filing, Elliott says the spreadsheet, in which an anonymous individual or individuals accused him of rape, sexual harassment, coercion, and unsolicited invitations to his apartment, caused him to become depressed, get disinvited from multiple book readings, be defriended or blocked on social media by several people, and lose the opportunity to sell his book for film or television adaptation. He also claims that, due to the spreadsheet, people have stopped returning his calls and his recent book sales were below projections and significantly less than previous works. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donegan has written that she intended the spreadsheet to be a semiprivate document women could use to warn one another about predatory men, but it soon leaked to news outlets. After Donegan took it down, others screenshotted it and its contents were posted on Reddit and elsewhere. Elliott is seeking to sue not only Donegan but anyone who submitted his name to the list, stating that he hopes to discern their identities by subpoenaing Google. The tech firm told the Daily Beast it will fight Elliotts efforts to reveal these names, and if the company has already trashed the data from the deleted spreadsheet, as is its general policy, Elliott may be out of luck. While no one has publicly admitted to writing those allegations on the spreadsheet, some women put their names to allegations against Elliott after he wrote an essay in Quillette about the harm hes allegedly suffered since the list became public. Advertisement With respect to Elliotts lawsuit, Donegan may be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which insulates people and companies from liability for hosting third-party content they do not write themselves. Anderson Duff, an attorney with experience in defamation and libel law, told me that if everyone who invited third-party contributors to publish content online was responsible for that content, Nobody would host any third-party content. It would break the internet. Its likely Elliotts attorneys will argue that Donegan didnt play an entirely passive role here, as she may have been the one to highlight Elliotts name in red on the spreadsheet, marking him as the target of multiple allegations of physical sexual assault. But Duff said Donegans clear note at the top of the spreadsheet marking the entries as unverifiedThis document is only a collection of misconduct allegations and rumors. Take everything with a grain of salt.will work in her favor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, that statement might make the Communications Decency Act moot in this case. While, say, a large-scale social media platform can plausibly argue that it has no way of knowing what its users will publish before they publish it, Donegan knew exactly what content she was soliciting: unverified allegations. If the defendant here was my client, if I had spoken to her prior to this all happening, I would have advised her to proceed differently, said Nicole Ligon, a supervising attorney at the Duke University School of Laws First Amendment Clinic, adding, Its tricky because I so feel for the defendant here, and I know the intentions were great and survivors should have a place to share their stories, and not everything is well documented. Advertisement Because truth is an ironclad defense against a defamation claim, the discovery process in lawsuits like Elliotts can be extremely damaging to the plaintiff. As part of the Legal Network for Gender Equity, a nationwide group of attorneys associated with the Times Up Legal Defense Fund, Ligon advises women who want to go public with sexual assault allegations on how best to couch their stories to avoid potential defamation lawsuits, or to put themselves in the best possible position to defend against such lawsuits if they do arise. The pieces of evidence she asks a client to compile before publishing a personal account or speaking to the pressaccounts from people the client told about the abuse or harassment at the time, emails or letters, signed statements from other people whove suffered similar abuse from the same perpetratorare the same kinds of evidence the person or people who submitted Elliotts name to the spreadsheet will want to bring forward if their identities are revealed. Advertisement Advertisement Because truth is an ironclad defense against a defamation claim, the discovery process in lawsuits like Elliotts can be extremely damaging to the plaintiff. Duff said he frequently tries to convince potential plaintiffs that its unwise to file defamation suits, because every bad thing theyve ever done will be brought forth by the defendants to try to establish a pattern of bad behavior. For people who feel they need to file a suit just to prove that they have nothing to hide, even if they dont have anything to hide, its usually not that great of an idea, because it draws more attention, Duff said. Advertisement The other major question at issue here is whether Elliott is a public figure. If he is, he will have to prove that either Donegan or the people who submitted his name did so with actual malicethat they knew the allegations against him were false or that they acted in reckless disregard for the truth, which is an extremely high legal threshold to clear. If Elliott is not a public figure, the bar for defamation is lower: Hell have to prove only that Donegan and the person or people who put his name on the list were negligent in their failure to verify the claims. Elliott is already trying to prove malice in his suit by citing a few of Donegans tweets, evidence of a well-documented history of publicly publishing statements professing a hatred of men, according to the filing. Advertisement Advertisement While Elliott claims in his lawsuit that he is not a celebrity, a judge might not agree. I know about the Rumpus, and Im an attorney and completely uncultured, so theres a reasonable argument that he is [a public figure], especially if he often wrote under his own name and had a byline, Duff said. The Supreme Court has decided very few cases that address the line between private and public figures, and there is no strict threshold that marks a plaintiffs rise from the former to the latter category. But the court held in Gertz v. Robert Welch Inc. that private citizens deserve more protection from defamatory statements in part because they have fewer outlets to rebut those statements. As a published author who has already rebutted the allegations in an online magazine with nearly 1 million unique monthly visitors, Elliott does not lack for platforms where he can defend himself. But he and his lawyers seem to have anticipated that argument: The lawsuit claims Elliott submitted an essay defending himself to both New York magazine and the Guardian, and that both outlets first accepted then rejected that essay. Advertisement Advertisement Since Elliott is neither a household name nor a government official, Donegan may have to prove he is whats known as a limited-purpose public figurethat is, someone who is embroiled in a public controversy or newsworthy situation. In 2005, a Florida judge ruled that a plaintiff alleging defamation, Eliza Thomas, was a public figure because there had been some online debate about her efforts to remove her brain-damaged husbands feeding tube. While that ruling was widely criticized, since Thomas hadnt willingly inserted herself into that debate, Elliott regularly seeks attention and publicity with his writing, which may be taken as a sign that hes a willing participant in public discourse. Advertisement Advertisement Ligon believes Elliott may have unwittingly proved hes a public figure in his own filing. He claims Donegan and the people who put his name on the list must be aware of the nonfiction writing hes done about his sexual preferences as a BDSM submissive, and that they must have known the claims against him were false because, he implies, submissives cannot commit sexual assault. If he is going to state that his sexual preferences should be knownperhaps if youre saying that should already be public knowledge, then perhaps youre saying that youre a public figure, Ligon said. A GoFundMe established to raise money for Donegans legal expenses has garnered more than $77,000 as of Friday evening, boosted by a Twitter thread from Roxane Gay that called the lawsuit terrible and disingenuous and dangerous. I donated because this lawsuit is frivolous and misdirected, another contributor to the GoFundMe wrote on the page. We all benefit when women find ways to defend ourselves and each other. Another offered a simpler sentiment: I donated because bullies make my blood boil. By Ed Simon on 9 October 2018 for History News Netrwork - "If you see me, weep!" From ( Image above: Chiseled upside down into the stone embankment of the Elbe River four centuries ago, at a time of historic drought, are the wordsFrom ( https://twitter.com/lfulg/status/1022831523920310279 ). Wenn du mich sicht, dann weine. If you see me, weep. . SUBHEAD: Our consumer economy will be the "Final Solution" for organic life on Earth.Four centuries ago, somebody starving in the drought afflicted Elbe region in what is today the Czech Republic, anonymously chiseled onto the stone of the receding river bank a warning.Here, along the river where one day American and Soviet troops would meet on their duel approach to Berlin, a graffito made by unknown hand marks 1616 as the oldest year recorded on one particular Hunger Stone , and on that surface there is awhich readsThis summer, among the hottest recorded, and the Elbe once again receded to the point where observers could read that ominous missive:Something to tattoo on the brain with the Monday release of the United Nations Intergovernmental Report on Climate Change Authored by 91 scientists, representing 40 countries and based on over 6,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies, the conclusions of the commission are horrifying.According to Coral Davenport at thethe climatologists discovered that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the atmosphere will warm up by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2040, radically earlier than had been thought, meaning that most readers of this article will bear witness to inundating coastlines and intensifying droughts and poverty.A child born today will have just turned the drinking age in a world where close to all of the coral reefs will be extinct and where massive storms like Hurricane Florence or Hurricane Maria, which has nearly destroyed a Puerto Rico abandoned by the government of the United States, will be common.Where the social, cultural, and economic affects of climate change will be recorded not on revealed hunger stones, but in pandemics, wars, famines, and genocides exacerbated by the effects of higher temperatures.Brandon Miller and Jay Croft atwrite that well see in starker detail the horrific results of industrial man-made global warming earlier than in two decades, with the report concluding that humanity hasAlterations to human behavior which might hasten the worst effects of climate change are technically possible, though the studys authors doubt such change is politically feasible, as it would require direct action on the part of the industrial economies of the world, something withMyles Allen of Oxford University explained thatif were to stave off an ecological apocalypse which we now understand isnt centuries in the future, but rather mere decades, if not years.We already see the effects in the increasing ferocity of storms, the droughts that mark not just the developing world, but increasingly North America and Europe, and in the wildfires, which have burnt their way across the west.As the worlds temperature rises we see an equivalent political slow burn, nations increasingly moving toward the delusional reactionary nationalisms as a means of punishing refugee populations often affected either directly by climate change or by the civil strife made possible by it.For as Mark Fishcetti describes the Syrian civil war in a reality that if the Trump administration pretends to deny, has long been acknowledged by the Pentagon.Climate change has resulted in civilization catastrophe before.Historian John Kelly notes inhis book on the Black Death of fourteenth-century Europe, that pestilence was furthered by climactic and ecological instability, the bubonic plague encouraged by weakened immune systems brought on by drought and famine.Polymathic anthropologist Jared Diamond has considered how climate change brought collapse in cultures as varied as the Anasazi and Maya or the medieval Norse settlements of Greenland, writing that theArguably the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley were felled by climate change, and one wonders if the peasants of Sumer were as despondent as that German speaker on the Elbe who asked future generations to weep, or if they were rather as myopic as we are, saying of such changes thatwhile what expires is civilization itself?Humans are unable to imagine the actual passing of their way of life. A sense that historyhas been novel for most cultures, even apocalyptic minded ones, as medieval paintings which depict Christ as a Flemish peasant or ancient Judeans as Florentine nobleman can attest.The idea that the past was radically different from the present and that tomorrow will be distant from today is an innovation of Renaissance humanism and then modernity.Rather, its always been easier to imagine that your world will literally pass into oblivion than that the values your civilization holds dear might disappear (or need to disappear).During those lean times on the Indus River, on the Euphrates, or the Elbe, women and men may have dreamt of the end of days, but they couldnt have quite dreamt of us. The myths that structured their world precluded it.Lest we be too arrogant, ours is not so different a perspective, for as the literary theorist Frederic Jameson famously noted, it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.Similar for the hungry penitent in the temple to all the gods of Sumer, or to the starving medieval pilgrim who could envision the return of Christ, but not that he might look different from those who populated his world.Limited perspective is the wage of any totalizing ideology, and all eras are structured by such paradigms.As a priest in Molochs temple or a monk in a medieval monastery had their religions, so have we ours, but the cracked gods of our world differ in one important respect only capitalisms Mammon has the capability of bringing about the apocalypse.Only capitalism was able to inaugurate a new geological epoch in the Anthropocene; unique is our dominant ideologys status in being able to obliterate all of humanity.IPCC Co-Chair Debra Roberts said that the report is abut what should disturb us most is the authors accurate alarm at the lack of political will to avert catastrophe.In the United States the coal, oil, and gas industries obfuscate, high percentages of Americans believe the lie that climate change is a hoax (while record heat affects the Midwest this October), and the Trump administration trashes the Paris Accords.Noam Chomsky has said that the RepublicanThere is no historical precedent for such a stand, with modern fascism directly correlated to the increasing chaos of climate change itself.Roy Scranton inwrites that as theWhat must be reckoned with is how this situation was directly engendered by industrial capitalism, and in particular by the partisans of its most extreme ideological manifestations of libertarianism and neoliberalism who have provided cover for policies that have enflamed the crisis.Past centuries were circumscribed by their worldviews, be it medieval Catholicism, or classical Roman Augustan paganism, or the varied gods of Sumer in ancient Mesopotamia.Even the most visionary of individual perspectives must be limited by a cultures dominant way of thinking, but while our adherence to the market is as all-encompassing as a Babylonians loyalty to Marduk, it is only our dark religion which actually threatens Armageddon.Unfettered, unregulated, capricious, vampiric capitalism has brought us to the brink, and the mass inability to comprehend this fact evidences how ingrained said ideology is.Our blinders are such that human tragedy that is attributable directly to our economic system is often naturalized as simply being The way that things are, thus precluding even the possibility of different ways of arranging our world.Death due to differing ideologies is always interpreted as conscious and preventable, but capitalist tragedy is simply understood as how life operates.Consideration of those who have died because of capitalism (and those who will, which may yet include us all) doesnt require a cover-up.So inured are we to seeing capitalism as its own imposed ideology that we fail to understand its death toll. Franco-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorovwrote that remembrance of our own woes prevents us from seeing the suffering of others, and while true, the converse is also accurate.While admitting that capitalism provided for unprecedented class mobility and technological innovation, an honest consideration of its death toll in any hypotheticalwould have to include not just the obvious fatalities of those who died in industrial accidents or whose lives were shortened by their labor, but indeed the victims of colonialism, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and ofwhich is simply capitalism driven to its horrifying end.Invisibility of such atrocities through normalization is a species of what the philosopher Louis Althusser termed interpellation, that is to say that were all molded subjects of the ideology that governs our world so that we mostly hold uncritical assumptions about capitalisms normativity.Writer William T. Vollmann addresses future generations in his new tome on climate changeexplaining thatAs 2040 approaches our ignorance is a form of collective suicide.The Editorial Board of thewrites that future Historians will look in absolute astonishment that not only did our governments and corporate elite fail to halt climate change, but that our policy makers actually pushed in the wrong direction.Thats assuming that there will even be any historians left after the climate change horseman of pestilence, famine, war, and death gallop across the scorched and burning world, their riders named Deregulation, Bottom Line, Market, and Profit.An August environmental impact statement prepared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concedes that far from being a Chinese hoax as Trump has alleged, the average temperature will rise seven degrees by centurys end.Quite a wide gulf between what the Trump administration knows to be true and what his deluded believers will swallow.Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis, and Chris Mooney at thewrite that the Trump administration did not offer this dire forecast as part of an effort to combat climate change, for their analysis assumes the planets fate is already sealed.Why prevent collapse when Trump concludes that there is still so much money to be made inaverting disaster?This is the nightmare logic of scarcity capitalism, the macabre calculus which is content to let millions of people starve in the third world and that will ultimately exterminate refugees who dare to escape a parched landscape, all so that the economic status quo can be maintained before the process kills us all.The puritanism of corporate eco-individualism which configures environmental protection as simply a matter of driving a Prius or taking short showers is moral contrition or personal branding rather than policy, a quasi-theological sacrifice before the altar of the dying Earth.Whats actually required is a massive, international, eco-socialist mobilization of governments and industries that are responsible for this calamity. Because right now capitalisms final solution is nothing less than complete ecological collapse.In his 1888 autobiographicalthe German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche eerily predicted that the 20th century would witness wars as have never happened on earth.With chaos brought about by the scarcity resulting from climate change, we may reevaluate how prescient Nietzsche was about the last century, realizing that he was perhaps actually off by a hundred years. Oh, please. We are still coping with the view of Atlas taking a leisurely run through the neighborhood like a boss planner out for his cardio workout before taking off for his first meeting. What could possibly be next? Next: Boston Dynamics has updated the world on Atlas in a video posted October 11. Short and sweet: Atlas does parkour. No argument when Luke Dormehl in Digital Trends called this parkour-capable robot's stunts "frankly astonishing." Back-pedal for a moment, though, and consider the hoops Atlas the robot has successfully gone through to be where it is today. Engineering to do parkour-style stunts was preceded by evolutionary steps. First, said New Atlas, Atlas mastered balancing, and before you could say Friday the Thirteenth, there was footage of the robot learning how to do a backflip. "The big 2018 innovations for Atlas seem to have been mostly concerned with the robot learning how to navigate tricky terrain in real-time." What is parkour? It has its roots in military obstacle course training, No assistive equipment. Plenty of reasons to fall over and give up. This is a training discipline that sets a complex environment where requirements include such movements as running, climbing, vaulting, jumping and crawling. Atlas in the video is wonderful in jumping, showing excellent control. How Atlas achieves such balance: computer vision serves to locate itself with respect to visible markers on the approach, hitting terrain accurately. The team said that "The control software uses the whole body including legs, arms and torso, to marshal the energy and strength for jumping over the log and leaping up the steps without breaking its pace." They used a step height of 40 cm (1.3 ft) and the highlight of the viewing experience is seeing how the robot is superior in its leaping up the 40-cm steps. Boston Dynamics said the robot's hardware takes advantage of 3D printing, to save weight and space. The team boasts of the high strength-to-weight ratio. Brandon Hill in HotHardware points to what is different about the "now" Atlas from the Atlas of older views. Mainly, Hill wrote that we saw Atlas previously having to stop, to gather its "thoughts", and then use propulsion from both feet. "This time around," Hill said, "Atlas leaps over the log mid-stride using just one foot to push off from the ground. It continues forward after landing with its somewhat stilted gate without skipping a beat." Matt Simon in Wired had an eye-catching movement too, as he described seeing Atlas "bounding up a multi-layered platform, shifting its weight from its right foot to its left foot, and back to the right foot as it runs up the steps." One tries not to join the bandwagon of observers that associate Boston Dynamics' advanced robots with words like "nightmare" and "creepy" and "Armageddon" but, inevitably, whether predicting doom or not, there are attempts to figure out where the Atlas evolution will one day lead. One can imagine but not be certain. Rich Haridy in New Atlas shared this perspective: "Despite Boston Dynamics being sold by Google's parent company Alphabet to Japanese company SoftBank for an undisclosed sum in 2017, there has been no indication as to what direction the robot's development is heading. No commercial or private outcome has ever been disclosed, so at this point it seems the engineers are still simply working on making the most mobile humanoid robot they can." "The company has suggested Atlas may one day be used in search and rescue operations," said the BBC. "While this is just one demo showcase, the technology exhibited here could also be enormously useful in the real world, where the ability to see environments in terms of how they can help with locomotion (for instance, a wall that could also be a platform) would make robots such as this useful in a range of scenarios," said Luke Dormehl in Digital Trends. Explore further Humanoid Atlas gets some air and jogs, jumps over log 2018 Tech Xplore Guns for self-defense threatened by Bloomberg By Tim Schmidt. October 4th, 2018 As the November elections approach, Second Amendment supporters must recognize that liberal billionaires like former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are heavily investing in the political process to push out of office those who support the Second Amendment. Their goal is to flip vulnerable seats in Congress and state legislatures, and fill them with politicians beholden to their agenda of restricting gun rights and putting limitations on self-defense. Mr. Bloomberg's organization "Everytown for Gun Safety" is really not about gun safety at all but rather, advancing an anti-Second Amendment agenda. So far, they have committed more than $15 million to advertising and campaigning, and that's likely the tip of the iceberg. The strategy is clear: Prey on the fear that there is a mass shooting around every corner, and nothing can be done to stop it, except eradicating all guns, forever. In fact, liberal U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, told USA Today point blank recently, "If they don't see us being coordinated and they don't see us having the ability to mobilize voters and donors, they're not going to be that scared." This is why it is of the utmost importance that those who value and want to protect the Second Amendment participate in the elections this fall to make their voices heard. We can't stand by and allow this assault on our constitutional rights by failing to stand up to those who would take them from us. ....... Many gun owners, usually the more apathetic and complacent ones, think their one little vote is insignificant. That of course is far from the truth and if rights are to be protected it is vital that all consider very carefully just what could be round the corner if Bloomberg's plans are not countered. It's a sad fact that the Constitution, the law of the land, should even be under threat at all. "You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side." You just have to love freedom. 2018 JPFO All rights reserved. jpfo@jpfo.org 1-800-869-1884 Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005 USA "America's most aggressive defender of civil rights" We make the NRA look like moderates Join JPFO Back to Top 5 Koreans, 4 Nepalis killed on Mt Gurja (Update) At least nine persons have died when an unexpected snowstorm trapped them at the base camp of Mt Gurja (7,193 m) in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-1, Myagdi district in western Nepal on Thursday. Amnesty for inclusive law-making process Amnesty International has urged Nepal government to ensure public participation in law and public policy-making processes. An ethics of seeing Of photography, essayist Susan Sontag wrote, In teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have a right to observe. Border police seize trucks loaded with illegal goods Smuggling cases of pepper, maize and garments at the border areas have been on the rise. According to a report provided by the District Police Office, Parsa, the office confiscated garments worth Rs7.9 million that passed through illegal channels from last mid-April. Cultivating and collaborating In Mangalbazar, past a honking flood of vehicles, beyond a throng of people and behind the Krishna Mandir, there is a rose-pink structure with a large eyesore of a sign. This is the Yala Heritage Home and inside, on the top floor, is an artistic family. Eight people, representing their own diverse cultures and personalities, have gathered here to plumb the depths, circling the arts, culture, the environment and the people of the valley. These six artists, along with two curators, are part of Photo Kathmandus month-long mixed-media residency programme. Dahal changes his tune after by-election fiasco Nepal Communist Partys Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has confirmed that there will be no by-election for Kathmandu Constituency-7. FILE PHOTO: Nokia chairman Risto Siilasmaa gavels close the trading day at the NYSE in New York FILE PHOTO: Nokia chairman Risto Siilasmaa gavels close the trading day at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo By Jussi Rosendahl HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia's chairman has pointed the finger at his predecessor over the mobile phone maker's fall from grace in a book that has reopened old wounds in Finland, where the company remains a source of national pride. Nokia was the world's largest mobile handset maker and Europe's highest valued company at its peak, accounting for about 4 percent of Finland's economic output. But it failed to recognise the threat to its existence posed by the rise of touchscreen smartphones after Apple launched the iPhone in 2007. It has since sold off its handset business, with thousands of jobs lost along the way, and is now focused on telecoms networks and licensing its technology patents. Nokia's decline was partly down to a lack of entrepreneurial leadership and the failure to face up to bad news, according to the book by Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia's chairman, who joined the company's board in 2008. Named "Transforming Nokia: The power of paranoid optimism to lead through colossal change," the book has made headlines beyond the business world because of its attacks on former Nokia CEO and Chairman Jorma Ollila. Siilasmaa said Ollila, one of Finland's best known business leaders who once considered running for president and is also a former chairman of Royal Dutch Shell , was quick-tempered and spread fear in the organisation, which curbed open discussion and led to a reluctance to share bad news. Siilasmaa said he proposed Nokia look into choosing Google's Android platform for Nokia's smartphones over the company's own Symbian system in 2009, but a memo he had sent to Ollila was never discussed in the boardroom. "RUINED LEGACY" Siilasmaa said Ollila also sought to prevent his election as chairman in 2012, and yelled at him over phone when he briefed Ollila the following year about the plan to sell the handset business to Microsoft . Story continues "Our conversation followed the usual pattern: I tried to be polite; he exploded and yelled that I had ruined his legacy," Siilasmaa wrote. Ollila, now 68 and retired from frontline business, was Nokia chief executive in the phonemaker's heyday from 1992 to 2006, a year before the iPhone's launch, and then served as its chairman until 2012. In Finland's Helsingin Sanomat daily he said that Siilasmaa, 52, was exaggerating with his accusations and had trouble understanding that running a large global company was different from managing a small company. Siilasmaa is the founder of Finnish cybersecurity and privacy company F-Secure . Under Siilasmaa's command, Nokia ended up selling the handset business to Microsoft in 2014. Nokia then bought control of a joint venture with Germany's Siemens and followed up by acquiring Franco-American Alcatel-Lucent, making itself one of the world's biggest mobile network makers. (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Keith Weir) Sky News US President Joe Biden made a video call to the Irish rugby team to congratulate them for their win over New Zealand. "We're so damn proud of you, really and truly," Mr Biden told the squad, as he perched on a chair between his two siblings. The Irish side dominated the game from start to finish before toppling New Zealand 29-20 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday - making it three wins from Ireland's last five meetings against the legendary All Blacks. DUP leader Foster holds a news conference at the European Parliament in Brussels Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster holds a news conference at the European Parliament after a meeting with EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - The head of the Northern Irish party that props up British Prime Minister Theresa May's government is "ready" to trigger a no-deal Brexit and now regards it as the "likeliest outcome," The Observer newspaper reported on Saturday, citing a leaked email. The newspaper said Arlene Foster told Ashley Fox, leader of Conservative Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), she had a "hostile and difficult" exchange at her meeting this week with Michel Barnier, the French official leading the European Union's negotiating team. "AF said the DUP were ready for a no deal scenario, which she now believed was the likeliest one," according to the email, whose sender or recipient the newspaper did not identify. The Observer said it was one of several emails "leaked from the highest levels of government" that it had seen. A DUP spokesman declined to comment beyond what Foster wrote for an article published in Saturday's Belfast Telegraph. In it, Foster said she would prefer no Brexit deal to a bad deal, describing current plans as amounting to "the annexation of Northern Ireland" by the EU. British and European Union negotiators this month accelerated the push for a Brexit deal but talks remain snagged over the issue of the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Irish Republic, an EU member state. Without a comprehensive EU-UK trade partnership after Brexit, the EU is seeking a "backstop" arrangement whereby Northern Ireland would effectively remain subject to the bloc's regulations to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. But the DUP, whose support May needs to pass legislation in the British parliament, vehemently opposes any proposals that treat the province differently from the rest of the UK. "I fully appreciate the risks of a 'no deal' (Brexit) but the dangers of a bad deal are worse," Foster wrote in the Belfast Telegraph article. Story continues "This backstop arrangement would not be temporary. It would be the permanent annexation of Northern Ireland away from the rest of the United Kingdom and forever leave us subject to rules made in a place where we have no say," she added. "NO GAME" Britain wants any 'backstop' arrangement to be time-limited. Hardline supporters of Brexit in May's ruling Conservative Party fear it could be used to indefinitely keep the entire UK inside a customs union with the EU. The EU is opposed to any specific cut-off date. Foster said her party, which has 10 lawmakers in the UK parliament, was not bluffing in its tough stance. "This is no game. Anyone engaging in this in a light-hearted way foolishly fails to grasp the gravity of the decisions we will make in the coming weeks," Foster said. "The coming days, weeks and months will be critical. The decisions taken will shape the type of Northern Ireland that our grandchildren will live in." Foster said she wanted a workable deal for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and would travel to Dublin for talks on Monday. In an article in another Northern Ireland newspaper, the Belfast News Letter, former British foreign minister Boris Johnson also took aim at the backstop, describing May's agreement to accept it as a "dreadful mistake." "The only way to put things back on the right track is to ditch the backstop ...," Johnson wrote. (Reporting by Amanda Ferguson; Writing by Conor Humphries and James Davey; Editing by Gareth Jones and Richard Chang) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's Brexit negotiator said on Friday he had a "constructive meeting" in Poland over Brexit. "We continue our constant dialogue with EU27 member states," tweeted Michel Barnier, who has been touring EU capitals for months and visited Warsaw on Friday as Brexit talks have entered a crunch period. Poland, which has about a million citizens living in Britain, has at times sounded more conciliatory toward British demands than other member states. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Alastair Macdonald) 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. KABUL (Reuters) - The number of people killed when a bomb went off at an election rally in northeastern Afghanistan has climbed to at least 22, officials said on Saturday. The explosion happened in Takhar province where scores of people had gathered to listen to a speech by a woman standing as a candidate in the parliamentary polls on Oct. 20. Jawad Hejri, spokesman for Takhar governor, said at least 22 people died and 36 were wounded in the attack, in Rustaq district. Explosives had been placed on a motorcycle near the rally, which was to have been addressed by the candidate, Nazifa Yousufi Bek. The victims included security officials and civilians, a local police official said, adding that the candidate was not at the rally at the time. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It is the third attack against the election campaign process this month. Bek is one of 417 women contesting seats across the country, more than ever before. Candidates, regardless of gender, are braving violence and opposition from social conservatives in a campaign seen as a test of the war-torn nation's democratic institutions. Seven candidates, all men, have been killed in separate attacks so far. Another two have been abducted, and four others have been wounded by hardline Islamist militants, election officials said. Takhar, a province bordering Tajikistan, has long been a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency. The Taliban have told Afghans to boycott the upcoming polls. In the western province of Herat, gunmen attacked the election campaign office of a candidate, killing a security guard and a child, said Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for the Herat governor. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attacks in a statement, saying that the enemies of Afghans cannot weaken the will of the nation. US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass condemned the violence, and called on the Taliban to do the same. "If the group (the Taliban) is serious about the peace process it will do the same and punish those responsible," he said in a tweet. (Reporting by Sardar Razmal and Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Andrew Bolton) Newsflare A boy kneeled down to a wrong girl in the dark when confessing in eastern China. Funny video shot in the city of Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province on November 14 shows the light suddenly being turned off, then a boy talking on a stage walking a girl and kneeling down in front of her to attempt to confess. However, the boy suddenly realised that he kneeled down to the wrong girl and stood up to turn to the right girl, and tried to confess properly. According to the boy, he rehearsed before but it was too dark after the light was turned off as well as he was nervous, so he kneeled down to the wrong girl. Luckily, the girl finally said yes to the boy's confession and also joked: "Don't kneel down to the wrong girl when proposing". The video was provided by local media with permission. FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney speaks during a news conference in Dublin, Ireland, April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Thomson Reuters DUBLIN (Reuters) - Optimism about an imminent breakthrough in Brexit talks reported in newspapers in recent days is "probably not well founded" and people should be realistic about time frames, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told RTE Radio on Friday. Brexit negotiations between Britain and the European Union have accelerated and become more positive over the past week, though significant hurdles remain, officials have said. But optimism about an imminent breakthrough reported in newspapers in recent days may be overdone, Coveney told RTE radio. "I think that the optimism that we have read about in newspapers in recent days is probably not well founded. Nothing has been agreed yet," he said. "There is very intensive efforts now to try and find the combinations for each other in terms of the two negotiating teams. But as I say we shouldn't draw any conclusions from that. We don't have any agreement yet. And I think we need to be realistic about time frames," he said. Coveney said, however, that he hoped a "big step forward" would be made next week. "The negotiating teams are hard at it this week and will probably be negotiating intensively through the weekend as well and will hopefully have some political recommendations to feed political leaders early next week," he said. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) See Also: Seven climbers are dead and two more are missing after a strong storm swept through a base camp on a Himalayan mountain. The group, five South Koreans and their four Nepali guides, were trying to ascend Mount Gurja, a 7,193m (23,599ft) peak. A storm on Friday night destroyed their camp and two rescue helicopters sent early Saturday were unable to land due to bad weather conditions. Police reports say the group were at their base camp at the time. Villagers who reached base camp on Saturday afternoon found the bodies of four South Korean climbers, two Nepalese guides and another person yet to be identified. The search continues for two more people, a Nepalese police official said. A police team heading to the base camp on foot are likely to reach there on Sunday. There were inconsistent reports about the suspected cause of the deaths, with some saying a landslide or avalanche swept through the camp. Helicopter pilot Siddartha Gurung told AFP: "Everything is gone, all the tents are blown apart. The conditions were too icy to continue the search." One of the South Korean climbers has been identified as Kim Chang-ho, who in 2013 became the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen. Wangchu Sherpa, of the Trekking Camp Nepal agency, which provided support to the climbers, said: "Our rescue operation is continuing and we are trying to find details." Mount Gurja, also called Gurja Himal, while not famous as one of Nepal's most challenging peaks, is part of the Dhaulagiri range, which is topped by Dhaulagiri I, the seventh-highest mountain in the world. The incident is the worst to hit climbers in Nepal since 18 people were killed at the Mount Everest base camp in 2015 in an avalanche triggered by a powerful earthquake. The Dhaulagiri massif, about 130 miles (210km) northwest of Kathmandu, has been responsible for the deaths of dozens of climbers since the first recorded attempt on one of its lower summits in 1954. Gurja itself was not conquered until as late as 1969 and is said to have a challenging south face. Nepal is in peak climbing season at present after the end of monsoon season. Scores of residents were evacuated from next to Guatemalas Fuego volcano after it erupted on Friday, October 12. This video was captured by the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED). More than 60 residents in the neighbouring villages were ordered to evacuate, a spokesman wrote on Facebook. In a statement, he said: The activity of the Fuego volcano is maintained with constant explosions and a column of ash at a height of 5,000 meters above sea level that is dispersed from 15 to 20 kilometers to the southwest, west and southeast. The volcano has erupted three times in 2018, El Periodico reported, including one on June 3 which local volunteers estimated may have killed thousands of people. Credit: National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) via Storyful By Daphne Psaledakis LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Luxembourg may revert to political tradition on Sunday if an election confirms opinion polls showing a resurgence for its long-dominant center-right party at the expense of the liberal-led coalition. Surveys indicate the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), led for decades by EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker and by far the biggest single group, will end Xavier Bettel's five-year term as only the second non-CSV leader since World War Two. The conservatives, however, may lack an outright majority in the 60-seat chamber after a campaign focused on local issues, notably housing. If so, leader Claude Wiseler could try to renew Juncker's pre-2013 coalition with Etienne Schneider's Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), Bettel's Democratic Party or with Greens. These three parties seized on a surprise setback for Juncker when he called a snap election after a wiretapping scandal to form a three-way coalition in the Grand Duchy under Bettel that froze the CSV out of power for the first time since the war. That ended Juncker's 20 years as prime minister and saw him move to Brussels the following year as president of the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm. However, external policy for the EU's second-smallest state is unlikely to change much. Successive governments have defended a 40-year-old economic model based on financial services and low corporate taxation. To avoid isolation in the EU, Luxembourg has been adapting its long-term economic plan under pressure from bigger neighbors who have branded it a tax haven and a money-laundering hub. Also the wealthiest country in the bloc, Luxembourg has seen little of the controversies over immigration that have boosted far-right parties' popularity ahead of May's elections to the European Parliament, although in 2015 Luxembourg's 250,000 electors decisively rejected giving the vote to the 48 percent of the population who are foreign, mostly from other EU states. Story continues (Editing by Louise Ireland and Alastair Macdonald) See Also: Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, listens to speakers during a panel discussion on Afghanistan at the Conservative Political Action conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 12, 2011. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Friday as President Donald Trump's administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that American officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives. The Journal said it was not clear what the two sides discussed. Khalilzad, who is trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, is currently on his first trip as the special representative. His 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The State Department declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. "We can't confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations," said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan," the spokesperson added. Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what were described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced "very positive signals." [nL4N1UP08M] A U.S.-led coalition forced the Taliban from power in 2001 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 al Qaeda attacks on Washington and New York. Taliban officials want the withdrawal of American forces and a government in Kabul that reflects the group's view of Islam. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom and David Alexander; Editing by Will Dunham) Nepalis on temporary status in the US dreadand awaitdeportation Since late 2017, the Trump administration has terminated the temporary status for about 400,000 nationals from Nepal and five other countriesSudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras and El Salvador, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for over two decades. The administration has defended its policy change by arguing conditions in the home countries have notably improved and saying temporary means temporary. Adam Blosser, senior pastor of the Goshen Baptist Church in Spotsylvania Virginia has a message for his fellow Christians. The conservative preacher says the prosperity gospel that is taught by Joel Osteen is false doctrine and damning heresy. He even goes so far as to say believers in Christ should reject the popular televangelist and the misleading message that he teaches. This will not be good news for the tens of thousands that flock to Lakewood church each week, and the millions who watch the Texas minister's television broadcast. For some, however, Blosser's reveal is simply confirmation of what they have believed about Osteen all along. Joel Osteen and his doctrine are dangerous In reaction to Joel Osteen speaking at a nearby venue, the conservative preacher wrote an opinion piece that was published in The Freelance Star. The senior pastor says that Osteen is dangerous because he teaches that God rewards faithful servants with riches on the earth, which is not a sound doctrine from the Bible. Blosser states that Osteen has become rich and famous by teaching those who listen to him, that earthly prosperity is promised in scripture but this contradicts Jesus saying his followers would endure persecution. The conservative Virginia preacher says this should cause those who know the word of God to walk away from Osteen and his damning heresy. In addition, Blosser states that the leader of Lakewood Church also teaches that his followers should reject ministries that teach all men are not sinners who need redemption through Christ, which also contradicts scripture. Virginia preacher says compare Osteen's teaching to the scriptures, Adam Blosser never personally attacked Joel Osteen, but only comes against the doctrine he teaches. Discuss this news on Eunomia The Virginia preacher suggests that all Bible-believing Christians should read scripture for themselves and compare what Osteen is teaching with what the word of God actually says. Blosser points out that the prosperity gospel sounds good to itching ears but those who know the word of God should flee from this false message. According to CBN, Osteen has just released a new book entitled "Next Level Thinking" 10 Powerful Thoughts for a Successful and Abundant Life." An online search reveals that almost all of the Texas preacher's books are about naming it and claiming it and speaking the life you want into existence. This is not what Jesus taught his followers. In addition to Blosser blowing the whistle on prosperity doctrine, Televangelist Benny Hinn recently admitted that he was wrong for teaching that God rewards faithfulness with earthly riches. Kyle Richards recently took to Twitter to set a few "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" rumors straight. According to a report from All About the Real Housewives, on October 12, Richards first denied an online rumor which suggested she and her co-stars had been ganging up on Lisa Vanderpump throughout filming on the show's ninth season. On social media, after being confronted about the rumor, Richards insisted that "no one has ganged up" on Lisa Vanderpump. Richards then reacted to a report suggesting she had chosen to abandon her friendship with Vanderpump in lieu of a friendship with Lisa Rinna and was accused of cutting Vanderpump from her life. In response, Richards asked the curious Bravo TV fan, "How do you know who I am close with? You have no idea." Is Kyle's husband in drama with 'RHOBH' co-stars? After facing a number of rumors regarding her alleged feud and falling out with Lisa Vanderpump, Kyle Richards was met with a report regarding her husband, Mauricio Umansky. "Did [Ken Todd] and [Mauricio Umansky] have a fight??? I hope not!" a fan wrote to Richards on Twitter. "Love their friendship!" "No," she replied. Why is Lisa Vanderpump refusing to film 'RHOBH' According to a report shared by Hollywood Life this week, Vanderpump is currently and reportedly refusing to film scenes for "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Season 9 because there is so much drama between her and her co-stars. "All of the ladies are mad at [Lisa Vanderpump] over the [Dorit Kemsley] dog incident, particularly Kyle and [Teddi Mellencamp] as they feel Lisa is up to her usual tricks and set Dorit up, an insider close to the reality series explained. During a recent filming event with Camille Grammer at her bridal shower in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, Vanderpump was noticeably missing, even though the one person she's still talking to, Denise Richards, was present. Discuss this news on Eunomia The insider went on to reveal that while the tension between Vanderpump and her co-stars is extremely high at the moment, the women of the show are well-aware that Vanderpump has been the one carrying the show for years and don't want to see her leave the series. "Lisa is so isolated right now shes thinking of all her options moving forward, the insider added. For more of Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump, and their co-stars don't miss "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Season 9, which Lisa Rinna has called deceitful, premiere later this year on Bravo TV. Teresa Giudice stepped out for the first time since husband Joe Giudice's deportation on Thursday afternoon in New Jersey. Just one day after a judge on the reality star's case ordered Joe to leave the country as soon as his 41-month prison sentence is complete in March 2019, the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star and mother of four was photographed looking glum as she walked with a beverage while wearing an Adidas tracksuit. In photos shared by the Daily Mail, on October 11, Giudice didn't crack a smile and when it came to her look, her face appeared a bit puffy, and understandably so. After all, just days ago, she was under the assumption that Joe would be returning home to her and their four children in just five month's time. Now, after Joe's immigration hearing on Wednesday morning, it doesn't appear likely that the family will ever be back together in the United States. Instead, their only option appears to be relocating their family to his native Italy and according to another report, that may not be something Giudice is willing to do. Will Teresa Giudice stay in New Jersey? Following news of Joe's deportation, a number of outlets have suggested his wife will remain in the United States with their four kids and now, a report has surfaced, claiming Teresa Giudice is actually considering the possibility of divorcing her husband. Teresa is consulting with lawyers, and is actively discussing divorcing Joe, an insider close to the reality star, who confirmed she was back for Season 9, explained to Radar Online on October 12. [Teresa] is leaning toward letting the appeal process play out, and not make any formal decisions just yet, the source added. Discuss this news on Eunomia That said, another source insisted Giudice was unwilling to make the move from New Jersey to Italy, where her husband was born. As the insider explained, she doesn't want to uproot her life or the lives of her four daughters. Of course, publicly [Teresa Giudice] is going to say she supports [Joe Giudice], and hasnt even thought about what to do, the insider added. Teresa Giudice is 'bitter' about her 2015 prison stint Radar Online claimed Giudice is still extremely bitter about her 11-month prison stint in 2015, which was prompted by charges of bank and wire fraud given to her and Joe one year prior. To see more of Teresa Giudice and her family, tune into the upcoming ninth season of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," which begins airing on Wednesday, November 7 at 9 PM on Bravo TV. Province governments call for state-specific plans Senior officials of provincial governments have urged the federal government to include specific province-centric programmes in the 15th periodic plan. Elizabeth Winkler in The New Republic: Last week Donna Strickland, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo, won the Nobel Prize in Physics. She is the third woman to be awarded the prize in its historyMarie Curie received it in 1903 and Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963but as recently as last May, Wikipedia rejected a draft page about Strickland on the grounds that she did not meet notability guidelines. The work for which she received the Nobelgenerating the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created by mankind, according to the prize committeeis over 30 years old. She published the groundbreaking paper, with co-authors and now coNobel winners Gerard Mourou and Arthur Ashkin, in 1985. Between then and now she has won many prizes, but it took a Nobel for her to become Wikipedia-worthy. On the same day that Strickland became a Nobel laureate and Wikipedias editors quickly threw together a page about her, President Donald Trump used a rally in Mississippi to ridicule Christine Blasey Ford, the psychologist who testified of her assault at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh, who has since been sworn in as a Supreme Court justice. Trumps words were cruel. He elicited laughter at Fords expense, making her traumaand that of all sexual assault survivorsinto the stuff of jokes. More here. Marian L. Tupy in Human Progress: On Monday, William Nordhaus and Paul Romer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. Nordhaus, the Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, is best known for his work in economic modelling and climate change. Romer, who teaches at New York University, is a pioneer of endogenous growth theory, which holds that investment in human capital, innovation, and knowledge are significant contributors to economic growth. The two American economists research is vital in showing the way people underestimate the progress humanity has already made and the likelihood that it will continue well into the future. In his 1996 paper, Do Real-Output and Real-Wage Measures Capture Reality? The History of Lighting Suggests Not, Nordhaus looked at the economics of light. Open fire, he noted, produced a mere 0.00235 lumens per watt (a lumen is a measure of how much visible light is emitted by a source.) Lumens per watt refers to the energy efficiency of lighting. A traditional 60 watt incandescent bulb, for example, produces 860 lumens. A sesame lamp could produce 0.0597 lumens per watt; a sperm tallow candle 0.1009 lumens; whale oil 0.1346 lumens and an early town gaslamp 0.2464 lumens. An electric filament lamp, which was launched in 1883, achieved an unbelievable 2.6 lumens per watt and, due to subsequent technological improvements, managed to deliver an astonishing 14.1667 lumens by 1990. Yet thats small beer compared to the compact fluorescent lightbulb, which delivered 68.2778 lumens per watt when it was launched in 1992. More here. Insurers will no longer be able to bar pharmacists from telling consumers when paying cash would be cheaper than using insurance for their prescriptions, as a result of bipartisan legislation signed Wednesday by President Trump. The two bills had broad support as a consumer-friendly move to correct gag rules that many viewed as an egregious business practice. One bill applies to private health insurance and the other to Medicare. The measures bar health plans or middlemen that manage pharmacy benefits from getting in between pharmacists and their customers. No longer can pharmacists be contractually prohibited from telling consumers when they would actually save money by not using their insurance plans. Such head-scratching situations can arise because of convoluted deals between drug companies, insurers, middlemen and pharmacies. Trump complained that drug prices are way out of whack and way too high. But a recent Associated Press analysis of brand-name prescription drug prices suggests repeated strong criticism from the president hasn't had much impact. The analysis found it's been business as usual for drugmakers, with far more price increases than cuts. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the bills give patients the right to know about ways to pay the lowest price. Under pharmacy gag rules, pharmacists have been prohibited from proactively telling consumers when their prescription would cost less if they paid for it out-of-pocket rather than using their insurance plan. Pharmacists who disobeyed risked penalties that could impact their business. AARP strongly supports efforts to reduce out-of-pocket costs related to prescription drugs for older Americans, Joyce Rogers, AARP senior vice president for government affairs, wrote to members of Congress in June. The bills, she said, will help to reduce overpayments for prescriptions by allowing pharmacists to inform patients about all of the prices available to them when they purchase needed medications. On these issues, there are no partisan divides. A large national AARP survey conducted in July shows that older Americans are in strong accord on the issues that most affect their lives. About 9 out of 10 registered voters who are age 50 and over agree that it is important to lower health care costs, cut the price of prescription drugs and make Social Security and Medicare stronger and better. These voters want their government to look out for their interests. There is overwhelming support for allowing workers to take time off to care for their families. And they want stronger laws to keep older workers from losing their jobs or facing other types of discrimination because of age. Its also vital to them that rules are set to protect them from financial advice that is not in their best interest. A 2017 AARP poll has also shown that most older voters strongly oppose some of the changes being considered in Washington. By significant majorities, they oppose premium support or voucher-type proposals for Medicare, and they reject limits or block grants for Medicaid. And they worry that Congress might cut programs such as Social Security. For these reasons, older Americans crave bipartisanship. They look for leaders who are willing to find common ground and are working to protect and strengthen crucial programs. AARP has a proud history of providing voters with information on where candidates stand on issues. Throughout this campaign we have been sponsoring debates, hosting candidate forums, holding tele-town hall events and providing news and analysis. AARP does not endorse or oppose candidates. We dont have a political action committee or make donations to candidates or political campaigns. But we do urge all candidates to make their positions clear with voters. Throughout this campaign, weve sought to arm you with what you need to know to make informed decisions. Now its your turn. On Nov. 6, go to the polls. Stand up and protect what weve earned. Our future depends on it. Be the difference. Vote! Social evils barrier to prosperity Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has insisted on the need of a campaign against social evils like drug abuse, alcoholism and violence against girls and women. Saints fall short to Dakota State in final football game Presentation College wasn't able to get its first win of the season, and fell to Dakota State after missing a potential game-winning field goal. Mayor Tim Keller has appointed Albuquerque-native Gary Lee to serve as assistant mayor. Lee graduated from Eldorado High School and attended college at the University of Southern California before moving to Washington, D.C., in 2008 to work for then-President Barack Obama. While serving at the White House, he was part of the presidents legislative affairs team that helped pass the Affordable Care Act. He also worked in the offices of Staff Secretary, Political Strategy, Scheduling and Advance and at the State Department in the Office of Protocol. My goal is to bring in and implement some of the systems I saw at the White House to Albuquerque City Hall, Lee said. I think that the mayor has reinvigorated the city with his One Albuquerque campaign. Its really exciting to come back to the city, like the mayor did, and help out. After his stint in the nations capital, Lee was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship in Korea. He then returned to New Mexico and attended law school at the University of New Mexico, graduating in December and passing the bar in February. He seems really energetic about the position, City Council President Ken Sanchez said. I think hes going to be a real asset to the city. Lees duties will include serving as the mayors proxy at meetings hes unable to attend, supporting staff through administrative processes and assisting with policy initiatives. Bringing home-grown talent back to the city is important as we tackle the challenges ahead, Keller said in a statement. Gary Lee was the perfect fit for this spot. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge about how to run an executive office and a love for his hometown that will serve our city well. The position comes with a $75,000 salary. SANTA FE Zachary Gutierrez, the 17-year-old accused of killing a Michigan man visiting Santa Fe and laughing after shooting his victim down with a 40. caliber gun, has a record with the police dating back to when he was 4 years old. By age 14, he was claiming gang membership and vowing not to be a snitch, even after hed been beaten up and cut. As a child in 2005, Gutierrez was the subject of a referral to the state Children, Youth and Families Department, Santa Fe Police Department Records show. In 2007, when Gutierrez was 5, he was again referred to CYFD and was listed as the victim of alleged child neglect. No details were available on those cases Friday. But a list of Gutierrezs interactions with the police provided by SFPD shows he was a suspect for possession of marijuana at age 13 and for assault and battery at 14. In 2017, as he moved from 15 to 16 years old, he was arrested, in separate incidents, for violating probation and concealing his identity, burglary and robbery, as well as on warrants whose nature isnt specified on the police list. SANTA FE A Colorado Springs man has been charged for the September shooting death of Daniel Chamberlain Lehman, an Army captain who grew up in Santa Fe. Gilberto Chavez Jr., 27, was in custody on a separate case when charged with first-degree murder, according to an announcement on social media by Colorado Springs Friday. There will be no additional release of information today, as this continues to be an active investigation, the post states. The body of Capt. Lehman, a St. Michaels High School and West Point graduate who was stationed in Fort Carson, just outside Colorado Springs, was found near a downtown intersection Sept. 15. At the time, police said they thought he was shot about 2 a.m. that morning. Lehman, who served in military intelligence, was born in Los Angeles but moved to New Mexico with his family as an infant. He had recently toured in Eastern Europe and had previously served in Afghanistan. He graduated from West Point with degrees in nuclear physics and philosophy. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the CSPD at 719-444-7000. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 719-634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477. SANTA FE An attorney for one of the men charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Cameron Martinez north of Espanola last week says his client didnt fire a gun during the car-to-car shooting that resulted in Martinezs death and left three other people injured. But after a detention hearing in state District Court Friday, Judge Jason Lidyard ruled that defendant Anton Martinez, 19 not related to the shooting victim must remain in jail until trial. Another man charged with murder in the killing, Mark Hice, 22, and his girlfriend Brittany Garcia, 21, who is facing lesser charges, waived a time limit for their detention hearings. Their attorneys want more time to review evidence before a hearing on continued incarceration pending trial. Meanwhile, a fourth person who was in the car driven by Garcia and with alleged shooters Hice and Anton Martinez as passengers has also been charged. Savannah Martinez, 23, turned herself in to police this week and is charged with tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Savannah and Anton Martinez are no relation to victim Cameron Martinez. In the fatal shooting, police say Hice and Anton Martinez fired from one car and another murder defendant, Axel Zamarron, 17, fired from another car. They targeted the Subaru that Cameron Martinez and his three companions were riding in by mistake, police say. Hice, who had been involved in a shootout earlier in the day, provided weapons to the two other gunmen and told them to shoot anyone who Hice felt might be a threat to him as they cruised N.M. 68 near the casino at Ohkay Owingeh pueblo. Hice mistook the Subaru that Cameron Martinez was in for the vehicle of someone he had bad blood with, prosecutors says. At Fridays hearing for Anton Martinez that took place in a packed courtroom, District Attorney Marco Serna argued that Anton was a threat to the public and community and should be kept in jail. This was a horrific, horrific crime that the defendant took part in with complete disregard to the public, he said, later adding that it was a miracle no one else was killed. The defendant was told to point and shoot, and he did. At that, defendant Martinez shook his head no. Attorney Stephen Aarons, representing Anton Martinez, said he agreed that the shooting was a horrific incident and that it was a miracle no one else was killed. But the question is whether the defendant did a violent act that day, he said. Aarons said that only Hice has told police that Anton Martinez fired a weapon. The truth is he doesnt know, Aarons said. He said that the two woman in the car and Anton all were yelling at Hice to stop shooting. Letters from two Espanola pastors attesting to Antons character were submitted, but Judge Lidyard was not swayed and ruled that Martinez would stay in jail without bail until his trial. The public life of women Since 2011, Nepal Picture Library has been collecting, digitising, and documenting photographs from all types of sources with the objective of safeguarding a visual repository of ordinary life, social history, and public culture in Nepal. Confirming Brett Kavanaugh was the best outcome at the end of a hellish time that left the country with no ideal option. Reasonable people may differ. But what seems obvious: Its all going to get worse. Because everyone is taking the wrong lessons from the Kavanaugh debacle. Lets start with the president. In an interview Saturday night on Fox News Channels Justice with Judge Jeanine, President Trump said he evened the playing field for Kavanaugh when he mocked Christine Blasey Ford at a Mississippi rally. Well, there were a lot of things happening that werent correct, they werent true, and there were a lot of things that were left unsaid, Trump told host Jeanine Pirro. It was very unfair to the judge. So I evened the playing field. Once I did that, it started to sail through. Thats mostly nonsense. Once Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona forced the FBIs reinvestigation of Fords sexual assault allegation, Kavanaughs confirmation hinged on FBI findings and the votes of three Republican senators: Flake, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The presidents comments mocking Ford were unhelpful. Collins called them Just plain wrong. Flake: It was appalling. Murkowski: Wholly inappropriate. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he thought the president should knock it off. Nor did Kavanaughs nomination sail through after that. Instead, the headwinds got stronger, the water choppier and the sharks hungrier. As Trump chummed the water, his nominee was rescued by a team of RINOs. Flakes FBI gambit, Collins sense of decency and decorum, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnells steely determination got Kavanaugh confirmed. Trump cheerleaders could use a reminder of why Kavanaugh was the nominee in the first place. Trumps Supreme Court list brimming with GOP legal establishment types, of whom Kavanaugh is the crown prince was imposed upon him by skeptics who feared he might nominate someone like Judge Jeanine Pirro. The president, who deserves conservative praise for picking Kavanaugh off the Federalist Societys menu and for sticking by him, is claiming and getting undue credit for the win. The fact is, the president was largely a hindrance in the fight. And hes now doing further disservice to the new justice and to the Supreme Court by holding up Kavanaugh like a partisan trophy, as he did Monday at a White House swearing-in ceremony that verged on becoming a pep rally. Such gloating and total war is the new statesmanship. Ryan Williams, the president of the Claremont Institute, argues that the Kavanaugh battle retroactively vindicates Michael Antons famous Flight 93 argument of 2016: that the presidential election was a charge the cockpit or you die moment for American conservatives. Now, Williams says, the middle has collapsed, the parties are pulling farther apart, and its Flight 93 for as far as the eye can see. The left largely sees the situation that way, too. In the wake of their failure to destroy Kavanaugh, Democrats and liberal activists insist they must fight dirty, as political scientist David Farris argues in his book, Its Time to Fight Dirty. Liberals have convinced themselves Democrats lose because theyre too nice. That was exactly the view conservatives such as Anton held about the GOP in 2016; many voters rallied to Trump on the grounds that at least he fights. Stormy Daniels grandstanding lawyer, Michael Avenatti, is auditioning to be the lefts counterpuncher. In response to the GOPs Kavanaugh win, he tweeted, When they go low, we hit harder. There is far too much at stake for any other approach. Never mind that it was Avenattis harder-hitting allegations that steeled the GOPs resolve to keep Democrats from railroading Kavanaugh. There are other echoes of 2016 on the Democratic side. Many now flock to the banner of socialism the way the Bannonites rallied for nationalism. And both sides are doubling down on identity politics. That is how we got here. It will get worse because there are no incentives to be better. It wont end well either, but it will feel familiar. Email goldbergcolumn@gmail.com; Twitter @JonahNRO. (c) 2018 Tribune Content Agency LLC. Per an Oct. 2 article, Bloomberg News named New Mexico the top performing state economy since President Trump took office. Jim Peach, a professor emeritus of economics at New Mexico State University, theorized the states recent upswing in extractive industries like oil and gas was a driving reason why. Hes right. Record output and energy infrastructure investment allowed lawmakers and Gov. (Susana) Martinez to allocate more funding to programs that sustain roads, schools and public safety. Energy has also given the state strong cash reserves, a reversal from a year ago, when lawmakers faced a ballooning budget gap. State leaders have taken steps to continue this, rejecting county ordinances that would have implemented drilling setbacks serving as de facto bans on gas extraction and refusing to pass a redundant bill that would have restored a state agencys ability to penalize producers, even though protocols like shutting in wells, denying permits and banning infringers already exist. Such extra steps are unnecessary and only hurt New Mexico. Costly red tape and an unpredictable regulatory climate could force producers to consider whether staying here is a good idea or if fleeing next door to pastures like Texas and tapping the Permian Basin there is better. Thats why voters must elect leaders, regardless of party affiliation, wholl continue to support sensible energy solutions and infrastructure that will grow the economy further, especially since the state remains behind in other economic rankings like poverty, income and child wellbeing, forcing families and small businesses to look to states like Colorado and Utah for better opportunities when new ones are springing up here. And thanks to safer technology and stringent regulations, America remains a leader in environmental stewardship. Case in point: The latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy said the U.S. reduced carbon emissions by 0.5 percent, the most of any major country, in 2017, while the economy grew nearly 3 percent. Why risk taking away opportunity for New Mexicans when energy resources are helping produce jobs and energy more safely, and spearhead an economic turnaround we havent seen in decades? WASHINGTON Seated next to President Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday, Nikki Haley did not look like a woman who had tortured herself over whether to resign as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. On television at least, she looked like someone who has a much better deal coming her way early next year. She looked like someone who has enjoyed 14 solid years of successful public life, first as South Carolina state legislator, then as governor and, currently, as a national representative on the international stage. She looked like a woman who, at just 46, sees rainbows and jackpots in her future. As Haley and Trump announced, shell leave the U.N. at the end of this year, but shes not going anywhere for long. Haley has long been considered a likely presidential candidate. But not before 2024. In her resignation letter, Haley explicitly said she surely will not be a candidate for any office in 2020. Too bad. It would be such a nice round number for the nations first female president. Most likely, Haley is pausing to make some money. In her statement, she suggested an imminent return to the private sector. She and her husband have accrued considerable debt, according to the Charleston Post & Courier. Also, her parents home reportedly is in foreclosure. With her intimate knowledge of international trade, politics and relationships, Haley could pick her job and name her salary at any of several top-notch consulting firms. She might even make an excellent get for the Trump Organization, which would make some sense of her effusive praise for Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Melania Trump during her Tuesday remarks. Ive been watching my fellow South Carolinian closely since our first meeting nearly a decade ago. Haley had called me for coffee to discuss her run for governor. A state legislator at the time, she shrewdly reached out to the only nationally syndicated columnist in town. We met at Columbias Gourmet Shop, a popular bistro, wine and kitchen boutique. When I walked into the empty restaurant section, I spotted a pretty, petite woman dressed in a royal blue suit we women take note of such details. She nearly knocked me off balance with her brilliant smile and piercing brown eyes. Disarming is the word and its a good one if youre a politician. Greeting me warmly, she quickly set the tone for our meeting: Before we get started, I just want you to know that I agree with everything you said about Sarah Palin. Well, then, I said, were off to a good start. Haley was referring to a column I had written the previous fall saying that Palin, recently selected as John McCains running mate, wasnt quite ready for prime time. Several months after our meeting, I spotted a photo of Haley and Palin holding hands, standing on the statehouse steps. When I emailed Haley to express my surprise, she responded: Ill never forget that youre the one who put me on the map. Yes. Shes a politician. Through the years, Ive continued to drop her a line now and then, usually without response. Weve had a couple of disagreements over columns Ive written about her, but I remain both intrigued and impressed by her personal power and epic story. Born to Sikh Indian parents and raised in tiny Bamberg, South Carolina, she has built a resume that speaks to ambition but also to tenacity and courage. Forty years ago, it wasnt easy to be a brown-skinned child whose father wore a turban in a place like Bamberg. As U.N. ambassador, she has performed with excellence, sometimes speaking independently rather than parroting Trumps positions. In so doing, she has earned the respect of men and women across the spectrum, regardless of whether they agree with her often-hawkish positions. In decades of writing about politics, Ive run across few with Haleys innate talents. Shes a natural with people, whether crouching with children on the ground in Africa reminiscent of Princess Diana on similar travels or speaking to leaders in the tense theater of the United Nations. As governor, she led the Legislature to remove the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds, while also guiding South Carolina through the shock and grief of the 2015 church massacre in Charleston. It wont serve her presidential aspirations well to stay out of politics for long, as Haley surely knows. Thus, the burning question whats next? has only one certain answer: Whatever she wants. E-mail kathleenparker@washpost.com. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group. Time to bring out the fig leaves and start the bonfire. University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes and interim Provost Richard Wood are proposing theater curtains to cover controversial murals in Zimmerman Library that have reportedly been scandalizing faculty, staff and students and contributing to a hostile work environment. At UNM we must remain focused on matters of campus climate, equity, and inclusion; the status quo is not acceptable, they wrote in an Oct. 3 letter obtained by the Journal. We have heard from several faculty, staff and students that the murals make them feel excluded and attacked. Really? The offending artwork dubbed the Three Peoples Murals is in the West Wing of Zimmerman Library. It was completed in 1939 by Kenneth Adams, member of the famed Taos Society of Artists. The murals were commissioned by UNM President James F. Zimmerman and paid for by a Carnegie Foundation grant. Zimmerman wanted the murals to depict each of the three major cultures in New Mexico and their contributions to civilization. The fourth was to depict the union of the three cultures in the Southwest. Native Americans are celebrated for their contribution to the arts, Hispanics for architecture and agriculture and Anglos for science. The fourth, The Union of the Three Peoples, prominently features an Anglo man, eyes open and facing forward, shaking hands with faceless Native American and Hispanic figures facing him. The murals appear to have been well received until the 70s, when criticism surfaced that they were racist. There have been calls for them to be removed ever since, and The Union mural was vandalized twice. At that time, Thomas M. Pearce, then a professor emeritus of English and an acquaintance of the artist, came to his defense, calling the hostility a terribly mistaken view of Adams attitude. It was one of good will, one of appreciation for the Spanish and Indian traditions. Judging the murals by todays standards, theres no question they give greater emphasis to Anglo culture, placing Hispanic and Native American cultures as subservient. But we shouldnt lose sight of the fact that Adams and his artwork were products of their time. There is no evidence he was denigrating Native Americans or Hispanics, and neither he nor his work should be vilified or erased from UNMs rich history. On the contrary, this New Deal artwork should be studied and its shortcomings explored so todays UNM students can learn from it. An expanded plaque next to the artwork could help educate the public about those concerns. Trying to rid UNM of artwork or things too controversial is the antithesis of higher education and unworthy of our states flagship institution. Its no more acceptable than bowing to pressure to change El Centro de la Raza, the controversial name of the Hispanic student services center, because some people deem it offensive. The proposal to cover the murals with curtains to protect the offended conjures up the Renaissance, when scandalized popes ordered fig leaves and modesty cloths to cover nudity in great works by Michelangelo and others. Or folks burning Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they deemed it racist. Proposals to cover, remove or relocate the murals are an example of political correctness run amok. Stokes and Wood acknowledge that many people enjoy the murals, and we remain committed to a solution that ensures that everyone feels welcome at UNM. UNM isnt supposed to be a chamber of commerce ad. The best universities build on history to move society forward. Stokes and Wood need to amend their statement to seeking a solution that ensures that everyone feels welcome to examine issues and exchange ideas in a civil manner. Thats a sentiment the community should embrace. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal In a freewheeling, tumultuous debate, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and his two opponents spent an hour late Friday questioning one another sharply, interrupting one anothers answers and taking turns making their pitch to voters. Libertarian Gary Johnson and Republican Mick Rich seized on the first televised debate of the campaign to send barbed comments Heinrichs way and cast themselves as the right choice to represent New Mexico in the U.S. Senate. Johnson was by far the most lively pointing his finger at Heinrich at one point. He and Heinrich mixed it up on Johnsons budget vetoes during his tenure as governor and whether Johnsons calls to reduce government spending would damage New Mexico military bases. Johnson disputed the idea that addressing the federal budget deficit a defining issue for his campaign would harm the state. Instead, he said, the state should gain military assets from elsewhere in the country because of New Mexicos climate, airspace and other strengths. Its an argument unique to New Mexico, Johnson said. I think well end up gaining assets. Heinrich, a Democrat seeking re-election to a second term, said he didnt buy it. I just dont think its credible to say were going to cut everywhere else, other than New Mexico, Heinrich said. I think thats a pretty flippant answer. Rich, a contractor who has worked across the state, focused much of his energy on questioning Heinrichs commitment to New Mexico. He said Heinrich actually lives in Maryland. He has become a Washington politician, Rich said. He has abandoned New Mexico. Rich also turned to a few lines over and over. I care about New Mexico, he said, a phrase he repeated, in some version, about five more times. He cast himself as someone who would support President Donald Trumps judicial nominees and work to boost border security and fight to safeguard and expand New Mexicos military workforce. The candidates pointed comments came during a 60-minute debate aired by KOAT-TV late Friday and jointly sponsored by the Journal. The three candidates responded to questions from Journal Senior Editor Kent Walz and KOAT anchors Shelly Ribando and Doug Fernandez. Heinrich, a former Albuquerque city councilor who also served in the U.S. House, pitched himself as a bipartisan workhorse who was committed to working across the aisle to craft legislation on immigration, energy policy and other topics, in addition to bringing federal jobs to the state. I think New Mexicans deserve an economy that works for all of us, not just the few, Heinrich said. Johnson described himself as someone who had taken a one-person handyman business and grown it into a large and successful company. His tenure as governor from 1995 to 2002, he said, demonstrated his commitment to honesty and transparency. I wasnt a wallflower as governor, he said. Johnson said free market principles and competition could help improve health care, education and the economy. The candidates challenged one another often, sometimes speaking over one another and drawing warnings from Fernandez, the moderator. Heinrich said Richs construction company was late finishing a project at the New Mexico Military Institute. Rich responded by saying his son was now leading the company, but that the job would be finished. I have a great reputation in this state as a contractor, he said. Sen. Heinrich has yet to build anything for the last 10 years in Washington. Johnson said he was happy to see Heinrich in person, suggesting the incumbent was avoiding forums with his challengers. Johnson said that in his 1998 re-election campaign for governor, he debated his opponent 28 times. Its great to see you, by the way, Johnson said to Heinrich, because we havent seen each other this whole time. Heinrich responded: Usually when I see you, Gary, its on a ski lift. Johnson: Youve seen me one time! Youve seen me one time for two minutes. Two years ago, I found myself in an unlikely position as both judge and chronicler of the Miss Albuquerque pageant, the first royal rung on the climb to the Miss America crown by way of Miss New Mexico. But Greg Smith, then the new executive director of the Miss New Mexico organization, wasnt pleased. He scolded me for breaking the rules of judicial secrecy, as if I had just revealed the mysteries of the universe. Rules mattered, he said. Last year, Stephanie Chavez, crowned that day as Miss Albuquerque and later Miss New Mexico 2016, was among the contestants who contacted me to accuse Smith of some ugly behavior and failure to pay them their scholarship money. Smith countered that Chavez had broken the rules of royal conduct and that she and the others had not followed the rules on submitting paperwork for scholarship disbursement. But Smith may have broken a few rules himself during his time with Miss New Mexico he now faces allegations of fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Agents with the state Attorney Generals Office raided Smiths cattle ranch in Elida on Oct. 3, seizing bins of pageant documents, computers, a camera and a cellphone as part of an investigation that has been ongoing for more than a year. Theyve pretty much been working silently, doing their job, said Chavez, who contacted the AGs Office last year about her allegations. We knew it was going to take some time. A 14-page affidavit details the allegations against Smith, including: Leaving the organization with a negative bank balance and at least $54,419.75 in unpaid scholarships and vendor bills. Running a fictitious board of directors with no regard to bylaws or financial record-keeping. Deceptively encouraging contestants to tell donors that the organization was nonprofit and money raised was tax-deductible, even though the organizations nonprofit status was revoked. Forcing contestants to sell $10 raffle tickets for a new ATV. The raffle lasted more than two years, a winner was never chosen and a used ATV matching the one on raffle fliers was reported to be on Smiths cattle ranch. Charging contestants $450 for photo packages that cost $250 then not paying the photographer. Charging contestants $25 a night to stay in dormitories at Eastern New Mexico University for the pageant when the university charged $12.50 a night. Bank records also uncovered numerous questionable purchases, withdrawals, transfers and overdrafts involving the Miss New Mexico accounts and Smiths personal accounts, according to the affidavit. That includes a $1,700 transfer from a pageant account into a cashiers check to purchase cattle semen. The attorney general is angered by the misuse of scholarship funds intended for bright young women in our community, said David Carl, spokesman for Attorney General Hector Balderas. Our office has worked tirelessly with victims and their families in this case for more than a year, and we will continue to advocate to implement reforms that minimize financial exploitation of scholarship recipients. Smith, 55, could not be reached for comment. He told the Eastern New Mexico News this week that he was busy and referred calls to his attorneys. But two attorneys who have represented him previously said they knew nothing of the AG case. Smith was terminated from his position in February. A spokeswoman for the Miss America Organization declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation and adding that the organization is cooperating. Last year, the organization had also refused to answer my questions, including whether Smith had undergone a background check before being named executive director. Had there been one, I suspect, questions would have arisen over Smiths personal financial background, which includes filing for bankruptcy in 2002 and 2010, being sued by his bankruptcy attorney for $76,941.18 in unpaid legal fees, being sued for fraud over bounced checks and being arrested in 2002 on a felony theft charge in Texas over a missing check. That charge was later dismissed. After Chavez went public with her allegations, she said Smith retaliated against her, stripping her of her official duties and keeping her from participating in the 2017 Miss New Mexico pageant. Sacrificing her crown was worth it, she told me then, if it sounded the alarm about Smith. The AGs investigation seems a good sign that it did. Honestly, a little bit of peace overcame me, knowing that the truth is coming out, she said. Sometimes we are forced to choose right over reign, to speak up rather than smile silently. Chavez knows that. Its why she and the others who came forward still rule. 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. SANTA FE With the finish line of a bruising election cycle in sight, New Mexico gubernatorial candidates Steve Pearce and Michelle Lujan Grisham are exchanging a new round of haymakers via television airwaves. Both candidates launched television ads Friday with pointed accusations. In Pearces new ad, the Republican seeks to turn one of Lujan Grishams perceived strengths her experience in state government into a weakness by highlighting certain aspects of her tenure as state Health Department secretary and her abrupt resignation in 2007. The 30-second ad cites a 2012 quote from Lujan Grisham that the position was the hardest job on the planet. It also refers to a 1997 dispute between an ombudsman with whats now the Aging and Long-Term Services Department and Lujan Grisham, then the agencys secretary, over alleged interference with the ombudsmans duties. The ombudsman reportedly had complained that Lujan Grisham blocked a letter he wrote about an unlicensed Albuquerque nursing home, but the nursing home eventually made changes to comply with the law, and a regional federal administrator found no other evidence to back up the interference claim. The Pearce campaign is spending roughly $230,000 to air the ad on statewide network and cable channels, said his campaign adviser, Kevin Sheridan. Meanwhile, in Lujan Grishams ad, launched Friday in response to Pearces, the Democrat claims her opponent has repeatedly misrepresented her track record in attack ads. She also accuses Pearce of voting in line with President Donald Trumps positions roughly 90 percent of the time as a member of Congress, an assertion based on research from the online news site FiveThirtyEight. Just because Donald Trump gets away with lying, dont let Steve Pearce do it, too, the ads narrator says. The barb marks the first time the Lujan Grisham campaign has attempted to link Pearce to Trump in a campaign ad. Although Pearce has kept his distance from Trump on the campaign trail, he attended a Trump campaign stop in Albuquerque in 2016 and last year described a Russia-related controversy involving the White House as a total assault on the Republican president by Democrats and the media. Both Lujan Grisham and Pearce are members of Congress who are forgoing re-election bids to run for governor. Its believed to be the first time two sitting members of Congress have run against each other for governor in state history. The general election will be held on Nov. 6. Maybe hell throw them another barbecue dinner. The apparently pleased federal judge overseeing the Albuquerque police reform project said the citys recent progress has left him trying to catch my breath. James Ginger, the independent monitor overseeing the reform effort, said during a recent status conference with U.S. District Judge Robert Brack that Ginger and the monitoring team have noticed a significant improvement in how Albuquerque police are approaching the reform project since a new city and police administration took over in December 2017. APD is on the right path, Ginger said, according to a transcript of the conference. As a monitoring team, were fairly comfortable with the progress that theyre making. Statistics the team uses to track progress show that police have achieved 99.6 percent compliance with primary tasks, 75.4 secondary compliance and 59.5 percent operational compliance. Its the first time theyve achieved above 50 percent operational compliance, Ginger said. To complete the reform case, Albuquerque police have to reach and maintain 95 percent compliance in all three categories. Ginger said those statistics will be in his next monitoring report, which is due out next month. Some adjustments could still be made as it is currently only a draft, he said. Just about everywhere the monitoring team looks, we see significant effort, he said. The reform effort overseen by Brack is outlined in a settlement agreement that was reached between the city and the DOJ in 2014. The agreement aims to address a pattern of excessive force with the police department. Ginger periodically writes reports to update Brack on the progress police are making. And if the (new) report bears all that out I think somebody in marketing ought to get a hold of it and share it with the public, Brack said during the status conference. This sounds great. Reset button Brack in July 2016, during a public hearing in the Ceremonial Courthouse in Downtown Albuquerque, called for a topping out ceremony crediting police with writing many of the policies they needed to. He had tables in the courtroom pushed together and city, Department of Justice and other officials shared barbecue to honor the achievement. The mood was positive even though police achieved operational compliance with less than 5 percent of the needed reforms at that point. But by November 2017, the mood was no longer festive. Brack during a public hearing admonished the police and city after it became known that the city had been secretly recording its meetings with Ginger and tried to have him removed from the case. Brack blasted the citys tactics and said they came dangerously close to obstruction. He said the city needed to hit the reset button. Ginger in his presentation for Brack this week singled out Albuquerque polices Compliance Bureau, which oversees the reform effort. He called that groups work cutting edge and visionary. He also credited the work police have done with clearing a backlog of use-of-force investigations that had been pending and improvements that police have made in their training academy. Ginger also gave the police credit for work theyve done to address high automobile theft rates in the city. Since taking over in late 2017, police officials have emphasized traffic stops and other enforcement projects aimed at car thieves. Police have said auto thefts dropped 17 percent in the first six months of 2018. Ginger said that decline is a sign the department is in step with the community. Auto theft is one of the major complaints that we hear from residents in Albuquerque, he said. So that was really a good sign that, you know, the new administrations first programmatic change was on a topic that had of some concern or a great deal of concern to members of the community. City and police officials didnt respond to request for comment this week. Other concerns Other items discussed during the status conference include: The city said someone alleged in an email that Albuquerque police failed to properly handle, or helped cover up, a traffic accident involving a family member of a city official. The name and additional details about the crash werent provided and officials said that the Civilian Police Oversight Agency will investigate the allegation. Police also said they will turn over documents produced by an outside firm that was hired to investigate allegations that the commander of internal affairs backdated a police report to the Civilian Police Oversight Agency and Police Oversight Board. The city at first argued that the document was subject to attorney-client privilege but has since agreed to turn the document over to civilian oversight officials if they keep the report confidential. The police have released a memo that said former internal affairs Cmdr. Jennifer Garcia was demoted and moved to a different department as a result of that investigation. Brack asked City Attorney Esteban Aguilar Jr. to send the judge an email explaining whether the city is violating the settlement agreement by not renewing Ed Harness contract. Harness is the executive director of the Civilian Police Oversight Agency and his contract is up Oct. 17. The Police Oversight Board, which Harness reports to, has asked that his contract be renewed and he be given a raise. City councilors have not taken any action on his contract and wont until their meeting in November. City officials told Brack that Harness will continue to serve minimally after his contract expires Oct. 17. A New Mexico man is preparing for his fourth 500-mile walk to raise money for the poor. Daniel Valdez of Lovington, who has spent much of his summer training, said he is a longtime supporter of the group Food For The Poor, according to a news release. (It) does a wonderful job to help the poor, Valdez said. My purpose is to help the poorest of the poor and to motivate people to donate. The 55-year-old plans to go through more than a dozen cities, eventually crossing into Mexico to also raise money to build a home for a destitute family in Nicaragua. He said he will begin the trek Dec. 21 in Lovington and expects to take about 16 days, ending in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico, on the first weekend of the new year. Walking 500 miles is not easy, so I will take safety precautions to keep me and everyone safe, plus I also put my faith in God, Valdez said in a statement. He credits longtime friend and priest, the Rev. Manuel Ibarra, with inspiring him to do the walks, the first of which he finished in 2013. Daniel is another perfect example of someone who has decided to take their passion in life and use it to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate, Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma said in a statement. Cities Valdez will pass through include Hobbs, Eunice and Jal in New Mexico and Kermit, Wink, Pyote, Coyanosa, Alpine, Marfa, Shafter and Presidio in Texas plus Ojinaga, Aldama, Chihuahua and Delicias in Mexico. For more information, visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/danielvaldez. Food For The Poor, based in Coconut Creek, Fla., is a Christian ministry that primarily aids the poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America, according to a news release. Harrison Chen and Thang Diep graduated No. 1 from public high schools. Both excelled in extracurricular activities and scored high on their college admissions tests. And both are Asian American. But the similarities stop there. Chen, who was raised by middle-class Chinese immigrants outside Raleigh, N.C., was rejected by Harvard. Diep, a Vietnamese immigrant who grew up in a working-class family in Reseda, Calif., got in. Their experiences have left them with distinct feelings about affirmative action and a federal lawsuit against Harvard that puts Asian Americans at the center of one of the most contentious issues in higher education. Chen opposes the consideration of race in college admissions and plans to join like-minded Asian Americans at a rally in Boston on Sunday, a day before Harvard is scheduled to go on trial. People should be judged on character and merit, said Chen, an 18-year-old freshman at his backup choice, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. What does the color of your skin have to do with admissions? Diep, who favors affirmative action, plans to attend a rally a few miles away in Harvard Square in support of the university and its policies. Removing race wont advance us to be a more just and equal society, said Diep, a 21-year-old senior at Harvard. Rather, it would limit educational opportunities to people from higher classes and a white background. The primary fight against affirmative action has long been waged by whites who argue that giving special consideration to racial minorities has unfairly denied them spots at U.S. colleges and universities. But in the Harvard case, Asian Americans argue that racial considerations have made them a victim of their own academic success. They tend to get better grades and score higher on standardized tests than other races but claim they are frequently rejected as a result of racial balancing, which is akin to racial quotas and has been ruled unconstitutional. They compare themselves to Jewish students who faced admissions quotas at elite schools in the early 20th century. Being Asian American actually decreases the chances of admissions, the lawsuit said. Citing a Duke University economists analysis of six years of Harvard admissions data, it claimed that Asian American applicants who have a 25 percent chance of getting in would have a 35 percent chance if they were white, and dramatically better odds than that if they were black or Latino. It also cited an internal 2013 Harvard report that suggested that admissions of Asian Americans would shoot up substantially if they were evaluated based on academics alone. As it stands, Asian Americans make up 6 percent of the U.S. population and 22 percent of Harvards current freshman class. The latter number has been rising since 2010. In responding to the suit, Harvard said studies of its admissions, including its own internal review, have been either inconclusive or flawed. The data used dont include essential application factors such as personal essays and recommendations and excludes recruited athletes and legacy student admissions, the university said in court filings. A University of California, Berkeley economist who analyzed Harvards admissions data found no negative effect of Asian American ethnicity, the filings said. For each applicant, the university conducts a whole person review that includes considerations of racial and nonracial factors such as socioeconomic background in addition to grades, test scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities and personal qualities such as being kind, respected and likable an approach Harvard said is well within the law. The university and its supporters say that admissions of blacks and Latinos could decline. If the lawsuit against Harvard succeeds, it would diminish students opportunities to live and learn in a diverse campus environment denying them the kind of experiences that are central to Harvards educational mission and critical for success in our diverse society, Harvard said in a statement. On campus this week, student groups held panels and speeches in support of the university. Online, they used the hashtag #DefendDiversity. The fight is part of a much larger battle. The plaintiff is a group called Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by Edward Blum, a longtime foe of affirmative action. He is white. In 1992, he ran for Congress as a Republican in Houston and lost, claiming that his district was gerrymandered to guarantee the seat to minorities. He sued Texas and won at the Supreme Court. Blum was also a significant player in the 2013 Supreme Court case that struck down key portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a decision that civil rights groups say increased voting restrictions, such as voter identification laws that disproportionately affect racial minorities, in several states. And he helped a white woman sue the University of Texas, Austin over its admissions policy in the most recent affirmative action case to reach the Supreme Court, which in 2016 ruled in favor of the school. Harvard calls Blum an anti-race conscious admissions activist and one Asian American civil rights group supporting the university in the case said the lawsuit is a thinly veiled attempt to use Asian Americans to destroy racial diversity on every campus across the country. The timing could not be better for affirmative action opponents. The recent replacement of retired Justice Anthony Kennedy who wrote the 4-3 majority opinion in the University of Texas case with the more conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh could give them a better chance of winning at the Supreme Court, should the case get that far. And the Trump administration has taken an increasingly aggressive stance against affirmative action. The Department of Justice launched a separate investigation into Harvard last year after Asian American groups filed a complaint saying it discriminates in admissions. In July, the department rescinded Obama-era guidelines encouraging the use of race in admissions decisions and suggested race-neutral policies. In August, it submitted a legal brief backing the case against Harvard. And last month it announced it was also investigating Yale in response to complaints from Asian American applicants alleging discrimination. In a statement on the administrations support of the Harvard suit, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the department stepped in to protect the civil rights of the American people. A majority of Americans say merit alone should determine who is admitted to colleges, according to Gallup. At the same time, surveys from the Pew Research Center show that a majority support programs to increase diversity at colleges. If theres a program to support minorities in competing and advancing their prospects in higher education, big majorities will be behind it, said Laura Stoker, a political scientist at UC Berkeley. But when it comes to fiddling with selection criteria, the public support dwindles. Thats because affirmative action can be so easily portrayed as a form of unwanted discrimination. Overall, 65 percent of Asian Americans support affirmative action, according to surveys by AAPI Data, which conducts policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. But among Chinese Americans, the largest Asian group in the country, support for race-based preferences fell from 78 percent in 2012 to 41 percent in 2016. Support among other Asian American groups held steady at 73 percent. At least one group of Asian Americans is standing firmly behind Harvard: those who got in. Many of the people set to testify for the university are current students or alumni. Asian American professors are also supporting their employer. Diep, who is slated to testify, said in court filings his SAT score of 2060 was high, though on the lower end of the Harvard average. His application file included a note from an admissions officer who pointed out that Dieps essay has emphasized his immigrant Vietnamese identity, and an interviewer noted his above average personal appeal and character. I was accepted to Harvard most likely based on my personal statement, which reflected the diversity that I brought to campus, Diep wrote in his court declaration. On the other side are many Asian Americans who were rejected and their parents. Chen, who aced 17 Advanced Placement classes in high school, said he holds no grudge against Harvard and is more offended by what he perceives as a patronizing admissions process. Without access to his application file, he acknowledged that he cannot be sure that Harvard would have accepted him even if racial considerations were discontinued. He will not testify at the trial, but Students for Fair Admissions liked an opinion piece he wrote last month for a Vanderbilt publication and is paying to fly him to Boston for its rally on Sunday. We have created institutions that fail to reward merit, losing sight of the American Dream and failing our citizens, Chen wrote. We are trying to combat past inequalities with, ironically, additional inequality. Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years. LOS MOLINOS, Calif. - Some employees at a Los Molinos walnut factory are voicing similar safety concerns following the death of a factory worker. OSHA is currently investigating the death, which happened at Crain Walnut Factory on Saturday after an employee was crushed by a machine. Several employees have reached out to Action News Now to expresses that conditions are unsafe at the factory. One man said that he was almost killed by the same machine, known as the "bin dumper," a year and a half ago. "There is not one safety feature on this whatsoever," said Dan Scampini, a mechanical engineering designer at Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. "It comes down silently, it rises silently and comes down quickly, raises quickly. Management knows about it. This almost killed me a year and a half ago on May 3." Another employee said that the equipment was originally designed to be raised off of the ground so that this wouldn't happen. Scampini said that he was trying to push for safety features on this machine for the past year. Action News Now reached out to both OSHA and Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. for a comment. Both have said that the investigation is ongoing and OSHA said that it may issue citations for violations of workplace safety. WHISKEYTOWN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Calif. - Songwriter Erin Friedman of Cottonwood has been painting Whiskeytown Lake by memory, because she says it looks a lot different now since the Carr Fire wreaked havoc on the landscape in July of 2018. The professional songwriter has penned a new song as a tribute to the lake and her memories of what it used to look like. She calls the new song, "Whiskeytown Blue." Here are the words to one of the verses, where Friedman talks about the vibrancy of the area before the fire, and the lack of color in the aftermath. "Morning dew on silver strands, Red manzanita and Shasta clay, Before the flames of July raised through Paradise, Leaving nothing behind but shades of gray." Now, Friedman is painting by memory to capture "Whiskeytown, the way it used to be." She laments that she has, "Tried every shade, tried every hue... Rock me away, Whiskeytown Blue." You can watch this video to hear the song and see some of Erin Friedman's Whiskeytown "memory" paintings. Erin Friedman and her husband Craig perform country folk music as the group "Still Married." Their original tunes shine a light on the landscape, the characters and the independent spirit of far Northern California. Erin Friedman is also the administrator of the Facebook group, North State Songwriters. She helps to coordinate performances by songwriters throughout the Northern California region. 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 Students at the Aiken Scholars Academy on Friday had the chance to learn civics and government from someone involved in those matters every day. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, visited the USC Aiken-located high school that morning, stopping in at two classrooms and ultimately fielding questions from students for about an hour. The questions asked well prepared and informed, academy principal Martha Messick said touched on a breadth of historical and contemporary topics. One student asked about Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Another inquired about the number of bills passed this year. A third student not the last student to ask a question, either asked what chamber, House or Senate, is more powerful. Messick asked Wilson about the legislative process. Wilson answered all the questions and more. "What a great institution this is," the congressman later said. Messick said she was pleased with Wilson's visit because it gave the students a hands-on, in-person look into the nation's government. The principal described Friday's event as "intimate" and engaging. "Anyway we can expose them to the real world" is a good thing, she added. Wilson's question-and-answer session coincided with the students' new U.S. government learning unit as well as a mock Congress that's in the works. During his stop-in, Wilson asked who would be representing U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, the two Republicans from South Carolina, during the school's mock Congress. Two students raised their hands. Wilson then praised the students and the senators. The Aiken Scholars Academy represents a partnership between USCA, a top regional public college, and the Aiken County Public School District. 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. British Ambassador Jonathan Wilks warned at a press conference last month that, at its current rate of growth, Iraq's population would increase by a million people per year. Iraq's Central Statistical Organization announced soon after, on Oct. 1, that the countrys population had reached about 38 million in 2018, and that Baghdads population had reached more than 8 million. While Iraq has not conducted any comprehensive census since 1997, these figures, combined with the rising unemployment rate, indicate an imbalance between the growing population and the availability of services. Najeh al-Obeidi, an economics researcher at the University of Baghdad, is worried that the state will not be able to respond to population growth or provide decent living conditions for Iraqis. This raises concerns about the future," he said. "Baghdad alone has a population equal to that of the entire country five decades ago. Obeidi added that the population of Baghdad has grown five-fold since five decades ago, leading to increased demand for food, water, electricity and housing. This "means more burdens on the environment and nature, he said. There is a serious demographic explosion and major population growth, which serve as fertile ground for escalated conflicts, violence and fragmentation of the Iraqi society at the political, social, religious and tribal levels. Obeidi believes that Iraq's population growth can be attributed to a social culture that encourages marriage at a very young age, and the lack of interest in womens education and integration in the labor market, especially in the rural areas. This is not to mention that the cities have also been dominated by provincial culture rather than urbanization. He said, The government stands helpless against this demographic bomb. The successive governments since 2003 have failed even in conducting a census, let alone taking serious birth control measures. Diaa Awad Kazim, head of the Central Statistical Organization, said the organization will carry out a census in 2020. Ahmed Zahabi, a social researcher at the University of Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, There are many obstacles standing in the way of conducting a census for political, sectarian and social reasons. This is not to mention problems in the disputed areas between the federal government and the Kurdistan region." He said that "child marriage and the backward techniques in the agricultural and industrial sectors in Iraq prompt people to have more children so they can have help in work, especially in the agricultural areas. The countrys inability to cope with the increase of population is compounded by the lack of spontaneous expansion of cities and the lack of health and education services. He continued, Baghdad alone needs 70 new hospitals, in addition to 4,000 new schools to cope with the increase of population, which resulted, among other consequences, in traffic congestion in the cities and streets that can no longer accommodate the huge number of cars owned by citizens, in addition to the high rates of people living below the poverty line. According to Salam Smaysam, an economist and former member of the Iraqi National Coalition, "Iraqs elderly constitute 3% [of the population] according to the Central Statistical Organization estimates for 2018. This means that Iraq has a young population and that Iraqs youth will be negatively affected if no job opportunities are created and no efforts are made for their integration in society. She told Al-Monitor, The economic impact of the population growth comes in tandem with the disruption of infrastructure reconstruction and development of services since 2003. Smaysam described the social problems stemming from the population boom: drug abuse, insufficient care for newborns and lack of support for poor families due to corruption and mismanagement of federal funds. She is hopeful that the new government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi will be able to implement policies to respond to the growing population, and work to ensure the success of the birth control plan. Official spokesman for the Ministry of Planning, Abdul Zahra al-Hindawi, told Al-Monitor that the steady population growth "places tremendous pressure on development and economic resources, noting that Iraq is one of the countries with high rates of population growth, at 2.6%. Hindawi said the Ministry of Planning has started to develop "long-term population policies aimed to achieve a decent [standard of] living for the people of Iraq. Such policies include short-term goals to enhance the peoples level of education and health, improve the economic and social situation of families, empower women and youth and meet their needs. The new population policy includes improving housing, reducing internal and external migrations, improving the environment, empowering marginalized social groups, promoting and supporting demographic research and studies, as well as promoting social partnerships. Iraq needs to draw up a demographic plan designed to correct the communitys perception of unplanned childbearing, to instill a sense of moral and economic responsibility toward newborns. Furthermore, the government needs to provide housing and a decent life for poor citizens. Such goals can only be achieved through education and raising awareness. The situation necessitates expanded housing for citizens, employment opportunities for young people and the development of strict laws regulating reproduction. A man was seriously injured in a shooting in Birminghams Arlington West End community, Birmingham police said. The victim, a 28-year-old Hispanic man, was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Bryan Shelton. The shooting happened in the 1000 block of 15th Way Southwest. Police have not released a motive for the shooting. No suspects are in custody. Further details were not immediately available. President Donald Trump approved Saturday federal disaster aid relief for four Alabama counties after they were affected by Hurricane Michael, which made landfall Wednesday. Dale, Henry, Geneva, and Houston counties, all of which are situated above the area of the Florida panhandle where the hurricane hit, will receive funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program. "I greatly appreciate President Trump approving our request for federal assistance. Alabama has suffered damage, but we have also stepped in to help our neighbors," said Governor Kay Ivey in a press release. "This assistance will help us recover some of the cost of response and recovery efforts conducted by the state and local governments. This will be a huge benefit to the smaller communities in Alabama that have been affected." President Trump approved what is known as the an Emergency Declaration, to help local and state governments cover costs associated with preparing and responding to Hurricane Michael. Under the Public Assistance Program, assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding for approved costs related to the storm. "Working together with our federal partners is an important part of helping Alabamians move back to some sense of normalcy when impacted by a storm like Hurricane Michael," Alabama EMA Director Brian Hastings said. "We are extremely thankful that although Hurricane Michael was a historic storm our state did not encounter any loss of life." By Catherine Ageno As the world commemorates the International Day of the Girl Child today, the government of Uganda is asked to ensure that both the girl and boy child are given equal opportunity to access education. The call is made by the spokesperson of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change Womens League Ms Sarah Eperu. Her call comes after a study by Twaweza Uganda, an organization that works on enabling children to learn and governments to be more open and responsive in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, showed that citizens were divided on whether men and boys should be given priority over women and girls when circumstances are tight. The Sauti Za Wanaichi mobile phone survey conducted between May 12 and 30 2018 indicated that one out of three citizens (32%) agreed with the idea that boys should be given priority over girls when it comes to school. However, Ms Eperu tells KFM that this is a bad precedent for the young male adults which encourages further abuse and marginalization of women. She calls for urgent action by the ministry of gender, labor and social development to ensure equal opportunities are availed to both young women and men. The International Day of the Girl Child today is celebrated annually on 11th October to promote girls empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights while also highlighting the challenges that girls all over the world face. Launched in 2012 by the United Nations general assembly, the Day of The Girl Summit, held at United Nations headquarters every year aims to bring together organisations that serve girls to further the advancement of their human rights. All over the world, there are marches and special events such as concerts and sporting events to mark the occasion. In a global takeover girls get the chance to take over key roles in business, politics and sport for the day and stories are shared on social media with the hashtags #girlstakeover #dayofthegirl and #girlhero! History shows that decentralisation could be an effective way to resolve tensions in diverse societies. Over the past few years, a number of proposals about some form of decentralisation in Syria have been circulated as part of possible peace settlement plans to end the raging Syrian civil war. Most recently, the so-called small group consisting of the UK, US, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan adopted a declaration on the eve of talks in Geneva with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura outlining its vision for a political solution of the Syrian crisis. The declaration proposes, among other things, decentralisation of the Syrian state as a way of achieving peace. Every time there has been such a suggestion, it has been flatly rejected by both supporters or opponents of Bashar al-Assad. Damascus and the opposition continue to insist on a centralised government as part of any peace deal. Nevertheless, the multiethnic and multisectarian nature of the Syrian population does not leave the country any choice: decentralisation is inevitable and it is a lesser evil. If it is not accepted, it could place the country at risk of complete disintegration. The challenges Syrian political actors are facing today in accepting and applying the idea of decentralisation are not new and have been encountered by various nations throughout modern history. Here, strange as it may seem, Russias state-building experience after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution is quite relevant. Unlike the experience of the United States, where federalism grew from the grassroots and from democratically organised communities, in Russia, decentralisation was a top-down process imposed on a very diverse country which had never been governed democratically. In its diversity, lack of democratic tradition and war devastation, Russia in 1917 resembles Syria in 2018. Federalism in post-1917 Russia The scepticism with which most Syrians regard federalism is no different than the prevailing views in the Russian Empire on the eve of the 1917 revolution. The imperial establishment in St Petersburg outright rejected federalisation as a means of resolving its problems with rising ethnic nationalisms within its borders. After the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907, many ethnic groups insisted on expanding self-government or even autonomy, but the tsarist regime rejected these aspirations and instead embarked on a Russification campaign. Even democratic parties, such as the Constitutional Democrats, were not enthusiastic about decentralisation either. They feared that in a country where ethnic Russians accounted for about 50 percent of the population, national minorities would receive too many rights and this would make the country difficult to administer. The political elite at that time very much believed that the Russian empire was the state of ethnic Russians. The Bolsheviks, who constituted the radical opposition to the tsarist regime, despite embracing ethnic diversity, were also ardent centralists; it was their view that a social revolution required concentration and not the dispersion of power. However, by 1919, the Bolshevik leadership was forced to reconsider its views. It became convinced that the success of its political project depended on the successful application of the new system both within the centre and the multiethnic periphery of the empire. The Bolsheviks disparaged nationalism, but the very survival of their regime depended on an effective dialogue with national elites. For that reason, federalism was necessary: it is a way to both indulge national feelings and keep them under control. Thus, in an effort to prevent the complete collapse of the multiethnic empire that they had inherited, the Bolsheviks were forced to portray themselves as ardent federalists and accept the aspirations of their non-Russian citizens. The federalist system which was introduced in 1922 created several so-called national republics giving cultural and linguistic rights to their populations, as well as a number of elements of their own statehood, such as constitutions, parliaments, anthems, etc. Having given considerable freedom to some minorities, the Bolsheviks, at the same time, maintained tight and centralised control over the country and repressed other ethnic groups who were not beneficiaries of the federalisation. The USSR, in the end, became what American historian Terry Martin called an affirmative action empire. Decentralisation in Syria Although the USSR eventually disintegrated in 1991, its federalist system managed to keep the country together for some 80 years. While its model is far from an ideal one, it is a good example of how decentralisation can help relieve tensions in multi-ethnic societies. In the Syrian case, the Kurds remain the only side to the conflict interested in decentralisation (or even in federalisation). Comprising 12-15 percent of the population and benefitting from the backing of the US and a number of EU countries, Kurdish armed groups led by Democratic Union Party (PYD) have expanded the territory they control by 50 percent over the past two years. The PYD and its allies are not interested in full independence for a number of internal and external reasons. Achieving some form of self-rule under a federal system better suits their interests. This is evident in the latest agreement between the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC led by the PYD) and the Syrian government to outline a roadmap for the creation of a decentralised democratic regime in Syria. Opponents to this idea have argued that some of the territories under Kurdish control are predominantly Arab and that Kurdish forces have been committing ethnic cleansing. They believe that federalism would establish an ethnic tyranny discriminating against Arabs living in Kurdish territory. That, however, can be prevented by including special provisions in the Syrian constitution guaranteeing the rights of all people within federal territories, regardless of sect or ethnicity. Syrias neighbour, Iraq, has already walked this path. Its Kurdish region has remained relatively peaceful since it acquired autonomy. Last years independence referendum should be seen as an attempt by its political leadership to extort concessions from a weaken central government rather than as a genuine step towards secession. What is important to note is that Erbil today has shown respect for Arab rights and in fact has been giving shelter to a lot of Arabs fleeing violence. Decentralisation, if applied responsibly to the Syrian context, could resolve the Kurdish question and help put the country on the path to peace. One of the most significant foreign policy challenges the international community is currently facing is the denuclearisation of North Korea. The good news is that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un committed to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in June this year, following his historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore. Since then, as an act of good faith, President Trump halted the US-South Korea joint military exercises that North Korea views as provocative. In return, North Korea stopped testing its nuclear bombs and the missile systems that deliver them and even dismantled a key missile test site. However, none of this will be enough in the long term. For the world to be genuinely safe from the North Korean nuclear threat, and for President Trump to not look like a fool, Pyongyang should take concrete steps to eliminate all its nuclear weapons and capabilities. It should start rolling back its nuclear programmes according to a timetable and allow independent verification of the steps it will be taking. This is not an easy task to accomplish. Twice before, in 1994 and 2007, agreements aiming to denuclearise North Korea were signed but failed to hold. Although, today, there seems to be a new momentum towards denuclearisation, there is one major challenge which is likely to prevent it: The experiences of other countries. In 1994, Ukraine gave up the nuclear weapons and capacity that it had inherited from the Soviet Union. In 2003, Libya scrapped its programme to build weapons of mass destruction, even though it was only years away from completing a working nuclear weapon. In 2015, Iran agreed to halt its nuclear programmes, even though it was perhaps within a year of reaching its goal of making a nuclear weapon. In each case, denuclearisation was accomplished through a similar path. First, concerned parties reached an agreement on what needed to be achieved. Second, they agreed on a timetable. Third, a reputable and independent global body, namely the International Atomic Energy Agency took on the responsibility of overseeing the process and verifying that the country in question is indeed keeping up with the agreed disarmament programme. In every scenario, promises of compensation were made to the country that agreed to give up its nuclear capabilities in the form of either the lifting of national and international sanctions or the provision of benefits, such as in trade, technology, finance, energy and diplomacy. A complete normalisation of relations was promised on the condition of complete denuclearisation, and rewards were given after the completion of each step in the schedule. On the surface, it seems this tried and tested blueprint can also work in North Korea. However, there is one undeniable fact that is making it hard for President Trump to use this straightforward strategy when dealing with Pyongyang: Kim Jong Un can clearly see that none of the aforementioned countries became any safer or more prosperous for giving up their nuclear weapons or potential. Moreover, parties to these agreements failed to uphold their promises. In the case of Ukraine, Russia broke its 1994 pledge to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine two decades later and annexed Crimea. It also played an active role in the Ukrainian civil war. In the case of Libya, less than a decade after relinquishing his weapons of mass destruction, Muammar Gaddafi was violently toppled, with the support of the very same Western forces that applauded the Libyan leader for the decision and appeared albeit briefly to be his allies. Finally, in the case of Iran, the promise that all parties would implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in good faith and in a constructive atmosphere, based on mutual respect, and to refrain from any action inconsistent with the letter, spirit and intent was abandoned by the US as soon as there was a new president in the White House. Soon after he took office, despite Iran being in compliance with the agreement, President Trump quit JCPOA, leaving the Iranian economy in tatters. What all of this means is that to achieve complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump will have to convince Chairman Kim Jong Un of three things: First, that any agreement they reach will do more to secure the territorial integrity of North Korea than the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances did to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Second, that their new relationship will not be a charade like the one between his predecessors and Libyas Gaddafi and that Washington will not wait for opportunities to topple Kims regime even after North Korea completes denuclearisation. Third, that the US will hold its side of the deal, even after the end of Trumps tenure in other words, a guarantee that future US presidents will not do to North Korea what Trump did to Iran. None of these will be easy to achieve, as past actions speak louder than words. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. US agrees to discuss pullout of troops from Afghanistan as part of talks to end 17-year war, Taliban officials say. Doha, Qatar The United States has agreed to discuss the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan in a direct meeting with Taliban representatives in Qatar, officials from the armed group said. In a preliminary meeting in Doha on Friday, Taliban representatives and US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad discussed the Talibans conditions to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan, two top Taliban officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera. Six US delegates arrived in Doha to have a meeting with our (Taliban) leaders [and] agreed to discuss all issues, including the pullout of foreign troops, one of the officials said. But, it was a preliminary meeting and all issues were discussed in general, not in detail, he added, saying more talks were expected to take place in the near future. Last year, US President Donald Trump increased the number of US forces in the country as part of a new strategy against the Taliban. There are now about 14,000 US soldiers in the country. The Taliban has previously said the presence of foreign troops was the biggest obstacle to peace in Afghanistan. In addition to the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the Talibans conditions include the lifting of sanctions on its leaders, the release of their fighters imprisoned in Afghanistan, and the establishment of an official political office. {articleGUID} At the request of the US, a Taliban office was established in Doha in 2013 to facilitate peace talks but it was shut shortly after opening when it came under pressure over a flag hung outside the office, the same flag that was flown during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Then Afghan President Hamid Karzai subsequently halted peace efforts, saying the office was presenting itself as an unofficial embassy for a government-in-exile. The flag has since been taken down and the office has been empty with no official announcements about a possible reopening. Talks with the Taliban have since been taking place elsewhere in Doha. US officials in Kabul and Zalmay Khalilzad were not immediately available to comment on Saturdays gathering in the Qatari capital. It was the second time that US officials met the group in Qatar. The first meeting took place in July, and included US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells. In recent months, Khalilzad, who was appointed as US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation in September, has met officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in a bid to renew the long-stalled direct talks with the Taliban. US puppets The Taliban, Afghanistans largest armed group which was toppled from power by a US-led invasion in 2001, has repeatedly turned down offers of talks with the Afghan government, calling them US puppets, despite calls from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to start negotiations. Instead, they demanded to meet US officials for talks primarily on foreign troops withdrawal. In July, the US announced it was ready for direct talks with the Taliban to seek negotiations and to discuss the role of international forces. Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan who is now based in Doha and in contact with the Taliban representatives, confirmed the US decision to discuss a pullout from Afghanistan. He was not present at the meeting, but said the withdrawal of foreign troops now only requires a timeline for implementation. {articleGUID} As per my information, the US has reached an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw troops from Afghanistan but the US officials have not yet agreed on a date, he said. The US is not winning in Afghanistan. They are aware of that, which means they have to agree on the Talibans conditions for ending the war in the country. Some analysts, however, fear the withdrawal of foreign troops will not end the long-running conflict in Afghanistan. In recent months, there has been a surge in violence across the country, with heavy clashes between the Taliban and Afghan security forces from the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan and Faryab in the north to the province of Farah in the west. Power-sharing Faizullah Zaland, a political analyst based in Kabul, said long-term international support and a power-sharing agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government is necessary to end the war. The US has tried all its methods, policies and strategies to limit the Afghan war, but instead the war has grown even more. The Taliban has got more land and more control in the country, he said. The US strategy in 2017 of increasing troops in Afghanistan by raising the number of soldiers from 8,400 to about 14,000, has also failed, he said The international communitys long-term support is the only guarantee for Afghan peace, in addition to a power-sharing agreement with the Taliban. In May, Farah city, one of the largest cities of Afghanistan, was on the verge of falling to the Taliban, which would have made it the second city, after Kunduz in 2015, to fall under the Taliban since the war began in 2001. In an attempt to put an end fight, in February, Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group and involvement in a constitutional review that he said could bring the group to the negotiating table to end the 17-year war. But the Taliban continued fighting as their demand to meet directly with US officials was ignored. Last week, the Taliban issued a warning that its fighters would target government security forces to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban said, fighters will target people who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security. He added that no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure of the election. As of January 2018, the Afghan government only controls 56.3 percent of the country, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released in May. The Taliban, meanwhile, holds 59 districts, while the remaining 119 about 29.2 percent are contested, meaning they are controlled by neither the Afghan government nor the armed group. In a report last week, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 8,050 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of 2018. Half of them were killed in suicide attacks and bombings that might amount to war crimes, UNAMA said Civilian deaths have not been the main concern during these talks, but in reality, civilian casualties is the grimmest part of this war and the credit goes to all sides engaged in this conflict, Zaland, the political analyst told Al Jazeera. Trust building measurements should be soon taken in order to build the trust of civilians for them to support the peace process. UN employee among the latest to test positive for deadly virus in current outbreak, which has killed 125 people. Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died from Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading quickly. The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday that 200 cases of the deadly virus have been registered in the current outbreak first detected on August 1, with 165 of them laboratory confirmed and 35 considered probable. Among the latest individuals to test positive for Ebola is an employee of the United Nations, according to the head of UN peacekeeping mission, Leila Zerrougui. The haemorrhagic fever spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of its victims and typically kills about half of those it infects. The UN agency voiced concern over the swelling number of cases in recent weeks, especially in the town of Beni, near the Ugandan border. Insecurity that has increased in the city is one of the reasons why we are seeing these new cases coming up, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva. The latest outbreak the 10th in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976 emerged in the restive northeastern region of North Kivu, which is home to a clutch of armed groups. WHO has warned that the latest outbreak could last for at least three to four months. The authorities in Beni have announced measures to protect health workers after a number of incidents where response teams were assaulted. Fears and misconceptions about the virus have led to widespread mistrust and resistance to Ebola response workers, including those who come into communities wearing hazmat suits to orchestrate burials. Red Cross workers injured Two Red Cross volunteers were seriously injured when they were attacked during the burial of a suspected Ebola victim last week. WHO said instability in DR Congo has hindered the effort to control the spread of Ebola [File: AP] The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday that it was doing everything it could to minimise the risk to its volunteers on the ground. But IFRC Secretary-General Elhadj As Sy stressed that the organisation would never resort to using armed escorts in the areas. We never use military or armed group protection to do our work That is not part of our modus operandi, he told the AFP news agency. He said it was not surprising that people living in an area affected by armed conflict would be totally overwhelmed with another shock like the Ebola crisis, and might have wrong reactions. It is not unusual for us to experience these kind of difficulties, he said, adding that much of his organisations work involved engaging with community members to build acceptance of the Ebola response work. While IFRC is taking additional safeguards to protect its volunteers, Sy stressed that there were no plans to withdraw from problematic areas. It is exactly when it is most difficult, in the time that it is most risky, that we are needed most, he said. WHO meanwhile temporarily suspended its work trying to halt the outbreak in Beni last month amid increased attacks by armed oppositions groups. Jasarevic said Friday that the agency had resumed its work there, but lamented that continued attacks and violence between government and rebels, while not directly targeted at Ebola responders, meant teams were not able to function fully. On a daily basis, we cant go for a couple of hours to some areas because there is either a shooting going on, or there is a protest by groups in the city against this violence, he said. Paulin Makaya has twice been prevented from travelling abroad since he was released from prison in September. Congolese opposition leader Paulin Makaya, recently released from prison after three years, has again been prevented from leaving Brazzaville, his family said. Border police stopped Makaya from boarding an Air France flight to Paris on Friday evening, his son Russel Makaya told AFP. He had been due to fly from the French capital to London. He turned up on Friday a little before 7:00pm (18:00 GMT) with his British passport. The border police turned him back immediately on the pretext that he is banned from leaving the country, he said. Makaya was also stopped from travelling on September 28, officially because he did not have a permit to leave the country. But this time, his son said, he had the necessary papers and a letter from the British embassy calling on the authorities in the Republic of Congo to provide him with assistance to make the trip. A border police spokesman, who asked not to be named, said if Paulin Makaya had not been authorised to travel, it was because his papers were not in order. Makaya was released from prison on September 17. A close associate of former Congolese premier Bernard Kolelas, Makaya was jailed after organising a banned demonstration against the constitutional referendum that allowed President Sassou Nguesso to seek another term in March 2016. Nguesso has run the Republic of Congo, a small, oil-rich country in central Africa, for more than 34 years. The Trump administration engages with the Taliban as it wants to wind down the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan. A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the armed group said on Saturday, in the first official confirmation of talks between the two sides. The meeting with Khalilzad and other US officials took place on Friday and talks will continue, the Taliban said in a statement emailed to journalists. The meeting occured as President Donald Trumps administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal previously reported. The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that US officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives. Khalilzads is currently on his first trip as special representative. The 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces continues 17 years after US intervention [Rahmat Gul/AP Photo] The State Department declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what were described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced very positive signals. A US-led coalition forced the Taliban from power in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York. The group has seized a number of districts across the country in recent years and regularly attack security forces, often killing dozens. Taliban officials have set the withdrawal of American forces as a pre-condition for peace talks. Former student leader Lorent Saleh put on flight to Madrid days after anti-government politician died in state custody. Venezuelan authorities have freed a prominent opposition activist jailed for four years just days after an anti-government politician died in state custody. Lorent Saleh, 30, was immediately escorted to the airport on Friday and put on a flight to Madrid with Spanish government officials. Upon arriving at Madrids airport Saturday, Saleh told the media and a small group of exuberant Venezuelan opposition supporters that the fight goes on. What I ask is that we all think about the fact that in Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars, people that have been kidnapped and who deserve to cross the same bridge that I have, Saleh said. Saleh said that he did not know he was being released until the last minute. They had already put me in a police car and we were heading to the airport when they told me, Saleh said. Today, I have been able to see the sunrise for the first time in four years, and I am still coming to grips with that. His release came just days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage. Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out. Several foreign governments and the United Nations have called for an independent investigation to determine whether foul play was involved. Correct decision A government truth commission said Saleh was at risk of causing harm to himself after being evaluated for suicidal tendencies while imprisoned. It said he should be released as part of efforts to ease political tensions in the South American nation. Saleh was arrested in Colombia in 2014 after he appeared on a video phone call leaked by Venezuelan authorities bragging to an unknown person about plans to hire sharpshooters to sow unrest in Venezuela and was extradited, . {articleGUID} His extradition was widely condemned by human rights groups, who argued he could never get a fair trial in Venezuela and would be subjected to harsh conditions of confinement. News of Salehs release on Saturday also came as a shock to his supporters, and even his mother, who rushed to a Caracas jail expecting to receive her son only to learn he had been sent to Europe. I didnt know anything about this. I thought hed be turned over here, but whats important is that hes free, a weeping Yamile Saleh told journalists outside the jail. He tried to calm me, saying he is with people he trusts, she said after speaking to her son by phone. Saleh thanked Spain for its role in his release and said that he hoped to see his mother soon. Spain released a statement following Salehs arrival saying that diplomat Juan Pablo de Laiglesia had travelled with Saleh. The statement said Spain considered Salehs release the correct decision by the Venezuelan government to move in the correct direction of helping generate a climate of trust. At least 27 people killed, including 12 pupils, as mud and debris hit North Sumatra province after heavy downpours. Flash floods and landslides have killed at least 27 people, mostly children, on Indonesias Sumatra island, officials say. An Islamic school in Muara Saladi village saw the highest death toll after mud from the flood and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province on Friday afternoon, local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji said on Saturday. Rescuers and villagers on Friday managed to save several teachers and only 17 out of 29 school children who were swept away, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agencys spokesman. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours after the incident and one more on Saturday. A video obtained by The Associated Press showed relatives crying beside their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were lying, covered with blankets. Rescuers and villagers managed to save several teachers and 17 children [Antara Foto via Reuters] Nugroho said two bodies were found early on Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 homes collapsed and 12 were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded up to two metres high, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region. Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighbouring Sibolga district, Nugroho said. He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra provinces Tanah Datar district, killing five people, including two children, and leaving another missing. Landslides and flooding in the neighbouring districts of Padang Pariaman and West Pasaman killed four villagers after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed. Dozens of injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals and clinics [Khairul Bazar/AP] Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a weeklong emergency relief period. Hundreds of survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, fearing more of the mountainside would collapse under continuing rain, Nugroho said. Dozens of injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals and clinics, he said. Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains. The 43-year-old indigenous lawyer will represent the more than 900,000 indigenous people in the country. Sao Paulo Joenia Wapichana never thought she would get into politics. The 43-year-old indigenous lawyer also never imagined shed make history, not just once but on three occasions. But when she saw an extreme, urgent necessity to protect the rights of her community, she knew she had to take action. Last Sunday, Wapichana became the first Indigenous woman to be elected to Congress. Ten years ago she was the first indigenous lawyer to speak in front of the Supreme Federal Court and more than a decade before that she became the first indigenous person to graduate from law school in the country. Im very happy to be answering the call of all the indigenous people who yearn to have their rights represented in Congress, she told Al Jazeera just after just winning her seat. People had the hope to believe we can create positive change, that we can have a voice there to represent our rights. Indigenous groups in Brazil have suffered from a lack of representation in politics. The last and only other indigenous person elected to Congress was Mario Juruna more than 34 years ago. Wapichana, a child at the time, said she barely remembers him. Chief Joao Ponce, centre, head of the Uirapuru indigenous community, walks along a cornfield near the town of Conquista do Oeste, Brazil [File: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters] This year a record number of 131 native candidates ran in governor, senator and congress races. It was also the first time an indigenous person, Sonia Guajajara, ran for the vice presidency. Although Wapichana was the only candidate to win, her victory is seen as a triumph for the more than 900,000 indigenous people in the country. For us, this victory is the victory of the indigenous movement, said Valeria Paye Pereira, coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil (APIB). She explained that Wapichanas campaign was part of a nationwide project created by the indigenous leadership, who realised it was necessary to encourage our people to participate. Politics was not a theme we were concerned about, Pereira said. It was the first time the indigenous movement, as a group, positioned itself in favour of it. So, Joenias victory is the consecration of our effort. Red alert Wapichanas victory also comes at a key moment for indigenous groups in Brazil. Last year was one of the bloodiest for land conflicts. The administration of President Michel Temer also cut more than 300 positions from the indigenous protection agency, Funai, and approved only one land demarcation. Felipe Milanez, an environmentalist and professor at Bahias federal university, warned that Brazil is going through a humanitarian crisis. The risks of genocide, violence, torture, killings and intimidations are already on red alert, he told Al Jazeera. Milanez said the biggest threats to indigenous groups in Brazil are the economic interests of the agribusiness industries, who account for 23.5 percent of the countrys GDP. We see problems with aggressive developments that dont respect the rights of local populations, like the construction of power lines or dams, for example, he said. A fake coffin representing an indigenous person killed in the conflict over the demarcation of indigenous lands stands outside the National Congress [File: Eraldo Peres/AP Photo] Pereira added that another great threat and one of Wapichanas main challenges is to counter the trend to move backwards on indigenous protection laws driven by the rural interests in politics. Wapichana said one of her first goals will be to repeal a Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC 2015) that transfers the final decision on land demarcation from the executive branch to the legislative one. The newly elected congresswoman fears the body will favour agribusiness because nearly half of its members are part of the rural sector. Mass extermination if Bolsonaro wins Many in the indigenous community also fear what the potential victory of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro in October 28s runoff presidential election. In a February interview with local media, the presidential hopeful said that there wont be another inch of land for the indigenous if hes elected. We are in front of an abyss, Milanez said. If Bolsonaro wins we might see a massive extermination of indigenous populations. Regardless of the next president, the challenges for native groups are set to continue during the next administration, as Brazilians elected a more conservative Congress, highly controlled by the so-called rural bench. Its necessary, more than ever, to have a defence in Congress because our rights are at risk, said Wapichana. If Bolsonaro wins we might see a massive extermination of indigenous populations. Felipe Milanez, an environmentalist Besides fighting PEC 215, she will also focus on stopping mining projects and electric dams in indigenous lands, implementing already existing rights that are not followed, creating an indigenous school system, prioritising health services for native groups and creating a political reform to improve the representation of minority groups in Brazil. She said it will be difficult to work in a mostly white, male, conservative environment, but fighting for indigenous rights has been her entire life. Her home state of Roraima has the biggest indigenous population. It is also home to the biggest indigenous reserves in Brazil, which was only fully recognised in 2009 after Wapichana defended it in the federal court. Its like David and Goliath, she said. But it has always been like that for us. Everything we have we had to fight for and conquer and thats what were going to do now. We are not giving up, we are going to resist and we will be in this together, she says. Although Ill be the only voice in Congress, I wont be alone. Major business leaders boycott Saudi summit over Khashoggi case The World Bank president, the head of Uber and CNN all withdraw from Davos in the Desert conference, but the US treasury secretary still plans to attend, for now. Landslide victory sets the stage for Anwar Ibrahims eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim has won a parliamentary seat in a by-election, setting the stage for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The Election Commission said on Saturday that Anwar received 71 percent of the total votes cast, defeating six other candidates. He got 31,016 votes, while his closest rival secured only 7,456. Im, of course, extremely pleased and humbled by the results, Anwar said after the victory, which marks the charismatic politicians political comeback from prison to parliament. This to my mind is an important milestone, a vote of confidence for the government and the reform agenda, and the prime minister personally, he said. Anwar is expected to be sworn in as a legislator on Monday. The 71-year-old is the designated successor to former foe-turned ally Mahathir, after they set aside a bitter political feud and joined hands to win a stunning victory in Mays general elections. Mahathir, 93, returned to the prime minister post after the shock win, unseating Najib Razak, who was accused of massive corruption. Anwar could not participate in the polls due to a 2015 conviction for sodomy a charge he alleged was politically motivated but he was freed after receiving a royal pardon days after the polls. Prime Minister-in-waiting Lee Tian Hock, a 60-year-old voter, told the AFP news agency he was voting for the next premier. We need an influential leader to bring long-overdue progress to Port Dickson. This morning, I prayed to Allah for a big win for Anwar, retired truck driver Mat Taib, a member of the countrys ethnic Malay majority, told AFP. I want him to be our eighth prime minister. {articleGUID} Anwar campaigned hard over the past two weeks to secure a mandate in the multiracial constituency of Port Dickson, promising voters development, clean government and a boost to local tourism. The multibillion-dollar graft scandal at state fund 1MDB, over which Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor face dozens of corruption charges, was also a focus of Anwars campaign. Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, said Anwar has a big task ahead of him. In parliament, he will be presiding over a reform agenda that aims to improve good governance and civil liberties and well as address concerns over the economy. Malaysias economy is growing, but there are worries, especially among the middle class that the countrys wealth is not trickling down. So, many people are complaining over stagnant wages and rising prices, Suffian told Al Jazeera. Anwar will also have to find a way to work with his former nemesis Mahathir, he added. Mahathir has said he expects to be in office for at least two years and will keep his promise to hand over power to Anwar. Anwar has said he wants to focus on parliamentary reforms and will not interfere in Mahathirs governance. An abuse and cover-up scandal has engulfed Chiles Catholic Church, with a probe identifying more than 160 abusers. Pope Francis has defrocked two retired Chilean bishops caught up in a sexual abuse crisis rocking Chiles Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican named the two men as Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez, archbishop emeritus of the cities of La Serena and Iquique respectively. A statement on Saturday explained that the decision was taken on Thursday and cannot be appealed. The notice also referred to a canonical measure relating to manifest abuse of minors as being the reason for dismissal. Defrocking, officially called reduced to the lay state, means they have been expelled from the priesthood. It is the harshest punishment the Church can inflict on a member of the clergy and such action has rarely been taken against bishops. In early October, the religious order to which Cox belongs, the Schoenstatt Fathers, said the Vatican was investigating an accusation against him relating to the sexual abuse of a minor in Germany in 2004. Cox, who is believed to have returned to Germany after a period in Chile, could not be reached for comment. According to Chilean media, Ordenes, who resigned as bishop of Iquique in 2012 while under Vatican investigation, was accused of molesting a 17-year-old altar boy. He is believed to be living somewhere in Chile. It was not immediately possible to reach him for comment. The announcement came shortly after Pope Francis met Chilean President Sebastian Pinera in Rome on Saturday. Pinera said he had enjoyed a very good, very intimate and very frank discussion with the pontiff regarding the difficult situation Chiles Catholic Church was in. We share a hope that the church can undergo a true rebirth and regain the affection and closeness of its followers and can continue to play an important role in our country, he told reporters. According to Pinera, Francis who is from neighbouring Argentina also touched on migration, the crises in Venezuela and Nicaragua and the environment during the conversation. The defrockings come one day after the pope accepted the resignation of a US cardinal who was accused of covering up a sex abuse scandal in Pennsylvania. The announcement came shortly after the pope met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera [Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters] A wide-ranging investigation Allegations of abuse and cover-ups have dogged Chiles Catholic Church for years, but in recent months, an unprecedented investigation has ramped up efforts to identify victims and perpetrators. More than 100 clergymen are under investigation in what is now the largest clerical sex abuse probe in Latin American history, spanning all of Chiles 15 mainland regions. Prosecutors have raided church offices in five cities, uncovering evidence of abuses that were never reported to authorities. {articleGUID} The searches have so far identified 178 victims, 79 of which were minors at the time of the alleged abuse, and charged 167 members of the clergy with carrying out or covering up abuses. Survivors and observers have expressed disbelief at the extent of the investigation, which has seen the highest-ranking member of Chiles Catholic Church Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati brought before the public prosecutor. I never thought they would touch the hierarchy of the church, much less bring a cardinal to testify, Issac Givovich, a 38-year-old victim, told Al Jazeera. Its an achievement just to know that a prosecutor has dared touch him, he said. Januarys papal visit was marred by protests against alleged cover-ups of sex abuse [File: Carlos Vera/Reuters] Last month, Francis defrocked Father Fernando Karadima, the priest at the centre of the controversy over allegations he carried out decades of abuse against young boys. Pope Francis and the Cardinals have offered to cooperate in the probe. However, the prosecutor leading the probe says any assistance has yet to materialise. Theres been no cooperation, understood as voluntarily providing evidence or information, and were still waiting for the Vatican to send information we requested, said Emiliano Arias. We havent seen an attitude of active collaboration from the Vatican, he told Al Jazeera. {articleGUID} Fernando Ramos, the secretary-general of Chiles Episcopal Conference who also serves under Ezzati as auxiliary bishop of Santiago said that, under Chilean law, the church is not obliged to inform secular authorities of knowledge of crimes. However, according to Ramos, the church is working with the public prosecutors office to reach an agreement on working together. He told Al Jazeera the church was seeking a balance between responding to the necessity of state organisation to investigate these types of crimes and [the churchs] internal rules. We are concerned with safeguarding the trust of those who came forward, who sometimes dont want their name or what happened to become public, so we need to protect that trust, which we have been shown, he said. Despite this, Ramos says, some church authorities are already assisting prosecutors. Damaged reputation Demonstrations have been taking place outside the home of Archbishop of Santiago, Ricardo Ezzati, the highest-ranking [Ivan Alvarado/Reuters] The ongoing scandal has damaged the reputation of both the Church and Pope Francis in Chile. The pontiff drew sharp criticisim in the predominantly Catholic for controversially appointing Juan Barros, who is accused by Karadimas victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse, as the bishop of Osorno. {articleGUID} A papal visit in January was marred by protests and calls for the pope to accept Barros resignation, which had been offered several times. In a shock move in May, all of Chiles 34 bishops resigned en mass over Francis refusal to accept the resignation, following a crisis meeting. So far, Francis has accepted seven resignations, not including the two bishops defrocked on Saturday. In late September, the church was ridiculed for issuing a manual on clerical guidelines, which outlined inappropriate ways for clergy members to express affection, including kissing on the mouth, slapping individuals backsides and touching their genitals. The archdiocese later withdrew the manual from its website and apologised. Ramos said the unacceptable abuse and alleged cover-ups, which have gradually come to light over the last decade, are very deplorable. {articleGUID} Evidently, this has really affected the reputation of the Catholic Church in Chile, as in other countries. It has helped us bring about a deep reflection on how we can adequately respond to these reports and also how we can prevent [abuse] continuing to happen, he told Al Jazeera. We werent prepared to deal with it, he said. Firstly, we need to have clear and effective systems for coming forward [] now effectively all dioceses have this system. The judicial systems that we have in the church also need to be reorganised so we are prepared to deal with these types of situations. Thirdly, we need to support those who come forward and have a system of prevention where everyone in the church has responsibility for creating a safe and healthy environment, he told Al Jazeera. Chiles sex abuse scandal is part of a global crisis, which has cast a shadow over the moral authority of the Catholic Church. Additional reporting by Charlotte Mitchell: @charbrowmitch At least 17 people, including eight from one family, killed after Saudi-UAE coalition air raids hit Hodeidah checkpoint. An air raid by the Saudi-UAE coalition targeting Houthi fighters in Yemen has killed at least 17 people in the province of Hodeidah, according to rebel officials. Youssef al-Hadari, spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said the raid on Saturday targeted the Jabal Rass area. At least 20 people were wounded, he told The Associated Press. Medical sources told Reuters that 10 civilians were among those killed when the air raid hit a Houthi checkpoint as a bus was passing through. Eight members of the same family were among the victims, they said. A spokesman for the Saudi-UAE coalition could not immediately be reached for comment. The coalition intervened in Yemens war in 2015 to restore the countrys internationally recognised government to power. Hodeidah, with its key port installations that bring in humanitarian aid, has become the centre of Yemens conflict, with ground troops allied to the coalition struggling to drive out the rebels who control it. The coalition has conducted thousands of air raids targeting the Iran-aligned Houthis, and has often hit civilians, but denies doing so intentionally. The war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than two million and driven the country which was already the poorest on the Arabian Peninsula to the verge of widespread famine. The United Nations said the conflict in Yemen has produced the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. 50 others were wounded after two men blew themselves up in a restaurant and a hotel in the town. At least 16 people have been killed and 50 others wounded after two suicide bombers attacked a restaurant and a hotel in the town of Baidoa in Somalia, police and witnesses said. A man wearing an explosive device walked into Beder restaurant on Friday and blew himself up, killing multiple people and wounding others, police officer Mahad Mohamed told the DPA news agency on Saturday. Shortly after the first blast, another bomber blew himself up at the Bilan hotel, killing more than six people. The restaurant and hotel are both popular with civilians and local government officials. Armed group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Baidoa on Andalus, a pro-al-Shabab radio station. It said one blast targeted a hotel owned by a former Somali minister, Mohamed Aden Fargeti, one of several candidates running for the presidency of the region in Novembers election. The blasts came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of a suicide truck bombing in the capital Mogadishu that killed more than 500 people. Al-Shabab, which controlled Baidoa between 2009 and 2012 before being driven out by Ethiopian-backed government forces, still holds parts of southern and central Somalia. Attention in recent days has turned to Baidoa, the interim capital of South West state, as high-level al-Shabab defector Mukhtar Robow also seeks the regional presidency. Robow is the highest-ranking official to have ever quit al-Shabab, surrendering to the Somali government last year after the United States cancelled a five million dollar reward offered for his capture. Somalias government earlier this month said Robow was not eligible to run for the regional post because he is still under US sanctions that were imposed against him in 2008 when he was identified as a specially designated global terrorist. Living by borders of Libya, Chad, Niger and Sudan, the Tebu now have their first alphabet ever and a cultural centre. Living in the inhospitable area crisscrossed by the borders of Libya, Chad, Niger and Sudan, the Tebu a non-Arab indigenous people are experiencing an unprecedented cultural awakening, thanks to their first alphabet ever and a cultural centre. Its something which doesnt compare to anything else, said Ahmed Koki, a Tebu-language activist from Libya, about the feeling of writing in his mother tongue. It was autumn 2013 when Kokis hometown of Murzuk, in Libyas remote southernmost province of Fezzan, was being littered with the first publications ever written in the Tebu language also called Tudaga in Libya. The Tebu were victims of Muammar Gaddafis brutal assimilation campaigns seeking to eliminate indigenous cultures and languages. Many Tebu in Libya were deprived of citizenship, preventing them from getting healthcare, education and employment. It was only after Gaddafis fall that Koki and his people could speak up for their rights. I came across a book written in Tudaga. A friend had brought it across the border from Chad. It was the late nineties and we had to keep it secret as we would have surely gone to jail if Gaddafi's police found out. Younis Tobway, former culture minister Seven years after Gaddafis death, cultural manifestations of Libyas non-Arab indigenous peoples, such as the Amazigh or the Tebu, are no longer forbidden, but instability fostered by two rival legislatures the internationally recognised GNA and the eastern-based House of Representatives (HOR) doesnt help to support their language. Despite the ongoing chaos in Libya, the Tebu managed to reshuffle in the so-called National Tebu Assembly, their main organisation in the country. From a hotel in Tunis, Adam Rami Kerki, head of the NTA, described widespread racism in Libya. Many in Libya insist in rooting their identity in the Arab culture, but we had not heard about that until the arrival of Gaddafi to power in 1969, said Kerki. We may not be Arabs but we are doubtless Libyans, he added, as he referred to the lack of institutional support since the end of Gaddafis mandate. As a former minister of culture in the National Salvation Government the executive which was overthrown by the GNA in March 2016, Younis Tobway subscribed to Kerkis assessment on the neglect of his people. Ahmed Koki helps the younger generations navigate around the world in Murzuk, Libya [Karlos Zurutuza/Al Jazeera] We only get promises on paper and endless speeches highlighting the importance of diversity in Libya from whoever reaches power, but nothing ever happens afterwards, Tobway told Al Jazeera by phone. What the Libyan Tebu have achieved so far has been by their own effort, he said, explaining that they had already started working way before the 2011 uprising that deposed Libyas former ruler. I still remember the first time I came across a book written in Tudaga. A friend had brought it across the border from Chad. It was the late 90s and we had to keep it secret as we would have surely gone to jail if Gaddafis police found out, recalled Libyas only Tebu minister. A house of words Along with the Tuareg another non-Arab indigenous people and the former Gaddafi loyalist tribe of Awad Suleyman, the Tebu have been dominant in Libyas Fezzan region. Its a vast area sitting at a regional crossroads, linking Libyas south to the Sahel and sub-Saharan migrant routes through northern Libya and onto Europe. The absence of a central authority is more visible here than anywhere else in the country, with porous borders paving the way for smuggling of all types: people, oil, gold, weapons, drugs and even books when it comes to the Tebu. {articleGUID} Lying deep in the Tibesti Massif, a rocky mountain range in the extreme north of Chad which also spills over into southern Libya, Bardai has been the capital of overall Tebu culture for over a century. In Chad, they are considered to be a prestigious community and their culture has never been threatened as in Libya. In 1993, Mark and Sheryl Ortman reached that border area with their four children the fifth would be born in Chad. The American couple was working in the framework of a minority languages programme run by SIL (originally the Summer Institute of Linguistics), an NGO focusing on language normalisation in developing countries. The Tibesti was their home until 1999, when a rebellion forced them to leave the region. By then, the Ortmans had already helped develop an alphabet for the Tebu language and they would return to Chad in 2001. We opted for a Latin-based alphabet as the national language in Chad is French; it serves as a bridge between Tebu and literacy in the national language, Sheryl Ortman explained over the phone from the Tibesti mountains. It is actually not that strange that a philanthropic organisation sets up an alphabet for a people whose existence is almost ignored by the rest of the world. Ortmans most immediate precedent might have been that of Wolfgang Feuerstein, a German linguist who did the same in the 1980s with the Laz a Caucasian people living between the borders of Turkey and Georgia. Whereas Feuerstein was forced to complete his job from his village in Germanys Black Forest, the Ortmans managed to stay and, eventually, become part of the community. Our children have grown up among the Tebu and, every day, I am increasingly aware of how much we have come to share, highlighted the American linguist. In the meantime, Edji Mahmoud, a local Tebu who had been working hand in hand with Ortman from the mid-90s, came up with the idea of establishing a cultural centre in Bardai. After the fall of Gaddafi and then seeing the Tebu in Libya use all our work to publish newspapers and journals in our language, I thought we needed to step up once again and make Bardai the base of further language development, remembered the 45-year-old, who was also involved in the birth of the alphabet. His cousin had a small cement brick building which was unused and he agreed not only to share the place, but also refurbish it, adding terraces, buying tables and shelves. By July 2012, the cultural centre opened its doors. Although everybody works on a voluntary basis, funds and books from private donors are also key. The focal point is a six-week Tebu-language course leading up to a highly publicised writing contest and finishing with an awards ceremony attended by all government officials, including the governor, stressed Mahmoud before adding that all the activities at the centre allow his people to see that the Tebu language does not have to take a backseat to any other language. According to Mahmoud, putting Tebu first has also the additional benefit of giving Tebu children a greater opportunity for success in the French language government school. Once they can read in their own language, the letters of the French alphabet actually make sense to them, he said. According to a report released by Amnesty International in July 2018, Chadian authorities cut spending on education by 21 percent between 2014 and 2016, undermining the access of many to schools and universities. Forbidden during Gaddafis times, books in the Tubu language are now available for all in Libyas remote south [Karlos Zurutuza/Al Jazeera] In many ways, Bardais centre also tries to fill that gap and much of what takes place there would not be possible without Anja and Simon Neuhaus. This Swiss couple in their 30s wanting to see the rugged, isolated Tibesti Massif for themselves, agreed in 2011 to visit Bardai with Mahmoud and Ortman. Once there, they decided to join hands for six months to get the centre started in 2012. They now spend half the year in Bardai and the other half at home in Switzerland, where they develop apps, enlarge the dictionary and produce teaching videos and cartoons. The dictionary work is done in collaboration with Hassan Bedeimi, a Tebu linguist and publicist from Gatroun, Libya, who worked for years in secret during Gaddafis years and now shares his collection of 15,000 words with Simon. Alongside many other endeavours, our goal is to give the Tebu language status, to affirm that it is equally valuable like any other by publishing books, chiefly the dictionary, Simon Neuhaus explained. The Swiss linguist also helps to manage the centres website where all the publications in Tudaga, as well as videos and pictures from their activities, are available. You can achieve a lot if you have the will Even fellow Libyans are helping in this process. In November 2017, a delegation of Libyan Tebus was invited to a workshop in Tripoli where Libyan Amazigh lecturers briefed them on their own language normalisation process. The Amazigh also share the same story of repression under Gaddafis rule and they have been a source of inspiration for the Tebu activists since the beginning of their activities. Over the past seven years, Amazigh school books have gradually been released and their language is taught at their schools. Theres even an Amazigh Language Department at the university campus in Zuwara, an Amazigh coastal enclave. Osman Hamid, one of the 10 Tebu who attended the course said he was highly impressed by the huge steps their hosts have made over the last years. One of the first ideas he and his friends adopted from their Amazigh friends was a dictionary app. The first Tudaga-Arabic-English-French dictionary, published in 2015, is now available wherever theres internet. Borders, says Hamid, are now more porous than ever. Even in a country in shambles such as ours, these people have proved that you can achieve a lot if you have the will to do things, said the 54-year-old chemistry teacher, who would smuggle Tebu books across the border back in Gaddafis times. Israeli police open investigation into Aisha al-Rawbis death after her car was hit by stones in the occupied West Bank. A Palestinian woman has been killed after stones were thrown at the car she was travelling in, close to an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. Aisha Al-Rawbi, 47, and a mother of eight, was pronounced dead at hospital late on Friday from a head injury sustained in the stone-throwing incident, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. Thousands of Palestinians attended her funeral on Saturday in the West Bank village of Biddya. Her husband, Aykube al-Rawbi, 52, who was in the car with Aisha, said the vehicle was pelted with rocks when they drove by an illegal Israeli settlement near Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. The stones came from the side where the settlement is. I could hear the people speak Hebrew, but I didnt see them, al-Rawbi told Reuters news agency. Palestinian officials and media have blamed Israeli settlers for al-Rawbis death, stating that settlers threw the stones at the car, which had Palestinian licence plates. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement that Israeli settlers had perpetrated a heinous crime that cannot go unpunished. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it held the Israeli government directly responsible for al-Rawbis death and called on the international community to speed up international protection for Palestinians. {articleGUID} According to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, police have opened an investigation into the death. Footage of the scene showed what appeared to be a blood-stained broken brick at the foot of the passenger seat, which was covered in shattered glass and bloodstains, according to Reuters. Tensions have been running high in the West Bank over the past week with two attacks against Israelis. On Friday, Israeli forces said they had arrested a Palestinian on suspicion of stabbing and wounding an army reservist on guard duty at a checkpoint south of Nablus the previous day. Another wanted Palestinian, who is suspected of killing two Israeli colleagues and wounding a third in the northern West Bank last Sunday, remains on the run. Israeli security forces have identified him as Ashraf Naalwa, 23. In Gaza, Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians on Friday, including two teenage boys. Four Palestinians were killed along the fence east of Al-Bureij in the centre of the Gaza Strip, while one died east of Gaza City, Dr Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for the health ministry, said. {articleGUID} Israel announced on Friday as well it would halt fuel deliveries headed to the besieged Gaza Strip in response to what it said were attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Israel will not tolerate a situation in which fuel tankers are allowed to enter Gaza on the one hand, while terror and violence are used against [Israeli] soldiers and Israeli citizens on the other, said Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Qatari-bought fuel began arriving on Tuesday in a bid to alleviate the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave and prevent any escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence. The fuel deliveries were aimed at easing months of protests along the separation fence east of Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli and Egyptian blockade for more than a decade. Pastor at the centre of Washington-Ankara dispute is hosted at White House after his release from Turkey. US President Donald Trump has welcomed freed US pastor Andrew Brunson at the White House, hours after he arrived in Washington back home from Turkey following two years in detention. You are very special to us, he told Brunson at the Oval Office meeting on Saturday. Weve been negotiating long and hard, Trump said, referring to the US effort to secure Brunsons freedom. Trump thanked Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for making this possible and said the preachers return to the US marks a tremendous step forward in relations with Ankara. The 50-year-old evangelical pastor was convicted of terror-related charges and sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days in jail on Friday. But he was immediately freed, taking into account the time already served and good conduct during the trial. Brunson thanked Trump, saying you really fought for us. He then led his family in prayer for the president and asked God for supernatural wisdom for the US leader. There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I dont make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2018 The preacher left Turkey with his wife Norrine on a US military flight bound for Germany on Friday. He was greeted at a military base by US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who gave Brunson a US flag during a refuelling stop. When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it, Grenell said in a tweet. I welcomed Pastor Brunson & his wife to Germany on their refueling stop. Hes almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump. When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. #agratefulnation pic.twitter.com/b82gA7PXVr Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 13, 2018 This is the day our family has been praying for I am delighted to be on my way home to the United States, Brunson said in a statement after his release. The independence of the judiciary Brunson was arrested in 2016 as part of the government crackdown in the wake of a failed 2016 coup attempt. He had been under house arrest since July. Brunson was accused of links with Kurdish rebels and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blamed for a failed 2016 coup attempt. {articleGUID} Gulen has denied any involvement. Brunson, who lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, denied the charges and maintained his innocence. Fridays court decision ends the friction over his case that caused a crisis in relations between the two NATO allies. The United States and Turkey have a number of mutual concerns regarding regional security and stability, and we look forward to working together on these issues, the White House said after the pastors release. The US claimed was held unjustly and repeatedly called for his release. With Washington slapping sanctions on Ankara, the crisis also put pressure on the already-falling Turkish lira in August, sparking an economic crisis. Following the court ruling, an official for the Turkish presidency said the verdict showed the independence of the judiciary in the country. Like the Turkish courts, the Republic of Turkey does not receive instructions from any body, authority, office or person. We make our own rules and make our own decisions that reflect our will, Fahrettin Altun, the presidencys communications director, said in a statement. Erdogan had insisted that he had no sway over the judiciary and that the courts would decide on Brunsons fate. While Brunsons release is expected to ease tensions between the US and Turkey, further strains remain. NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven and a half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month. Two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was on Friday denied release in a separate court hearing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to free quickly other Americans in detention after Brunson was released. Residents of one of Iraqs most disputed and flammable regions explain who they will vote for and why. Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Two candidates running in California's 49th Congressional District, comprising some of San Diego and Orange County, exemplify the huge differences between the parties. This is now a purple district, no longer red. Running for Darrell Issa's seat are pragmatic Republican Diane Harkey and so-called Democrat Mike Levin. Levin speaks like a socialist, supporting issues such as Medicare for All while not saying how he would pay for it. There is such a sharp contrast between Harkey's and Levin's views. It comes down to what people consider the issues vital to them. Levin speaks of forcing President Trump to release his tax returns as one of his top issues. He is not ruling out supporting impeachment for Justice Brett Kavanaugh and President Trump, while Harkey blames the Democrats for all the divisiveness in the country today. They totally mishandled the confirmation of the judge. It should have been dealt with in private and before the hearing took place. Anyone who has a brother, husband, son, or father has to believe that the accuser needs some kind of corroborating evidence. Instead of concentrating on impeachment we should be trying to get things done for those in our district, state, and country. There are too many hot issues that must be dealt with such as border security, immigration, and national security. I would vote no on impeachment of the justice and president, but I really hope that instead of concentrating on that we focus on how to help those we represent, such as improving health care. Obamacare is not sustainable. We need a fix on health care that includes better coverage for pre-existing conditions, able to buy across state lines, and having a high-risk pool. I am listening to what those in my district are saying, including being able to choose their own doctor and hospital. On Levin's website, he calls himself "a passionate believer in clean energy," but he neglects to mention that he is in favor of solar and wind energy. Reducing electric bills through renewable energy is only a pipe dream, since solar panels' costs range from $11,000 to $15,000, after tax credits, with the gross cost about $19,000. Regarding wind energy, as with solar, it is definitely not aesthetically pleasing. The hypocrisy of Levin is clear when he lists on his website an issue dear to him: protecting animal welfare. Yet wind turbines, consisting of 212-foot towers with arms 116 feet long, are taking birds' lives, including eagles, owls, and falcons. Since the outer tips of some turbines' blades can reach speeds of 179 mph, it is horrific to see the bird's wing cut off by the knife blade whipping down upon it. Harkey wants an "all above approach. But we have to think practically, and see what effect they have on the environment." "Misguided wall" is how Levin refers to Trump's desire to protect America's Southern border. Maybe someone should teach him a geography lesson. California has had a wall for nearly two decades, stretching 20 miles, made of concrete with barbed wire on top. In the San Diego area, there is a double-layered fence with stadium lighting and video surveillance. Harkey considers "border security as national security. I do support a wall that can also be a virtual wall. Something must be done to end human trafficking, drug running, and money laundering. It is all about the dangers that come across illegally. I am against sanctuary cities because it pits law enforcement against law enforcement. Those who are caught in California human-trafficking or drug-running cannot be held in a jail by the sheriff's department until ICE arrests them. Instead, they move into neighborhoods. This is just bad policy because law enforcement is supposed to enforce the laws and work effectively together, which is not happening now." Levin has bragged about receiving support from the California teacher unions. He ignores how the unions have taken millions in pensions and has the second largest pension fund in this country. In EdWeek's 2017 Quality Counts, California was ranked 46th out of the 50 states, and spends $3,462 less than the national average on students. Even though California's teachers are at the top of salaries in this country, the teacher unions continue to bargain for raises. Harkey thinks students will be better served with charter schools and school vouchers. Interestingly, Levin hardly mentions Iran as a threat and has stated he did not think the U.S. should have withdrawn from the Iran deal. Harkey could not disagree with him more. "It is a terrible deal for Israel and the world. I see it as our greatest threat. We gave them billions of dollars so they could continue to have state-sponsored terrorism. There used to be a saying: 'one nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day.' Well, it still can. Levin thinks the biggest scare is global warming. I understand the concern, but no one ever speaks of China. They pollute more than the U.S. and E.U. combined. But in actuality, the biggest military threat is Iran." Although both agree on the need for a reform of immigration, Levin wants "a path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants [sic]." Harkey supports the Goodlatte Bill because "I consider it a very good bill. It has E-verify a must border wall funding, an increase in foot and car border patrol, and a fix for DACA. There are also provisions for agricultural workers that have been here for about twenty years. Not everyone wants to be a citizen who comes here to work. It provides for temporary workers' visas. I believe strongly that Congress needs to take action. We need common sense when dealing with immigration. Let's get real about this, since no one is going to send home those that have been here illegally for a period of years." Both are big proponents of veterans. Levin talks the talk, claiming that his grandfather was a WWII veteran, while Harkey does the walk. She was one of the founders of The Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group, helping with coordination and organization basically, providing aid for those deployed and their families. She also considers an important issue: how TBI has affected the veterans. Levin has attempted to smear her regarding her then-husband's lawsuit. She has to face the "JFK syndrome," where one family member is blamed for the actions of another. In the 2008 crash, her husband's business went belly-up, and unfortunately, people lost money, including Harkey. No fraud was found, no securities and exchange violations, nor violations of corporate code. After five years of in-depth investigation, the lawsuit against her was dismissed by the plaintiffs in 2013 "with prejudice," meaning that it could not be refiled. "They realized I was never involved so they dismissed the lawsuit against me. The only reason I was included is because he was my spouse. I had signed a prenup and had no input and no control over his company. What really bothers me is that my opponent claims to be pro-women but assumes I, as a woman, could never have had a life of my own, or could support myself. Basically, that I could never do anything without my husband and had to depend entirely on him. I find this attitude to be insulting. I had a career, a life, and an income of my own, and was able to get elected before, during, and after." Interestingly, Levin handled foreclosures while working for Countrywide. Harkey noted, "He claims that it was only done to those committing fraud. Yet he was suing people and put them out of their homes. I think he should explain who those people actually were and how and why they lost their homes." Since Levin is getting money from the Nancy Pelosi PAC, it is obvious that he will vote in lockstep with the Pelosi machine. Harkey has pledged to "be the type of representative to come home and explain the bills and why I voted in a particular manner. I want to end the dysfunction in Washington." The author writes for American Thinker. She has done book reviews and author interviews and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles. Here's what the opposition to Kavanaugh was really about: the Democrats lost over 1,000 state and national seats to Republicans under President Obama's two terms, with 900 of those on the state level. State losses are particularly detrimental to Democrats because national candidates often come from state legislatures. As evidenced by all the social media footage last week of Kavanaugh protesters, useful idiocy is at an American all-time high. The Democrat politicians aren't quite as dumb; they know that the majority of Americans in the majority of states do not want their politics, as was confirmed by how red the 2016 national electoral map was. So what have the Democrats always heavily relied on to impose their politics upon people who will not voluntarily vote to implement those policies? The courts, at all levels, with activist judges who legislate from their benches. With Kavanaugh's confirmation, the Democrats know that the Supreme Court is likely lost for generations. Exacerbating this problem for the Democrats is President Trump's and the GOP-majority Senate's record-breaking pace of confirming federal judges: thus far, 26 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals and 41 judges to the United States District Courts, with another 10 nominees pending confirmation to the Court of Appeals and 60 to the District Courts. Let's review: the majority of Americans in the majority of states don't want the Democrats' politics, and their method for imposing politics upon people who don't want them (the courts and judicial activists) are getting reformed to the kinds of courts our Founders envisioned: originalist courts that interpret law rather than make law. Originalist, Not Conservative I don't use the term "conservative" Supreme Court; the Supreme Court is not a political body. The correct term to describe our current Supreme Court is originalist. Our Founders clearly intended that the Supreme Court (and all levels of courts, for that matter) have judges and justices who construe law based on the intent and text of the Constitution and other legal statutes. The new Roberts Court will have him, Kavanaugh, Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch as originalist justices. Although Roberts may, from time to time, differ with his four originalist colleagues, don't expect him to be as unpredictable as retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan will remain the judicial activists on the Supreme Court, who believe that our Constitution is a "living and breathing" legal contract, which should be interpreted solely on the basis of the modern times. This is a concept of legal tyranny that our Founders were clearly against, which is why they inserted a mechanism for amendment and crafted the 9th and 10th Amendments the unenumerated rights and states' rights amendments, respectively. If the Democrats are this loony over Kavanaugh's confirmation, just wait until they read his SCOTUS rulings and opinions. Kavanaugh Postscript: The Midterms The Democrats who voted nay on Kavanaugh had made up their minds the day Trump nominated him. Had Kavanaugh been a black, atheist, immigrant, gay, cultural Muslim constitutional originalist, the Democrats would have opposed him. Had Kavanaugh been the nominee last year, rather than Justice Neil Gorsuch, my instincts tell me that Kavanaugh would have been opposed by the Democrats, but they wouldn't have created a faux scandal. The "Gorsuch wasn't accused of rape, but Kavanaugh was; therefore, Kavanaugh is guilty" tactic was an age-old gaslighting play from the Democrats' and DMIC playbook. The Democrats know that Kavanaugh and the other four originalist justices will significantly weaken their stranglehold on the courts. Maybe the Senate should just do away with Supreme Court nomination hearings. Democrats prattled on for weeks about how the hearings were a "job interview," so eliminate the hearings, require nominees to meet with all 100 Senators, and voila, you've got 100 job interviews, along with the nominee's judicial record. Then hold a vote, and spare the nation the mockery we just witnessed, in which California senator Cuckoo Kamala Harris and New Jersey senator Cory Booker, whose claim to fame was interrogating Mike Pompeo about sodomy during his secretary of state confirmation hearings, exploited the hearings as a focus group for a 2020 presidential run. People make decisions on fear and greed. America First, Republican, conservative, and right-leaning independents need to approach the midterms next month with a greed mindset (if you prefer fear, fine, but just vote!). We can't rest on our laurels, and we can never take anything for granted. As General George Patton once said, no one ever successfully defended anything; there's only attack, attack, and attack some more. The GOP majority in Congress, especially in the Senate, is slim. And there are always Tessio Republicans, who betray their voters the way Sal Tessio betrayed the Corleone family in The Godfather, who make the slim majority even slimmer. Case in point: Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who called Kavanaugh a "good man" twice! and gave no good reason why he wasn't the right man for the job. The best friends to the Democrats are eligible voting-age Americans who don't vote; furthermore, there are no longer reliably red states. Conservatives should vote as though a blue wave is inevitable. The America First and Democrat sides are both emboldened and motivated. Every congressional House seat has an election next month, and there are several crucial Senate elections: in Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Montana, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, among others. The bad news is that, historically, the president's party loses its House majority in his first midterm. The good news is, the Republican Party is showing a fighting spirit, thanks to McConnell and South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham. Which side will win out? In under four weeks, we'll know. Another thing I know is this: if the GOP retains the House and Senate, it will prove that America First Trumpism is bulletproof. Rich Logis is host of The Rich Logis Show, at TheRichLogisShow.com, and author of the upcoming book 10 Warning Signs Your Child Is Becoming a Democrat. He can be found on Twitter at @RichLogis. Since the left in its propaganda campaigns has tried to compare President George W. Bush and now President Trump with Hitler and the Nazis (of the National Socialist Workers Party) here, here, here, here, and here, let us briefly survey the Nazi regime. The Nazis of Hitler's Germany advanced the following program. These policies represented benchmarks that marked fascist Germany as a blot on Western civilization and the enemy of liberty. None of these benchmarks applies to the Trump administration. 1. National Socialism (private property tightly controlled by government) was implemented as the official economic program for Germany. 2. Deutschland uber Alles was the Nazi slogan, meaning "Germany over All." This was a slogan declaring Hitler's goals of conquest in Europe and the world (meaning Germany rules, not merely Germany first). 3. Aryan racial supremacy (opposed especially to Slavs, Jews, and gypsies) was made official policy, not merely a personal preference. 4. German foreign policy was moved forward based on the need for lebensraum ("living space"). In this, the government openly articulated its desire to expand geographically in Europe at the expense of neighboring entities. 5. Hitler's anti-French revenge motif was articulated in his German bestseller Mein Kampf. Hitler, a veteran of WWI, was shocked to his core by the humiliation of loss in WWI, the forced signing of the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty of Versailles, and French control over the Alsace-Lorraine after WWI. 6. The Nazi program revolved around the traditional role that a woman's place is in the home (Children, Kitchen, Church Kinder, Kuche, Kirche). 7. Under National Socialist governance, euthanasia was authorized to eliminate children with mental and developmental disabilities like Down syndrome. 8. Interest in Germanic pagan Gods was revived and combined with Hindu themes (the swastika, symbol of the Nazis, was Hindu in origin). Thus, Christianity was twisted and re-aligned with pre-Christian paganism that was offensive to many yet widely accepted. 9. Importantly, love of man for God and of each person for his neighbor no longer was promoted as the living ethic and metaphysic of Germany. Rather, the Nazis largely identified with Frederick Nietzsche's will to power theme, whereby humans are meant to evolve to a new stage of moral development. At this stage, God is dead, and the new, supposedly evolved (Aryan) personality type will implement the transvaluation of values, where bad is good and good is bad. This evolved person will be a type of ubermensch (superman), a person of power, even without a big red letter S on his shirt. Adolf Hitler was to be understood as the personification and embodiment of the ubermensch. None of the above ideas even remotely resembles the policies or programs being advanced by President Trump. He has been busy de-regulating commerce, not tightening regulations. His program of America First is not a program of conquest, but a re-prioritization of our economic and political goals. Under Trump, we do not simply project ourselves as leaders of a new global consciousness where our sovereignty erodes and our wealth is re-distributed to struggling, corrupt economic basket cases or to prosperous economies too eager to take advantage of our largesse. Instead, he and his advisers want the USA to develop as a dynamic center for trade and manufacturing instead of simply shrugging and re-branding ourselves as a service economy. Trump's political and economic policy is not to disparage or invalidate any racial or ethnic group. His desire to be cautious about immigration from Islamic countries is a realistic concern about domestic U.S. safety, and not based on animosity to Muslims. He is aware that in Islam, hijra (immigration) is a stage in promoting Islamic sharia law as the dominant political, legal, and religious framework of the world. This is clearly articulated in Islamic holy books and promoted by many Islamic leaders. The virulent thread of domestic terrorism is rife throughout the Islamic world, and both Europeans and Americans have already suffered excessively from this threat. We need strong Muslim-Americans to denounce this instead of immediately going on the defensive and crying Islamophobia before the police investigation has even taken place. Although our president has publicly reprimanded various allies and various U.N. bodies such as the Human Rights Council, these reprimands have been under a pro-America rubric without any threat of conquest or harm to those countries. While the president has been truculent in his response to threats from others like Iran or North Kore,a instead of offering the low-key dissembling of President Barack Obama, which is so characteristic of the elitist rulers from the Ivy League, these reprimands have been purely defensive. Not one aggressive intention toward another sovereign entity in this world has issued forth from his mouth or from the actions or policies of this administration. Nazi contempt for women is linked to the Nazi-Nietzschean "will to power," where the macho male alone is qualified for governmental or corporate leadership. There is nothing in Trump's corporate background in construction or his appointments made in the Oval Office that indicates that women have been excluded from leadership and policy-making roles, as was the case with the Nazis. Lastly, President Trump has openly embraced our country's Christian heritage. His comments in public about Christianity and people of faith are uniformly complimentary. While we do not have a state established religion, our Christian values and heritage are central to the formation of our growth, power, and generosity. Trump's concern that religious rights under the First Amendment be faithfully balanced against and factored into judicial decisions upholding the due process rights of the 14th Amendment is clearly demonstrated by his judicial appointments. For the above reasons, and because President Trump can be challenged in elections and is limited by our federalism as well as checks and balances, it is totally offensive and absurd to liken our president's administration to the Nazi cult; its vile leader; or its program of conquest, death, and hate. Image: Louis P. Hirshman via Wikimedia Commons. By Jhoo Dong-chan Bithumb, the nation's largest crypto exchange by trading volume, has been sold to a Singapore-based consortium. Bithumb said in a press release, Friday, that BK Global Consortium, a plastic surgery medical group in Singapore, concluded a deal to buy 50 percent and one share of BTC Korea Holdings for 400 billion won ($352.5 million) Thursday. BTC Korea is currently the virtual coin exchange's largest shareholder with a 75.99 percent stake. BK Global Consortium paid 11.3 billion won on Thursday. The remaining balance of 388.7 billion is due in February. The move is set to make BK Global Consortium the largest controller of Bithumb when the transaction is completed. "BK Global Consortium believes the value of Bithumb is worth more than 1 trillion won," a Bithumb official said. "The consortium is a global blockchain investor group. The partnership with the consortium will create synergy as it will help maximize Bithumb's knowhow and potential to further develop blockchain technologies." BK Global Consortium is a blockchain investment firm led by BK Group Chairman Kim Byung-gun, a plastic surgeon turned business tycoon. He is also chairman of Singapore ICO Platform. "Kim has demonstrated his multinational management ability in the fields of healthcare, fintech, blockchain and biotech firms," a BK Global Consortium official said. "He is the right person to pursue the systemization and globalization of the virtual currency exchange." The consortium added it will pay an additional $40 million within two weeks and plans to finalize the entire transaction by December. According to a Financial Supervisory Service report, Bithumb's current operator BTC Korea posted 333.4 billion won in sales with a 427.1 billion won net profit last year, up 76 and 179 times respectively from the previous year. In June, cyber criminals stole an estimated 35 billion won worth of virtual coins from Bithumb. The exchange immediately disclosed the cyberattack while suspending deposit and withdrawal services. Korea has become one of the busiest virtual coin-trading countries in the world, and Bithumb is the world's seventh-largest exchange with daily trading volume of 500 billion won worth of virtual coins. Folks, I guess I should let this go. But it still blows my mind that the American left is committed to branding Brett Kavanaugh, without a shred of evidence, a sexual predator for the rest of his life. That is incredibly, cold, calculating and evil. Adolf Hitler said, "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed." This propaganda technique has been embraced by the Democratic Party. Here are three huge lies Democrats continue to invest billions' worth of media in to deceive the public. Big lie number one: America's cops are racist and routinely murder blacks. Big lie number two: Trump colluded with Russia to steal the presidency from Hillary. Big lie number three: Brett Kavanaugh is a serial rapist. Let's address Democrats' big lie that cops kill blacks for being black. Harvard professor Roland Fryer analyzed over 1,000 officer-involved shootings across the country. Fryer concluded that there is zero evidence of racial bias in police shootings. Inner-city black communities are plagued by criminals, not police. In 2014, over 6,000 blacks were murdered, more than all white and Hispanic homicide victims combined. These blacks were not killed by whites or cops. They were killed by other blacks. Researching "deadly force," a study by Washington University's Lois James revealed that police are less likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed whites and Hispanics in similar threat scenarios. Federal crime stats show that 12% of whites and Hispanics who die by homicide are killed by cops. Only 4% of black homicide victims are killed by cops. There is no government agency dedicated to protecting black lives more than the police. Proactive policing in the mid-1990s had a huge impact, bringing down the inner-city murder rate and saving tens of thousands of black lives. Democrats and leftists spread their lie that cops are racist, which caused cops to back off. This resulted in violent crime back on the rise and black lives lost. In cities with large black populations, homicides in 2015 rose from 54% to 90%. Immorally, Democrats, fake news media, and Hollywood are still promoting the lie that black criminal Michael Brown was gunned down by a racist white cop while trying to surrender with his hands up. Blood in the officer's police car proved that Brown was shot while assaulting the police officer inside his car. Leftists branding cops racist is a selfish, evil scheme to keep blacks falsely believing they are victims in a forever racist America. Leftists' message to blacks is that voting for Democrats is blacks' only hope of keeping racist white America at bay. A despicable Democrat get-out-the-vote campaign told black parents they had better vote or send their elementary students to school wearing bulletproof vests to protect them from racist white police. Black Lives Matter thugs, funded by George Soros and anti-America groups, continue to ambush and assassinate innocent police officers around the country because of Democrats' lie that cops kill blacks because they are black. Democrats' big lie that Trump stole the presidential election via collusion with Russia. After two years of investigations, there is zero evidence supportive of this absurd Democrat lie. Democrats presented their lie in such a way as to make voters believe that Russia tampered with the counting of votes, which is impossible. Fake news media, Democrats, and Hollywood continued to promote their Trump-Russia-collusion lie 24/7 for the past two years, believing that American voters will come to believe it making Trump's presidency illegitimate. Democrats' big lie that conservative Brett Kavanaugh is a sexual predator/serial rapist. This huge lie pulled out of thin air by Democrats is particularly heinous and cruel. Throughout his 30-something-year career, Kavanaugh passed seven FBI background checks with flying colors. Dr. Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago, does not remember the date, the place, or other crucial facts regarding her allegation. Yet Democrats, fake news media, and Hollywood have decreed Kavanaugh guilty simply because this woman said so. Daily piling onto their outrageous allegations, Democrats sought to block Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court by branding him a drunk who experienced frequent blackouts in which he participated in group rapes. But get this, folks: while these allegations against Kavanaugh are obviously false, Democrats will promote their "Kavanaugh is a sexual predator/serial rapist" lie for the rest of his life. How truly sick is that? It bears repeating that leftists use liberal activist justices on the Supreme Court to force laws on voters against their will. Kavanaugh on the court will give conservatives a five to four majority. This is why leftists seek to destroy Kavanaugh, his wife, and his two daughters at any and all cost. The midterm elections are only weeks away. Clearly, Democrats' big lies prove they are willing to sacrifice decency, morality, and human lives in their depraved quest to win and maintain political power. Decent right-thinking Americans cannot possibly want Democrats in control of the people's House and Senate. The Democratic Party has become the home of the ultra-left and demonically evil. It must be defeated. My fellow Americans, please vote Republican in the swiftly approaching mid-terms. Facebook is engaged in what the evidence suggests is a "midterm purge" of conservative news sites, and several prominent, old-school bloggers have been swept up in it. The online platform removed "559 Pages and 251 accounts" for what they claimed were violations of the rules regarding spam and possessing multiple online accounts under false names to disseminate fake news. Most prominent among them is Right Wing News. With more than 3 million Facebook followers, you would think that even the censors at Facebook would recognize that RWN is an important part of the online conservative media. Gizmodo reports on Facebook's fatuous reasoning: In a blog post, Facebook cybersecurity policy head Nathaniel Gleicher and product manager Oscar Rodriguez explained that the 800 removals were prompted by violations of its rules against spam and "coordinated inauthentic behavior." The post spends a lot of time explaining that most of the spam Facebook sees is financially motivated but it makes it clear that the pages it's speaking about today were at least using political content to drive traffic to their ad-supported websites. It explains that these bad actors were using multiple accounts with the same name, or fraudulent accounts under fake names, and cross-promoting between groups to amplify its spread. This passage is all you really need to read: Many were using fake accounts or multiple accounts with the same names and posted massive amounts of content across a network of Groups and Pages to drive traffic to their websites. Many used the same techniques to make their content appear more popular on Facebook than it really was. Others were ad farms using Facebook to mislead people into thinking that they were forums for legitimate political debate. Needless to say, to accuse such an experienced and noted conservative site of spamming people is outrageous. When I shut down Right Wing News, I wrote a column talking about it at Townhall. Facebook claims it killed a lot of conservative pages because of "spam farms" & "false stories." You shouldn't believe it when I told you it was coming in Jan. https://t.co/FaL9zvHn56 pic.twitter.com/umebkdadva John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) October 11, 2018 RWN isn't the only prominent conservative site swept up in the purge: Ive been memory holed from FaceBook! 350k followers poof gone! There is a dangerous precedent being set here where the big tech companies have appointed themselves as the gate keepers of political thought and opinion! Retweet this if you care about free-speech! #FreeDicks pic.twitter.com/LsnZvaJyOL Dan Dicks (@DanDicksPFT) October 11, 2018 The founder of RWN, John Hawkins, doesn't run the site anymore, but that didn't stop the New York Times from accusing Hawkins of disseminating fake news and spamming Facebook's platform: When Christine Blasey Ford testified before Congress last month about Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault, a website called Right Wing News sprang into action on Facebook. The conservative site, run by the blogger John Hawkins, had created a series of Facebook pages and accounts over the last year under many names, according to Facebook. After Dr. Blasey testified, Right Wing News posted several false stories about her including the suggestion that her lawyers were being bribed by Democrats and then used the network of Facebook pages and accounts to share the pieces so that they proliferated online quickly, social media researchers said. The result was a real-time spreading of disinformation started by Americans, for Americans. What Right Wing News did was part of a shift in the flow of online disinformation, falsehoods meant to mislead and inflame. In 2016, before the presidential election, state-backed Russian operatives exploited Facebook and Twitter to sway voters in the United States with divisive messages. Now, weeks before the midterm elections on Nov. 6, such influence campaigns are increasingly a domestic phenomenon fomented by Americans on the left and the right. Several of the editors were outraged at Facebook's action: John Hawkins, Tiffiny Ruegner, Brian Kolfage, and all the others I have worked with that are connected to Right Wing News and other sites are the most wonderful people I have ever met. Both John and Brian are vets. Brian is a military vet that gave both legs and a hand for his country. Tiffiny is a political genius and a serious businesswoman. They are all my friends as well and I will stand by them no matter what. John Hawkins started Right Wing News many years ago. He built it into the largest and most trusted conservative news site out there with a following of over 3.5 million people. Brian Kolfage built on that and followed every rule that Facebook threw at him just as John and Tiffiny did. But Facebook decided that Right Wing News was too informative, too influential on the right to exist so they have shut it down. Both the New York Times and Facebook themselves were brazen enough to say it had to do with the midterm elections. They also said lie after lie about John Hawkins and that will not go unanswered. It should be noted that there is nothing unconstitutional about what Facebook did. It is a private company and has the perfect freedom to censor anyone it damn well pleases. The problem is that the people at Facebook are lying when they say they don't censor conservatives. In this latest purge, they managed to include a couple of liberal spam pages just to maintain the fiction that they don't favor one side or another. The fact is, Facebook is being cheered on as are other platforms like Twitter by a political opposition absolutely committed to stifling the speech of those they disagree with. They fear "fascism" so much that they, themselves, have adopted fascist tactics. It is one of the great ironies in American history. I just hope a competent historian is around in 100 years to write about it. Democratic presidential frontrunner hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren always prides herself on being the candidate of the little guy. In her old-fashioned granny suits with her old-fashioned glasses, she speaks in a soft, syrupy voice and calls herself a consumer advocate. Naturally, there's not a left-wing cause on Earth the Massachusetts Democrat won't support, and of course, as a professional fake Indian with affirmative action professorships under her belt, an incongruous house-flipping history, an Imelda-sized wardrobe, and a big bankbook, she knows how to play the games, academic or otherwise. But she always portrays herself as nice. She doesn't have that hectoring, cackling, manic, revolting voice you hear from Hillary Clinton. Nope, Warren's always soft, soothing, and smooth. But then we hear how she acts in private. According to a report in BuzzFeed News, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act query, she's actually a nightmare to deal with. President Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, in his previous capacity as secretary of homeland security, has a thing or two to say about her in his email correspondence with colleagues: WASHINGTON White House chief of staff John Kelly called Sen. Elizabeth Warren an "impolite arrogant woman" in a private email he exchanged last year with his top aide following a telephone conversation with the Massachusetts Democrat about the Trump administration's travel ban. "Absolutely most insulting conversation I have ever had with anyone," Kelly, then serving as the secretary of homeland security, wrote to Kevin Carroll, who was then his senior counselor at the Department of Homeland Security, in an email from Feb. 8, 2017. "What an impolite arrogant woman. She immediately began insulting our people accusing them of not following the court order, insulting and abusive behavior towards those covered by the pause, blah blah blah." So Warren wasn't able to communicate what she wanted without being a pig about it? An entitled, abusive, arrogant, unpleasant hag, so memorably bad that Kelly told a colleague about it? And Kelly said it was "absolutely themost insulting conversation I have ever had with anyone"? This doesn't sound like someone who works well with others or someone who knows how to get what she wants without a tantrum. Warren obviously has a different face in public from what she shows in private. And in private, she's clearly a nightmare, an entitled, arrogant, unpleasant hag demanding service at the customer service counter, which everyone who has ever worked in customer service (and on the heels of the Obama economy, quite a few did) is going to recognize. What's more, that's something coming from a so-called consumer advocate, someone who supposedly has the little guy in mind, and for sure, it suggests some defective leadership qualities. What an unpleasant person. One can only imagine what her house help must think of her. Warren herself seems to have recognized the problem she's created for herself with the BuzzFeed revelations and is now defensively trying to spin it: "Was I tough on John Kelly? ... You bet I was." No, actually, you were a pig, Liz, and the reaction of Kelly shows it. If you were just 'tough,' there'd be no email, let alone the absence of fear of you. Since then, Warren has tried to make political hay of it, with her buddies setting up "arrogant, entitled, woman" websites and the like, as the Boston Globe reports. But the rest of us can see what really went down, and it wasn't what Warren's marketers are trying to spin. She's just a nasty, unpleasant person in private, and God help anyone who ever has the misfortune of dealing with her. Image credit: MSNBC YouTube screen grab. The Hollywood Reporter examined reams of data from the Federal Election Commission and determined that there were only three movie executives out of the top 100 who contributed to Republican or conservative political organizations. Out of $5 million in political donations from Hollywood bigshots, only $11,500 went to Republicans. Only three members of this year's THR 100 list donated to Republicans or Republican committees: Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels donated $5,000 to moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins; WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey gave $2,000 to both Tennessee Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn and the National Republican Congressional Committee; and Viacom CEO Bob Bakish gave $1,500 to Republican Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson and $1,000 to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The biggest Hollywood donations went almost all to Democrats. The Senate Majority PAC was the primary recipient, with HBO host Bill Maher ($1 million), Netflix CEO Reed Hastings ($500,000) and Endeavor executives Ari Emanuel ($100,000) and Patrick Whitesell ($100,000) making major donations. "Every donation we receive is critical to help us ensure victory come Election Day," said Senate Majority PAC president J.B. Poersch. Talent agency management gave consistently and generously to Democrats. After Whitesell ($147,400 in total donations) and Emanuel ($120,400 in donations), CAA Managing Partner Bryan Lourd paced the field ($106,300 in donations), followed by ICM Partners Managing Director Chris Silbermann ($54,700) and CAA Managing Partner Kevin Huvane ($47,300). Directors have been among Hollywood's most prolific donors, including Steve Spielberg ($549,000) and J.J. Abrams ($347,500). Netflix executives also made their presence felt, led by chief executive Reed Hastings, who has made 14 donations totaling $546,600. If it's not surprising that so many top Hollywood executives gave to Democrats and it isn't perhaps we should start thinking about what this news actually means. It's no secret that traditional American values are losing out in this changing cultural landscape. The indoctrination techniques being employed by the left that begin when children first set foot into an American classroom have accomplished exactly what they intend to accomplish. America's young children grow up to become teenagers and then young adults believing that traditional values are racist, sexist, oppressive, and out of step with the times. They are taught from the youngest age that America needs "fundamental transformation," which includes ending "white privilege"; the "rape culture"; and all forms of racial, ethnic, and religious bigotry. To achieve this cultural miracle, we must worship at the altars of diversity and multiculturalism, change the narrative of American history to reflect the racism and oppression of American society, and create students who are hypersensitive to any perceived slight or "injustice." The way in which the educational system is reinforced is through film and television. What we see on the big and small screens is nothing more than liberal group think in action. It is one ideology's vision of what constitutes "social justice," and the Constitution and the traditional values it represents become irrelevant. Those who believe in traditional values are ignored, or worse. And ironically, despite calls for "diversity," America is fast becoming ideologically and intellectually uniform in what is defined as "acceptable" thought. I'm trying to work up some sympathy and I ... can't. ABC executives reportedly are now saying that they regret firing the star of their hit comedy, Roseanne, who made a bad tweet and got canned for it. According to the Daily Caller: Two top ABC executives regret firing actress Roseanne Barr from eponymous hit show Roseanne, The Daily Mail reported Thursday. Barr was abruptly let go from ABC following an allegedly Ambien-fueled Twitter tirade in which she tried to draw a parallel between Valerie Jarrett, a former aide to President Barack Obama, and Planet of the Apes. She also claimed billionaire George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth. Following her dismissal from ABC in May, the network announced they would continue the show with a spinoff that would exclude Barr called The Conners. Her real problem, of course, was that she supported Trump. Seems they fired her to show their political correctness, even though the pro-Trump comedienne had apologized for her bad tweet. Nope, had to get it politically correct, the better to enjoy polite society's opinion, which was an odd thing given that the Roseanne show is a show of interest only to the working class. And it's not like they didn't know what they were getting when they hired her and opted to make money off her considerable talents. Such talk is kind of what she does. Did Michelle Obama have something to do with this? One wonders, given that the accusation looked like more than it was dismissed as, and the Obamas are well known to have their fingers in the business of Hollywood these days, as their lucrative Netflix deal suggests. We all know they gummed up traffic regularly in Beverly Hills during their presidency, at least if we lived there at the time, and we know the Obama Hollywood pal list runs thick. If the claim is true, obviously allowing politicos to make business decisions about television shows is not the bonanza these network executives thought it might be. Because firing Roseanne was an astoundingly dumb call, amounting to shutting off the TV set of the public for the sake of virtue-signalling to PBS-watching whites, and obviously it was noticible to the public, given that large numbers of them enjoyed that show. What a coincidence: Polls from a new book shows that more than 80% of the entire public (across racial lines) can't stand political correctness. I wouldn't be surprised if this show shutdown had something to do with it. Now the ABC execs are crying in their beer, and not because they wish they weren't such suckers for the hucksters of political correctness but because it's hitting their bottom line. Fire your namesake star from a top show, don't be surprised if the audience doesn't come back. What kind of brains did that take? According to the Daily Caller: When we greenlit The Conners we thought that the public would tune in to see the family return but what weve discovered is that people want Roseanne they dont want the family by themselves, a second ABC source said. The marketing and publicity teams are horrified as no matter what promotional material is released and lets be honest its been limited for a show that launches next Tuesday Roseannes fans come out in force stating that they wont watch the show. What's more, we are seeing a gross effort from the left to spin the Roseanne-less show as not so bad (see here and here) but the serious Hollywood press is saying the firing of the star leaves the show a dud. Here's the brutal truth from Deadline Hollywood: From the two episodes that Ive seen, the adequate offering with solid core performances from Fishman, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, and Lecy Goranson is packed with jokes and one-liners you can see coming long before they land and full of scenarios youve seen a million times before on the small screen. Bleached of the Donald Trump associations and politics that made the March 27 Roseanne return debut crackle with confrontational relevance, the Gilbert, Tom Werner, Tony Hernandez, Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen and Dave Caplan executive produced Conners distinctly doesnt seem to want to cause any waves for itself or the network and thats the biggest problem. So yeah, we can conclude that getting rid of Roseanne and leaving her lifeless show intact is going to hit ABC's bottom line. They had a winner in hand and sacrificed it to the gods of political correctness. Image credit: Monterey Media, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 and CC BY-SA 3.0 Vox, the smarmy Obama hipster "explainer" news site that purports to know how the world works better than you, has been found shilling Chinese political propaganda. The news was first spotted by Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit at the Washington Free Beacon, and though the piece was written several weeks ago, it's definitely eye-catching. Vox, founded by Ezra Klein in 2011 at the height of the Obama era, for all its pretenses to being modern and hip and Millennial, is really just a shill for the old gray men of Beijing. Here's what the Free Beacon found: Explanatory media website Vox has been receiving money from a Chinese communist government-backed front organization. A recent Vox blog post by foreign editor Yochi Dreazen titled, "The big winner of the Trump-Kim summit? China" discloses at the bottom of the piece that the reporting was subsidized by the China-United States Exchange Foundation. "This reporting was supported by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a privately funded nonprofit organization based in Hong Kong that is dedicated to 'facilitating open and constructive exchange among policy-makers, business leaders, academics, think-tanks, cultural figures, and educators from the United States and China,'" the post states in a note at the bottom. Cripes, what an astonishing black eye for a group that claims to be doing a new kind of better "journalism." And it's impossible to not be exposed if one reads that site, given that its disclaimers are put at the bottom of its pieces, right after a reader has spent time reading them. Like any leftist outfit, it's obviously convinced that rules of journalism, such as not publishing state communist propaganda alongside regular news, don't apply to it. What other newspaper publishes paid Chinese state propaganda? We sure don't. Here at American Thinker we regularly turn down pieces that have foreign government sponsorship, and that goes for any government. We don't print this kind of thing. What would Vox say to another newspaper that publishes Russian RT News propaganda? It's simply not done. What's more, this isn't the first time Vox's founder has shown such slovenly journalistic ethics. Klein, after all, is the founder of JournoList, the collusion group of journalists and Obama administration operatives who coordinated talking points to enhance the Obama administration's "narratives," and probably should be investigated for anti-trust violations, given that the news agencies were supposedly competitors. You know that if drug companies did what Klein did, they'd have the regulators all over them. Klein did that while he was at the Washington Post, with no consequences, given that he was their bright young man at the time. Why does this matter? Because Vox's reports, presumably the paid Chinese propaganda reports, are indexed in such privileged top spots in Google News and Firefox's Pocket that it's impossible not to see its pieces any time one tries to look for news. In the news industry, those privileged indexings suggest a company that's getting a lot of traffic and doing well ad-wise. But then Vox's taking of money from Chinese state propaganda outlets suggests exactly the opposite: an organization down at its heels desperate to rake in any income. That contradictory picture suggests other things going on, and none of them is good: either Vox has an artificially boosted rankings for its news based on its powerful patrons at Google or Vox is so fond of promoting the ChiCom propaganda line itself that it's willing to throw its reputation to the wind, thinking its readers don't care. A third possibility is that Vox is greedy for any income and will take it from all givers, ethics be damned. None of this make the people running the site look good. Its new journalism of the left pretty obviously is now to be viewed as warmed over repackaged leftism, with a Made in China label stuck to the bottom. This week, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a major new report on the feasibility of meeting a global warming target of 1.5C, or 2.7F, above preindustrial levels. It makes for sobering reading, and coverage of it was downright apocalyptic. (I'm as guilty as other reporters in focusing on the disturbing aspects.) But, but but: There are other frameworks for climate change, including ones that focus on courage, resilience and opportunity. I asked three top climate scientists to comment on the new report in an email conversation. Here are some of their key points. Reality check: Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech, said climate change is relevant to the here and now. "What the 1.5C report brings home is that the future is now. The choice is upon us," Hayhoe told me. "We dont have all the Jetson-era technology we imagined wed have when the chickens came home to roost. But the world is already changing." "And yes, it is an opportunity an opportunity to transform the very fabric of our society, from its current patterns of consumption that will soon exceed our planetary boundaries to one that is able to sustain our human civilization for millennia to come." Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech University The big question: Kate Marvel, a NASA climate scientist, discussed the need for facing climate change courageously, rather than getting depressed or scared. "It makes no sense to give up now, even though the future seems very scary," Marvel said. She's unique in climate science for talking about how it feels to be studying this issue. "It's OK to grieve over the things we've lost and will lose. But grief isn't the same as despair. We need to be brave enough to do the right thing." Kate Marvel, NASA "Have you ever read a story where the hero decides not to go on the quest because it seems too hard?" she asked. "Of course not we admire and respect those who have the courage to act, even without the guarantee of a happy ending." Don't forget: Andrea Dutton, a scientist at the University of Florida, said it's important to remember that we all face a choice in determining our future. "If we choose despair, then yes, that doom and gloom can be ours. But if instead, we find the courage to face our fears about the ways in which the future might be different, I am sure that we will be able to carve ourselves a new pathway to a better future." Andrea Dutton, University of Florida Go deeper: Slaying the Climate Dragon, Kate Marvel's new climate fairytale, in Scientific American. President Trump clarified in a tweet Saturday morning that there was "no deal" made with Turkey for the return of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was released from the country on Friday after being held since 2016 for terrorism charges. Why it matters: Trump has maintained that he doesn't make deals for hostages, however it was previously reported by NBC News that the United States had been in negotiations with Turkey looking for the pastor's release and ultimately reached a deal. Trump suggested that the pastor's release could foster "great relations" between the U.S. and Turkey. Brunson is expected to meet with Trump at the White House this afternoon. Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was full of praise for what he described as Armenias ongoing transition to democracy when he met with the countrys leaders in Yerevan late on Friday. Trudeau held talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and President Armen Sarkissian during his first-ever official visit to the South Caucasus country timed to coincide with a summit of French-speaking nations held in the Armenian capital. The talks were followed by an official dinner given by Pashinian. Right now around the world we see challenges in various democracies with the rise of populism, with politics of division, with challenges of countries moving further away from democracy, Trudeau said at the dinner. And here in Armenia you are moving strongly and proudly in the right direction, in the democracy direction. The focus you, Nikol, have brought on connecting with people, on serving people and on empowering people through democracy and economic opportunities, but mostly through pride and confidence in the future they are building, is truly extraordinary, he added. According to the Armenian premier's office, Trudeau told Pashinian at their meeting earlier in the day that Canada, which has a thriving Armenian community, stands ready to help Armenia attract foreign investment and upgrade its public infrastructures. In his opening remarks at the talks, the Canadian leader said he was overwhelmed by a warm reception he received in Yerevan. Over these past days its been just wonderful to be so warmly welcomed and its a real pleasure to be here, he said. The people of Canada & Armenia are at the heart of the special relationship between our two countries and tie us together in so many ways, Trudeau tweeted after the dinner with Pashinian and Sarkissian. For his part, Pashinian lavished praise on Trudeau, saying that Armenians have positive attitudes towards your country and you personally. I hope that the personal relationship established between us will help to elevate the already warm relations between our countries to a new level, he said. Pashinian, who came to power in May in what is widely regarded in Armenia as a democratic velvet revolution, then handed Trudeau a copy of the Armenian translation of the latters memoir published in 2014. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 24 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 13. 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. Trend: The earth mound for the future Baku-Gabala railway has already been prepared on a 20-kilometer-section in Azerbaijan, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov told reporters in Baku on Oct. 12. "The work is underway, he said. Funds have been already allocated for this project. The distance from Baku city to Gabala city is approximately 210 kilometers. I have addressed the president, the Ministry of Economy regarding this project. Eleven more electric trains and three new diesel trains are required." Gurbanov stressed that the Baku-Balakan railway is being repaired. "The reconstruction has already been launched, he said. Since 2017, we have already laid 60,000-70,000 sleepers along the railway route and this process is underway. At our own expense, we purchased construction equipment worth $40 million. Austrian equipment was purchased through the loan." By Trend A citizen of the Republic of Poland, Starosta of Wolomin County Kazimierz Rakowski has been removed from blacklist, Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry said in a message. Rakowski addressed a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for his removal from the List of foreign citizens who illegally visited the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In his letter Rakowski reaffirming his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, its laws and regulations, expressed his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After considering the appeal by the Polish citizen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to remove his name from the list. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. By Trend The German embassy in Baku may implement the ASAN visa system for issuing visas to Azerbaijani citizens, Stefan Kaegebein, coordinator of the working group digitalization at the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, told Trend. The negotiations with the German side are held within the "ASAN visa 2 concept". It envisages the issuance of visas to Azerbaijani citizens to travel to foreign countries in a simplified form through the "ASAN visa" platform. The first stage of the project was aimed at facilitating the entry of citizens of other countries into Azerbaijan. "We would be very glad if the negotiations are successful and this will help simplify the process for Azerbaijani citizens to obtain visa not only to Germany, but also to other EU countries. I hope that this technology will be used." Kaegebein also said that German businessmen are interested in the development of relations with Azerbaijan in the field of information and communication technologies. "At the beginning of 2019, we will meet with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government to discuss the latest developments in the economic sphere," he said. "Today, the Azerbaijani economy is greatly dependent on the oil and gas sector. The ICT sector can make a great contribution to its diversification. In our view, there are good opportunities here." Trend: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding measures to improve living conditions of the population in the city of Guba. Under the presidential order, 3 million manats will be allocated to Guba District Executive Authority for the construction of a 48-flat residential building in the city. Trend: Serious measures have been taken on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s initiative in order to strengthen the social protection of population in Azerbaijan over the past 15 years, Azerbaijani Presidents Assistant for Public and Political Affairs, department head, professor Ali Hasanov says in his article on the results of President Ilham Aliyev`s 15 years in power. Over the past 15 years, 1.9 million new jobs have been created, salaries have been increased more than 5 times, while pensions more than 8 times, unemployment rate has been reduced to 5 percent and poverty from 49 percent to 5.4 percent in the country, Hasanov said. During his presidency, President Aliyev has carried out serious institutional reforms in the field of public and social services, he said. In 2012, under President Aliyevs relevant decree and order, the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan was established, and ASAN xidmet" centers have been set up by the public bodies unifying the services provided to the population in a single system, he said. Recognized as the Azerbaijani brand in the world, the ASAN xidmet is already being used in other countries too. In August 2018, President Aliyev set up the Agency for Sustainable and Operational Social Security (DOST) under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population to provide flexible and innovative services related to employment, labour and social protection of the population, he said. Hasanov emphasizes that the president always takes special care of the families of martyrs, war veterans and disabled people. During the past 15 years, more than 5,500 individual houses and apartments and more than 6,000 cars have been given out by the Azerbaijani government to the families of martyrs and war veterans, he said. By the end of the year more than 500 people from that category will be provided with new apartments, he said. The Azerbaijani president has allocated 20 million manats in this regard. Trend: During 15 years of presidency, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, relying on a civil unity platform, the foundation of which was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev, first of all strengthened internal public and political stability, says Azerbaijani Presidents Assistant for Public and Political Affairs, department head, professor Ali Hasanov wrote in his article on the results of President Ilham Aliyev`s 15 years in power. President Ilham Aliyev ensured security of the population, the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people, tranquillity in the country, and succeeded in gradually improving well-being of citizens, he added. We can say without hesitation that Azerbaijan takes the first place in the post-Soviet area thanks to internal national civil unity and the strong public and political stability factor, which is based on the broader public support for the government's policy, Hasanov said. He stressed that Azerbaijan has reinforced its position in the top three in the region over the last 15 years on a number of other key parameters of domestic development, including macroeconomic stability, dynamic economic development, dynamics of public and moral security system, positive demographic situation, effective government control of migration and urbanization processes and effective public administration. Thanks to President Ilham Aliyevs foreign policy, which is based on national interests, Azerbaijan has been recognized as a state that has its independent standing, and its international influence has gradually increased, he said. In 2011, Azerbaijan was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with the support of 155 countries and became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, which includes 120 countries, Hasanov said. Azerbaijan will chair the movement in 2019-2022. Azerbaijan has established strategic partnership relations and signed relevant documents with nine EU member states." Trend: Azerbaijani MP, Vice-President of the Free Democrats Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ganira Pashayeva raised the issue in PACE regarding deportation of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands - the territory of present-day Armenia in 1948 and 1988. Pashayeva stressed that 100 years have already passed since the ancient Azerbaijani city of Irevan was forcibly taken away from Azerbaijan and transferred to Armenia. By using the archival materials of Czarist Russia, Russian researcher N. Shavrov studied the process of settling of the Armenians in the South Caucasus, she added. In the book entitled New Threat to the Russian Case in the Caucasus published in 1911 Shavrov stressed that one million people out of 1,300,000 Armenians who lived in the region at the beginning of the 20th century accounts for newcomers and resettled here by the Russians themselves, Pashayeva said. On the map of the Transcaucasus, published in Moscow in 1931, 78.1 percent of the geographical names on the territory of Armenia were of Azerbaijani origin and only 3.45 percent were of Armenian origin, she added. "However, pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing for many years, along with forcible expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their historical lands, Armenian officials destroyed cultural and historical monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis and renamed the names of places, Pashayeva said. We must not forget the forcible expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their houses in Armenia in 1948 and the 70th anniversary of the deportation, she said. The Azerbaijanis who survived this terrible tragedy could not return to their homes, Pashayeva added. And the fact that the international community did not have the serious pressure on these grave crimes committed by the Armenian leadership, laid the foundation for new crimes. Pashayeva stressed that in 1988 the Armenian leadership, pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing, forcibly drove all Azerbaijanis from their houses. Pashayeva stressed that up till now Armenia does not recognize the right of tens of thousands of Azerbaijani refugees to return to their houses. She called on PACE to keep those issues on the agenda and to hear those people. "They urge you to support the protection of their violated rights, Pashayeva said. Armenia, pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing, not only did not stop to expel all Azerbaijanis from their homeland, but also destroyed all cultural and historical monuments and cemeteries belonging to Azerbaijanis. 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. Post: #13 RE: Is This Why The Iraq Veterans Suicide Rate So High? I.M. Satisfied Wrote: (10-13-2018 06:34 PM) They volunteered and should have known that they were going to be used for The Yinon Plan For Greater Israel. All governments currently operating in the United States of America are nothing short of criminal cabals. Wow, Just days after 9/11 they should have known they were waging war for Israel? Most people were and still are ignorant of Middle East politics. In truth I watched the towers fall and wasn't really surprised. I attended an anti-war rally before the Iraq invasion. Out of dozens of protesters my sign was the ONLY one that said NO WAR FOR ISRAEL!. So many of the sheeple looked lost and perplexed when they read it. And no wonder. Because apparently even men of very high position were easily snookered into believing the lies. Men such as former general Colin Powell who fed the sheeple the lies to justify the Iraq war. Later Powell said he was misled about WMD and that America invaded Iraq for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/oct/09/...et-book9/2 Men such as Philip Zelikow who was a Bush advisor who later said that he came to believe that America invaded Iraq for Israel. http://www.ipsnews.net/2004/03/iraq-war-...h-adviser/ Men such as retired general Anthony Zinni who said : ...the neoconservatives role in pushing the war for Israels benefit was the worst-kept secret in Washington. https://forward.com/news/5719/ex-mideast...shed-iraq/ If some of these higher uppers didn't seem to have a clue at the time, why would you expect young men and women with a love of country but little political acumen to have such a grasp? Wow, Just days after 9/11 they should have known they were waging war for Israel? Most people were and still are ignorant of Middle East politics. In truth I watched the towers fall and wasn't really surprised.I attended an anti-war rally before the Iraq invasion. Out of dozens of protesters my sign was the ONLY one that said NO WAR FOR ISRAEL!.So many of the sheeple looked lost and perplexed when they read it. And no wonder. Because apparently even men of very high position were easily snookered into believing the lies.Men such as former general Colin Powell who fed the sheeple the lies to justify the Iraq war. Later Powell said he was misled about WMD and that America invaded Iraq for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.Men such as Philip Zelikow who was a Bush advisor who later said that he came to believe that America invaded Iraq for Israel.Men such as retired general Anthony Zinni who said :...the neoconservatives role in pushing the war for Israels benefit was the worst-kept secret in Washington.If some of these higher uppers didn't seem to have a clue at the time, why would you expect young men and women with a love of country but little political acumen to have such a grasp? By Trend The upcoming visit of the American president's national security adviser John Bolton to the South Caucasus and in particular to Azerbaijan confirms the interest of the American side in this strategically important region, Andrei Shenin, Professor of the Department of Regional Studies at the Gumilyov Eurasian National University, told Trend Oct. 13. Bolton will embark on visit to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia on October 20. Shenin noted that Bolton is a fairly well-known person in the post-Soviet area, and he is usually referred to the neoconservatives who gained fame during the administration of George W. Bush. We can assume with high probability that the main items on the agenda will be Afghanistan and energy issues that are crucial for the US in the region. Concerning Afghanistan, Bolton will reinforce agreements on transportation of cargo through ports of the Caspian Sea; as for the energy issues, the talks will possibly be dedicated to the business projects which are already being implemented, as well as the solution of the current problems." "As for Azerbaijan, at the moment the United States regards this country as an important strategic partner in the region. The large assistance for the American troops in Afghanistan will be delivered through Azerbaijan. At the same time, one should also not forget about the main pipelines - TAP and TANAP," Shenin said. He noted that the implementation of the large-scale Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which provides for transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is a priority for the United States. TAP, worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, and will be connected to another gas pipeline, TANAP, at the Turkish-Greek border. It will run across the territory of Greece, Albania, along the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, and then will go to the south of Italy. The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it. TAP's shareholders are: BP - 20 percent, SOCAR - 20 percent, Snam - 20 percent, Fluxys - 19 percent, Enagas - 16 percent, Axpo - 5 percent. Trend: Russian company Gazprom and the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR discussed the issues concerning gas supplies to Azerbaijan. These issues were discussed during the meeting between Chairman of the Board of Gazprom Alexey Miller and SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, the Russian company said on Oct. 12. "Gazprom has supplied 1.15 billion cubic meters of gas to Azerbaijan since November 22, 2017 when gas exports to the country were resumed, the company said. The sides discussed cooperation prospects in this direction." SOCAR is the Azerbaijani biggest state oil and gas company. The company's activity includes exploration, production, processing, transportation and sale of oil, natural gas and gas condensate. In October 2009, Gazprom Export LLC and SOCAR signed a medium-term contract to supply gas from Azerbaijan in 2010-2015 through the Shirvanovka point at the Russian-Azerbaijani border. During the period, 5.4 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were bought. In 2015, a subsidiary of Gazprom Export LLC, Gazprom Schweiz AG, supplied gas to Azerbaijan Methanol Company (AzMeCo). Under the contract, 107.4 billion cubic meters of gas were supplied. Gazprom Export LLC and SOCAR signed a contract on gas supply to Azerbaijan on Nov. 21, 2017. Anna Smith writes a weekly column about Bakersfield. She can be reached at anna@sagebakersfield.com The opinions expressed are her own. Wild Week on Oregon Coast: Warm Temps, Talking Creature, Lincoln City's Glass Floats Big News Published 10/11/2018 at 5:24 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Oregon Coast) A rather extraordinary week of fun finds and announcements along the Oregon coast: a long string of second summer weather, the discovery of talking barnacles, and Lincoln Citys glass float drops are making a major change. (Above: a tidepool at Seal Rock. Did you know some creatures there "talk?") Weather on the beaches will become beautifully and unseasonably warm, possibly reaching into the 70s. The National Weather Service (NWS) is also looking at this lasting at least a week possibly longer. Youll also find extremely calm wave conditions this week, which will be great for whale watching as well as the whale watch tours of the central Oregon coast. Sunday may get up to 70 degrees, or at least close to that. Monday through Wednesday remain clear and sunny, except for a small bout of clouds on Tuesday night. The full story here: More Oregon Coast Second Summer - Perhaps More Than a Week. In the weird science realm, you may be surprised to find that some kinds of tidepool life can talk and the Haystack Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach actually got video and sound of this unusual and rare thing. On the Oregon coast, this comes from the acorn barnacle. It comes down to the creatures get spooked by you or something nearby and then they move position inside their double shells. This causes the strange noise to happen: a sort of clicking sound. If several barnacles do it at once which is likely if youre moving around a tidepool it will sound like theyre talking to each other from different sides of the tidepool. Truly trippy stuff and its almost never been documented. See Freaky Oregon Coast Video: Barnacles That Chat With Each Other. The famous Finders Keepers glass float promotion of the central Oregon coast is featuring its last season: last because the huge Lincoln City attraction will never stop. It is now year-round. 365 days of dropping glass floats during every season is now standard operation, encompassing summer now. On top of that, hundreds of additional special glass floats will be dropped along the towns sandy stretches: signature hand-made glass floats for various special occasions. So far, the Finders Keepers event has been just fall, winter and spring. Now, in its 20th year, the promotion celebrates this by never stopping and by dropping even more glass floats. Some 3000 of the treasured keepsakes will be cut loose on the sands of the central Oregon coast town. See the full story: Oregon Coast's Famed Glass Float Drops Starts Its Last Season - In a Way. - Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted KINGSTON, Jamaica - When Neville Hall dives into the waters of Kingston Harbor searching for conch and fish, he sees a lot of black. Black plastic bags waving like seaweed, black sludge coating the ocean floor - the degraded remnants of all sorts of plastic waste. But not as much conch or fish as he used to see when he started fishing in 1979. Hall knows firsthand the toll that plastics and Styrofoam take on the ocean and the environment at large. "The pollution kills out the mangroves, and in certain places where you would have pretty sand, mud is there. All different things happen," Hall said. Relief from the scourge may be in sight for Jamaica, which is among at least 20 Caribbean and Latin American nations banning - or in discussions to ban - the importation, manufacture and distribution of single-use plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam. As of Jan. 1, those items will be prohibited here, and plastic bottles will eventually be collected for reimbursement and recycled. Jamaica is one of several island countries that have reached a tipping point about non-biodegradable waste and the daily threat it poses to paradise. It will not be easy. While the struggle to combat waste is not unique to these islands, their geography makes it harder for them than for large land masses, where landfill sites are plentiful and there is less shoreline, in proportion to the total area, on which garbage can wash up. Although some logistics have yet to be finalized, Jamaica's ban was inevitable, according to Daryl Vaz, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. "Based on where the world was going globally, we made a decision. We have very, very serious environmental problems," he said. Among those problems, according to Kristal Ambrose, a young Bahamian environmentalist who has launched a campaign against non-biodegradable waste in her country, are the flows of litter clogging drains and the gullies that flood when it rains, the microplastics that end up in the food chain and the waste that endangers wildlife. There is also the problem of aesthetics, especially in a region dependent on tourism. Tour any Caribbean island, and it becomes apparent that most of their beaches and lush forests are despoiled by plastic bottles, straws, fishing nets, plastic bags and Styrofoam containers. But they are fighting back - following the lead of Rwanda, the first country to ban plastic bags in 2008, and Haiti, which in 2012 became the first in the Caribbean to do so. "We are finally seeing a shift in momentum," said Vincent Sweeney, head of the U.N. Environment Caribbean Sub-Regional Office. "The tipping point is an apt description." According to the United Nations, the world consumes each year up to 5 trillion plastic bags made from a petroleum-based product that takes 500 years to degrade. A World Bank report found that close to 420,000 tons of plastic waste entered the Caribbean Sea in 2010, with that amount expected to rise to 790,000 tons by 2025. The management of non-biodegradable waste is a complex system of production and consumption that must be regulated at both ends, says Suzanne Stanley, chief executive of the Jamaica Environment Trust. Key to that is an education campaign about the consequences of littering, targeted at Jamaicans, as well as more specific rules for manufacturers and importers. "There are cultural behaviors and attitudes about waste that need to be improved on," Stanley said. Ambrose, who is about to complete a master's degree in marine management and is the founder of the Bahamas Plastic Movement, has succeeded in forcing some of this change in her country. A youth delegation she led in January persuaded the Bahamian Parliament to ban plastics starting in 2020. The ban is essential, she says, because of the island nation's multifaceted problem with waste. "We generate waste on land, but we also collect the world's trash," she said, referring to the garbage that washes up on most Caribbean beaches. Even the aesthetic problems associated with waste are costly, she notes, mentioning a 2017 study in the journal Marine Policy that found that for every 15 items of litter a visitor sees, $8 million a year in tourism revenue is lost. Despite lost revenue and a suffering environment, breaking the plastic and Styrofoam addiction is a challenge. A ban on the substances foundered in Haiti, says David Katz, founder of the Plastic Bank, a nongovernment organization there that exchanges plastic for money. The reason, he said, was the lack of an affordable alternative. "The law is not reflected in the waste we see in the environment, and materials are still being brought in over the border from the Dominican Republic," Katz says. "It is a catastrophe unfolding on a daily basis." Another part of the problem in Haiti has been an absence of enforcement and education - a mistake Jamaica's Vaz says he is determined to avoid. "There's going to be a need for increased resources and public education and actual garbage collection," he said. Fines of up to $15,000 will be instituted for importing and up to $370 for manufacturing, according to Peter Knight, chief executive of the National Environment and Planning Agency in Jamaica. Other islands are planning to change behavior through taxes. In Dominica, a small, rainforest-covered island with a population of almost 73,000, Director of Trade Matthan J. Walter says select plastic items will be banned come Jan. 1, possibly accompanied by a punitive tax on non-biodegradable items. "So that will change purchase practices," he said. Mel Tennant, known in Jamaica as "the turtle man," reinforces the notion that a change of mind-set is necessary, both among citizens and authorities. Tennant launches tens of thousands of hatchling turtles from a beach on Jamaica's north coast every year. He sees the devastation caused by waste. "We get a lot of plastic bottles and Styrofoam washed up on the beach. We clean the beach every day," he said. But he noted that when enough waste receptacles were provided in the tourist town of Ocho Rios, it suddenly became the tidy paradise it should be. For Hall, the fisherman, the ban cannot come soon enough. For now, his survival depends on a daily game of hide-and-seek for fish and conch that are under constant threat. "I support the ban 100 percent," he said. ALTON Natural drawing abilities and originality set one student apart from the rest in Altons East End Improvement Associations annual Alton Halloween Parade poster contest. Freshman Olivia Joiner came to Alton High School with no graphic design experience, leaning on her love of detail to eventually win. For the Sesser, Illinois native, Halloween has always been celebrated as a family tradition. I drew all this free-handed, said Joiner, motioning toward her design. After taking a look at past contest entries, she set out to capitalize on her skills by bringing something different. I noticed that most of the past posters focused on one design element, Joiner said. So, I did some research on characters, and decided I wanted my poster to be fun and colorful. Approximately 75 AHS students, from three different graphic design-based classes, submitted posters this year. The process took about five weeks as the first big project of the year, allowing students to brainstorm, sketch and learn photo editing techniques before the posters were judged and graded for course credit. The courses are elective, and Joiner said her tour of the department last year especially seeing all of the departments equipment won her over. I was excited when I heard I won, Joiner said. Ive loved the class as a whole. This marks the second year in a row a freshman has been named winner. A green Frankenstein holding a red sucker and an orange-haired witch grabbing multi-colored candy act as the posters focal point, framed by a bowl of treats, a moon and a night sky. Joiner drew and colored the illustrations, as well as textual elements, in just a of couple hours before having to work in unfamiliar territory. At first I thought it was difficult, said Joiner of Photoshop. But I learned quickly. Over the course of a few weeks, Joiner learned about the photo editing software to add fine lines and blend colors in her graphic principals class from AHS teacher Lexa Browning-Needham. She said she avoids showing past winners posters too early, but wants to give students an idea of what judges might expect. Her drawing captured the theme, said Browning. For a freshman, she really executed well. Other kids pointed at her poster from the beginning saying she was going to win. She described the color and texture of this years winning poster as excellent, and in line with the kid-friendly theme the parade committee, a part of the association, has set over the years. Every year Im amazed with the young talent. I think she might go far if she stays in the field, said Browning. Around the late 90s, Brownings classes began designing buttons sold by the committee in support of the annual parade. After a few years, the committee realized they were spending more money making the buttons than selling them. Thereafter, the poster idea was born. Originality played a big part in the this years decision made by the committee, which has sponsored the contest for more than 15 years, according to member Steve Schwartz. Its a great partnership between us and the Alton public school system, said Schwartz. Joiner said she is not sure graphic design specifically is in her future, but art in general is, for sure. About 100 copies of the winning poster will be placed around the Godfrey/Alton area ahead of the 102nd annual Alton Halloween Parade scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. There are new floats joining the lineup this year, but Schwartz said the committee still needs some participants applications, to strategically plan the parades lineup. As of Thursday, applications are due to the committee by Oct. 20 before a mandatory meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at Knights of Columbus. Reach reporter Brittany Johnson at 618-208-6460. Here are the most-read ASC articles for the week of Oct. 5 through Oct. 11: 1. Former pain physician sentenced to 20 years in prison after allegedly causing multiple overdoses: 5 details Click here 2. Salary gap between ASC and hospital leaders narrows Here's how much Click here 3. Physician pay, productivity slows for first time in a decade: 5 report statistics Click here 4. Pain physician convicted of falsifying patient medical records 6 insights Click here 5. 200+ total joint replacement ASC in New Jersey opens new location: 4 things to know Click here Former Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell launched a nonprofit called Safehouse, which will operate a safe injection site in Philadelphia despite government pushback, according to NPR. Here are four things to know: 1. Safehouse will provide a supervised space for people to use illicit drugs. People wishing to enter the building will first receive a physical and mental health assessment. They will also be given strips to test their drugs for fentanyl. In addition, Safehouse will offer social services and referrals to primary care physicians to those wishing to seek permanent care. "The idea is if today we can prevent that fatal overdose and we can build that relationship of trust, then maybe tomorrow, or even later today, we can encourage that person to get into treatment," Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and a Safehouse board member, told NPR. 2. Rod Rosenstein, U.S. deputy attorney general, told NPR Aug. 30, the Justice Department will not allow supervised injection sites to be opened in Philadelphia or other U.S. cities, as it violates a federal statute against maintaining a location for the use of controlled substances. People who use illicit drugs at Safehouse could still face prosecution under federal law. "I have a message for Mr. Rosenstein: I'm the incorporator of the safe injection site nonprofit, and they can come and arrest me first," Mr. Rendell told NPR. 3. While 100 safe injection sites exist worldwide, Philadelphia would be the first to open one in the U.S., according to Ms. Goldfein. 4. Safehouse has raised $200,000 despite disapproval from elected officials. Mr. Rendell told NPR, sometimes you have to ignore bad laws to pursue good policy. More articles on opioids: Medicaid expansion not linked to higher opioid misuse, study suggests Opioids bill permits hospice workers to destroy unused painkillers: 6 things to know How the opioids bill seeks to address patient brokering Zimmer Biomet's spine offerings have grown since the company acquired LDR, with the Mobi-C Cervical Disc, and Medtech, with the ROSA Robotic Surgical Assistant, in 2016. At the 2018 North American Spine Society Annual Meeting, Zimmer Biomet Spine Director of Strategic Communications Mark Richards discussed the company's current projects and what to expect in the future. Question: What are you excited about in 2018 headed into 2019? Mark Richards: Mobi-C is still a key driver for us. We recently announced the FDA approval of extended labeling to include seven-year results, which demonstrate clinical superiority of Mobi-C two-level cervical total disc replacement procedures compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Mobi-C remains the leader in a relatively untapped market, and we believe perhaps a third of patients receiving an ACDF [Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion] would be candidates for cervical arthroplasty instead. In addition to educating those patients and surgeons about disc replacement, we believe it is important to foster continuing discussion with trained surgeons who may be searching for the perfect patient. Through Mobi-DISCourse events where these surgeons can consult with their peers who have been using the device longer and with more patients, they often conclude that the indications for disc replacement are broader than they may have originally thought. Zimmer Biomet is excited to continue to grow and develop the market and help surgeons serve well-indicated patients with cervical arthroplasty. Q: Are surgeons reaching out to you about learning more? How do you connect with patients who are on the cusp with interest but not doing it today? MR: The long-term clinical data for Mobi-C is great asset in reaching surgeons. Two podium talks at this years NASS meeting represent the latest presentations on the long-term data. We are now at 10 years of collected and reported data, and we have an excellent track record with Mobi-C. In addition to presentations at the spine societies, review of our clinical data is an important part of our ongoing surgeon training and education efforts. Patient education has also been a focus since the beginning. We desire to reach patients who may have believe that cervical fusion is their only option, and let them know that there is an alternative treatment available. Our cervicaldisc.com website features a surgeon locator to connect potential patients with surgeons who have been trained to do disc replacement in their community. We are committed to educating patients and pointing them in the right direction, as well as to making sure surgeons have the right training to achieve good clinical results. While insurance reimbursement was an early hurdle for two-level cervical disc, we appreciate that the clinical data has proven meaningful to payers, and the vast majority of lives in America are now covered for cervical disc replacement. With insurance coverage no longer an obstacle, we have found that little stands between a well-informed, well-indicated arthroplasty patient and the help they need. Q: Are you seeing responsiveness from the patients? Does that drive adoption? MR: Our success in patient education for Mobi-C speaks to the developing nature of healthcare consumerism. Prospective spine patients, as healthcare consumers, are much more informed than they were in years past. They are more likely to seek information about the benefits and risks of the procedure their surgeon has told them about, and are also more proactive in investigating alternatives. While we know that patient inquiry alone may not drive surgeons to perform arthroplasty rather than fusion, those market dynamics are real and influential. Many surgeons are now branding their practices based on the technology they offer, and appeal to those patients who are diligently seeking the best treatment. We've also seen surgeons who embrace cervical arthroplasty refashion their practices as disc replacement centers. In addition to the expected increase in arthroplasty volume, many of those surgeons have seen growth in their ACDF volume, as well. So while education about disc replacement can drive adoption, each patient is likely getting the procedure for which they are best indicated. Thats a win-win. Q: Considering the healthcare environment moving to value-based care, what is the value proposition around Zimmer Biomet's spine technologies? MR: Historically and conventionally, medical device manufacturers have acutely engaged surgeon customers in the operating room to deliver instruments and implants during the surgical procedure. It has become clear that there is greater opportunity to serve surgeons and patients than that. There is a place for medical device manufacturers to serve as clinical partners and support surgeons and patients before, during, and after the operation with education about proper patient selection, tools for preoperative planning, and plans for postoperative care and clinical follow-up. Additionally, there are other decision makers and stake holders. It's not exclusively about the surgeon and the patient, because there are hospital administrators and payers to consider as well. Outcomes-based medicine is no longer just about the clinical outcome; there is concern for the total cost of care and the economic impact beyond the patient. For Mobi-C, specifically, we have found success in demonstrating not just the clinical legitimacy of cervical disc replacement, but also the healthcare economics that suggest two-level arthroplasty is a better value than two-level fusion. Across the portfolio we are focused on delivering procedural solutions, rather than just implants. In the lateral lumbar fusion space, we will leverage best-in-class implants along with an innovative retractor, and surgical assist arms. Similarly, when a surgeon plans a TLIF, we will bring everything required to do the procedure in a minimally-invasive fashion: innovative implants (expandable or 3D-printed cages with large graft area), biologics, and robotic surgical assistance for navigation. Many medical device manufacturers are stuck in the paradigm of simply delivering the implant. While surgeons and nurses appreciate the support in the operating room, companies that can bring products, technology, and services bundled together will not only meet the needs of their surgeon customers but also those of the extended customers throughout the healthcare delivery system who are looking for true partnership with industry. Zimmer Biomet seeks to be a health solution partner, rather than just a product provider. Q: In 2016, Zimmer Biomet acquired Medtech with the ROSA Brain and ROSA Spine robotic technology. How is the company planning to develop that technology in the future? MR: Instead of developing independent robots for brain and spine procedures, we are pursuing ROSA One, a platform where one piece of capital equipment can be utilized for brain and spine surgeries based on different on-board application software. While it is not yet commercially available, we have submitted a 510(k) application with the FDA to market ROSA One for use in spine. With preoperative planning, navigation, and guidance, the technology shows real potential for use in an MIS TLIF procedure where the surgeon is working through a small portal and may benefit from assistance to gain optimal placement of the graft. That capability may prove to be as important as the design of the implants. Q: Is Zimmer Biomet in the outpatient space? MR: The success of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) is an important development for outpatient spine treatment. While there are clearly some procedures that are well-suited for the ASC, an important factor for any surgery is the optimized design, delivery, and processing of instrumentation. As such, Mobi-C, with its straight-forward instrument set, has been well-received by surgeons working in ASCs. That is also true of our new Vital Spinal Fixation System, with just two instrument trays and color-coded instrumentation optimized for one- and two-level degenerative spine cases. While optimization like this may appeal to all healthcare providers, it seems to especially resonate with those working in an ASC, who value the delivery of quality healthcare in an optimized and cost-conscious environment. Q: In the next two to three years, what is the best-case scenario in terms of what you'd like to be if everything falls into place? MR: What everyone hopes is that they're reading the tea leaves correctly. Where a company is investing should be a good indication of their priorities. For Zimmer Biomet Spine, we continuing to invest in Mobi-C, to do the very best we can to own and cultivate that market, and to ensure that as we expand the base of surgeon users we maintain the great clinical success weve enjoyed both throughout the study and since commercialization. The companys investment in cervical disc, both organizationally and financially, demonstrates our enduring commitment to this segment as a fundamental part of our strategy for the future. The development of a new business platform for Surgery Assisting Technology (SAT) at Zimmer Biomet also confirms our confidence in this exciting direction in the marketplace. While the initial foray for us has been surgical robotics, SAT will encompass far more, including software/analytics, advanced technologies, and program development services. How organizations care for patients is very different today than it was just a few years ago. Pressure to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and outcomes is changing the way care is delivered. SAT is a platform of collaborative technologies and services that help surgeons and staff streamline the delivery of care. In the end, that will define success. It is not enough to have a robot; we must provide robotics as part of a well-developed strategy that provides benefits to the healthcare system, including integrated contracting, account management, customer service, and product support, as well as improving the way surgeons treat their patients. Last Monday evening I travelled to Brussels along with our MEP Diane Dodds. We had a series of meetings arranged with representatives of the EU27 as well as the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier. It was in that meeting with Michel Barnier and his team that we received a very clear outline of the type of post-Brexit arrangement the EU envisioned for Northern Ireland. The deal on offer was certainly unique but as the first State to leave the EU club, any deal will be unique. The EU spin on this offer suggested that Northern Ireland would have the best of both worlds ie we would have full access to the EU single market and full access to the UK single market. That was a lie. We would not. Under the EUs plan, Great Britain-based businesses would have a barrier when they would seek to trade with Northern Ireland. Such a barrier cuts right to the heart of what is at stake here. The United Kingdom is one nation. There should not be international-style borders within it. I am a unionist. I became involved in politics to build a better Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. Back in June 2017, when we agreed a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Conservative Party, central to it was helping Northern Ireland financially but also the entire United Kingdom. I want every part of the United Kingdom to prosper. I would not tolerate a trade barrier between England and Wales any more than I would tolerate one between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The dangers to the Union and our single market were clearly demonstrated by how quickly the SNP demanded the same for Scotland as was offered to Northern Ireland. Countries like the United Kingdom have some regional variations but what is held in common is what is fundamental to make their national markets work. We may pay lower rates here than council tax in England. Different states in the USA would be the same. However, what is made in each part can be sold within those countries without extra barriers. Indeed, unionists who voted Remain have contacted me to express their vehement opposition to any deal which would limit Northern Irelands access to the United Kingdom single market. However, it would be wrong to think that the DUP are the only people in Parliament who see the EUs proposal as unacceptable. No sea border has support across the House of Commons. I believe that the Prime Minister is in her own beliefs a committed unionist. However, she should learn from her previous female predecessor, Margaret Thatcher. Despite her unionist convictions, others persuaded Thatcher to sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement. She later deeply regretted the choice she had made. However, we do not want nor need the regrets of another Prime Minister. We want the right choices made. We want her to stand by her principles and instincts rather than accepting a dodgy deal foisted on her by others. I fully appreciate the risks of a no deal but the dangers of a bad deal are worse. If true to her principles Mrs May would not and should not choose the path to effectively cut Northern Ireland adrift. The DUPs actions this week are not as some have suggested about flexing muscle. This is no game. Anyone engaging in this in a light-hearted way foolishly fails to grasp the gravity of the decisions we will make in the coming weeks. Over time the gap between UK regulations and EU regulations would only grow. With double red tape for businesses, such an arrangement would add costs for businesses and consumers. This backstop arrangement would not be temporary. It would be the permanent annexation of Northern Ireland away from the rest of the United Kingdom and forever leave us subject to rules made in a place where we have no say. The coming days, weeks and months will be critical. The decisions taken will shape the type of Northern Ireland that our grandchildren will live in. The DUP will have teams in London, Brussels and Belfast meeting key influencers to ensure our position is fully understood and upheld. On Monday, I will travel to Dublin for a range of meetings. We want a deal which respects Northern Irelands constitutional position but one that also works for our nearest neighbours in the Republic of Ireland. Yesterday when we met our MPs and MLAs collectively, people were united behind our plan and united in standing firm not just for Northern Ireland but for the Union. I reminded people that the stand we are taking is not about the party, this is about the Union and the shape of the United Kingdom for the future. The PSNI are investigating a stabbing in Belfast (Paul Faith/PA) A man has suffered serious injuries after being stabbed twice in the neck. The 24-year-old needed hospital treatment after being attacked in the Carrigart Avenue area of west Belfast around 4.15am yesterday. A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assault on police. Detectives investigating the stabbing have appealed for witnesses to come forward. A PSNI spokesman said: "Shortly after 4.15am, it was reported that a 24-year-old man received two stab wounds to his neck in the area. "The man has been taken to hospital for his injuries, with his condition described as serious. "A 32-year-old man was arrested for grievous bodily harm with intent, disorderly behaviour and assault on police. He is currently assisting police with their inquiries. "We would appeal to anyone in the area who witnessed the incident to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 172 12/10/18." DUP leader Arlene Foster has warned Prime Minister Theresa May not to have the same deep regrets over a Brexit deal as Margaret Thatcher had when she signed the Anglo-Irish agreement. In a hard-hitting message, Mrs Foster urged the PM to stand firm against what she described as a dodgy deal foisted on her by others. Telling Mrs May to make the right choice, the former First Minister cited the Anglo-Irish Agreement, saying Mrs Thatcher had come to regret being persuaded to sign the 1985 accord, which gave the Irish Government a formal say in Northern Ireland affairs for the first time. It came as the UK-EU Brexit negotiations reached a critical phase. Read More Writing in todays Belfast Telegraph, Mrs Foster set out the DUPs bottom line on Brexit: defending the integrity of the United Kingdom. The coming days, weeks and months will be critical, Mrs Foster writes. The decisions taken will shape the type of Northern Ireland that our grandchildren will live in. The stand we are taking is not about the party, this is about the Union and the shape of the United Kingdom for the future. Her remarks come in a week when the relationship between the DUP and the Conservative Government which relies on the 10 DUP MPs votes to keep it in power came under increasing strain after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier revealed the EUs Irish backstop plan, which Brexiteers fear would see Northern Ireland cut adrift from the rest of the UK after Brexit. Mrs Foster writes: Under the EUs plan, Great Britain-based businesses would have a barrier when they would seek to trade with Northern Ireland. Such a barrier cuts right to the heart of what is at stake here. The United Kingdom is one nation. There should not be international-style borders within it. In her article, Mrs Foster says that the DUPs actions this week are not just muscle-flexing, as some have implied. This is no game. Anyone engaging in this in a light-hearted way foolishly fails to grasp the gravity of the decisions we will make in the coming weeks, she says. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA called on Mrs May to stand by her unionist principles. I believe that the Prime Minister is in her own beliefs a committed unionist, she says. She should learn from her previous female predecessor, Margaret Thatcher. Despite her unionist convictions, others persuaded Thatcher to sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement. She later deeply regretted the choice she had made. However, we do not want nor need the regrets of another Prime Minister. We want the right choices made. We want her to stand by her principles and instincts rather than accepting a dodgy deal foisted on her by others. Mrs Fosters statement comes as the party faces criticism from some Conservatives over its tough stance. Yesterday DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the party predicted developments in the Governments Brexit position this weekend. Earlier this week DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said the party might vote against the Governments forthcoming Budget. The family of a Co Tyrone woman who lost her life in a road crash almost two months ago say they are overwhelmed to have reached their fundraising target for Northern Ireland's Air Ambulance. Kyra McKinley from Omagh died following a two-vehicle road traffic collision on Deverney Road in the town shortly before 10am on Saturday, August 18. The 21-year-old was seriously injured and flown by air ambulance from the scene to the Royal Victoria Hospital where she was placed on life support following emergency surgery. She died as a result of her injuries in the hospital's intensive care unit three days later, surrounded by her family. Following Kyra's untimely death, the McKinley family requested that people donate to the rescue team from Air Ambulance NI (AANI), who helped them cherish their final moments with her. Her heartbroken older sister Alex (24) and younger brother Glenn (18) have continued fundraising on behalf of AANI and have already hit their 5,500 target to cover the daily cost of the vital service, which takes 2m a year to run. From its two bases in Enniskillen and Lisburn, the air ambulance can reach any part of Northern Ireland in approximately 25 minutes. Its primary role is to deliver advanced critical care, benefiting those whose lives are at serious risk following significant injury or trauma, by bringing urgent medical assistance directly to the patient at the scene. Alex told the Belfast Telegraph her family have been humbled by the response. "The community have been so incredibly generous and this is an absolutely amazing testament to just how fantastic people have been over this hard period," she said. "We could never have produced this amount of money ourselves without their support. "Words cannot express how grateful we all are and we want to say an enormous thank you. "Every time we walk down the street there is someone handing us money which is incredible. We are just trying to make the best of a terrible situation and believe that we are doing a great thing in Kyra's memory." Alex says AANI gave her family precious extra time with Kyra and also allowed her organs to be donated for the benefit of others in need. The medics were able to resuscitate her and keep her alive so that her organs remained functioning and could be used to give the gift of life to others. She added: "We found a bucket list in Kyra's bedroom and on it was to save a life, which she has done both through organ donation, and by this money raised to keep the air ambulance in the sky." Despite reaching their fundraising target, Alex says the family will continue to fundraise in Kyra's memory and have no plans to stop. They have also set up a Facebook page called 'WWKD - What Would Kyra Do?' with details of all their upcoming fundraising events. This includes next weekend's Jamboree in the Park Oktoberfest 2018 in Fintona and a Kuppa for Kyra coffee morning in Omagh's Gillygooley Community Hall on November 3. "The more money we can raise the more the air ambulance crew can give back to those who really need them," Alex added. A sister of a woman who died after falling from a fourth-floor hospital landing has called for "systematic changes" after an inquest found a "significant gap" in her mental health care. Anita Rooney (50), a mother-of-three from Dungannon, sustained fatal injuries in the incident at Craigavon Area Hospital on May 18, 2016. The previous day she was admitted to the hospital as an in-patient after she was spotted at a bridge over the River Blackwater. At the finish of a three-day inquest at Armagh courthouse, Coroner Joe McCrisken said that while Mrs Rooney's medical needs were "appropriately" treated on admission to the hospital's emergency department (ED) the day before her death, her mental health needs were not. Afterwards Mrs Rooney's family members, including her husband Michael and grown-up children Thomas, Chloe and Natalie, urgently called for better services for vulnerable patients. Her sister Noelle remembered Mrs Rooney as "warm, compassionate, humorous and kind", and stressed there is an "urgent need for systematic changes" in how vulnerable patients are treated. The inquest heard how on the day of her death, Mrs Rooney fell to the bottom of a stairwell on the hospital's second floor, where medics - who were praised for their "exceptional" response by the coroner - rushed to help. At the time the highly respected businesswoman, who had a history of mental health problems, had been reported missing from the acute medical unit (AMU), where she had been admitted as an in-patient from the emergency department. The previous day at the ED she had been assessed as a "high risk of further self-harm" for deliberately misusing alcohol, a prescription drug and non-prescription drugs - items she had taken at a bridge over the River Blackwater. She was spotted by someone who alerted the emergency services, who took her to Craigavon. The inquest previously heard that no formal hospital risk assessment had been carried out on Mrs Rooney, although it had been arranged for her to see a consultant psychiatrist the day she died. And in keeping with UK policy her physical medical needs were addressed first, which Mr McCrisken said meant that there was "period of 12 hours" when her mental state was "not addressed" from her initial arrival to Craigavon. "She had been admitted to hospital in the first place as a result of mental ill health. This was not attended to, or treated within the ED," he said. "This represents a significant gap in patient care which really must be addressed as a priority. On this occasion Mrs Rooney fell through a gap in services." He did, however, find that staff at the AMU had appropriately treated Mrs Rooney, including following policy in alerting that she had gone missing. A new risk assessment tool in the process of being rolled out at Craigavon was also welcomed by Mr McCrisken, who said on the "balance of probabilities Mrs Rooney had taken her own life". He added that the changes implemented at Craigavon since the incident could be a "suitable legacy" for Mrs Rooney. Afterwards Mrs Rooney's son Thomas called for more mental health care policies to help individuals like his late mother. "Through our mother's death, we hope that changes can be made in regards to the way mental health is addressed and treated," he said. "We believe that a breakdown in communication between the medical and psychiatric treatment which our mother received was a large factor in her death." Paying tribute to Mrs Rooney as the "most generous and loving mother imaginable", he added that the family had endured a "struggle through the deepest tragedy possible". "Our mother loved of all us dearly. We hope that we can move forward and look back fondly on the many wonderful and cherished memories that will always be with us." The family thanked Packie O'Neill, who helped Mrs Rooney at the bridge. Mourners will gather today to say farewell to a Co Armagh woman who passed away after a fall at her home. (stock picture) Mourners will gather today to say farewell to a Co Armagh woman who passed away after a fall at her home. Monica Moore (nee Quinn) died on Tuesday at Craigavon Area Hospital, where she was receiving treatment for injuries following the incident last weekend. The 53-year-old was injured in the fall at her home in the Cathedral Road area of the city last Saturday. A daughter of the late Paddy and Alice Quinn, Ms Moore is survived by her five sisters Stella Mullin, Margaret Conlon, Cathy Hughes, Sharon Donnelly and Edel McAnallen; brothers in law, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and family circle. Her funeral will take place this morning leaving her sister Sharon's home at 50 Milltown Road, Benburb at 9am and making its way to St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh for Requiem Mass at 10am. Ms Moore will be laid to rest afterwards in St Patrick's Cemetery in Keady. A gang of masked men have broken into a Bangor home and beaten the occupant with hammers. The incident happened in the Lismore Avenue area of Bangor, with police receiving a report just after 2am. Police were told that four men wearing balaclavas and boilersuits forced their way into the property and assaulted a man in his 40s with a hammers. The victim sustained a serious head wound and a broken ankle, and was taken to hospital for treatment. He remains in a stable condition. Detective Inspector Handley said: Our enquiries are at an early stage and an exact motive for the assault is still to be established. I would appeal to anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area around the time of the incident this morning to get in touch with us. Anyone with information should contact detectives in Bangor on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 171 of 13/10/18. Alternatively, the public can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The A1 near Dromantine has been closed. Credit: PSNI Two people have died following a crash involving a lorry and two cars on the A1 outside Newry. The PSNI said a man in his 80s and a woman in her 40s died in the collision. The man passed away at the scene and the woman a short time later in hospital. The crash involving a lorry, a silver Skoda Fabia and a bronze Ford Focus happened at around 2.45pm yesterday on the northbound carriageway at the Moneymore Road junction. Police closed the road in both directions between Rathfriland turn-off and Donaghmore Road near Dromantine following the crash. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it despatched a rapid response paramedic, two emergency crews, a non-emergency crew and a doctor to the scene. The Air Ambulance was also scrambled. Two people were injured in the smash. One was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and another to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. The patient at Daisy Hill is said to be in a stable condition. The Belfast Health Trust did not give an update on the condition of the patient in tghe RVH. Local SDLP councillor Gillian Fitzpatrick described the incident as a "tragedy". "It's terrible, really terrible," she said. "It's horrific news... the poor families. "It's a tragedy for all those involved, whatever way it happened." She added: "There have been many, many accidents on that stretch of road over the years. "Some died on it earlier this year, and two nuns were killed on it just a few years ago." The A1 was closed, with all southbound traffic able to travel as far as the Grovehill Road at Loughbrickland before being diverted off the carriageway. Northbound traffic was being diverted at Newry along the Tandragee Road. All HGV vehicles were being diverted at Hillsborough/Sprucefield. Motorists were advised to avoid the area. Yesterday's fatal crash happened close to where a small country road joins directly onto the main Belfast Dublin dual carriageway. Ms Fitzpatrick added: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families. It's a tragedy for the two people who died and their families, and it's devastating for the local community. "This is a fantastic community, and I am sure they will rally round the bereaved families at this time of sadness. A tragedy like this will ricochet through the entire community." The crash brings to 44 the number of people who have lost their lives on Northern Ireland's roads this year. Former Irish President Mary McAleese accuses Pope John Paul II of "highly offensive" misogyny in a sensational new book. Ms McAleese says she was seriously offended by the pontiff purposely ignoring her when they were first introduced ahead of their much publicised meeting during her presidency. Instead of greeting Ms McAleese, the Pope reached across to her husband Martin and said: "Would you not prefer to be the President of Ireland instead of your wife?" In the book Madam Politician: The Women At The Table of Irish Political Power by RTE political correspondent Martina Fitzgerald, Mrs McAleese says "nobody else thought it was funny" and her husband was "mortified" by the Pope's comment. "He knew by my face that I didn't think it was funny. I did say to him: 'You would never have done that to a male president,'" she adds. The Pope said he did not have fluent English and the comment was intended to be a joke. He added: "I heard you had a great sense of humour." After the 1999 meeting in the Vatican, the then President described the Pope as "intellectually, ferociously agile". Ms Fitzgerald interviewed Mrs McAleese, her predecessor Mary Robinson and every female TD who served at cabinet for a book that charts the journey of women in Irish politics. It also documents how former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey pulled the bra strap of ex-Fine Gael minister Gemma Hussey during a Dail debate on rape. Mr Haughey approached Ms Hussey from behind while she was observing the debate on a Private Member's Bill she had sponsored. He pulled at her bra strap and gestured her to sit down. "I was sitting there observing a debate when I felt a chuck on my bra strap at the back. I got a shock and leapt to my feet," Ms Hussey says in the book. Mr Haughey told Ms Hussey he would "look after" her Bill and said he had an "excellent minister" working on the legislation. "I was dumbfounded. I was just amazed. I was kind of rendered speechless really," the former education minister said. A much-delayed report exploring the need for a new medical school in the north west is understood to be complete. Foyle MP Elisha McCallion has urged the Department of Health to publish the findings of the Gardiner Report, which she said is holding up progress on the new medical school at Ulster University's Magee campus. The report is part of a business plan required by the department, and should have been submitted in March this year. Ms McCallion said: "It's my understanding that the Gardiner Report, which looks at the future needs of medical provision and doctors here in the North, has been completed. "The findings of this report are key to moving forward the establishment of a graduate entry medical school and putting the university's Magee campus on the map as a centre of excellence. "This is a key element to unlocking the city's unique circumstances and reaching its full potential as set out in the Strategic Growth Plan, produced by and for the people of the north west. "The Department of Health must now release the findings of the Gardiner Report to allow the medical school project to move forward." The General Medical Council has already lent its support to a medical school based in the city. The proposed Northern Ireland Graduate Entry Medical School will select students who have already completed an undergraduate degree and provide them with four years of intensive, practical medical education It is seen as a solution to the Western Trust's recruitment woes which has led to a serious portion of its annual budget being spent on locum doctors. The medical school is also expected to help address the continuing drop in doctors going into general practice in the north west. At present, training of doctors in Northern Ireland is only available in Belfast. The Department of Health hadn't responded by the time of going to press. Former Ireland and Ulster rugby player Stuart Olding "suffered a huge financial detriment" defending himself in a trial which lasted almost 10 weeks, a court heard yesterday. The rugby player's legal team made an application for part of his legal costs to be reimbursed, in front of trial judge Patricia Smyth at Belfast Crown Court. A similar application has already been mounted by co-accused Paddy Jackson, with the decision pending. Mr Olding (25), formerly of Ardenlee Street in Belfast, was acquitted of a charge of oral rape following a mammoth trial held earlier this year. He and Mr Jackson were charged with raping a 19-year-old student in the bedroom of Mr Jackson's south Belfast home following a night out in the VIP section of Ollie's nightclub in June 2016. Both were cleared. Following the acquittal in March this year, Mr Olding signed a two-year deal with French side Brive in May after his contract with Ulster and Ireland was revoked. Telling the court that as a result of the trial Mr Olding lost his career here, was unable to work in this country and had to leave his family and friends to seek work outside Ireland, his barrister argued that his defence costs should be retrieved. Frank O'Donoghue QC spoke of the devastating financial affect part-funding his own defence has had on the rugby player in a prosecution he argued was flawed from the outset, adding: "His reputation was destroyed to the extent he cannot follow his profession in this country again." Mr O'Donoghue suggested the case against his client was flawed for a number of reasons, including a prematurity in charging Mr Olding and a misunderstanding of the facts due to inconsistencies in the complainant's account. Mr Olding financed his own defence up until February 19, when an application for Legal Aid was made, and subsequently granted. Arguing that after one count of vaginal rape was withdrawn against Mr Olding before the trial started, Mr O'Donoghue said his client shouldn't have been prosecuted on the second charge of oral rape. Telling the court "my client has suffered a huge financial detriment and that is why I am here", the senior barrister spoke of the impact the prosecution and trial had on Mr Olding. Asking Judge Smyth to take into account Mr Olding's personal circumstances, Mr O'Donoghue said: "Mr Olding has had to exhaust his own personal funds. Before he accessed Legal Aid, he suffered the penalty of the financial burden of defending himself. "He exhausted his disposable income by February 19 and he had a huge expenditure up until that date. "He has been, as a consequence, completely unable to work in this jurisdiction. He had to leave his family, he had to leave his friends and he had to start afresh in a different country. He lost his international career, he lost his provincial career." When questions were asked about exactly why his contracts with Ireland and Ulster Rugby were terminated - and when Judge Smyth asked whether it was as a result of WhatsApp messages which formed part of the trial - it emerged that further clarity needed to be sought ahead of the next hearing. The application was adjourned until October 26 when the Crown will respond to the defence application. Before adjourning the application, Judge Smyth told the court "evidentially this is extremely complex". A schoolboy told police that he "started to cry" when he found his daddy lying on his back and his hand covered in blood seconds after he was shot in their home. The nine-year-old's video-recorded interview with PSNI detectives was played yesterday to the jury in the trial of three men accused of the murder of Stephen Carson. David James Francis Smith (35), and Michael Lawrence Smith (39), both of Monagh Drive, and Francis Gerard Patrick Smith (42), of Glenmurray Court, all in west Belfast, deny murdering Mr Carson. Francis Smith further denies possession of a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances while Michael Smith has pleaded not guilty to carrying a firearm with intent to commit murder. The 28-year-old was blasted to death with a shotgun as he hid in the bathroom of his home in Walmer Street off the Ormeau Road in south Belfast on February 25, 2016. Belfast Crown Court heard yesterday how Mr Carson's son told police that on the day of the murder, he and his dad's fiancee had been out shopping for new clothes for his bed and she had bought him a game. He said that he was sitting in the living room with her when his dad came home. "I was playing with my game when my daddy came home. He bought me two Easter eggs, two Square bars, a bottle of water and two Kinder eggs," the boy recalled. "My daddy went into the bathroom. I heard people banging on the door. Then they came in and the man with the gun pointed it at us and told us to 'sit down and don't move'." The young boy said that a total of three men came into the house while a fourth male, who he said had "dark hair, brown or black I don't know... he was outside looking." He told detectives that one of the men "sprayed us with pepper spray". He said his dad's fiancee "couldn't see and I got some in my throat". The schoolboy described the gunman as a "bit taller" than the other two males. He said he had his mouth and nose covered and was wearing a dark green rain coat and boots. He said a third man was armed with a hammer which had a "red handle". The jury heard the boy, now aged 11, tell detectives that the gunman was shouting about "the wee tout" as he stood in the living room. The witness told detectives that the gunman then went to the bathroom and "shot my daddy". He said after the shooting, the gunman shouted: "Come on quick, get into the car, the cops are coming," and the three men left the house. Asked to describe the firearm, the boy said it was a "shotgun with two circles at the top". During his 50-minute interview, the witness said that after the shooting he went to the bathroom. "The door was open a wee bit. I was trying to push the door but I couldn't get in. I saw my daddy and started to cry. "We had a dog box in the bathroom and he was lying on the dog box...my daddy was lying on his back on the dog box. "I saw a lot of blood and his eyes were open. He was lying there with his hand on his chest." He added that his dad's fiancee then came to the bathroom, saw 'Carsie' lying on the floor and "she was crying". The trial continues. Two people have been arrested in a crackdown on fake cold callers and other scams. PSNI officers detained the suspects and conducted more than 180 checkpoints, seizing nine vehicles during the targeted operation on Thursday that also involved the Garda, HMRC and Trading Standards. PSNI Chief Supt Simon Walls said: "The operation involved targeted vehicle checkpoints and proactive patrols in known cold caller areas as well as a number of local engagement opportunities to share advice and information around scams. "While it should be noted that not all cold callers are rogue traders, it is our intention that this, and future operations, will help put a stop to those unofficial traders who overcharge for poor quality work or work that is never completed at all." Chief Supt Walls said that the operation was also aimed at raising awareness around the various scams used by fraudsters to take money from unsuspecting members of the public. He said: "We were delighted to have the support from our colleagues in HMRC and Trading Standards Service to help share the message. "We all need to be vigilant of any contact from an unsolicited source, whether that is from doorstep callers, telephone, mail or online and education is our best weapon in preventing people from becoming victims." Chief Trading Standards officer Damien Doherty said: "Rogue traders and doorstep fraudsters prey on the most vulnerable in our society. They exploit vulnerable consumers by providing low quality work or recommending work that is unnecessary. "At trading standards, we regularly receive complaints from people who have become victims of this type of crime. "These victims are mostly older people and we send a clear message to doorstep criminals that we will always treat these complaints as priority. "However, it is also crucial to raise awareness of doorstep crime to safeguard potential victims and we will continue to work with our partners to do so. "Consumers should always take their time when deciding to get work done to their house. Don't be afraid to say that you don't do business on the doorstep." HMRC said that it was one of the most phished brands in the world, due to the strong reason for customer contact. "Scammers contact members of the public through cold calls, emails and text messages, usually claiming the individual owes tax," it said. The national government has set aside another P109 million to pay for the P100,000 cash gift of 1,090 Filipinos who will turn a century old next year, an opposition lawmaker said on Saturday. The fresh funding is already in the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the proposed General Appropriations Act for 2019 that we passed, said Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., House appropriations committee member, as he applauded all centenarians for lives well lived. As of Aug. 31, the DSWD has awarded P468.8 million in cash to 4,688 Filipinos who turned 100 years old since the passage of the Centenarians Act in 2016, according to Campos. Under the law, every Filipino who reaches 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, is entitled to a P100,000 one-time cash gift, a letter from the President of the Philippines congratulating the centenarian for his or her longevity, and a plaque of recognition.The entitlements are on top of other rewards and benefits that centenarians may receive from their local governments. In Makati, for instance, the city government has been paying tribute to every centenarian with a one-time P100,000 gift and a plaque of recognition since 2013long before the passage of the Centenarians Act, Campos, a deputy minority leader, said. Thus, Makati residents who turn 100 years old actually receive a one-time cash gift of at least P200,000P100,000 from the national government through the DSWD plus P100,000 from the city said Campos. Police have condemned the "reckless and mindless violence" which resulted in two teenagers being stabbed Police have condemned the "reckless and mindless violence" which resulted in two teenagers being stabbed. It happened around the Bullring in Ballyoran, near to the Garvaghy Road in Portadown at around 8pm on Friday night. A 14- and 15-year-old received puncture wounds as a result of the incident. On the PSNI Craigavon Facebook page, a spokesperson wrote: "Whilst the injuries are not life threatening, this is due to good fortune and not a reflection on the reckless and mindless violence of the perpetrator. "Folks - CHILDREN. STABBED. [sic] "This has got to stop. We've warned for weeks about the situation at the weekend and for parents to step up, we're now at this point. "There is someone out there willing to inflict such injuries on a child, and they need to be held to account." Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact the PSNI on the non-emergency number 101, quoting the reference number 1263 with the date 12/10/2018. Alternatively information can be passed to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The A1 near Dromantine has been closed. Credit: PSNI The man and woman killed in a three-vehicle collision in Newry have been named by police. The pair killed were 87-year-old Raymond Halliday, and 47-year-old Anna Dodds, both from the Newry area. The collision happened on the A1 carriageway on the outskirts of the city on Friday. Raymond and Anna were killed when the silver Skoda Fabia they were travelling in was involved in a collision with a lorry and a bronze coloured Ford Focus. The crash happened at around 2.45pm on the north bound carriageway at the Moneymore Road junction. Police have asked anyone who may have seen the Skoda Fabia before the crash, or who may have related dash-cam footage, to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 101, quoting reference 731 with the date 12/10/2018. A white supremacist has admitted sending 'Punish a Muslim Day' letters as well as white powder to the Queen, Theresa May and Tory peer Lord Ahmad A white supremacist has admitted sending 'Punish a Muslim Day' letters as well as white powder to the Queen, Theresa May and Tory peer Lord Ahmad. David Parnham (35) pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to 15 offences relating to hundreds of letters penned between June 2016 and June 2018. According to a case summary, seven letters were intercepted at Sheffield mail centre in July 2016 and found to contain harmless white powder. A further 11 letters were identified as delivered. A letter to David Cameron contained the wording 'Allah is great', while the letters to MPs and mosques contained the wording 'P*** Filth'. In October 2016, more letters containing white powder stated that "the clowns R coming 4 you" and were intended to reach the Queen and Theresa May. In December 2016 Parnham sent a fan letter to Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who murdered nine black parishioners in Charleston, South Carolina. He told Roof: "I just wanted to thank you for opening my eyes. Ever since you carried out what I'd call the 'cleansing' I've felt differently about what you'd call 'racial awareness'." In February 2017 letters were sent to various mosques and Islamic centres around the county. A letter to Berkeley Street Mosque in Hull, signed as 'Muslim slayer', contained a drawing of a sword with a swastika on it cutting someone's head off with the words 'you are going to be slaughtered very soon'. In March 2017 letters were sent to addresses around the University of Sheffield calling for the extermination of minority racial and religious groups. In 2018 a series of typed 'Punish a Muslim Day' letters were sent out to a large number of people, encouraging violence on April 3 - Roof's birthday. Parnham was snared through DNA, handwriting and fingerprints on the letters. When he was arrested in June 2018, he refused to answer any questions. Following his guilty pleas, Parnham was remanded into custody by Judge Anthony Leonard QC. He will be sentenced at a later date. File picture of people during a Take Back The City protest in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) Irish housing activists from the group Take Back The City occupied the Dublin offices of Airbnb on Saturday, to protest against the letting platform, which they say has exacerbated the housing crisis in Dublin. On the weekend of Open House Dublin, Irelands biggest architecture festival, Airbnb HQ was open to the public. The building was forced to shut down after a group of around 30-40 protesters occupied the central atrium in protest against what the group call: Airbnbs impact on the housing crisis in Ireland. The group say they took advantage of the open-house and entered the building in small groups, while a talk was being held by an architect on the history of the building. Airbnb are major contributors to the housing crisis. This morning we decided to pay them a visit. pic.twitter.com/LeqsPwCdEx Take Back The City - Dublin (@TBTCDublin) October 13, 2018 Members of the group went on to ask the architect a question about the companys role in the homelessness crisis before unfurling a banner, and explaining to the public their reasons for being there. Conor Reddy from Take Back The City said that the group had been inspired by movements against the company on other cities. We were pretty well received, it was mostly tourists and architecture enthusiasts. We got no real response from Airbnb at first, they had two security men, who didnt confront us too much, they told us to leave because we were trespassing, but didnt ring guards. Expand Close Airbnb have been targeted by housing protesters (Airbnb/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Airbnb have been targeted by housing protesters (Airbnb/PA) After around 90 minutes, the office manager came down and said the open day was cancelled, and we left. Its not just a Dublin problem, places like Barcelona have had this issue with Airbnb too. Were calling for a total ban, our rationale is places like Amsterdam, who have had a successful social movement against short term letting. We know that regulations havent worked, they require a massive amount of time and resources and we dont have faith in Dublin City Council to enforce those, he said. Take Back The City are now calling for a total ban on Airbnb and other short term letting sites. According to the group, in August 2018 there were 3,165 entire properties for rent on Airbnb in Dublin, compared to 1,329 properties available for long term rent on popular renting site Daft.ie. Expand Close A view of Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A view of Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) Landlords have portfolios of properties and let them out for the whole year on Airbnb, if we could find them and target those empty properties, that would be what we would draw attention to next, Mr Reddy said. Sites like Booking.com and key collection and these other companies, were calling for action going forward to target all these companies. The Department of Housing has recorded that there were 5,834 adults and 3,693 children in emergency accommodation during the recorded period of September, a total of 9,527 people. There are over 1,350 families homeless in the greater Dublin region. Barcelona began cracking down on Airbnb in June and forced the site to take down over 2,500 listings in a bid to limit the amount of properties not being offered for long-term rental. Richard Bruton has been appointed to Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment after Denis Naughtens shock resignation. Mr Bruton, who has served as Minister for Education and Skills since May 2016, will be replaced by Donegal TD Joe McHugh. The Taoiseach has confirmed four new ministerial appointments to his Cabinet. Expand Close Denis Naughten stepped down from his role (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Denis Naughten stepped down from his role (Brian Lawless/PA) Subject to the approval of Dail Eireann and the Cabinet, the Taoiseach proposes to make Sean Kyne the new Chief Whip and Minister for the Gaeltacht & the islands, and unaligned Independent TD Sean Canney the Minister of State at the Departments of Rural & Community Development and Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment. The Irish Government was called into question this week following the shock resignation of the communications minister. Mr Naughten resigned his Cabinet seat on Thursday amid controversy over multiple private dinners he had held with the head of the last remaining bidder for a multimillion-euro State contract for the rollout of high-speed broadband. Mr Varadkar came under intense scrutiny from the public and opposition parties, many of who predicted an election was imminent, after Mr Naughten an independent TD upset the balance of support for the Fine Gael led government. However, on Friday, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin called on the premier not to collapse the Irish government until Brexit issues have been resolved. Micheal Martin wrote to Fine Gael leader Mr Varadkar suggesting that they both commit to maintaining the government in its current form until a deal has been ratified. People hold signs at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington during a protest about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (AP/Jacquelyn Martin) Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has called for Britain to impose sanctions against Saudi Arabia following the disappearance of a Saudi journalist. Sir Malcolm said the UK Government should work with its allies to punish Riyadh, following claims Jamal Khashoggi was murdered while visiting the Gulf kingdoms consulate in Istanbul. If other countries refuse to take part, Britain should consider taking unilateral action, he added. He told BBCs Newsnight: If the current Crown Prince remains in power for the indefinite future, then in the first instance the United Kingdom must work with the United States, France and other countries to see if there can be a combined response, a punishment of some kind, of sanctions of some kind. If the United States was not willing to take part then the United Kingdom has to consider action that it will take in its own name. Expand Close Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Isabel Infantes/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Isabel Infantes/PA) Riyadh faces a chorus of international calls to shed light on what happened to the Washington Post columnist, and business leaders have already shunned the regime. Financial Times editor Lionel Barber announced the newspaper would be pulling its partnership in a high-profile economic conference in Riyadh, while Sir Richard Branson has frozen several business links with the Gulf state. Saudi Arabias ambassador to the UK Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud previously said he was concerned about Mr Khashoggis disappearance. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt met with the diplomat on Tuesday and later spoke to foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir by telephone to voice the UKs concerns. He has said that if reports of Mr Khashoggis death prove correct, the UK would regard the situation as serious, adding: Friendships depend on shared values. US president Donald Trump has pledged that the US government will find out what happened to Mr Khashoggi and has said he will speak to Saudi Arabias King Salman about the case. A Turkish newspaper published the names and photographs of 15 Saudi nationals who allegedly arrived in Istanbul on two private jets the day Mr Khashoggi went missing. Official statement: The Financial Times will not be partnering with the FII conference in Riyadh while the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi remains unexplained Lionel Barber (@lionelbarber) October 12, 2018 On Wednesday, the Sabah newspaper, which is close to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, revealed the identities of what it called a mysterious 15-member assassination squad who were allegedly involved in the disappearance. A critic of Saudi Arabias de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr Khashoggi was living in self-imposed exile in the US and writing opinion pieces for the Washington Post before he vanished. He visited the consulate last Tuesday to obtain a document confirming he had divorced his ex-wife, in order to allow him to remarry. Turkish officials have said he was killed on the premises and his body removed. Mr Erdogan has not confirmed the alleged killing, saying he would await the result of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. A mountain rescue team helping in the search around Lockerbie, receive instructions near the cockpit of the Pan Am Boeing 747 (John Giles/PA) More than 100 people have cycled from Lockerbie to Edinburgh as part of a 3,238 mile journey to mark the approaching 30th anniversary of the bombing. Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie on the evening of December 21 1988, killing 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground. Thirty-five of them were students at Syracuse University in the US, who were travelling home for the Christmas holidays. Three decades on from the tragedy the Cycle To Syracuse aims to complete the journey on behalf of those who could not. The first stage of the journey involved local pupils riding exercise bikes or their own bike at school, while the second stage was the Lockerbie to Edinburgh bike ride. In the third stage of the LockerbieSyracuse cycle a group of five local cyclists will travel on to the US to complete the Arlington to Syracuse leg of the journey. The journey from Lockerbie Academy to Syracuse University, New York covers 3,238 miles, with the distance cycled totalling 672 miles. Expand Close Cyclists arriving at Edinburgh Castle after riding from Lockerbie (Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cyclists arriving at Edinburgh Castle after riding from Lockerbie (Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland/PA) Scottish secretary David Mundell welcomed the group of around 100 cyclists at a reception at Edinburgh Castle on Saturday after they had completed the ride to the Scottish capital. He said: As we approach the 30th anniversary of the bombing, it is fitting that five local men are making the journey to Syracuse to remember those lost, and to raise money for a local youth mental health charity. I wish them good luck for their journey, and look forward to meeting them again in Syracuse for the Universitys 30th service of remembrance. The five cyclists who will be travelling to the US include Colin Dorrance who was an 18-year-old off-duty police officer on the night of the bombing. He saw the plane crash and was immediately recalled to duty. David Whalley led the RAF search and rescue team on the night while Paul Rae was an 18-year-old Lockerbie resident in 1988 and volunteered to help search the hills that night. The other two in the group are David Walpole who was a bank manager in Dumfries in 1988 and is now a paramedic in the Lockerbie/Annan area and Brian Asher, the head teacher at Lockerbie Academy. In the next stage of the journey, between October 26 and November 1, the five cyclists will cycle around 600 miles from the Lockerbie memorial cairn in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC to Syracuse University in upstate New York, via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. As well as remembering the 270 people who died the event is also raising money for Soul Soup, a local youth mental health charity. Sarah, Duchess of York (far left) is seated in front of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth at her daughter Princess Eugenies wedding The Duke of Edinburgh "took quite a big step" towards reconciliation with Sarah, Duchess of York at Friday's royal wedding, according to a body language expert. Judi James, an expert in social behaviour, believes that Philip was warm towards his former daughter-in-law, approaching her with a smile. The Queen's husband is thought to have a frosty relationship with 'Fergie', who divorced the Duke of York in 1996. Ms James told the Press Association: "You could tell the tension as soon as the duchess arrived in the church. "As soon as she walked in she pulled her arms into her side and put her head down." Ms James believes the duchess's daughter Princess Beatrice may have tried to distract her mother from Philip's arrival at St George's Chapel for the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. She said that Beatrice "made very strong eye contact with her mother and kept her chatting as Philip arrived, almost as if to say 'Don't look round now'." She added: "It was almost like the sort of behaviour you see at the party when somebody you don't want to see walks in." Despite their apparent reservations, there seemed to be few hard feelings between the two. Ms James continued: "She got quite the look from Philip, he smiled at her at least twice, almost as if he had planned to greet her warmly. "That was quite a big step for the Duke of Edinburgh." However, Ms James said the duchess may not have even been aware of the interaction. She said: "The Duchess of York was sat in front of Philip, so unless she had eyes in the back of her head, she wouldn't have known. "She probably didn't want to take the risk of turning round." However, they weren't the only ones with prominent body language on display. Ms James noted that "it was fascinating that William and Kate were holding hands". The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, normally reserved when it comes to public displays of affection, were seen holding hands in St George's Chapel - a tactile display that could be down to the recent arrival of Prince Louis. "The couple are clearly very in love, but normally not very keen to show it," the expert said. She explained: "Children can be a bit of a challenge, but sometimes, three children in, when couples have a bit more experience, it can take them back to their honeymoon period. "Today they looked besotted with one another. "It was almost the most stunning moment of the wedding for some people." Search-and-rescue teams found at least one body in Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael, an official has said. The death toll across the South stood at 14 including the victim discovered in Mexico Beach. Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, leader of a search-and-rescue unit that went into the flattened town, said: We have one confirmed deceased and are working to determine if there are others. Mr Zahralban said searchers were trying to determine if that person had been alone or was part of a family. Mr Zahralban spoke as his team which included a dog was winding down its two-day search of Mexico Beach, the town of about 1,000 people that was nearly wiped off the map when Michael blew ashore there on Wednesday with devastating 155 mph winds. Expand Close A search-and-rescue team walks past a debris pile from Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach (David Goldman/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A search-and-rescue team walks past a debris pile from Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach (David Goldman/AP) Rows and rows of homes were demolished, reduced to splintered lumber or mere concrete slabs by the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental US in nearly 50 years. As the catastrophic damage across the Florida Panhandle came into view 48 hours after the hurricane struck, there was little doubt the death toll would rise. But authorities scrapped plans to set up a temporary morgue, suggesting they had yet to see mass casualties. State officials said that by one count, 285 people in Mexico Beach defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Some of them successfully rode out the storm. It was unclear how many of the others might have got out at the last minute. Emergency officials said they have received thousands of calls asking about missing people. But with mobile service out across vast swaths of the Florida Panhandle, officials said it is possible that some of those unaccounted for are safe and just have not been able to contact friends or family. Comms are key! #Soldiers from our 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion are setting up tactical satellite terminals to provide county Emergency Operations Centers with internet & phone so they can connect sooner with #Florida citizens in need. #HurricaneMichael #FLNGAlwaysThere pic.twitter.com/l0CTaeyTwn FloridaNationalGuard (@FLGuard) October 12, 2018 Across the ravaged region, meanwhile, authorities set up distribution centres to hand out food and water to victims. Some supplies were brought in by trucks, while others had to be delivered by helicopter because of debris still blocking roads. Residents began to come to grips with the destruction and face up to the uncertainty that lies ahead. I didnt recognise nothing. Everythings gone. I didnt even know our road was our road, said 25-year-old Tiffany Marie Plushnik, an evacuee who returned to find her home in Sandy Creek too damaged to live in. When she went back to the hotel where she took shelter from the storm, she found out she could no longer stay there either because of mould. Weve got to figure something out. Were starting from scratch, all of us, Ms Plushnik said. pic.twitter.com/IqLBKtgNEf The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) October 12, 2018 President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Florida and hard-hit Georgia early next week but did not say what day he would arrive. We are with you! he tweeted. Shell-shocked survivors who barely escaped with their lives told of terrifying winds, surging floodwaters and homes cracking apart. Emergency officials said they had completed an initial hasty search of the stricken area, looking for the living or the dead, and had begun more careful inspections of thousands of ruined buildings. They said nearly 200 people had been rescued. Governor Rick Scott said state officials still do not know enough about the fate of those who stayed behind in the region. We are not completely done. We are still getting down there, the governor added. We will use every resource we can as we recover from the destruction Hurricane Michael left in its wake. We will not waver, and we will not stop fighting. We will recover, and we will do it by working together. pic.twitter.com/ASDu0WfGPs Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) October 12, 2018 Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said he expects to see the death toll rise. We still havent gotten into the hardest-hit areas, he said, adding: Very few people live to tell what its like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson. Mr Long expressed worry that people have suffered hurricane amnesia. When state and local officials tell you to get out, dang it, do it. Get out, he said. On the Panhandle, Tyndall Air Force Base took a beating, so much so that Colonel Brian Laidlaw told the 3,600 men and women stationed on the base not to come back. Many of the 600 families who live there had followed orders to pack what they could in a single suitcase as they were evacuated ahead of the storm. The hurricanes eyewall passed directly overhead, severely damaging nearly every building and leaving many a complete loss. I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I cant tell you how long that will take, but Im on it, Col Laidlaw wrote. We need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings. Forget about the high-tech military challenges from China and Russia, the Pentagon is facing a fast-growing national security threat that could be even trickier to tackle: Americas obesity crisis. A study released this week has found that nearly one-third of young Americans are now too overweight to join up, a worrying statistic for military officials already facing recruitment challenges. Obesity has long threatened our nations health. As the epidemic grows, obesity is posing a threat to our nations security as well, the Council for a Strong America states in its new report. The Army last month announced it would miss its goal of attracting 76,500 new recruits in 2018. The shortfall is of about 6,500 soldiersthe first time since 2005 the service had missed its hiring targets. A strong US economy and tight jobs market played a role, but the numbers highlight the dwindling pool of applicants the Pentagon has to draw from. According to the Defense Department, obesity is one of the top reasons why a stunning 71 percent of Americans aged 17-24 do not meet the militarys sign-up requirements. Given the high percentage of American youth who are too overweight to serve, recruiting challenges will continue unless measures are taken to encourage a healthy lifestyle beginning at a young age, states the study, entitled Unhealthy and Unprepared.Other factors such as prior drug use or a lack of academic qualifications are also taking a toll. The report, compiled by a group of retired generals and admirals, notes that the obesity issue is a particular worry as it comes when fewer young people are interested in joining the military in the first place. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine general, last month said the shrinking pool of Americans eligible to serve was a big concern. Its a sad state of affairs when 71 percent of the 18 to 24-year-old males in this country cannot qualify to enter the United States Army as a private, he said. The problem should be addressed at the local level, he said, praising efforts of retired service members who are working in schools to try to restore physical education where its been taken out, to try to get school lunches to be things that fuel the body, instead of just giving them crummy food. Torrential rains have triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 22 people mostly children at a school, and leaving 15 others missing, officials said. A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 21 children were swept away on Friday afternoon, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later. The National Disaster Mitigation Agencys spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said rescuers were searching for 10 other children still missing. A video obtained by The Associated Press showed relatives crying besides their loved ones at a health clinic where the bodies of the children were lying, covered with blankets. Mr Nugroho said two bodies were found early on Saturday from a car washed away by floods in Mandailing Natal, where 17 houses collapsed and five were swept away. Hundreds of other homes were flooded up to two metres high, while landslides occurred in eight areas of the region. Four villagers were killed after landslides hit 29 houses and flooded about 100 buildings in neighboring Sibolga district, Mr Nugroho said. He said flash floods also smashed several villages in West Sumatra provinces Tanah Datar district, killing four people, including two children, and leaving three missing. Landslides and flooding in West Pasaman district killed a villager and left two missing after 500 houses flooded and three bridges collapsed. Both North and West Sumatra provinces declared a week-long emergency relief period as hundreds of terrified survivors fled their hillside homes to safer ground, fearing more of the mountainside would collapse under continuing rain, Mr Nugroho said, adding that dozens of injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals and clinics. Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods each year in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains. American pastor Andrew Brunson, recently freed after nearly two years of detention in Turkey, has asked God for supernatural wisdom for President Donald Trump. Mr Trump and Mr Brunson met together at the White House shortly after Mr Brunson returned to the US. Mr Brunson told Mr Trump that you really fought for us. Mr Brunson also joked that he filed an absentee ballot from detention after Mr Trump asked Mr Brunsons wife, Norine, who she voted for in 2016. The pastor was first detained in Turkey in October 2016. Expand Close President Donald Trump prays with American pastor Andrew Brunson (Jacquelyn Martin/PA) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp President Donald Trump prays with American pastor Andrew Brunson (Jacquelyn Martin/PA) Mr Trump told Mr Brunson weve been negotiating long and hard for his release and that we do not pay ransom in this country. The 50-year-old says he now plans to spend time with his children and pray about the future. A Turkish court on Friday convicted Mr Brunson of links to terrorism and sentenced him to just over three years in prison. But the court released the evangelical pastor because he had already spent nearly two years in detention. Hours later, Mr Brunson was flown out of Turkey, his home for more than two decades. Long road: the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Daniel McArthur and his wife Amy McArthur The vast majority of reasonable people will rejoice that the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Ashers in the controversial 'gay cake' issue. The case arose after the bakery declined to ice a slogan supporting same-sex marriage on a cake ordered by Gareth Lee, a member of the LGBT community. The Supreme Court ruled that Ashers did not refuse to fulfil the customer's order because of his sexual orientation. "They would have refused to make such a cake for any customer, irrespective of their sexual orientation," it said. "Their objection was to the message on the cake, not to the personal orientation of Mr Lee." This was a victory not only for Ashers, but for everyone who values freedom of expression. Businesspeople, in providing a service for a customer, are not compelled to propagate messages or symbols with which they disagree. Significantly, gay activist Peter Tatchell, who supported Ashers, also welcomed the Supreme Court's decision. We should all be grateful for the political independence of our Supreme Court, compared to the one the US, where politics plays a huge part in appointments. One of the sad results of the Ashers case was the ungracious way in which members of the LGBT community accepted the verdict. It is particularly sad that, as a result of the ruling, Mr Lee regards himself as a "second-class citizen". I certainly do not regard him or any other member of the LGBT community as second-class. Sometimes, this is in the eye of the beholder, and there is nothing that I, or anyone else, can do to dissuade him from taking that point of view. In general, the LGBT community did itself no favours by its reaction to the result of a costly case that, in the eyes of many people, should not have been brought in the first place. Though the young couple at the heart of the case are committed church-goers, it was not about committed Christians taking on gay activists. It was about freedom of thought and expression, which lie at the heart of our society. For the past 17 years or so, when writing this column I have covered many controversies within the Churches about social issues including abortion, and same-sex relationships, and I have constantly urged my readers to be tolerant of other people's points of view. That is not to say that I agree with everyone else's views, but I must have the broad mindedness to give them their right to hold that point of view, rightly or wrongly. Take, for example, the controversy in the Presbyterian Church about homosexuality, which is causing deep divisions that are far from being healed. I have no doubt that good people on each side of the argument are totally sincere in what they believe, and that they base those beliefs on their interpretation of Scripture. Sadly, however, this also develops into personal criticism, of which I have had my share. Some of the most hurtful and bitter comments made against me have come from Christians who show little concern for fellow human beings, which ought to be the hallmark of people who claim to follow Christ. The intolerance, however, is not confined to issues such as homosexuality and abortion. There is still a deep intolerance here about other people's beliefs, whether they are a member of a different denomination or from a different faith. I have learned a lot from writing about religion in this column for so many years, but I still despair at our inability to say to someone else, 'I think you may be wrong, but perhaps I am wrong too, or at least not totally right, so let's try to learn from one another'. One of my favourite hymns has the line, 'There's a wideness in God's mercy, which is wider than the sea'. This applies not only within Christianity, but also to other faiths and people of no faith. In writing a column such as this, I have no idea where my words will go, or what reaction they will have, for good or ill, months or years afterwards However, it has always been a privilege to have this platform, and if my words have brought even a little more tolerance, openness and kindness to some of my fellow human beings, my efforts have not been in vain. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim greets his supporters after his landslide by-election victory in the southern coastal town of Port Dickson, Oct. 13, 2018. Updated at 8:22 a.m. ET on 2018-10-15 Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim emerged victorious in a special election Saturday, election officials announced, setting the stage for his return to Parliament with a landslide win widely seen as a first step toward eventually replacing Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Figures released by the Election Commission showed that Anwar received more than 71 percent of the total votes cast in a by-election battle for a parliamentary seat representing the coastal town of Port Dickson in Sembilan state, about 100 km (62 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur. I am, of course, extremely pleased and humbled by the result, Anwar, 71, told supporters hours after the close of the polling. I just called and spoke to Tun Mahathir and he is glad, he said, using a common honorific title for the 93-year-old Malaysian leader. Anwar described his win by a huge margin as unexpected but convincing. "This to my mind is an important milestone, a vote of confidence for the government and the reform agenda, and the prime minister," he told reporters as about 1,000 supporters cheered at his campaign headquarters. Anwar was the nations most famous political prisoner until he received a royal full-pardon in May this year, when the opposition alliance that he jointly led with Mahathir pulled off a stunning election victory, ushering then-Prime Minister Najib Razaks political downfall. More than 58 percent of the 75,770 registered voters turned out in the Port Dickson by-election that pitted seven candidates, including Saiful Bukhari Azlan, an ex-aide who had accused Anwar of sodomy. Anwar received 31,016 votes, Saiful bagged 82, election officials said. The by-election for the parliamentary seat took place after the incumbent, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, resigned on Sept. 12 to give way to Anwar. Danyal is a member of the People's Justice Party or PKR headed by Anwar. Anwar, who was once the countrys former deputy prime minister, spent eight of the past 20 years in prison on what his supporters claimed were politically-motivated sodomy charges, including one that was orchestrated by Najib. To defeat Najib, Anwar and Mahathir set aside their bitter feud. Mahathir had pledged during the campaign for the May general election that he would eventually hand over power to Anwar. The body of a suspected drug dealer lies on the ground after he was killed by an unidentified assailant in Manila, March 23, 2018. The Philippines on Saturday announced its election to the U.N. Human Rights Council, calling it a proof that President Rodrigo Duterte was on the right track despite backlash from rights groups slamming the thousands of deaths in his anti-drug war. The fresh mandate would allow Manila to prove to its detractors that the government valued human rights, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters, as he hit back at rights advocates who had severely criticized Dutertes deadly crackdown. Inclusion in the council was a vindication that fake news and baseless accusations have no place in modern-day human rights discussions, Cayetano said. Cayetano accused critics of mounting sustained and well-funded efforts to block the Philippines bid. He did not name names. Manila received its three-year mandate on Friday via an uncontested election in the U.N. General Assembly, joining 18 new council members, including countries with tainted human rights records, such as Eritrea and Cameroon. Earlier, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) had lobbied against the Philippines inclusion in the council, warning that the 47-seat council risked losing its credibility. Duterte, who won a six-year term in 2016, had recently admitted that his only sin is the extrajudicial killings. Six months after he took power, and as controversy swirled over what critics had described as hitman-style drug deaths in the Philippines, Duterte called the U.N. human rights chief an idiot. You there in the United Nations, you do not know diplomacy, Duterte said, referring to Zeid Raad al-Hussein, who was then the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. You do not know how to behave, to be an employee of the United Nations. You do not talk to me like that, you son of a bitch. Duterte targeted al-Hussein after the U.N. official urged authorities to investigate the Philippine leaders boastful claims about having personally shot dead suspects when he was longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao. At least 4,500 suspected drug addicts and dealers have died in the anti-drug campaign, according to the national police. Authorities say those deaths took place during legitimate gunbattles with law-enforcement officers, putting the blame on unidentified vigilantes for thousands of other killings. Rights groups estimate the death toll at 12,000. On Friday, HRW accused Duterte of overseeing a killing frenzy and warned that the council risked undermining its credibility in the world body with the Philippine presence in the council. Washington withdrew from the council in June after U.S. officials criticized it for including countries with troubling rights records. Dozens killed in police operations last week The news comes as opposition senators on Wednesday called for an immediate investigation into the recent spate of killings in the central city of Cebu, where the national police said it had expanded its anti-illegal operations. The allegation that police officers themselves are behind some of the killings is highly disturbing," the senators said in a resolution. Local reports earlier said 19 suspected drug dealers and users had been killed during anti-drug operations since July this year in different areas of Cebu, a popular tourist destination. Mark Navales in Cotabato City contributed to this report. Three powerful political families in southern Metro Manilathe Cayetanos of Taguig City, the Calixtos in Pasay City, and the Binays of Makati Citywant to continue what their earlier generations have started and make needed improvements to further uplift the lives of their constituents. For the May 2019 midterm elections, three Cayetanos, led by outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, are vying for positions in Taguig. Alan Peter is reportedly making a comeback as representative of the Taguig-Pateros district, while his brother Lino Edgardo, a television director and former Taguig congressman, is joining the mayoralty race. He would replace sister-in-law and incumbent Mayor Ma. Laarni Lani Cayetano, Alan Peters wife, who is serving her third and last term as city chief executive. Incumbent Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano is also gunning for a Senate seat in the midterm polls, as she and brother Alan Peter both served in the upper chamber during the 14th Congress. Their father, the late Renato Luna Cayetanopopularly known as Companero because of the popular public affairs talk show Companero y Companera in the 90salso served as senator from 1998 to 2003. Alan Peter, the running mate of eventual President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections, is reportedly seeking the leadership role of the House of Representatives if he wins next year. He said President Duterte agreed it would be better if the Foreign Affairs chief serves as House Speaker to help the administration achieve its goals. We had a heart-to-heart talk, and we both agreed that a role in Congress and a leadership position in Congress would be good in terms of pursuing that vision. With all humility, I will seek another term in my hometown, Taguig-Pateros, the district of Taguig and Pateros, and then lets see where it goes from there, he said. Alan Peter still had three more years to serve as a senator when he accepted Dutertes appointment to head the Department of Foreign Affairs in May 2017. Meanwhile, Lino Edgardo Cayetano said he wants to improve all the programs and projects initiated by his sister-in-law Lani as mayor. He is running alongside incumbent Taguig City Vice Mayor Ricardo Ading Cruz. The Cayetanos are planning to file their certificates of candidacy early this week. In Pasay City, incumbent Mayor Antonino Calixto, who is on his third and last term, is joining the race in the citys lone congressional district to replace his sister incumbent Pasay City Rep. Imelda Calixto-Rubiano who, on the other hand, wants to replace her brother and be the next city chief executive. Antoninos son Mark Anthony and nephew Joey Calixto Isidro are running for councilors. Congressman Rubiano, if elected as mayor next year, said vowed to work closely with members of the City Council to focus on the needed improvements under Calixtos administration. Both Antonino and Imelda were city councilors during the time of the late former Pasay City mayor Wenceslao Peewee Trinidad. Their father Eduardo Duay Martin Calixto served as mayor officer-in-charge of Pasay City following the EDSA People Power Revolution that resulted in the ouster of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos from Malacanang in 1986. It seems that (the people of Pasay) see how the Calixto family served since the time of our father, said Rubiano, who is running with incumbent Vice Mayor Noel Boyet del Rosario. The Calixtos, who filed their certificates of candidacy last Thursday, also promised they will continue all the projects intended for poor families and improve further public school facilities in the city. Among the programs and projects initiated by the Calixtos are the Take Care I Care Green Card, the Malibay Community Center, Dental and Medical missions, free wheelchairs for senior citizens, Special Program for Employment of Students, Tulong Panghanap-buhay sa ating Disadvantage Workers, Livelihood for indigent residents, and free clean water for all barangays.In the City of Makati, former mayor and vice president Jejomar Binay is running for the citys first congressional district. Binay, who served as city chief executive in Makati from 1986 to 1998, and from 2001 to 2010, wants to work to ensure that residents of the citys First District will continue to receive the Binay brand of service in terms of relevant health, education and social services. During his term as Makati mayor, the elder Binay introduced reforms that turned around Makati from a bankrupt municipality to the countrys financial district. Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Mar-Len Abigail Abby Binay-Campos is reportedly challenging her brother and also former mayor Jejomar Erwin Junjun Binay in the mayoralty race next year. Junjun said he is ready to run against his sister to maintain the Binay-brand of governance in Makati. She said many times that she is a different Binay. But she will not go down to meet with the people, said Junjun. Whats more important is sino ang gusto ng mga tao na maglingkod dito sa lungsod. I think thats the more important question, he said. Abby, on the other hand, said it was sexist for her brother to say that the poll rivalry was a Binay vs. Campos. She is also contesting the eligibility of her brother as a candidate due to his pending case. Abby also said Junjun must first settle his case before thinking of a comeback in politics. But veteran election lawyer and former Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., said the case is not a hindrance to his clients candidacy, adding that it is not final and executory. Nothing is final. No ground for any disqualification against Junjun, Brillantes said. Last May, the Court of Appeals issued a resolution reversing the 2015 decision dismissing Junjun and several other city officials and barred them from holding public office in connection with the construction of Makati City Hall Building II. The CA, in its 159-page decision written by Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon, reversed the 2015 ruling of the Office of the Ombudsman, saying (Junjun) Binay is still covered by the 2010 Supreme Court decision that reiterated its 1959 condonation doctrine which extinguishes the administrative liability of an elective public official once reelected to the same post. Incumbent Senator Nancy Binay, who is seeking reelection and was accompanied by Junjun when she filed her certificate of candidacy at the Comelec main office in Manila last Friday, said their family will discuss the matter happening now between Abby and Junjun once their father returned to Manila from Vatican. In 2016, Abby was replaced by her husband Luis Campos as representative in the second district when she ran and won for mayor against Romulo Kid Pena Jr., who will make a challenge with the former vice president in the first congressional district of the city. Abigail is the fourth in the Binay family who was elected mayor in Makati. First was her father followed by her mother Dra. Elenita Binay, and the last one was Junjun. Junjun was supposed to run for reelection in the city in 2016 but his dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman over allegations of irregularities in the city prompted the Binay family and the United Nationalist Alliance, the political party of the vice president, to field Abigail. Makati, a city with more than 370,000 registered voters, has been a stronghold of Binays since the Vice President was appointed by then late President Corazon Aquino as its officer-in-charge in 1986. Check out the top stories from BGSU and beyond in our newscast and online edition of our newspaper every Wednesday. You can also view past papers by clicking the e-edition header above. For Immediate Release, October 12, 2018 Contact: Nathan Donley, (971) 717-6406, ndonley@biologicaldiversity.org Dow Seeks to Expand Use of Bee-killing Pesticide to Additional 3 Million Acres EPA Considering Allowing Use of Sulfoxaflor on Rice, Ornamental Plants PORTLAND, Ore. The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a request by Dow AgroSciences to dramatically expand the use of the bee-killing pesticide sulfoxaflor to rice, avocados, greenhouses, tree farms and residential ornamental plants sold at retail outlets. The EPA has already concluded that sulfoxaflor is very highly toxic to bees. If granted, this action would allow the very first uses of the pesticide on commercial and residential ornamental plants that are often visited by pollinators and that make up some of the only pollinator habitat in densely populated urban areas. The proposed use on rice, grown on nearly 3 million acres in California, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, could spell disaster for already imperiled aquatic invertebrates because rice fields are often intentionally flooded, which could allow the pesticide to reach nearby streams and rivers. The EPA shouldnt allow this harmful pesticide to be used on the very plants people buy at their local nursery to attract pollinators, said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. We cant provide habitat for pollinators while poisoning them at the same time. This request comes the same day as the public comment period ended on the EPAs consideration of allowing use of another bee-toxic pesticide, Bayers flupyradifurone, across 300,000 acres of tobacco fields in Kentucky, North Carolina and four other states in the Southeast. Sulfoxaflor and flupyradifurone are systemic pesticides with the same mode of action and potential for harm as neonicotinoid pesticides, a leading cause of widespread pollinator population declines. While the pesticide industry has touted these pesticides as a replacement for neonics, they pose many of the same risks to non-target species like bees and butterflies. Now that Canada and the European Union have concluded that neonics are incredibly dangerous to pollinators and other species and are phasing them out, the chemical industry is scrambling to popularize new, equally dangerous products to replace them, said Donley. The problem is the replacements are just a new method of creating the pretty much the same widespread harm. This is not the right way forward. Background In response to a legal challenge by beekeepers, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the EPAs original registration of sulfoxaflor in 2015, finding that it was too dangerous for bees. The EPAs new 2016 registration for sulfoxaflor purportedly designed to ensure no exposure to bees excluded crops that are attractive to bees and have indeterminate flowering patterns. Since then the EPA has routinely granted so-called emergency exemptions, 22 so far this year and 78 in 2017, that have allowed for sulfoxaflor use on 17.5 millions of acres of farmland. The Office of Inspector General issued a report critical of the EPAs use of these emergency exemptions weeks ago. A recent study published in Nature found that sulfoxaflor exposure at low doses had severe consequences for bumblebee reproductive success. The authors cautioned against EPAs current trajectory of replacing neonicotinoids with nearly identical pesticides like sulfoxaflor. The Philippines withdrawal from the International Criminal Court will not affect the countrys claim over the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea, because China is not a member country of The Hague-based international court. The Palace made the statement Saturday after Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that withdrawing from the ICC would weaken the Philippines stance, in case China invades Scarborough Shoal and puts up military establishments there. New Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said nothing connects the two issues. I dont see any connection, Panelo said, referring to Chinas alleged plan to take over the WPS. President Rodrigo Duterte previously announced that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, due to baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks against him and his administration.Duterte also reasoned that the Rome Statute is not affecting the country, as it was never published in the Official Gazette despite being ratified by the Philippines. Panelo said the Philippines does not need the Rome Statute, as the countrys courts are functioning smoothly. The Rome Statute was created so there would be a vehicle, the ICC, to prosecute countries perceived to be led by tyrants or violators of heinous crimes. Panelo said the ICC has no jurisdiction over territorial disputes. Malacanang and outgoing Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the Philippines reelection to another three-year term in the United Nations Human Rights Council , with the former saying this manifested the countrys continuing war on illegal drugs did not violate human rights. Some 3,000 people have been killed since Rodrigo Duterte won the presidential elections in 2016 where he vowed to stop illegal drugs in the country. Duterte had said the war on drugs was necessary to prevent the country becoming a narco-state. [The] vote of 165 out of the 192 votes cast by member-states is a recognition that our government respects human rights and will not tolerate abuse by those in authority, Palace spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement. He said that getting a seat in the UNHRC was a repudiation of the critics and detractors of Dutertes unrelenting war against illegal drugs. The country will be among 47-member states of the council from 2019 to 2021, following its election in 2015. The Philippines first served in the Council from 2007 to 2009, and then from 2012 to 2014. Cayetano, who will be succeeded by Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr., welcomed the development, after international group Human Rights Watch called on the UN body to reject the Philippines reelection bid. Our successful bid to keep our seat in the Council is proof that many in the international community remain convinced the Philippines respects and protects human rights and have seen through the efforts of some to politicize and weaponize the issue, Cayetano said in a statement. The HRW had said UN countries must show their outrage against the Philippines and Eritrea by keeping them off the council. The group cited the administrations drug war, citing more than 12,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed in anti-drug operationsa huge jump from the government data showing 4,000 have been neutralizedas well as the attacks on human rights defenders. Philippines President Rodrigo Dutertes abusive war on drugs has been a killing frenzy that has left thousands dead, the HRW said.The group also cited the bundle of verbal attacks against UN representatives such as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard and High Commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein, who have made public statements against the administrations war on drugs. But Cayetano said critics of the Philippine governments war against drugs are merely being loud to solicit more funds from donors. Panelo said the countrys reelection proved that Dutertes unrelenting campaign against illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality had been acknowledged by the international community. The community of nations has viewed the drug menace as a global problem requiring its utmost attention in forcefully dealing with it and forging a united front against the purveyors of its proliferation across the frontiers of the world, Panelo said. We thank and commend the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the States that supported our countrys bid, for affirming the Philippines brand of human rights advocacy under the Duterte administration as truly responsive to our peoples needs and aspirations for a better and more dignified life, he added. The UN General Assembly also elected the following member-states: Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eritrea, Fiji, India, Italy, Somalia, Togo and Uruguay. Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights, through spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia, in a statement said the CHR welcomed the countrys winning a seat in the UNHRC. But she pointed out, Earning a seat in the council puts pressure on the Philippine government to address allegations of human rights violations, starting with the growing cases of extrajudicial killings purportedly linked to the governments campaign against illegal drugs. She also stressed that the countrys credibility in the UN body would be defined by the present administrations ability to address rights violations issues. The Philippines credibility to be part of this body rests on its ability to effect actions that will concretely address these allegations, in line with its mandate of promote, protect, and fulfill the human rights of all and not just of a select few, De Guia added. She Couldnt Have Sex For 6 Years After Her Wedding Life oi-Syeda Farah Noor This couple from Texas has had a tough experience in their sex life as they were not able to have sex for 6 long years after they were married. The woman named Emily had a medical condition in which they realised that having sex was not as they expected it to be. Check out the details about the vaginismus condition that the woman suffered from and how they managed to cope up with it. The Couple Decided To Make Love On Their Wedding Night Ben Coussens, 31, and Emily, 28, were in a relationship for over two years before they decided to get married. The couple was excited to make love on their wedding night when they realised that things were not easy. Most Read : Viral Video Of A Couple Who Made Love In Public! She Felt Like A Knife Being 'shoved Inside' Her! When the couple tried making love, they realised it was painful as Emily felt like a knife being 'shoved inside' her and it hit a brick wall. They decided to try it again during their honeymoon, and they realised that the pain was just the same and hence consulted the doctor. The Doctors Gave Her Silicons And Dilators When doctors examined her, they could not even proceed with an internal examination, since her vagina just clenched. Hence the doctor thought it was a size issue, and gave me some dilators to make her vagina wider. They even gave her few narrow silicone tubes that looked like tampons - to widen the vaginal opening but seemed like nothing could get inside her. She Was Diagnosed With Vaginismus On examination, doctors diagnosed her with vaginismus condition where the vaginal muscles involuntarily tighten when penetrated. Most Read : She Was Cheated, Hence Decided To Transform Herself Into A Sex Doll They Tried Every Possible Way To Have Sex The couple revealed that they tried everything from a vibrator to stretching exercises. But unfortunately, nothing seemed to work. Emily felt ashamed about her condition. They Even Faked Their Sex Life While friends asked a couple of their sex life, they faked and changed the topic. This went on unless Emily realised that there are women who do suffer from the same condition as well. Most Read : Heard About Tantric Sex? Here Is What You Need To Know! She Even Had A Hymenectomy Emily even had a hymenectomy, to remove her hymen in a bid to reduce the discomfort, but it was a failed attempt to make love as her condition remained the same. They Contacted Women's Therapy Center in Plainview, New York When the couple saw the interview of women who suffered from the same condition just like Emily, they knew that they had found the answer to her situation and they contacted the centre straight away. They ran two-week treatment courses, that cost them 8,300 ($11,000). She Flew 1,500 Miles For Her Treatment Emily flew 1,500 miles for her treatment where she underwent twice-daily sessions in her first week. She was later taught about the method of combination of 'hands on' guided penetration training. This was a process where she inserted the dilators repeatedly as well as touching herself. This helped her to get used to the feeling of being touched on the pelvic area. Most Read : They Met At A Sex Change Clinic And Are All Set To Marry Now The Couple Are Blessed With A Baby After 6 long years of having a sexless life, the couple were finally able to have sex for the first time after their 2 weeks of intense therapy. Within 5 months of them consummating their sex life, Emily became pregnant, and now the couple is blessed with a baby boy. GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 14:55 [IST] 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 Dubai, United Arab EmiratesSaudi Arabia dismissed on Saturday accusations that Jamal Khashoggi was ordered murdered by a hit squad inside its Istanbul consulate as lies and baseless allegations, as Riyadh and Ankara spar over the missing journalists fate. A Saudi delegation was in Turkey for talks on the case, which threatens not only to harm fragile relations between the two countries but also to do serious damage to the reformist credentials of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdoms ties to the West. As the controversy intensified, the Washington Post reported Turkish officials had recordings made from inside the building that allegedly proved their claims Khashoggi was tortured and killed at the consulate. Big names from media and business have already cancelled appearances at a major conference in Riyadh this month and both the IMF chief and the US treasury secretary made their attendance conditional on the findings in the case. In the first Saudi ministerial reaction to Turkish accusations that Khashoggi was killed, Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef condemned what has been reported in certain media concerning false accusations against Saudi Arabia... in the case of the disappearance of citizen Khashoggi. What has been reported on the matter of orders to kill him is a lie and a baseless allegation, the minister said in comments carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. He added the kingdom was in compliance with international laws and conventions. Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. The Saudi delegation, whose composition was not immediately clear, is expected to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara at the weekend, state media said on Friday. It is likely that they will take part in a joint working group on the case, whose creation was announced Thursday by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin following a request by Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official source quoted by SPA news agency said it was a positive move Turkey had agreed to the creation of what it described as a joint action team." The Turkish leadership has so far stopped short of accusing Saudi Arabia, although pro-government media have published sensational claims, including that an assassination team was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi left the consulate safely. Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in the US since September 2017 fearing arrest, criticized some policies of Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadhs intervention in the war in Yemen.The Washington Post reported the Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings which show how Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and then murdered inside the consulate before his body was dismembered. Turkish officials contacted by AFP refused to comment on the veracity of the report. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Saturday she was horrified by reports about the Saudi dissidents fate, while US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed concern. But both said that for now they still planned to attend an October 23-25 conference in Riyadh, dubbed Davos in the Desert after the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort. The answer is for now I am still going, Mnuchin said. If more information comes out over the next week, I will obviously take that into account. Lagarde said she had to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world. So at this point of time my intention is to not change my plans and to be very attentive to the information that is coming out in the next few days. Bloomberg, the Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times withdrew as the events media sponsors, while the CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi said he would no longer be attending unless a substantially different set of facts emerges. Ankara and Riyadh have been on opposing sides in the region on key issues, including the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and last years Saudi-led blockade on Turkeys regional ally Qatar. Yet as key Sunni Muslim powers they have maintained cordial relations. But despite Riyadhs agreement on Tuesday to let Turkish authorities search the Saudi mission, the probe has not yet taken place. The two sides have been in intense contacts to resolve the issue, local media reported. Pro-government Turkish newspaper Sabah said officials wanted to search the building with luminol, a chemical that allows forensic teams to discover blood traces, but the Saudis had so far refused. Officers were looking into sound recordings sent from a smartwatch Khashoggi was wearing when he entered the consulate to a mobile phone he gave to his Turkish fiancee outside, Hatice Cengiz. Turkish daily Milliyet reported arguments and shouting could be heard on the recordings. WashingtonAn American pastor held for two years in Turkey was expected back in the United States on Saturday after a court freed him in a case that sparked a crisis in Ankaras ties with Washington and trouble for its economy. The court in the western town of Aliaga convicted Andrew Brunson on terror-related charges and sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail, an AFP correspondent said. However, he was released taking into account time served and his good conduct during the trial, with the court lifting his house arrest and overseas travel ban. After briefly going back to nearby Izmir to collect belongings, Brunson was driven to the citys airport where he boarded a US military plane. Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, later tweeted a picture showing Brunson kissing an American flag he was given at an air base where the plane landed for refueling. Hes almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump. When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. #agratefulnation, wrote Grenell. The US President had pressed Turkey to release Brunson, who has become a cause celebre for Donald Trumps conservative Christian base. Trump said he would meet the pastor as soon as he returns. Good news, Pastor Brunson is in the air, Trump told reporters as he arrived in Cincinnati on a campaign stop ahead of congressional elections. He is coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday. The president opened the rally by telling supporters he was proud to report Brunsons release. I think hes going to be in great shape, Trump said. Brunson, who was first detained in October 2016, faced up to 35 years in jail on charges of aiding terrorist groups and espionage. Prosecutors then demanded a sentence of up to 10 years. He was convicted on charges of aiding terrorist groups while not being a member of them. Brunson and US officials insisted he is innocent of all charges. I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey, he said in his final defense. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. Brunsons detention caused not just one of the worst diplomatic rows of recent times between NATO allies Turkey and the US, but also led to a crash in the Turkish lira which exposed the countrys economic fragility.But further strains remained. After his release, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to free quickly other Americans in detention. The world should know that (Trump and the State Department) continue to work hard to bring home all American hostages and those wrongfully imprisoned and detained, Pompeo tweeted. NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month. And two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was on Friday denied release in a separate court hearing. Anthony Skinner, director of Middle East and North Africa at the Verisk Maplecroft consultancy, said that the US and Turkey had plenty of disagreements beyond Brunson. The clamp has now been removed, which opens the way for bilateral negotiations to address other sources of disagreement, but Washington and Ankara still have to navigate through a minefield, Skinner said. He pointed to the order by Turkey of Russian S-400 missile defense systems which has riled its Western allies, as well as Ankaras determination to do business with Iran in defiance of US sanctions. Turkey is bracing for potential fines from US authorities over Iran sanctions-busting by Turkish lender Halkbank, which has already seen the jailing of its deputy director general in the United States. Brunsons release came at a sensitive time for the Turkish leadership, which is under global scrutiny over how it handles the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared at Riyadhs consulate in Istanbul last week. Both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump have pressed Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi. If the Brunson issue is resolved to Washingtons satisfaction, it could help the two sides coordinate their Saudi policy more closely. Erdogan, who has in the past taken aim at Brunson, appeared to distance himself from the case in his latest comments earlier this week, saying he could not interfere in judicial affairs. US broadcaster NBC said Turkey and the United States had reached a secret deal for Brunson to be released on Friday and for some charges against him to be dropped, in exchange for the US easing economic pressure that included sanctions which have hammered the lira. Trump denied any deal, saying, We spoke to Turkey and went through a system. Frustrated with childrens stories of passive princesses and damsels in distress, two Italian women crowdfunded their way into publishing history with a record-breaking book of inspirational tales for girls. And their revolution has only just begun. The first volume of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo has become a global sensation, selling more than three million copies with translations in 46 languages. The 2016 book, telling the life stories of 100 extraordinary women ranging from US author Maya Angelou to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and Polish-born scientist Marie Curie, was born out of necessity, Cavallo said. Most books dont feature girls in roles where they take charge of their destiny. In most childrens books, when there are female characters, they dont speak, Cavallo told AFP at the Frankfurt book fair. We want girls to grow up with the certainty that they can choose the life they want. And never apologize for being too assertive, too ambitious or too brave. Co-authors Cavallo and Favilli, who live in the United States, were determined to change the gender imbalance on the bookshelfdespite having no publishing experience. Thats our rebel spirit, the 35-year-old laughed.The duo had already founded a childrens media company in California called Timbuktu Labs, which created the first iPad magazine for children. But to bring out a real-world book, they turned to crowdfunding, setting their goal at a modest $40,000 (34,000 euros). They raised over $600,000, making it the highest funded book ever on Kickstarter. Their second volume of bedtime stories last year smashed that record, raising over $900,000. The huge appetite for the books blindsided the traditional publishing industry, spawning a raft of copycat versions as publishers scramble to catch up with demand for empowering stories about women.At the opening of this weeks Frankfurt book fair, the worlds largest publishing event, director Juergen Boos cited the Rebel Girls chronicles as an example of how publishing was changing. We are seeing new ways that literature is being created, bought and received, Boos said, pointing out that it took an online community to reveal there werent nearly enough books with female heroines. The second Rebel Girls book, which has sold over 600,000 copies so far, again offers one-page bios of 100 strong women, written in a fairytale-style and paired with a colourful, illustrated portrait. Beyonce and Oprah are among those featured. Cavallo said it was no coincidence the books were so successful at a time when womens voices are growing louder and the #MeToo movement has taken the world by storm, sparking a global debate about sexual harassment. We are experiencing a moment in history when women are determined to see womens rights at the front and centre of the political agenda, Cavallo said. Its probably the best time in history to be a rebel girl. But there is still so much to do. The third Rebel Girls book is already on the way, an interactive journal to starting a revolution. It reached its crowdfunding target in just eight hours and will hit bookstores in early Decemberalthough backers on Kickstarter will get their copies earlier. The authors have also branched out into podcasts, using famous voices to read out extended versions of some of the biographies. Billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates is one of the narrators, as is New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor who co-wrote the expose that first revealed the sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. But what Cavallo and Favilli insist they wont do is expand their brand into rebel books for boys. We feel its very important for boys to read books where they are not in the title. Girls have done that their whole lives, Cavallo said. And a lot of boys tell us they love our stories. Many parents still feel they cant give boys a book about girls. But thats changing, too. Citigroup has reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by lower expenses, higher bond trading revenue and strength in its consumer banking business in Mexico. Net income for the third-largest US bank rose to $4.62bn (4bn) in the third quarter from $4.13bn a year earlier. Investors have been waiting to see how trading revenue fared at the five big Wall Street banks due to an escalating US-China trade war and executives warning that the businesss growth would be muted. Update: An occupation of the AirBnb offices in Dublin's Docklands by 'Take Back The City' housing activists has now ended. According to AirBnb, their office has closed and they will not be taking part in the remainder of today's Open House Dublin event. In a statement, the company said: "AirBnb is an economic lifeline for countless Irish families and we are proud to have partnered with Open House Dublin for many years to celebrate our creative community. "We are disappointed that a small and peaceful demonstration has disrupted the activities. "We thank local hosts for their hard work in showcasing the best of Irish creativity, and apologise to any attendees affected." Take Back The City occupied the offices earlier today to protest against the company's impact on the housing crisis in Ireland. It said that AirBnb "appears to have rapidly colonised vast amounts of our city, locking people out of homes". "AirBnb have exacerbated the housing crisis in Dublin and Ireland as a whole," the group said in a statement. A platform that markets convenience by 'disruption' has delivered nothing but chaos to the people of our city. "They have no place in our city - the city should serve the needs of all its people, not the needs of tech, finance and the tourism industry. "Today was another strong showing of people power and civil disobedience - the only two tactics that can drive a solution to this crisis." Airbnb are major contributors to the housing crisis. This morning we decided to pay them a visit. pic.twitter.com/LeqsPwCdEx Take Back The City - Dublin (@TBTCDublin) October 13, 2018 Earlier: 'Airbnb have exacerbated the housing crisis' - Activists occupy firm's Dublin offices Housing activists 'Take Back The City' are holding a demonstration at the offices of AirBnb in Dublin's Docklands. The campaign group Take Back the City who have held protests around the city in the past month over the housing crisis this afternoon occupied the building for more than an hour. They say it is to coincide with Ireland's largest architecture festival, Open House Dublin, taking place across Dublin this weekend, including the firm's flagship offices on Hanover Quay. The protesters said they did it "in protest against Airbnb's impact on the housing crisis in Ireland - and across the world". The group called for properties in Dublin to be made available as long-term lets, not short-term. Conor from 'Take Back The City' explains why they chose the location. He said: "Today a group from Take Back The City occupied the offices in protest at some of the effects of Airbnb and short-term rental platforms on the housing crisis. "Platforms like Airbnb have exacerbated the crisis and have also driven rents up by constricting the market. "We went there today to protest Airbnb's role in this crisis." Digital Desk By Pat Flynn A young woman has been airlifted to hospital in the early hours of this morning after she was found with serious injuries at the base of a seven-metre (23 foot) cliff in Co. Clare. The alarm was raised at around 2.30am when the woman in her early 20s was reported to have fallen onto the shoreline from a cliff at Spanish Point. A complex major multi-agency operation that lasted over three hours, was quickly mounted. It involved the Irish Coast Guard, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service and National Ambulance Service. Gardai also attended the scene and carried out inquiries to establish the circumstances of the accident. The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard along with the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter were initially tasked to the incident. Two units of the fire brigade from Ennistymon and ambulance resources from Ennistymon and Ennis were also sent to the scene. Emergency services found the woman on rocks close to the water on the northern side of Spanish Point Bay near a popular hotel. Coast Guard and fire service personnel climbed down to the base of the cliff to reach the woman. It is believed she suffered multiple injuries including fractures and a head trauma. The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was requested to airlift the casualty from the scene. The woman was assessed by an advanced paramedic before being secured and prepared for the helicopter airlift. She was flown to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. The emergency services were stood down shortly before 7am in an operation that was coordinated by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guards marine rescue sub-centre at Valentia in Kerry. Update: Independent TD Noel Grealish has confirmed he will back the government in key votes until Brexit has been sorted. It shores up support for the coalition after Sean Canney was also brought back into the fold by being given a Junior Ministry. Deputy Grealish said a stable government was needed during these delicate stages in the Brexit talks. In a statement this evening, Deputy Grealish said: I have decided to give the necessary support to the Government during this crucial stage of Brexit negotiations. Ireland is now entering one of the most critical and uncertain phases since the foundation of our state and it is in the best interests of our country as a whole that we have a stable Government at this crucial time." The announcement came in the wake of a meeting with Tanaiste Simon Coveney and a conversation with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. "I have also spoken with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and I believe that there is a compelling public interest that must be served at this time, which outweighs the interests of any politician, individually or collectively," he said. The move makes the prospect of an election before Christmas less likely, after Micheal Martins request to the Taoiseach that neither of them collapses the government until a Brexit deal has been accepted. Meanwhile, Mary Lou McDonald says the government's Confidence and Supply arrangement is a 'political con job' which has led to uncertainty, instability and crisis. Confidence and supply has led to uncertainty, instability and crisis - @MaryLouMcDonald https://t.co/fJhpQklDVk pic.twitter.com/8spLKCCByt Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) October 13, 2018 The Sinn Fein leader claims the arrangement is designed to allow Fianna Fail to 'pretend' to be in opposition while Fine Gael operates in Government without sanction. Deputy McDonald says it's bad for politics, bad for government, and bad for citizens; at a time of challenge over Brexit, housing and healthcare. She says Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have a decision to make - to formalise their position as coalition partners in Government or to go to the people. Taoiseach proposes Richard Bruton as Minister for Communications The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is proposing to make Richard Bruton the new Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. It comes after Denis Naughten resigned as Minister over his interactions with David McCourt, the head of the consortium bidding for Irelands rural broadband contract. Mr Bruton has said he is "committed to implementing the National Broadband Plan" and is looking forward to the new challenge as Communications Minister. Looking forward to this new challenge, working on some of the most crucial issues currently facing the country. I am committed to implementing the National Broadband Plan, which will deliver broadband to over 500,000 homes, schools and businesses across the country. Richard Bruton (@RichardbrutonTD) October 13, 2018 The new changes to cabinet announced by Leo Varadkar today will see Richard Bruton take over as Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment. That move will see former Chief Whip Joe McHugh take over as Minister for Education and Skills, the post vacated by Minister Bruton. Sean Kyne will take on the role of Minister for the Gaeltacht & the islands, he will also assume the role of Chief Whip. Meanwhile, Sean Canney has been promoted to the position of Minister of State at the Departments of Rural and Community Development and Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The Independent TD's appointment shores up his support for the Government. The appointments are subject to the approval of the Dail and the Cabinet with a vote on the appointments to take place on Tuesday. Update - 8.58am: Gardai have released three people without charge.who were arrested after guns were seized in postal packages from the United States. They were detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939. A file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigations are ongoing. Earlier: Three people being questioned after Gardai intercept three glock guns in the post Guns and drugs have been seized by gardai after they intercepted postal packages from the US. Three people remain in custody this morning after the find. A number of firearms destined for Ireland from the United States have been intercepted by gardai. It is part of a joint operation between the Special Crime Operations branch of the force and United States Homeland Security Investigations. Three Glock handguns have been discovered in postal packages, following the detection of automatic weapons due to be delivered to locations in Dublin city and county. Cocaine and cannabis were seized during the search of three addresses in Stepaside, Carrickmines and Newcastle, Co. Dublin yesterday morning. Three people aged 26, 27 and 38 have been arrested and are being questioned at a number of Garda Stations in the east of the city. A Canberra-based organisation bringing clean drinking water to villages in Laos is setting its sights on helping one of Australia's closest neighbours. The team at Abundant Water is helping to install ceramic water filters in parts of East Timor and training residents to help expand the program. Abundant Water volunteers installing filters in a village in Laos. Credit:Facebook The team started the expansion from Laos into East Timor after filters were installed in the Timorese embassy and ambassador's residence in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Abundant Water chief executive Sunny Forsyth said after discussions with the ambassador, they decided to provide the water filters to people in East Timor. Three deaths from suspected heroin overdoses in Canberra in one week has renewed calls for the so-called heroin antidote naloxone to be more widely available. The ACT is experiencing an opioid mortality epidemic as high or higher than during the previous epidemic of the late 1990s, according to the peak body for the drug and alcohol sector in Canberra. Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association chief executive Carrie Fowler said the deaths this week were tragic and preventable. "Australia, like some other wealthy Western countries, is experiencing an epidemic of unintentional opioid-related deaths," Ms Fowler said. "In 2001 we were in the tragic situation where the National Heroin Overdose Strategy was developed after the epidemic had ended, because of failure of the bureaucrats and politicians responsible to act in a timely manner. We must not see this repeated in the ACT now." An MP has criticised the state governments bill for abortion laws, which allows terminations on request up to 22 weeks, at a pro-life rally outside Parliament on Saturday. LNP member for the south-west Brisbane seat of Moggill and opposition spokesman for communities Dr Christian Rowan claimed the parliamentary committee process was flawed and the Queensland law reform commission was not impartial to its assessment and recommendations. "To decriminalise and remove termination of pregnancy from the criminal code... is an abdication of responsibility of any government to the welfare of its citizens and future generations," he said. "This legislation ignores the rights of the unborn, is not in the true interests of womens health and the legislation does not afford adequate conscientious objection rights to both clinical and non-clinical staff. Not making a profit since 1975! ...And since 2007, one of the Best Left-Wing Book & Culture Review Sites on the Net. "My partner used to work as a social worker for [redacted] in WA. She had a client who was suicidal. "Often she would come home and be visibly upset from the interactions with them. "She only had a $10 budget to take the client out each week. Every week she would use her own money to make the outing nicer. Some workers spoke out about the violence they experienced while on shift. Credit:Louise Kennerley "After a few months she had exhausted all outing options, and one time she came home concerned that the client would commit suicide after staying longer than her shift to make sure she was okay. "After discussing for a few minutes, I convinced her to call the suicide prevention hotline. They advised the service would not contact anyone, and would only take calls. "The saddest part for me, while sitting there with my partner, was when the person on the phone asked if my partner was okay. "She immediately cried and said she would be fine. "But it was incredibly nice to offer that support. She left the industry within 12 months. It was 12 months too long for anyone to endure." - 'Kurt' No thanks and no help - just keep working "I was a community worker assisting elderly clients. You were always given a fulls days schedule of visiting these clientele by yourself except for some initial consultation. "What they do not know or tell you is that it's not [often] the person you are caring for, but one of their family members that is staying with them, that is dangerous. I was one of the lucky ones. "I had gone from her bedroom into the bathroom, next door to assist and monitor this lady have a shower, leaving my work bag in the ladies bedroom with my lanyard joined to my mobile phone. "I couldn't take it into this tiny bathroom, couldn't wear it around my neck as it would have got wet during the shower, and the bathroom was full of mildew and wet. Workers say agencies often weren't supportive when they voiced their concerns. Credit:Patrick Matte "When I came out of bathroom with this lady, [we went] back into the next room ... before going to pick up my bag and mobile to leave to go to my next client only to find my mobile missing. "The lady made excuses, then [told me] about her grandson who was living with her due [having] two non-fit parents the grandson was a druggie. "I then had to use the lady's home phone to ring work and tell them my phone was stolen from this lady's bedroom. I felt invaded and didnt know at that stage whether he had taken anything else. "I was told [by my] company from now on when visiting any of my clients to not take my phone into people's places, instead lock it in my boot of my car and to keep working my shift. "I later received my phone back from the Melville police station after it had been stolen and sold to the pawnbrokers, close by, for money for drugs. No thanks and no help from work. "There needs to be two people at least to just about any community visit that is made ... as it is not always the client or patient that is the threat it is the family or friends of theirs." - Anonymous "Verbally threatened, abused, chased" "I work in child protection. No one thinks about the fact that the same people police and mental health deal with are our clients. "We are also more feared than other frontline services, so are at risk of harm, despite having no protective equipment at all. "Unless we are doing an initial investigation for a new case, the majority of home visits are without a second staff member.' "This is due to the severe, ongoing shortage of full time child protection field staff, and a lack of will to enforce protection of staff. Child protection workers want more support to protect them against psychological injury including trauma and anxiety. Credit:John Donegan "I and others are verbally abused, threatened, chased, lunged at, et cetera on a daily basis. "An office car was burned to the ground recently, we have received numerous threats to shoot or kill any staff at our office, people even put spiritual curses on us. "We regularly deal with people who are substance-affected, traumatised, brain-injured, socio-economically frustrated, frightened and dysregulated, et cetera at their homes, alone. "When I read this article my first fear was that a child protection after hours worker was involved. I bet only other child protection workers considered that possibility." - Anonymous "I had to 'wait it out'" "Ive worked in social work in many different community teams including mental health and child protection. "There are risk guidelines about who is risky to visit alone but Ive definitely been stuck in situations as a young social worker. Once I was locked in a clients home because his neighbour who was psychotic was threatening to stab and rape me. "He chased me to my clients door and then continued to beat on the door. I called the police and no one came. I had to wait it out." - Anonymous 'Get the work done any way you can, with whatever you've got' "Working alone is common practice. I have worked in crisis accommodation for people who had just escaped abuse, neglect, and worse. People who present with a large amount of barriers to leading an ordinary life. "Literally anything could happen between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm when Id be left alone in a house with six people. One day, a person presents with homelessness and unemployment issues, the next day someone can arrive with schizophrenia and violent background towards staff. Social workers helping homeless people said it was challenging to turn those away who were aggressive. Credit:Andrew Quilty "Because we cant ethically exit someone to homelessness, we literally just bounce someone out of out service to another. We will see them again at some point, just with added history. And when we see them again.. we will be alone between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Thats just me. "My staff would take over the night shift, and there would still be only the single worker! The frugal staff spending has now changed the community services workplace culture into one where you just 'get the work done in any way that you can, with what youve got'. Which isnt enough. "We need extra staff at all times. It needs to be budgeted for ... and if not, then they should close shop until they can do it properly." - Anonymous Quick comments "Unfortunately I have needed mental health support and welfare checks over the last year, and have received visits from [government] workers. Never once has a person attended alone - and I don't have a drug or criminal history - purely suicidal. I'm very sorry to read about this woman, but will be interested to see the full story." - Anonymous "I'm a psychologist in WA, and regularly had to do home visits as part of my previous roles. Whilst it is great for some clients who have barriers to accessing services in an office or centre, I was always been acutely concerned about my safety in that environment, due to the near impossible task of managing risk whilst you are in someone else's home, who could potentially be quite volatile and dangerous. I work in a prison now and feel far safer." - Anonymous "Many organisations require practitioners to conduct solo visits to client's homes, especially new services developed to obtain NDIS funding. I'm not sure whether this arrangement has been determined for the benefit of clients, or to reduce running costs by avoiding having to provide office space for workers. It's only a recent phenomena I've observed in the industry, but nevertheless concerning. There was many an occasion I was acutely concerned regarding my safety when visiting client's home, with little to no real risk management strategies that would have been effective if real risk was present." - Anonymous "I am a social worker with over 25 years in various sectors mostly non government sectors including community aged care, homelessness, humanitarian settlement services and mental health. I left the profession about five years ago in despair and burnt out due to the shrinking funding, lack of available complementary support resources and the growing inability to achieve any meaningful lasting assistance when poverty was a factor. "The situation has deteriorated since then. The waiting list for community aged care services, the wait times for aged care assessments in rural and regional areas, the overstretched minimal and ineffective mental health and drug treatment services, the lack of public or private affordable rental housing. The inadequacy of Centrelink benefits. These all reveal a society that isnt meeting the needs of people who are struggling or suffering. "Its shameful. I couldnt go back knowing that my work wouldnt make a difference. It would only be a scant drop in an ocean of need. Workers hands are tied. They do what they can with little support themselves and no hope of access to services or resources needed for their clients. Most have burnout or impending PTSD. A WA man who raped a 13-year-old girl after she asked him to buy her alcohol for a house party has had his sentence more than doubled on appeal. The 22-year-old, who WAtoday has chosen not to name to protect the victim's identity, mostly knew the teenager through Facebook Messenger, although the pair had previously met. The man had his sentenced more than doubled on appeal Credit:Justin McManus In 2017, the man was asked by the girl if he could buy her and her friends alcohol for a house party she was having one night while her parents were away. He agreed and met the girl at her home before walking with her to a nearby bottle shop. The United Nations refugee agency has joined calls for immediate evacuation of the remaining 1400 refugees and asylum seekers stranded on Nauru and Manus Island, citing a "collapsing health situation". The UNHCR's appeal to the Australian government to end offshore processing follows warnings from global humanitarian body Medecins Sans Frontieres about the "absolutely devastating" situation as dozens of refugees are knocked back for resettlement in the United States under President Donald Trump's "extreme vetting". "Australia remains responsible under international law for those who have sought its protection," said UNHCR spokeswoman Catherine Stubberfield. "In the context of deteriorating health and reduced medical care, Australia must now act to prevent further tragedy to those forcibly transferred under its so-called 'offshore processing' policy. UNHCR renews its call for refugees and asylum-seekers to be moved immediately to Australia, where they can receive adequate support and care." Former police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has lauded a new $16 million redress scheme by the McGowan government that will recognise "forgotten" WA police officers who retired for mental health reasons. Former top cop Karl O'Callaghan will lead the panel. The state government announced the new scheme on Saturday and Mr O'Callaghan will chair a panel of three who decide over the payments, which will be capped at $150,000 per case. He said there were about 300 police officers who retired since the mid 80s eligible for redress, which he stressed was not a compensation payment. Many of them finish their career and they have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and they dont get any recognition for that and they dont get any money for that," he told 6PR's Weekend Breakfast show. United States President Donald Trump has added to the pressure on Saudi Arabia over the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, vowing "severe punishment" should the kingdom's leaders be linked to his disappearance. But at a White House event with US pastor Andrew Brunson, who arrived in Washington after being freed in Turkey, Trump said the US would be "foolish" to cancel arms deals with the kingdom in response to the controversy. If the US moves aside, China and Russia would be ready to swoop in and get the business, Trump said. "Nobody knows" whether Saudi officials are involved although they "deny it vehemently," Trump said in an excerpt of a CBS 60 Minutes interview to be broadcast in the US on Sunday night. "It's being looked at very, very strongly. We would be very upset and angry if that was the case." Los Angeles: Donald Trump's former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos is heading to US Congress to deliver testimony expected to target former Australian high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer. George Papadopoulos, former campaign adviser for Donald Trump, outside court in September. Credit:Bloomberg Papadopoulous, sentenced last month in Washington DC to 14 days' jail for lying to the FBI, is scheduled to testify behind closed doors before members of the House Judiciary and Oversight committee on October 25. It was a meeting over gin and tonics at a London wine bar in 2016 between Papadopoulos and Downer months before the presidential election that has been credited as the spark that launched the FBI probe into Russia's role in Trump's victory. Papadopoulos has used Twitter and media interviews to claim the Downer drinks were a set up, the former Australian foreign affairs minister recorded their conversation and the Australian and British governments "were illegally spying on the Trump campaign". The other essential element is the proliferation of publicly searchable genealogy databases like GEDmatch. Anyone can upload a full genome to these sites and powerful computers will crunch through it, looking for stretches of matching DNA sequences that can be used to build out a family tree. To test the growing power of these sites, researchers led by Columbia University computer scientist Yaniv Erlich set out to see whether they could find a person's name - and thus, his identity - if all they had to go on was a piece of his DNA and a small amount of biographical information. Loading They started with a full DNA sequence from a person whose genetic information was published anonymously as part of an unrelated scientific study. (They had actually identified this woman in a previous study, but for the purposes of this work, they pretended they didn't know who she was.) Erlich and his collaborators uploaded her genetic code to GEDmatch and ran a search to see if she had any relations on the site. They found two: one in North Dakota and one in Wyoming. The researchers could tell they were all related because they shared a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs. These are single letters in specific spots among the roughly 3 billion A's, Cs, Ts and Gs that make up the human genome. The more SNPs people share, the more closely related they are. By comparing the DNA of all three relatives, Erlich's team was able to find a common ancestral couple that were the Utah woman's great-grandparents. Next, the researchers scoured genealogical websites and other sources for additional descendants of that long-ago couple. They found 10 children and hundreds of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Then they started culling their massive list of descendants. They eliminated all the men from the sample, then those who were not alive when the Utah woman's DNA was sequenced. The authors also knew that their subject was married and how many children she had, which helped them zero in on their target. After a long day of painstaking work, they researchers were able to correctly name the owner of the DNA sample. The authors said the same process would work for about 60 per cent of Americans of European descent, who are the people most likely to use genealogical websites, Erlich said. Though the odds of success would be lower for people from other backgrounds, it would still be expected to work for more than half of all Americans, they said. To come to this conclusion, the researchers analysed a different database consisting of 1.28 million anonymous individuals who had their DNA sequenced by MyHeritage, a DNA testing and family history company where Erlich is the chief science officer. If you can find a person's third cousin in a genealogical database, then you should be able to identify the person with a reasonable amount of sleuthing, Erlich said. So the team checked to see how many relatives on the order of a third cousin or closer they could find for each individual in their data set. They found plenty: 60 per cent of the 1.28 million people were matched with a relative who was at least as close as a third cousin, and 15 per cent had a relative who was at least as close as a second cousin. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science. So far, 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo is the most famous person to be identified this way. You may know him better as the suspected Golden State Killer, charged with 13 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted kidnapping. Loading When law enforcement officials used a publicly accessible DNA database to catch DeAngelo in April, it was only the second time in crime-solving history that the strategy was implemented successfully. Since then, at least 13 additional suspected criminals have been identified in the same way. "The solving of the Golden State Killer case opened this method up as a possibility and other crime labs are taking advantage of it," Dickover said. "Clearly a trend has started." Private citizens are benefiting from the technology as well. Adoptees have found biological parents and siblings, and others have found distant cousins who can shed new light on a family's origins and heritage. But as more of us upload DNA to publicly searchable databases, the implications can be creepy. "When the police caught the Golden State Killer, that was a very good day for humanity," Erlich said. "The problem is that the very same strategy can be misused." Think of foreign governments using this technique to track down American citizens, he said. Or protesters and activists being pursued in this way. The UN has reiterated its call on Algeria to immediately halt summary expulsions of African migrants, as authorities in the North African country continue to round up and expel thousands to Niger in harsh desert climate. The appeal was made by UN Special Rapporteur on migration Felipe Gonzalez Morales, following his official visit to Niger; a hub for those looking to leave in search of new opportunities, for decades. In a statement, the UN Special Rapporteur on migration cited testimonies of migrants exposed to unimaginable atrocities: trafficking, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, rape, as well as worker-exploitation and enslavement. The Special Rapporteur called on Algeria to halt the alleged collective expulsions of Nigerien and West African migrants to Niger immediately, noting that this had involved more than 17,000 people this year so far. I heard testimonies of migrant women, men and children who were raided in their homes in the middle of the night, arbitrarily arrested and detained, beaten and ill-treated, transported in trucks and dropped 15 kilometers from the border with Niger, Gonzalez Morales said. These migrants are forced to walk through the desert, without any assistance from Algerian or Nigerien authorities, until the first Nigerien village, 20 kilometers away from the border. While commending Niger for its generosity and solidarity in hosting refugees, Gonzalez Morales noted how in recent years restrictive migration laws and policies had made it a virtual southern border of Europe. He highlighted how the 2015 law on illicit smuggling of migrants had resulted in a de facto ban of migration towards the north, prompting people to look for other, even riskier alternatives. The migrants had taken migrant routes through Sudan, Chad, Libya and Mali to Niger. Despite its purported aim to prevent and combat the illicit smuggling of migrants, the implementation of the law has led to the criminalization of migration and violations of the human rights of migrants, the Special Rapporteur said. Multiple sources have indicated that instead migrants have shifted to more dangerous, longer and more expensive routes. The independent rights expert, who was appointed in June 2017 by the UN Human Rights Council, insisted that migration policies cannot solely rely on security considerations and must have human rights as a central component. Any help from the international community and the European Union should help Niger in re-focusing its migration management strategy, he said. This would involve strengthening national institutions, so they could cope with large movements of migrants, enhancing monitoring of their human rights, and supporting development projects in local communities. The development comes amid ongoing efforts by the international community to develop solutions for migrants and Member States by means of a Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. The final text of the Global Compact was adopted in July this year and a high-level summit is planned in Morocco on 10-11 December to discuss its adoption. While the protection of refugees and the international communitys responsibility towards them is addressed in the 1951 Convention, migrants have yet to benefit from such an approach. If it is adopted in Marrakesh, the Global Compact will go some way to addressing this, with a series of recommendations and objectives for States that sign it, to better manage migration at local, national, regional and global levels. 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 Even as the standoff between the management and the union in a factory of two-wheeler major Royal Enfield in Oragadam continues, the company has attained one more order from the Madras High Court, restricting the protesters from holding a strike near its Vallam unit in the same district. The union spearheading the strike has said production may be affected in October as well. The company had, on September 28, obtained an order from the court directing the local police officials to protect the factory and its operations from the workers who have struck work. The order has barred strikes ... India's second largest IT services firm on Saturday said it has completed the acquisition of Finland-based company Fluido. In September, had said it will acquire Fluido in a deal worth up to 65 million euros (over Rs 5.45 billion), including earn-out, management incentives and bonuses. Through this acquisition, strengthens its position as a leading Salesforce enterprise cloud services provider, and enhances its ability to provide clients with 'cloud-first' transformation, it said in a regulatory filing on Saturday. "With offices in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Slovakia, Fluido elevates Infosys' presence across the Nordics region with developed assets and deep client relationships, a great team and an effective local culture," it added. Fluido customers are represented across industries, such as manufacturing, energy, retail and telecommunications sector, it noted. "Fluido brings to Infosys globally recognised Salesforce expertise, alongside a world-class agile delivery process that simultaneously simplifies and scales digital efforts across channels and touch points," the statement said. ALSO READ: Infosys installs Finacle banking solution at Australian Military Bank Founded in 2010, Fluido is one of the largest Salesforce (software company) consulting partners in Europe. It was majority-owned by its management team and CapMan private equity with Salesforce having a minority stake. India, a subsidiary of China's largest carmaker SAIC Motor Corporation, Saturday said it has shortlisted 12 start-ups as part of its programme that focusses on addressing challenges in the ecosystem and auto-tech space. As part of its 'MG Innovation Grand Challenge' programme, India said it had received 71 applications from across the country. Of this, 12 teams were shortlisted for the final round comprising presentation and mentoring. These start-ups will get mentoring and assistance with market access for their "domain-transforming ideas", the company said in a statement. The winner of the challenge -- Vecmocon Technologies -- had presented its smart electric mobility solutions for two-wheelers, while Zyme Technologies received the best prototype award for its telematics solution for connected car ecosystem. "Young India has tremendous potential and it can not only transform automotive technology, but also make automobiles safer, comfortable, eco-friendly, and well-connected," India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said. He added that the event was aimed at providing a stage to the next wave of automotive innovators and nurturing their disruptive ideas. "We also created an All Women Team category to encourage female entrepreneurs to showcase their talent and support their involvement in the traditionally male-dominated automotive space," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is the rarest of the rare; a radio programme on an operatic scale to usher in the staging of the worlds largest installation art show on streets, in parks, in community halls and in homes that began in 1932 and after 83 years remains the defining sound scape to declare the start of Devi Paksha and the Durga Puja for all Bengalis everywhere. The Akashvani (All India Radio) version of the Devi Mahatmya or Chandi Path, verses to the Glory of the Goddess, that wafts out of homes across West Bengal before day break every year is a serendipitous combination of the ancient and the ... Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah has said that he was not in a position to comment on M.J. Akbar, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, as the claims against the Union Minister needed to be "looked into". "It's difficult to comment on something that comes on a website. One can put anything on a website. So, this needs to be checked. If that is true or false, whether such an incident happened or not," Shah said in an interview ETV late Friday. "It will have to be seen if it is the same person who is levelling allegations or someone else has put it up (on social media). All these things will have to be seen. And once we do it, we will certainly think over it (the action against Akbar)," he added. More than half a dozen women journalists have accused Akbar of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour at various stages of his journalistic career, during which he launched and edited several newspapers. Akbar, the Minister of State for External Affairs, is currently on an official tour abroad. He is yet to make a statement on the allegations against him. On Friday, US-based journalist Majlie de Puy Kamp told online news portal HuffPost India that Akbar forcibly kissed her on the last day of her internship at The Asian Age office in 2007. Earlier this week, FORCE magazine Executive Editor Ghazala Wahab, in an article on a news portal, wrote an account of her "harrowing experience" with Akbar. Former Mint Lounge Editor Priya Ramani, who wrote about a predatory "celebrity editor" without naming anyone in a piece last year, on Monday publicly identified Akbar as the central character of her piece. "I began this piece with my M.J. Akbar story. Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator -- maybe they'll share," she said. Journalist Shutapa Paul recalled in a series of tweets on Wednesday that as the India Today editor, whenever Akbar came to Kolkata, he would invite her to his hotel, usually after 8 p.m. He would then drink alcohol and ask her to also do so. Other female journalists who have levelled allegations against Akbar include Prerna Singh Bindra, Sujata Anandan, Shuma Raha, Harinder Baweja and Anju Bharti. Escalating his campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal, President on Saturday accused it of destroying the "strategic asset" state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that "Rafale is your right." Giving a new twist to his high-pitch Rafale campaign, Gandhi sought to reach out to present and former HAL employees, alleging that "temples of modern India are being attacked and destroyed; we cannot allow it to be done." "Rafale is your right; you are a 78-year-old company." "You have the experience to build the plane," the president said at the event held at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters, after hearing the former and present employees. He said it was "completely ridiculous" for the government to say that HAL did not have the required experience. Gandhi told the gathering that he understood "deeply" that they were pained and hurt and "this is as important to me as any corruption or anything that has happened." "People who have given their lives, people who have stood by this country are feeling emotionally upset because they have been insulted." "I know that the government is not going to apologise, but on their behalf, I apologise to you, even though I have nothing to do with it." "I understand that you are hurt and I want to stand with you in your discomfort," he said. The grievance of most of the employees who spoke was that HAL had the capability to make Rafale, but an attempt was being made to "dismantle" the defence PSU and the workers feel "hurt and let down," he said. Gandhi said the work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed a debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision. HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company, he said. Speaking to reporters after the event, Gandhi said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about lack of experience of HAL, but had said anything about the lack of experience of Anil Ambani, "who has never built a plane in his life." "HAL has no debt, he has Rs 45,000 crore (Rs 450 billion) of debt. HAL has been working for 78 years. His company has been working for 12 days. So, she has no comment about the person who got the contract. She has to comment about HAL's experience." Gandhi demanded to know why the order was being taken away from HAL when it had all the experience. "Why hasn't the work being given to them? Why is HAL being destroyed by Anil Ambani...that is the question." He said the employees felt hurt over the fact that their hard work over the last 78 years, their patriotism, has been insulted and questioned by the government through the defence minister. "So, the first thing is that they expect an apology from the Defence Minister for insulting HAL." "We understand that the Defence Minister is not going to apologise," he said. On alleged corruption, he said HAL was one of the "modern temples" of India and it was being destroyed "because of corruption that is doing to help Anil Ambani". "Every single person here made it very clear that they have the experience. They have the understanding and Mr Anil Ambani does not have the understanding," he said, referring to the HAL interaction. "We are here to defend the people who are defending the nation. From the government, we have to defend HAL," he said. Ahead of Gandhi's interaction, HAL had issued an internal communication to its employees Friday, as a reminder of their obligations on conduct and discipline in the interest of the company. The HAL employees union said an interaction was sought with the employees, but they decided not to take part as the union was apolitical. "We got a communication from the office, but we can't take sides for a political party, being government employees. Our union is an independent union, we are not affiliated to any political party," the union's general secretary Suryadevara Chandra Shekhar said. Karnataka state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said the discussion was not organised by Congress, but by "some people", including some ex-employees, who are "pained" by the government's attempts to "ruin HAL's name". Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, M Veerappa Moily, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy were present at the interaction. Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the in which he has alleged that HAL was overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, preferring Anil Ambani's company. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment for scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the and have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. Soon after India rejected the findings of the World Bank's (HCI), Indian Economic Affairs Secretary said a better metric is needed for the index to measure the status of human capital in the digital age. "HCI uses metric of industrial era to measure the status of human capital for digital age and its production system. He (Garg) said that a better metric is needed," a Finance Ministry statement on Saturday quoted Garg, who led the Indian delegation at the IMF summit at Bali. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund's Development Committee Lunch Session on Friday, Garg asserted that there is a need to recognise that the digital technological changes taking place are more fundamental than even the invention of the steam engine, which had laid the foundation of the industrial revolution. "There is a digital revolution which is transforming the world... (and) Human Capital needs to continuously evolve and develop," he said at the session that focused on World Development Report on the changing nature of work, as per the ministry's statement. The World Bank's inaugural HCI has placed India at 115 out of 157 countries in terms of the quality of human capital based on five parameters -- child survival, school enrollment, quality of learning, healthy growth and adult survival. India's HCI score is 0.44, which means a child born in the country today will be only 44 per cent as productive "when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete and full health". This puts India even lower than most of its neighbours in South Asia (HCI 0.46). On Friday, India rejected the findings of the index that claims to predict the productivity of the next generation of workers, saying it has major methodological weaknesses and substantial data gaps and hence the country has decided to ignore the HCI. The HCI, which ranks Singapore, South Korea and Japan in the top three places and African countries occupying the bottom spots, is based on survivability, health and parameters and does not take into account progress in industry or digital infrastructure. ALSO READ: Cashing in on our human capital The index is a result of compelling evidence of economic benefits derived from investments in health and The bank believes it may be more highly correlated than other kinds of industrial and infrastructure investment that many heads of countries may favour. While the bank has given due importance to human capital based on under-5 mortality rates, expected years of school, learning-adjusted years of school, adult survival rates and stunting rates, the report seems to have miscalculated the HCI score for India and thus its rank. In one of the tables in the World Bank report titled 'Benchmarks', which gives the breakup of the five components of the HCI based on income group, the averages for two components do not tally and are lower than the lowest value given to any particular income group. The 'Harmonised Test Scores', which is basically learning-adjusted years of school or actual learning based on international standards, gives an average score of 355 for India but the 'Low Income' category has a score of 363, 'Lower Middle Income' has 391, 'Upper Middle Income' has 428 and 'High Income' category has 506. Similarly, the component of 'Fraction of Children Under 5 Not Stunted' has an average of 0.621 for India as a whole, but on income basis the range starts from 0.658 for 'Low Income' and gets better with higher income category till 0.935 for 'High Income'. chief has predicted that the BJP and the Shiv Sena may come together for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but not for the Assembly polls in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters here Friday night, Pawar also ruled out the possibility of the two elections being held simultaneously, saying the "situation has changed". The Centre has been toying with the idea of holding for quite some time now. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for "widespread" debate on holding to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies saying it would result in financial savings. "The BJP and the Shiv Sena may join hands for the Lok Sabha elections, but may not come together for the state Assembly polls," Pawar said. The BJP and the Shiv Sena have been in a strained relationship despite sharing power at the Centre and the state. The Shiv Sena has already announced that it would go solo for the polls. The BJP, on the other hand, is eyeing to forge an alliance with the Sena for the upcoming elections. Questioning the credibility of EVMs, the supremo called for the use of ballot papers in the polls. He said the opposition parties may meet within 15 days to discuss the issue. Pawar reiterated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged Rafale scam. He recalled how the BJP, while in the opposition in the 1980s, had demanded a JPC to probe into the alleged Bofors scam. "That demand was fulfilled then," he said, adding, "Therefore, the demand for a JPC to probe into the Rafale issue cannot be ignored now." December elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain on course, but still face major challenges, including violence from armed groups in the countrys east, the top United Nations official in the country said on Thursday. The situation is most worrying in Beni, where civilians, security forces, and the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) continue to come under near-daily attacks, Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the country, told the Security Council via video link from the capital Kinshasa. Despite this tempo of attacks, MONUSCOs Force Intervention Brigade has taken an increasingly robust posture in recent months, she said, according to a UN press release. They undertake proactive long-range patrols to ensure a protective environment, and respond swiftly to alerts, in several recent cases repelling attacks as they are underway, most recently just two days ago. The volatile situation has also complicated the response against a deadly Ebola outbreak in the region, which began in August, with local populations in some areas showing mistrust towards health workers and in one case attacking a health convoy, added the senior UN official. Responders are currently grappling with the issue of simultaneously scaling up response efforts, both in Beni and in other nearby areas, while adapting the footprint to the deteriorating security situation, she said. In her briefing, Ms. Zerrougui, who is also head of MONUSCO, highlighted that the electoral process continues to follow the set timetable, with 21 candidates vying for the presidency; 15,505 for the national assembly; and some 19,640 for provincial assemblies. She regretted that womens participation has been very low so far, with only 12 per cent women contesting seats in the national and provincial polls, and only one female candidate for President. Ms. Zerrougui also thanked members of the Security Council, who undertook a recent visit to the country and gave them a unique opportunity to witness first-hand the situation on the ground. Also briefing the Council alongside Ms. Zerrougui, Said Djinnit, the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, reiterated the importance of peaceful and credible elections in the DRC for stability in the region. In that context, his efforts focus on mobilizing concerted regional and international support to bring the 31 December 2016 accord to fruition a political agreement facilitated by the Catholic-affiliated Conference Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO), aimed at achieving a peaceful, managed transition of power, consistent with the DRCs constitution. I encourage sustained regional engagement in support of peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in line with the Agreement, he added. 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, ... Jack Ma, executive chairman of China's Alibaba Group Holding, said on Saturday he plans to open an institute to train thousands of tech entrepreneurs in Indonesia, where he is already an adviser to the government on e-commerce. Ma did not say when the Jack Ma Institute of Entrepreneurs would launch, but said the aim was to train 1,000 tech leaders a year over the next 10 years. "We're giving a lot of opportunities for young Indonesian people to learn," Ma told reporters after meeting Indonesian ministers on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and ... A summit next week is being heralded as Brexits defining moment. The UK wants a deal. The European Union expects a deal. But in private, both sides warn it could be a disaster at least on the face of it. Its become a Brussels tradition to have late-night pow-wows where victory seems within reach, only to end in collapse. Then the opposite is also true, with round-the-clock talks that yield a coveted deal that seemed elusive. The Greek crisis was a litany of brinkmanship with agreements that were close to being struck only to be ditched. A rescue came at the ... has rejected Western media's recent reporting on China- Economic Corridor (CPEC), terming it incorrect information based on distorted facts and one-sided opinion. The country's Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform said in a statement that has opted for under due to the favourable financing arrangements, Xinhua reported. It added that stepped forward to support Pakistan's development at the time when foreign investment had dried up, and economic activities were being crippled by energy shortages and infrastructure gaps, local media reported on Friday. The ministry categorically denied that is imposing any immediate burden with respect to loans repayment and energy sector outflows, adding that the corridor's outflows would start from the year 2021 and spread over 20 to 25 years with a maximum in the year of 2024 and 2025. The has brought investment opportunities to Pakistan, and the resultant benefits of these investments to the country's would far outweigh these outflows, the ministry said. CPEC is an important and active project of the where 22 projects have been actualized over the past 4 years. The project could not be compared with Chinese overseas investment elsewhere as frameworks and financial modes of CPEC are altogether different in nature, the ministry said. CPEC finances are divided in government to government loans, investment and grants. Infrastructure sector is being developed through interest free or government concessional loans. Clearing the air on Western media's propaganda on Gwadar Port, the ministry said that the port is grant-based investment, and the country does not have to pay back the invested amount for the development of the port. The ministry said that energy projects are being executed under Independent Power Producers (IPPs) mode and finances are mainly taken by the private companies from Development Bank and Exim Bank against their own balance sheets, therefore, any debt would be borne by the Chinese investors instead of any obligation on part of the Pakistani government. As Hong Kongs government hews closer to Beijing, officials are taking a tough line on perceived national security threats, even deploying an elite police unit for political monitoring and surveillance - a sharp escalation in rhetoric and action. In just the last few months, the special administrative region has banned the Hong Kong National Party, which espouses separation from China, and barred some activists from standing in local elections. The Education Bureau sent all secondary schools in the Special Administrative Region letters on Sept 24 saying they must prohibit ... As the euro zone sovereign debt crisis petered out, European officials at annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund were happy to move out of the spotlight over recent years. Europe was not in the eye of the storm. Until now. The IMF's annual meetings, normally held in Washington, this year is taking place on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, where a magnitude six earthquake welcomed the world's 20 top finance ministers on the eve of their talks. But the tremor, which awoke many of the 10,000 officials from all over the world around 3 o'clock in the ... Japan wants to highlight global imbalances as key topics of debate, and take steps to fix them, when it chairs next year's gatherings of the Group of 20 major economies, government officials said this week. Tokyo hopes other countries would join Japan to counter US President Donald Trump's focus on narrowing US trade deficits through purely bilateral trade deals, the officials say, rather than the big international agreements now in place. The annual International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings have been held on the Indonesian resort island of Bali this ... United States President told reporters on Friday that he will call Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud concerning the disappearance of journalist "I will be calling him, I will be calling at some point King Salman," Trump said on Friday when asked if he has talked to the king about the Khashoggi matter. Trump stressed that Khashoggi's disappearance is a serious problem and US officials are looking "very hard" to get answers. It is potentially a really terrible situation, he added. Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage. Turkish authorities have reportedly said Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate, but Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations. On Friday, the Bahraini and United Arab Emirates foreign ministries announced their support for Riyadh, claiming that the accusations are an attempt to defame Saudi Arabia. According to analysts in US, President Trump is likely to block any sanctions that US Congress may try to impose on Saudi Arabia over missing journalist Khashoggi, although the administration may be forced to take at least symbolic action amid ever burgeoning outrage. Trump is facing increasing domestic pressure to take action against the Saudis in recent days. US Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker on Thursday requested a Global Magnitsky Act investigation and said Washington should impose sanctions on Saudi officials at the highest levels if they are responsible for the journalist's disappearance. Many other lawmakers have called on Trump to freeze arms sales and end all support for the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen because of the incident. Trump, for his part, told reporters on Friday that he would call the Saudis about the matter because it is "potentially" a really terrible situation. Trump on Thursday, however, said he would not support any move to halt arms sales to the Saudis which generate $110 billion annually for US businesses. Meanwhile, media reports in United Kingdom claimed that the UK Foreign Office is drawing up a list of Saudi security and government officials on whom sanctions might be imposed pending the results of the probe into the high-profile disappearance of journalist Khashoggi. The list could be used if London decided to resort to the so-called Magnitsky amendment which allowed the United Kingdom to introduce sanctions against foreign officials accused of human rights violations, the Independent newspaper reported, citing a source close to both Riyadh and London, on Friday. "Instructions were given to Treasury and to identify potential targets for sanctions if it is necessary, which I now am told has geared up considerably in the past 48 hours," the source, who is a former government adviser briefed on the matter by a UK intelligence official and others, said. The source added that the idea to draw up a Saudi sanctions list initially was a "position-paper scenario" but it was subsequently being looked at as a real possibility. Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, has recently been working for the US Washington Post newspaper. The journalist went missing in Turkey on October 2. According to his fiancee, Khashoggi was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but never left the diplomatic mission's building. On Saturday, the Brooklyn Museum is opening an exhibition of art and artifacts from Syria meant to recount the countrys refugee history. Days later, the Guggenheim will host a conversation with a Palestinian artist, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art will hold a seminar on how museums curate art from the Middle East. These programs along with similar ones at the Museum of Modern Art, Asia Society and other New York institutions are part of a coordinated effort to display artwork from the Middle East and build greater understanding between the United ... There are nearly a million active Uber drivers in the United States and Canada, and none of them have human supervisors. Its better than having a real boss, one driver in the Boston area told me, except when something goes wrong. When something does go wrong, Uber drivers cant tell the boss or a co-worker. They can call or write to community support, but the results can be enraging. Cecily McCall, an African-American driver from Pompano Beach, Fla., told me that a passenger once called her dumb and stupid, using a ... Nigerian ex-head of state Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday backed his former deputy for next years presidential election in Africas most populous nation. Atiku Abubakar recently clinched the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party and is expected to be the main challenger to President Buhari in next years election. Although he served as vice president to Obasanjo for eight years, Abubakar had been repeatedly castigated by the former president. The relationship between the two men had become frosty towards the twilight of the Obasanjos administration, which ran from 1999 till 2007. It was alleged that Atiku Abubakar had worked against the third-term agenda purportedly muted by his then boss. However, after a closed-door meeting mediated by religious and political leaders, Obasanjo endorsed Abubakar on Thursday. Obasanjo had in 2015 supported Buhari for president, but later fell out with him saying Buhari was managing Nigeria and its economy poorly. The country emerged in 2017 from its first recession in 25 years but economic growth remains sluggish. Abubakar poses the biggest challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is seeking a second term in the February election. The former Deputy-President has long enjoyed support from the business elite in Nigerias commercial capital Lagos for his conservative-capitalist ideals. One of Iran's top foreign policy officials has called for negotiations with "anti-Trump movements" in the US to dampen the impact of sanctions, local media reported Saturday. "America is not Trump," said Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh, a conservative lawmaker who heads parliament's influential national security and foreign policy commission, according to reformist newspaper Arman. "There is a new diplomatic atmosphere for deescalation with America and it is fitting that Iran follows negotiation diplomacy and lobbying anti-Trump movements in America," he added. He said this would help alleviate pressure caused by Washington's "extensive sanction-focused force". The US pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May and reimposed punishing sanctions on the country, hoping to pressure Tehran into what President calls a "better deal". The US is due to complete the reimposition of sanctions on November 5, targeting Iran's oil sector and central bank. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed Trump's offers to talk as "a dangerous game". But Mehdi Motaharnia, a Tehran-based political analyst, described Falahat-Pisheh's proposal as "very meaningful" since it signifies a potential shift in conservatives' stance on talking with the US. ALSO READ: Fresh set of problems for India as Iran demands payment in euros "This comes from a conservative whose party members called (Foreign Minister Mohammad) Javad Zarif a traitor for negotiating with the US," Motaharnia told reformist daily Hamdeli. "But now we do not see such reactions when the head of national security and foreign policy commission proposes talks," he added. Actor Arjun Kapoor extended his support to Jacqueline Fernandez's initiative to rebuild Kerala after the unfortunate floods hit the state. Jacqueline has been an active voice when it comes to social issues. The actress has backed many causes like marine conservation and animal welfare and is currently striving to rebuild Kerela. In the backdrop of this initiative, Arjun took to social media to give a shout out to Jacqueline and requested netizens to support her cause. Arjun shared, "Let's not forget the devastation the floods have left behind. Let's support #JacquelineBuilds & #HabitatForHumanityIndia in our capacity and help them rebuild Kerala... one step at a time: https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/HFHIKeralaDisasterRelief @Asli_Jacqueline @habitatindia". Through the initiative, Jacqueline is collecting funds to rebuild Kerala which was severely affected by the disastrous floods earlier this year. The 'Dishoom' star recently represented animal welfare at the United Nations (UN) on World Animal Day as she got 8 million people to sign a petition to raise her voice against animal testing. Apart from animal welfare, Jacqueline also supports marine conservation and has been actively contributing to creating awareness amongst the masses using social media platforms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest, along with a 40-member team, is on a month-long rafting expedition 'Mission Gange' to clean River Ganga and spread awareness about waste management. The Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been making several efforts to rejuvenate and conserve Ganga, as the River serves as a lifeline to millions of people who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs. 'Mission Gange' is, therefore, being organised to spread awareness about keeping the sanctity of River Ganga intact. It is being organised by the NMCG along with Tata Steels, as part of which the expedition team will be rafting through the Ganges-waters across seven major cities of India during the month-long journey. Speaking on the expedition, Bachendri Pal said "We will raft for 1,500 km and will have halts of three days each in bigger cities. We will clean and spread awareness amongst all especially, the youth and school students". A member of the Mission Gange team, Sneha, added:" We need to take up responsibility, and Bachendri Pal has provided us with every opportunity to create a social impact, spread awareness, thereby taking care of the country." In an attempt to provide further vitality to the government's flagship programme of "Namami Gange"- the expedition team will reach out to thousands of people, especially young men and women, in order to make them understand the importance of the holy river. The team will be visiting multiple schools and institutions as part of the mission to rope in more people and infuse energy into making the project a success. "It has been a great start. People are getting associated with us. Of late, many organisations have joined us in the Mission Gange. So it is a good start and I am very optimistic that this journey will thrive in similar fashion ahead. Things do not change overnight. Things will gradually improve after each individual with a changed mindset joins the campaign and spreads awareness in the country," Pal added. Some critics raised apprehensions on the colossal task of cleaning the river. However, stepped up efforts of the government, enforced by common people's participation, are paying off. In a major boost to the government's spirit, locals and tourists are acknowledging that Ganga is now cleaner. Director General of the Mission for Clean Ganga, Rajiv Ranjan, said he is confident of meeting his deadlines of rejuvenating the river. "Thousands of people are dependent on river Ganga for the array of their life-supporting activities- ranging from daily household chores to irrigation to business. But an imprudent usage of its water in last few decades had rendered Ganga polluted and even toxic at places," he noted. With timely identification of the problem and corrective measures of restoring originality, the Government of India aims to take achieve the task of cleaning the river within the stipulated time frame. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bill Cosby has decided to replace his legal team as he looks to appeal against his conviction and sentence in his Pennsylvania sexual assault case. According to a court filing, the 81-year-old is switching up his legal team that has been handling his sentencing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joseph Green is exiting the team after handling Cosby's case for four months. He is replaced by Brian Perry and Kristen Weisenberger. In September, the comedian was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for sexual assault. Cosby's sentence came after a lengthy trial, in which he faced accusations from former Temple University employee Andrea Constand and was found guilty. He was found to have drugged and raped Constant at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Since then, multiple women came forward against "The Cosby Show" star. Cosby's trial was heralded as the first major celebrity trial of the #MeToo movement, and the first to result in a conviction. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A class nine student named Supriya Sharma died in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi after returning from Beti Bachao Beti Padhao function, organised on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child. The health condition of the girl deteriorated as soon as she returned home from the event. She was suffering from high fever when her parents took her to the hospital, where she died during treatment. The family of the girl accused the district authorities of not making proper arrangement of the event and carelessness. "She went to attend the function. But the arrangement made there were not up to the mark. Drinking water was not available. When my daughter came back home, she was suffering from high fever," said the father of the girl. Meanwhile, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) from Hardoi, Hemant Rao, denied the allegation leveled by the family members of the girl and said the authority made all the arrangement and that they are not anyhow responsible for the death of the girl. "Every facility was available medical, drinking water facility. The accusation made by the family is baseless and the matter is being investigated. Soon the truth will come out," he said. Around 11,000 school girls gathered in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi on Thursday to script a world record by taking an oath for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign. The initiative was taken by the district administration and representatives of Eurasia World. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police on Saturday submitted a detailed report to the Delhi High Court pertaining to its new action plan on cyber crime investigation. Appearing for the Delhi Police, advocate Rahul Mehra said that every district will have cyber crime teams who will be fully geared up with technical competence to tackle cyber crime cases, analyse electronic evidences, etc. According to the new plan, the police will collect CCTV records within 48 hours of registration of an FIR and call details of all relevant numbers within one month. A cyber training division will also be set up in the police training college to conduct short duration training programmes. This training will be a mandatory module in the basic foundation training of fresh recruits of all ranks (Constable, Sub-Inspector, Assistant Commissioner of Police). The advocate further informed the High Court that criteria will also be laid down for the posting of an officer in a police station. Officers will also be sent to the training college on a regular basis for specialised training. The District police and field units will also be directed to regularly conduct a refresher course for their officers. The Delhi Police will also conduct several workshops and safety awareness campaign on cyber crimes in schools, colleges, offices, markets, resident welfare associations (RWAs) regularly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Minister Imran Hussain on Friday expressed concern over the unabated stubble burning noticed in the neighbouring states. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Hussain shared some pictures of burning crop residue in the state surrounding the Capital Region (NCR), despite the prohibition on the same. "It is a matter of deep concern that when such instances are visible even on the Highway, what might be the situation in other areas of these states?" he tweeted. The state minister further said that situation along the Highway clearly indicates, that the stubble burning may be widespread in of neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. He said that the situation is also leading to a reasonable apprehension that Delhi might witness and experience another episode of worsening ambient air quality conditions in the coming weeks and months. Hussain further accused the central government and governments of the neighbouring states for not taking up the issue of preventing stubble burning despite repeated requests from the Delhi government. "In my view such an unpleasant situation was preventable and if the Centre and these state governments wake up even now, northern India can still be saved from disastrous consequences of air pollution in coming days," he said. Hussain said that the poor farmers are practising stubble burning as they have not been incentivised adequately, which is forcing them to once again resort to burning the agriculture waste residue. In the Union Budget 2018, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had assured to provide assistance to the Government of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT) to deal with the worsening air quality. The decision came after Delhi's air pollution levels spiked last year, leaving the people gasping for breath. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Few hours after a Turkish court released Andrew Brunson in connection to a coup d'etat case, the American pastor has headed back to his home country via Germany in a United States military plane. Earlier on Friday, the court released Brunson, after he was detained for two years for allegedly helping political groups, including Gulen movement, to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a failed coup in 2016. He was charged and sentenced to three years, CNN reported. While appearing before the court along with his wife, the judges decided to release him based on his time already served and his good conduct during the proceedings, his lawyer informed. Following the verdict, US President Donald Trump took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON! My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!" A native of North Carolina, Brunson worked as an evangelical Presbyterian pastor at the Izmir Resurrection Church. He has resided in Turkey for over 23 years with his wife and three children. In July, Brunson was released from prison due to medical reasons and was put under house arrest until his trial. In retaliation, the US slapped sanctions on Turkey's justice and interior ministers over his continued detention, straining ties between the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The youths employment and adequate training for jobs in high demand as well as the improvement of socioeconomic situation of young people continue to be among the top priorities of King Mohammed VI. The important instructions I have given in connection with employment, education, vocational training and military service are meant to benefit citizens, especially young people whose employment is one of my foremost concerns, stressed the King in a speech he delivered Friday before the MPs of both Houses of Parliament at the opening of the parliamentary fall session. Vocational training is a powerful lever for employment, provided it receives the attention it deserves and so long as it is given a new status as well as a broader scope, said the King, stressing the necessity to work on creating more bridges and links between vocational training programs and general education courses within a unified, integrated system. There should also be a balance between theoretical training, on the one hand, and practical, workplace training, on the other, he stated before noting that there are a number of sectors which can contribute to creating more job opportunities. The agricultural sector can constitute a more dynamic source of employment opportunities and be instrumental in improving living conditions and consolidating stability in rural areas, explained the Moroccan Sovereign, calling for the creation of more employment and income-generating opportunities, especially for youths in rural areas. I therefore urge the government to come up with innovative mechanisms in order to continue incentivizing farmers to become more actively involved in productive agricultural cooperatives and groupings, and to seek training in the agricultural field, said the Monarch. He also called for improved access to land, making it more easily available to investors in a bid to increase production, boost productivity and stimulate employment. To create more jobs, we should consider the possibility of having quality initiatives and global leaders involved in some sectors and professions such as the health care sector which are not currently accessible to foreigners, provided the said projects contribute to the transfer of know-how and create employment opportunities for young Moroccans with the right qualifications, added the Sovereign. King Mohammed VI who cited the proposals and studies made by some Moroccan institutions and agencies on a new development model that would close the social and economic gaps, while focusing on education, training, employment and youth issues, public support and social protection, called in this vein for the implementation of effective social policies and the promotion of solidarity-based initiatives at various levels. To this end, regulations must be simplified in order to encourage various forms of donation, volunteer work and charity, and to support social initiatives and socially responsible businesses, said the Moroccan Monarch, noting that new mechanisms should also be put in place to engage the private sector in tackling social issues and contributing to better services to citizens. Morocco must be a country of opportunity, not of opportunists. All citizens, without exception, should be given the same chance to serve their country, and all citizens must benefit, on an equal footing, from the countrys resources and from opportunities for growth and advancement, underlined the King. This requires a genuine sense of patriotism, collective mobilization and a clear will to put the homeland and the citizens above all else, the Monarch said. Gender-sensitive media campaigns by not so-called mainstream media- be they blogs on mental disability, podcasts on sexual reproductive health for ragpickers or a transgender startup YouTube channel on busting myths on lives of Transgender persons- were awarded at the annual South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2017, popularly known as Laadli Media Awards, spearheaded by Population First. Thirty-three awards were presented in different categories- including three international awards- to media professionals who have displayed exemplary sensitivity in reporting on gender issues, in the presence of Shekhar Gupta, who was the chief guest at the event. "Laadli is doing a wonderful job since last 16 years creating a platform to showcase gender sensitive reporting and its contribution is highly rewarding. In 1977, very few women were there in media and journalism but these days it's about eight women to two men. This is a big change which has come around. They are there because they are good not as a favour from anyone. '#MeToo' is an important campaign. In work places, sexual harassment is used to leverage power over someone which is wrong. We should learn to respect women as adults. The campaign is also an opportunity to bring about a power balance in social and professional equations and in society," he said. Meanwhile, Rachna Mudraboyina, the founder of Transvision, a Transgender startup, shared: "Aa Ee Anjali, a YouTube channel from Telangana, is raising sensitivity towards transgender persons in the country by providing correct information about the transgender community by initiating a dialogue to reduce the whole perception of the transgender persons in the country. This award is very special as it boosts the morale of all the communities who need a voice. We want to reach to a wider audience and looking at funding from corporates." Another non-conventional media vehicle that won an award was Pocketshalla, for its Podcast, which is working on sexual reproduction and health issues for teenage girls in rural villages. "From a mere 100 entries in 2007 to more than 1700 entries in 2018, Laadli Media Awards have come a long way in acknowledging the media's contribution in women empowerment and gender issues. The increasing volume of discussion in public domain on gender issues is an indication that we are witnessing the beginnings of change," said Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First. The highlight this year was the Laadli of the Century award which was presented to Coomi Wadia, the veteran and famous woman Choir Conductor of India. "This is the first award ever I received in my own country though I received many awards abroad and I am very happy to receive it for my 50 years contribution to performing choir globally," she said. The Woman behind the Screen Award was posthumously awarded to Kalpana Lajmi for her contribution to Indian Cinema and for her courage to make meaningful women-oriented films. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dr Prabha Atre, renowned Indian Classical Vocalist from Kirana Gharana, for her contributions to the field of music. These awards on gender sensitivity have crossed borders by inviting entries from South Asian nations with the support of the International Advertising Association (IAA). This year, the awards did receive entries from Mauritius, Nepal, and Pakistan. South Asia Laadli Media Awards felicitated Himanshu Devi Marchurchand from Mauritius, who has been consistently covering issues related to gender equality, poverty, politics and the repercussions of latest international developments, Tooba Masood from Pakistan, who has been passionately writing on women related stories for the past 3 years, and Durga Karki from Nepal, who has produced a radio show on gender-related issues in Radio Sagarmatha. Among the winners are: - South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2017 for the category 'Best Advertisement - Grand Prix' was given to Lowe Lintas' '#EveryWomansRight- an initiative by Astral Pipes' on building toilets for rural women. - South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2017 for the category 'Best Advertisement - CSR' went to FCB India for 'Sindoor Khela' - a social media campaign on gender equality in the traditional festivities. - South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2017 for the category 'Best Advertisement - Product' was received by The Womb's - 'Saregama Carvaan - The Perfect Gift for Your Mother'. - South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2017 for the category 'Best Advertisement - Service' was given to Coverfox.com's 'Cover Karo, Kaam Aayega', featuring Taapsee Pannu. - South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2017 for the category 'Best Advertisement - Corporate' had gone to Ceat Tyre's - '#ThingsThatHappenAtWork - Gender Bias'. The jury for the South Asia Laadli Media Awards included editors, writers, advertising and media professionals like K. V. Sridhar, Deepa Gahlot, Sathya Saran, ParmeshShahani, Dolly Thakore, Meena Menon, Toral Shah, JerooMulla, Pia Benegal, S. V. Sista and Mohammed Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Quoting Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) employees, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the defence PSU employees are feeling insulted after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre questioned their 70 years of hard work. Stepping up his attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government over the Rafale controversy, the Gandhi scion made the remark while interacting with present and former employees of HAL here. "HAL employees told me that they are the most experienced and best company in India to manufacture defense equipment. For 70 years they have been making aircraft. They are insulted and hurt that their hard work for the last 70 years has been questioned by the government of India through the Defense Minister," he said. "The defense minister comments on lack of experience of HAL but she does not have anything to say on lack of experience of Anil Ambani, HAL has no debt but he has 45,000 crores of debt. HAL has been working for 70-80years but his company has been working for 12 days. It's pretty clear that there is no comparison between the capabilities of the two companies. We are here to defend the people who are defending the nation," he added. Rahul also described HAL as a "strategic asset" in aerospace. He said, "HAL for me is not just an ordinary company. When we got our independence, India built some strategic assets. These assets were designed to enter particular spaces like IIT was an asset to the higher education space. Similarly, HAL is a strategic asset to take India into aerospace." "All the people who have worked at HAL or are working here have done tremendous work for this country and country owes a debt to them for protecting us and creating a scientific atmosphere and vision in the country. When former President of USA Obama says that the only countries that can challenge the USA in future are India and China, one reason why he says that is because of the work that HAL has done," he added. Rahul, also indirectly took a dig at Reliance Defence Ltd and said that the Company which bagged the Rafal deal is an inexperienced firm. "If someone thinks that they can build their future on your grave, we are not going to allow it. There is a tremendous amount of experience that HAL and its employees have and this cannot be destroyed or wiped out in this manner. We are going to fight for the right of HAL employees. Rafale is the HAL's right because it is the only company in India that has the experience to build that plane. We fundamentally believe that India's defense preparedness can only be saved if companies like HAL and DRDO are protected." During the interaction, a number of former HAL employees took to the dais to share their views about HAL, HAL's achievements and their experience of working with the company. The Congress has alleged corruption in Rafale deal and has also accused the Centre of overlooking HAL in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, preferring Anil Ambani's company, thereby causing a loss of jobs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Income Tax (IT) department recovered Rs 35 lakh and a dossier of Benami properties during the raids it carried out recently at 16 locations belonging to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, sources told ANI on Saturday. The IT sleuths had carried out raids at the Aam Aadmi Party leader's properties in Delhi and Gurugram on Wednesday. "Friendship with Nirav Modi, Mallya and raid on us?," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned in a tweet, indicating that the raids at the Delhi minister's properties were out of political vendetta. Sources in the IT department maintained they raided the minister's properties for allegedly evading tax. The investigators conducted raids at Gahlot's residence, his two companies-Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Ltd and Corporate International Financial Services Ltd, among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa met UK's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Gareth Baley in London. "Tensed relations" between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and India's role in the talks were discussed between the two during General Bajwa's official three-day visit to the United Kingdom, according to The Nation. Being strong trade partners, India, time and again, voiced unequivocal support to the Government of Afghanistan's efforts to emerge as a peaceful nation by eradicating terrorism in the country. During Afghanistan President Dr. Mohammed Ashraf Ghani's visit to India in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated India's support to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process that would enable the nation to continue as a united, peaceful, inclusive and democratic country and emerge as economically vibrant. Pakistan and Afghanistan relations, on the other hand, have been tumultuous, with Afghanistan alleging Pakistan army's aid to the Taliban in the deadly August 13 Ghazni siege, which left 100 dead and 150 others injured. General Bajwa had denied Afghanistan's claims after President Ghani questioned the army chief as to why Taliban militants, who were accused of carrying out the attacks, were being treated in Pakistan's hospitals. This came in the wake of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government's vision to establish better bilateral relations with its neighbours, including Afghanistan. Efforts have been made by both Pakistan and Afghanistan to work together to counter terrorism in the region previously, with the inaugural session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) being held on July 22 this year. In-depth discussions regarding methods of counter-terrorism were discussed in the summit amongst other security issues, according to Geo TV. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also visited Kabul on September 15 and met the Afghan President to discuss peace and stability in the region by jointly working together to combat terrorism. India reiterated its support for Afghanistan at the UN Security Council Open Debate by launching a veiled attack on Pakistan by saying that terror offences in Afghanistan are perpetrated by those harboured in safe havens in the country's 'neighbourhood'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Farmers in Punjab on Saturday claimed that industries and vehicles majorly contribute to air pollution and not stubble burning. For the last few days, Delhi and Capital Region (NCR) have been experiencing pollution due to the burning of stubble in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. However, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee district secretary Jarmanjeet Singh told ANI, "The farmers have no other option than to burn stubble. We will not let the government impose fines on farmers for stubble burning. Industries and vehicles majorly contribute to pollution, not farmers". Demanding a subsidy for farmers as per the directives of the Green Tribunal, he said: "The Green Tribunal also said that farmers with two acres of land must be given tools free of cost. The owners of five acres of land would be given Rs 5000 subsidy while the farmers having land more than five acres will get an amount of Rs 15000. But the government is doing nothing in this regard." Speaking on the suggested alternative of making cardboard out of paddy straw, another farmer explained that it is not a feasible option for them. "It (paddy straw) is just sand for us. They say that cardboard can be made out of it but only if the government takes the initiatives. Labour is costly; they ask us for Rs 4000 per acre. Where are we going to pay this amount from?" he asked while speaking to ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jeffrey Dean Morgan and David Strathairn are all set to star in family drama 'Walkaway Joe'. The cast list also includes 'I Hate Kids' actor Julian Feder and 'Christmas on the Coast' actor Julie Ann Emery. The film is being helmed by first-time feature director Tom Wright. Penned by Michael Milillo, the film revolves around a teenage boy Dallas, who is in search of his father who abandoned his family. Joe Haley, a drifter wrestling with a past he had rather forget, feels responsible for the boy's safety and reluctantly takes Dallas in. According to a report by Deadline, Rachel McHale, Minor Childers, and Milillo are collaborating to handle the production of the project. Jeffrey Dean Morgan past credits include 'The Walking Dead', 'Rampage', 'Solace' and 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', while David Strathairn has done films like 'Godzilla', 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and 'We Are Marshall'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North and South Korea are slated to hold high-level talks on October 15 to discuss ways to implement the latest summit agreement signed by the two leaders of the Korean countries in Pyongyang last month. The South Korean Unification Ministry said that the two sides would hold the meeting at Peace House in the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). While South Korea had proposed to hold the talks on Friday, North Korea proposed an offer for October 15, after which the two Koreas agreed, Yonhap News Agency reported. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will lead the South Korean delegation, while a senior official, Ri Son-gwon is likely to represent North Korea. The two sides will have "consultations in general on how to implement the Pyongyang Declaration in September and decide schedules for follow-up negotiations by field," the Unification Ministry said. The issues that are expected to be brought into the negotiating table would be the plan to launch a joint military committee and an on-site survey of the North Korea's roadways and railways for modernisation. Other topics on the agenda could also include Seoul's push for a united Korean team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a joint bid to hold the 2032 Olympics, and Pyongyang Art Troupe's plan to perform in Seoul later this month. On September 18, President Moon Jae-in visited Pyongyang and held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The visit was largely aimed at brokering the stalled talks between North Korea and the United States over the former's progress of denuclearisation and to discuss steps to further improve inter-Korean ties. The two Koreas signed a joint statement to cease hostilities and work for peace in the peninsula. The two sides also agreed to take "additional steps" to achieve the process of denuclearisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai has ordered the attachment of five properties of controversial Islamic preacher - Zakir Naik, in connection with the alleged unlawful activities of his banned NGO, Islamic Research Foundation in 2016. The NIA Court ordered for the attachment of the five properties (two flats in Jasmin Apartments, two in Maria Heights and a shop in Crystal Residency, located in Mazgaon area of Mumbai) on October 11. Owing to a pending non-bailable warrant against Naik, the NIA had made a request to the court to declare him 'Proclaimed Offender', with the court issuing a proclamation under section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) against him on June 15, 2017. Subsequently, the NIA had sought an order from the court to attach the properties of the televangelist. Naik is facing probe both in India and Bangladesh after two suspects in the terror attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in July 2016, claimed that they were inspired by Naik's radical preaching. The two were staunch followers of Naik on Facebook and on the Peace Television Channel. The terror attack had left 22 people dead. The 52-year-old currently holds a permanent residence status in Malaysia, which was confirmed last year by then-Malaysian deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Imran Ali, who was convicted in the rape and murder case of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur in Pakistan's Punjab province, will be hanged on October 17. On Friday, a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had issued black warrants for the convict, who was awarded 21 death sentences in the case. As per an order issued by Judge Sheikh Sajjad Ahmed, Ali's death sentence will be carried out on the stipulated date, Geo News reported. The minor, a resident of Kasur, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre in January. Few days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump. According to the post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times. The incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan. The ATC found Ali guilty of sexually assaulting the girl and slapped him with numerous criminal counts and a hefty fine of Rs. 1 million. He was subsequently awarded the death sentence for committing an unnatural act. The convict had earlier appealed to the Lahore High Court, saying that he did not do anything and pleaded for the verdict to stand "null and void." However, the court had rejected his plea. In June, the Lahore Registry of Pakistan Supreme Court had quashed Ali's appeal against the death sentence awarded to him for the brutal rape and murder of the minor. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Friday clarified that the pending (GST) refunds on account of exports amounted to only Rs 20.77 bn till date. In a statement, the Ministry said, "It has been noticed that unverified reports of pending on account of exports are published in the print media by trade bodies. These figures being put out in the public domain are exaggerated and thus inaccurate. It is a fact that a large number of exporters have been granted refunds so far while a few claims are still pending owing to deficiencies found in the claims." Rubbishing reports of pending amount of GST refunds, the clarified that about 92.68 per cent (Rs 388.24 bn) of the total refund claims (Rs 418.89 bn) transmitted to customs from Network (GSTN) as on date have already been disposed of. The remaining claims amounting to Rs 30.65 bn were held up on account of various deficiencies which have been communicated to exporters for remedial action. In the case of RFD-01A (ITC Refund) claims with Centre and states, the pendency as on date is only Rs 20.77 bn. Out of the refund claims of Rs 393.72 bn received, provisional/final order has been issued in case of refunds amounting to Rs 323.45 bn. "In claims amounting to Rs 49.51 bn, deficiency memos have been issued. Thus, actual pendency is far less than is being put out for the knowledge of the public. The overall disposal of is Rs 711.69 bn till date. Refund claims without any deficiency are being cleared expeditiously," the stated. The Ministry added that efforts are being made continuously to clear all the dues on account of pending refund claims. Co-operation of the exporter community is solicited to ensure that they exercise due diligence while filing GSTR 1 and GSTR 3B returns as well as shipping bills. It further said that extensive outreach programmes have been conducted along with the issuance of guidance circulars, advisories, advertisements and also an alternative procedure involving manual interface has been provided where the errors could not be corrected online. "The efforts are beginning to show positive results. The exporting community is assured that all their eligible refund claims will be sanctioned without any delay. Further, the export bodies are also requested to put out only verified figures in their press communication as unsubstantiated reports cause needless alarm amongst the exporters," the Ministry added. Hurricane Michael has come and gone in Florida, but the campaign ad wars that began a week ago as the monster storm formed in the Caribbean rage on. One day after Andrew Gillums gubernatorial campaign demanded that TV stations across the state stop airing his Republican opponents attack ads, the U.S. Senate campaign of current Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that it, too, was fighting to knock down a false and misleading ad. In this case, Scotts campaign says it has demanded that Florida TV stations take down a commercial ripping the governors handling of education during his two terms in office. The ad says Scott promised zero cuts out of state general revenue for education upon his 2010 election only to slash $1.3 billion from K-12, hack Bright Futures college scholarships and cut $20 million in spending on early childhood education while also lowering taxes for corporations. The commercial was paid for by Senate Majority PAC, which is supporting Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. It was among the negative TV ads that continued to run in the Panhandle as Hurricane Michael approached Wednesday morning, leading to criticism from former governors who said Florida tradition called for campaign attacks to cease in times of natural disaster. During a time that the State of Florida is bracing for Category 4 Hurricane Michael, the station has an obligation to protect the public, Steve Roberts, attorney for the Scott campaign, wrote in a letter dated Wednesday. And a false negative advertisement being aired about the current governor during a State of Emergency diminishes the ability of the states government to communicate emergency safety information to Florida residents and hurts the State as a whole. Chris Hayden, a spokesman for Senate Majority PAC, says the political committee stands by its ad. He also said the PAC eventually pulled the commercial Wednesday in areas bracing for the hurricane after New Republican, a committee supporting Scott, also pulled its ads blasting Nelson. Click here for more. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to interact with nearly 100 working and retired employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Saturday. Informing about his meeting at the state-owned aerospace and defence manufacturer, Rahul tweeted on Saturday that the interaction will be held from 3:00 pm onwards outside the HAL headquarters in Bengaluru. "HAL is India's strategic asset. The future of India's aerospace industry has been destroyed by snatching #Rafale from HAL & gifting it to Anil Ambani. Come defend the dignity of India's defenders. I am in Bengaluru to stand with HAL's employees. Join me outside HAL HQ, at 3 PM," the tweet read. The meeting comes at a time when the Congress party-led opposition is mounting attack on the government over the India-France Rafale deal and the selection of Reliance Defence Limited, instead of HAL, as an offset partner for France's Dassault Aviation. Gandhi, time and again, has accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of ousting HAL as Rafale's offset partner and choosing Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Limited to save the company's debt-ridden chairperson and his business. In his recent campaign in poll-bound Rajasthan, the Congress president also alleged that Prime Minister Modi has "become the Chowkidaar of his friends including Ambani, and not the nation's. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ISKCON Food Relief Foundation branded as Annamrita, a not-for-profit, non-religious, non-sectarian public charitable organization, has earned appreciation from District Red Cross Society for extending the selfless humanitarian and generous support to the flood victims of Basantpur Village, Faridabad. The organization pro-actively reached out to the state government and offered unsolicited aid to the 500 villagers who were deeply affected by such a critical and uncontrollable situation. The efficient team of Annamrita not only managed to cook the healthy and sumptuous Khichdi meal for the victims but also systematically delivered it to government officials in an extremely short span of time. "We are extremely glad to partner with the District Red Cross Society for such a noble cause. We have consistently tried to cater to communities in the best manner possible. I hope this initiative will inspire others to walk on a similar path," said Vice - Chairman, North India, Annamrita, Dhananjaya Krishna Das. "We really appreciate this selfless and humanitarian approach of Annamrita. The organization has set an exemplary standard when it comes to delivering whole-heartedly towards a humble cause for the betterment of the people in need. We look forward to serving the society via more such partnerships in the future," said Secretary, District Red Cross Society, Faridabad. As International societies, ISCKON and Red Cross Society have always been at the forefront and have partnered together for various humanitarian efforts worldwide; making their association quiet apt for extending support towards the Faridabad flood victims. Annamrita with a mission to liberate underprivileged children from the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy by serving them wholesome nutritious meals is not only running large-scale mid-day meal programme for children across the country but also is at the forefront of serving the society in the hour of need. The organization has been at the helm of initiatives such as Zero Hunger Haryana which have received immense support from the public as well as the government. Annamrita With a mission to liberate underprivileged children from the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy by serving them wholesome nutritious meals, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation branded as Annamrita, has been successfully running a large scale operation pan India. The organization has been serving 1.2 million meals everyday through its 20 kitchens across India among their network of 6500 schools, out of which 250K meals are served everyday in 1900+ schools in the state of Haryana. A not-for-profit, non-religious, non-sectarian public charitable organization has a presence in 7 states namely - Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif on Saturday vehemently refuted allegations against the state regarding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "The Minister of Interior affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media on the Saudi government and people against the background of the disappearance of the Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi," read an official statement. The release further said the "baseless allegations" leveled against Saudi Arabia were "lies" and further mentioned that the state is "committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions". The minister also welcomed Turkey's positive reaction regarding the formation of a Joint Investigative Commission to look into the scribe's disappearance. Khashoggi has been missing ever since cameras captured him going inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Hatice Cengiz, his fiancee, who was waiting outside the consul, stated that she did not see him re-emerging from the building. Stressing on the role of the media, the release also stated that the media should refrain from affecting the "paths of investigation and judicial proceedings". The Interior Minister concluded by saying that the kingdom was keen on clarifying the "whole truth" about Khashoggi's disappearance and kept its citizen's interests at heart. There has been mounting international pressure against Saudi Arabia due to Khashoggi's disappearance, with US President Donald Trump supporting investigations into the matter. Trump told the press in Ohio on Saturday that he will call Saudi Arabia's King Salman "at some point" to discuss the disappearing incident. Speaking ahead of a campaign rally, Trump said, "We're going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey having to do with Saudi Arabia and the reporter," according to Anadolu Agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Sabarimala Temple slated to open its door next week for a monthly ritual, Shiv Sena's Kerala unit on Saturday warned that their women activists will commit suicide if any young woman tries to enter the shrine. A member of the Shiv Sena Kerala unit, Peringammala Aji told ANI that their women squad will gather near the Pamba River on October 17 and 18 as part of their so-called suicide group. "Our women activists will gather near the Pamba River on October 17 and 18 as part of a suicide group. When any young woman tries to enter Sabarimala, our activists will commit suicide," Aji said. On October 1, the Shiv Sena had staged a statewide strike for 12 hours in Kerala after the Supreme Court directed lifting restrictions on the entry of women in the Sabarimala Temple. While pronouncing the order on September 28, the former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra said that the ban on women from entering the temple violated the constitutional principles of the country. He further said that the rights of women should be no lesser than their male counterparts, and devotion cannot be subjected to gender discrimination. While many, including the Kerala state government, welcomed the decision, a large number of devotees have organised protests, demanding to retain the age-old tradition. The Sabarimala temple, located in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, is dedicated to the Hindu deity Ayyappan. The temple management considers the deity to be eternal celibate which debarred women from entering the temple. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bollywood diva Sara Ali Khan is 'flying high' and how! The 24-year-old recently unleashed her adventurous side as she went paragliding in Switzerland. Taking to Instagram, Sara posted two videos in which she can be seen flying in the picturesque Alps. Donning a blue jacket and black sweatpants with safety equipment, she looked both thrilled and nervous at the same time. "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it #skyisthelimit #flyinghigh #swissalps" read the caption. On the work front, Sara is busy prepping for Abhishek Kapoor's 'Kedarnath' opposite Sushant Singh Rajput. Based on the floods in Uttarakhand, the film is scheduled to release on November 30. In addition, Sara will be seen in Rohit Shetty's 'Simmba' alongside Ranveer Singh. The film is a remake of 2015 Telugu blockbuster 'Temper' and will hit the big screens on December 28 this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish investigators have claimed that they have "shocking and disgusting" audio and video evidence which shows that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. CNN quoted a source saying that the evidence showed that there was an assault and struggle inside the building, adding that there was proof that the Saudi journalist was killed. The source added that a Western intelligence service found the source of the evidence, which was considered in a briefing by the Turkish authorities as "shocking and disgusting". Turkish investigators had previously claimed that Saudi Arabia has carried out the abduction and possible killing of Khashoggi, a charge which Riyadh vehemently denied. Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 where he went to the consul to collect some documents to permit him to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. He was captured in the camera while entering the building but never came out of it. Rebuffing its involvement in the disappearance, the Saudi officials had asserted that Khashoggi left within a few minutes of his arrival. However, Cengiz, who was waiting outside, had said that she did not see the journalist coming out from the building. Most United States intelligence officials believe that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had carried out an operation to silence Khashoggi, who wrote a series of columns criticising the kingdom country's regime in The Washington Post. Earlier this week, the US had expressed concerns about Khashoggi's disappearance and urged the Saudi government to conduct an investigation into the case. President Donald Trump is set to call Saudi's King Salman soon to discuss the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was released by the Turkish authorities, landed in Germany on Saturday. He has been taken to US' Ramstein Air Base, where he will undergo a medical checkup. Following the checkup, he will head to the USA, reported Fox News. On October 12, a Turkish court ordered his release and dropped an espionage charge against him. The pastor, who ran Ressurection Church in Turkey, was arrested by the Turkish government two years ago for allegedly helping terrorist groups in carrying out the 2016 coup attempt. However, the pastor denied the charge. The US government also extended its support to Brunson and stated that he had been wrongly charged. According to Fox News, while announcing Brunson's release, US President Donald Trump on Friday told a rally in Ohio, "We bring a lot of people back". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan enacted the role of Raja Janak, Sita's father in the Luv Kush Ramleela on Friday. Donning traditional metal gear and embellishing costumes, a big golden crown, Dr Vardhan delivered dialogues in chaste Hindi on stage as the audience cheered and clapped in the sprawling ground of Red Fort. The Union Minister was unrecognisable with a thick moustache, strong make-up and a kingly outfit. He left the audience surprised with his get up and acting skills. Before the enactment, Vardhan tweeted along with his pictures that he was going to portray the iconic role of Raja Janak. Luv Kush Ram Leela, which is one of the oldest committees in the capital, has been organising Ram Leela at Red Fort for decades. Last year, Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician and Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Manoj Tiwari had performed in Ram Leela in the capital. "Vindu Dara Singh will play Hanuman, we'll also have Delhi BJP's Vijender Gupta, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla, and even Bihar lawmaker Sanjay Yadav, playing different characters of Ramayana," Luv Kush committee's president, Ashok Aggarwal told ANI. Ram Leela, the theatrical enactment of Lord Rama's life, is held for nine days every year during Navratris, culminating in Dussehra- the festival marking the victory of good over evil. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On 12 October 2018 GSS Infotech Inc., wholly owned subsidiary of GSS InfoTech, has signed the Share Purchase Agreement for acquiring 100% shares of Nexii Labs Inc, USA on 12 October, 2018. Nexii Labs Inc., shall become a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of the Company. Nexii Labs adds a strong capability in the area of Automation for GSS's existing Cloud and Infrastructure Management Practice. Adding this service portfolio, will make GSS more relevant to its customers. Nexii has some of the fortune 500 companies as its customers with revenues of about USD 1.8 Million for FY 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.) At least 12 people were killed after a blast ripped through an election campaign rally in Afghanistan's Takhar province on Saturday, officials said. The motorcycle bomb was detonated in the afternoon targeting the campaign rally of Nazifa Beg Yusufi, a candidate from Rustaq district of Takhar, TOLO News reported. "Female parliamentary candidate Nazifa Big Yusufi was busy in the election campaign when a blast occurred among her supporters at around 1.30 p.m, killing 12 persons on the spot and injuring 32 others," said provincial police spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hajari . Two security force members were among the dead in the explosion, the police said, adding that an investigation was initiated into the incident. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. This was the third strike against the election campaign process this month. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 20. Earlier this week, an attack at a campaign office in Helmand province killed eight people, including election candidate Saleh Mohammad Achakzai. Before that, 14 people were killed on October 3 in an explosion on an election rally in Nangarhar. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A explosion ripped through the bustling Pan Bazaar area here on Saturday injuring at least four people, police said. The explosion took place near Sukreswar Temple in the city's Pan Bazaar area that houses the High Court building, the Deputy Commissioner's Office and other important buildings. "Four persons received minor injuries in the explosion. They were rushed to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhry hospital and their condition is stated to be stable," said Guwahati Joint Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah. Barah ruled out the possibility of a bomb explosion and said that the police were trying to ascertain the exact cause of the blast. A Paresh Barua-led faction of the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom has claimed responsibility for the blast. "This explosion was directed against those opposing NRC update and against those organisations supporting settling of Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam. This explosion is to warn the anti-Assam forces," Barua told local TV channels. --IANS ah/shs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking the Rafale battle to the doors of HAL, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government has "insulted, hurt and destroyed" the future of the public sector company by depriving it of the offset contract with the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault. In an hour-long interaction with about 100 former and present employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) here, he questioned the credibility and experience of the private company that got the Rs 30,000-crore offset contract. Accusing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of "lying" to the nation and misleading the people, Gandhi said she has rushed to Paris to cover up the alleged irregularities in the deal. "She (Sitharaman) has rushed to France to try to cover it up, but she can't. We will fight this on the streets of India," he said. Gandhi said firms such as HAL, ISRO and DRDO are "temples of modern India" which are being "destroyed" by the Modi government that is indulging in corruption. "A very senior person in the government has raised questions over the 'capacity' of HAL. I ask them as to what is the capacity of Anil Ambani's company that got the contract? The HAL's capabilities are all in front of us. You (HAL) have built HF-24, MiGs, Sukhoi and Tejas. Public sector is the backbone of the country and the defence sector," Gandhi said. He said it is "completely ridiculous" to say that HAL does not have any experience. "Does HAL have debt? No. But the person who got the contract has Rs 45,000 crore debt," he added. "HAL for me is not an ordinary company but a strategic asset to the country. It has a long history and legacy. It is reputed for making best fighters and helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). "You are the only company with the requisite experience to build that aircraft (Rafale). You are the people who built Tejas, MiG, Sukhoi. How can anybody say that you are not experienced?" he said. The Congress President said the "forces" trying to take away the company's "future" are "quite powerful, quite connected" and added that concerted efforts would be needed to save HAL and other public sector companies. "I have come to give a message that we are going to protect your future. We are going to fight for your rights. Rafale is your right. The decision (to give offset contract) should be done only on merit. Nobody in the world who thinks objectively and takes decisions on merit can take away the offset contract from HAL." Asked if the Congress would cancel the Rafale deal if it is voted to power in 2019, Gandhi said the question is not what would happen to the deal but as to why the Rs 30,000 crore contract was given to a newly-founded company instead of HAL. He said when the Congress comes to power at the Centre, its government would ensure that HAL gets more orders to make aircraft. "We will not allow this government or anyone to destroy HAL or take away orders from it... We will not allow the government to get away with the deal. We will fight it in every street across the country till the truth behind the deal comes out," he said. Referring to the HAL circular that had directed the employees to keep away from the interaction with him, Gandhi said the management must have been under "pressure" from the government but "we are fighting for you too". He said the HAL fraternity's hard work of the last 78 years and their patriotism has been "insulted and questioned" by the Modi government. Replying to questions by reporters on Sitharaman saying that the government of India had no role in deciding the offset partner, the Congress chief said the Defence Minister is "lying". "The former President of France (Francois Hollande) has said that the government of India told him to give the contract to Ambani. Documentation has also come out that Dassault has said this." Mirajuddin, a former trade union leader of HAL, said they (the employees) were "agitated" as they felt "let down". "We were not only surprised but felt insulted. We are not begging. We are demanding that our rights based on merit should be protected," he said. Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, former Karanataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, party's state unit chief K.C. Venugopal and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara were also present on the occasion. --IANS fb-mak/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The rough terrain, the snow-capped peaks, the winding roads and monasteries -- the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir is the abode of nature's raw and untouched beauty. The region might be a haven for adventure travellers, but all is not well for the local residents. The high altitude, exposure to excessive ultraviolet (UV) rays, lack of oxygen and the sedentary lifestyle of the locals are leading to a rise to cancer cases, particularly gastrointestinal (GI) and of the skin, according to medical experts from New Delhi's premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Twenty-four of the experts attended a five-day medical camp organised here by Ashoka Mission and SNM Hospital that focused on providing free medical aid to the people of the Leh and Kargil belt, especially those living in far off villages and belonging to financially poor backgrounds. The camp -- now in its 25th year -- saw more than 2,700 patients attending and getting examined. "Out of 100 patients, 60-65 cases are of GI cancer. Unfortunately, in this belt there is no proper record or data of cases of cancer. The only numbers we get are from the hospital," Dr Atul Sharma, Oncologist at the Dr. B.R.A Institute-Rotary Cancer Hospital (BIRCH) at AIIMS, told this visiting IANS correspondent. Dr Sharma said the rise in GI cancer is mostly because of the unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle which includes consumption of stored meat and hot beverages. "To keep their body warm, especially during the harsh winter, the people consume meat which has usually been stored for long periods. Their dishes are even spicy. Also consumption of too much hot beverages, smoking and drinking further escalate the causes of GI cancer," Dr Sharma added. "Liver cancer from Hepatitis B is also a concern in this belt. There have been few cases which has come up and we are doing further research on the reasons behind it," he added. GI cancer, according to the doctor, is found to be more common in men aged above 40. Women who have undergone menopause have also been found to be prone, along with cervical and breast cancer. "People are not aware of the early symptoms. There is a major lack of awareness in the region. Ninety per cent of the cases that came to me were in advanced stages. There is not much access to cancer treatment and even the proper drugs are not available," Dr Sharma noted. According to the oncologist, there are chances of the GI cancer rate going up in the coming years, but periodical endoscopy and early chemotherapy might help control the rise. Dr Kaushal K. Verma, a Dermatologist at AIIMS, stated that workers exposed to too much sunlight are also at higher risk of contracting skin cancer. "The ultraviolet rays are too strong here. even if the locals are properly covered or use umbrellas, it wont work much here," he commented. Dr Verma noted that the early symptoms of skin cancer are small patches which are mostly ignored. "People don't take these marks seriously because they are usually small in size. Also, it often becomes difficult for an individual to distinguish between normal skin disease and the cancer mark," he added. Not just exposure to the environment, Dr Verma cited food habits, vitamin deficiency and even pollution in the belt as reasons for the rise in skin cancer cases. "If skin cancer is not treated at an early stage, it can be life threatening. Women in the belt are more into outdoor activities than men, so they face the danger of getting diagnosed with skin cancer, especially after the age of 40," he said. Apart from skin cancer, Dr Verma said locals are also at high risk in terms of several other skin problems like eczema and facial pigmentation, which are often difficult to treat as well. "Most of the year it is extremely cold and dry. And when it is sunny, the rays are very strong -- enough to damage the skin. This escalates skin problems," he noted. (Somrita Ghosh was in Leh on an invitation from Ashoka Mission and AIIMS. She can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in ) --IANS som/vm/tb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The acting acumen of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who has found a fan following in China, has caught the eye of Japanese filmmaker Norihiro Koizumi who hopes to direct the actor someday. Known for the successful Japanese "Chihayafuru" trilogy, Koizumi came to India last month for a Japanese Film Festival organised by PVR Cinemas by The Japan Foundation. It was his first time in India. Not only did he have a great time looking at "happy" faces and tasting the variety of food, but he also got a new perspective about Indian cinema. "About Indian cinema, I had this image that it's all about musicals... But when I came to India and saw a couple of films, I felt there were a lot films which did not have many musical scenes. It kind of changed my view of Indian cinema. There's a variety of films... Not just musicals, not just dancing. Some movies have profound themes. I thought I should watch a little bit more," Koizumi told IANS via a recorded response. He says before he came to India, he saw "3 Idiots" and "Dangal". "Both of them had the same actor... Aamir Khan. He is a great actor," said Koizumi, who doesn't rule out a chance of an Indian collaboration. "Yes, it could happen... With Aamir Khan. I think he could be in Japanese cinema too. Maybe I could direct Indian cinema if I have a chance... I don't know about the musical scenes though," he quipped, breaking into a bout of laughter. The Indian audience, he felt, is very receptive to cinema "I liked the food here in India, and the happy people and I liked the reaction to the films. People cry, laugh and talk to each other a lot. I feel that's the way films should be watched," he said, adding that hosting a Japanese Film Festival is a great way to show Japanese culture in India. Apart from the films, patrons also got a chance to savour sushi rolls handcrafted by chef Yutaka Saito for Simply Sushi. "I think it is very important to know each other to be friends. It is the best way to know each other. If there will be another film festival, I will be here in India again," said Koizumi, who is in his late 30s. There is currently a spotlight on Asian cinema ever since the runaway success of "Crazy Rich Asians". As one of the more commercially successful young directors of Asia, what are his views on the changing scenario of diversity and inclusivity? "Well, 'Crazy Rich Asians' was led by Hollywood. Maybe for us, chances are increasing too. But what we should do is not to change our styles and we should just do our job. As Asians, we should not adapt to the American or European culture. We just have to keep doing our job, and wait for the world to change and realize what we are doing. Like they chose to make 'Crazy Rich Asians'... They have to change, we don't have to." --IANS rb/nv/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) International Monetary Fund Director-General Christine Lagarde on Saturday said that she was "horrified" by reports about the fate of missing Saudi journalist but still plans to attend a business forum in Riyadh this month as she has "to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world". Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared last week from his country's consulate in Istanbul where he went for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. Turkish intelligence officials say they have audio and visual evidence that shows he was killed inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia, however, firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance. Lagarde, who was addressing reporters at the closing press conference of the IMF World Bank annual meeting in Bali, said: "At this point in time, my intention is to not change my plan and to be very attentive to the information that is coming up in the next few days." She said despite being "horrified" by the reports she has "to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world", Efe news reported. In the last few hours, several sponsors and guests have announced their withdrawal from the Future Investment Initiative, also known as "Davos in the Desert", scheduled to take place between October 23-25. Among them was World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who already informed Saudi authorities that he would skip the conference, without giving a reason, reports said. US television channel CNBA tweeted that it would not be attending the forum in Riyadh "due to the continuing questions surrounding the disappearance of Khashoggi". CNN on Friday said it had "withdrawn its participation" while Andrew Ross Sorkin, a columnist for The New York Times, also announced skipping the conference. CNBC, the Financial Times and Bloomberg too cancelled their participation. Hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, the event is designed to showcase his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's dependence on oil. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was also in Bali for the IMF meetings, said he still intended to go the event. The Turkish government has not officially responded to claims by friends and colleagues, who fear the 59-year-old Saudi national was murdered inside the consulate. Khashoggi has had long-standing ties to the Saudi royal family, but has written critically of the current government and the Saudi Crown Prince. Saudi Arabia's Minister of the Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud Naif bin Abdulaziz, has condemned and dismissed reports that the journalist was murdered as "lies and baseless allegations", the state-run Saudi Press Agency said on Friday. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There are several reasons why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is palpably uneasy about the "Me-too" movement against the sexual harassment of women at the workplace, especially when Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar is in the line of fire. As a newspaper has noted, several ministers literally ran away when asked about the allegations against Akbar. There have also been attempts to downplay the complaints both on the grounds of the delay in lodging them, as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) luminary argued, and as an issue of concern mainly to the urban elite. One probable explanation for the BJP's unease is the party's general unwillingness to be seen as being pushed around. It doesn't want to take a decision on, say, the dismissal of the minister as demanded by the Congress and others, including the media, lest it is seen as having been taken under pressure. The party apparently feels that such a step will hurt the party's macho image. Another reason for the BJP's hesitancy in, for instance, asking the minister to cut short his foreign trip is that it is unused to dealing with an issue of private sexual (mis)behaviour. This was the reason why it recused itself from the hearing on the case of gay rights in the Supreme Court, leaving it to the "wisdom of the court" to take a decision on its own. As at present, there was also similar prolonged silence after the rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua till a BJP spokesperson accused the opposition of communalising the incident. The party is usually at its articulate best when it can lambast the opposition for being anti-national as on the Rafale controversy. Or when it can hold forth on the "termites" identified in the National Register of Citizens dealing with illegal immigrants. Or when it can side with the women devotees of the Sabarimala temple who are against the Supreme Court's judgment allowing -- in its "wisdom" -- the entry of women of all ages into the shrine. But the "Me-too" movement, with its distinctly modern, feminist ambience, is not quite what a party guided by the patriarchal RSS can easily accept. Besides, as BJP MP Udit Raj has pointed out, the complainants are not all "goddesses" who have to be implicitly believed. What must be of concern to the BJP is the possibility that if the pro-women movement gains ground, it can lead to other path-breaking initiatives such as criminalising marital rape. Given the sensitive nature of the movement, the party is unable to dismiss it as "manufactured" dissent as it did in the case of those who returned their awards in protest against the government's functioning. The involvement of the middle class -- the Lutyens' clique, as the upper class denizens of Delhi's privileged living space are derisively called by the saffron brotherhood -- is another aspect of the scene which will not be to the BJP's liking. Considering that the party's 2014 success was based on the support which it received from the middle class, among others, any sign of their disenchantment will be a cause of worry to the BJP. It goes without saying that the Congress and other opposition parties will lose no time in taking advantage of the BJP's discomfiture. At the same time, it is no secret that the misconduct of uncouth men in influential positions is not a new phenomenon. Like the proverbial casting couch in the film industry, such lewd behaviour has long been prevalent in all offices, including the ivory towers of journalism. The question is why has it taken so long for the delinquency of the adults to be exposed when it was always known. Why were the media barons silent when they must have known how their star scribes were sexually exploiting young interns? It is only now that a few heads have rolled in newspaper offices. It has taken the uncommon boldness of a few, starting with Tanushree Dutta's complaint against Nana Patekar, for the dam to burst. The next step will be to see how the law takes its own course since the sexual peccadilloes of powerful men fall in the category of criminal offences. There are, of course, a few who are already in the dock, such as a former editor of Tehelka. But will the powers that be show as much eagerness to go after the big fish as they do when chasing the alleged financial misdeamenours of political opponents and critical media houses? For the BJP, the outing of "dirty" secrets by a number of intrepid women has come at an inopportune time.The party was hoping to ride into the forthcoming electoral battles in the five states this winter on the issues of "termites" eroding the country's demographic scene and the past misdeeds of the "naamdars" or opposition dynasts. But, suddenly, a group of bold women has queered the pitch for the party. (Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com ) --IANS amulya/tb/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Most of the news outlets that had agreed to sponsor a high-profile business conference in Saudi Arabia have now pulled out following the unexplained disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bloomberg is the latest organization to withdraw, CNN reported on Saturday. "Bloomberg will no longer serve as a partner for the Future Investment Initiative," a spokesperson said. "As we do with every major event in the region, we plan to cover any news from our regional news bureau." CNN, CNBC and the Financial Times said on Friday that they would not sponsor the conference, which is known as "Davos in the desert". Hosted by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud and scheduled to begin on October 23, the event is designed to showcase his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's dependence on oil. But some partners have pulled out as concerns mount over the fate of the prominent Saudi journalist, contributor to the Washington Post and critic of the Saudi regime. Khashoggi has been missing since October 2 after going to the Saudi consulate general in Istanbul to obtain wedding papers. Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that shows Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance. CNN said in a statement on Friday that it has "withdrawn its participation" in the conference. CNBC said on Twitter that it was pulling out due to "continuing questions" over the journalist's disappearance. Finola McDonnell, chief communications and marketing officer at the Financial Times, said on Twitter that the UK newspaper would not partner with the conference while Khashoggi's disappearance "remains unexplained". --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own death as he turned on the recording function of his Apple Watch before walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, a Turkish daily reported on Saturday. The moments of his "interrogation, torture and killing were audio recorded and sent to both his phone and to iCloud", CNN quoted the privately-owned Sabah daily as saying. It said conversations of the men involved in the reported assassination were recorded. Security forces leading the investigation found the audio file inside the phone Khasshoggi left with his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, according to the daily. Upon noticing the watch, Khashoggi's assailants tried to unlock the Apple Watch with multiple password attempts, ultimately using the journalist's fingerprint to unlock the smart watch. They were successful in deleting only some of the files, Sabah reported. However, on its website, Apple does not list fingerprint verification as one of the Apple Watch's capabilities. A representative from the company confirmed to CNN the watches do not have the feature. It was not immediately clear whether it would have been technically feasible for Khashoggi's Apple phone to transfer audio to his phone, which he had given to his fiancee before entering the consulate. Saudi and Turkish officials have not yet commented on the Sabah report. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance and says he left the consulate that afternoon. Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence that he left the consulate, as they claim, CNN reported. Saudi Arabia Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz said reports that the Saudi government ordered the killing of Khashoggi were "lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom", according to a statement in the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published on Saturday morning. Abdulaziz also said "some media" have circulated "false accusations" regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. On Friday, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that showed Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there had been an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. Turkish security units analysed how Khashoggi's reported killing unfolded with the use of a translator, according to Sabah. Sabah also reported that investigation units were currently examining all cell phone and landline records from the consulate and the consul general's residence on October 2. Efforts to locate Khashoggi's body are ongoing, Sabah reported. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went into the consulate to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global electronic manufacturers are now looking at India for sourcing products/components owing to the trade war between the US and China and we are putting up a new production lines here to cater to the increased orders, said a top official of Syrma Technology. Syrma Technology is a major electronics system design and manufacturing service provider making printed circuit boards (PCB), box builds, radio frequency identification (RFID), magnetic products (chokes, inductors, transformers) and memory products. "We are investing in the new production lines for PCBs in the Madras Export Processing Zone (a Special Economic Zone). Each line may involve an investment of about $2.5-3 million," Sreeram Srinivasan told the media here. He said global electronic product manufacturers are now looking at alternate sourcing points owing to the trade war between two of the biggest economies. "Our decision to invest in the new production facility for PCB is due to the increased orders," Srinivasan said. The company will be shifting the PCB production lines from its existing facility in MEPZ to the new facility. It also mulls adding more PCB lines in the new facility. With the shifting of PCB lines to a new facility, Syrma Technology will put up additional RFID production lines in the available vacant space. According to Srinivasan, the company plans to invest about $10 million over the next couple of years in expansion here. Syrma Technology recently commissioned its fifth production facility in Bawal, Haryana to made PCBs for the Indian market while the units in MEPZ serve the export markets. "The smart city projects and automotive sector offers good potential for us," Srinivasan said. "In the automotive sector the battery management systems for electric vehicles will become big. In next three years 25 per cent of our turnover will be from the battery management systems." Last year, Syrma Technology logged a turnover of about Rs 200 crore and this year the company is targeting Rs 300 crore. Srinivasan said the company supplies RFID tags for surgical sponge makers. "The RFID tags are stitched in surgical sponges. This will enable personnel in hospital operation theatres to have a count of surgical sponges used. It will also help in the check out whether any surgical sponges were left inside a person during an operation," Srinivasan said. According to him, under the smart city project power utilities want smart lighting systems and smart metering systems and PCBs have good demand there. "We are also looking at smart solutions for solar and wind energy sectors," Srinivasan said. --IANS vj/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking the Rafale battle to the doors of HAL, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the Modi government has "insulted, hurt and destroyed" the future of the public sector undertaking by depriving it of the offset contract with the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault. In an hour-long interaction with about 100 former and present employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), who were directed by the management to keep away from it, he also questioned the credibility and the experience of the private company that got the Rs 30,000 crore offset contract. Gandhi said firms such as HAL, ISRO and DRDO were the "temples of modern India" which were being "destroyed" by the Modi government that was indulging in corruption. "A very senior person in the government has raised questions over the 'capacity' of HAL. I ask them as to what is the capacity of Anil Ambani's company that has got the contract? What exactly is the experience this person has (in aeronautics)? The HAL's capabilities are all in front of us. You (HAL) have built HF-24, MiGs, Sukhoi and Tejas. The public sector is the backbone of the country and the defence sector," Gandhi said. He said it was "completely ridiculous" to say that HAL does not have any experience. The person who got the contract has zero experience. "Does HAL have debt? No. But the person who got the contract has Rs 45,000 crore debt," he added. Rahul said "You are the only company with the requisite experience to build that aircraft (Rafale). You are the people who built Tejas, MiG, Sukhoi. How can anybody say that you are not experienced? The forces trying to take away your future are quite powerful, quite connected," he said, adding that concerted efforts would be needed to save HAL and other public sector companies. "I have come to give a message that we are going to protect your future. We are going to fight for your rights. Rafale is your right. The decision (to give offset contract) should be done only on merit. Nobody in the world who thinks objectively and takes decisions on merit can take away the offset contract from HAL." He said when the Congress comes to power at the Centre its government would ensure that HAL got more orders to make aircraft. "We will not allow this government or anyone to destroy HAL or take away orders from it. Referring to the circular directing employees to keep away from the interaction with him, Gandhi said the management must have been under "pressure" from the government but "we are fighting for you too". He said the HAL fraternity has been insulted and hurt. "Their hard work of the last 78 years, their patriotism, has been insulted and questioned by the government through the Defence Ministry. The gentleman who has got the contract has worked only for 12 days. The temples of modern India are being destroyed," the Congress President said. Taking a jibe at the media, he said: "You (HAL employees) called me here because you feel the media is not listening to your voice. But media does not listen even to us these days. The media bosses don't want these types of conversations." Gandhi said he was 100 per cent with the employees of the defence public sector undertakings and told them they were free to call him anytime 24/7 to voice their grievances. Replying to questions by reporters on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying that the government of India had no role in deciding the offset partner, the Congress chief said the defence minister was "lying". "The former president of France (Francois Hollande) has said that the Government of India told him to give the contract to Ambani. Documentation has also come out that Dassault has said this." Before interacting with the employees, Gandhi said "We are in opposition but if there is something we can do to help you we would like to do it. When we come to government we would like to do even more aggressively." Mirajuddin, a former trade union leader of HAL, said the company was capable of manufacturing Rafale in India and they were agitated over the offset contract going to a private company. "We felt let down...we were not only surprised but felt insulted. We are not begging. We are demanding that our rights based on merit should be protected," he said. --IANS fb-sm-mak/vsc/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday Turkey's announcement of approving the Saudi request to form a joint team to investigate the Saudi national Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance in Istanbul, Turkey. The expert-level joint action team of representatives from both countries would investigate the disappearance of the Saudi journalist since October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Xinhua reported. A Saudi official source welcomed in a statement on Saudi Press Agency the decision and expressed appreciation for such a positive move, reaffirming full confidence of the joint action team, through close cooperation among its members to carry out with their set assignments. The disappearance case attracted the world attention with the allegations that Khashoggi might had been killed or arrested inside the Saudi consulate, in which all those claims had been dismissed by Saudi Arabia. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armed with sophisticated weapons and electronic gadgets, a record number of security personnel would be deployed in Tripura and southern Assam for the five-day Durga Puja festivities beginning on October 15, police said on Saturday. The festivities will begin on October 15 with 'Maha Sasthi' or 'Bodhan'- the welcoming of the Durga idols. "Besides deployment of higher number of around 9,900 Tripura police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel, the troopers of central para-military forces have been asked to maintain a close watch on the situation to foil any untoward incident during this period," Director General of Tripura Police Akhil Kumar Shukla told the media. He said that several meetings were held with the senior officials of police, TSR, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Assam Rifles and central intelligence agencies to make the security arrangements foolproof. "BSF troopers would maintain a close vigil along the India-Bangladesh border to ensure that the festival is free of any untoward incident." The police chief said that quick reaction teams and bomb and dog squads would be ready to deal with any eventuality and around 100 watch towers, 230 CCTVs and 150 police assistance booths would be set up to maintain law and order. With a small increase over last year, at least 2,527 community Durga Pujas including 1,570 in rural areas were being organised in Tripura. Security was also tightened in southern Assam's four districts dominated by Bengalis -- Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Dima Hasao. "Besides strengthening of normal security, movement of trains will also be monitored in southern Assam," a police officer told reporters at Silchar. According to the police official, around 1,500 Durga Pujas were being organised across the four districts, adjoining Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. Writer and social activist Uttam Kumar Saha said that despite the unenthusiastic atmosphere after the exclusion of the names of a large number of people from the final draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, the puja spirit had not dampened in Assam's southern region. "Puja committees are working round-the-clock to make their preparations foolproof and to provide an exciting time to the pandal hoppers. Different themes, significant archaeological sites and historic memorials are being showcased in the decoration of the puja pandals," Saha told IANS over phone from Silchar. --IANS sc/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Separatist movements have not succeeded in India because most people have not supported them, Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy said on Saturday. He said such a movement succeeded in Pakistan with the separation of East Pakistan and led to the formation of Bangladesh. "The failure of the separatist movement in India is not because of the deployment of the Army or because law and order problem has been quelled," Roy said. The Governor, who was addressing a 'Get-together of Harmony' organized by the Central Puja Committee, the apex body of Hindu religious organisations, said, "Not a single one (separatist movements) succeeded because they did not get support from the majority who wanted to live together. "Majority of the people in India want to live together; they did not want to be separated from India. We have been like that for the last 70 years and we will continue to remain united for all times to come," Roy added. Informing the gathering that he, his wife and children were products of Catholic schools, Roy said that he learnt "Lord's prayers even before he had learnt the Hindu mantras and saw nothing different in them". Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly Mukul Sangma said that peace and harmony will enable the people of the state to realise their true potential. --IANS rrk/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nine climbers, including five South Korean nationals, who were part of a trekking expedition, were killed after a snowstorm destroyed their base camp on a Himalayan peak in western Nepal, the police said on Saturday. Wangchu Sherpa, Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal said that five Korean climbers -- of Koreanway Gurja Himal Expedition 2018 -- including their team leader Kim Chang-ho were killed when the storm struck their camp on Mount Gurja on Friday evening, the Himalayan Times reported. Kim Chang-ho was the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen. Other four climbers were Nepali. All the dead people were identified by the authorities, the report said. The heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at 3,500 metre on the 7,193 metre-high mountain when the climbers were awaiting a fair weather to head towards the high camp, Sherpa quoted the eyewitnesses as saying. A helicopter with rescuers was sent to the site in the morning, but it failed to land at the base camp due to bad weather, said a police official. A police rescue team was later making its way on foot to the site. Mount Gurja sits in Nepal's Annapurna region, next to avalanche-prone Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh highest mountain. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), led by super star Mohanlal, came under fire on Saturday from the Women's Collective in Cinema (WCC) over the way the kidanpping case of an actress is being handled. The WCC was formed last year by women drawn from various sectors of the film industry to fight for their cause, after they found that AMMA was not protecting their interests. Senior actor Dileep is an accused in a kidnapping case that took place last year. The actor was in jail for 85 days and is now out on bail. The WCC alleges that AMMA has not supported the victim, whereas Dileep has got all the backing. Leading actress Revathy on Saturday said that many like her were shocked to hear Mohanlal address them as mere actresses. "It really hurt us very much... he could have mentioned us by our name. We have now realized that AMMA's executive committee is taking us for a ride and is not serious about the victim getting justice in the kidnapping case," said Revathy, adding AMMA should be handled by responsible people. Trouble stared soon after Mohanlal took over as AMMA President in June. He took back into the AMMA fold actor Dileep, prompting leading actresses, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambisan and Geetu Mohandas quitting the AMMA in protest. Another 14 members announced their decision to quit, citing lack of fairness. At Saturday's press meet, Revathy, Padmapriya, Parvathy and the three actresses who quit AMMA and a few others were also present. The decision on Dileep's status has been left to the next general body meeting of AMMA. "They (AMMA) use by-laws when they find it useful for their requirements and when it comes to our needs, they cling on by-laws," said Parvathy. Revathy said things are not clean in the Malayalam film industry, adding she was shocked to see a 17-year-old young girl knocking at her door and complaining about the way she was exploited. "I will not name her, but things are bad in the industry," said Revathy. She said that none should take the actresses lightly, and that they would continue to expose the goings-on in the industry. Beena Paul, who is vice-chairman of the state-run Kerala State Chalachitra Acadmey, said their intention is not to shame the industry. "There are so many stories of victimization... slowly these will come out," said Paul. --IANS sg/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 [] An April Fool's Day prank may soon see the light of day as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that a Tesla-branded tequila, called "Teslaquila", is "coming soon". Teslaquila first featured in an April Fool's joke in which Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Twitter that he had been found "passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by 'Teslaquila' bottles" as he joked about his electric car company going bankrupt. The tweet, it now turns out, was a teaser for Teslaquila, as according to a report in CNBC on Friday Tesla had filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Teslaquila". The trademark is for "distilled agave liquor" and "distilled blue agave liquor", the report said. Besides sharing a link to the CNBC report on Twitter with the message "Teslaquila coming soon ", Musk also later shared a photo of a "Teslaquila" label in a tweet. Tesla might have initially applied for this trademark in Jamaica back in April, the report said. --IANS gb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Bengal gets decked up in a shimmery jacket of lights to celebrate its biggest carnival in style, the organisers of a famous community Durga puja here have built their marquee with artefacts and elements dedicated to the visually impaired to help them experience the festive grandeur they otherwise miss out on. The Samaj Sebi Sangha in south Kolkata's Ballygunj area, that created a lot of buzz last year by creating the country's then longest 'Alpona' (traditional street graffiti), is inviting people to its 73rd Durga Puja this year, to touch and feel the artwork. Right at the entrance, a giant installation of goddess Durga's face, made of 12,000 iron screws, welcomes the visitors. By touching the artwork, the visually challenged will get an idea about how the face of a traditional Durga idol looks like. The marquee, designed by city-based artist couple Subhodip Majumdar and Sumi Majumdar, has a separate brailed path for the unsighted that would help them walk down to the main idol independently. Words like "Ma" and "Jai Ma Durga" are written in Braille on the inner walls. The interior has been aesthetically decorated with artefacts made out of nails and thread, woodwork and paperwork using similar methods taught in the blind schools. Atop the pandal is a face with hands covering the eyes that symbolises the hands as the eyes for the unsighted. Right below, two front panels depict the solar and lunar eclipses that signify giving back light to the blind. The puja organisers said the unique theme was visualised earlier this year when the committee came in touch with a city based social organisation that works for the visually impaired and were moved by listening to the stories of their unfulfilled wishes centreing around the festival. "Samaj Sebi always comes up with puja themes which have a social angle. So, when we interacted with the visually impaired, we found that the sightless feel tremendously left out during the festivities. So they mostly remain indoors and listen to the Puja commentaries on television or radio," its General Secretary, Arijit Maitra, told IANS. He said the theme also highlights the challenges faced by the sightless and attempts to raise mass awareness about the importance of eye donation. "We thought if we can execute the concept properly it would be a great experience for the visually challenged. Our motive is also to create an awareness about the importance of eye donation among the common people who visit our marquee. It is the duty of those who can see to bring back the light in the life of the sightless," he noted The organisers have also tied up with four city-based blind schools - Southern Avenue's Lighthouse For the Blind, Ramkrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy in South 24 Pargana district's Narendrapur, Behala-based NGO the Voice of World and the Blind Person's association - which are expected to bring at least 500 visually impaired persons to the marquee over the five day festivities. "They would come to the puja through the special braille path and eat the 'puja Bhog' (offerings) with us on all five days. There will also be a special cultural performance by a group of 30 visibly challenged people from the NGO on Sashthi, the first day of Puja," another member of the organising committee revealed, adding that every visually impaired person visiting the marquee will be given sheets with the puja itinerary, details of the concept of the puja and the Durga mantra in Braille. The community puja that had depicted 'lost childhood and caged youth' as its theme last year by constructing cage-like structures made of iron rods, has also joined hands with the city-based MP Birla Eye Donation Camp to sensitise the visitors about the importance of eye donation. Representatives from the institution will be present at the puja premises with pledge forms and certificates for those willing to donate their eyes after death. "So far 10 visitors and 30 members from the puja committee have signed the forms," the organisers said. As an added attraction to the sightless and the common devotees alike, famous Bengali actor Prasenjit Sengupta, who played the role of a visually impaired in his last film "Drishtikone", has lent his voice to the narrative that will be played in the marquee to chronicle the life experiences of those who cannot see the light of the day. (Milinda Ghosh Roy can be contacted at milinda.r@ians.in) --IANS mgr/ssp/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump welcomed on Friday's decision by a Turkish court to release US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was arrested two years ago on terrorism charges. "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!," the president wrote on Twitter after learning of the ruling. A court in Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, convicted Brunson of aiding terrorism and sentenced him to three years, but ordered him freed based on the time he has already spent in custody, Efe reported. Brunson, 50, is now free to leave Turkey, a country he has called home for more than two decades. Arrested in December 2016, the Protestant missionary was initially charged with having links to Fethullah Gulen, an Islamist preacher living in exile in the United States who is accused by the Turkish government of being behind a failed coup in the summer of 2016. In July, a "secret witness" described alleged links between the pastor and the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla group that is an enemy of both Gulen's organization and the Turkish government. On Friday, prosecutors withdrew the charges of espionage and belonging to terrorist organizations, for which they were demanding a 35-year sentence, saying that Brunson should be charged with "collaborating with a terrorist organization without being a member," for which they requested a sentence of 5-10 years. Brunson, who has proclaimed his innocence from the start, was shifted from jail to house arrest a few months ago amid concerns about his health. Brunson's case elevated tensions between Ankara and Washington, a relationship that has soured since the failed coup in 2016, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed on Gulen. Erdogan hinted at the possibility of trading the American pastor for Gulen, who is the subject of an extradition request. Washington has declined to extradite Gulen on the basis of the evidence submitted by Turkey. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to speak with Saudi Arabia's King Salman about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. "I will be calling at some point King Salman," Trump said in a statement to reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Efe reported. "A lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation," the president added with reference to the journalist's possible murder. Trump promised to get to the bottom of what happened and said that "right now, nobody knows anything about it," though people are beginning to form ideas. As for his friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, and especially those of his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, he said, "Well I don't know if it's any closer than other relationships that people have. We have a lot of very close relationships with a lot of countries." Trump has said that he is concerned about the disappearance of Khashoggi, who lives in the US and writes a column for The Washington Post, but also shows an unwillingness to consider sanctioning Saudi Arabia for the matter. The President said on Thursday that it "would not be acceptable" to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia if Washington determined that Khashoggi, who had been critical of Riyadh, was slain inside the consulate, as his friends and colleagues have claimed. According to The Washington Post, the Turkish government would have informed US authorities that they had video and audio recordings showing that the journalist was murdered in the consulate. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa has said that she draws inspiration from Vijayalakshmi Pandit, the first woman to hold the office, and plans to install her portrait in her office, according to an Indian MP who met her on Friday. Prem Das Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front said that she told a group of MPs who visited her that as a woman to ascend to the office, she found encouragement from Pandit's pioneering work at the UN. Espinosa is only the fourth woman to be president of the Assembly -- a position held by 69 men through the UN's history. Pandit, who was Jawaharlal Nehru's sister, was elected Assembly President in 1953. The MPs who met her represented a cross-section of India's political parties and geography and are members of India's delegation to the Assembly. Rai said that Espinosa, who is from Ecuador, told them that she respects Indian democracy and considered India a country from which to draw inspiration, pointing to a book on Mahatma Gandhi in her office. After Pandit it took 16 years for another woman, Angie Elisabeth Brooks of Liberia, to become Assembly President in 1969, and 37 more years before Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain was elected in 2006. Developing countries produced all the four women presidents. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sixth-seeded Wang Qiang of China rallied on Saturday to pull off a big upset against fourth-seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Hong Kong Open final against Dayana Yastremska of the Ukraine. Despite Muguruza's 5-4 advantage in the decider, Wang won the last three games to seal her first career win against the Spaniard in two hours and 40 minutes, reports Efe. Muguruza paid for her lack of consistency on serve, with her bid for a third final this season undermined as she conceded her delivery seven times. Earlier Saturday, Wang had knocked out top-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-4 in a quarterfinal match that was paused Friday due to rain, with Wang leading 6-2, 6-5. When play resumed, the Chinese powerhouse needed just nine minutes to seal the biggest win of her career and advance to the semifinal against Muguruza. The final will see Wang, world No. 24, pitted against 18-year-old Yastremska, who beat China's Shuai Zhang 7-5, 6-4. --IANS tri/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jewellery designer Farah Khan is the latest celebrity to share her opinion on the ongoing #MeToo movement in India. She says although she supports the brave women who have spoken out against their perpetrators, she also wants just the truth to be stated with no exaggerations as some may try to misuse it. In a series of tweets on Saturday, Khan said: "Been super busy the last couple days so did not log in as I had an launch last evening that I was preparing for since awhile. That was important to me so did not have time to comment on Twitter for those asking." "My comments on the #METooCampaign. I support the brave women who have spoken out against their perpetrators. But I also ask only the truth to be stated with no exaggerations, as the more honest and real we keep this the more successful it will be. Some will try to misuse it too," she posted. She also said it takes great guts and courage to speak out against those that have harassed women sexually. "I applaud those brave women because only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. It will hopefully make men realise that women are not objects of sex and have to be treated with dignity. #metoo," she posted. "In continuation to my previous tweet, I also believe that some may try to misuse the #MeToo campaign so we must be careful to differentiate between harmless flirting and lewd gestures. As long as we keep this real and honest we will succeed," she further posted. She also gave the reason why she had not posted on the issue earlier. "I am on Twitter because I follow news here. Sometimes I have all the time to comment and sometimes none at all because I'm too busy trying to make a living. If I do not comment on something at that point it's because, I'm unaware/don't know enough/or lack time. It doesn't mean I don't care," she posted. Celebrities like Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan, Alok Nath, Nana Patekar and Subhash Ghai have been accused of harassment by women. Popular names like Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar have taken a stern stand against the accused. --IANS nv/nn/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Countering a common argument that strong encryption may come in the way of well-meaning investigation of criminal activities, Apple has stressed that stronger -- not weaker -- encryption is the best way to protect against threats of cyber attacks and terrorism. In a letter to the Australian government, the Cupertino, California-headquartered tech giant asserted that encryption was in fact a benefit and public good, The Verge reported on Friday. Apple was specifically responding to a bill designed to five government easy access to the devices and data of criminals during investigations. The tech giant said it takes technology's role in protecting national security and citizens's lives extremely seriously. "Every day, over a trillion transactions occur safely over the internet as a result of encrypted communications," Apple said in its letter while responding to the Australian Parliament's Assistance and Access Bill. "Criminals and terrorists who want to infiltrate systems and disrupt sensitive networks may start their attacks by accessing just one person's smartphone. In the face of these threats, this is no time to weaken encryption." While Apple was not outright condemning the bill, it, however, attempted to make the case that "the draft legislation remains dangerously ambiguous with respect to encryption and security" The Verge report added. Apple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation engaged in a showdown in 2016 over the iPhone used by an assailant in the San Bernardino terror attack. The FBI had to seek third-party help after Apple refused to assist the investigating agency unlock the phone. --IANS gb/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amidst strong sentiments against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women in the 10-50 age group into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, gender equality activist Trupti Desai said on Saturday that she was still determined to visit it. "We will announce a date very soon to visit the Sabarimala Temple as the apex court has upheld the fundamental rights of women... There should be no attempt to stop us because we now have equal rights," Desai said while speaking to a Malayalam TV channel in Mumbai. She has played a major role in opening up to women shrines like Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah that were hitherto closed to them. Reacting sharply to the remarks of the activist who is also the founder of the Pune-based Bhumata Brigade, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President P.S.Sreedharan Pillai said that Desai should not challenge the emotions and feelings of the devotees of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. "In the best interest of all, she should not venture out to challenge the feelings of thousands of devotees who have taken the apex court ruling as a shock...," Pillai, who is leading a march in protest against the September 28 ruling to the state capital from Alappuzha, told the media on Saturday. Rahul Eashwar, a member of the Sabarimala tantric family requested Desai to desist from coming to the temple. "We will be staging a protest in true Gandhian style if there is any attempt to break the traditions and culture of the temple. We request her to pray in other Ayyappa temples in the state and not at the Sabarimala temple," Eashwar told the media. The temple doors will open on October 18 for its routine monthly pujas Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government and the Travancore Devasom Board - the custodian of the temple -- have ruled out filing a review petition against the apex court's order, saying that they would abide by the ruling. The Left Democratic Front, led by the CPI-M, has also decided to launch counter-political rallies across the state, against the stand of the Congress-led opposition, the BJP and other Hindu organisations who are demanding an ordinance to be floated to counter the apex court ruling. The women's wing of the BJP, Mahila Morcha, will also stage a special prayer protest session starting on October 17 at the various entry points of the Sabarimala Temple. Lathika Subash, President of the Kerala Mahila Congress, on Saturday pleaded with all those are trying to break the traditions of the Sabarimala, not to attempt to visit the temple. "The Congress party has always kept out from politics and hence we request nothing should be done to affect the feelings of the devotees," said Subash. Meanwhile, the Sabarimala tantri family has filed a review petition against the apex court order, requesting that there should be no dilution of the traditions of the temple. The apex court will hear the petition on October 28. --IANS sg/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday blamed the for the attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in his state and claimed that police and people have managed to foil the opposition party's attempts to create an unrest. Several districts in the northern part of Gujarat were rocked by violence after a labourer from Bihar was arrested on the charge of raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The violence led to the exodus of thousands of migrants from the state resulting in manpower problems at several industries there. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Patel said a caste-based outfit headed by a Gujarat MLA was responsible for the violence against the migrants. The Gujarat BJP has, on several occasions, blamed MLA Alpesh Thakor and his outfit Kshatriya Thakor Sena for the violence. BJP leaders have, earlier, also pointed out that several FIRs lodged by the Gujarat police in connection with the violence had mentioned Thakor's outfit. Thakor has consistently refuted the allegations claiming that cases lodged against youth from the Thakor community were false. "An atmosphere of fear was created due to which many Hindi-speaking workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar left the state (Gujarat). Our government has taken all steps to control the situation. Culprits who sent out threats on social media have been arrested. FIRs have been filed. The police and citizens have foiled the attempt of the Congress to spread unrest," Patel claimed. "Gujarat is the growth engine of India. The state has the capacity to provide jobs, create employment opportunities not just for Gujaratis but for all citizens of the country," the deputy chief minister said. Patel said Gujarat believes in unity and almost five lakh people hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha stay in south Gujarat as do people from Maharashtra and Rajasthan in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and other cities. "Gujarat believes in unity. However, some people associated with the Congress created such a situation for political gains. Those who had fled the state are returning as the government has acted strongly against those responsible for the violence," he asserted. "Industrial development in Gujarat is good due to the Vibrant Gujarat initiative. We provide jobs to locals as well as those from rest of the country. Gujarat is a role model in development," Patel claimed, adding agro-based industries were also flourishing in his state. He hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for claiming that the Statue of Unity, a memorial to the country's first deputy prime minister Sardar Patel, was "Made in China". Terming the 182-metre statue a tribute to the immense contribution of Sardar Patel to the nation, the Gujarat deputy chief minister alleged that the Congress was unable to digest the fact that the statue was the tallest in the world since that party had only propagated the deeds of one family. "The Congress cannot digest the fact that Sardar Patel's statue can be the largest the world since the party has propagated only one family. "They (Congress) want the world to feel that it is only because of one family that the country got Independence from the British. The Congress sidelined leaders like Patel, (Dr Bhimrao) Ambedkar, (Netaji Subhash Chandra) Bose and others," he alleged. Speaking about the statue, Patel said it was built by an Indian firm - Larsen and Toubro and engineers, labourers, steel, cement etc all came from within the country. Parrying questions on the heights of the Statue of Unity and that of Chhatrapati Shivaji being built off the coast of Mumbai, he said, "There cannot be any comparison between the two great personalities. Their contribution is incomparable." Patel said Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have been invited to attend the inauguration function of the State of Unity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Sardar Patel memorial on October 31. The statue, being built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore, is situated 3.2 km downstream the Narmada dam on the Sadhu Bet islet near Kevadiya town. The Gujarat deputy chief minister said the memorial will have a museum as well a laser show to depict the life and contribution of Sardar Patel and also a valley of flowers. It will have the capacity to cater to 15,000 tourists daily, he said. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested two persons in Allahabad on Saturday in connection with the BTC question paper leak case. The STF team arrested Ashish Agarwal and Arvind Bhargava from Allahabad after a probe into the paper leak of Basic Training Certificate - 2015 (fourth semester) examinations from Kaushambi district, sources said. For the last few years, Dipti Enterprises, whose proprietor is Ashish Agarwal's wife, had been getting the contract to print the BTC question papers as well as delivering them, sources said, adding that Agarwal was getting the printing done at a printing press owned by Arvind Bhargava. During investigation, it was found that basic security arrangements at the press, like frisking, were not put in place and the papers could have been accessed by anyone, sources said. Further, the papers were not enclosed in sealed packets before transportation, they said. The exam scheduled on October 8 was cancelled after it was found that the question papers were leaked. The cancelled exam will now be held between November 1 and 3. Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed the STF and the police department to take stringent action against those involved in the paper leak. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least two miners were killed and as many injured when a coalmine collapsed in north west Pakistan on Saturday, according to rescue officials. The incident occurred at the coalmine situated in Dara Adam Khel town of Kohat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkahwa province, they said. According to officials, labourers were working in the mine when it collapsed suddenly. The injured were rushed to a hospital. According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation, every year around 200 miners labourers die in Pakistan due to collapse of mines in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two people were killed when a diesel tanker fell into a 160-feet deep gorge in Markundi valley, police said Saturday. Additional Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Dixit said the incident took place Friday night. "The diesel tanker fell into a 160-feet deep gorge in Markundi valley after the driver lost control. The vehicle caught fire and two people, including the driver, who were in the tanker, were burnt to death," he said. He added the deceased were identified as Chhedi (45), the driver, and Shivakant Chaturvedi (40). The bodies were sent for post-mortem, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Just 3.49 per cent of the electorate voted in the third phase of the urban local body polls in militancy-hit Kashmir Valley, while a high turnout of 82 per cent was recorded in Jammu's Samba district, officials said Saturday. The frontier town of Uri in Baramulla district recorded a 75.34 per cent turnout, bucking the trend in the Valley, which has witnessed low polling in the first two of the four-phase elections after boycott calls from parties like the NC, the PDP and the CPI (M). In the 20 wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) that went to polls in the third phase, only 1.84 per cent of the 1.53 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise, the election officials said. Safakadal, a ward in the city's old town, and Chanapora, in the Civil Lines, polled less than 10 votes each. The polling, which began at 6 am and ended at 4 pm, saw 11 SMC wards recording less than 100 votes. They said in Uri, 75.34 per cent of the 3,552 voters cast their votes, while in the Mattan Municipal Committee of Anantnag district, the only town in India other than Konark to have a Sun Temple, witnessed a turnout of 2.81 per cent. Brisk polling was witnessed in Uri with people lining up outside polling booths much before 6.00 am, the officials said. Of the 3,552 eligible voters, 2,676 turned up to exercise their franchise at the Uri Municipal Committee's 13 wards. There are 31 candidates in the fray. People of the town traditionally turnout in large numbers in elections and in this poll, it has the highest turnout in the Valley. In the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir elections, Uri constituency saw 82.94 per cent voting and in 2008, 82.07 per cent. The officials said in Sheerpora ward of the Anantnag Municipal Council, where election authorities had ordered a repoll, only 1.39 per cent of the 2,643 exercised their franchise. Though 151 wards were to go to polls in the third phase in the Valley, voting was held only in 40 wards. Forty-nine wards were won uncontested and no nominations filed for 62 wards. The first phase of the polls in the Kashmir Valley saw 8.3 per cent turnout on October 8 while only 3.4 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the second phase held two days later. There are 365 candidates in the fray for 96 wards of eight urban local bodies for the third phase comprising a total electorate of 1,93,990 electors. In Jammu's Samba district, of the 31,878 voters, 82 per cent exercised their franchise in the third phase, a repeat of the high voter turnout recorded in the first two phases in the region. "The voting concluded in a peaceful manner with about 82 per cent voters registering their choice at 57 polling stations set up across the district, District Election Officer, Samba, Sushma Chauhan, told PTI. Voters thronged polling stations across the district to choose their representatives for four municipal committees -- Samba, Ramgarh, Vijaypur and Bari-Brahmana. She said Bari-Brahmana recorded a high 87 per cent turnout, followed by Vijaypur (85 per cent), Ramgarh (83 per cent) and Samba (78.8 per cent). Today's polling in Samba completed the elections in all the 10 districts of the Jammu region. The first phase of the polls covering three districts of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri on October 8 recorded 65 per cent voter turnout. In the second phase, on October 10, Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Doda, Reasi and Kishtwar districts witnessed 78.6 per cent polling. Chauhan said adequate security personnel were deployed for maintaining law and order, and observers, zonal and sectoral officers are monitoring the polls to ensure free and fair elections. The fourth phase on Tuesday will be held in six districts of the Kashmir valley. Municipal elections are being held, amid tight security, after a gap of 13 years in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh electors across the state. The officials said 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1145 wards. The counting of votes will be held on October 20. The government has declared holiday on the day of poll in the municipal areas going to polls so as to enable the voters to cast their vote. The National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the CPI(M) have boycotted the polls due to the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven people were killed and 35 others injured in a collision between a pickup van and a private bus near Madaripur village here on Saturday night, police said. The accident occurred in the Uchahar police station area. Five persons died on the spot, they said. Two persons succumbed to their injuries at a hospital, police said, adding the rest of the wounded are undergoing treatment. Four of the seriously injured people have been referred to Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 each for the injured, a senior official said in Lucknow. He also directed the official concerned to provide proper medical care to the injured persons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Alok Nath and his wife Ashu Saturday filed a complaint in a local court seeking defamation proceedings to be initiated against writer-director Vinta Nanda for accusing him of rape. In the complaint filed before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate, Nath and his wife sought a direction to the suburban Amboli police station to take cognisance of the letter sent by them in which they sought defamation proceedings against Nanda. In a social media post Monday, Nanda had alleged that the actor had raped her 19 years ago. Although she did not name Nath in her post, she referred to him as the actor who is known as the "most Sanskari person" in the field of acting. Nath is known for playing characters endorsing 'moral values' in films such as "Maine Pyaar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun!", "Hum Saath Saath Hain" and "Vivah". Nath's lawyer Ashok Sarogi, in a press conference on Thursday, had refuted the allegations and said they were baseless and devoid of any merit. The complaint filed by the couple says, "The complainants (Nath and Ashu) have on October 12 addressed a letter to the Amboli police seeking action under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 of the Indian Penal Code against Nanda." The police, however, said since the offences are non-cognisable in nature, it would be appropriate if an order is passed by the concerned court of law, it said. "We are, hence, seeking the court to pass necessary direction to the Amboli police station in-charge to take cognisance of their complaint and hold an inquiry," the complaint said. "The complainants have suffered grave and irreparable loss, harm and injury which could never be compensated in terms of money," the complaint read. It added that because of Nanda's post, which although did not name Nath but subsequently he was named by others, Ashu and Nath have been victimised unnecessarily by way of defamation of their reputation in the society. "Without commenting on anything about her (Nanda), the fact remains that all such occasions, such as the #MeToo campaign, are being encashed by way of utilising the social media for the purpose of either gaining some name and fame or for the purpose of defaming the reputation of a person," the complaint said. It added that because of the "baseless allegations", Ashu and Alok Nath were "terrorised" to even step out of their house as people are looking at them with a "different attitude". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Dubai-bound plane was flying at a speed of 250 km and possibly overloaded when its tyre hit an equipment used to guide a pilot to land a flight and then brushed the compound wall during take-off at the International Airport in Tiruchirappalli early Friday, officials said. Tiruchirappalli airport Director K Gunasekaran has said on-duty Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel had informed the air traffic control (ATC) about the accident, following which the air traffic controller informed the pilots about it. A day after all 136 people on board the plane had a miraculous escape, airport officials on Saturday said airport staff, including CISF personnel, who informed the ATC about the accident, are being questioned. According to the airline, the pilot in command, Captain D Ganesh Babu, has a flying experience on the B737 aircraft of 3,600 hours. The first officer, Captain Anurag, has an experience of about 3,000 hours on the B737. Ganesh Babu had reportedly told officials that there was no problem in the plane and all the cockpit equipment indicated to him that the plane was in good shape, airport officials said. The officials said the pilot was supposed to take-off at a parlicular point on the '8169 runway,' but he could have crossed that point before taking off leading to the tyre brushing the wall. When the passengers asked about the "scary rocking" experienced by them, they were reportedly told by the crew that it was common. "It is not known when the ATC staff contacted the pilot after the incident. The exchange between the pilot and the ground staff, timing, etc, will be examined during the investigation," officials said. It was also possible that the plane was overloaded leading to the problem in taking off and reaching a particular height, they said. According to officials, a car passenger, who passed by that way at the same time, was injured as a piece of debris of the wall, which was damaged in the incident, hit her. This would also be investigated, they said. The passenger has been identified as Manimala of Tiruvarur district. A piece of fence mesh was seen trapped near the tyre of the plane and its bottom was found slashed in the impact, officials said. Gunasekaran has said after the air traffic controller informed the pilots about the accident, the pilots reported that "all operations normal. So we allowed them (to proceed)." Airport officials had on Friday informed their counterparts in Dubai about the accident and told them that there was no major damage to the aircraft and it was safe for it to land there. However, Dubai airport officials refused to allow the plane (flight IX-611), which took off from Tiruchirappalli at 1.30 am, to land under the presumption that it was risky to allow it as the tyre had been slightly damaged, throwing the passengers on board into another round of anxiety. The passengers were then told that the plane could land in Mumbai and the permission for it had been obtained. After four hours of flying, the plane landed in Mumbai airport at 5.45 am. The passengers flew to Dubai by another aircraft. The pilots have been "derostered" pending investigation, later said in a statement. Saudi Arabia's interior minister rejected Saturday claims there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as "baseless allegations and lies". Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef added that his country was "in compliance with international laws and conventions," the official Saudi Press Agency reported him saying. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished on October 2 after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish police and numerous media have claimed he was tortured and killed at the consulate. His case risks hurting not just fragile Turkish-Saudi relations but also damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home. The Saudi minister, in the first ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, said he welcomed the cooperation between his country and Turkey to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Standing in support of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), President will Saturday meet the employees of the public sector unit outside its headquarters in Bengaluru. The Gandhi scion said there was a need to "defend the dignity of India's defenders" as he accused the government of "snatching" the Rafale offset contract from HAL and "gifting" it to Anil Ambani's company. "HAL is India's strategic asset. The future of India's aerospace industry has been destroyed by snatching #Rafale from HAL & gifting it to Anil Ambani," the president tweeted. "Come defend the dignity of India's defenders. I am in Bengaluru to stand with HAL's employees. Join me outside HAL HQ, at 3 PM," he added. and his party have been attacking the Modi government over the Rs 580 billion Rafale fighter jet deal alleging corruption and favouritism. In a major move, top commanders of the have approved a mega plan to usher in transformative reforms in the 1.3 million-strong force which will include restructuring its officer cadre, bringing down the age of key commands, arresting rising revenue expenditure and "right-sizing" the force. The decision to go ahead with the long-pending reforms initiative and make the force operationally versatile was taken at the ongoing Army Commanders' Conference (ACC), an apex level biannual conclave which deliberates on key policy initiatives and operational matters, officials said. Army sources said the reform measures will be implemented in a "phased manner and with a sense of urgency". The week-long conference, being chaired by Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, began on October 9. Besides operational and internal administrative issues, it held wide-ranging deliberations on various security challenges facing the country including along the borders with China and Pakistan. Officials said commanders decided to implement the reform measures with specific time-lines while agreeing to carry out "360 degrees evaluation" of various steps and, if required, going for course-corrections. The Army headquarters had instituted four studies with an overall aim to enhance the operational and functional efficiency of the force, optimise budget expenditure, facilitate modernisation and address aspirations. Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said the commanders' conference has concluded that "the studies will be implemented progressively in a phased manner". "The phases will comprise requisite refinements of the studies making them pragmatic for implementation. It has also been decided that all operational aspects of the studies will be validated through test bedding them in exercises," he said. The first study on re-organisation and right-sizing of the was focused on the operational structures to make the force efficient and future-ready by taking into account the operational situation on western and northern borders, the spokesperson said. The second study was on re-organisation of the Army headquarters with an aim to bring in "integration and preclude the redundancies". "Over a period of time, with emerging scenarios, new structures have emerged and measures to integrate and synergise the same is underway," he said. The third study was on 'cadre review of officers' and its focus was to recommend how to carry out reorganisation and restructuring to meet the aspirations of the officers' cadre. There was an indication that the study examined a number of radical steps including abolishing the rank of brigadier. The fourth study, on the review of terms of engagement of rank and file, was aimed at harnessing the higher life expectancy and ensuring younger profile of key commands and motivation of the personnel. Officials said the aim of the reform initiative is to ready a larger talent pool for crucial tasks and bringing down the age of those commanding key formations. "The collegium further deliberated on enhancing linguistic skill in the The necessity and methodology to enhance expertise in Indian and international languages has been established," Col Anand said. He said the commanders' conference has comprehensively deliberated on all aspects of extant security dynamics, emerging security scenarios and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries. Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Saturday exhorted the party workers to gear up for the elections, both parliamentary and Assembly, due next year. Speaking at the BJP 'mandal' coordination meeting in Chongkham Assembly constituency, Mein underscored the need to put in more efforts to improve the coordination within the 'mandal', a party release quoted him as saying. He said that the coming elections would be fought with Pema Khandu as the chief ministerial face and that there should be no confusion on that front. He also informed that the BJP state unit president Tapir Gao would contest as the party candidate for the Lok Sabha polls from Arunachal East parliamentary constituency. He said that if people invite him he is ready to visit any interior place to get a firsthand experience of the development needs and issues. Speaking on the occasion, party chief Tapir Gao emphasised on the need to spread awareness about the programmes and policies of the central and the state government so that the common people could be benefit from the schemes. Gao made it clear that the party and the government (central and state) would not tolerate corruption. The BJP state chief also made it clear that the BJP has no alliance with the National People's Party (NPP), adding, the BJP would fight all the 60 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh alone. He also said that the party would also fight the two parliamentary seats in the state alone. "The alliances with NPP in some North Eastern states were all post-poll alliances," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A motorcycle carrying explosives blew up among supporters of an Afghan election candidate on Saturday, killing at least 12 people, officials said, in the latest attack on a political rally. Violence related to the parliamentary vote has killed or wounded hundreds of people in recent months and more militant attacks are expected ahead of Afghanistan's October 20 poll. Another 32 people were wounded in the explosion in the northeastern province of Takhar where parliamentary candidate Nazifa Yousefibek had been campaigning, provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hejri told AFP. Ambulances have been sent to the remote district of Rustaq, but officials also are seeking to airlift the wounded to hospitals, Hejri added. Provincial police spokesman Khalil Assir put the death toll slightly higher at 13. Yousefibek was not hurt in the blast. "The bomb had been placed on a motorcycle and detonated among the supporters of a female candidate in Rustaq district," Assir told AFP. Khan Jan, who told AFP he saw the explosion, said there had been a powerful blast and "a lot of people" had been killed. More than 2,500 candidates are contesting the long-delayed legislative elections. At least nine candidates have died so far, most of them in targeted killings, according to the Independent Election Commission. A candidate was among eight people killed in a suicide attack in the southern province of Helmand -- a Taliban stronghold -- on October 9. No group has claimed responsibility. That incident came a day after the Taliban warned candidates to pull out of the "bogus" election, describing it as a "malicious American conspiracy". The group vowed to attack the ballot and those involved in it. An attack on a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar on October 2 killed 13 people and wounded more than 40. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, which the candidate survived. Violence had been expected to escalate ahead of the poll. Preparations for the ballot, which is a test run for next year's presidential vote, have been in turmoil for months and there has been debate about whether the vote should go ahead. Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of industrial-scale fraud and an eleventh-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the process, which is three years late. Some 54,000 members of Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces will be responsible for protecting more than 5,000 polling centres on election day. But there are concerns over how they will manage as the Taliban and the Islamic State group step up attacks across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least nine climbers including five South Korean nationals have been killed in an avalanche which devastated their camp on Nepal's Mount Gurja, the expedition organiser said Saturday. The violent snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepal on Friday evening, said Wangchu Sherpa, the Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal. Five South Korean climbers including team leader Kim Chang-ho along with their Nepali support staff were killed in the incident, Sherpa said. They had gone to scale the mountain from Gurja Village on October 7. A heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres when the climbers were awaiting for a fair weather to move towards higher camps, he said. Team leader Kim was the first South Korean national to summit 14 peaks above 8,000 metres without using supplemental oxygen. However, the identities of others killed in the incident were not immediately known. A rescue helicopter was dispatched towards the incident site Saturday morning. The mountain Mount Gurja, with a 7,193-metre peak, is in western Nepal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Over 5,000 devotees of Lord Ayappa, mostly women, took out a procession here Friday protesting the Supreme Court ruling, allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the hill shrine in Sabarimala. They held aloft placards and raised slogans against the ruling, which they termed was against culture and tradition. The procession was organised by Coimbatore Sree Ayappa Seva Sangham. Later, the devotees squatted in the middle of a road and sang bhajans for a while. Former BJP MP and chairman of coir board C P Radhakrishnan was among those who took part in the protest. Neighbouring Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the LDF government's decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa has written a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, seeking early elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages gurdwaras of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. In a letter written to the Home Minister, Bajwa claimed that the present members of the SGPC were "illegal occupants" of the SGPC office, saying that their tenure had ended in 2016. "The SGPC had been instituted under the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925, which gave Sikhs the right to govern and administer Gurdwaras and any Sikh places of worship. Today, this correlates to any Sikh places of worship in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The SGPC holds elections, under the auspices of the central government, every 5 years, with the last elections being held in October 2011," wrote Bajwa. "These elections, however, ran into legal trouble due to a state government notification dated October 8, 2003. This notification abrogated the voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs, and gave voting rights and the right to stand for elections to Keshadhari/Amritdhari Sikhs only. The 2011 elections were held with this notification in mind, wrote Bajwa, who is Rajya Sabha MP. Bajwa said, however, later the Punjab and Haryana High court quashed the notification, stating that an amendment could only be made by an Act of Parliament, thus setting aside the 2011 election results. "The SGPC challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, and received interim relief that allowed the body to function as per the 2011 election results," Bajwa said. "As you (Rajnath) must be aware, the process for elections of the SGPC high office was amended by an Act of Parliament in 2016, turning the aforementioned 2003 notification into legislation. The SGPC, on the basis of this amendment, asked the Supreme Court to pass fresh orders to extend their tenure to 2021. The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, rejected this plea and disposed off the case given the change in central law, Bajwa wrote. He claimed that there has been no legal order to extend the tenure of the current SGPC office holders to 2021. Their tenure ended on December 17, 2016. However, elections are yet to be held and office holders remain in position. As only the Supreme Court has the power to extend tenure and it has not done so, "the current members are now illegal occupants of the SGPC Office." "The SGPC has continued to make decisions crucial to the faith and religious practices of Sikhs across the country. This cannot be allowed to stand. It is my humble request to you, Sir, that you check this flagrant violation of the law and hold elections at the earliest, demanded Bajwa. Notably, a few days back, AAP leader H S Phoolka had also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding holding of SGPC elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bangladesh Army on Saturday sharply reacted to the comment made by a pro-opposition rights activist questioning the military chief's integrity, and called it a deliberate attempt to belittle the force's top position and bring down the morale of its personnel. Dr Jafarulah Chowdhury,75, during a talk show of Somoy TV on October 9 stated that a huge quantum of military weapons and ammunitions "went missing, were stolen or sold out" from the army's arsenal in north-eastern Chattogram area when the incumbent army chief General Aziz Ahmed was the commander. Chowdhury, who is also a doctor and the founder of non-government Ganashasthya Kendra hospital and medical college, said that the incident exposed Aziz to a court martial. Chowdhury is currently spearheading a media campaign accusing the incumbent government of misrule and politicising the administration ahead of the elections slated for December this year. The army called Chowdhury's comment completely untrue, misleading and motivated and aimed to belittle a state organisation like the Army before the people, apart from affecting Ahmed's personal reputation, social status and his official position. "In a different way it misled every serving military personnel and affected negatively their morale. Besides such a misleading campaign harmed the solidarity and unity of a disciplined force like army which is unexpected," said the Army in a statement. "It was an untrue and irresponsible comment . . . because General Aziz in his service life never served as the GOC or commandant of Chattogram," the statement said. It also mentioned that Ahmed never faced any court martial in his career. "It is especially mentionable that present Chief of Army Staff Aziz Ahmed did never face any court martial during his long colourful army career," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta Saturday said his party wanted eradication of militancy in the Valley, asserting that "any person who is involved in anti-national activity has to be killed". He also opposed dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir. Gupta congratulated the people of Uri township of north Kashmir's Baramulla district for defying the poll boycott call and threats of terrorists by turning up in large numbers in the third phase of the ongoing local body elections. "A militant is a militant and his killing by Army forces is commendable," he said in a statement referring to the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Manaan Bashir Wani. Wani, who was pursuing PhD in Allied Geology at Aligarh Muslim University, was killed in an encounter along with his associate in Kupwara district on Thursday. He had quit studies and joined the ranks of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in January this year. Referring to a statement by Mehbooba Mufti, Gupta said, "She can do anything to please her patrons, the Hurriyat leaders." "But the BJP is in favour of eradication of militancy from the state of Jammu and Kashmir and any person who is involved in anti-national activity has to be killed and our Army is doing a commendable job in this regard," he added. Immediately after the killing of Wani, PDP president and former chief minister Mufti had said the PhD scholar-turned militant preferring death in an encounter over life should make political parties realise the gravity of the situation and facilitate dialogue with all stakeholders to end the bloodshed in the state. "Today a PhD scholar chose death over life & was killed in an encounter. His death is entirely our loss as we are losing young educated boys everyday," she wrote on her Twitter handle. Gupta also negated with the idea of dialogue with Pakistan over Kashmir. "Pakistan is no party in the internal matters of India and the Union government is capable of resolving the internal matter," he said. Instead, Gupta said, the regional parties of Kashmir should come forward and help in restoring peace and "this could only be possible if the people of Kashmir participate in the ULB and panchayat elections so that the real development is witnessed in all parts of the state". Congratulating the people of Uri township for their participation in large numbers in the third phase of ULB polls, he said they have shown their faith in the Indian democratic system and thus contributed to strengthen the democracy at grass-root level. "The people defied the boycott and bandh (strike) call of Hurriyat, the NC, the PDP and the CPI (M). The participation of the people in the ULB and panchayat elections in the poll process is must for overall development of their respective area," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PWD Minister Satyendar Jain said Saturday the Delhi government has not been informed by the Union government about the inaugural ceremony of the newly-constructed skywalk at ITO. Union Housing And Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is set to inaugurate the skywalk Monday. It has been funded by Puri's ministry and constructed by Jain's public works department. "Delhi government was not informed about the foundation-laying ceremony of this project either, and it is a fact that we have not been informed about the inauguration ceremony as well," Jain said in a statement. He said these ceremonies, however, are "not important" for the AAP dispensation since the people of Delhi had elected the party leaders with a "historic mandate" in February 2015. "We will be happy in case the central government and its nominated representatives continue with the inauguration ceremonies and allow the elected Delhi government to work for public welfare without hindrances," Jain said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The scheduled visit of Kerala ministers to 17 countries next week to mobilise funds from expatriates for flood relief work seems to have run into a roadblock with the Centre yet to give the green signal. "The union government has given the nod for the visit of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan,but not yet granted permission for that of the ministers," an official at the Chief Minister's office said here Saturday. "We hope that Centre's nod for the trip will come soon", he said. Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues are scheduled to visit various foreign countries, for for five days from October 17 to mobilise funds from the expatriate community to rebuild the flood battered state. Vijayan had said on October 3 that each minister would visit different countries from October 17 to 21, including in the Gulf and Europe. As per the plan, Vijayan would visit Abdu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah on October 17, 19 and 20. The objective is to consolidate and collect aid from non-resident Keralites (NRKs) there. Kerala had suffered huge damage in the torrential rains that lashed the state in August last, claiming 493 lives and leaving a trail of destruction. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Committee of Administrator (CoA) Saturday sought an explanation from BCCI CEO Rahul Johri after an anonymous account of alleged sexual harassment by him was shared on social media as part of the ongoing #metoo movement. Author Harnidh Kaur posted the allegations by an unnamed victim, who claimed to be an ex-colleague of Johri at the Discovery Channel. Johri worked in various positions with the channel from 2001 to 2016 before taking over as the BCCI CEO. "had emails sent about a BUNCH of head honchos in media. survivor has asked to not put out all the names. Rahul Johari, your #timesup #metoo," read the tweet by Kaur which was accompanied by screenshots, detailing the alleged incident. Reacting to the post, the Supreme Court-appointed CoA sought an explanation from Johri without specifying any timeline for its course of action. "The reports disclose allegations of sexual harassment made against Mr. Johri, by an unnamed person through a twitter handle. The allegations also relate to his previous employment with a large media house," said the COA statement "Though, the said allegations do not pertain to his employment with the BCCI, the Committee of Administrators of the BCCI has deemed it appropriate to seek an explanation from Mr Johri in relation to the allegations. "He has been asked to submit his explanation within a week. Future course of action will be considered on receipt of his explanation," it added. The #metoo movement in India began with Bolywood actor Tanushree Dutta accusing veteran actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Subsequently several public figures were accused of sexual harrasment by women. The list includes journalist-turned politician M J Akbar and filmmaker Sajid Khan among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congolese opposition leader Paulin Makaya, recently released from prison after three years, has again been prevented from leaving Brazzaville, his family said Saturday. Border police stopped Makaya from boarding an Air France flight to Paris on Friday evening, his son Russel Makaya told AFP. From there, he had been due to fly on to London. "He turned up on Friday a little before 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) with his British passport. The border police turned him back immediately on the pretext that he is banned from leaving the country," he said. Makaya was also stopped from travelling on September 28, officially because he did not have a permit to leave the country. But this time, his son said, he had the necessary papers -- and a letter from the British embassy calling on the authorities in Congo to provide him with assistance to make the trip. A copy of this letter has been posted on social media, an AFP journalist noted. A border police spokesman, who asked not to be named, told AFP if Paulin Makaya had not been authorised to travel, it was because his papers were not in order. Makaya was only released from prison on September 17. A close associate of former Congolese premier Bernard Kolelas, Makaya was jailed after organising a banned demonstration against the constitutional referendum that allowed President Sassou Nguesso to seek another term in March 2016. Nguesso has run Congo, a small, oil-rich country in central Africa, for more than 34 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress is battling a problem of plenty with too many claimants vying for party tickets in the upcoming assembly election in Rajasthan, its leaders said. Though the faction-ridden unit in Rajasthan has managed to put up a united face by bringing two heavyweights former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot together, it is still trying to deal with the squabbling over tickets. Elections to the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on December 7. Party chief asserted at a rally in Jaipur on August 11 that no outsider will get a ticket for the assembly election. "I can guarantee you this time that not a single parachute candidate will be able to get the ticket. If any such candidate comes, I will cut the rope," Gandhi told party workers. The party's state election committee has put the ball in Gandhi's court for a final decision on distribution of tickets. Congress leaders claimed a decision at the local level on the candidates can backfire at a time when the party has managed to create some political buzz in the desert state, which usually votes the BJP and the Congress alternately to power. Leaving the decision on ticket distribution to the Congress "high command" is a safe bet, they said. And added that letting the party's national general secretary Gehlot or state unit chief Pilot, another Gandhi aide, could result in factionalism. Gehlot, in his 'Sankalp Rally' speeches, had urged Congress workers and leaders to support the candidates who are picked. He said only one person can get a Congress ticket from a seat and all party men should help that candidate win. Kumari Selja, who was appointed chairperson of the party's screening committee for the election in Rajasthan in June, has said only "winnable" candidates will get the tickets. She said a final decision has to be taken at the level of the Congress president but the feedback collected from state will be considered. In a major setback to the opposition Congress in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, its state working president and MLA Ramdayal Uike Saturday joined the ruling BJP. Uike, who represents Pali-Tanakhar constituency, joined the BJP in the presence of the party chief and Chief Minister Raman Singh in Bilaspur district headquarter. Uike, considered a popular tribal leader in Bilaspur division, said he was feeling suffocated in the Congress as Scheduled Tribes (ST) leaders were being neglected by the party leadership. In a press conference held in Bilaspur in the presence of the chief minister as well BJP state unit president Dharamlal Kaushik, he announced that he joined the BJP. "I had been feeling suffocated in Congress for the last several years. Congress has diverted from its ideology and principles. The CD politics of Congress has tarnished its image. State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel has maligned the image of the party by encouraging the obscene CD politics," he said. ALSO READ: Congress to decide on candidates for upcoming Chhattisgarh polls on Friday Uike was apparently referring to a case of circulation of a 'sex CD' purportedly featuring a state minister, in which Baghel was named as one of the five accused. He further said his party high command did not pay attention to his demand to remove Baghel from the post of state unit president. "Congress has neglected the interests of tribals, backward and poor people and I was pained over it as I represent a tribal region. "CM Raman Singh has been making efforts for overall development of tribals and backward people and his development oriented policies have impressed me to rejoin my home party," he. Uike, who had quit the BJP and joined the Congress in 2000, described his return to the ruling party as "ghar wapsi". When asked about contesting elections, he said he will follow the directions of the party leadership in this regard. Reacting to the development, Congress dubbed Uike as an "opportunist" and said his decision will not harm the opposition party. "Uike has gone back to BJP, which he had left earlier for opportunistic reasons. He has again proved that he is an opportunist," Congress state communication wing chief Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told PTI. "His decision is not going to harm Congress in any way as history is witness that the party in which Uike was there it had never won. In fact we are thankful to Uike that he has left our party and ensured victory to us," Trivedi said. After the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, Uike who was a BJP MLA from Marwahi seat had joined Congress and vacated his seat to facilitate the entry of Ajit Jogi into the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly after he was sworn-in as first Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. According to BJP sources, Uike was not happy after he was ousted from the Congress screening committee and since then he had been in touch with ruling party leadership. The BJP may field Uike either from Marwahi or Pali Tanakhar - the ST reserved seats, both considered as his stronghold. In the state, eighteen naxal-affected constituencies will go to polls in the first phase on November 12, while the rest of the 72 constituencies would go to polls in the second phase on November 20. Congress and NCP leaders in Maharashtra met here Friday to continue their discussions on alliance for the next year's LokSabha and Assembly elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had held a discussion on alliance in Delhi on Thursday. "Our endeavour is to ensure that a maximum number of like-minded parties come together to defeat the BJP," state Congress chief Ashok Chavan said Friday after the meeting. "We are discussing seat-sharing (between Congress and NCP) but also want to accommodate a maximum number of like-minded parties to avoid division of votes," he said. Congress leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Manikrao Thakre are holding talks with Dalit leader and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar in order to persuade him to join the alliance, Chavan said. To a question about the possibility of the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray-led MNS joining the opposition alliance, Chavan said the Congress has ideological differences with these two parties. "We haven't got any proposal for taking them along. Even if there is a proposal, there is no question of accepting it," the Congress leader said. State NCP president Jayant Patil said the Congress and NCP are yet to discuss a formula for seat-sharing. "At present we are talking about individual seats and winning potential of possible candidates," he said. On NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad meeting Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Patil said that Awhad met Thackeray to invite him for a book release, and the meeting was not political. Meanwhile, sources said that one of the Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra which could be contentious in the alliance talks between the NCP and Congress could be Ahmednagar, which Congress leader Vikhe Patil wants for his son. Ahmednagar is currently in the NCP's quota. The NCP is eyeing Pune, which is currently in the Congress's quota, sources said. The Congress is expected to demand Kolhapur, currently held by NCP MP Dhananjay Mahadik. The Congress may agree to cede Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat to the NCP since the Congress does not have a good candidate there after Narayan Rane quit the party, sources added. The seat was earlier held by Rane's son Nilesh Rane. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former NCP leader Tariq Anwar on Saturday said people of the country are now realising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to fulfil the promises he made during the 2014 election campaign. He said Modi has failed to fulfil his promises to bring back black money in 100 days, create 2 crore jobs for people, pay remunerative prices to farmers as per recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission Report and ensure safety of women. Speaking at a seminar here, titled 'Social Media - Challenges to Society', Anwar also claimed that a large section of the media has not been able to highlight the "failures" of the Modi government properly. "On Rafale and other issues, the media is not playing its proper role and things are not coming out and that is why the role of social media has become important. I am happy that the social media is playing a good role in exposing this government's failures," he said. Last month, Anwar quit the Nationalist Congress Party following party chief Sharad Pawar's "defence" of Modi on the Rafale deal. He had said he was "hurt" by Pawar's interview to a Marathi channel where he said Modi's intentions on the Rafale fighter jet aircraft deal were not wrong. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 17-year-old Dalit girl, the police has taken several suspects into custody for questioning, officials said on Saturday. The minor girl was gangraped by three men in Lank village in Shamli district of the state on Wednesday. The accused then murdered the victim by hanging her from a ceiling. Several people have been taken into custody and are being quizzed about the incident, a police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were arrested on Saturday for their alleged involvement in a bank robbery in southwest Delhi's Dwarka, in which a cashier was killed, police said. In the bank robbery on Friday, Santosh Kumar (25) was killed and three persons injured in firing by the accused, who fled on motorcycles with Rs 3.16 lakh. The arrested persons were identified as Sachin (20) and Parvesh (19), both residents of Haryana's Khewra village, they said. Sachin was arrested from Murthal, they added. Police said CCTV footage of the incident showed five masked men and one wearing a helmet barging into the Khaira village branch of Corporation Bank. Three of them brandished weapons and threatened people around. The accused even manhandled the security guard and snatched his pistol, they said. In sometime, four of the accused entered another room while the remaining two guarded the entrance with weapons in hands, they added. The vehicle, a weapon used in the crime and cash worth Rs 15,000 were recovered from the arrested persons, a senior police officer said. All the accused persons have been identified, he said. Police are conducting raids in various parts of Delhi and Haryana to nab the remaining accused, he added. Police are also verifying if they have any previous criminal records and probing the source of their weapons, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Citing ease of doing business, latin American nation El Salvador has asked Indian companies to invest there and take advantage of different tax benefits and incentives offered. "We are looking to collaborate in solar energy. India is becoming one of the largest countries with lot of expertise in solar energy. We are trying to change our energy need by getting more renewable energy, mostly solar energy," Ariel Andrade Galindo, Ambassador of El Salvador to India, told PTI in an interview Saturday. He said Indian businessmen don't yet know market opportunities in his country and the possibilities available there. "That is something we should work. It is not only pharma, BPO and automobiles, there are lots of possibilities in each and every sector," the Ambassador said. Galindo said El Salvador offers incentives and investment opportunities to woo entrepreneurs. "We have identified many sectors for this. We are giving various incentives including some tax benefits," he said, and suggested that Indian companies take benefits of these opportunities. Citing example, Galindo said El Salvador's international services law is the only legislation in the region that provides full exemption from income tax for an indefinite period of time. "The idea we are looking for is 'complimentaries'. We should see the complimentaries in all the sectors like the services and aviation. India should look at latin America as to how it can add to the complimentaries," he said. El Salvador and India enjoy close and friendly relations. "I think last year, 32 per cent of our import came from the US, Japan, South Korea. If you see India, it is at the 14th position as our partner with only one per cent of importation for the world. For Indian companies there are possibilities to look out to see how they can grow their exportation of products," the Ambassador said. He said El Salvador is located in the heart of the Americas and it is an export-oriented free-market economy. It is one of the best countries for doing business in the region, Galindo said. He said the two countries need to work together to raise awareness among the people of the two origins. "I think in the past we had been looking at the other way. Latin America was looking at the US. And some parts of the Europe. India has been looking to some of the regions to boost some of (trades) I think we need to make bridges to let us know better. We need to look ways to bring businessmen from here to there and from there to here, the Ambassador said. He said in latin America aviation sector is evolving. "We have lots of pilots. We have a school for pilots in my country. If India is growing in this sector may be they can explore how to make some cooperation in this. I am not saying that may be take some pilots from there but explore how to collaborate in this sector. There is a lot of capacities. It is something we can do," Galindo said. The Ambassador said connectivity between the two nations is an issue but "unless we don't improve trade ties we won't have many people coming between the two countries". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Tamil Nadu Minister and six-time MLA, Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, who took on the AIADMK as a lone DMK legislator in the State Assembly during 1991-96 died here Saturday, party sources said. He was 58. Ilamvazhuthi, known for his oratory skills took on the AIADMK government single-handedly as the other DMK member, party patriarch, M Karunanidhi had resigned from his membership after winning from Harbour constituency in 1991. During 1991-96, the AIADMK had a thumping majority winning 164 out of 234 seats; while its ally Congress had bagged 60 seats in the 1991 Assembly election following the assassination of former Prime Minsiter Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Ilamvazhuthi was Deputy Assembly Speaker during 1996-2001 and Information Minister between 2006-11. After spending decades in DMK, Ilamvazhuthi joined the AIADMK in 2013 following differences with M K Stalin. Following the death of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in 2016, he sided with now Deputy Chief Minsiter O Panneerselvam and last year joined hands with TTV Dhinakaran. When Dhinakaran floated Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam in March this year, Ilamvazhuthi was named AMMK organising Secretary. "His passing away is an irreparable loss for the party. He worked for the party even disregarding his health," AMMK deputy general secretary Dhinakaran said. DMK President M K Stalin and AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran were among those who condoled his death and the duo placed wreaths over Ilamvazhuthi's body at his residence here. Stalin recalled that Ilamvazhuthi had worked alongside him in the DMK for decades and nurtured the growth of party's youth wing. "His death is shocking and I am grieved. We will never forget the love he had for Kalaignar though he wavered due to political or other reasons," Stalin said. In 2003, during the AIADMK regime, Ilamvazhuthi, who had held several DMK party posts was sentenced to 30-day imprisonment for breach of privilege by Assembly Speaker and he was later released on the directions of the Madras High Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American pastor Andrew Brunson, freed by a Turkish court after two years in detention, has flown out of Turkey and is set to be received by President Donald Trump at the White House. Brunson, whose detention caused a crisis in ties with Washington, flew out of Adnan Menderes airport in the Aegean city of Izmir on an American military plane bound for the US Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday, his lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP, adding he would then continue to the United States. Trump, who had applied intense pressure on Turkey to release the pastor, said he would receive Brunson shortly after he arrives in the United States. "Good news, Pastor Brunson is in the air," Trump told reporters as he arrived in Cincinnati for election campaigning. "He is coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday." The Trump administration imposed tariffs on Turkey and sanctioned two senior ministers to free Brunson, whose case has became a cause celebre for the president's conservative Christian base. Trump denied a report by NBC that he had agreed to ease pressure on Turkey in return for Brunson's release. "We spoke to Turkey and went through a system," Trump said. "There was no deal at all. There was no deal." Media were not allowed to accompany Brunson into the airport lounge but saw him arriving earlier at the airport arm-in-arm with his wife Norine, waving at reporters while surrounded by security. State-run Anadolu agency confirmed Brunson had taken off, saying he was expected to stop in Germany before heading home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An American pastor held for two years in Turkey on terror-related charges arrived home in the United States on Saturday, where he was to meet with US President Donald Trump, who signaled an easing in the diplomatic crisis sparked by the case. Andrew Brunson -- who has become a cause celebre for Trump's conservative Christian base -- was due at the White House to see Trump shortly after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. On Friday, a Turkish court in Aliaga convicted Brunson on charges of espionage and aiding terror groups. It sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail -- but released him based on time served and good behavior. Brunson maintained his innocence throughout the process, and Trump administration officials have said the charges were politically motivated. Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his help on the case, which caused not only a serious diplomatic row between the NATO allies but led to a crash in the lira, exposing Turkey's economic fragility. "Pastor Andrew Brunson, released by Turkey, will be with me in the Oval Office at 2:30 PM (this afternoon)," Trump tweeted. "It will be wonderful to see and meet him. He is a great Christian who has been through such a tough experience. I would like to thank President @RT_Erdogan for his help!" Erdogan however said the court's decision was "taken independently." Both Trump and Erdogan have denied reports that the two sides reached a secret deal for the 50-year-old Brunson to be released in exchange for the US easing "economic pressure" on Ankara. "There was NO DEAL made with Turkey... I don't make deals for hostages," Trump said on Twitter. "There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!" Erdogan responded: "I hope that the United States and Turkey continue cooperation in a manner that befits two allies." Brunson is an evangelical Presbyterian clergyman who lived in Turkey for nearly half his life, initially moving there in 1993 as part of a missionary program. He was first detained in October 2016, faced up to 35 years in jail. Prosecutors then demanded a sentence of up to 10 years. The pastor steadfastly insisted he was not guilty. "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey," he said in his final defense. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. After gathering his belongings, Brunson was driven to the airport in the Turkish city of Izmir, where he boarded a US military plane for Germany. Upon arrival there for a refueling stop, he kissed an American flag presented to him by Richard Grenell, the US ambassador in Berlin. While the strain in US-Turkish relations eased with Brunson's release, problems remain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre, saying the Indian independence hero had done nothing for the southern African country. Work on the statue began two months ago along a road named after Gandhi. The Malawi government says it is being erected as part of a deal that will see New Delhi construct a USD 10 million (8.6-million-euro) convention centre in Blantyre. "Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawi's struggle for independence and freedom," a statement from the "Gandhi Must Fall" group said. "We therefore, feel that the statue is being forced upon the people of Malawi and is the work of a foreign power aiming at promoting its image and dominion on the unsuspecting people of Malawi." The petitioners claim that Gandhi, who early in his career practised in South Africa and fought against apartheid-era segregation laws, was racist. "We are not comfortable with imperialistic and neo-colonial ideologies that seek to impose... foreign influence which deprives us of honour," Wonderful Mkutche, a member of the group told AFP on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Gerard Butler has pulled out of a promotional event for his film "Hunter Killer" in Riyadh after the disappearance and possible murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a journalist, has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Butler was due to land in Saudi capital on Tuesday following stops in London and Tel Aviv to promote his latest action thriller film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was slated for interviews with a few outlets and was going to attend the premiere of the film but his representative has confirmed that the visit has now been cancelled. "Given the circumstances, it was no longer appropriate to make the trip," he stated. Khashoggi has been a longtime regime dissident and most recently a sharp critic of their ongoing war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has denied the accusations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The authorities in districts which saw attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers following the rape of a 14-month-old girl are reaching out to the affected people to persuade them to stay back. Non-Gujaratis were targeted after a native of Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping the toddler in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The attacks triggered an exodus of Hindi-speaking workers from Chief Secretary J N Singh directed the collectors of affected districts to reach out to Hindi-speaking migrants to instill confidence in them. In one such measure, Aravalli district collector N Nagarajan, accompanied by superintendent of police (SP) Mayur Patil, on Thursday had 'pani puri' from the stall of a migrant from Madhya Pradesh. "Tasted #Panipuri at a stall run by an entrepreneur belonging to #NorthIndia with @Arvalli_SP @DdoArvalli. He expressed full confidence in measures taken by district administration to ensure safety and security and maintain law and order," Nagarajan said in a tweet. He also shared photos of his meetings with migrants' representatives. Collectors of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and other affected districts also visited areas with large migrant populations to spend time with them and allay their concerns about safety. The collectors were accompanied by the respective SPs. Over the last few days, they also held meetings with leaders of organisations representing Hindi-speaking migrants, most of whom are employed in industrial belts of Ahmedabad collector Vikrant Pandey shared on Twitter measures being taken by his office to prevent migrants from leaving, including visits to the railway station and meeting workers in industrial areas. Earlier on Tuesday, Pandey told reporters, "The situation is normal and there is nothing to worry about." Police officials organised meetings of local peace committees and felicitated migrant workers for their contribution to the state. On Wednesday, Additional Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad city, Ashok Yadav felicitated around 250 families of workers from Naroda and Odhav industrial areas. He said the move was aimed at boosting their morale. The Gujarat police said they have taken action against people responsible for spreading rumours that led to attacks on migrants and to ensure social media is not misused. No fresh incidents of attack on migrants have been reported from any part of Gujarat since the last few days. Schoolteachers in Gujarat have been asked to file affidavits declaring they do not have any case related to child abuse or violence registered against them, state government officials have said. The directive, which makes submission of affidavits mandatory, covers both government and private schoolteachers, they said. The officials said by issuing the directive they are just following the Supreme Court guidelines related to the School Safety Policy, but the opposition Congress has claimed the move would demoralise teachers. As per the department direction, all schoolteachers need to submit individual affidavits declaring they do not have any case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) or the Juvenile Justice Act registered against them in the state. In addition, all primary, secondary and higher secondary schoolteachers have to declare if they were ever found guilty of sexual offences or for any other form of violence in the past, the officials said. They said this is being done to ensure safety of schoolchildren. "Verification of teachers is part of theSchool Safety Policy, which came into effect across the country as per the directions of the SC," said Director of Primary Mahesh Joshi. "This is compulsory for all the teachers as per the court's order, which came after an incident of murder in a Delhi school (in 2017). We have already received affidavits from several districts," he added. However, the Congress said all the teachers should not be made to submit such an affidavit for the misdeeds of a few. "We also support the policy for the safety of children in schools. But, all the teachers should not be made to sign such an affidavit for the misdeeds of few. "This is an attack on the self-respect of teachers," said state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) :Against the backdrop of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's interaction with present and past employees of HAL on the Rafale deal, the state run aerospace company Saturday regretted 'politicisation' of its employees and termed it as a fad and regrettable development that would be detrimental to national security and the organisation. An HAL statement, which did not specifically refer to Gandhi's interaction with the employees, came after the event, where the Congress president alleged that temples of modern India were being attacked and destroyed. An official from the agency told PIT that the NADA government has extended full-fledged support (to HAL), having placed supply orders of over Rs 27,340 core during the 2014-18 period by recognising its premier position. Towards improvement and up gradation of infrastructure, including ramping up of production facilities, funding to the tune of Rs 7,800 core was sanctioned during the period, it said. The official also said HAL enjoys pride of place in the defence and aerospace industry sector and has made immense contribution to the nation-building process. "Todays attempt at politicisation of the employees is a fad and regrettable development and will be detrimental to the interest of the organisation, its employees as well as national security,"the HAL official told PTI in the statement. In the interaction with former and past employees, Gandhi had accused the Modi government of destroying the "strategic asset" state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that Rafale is their right. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modiof snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away thecontract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected inplace of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed allthe allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fightersafter holding talks with then French President FrancoisHollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant was Saturday killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Babgund area of the south Kashmir district during the night after inputs of the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militant fired upon the forces who then retaliated. In the ensuing gunfight, the militant was killed in the morning, the official said. He said the slain militant has been identified as Sabir Ahmad Dar who belonged to HM outfit. Some arms and ammunition have been recovered from the encounter site, the official said, adding the operation has been called off. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll from Hurricane Michael has risen to at least 13 amid fears it will continue to climb as search-and-rescue teams scour the debris of the Florida town that bore the brunt of the monster storm. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Florida Governor Rick Scott said of the town where Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. "It's like a bomb went off," Scott said as he toured the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. "It's like a war zone." Rescue teams were using sniffer dogs in Mexico Beach on Friday in a grim search for victims who may be buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that he expected the number of deaths to rise. "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically but I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest hit areas," he said. "What's happening is search and rescue is trying to get into the rubble to make sure that there's nobody covered up, trying to assess if there's additional casualties there," Long added. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach -- homes, shops and restaurants -- were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155-mile per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. State officials said Mexico Beach was under mandatory evacuation orders but some residents decided to stay and try to ride out the storm. "You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else," Florida Senator Marco Rubio told CNN. But judging from the number of homes reduced to "sticks," he said "my sense is they are going to find more victims." Bob Tenbrunson, a Mexico Beach retiree, rode out the storm at his daughter's house in nearby Panama City and returned to survey the damage to his home. "I was going to stay here until it turned to a Cat 4," he said. "So I followed the mandatory evacuation order and left with my wife. "Luckily we did not get a surge," Tenbrunson said of his home. "I've got two trees on the roof and a couple of holes on the roof. I have been trying to patch it up the best I can." The rest of Mexico Beach did not fare as well, and most of the beachfront homes, restaurants and stores were obliterated by the storm. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here so I can't sell it now," Tenbrunson said. "I just have to be hopeful that (the town) will be rebuilt and fixed." At least four deaths from the storm have been confirmed in Florida, five in Virginia, one in Georgia and three in North Carolina. The latest two deaths in North Carolina occurred in McDowell County when a car struck a tree that had fallen across a road, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say it could be weeks before power is fully restored. President Donald Trump said meanwhile that he planned to visit Florida and Georgia next week. "People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia," Trump tweeted. "I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit -- and we are with you!" Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began in 1851. Many of the damaged Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. FEMA's Long expressed hope that in the future "we don't rebuild to the same standards" and called for "real building codes across this country." About 5,000 US servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, the Pentagon said, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to the F-22 stealth fighter, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. The base was evacuated ahead of the hurricane and the costly fighter planes were flown to other installations out of the path of the storm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has signed an agreement with Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, to set up a joint research centre here. The centre would provide opportunities to share research facilities, enable collaboration among researchers and joint supervision of doctoral-level research and develop industry-level partnerships, a press release said. "The agreement with Swinburne is another step towards enhancing our collaboration and involving industry in transformative research that has an impact across the world", director of IIT-Madras professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi said in the release. The pact was signed recently by Ramamurthi and Chancellor of Swinburne varsity Graham Goldsmith. "Swinburne is the first Australian university to have a joint PhD programme with IIT-Madras. The research centre will assist in enhancing and scaling up our relationship and creating social and economic impact," the release quoted Goldsmith as saying. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Saturday she was "horrified" by reports about the fate of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi but still plans to attend an economic meeting in Riyadh this month. As questions swirl over the fate of Khashoggi -- a Saudi critic who has not been seen since he walked into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2 -- some big business names and media outlets have pulled out of the Kingdom's second Future Investment Initiative. But Lagarde said her plans were unchanged for now, despite international uproar over the case. "Human rights, freedom of information are essential rights and horrifying things have been reported and I am horrified," she told reporters in Bali where the IMF is holding annual meetings. "But I have to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world and with many governments." "When I visit a country, I always speak my mind... So at this point of time my intention is to not change my plans and to be very attentive to the information that is coming out in the next few days." Her comments came shortly after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he also still planned to attend the October 23-25 meeting, dubbed "Davos in the Desert". "The answer is for now I am" still going, Mnuchin said. "If more information comes out over the next week, I will obviously take that into account." "Obviously I want to express concern for Mr Khashoggi and his family," he added. "We look forward to getting results of this investigation." Riyadh on Saturday dismissed accusations that authorities there had ordered Khashoggi be murdered by a hit squad inside its Istanbul consulate as "lies and baseless allegations". But the row has intensified with the Washington Post reporting that Turkish officials have recordings made from inside the building that allegedly prove their claims Khashoggi was tortured and killed at the consulate. Bloomberg, the Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times have withdrawn as media sponsors from the event amid questions about the missing man's fate. The CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that he will no longer be attending the event unless "a substantially different set of facts emerges". British entrepreneur Richard Branson said he would suspend two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia over the issue. Amnesty International demanded the Saudi authorities reveal what happened to Khashoggi as it said Riyadh was "responsible at a minimum for enforced disappearance". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a move that could upset Pakistan, India and China have launched their first joint programme for Afghanistan to train its diplomats. An understanding to launch a joint programme in Afghanistan was reached during an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held in April at China's Wuhan city. As per the understanding, officials of both sides had been asked to identify the project. Training the Afghanistan's diplomats has been agreed as the first joint project agreed by both the countries. "First joint programme by India and China for Afghanistan begins," according to a tweet put out by the Indian Embassy in Beijing on Saturday. Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan (Vinay Kumar) "hosted 10 Afghan Diplomats who will be travelling to India for the 1st India-China joint training programme for Afghan diplomats under the aegis of the Trilateral Cooperation between India, China and Afghanistan," the tweet said. This will be a first such project in the war-torn country where China while trying to expand its influence has tacitly backed Pakistan, which has been accused by Afghanistan and the US of backing the Taliban and its most violent attacks in the country destabilising any attempts to restore peace. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India needs more action to achieve Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) to bring better and more sustainable future for all, according to experts. SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly to address the global challenges, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. "India's public and private sectors need to talk about the SDGs," Vimal Mahendru, ambassador at the Geneva-based International Electrotechnical Commission, said. "Indian corporate sector is very fast maturing and sees its place in the global scheme of things...What is missing is a clear communication about the SDGs," he said here at the two-day Responsible Business Forum, which concluded on Friday. "There is a lot of awareness about SDG at international levels. However, in India, the SDG debate has not yet started," Mahendru, who is also the president of the Legrand Group, India, said. Yasir Ahmad, partner, climate change and sustainability services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, noted that though bigger Indian companies have warmed up to the fact that SDGs are globally acceptable framework and they need to work in that direction, financially-strained MSMEs and the agriculture sector need support to work in those areas. "Tier-1 private and public sector companies have been doing sustainability reporting for the past 8-12 years...but the MSMEs have not warmed up to sustainability goals as these firms operate on razor thin margins," he said. "A strategy should be worked out immediately for MSME and agri sectors. Policy level intervention, incentives and hand-holdings are needed," Yasir said. Asserting that the Indian government is slowly translating SDGs into national policies, Yuri Afanasiev, UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in India applauded various state-run initiatives such as the national insurance scheme, housing for all and called Swacch Bharat Mission. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Saturday provided Sri Lanka with additional assistance to build another 1,200 houses through 50 model villages. With this, India's collaboration with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Housing and Construction under the Model Villages Housing Programme now covers 2,400 houses in 100 model villages. An MoU was signed to build 1,200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of USD 3.5 million, the Indian High Commission here said. The 1,200 houses in the 50 model villages are in addition to the earlier 1,200 homes under construction in collaboration with the housing ministry. The houses will be constructed using the successful owner-driven model with Indian grant assistance. As per the new MoU, 600 houses each will be constructed in the Southern and Northern Provinces, the Indian mission said. The project will target low-income, landless and homeless beneficiaries. A cash grant of 500,000 Sri Lankan rupees will be provided to each beneficiary in instalments, linked to the stages of construction of the houses. These projects are in continuation of the Indian government's commitment to assist Sri Lanka in the development of housing infrastructure. India's overall commitment is for building nearly 63,000 houses in Sri Lanka. Indian financial commitment, under grant, for housing in Sri Lanka currently stands at around USD 350 million, the mission said. The overall development portfolio of the Indian government in Sri Lanka is close to USD 3 billion. Of this, around USD 550 million is pure grant assistance and the rest is concessional credit. India's development cooperation projects are not limited to specific regions or sectors. India partners with Sri Lanka according to the island nation's needs and the development projects are being executed all across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Enhancing its operational capabilities, the Navy has inducted its first deep submergence rescue vehicle which is deployed to rescue downed or disaster-struck submarines at high sea. Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said that with induction of the deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV), India has joined a select group of countries that have the capability to locate and rescue "distressed submarines". At present, the US, China, and a few other countries have the capabilities to deploy DSRVs. " joins select league of nations with capability to search, locate and provide rescue to distressed submarines by induction of first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel(DSRV) and associated kit in fly away configuration," he said. Though DSRVs are used for rescue of personnel in downed submarines, they are also deployed for various other missions including to lay cables on the sea bed. Some DSRV vessels are air transportable in very large military cargo. Capt Sharma said the DSRV which was inducted can be mobilised from the naval base in Mumbai to nearest mounting port by air, land and sea. The second DSRV is expected to be inducted at Visakhapatnam in 2019. "The DSRV can be mobilised from Naval base at Mumbai to nearest mounting port by air/ land or sea for providing rapid rescue to the submarine in distress," the Navy spokesperson said. ALSO READ: Indian Navy sailor Abhilash Tomy rescued from Indian Ocean near Australia sources said induction of the DSRV was part of the Navy's efforts to enhance operational capabilities when has been ramping up its maritime presence in critical sea lanes which are of strategic importance to India. Last year, the operationalised a new concept of deployment of warships in the Indian Ocean region to effectively counter China's growing presence in the strategically key waters The "new mission-based deployment" involves deploying mission-ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications. An Indian yoga instructor, who repeatedly molested his student, had his jail sentence enhanced from nine months to a year, along with additional punishment of three strokes of the cane, by a Singapore High Court judge on Friday. Rakesh Kumar Prasad, 26, had appealed against his conviction but his arguments were rejected by the high court which allowed an appeal by the prosecution, reported The Straits Times Saturday. Justice See Kee Oon said Rakesh had blatantly abused his position of trust. "His sheer audacity in carrying out repeated intrusions with increasing brazenness while disparaging, belittling and threatening the victim must point strongly towards the need for caning," said the judge. Rakesh had molested the woman, then 25, while she was the only student in his class at the Real Yoga studio in Tampines housing estate on 26 April, 2015. The woman made a police report the next day. After a trial, Rakesh was found guilty of one charge each of molestation and of using criminal force for grabbing the woman's neck. He was sentenced in April to nine months' jail for molesting her and fined SGD1,000 for grabbing her neck. He appealed against his conviction. His lawyer argued that surveillance footage of the studio indicated that he could not have molested the woman in the way she described. But Justice See said it was not possible to discern any details given the poor picture quality. The footage did not raise any reasonable doubt in Rakesh's favour, he added. The judge said a year's jail was warranted as the case involved repeated skin-to-skin contact with the woman's private parts, with no substantial mitigating factors. The fact that Rakesh persisted after the woman fended him off, with his actions escalating, was an aggravating factor that warranted caning, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jana Sena party president Pawan Kalyan Saturday demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the vexatious special category status issue and also the means to exert pressure on the Centre to honour its promise. In an interaction with media after inaugurating the central office of the Jana Sena in Vijayawada, Kalyan said all parties should come together to mount pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for securing special category status (scs) to the state. "The state government lacked sincerity as Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu himself spoke in different voices on the SCS issue. We did not attend the all-party meeting last time due to that reason. But if the government does it sincerely, we will attend the meet and work together on the issue," the actor-turned-politician said. It is only the Jana Sena that had vociferously been speaking on the SCS since 2014, he claimed. "Chandrababu Naidu has spoken in different voices and wavered on his stand many a time. This created a confusion in the minds of the people. How could he speak like that? We should be united on the issue and fight for it," Kalyan asserted. Welcoming former Speaker of (united) Andhra Pradesh Assembly Nadendla Manohar, who quit the Congress two days ago, into the Jana Sena, Kalyan said it would be a big boost to the fledgling party. "We (me and Kalyan) have been friends for long. His sincerity and commitment in fighting for the peoples cause has attracted me a lot. With that commitment and inspiration, we want to bring a new change in politics," Manohar said. "We will not indulge in of convenience. We are ready for any sacrifice for the betterment of the state and the people, without any compromise. We will go ahead with that concept," the former speaker, asserted. Meanwhile, Kalyan said the party would take a call soon on contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in neighbouring Telangana. "We thought of contesting in 23-24 seats in Telangana. We will discuss it further and take a decision shortly," the JSP chief said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The wife and teenage son of a judge were allegedly shot at by his personal security staff in a crowded market area in sector-49 here Saturday, police said. DCP-East Sulochna Gajraj said the two have been rushed a hospital in the city where they are in "critical" condition. Police said the incident occurred around 3.30 pm when Additional Sessions Judge Krishan Kant's wife Ritu and son Dhruv had gone for shopping in the Arcadia market. They were accompanied by the judge's guard, Mahipal. "Some locals informed the police about gunshots being fired outside the Arcadia market. When a police team reached the spot, they found Ritu and Dhruv lying in a pool of blood," Gajraj said. She said Ritu has suffered bullet injury in her chest, while Dhruv in his head. "They were taken to the Medanta Hospital where they are undergoing treatment but their condition is critical," according to the officer. Gajraj said the police team could not promptly find Mahipal there. "He was later arrested from Faridabad." Gurgaon police PRO Subhash Bokan told PTI Mahipal was being interrogated to establish the reason why he opened fire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor-politician Kirron Kher Saturday called for implementation of the Vishaka guidelines in every organisation in the country to keep a check on the menace of workplace sexual harassment. Commenting on the #MeToo movement in India, the veteran actor and Chandigarh BJP MP said sexual harassment is a result of patriarchal mindset of the society which teaches men that they have an authority over women. "There are Vishaka guidelines and these should be there in every organisation. And whoever faces such things they should report immediately. If you are not following the guidelines then you are making a mistake. "This is happening because of the mindset. Why are women or children being raped... Why honour killings are happening... It is the same sense of mindset that feels power over women and disrespect for women," Kher said at a media interaction for the show "India's Got Talent". "I think you should raise your voice soon. Every institution should have Vishaka guidelines in place as there are laws against such things. If you do not enforce it then you are making a mistake. What is the point of a no movement on social media. The matters should be investigated and the Vishaka guidelines are necessary for this to happen. "What happened in case of Tarun Tejpal? The Vishaka guidelines were not implemented. So it is necessary to have these guidelines as people will know their limits," she said. Kher was also asked about cabinet minister M J Akbar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. "The government has made a committee. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has announced that committee has retired judges on board. Everywhere there are allegations and I am sure the matter will be investigated and both sides will be allowed to put their point of view across," she said. "Mr Akbar is not in India at the moment and I am sure when he comes back, you will get the answers. I am not in the cabinet and so I am not privy to what is happening. When this whole thing broke, I saw it on TV. I am sure they will look into it," she added. When quizzed about the allegations against filmmaker Sajid Khan, Kher said though she believes the four women accusers, she would refrain from commenting on it. "I have known him for many years. And nothing has happened with me so I cannot say anything on it. How much of all this is true or not that only Sajid or the women who have put allegations on him can tell," she said. "I don't think it is right for me to comment on what is put on social media about somebody as I have not seen it with my eyes or experienced it. Still the women must have a say, I respect the girls, I wish they had said it when this was happening," she added. Sajid has been accused of sexual harassment by three female actors and a journalist, and has since stepped down as the director of "Housefull 4", which also stars Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit to take part in the concluding event of the training session of the organisation's musical bands. An RSS functionary said Bhagwat is scheduled to address the concluding function, a closed-door event, of the 21-day training session titled Akhil Bharatiya Ghosh Prashikshan Varg. The RSS' bands are similar to police ones and strike up music using drums, trumpets, bugles and other instruments to accompany the organisation's marches and drills. The functionary said around 125 master trainers of RSS bands, drawn from different parts of the country, are participating in the session being held at Bharat Bharti Residential School run by Sangh outfit Vidhya Bharti. The session is underway at the school located in Jamthi village, around 8 km from the district headquarters here, he said. Bhagwat, who arrived here by train, is scheduled to leave for the Sangh headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday afternoon by road, the functionary said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first edition of the Mumbai- South Korea Biennale titled "Beyond the Frames" was Saturday inaugurated by Maharashtra Education and Culture Minister Vinod Tawde. The biennale, which will be underway till October 18, is jointly organised by Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai and K-Art International Exchange Association, South Korea in association with Inko Centre, Chennai. Over 120 artists from Korea and 70 from Mumbai will exhibit their works, including contemporary painting, print making and abstract painting, organisers said. Tawde said that the event would help the strengthen the bonds of art and culture between India and South Korea, a nation known more for home appliances and automobiles. A biennale, which is an Italian word for an event that happens every two years, is now commonly used in the art world to describe large scale international contemporary art exhibitions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The main accused in the murder of former Bihar BJP vice-president Visheshwar Ojha and the prime witness Kamal Kishore Mishra was arrested Saturday from Bhojpur district in the state, police said. The accused Brajesh Mishra, considered a terror in the riverine areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, carries a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, the police said. He was arrested from Sonvarsha village in the district following a tip off while he was hatching a conspiracy to execute some other crime and seized a pistol from him, district superintendent of police Aditya Kumar said. Police also seized a pistol from the possession of Brajesh Mishra who is he said. Ojha was gunned down by masked assailants in Bhojpur district in February 2016. The prime witness to the crime, Kamal Kishore Mishra was killed on September 28, 2018 by miscreants at Sonvarsha village. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least nine climbers including five South Korean nationals have been killed in a massive avalanche which devastated their camp on Nepal's Mount Gurja, the expedition organiser said Saturday. The unexpected violent snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepal's Myagdi district on Friday evening, said Wangchu Sherpa, the Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal. Five South Korean climbers including team leader Kim Chang-ho from 'Koreanway Gurja Himal Expedition 2018' were killed along with their four Nepali support staff in the incident, Sherpa said. Other deceased South Koreans have been identified as Lee Jaehun, Rim Il-jin, Yoo Youngjik, and Jeong Joon-mo, The Himalayan Times reported. They had gone to scale the mountain from Gurja Village on October 7. A heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres when the climbers were awaiting for a fair weather to move towards higher camps, he said. Their bodies were spotted among the wreckage of the camp by a rescue team. Team leader Kim was the first South Korean national to summit 14 peaks above 8,000 metres without using supplemental oxygen. However, the identities of others killed in the incident were not immediately known. A rescue helicopter was dispatched towards the incident site Saturday morning. The mountain Mount Gurja, with a 7,193-metre peak, is in western Nepal. Mountaineering is a major source of income for Nepal. Falling from cliffs and mountains are among the most common causes of death during expeditions. In 2015, an avalanche triggered by a powerful earthquake killed 19 climbers and injured 61 others. A year before, 16 sherpa guides were killed in an avalanche. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maldives former foreign minister Dunya Maumoon is on an unofficial visit to India "on behalf of" former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and held personal meetings. "Visiting Delhi, India for some unofficial meetings on behalf of my father Maumoon Abdul Gayoom," she wrote on Twitter. Her visit comes as the Maldives is set to witness the formation of a new government under President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Solih recently won the Maldives' presidential election, defeating strongman Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to China. India had congratulated Solih on his victory. India's ties with the Maldives came under strain after Yameen declared Emergency in the country on February 5, following an order by the country's Supreme Court to release a group of opposition leaders, who had been convicted in widely criticised trials. India had criticised the Yameen government for the imposition of the Emergency and urged it to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The Emergency was lifted 45 days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the death of legendary musician Annapurna Devi who died at a hospital in Mumbai on Saturday. "Saddened at the passing away of Annapurna Devi...My condolences to her family and admirers," Banerjee posted on her twitter handle. Devi (91) passed away at 3.51 am. She was suffering from age related issues for the past few years. Devi was an Indian Surbahar player of Hindustani classical music and she was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Champai district court has sentenced a man to 18 years rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl three years ago. Special judge R Vanlalena convicted Lalventhanga of Biate village in Champai district, which borders Myanmar, under the POCSO Act and slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on him on Thursday. Lalventhanga, on February 26, 2015, had lured the girl with some sweets into his house and raped her in his bedroom. The police arrested the accused and registered a case against him under the POCSO Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla Saturday highlighted the importance of learning Mandarin and other oriental languages by North Eastern youths to establish better business relations with China and other ASEAN countries through the Act East Policy. Heptulla was speaking as the chief guest at a one-day seminar on "Skilling the youth in the wake of Indias Act East policy from North East perspectives." She said the growth of the NE region, will not only enhance Indian economy but also cultivate two sided assimilation with SE Asian nations and the Eastern countries. The region plays an important factor in the countrys Act East Policy as it will serve as a "big economic corridor" connecting the country with ASEAN countries as well as China, the governor said. The region need to establish, meaningful skill development programme and employment of the youths. Heptulla also emphasized that the region needs to take urgent initiatives in the field railways, highways, logistics, ware housing, business management and banking system. The governor said the region of natural resources in the form of oil, natural gas, coal and limestone and others besides being gifted with water system of rivers and its tributaries. She further said that the region has boundless tourism potentiality, typical performing arts and handicrafts amid others thereby placing it a "perfect position" for its development as a center for dealing in trade and commerce with India's eastern neighbours. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees Saturday took to the streets in Kochi against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple, even as activist Trupti Desai announced plans to visit the hill shrine soon. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting here to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening. Though the government has not reacted to Desai's planned trip to teh temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine. Padalam royal family member, Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any "provocative' move. He also asked the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai, the 'Bhumata Brigade' leader, said in Mumbai that she along with a group of women would visit the temple "shortly" to offer prayers. "We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal the agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine," she told Malayalam TV channels. "I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this," Desai said. Holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting his hymns, the protesters marched through the busy roads of Kochi, the state's commercial hub, after launching the stir from the famed Shiva temple there. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. Meanwhile, the 'Long March' led by BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reached Kollam district Saturday. Party state president, P S Sreedharan Pillai, who lead the rally, said Desai was visiting Sabarimala as she perceived it to be a challenge rather than a pilgrimage. "It is a dangerous approach. She should desist from visiting the shrine and should not make Sabarimala a tension zone," he said. "I do not know whether she is a devotee or not. But she is coming to add fuel to the fire," Pillai added. Claiming that the NDA rally was getting tremendous support from all sections of people, the leader said the march would reach the state capital on October 15. It was because of the success of the NDA long march that the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF was forced to launch counter campaigns and family get-togethers to explain the Left government's stand on the Sabarimala issue, Pillai added. Activist Rahul Easwar, who already announced hunger strike at Sabarimala during the five-day monthly pooja period, said they would stop Trupti Desai if she attempts to visit the Lord Ayyappa Temple. "Ours will be a Gandhian mode of protest. Hundreds of devotees will lay down on roads leading to Sabarimala if Trupti Desai attempts to visit the shrine," he said. Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the Pinarayi Vijayan government's decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. Besides BJP, the opposition Congress was also against the government's decision not to go for review and extended support to the devotee's stir. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 39-year-old mastermind of a fake Indian Territorial Army recruitment racket was arrested from Uttarakhand's Haridwar, police said Saturday. Yogender alias Bunty, a resident of Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, was heading an inter-state racket that was cheating the unemployed rural youths on the pretext of arranging jobs in the Army, the Indian Railways and the ONGC, they said. On May 3, one Sudheer, a resident of Charkhi Dadri, registered a complaint alleging that that he was cheated of Rs 5 lakh by the gang for a job in the Army, said Ram Gopal Naik, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). The gang used to take fake physical tests in Army grounds and fake medical examination in Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt area, along with the fake interviews, Naik added. They would also give fake joining letters, he said. Police zeroed in on the gang and arrested its five members -- Amit Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Pradeep, Devender and Sandeep. During their interrogation they disclosed that Yogender was the mastermind of the racket, Naik said. Police also got to know that the racket had serving and retired Army personnel as its members, the DCP added. Yogender was previously involved in several offences, he said. A reward of Rs 50,000 was declared on his arrest. Following an input, he was nabbed from Haridwar on Thursday. Nine mobile phones, 19 SIM cards and a car were recovered from his possession, Naik said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eleven people died in northern Greece early Saturday after a car thought to be carrying migrants crashed head-on with a truck and burst into flames, police said. Firefighters recovered 11 bodies from the car, which had been travelling towards Thessaloniki. The driver of the truck, which had been heading towards the town of Kavala, escaped the fire unscathed. Greek police said the car involved in the crash had been used for migrant smuggling in the past. It had failed to stop earlier Saturday when police officers tried to pull it over for a check. Last June, a migrant smuggling van carrying 16 people, mainly from Syria and Iran, crashed near Kavala, killing six people including three children. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A militant belonging to a proscribed outfit was arrested Saturday by police from the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh, located 110 km east of state capital Imphal, police said. The 25-year-old W Kishankumar was apprehended at around 8.30 am during an operation conducted at the International Gate No 2, under the supervision of S Ibomcha, SP Tengnoupal told PTI. The arrested militant belonged to the Meeyamgi Fingang Lanmi faction of the banned Manipur-based outfit Kangleipak Communist Party, the SP said. No weapons were recovered from the militant and further investigation is on, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Tamil Nadu minister for Tamil language and culture Ma Foi K Pandiarajan Saturday denied any slack in the Keezhadi excavation work and said the state government would not allow the Centre to prevent the work. Talking to newsmen here after inspecting the excavated sites, he saidhe had held discussions with the state archaeological department on the next phase of excavation, and where the fifth phase should begin. The minister said seven gold items were unearthed during the fourth phase and the archaeological survey of India should submit a report on the third phase. He said carbon dating of the articles found during the excavation was being done, and this could be the reason for the delay in the submsission of report. The minister hoped the report of Athichanallur excavation done 17 years ago would be made available next month. So far, 7,000 artefacts had been unearthed during the excavation, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ayyappa devotees from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai Saturday held a protest at Azad Maidan here demanding that the Kerala government issue an ordinance to protect age-old rituals of Sabarimala Temple. The Supreme Court, last month, had struck down a rule that disallowed girls and women in the age group of 10-50 years from entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The apex court had said in its order that the rule violated women's right to equality and worship. The protest in Mumbai Saturday also sought that the Kerala government and the Devaswom Board (temple board) file review petitions against the SC verdict. The organisers of the protest said that a memorandum on the issue would be submitted to Maharashtra Governor C VIdyasagar Rao as well as the President of India and the Kerala government. A statement from the organisers said that an online portal planned to collect one crore signatures from people asking the Kerala government to file a review petition. Among those who attended the protest rally here were Krishnanand Saraswati of the Ramdasa Mission, VHP national spokesperson Shriraj Nair and president of the All India Pravasi Balagokulam, Harindran Masha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal's main Opposition Nepali Congress has warned the Communist government not to curtail press freedom through a new criminal code that makes publishing confidential information, recording audio or taking pictures without permission a jailable offence. Former premier and Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba said that the "press freedom should not be curtailed on any pretext" and called on the Nepalese journalists to be ready to face any kind of challenge. Speaking at a programme organised by the Nepal Press Union in Chitawan district on Friday, he said that the NC would not accept any kind of government interference to press freedom. He was referring to the government's new Criminal Code and Criminal Procedures Code which came into effect in August, amid fears that the new privacy provisions outlined in the codes would hamper free press in the country. The government expects to reform the country's legal system by replacing age-old 'Muluki Ain' through the new legislation. Deuba said the NC is always in favour of press freedom and pledged to promote the right to freedom of expression and opinion. General Secretary of the NC Shashank Koirla said that the press in a democratic society should not face any kind of interference. "We need to be prepared to retaliate in case press freedom is undermined," he said. A number of provisions in the Criminal Code say violation of any individual's right to privacy would result in up to three years imprisonment and fines in thousands of rupees. The new law also makes listening to or recording a conversation between two or more people, or photographing any individual, without consent a criminal offence. Anyone found violating these rules faces one year in prison and a fine of Rs 10,000 or both. Publishing content that damages a person's reputation directly or through satire is also subject to punishment, according to the new law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some political parties in Bangladesh, including the main opposition BNP, formed an anti-government alliance on Saturday to force the ruling quarter to form an all-party caretaker government ahead of the general election in December, according to media reports. Gono Forum President Kamal Hossain unveiled the new political alliance 'Jatiya Oikya Front' with former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and two other parties, saying it was for the greater interest of the country, Daily Star reported. "The newly floated alliance started its journey with a vow to force the ruling quarter to resign from the state power before the announcement of the schedule of the upcoming general election,"Kamal, a prominent lawyer, said at a press confrence. An all-party acceptable election-time government will have to be formed after the dissolution of the current parliament, Kamal said in the press conference. He also demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners including BNP chairperson Zia, who has been in jail since February after a court sentenced her over the alleged embezzlement of foreign funds meant for an orphanage trust. BNP leaders allege she was being denied proper medical treatment in the jail. During the press conference, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna announced seven-point demands and 11-point goals of the newly formed political alliance, the report said. "We have been hatching efforts to form such national unity and at last, we became successful today," Manna said. Earlier, differences emerged between Kamal and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh chief and former president Badrudoza Chowdhury over the inclusion of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP in the alliance. The two leaders held separate media briefings instead of their planned joint appearance before the press. Later, Kamal formed the alliance with the BNP, leaving out Chowdhury. Bangladesh is set to hold election in December. Zia, 72, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 70, the country's two formidable leading women are known as the 'Battling Begums' for their bitter rivalry that has poisoned the Bangladeshi for nearly three decades. 'Begum' refers to a high-ranking Muslim woman. Between 1991 and 2006 Zia became the prime minister for three terms and Hasina for one. Since 2009, Hasina's party has been in power. When the Hasina-led government refused to hand over power to a caretaker government before the 2014 national elections, BNP boycotted the poll. In May, Zia was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the trust case. But, she still remains in jail after being implicated in some other violence-related cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The new claim published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case, didn't immediately explain how officials there also reportedly have video of Khashoggi's alleged slaying. However, it puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who has written critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after he walked into the consulate October 2. The kingdom has maintained the allegations against it are "baseless," though an official early Saturday acknowledged for the first time some believe Khashoggi was killed by the kingdom. Authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiance before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Khashoggi's PIN on the watch, then later using the journalist's finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. The newspaper did not address that in its report. An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection. The newspaper's account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Khashoggi's iCloud account. Turkish officials have not answered queries from The Associated Press about Khashoggi's Apple Watch. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad" killed Khashoggi at the consulate. They've also alleged that they have video of the slaying, but not explained how they have it. Turkey has yet to publish any evidence of him being slain, though surveillance footage around the consulate shows a convoy of vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consul's home in Istanbul a little under two hours after Khashoggi's arrival. Saudi Arabia has said it had nothing to do with Khashoggi's disappearance, without explaining or offering evidence of how the writer left the consulate and disappeared into Istanbul with his fiance waiting outside. A Saudi-owned satellite channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as "tourists," without providing evidence to support the claim. It echoes how Russia has described the men who allegedly carried out the Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury, England, in March. Early on Saturday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying the kingdom's involvement. This time, however, it acknowledged for the first time that Saudi Arabia was accused of killing Khashoggi. "What has been circulating about orders to kill (Khashoggi) are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions," Prince Abdulaziz said. Khashoggi's disappearance has put pressure on President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed close relations with the Saudis since entering office. Trump promised to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about "the terrible situation in Turkey." "We're going to find out what happened," Trump pledged Friday when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a political rally. Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the Saudi consulate, the State Department said Friday. No details of the conversation were released. In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Cengiz said Khashoggi was not nervous when he entered the consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. "He said, 'See you later my darling,' and went in," she told the AP. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially "still missing." She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of an investigation into the writer's disappearance. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudis welcomed the joint effort and said the kingdom was keen "to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be." Global business leaders also are reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has shown little tolerance for criticism. As a contributor to the Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of 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. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nigerian troops have foiled an attempt by Boko Haram fighters to overrun a military base in the restive northeast leaving six soldiers wounded, the army said on Saturday. Troops "successfully repelled (a) Boko Haram terrorist attack" on a base in the town of Arge in Borno state on Friday, army spokesman Texas Chukwu said in a statement. "Several members of the Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised while others fled with gunshot wounds during the encounter," he said. "Unfortunately, six soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at the military facility." Chukwu said three Boko Haram trucks were destroyed and one other vehicle recovered in the latest attack in the area. On August 29, IS-affiliated Boko Haram jihadists claimed to have killed "several" Nigerian soldiers in mortar strikes on the Arge military base. The claim could not be independently verified. Boko Haram's Islamic State group-backed faction -- known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) -- operates in the Lake Chad region and has in recent months intensified attacks on military bases in Borno and nearby Yobe state. The attacks are seen as a sign of a hardline takeover in ISWAP by more radical lieutenants who executed the group's de facto leader because of his opposition to indiscriminate killings and willingness to hold peace talks with the government. Scores of soldiers have been killed, injured or missing in attacks but the military have repeatedly denied or played down losses to the jihadists. On Monday, the Islamists attacked a military base in Metele near the border with Niger, leaving seven soldiers dead, according to the military. But civilian militia sources said 18 soldiers were killed in that attack and several weapons stolen or destroyed by the jihadists. More than 27,000 people are thought to have been killed in the nine-year Boko Haram Islamist insurgency that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1.8 million people without homes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of five South Korean climbers and four Nepali climbers and porters has been reported missing after a storm hit a camp on a Himalayan peak in west Nepal, officials said on Saturday. The climbers were attempting to scale the 7,193-metre (23,590-foot) peak during the autumn climbing season. A police team heading toward the base camp on foot is unlikely to reach the site until Sunday. "Everything is gone, all the tents are blown apart". Feted South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who in 2013 became the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen, was leading the expedition, according to a government-issued climbing permit seen by AFP. "The conditions were too icy to continue the search", pilot Siddartha Gurung told AFP. Wangchu Sherpa, of the Trekking Camp Nepal agency, which provided support to the climbers, said: "Our rescue operation is continuing and we are trying to find details". A heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres when the climbers were awaiting for a fair weather to move towards higher camps, he said. "The camp was completely destroyed", the BBC heard from Myagdi district official Liladhar Adhikari. Mount Gurja, also called Gurja Himal, while not famous as one of Nepal's most challenging peaks, is part of the Dhaulagiri range, which is topped by Dhaulagiri I, the seventh-highest mountain in the world. According to the Himalayan Database, no-one has stood on Gurja's summit since 1996. The climbers had been waiting for a window of good weather so they could reach the summit, when the storm hit Friday. Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao Saturday emphasised on speeding up work on projects meant for the welfare of tribals in the state. He said there was no dearth of funds for the various programmes launched by the state government for tribals. The governor was speaking at a function at Sahapur here in Maharashtra's Thane district organisedby the South Indian Society (SIES). Rao, who hails from Telangana and was appointed governor in August 2014, spoke in Marathi at the event where the audience largely comprised people were south India. In his speech, Rao admitted he was not fluent in Marathi, but was learning the language. "But I will gradually make efforts to speak in Marathi," he told the audience. Earlier, he inaugurated newly built hostels and 'bhojanshala' (kitchen) for state-run schools for tribals at Sahapur. The facilities were built by the SIES under its Institutional Social Responsibility (ISR) initiative. In his speech, Rao called for fast-tracking completion of projects meant for tribals and said there was no shortage of funds for these programmes. Even private companies have come forward to give a helping hand in completing these projects, he said. Rao urged tribal students to continue their and not to drop out of schools. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) These are the top stories from the northern region at 5.15 pm SRINAGAR DES2 JK-POLL-0900HRS Srinagar: The trend of low voter turnout continued in the ongoing civic polls in Kashmir Saturday as only 1.3 per cent of the 1.62 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in the first three hours of polling which began at 6.00 am. JAMMU DES5 JK-POLL-SAMBA Jammu: Like first two phases, the enthusiastic voters have thronged polling stations across Samba district of Jammu region in the third phase of the urban local bodies (ULB) elections to seal the fate of 242 candidates in 56 municipal wards. BANDA DES7 UP-FAMILY-ABLAZE Banda: A woman killed herself allegedly after tying the hands and legs of her four children and setting them ablaze following a dispute with her husband, police said Saturday. SRINAGAR DEL2 JK-COP Srinagar: Terrorists shot dead a policeman in his house in Sopore township of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Saturday. JAIPUR DES9 RJ- EIGHT KILLED Jaipur: Eight persons, including three children, were killed and three others injured Saturday when a car they were travelling in collided with a truck in Rajasthan's Udaipur district, police said. IN THE PIPELINE Dehradun: AIIMS-Rishikesh threatens to file a defamation case against the ashram with which environmentalist G D Agarwal was associated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties against BJP a "non-starter," BJP general secretary V Ram Madhav Saturday said the party is gearing up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a target of winning 315 seats. The opposition parties are proposing 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) as there was no leader who can match the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. "No 'jhenda' (flag) and no agenda (for 'Mahagathbandhan'). It's a non-starter. With such a sinking 'gathbandhan', nobody can stop the victory march of BJP. BJP is gearing up for parliament elections with the target of 315 seats in 2019," he said. Madhav claimed there was no leader in the country who can match Modi's popularity. "That's why, all are doing 'Mahagathbandhan' today. There is no leader in the country who can match the popularity of Modi ji. With that fear, your Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief and caretaker Chief Minister) has brought elections by six-eight months early," Madhav said. Madhav was addressing a meeting of BJP workers from Secunderabad assembly constituency here which was organised in connection with the December 7 Assembly polls in the state. BJP is a natural party for Telangana and only it can be the alternative to ruling TRS, he claimed. Hitting out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and describing the party as a "sinking ship", he said "an alliance is being formed for the assembly polls in the company of such a party." The Congress leader was "working hard on how to put Modi in power in 2019. He is very busy..," Madhav said. Attacking TDP, which is also a partner in the Congress-led alliance of opposition parties in Telangana, he described the party as 'Telugu Droham (betrayal) Party'. TDP was founded by late N T Rama Rao on an anti-Congress plank and the party is joining Congress-led alliance for political existence in Telangana, he claimed. BJP activists should aim to bring the party to power in Telangana and not hope to increase its strength by just a few seats in the assembly elections, Madhav said. TRS had only got 62 seats (out of 119) in a wave in 2014 in when the party ran a campaign claiming credit for realising separate Telangana, the BJP leader said. "Does TRS, which could not run government for full five years, have the eligibility (to be in power) in the state," he asked. BJP MP from Secunderabad Bandaru Dattatreya, state BJP president K Laxman and others were present on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition can criticise the government, but the state machinery is busy in relief and rescue operations following Cyclone Titli and the resultant floods, Odisha Chief Mister Naveen Patnaik said on Saturday in response to allegation that the BJD dispensation "failed" to tackle the calamities. The Opposition parties alleged that despite India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast on October 9 about the cyclone and the subsequent floods, the Odisha government "failed" to tackle the situation. "If the Opposition wants to criticise, they can do so. We are busy in relief and rehabilitation work in cyclone and flood-hit areas," Patnaik told reporters when asked about the opposition attack on the state government. Claiming that the disaster was the "biggest single calamity" after the super cyclone of 1999, Patnaik said this time the wind velocity was more than 160 km per hour. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in a statement said the wind velocity was at 165 km/hour and was a very severe cyclonic storm. "What it (cyclone) could have caused and what it caused is before the people to judge. It is very unfortunate that some political parties don't want to give credit to those volunteers, government employees and people's representatives who have worked day and night to evacuate more than three lakh people," BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said. Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik tweeted, "BJD govt is patting its own back by saying they have handled #CycloneTitli well but this is far from reality. Truth is that the govt was caught napping despite several warnings from Met. Dept. Thousands of people are stranded in affected areas. They must be helped immediately (sic)." BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra said, "The state government has completely failed to take stock of the situation which is why people in several districts of Odisha, especially in CM Naveen Patnaik's home district Ganjam, are grappling with flood situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Oscar Isaac says he is not bothered about the expectations of fans and compares the backlash his "Star Wars" films received with George Lucas' prequel series. The 39-year-old actor, who starred in two "Star Wars" films -- "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi", told Indiewire that he does not pay attention to negativity on social media. "Luckily, since I'm not directing it, producing it, or distributing it, I don't have to worry so much about fan expectations. Also, not all fans have the same expectations," he said. The "Ex Machina" star said people had "strong feelings" about Lucas' prequel series -- "The Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" -- but they still accepted them. "People had very strong feelings, but there wasn't as much of an organised way to speak out about it. People that run blogs and websites need content. So it's like, 'There's some content!' Five people on Twitter. Hundreds. Whatever it is. Then you make it into a story," Isaac said. "You make a movie and people are supposed to like, or not like it, or not care about it. Those are the only three options. So it's not shocking that one of those things happened," he added. Isaac said he plans to take a vacation after wrapping up the shooting of upcoming "Star Wars: Episode IX". "I haven't really stopped for 10 years. I'm just going to be with family and taking a bit of a rest," he said. He will be next seen in Netflix's "Triple Frontier", opposite Ben Affleck, and is part of voice cast of animated feature "The Addams Family". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Saturday warned of "10 surgical strikes" against in response to a single such attack, in the latest war of words between the two estranged nuclear-armed neighbours. Major General Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson of the military's Inter Services Public Relations, stated this while talking to the media in London, where he is accompanying Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on a visit. "If dares to launch a inside Pakistan, it will face 10 surgical strikes in response," Ghafoor was quoted as saying by Radio He also said "those who think of any misadventure against us should have no doubt in their minds on Pakistan's capabilities". The military spokesman said the Pakistan Army was the custodian of the $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and that the mega project will strengthen the economy of the country. ALSO READ: Sitharaman says govt not politicising surgical strike by celebrating it Ghafoor said the army wanted strengthening of democracy in Pakistan, and claimed that the general election in July was the most transparent in the history of the country. "If anyone has evidence of rigging then it should be brought forward," he remarked. He also rejected reports of restriction on the media and said there was "complete freedom of expression" in the country. He said there were more good developments in Pakistan than bad and that the international media should also highlight the good things. Chief Minister is likely to return on Sunday from Delhi, where he has been undergoing treatment for pancreatic ailment at a hospital, a senior government official said on Saturday. Parrikar (62) was admitted to Delhi's premier (AIIMS) on September 15. "The chief minister is likely to be brought to in a special flight on Sunday from Delhi. The doctors who are treating him at the hospital would certify on Sunday morning whether he is fit to travel back home," the official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. If he returns to Goa, Parrikar will stay at his private residence in Panaji, he added. On Friday, Parrikar met BJP's core committee members and ministers from coalition partners at to discuss ways to ensure his government functions normally during his absence from office due to ill health. He also reviewed pending development works and discussed distribution of some of his portfolios to his cabinet colleagues. However, leaders of the ruling BJP and its allies, who met Parrikar separately, had ruled out any change in leadership in the coastal state. Parrikar has been ailing since mid-February and has been treated at different hospitals including those in Goa, Mumbai and the US. A 'peace caravan' led by five women activists which has been travelling across India since September 20 as part of a campaign to sensitise people about what they alleged was violence faced by women in the country "in the name of religious and nationalist sentiments" reached the national capital on Saturday. A culmination event was held at Parliament Street amidst singing and dancing by people who converged on the occasion. As part of the Baatein Aman Ki' campaign, women activists travelled to various parts of the country and held public meetings. They were joined by hundreds of organisations on each route with the pledge "to reclaim the Constitution and to restore peace, harmony and love in the country", the organisers said. Activist Shabnam Hashmi said that the divisive forces have taken a toll on the cultural fabric of the country and "women have come together to bring the country back from the clutches of hatred, violence and lynchings". "The position of women in India has deteriorated mainly because of religion being brought into politics, where the Hindu right-wing organisations are playing a leading role in deciding moral values and ascribing the role of women in society," Secretary of National Federation of Indian Women Annie Raja had alleged at the launch of the campaign. "Through 'Baatein Aman ki' we will stand against all those forces which are trying to break the country in the name of religious or nationalist sentiments," she had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Polling began Saturday for the third and penultimate phase of municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir to seal the fate of 365 candidates in the fray across the state. Polling began at 6 am amid stringent security arrangements, officials said. They said the voting will take place at 300 polling stations across the state and would end at 4 pm. Out of the 300 polling stations, 241 stations - 222 in the Kashmir Division and 19 in Jammu Division have been categorised hypersensitive, they said. The officials said 365 candidates are in the fray for 96 wards of eight urban local bodies for the third phase comprising a total electorate of 1,93,990 electors. The officials said massive security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the polls. They said additional poll staff has been deployed at polling stations with large number of electors. The officials said the overall poll percentage in the first two phases of the municipal polls has been 47.2 per cent. Municipal elections, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh, are being held in four phases. The last phase will take place on Tuesday. A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1145 wards. 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 the municipal areas going to polls so as to enable the voters to cast their vote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged Turkey to quickly release other Americans in detention after it freed a pastor at the centre of a crisis in relations. "Pastor (Andrew) Brunson is finally coming home to America, following a long ordeal for the pastor and his family. We hope that the Turkish government will quickly release our other detained US citizens and State Department locally employed staff," Pompeo tweeted Friday. "The world should know that (President Donald Trump) and the State Department continue to work hard to bring home all American hostages and those wrongfully imprisoned and detained," he tweeted. The United States had imposed tariffs and sanctioned senior government officials to pressure Turkey on Brunson, whose two-year detention had particularly outraged Trump's conservative Christian base. But two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was Friday denied release in a separate court hearing. And NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to a five years last month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin lifted off as scheduled at 2:40 p.m. (0840 GMT; 4:40 a.m. EDT) Thursday from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz booster rocket. They then started the process of flying back to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Soon afterwards both space agencies were reporting the astronauts were in good health. Two years earlier, in 2016, the NASA's own inspector-general explicitly criticized the agency, saying the delays had resulted in marked increases in the amount of money the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, was being paid for ferrying USA astronauts to the orbiting station. They endured higher than usual G-force during the emergency landing. The launch appeared to be going smoothly, but some 90 seconds into the flight, the USA space agency Nasa reported a problem with the booster rocket between the first and second stages separating. According to Nasa, the crew is returned to Earth inside the Soyuz capsule "in a ballistic descent mode". An uncrewed version of the Soyuz is used to launch automated Progress cargo ships to the space station. Roscosmos chief Rogozin on Friday posted a picture on Twitter of himself seated next to the two astronauts involved in Thursday's accident, saying they had arrived in Moscow. NASA and Roscosmos said the astronauts were in good condition after their capsule landed about 12 miles east of the city of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. Rescue crews raced to the scene to retrieve them from their landing spot, including paratroopers, helicopters and all-terrain vehicles, NASA said. "A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted", said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who was in Kazakhstan for the rocket launch. A senior Cabinet official says that Russia is suspending manned space launches pending a probe into a Russian booster rocket failure minutes after the launch. A Russian cosmonaut and a USA astronaut survived an aborted liftoff after a Soyuz rocket bound for the ISS failed in mid-air two minutes after the launch in Kazakhstan, leading to a dramatic emergency landing. Russian officials said crewed space launches have been suspended pending an investigation into the malfunction. Roscosmos promised to share all relevant information with NASA, which pays up to $82 million per Soyuz seat to the space station. The moment the boost rocket failed was captured on the live-feed of the launch carried on NASA and Roscomos' websites. However, they can't stay longer than the first week of this January as the design lifetime of the Soyuz vehicle now docked at the ISS that will take them home will be expired by then. Both the US space agency NASA and Russia's Roscosmos reported that the two were quickly recovered from the landing area by rescue crews. The teams are now searching for the crew. Russian news reports indicated that one of its four first-stage engines might have failed to jettison in sync with others, resulting in the second stage's shutdown and activating the automatic emergency rescue system. The mishap occurred as the first and second stages of a Russian booster rocket separated shortly after the launch from Kazakhstan's Soviet-era cosmodrome of Baikonur. The space agency said, Rogozin was flying to the scene of the emergency landing. Search and rescue crews are getting ready to reach the expected landing site. NASA plans to resume USA launches to the space station on private spacecraft built by SpaceX and Boeing, beginning in 2019. Their Soyuz spacecraft will dock at the orbiting outpost six hours later. "It wasn't quite the day that we planned, but it is great to have Nick and Alexey at least back on the ground", said Kenny Todd, who directs space station operations for NASA. Ovchinin spent six months on the station in 2016. Relations between Moscow and Washington have sunk to post-Cold War lows over conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 USA presidential vote, but they have maintained cooperation in space research. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Saturday took strong exception to the appointment of a retired government official as consultant cum Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Lt Governor Kiran Bedi by the latter, in 'violation' of rules. Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister, who has been at loggerheads with Bedi on various issues said former Secretary to the Lt Governor, G Theva Needhi Das retired on June 30 this year following which the former IPS officer had sought the Centre's permission to appoint him as her 'adviser.' Though the Union Home Ministry accorded permission to appoint Das as a 'consultant,' the Lt Governor 'violated' the instructions and nominated him as 'consultant cum Officer on Special Duty' in Raj Nivas, Narayanasamy alleged. Claiming that the appointment was made in violation of the Home Ministry's directions, he said, "the matter was taken up with the Ministry." A 'consultant' does not have powers or authority to peruse the official files or hold meetings with officers and attend meetings convened by the Lt Governor, he contended. The Chief Minister also claimed that although he had written letters to Bedi on the matter, he has not received any reply so far. Further, he alleged that there was "misuse of power" and authority by the Lt Governor's office in raising funds under corporation social responsibility (CSR) from private companies and institutions for desilting channels and other water bodies in Puducherry since the last few weeks. "There should be no misuse of powers by Lt Governor and her office cannot contact companies and others for contributions under CSR," Narayansamy added. Reacting to the allegations, the former IPS officer said, "Raj Nivas is only a facilitator and we do not receive any funds straight from the donors. Those contributing funds under CSR had direct link with the owners of the earth movers or excavators and industrial houses." "We are not receiving any funds.. the contributions were made voluntarily for the cause of enriching the water resources in villages," she added. On the appointment of the retired official as OSD cum consultant, Bedi said Das was engaged in the post with the prior approval of the Union Home Ministry and also with the concurrence of Department of Finance of territorial government. The officer is discharging responsibilities "as per assignments given by Lt Governor," she maintained. The Lt Governor is the "competent authority in service matters under the provisions of the Government of Union Territories Act 1963 and the Rules of Business of Puducherry government 1963," she noted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scores of farmers Saturday held a demonstration at Punjab's Barnala district, asking the government to come out with a viable solution for stubble burning. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), farmers including women gathered at Barnala's grain market, protesting against the state and central government for allegedly harassing paddy growers in Punjab. They demanded the government give farmers Rs 200 per quintal as bonus for the management of crop residue if it failed to propose a viable solution for stubble burning problem. "The government should come out with a proper solution for stubble burning problem or else give us Rs 200 per quintal as bonus for the management of crop residue," said BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokrikalan. They sad by using farm machinery, only 9 per cent of the stubble which comes around 20 lakh tonne out of 220 lakh tonne can be managed, said Khokrikalan. He said farmers were being unnecessarily defamed over stubble burning issue. "Stubble burning causes only 8 per cent of air pollution and only paddy growers are being blamed for causing pollution. But nobody speaks about those who causes 92 per cent of pollution," he further said. Farmers also accused private farm equipment companies of making profit by hiking the cost of machinery. "Farmers do not want that they should burn the stubble as it causes pollution. But they have to do so in the absence of any workable solution to the problem," he said. Punjab and Haryana annually generate 220 and 65 lakh tonne of paddy stubble, respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Concerned with the rise in complaints about non-functional street lights, the Public Works Department of the Delhi government directed officials to visit roads between 9 and 10 pm for spot inspections. The directions were issued at a recently-held meeting chaired by PWD Engineer-in-Chief Umesh Chandra Mishra. According to the minutes of the meeting, field units were directed to prepare a check list indicating that all street lights were properly functioning at night on the PWD's roads. "It was informed by Director (E&W) that a number of complaints regarding non-functioning of street lights are being received. "The E-in-C directed that the maintenance vans attached with various field units should inspect the roads at night between 9 to 10 pm for on-the-spot-inspection," stated minutes of meeting. The PWD owns around 1,260-km roads in the national capital. Local bodies also own their roads in the city. It said all the chief engineers of maintenance zones were asked to ensure that necessary directions are passed to field units in the matter. Apart from this, the PWD also directed for appointment of a link officer in every Assembly constituency in the city to interact with respective MLAs on various issues pertaining to the agency. The move has come after several legislators demanded appointment of a link officer for works pertaining to the PWD in their respective constituencies. Also, according to minutes of the meeting, the PWD asked its officials to repair potholes on its roads immediately. "The E-in-C stressed on taking a serious view of the matter pertaining to repair of potholes and ensure timely action by all field units as the liability in the matter wrests with road owning agencies," it stated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calling Rafale deal the "largest defence scam that the country has seen", Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan Saturday hoped the CBI would act on the complaint made by him and two others against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter. Speaking at an event organised by the Mumbai Press Club, the Supreme Court lawyer said if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to follow due process and register a preliminary enquiry (PE) or an FIR, he will take the case to the court. A PE is the first step of a probe by the CBI where the agency assesses whether the allegations have enough material for registering an FIR. The Rs 58,000-crore Rafale fighter jet deal has been at the centre of a raging political row with the Congress accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of wrongdoing. The government has rejected all allegations. Responding to questions on whether the Rafale deal was similar to the Bofors scam of the 1980s, he said the present defence agreement with France was a much more serious and greater cause of concern. "This (the Rafale deal) isn't merely a matter of securing commission for a particular company, as was the case in Bofors. This is the largest defence scam that the country has seen," Bhushan said. "To begin with, it deals with much more money. It left the Indian Air Force high and dry, and by securing offset contracts for Anil Ambani's new company that has no experience in building fighter aircraft, it also puts our national security at risk," he said. On October 4, Bhushan, former BJP minister Yashwant Sinha and senior journalist Arun Shourie submitted a written complaint to the CBI over the Rafale deal. The complaint named Modi and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. It urged the CBI to register a PE against them on various charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act for a range of alleged offences committed in April 2015 in the course of buying 36 Rafale jets from French firm Dassault Aviation. In the complaint, Bhushan and the others questioned how Ambani's Reliance Defence, an Indian offset partner of Dassault, could be involved in the deal as it had no prior experience in the field and most other companies of the industrialist "were in debt". "We are yet to hear from the CBI. If due process is followed, the CBI should register an FIR based on the complaint. However, if that doesn't happen then we'll take the matter to court," Bhushan said. In September 2016, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to buy the jets, the delivery of which is slated to begin from September 2019. Bhushan alleged that while the government had refused to reveal the per plane rate, the deal was over priced and that the French firm had been made to chose Reliance Defence at the insistence of the prime minister. Bhushan said the initial plan was to get 126 aircrafts. While 30 per cent of these were to be made by Dassault, the rest were to be made here in India by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), he said. In his complaint, he has alleged that just months before the deal was finalised, the then Foreign Secretary, S Jaishankar, had said HAL would be involved in the process of getting the 126 aircrafts. "It is significant that Mr Modi chose to keep the IAF, HAL, the Foreign Ministry, and even the Defence Ministry in the dark about his impending designs," the complaint reads. Last month, a French media outlet quoted former President Francois Hollande as saying his government "did not have a say" in choosing Reliance for the deal since the Indian government had proposed the private company's name. However, both Dassault and the French government have denied any such imposition. Dassault has said it had freely chosen to partner with Reliance to fulfil its offset requirements as part of the deal. Ambani has already emphasised that the government had no role in Dassault picking up his company as a local partner. He had written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi on December 12, 2017, refuting allegations of his company lacking experience to bag the deal. Ambani had written that Reliance Defence, with the largest shipyard in the private sector at Pipavav in Gujarat, was currently building five Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) for the Indian Navy and 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard. The Congress has been raising several questions about the deal, including on the rates, and has accused the Modi government of compromising national interest and security while causing a loss to the public exchequer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day before the model code of conduct came into effect in poll-bound Rajasthan, the BJP-led state government relaxed its policy for allotting residential plots to Pakistani Hindu migrants. The Urban Development and Housing department had rolled out a policy on allotment of land to Pakistani Hindu migrants in May, and a fresh circular was issued on October 5 to amend it. Under the amended policy, Hindu migrants from Pakistan would be able purchase land at a concessional rate anywhere in the state. The state government will conduct a lottery to allot residential plots. It will benefit 200-250 Pakistani Hindu migrants. Land will be allotted to them after a 25 per cent concession on reserved prices, Urban Housing and Development (UDH) Minister Srichand Kriplani told PTI. The department amended the policy after it received several memorandums seeking changes in it. UDH Joint Secretary Rajendra Singh Shekhawat said the condition that residential plots would be allotted in only those districts where Pakistani Hindu migrants have been living at the time of acquiring citizenship has been relaxed. The latest amendment allows eligible Pakistani Hindu migrants to apply for purchasing residential plots at concessional rates in any district. The head of the family will have to cite reasons like close relatives reside in a different district, that the person or his family is engaged in a business in another district or he intends to set up a business there, reads the circular. The amendment also enables Pakistani Hindu migrants with Indian citizenship living in Rajasthan for a minimum of two years to apply for residential land. Hindu Singh Sodha of Seemant Lok Sangathan, an NGO that works among the Pakistani Hindu migrants, said that there are nearly 5 lakh migrants in Rajasthan and around 1 lakh would be able to purchase land at concessional rates. Rajasthan will go to polls on December 7. The poll code had come into force on October 6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rapper Lil Xan was forced to cancel a show after man posted a series of threatening photos and videos holding an AK-47 assault rifle. According to TMZ, the 22-year-old rapper's show at The Pageant in St. Louis on October 10 was called off last minute in lights of the threats. In one of the videos, the man says, "Hey Lil Xan, I want my smoke tomorrow October 10 at (St. Louis venue) The Pageant, you little bitch. Where the f**k you at?" The man then fires multiple rounds of bullets from his two guns into a lake. One of Lil Xan's representatives said, "It is our top priority, including the promoters and venue to ensure safety at every show." "This was an old situation that has been taken care of internally. There is no reason to fear safety at any of Lil Xan's shows moving forward," he added. The St Louis Police Department told the outlet that they had not heard anything about the threatening clip. Lil Xan's tour, however, has since continued as scheduled. The rapper performed in Cincinnati the night after the cancelled show and he is scheduled to perform in Cleveland. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Railway minister Piyush Goyal Saturday said there is no chance of revival of 34-km-long Dhanbad-Chandrapura rail route in East Central Railway's (ECR's) Dhanbad Railway Division due to underground mines fire. The minister who was here on a day-long visit to coal mine fire affected areas in Jharia, while talking to the media said a new railway line, between the two major railway stations - Dhanbad and Chandrapura, would be laid soon for the sake of the passengers of the region. The Railway board closed the 34-km-long Dhanbad-Chandrapura rail line on June 15, 2017 due to coal mine fire under the railway track between Dhanbad and Chandrapura. A total of 26 mail and express trains were either cancelled or diverted following the decision and people, MPs, MLAs of (ruling and opposition) parties have been demanding revival of the route since then. "Movement of trains on this track is not possible due to danger of underground mines fire and it is dangerous for passengers. So risk would not be taken but the railways would soon lay an alternative route to remove the problem of people," the minister said. The minister also inspected the fire-affected collieries in Jharia and took stock of situation. He asked the officials of Bharat Coking Coal limited (BCCL) to make arrangements to rehabilitate the residents living in the fire-affected areas of Jharia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Rob Lowe is set to star in and executive produce crime drama "Wild Bill" for British broadcaster ITV. In the six-part series Lowe will play high-flying US cop Bill Hixon, who is appointed chief of police in East Lincolnshire, a rural part of Eastern England. "Wild Bill" is created by David Griffiths, Kyle Killen, and Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble, and will be written by lead writers and showrunners Keeble and Appleton, reported Variety. The story revolves around Hixon, who arrives in Boston, Lincolnshire, with his 14 year-old daughter Kelsey. He hopes they can flee their painful recent past. But this unfamiliar, unimpressed community will force Hixon to question everything about himself and leave him asking whether it's Boston that needs him, or he needs Boston? "'Wild Bill' is a larger than life character who's outrageously articulate, has nothing to lose and revels in being an American fish out of water" Lowe said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several resident welfare associations and civil society groups in Delhi have urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel in the city, claiming the residents were suffering due to price hike. The central government had slashed the rate of petrol and diesel by Rs 2.50 per litre on October 4, V K Arora, the convenor of Delhi Residents Forum said. This was followed by reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) by various states including neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh bringing relief to their residents. "We urge the Delhi government to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel in the national capital and bring the fuel prices down," Arora said. With the festival season on, secretary of Mahila Pragatisheel Association (MPA) Ritu Bhatia said the residents are being forced to use private vehicles in the capital due to lack of affordable and efficient public transport. "Due to price difference of about Rs two to three in fuel prices with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Delhiites living near borders are being forced to buy fuel from neighbouring states which is Bharat Standard (BS) IV as compared to less polluting BS VI in Delhi," Manish Chawla, a resident of Anand Vihar said. "As winters are approaching, use of BS IV in capital is also leading to more pollution in the city coupled with burning of crops in neighbouring states," said VN Bali, the president of RWA Federation, East Delhi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Saudi Arabia dismissed on Saturday accusations that Jamal Khashoggi was ordered murdered by a hit squad inside its Istanbul consulate as "lies and baseless allegations", as Riyadh and Ankara spar over the missing journalist's fate. As the controversy intensified, the Washington Post reported Turkish officials had recordings made from inside the building that allegedly proved their claims Khashoggi was tortured and killed at the consulate. A Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey for talks, officials said on Friday, with the case risking fragile relations between the two. In the first Saudi ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef said that "what has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations". The Kingdom "is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions", he added according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The case risks damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home. Big names from media and business have already cancelled appearances at a major conference in Riyadh this month. Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish government sources say police believe he was killed but Riyadh denies that. The Saudi delegation, whose composition was not immediately clear, is expected to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara at the weekend, state media said on Friday. It is likely that they will take part in a joint working group on the case, whose creation was announced Thursday by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin following a request by Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official source quoted by SPA agency said it was "a positive move" Turkey had agreed to the creation of what it described as a "joint action team" over Khashoggi's disappearance. The Turkish leadership has so far stopped short of accusing Saudi Arabia, although pro-government media have published sensational claims, including that an "assassination team" was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi. In a rare public comment on the case by a Saudi official, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud, told the BBC that Riyadh was "concerned" about its citizen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi left the consulate safely. Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in the US since September 2017 fearing arrest, criticised some policies of Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. The Washington Post reported the Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings which show how Khashoggi was "interrogated, tortured and then murdered" inside the consulate before his body was dismembered. Turkish officials contacted by AFP refused to comment on the veracity of the report. Ankara and Riyadh have been on opposing sides in the region on key issues, including the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and last year's Saudi-led blockade on Turkey's regional ally Qatar. Yet as key Sunni Muslim powers they have maintained cordial relations. But despite Riyadh's agreement on Tuesday to let Turkish authorities search the Saudi mission, the probe has not yet taken place. The two sides have been in intense contacts to resolve the issue, local media reported. Pro-government Turkish newspaper Sabah said the search of the consulate had not yet happened because Saudi officials would only allow a superficial "visual" probe. The Turkish side did not accept the offer and Sabah said officials wanted to search the building with luminol, a chemical that allows forensic teams to discover blood traces. Officers were looking into sound recordings sent from a smart watch that Khashoggi was wearing when he was inside the consulate to a mobile phone which he gave to his Turkish fiancee waiting outside, Hatice Cengiz. Milliyet daily reported that "arguments and shouting" could be heard on the recordings, but Sozcu newspaper said only "some conversations" could be heard. Bloomberg, the Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times withdrew as media sponsors from the second Future Investment Initiative to be held between October 23-25 in Riyadh dubbed "Davos in the Desert" after the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort. The CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that he will no longer be attending the event unless "a substantially different set of facts emerges". British entrepreneur Richard Branson said he would suspend two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia over concerns about the missing journalist. Amnesty International demanded the Saudi authorities reveal what happened to Khashoggi as it said Riyadh was "responsible at a minimum for enforced disappearance". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) But Michaelle Jean, the former governor general and current holder of the top job at the worldwide body, showed no signs of abandoning her candidacy despite losing the support of her home country and province. Darren Ornitz / Reuters Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York September 26, 2015. Michaelle Jean takes part in a plenary session at the Francophonie Summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 11, 2018. After months of supporting her, the Canadian and Quebec governments announced this week that they would rally around a "consensus" candidate. Leblanc said on the weekend that Jean had no intention of dropping out. Jean, appointed to the post in 2014, was the only secretary general to not hail from Africa since the post was created in 1997. "I think it was outright wrong", Kagame said of Jean's message. A spokesman for Jean said Wednesday he was surprised at the Canadian and Quebec governments' decision to back Mushikiwabo before the summit even opens. Sources said the Canadian government tried unsuccessfully to convince Jean that re-election was improbable. They said that if a consensus emerged, Canada would join it to avoid having the summit overshadowed by a fight for the top job. Quebecor media outlets reported she spent $500,000 renovating her rented Paris residence, as well as $20,000 on a piano, but she's defended the spending in interviews. Prime Minister Trudeau representing Canada will be at the OIF along gathering in Armenia this Friday, along with the federal minister for La Francophonie, Melanie Joly, and Francois Legault, the newly elected Premier of Quebec. Ms Mushikiwabo has already received the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron, a significant support since it is a tradition for the candidate backed by France to secure the position. Ironically Rwanda, a former Belgian colony where French was the lingua franca, switched to English as the language of education in 2008 and joined the Commonwealth a year after. Justin Trudeau is seeking to curry favour with African nations with a view towards collecting votes for Canada's bid for one of the temporary seats on the U.N. Security Council in 2020. : Escalating his campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday accused it of destroying the "strategic asset"state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that "Rafale is your right." Giving a new twist to his high-pitch Rafale campaign, Gandhi sought to reach out to present and former HAL employees, alleging that "temples of modern India are being attacked and destroyed; we cannot allow it to be done." "Rafale is your right; you are a 78-year-old company. You have the experience to build the plane," the Congress president said at the event held at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters, after hearing the former and present employees. He said it was "completely ridiculous" for the government to say that HAL did not have the required experience. Gandhi told the gathering that he understood "deeply" that they were pained and hurt and "this is as important to me as any corruption or anything that has happened." "People who have given their lives, people who have stood by this country are feeling emotionally upset because they have been insulted. I know that the government is not going to apologise, but on their behalf I apologise to you, even though I have nothing to do with it. I understand that that you are hurt and I want to stand with you in your discomfort," he said. The gravamen of most of the employees who spoke was that HAL had the capability to make Rafale, but an attempt was being made to "dismantle" the defence PSU and the workers feel "hurt and let down," he said. Gandhi said the work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed a debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision. HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company, he said. Speaking to reporters after the event,Gandhi said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about lack of experience of HAL, but had said anything about the lack of experience of Anil Ambani, "who has been never built a plane in his life." "HAL has no debt, he has Rs 45,000 crore of debt. HAL has been working for 78 years. His company has been working for 12 days. So she has no comment about the person who got the contract. She has to comment about HAL's experience." Gandhi demanded to know why the order was being taken away from HAL when it had all the experience. "Why hasn't the work being given to them? Why is HAL being destroyed by Anil Ambani...that is the question. He said the employees felt hurt over the fact that their hard work over the last 78 years, their patriotism, has been insulted and questioned by the government through the defence minister. "So the first thing is that they expect an apology from the Defence Minister for insulting HAL. We understand that the Defence Minister is not going to apologise," he said. On alleged corruption, he said HAL was one of the "modern temples" of India and it was being destroyed "because of corruption that Narendra Modi is doing to help Anil Ambani. "Every single person here made it very clear that they have the experience. They have the understanding and Mr Anil Ambani does not have the understanding," he said, referring to the HAL interaction. We are here to defend the people who are defending the nation. From the government, we have to defend HAL," he said. Ahead of Gandhi's interaction, HAL had issued an internal communication to its employees Friday, as a reminder on their obligations on conduct and discipline in the interest of the company. The HAL employees union said an interaction wassought with the employees, but they decided not take partas the union was apolitical. "We got a communication from the Congress office,but we can't take sides for a political party, being government employees. Our union is an independent union,we are not affiliated to any political party," the union'sgeneral secretary Suryadevara Chandra Shekhar said. Karnataka state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said the discussion was not organised by Congress, but by "some people", including some ex-employees, who are "pained" by the government's attempts to "ruin HAL's name". Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, M Veerappa Moily, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara , former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy were present at the interaction. Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he has alleged that HAL was overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, preferring Anil Ambani's company. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Escalating his high-pitch campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday asserted that his party would fight on the issue in "every street" in the country. Gandhi also accused the Modi government of destroying the "strategic asset" state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that "Rafale is your right." Giving a new twist to his strident Rafale campaign, Gandhi sought to reach out to present and former HAL employees, alleging that "temples of modern India are being attacked and destroyed; we cannot allow it to be done." "Rafale is your right; you are a 78-year-old company. You have the experience to build the plane," the Congress president said at the event held at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters, after hearing the former and present employees. "You have worked now for more than 70 years. Ifsomebody thinks that they can build their future on top ofyour graves, that is also not going to be allowed," he said. He said it was "completely ridiculous" for the government to say that HAL did not have the required experience. Speaking to reporters, Gandhi accused defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman of having rushed to France "to cover up there, but cover up cannot happen because truth iscoming out..." "We will fight this on every street in India, wewill stand with HAL and fight this, we will stand with AirForce and fight this. We will stand with every single personwho is protecting India and fight this." Asked whether he was implying that there was corruption in the Rafale deal, he said, "I'm not implying,I'm saying very clearly corruption has taken place, kickbacks are there, Rs 30,000 crore has been taken and given to Anil Ambani and snatched from these people (HAL employees)." Gandhi told the gathering that he understood 'deeply' that they were pained and hurt and "this is as important to me as any corruption or anything that has happened." "People who have given their lives, people who have stood by this country are feeling emotionally upset because they have been insulted. I know that the government is not going to apologise, but on their behalf I apologise to you, even though I have nothing to do with it." The gravamen of most of the employees who spoke was that HAL had the capability to make Rafale,but an attempt was being made to "dismantle" the defence PSU and the workers feel "hurt and let down." Gandhi said the work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed a debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision. HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company, he said. Gandhi told reporters that Sitharaman talked about lack of experience of HAL, but had not said anything about the lack of experience of Anil Ambani, "who has never built a plane in his life." "HAL has no debt, he has Rs 45,000 crore of debt. HAL has been working for 78 years. His company has been working for 12 days. So she has no comment about the person who got the contract. She has to comment about HAL's experience." Gandhi demanded to know why the order was being taken away from HAL when it had all the experience. "Why hasn't the work being given to them? Why is HAL being destroyed by Anil Ambani... that is the question. He said the employees felt hurt over the fact that their hard work over the last 78 years, their patriotism, has been insulted and questioned by the government through the defence minister. "So the first thing is that they expect an apology from the Defence Minister for insulting HAL. We understand that the Defence Minister is not going to apologise," he said. On alleged corruption, he said HAL was one of the "modern temples" of India and it was being destroyed "because of corruption that Narendra Modi is doing to help Anil Ambani. We are here to defend the people who are defending the nation. From the government, we have to defend HAL," he said. Ahead of Gandhi's interaction, HAL had issued an internal communication to its employees Friday, as a reminder on their obligations on conduct and discipline in the interest of the company. The HAL employees union said an interaction was sought with the employees, but they decided not to take part as the union was apolitical. Karnataka state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said the discussion was not organised by Congress, but by "some people", including ex-employees, who are "pained" by the government's attempts to "ruin HAL's name". Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, M Veerappa Moily, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy were present at the interaction. Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he has alleged that HAL was overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation, preferring Anil Ambani's company. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Army Saturday took control of the security of polling stations ahead of Sunday's by-polls for 11 national and 24 provincial seats. Final preparations were underway to conduct elections in nine National Assembly constituencies in Punjab and one each in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 24 provincial assembly seats, including 11 in Punjab, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two each in Sindh and Balochistan. Most of these seats were vacated by the candidates who won from more than one seat in the general elections held on July 25. Prime Minister Imran Khan won five seats and vacated four which are also up for grabs. For the first time, overseas Pakistanis will participate in the election process through a special online portal designed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Thousands of soldiers will stand guard to provide security at 7,489 polling booths to ensure a smooth and peaceful electoral process. The ECP, while making security arrangement, designated as many as 1,727 polling stations "highly sensitive" where extra troops were deployed and security cameras installed. These include 848 out of total 5,193 polling stations in Punjab, 544 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 201 in Sindh and 134 in Balochistan provinces. The deployment of troops began on Friday and they would remain on election duty till October 15. Soldiers will be deployed inside and outside the polling stations in order to avoid any untoward incident. They also provide security during distribution of election material and transportation. Designated army officers have powers of a magistrate first class for summarily trial of those guilty of impersonation, capturing polling stations or violation of other relevant provisions of the law. The ECP said 9.28 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 35 constituencies. The polling will start at 8 AM and will continue without any break until 5 PM (local time). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shiv Sena MLA Tukaram Kate was attacked by a group of people, one of whom was wielding a sword, in the eastern suburb of Mankhurd late Friday night, police said. While Kate escaped unhurt, one of his supporters suffered injuries fending off the attack, Shahaji Umap, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone VI said. The DCP said that the incident happened when Anushakti Nagar MLA Kate, along with his bodyguards and supporters, was returning after participating in a Navratri celebration in the area. A group of people attacked the MLA but his bodyguards and supporters managed to fend it off, Umap said. A supporter of the MLA who was injured in the attack was rushed to hospital with doctors stating that he was presently out of danger, the official said. The attackers fled the scene and efforts were underway to nab them, he added. Six persons of the group have been identified and the sword used in the attack has been recovered, he said. A case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered, the DCP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy Saturday said the separatist movements did not succeed in India because they did not have the support of the majority. He said this while addressing a get-together on harmony, organised by the Central Puja Committee (CPC) here. "The majority of the people in this country want to live together; they did not want to be separated from India. We have been like that for the last 70 years and we will continue to remain united for all times to come," Roy said. Roy also lauded the CPC for its initiative in bringing together people from different religious denominations, religious leaders and people of different ethnicities Khasi, Garo, Bengalis, Nepalese and others under one roof. "This in a way is a manifestation of that mindset. The CPC has been able to bring here Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. This itself is a great success and this reflects the greatest thing about this country which is unity in diversity," he said. The leader of opposition and former chief minister Mukul Sangma said Meghalaya being a Christian state should show the way and should lead by example. Quoting verses from the Bible, Sangma said that if one has learnt to love another he has fulfilled the law. "This should be the strength for the state because love is a gift of God," he added. The Congress leader said that the Central Puja Committee reminded that Meghalaya is just like a ship and urged people to come together and ensure that this ship does not sink. He also said that the state should prosper. According to him, all aspires to have peace, harmony and happiness. Others who spoke on the occasion were Meghalaya State Planning Board (MSPB) chairman Lambor Malngiang and CPC president, Naba Bhattacharjee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has warned Saudi Arabia of "severe punishment" if it is responsible for the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is feared killed, that has resulted in global outrage against the kingdom. Trump, in an interview to CBS News, said the Saudis could be behind the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi. The Saudi journalist has been missing since he entered the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and Turkish officials have accused Riyadh of murdering him inside the diplomatic mission. Trump said Saudi Arabia has denied "in every way you can imagine" having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump said, according to an extract of the interview released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday, when asked if Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia may still be responsible, and an investigation is ongoing, he said. "There is a lot at stake and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something - you'll be surprised to hear me say that - there's something really terrible and disgusting about that if that was the case," Trump said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah will arrive in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Sunday on a two-day visit during which he will address party workers in different districts, a senior party leader said. During his visit, Shah will take part in party functions in Hoshangabad, Satna, Rewa, Dindori and Jabalpur districts in the run up to Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh on November 28, state BJP president Rakesh Singh said on Saturday. After reaching here on Sunday, Shah will leave for Hoshangabad in the evening in a helicopter, he said. The BJP chief will address party workers in Hoshangabad, around 85 kilometers from Bhopal, before returning to the state capital, where he will stay the night, he added. On Monday morning, Shah will take a plane to the famous temple town of Khajuraho, from where he will proceed to Satna and Rewa districts to address two party functions, Singh said. Thereafter, Shah will take a helicopter to reach Dindori district, where he will address a tribal function, the state BJP president said. Next, Singh said, Shah will head to Jabalpur to address a conference of party workers. The BJP president will leave for Delhi at night, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Asian communities in the US have opposed the Trump administration's proposal to change the definition of public charge, claiming that it will have a detrimental impact on new legal immigrants, particularly those from South Asia. Under the proposal moved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the definition of "public charge" would include an immigrant "who receives one or more public benefits" and whether the person is likely to receive public benefits at any time in the future. The proposed change in the definition is part of the draft "public charge" rule, under which immigrants may be denied green card if they have received government benefits in the past or are likely to receive one in the future. The DHS has published the draft rule in federal register early this week and has sought comments from all stakeholders within a period of 60 days. The definition also expands the types of benefits that a public charge may receive, including those that are temporary in nature. The proposed public charge rule came in the wake of the US President Donald Trump's plan to not give Green Cards or legal permanent residency to those immigrants who have taken benefits from the government in the past or are likely to take one in the future. According to a recent Pew Research Centre study, one in four immigrants in the US from Bangladesh and Nepal and one in three immigrants from Bhutan live in poverty. The new rule would put all these individuals at great risk, observers said. The South Asian Bar Association (SABA) said Friday that the changes have been proposed with the intention of deterring new immigrants and reinterpreting a fundamental concept in the immigration law. "This proposal is another example of this administration's attempt to subvert legal immigration in America...Immigrants are being punished for being too young, too old, too poor or not able-bodied. They are being told, yet again, that they are unwelcome and unwanted," SABA president Sundeep Sandhu said. SABA said the proposed rule, if implemented, would make immigration to the US based predominately on one's wealth rather than one's overall potential contribution to the community. According to a 2018 Migration Policy Institute Report, 61 per cent Bangladeshi non-citizen immigrant families, 48 per cent non-citizen Pakistani families and 11 per cent non-citizen Indian families receive public benefits in the US. "The proposed rule punishes immigrants who access public benefits they are entitled to," said Desis for Progress, another South Asian group in the US. The group said the proposed policy change will have a major impact on South Asian immigrant communities, as over 10 percent of all green card applicants are from South Asia. "Some South Asian visa holders who are in the US on non-immigrant visas, like the H1-B programme, could be impacted. Some communities like the Bangladeshis and the Nepalis are more likely to be targeted for green card denials based on their income," the Desis for Progress said. SAALT, another South Asian community organisation, said the proposed rule would deny permanent resident status to lower income immigrants who use government services such as nutrition programmes and housing assistance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students took out a protest march and raised slogans against Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Saturday on the campus of Kurukshetra University against the police action that injured at least 12 of them. On Friday, police resorted to batoncharge to disperse more than 200 students sitting on a 'dharna' on the university campus demanding direct polls to elect their union leaders during which 12 students were wounded. During the protest Saturday, students burnt an effigy of Khattar outside the university vice-chancellor's office and demanded that police cases registered against students be withdrawn. A large number of police personnel were deployed on the campus in wake of the protest. The students want direct elections to student unions. Several students bodies, including the National Students' Union of India, have opposed the Haryana government's move to hold indirect polls to elect student union leaders in colleges and universities on October 17. Through indirect polls, class representatives (CRs) will be elected in colleges and department representatives (DRs) in universities. The CRs and DRs will elect the president and other office-bearers in colleges and universities. The elections in the state are being held after 22 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Saturday appealed to students of IIT, Patna for "innovations" in the fields of education, health and agriculture to enable solutions in these fields. "I appeal to students to come forward to carry out innovations in the fields of education, health and agriculture so that solutions can be found for the problems of these fields under Solve For Bihar and Solve For India programme," he said at a programme organised at IIT, Patna. Modi, who is also the state's finance and IT minister, said India is poised for the fourth industrial revolution and startups of IIT, Patna must have greater role in it. He said that under the Bihar's Startup Policy, 2016, which was started with a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore, every startup would get an interest free maximum loan of Rs 10 lakh for 10 years. Ten per cent of space would be reserved for startups at SME Cluster and Hub, he said adding under the Startup policy a total of Rs 1.88 crore has been given to 57 certified startups as seed capital. Sushil Modi said that a 30,000 sq m two-storeyed building is being built at IIT, Patna, premises at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore by both the central and state governments. The space in the building will be provided for 50 incubators for electronic system design and manufacturing and medical electronics. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Florida Senator Bill Nelson went to Panama City, up the coast from Mexico Beach, and was stunned by what he saw. On Friday, Cooper said the storm "left behind a long track of damage". The official said that after Hurricane Irma in September 2017, a field hospital was required in the Florida Keys for a year, and similar situations may be required with Michael. President Donald Trump pledged to help storm victims. Whether any of them got out at some point was unclear. Numerous houses in Mexico Beach were reduced to naked concrete foundations or piles of rubble. The current death toll from the storm is 11, although emergency responders say that number could still rise. Fast-moving Michael, a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale when it came ashore, was about 25 kilometres northeast of Norfolk, Va, at 10 p.m. ET, with top sustained winds of 80 km/h as it headed for the Atlantic coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Mr. Baine said Dominion expected to restore power to the "vast majority" of its customers by late Monday. Blocks and blocks of homes were demolished, reduced to piles of splintered lumber or mere concrete slabs, by the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S.in almost 50 years. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach - homes, shops and restaurants - were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155-mile per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "When the water came in, houses started floating in front of our home". "There's nothing left here anymore", he said of the town. Shell-shocked survivors who barely escaped with their lives told of terrifying winds, surging floodwaters and homes cracking like eggs. "If the house and the cars are destroyed they can be replaced, but my niece needs her dad - and as much as I sometimes can't stand him, I would do anything to just know he's OK". CNN affiliate WLOS said there were 18 water rescues in Henderson County, North Carolina, on Thursday, including one woman who thought she could drive her SUV through rising water. University administrators completed a preliminary assessment of the campus on Thursday and found roof and water damage, as well as broken windows. "Once that sheer weakened, the rest of the conditions were already present", said Corene J. Matyas, a hurricane expert and associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida. Damaged and destroyed buildings are seen in an aerial photograph, taken during a post-Hurricane Michael flight by a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter over Mexico Beach, Florida, U.S. October 11, 2018. Mishelle McPherson's elderly neighbour was among those who stayed behind. "Yes, it is all about helping others". The storm, still packing hurricane-force winds, then tore through Georgia before tracking through the Carolinas and Virginia on its way out to sea. A senior official of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the number of casualties could rise further. Symbiosis Skills and Open University (SSOU) and Domestic Workers Sector Skill Council (DWSSC) have signed an agreement to imparting training to students. As part of the partnership, a pilot course comprising 100 candidates in the job role of elderly caretaker (non-clinical) will commence on October 22 at the SSOU campus, a statement said. The pilot course that will be run by SSOU has been funded by FICCI FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation), it added. The course aims to equip the students with skills that are needed to assist the elderly in terms of personal care and hygiene needs as well as provide social and emotional support to help them maintain independence in their daily lives. "It is a matter of great pride for DWSSC that a university has stepped into our skilling ecosystem to conduct training for the domestic workers and sets the pace for more such universities to become our training partner. This certainly will give a major boost to our sector when the candidates will move out to the market being duly trained in a prestigious skill university," SSOU said in a statement. SSOU is also conducting a three-year degree course for beauty and wellness. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said Saturday, in the first official confirmation of talks between the two sides. The landmark meeting was held as Khalilzad seeks to coordinate efforts with regional countries, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. The meeting with Khalilzad and other American officials took place in Doha on Friday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement sent to journalists. The Taliban had reportedly met with US officials in July after an unprecedented ceasefire in June, which fuelled hopes that talks could bring an end to fighting after 17 years. That meeting was not confirmed on the record by either side, but there has been widespread speculation since then that more talks were planned. A wave of attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months, however, has poured cold water on the nascent optimism for peace. A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the Taliban statement. During the latest meeting, Taliban and US negotiators discussed a "peaceful end to the invasion in Afghanistan", Mujahid said. A US-led intervention in 2001 toppled the Taliban regime. But the group made clear that the presence of foreign forces in the country was a "big obstacle" to peace. Both sides "agreed to continue such meetings", he added, without providing further details. The statement was issued as Khalilzad returned to Kabul after regional trip that began with his first visit to Afghanistan since his appointment last month as US envoy. On Monday, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior leaders in Kabul. On the same day, the Taliban issued a statement vowing to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, which the United States is helping to finance. Afghan-born Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, was appointed to steer peace efforts with the Taliban last month. Fluent in Pashto and Dari, Khalilzad's experience as a foreign policy operative in the country dates back to the 1980s, when he served as an adviser to the Reagan administration. He is known as a blunt negotiator with hawkish foreign policy views. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Taliban held talks with the US special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan's protracted and increasingly bloody war, a Taliban official said Saturday. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad was held Friday in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Taliban political chief Abbas Stanikzai led the five-member delegation that discussed with Khalilzad "ways of finding a peaceful end to the occupation of Afghanistan," the statement said. It went on to say that the presence of "foreign forces" in Afghanistan was the biggest concern of the Taliban. Mujahid said the two sides discussed "finding a good way for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan." The US Embassy in Kabul said only that Khalilzad was in the Afghan capital Saturday meeting with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul from Qatar, winding up his first official trip since being named special envoy. He also visited Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In a statement Saturday, Ghani said simply that Khalilzad briefed a meeting of Afghanistan's top officials on the series of meetings he has held in the region since beginning his sojourn on October 4. There was no mention of a meeting with the Taliban. When he was appointed earlier this month, the US State Department said Khalilzad's job was to find a peaceful end to a war that began more than 17 years ago and that has cost Washington in the neighbourhood of USD 900 billion, according to a report earlier this year from a US Congress appointed watchdog. Of that USD 900 billion, John Sopko, the special inspector general on Afghan reconstruction, said USD 720 billion was spent on US military operations. "During this time, the human cost of the struggle against Afghan insurgents and terrorist groups has led to more than 2,400 American military fatalities, about 1,100 among other members of the NATO-led Coalition, and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths," Sopko said in a statement earlier this year. US President Donald Trump bemoaned the extraordinary cost of the war in Afghanistan while campaigning for president, when he advocated an end to US involvement in the conflict. Since then, the US president announced an Afghan strategy that called on Pakistan to do more to push the Taliban to the negotiating table and to end safe havens for insurgents, an allegation Islamabad denies. Trump also handed greater decision-making powers to US generals on the ground in Afghanistan. But the strategy has so far failed to stop Taliban aggression and even the US- appointed watchdog says nearly 50 per cent of the countryside is either under Taliban influence or in their control. In many areas of the country, the government's writ is restricted to the cities and district centers. Relentless Taliban attacks on Afghan military outposts have killed hundreds of Afghan National Security Force personnel in recent months. The Taliban have been persistent in their demand for direct talks with the United States. In July they said they held talks with Alice Wells, the most senior US diplomat in the region at the time, also in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Washington has neither confirmed nor denied direct talks with the Taliban. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) a constituent of United Jehad Council (UJC), an amalgam of militant organisations active in Kashmir on Saturday urged students from Kashmir Valley to stay away from "armed struggle" and concentrate on their studies. "TuM appeals to students to concentrate more on their studies and stay away from armed struggle till the completion of their studies as youth are our valuable asset," TuM chief Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman, who is also the general secretary of UJC, said in a statement in Srinagar. "Militant commanders should desist from giving arms training to the students," he said. "I request the students to concentrate on their technical and professional studies first as they are the ones who have to run this ongoing freedom movement," Rehman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Saturday it was "too early" for the Left party to finalise its strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha election but stressed it would give a call to unseat the ruling BJP. Yechury said the CPI(M) would decide its strategy depending on the outcomes of upcoming assembly polls in five states. An all-India alliance with opposition parties might not be possible so the CPI(M) would go for state-wise understandings, he said. "It's too early to decide our tactics for the Lok Sabha election. But we will call for the defeat of BJP and its allies in the upcoming election ... We are also aiming to establish an alternative secular government at the Centre," Yechury told reporters in Kolkata. "For the general election, our objective will be to increase the strength of CPI(M) and the Left in Parliament. Our objective will be to help maximise pulling off anti-BJP votes," he said. Asked whether the Left party would participate in a mega political rally planned by the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata in January next year, he said the CPI(M) was yet to receive invitation for it. He said 10 central trade unions have decided to go on a two-day nation-wide general strike from January 8 to protest the "anti-worker policies" of the central government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local trader was allegedly duped to the tune of Rs 4 lakh by a man, who offered to give him distributorship of a leading Ayurved products company through a fake website, police said Saturday. The victim, a 22-year-old engineering student, has lodged a complaint with Bazarpeth police station in Kalyan. As per the complaint, the victim owned an Ayurvedic products shop at Kalyan. Since he wanted to expand his business, he explored the possibility of adding agencies to his list. "Earlier this month, the victim opened a website thinking that it was original website of Patanjali Ayurved. After filling the distributorship form online, he got a mail saying he has been selected for it by the company. He was then asked to pay money into the given ban account, which he did," police said. A few days later, he got a call and the caller asked him to pay additional amount as the vehicle of consignment had some more space and could accommodate more goods. Believing him, the victim paid the money, police said. The complainant said despite paying total Rs 4 lakh, he did not get the goods. He finally realised that he has been cheated, police said. The victim filed a complaint against a caller, who identified himself as Pintu Paswan, police said. Police have registered a case under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and the IT Act. Investigation into the case is on, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has said he would call Saudi Arabia's King Salman on missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey. Trump's remarks at a campaign event came amidst mounting pressure on him from Congressmen and the media as reports coming out of Turkey suggest that Khashoggi was brutally killed by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, 59, a Washington Post contributor, had gone there to collect some papers for his marriage. "I will be calling at some point King Salman. I'll be speaking to him yes," Trump said. "We're going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey, having to do Saudi Arabia and the reporter. And nobody knows quite yet. Nobody has been able to put it all together. People are starting to form ideas. And as they're formed, we'll let you know. But it certainly is a terrible thing," Trump said. The President declined to indicate the nature of his conversation with the King. "I can't tell you but I will say that they're looking very hard and fast and not only us, a lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation. So we'll see what happens," he said. Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel wrote to Trump urging swift action in the disappearance of Khashoggi. "Mr. President, we value our relations with Saudi Arabia. Yet murder and other blatant violations of international norms and agreements cannot be done with impunity," they wrote. Royce and Engel urged the president to use all pressure necessary to encourage greater Saudi cooperation in the investigation into this incident. "Unless the Saudi government fully discloses what it knows about this disappearance and likely murder, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should cancel plans to attend the upcoming 'Davos in the Desert' conference. "Participation in this conference is not critical to our economic security and would potentially undermine efforts to show the Saudi government and others around the world that brazen attacks on civilians inside consular facilities are unacceptable," the letter said. Trump told reporters that a final determination has not been made yet. "I guess a lot of people are going over to an investment conference. And he (Treasury Secretary) actually called this morning and he will make that determination. But he was partially over there anyway. "We'll see what happens. Maybe some won't be going. We'll make that determination very soon," Trump said. Nearly two dozen influential Democratic Senators, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, on Friday urged the Trump administration to reassert America's moral leadership in protecting freedom of expression. "Recent cases show that some foreign governments increasingly believe that silencing critics through violence and coercion is an acceptable practice for curbing dissent," the Senators lead by Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said in a letter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. These governments, however, should recognise that the United States disagrees with their strong-arm tactics and will continue to be the loudest global voice advocating for the rights of those speaking out against corruption and repression. No one should get a free pass, said the letter. "Although we lack a full understanding of the circumstances that led to his disappearance, media reports indicate that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might have played a role. "According to press reports, Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and may have been murdered while inside," they said. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, thus far in 2018, 43 journalists have been killed. Since 2017, as many as 267 journalists have been arrested and detained. Last week, the Chinese Communist Party detained Interpol President Meng Hongwei under suspecious circumstances and Chinese authorities have reportedly threatened his wife and family. The Myanmar government recently convicted two Reuters journalists for reporting on the military's role in the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. "Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report condemning the government of Pakistan for cracking down on its press and calling for an end to 'the disturbing trend of impunity and attacks on journalists to shore up this faltering pillar of democracy," the Senators said. In their letter, the Senators urged Pompeo that America must retain its moral high ground and continue working to protect individual freedoms around the world. "We respectfully request that you evaluate how the US government can better bring to bear its full set of tools and resources to more forcefully oppose authoritarian efforts aimed at silencing critics around the world and brief us on your findings as soon as possible," the Senators wrote. "In fact, many are concerned that America's inaction abroad, accompanied by President Trump's caustic rhetoric toward America's own press and those who disagree with him, are creating a permissive environment for those inclined to pursue repressive behaviour," the letter said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned Washington would inflict "severe punishment" if he was murdered. The Saudi critic has not been seen since he walked into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with Turkish officials accusing Riyadh of murdering him inside the diplomatic mission. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday, when asked if Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi Arabia. The network said it will air the interview in full on Sunday evening. Trump added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter." But when asked what options Trump would consider, the president said he was not keen to limit arms sales to the kingdom -- a position he has previously voiced. "Well, it depends on what the sanction is," he said. "I'll give you an example -- they are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted that order. Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it. We got it, and we got all of it, every bit of it. He added: "I'll tell you what I don't want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that. And you know what, there are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of missing journalist and warned Washington would inflict "severe punishment" if that is the case. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. The network said it will air the interview in full on Sunday evening. Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of failing to cooperate in the probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul, calling on Riyadh to grant access to Turkish investigators. "We still have not seen cooperation in order to ensure a smooth investigation and bring everything to light. We want to see this," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu agency. Ankara had said that a search of the consulate had been agreed but this has yet to materialise amid reports the two sides are at odds over the conditions of entry into what is Saudi sovereign territory. Speaking during an official visit to London, Cavusoglu said that Riyadh must let Turkish "prosecutors and experts enter the consulate" to carry out their investigation. "Where did he go missing? There, at the consulate," the Turkish foreign minister said, adding that "talks are continuing" with Saudi officials in a bid to resolve the impasse. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who had been living in self-imposed exile in the US since late 2017, vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork for his upcoming wedding. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michael had rapidly intensified as it churned north over the Gulf of Mexico in recent days, growing from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane in about 40 hours and catching many by surprise. Sally Crown rode out Michael on the Florida Panhandle thinking at first that the worst damage was the many trees downed in her yard. When their house filled with surging ocean water, they fled upstairs. - Top winds: 155 miles per hour (250 kph), strong enough to completely destroy homes and cause weekslong power outages. The destruction along Florida's white-sand northern Gulf Coast was called catastrophic. "All of my furniture was floating", said Marquardt, 67. "Our reward isn't just in this life but in the life to come". "People will just pack up and leave". Nearly 1.1 million homes and businesses were without power from Florida to Virginia early on Friday, according to utility companies. Hurricane Michael brings widespread damage and destruction to the Florida Panhandle; Mike Tobin reports. As one of the strongest hurricanes ever to make USA landfall, Hurricane Michael wrecked extensive damage, but the theme emerging Thursday was that a combination of deft forecasting, quick emergency response, and a fortuitous path prevented the disaster from being much worse. Some of the hardest-hit places are Mexico Beach and other communities along the Panhandle, where Michael razed buildings, snapped huge trees in half and threw debris over roads. Before and after images reveal formerly lush green neighborhoods in the small community that have been completely wiped out - with most homes and businesses completely flattened or heavily damaged. Downed power lines and twisted street signs lay all around. Roofs were peeled away, sent airborne, and homes were split open by fallen trees. Hundreds of cars had broken windows. Numerous 600 families who live there had followed orders to pack what they could in a single suitcase as they were evacuated. - Powerful pressure: 919 millibars minimum pressure in the eye, the third most intense hurricane landfall in the U.S.in recorded history. The elementary school, the flight line, the marina and the runways were devastated. "I was sinkin', sinkin' fast.when I turned I immediately started sinkin' and I knew that I had hit the ditch and I put it in reverse and of course, it didnt go anywhere". "Please don't come down", Linda Albrecht said. "Homes are gone, businesses are gone", said Florida Governor Rick Scott. "From satellite and radar monitoring, to computer models of track and intensity, and to dissemination of warnings by the NWS, private forecasters, the media, and local and national emergency managers, many lives were saved". Total damages from storm surge are estimated to be $3.7 billion, of which about ten percent will be insured. It doesn't include losses covered by the National Flood Insurance Program. An American flag flies amongst rubble left in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla. Florida officials say one man died when he was crushed in an incident involving a tree in Gadsden County. A 38-year-old motorist also was killed by a massive tree in Statesville, NC, and 11-year-old Sarah Radney of Georgia was killed when a metal carport struck her in the head as she hunkered down in her Seminole County home. A driver in North Carolina was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle. One North Carolina death is among at least 11 deaths tied so far to the storm as of Friday morning, according to The New York Times and Washington Post. Four of them drowned, including James King of Dry Fork, Virginia. "You're not going to recognize Mexico Beach". A Virginia firefighter - Lt. Brad Clark - was killed when a tractor-trailer slammed into his fire truck on a slick road in the storm. Michael has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves through the Carolinas, which are still recovering from last month's Hurricane Florence. Some fear the toll can only rise as rescue teams reach isolated areas and work through storm debris. More than 375,000 people up and down the Gulf Coast were ordered or urged to clear out as Michael closed in. Now they have the grim task of accounting for all who stayed behind. Michael earlier reportedly killed at least 13 people as it passed through Central America: six in Honduras, four in Nicaragua and three in El Salvador. Numerous beach's residents followed evacuation orders. 'Do you think her body would be here?' Flashing flooding also was reported in the big North Carolina cities of Charlotte and Raleigh. The Himachal Pradesh government Saturday formed two teams to rescue shepherds who were stranded in Bara Bhangal area of Kangra district following a sudden snowfall. State chief secretary B K Agarwal in an official statement said one of the two teams had left from Baijnath on Friday. This team reached Holi and has left for Bara Bhangal on Saturday. The other team will leave for Bara Bhangal on Sunday, he said. The team comprises Bara Bhangal patwari, four mountaineers and three locals who are expert and familiar with the path, he said, adding 20 pairs of long shoes had also been sent with the team. He said the team would camp in Bara Bhangal area and would remain in constant contact with the shepherds and the administration. The chief secretary said the second team of 15 members including three trainers from Mountaineering Institute Manali and 12 local people will leave for Bara Bhangal on Sunday. This team will depart from Multhan towards Muraldhar-Thamsar, he said, adding the team had been provided with adequate eatables and blankets. It will try to trace the body of a shepherd who died there reportedly a few weeks ago, he added. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had expressed concern over the difficulties being faced by the shepherds stranded due to heavy and unpredicted snowfall in a meeting held in Shimla recently and issued necessary directions for their rescue, shelter and assistance. The chief secretary said that Kangra district administration had been issued directions to keep continuous vigil on the situation. Adequate eatables are being provided to shepherds, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UK government is all set to double the immigration health surcharge (IHS) from December, which will increase the overall visa fees for the citizens, students, professionals and family members from the non-European Union countries, including India. The IHS, introduced in April 2015, will rise from 200 pounds to 400 pounds per year, with the discounted rate for students increasing from 150 pounds to 300 pounds, the UK Home Office said, as the proposal announced earlier this year was put before Parliament this week. The move is expected to raise an estimated 220 million pounds in extra funding for the state-funded Health Service (NHS). The surcharge allows anyone in the UK on a work, study or family visa for longer than six months to access NHS services in the same way as UK citizens. "Our NHS is always there when you need it, paid for by British taxpayers. We welcome long-term migrants using the NHS, but the NHS is a national, not international health service and we believe it is right that they make a fair contribution to its long-term sustainability," UK Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said. "It is only fair that people who come to the UK make a contribution to the running of the NHS, and even with the increase we still continue to offer a good deal on healthcare for those seeking to live in the UK temporarily," she said. The hike will come into effect in December following parliamentary approval and the minister said the government was a step closer to implementing the changes to the health surcharge with the proposal being tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday. "The extra money raised will go directly towards sustaining and protecting our world-class health-care system," Nokes said. The health surcharge is payable by nationals from non-EU countries, including India, if they are seeking to live in the UK for six months or more, or to extend their stay. The payment is made at the time the immigration application is made and is payable until such time as the person is granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK, or returns to their own country at the end of their visa period. The government said that since the surcharge was introduced in 2015 it has raised over 600 million pounds, which the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the health ministries in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have invested back into their health budgets. The planned hike is aimed at better reflecting the cost to the NHS of treating those who pay the surcharge, as the DHSC estimates that the NHS spends 470 pounds on average per person, per year on treating those required to pay the surcharge. The hike in the surcharge would not affect permanent residents, who are not required to pay the surcharge, and certain vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers and modern slavery victims are also exempt. ALSO READ: US to start deportation process of foreigners with expired visa from Oct 1 Short-term migrants, including those on visitor visas, are charged differently for secondary care treatment by the NHS at the point of visa access. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushed back Saturday against warnings that the Washington's trade fight with China imperils the world economy, saying that pushing Beijing to open up will be good for all. The IMF has warned this week at annual meetings in Bali that the escalating US-China trade confrontation would hobble global economic growth, as the fund lowered its forecasts for this year and next. But Mnuchin told reporters on the Indonesian resort island that President Donald Trump's drive to punish China with tariffs to encourage it to adopt fairer trade practices would have the opposite affect. "Our objective with China is very clear: it's to have a more balanced trading relationship," Mnuchin said. "I think that if we are successful, this is very good for US companies, US workers, Europeans, Japan, all of our other allies, and good for China." Mnuchin said, however that the IMF's warnings were "all the more reason for China to be incented to address these issues with us". The IMF Tuesday cut its outlook for global GDP growth by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7 per cent for 2018 and 2019, saying that "everyone is going to suffer" from a clash between the world's two biggest economies. Tensions have soared in recent months with Donald Trump's administration rolling out billions of dollars in tariffs against China in a bid to tackle its trade deficit and rein in what Washington views as unacceptable trade practices by the Asian giant. "Our objective is to increase exports and have a more balanced, fair relationship where our companies can do business there on terms that are similar to how they can do business (in the US)," Mnuchin said. "(A) free fair and reciprocal relationship." Attention has begun to turn toward hopes that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit next month in Argentina and bury the hatchet with some sort of agreement. "I don't think any decision has been made in regards to a meeting," Mnuchin said. "To the extent that we can make progress toward a meeting, I would encourage that and that's something we are having discussions about. "But for the moment, there's no preconditions. The president will decide on that. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US will consider undertaking "appropriate measures" against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives, a top State Department official has said, expressing concern over the "troubling actions" taken by outgoing president Abdullah Yameen. Pro-China incumbent Yameen was trounced by opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the parliamentary elections held in the Maldives last month. Solih is widely regarded as a pro-India leader. Yameen's party has filed a legal petition challenging his landslide election defeat despite major international pressure for him to step down. The important statement by America comes days after Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells met President-elect Solih. "The US is concerned by troubling actions by outgoing President Yameen that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people, and will consider appropriate measures against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives," State Department Spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a video twitter message. The Maldivian people turned out in record numbers during the recent elections to decisively choose Solih as their next president, Palladino said. The election commission of the Maldives has certified the results of the presidential elections, he said. Paladino said the US is concerned by troubling actions by outgoing President Yameen that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people after he approached the Supreme Court contesting the election results. There have been reports of serious threats against members of the election commission. "The United States and the international community would view with great concern any attempt that undermines the democratic process including any delay in the inauguration scheduled for November 17. "The United States will consider appropriate measures against anyone who undermines democracy, rule of law or free and fair electoral process of the Maldives," Paladino said. During her meeting with Solih, Wells emphasised that the US is willing to extend cooperation to his government and to assist the Maldives in its return to the democratic path. "The United States urges all parties to respect the will of the Maldivian people and to ensure smooth and peaceful transition," Paladino added. Yameen's shock defeat was widely reported as a blow to China, which financed his administration's flagship infrastructure projects with loans in excess of a billion dollars, drawing accusations of a debt trap from the main opposition partyr. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local court sentenced a woman and her lover to life imprisonment for killing her husband here after her opposed their relationship. Additional District Sessions judge Ravinder Kumar Friday evening imposed a fine of Rs 7000 each on Raheesa and her lover, Rizwan, after holding them guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). He sentenced them to life imprisonment. According to the prosecution, on June 15, 2010, the two accused killed her husband, Shahnawaz, who was a shopkeeper, after he opposed their affair. Shahnawaz's brother Islam had lodged a police complaint in the case following which an FIR was registered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's economic system is not compatible with the norms of the WTO, the Trump administration has said, asserting that the international trade body is not equipped to deal with Beijing and its industrial policies. The Trump administration is also seeking to redefine the term 'developing nations' as countries like China, despite being the world's second largest economy, are being considered as developing, that gives them certain benefits under the World Trade Organization (WTO). "Too many countries at the WTO self-designate as developing countries. And as a developing country at the WTO, you enjoy additional flexibilities and exemptions from the rules," Dennis Shea, Deputy US Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the WTO, told a Washington audience on Friday. "If you look at who some of these countries are, though, it's pretty amazing that they're claiming to be developing countries at the WTO," he said. For example, 10 of the G-20 members claim developing country status at the WTO. China, which is the second largest economy in the world, claims developing country status at the WTO, Shea said. Five of the six countries with the largest GDP per capita claim developing country status at the WTO, he said during his appearance before the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think-tank. US Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer, Shea said, raised that issue at the ministerial conference in Buenos Aries in December and has a real conversation going on at the WTO about whether there should be more differentiation among developing countries. In July, he said, the US offered a paper on China's economic model and the point of the paper was the economic model is essentially inconstant with the WTO norms. "And I had a big back-and-forth with my Chinese counterpart. In fact, people said it was the most exciting time they've ever seen at a General Council meeting at the WTO. And my reaction was, 'Well, if this is the most exciting time this place must be pretty boring'," Shea said. Indicating tightening of the US approach against China, Shea said that the middle-of-the-road approach on some of the issues, particularly around China, is no longer viable. "We really need to recognise that the economic system of China is not compatible with the WTO norms," he said, asserting that other countries need to speak up on this. The WTO, as currently constituted, is not equipped to handle the China issue. "One of my jobs is to help educate the membership about the ramifications of China's non-market economy, not just for the US, but for the WTO membership at large," Shea said. That is the reason why, he observed, the US submitted that paper on the Chinese economic model at the last general council meeting in July. The US, Japan and the EU are now engaged in the trilateral process, in which they are looking at ways to share information. "They're looking at a number of areas. One on industrial subsidies and state-owned enterprises; another on the issue of forced technology transfer; and, the third issue on, you know, defining: what are the elements of a market economy? Can we have a common understanding of what a market economy is?" the top US trade official said. "Part of this effort involves development of new rules. So the US and the EU and the Japan are engaged in discussions, at a technical staff level, about the development of new rules around industrial subsidies and SOEs -- that's the furthest along -- and potentially new rules around forced technology transfer," Shea said. Responding to a question, Shea said that in China, there is no independent judiciary, which can resolve disputes among stakeholders in China in impartial manner. "Should China be kicked out of the WTO if the US loses?" he was asked. "You know, yes," he answered. "We are committed to the trilateral process. We're working, hopefully we'll develop a common understanding what new rules would look like with the EU and Japan, and then branch out from there. "We are probably a little more skeptical about the viability of rules to actually significantly modify Chinese behaviour. But that does not mean we should not pursue this approach, which we are pursuing," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Aditya KalraNEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators have called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India's stance on data localisation, warning that measures requiring it represent "key trade barriers" between the two nations.In a letter to Modi dated Friday and seen by Reuters, U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner - co-chairs of the Senate's India caucus that comprises over 30 senators - urged India to instead adopt a "light touch" regulatory framework that would allow data to flow freely across borders.The letter comes as relations between Washington and New Delhi are ... By Saeed Azhar, Lawrence White and Dmitry ZhdannikovDUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Wall Street bankers will show up at an elite Saudi investment conference this month despite a growing exodus of top media companies and business leaders after the disappearance of a Saudi journalist.Mnuchin's plan to attend the high-profile Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh follows U.S. President Donald Trump's comments that he saw no reason to block Saudi Arabian investments in the United States despite concern over the welfare of Jamal Khashoggi."I am ... News LATEST Trends This link is no longer available Feedback This link is no longer available This link is no longer available "In addition, Hamas continues to welcome any terrorist attack and encourages the Palestinians, residents of the West Bank, to carry out attacks against Israeli citizens". Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians on the Gaza border have been mounting since late March, which marked the start of a wave of protests called the "Great March of Return". Israeli troops are searching for the assailant, who was seen making his way toward Huwara, a Palestinian village near Nablus, Haaretz reported. Israeli soldiers also shot and killed Afifi Mahmoud Afifi, 18, in eastern Gaza City, Qudra said. PLO executive Ahmad Majdalani said his organization informed the United Nations that Mladenov's actions harmed "Palestinian national security and the unity of our people". A Middle East Eye photographer in Gaza added that three Palestinian youth approached the Israeli military fence, crossed it and got into a fist-fight with Israeli snipers stationed west of the fence. In a statement, the army said troops "spotted a number of assailants who climbed the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip". Israeli soldiers on Friday opened fire at Palestinian protesters, killing five and wounding 50, according to Palestinian health officials. Israeli army spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter an "organised attack" had involved around 20 Palestinians crossing the border after an explosive device destroyed a portion of the fence. The Israeli army said five were shot dead after breaking through the border fence and attacking an army post. More than 150 Palestinians participating in or present at the marches have been killed since they began. The order was issued by Israeli minister of military affairs Avigdor Lieberman. The majority were killed during border demonstrations, though others have died in airstrikes and tank shelling. Israel accuses Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that controls Gaza, of orchestrating the protests to provide cover for attacks. He gave the order following intense clashes between Israeli soldiers and anti-occupation protesters. Mumbai, Oct 12 (PTI) Mahindra group firm Mahindra Agri Solutions Friday announced a joint venture with Japan's Sumitomo Corporation Group to expand its crop protection business and aims to reach annual sales revenue of USD 100 million in the next five years. Mahindra and Sumitomo Corporation will have 60 per cent and 40 per cent stake, respectively, in the new company named Mahindra Summit Agriscience Limited. Sumitomo Corporation Group is a global player in multiple industries including crop care, having access to the latest crop protection technologies, while Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd (MASL) is a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, part of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group. The combined strength of both the companies will leapfrog MASLs crop care business into the next orbit of growth. The partnership will offer a pipeline of specialty, new generation products with unique and latest molecules to effectively manage pest and insect related challenges faced by farmers. When contacted, MASL's MD and CEO Ashok Sharma said the company is already into crop protection business with a revenue of Rs 200 crore annually. "We are aiming to achieve an annual sales of USD 100 million (over Rs 700 crore) in the next five-six years in this joint venture (JV) firm," he told PTI. Initiated in 2005, MASL's crop Care product portfolio comprises insecticides, fungicides, herbicide, biological products and water-soluble fertilisers. The JV would sell the existing products of MASL as well as introduce the new solutions on regular basis, he said, adding that the company has tie-up with 2,000 dealers across the country. Sharma said the partnership is aimed at helping farmers to significantly reduce crop damage. Tomoaki Tetsu, GM, AgriScience Department, Sumitomo Corporation said, "We expect the new company, Mahindra Summit Agriscience Limited to leverage Mahindras deep penetration in the Indian market and also enable us to collaborate with other Mahindra Group companies." The joint venture will benefit from the expertise of both the companies - Mahindras strong rural presence and Sumitomos unique know-how and Japanese technology. Mahindra will contribute through its strong farmer connect, wide spread domestic distribution and agriculture expertise, while Sumitomo Corporation has strong ties with large Japanese crop protection innovator companies which will result in the JV having access to latest global technology for minimising crop damage and increasing the yield. Sumitomo was started in the early 17th century with initial business of copper mining. Since 1992, Sumitomo Corporation had started investing in the crop care distribution channel and currently has presence in 33 countries. PTI MJH ANS Bangkok, Oct 11 (AFP) Thailand's energy regulator said Thursday it would block PTT Group's multibillion-dollar acquisition of a company owned by French energy giant Engie on grounds that it could create a electricity monopoly in some areas.Engie signed a deal with Thai group Global Power Synergy Public Company (GPSC), part of state-owned PTT, in June to sell a 69.1 per cent stake in Glow, an independent coal-powered energy producer listed on the Thai Stock Exchange.The sale would have been worth an estimated USD 3 billion.But Narupat Amornkosit, secretary general of Thailand's Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), said in a statement that a unanimous decision was made to block the sale."After the ERC discussed, it found that the acquisition might lead to a monopoly within the electricity producing companies in some industrial areas, which would reduce competition," Narupat said.GPSC is "exploring new alternatives" following the decision, president Chawalit Tippawanich in a statement.The firm also insisted that it "strictly and completely followed legal requirements," and that GPSC would discuss the development with Engie.An ERC spokesperson told AFP the company could also appeal against the decision.The planned sale of Engie's stake in Glow was a part of the French energy giant's strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.Faced with the upheaval of the European energy sector, Engie hoped to shift to renewable energies and energy services, which would have been regulated -- therefore making it less susceptible to market shifts.The group has a sizeable presence in Southeast Asia via its stake in Glow, which operates in Thailand and Laos with 800 employees. (AFP) RUPRUP news, latest-news Espana El Vito - The Spirit of Spain. Michael Fagan and Nicholas Young. Wesley Uniting Church / Wesley Music Centre, 20-22 National Circuit, Forrest, Friday October 19, 7.30pm, (doors open at 7. events.humanitix.com.au/espana-elvito-canberra or phone Kelli on 0438 881 985 (Credit/Cheque/Direct deposit). Ten-string Spanish guitarist Matthew Fagan says he has played in 120 countries. This includes Australia, where he was once the opening music act for comedian Billy Connolly. "That was a highlight." Other career highlights include touring with Shirley Bassey and Michael Crawford. Fagan says the 10-string guitar has four extra strings than a normal guitar, giving it a large tonal range. He says it is mainly used in Spanish music - but not flamenco, which uses the traditional six-string instrument. He will be playing both instruments when he comes to Canberra with award-winning pianist Nicholas Young to perform the recital Espana El Vito - The Spirit of Spain. It draws on the repertoire from his record El Vito - which is actually a record, not a CD. "It's the first classical guitar recording on vinyl in over 20 years in Australia," Fagan says. "There's been a lot of interest in the tonal quality - it has a much warmer sound [than CD]." He and Young will play solo sets of Spanish pieces as well as items arranged for duet. "Spanish guitarists often play transcriptions of orchestral works which have been inspired by flamenco music," Fagan says. Manuel de Falla will be one of the featured composers, with the Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual Fire Dance ) from El amor brujo (Love the Magician) and Danza del molinero (Farruca) (Dance of the Miller) from El sombrero de tres picos (The three-cornered hat) as well as excerpts from the opera La Vide Breva (The Short Life). Also on the program are Isaac Albenizs Sevilla, Asturias and Tango, Gismonti's Frevo Rasgado and De Azpiazu's El Vito as well as pieces by Fagan himself including Young Fantasy on Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. "Nicholas is doing two works from the Iberia suite by Albeniz [Evocacion and Triana] and I'm performing a few traditional flamenco pieces." Fagan says, "I've been very fortunate - I've just returned from Spain." He says he spent time in Seville where "I went every day to flamenco concerts, so I've got the repertoire." Fagan also performed in Spain as well as at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and in Germany and Italy. Fagan was born in Melbourne and says he's been playing guitar for about 28 years: "I'm getting pretty long in the tooth." Fagan liked the guitar when he was a child but in his early years he preferred pop music to classical, although "I did have a fantastic classical guitar teacher." He studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and Monash University - classical guitar performance, composition and ethnomusicology and attended masterclasses in Britain and the US. He also attended a masterclass in Canberra with Timothy Kain. Among the master guitarists he has studied or performed with are John Williams, Paco Pena and Joe Pass. Fagan also has family in Canberra, giving him another reason to come besides the performance during this tour. He says, "People love the intimacy of the guitar." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/a21b26a4-9243-4a9d-9e9c-5a1ae14e76dd/r0_152_3000_1847_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news The last of Canberra's light rail stops have been erected, although the stops won't be finished until late next month. With the bones of the shelters now in place, Canberra Metro will soon begin outfitting the stops with weather shields, furniture and infrastructure for passenger information. The glass weather shields feature a design by local artist, Hannah Quinlivan, while there will also be digital information displays and hearing induction loops. A Transport Canberra spokeswoman described the stops as: "functional, modern, and considered specifically for our Canberra environment". "The light rail stops will provide comfortable, functional and attractive places for everyone using the light rail system," she said. "The roof design will provide a sense of warmth and generosity of space which responds to Canberra's seasons. "A large canopy area will provide shade during our summer months, while skylights bring in light that will be appreciated on Canberra's crisp sunny winter days, with screens providing shelter when it's wet and windy." The first stage of Canberra's light rail is on track to be finished late this year, with construction intensifying towards the city centre. Transport Canberra's latest annual report shows more than two million hours had been worked on the project by Canberra Metro, Transport Canberra and the Independent Certifier as of June this year. Work has also begun on the Northbourne verge project, which is reclaiming part of the road near the Melbourne and Sydney Buildings for public use. A lane is closed in each direction, causing bottlenecks on Northbourne Avenue. The construction work will continue until the end of the year. "Unique and superior design elements will be incorporated into the Alinga Street stop and Northbourne Plaza," the Transport Canberra spokeswoman said. "Design elements incorporated into the Alinga Street Terminus include changes to canopy design, surface finishes and stop seating. The Alinga Street Terminus and Northbourne Plaza will also feature lighting to highlight urban design features, including in-ground lighting, additional lighting for the terminus, and broader precinct generally." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/21e12fd5-5677-40b6-aff2-fb3a2bfe8def/r0_250_4793_2958_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg It's called Acute Flaccid Myelitis, or AFM, and it has left health officials puzzled. Four of the five had fever of 100.4 F or greater. In Washington, all of the patients suspected of having AFM are under age 6 and all had symptoms of a respiratory illness in the week before developing symptoms of AFM, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they have information on more than 300 cases dating back to then across the country. The CDC's website explains, "A doctor can tell the difference between AFM and other diseases with a careful examination of the nervous system, looking at the location of the weakness, muscle tone and reflexes". "We're working closely with medical providers and public-health agencies". "Of the AFM cases, 11 tested positive for enterovirus A71, one tested positive for enterovirus D68, and two tested negative for enteroviruses", the department said in an online statement Tuesday. According to the Washington State Dept. of Public Health, "Some viruses and germs have been linked to AFM, including common germs that can cause colds and sore throats, and respiratory infections". Doctors say the best way to prevent AFM is frequent handwashing and keeping children home and away from others when they are sick. AFM has been around for a while, but the CDC notes that there have been increases in the number of cases reported starting in 2014. AFM typically affects young children and creates polio-like symptoms. "This is certainly the largest outbreak of enterovirus A71 we've seen in Colorado". "That enterovirus is transmittable from person to person, but you can't actually catch AFM from somebody else". In 2016 there was a cluster of nine cases of AFM in Washington state. Olga said she is not sure if Zoe is included in the six cases under investigation. This year along, there were 38 people diagnosed with AFM across 16 states. Among the viruses that can cause AFM are West Nile virus and poliovirus. "A person's arms and legs can become weak or paralyzed depending on the area of the spinal cord that is inflamed". Practices such as regular hand-washing are recommended. All of the cases have been reported on the west side of the state with two children in King County and one child in Pierce County, Lewis County and Snohomish County. 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. NASA's Bridenstine said Hague, the USA astronaut, had told him he wanted to fly again and that NASA had huge confidence in him but that he didn't know when he might fly. The Russian Soyuz spacecraft is now the only vehicle for ferrying crews to the International Space Station following the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet. The crew landed about 20 kilometers east of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, where rescue crews were scrambled to find them. Instead NASA astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin returned to Earth in a ballistic return of their capsule from an altitude of over 30 miles. The ISS crew will do their best to perform spacewalks in the future, but "on other dates", Sergei Krikalev, senior official at Russia's national space agency Roscosmos, told reporters on Friday. It was to be the first space mission for Hague, who joined NASA's astronaut corps in 2013. NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, pledged a thorough investigation after the aborted launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket. The launch of Soyuz MS-10 rocket booster was interrupted in the second minute due to an accident in the work of the first rocket engine stage. Two astronauts managed a narrow escape when a Russian Soyuz rocket malfunctioned two minutes after liftoff Thursday on a mission to the International Space Station. He said the current space station crew can stay on board only until January - just a month beyond their scheduled December return - because their Soyuz capsule, which has been docked at the station since June, has limited battery life and is only good for about 200 days in orbit. Spacewalks take extensive, long-term planning, so the crew and their teams back on Earth will have to come up with an alternative plan. Rescuers have reached the site of the Russian "Soyuz" spacecraft's emergency landing, Interfax and TASS news agencies reported on Thursday, citing military officials. He said Russian Federation will share all relevant information with the U.S. The Soyuz MS-10 rocket had four boosters strapped to its central core. In August, the space station crew found a hole had been drilled in the Soyuz capsule that caused a brief loss of air pressure before being patched. What went wrong and what comes next remain to be determined. It also was the first such accident for Russia's manned program in over three decades. The two astronauts were to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) six hours after the launch to join an American, a Russian and a German now aboard the station. "We can both do more in space together than we can do alone", he said, adding his relationship with Russian space agency chief Rogozin was "very solid". Russian activities in Ukraine, charges of interfering in the USA presidential election of 2016 and the conflict in Syria are some of the main issues. Three people are now aboard the space station: a German, a Russian and an American. Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet assumed the role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September this year, succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who had in June this year released a first ever report on Kashmir that was rejected by India. The group cited the administration's drug war, citing more than 12,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed in anti-drug operations - a huge jump from the government data showing 4,000 have been neutralized - as well as the attacks on human rights defenders. Countries need a minimum of 97 votes - a simple majority - to get elected to the council. All five of the General Assembly's regional groups had submitted competition-free slates, meaning that all candidates, regardless of their rights records, were virtually assured seats on the council. Human Rights Watch's (HRW) UN director Louis Charbonneau called the election "a mockery" in a post on Twitter. "Electing a regime like Eritrea as a United Nations judge on human rights would be like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief", he said. The UN General Assembly in NY approved the new members in a vote on Friday. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations member states from five regions, which are elected by the UNGA. The council's controversial Agenda Item 7, a permanent fixture on the schedule, is exclusively devoted to discussing alleged Israeli rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Haley urged the body to reform in a speech in Geneva in 2017 focusing on its anti-Israel bias and also its membership - which she said led to human rights abusers being protected on the council. Item 7 on "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories" has been part of the council's regular business 2007, nearly as long as it has existed. The UN General Assembly is set to vote on October 12 to fill one-third of the seats on the 47-member council for the 2019 to 2021 term. Current members include several countries with questionable human rights records, including, Iraq, Cuba, China, Qatar, Angola, Burundi, Pakistan, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Ahead of the vote, Human Rights Watch said the election risks undermining the council's effectiveness and credibility. Thanks to the support of all our friends @UN, India wins seat to Human Rights Council with highest votes among all candidates. A report to the Human Rights Council a year ago by a United Nations special rapporteur condemned Eritrea for its "indefinite length of conscription" and said that the government had "an ongoing unwillingness to meet its obligations and commitments under regional and worldwide human rights instruments". "Non-democracies could no longer hold up their UNHRC election as a shield of worldwide legitimacy to cover up the abuses of their regime". Monoclonal antibody treatment now available for severe COVID cases Monoclonal antibody treatment is now available for patients at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 in Pueblo and other cities. Speaking on the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Minister said, "Our stand is not waiting for any report, all the scientific publications and United Nations reports keep coming but we work because of our commitment to the cause, we do respect the report but not waiting for them to take action". However, they provide little hope humanity will rise to the challenge. As with previous governments, Morrison's claims renewable energy can't replace baseload coal power. Global temperatures are now predicted to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030-2052, he warned. Despite the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change which has been ratified by most nations - though the USA has withdrawn - some people remain sceptical about the scientific evidence on which the judgments about climate change are based. In a new report, the IPCC said the world's temperatures will likely reach 1.5C between 2030 and 2052 at the current rate of warming. He stressed that while time is short, there is still a chance of keeping to 1.5 degrees of warming. As higher temperatures lead to sea level rise and more extreme rainfall, more and more people around the globe are experiencing catastrophic floods. Countries should now strive to keep the Earth's temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) instead of the 2C target agreed to at the Paris Agreement talks in 2015, urges the United Nations. The report was reviewed by competent parties in the Republic of Korea on October 8, he said. She emphasized that the high-level dialogue is a unique and strategic opportunity to discuss opportunities to increase ambition and expedite transformation to achieve the Paris Agreement objective and Vietnam's climate change targets, in order to keep the impacts of climate change within manageable levels. Since the mid-1800s the climate has already warmed by 1C. With that in mind, the report calls for huge changes in land, energy, industry, buildings, and transportation-use and across cities everywhere. But the report warns that "the effectiveness of such techniques are unproven at large scale and some may carry significant risks for sustainable development". According to the Califonia Coastal Commission in a report released prior to the IPCC announcement, the area around the Venice Canals may see flooding within the next 25 to 50 years. The dialogue will be a part of the next UNFCCC conference of States parties, known by the shorthand COP 24, which will meet in Katowice, Poland, this December. He reiterated his strong commitment to the ASEAN-UN Action Plan on Environment and Climate Change; a roadmap containing several measures to improve collaboration between the two organizations, and work towards implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, described by the UN as a "blueprint to transform the world". In 2020, we were the church on our heels. A global pandemic shut down much of our world. But the church has been on the move since it was birthed; it will continue to be on the move until God makes all things new. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We are witnessing an epidemic of deep bitterness and resentment that most of us have never seen in American society. It seems that everyone resents everyone else: races, genders, classes, political parties, age groups, and religions all have reached a level of anger and hostility toward one another that has boiled over into a rage that is out of control. A more recent example is the "#KillKavanaugh" hashtag that was trending on Twitter. It could be interpreted in one of two ways: one, to convey only the sense of defeating the nomination (similar to "killing" some legislation). The other is that it intended to mean a threatening action toward Judge Kavanaugh and his family. In this age of mob action, unrestrained violence, and an absolute intolerance toward anyone who dares to disagree with someone else, such a hashtag easily spills over into an encouragement to take someone's life. We've already witnessed this craziness ad nauseam, from both sides of the political aisle. There is no good excuse for anything like this on either side. But #KillKavanaugh is part of a bigger issue, the politics of resentment that has swept our nation. Resentment and hatred have reached a fever pitch. Today, we don't merely disagree; we actively hate and try to destroy the lives of those whose opinions run contrary to ours. Respectful discussion or open-minded debate are gone. Instead, yelling and screaming drown out any respectful discourse, and there's a haste to picket, pillage, assassinate reputations, and even literally kill anyone who gets in our way. It's very easy to start a fire, but very difficult to put it out. Resentment is like a forest fire, or even a highly contagious disease. How do you stop a wildfire or an epidemic? Unless it's deliberately doused or vigorously treated, it just keeps on going. Often, it simply has to burn itself out or run its deadly course, but enormous damage has been done when it's over. And the casualties are counted on both sides of the devastation. Actress and novelist Carrie Fisher wrote, "Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." I think that the current epidemic in America will take a supernatural intervention to quell it before it consumes everyone in its path. Our natural human bent toward the bad ("original sin") takes a spiritual force to counter it, and that force is what Christian theology calls the "Restrainer" (2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7), the Spirit of God who has always been at work to prevent the world from becoming as bad as it could be, or wanted to be. The Christian church has a role to play in this sad drama. Christians can renounce their complicity in all this. They can gather to pray fervently for God to interrupt this evil movement created for political power, and to restore the sanity that, by all appearances, has been lost on all sides. Until we are sick enough of the carnage, and ready for repentance and reconciliation, things will become much worse before they get better. And if they do continue on this steep downward slope, what will our nation look like when it's all over? It's time to set aside the bitterness and hatred and seek God's power, forgiveness, and help to rebuild our nation for our children and the following generations. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment "Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting people," warns Hebrews 12:15. (NLT) The current political tone and the debate over "civility" demonstrate that the "root" is growing rapidly in America, and is being nurtured by many important voices who douse the socio-cultural-political landscape with vitriol. Sadly, what they spew is a reverse weed-killer: rather than eradicating the bad stuff that defiles democracy, the rhetorical bile kills the fruit that would nourish the nation. I lived and worked in Watergate Washington, in the very bullseye of the hostilities of that agethe Nixon White House. As they say, "you had to have been there" to know just how intensely Nixon was hated. Nothing we experienced in those days comes close to the bitterness and hatred that characterizes contemporary political maliciousness. Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was not closed to traffic, nor were the barricades extended into the streets as they are now. Even the most recognizable of Nixon's staff could dine in a restaurant without being surrounded by an angry mob, and could even saunter openly on their way across Lafayette Square. Now, Senator Rand Paul is concerned that if the present trend intensifies there will be assassinations in Washington. His wife reports that she sleeps with a loaded gun nearby. Already we have seen an attempted mass killing of legislators on a ball field. How long before someone takes literally Maxine Waters' call to "push back" on members of the Trump team, to have "no sympathy" for them because "they're not welcome anymore, anywhere"? No wonder the Pauls and others are concerned. What we are observing is the re-emergence of the bitter-root style that in the nineteenth century was deadly. The fury between federalists and anti-federalists was so harsh in 1804 that the vice president of the United States, Aaron Burr, dueled and killed the creator of the nation's fiscal policy and financial institutions, Alexander Hamilton. Before we get to that point we need to heed the deep truth of Hebrews 12:14-15. A new car owner gets an operator's manual with his or her vehicle. Ignore its instructions, and there will be a breakdown. The Bible is the "operator's manual" for an orderly civilization. Hebrews 12:14 says "pursue peace" with everyone. "Peace," in the Greek New Testament, refers to an absence of strife. Healthy democracies must be able to handle competing opinions in a way that does not destroy society. The quest for agreement is likely to fail, but the pursuit of peace must never stop. The passage also encourages the seeking of "sanctification." This Greek word refers to a "setting apart" of something for God's use and glory. Can this work in the political sphere? It can, and I have observed it. During the bitterly divisive Nixon years I saw Democrats and Republicans who took the Bible seriously, who prayed together try to bring godliness into their debates. They were passionate for their causes, but not destructive of one another or the nation they served. Being godly people was their highest value. The "bitterness" the Scripture warns against includes malevolence (wishing evil and suffering for one's opponent), as well as rancor and irreconcilable hostility. The "trouble" it brings is tumult that affects everyone within the range of such bitterness. America is suffering because proper political debate, based not only on policy convictions, but also on biblically revealed spiritual principles, has been entwined and choked by the root of bitterness. Many are being "defiled" along with institutions of government. Donald Trump's mocking tweets, Hillary Clinton's unwillingness to practice "civility" until her Party has won, Maxine Waters' injudicious pronouncements, the raucous "defiling" of the Supreme Court confirmation process all are part of the "bitter root" crisis in contemporary American politicswith much more. The supplanting of legitimate protest by mob assaults brings on the chaos seen so graphically in the eighteenth century French Revolution. Will we soon be erecting guillotines in the public square? As the crazed French revolutionaries demonstrated those who build such devices better be on the watch lest they become the victims of the terrible machines they construct. Mobs have been known to turn on their own instigators. In the midst of this madness a voice has given a refreshing word, one that all parties should heed. In a 2016 speech at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama said: "When they go low, we go high." Recently, however, former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder expressed disagreement with that strategy. "When they go low, we kick them," he said. An interviewer asked Mrs. Obama if she still held to her 2016 opinion. The former First Lady would not back down. The reason was that she was not responding as a political person often scorned by her husband's opponents, but as a mother concerned about the effects on her children. "Fear is not a proper motivator," she said. "Hope wins out, and if you think about how you want your kids to be raised, how you want them to think about life and their opportunities, do you want them afraid of their neighbors? Do you want them angry? Do you want them vengeful? Which motto do you want them to live by? And I have to think about this as a mother." Thank God for Michelle Obama's insight and resolute stand for healthy political discourse. She has raised the concern that so many have forgotten: the way the root of bitterness defiles everyone touched by it. And right now, that's the American people. "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God," says Hebrews 12:15. People who recognize that they have received much grace give much grace. Grace is the "herbicide" that shrivels up the root of bitterness. May grace abound on the landscape of contemporary American politics. Wallace Henley, senior associate pastor at Houston's Second Baptist Church, is a former White House and congressional aide. He is the founder of Belhaven University's Master of Ministry Leadership degree, and co-author of God and Churchill, with Sir Winston Churchill's great-grandson, Jonathan Sandys. Freed pastor Andrew Brunson flies back to the US A U.S. pastor was flown out of Turkey on Friday after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve U.S.-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment. Pastor Andrew Brunson was expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington at around noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Saturday after a stop in Germany for a medical check-up. Brunson was jailed two years ago and had been under house arrest since July. He was accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey's government for a coup attempt in 2016. The Turkish court sentenced Brunson to three years and 1-1/2 months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time and freed him. Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, denied the accusations and Washington had demanded his immediate release. U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell greeted Brunson and his wife during a refueling stop in Germany, the envoy said on social network Twitter. "He's almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump," Grenell wrote. "When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it." President Donald Trump said Brunson would probably visit the White House Oval Office on Saturday. Asked if U.S. sanctions imposed on Turkey to try to win Brunson's release might be lifted, Trump said no agreement was made for the pastor's freedom. "There was no deal made at all. There was no deal. But we're very happy to have him and have him in good shape." Trump told reporters in Cincinnati. The diplomatic fight over Brunson had accelerated a recent sell-off in Turkey's currency, worsening its financial crisis. 'GREAT CHRISTIAN' Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, Brunson wept as the court decision was announced, witnesses said. Before the judge's ruling, he had told the court: "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey." Witnesses told the court in the western town of Aliaga that testimony against the pastor attributed to them was inaccurate. Brunson's mother told Reuters she and his father were elated at the news. "We are overjoyed that God has answered the prayers of so many people around the world," she said by telephone from her home in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Trump has used the Brunson case to try to score points with evangelical Christians, a large part of his political base, ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections, which will determine whether Republicans keep control of Congress. He has called Brunson, a native of North Carolina, a "great Christian", and Vice President Mike Pence, the White House's top emissary to evangelicals, had urged Americans to pray for Brunson. "We thank God for answered prayers and commend the efforts of @SecPompeo & @StateDept in supporting Pastor Brunson and his family during this difficult time," Pence said on Twitter. "@SecondLady and I look forward to welcoming Pastor Brunson and his courageous wife Norine back to the USA!" U.S. broadcaster NBC said on Thursday that Washington had done a secret deal with Ankara to secure Brunson's release. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, told Reuters that active engagement by Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contributed to Brunson's release. "A lot of factors played into this," Tillis said, adding the United States was trying to "get back to a point of a positive relationship" with Turkey. NATO ALLIES Relations between the two NATO allies have been under serious strain over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, Turkey's plans to buy a Russian missile defense system, and the U.S. jailing of an executive at a Turkish state bank in an Iran sanctions-busting case. The release of Brunson could help ease tensions, but political analysts say many unresolved problems remain. "This is a necessary but far from sufficient step to reverse what has been a deepening rift between the United States and Turkey, two NATO allies," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Attention may now turn to the fate of a Turkish-U.S. national and former NASA scientist in jail in Turkey on terrorism charges, as well as three local employees of the U.S. consulate who have also been detained. Washington wants all of them released. "We hope that the Turkish government will quickly release our other detained U.S. citizens and @StateDept locally employed staff," Pompeo said on Twitter. Ankara has demanded that the United States extradite Gulen to Turkey. The cleric, who was lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, denies any role in the attempted coup. School bans songs mentioning Jesus from annual Christmas concert A middle school in Virginia has banned songs mentioning "Jesus" from its annual Christmas concert as part of an effort to be "more sensitive" toward the increasingly "diverse population" of its student body. "We had a few students who weren't comfortable singing a piece I have done many times in the past, but it is of a sacred nature and does mention Jesus," the choir teacher at Robious Middle School in Chesterfield said in an email to a parent who was concerned about the changes to the winter concert program, NBC News affiliate WWBT has reported. Parent David Allen said the public school's efforts to encourage diversity while at the same time being exclusionary doesn't seem rational. "It just seems like ... everywhere you look everyone's afraid of stepping on someone's toes or everything is being so sensitive," Allen told NBC News affiliate WWBT. "They were unable to [sing this song] because the word Jesus was in there and apparently someone assumed it was of a sacred nature." News of the censorship of Jesus songs at Robious Middle School has garnered attention at multiple conservative websites. Public schools in the United States have often seen their share of controversy over the extent to which they can reference Christmas in general and the Gospel story of Jesus' birth in particular. For example, in December 2016, a judge in Texas ordered a school district to restore "A Charlie Brown Christmas" display after it had been taken down by administrators because it featured a Bible verse. Bell County State District Judge Jack Jones had issued a temporary injunction against the Killeen Independent School District from enforcing its decision to prohibit the Christmas decoration. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office backed the display, released a statement at the time expressing support for the injunction. "I am glad to see that the court broke through the Left's rhetorical fog and recognized that a commitment to diversity means protecting everyone's individual religious expression," Paxton said at the time. Courtesy of The Christian Post Two large office leases announced this week for buildings in the Energy Corridor could signal a turning point for the glutted west Houston office market. BP Lower 48, one of the nation's largest producers of natural gas, has leased 91,000 square feet in West Memorial Place II for the relocation of its Houston office, property owner Skanska announced Friday. And offshore drilling contractor Transocean has signed a lease to occupy all of Enclave Place, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. Transocean could not be reached Friday. When Enclave Place broke ground in early 2014, it was one of more than a dozen office buildings under construction in west Houston's Energy Corridor. A few months later, the price of oil began to freefall, and demand for office space quickly followed suit. The 11-story, 300,000-square-foot building had sat vacant ever since. David Hightower, president and chairman of the Energy Corridor District, said recent office transactions underscore there areas long-term health. It sends a signal that the Energy Corridor is still considered a prominent and important location for energy companies, said Hightower, who is also an executive vice president of Houston-based Midway Cos. Office vacancy in the in the western stretch of the Energy Corridor along the Katy Freeway outside Beltway 8, fell to 33.6 percent in the third quarter, from 37.4 percent in the previous quarter, data from commercial real estate firm JLL show. The BP division, which recently relocated its headquarters from Houston to Denver, will move into its new office later this year. The company will occupy three floors that were formerly leased by IHI E&C, according to Skanska, which developed and owns the two-building West Memorial Place campus. The lease, which represents nearly 25 percent of the building at 15375 Memorial, includes 5,500 square feet on the ground floor, which will be developed with amenities including patio seating overlooking Terry Hershey Park. We are excited about our new office space in West Memorial Place and look forward to moving in later this year, Danny Falligant, director of Land & Real Estate for BP Lower 48, said in an announcement. The building's location and amenities are terrific, and the modern, contemporary features fit well with the culture of our company. West Memorial Place is south of Memorial Drive near BP's Westlake campus. BP Lower 48 will relocate from nearby Three Eldridge Place. BP Lower 48, carved out as a separate business to manage BP's U.S. onshore oil and gas assets in 2015, operates in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The company was represented by Anya Marmuscak and Louis Rosenthal of JLL in the lease. Georgia-based Piedmont Office Realty Trust, owner Enclave Place, announced this week that it had a tenant for its building at 1414 Enclave Parkway, and that the lease would commence in July. David Bale and Louie Crapitto of JLL represented the tenant, and Damon Thames and Connor Saxe of Colvill Office Properties and Piedmont's Damian Miller, represented the landlord. Over the summer, Piedmont CEO Don Miller said the company had started seeing increased interest in the building from large prospective tenants. "With oil prices going up, we're seeing a lot more big tenant activity out in west Houston," Miller said during a second-quarter conference call with investors. "We've got a shot at getting some things done now for the first time in a while. And so we're excited about that." The company had also just finalized a lease renewal and expansion with Schlumberger Technology Corp. for 226,000 square feet at the nearby 1430 Enclave Parkway. Transocean leases 255,413 square feet in 4 Greenway Plaza. The company has occupied the building since 2001. nancy.sarnoff@chron.com twitter.com/nsarnoff katherine.feser@chron.com Dayva Michael Cross, for stabbing his wife and two teenage stepdaughters to death on March 6, 1999, in King County. 66, convicted in September 2002 of killing Melinda Mercer and Connie LaFontaine Ellis as part of a series of murders across Washington. Clark Richard Elmore, for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's teenage daughter on April 17, 1995, in Whatcom County. It explains why the 8 men have been sitting on death row combined for more than 100 years. "The death penalty is becoming increasingly geographically isolated", said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Washington, D.C. -based Death Penalty Information Center. Convicted February 6, 1998 of one count of aggravated first degree murder for the suffocation/asphyxiation murder of Yoshiko Couch, 65, with a poisonous substance after burglarizing her home, robbing and then raping her January 25, 1997 in Pierce County. A panel of judges on Thursday unanimously struck down the death penalty in Washington state, ruling that it violates the state constitution. The ruling Thursday makes Washington the latest state to do away with capital punishment. "The use of the death penalty is unequally applied-sometimes by where the crime took place, or the county of residence, or the available budgetary resources at any given point in time, or the race of the defendant", the court said. She added: "Our capital punishment law lacks 'fundamental fairness'". Washington, which has executed five inmates since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, placed a moratorium on executions in 2014. In the wake of the decision, Inslee released a statement calling the ruling "a hugely important moment in our pursuit for equal and fair application of justice". "We are confident that the association between race and the death penalty is not attributed to random chance", the state's supreme court justices wrote in a majority opinion. They also said that even though the purposes of the death penalty are "retribution and deterrence of capital crimes by prospective offenders", capital punishment fails to serve these goals as it is now applied in the state. The court did not rule out the possibility that the Legislature could come up with another manner of imposing death sentences, but said the state's longstanding practice was invalid. "The Supreme Court properly ruled the Washington Constitution does not tolerate such an unfair system". Convicted May 9, 2013 of aggravated first-degree murder for the murder of Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl on January 29, 2011 while she was on duty at the Washington State Reformatory Unit of the Monroe Correctional Complex in Snohomish County. But he received the death penalty for murdering another Tacoma woman, 65-year-old Yushiko Couch. The alternative, trying to revise the state's death penalty to make it constitutional, is unfeasible, and Inslee said he'd veto it anyway. The key evidence for that fact was an exhaustive study by statisticians at the University of Washington of how the death penalty actually works in that state -- when prosecutors seek it, when juries impose it, who eventually gets the needle. Reuven Carlyle, who had been a sponsor of those previous attempts, said in a text message. The YMCA of Greater Houston has tapped Stephen Ives as its new chief executive following a nationwide search. Ives, who previously led the YMCA of Central Ohio out of Columbus, was picked to lead one of the four biggest YMCA systems in the country. ON FOX ISLAND, Alaska - A torrential downpour lulled me to sleep the night before my all-day kayaking expedition in the waters around Fox Island off Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Through the cracked windows of my log cabin, I watched the waves slap the slate beach as rain pounded the roof. When I awoke, the storm had stopped. In its place, low fog clung moodily to the peaks on surrounding islands. All around, I saw different shades of green and gray, and though the forecast was dubious, I still packed my sunglasses. After all, it was August and I am an optimist, and spending a day kayaking under crystal clear Alaskan skies had been a lifelong dream. I had come to southwestern Alaska with three friends to cap off the summer with an ocean adventure. We signed up for a multiday tour with Pursuit, an adventure travel company, and arrived in Anchorage along with the storm clouds. At first (and naively), I was surprised. Despite Alaska's location in the verdant Pacific Northwest and the state's massive temperate rain forest, I somehow expected clear visibility and smooth sailing. I blame picture-perfect marketing materials and my glass-half-full attitude. Nevertheless, I learned an important lesson: When headed to Alaska, especially the coast, pack a durable raincoat, no matter what time of year you're going. As it turned out, the rain didn't limit our experience. From Anchorage we boarded the Alaska Railroad to Seward, a 41/2-hour, 114-mile journey on the Coastal Classic. Our seats on the double-decker GoldStar Dome car included a full-service breakfast. It was the first time I'd ever enjoyed caribou sausage while traveling through old growth forests and past glaciers, and I hope it's not the last. In Seward, we spent a night at the Windsong Lodge before boarding a boat for the 12-mile ride across Resurrection Bay to Fox Island, a mountainous island named after the type of farming practiced there around the turn of the 20th century, when farmers bred foxes for their furs. The fox farmers let the canines run free during the day and corralled them at night. I had first learned of Fox Island when I came across "Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska" by Rockwell Kent, an American artist who retreated to the island in 1918 with his 9-year-old son. The book chronicles how artistic success had eluded Kent, who hoped to find inspiration through surviving an Alaskan island winter. The respite, though challenging - Kent and his son weatherproofed a goat shack and learned to forage - proved fruitful; upon return to New York, Kent's career took off and he became known as a premier American graphic artist, printmaker and illustrator. Today's Fox Island is more hospitable. Staff met us at the boat dock with umbrellas and shepherded us to the main lodge for a hearty lunch of stew and fresh bread. Afterward, my friends and I hiked through the thick, wet forest. A single hiking path leads to one of the island's high points, and after a slippery few hours, we emerged breathless and soaked onto a ridge that, I suspect, affords stunning views when the air is not thick with rain clouds. Fortunately, we each had a cozy waterfront cabin (the wilderness lodge has eight overnight accommodations) with piping hot water for warming up. Then we convened before the wood-burning stove in the intimate guesthouse and savored a glass of wine while scanning for sea otters through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In case it isn't obvious: The Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge is a refuge where the pace is deliciously slow. There is no WiFi or phone service available to guests on the island, although there is a phone in case of emergencies. All the overnight guests dine together on meals prepared by head chef Landon Schoenefeld, a former star restaurateur in the Twin Cities culinary scene who walked away from his hard-charging life after publicly acknowledging depression and unhealthy habits. Minnesota's loss is Alaska's gain. After our first evening meal of fresh salmon, pureed turnips and a savory creative twist on fiddleheads and roasted asparagus, the simple elegance of the lodge truly made itself evident. The next morning, it was time to kayak. As the clouds threatened to open up once more, I asked our guide, Danny, my first question of the day: What would we do in case of rain? He laughed. As it turns out, Alaskans don't take rain days because if they did, they would spend a lot of time waiting out storms. Anyhow, he said, it's preferable to kayak when it's overcast or raining. Blue skies tend to bring high winds, a potentially problematic complication when you are your boat's motor. And paddle we did, across Resurrection Bay and toward an inlet called Humpy Cove. Danny promised us our destination would be scenic. The journey certainly was. The four of us followed our guide past puffins and seals, bald eagles and rocky beaches, all made more dramatic by the ever-changing sky. Up the cove we went, with spruce-lined slopes dropping into aquamarine water. We reached a narrow beach that sidled up to a weeping wall covered in vegetation. He pulled our kayaks ashore and we excavated ourselves from the plastic hulls to admire the scenery. But there was more. Around the corner of that wet wall, we encountered a massive waterfall. At least we "outsiders" found it so. To Alaskans, this powerful cascade didn't even warrant a name. Nameless or not, it was significant to the dozens of enormous salmon that were struggling upstream to spawn. On the banks of the cove, river otters piled on top of one another, quick, curious and cute. Then, as if to reward us, the clouds parted and a glimmer of sunlight slipped through. I wore my sunglasses on the paddle back to the lodge. The weather held, and the following day dawned cloudless for our boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. Nothing could have prepared me for the sensory stimulation of this six-hour adventure. Almost 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into the Kenai Fjord, and the best way to see them is from the sea. Humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, seals, otters, puffins, and more thrive here, and as we navigated the ocean from Fox Island to Aialik Bay, the wildlife viewings were abundant. I sat on the boat's bow along with several other hearty travelers, the bracing wind at our faces, and the crisp air keeping seasickness at bay. As we approached the Aialik Glacier, the captain slowed the boat to a crawl. Chunks of ice scattered throughout the sea, and we heard thunderous cracks as parts of the glacier broke off and dropped into the water, a natural process called calving. Established in 1980, Kenai Fjords National Park covers an area of nearly 1,050 square miles and is a stunning combination of jagged peaks, dense forests and receding and melting glaciers. Scientific studies have documented the impact of climate change on the park's glaciers. The melting rate of the state's glaciers has increased in recent decades, contributing to a rise in sea level. According to the National Park Service, from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, the rate of glacial thinning in Alaska tripled compared with the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. The boat's captain shared his encyclopedic knowledge of glaciology, climate change, wildlife and more, but so all-encompassing was the experience of witnessing the gigantic glacier up close and absorbing so much information that I left determined to do more research on my own. In my experience, this is typical of a trip to Alaska, a land so remote and wild, so different from most people's everyday lives, that you leave inspired by what you've experienced - and by what you want to learn more about. That's what happened to Rockwell Kent. Unlike him, I didn't spend seven harsh months in this remote and beautiful area. My duration lasted only five days, but his experience more than resonated, particularly with this passage from "Wilderness." "America offers nothing to the tourist but the wonders of its natural scenery. . . . The night is beautiful beyond thought. All the bay is flooded with moonlight and in that pale glow the snowy mountains appear whiter than snow itself. . . . Fox island will soon become in our memories like a dream or vision, a remote experience too wonderful . . . to be remembered or believed in as a real experience in life. It was for us life as it should be, serene and wholesome." Agreed. - - - If you go Where to stay Seward Windsong Lodge 31772 Herman Leirer Rd., Seward, Alaska 800-808-8068 alaskacollection.com Located between the town of Seward and Exit Glacier, the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park that is accessible by road. Rates start at $175 per night. - - - What to do Pursuit Fox Island Escape Fourth Ave., Seward, Alaska 800-808-8068 pursuitcollection.com Pursuit, a Denver-based adventure travel company, owns and operates the Fox Island Wilderness Lodge, and this package includes two nights at Fox Island (meals are included), kayaking and a boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park. Prices start at $1,386 per person. - - - Alaska Railroad 3900 Arctic Blvd., Suite 304, Anchorage 800-266-8625 alaskatrain.com The "Coastal Classic" route travels from Anchorage south to Seward, past Turnagain Arm and through the Chugach Mountains on the way to the Kenai Peninsula. Rates start at $98 for the adventure car and $194 for GoldStar Dome, which includes a meal and seating in the glass-domed, double-decker car. - - - Sunny Cove Kayaking 1304B Fourth Ave., Seward, Alaska 907-224-4426 sunnycove.com This kayaking tour company guides half-day, full-day and multiday tours around the Resurrection Bay, including on Fox Island. Rates start at $75 and vary depending on duration and destination. Information travelalaska.com Kenai Fjords National Park: nps.gov/kefj - - - Walker is a writer based in Boulder, Colorado. GREENWICH Mike Bocchino became a legislator because of an adage he learned from his father. He would always tell me, If you want something done, go do it, Bocchino said. Because nobody else is gonna do it. If you want it done a certain way, you gotta go do it yourself. The Republican state representative for the 150th District is approachable, outgoing and adept at communicating the complexities of policies to his constituents in terms they can understand. As a ranking committee member nearing the end of his second term, Bocchino is confident in his ability as a legislator. He is running for a third term because he believes he and oth er Republicans possess the solutions to the states financial problems. We Republicans have the answers and the plans at least we believe we do, said Bocchino. But because were not majority (in the Legislature), were not heard. When hes not in Hartford or out on the campaign trail, Bocchino works as a substitute teacher for Greenwich Public Schools. It was a great way for me to give back to the community, talk with the teachers. But it also affords me the flexibility (in my schedule), he said. Im able to hear a lot about issues you would never normally come across. On a recent trip to a Head Start classroom to read aloud to students at Armstrong Court, Bocchino asked an administrator whether not having a substitute pool hindered teachers from taking necessary sick days or seeking professional development opportunities. The administrator said it was a problem and agreed to talk with Bocchino about possible solutions. A natural with students, Bocchino said his standing as an elected official rarely comes up in the classroom with some exceptions. The other day I was substituting an Old Greenwich school and ... one of the kids says, Can I ask you a question? Youre our state representative arent you? said Bocchino. All of a sudden, the kids put their things away and just started asking questions. It was great. Bocchino grew up in Greenwich as one of seven children in an Irish-Italian family. I dont come from wealth, he said. My grandfather was a shoemaker and Im proud of it. And here I am, representing my community as a legislator. To me, that is a pretty impressive and I wish (my grandfather) was around to see it. The representative prides himself on being a product of Greenwich Public Schools and a graduate of Greenwich High School. At Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, he earned a degree in business administration. Bocchino partnered in a family-owned rental business in Stamford shortly after graduation, and eventually became a safety consultant, working on high-rises in New York. Later, he went into real estate as an operations manager for Nutmeg Settlement in Greenwich. Married to wife, Shannon, the father of two served as president of the Parent Teacher Association at New Lebanon School for three years and was president of the Byram Neighborhood Association. One of the accomplishments hes most proud of as a legislator is helping to secure state reimbursement for construction of the new New Lebanon School. Its about time all those kids get a better educational experience in an environment Greenwich can be proud of, said Bocchino. Bocchino said he recognizes the unique diversity of his constituency in the shoreline House district and chose to be on the Housing Committee to represent the public housing residents in his district. I believe I do a good job for the people in the Town of Greenwich for all of the residents of the 150th District, not just one group, he said. Priorities ahead, he said, would include working in the Legislature to bring jobs and economic growth to the state, reduce corporate income taxes, utilize the workforce created by the states higher education institutions and bring new industries to Connecticut. This is a beautiful state, Bocchino said. Why would you want to leave? Thats what weve got to change. You should want to stay and everyone should want to come here. A Houston man was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday for directing armed heists of cell phone stores, according to a press release from the Harris District Attorney's office. After a two-week trial, 27-year-old Quinton Lesaun Malbrough was convicted of directing a criminal street gang's activities. GREENWICH Stephen Meskers thinks like an economist. Hes practical, matter-of-fact and eager to delve into detailed conversations about how to foster economic growth in Connecticut. And he doesnt shy away from a good dad joke. The Democratic candidate for state representative in the 150th District spent 35 years working for international banks in emerging markets. He traveled the world and saw in real-time how policies impact economies. Now that hes retired from banking, Meskers wants to use his experience in the private sector to fix Connecticuts lagging economy. That is so important to me, the Old Greenwich resident said. The other basic reason Im running is to uphold the social values that are important to me. Those social values are under threat from Washington, and I dont want that agenda in my state. And Im not willing to accept it without putting up a fight. Meskers tapped into the frustrations of Democratic voters as he canvassed a Greenwich apartment community during the testimony of now-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last month. Im running because Im so upset with everything thats happening in Washington, he said as an introduction to one voter, adding, I want to fix the economy, but not on the backs of voters. The candidate doesnt offer much specific criticism of his opponent, Republican incumbent Mike Bocchino. Meskers instead focuses his message on the benefit of bringing new ideas to the table in Hartford. Where I differ is, I have a strong economic background, he said. I can think outside the box. Meskers wants to bring more industry to Connecticut by exploring partnerships between higher education institutions and companies to create a fertile startup environment. He believes in a comprehensive lower flat tax policy with incremental tax holidays to attract companies to move to the state. That impact can be felt locally, he said. The biggest problem Greenwich faces is that the states economic health is paramount to the success of the town, Meskers said. Because if the state fails, they start increasing taxes on Fairfield County, he said. Meskers was born in the Bronx, N.Y., in an Irish-Italian family. At 7, he moved to Mamaroneck, N.Y., where he attended Catholic grammar school and graduated from Rye Neck High School. The candidate waited tables to pay tuition at Fordham University and graduated in 1980. He went on to earn an MBA in finance at Pace University. Meskers career in finance brought him to banking giants Irving Trust, Chemical Bank, JP Morgan Chase and Barings Brothers. He was assigned to work in Latin America because he spoke fluent Spanish. It was through work that he met his Colombian wife, Monica. The two moved to Old Greenwich from Brooklyn Heights with two small children in 1997. My wife wanted an international community, he said, explaining why they chose to settle in town. Being part of a family of immigrants has given Meskers a different perspective, he said, and would help him connect with Greenwichs diverse population as a representative. Theres a sizable population (of immigrants) in our community who need to be brought into the economy, he said. These are citizens who are from all parts of the world, all registered voters, all looking to make sure they are being represented. And thats what I want to do. I want to represent them. Meskers three children all went through the Greenwich Public School system. The candidate got to know many people in his neighborhood as a father. That familiarity with the community eventually led a friend to suggest Meskers fill in as an interim member of the Representative Town Meeting for District 6. He was voted into the position in the next election and has kept the seat for 14 years, currently serving as vice chair of the Education Committee. Retiring from banking a year ago, Meskers said hes ready to focus on civic life and give back to his state by representing the towns shoreline area in the state House. Ive had a life thats provided me with opportunity, he said. The opportunities showed themselves and Ive been successful in my life. But Im aware that those opportunities were on the back of a growing economy in a different time in the United States. Meskers is driven by the belief that government needs a healthy revenue stream to support services that level the playing field for all citizens. I deeply care about economic development for social justice and equality, he said. I deeply care that rights across the spectrum for all human beings should be upheld. DANBURY One body was recovered after a plane that made a stop at Danbury Municipal Airport crashed Saturday off the Long Island coast, and the search for two other passengers was expected to continue overnight, officials said. Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said at about 8 p.m. Saturday. The Coast Guard is maintaining a vessel at the scene. The plane left Waterbury-Oxford Airport on Saturday morning and made a stop at Danbury Municipal Airport, Connecticut Airport Authority spokeswoman Alisa D. Sisic said. At about 11:10 a.m., personnel at the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound were told by Southampton, N.Y., police that a twin-engine Piper PA-34 had crashed into the water. The plane went down about 3 miles southeast of Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., the Federal Aviation Administration said. The aircraft was headed for Charleston Executive Airport in South Carolina. A Coast Guard boat crew was dispatched to the area of the crash and found a field of debris and an oil sheen on the water. One dead body was recovered pulled from the water about a mile south of Quogue, N.Y., on Saturday afternoon, Strohmaier said. The body was taken to the medical examiner in Suffolk County, he said. The identities of the planes occupants were not released Saturday. We were notified that there were three people on board, so we continue to search, Strohmaier said. Coast Guard personnel, Suffolk County Marine and multiple air crews from the New York Air National Guard who were relieved by an air crew from Air Station Cape Cod searched throughout the day Saturday. Theyre going to keep searching overnight and hopefully be able to locate the two individuals, Strohmaier said. It was unclear whether officials believed the two other passengers might be found alive. The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause for the accident, the FAA said. An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder in the shooting of a woman Friday in south Houston. Fredrick Lavelle Turner is charged in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old woman in the 5800 block of Southtown. He is being held in the Harris County jail on a $75,000 bond. Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a system of healthcare clinics in the Greater Houston, recently broke ground on a new facility in Cy-Fair meant to replace their current Cy-Fair location. A press release states that the new clinic, located at 13105 Wortham Center Drive, Houston, will be a 72,000-square-foot, $28 million clinic with room for 35 physicians. The old clinic, located at 13114 FM 1960 #200, Houston, will close once the new location opens, according to officials with Kelsey Seybold. Cecilia Fowler, director of ambulatory care for Kelsey-Seybold, said the center is an expansion of the previous clinic. The new four-story building will be used for a variety of specialized care, including family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, podiatry and more. The clinic will also have a pharmacy on-site, lab services, 3D mammography and other forms of medical and diagnostic testing. Where individuals and families work and live, there will always be a need for medical services, she said. Our new, stand-alone clinic will offer residents in the area expanded services, including more specialties and additional diagnostic capabilities. John Lyle, vice president of operations for Kelsey-Seybold, said the clinics construction is expected to be complete in Nov. 2019. The clinic is project to open in Dec. 2019. Predominantly [the new clinic] will allow us to provide more services locally versus our patients having to travel to one of our other locations, he said. At the same time, other patients in the area who need healthcare services, then well have additional capacity to care of their specific need as well. Carminia Davidson, M.D., managing physician for Kelsey-Seybold Clinic-Cypress, said the center needed to develop with the surrounding area. We have all seen the radical transformation the Copperfield and Cypress area has undergone in the 25 years since we first opened our clinic here, she said. Our new clinic will help us improve access, bringing new specialties and services to new and current patients in the Cypress area. chevall.pryce@chron.com Homeowners in the Mar Bella subdivision in League City say reports of mold infestation have tripled in the last few months, as more residents are becoming aware of the dangerous fungus that has overrun the community. Tanya Cooley was one the first neighbors in Mar Bella subdivision to have to leave her home because of the mold. She first noticed the mold in May of 2017 and moved out in Oct. 2017 for repairs. Now, nearly a year later, she said the cycle is repeating. "This will be our second move out and we are due to be out for a year," Cooley said. "I don't know what I would do if it happens a third time." Cooley said in 2017, she only knew about 40 homes that had mold and moisture problems. Now, she estimates that number has more than tripled. "There's at least 300+ homes [with mold problems] and that number is still drastically rising every day," Cooley said. "Every day this gets reported people are like 'Okay let me go check my attic' and they do a mold test and sure enough, bam, they've had mold for 2-3 years and didn't even know it." A NEEDED UPGRADE: League City seeks grant to transform park Homebuilder Taylor Morrison has built over 1,000 homes in the Mar Bella subdivision over the last decade and 10 percent of those homes have moisture issues, Taylor Morrison Communications Manager Jaclyn Gettinger told the Chronicle. The company said it has provided money to homeowners for alternative housing while repairs are being made, but did not specify how much money has been awarded and to how many residents. Cooley said the first time she had to leave her home in 2017, Taylor Morrison had been accommodating and paid her $350 a day for rent. Now, she and the other 100+ homeowners that are being forced to leave for remediation efforts are only being offered $150. "It's been significantly reduced," Cooley said. "Everybody is getting the exact same amount, so you could have a family of two or three getting paid exact same as a family of 5 , or 6, or 7, which doesn't make sense to me." Bart Ferdinand is one of the most recent homeowner to experience the mold issue. He said his experience with Taylor Morrison has been different from Cooley's. Ferdinand said that after reaching out to the company various times, he has repeatedly been ignored and was forced to make over $7,000 in repairs to his home himself. NEW REPORT: Houston suburb ranked third in the nation for fastest growing city "[Taylor Morrison] is dragging their feet and anyone that has any mold knows if you have a problem like this you need to get right on it," Ferdinand said. "They are doing just the opposite." Ferdinand went so far as to hang photos of the mold in his home on his truck and drive to a Taylor Morrison development to get the company's attention last Saturday. He now plans on paying for a billboard to promote his blog, mytalormorrisonmoldhouse.com to spread awareness and warn people of the infestation. "I went ahead and started doing that kind of stuff just to get attention for them to call me," Ferdinand said. "Somebody needs to respond to me...now I am going full blast." According to a statement from the company, Taylor Morrison is conducting onsite inspections and hopes to find the causes and solutions for the mold. "Some of the previous attempts to fix homes with moisture issues have not worked despite our efforts," the release stated. "Even though the symptoms are clear, the cause of the problem is multifaceted, making it sometimes difficult to diagnose and determine the appropriate repair. Each home or floorplan appears to have a slightly different cause or combination of causes (e.g. ventilation, duct installation, design, etc.)." Gettinger did not provide details on the previous attempts that were made or when they were made. NEW REPORT: How the Houston neighborhood you grew up in affects your annual salary "We are currently evaluating new repair options and will be testing them very shortly in a sample of homes within Mar Bella to ensure they are permanent, effective solutions before we begin installing them in the impacted homes," the release went on. "The test cases will be monitored closely to determine their effectiveness. Once the tests are completed and we've decided on the best plan forward, we will provide homeowners with detailed information about the repair plans for their homes." Gettinger said the company is apologetic to the community and plans to update the homeowners next week about finding a final solution. But homeowners like Ferdinand said they are not holding their breath. "These people in this neighborhood have been sold so many stories, they are angry," Ferdinand said. "This isn't just about me, I will be okay, but there are other people here that need help." Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on the breaking news site chron.com and the subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Follow her on Twitter: @beccaghennes. Numerous problems are now being solved on a step by step basis "but there are, of course" several big issues which we really need to get to grips with, ' the prime minister said. The Irish border "backstop", which seeks to avoid extensive checks on the frontier between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU state Ireland should the open border there not be maintained by a new, post-Brexit EU-UK trade partnership, is the biggest sticking point. The UK government has sought to make any backstop agreement time-limited, but the European Union has rejected this. Britain rejects the EU's proposed solution - to keep Northern Ireland inside the bloc's single market and customs union after the rest of the UK leaves - because it would create new barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK The EU has asked for a counter-proposal from Britain. "He said: "[The backstop] would have to be finite, it would have to be short and it would have to be, I think, time-limited in order for it to be supported here. Trade secretary Liam Fox told friends that her proposal "would make life very hard for me", according to a Mail report, because it would limit the UK's ability to strike new free trade deals outside the EU. Either she is on the cusp of landing the Brexit deal few thought possible or her government is about to collapse around her ears. For the government to fall there would have to be a subsequent vote of no confidence. First, the good. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, gave a speech saying that a deal could be done as early as next week. "The majority of people in Northern Ireland are looking for something quite different from what the DUP is looking for, and yet the DUP is given this platform as if it speaks for Northern Ireland". Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday evening he is "cautiously optimistic" that progress will be made next week on the negotiations for Britain to leave the EU. "We're voting on the two documents - a withdrawal agreement that needs to be able to stand up to legal scrutiny and court challenge; the second document is a political declaration on parameters". Asked whether the United Kingdom could stay indefinitely in a customs union, Hammond said: "We're not going to remain in anything indefinitely, we're very clear this has to be temporary". Katy VFW Post 9182 / Katy VFW Post 9182 On Oct. 2, Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182 Commander Don Byrne, with assistance of the Auxiliary, presented a short program about the VFW birthday at James Coney Island. He explained the history of the VFW to all there and then everyone sang happy birthday to the VFW and served cake to the staff and guests. World War II Veteran Ralph West, along with many members, joined in the celebration. Lake Conroe Area Republican Women were honored to welcome First Lady of Texas, Cecilia Abbott as their guest speaker at the groups October general meeting. Her story reminds us all that the American Dream is alive and well in Texas. The granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico, she was raised in San Antonio by parents who were both educators and who instilled in her, her sister and two brothers, a love of learning and helping others. She took their lessons to heart and studied at the University of Texas at Austin before subsequently earning three degrees from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. After graduation, Mrs. Abbott devoted her life to serving others. One of those areas is education. According to Mrs. Abbott, the rate of high school graduations in Texas are up and more students then ever are realizing the importance of education and are enrolling in higher education. Her experience and devotion to education enabled her to have previously served as a member of the State Board of Educator Certification. In addition, she has also served on advisory boards for the Alzheimer's Association, Capital of Texas Chapter, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Texas Regional Office, the Holy Trinity Seminary, the Catholic Diocese of Austin Schools, Ballet Austin and the Principals' Center at Harvard Graduate School of Education. During her program to LCARW, Mrs. Abbott touched on her signature initiative as First Lady, which happens to combine the two things that she is most passionate about - Texas and philanthropy. She calls it Texanthropy and through it she promotes volunteerism and service to others across Texas. Mrs. Abbott also mentioned that she is a prolific animal lover and has nurtured numerous dogs into their late teens. She has actually raised a variety of pets including a Nubian goat named Petunia. Mrs. Abbott also stressed the importance of family of which hers includes her husband of 37 years, Gov. of Texas Greg Abbott. Incidentally, when her husband was elected Governor, she became the first Hispanic First Lady of Texas. Her family also includes First Daughter of Texas Audrey, the First Dog of Texas, Pancake and the First Puppy of Texas, Peaches. Mrs. Abbott concluded her program by stressing the importance of voting and encouraged each and every person to do so. Prior to Mrs. Abbott's inspirational and informative program, LCARW President Megan Metcalf introduced the incoming officers for next year: Belinda Lambright, President; Sheri Hummer, First Vice-President for Programs; Tammy Seiter, Second Vice-President of Membership; Linda Mock, Third Vice- President Ways and Means; Betty Vernon, Recording Secretary; Neda Henery, Corresponding Secretary; Harriet Kerr, Treasurer. Lake Conroe Area Republican Women will be celebrating their 25th anniversary at the Nov. 1 meeting with Lt. General Steven A. Hummer, United States Marine Corps (Retired) as guest speaker. For more information about LCARW please contact President Megan Metcalf at metcalf@consolidated.net. The driver of a car that crashed into a school bus carrying Conroe High volleyball players on Friday night has been arrested and charged with intoxication assault, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. A blue Volkswagen ran into a Conroe ISD bus about 9 p.m. near Gosling Road and Research Forest Drive as the bus was carrying the team home from its varsity volleyball game at The Woodlands High School. Authorities said at least six students were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Delwin Sonera, 39, of Spring was arrested after he was treated at a hospital for injuries following the crash, DPS Sgt. Erik Burse said. He said the passenger in the car, Christy Ragland, 41, was also taken the hospital with serious injuries. Evidence of alcohol was found inside the vehicle, Burse said. Conroe ISD Communications Director Sarah Blakelock said all students have been released from the hospital. Thankfully, there were no reports of major injuries, Blakelock said. Several members of the team were taken to the hospital for evaluation, but all were released over night. We are grateful for the safety school buses provide and the quick response from emergency services as well as the outpouring of support and well-wishes from the community. While the investigation is still ongoing, Burse said intoxication is a contributing factor to the crash. While the students suffered minor injuries, he said the incident could have been worse. Im glad to say no one else was seriously injured, Burse said. There were 35 kids on the bus, it could have been bad. Im sure the students were terrified, but Im glad they are going to be OK. Information regarding the severity of the damage to the bus was not available. Burse said whether or not there would be any additional charges related to the damage of the bus would depend on whether or not the driver was insured. According to Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, Sonera was released on $25,000 bond. mellsworth@hcnonline.com Mayor Sylvester Turner this week began running a 30-second television ad on broadcast stations around Houston, urging voters to support a referendum that would reaffirm his drainage repair program and reject a measure that would grant firefighters pay "parity" with police officers of corresponding rank and seniority. "My mom taught me right from wrong and good from bad," Turner says in the ad. "As your mayor, it's my job to know what's good and bad for Houston." He continues: "Proposition A is good. It keeps our successful, pay-as-you-go, dedicated fund for drainage and streets. Proposition B is bad. It creates unequal pay for fire and police and forces massive cuts to public safety, parks, libraries and health clinics." Turner finishes the ad with the same phrase "A is good. B is bad." that he has used during a series of town halls held throughout the city. To fund the ads, Turner is dipping into a war chest that totaled $2.26 million at the end of June. He has already funded radio ads pushing the same message as the TV spot, and will likely spend about $500,000 campaigning on the ballot items, said Sue Davis, Turner's long-time consultant who is managing political action committees regarding both propositions. The firefighters union has dismissed a claim by Turner and city Controller Chris Brown that Proposition B is "unsustainable," arguing that they already receive far less pay than Houston police and firefighters from other Texas cities. Turner has said he believes firefighters deserve a raise, but that Proposition B would cost more than $100 million in a single year, a total the union also disputes. Brown estimated the cost at $85 million but did not include some calculations that were included in Turner's figure. Meanwhile, Proposition A would affirm a "pay-as-you-go" fund for Turner's ReBuild Houston program, which is devoted to repairing, maintaining and upgrading street and drainage infrastructure. The TV ads will turn through Election Day. Gregory Arths artwork, at a cursory glance, might pass for ordinary paintings. His subjects include city skylines, human portraits and Star Wars robots donning Western attire. Upon closer inspection, however, Arths work is anything but ordinary. Circuit boards and random hardware bits jut out from the canvas, forming what Arth describes as his circuit board art collage-type pieces made up of paint and tech hardware-type stuff, Arth said. STAR POWER: K-pop group performs at Korean Festival Houston My idea of this is the ubiquitousness of tech nowadays, and how it's really taken over the world, he said. We don't even realize it sometimes. And that's kind of the idea. Arth and 284 other artists are displaying their work at this weekends Bayou City Art Festival, a two-day, biannual showcase of art from around the country. Artists this year hailed from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, and dozens of cities in between. About 15,000 to 20,000 people typically attend, requiring about 700 volunteers, said Roger Bare, executive director of the Art Colony Association, the nonprofit festival producer. Tickets general admission costs $15 and sponsorships fund the festival, with some proceeds going to local nonprofits. Organizers ensured that attendees found their preferred art medium without much effort. Within less than half a block of Bagby Street, for instance, booths displayed paper collages, jewelry, leather handbags, porcelain dishes, oil paintings, stained glass lamps and photo galleries. The jumbled layout was intentional, Bare said. The festival, held downtown in the fall and at Memorial Park in the spring, covers several blocks of Bagby, Walker, McKinney and Lamar streets, surrounding City Hall and Hermann Square. Sam Houston Park hosts food trucks, a childrens creative zone and, on Sunday, a Halloween costume contest. The judging criteria, Bare said, are best and most creative. So, totally subjective, he said, laughing. On Bagby Street, Denver-based Dolan Geiman, 41, exhibited paper collages made up of paper gathered from abandoned churches, missions, warehouses and other spaces spread across the southwest U.S. I'll go in and kind of sweep up all these old papers, whether it's an old handwritten letter or a receipt, Geiman said. Anything that's paper is fair game for me. Many artists at the festival produced their work out of a hodgepodge collection of parts and materials. Robert Nehring, 57, creates sculptures out of parts gathered from scrap yards, flea markets and rummage sales, generally shaping each work around a single piece. I start out with a piece of metal, Nehring said, pointing to a unique-looking nearby figure with shoulders made out of pot handles. I found the pot handles and I'm like, 'Oh, those would make great shoulders, Nehring said. And then I go from there. Terri Vogl, 59, lives in San Antonio and creates acrylic paintings that depict plants and farm animals, among other things. Her subjects include friends llamas and alpacas, and animals at petting zoos. The range of work on display Saturday in part traces back to the artists childhood experienes, with some saying they were highly influenced by early life. Geiman, the paper collage creator, said he sometimes tries to weave tales into his work from the stories his dad would tell around the campfire in native Virginia. Tucson-based Adam Homan, 47, makes sci-fi fantasy-type steel sculptures influenced by his childhood interest in Japanese animation and Star Wars. And when Vogl creates her farm paintings, she thinks of visits to her grandparents farm in Columbus, Texas, as a kid. I just have so many good memories from that, she said. I guess that's where my love of all this comes from. jasper.scherer@chron.com twitter.com/jaspscherer A 34-year-old Houston man was charged with murdering his mother by stabbing her to death in her own apartment. Gabriel Pereyra allegedly stabbed his 67-year-old mother while she was seated in a chair. She ran outside of the apartment, collapsed and died on the sidewalk shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. For mega burger chain In-N-Out, the Double Double buck stops at Texas. Lynsi Snyder, the 36-year-old president of the California-based company, is committed to upholding the restaurant's policy of geographic exclusivity. It was put in place by her grandparents Harry and Esther Synder, who founded the company in Baldwin Park, California in 1948. In an interview with Forbes, Snyder reveals that while In-N-Out currently operates in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Texas, the franchise will not grow east of the Lone Star State. Locations in Colorado and New Mexico, however, are part of expansion plans. SCORED: Whataburger, Popeyes and Pappas BBQ make Houston's cleanest restaurant list "I don't see us stretched across the whole U.S. I don't see us in every state. Take Texasdraw a line up and just stick to the left. That's in my lifetime," she tells the magazine. One reason for the decision is that corporate policy forbids the use of freezers or microwaves, and the more than 300 In-N-Out locations across the nation are situated within a day's drive of three central warehouses so that meat and other ingredients stay fresh. Another reason for the exclusivity? You want what you can't have. "I like that we're sought after when someone's coming into town. I like that we're unique. That we're not on every corner. You put us in every state and it takes away some of its luster," Synder said. DEBUT : In-N-Out Burger, golf venue and other retailers kick off former TI redevelopment And then there's the tough burger competition. In Texas, In-N-Out goes head-to-head with Whataburger. The beloved San Antonio-based chain, founded in Corpus Christi in 1950, boasts 674 locations across its home state and $2 billion in revenue. By comparison, In-N-Out has opened 36 locations in Texas since 2011. Its first Houston-area outpost is set to open at The Grid complex, formerly the Texas Instruments property, in Stafford. Construction of the site commenced this fall. Marcy de Luna is a digital producer for Chron.com. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com Prairie View A&M University students will not have to fill out additional registration paperwork before casting their ballots, a move that allays the concerns of Democrats who worried long lines would dissuade students from voting. The news, announced in a joint statement Friday by Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, Waller County, the local parties and Democratic congressional candidate Mike Siegel, comes after confusion on Prairie View A&Ms campus over student residents who registered under addresses that placed them in a different precinct. Officials said they would allow those students to vote at the on-campus precinct, but would require them to fill out a statement of residence form referred to by county officials as a change in address form before casting a ballot. Siegel and other local Democrats worried the requirement would depress turnout. The statement reads: It has been communicated and confirmed that the Waller County plan ensures, as it was always intended to do, that all students residing on campus who are registered to vote in the county will be able to cast their ballots at the Precinct 309 polling location on campus, and that no students will be impeded, hampered, or otherwise delayed in exercising their constitutional right to cast a ballot in the upcoming General Election. The statement came out of a conference convened by Pablos, which spurred a discussion that Pablos said was productive and provided parties to the call with ample opportunity to contribute their points of view. Meanwhile, the county will provide additional poll workers to help students update their address for future elections after voting, County Judge Trey Duhon said in a statement. Siegel in a statement thanked those who worked together to make sure Prairie View students can vote without hindrance. The vote is the most fundamental right in our democracy, Siegel said. We will continue to work with students and community members to prevent any voter suppression. The incident originates from a 2016 decision by the county, university officials and the local parties to allow students to register under the universitys primary address, 100 or 700 University Drive. Officials say the decision was intended to allow students to receive their voter registration cards, as they do not have individual mail boxes. County officials discovered in the March primary that one of the addresses which is used by the campus bookstore was located in Precinct 310, the Prairie View City Hall precinct. They eventually decided to allow students to vote at the wrong precinct after filling out a statement of residence form. Prairie View A&M, whose student body is about 80 percent black, has a fraught history with the county over voter registration issues, including a 1979 case involving the voting rights of students that reached the Supreme Court. The prior incidents caused alarm among Siegel and some local Democrats, though Duhon and other county officials insist they never intended to prevent students from voting. Elections Administrator Christy Eason, who served in a different role at the time, said in a statement Friday that there was never any ill intent behind the error whatsoever. I dont think it ever crossed anyones mind, including the university, that the universitys main address was not actually physically on campus, Eason said. The Houston Chronicle is participating in Electionland, a ProPublica project that will cover access to the ballot and problems that prevent people from exercising their right to vote during the 2018 election. This story is part of that project. You can help us by signing up now.Text VOTE to 81380. You can also WhatsApp at us at +1 850 909-8683 or reach us through Facebook Messenger here: http://m.me/electionland jasper.scherer@chron.com A San Antonio man who had been accused of sexually assaulting two toddlers who contracted gonorrhea was found not guilty Friday by a Bexar County jury. Adrian Vigil, 26, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and nodded his head at the jury after Visiting Judge Philip A. Kazen, who presided over the case, read the panels verdict in Felony Impact Court. The panel began deliberations around noon Thursday but were released around 5 p.m. They returned at 8:30 this morning, delivering the verdict a few hours later. Vigil, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, declined to comment as he left the courtroom. I think we had an extremely smart, attentive jury, and they took their time with evidence and testimony, said David Woodard, Vigils attorney. RELATED: SAPD: Suspect in fatal shooting turned self in after seeing face on TV Prosecutors Steve Speir and Brittany Byrd referred questions to the Bexar County District Attorneys Office. Vigil was 23 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of super aggravated sexual assault of a child after medical examinations found two girls he knew and had contact with, ages 1 and 3, had tested positive for gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease. The childrens mother testified that the children were believed to have been assaulted sometime in October 2015. She said Vigil never was left alone with her children. Child Protective Services investigated the case, and a caseworker testified that she was suspicious because Vigil withheld information from the agency regarding his own sexual assault and changed some of his responses to questions, which gave them reason to believe he could have assaulted the toddlers. In closing arguments Thursday, Speir and Byrd reiterated what they had told the jurors in opening statements to pay attention to CPS testimony that Vigil wasnt honest. They also pointed out that although the childrens mother had tested positive for the disease, Vigil was the only person with the disease who could have passed it to the children sexually. RELATED: San Antonio teen learns his fate in deadly home invasion case Woodard maintained from the start that the states case was based on nothing but assumptions, and that the children could have been exposed to the sexually transmitted disease in other ways, not just from Vigil. He reminded the jury that the childrens mother told authorities she never left her girls alone with the man, and reiterated that in her testimony. At the end of the day, there wasnt enough evidence to convict Adrian, and the jury came up with the right resolution, Woodard said. This was a retrial for Vigil, who initially went to court in April. Those proceedings ended in mistrial because the defense wasnt told beforehand, as required, about evidence the prosecution presented in court. Kazen told Vigil that he could have his record expunged and have the charges sealed since he now has been acquitted. Elizabeth Zavala is a courts and crime reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Spring ISD opened its previous district police facility on North Forest Boulevard over 15 years ago and as the district grew, so did the number of officers. The need grew for more and more officers, so it got a little crowded over there, said Rhonda Newhouse, president of the Spring ISD school board. The Spring ISD community gathered at 420 Lockhaven Drive on Tuesday, Oct. 9, to celebrate and tour Spring ISDs new Police Command Center and Tax Office. Through the 2016 bond, we were able to purchase this building, Newhouse said. We were actually looking for this building even before the bond because we knew we had to do something to help them out and as a result, we found a good deal on this building. According to district officials, the overall project budget, including building and renovations, was approximately $4.7 million. The two-story facility has about 42,000 square feet for offices, training areas, processing areas, dispatch center, as well as a permanent location for the tax office, which was being housed in a temporary facility. The tax offices proximity to the districts police department is a plus, Newhouse explained. Theyre collecting money, so the security of the police department is a really good thing, Newhouse said. Its a win-win situation. The facilitys first floor is dedicated to the police department, which sits well with Spring ISD Police Chief Victor Mitchell. Ive been working in a building, its about 8,000-square-footage, and we currently have half our team set up at a satellite location, so walking into a little over 21,000-square-footage is a big deal, Mitchell said. We have space, which will be utilized to make sure that we are providing the best training that we can based on best practices for law enforcement, particularly for our school settings. mfeuk@hcnonline.com The attack happened this morning at approximately 10am. A woman has been attacked and killed by a saltwater crocodile while fishing with family in the Northern Territory. Police found her body at around 5:00 p.m. less than half a mile from the lake. Fuller said the woman had been in waist-deep water when she was taken, and whether she was working as a wildlife ranger at the time would form part of the police investigation. The crocodile was destroyed by local Indigenous rangers. The female park ranger who was declared missing after being taken by a crocodile has been found dead. The indigenous woman was attacked in a remote area 206 kilometers (128 miles) southwest of the community of Yirrkala, NT WorkSafe said. NT WorkSafe confirmed it was investigating the incident. The woman was attacked while on the job about 10 this morning near the community of Gangan, about 206km south west of Yirrkala. CareFlight, which is usually tasked to assist with medical situations in remote locations, did not attend the scene. A CareFlight spokeswoman said they were not tasked to the missing persons case. Let's talk women entrepreneurs and money. Specifically, women entrepreneurs wanting to make money. It may seem like a given, that if you start a business one of your top priorities will be to earn money. However, many women entrepreneurs have a tendency to sidestep the issue of money. Actually aiming to be rich -- and vocalizing it -- is often a failed social experiment if you happen to be female. Ambition of any kind -- including financial -- is deemed an unlikable trait in women (though an admirable trait in men) and even though gender parity and overcoming the wage gap have become popular topics of conversation in the Time's Up era, too often women are faulted for having money goals. Related: My Female-Led Company Raised $6.25 Million in 2.5 Years. Here's How We Did It. Luckily, some fierce females are leading the pack when it comes to unabashedly seeking the power that comes with wealth, essentially rebranding what it looks like to be female with money ambitions. Here are three (priceless) lessons you can learn from them: 1. Don't prioritize passion over pay. Author Jessica Knoll pulled no punches in her fierce New York Times piece "I Want to Be Rich and I'm Not Sorry," boldly declaring: "I want to make the kind of money that allows me to jet to Mexico on a Tuesday, to meaningfully contribute to nasty politicians, to afford a shark of a lawyer if any man ever lays a finger on me again." To Knoll, financial success is the key to autonomy. She makes it clear that it's not enough for her to be a published writer; her goal is the freedom that comes with having money -- and lots of it. Money is power, and Knoll is intent on using her writing talent to attain much of both. She's quick to add: "If anyone calls that obnoxious, I want to do what men do, and shrug." Women entrepreneurs are often said -- more so than men -- to be pursuing their "passion" projects. Double standard aside, there is nothing wrong with turning your passion into a business and certainly nothing amiss about following your dreams, though prioritizing passion over pay is a mistake. Having money gives you the power to make choices -- where to live, what doctor to see, what charity to support -- and having the means and ability to make these kinds of decisions should not be underestimated. Not prioritizing passion over pay doesn't mean quitting what you love. If you're a baker with a pie business, don't stop baking pies and bore yourself silly taking up accounting. But, do spend some time doing research and planning how to monetize your business. Pursuing your passion is equally as important as being financially secure. Related: 3 Simple and Essential Money Lessons for Women Entrepreneurs 2. Know your worth -- and make sure everyone else does, too. Writer-producer Shonda Rhimes signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix last year, leaving ABC, home of her breakout series Grey's Anatomy. When Rhimes started taking meetings with Netflix, she had a lot to boast about. Her ABC shows were so popular (and profitable) that ABC gave her an entire night of primetime TV -- a Thursday night lineup known as TGIT -- that included her Shondaland shows Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and Grey's Anatomy, which after 14 seasons remains one of ABC's top dramas (it currently ranks number two). Despite Rhimes' massive success at ABC, where she created a multibillion-dollar empire, her nine-figure Netflix deal wasn't just handed to her. Rhimes says: "As a woman, what I know is you can't approach anything from a point of view of 'I don't deserve' or 'I'm not going to ask for because I don't want other people to get upset.' And I know for a fact that when men go into these negotiations, they go in hard and ask for the world." If you're an entrepreneur who offers a service -- such as web design, social media marketing or copywriting -- odds are you've had clients offer to pay you less than you charge (and substantially less than you're worth). People figure that since you own your own business, there's no fee set in stone, like there would be at a larger corporation. They also figure -- especially if you're just starting out -- that they can take advantage by asking for endless revisions and refusing to pay until they've gotten 10 times the work you had originally agreed upon. So, how do you balance your own literal and figurative self-worth with your very real need to pay rent and afford groceries? Protect yourself by being very specific in your contracts. Specify, for instance, that your fee includes three revisions so your clients can't refuse to pay you until you give them 30. Require half your fee up front and the other half upon project's completion. You may have to say yes to projects below your pay grade in the beginning, until you're more well-established, but by putting safeguards in place to protect yourself from being taken advantage of, you are establishing your worth -- and no one can take that away with you. Rhimes didn't start Grey's Anatomy with anywhere close to a nine-figure salary, but there's no doubt she knew she was talented and knew what her writing was worth. Her confidence kept her going until ABC, Netflix and everyone else could see her value. As Rhimes says, "Decide what you think you're worth and then ask for what you think you're worth. Nobody's just going to give it to you." Related: Why Do Smart, Successful Women Keep Making These Financial Planning Mistakes? 3. Use your money to give back, but don't give it all away. Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of the Girl Scouts and bona fide rocket scientist, is determined to teach girls of all ages that it's possible to make money and do good at the same time. Making money, Acevedo says, helps you "create your own opportunity." The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls how to budget for what they want -- such as taking a trip to a science camp and donating to an animal shelter -- and in the process of dolling out Tagalongs, girls learn the power of earning money. They also learn that making money and doing good are not mutually exclusive. Which is a powerful lesson for women to learn as well, especially since they're more likely than men to want to use their earnings to help others. The Girl Scout model of money earning -- balancing what you make between enriching your own life and helping those in need -- is a great method to follow because it teaches women that it's OK for money to be a means to more than philanthropy. Women are socialized to be more empathetic than men, and while empathy is beautiful, noble and even life-changing, it's also wrapped up in the notion that women's needs are secondary to everyone else's. So, if you're an entrepreneur considering donating a portion of your funds to a charitable cause, that's amazing (and smart -- millennials prefer to buy from companies that give back) but just remember that, in a world where women make less money than men (yet live longer) it's prudent to also look out for your own financial needs. Related: 3 Priceless Money Lessons for Women Entrepreneurs Term Loans vs. Lines of Credit: Which One Is Right for Your Business? Challenges Fintech Companies Face While Expanding to Rural India Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved WASHINGTON - With just days left to submit public comments on a National Park Service proposal to alter how protests are handled in the District of Columbia, civil rights advocates have issued urgent calls to oppose the measures, saying they would violate First Amendment rights. The proposal, which was introduced in August, floats more than a dozen changes to how the Park Service facilitates protests, including how many demonstrators may gather on national parks' land without a permit, what areas protesters can demonstrate in, and whether protesters should be required to reimburse the agency for the support and security it provides. Constitutional experts immediately cast doubt on whether imposing fees on groups exercising their First Amendment rights would pass constitutional muster, and protest organizers said having to pay fees would discourage people from demonstrating. Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union are scrutinizing other parts of the proposal, including limits on where protesters can stand on the sidewalk outside the White House. The organization issued a public response to the Park Service that includes a point-by-point takedown of the proposals. "The heart of the matter is clear: President Trump might not like having protesters on his doorstep, but the First Amendment guarantees their right to be there," Arthur Spitzer, legal co-director of the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C., wrote in a blog post Tuesday explaining the organization's opposition. "Fee requirements could make mass protests like Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic 1963 March on Washington and its 'I have a dream' speech too expensive to happen." As of Friday, three days before the public comment period comes to a close, more than 10,000 people had voiced their opinions on the rule changes. Nearly 15,000 had signed an ACLU petition opposing the restrictions. Among the proposed rules that have invited the most ire is a recommendation that the Park Service limit the area outside the White House where protesters may gather. The proposal suggests that the agency close 20 feet of the 25-foot-wide sidewalk beyond the White House gate on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The ACLU has previously sued the federal government, and won, over attempts to limit areas in which protesters could gather near the White House. Several activists, including Ben Wikler, the Washington director for MoveOn.org, said the Trump administration was trying to "curtail protests" and push demonstrators away from the White House fence. But the Park Service cited concern about the degradation of historic sites, monuments and turf as reasons for limiting the number of protesters in certain areas. The agency has not produced an estimate for how much money it spends annually to support protests and rallies, but spokesman Mike Litterst said that, on average, the processing of permits alone costs the Park Service $700,000 in staff time per year. The number of protests in Washington has increased substantially to an average of 750 per year, and they are growing in size as well. Last year, the District had 714 permitted demonstrations, including the Women's March, in which tens of thousands packed the Mall and city streets. So far this year, the Park Service has helped coordinate hundreds of protests, including the sweeping March for Our Lives, the Families Belong Together rally and the Unite the Right white-nationalist demonstration, which drew thousands of counterprotesters and required intricate security plans and officers from multiple agencies. It's put a substantial strain on the agency and its budget, which has not grown to accommodate the rising tide of civil unrest, Litterst said. "Those costs can very quickly get up into six figures," he said. "We don't get a supplemental budget. No one says, 'Oh, First Amendment events at the National Mall have really gone up, so here's an increase to your base budget to support that kind of thing.' " Organizers who want to host large demonstrations in District parks are already required to cover certain costs, including providing toilets, on-site emergency medics, setup and takedown services, and more, according to protest organizers. "According to the new proposal, the park service is considering charging demonstrators for things like 'sanitation and trash removal' and 'harm to turf,' " the ACLU's Spitzer wrote. "But of course, the park service does not plan to charge the 45 million non-demonstrators who visit the National Mall every year for the fencing and sanitation their presence requires or for the harm to the turf that they cause." The public comment period for the 14 proposed changes closes Monday. WASHINGTON - Pastor Andrew Brunson, freed Friday after being detained in a Turkish prison for nearly two years, flew home to the United States Saturday, hugged his children on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews outside Washington and headed to the White House, where he kneeled in prayer as he held the hand of President Donald Trump. The Oval Office visit punctuated a tumultuous two days for the soft-spoken Brunson, 50, who on Friday didn't know what his fate would be and feared that he'd be sentenced to as many as 35 years in prison. "From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, that's not bad," Trump said. The pastor, a longtime resident of Turkey, had been arrested along with thousands of other people after an unsuccessful 2016 coup attempt. He was accused of aiding the movement led by the alleged mastermind of the coup, Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and is a political foe of Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Brunson was also indicted on charges of having contact with Kurdish separatists who have been designated as terrorists by Turkey and the United States. Brunson and the Trump administration have said the charges were bogus. "It was hard for him and really the Lord pulled him through," his wife, Norine, said near the close of the White House gathering. The pastor had been out of prison and under house arrest in Turkey since July. On Friday, a prosecutor asked that he be convicted of the charges and sent back to prison. The judges found him guilty but then sentenced him to time served, and also removed a travel ban. The pastor then had to act quickly. Under Turkish law, the prosecutor could appeal the verdict, said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who had witnessed the trial proceedings in Turkey on Friday. "There was a window there, and we needed to get him out of the country before Erdogan or somebody there changed their mind," said Perkins, who had observed Friday's trial in his capacity as a commissioner of the U.S. International Commission on Religious Freedom. They raced back to the Brunsons' apartment, gathered belongings and hurried to the airport while Turkish media swarmed. A military plane took off late Friday night and spirited them to Germany. When Brunson landed overnight in Germany, Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, presented him with an American flag. The pastor held it up to his face and kissed it. Brunson was taken to a U.S. military hospital in Germany on Friday night, where he was examined by medics. After a few hours' rest the Brunsons and Perkins flew back to the States. Brunson's release had been a top priority for evangelical Christians, and Trump is celebrating the pastor's return as a diplomatic coup for his administration. Trump tweeted on Saturday morning, "It will be wonderful to see and meet him. He is a great Christian who has been through such a tough experience. I would like to thank President @RT_Erdogan for his help!" At the White House, Brunson thanked the president for helping win his release. "You really fought for us, unusually so," Brunson told Trump. "From the time you took office, we know that you've been engaged." The United States and Turkey have extensive military and security ties but have had a fraught relationship marked by distrust in recent years. U.S. officials and others close to the case had signaled that Brunson might be released imminently after negotiations that included the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Turkey. The agreement grew out of talks at last month's U.N. General Assembly meeting, attended by Trump and Erdogan. Trump on Saturday insisted that he made no concessions to Erdogan to secure the release of Brunson. "We've been negotiating long and hard. We do not pay ransom in this country, at least any longer," he said in the meeting with Brunson. He said the only real deal was a "psychological" one: "We feel much different about Turkey today than we did yesterday....I think we have a chance of becoming much closer to Turkey." Trump claimed the disappearance and suspected killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul had nothing to do with the timing of Brunson's release from prison this week. Asked whether the two events were related, Trump replied, "It's a total coincidence," though he allowed that the confluence was "interesting." The White House event was attended by a throng of senators and administration officials. Brunson thanked many of them for their efforts to free him, and told the president that he and his family pray for him often. "I need it probably more than anybody in this room," the president quipped. The pastor then went on one knee and prayed that the president be blessed with "supernatural wisdom." When the reverential moment was over, Trump rather abruptly looked at Norine Brunson and asked her who she had voted for - before admitting that he already knew she'd voted for him. --- Video Embed Code Video: On Oct. 12, a Turkish court ordered the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was accused of associating with plotters of a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.(Allie Caren/The Washington Post) Embed code: October brings many wonderful things. Cooler temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkin spice, Halloween and flu season! BOO! It's time to get your annual influenza vaccine. About 80,000 people died from flu-related illnesses in the United States las year. So why haven't you gotten yours yet? There are a lot of misconceptions about the flu shot. According to Surgeon General, Jerome Adams, "Flu vaccinations save lives, that's why it's so important for everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year." But many Americans ignore his advice. If you're on the fence about getting a flu shot this year, here are few arguments to help convince you to roll up your sleeve and "stick" it out for the cause. One misconception is that vaccines are expensive, however; the flu shot is very affordable. On average, at your doctor's office, the flu vaccine costs between $25-$40. Did you know, that most insurances will pay for a preventative vaccine at 100 percent? That means there's no out-of-pocket cost to you for getting the vaccine. If you don't have insurance, our local health department will be happy to give you the vaccine at a reduced cost, or even free. Give them at call at (806) 293-1359 if you are in need of a flu shot and are unable to afford one. The flu vaccine is available almost anywhere. Besides getting it administered at your doctor's office or at the health department, you can now get your flu shot at your local pharmacy. Getting your flu vaccine at the pharmacy also saves you money. As a courtesy to you, the pharmacy will file your insurance, administer the vaccine, and as an added bonus, you qualify for money-saving discounts. Currently, United Pharmacy is offering you 10 percent off your next grocery purchase up to $100 just for getting a flu vaccine. CVS will give its patrons $5 off your next $25 purchase. Consider this a healthy choice for your wallet. Still not convinced that you need a flu shot? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have caught the flu virus are contagious one day before they start to feel sick and for up to seven days after. Nobody wants to be the dreaded spreader, but in reality... everybody gets the flu from somebody. Getting the flu shot will help protect you, your family, your friends and your co-workers. Another common misconception is the idea that you can get the flu from the flu shot. The most noted side effects to the vaccine is some arm tenderness and perhaps some localized swelling. A very small percentage of people may run fever. Medical experts say that It's not the flu but more than likely the body reacting to the vaccine. So what are you waiting for? Don't let the flu scare you this October. Get vaccinated and say BOO to the flu! Join me on Facebook, search Coupon Clippin' Cuties and add yourself to our group. Don't allow these common flu vaccine misconceptions to make you sick. A longtime fraudster who hired prostitutes to steal people's identities was sentenced to 14 years in prison Friday. Michael Oginni stole more than $650,000 over two years, spending the money on call girls, high-end appliances for his Rockville, Maryland, home and tuition for his four children at exclusive private schools, according to prosecutors. When he was arrested at a supermarket in Ohio last July, court papers say, Oginni was carrying 54 fake credit cards, 35 debit cards, several phones and a laptop filled with hacking and counterfeiting software under the filename "Very Big Fraud Package.zip." During his sentencing hearing Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Oginni said he had not appreciated the human cost of his crimes after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft. "I'm not a monster," he said. "I'm not an evil man." But prosecutor Laura Fong called him a "chilling . . . criminal mastermind" who hired vulnerable people to do his dirty work and beat them when they failed to comply. A native of Nigeria, Oginni came to the United States in 2007 after getting out of prison in the United Kingdom for student-loan fraud. In the Washington area, according to court filings, he recruited a band of prostitutes and heroin addicts to buy gift cards at convenience stores, wash the markings off with acetone and encode them with stolen credit card information. From a laptop at a Rockville Starbucks, Oginni would instruct his co-conspirators on what to wear and say when they used the cards, Fong said. When credit card companies began using chips to prevent this kind of fraud, Oginni turned to opening new credit accounts in strangers' names. He scouted online records for people with high credit scores and substantial wealth, then ordered counterfeit drivers' licenses with their information but his subordinates' photos. Oginni then directed his team to fraudulently lease apartments in the District so the cards would be sent there. "This is the best job in the whole world!!!!" he texted Andraliesha Jefferson in 2015. He met Jefferson through the escort ads on Backpage.com and recruited as first a lover and then a fraudster. At the time, according to the text messages produced in court, Jefferson was telling Oginni she was going to quit the scheme, saying she was risking federal prison without getting paid for it. Oginni called her dramatic and said he was going to start working with men only, adding, "I will take my chances with the feds thank you." Jefferson was arrested about a year later, along with two others working for Oginni. It took more time for federal investigators to pinpoint Oginni as the mastermind, according to court documents; in a February 2016 interview with law enforcement, he claimed to be a victim himself. He moved his family to a new Maryland home and obsessively checked federal court records for updates on his co-conspirators, according to court documents. But he also began taking risks he had previously delegated, prosecutors said, although he ventured outside the District of Columbia area to do so. He was caught in northeast Ohio using a fake credit card himself to buy gift cards. Oginni will probably be deported after his release from prison. Fong predicted he would continue to commit fraud, "maybe from an Internet cafe in Nigeria." Defense attorneys say Oginni came to America with plans to become a computer programmer but could not find employment because of the recession and his lack of a security clearance. He had to pay medical bills for his parents; wanting the best education for his children, he paid tuition for Landon School and St. John's Episcopal School. Since his arrest, his attorney said, Oginni's family has been evicted and many of their possessions sold off. WASHINGTON - The White House is actively considering plans that could again separate parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to reverse soaring numbers of families attempting to cross illegally into the United States, according to several administration officials with direct knowledge of the effort. One option under consideration is for the government to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days, then give parents a choice - stay in family detention with their child for months or years as their immigration case proceeds, or allow children to be taken to a government shelter so other relatives or guardians can seek custody. That option - called "binary choice" - is one of several under consideration amid the president's frustration over border security. President Donald Trump has been unable to fulfill key promises to build a border wall and end what he calls "catch and release," a process that began under past administrations in which most detained families are quickly freed to await immigration hearings. The number of migrant family members arrested and charged with illegally crossing the border jumped 38 percent in August and is now at a record level, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. Senior administration officials say they are not planning to revive the chaotic forced separations carried out by the Trump administration in May and June that spawned an enormous political backlash and led to a court order to reunite families. But they feel compelled to do something, and officials say senior White House adviser Stephen Miller is advocating for tougher measures because he believes the springtime separations worked as an effective deterrent to illegal crossings. At least 2,500 children were taken from their parents over a period of six weeks. Crossings by families declined slightly in May, June and July before surging again in August. September numbers are expected to be even higher. While some inside the White House and DHS are concerned about the "optics" and political blowback of renewed separations, Miller and others are determined to act, according to officials briefed on the deliberations. There have been several high-level meetings in the White House in recent weeks about the issue. The "binary choice" option is seen as one that could be tried out fairly quickly. "Career law enforcement professionals in the U.S. government are working to analyze and evaluate options that would protect the American people, prevent the horrific actions of child smuggling, and stop drug cartels from pouring into our communities," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in an emailed statement. Any effort to expand family detentions and resume separations would face multiple logistical and legal hurdles. It would require overcoming the communication and data management failures that plagued the first effort, when Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and Department of Health and Human Services caseworkers struggled to keep track of separated parents and children. The Trump administration believes it is on solid legal ground, according to two officials, in part because U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who ordered the government to reunite separated families in June, approved the binary-choice approach in one of his rulings. But a Congressional Research Service report last month said "practical and legal barriers" remain to using that approach in the future and said releasing families together in the United States is "the only clearly viable option under current law." Administration officials said the CRS report cited earlier legal rulings. But the American Civil Liberties Union, which launched the separations lawsuit, disputed that interpretation and said it would oppose any attempt at expanded family detentions or separations. "The government need not, and legally may not, indiscriminately detain families who present no flight risk or danger," ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in an email. "It is deeply troubling that this Administration continues to look for ways to cause harm to small children." Another hurdle is that the government does not have detention space for a large number of additional families. ICE has three "family residential centers" with a combined capacity of roughly 3,000 parents and children. With more than four times that many arriving each month, it is unclear where the government would hold all the parents who would opt to remain with their children. But Trump said in his June 20 executive order halting family separations that the administration's policy is to keep parents and children together, "including by detaining" them. In recent weeks, federal officials have taken steps to expand their ability to do that. In addition to considering "binary choice" and other options, officials have proposed new rules that would allow them to withdraw from a 1997 federal court agreement that bars ICE from keeping children in custody for more than 20 days. The rules would give ICE greater flexibility to expand family detention centers and potentially hold parents and children longer, though lawyers say this would be likely to end up in court. Officials have also imposed production quotas on immigration judges and are searching for more ways to speed up the calendar in its courts to adjudicate cases more quickly. Federal officials arguing for the tougher measures say the rising number of family crossings is a sign of asylum fraud. DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has blasted smugglers for charging migrants thousands of dollars to ferry them into the United States, knowing that "legal loopholes" will force the administration to release them pending a court hearing. Federal officials say released families are rarely deported. Advocates for immigrants counter that asylum seekers are fleeing violence and acute poverty, mainly in Central America, and deserve to have a full hearing before an immigration judge. "There is currently a crisis at our southern border," DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said in a statement, adding, "DHS will continue to enforce the law humanely, and will continue to examine a range of options to secure our nation's borders." In southern Arizona, so many families have crossed in the past 10 days that the government has been releasing them en masse to shelters and charities. A lack of available bus tickets has stranded hundreds of parents and children in Tucson, where they sleep on Red Cross cots in a church gymnasium. At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., told Nielsen that migrants were "flooding into the community" and that authorities there had "no ability to do anything about it." Nielsen said lawmakers needs to give DHS more latitude to hold families with children in detention until their cases can be fully adjudicated - a process that can take months or years because of huge court backlogs. DHS officials have seen the biggest increase this year in families arriving from Guatemala, where smugglers called "coyotes" tell migrants they can avoid detention and deportation by bringing a child, according to some community leaders in that country. On Friday, Nielsen called for a regional effort to combat smuggling and violence in the region and to "heighten our penalties for traffickers." "I think there's more that we can do to hold them responsible, particularly those who traffic in children," she said in a speech in Washington at the second Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America. More than 90,000 adults with children were caught at the southwest border in the first 11 months of fiscal 2018. The previous high for a single year was 77,600 in 2016. President Donald Trump "has debased" American values and "ceded global leadership to tyrants and thugs," former vice president Joe Biden told a crowd in Kentucky Friday, unleashing some of his fiercest criticisms yet of the president. Biden was campaigning for Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot and political newcomer who's seeking to unseat Rep. Garland "Andy" Barr, R-Ky. Kentucky's 6th congressional district, which Trump won by 15 percentage points in 2016, has become one of the most competitive House races amid the fallout over Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh's bitter confirmation battle. Even as Barr tries to paint McGrath as "too liberal" for a state as red as Kentucky, the race is widely deemed a toss-up as House races move toward the left. Speaking Friday night in rural Owingsville, Kentucky, where McGrath is hoping to win white working class voters, Biden repeatedly denounced Trump and implored voters to help Democrats win back the House. "The example we're showing the rest of the world is sad. Our values are being shredded. Our democracy's under assault. A president has put his own interest before those of our ideals," Biden said. He criticized the president's response to the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that resulted in the death of protester Heather Heyer, the separation of thousands of migrant children from their families, and Trump's unwillingness to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "The question is not who Donald Trump is. America knows who he is," Biden said. "The question is, 'Who are we?'" Before Biden's speech and as McGrath was introducing him, the crowd chanted, "Run, Joe, run." Biden has been traveling around the country, speaking at fundraisers and campaigning for fellow Democrats. He was in Indiana on Saturday campaigning for Sen. Joe Donnelly, a vulnerable red-state Democrat. Still, Biden has been coy about announcing a presidential bid, though he's among the more than two dozen Democrats who are considered prospective candidates. Biden, who has said he will decide on a 2020 run by January, skirted the question while speaking at an event in London earlier this week. He's not eyeing the nomination "at this point," he said. "I think there are many people in the Democratic Party that can defeat Trump and not a single aspiring candidate that I can think of for the nomination - and I am not one at this point - does not have a better understanding and formulation of American foreign policy that President Trump," Biden told CNN. Biden has been openly critical of Trump, even suggesting at a Florida rally last March that he would've beaten "the hell out of" the president if they were in high school. Speaking in Kansas last week, Trump said the fight wouldn't last long and he'd win. Those close to Trump say Biden is the Democrat who worries the president and his team the most because they fear he could cut into Trump's working-class white support in several swing states, The Washington Post's Ashley Parker and Robert Costa reported. The worst of Hurricane Michael's remnants were supposed to track south of tiny Charlotte County in southern Virginia, but a desperate 911 call Thursday night told a different story: A car had been washed away in a torrential flash flood. When sheriff's deputies raced to the scene on Mount Harmony Road after 11 p.m., county administrator Daniel Witt said they heard the screams of a 17-year-old boy clinging to a guardrail. The sheriff's deputies and some bystanders linked arms and waded into the raging water, before tossing the teen a rope. He was pulled to safety, but his father and grandmother were swept away. The man's body has been recovered, but the woman remains missing. Similar scenes played out across a wide swath of southern and central Virginia Thursday, as the storm caught many in the commonwealth off guard with its ferocity. Officials said the storm left one missing and five dead - part of the nationwide death toll of at least 15 from the storm that slammed the Florida panhandle with 155 mph winds on Wednesday. The storm knocked out power to 565,000 people at the height, and it flooded or closed 1,200 roads. There were five suspected tornadoes across the state. "We were just expecting three or four inches of rain, but it tracked north and just slammed us," Witt said. "It caught us by surprise." Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who declared a state of emergency before the rain began, defended the state's handling of the storm at a Friday news conference, saying Virginia was well prepared. "I think there was plenty of warning," Northam said. "We prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We've seen over the history of these storms that they are unpredictable." The storm cut a path from the southwest part of the state to the Hampton Roads area, lashing communities with four to eight inches of rain and winds that topped out at above 75 mph. The brunt came between Thursday evening and the early hours of Friday morning. Swollen streams sloshed onto roads, taking the lives of four people, while a firefighter responding to an accident was hit and killed by a driver on a rain-slicked highway in Hanover County. A state police helicopter rescued two people from the roof of a vehicle that was trapped by rising floodwaters on a Nottoway County bridge Friday. Alan Gregory was working at the offices of Supply Resources in downtown Danville, along the North Carolina border, when rain began pounding the area and water started rushing through the front door. Within 30 minutes, rainwater rose four feet into the lobby, soaking the floors and sending mud and sludge into building. "It was pretty rough around our office," said Gregory, a purchasing manager for the packaging distribution company. "There's mud all around town. The lobby has been trashed." The National Guard was deployed to Danville, and the state opened two emergency shelters there and in Salem, which sheltered about 80 people who were forced from their homes, state officials said. A group of about 40 Danville residents were trapped in their neighborhood because a road had washed out. Danville Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator David Eagle said the blow from Michael was "the most destructive damage" he has seen in his 24-year career. A rush of water quickly turned streets into lakes and overwhelmed the drainage system so much that gushing floods pushed manhole covers about a foot into the air. "When we had the worst problem was later yesterday afternoon, when the storm stalled kind of right over Danville and we got seven-plus inches of rain in about 90 minutes," Eagle said. The 30.5 inch swell of the Dan River, which runs through the city, is the highest on record, Eagle said. Photos from local news stations showed the Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Water Street completely destroyed. A red brick wall completely collapsed into the muddy earth below, exposing the church like a dollhouse. The city had already been soaked by rains from Hurricane Florence last month, and the downpour from Michael made things worse for the community that has already had problems with drainage and flooding. The city suffered two fatalities. William Lynn Tanksley, 53, was swept from his vehicle during flash flooding at around 5 p.m. Thursday. Jennifer Bjarnesen Mitchell, 60, drowned when her vehicle was submerged by floodwaters around 10:20 p.m. Thursday. In Charlotte County, Witt said one rain gauge measured over nine inches of rain, while a firehouse in the town of Drake's Branch was no longer habitable because of severe flooding. On Friday, he said phone service was out in much of the county and 90 percent of its residents did not have power. Witt said a firetruck responding to an emergency Thursday night was crushed by a falling tree. No firefighters were injured. One man was swept into a swollen creek, where he remained until rescuers heard his pleas and plucked him out on Friday morning. Two deaths were in the central part of the state. In Pittsylvania County, Virginia State Police said James King Jr., 45, of Dry Fork, Virginia, was swept away from his vehicle Thursday afternoon when he was caught in a flash flood. A local sheriff's deputy and a resident tried to rescue him, but police said the "floodwaters were too deep and too swift" for them to reach him. His body was found about 10:40 p.m. And in the same county, three firefighters also had to be rescued from a boat that capsized as they were trying to rescue people from rising waters on a bridge. In Hanover County, a firefighter - who was later identified as Lt. Brad Clark - was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. Two other firefighters were seriously injured as they tried to help with another crash on Interstate 295. The driver of the tractor-trailer also suffered serious injuries. Officials with the Hanover County Fire Department said the crash happened about 9 p.m. when Clark was out with a crew helping after two vehicles crashed along southbound I-295 outside Mechanicsville. A tractor-trailer headed south on the interstate then struck the fire crew, officials said. State emergency officials said the five suspected tornadoes are believed to have hit Amelia, New Kent, Pittsylvania, Gloucester and Halifax counties. By Friday afternoon, the sun was out, the waters started to recede in many areas, and the cleanup had begun. A Dominion Energy official said the vast majority of Virginia residents should have their power restored by Monday. Virginia Department of Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Stern said full recovery would take several days or possibly longer. He said FEMA was expected to assess damage of affected areas over the next week or so. In the District of Columbia area, Michael's wrath was more muted. Residents awoke Friday to downed trees and wires, plus high water on some roads. Some schools systems in the region delayed their openings. Jason Samenow, chief meteorologist for The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, said the amount of rain that fell with Michael was in line with forecasts, but the winds packed more of a punch than anticipated. That may have caught some off guard. "It was almost as if it was gaining strength as it approached the coast," Samenow said. "Also when the ground is saturated like it is, the effect is like the storm is passing over the ocean and it keeps its strength." The Swedish Center and Liberal parties on Saturday rejected a proposal to form a government made by Moderate Party Leader Ulf Kristersson, a further setback in his effort to form a coalition before next week. Center party leader Annie Loof at a press conference said that her party would vote no to a Moderate one-party government, which Kristersson proposed on Friday. Liberal leader Jan Bjorklund at a separate press conference said that he prefers keeping the four-party Alliance together. Both Loof and Bjorklund said they wanted to see an Alliance government based on cooperation with the Social Democrats and/or the Green Party and that they at this point won't support any government that gives the nationalist Sweden Democrats any influence over policy making. They also proposed that the speaker of the parliament by Tuesday's deadline should give Kristersson more time to form a government. Kristersson will meet with Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen Sunday morning. On Friday, the Moderate party leader urged his center-right coalition allies to help end Sweden's political gridlock by joining him in a minority government ahead of the deadline. Writing in a Facebook post, Kristersson said he had given the other three members of the Alliance a few days to consider whether they "can and want to" join the Moderates in a government that stands for the coalition's common political agenda. The Nordic region's largest economy produced an inconclusive election result last month, with a surge by the nationalist Sweden Democrats depriving the two traditional blocs of a majority. Kristersson's appeal to his traditional center-right partners follows his failure to secure the support of the Social Democrats, the biggest party in parliament. Their leader, outgoing Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, lost a confidence vote in the wake of the Sept. 9 election and was then unable to form a new government, prompting the parliamentary speaker to hand over the mandate to Kristersson. After a week of talks, Kristersson has now mapped out two possible options: A full, four-member Alliance Cabinet, or an Alliance Cabinet without the Center Party and the Liberals, which strongly oppose the idea of having to rely on the nationalist Sweden Democrats for survival. Whatever the constellation of Alliance parties in a potential coalition, the government would "act just as a full-size Alliance government would have done," Kristersson said. He also emphasized the fact that neither the Sweden Democrats nor the Left Party would be given influence over policy. Kristersson has until Tuesday to tell Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen that he's in a position to be Sweden's next prime minister. He appeared to face an uphill struggle on Friday, with Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson telling Swedish media his party would not lend its support to Kristersson unless it gets something in return. Sweden operates under a system known as "negative parliamentarism," whereby a minority government can be in power as long as a majority of lawmakers don't vote against it. Parties have a maximum of four attempts to form a government or face a new election within three months. The new government will need to present a 2019 budget to parliament within three weeks of assuming office, or Nov. 15 at the latest. Welcome to Green Entrepreneur's video recap of the cannabis news you might have missed this week, hosted by our cannabis correspondent Conrad Martin. If you were planning on attending the Cannabis Cup in Sacramento at the end of the month, get ready for that refund, because it's been officially postponed until 2019. In a tweet, Hight Times stated that they wanted more time to come up with a predictable long term compliance process for future events Related: California's 'Pot Desert' Problem Walmart considers cannabis A spokesperson for Walmart's Canadian division expressed that they've done some "preliminary fact finding" into the cannabis market, but don't currently plan to carry any cannabis products. An expansion would make Walmart the first large retailer to enter the space. Related: Walmart Just Said It's Exploring Selling Cannabis Products Lyft offers a discount to 'lifted' Canadians Ride share company Lyft announced that it will be offering Canadian riders a $10.17 discount. The promotion will run on October 17th, when Canada's federal government is set to legalize recreational adult use. Be sure to keep up with all things cannabiz by checking out the newly launched GreenEntrepreneur.com If you missed last week's episode, check it out here: LAX Allowing Carry-On Cannabis :) Related: This Week in Weed: Cali Cannabis Cup Cancelled! This Week in Weed: LAX Allowing Carry-On Cannabis :) This Week in Weed: Canada 'Okays' Public Smoking! Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Brian Rogers A former MD Anderson Cancer Center scientist has been arrested on allegations he possessed child pornography on a computer hard drive, a charge he and his attorney emphatically denied Friday. Keping Xie, a researcher in pancreatic cancer, resigned from MD Anderson in April, some three months after University of Texas-Houston police launched their investigation. He was arrested Aug. 20, according to Harris County court records. Houston Park Ranger Tamara Curtis was honored by the FBI Friday, for her efforts last year in preventing a bomb from going off at Hermann Park. In the evening hours of August 19, 2017, Curtis, a security officer at Hermann Park, noticed a suspicious man crouching in the bushes near the General Richard Dowling Monument. Curtis approached the man, later identified as 25-year-old Andrew Schneck, who was carrying two explosive devices rigged with duct tape and wires. Curtis made Schneck place both boxes on the ground and notified Houston Police. Several months ago, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz carefully avoided mentioning El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke by name, referring only to "my Democratic opponent." At a Friday afternoon rally in Houston, the picture was much different: Cruz dug into O'Rourke, harshly criticizing his voting record as he continued to paint him as a socialist, a label O'Rourke has rejected. "Every left-wing radical in the country wants to turn Texas blue," said Cruz, R-Texas. "And they are sending their money to Comrade Beto." Cruz's rally came hours after O'Rourke reported a record haul of $38.1 million during the last three months, more than triple Cruz's $12 million total. With early voting 10 days away, Cruz warned the crowd of O'Rourke's fundraising, calling it "dangerous." "That is the most money ever raised in a single quarter in any Senate race in the history of the country," Cruz said, as mentions of "George Soros" and "Mexican money" fluttered through the crowd. Speaking to reporters before the rally, Cruz challenged O'Rourke to a debate in McAllen, where the Democrat is scheduled to appear on a CNN town hall next week. Cruz said his campaign initially proposed that the network host a debate, which he said O'Rourke's campaign declined. CNN then subsequently offered to host back-to-back town halls, which Cruz's campaign turned down. "Beto, I'm happy to go to McAllen on the 18th, go to your town hall, and let's have a real debate," Cruz said, before accusing O'Rourke of trying to "hide in the protective cocoon of the media." Later, during the free-wheeling, half-hour rally, Cruz mostly went after O'Rourke and national Democrats, often linking the two. He called the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Brett Kavanaugh "the 2020 Iowa caucus for the Democrats," saying members of the opposing party would "traffic in wild and unsubstantiated allegations." "Beto O'Rourke wants to see on the Supreme Court left-wing judicial activists, the kind of activists Hillary Clinton would appoint, who would impose their left-wing radical policy agenda on all of us," Cruz said emphatically. As he broached the subject of Kavanaugh's confirmation process, one member of the crowd shouted, "I like beer!" (Kavanaugh's drinking habits became a subject of the proceedings.) "I'm sorry, sir, if you've had a beer, you're ineligible for government service," Cruz quipped. "Now, mind you, if you're doing cocaine, you're eligible to be president as a Democrat. Cruz also called Michael Avenatti "the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2020." And he leaned into Republicans' characterization of anti-Kavanaugh protesters as a "mob," joking about his run-in last month at a Washington, D.C. restaurant with his wife, Heidi. "By the way, if any of y'all need recommendations on a nice, romantic place to have dinner with your wife," Cruz joked, "I've got a few ideas I can share." jasper.scherer@chron.com twitter.com/jaspscherer AUSTIN Texas health officials who awarded $6.3 million in state contracts to an anti-abortion womens health care coordinator announced Friday that the contracts are being canceled after the group misused some of that funding. The Heidi Groups state contract award was criticized by abortion rights activists who questioned early on why the state would hire an anti-abortion group with no experience to run a family planning program for low-income women. The evidence has been out there from the start of this fiasco for everyone who isn't willfully blind, said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for civil liberties. We hope this signals that the state is serious about working with qualified providers and will start basing decisions about women's health on evidence instead of anti-abortion politics. But either way, this is a victory for common sense and the women of Texas." The state is now investigating how The Heidi Group spent about $1.1 million that it received with billings that are suspected to be for ineligible services. The group will also have to pay back the Texas Health and Human Services Commission at least $29,400 in state money that went toward other costs that are not allowed under its contract, state officials said. The Heidi Group has had substantial deficiencies in the areas of contract compliance, service administration, and financial and administration management of both contracts, reads a statement from the commission. Although the group will be removed from the states network of womens health care providers, the commission said thousands of providers are still available. State officials hired The Heidi Group which is based in the Austin suburb of Round Rock and run by anti-abortion activist Carol Everett in 2016 to provide family planning and wellness care, although she had no experience running such programs. The group pledged to serve almost 70,000 women, but has served just 3,356 clients, according to the commission. The group lists 32 clinics where women can obtain wellness or family planing services. Everetts organization first won contracts to coordinate care for Texas women in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that dismantled the states regulations on abortion clinics as unconstitutional. Texas officials then approved a contract to The Heidi Group, unveiled a fetal burial policy and inserted inaccurate information in state brochures about abortion. Given the anti-abortion sentiment that controls state government, I assume thats why the Heidi Group was favorably considered, said Rep. Sarah Davis, a Houston Republican. It seems that we are not wisely using taxpayer dollars. The contracts will terminate Dec. 11. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Do Not Sell My Personal Information When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. 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Although the U.S. Department of Justice noted that the Cuomo campaign rejected the donation when it realized it came from a Canadian, Cuomos Republican opponent, Marc Molinaro, eagerly decried the foreign money laundering scheme. This is only the latest in a string of recent legal proceedings against Cuomo former associates and allies. In late September, the governors former close aide Joseph Percoco, who Cuomo had likened to a brother, was sentenced to six years in prison for taking bribes. On the same day, Cuomo ran an ad accusing Molinaro of corruption. Molinaro used Pigeons guilty plea as fodder to fire back, saying, Andrew Cuomo spends his days pointing fingers at others while his own backyard is despicably dirty. Cuomo has not been accused of any wrongdoing in any cases involving his associates. At a news conference when the Percoco charges were first announced, then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara replied to a question about Cuomo by saying, There are no allegations of any wrongdoing or misconduct by the governor anywhere in this complaint. Thats all Im going to say. Here is a list of the cases that have brought down political figures with ties to Cuomo, in descending order of how close they come to the governors office. Joseph Percoco Joseph Percoco began working for former Gov. Mario Cuomo when he was just 19. He was so close to the Cuomo family that during the younger Cuomos eulogy for his father in January 2015, he described Percoco as my fathers third son, who I sometimes think he loved the most. He joined Andrew Cuomo at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration and he worked with him until 2015. He served as the executive deputy secretary to the governor between January 2012 and mid-2014, and again in 2015. In March, Percoco was found guilty for selling his influence in the governors office when he accepted more than $315,000 in payments from Competitive Power Ventures and Cor Development in exchange for favoring their projects. As early as 2010, CPV treated Percoco to expensive meals and a Hamptons fishing trip. The bulk of the bribe came in the form of a job given to Percocos wife, Lisa, that required very minimal work. In exchange, Percoco agreed to use his influence to assist CPV in obtaining a contract with the state. When Percoco was sentenced in September to six years in prison, Manhattan Federal Judge Valerie Caproni said, I hope this sentence will be heard in Albany." Joe Percoco is paying the price for violating the public trust, Cuomo said at the time. And it should serve as a warning to anyone who fails to uphold his or her oath as a public servant. Alain Kaloyeros Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, the former president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, is credited with helping to foster a high-tech industry around Albany. This led Cuomo to tap Kaloyeros to run the Buffalo Billion project, the governors signature economic development project that initially aimed to invest $1 billion in the Buffalo-area economy. In July, Kaloyeros was found guilty of rigging the bidding process. Kaloyeros colluded with powerful New York lobbyist Todd Howe to funnel lucrative contracts to Cor and LPCiminelli, whose executives donated significantly to Cuomos campaign. Howe and Kaloyeros tailored requests for proposals to their corrupt patrons companies. Todd Howe Cuomo has denied that he was very close to Howe, but according to testimony from Kaloyeros trial, Howe was paid $300,000 a year by a state college to be Cuomos informer inside Kaloyeros office. Howe was also involved in the Percoco case. In order to gain access to Percoco, CPV and Cor retained Howe. In 2016, when prosecutors announced the charges against Percoco, they also revealed that Howe had pleaded guilty to eight felonies and was cooperating. Bribes paid to Percoco were channeled through bank accounts and a shell company set up by Howe. According to a Department of Justice press release, Percoco and Howe referred to the bribe payments as ziti, a reference to a term used for money in the television show The Sopranos. Howe cooperated with the prosecution on the Percoco trial as a key witness. However, he was arrested and his bail condition revoked mid-way through the trial when he admitted during cross-examination that he attempted to con his credit card company. Steve Pigeon Steve Pigeon, former Erie County Democratic Chairman and long-time New York kingmaker, has dared prosecutors for years to challenge his questionable political fundraising tactics. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to federal charges that he helped hide an illegal $25,000 donation to Cuomos 2014 campaign. This comes just two weeks after a separate guilty plea in a state case for bribing a judge. The contribution was made on behalf of the Canadian founder of Amaya, an online gambling site. It is illegal in the U.S. for foreign nationals to make donations to political campaigns. The DOJ noted that the Cuomo campaign rejected the donation when it realized it came from a Canadian. But Pigeon then tried to sneak through the donation by channeling it through a legal U.S. resident employed by Amaya. Edward Mangano Edward Mangano, the former Republican Nassau County executive who was arrested on corruption charges in late 2016, has weaker ties to the governor. However, in an article from November 2016, City & State outlined Mangano and Cuomos complicated alliance. Cuomos desire to secure the Long Island vote has a long history and, despite representing the opposing party, Mangano assisted Cuomo in his quest. Mangano and Cuomo made joint public appearances and only tepidly endorsed each others opponents. Since Cuomo took office in 2011, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state-controlled fiscal monitoring board created in 2000 to help Nassau County dig itself out of a funding crisis, became more sympathetic towards Mangano. During Manganos 2013 reelection bid, Cuomo had replaced enough members of NIFA that the committee could rubber-stamp Manganos fiscal agenda. Mangano and his wife, Linda, are currently facing a federal corruption retrial, although the proceedings were abruptly postponed on Tuesday. The case revolves around allegations that Mangano assisted local restaurateur Harendra Singh in securing a number of Nassau County contracts in exchange for bribes, including a $450,000 no-show job for Linda Mangano. Mangano pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys maintain there was nothing illegal about Singh giving gifts to his longtime friends and that the former county executive did nothing in return that broke the law. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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AKRON, Ohio - The Akron-Summit County Public Library has been certified as sensory-inclusive, meaning it is able to serve patrons who face challenges processing lights, sounds, motion and other stimulators that can trigger stress. Some other libraries in the U.S. are certified sensory-inclusive, but Akron-Summit County is the first library system to be certified across all 19 branches. The library celebrated the certification Friday with a ceremony at the Goodyear branch, unveiling Quiet Zones, new signs and so-called sensory bags, which are available at all library locations. The sensory bags contain items that can be helpful to people experiencing sensory overload, such as noise-cancelling headphones, fidget toys and a card with icons that assist with communication. Weighted lap pads are also available, which can lend a sense of security. To earn the designation, the library has worked over the past year with KultureCity, a nonprofit pioneering inclusion for people with autism, PTSD, early dementia and other conditions in which stress is triggered by crowds, noises or lights. KultureCity awards the sensory-inclusion certification. More than 400 Akron-Summit County library employees - from librarians to IT - have been trained to identify people with such sensitivities, and to accept them, said Deputy Director Barb White, who spearheaded the effort. Too many individuals and families who once enjoyed the library's programs stop participating once early dementia sets in or children are diagnosed with autism, White said. They fear they are upsetting to other patrons because of their unusual behaviors or that something will trigger a reaction, she said. "We don't want folks to feel like the library is not a place for them," White said. "Everyone is welcome. In fact, we're just opening the doors wider." Akron library patron Lawrence Williams is a Vietnam veteran who suffers from PTSD. KultureCity representative Amy Belles worked with the Akron library to earn its certification. Belles' 13-year-old son, Carson, has autism and uses a speech device to communicate. In 2017, Belles worked with the Akron Zoo and Quicken Loans Arena to help them earn their sensory-inclusion certifications. "The library is a cornerstone of a community," she told those gathered at the Goodyear branch. "It's a place where Carson and all individuals should be welcomed. With simple accommodations, acceptance and inclusion are possible." Also in attendance was Lawrence Williams, a library patron and Vietnam veteran who has two Purple Heart and suffers from PTSD. Williams said he avoids fireworks and sometimes dons noise-cancelling headphones to calm himself. "I think this is awesome," he said of the library's certification. "If we had something like this to start with, when we first came back home, all of us veterans with PTSD, it might have been better for us." 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. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man is in stable condition after he was shot in the head Friday night, according to Cleveland police. Police responded about 9:10 p.m. for a call about a man shot at the intersection of East 65th Street and Newman Avenue, near Hyacinth Park in the city's North Broadway neighborhood, police said. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to his temple lying on the ground in front of a home on the 6500 block of Newman Avenue, police said. The man was "conscious and breathing" after the shooting, police said. He told officers that he was backing into the driveway of the home on Newman Avenue when he heard gunshots and realized he had been shot in the head, police said. The man believed he may have been caught in a crossfire, police said. He was brought by EMS to MetroHealth Medical Center. Police did not say whether anyone has been arrested in connection to the shooting. To comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comment section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The "Academic Distress Commission" for the East Cleveland school district - a panel that will take control of the struggling district from the local school board - is starting to take shape. State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria announced the three members he is appointing to the five-person board. Those are, according to an Ohio Department of Education press release: - Rev. Stanley Miller, pastor of Rust United Methodist Church in Oberlin and former executive director of the NAACP's Cleveland Chapter; - Michael Schoop, president of the Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College; and - Tachelle Banks, associate vice president of Institutional Diversity and chair of the Department of Teacher Education of Cleveland State University. East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King also appoints a member under state law. Ohio Department of Education spokesperson Brittany Halpin said King has told the department that he will appoint Belinda Kyle, his executive assistant. The school board also appoints a teacher to the commission, but no selection has been publicly announced yet. We are seeking additional details from King and Superintendent Myrna Loy Corley. East Cleveland will be the third district in Ohio to face a new form of state intervention created in 2015, following Youngstown and Lorain. The district is suing to block the takeover by the commission in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Nov. 29. Once all five members are named, DeMaria will appoint a chair. The commission then has 60 days to appoint a CEO, who will be paid by the state and have "complete operational, managerial, and instructional control of the district." The CEO will convene a community panel to advise him/her on a new educational plan for the district, which is due 90 days after he/she is appointed. The CEO has broad powers to overrule parts of union contracts, create charter schools or other schools for parents to choose, and overhaul schools by replacing staff. Those powers increase as time passes without improved ratings on report cards. Click here for the law spelling out all of the CEO's powers. EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 14-year-old girl whose body was discovered next to her father's body in the backseat of a smoldering rental car in East Cleveland was tortured before her death, East Cleveland police said. Paris Bradley was pulled from her bed while she slept at her father's Bedford home after midnight Wednesday and was tortured to get information, Commander Scott Gardner told cleveland.com Investigators have not said what type of information the assailants were trying to get from the girl, but said whoever broke into the home left it in complete disarray. Paris and her father, Paul Bradley, 39, were found badly burned in the backseat of a silver Buick with New York license plates in a vacant lot in East Cleveland Wednesday morning, police said. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office identified the father and daughter Saturday, specifying that Paris died of gunshot wounds to the head with skull and brain injuries. The medical examiner did not list the cause of Paul Bradley's death. The car was rented in Paul Bradley's name from a company in Rocky River. It was later traced back to his home in Bedford on Gould Avenue, police said. Every room in the home was covered in gasoline. The scent of gas could be smelled by reporters from several homes away. Whomever ransacked the house tore sheets from the beds, tossed chairs around various rooms, and there were obvious signs of a struggle, police said. Authorities believe the incident at the Bradley home happened sometime after midnight Wednesday as the father and daughter were pulled from their beds as they slept, police said. It's unclear if someone attempted to burn the home down with the gasoline, police said. Police spent several hours at the home Wednesday. They returned Thursday with a K-9 officer to ensure they didn't miss anything, police said. No arrests have been made as of Friday. Authorities have not provided a motive behind the brutal slayings of the father and daughter or any additional information prior to them being found. Court records show a criminal history for a man named Paul Bradley dating back to 1998. Paul Bradley was sentenced to 11 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in 1998, according to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas court records. A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced Paul Bradley to one year community control after he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer in 2004, and two years later, he was sentenced to another three years of community control for having weapons under a disability. To comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comment section. may have helped stocks pare their losses from earlier in the week, but CNBC's Jim Cramer said it would take more than a to mount a sustainable recovery. "When the stock market falls as hard as it's been falling for the past week, it doesn't take much to give us a bounce," the "Mad Money" host said. "But, listen, we won't get [a] sustainable rebound until it's based on something domestic, something here, which is why we had that intraday sell-off before the late-afternoon bounce." And the concern that initially spurred the sell-off the idea that could cause an economic slowdown was still very much intact among investors, Cramer warned. With that in mind, he turned to his game plan to lay out how investors should look at the week ahead. Wall Street will get a flurry of earnings reports from major companies including Bank of America, Netflix, Johnson & Johnson and more. Click here for the full game plan. Watch out, 2019: Here comes the Fed A runner passes the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board building in Washington. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images The stock market could be "headed for big trouble on the earnings front" next year because of plans to hike interest rates , and Cramer is sounding the alarm. "Three lockstep rate hikes next year will slow growth, boost the dollar and make people feel less wealthy. That is a fatal cocktail, one that makes it very difficult for most companies to raise their forecasts," he said on Friday. "The Fed's determined to keep tightening, and if we get the promised rate hike in December followed then by three more rate hikes next year no matter how weak the economy might get, I'm betting that will [be] an accelerant to what could be a serious economic slowdown," Cramer continued. And while he insisted that this market situation wasn't the same as in 2007, when the Fed's lockstep rate hikes brought the economy to the precipice of a major recession, he was worried about the effect the current Fed could have on stocks. Here's his full take. Cramer's post-earnings take on JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase. Adam Jeffery | CNBC As the stock market processed the big banks' earnings reports on Friday after stocks pared their earlier losses, Cramer was doing some processing of his own. In particular, the "Mad Money" host was considering chief on the bank's post-earnings conference call, in which he warned of potential geopolitical turmoil weighing on economic growth. "If rates go up because you have inflation, that is not a plus. That is a bad thing," Dimon said. "So far, we still have a strong economy in spite of these increasing overseas geopolitical issues bursting all over the place." For the longtime banker, "Brexit, Italy, trade, reversals of [quantitative easing], Turkey, Argentina, Saudi Arabia" all posed potential threats to the welfare of the global economic layout. Even though Dimon's comments weren't as negative as some other voices in the market, Cramer was surprised how things had changed since in late September. And while Dimon's message was "not encouraging," it didn't make the stock of J.P. Morgan any less attractive, Cramer said. Click here for Cramer's analysis. Canopy Growth CEO on DEA approval, opportunity for cannabis Bruce Linton, CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation Brendan McDermid | Reuters It's no secret that the world is growing accustomed to the business of cannabis, but for $9.6 billion Canadian medical marijuana producer , the future is approaching faster than many expect. On Tuesday, Canopy which has gained traction on news of from Corona parent Constellation Brands announced that it had shipped cannabis to the United States from Canada for medical research, a milestone in the U.S. government's acceptance of what it considers to be a Schedule 1 drug. "Under [Drug Enforcement Administration] approval, we shipped, for the first time, legally and I highlight 'legally' cannabis from Canada to the U.S," Bruce Linton, the co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth, told Cramer. "The DEA-approved partner, which we haven't announced yet, can actually begin to do medical research, clinical trials if necessary, [and] create the data set that enables people to know when, what, where, and maybe it can become federally regulated in the U.S. with some input that way," Linton said in an interview on "Mad Money." The CEO also said that cannabis could disrupt some $500 billion worth of global markets. For more on why he believes that and Canopy's opportunity in the market, click here to watch and read about Linton's interview. Okta CEO on helping 5,000 customers digitize, beat Amazon Todd McKinnon Anjali Sundaram | CNBC Cloud prince Okta has caught Cramer's eye with its monster year-over-year growth, so on Friday, Cramer touched base with its co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Todd McKinnon, to hear about how business is expanding. McKinnon, whose software and cybersecurity company boasts over 5,000 clients including high-profile names like Major League Baseball, said that Okta's secular tailwinds drivers not pegged to economic trends are threefold. First, "every organization is using the cloud to make their workforce more productive, rolling out the best tools, best technology," the CEO said. "Second one is every company in every industry is figuring out how they can use the cloud to be the Amazon of their industry before Amazon becomes the Amazon of their industry." "The third one is that, when you think about workforce productivity and being a digital company, it's all open and more connected, but it's also the security risk and the opportunity to have better security is more important than ever," McKinnon said. Okta helps companies do all three, the CEO said. And for investors concerned about the company's negative operating cash flow, McKinnon offered some reassurance. "The main thing we're focused on given these big secular tailwinds ... is reaching the most amount of customers and providing the most value in the fastest time possible," the CEO said. "That's growth and that takes investment, so we're investing heavily to help these customers, to innovate, make sure our products are broad and deep and capable and make sure we can have the sales and marketing to go after these customers." Click here to watch Todd McKinnon's full interview. Lightning round: Don't get down on DWDP For many months, Trump administration officials have worried privately that Saudi Arabia's young prince Mohammed Bin Salman in whom President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner had invested so much was through rash actions endangering his own historic project of a more religiously moderate, socially open and economically diverse Saudi Arabia. Yet these officials had held fire and damped their public criticism, as had many other Saudi friends including me, because of what seemed the larger prize. MBS, as the 33-year-old Saudi crown prince is known, could act impulsively, emotionally and repressively, but the larger, strategic stakes of his efforts to transform his country were of historic and global significance. By his own admission, the crown prince was an autocratic representative of an ancient monarchy, but he had in his cross-hairs the austere Saudi Arabia that had emerged in the years after the Grand Mosque seizure by militants in 1979. It was a worthy target as it had become the midwife and financer of an extreme and puritanical vision of Islam that seeded the 9/11 terrorist attacks, killing some 3,000, and al-Qaeda, ISIS and much more. That was the larger context when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared 10 days ago. Reports now are more convincing, in addition to being more persuasive and gruesome, that he was murdered by Saudi agents. So, it soon may be time to mourn even more than the tragic and grisly passing of this intelligent, honorable and principled individual, whom I had known for years as a fellow journalist. It may also mark the death of the crown prince's best ambitions, if not handled far more decisively and transparently than has been the case thus far. The crown prince had been confronting three existential strategic threats simultaneously. A yet-incomplete internal struggle over his leadership, a dysfunctional domestic economy and culture that requires wholesale change, and an immediate external threat from an aggressive and expansive Iran. The country, the region and the world would be better off if MBS succeeds on all three. But his recent mistakes have been the best gift possible for his domestic rivals, for those who fight his reform agenda and for Iran. What's at risk is a Saudi shift that had geopolitical, geo-economic and, most of all, geo-religious consequences. Given those stakes, President Trump has been understandably reluctant to condemn his Saudi partners, but he missed the primary danger with his concerns about the $110 billion US defense sales, a few more billion in Saudi investments in the United States, and the US jobs they may spawn. The religious and cultural stakes are far more significant. That's because the Saudi turn after 1979, along with the Iranian revolution of the same year, altered the course of history by setting back the modernization efforts that previously were blossoming across the region. Saudi Arabia's well-financed proselytizing, mosque-building and religious school creating around the world had a force unlike all others because it came from the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammed, and the home of the religion's two holiest places, Mecca and Medina. Muslims listened and opened their doors when Saudi imams arrived in their countries and communities toting generous checkbooks and pushing an anti-modernist, intolerant agenda. Because of this Saudi global influence, it was hard not to be seduced by MBS' vision of a more modern and moderate Islam. He had defanged the religious police, he gave women the right to drive, he opened movie theaters, he had promised far more help in the global fight against terror, and one assumed that this positive trajectory would continue. At the same time, however, in recent weeks his Saudi government locked up Saudi female driving activists, it broke relations with Canada in a pique of anger over tweets calling for the release of two imprisoned rights activists, and it acted time and again to douse dissent. I count myself as one of those who had been captivated by the possibility of change and the compelling MBS personality. What impressed me was his focus, energy, vision, laid out over three lengthy meetings in Riyadh and Washington, of how his country had gone wrong and what he would do to modernize it with next-generation support. Our meetings were off-record, but his on-record statements echoed their central tenets. Perhaps most powerful was his speech just a year ago at the country's first Future Investment Initiative, where he laid out before global investors why his vision for the country more closely matched what the Prophet had intended. "Saudi was not like this before 1979," he told more than 2,500 leading business figures from more than 60 countries. "Saudi Arabia and the entire region went through a reversal after 1979. All we are doing is going back to what we were: a moderate Islam that is open to all religious and to the world and to all traditions and people." Just 11 days later, he launched his anti-corruption campaign by detaining a passel of princes and a herd of former ministers and Saudi businessmen in the Riyahd's lavish Ritz Carlton. I engaged with young Saudis who embraced his determination to root out corruption in Saudi Arabia's vast system of royal patronage, but he at the same time was consolidating power. That unrivalled power now has made him the central figure to watch in the Khashoggi case, and it has been his silence thus far as the country's ultimate figure of authority that has been most disturbing to those who had hoped the initial reports of official Saudi complicity were untrue. Coming shortly before the second annual Future Investment Initiative on October 23-25 in Saudi Arabia, the Khashoggi affair is also providing a test of international support for MBS when investor unease was already growing. Saudi Arabia suffered a capital flight of some $80 billion in 2017 and another $65 billion projected this year, according to research by JP Morgan. Inward investment has also collapsed. In 2017, new foreign direct investment fell to a 14-year low. Since 2016, FDI has dropped by more than 80 percent to $1.4 billion so the government target attracting $18.7 billion by 2020 is near impossible. So many speakers and media partners for this year's initiative have already pulled out that the organizers have pulled down the names from the on-line agenda. Those who have kept their bookings keep watching for any news from the Saudis a security video from the consulate to clarify what happened to Kashoggi, a clarifying statement by the Crown Prince himself, anything that would alter the growing conviction of Saudi complicity. Without that, much more than the Future Investment Initiative is in danger. Conventional wisdom not long ago was that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would rise to the throne and serve for decades, helping to transform his country, the region and the future of Islam for the better. Though he may still achieve that, his success in doing so now rests heavily on how quickly, decisively and transparently he can manage the current crisis and learn from his mistakes. Frederick Kempe is a best-selling author, prize-winning journalist and president & CEO of the Atlantic Council, one of the United States' most influential think tanks on global affairs. He worked at The Wall Street Journal for more than 25 years as a foreign correspondent, assistant managing editor and as the longest-serving editor of the paper's European edition. His latest book "Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth" was a New York Times best-seller and has been published in more than a dozen languages. Follow him on Twitter @FredKempe and subscribe here to Inflection Points, his look each Saturday at the past week's top stories and trends. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. BALI, Indonesia Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said she is "horrified" at the disappearance and suspected killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but still plans to attend a conference in Saudi Arabia later this month. "Human rights, freedom of information are essential rights. And horrifying things have been reported and I am horrified," she told reporters on Saturday in Bali, Indonesia, where the IMF and World Bank are conducting their annual meetings. "But I have to conduct the business of IMF in all corners of the world, and with many governments," she added. "When I visit a country, I always speak my mind. You know me, I do. At this point in time, my intention is to not change my plan and to be very attentive to the information that is coming out in the next few days, but I speak my mind." Lagarde was responding to a question on whether she will proceed with her planned visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the Future Investment Initiative, also known as "Davos in the Desert," which is scheduled for Oct. 23 to 25. Several luminaries and media outlets including CNBC, Financial Times, CNN and The New York Times have withdrawn from the event, citing concerns about the disappearance of Khashoggi and his alleged murder. Lagarde is not the only one who is going ahead with attending the conference. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Friday that he, too, still plans to attend FII. "We are concerned about what is the status of Mr. Khashoggi," Mnuchin told CNBC. "If more information comes out and changes, we could look at that, but I am planning on going." Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince and the Saudi royal family, was last seen Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia has denied wrongdoing. Turkey has reportedly informed the U.S. that it has video and audio evidence showing Khashoggi, who wrote for The Washington Post, was killed inside the consulate. Khashoggi had been living in the United States as a voluntary exile from Saudi Arabia. Several senators, led by Republicans Bob Corker and Lindsey Graham, have triggered a U.S. investigation into Khashoggi's whereabouts. The White House has said senior administration officials, including President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top advisor Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have been in contact with the crown prince regarding the journalist's disappearance. CNBC's Mike Calia contributed reporting. President Donald Trump introduces U.S. Circuit Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh as his nominee to the United States Supreme Court during an event in the East Room of the White House July 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images President Donald Trump's approval ratings received a slight bump in recent weeks, as the nation focused on the confirmation battle of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault in September. But for Republican Senate candidates, Trump's decision to frame the Kavanaugh fight as an attack by Democrats on all men, and not just on Kavanaugh, has helped give their campaigns a major boost. The Kavanaugh debate's impact on Trump According to the polling average maintained by Real Clear Politics, during the past two weeks the president's approval ratings have risen to around 43 percent. This is up 2 points from where Trump's approval ratings had been in mid-September, when they sunk to 41 percent, the lowest polling average Trump had seen since March, according to RCP. For most of the summer, however, Trump's approval ratings in RCP polls sat at around 43 percent. The statistics site FiveThirtyEight.com averaged the president's approval ratings at around 42 percent for the same period, between mid-June and September, when they briefly dropped below 40 percent. Among experts, however, the only consensus about how much Kavanaugh helped Trump's poll numbers is that it's unclear. And despite the emergence of a narrative attributing Trump's slight boost to a so-called Kavanaugh bump, it's difficult to determine how much of Trump's recovery is actually a reflection of the Kavanaugh confirmation fight. This is because so many other issues might have impacted voters' views of the president, ranging from the strong economy to the burgeoning trade war with China. As veteran polling analyst Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com wrote on Oct. 4: Trump's approval ratings have largely followed the same trajectory as the generic ballot, having slumped in early-to-mid September and since rebounded slightly. It's not clear how much of that is Kavanaugh-related, however, as the president was dealing with a lot of other news in August and early September, such as the guilty pleas of Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen. Merely staying out of the headlines while Kavanaugh was the lead story may have helped Trump's numbers revert to the mean. But while it remains difficult to gauge the impact Kavanaugh had on Trump's poll numbers, what seems clear is that Trump's handling of the Kavanaugh confirmation has had a real impact on Republican voters. Trump's impact on the Kavanaugh debate Ever since California professor Christine Blasey Ford first publicly aired her allegation that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her, on Sept. 16, Trump and Senate Republicans have argued that Kavanaugh is the real victim, and not Ford. Led by Trump, Republicans have openly appealed to white men, arguing that if an accomplished professional like Kavanaugh can be accused of sexual assault 36 years after the alleged attack, then no man is safe. "It's a very scary time for young men in America, when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of," Trump said in early October, just days before Kavanaugh was finally confirmed. It was a theme the president repeated at campaign rallies, including one in Mississippi where he mocked Ford's recollection of her alleged assault. Instead of thinking about Ford, he said, "Think of your son. Think of your husband." Trump's rhetoric appears to have unleashed one of his most potent political weapons --- a sense of grievance among white, male, conservative voters. This argument was echoed by top Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called the allegations against Kavanaugh "a shameful smear campaign" through which "Senate Democrats are trying to destroy a man's personal and professional life." But this line of reasoning did not change voters' minds about Kavanaugh, or about the allegations against him. On the contrary, polls throughout September and October showed that voters' opinions of Kavanaugh only became more polarized as time passed. Instead, they appear to simply have made Republicans madder. And voters who are angry tend to be more enthusiastic about voting than those who are not. 'The Republican base was awakened' Morocco expressed its astonishment and its categorical denial of the claims spread by some French and US media saying that the North African Kingdom has arrested Saudi Prince Turki Ben Bandar ben Mohamed Al Souad, on its soil in 2015. The ministry of justice explained, in a statement relayed by Moroccos news agency, that the arrest of the Saudi national took place on November 11, 2015 at Casablancas Mohammed V airport after an arrest warrant from interpol. He was later extradited to Saudi Arabia on November 16, 2015 by virtue of a verdict of a Moroccan court. Morocco stresses that all its extradition procedures are based on judiciary decisions in accordance with international procedures and in full respect of the national law granting rights and freedoms to all. For decades, developing countries have relied on outside investments to boost their growth despite trade imbalances. But running a current account deficit has come to be regarded as "a sin," according to Singapore's deputy prime minister. Such a development is just "crazy," Tharman Shanmugaratnam told CNBC on Friday during the annual meeting of the Institute of International Finance on the Indonesian island of Bali. Shanmugaratnam was referring to the widely held outlook that nations should seek to avoid current account deficits which indicate they're operating on borrowed means because the value of incoming goods, services and investments exceeds the amount leaving the country. "How did the Singapores and Koreas of the world grow?" he said. "We grew by running current account deficits at an early stage of development so we could invest ahead for growth while our savings were being built up." Singapore was able to rely on financing through foreign direct investments and long-term investors during its early years of growth, as the international financial system at that time had capital flowing to developing economies, Shanmugaratnam said. "Today, it's a sin to run a current account deficit and that's crazy," said the minister, who is also the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the country's central bank and financial regulator. "I mean, it's bad in economics, it's bad in policy sense, and the whole world is going to suffer." "We've got to make it possible once again for countries to run sustainable current account deficits, to have them funded reliably, and for investments to flow into the most productive areas," Shanmugaratnam said. Last week, pop star Taylor Swift made waves by breaking her stance of political neutrality, and backing Democratic congressional candidates in her home state of Tennessee. The effect of Swift's surprise endorsement, which was made via an Instagram post, were felt right away, as thousands of people between the ages of 18 and 29 registered to vote, according to Vote.org. However, it remains to be seen whether these new voters will actually turn out for Swift's chosen candidates on Election Day. Some political observers have their doubts, and history is littered with celebrity political endorsements overwhelmingly in favor of Democratic candidates that failed to translate into actual votes. Meanwhile, the latest polling data show Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn with a sizable lead over Democratic challenger Phil Bredesen in the race for retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker's seat. Swift urged her followers to back Bredesen, a former governor, in the race. Yet veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi, who worked on the 2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean, the 2010 campaign of California Gov. Jerry Brown and most recently the successful Senate bid of Alabama's Doug Jones, characterized celebrity endorsements as generating awareness and interest about an election, instead of mobilizing voters. "It's not so much about changing minds as getting people who aren't paying attention," Trippi told CNBC. "When Charles Barkley came out for Doug Jones in the final weeks of the Alabama special election, we noticed that younger voters weren't paying much attention to the race, but the polling was for us," he said. "Charles Barkley really grabbed some of the spotlight with young voters." Trippi added that getting the attention of otherwise disengaged voters helped put Jones over the top, in a race where the margin of victory was razor-thin. "Doug Jones won Alabama by 23,000 votes," he said. "So it can make a difference, not because of changing minds but because you're getting the attention and focus of groups that aren't big turnout demographics." Don McGahn, general counsel for the Trump transition team, gets into an elevator in the lobby at Trump Tower, November 15, 2016. President Donald Trump is on the verge of naming Pat Cipollone, a veteran Washington litigator and a loyalist of the president, as White House Counsel, two published reports said on Saturday. According to Axios and The Washington Post, Cipollone is preparing to replace Don McGahn, the embattled incumbent White House Counsel who is expected to step down after the midterm election. Cipollone, a civil litigator with no White House experience, is reportedly well liked among Trump's inner circle even if he was not an obvious choice, unnamed sources close to the matter told Axios. "But he's a true believer," one source told Axios about Cipollone. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Human rights activists and friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold his pictures during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 8, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a CBS interview on Saturday that there would be "severe punishment" for Saudi Arabia if it turns out that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Riyadh and legal resident of the United States, disappeared on Oct. 2 after visiting the consulate. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump said. Asked whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave an order to kill him, Trump said "nobody knows yet, but we'll probably be able to find out." Trump added in excerpts of the "60 Minutes" interview that will air on Sunday "we would be very upset and angry if that were the case". Trump said that there was much at stake with Khashoggi case, "maybe especially so" because he was a reporter. But Trump signaled that cutting off U.S. military sales to the kingdom may not be an option, saying, "I don't want to hurt jobs." Turkish sources have told Reuters the initial assessment of the police was that Khashoggi was deliberately killed inside the consulate. "Certainly it's true that there are students that the University of Missouri is recruiting and Missouri State is recruiting, and they're choosing one school or another," Ryan DeBoef of Missouri State University said. Several petitioners took the floor before the fourth committee of the UN General Assembly to denounce the corruption of the Algeria-backed Polisario separatists and their embezzlement of the international aid destined for the sequestered Sahrawis in Tindouf Camps, Algeria. One petitioner said the sequestered Sahrawis in the Tindouf camps are held against their will by the mercenaries who are armed, funded and sheltered by the Algerian regime. Trapped in a desperate situation inside the Tindouf camps, the sequestered Sahrawis, have been used and abused for political and criminal gain by the separatists, he added. Describing the disillusionment of young people in Tindouf, another petitioner said that the lamentable situation suffered by these vulnerable people push them to clandestine activities such as smuggling of arms, people and drugs, and embracing terrorism as a way of life. Another petitioner said that for years, the Polisario secessionists have promised Sahrawi youth, sequestered in the camps, a resolution of the Sahara conflict, but failed their void promises. The disappointed and disenfranchized Sahrawi youths became vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist groups. Some petitioners decried the diversion of humanitarian assistance intended for the Tindouf camps populations and called on the UN to carry out a census of the inhabitants of these camps, deploring Algeria systematic refusal to allow such a census. One petitioner described the diversion of provisions as a web of deception, while another equated it to a mafia operation circumventing the established legal structure in place to provide aid. Eric Cameron, World Action for Refugees, deplored the inaction surrounding the Tindouf camps, saying that a political solution can be achieved through the Moroccan initiative for autonomy, which guaranteed good governance and fundamental rights. He also stressed the need to crack down on racketeers who embezzle supplies of food and medical resources. For Nancy Huff, Teach the Children International, had simple steps been taken to stop the theft of humanitarian aid 43 years ago, the Sahara issue could have been settled many years ago. Donna Sams, petitioner, Antioch Community Center, warned that the Tindouf camps could become a magnet for countries and leaders with an agenda of war and destabilization. Jonathan Huff, Safety and Security Instructional Services, said the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies accuses Hezbollah of purposely seeking out people like the Tindouf Sahrawis who are vulnerable to terrorist ideologies. French Senator Francois Grosdidier has affirmed that Moroccos autonomy plan for the Sahara will promote stability and security in the region, saying that the Moroccan initiative fulfills the democratic aspirations and sustainable development needs of the Sahrawi population. Speaking on the behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the ambassador of El Salvador said this regional bloc continues to strongly support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to reach a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the Sahara conflict. Nick Hargrave: Camerons modernisation was necessary then. And an updated version is necessary now. Nick Hargrave is a former Downing Street special adviser, where he worked under both David Cameron and Theresa May. He now works at Portland, the communications consultancy. David Camerons modernisation of the Conservative Party is often maligned in Tory circles. At best, a vacuous PR exercise. At worst, a piece of dangerous metropolitan elitism that severed the link between the partys core vote and its leadership. I would argue something different. It was a critical piece of repositioning that helped us appeal to voters under the age of 45 and put us back into government. Another process of modernisation albeit around very different issues and executed with more sensitivity needs to take place again if we are to win a convincing majority next time. Compiled at every election since October 1974, IPSOS Moris How Britain voted tracker makes for instructive reading. Its a common cliche that Conservative voters have been steadily dying out as a wave of intergenerational unfairness hits. However, the tracker shows a more nuanced picture. Among 25-44 year olds our party almost matched Labour in 2015 and we beat them in 2010. In the elections of 1997, 2001, 2005 and, yes, 2017 we ran up double digit deficits. It is clear why. From the mid-1990s to 2005, the Conservative Party found it difficult to shake the image of being the grumpy neighbour down the street. We couldnt get past the sense that we didnt understand modern Britain and the children of more recent times. We talked a lot about Maastricht, opposing the minimum wage, supporting fox hunting and defending Section 28. We did not talk a lot about things which resonated with a generation who were building their careers and starting their families. And we paid an electoral price. Camerons leadership was no panacea. 2010 was no triumph and 2015 no crushing landslide; both elections were mediated through the era defining financial crisis of 2008. But the process of modernisation did lead the party to focus more squarely on issues relevant to voters under 45. With the foundation of sound economic management in place, we talked a lot about Help to Buy, apprenticeships, job creation, backing small businesses, schooling, childcare, and raising the personal allowance; coupled with a good offer for older voters too. For both elections under Camerons leadership the party achieved an approximately seven per cent vote lead over Labour and, in 2015, our first majority in a generation. This reversal in fortune would not have been possible without the votes we put on in the 25 to 44 age bracket over the period. We cannot even begin to think about winning majorities without being competitive amongst people born in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But sadly we are losing these people once again. And you can see the parallels with the grumpy neighbour of a generation ago. The process of withering and withdrawal happens in increments rather than quick flashes. But before you know it, it feels very real indeed. This has happened for two reasons. First, the misreading of the signal that the vote for Brexit (the product of a world-class but very simplistic campaign) was a legitimisation of our obsession about the microscopic details of our relationship with the EU. Rather than working to heal the inevitable cultural values divide with younger people after the vote, we have entrenched it by the tone and volume of our neuralgia. When you are worried about the funding for your childs school, politicians look remote when they sound more interested in different models of tariff collection and acronym bingo on whether we should look more like Canada or Norway. Second, since September 2015 we have retreated into a comfort zone borne of the belief that Jeremy Corbyn cant possibly become Prime Minister. Well, the last election was far too close for my liking. And even if Corbyn still carries a lot of baggage, I certainly wouldnt fancy our chances right now against a Labour Party led by Emily Thornberry, Tom Watson, Keir Starmer or even John McDonnell. So as party strategists contemplate the next few years, they need to start thinking once again about the m word. Modernisation this time should not be about drinking smoothies, hugging huskies, relocating to Shoreditch, taking off our ties and proclaiming our love of the Big Society. Modernisation should simply be about putting the Conservative Party squarely at the service of aspirant working families and their priorities especially those outside of London. At the same time we need to treat our base of slightly older voters with respect, learning the lessons of UKIPs rise out of Cameroon modernisation. What does that mean in practice? Discipline when the Withdrawal Agreement is (God willing) put to bed and a general acceptance that it is time to get back onto the domestic agenda . The detailed contours of our future relationship with Europe may not be fully defined by March 29 next year. But the extent to which the transition period is elevated to a similar moment of blood and thunder is down to the choices we make. . The detailed contours of our future relationship with Europe may not be fully defined by March 29 next year. But the extent to which the transition period is elevated to a similar moment of blood and thunder is down to the choices we make. Intellectual clarity on what it means to be a Conservative in the modern world . Even if we are unlikely to talk about it explicitly on our leaflets, we cannot convince younger people to vote for us if we do not know what we believe. My own view is that the energetic reinvigoration of capitalism for the twenty-first century preserving what is good but reforming what now needs to be updated is the ground to build a winning electoral coalition without ceding ground to Labour. . Even if we are unlikely to talk about it explicitly on our leaflets, we cannot convince younger people to vote for us if we do not know what we believe. My own view is that the energetic reinvigoration of capitalism for the twenty-first century preserving what is good but reforming what now needs to be updated is the ground to build a winning electoral coalition without ceding ground to Labour. A retail policy offer that bring this intellectual clarity to life in personally relevant terms . The work underway from former colleagues of mine such as Will Tanner will be important here; the Chance to Buy policy unveiled last week is a good start. . The work underway from former colleagues of mine such as Will Tanner will be important here; the Chance to Buy policy unveiled last week is a good start. A leader who looks and sounds inherently comfortable with modern Britain and can convey a sense of that tomorrow will be better than today ; something which Thatcher, Major (early on) and Cameron all managed to do in their different ways. This, rather than what you have said about Brexit in the past couple of years, should be the prism for any future leadership contest. All of the above is firmly within the partys grasp to achieve; the darkest hour is often just before the dawn. But no one should be any illusions of the gravity of the task ahead. Our current notional poll lead is fragile and soft. It is set on a trajectory that will not end well unless we have the courage to modernise once again. Easier machine connectivity, communications, and visualization were among industrial automation trends at International Manufacturing Technology Show 2018 (produced by AMT) and the co-located Hannover Messe USA. Machine tool original equipment manufacturers, automation suppliers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators, and end users are working together in many areas to make these happen. Results could include greater interoperability for devices, systems, and machines. Interoperability (automation plug-and-play nirvana) often has been pursued, but remains out of reach. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and connectivity efforts from different organizations and companies are helping. Industrial Internet Consortium "Manufacturing innovations such as predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence and advanced security are only a few of the ways that intelligent manufacturing solutions are changing the IIoT," said Dr. Richard Soley, Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) executive director. IIC included IMTS in its roadshow of traveling conferences to discuss testbeds and interconnectivity. Digital transformation closes the loop in new areas, as tools help manufacturers see, decide, and act with greater agility, explained Melissa King Ruths, vice president, Plantweb solutions and services, Emerson Automation Solutions. With more than 37,000 wirelessHART networks, Ruths said, its advantageous to add analytics and services in a scalable way to enable applications such as corrosion prevention, steam traps, and pump monitoring. Once a return on investment (ROI) is seen, the network is in place to scale up from there. Christoph Berlin, principal group program manager, Azure Industrial IoT, Microsoft Corp., suggested manufacturing could advance continuously with more regular updates to plant-floor systems. When applications are cloud-based, Berlin said, those updates and advantages can be realized closer to real time, compared to less frequent on-premise upgrades. Even so, interoperability remains an issue. Calvin Smith, director and head of IoT partner engineering, Wipro Digital, said, at last count, 35 standards bodies are attempting to address the IIoT space. While the IIC isnt a standards body, it does work on standards and has testbeds for proving viability, said Sari Germanos, portfolio and product marketing at B&R. IIC has a shapers group working on time-sensitive networking (TSN), including a publish-subscribe update using OPC. Germanos said it is possible to navigate and use standards bodies to improve, citing progress in several industries. Automation companies, he noted, used to design their own boards and real-time operating systems. He said less customization and more value-add is the focus now. Cybersecurity is becoming more ingrained in everything. Radhika Chaturvedi, global cybersecurity business development: energy, power and technologies at UL LLC, said many companies have gotten used to the idea that safety is everyones job, all day, every day. Rightly so, security and cybersecurity are gaining that level of awareness, she said. OPC Foundation Another organization working on cooperation among organizations and connectivity is OPC Foundation. OPC Foundation has developed standards; OPC Unified Architecture is IEC 62541, which integrates interoperability, data modeling, and security. OPC, founded in 1995, developed OPC UA in 2004 and now is working on IoT interoperability, according to Tom Burke, president and executive director, OPC Foundation. The specification is free; the code developed with open-source stacks in ANSI, C/C++, C#, .NET, and Java. It works with any software platform and it can be used in small controllers to massive cloud-based implementation. Security is baked in, its vendor-independent, and widely used across industries. Even without being a member, companies that develop products using OPC UA may register the products for free on the site. Companion information models have been developed with cooperation from other industry organizations. One unified network? OPC technology history and future indicates future architecture integration with IEEE TSN and 5G. Burke said the IIoT needs interoperability. "We want all controllers to talk together, even if they cannot exchange programs, we want the information integration problem to be solved." Reducing system integration costs and vendor interoperability is part of the effort as 55 companies collaborate in a working group to develop OPC UA as a hard real-time deterministic Ethernet with TSN. (See photo online.) TSN, like its predecessors, has the ability to be customized into non-interoperable pieces, but cooperation to create one version seems like a way to learn from prior incompatible confusion and spend time and resources on resolving other challenges. Visualization, cloud Dashboards proliferated widely on the IMTS and Hannover Messe USA show floors, extending behind human-machine interface (HMI) views to incorporate looks across a fleet of machines; some with capabilities to display machines from other vendors (since most facilities contain machines from multiple vendors). Industrial cloud-based systems also expand and proliferate as vendors seek to connect with and create applications in multiple platforms. How many cloud platforms and dashboards are needed for an adequate view, and can the data be aggregated into higher-level systems and acted upon appropriately among connected pieces? Levels of application capability vary. The consensus seemed to be dont wait for universality; use something now for greater visibility into and operation of critical assets. Companies waiting to see who would win the fieldbus wars will fall behind companies that picked something and started achieving value. Make demands Think again if you consider greater interoperability out of reach. Those involved in the latest efforts encourage requests for proposal (RFP) to require (not just recommend) adherence to these and other standards to get OEMs and their automation vendors to collaborate and strive toward greater interoperability. Shouldnt differentiation derive from performance? Can we compare performance if we cannot see over the walls created from platforms that cannot interoperate? Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com. Online extra Unachieved automation interoperability Prior efforts at industrial interoperability include: Interoperable fieldbus: It split into a seven-part, non-interoperable, standard, which became known as fieldbus wars. It split into a seven-part, non-interoperable, standard, which became known as fieldbus wars. Ethernet: Following the model set by fieldbus, it split into non-interoperable industrial Ethernet protocols supported by competing vendors. Following the model set by fieldbus, it split into non-interoperable industrial Ethernet protocols supported by competing vendors. Programming language standard for controllers: In a five-language standard, even programs written in one of the languages cannot be transferred easily from one vendors controller to another vendors controller. Did you see? TSN: Evolution, next steps for industrial systems Technology Update: IEEE Time Sensitive Networking evolves standard Ethernet to enable deterministic networking that supports coexistence of critical and non-critical forms of traffic. Experts provide TSN updates and explanations. How much control goes to the cloud? Cloud computing is gaining ground as industrial plants become more efficient, but its important to recognize where computing is needed and where it should be taking place. Case study: IIoT effectiveness on the plant floor Create and collect machine and sensor data to augment overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and determine machine efficiency. Will one super network end Ethernet wars? www.iiconsortium.org www.opcfoundation.org See other coverage from IMTS 2018 and Hannover Messe USA, below. CORNWALL & SDG, Ontario The upcoming Municipal Election is just ten days away. Advance polling stations opened in Cornwall yesterday, attracting a few eager individuals. Each entitled voter must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years of age on Voting Day, and reside in, own land in, or tenant land in the city/municipality in which they or their spouse is voting. Voters must show a piece of identification to vote and they must but on the voting list. Voters are recommended to bring their voting card when casting their ballot if they received one. The following is a list of advance polling stations in the City of Cornwall: Cornwall SDG Paramedic Services Election Headquarters Benson Centre The three above locations will be open on the following dates: Oct. 11 to Oct. 12, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15 to Oct. 19, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The following is a list of Voting Day locations which will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. Benson Centre Centre dachats Cornwall Square Shopping Centre Cornwall Election Headquarters Cornwall SDG Paramedic services Eamers Corner Public School Ecole elementaire Publique Rose des Vents Ecole Secondaire catholique La Citadelle Glen Stor Dun Lodge Sacred Heart Catholic School St. Lawrence College In the neighbouring municipalities of South Stormont and South Glengarry, voters can cast their ballots online at southstormont.evote2018.ca and southglengarry.evote2018.ca from Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. to Monday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. The following is a list of advance voting locations in South Stormont: Woodland Villa Long Term Care Facility (for residents of the facility only) on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon. South Stormont Municipal Office, Oct. 17 to 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Oct. 20 to 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The following is a list of Voting Day locations in South Stormont, all open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.: South Stormont Municipal Office South Stormont Seniors Support Centre Newington Fire Hall St. Andrews West Fire Hall To cast your ballot in person in South Glengarry, the Voter Help Centre located at 6 Oak St. in Lancaster will be open from Oct. 17 to 19 at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 20 to 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For further details and more information about voting, visit the website of your city or municipality. Donald Trump during a Bikers for Trump event at the Trump National Golf Club on August 11, 2018. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images In the closing weeks of last years special election in Georgia, Republicans used footage of a riot by antifa a fringe sect that views the Democratic party with contempt to characterize the moderate Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff as a dangerous loon. In the closing weeks of the 2018 midterm elections, Republicans have taken this message national. Democrats are an angry mob, charges President Trump. You dont hand matches to an arsonist, and you dont give power to an angry, left-wing mob. And thats what the Democrats have become. Conservatives have begun repeating Trumps message. Yes, Democrats, Its a Mob, writes David Harsanyi. Sorry, Democrats, Progressive Mob Action Is a Real Problem, declares an almostidentically headlined David French column. Neither Harsanyi nor French is prepared to fully defend all of President Trumps behavior in this department. What they argue, instead, is that Trumps sins have been exaggerated and are minor in comparison with those of his opponents. Harsanyi clucks that reporters have been hypersensitive about Trumps metaphorical overindulgence. Trumps just an excitable kid who gets carried away sometimes. French insists there is no comparison between a lock her up chant at a controlled-entry rally and the kinds of direct, in-your-face actions weve seen from #Resistance protesters or the Antifa street takeovers weve seen in Portland and elsewhere. I agree that theres no comparison between the excesses of a tiny handful of revolutionary cosplayers and the president of the United States calling for the imprisonment of his political opponents. But French, incredibly, means just the opposite: The demonstrators in his mind are far worse. The Republican cries about mobs bring together a wide range of behavior, mostly involving screaming crowds confronting elected officials. In general, I find confrontational protest tactics to be a counterproductive tactic. I also think the behavior of such protesters is essentially the same thing we saw from Tea Party demonstrators under Barack Obama. Many of these demonstrators were specifically taught to shout down the proceedings and rattle members of Congress. Some of those right-wing protesters spit, screamed, shoved, and used racial epithets. At the time, the conservative line on this was that the movement was being unfairly smeared by the actions of a small fringe. Today, the two sides have basically reversed positions on the angry-protesters question, with conservatives using a handful of the angriest protests to discredit an entire movement, and liberals objecting to being defined by their most vocal minority. One difference between anti-Trump protests and anti-Obama protests is a handful of episodes where left-wing protesters have confronted high-ranking Republicans in restaurants. I dont think that tactic makes much sense, unless youre prepared to defend conservative protesters doing the same thing to Democratic officials in restaurants next time around, which I am not. Its worth noting that the restaurant screamers have been organized by Democratic Socialists of America, a group outside of and usually hostile to the Democratic party. Either way, the debate around protesters is almost entirely partisan special pleading over low-stakes tactical disputes. What actually is new to American politics is Trumps assault on democratic norms. French dismisses the lock her up chants as empty rally talk. In fact, the chant, which began in the campaign, prefigured Trumps deadly serious ambition to turn the Department of Justice into a weapon of personal control, that would harass Trumps enemies while simultaneously quashing any wrongdoing by him and his allies. Trump has articulated this goal consistently, in public as well as in private. To the extent he has yet to succeed, it is only because the senate has prevented him from installing a sufficiently pliant attorney general a restraint that may well disappear if the elections renew the Republican majority, which will no longer be laden with the most independent figures (John McCain, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker). Whats more, defining lock her up as the Republican offense erases from the equation the entire authoritarian spirit that has infused Trumps political style. He offered to pay legal bills to supporters who beat up protesters at his rallies. This is a president who has repeatedly attacked the news media as the enemy of the people, an epithet used by communist dictators, and has at least gestured at using his power to punish them. (Trump has mused about challenging licenses for television stations that report independently, and instructed the post office to raise rates on Amazon as retribution for critical coverage in the Washington Post.) Republican member of Congress Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a reporter for asking about his health care plan; his party stood behind him, and Trump recently praised Gianforte for doing it. (This man has fought, in more ways than one, for your state. He has fought for your state. Greg Gianforte. He is a fighter and a winner.) It seems clear that Gianforte has come away from the incident with his reputation enhanced. Susan Glasser, a seasoned and politically centrist reporter, observed six recent Trump rallies. She notes the cult of personality theme at the events, which feature the kinds of tributes I have heard in places like Uzbekistan, but never before in America. And while she allows that Trump is hardly new in making hyperbolic charges that his center-left opponents will usher in socialism, the fear of chaos he marshalls behind such warnings is novel: Where Trump differs starkly is in his insistence made at an increasingly high pitch as the week went on that Democrats not only want to legislate their way to socialism but that they are an actual clear and present danger to Americans. The method on display is familiar if you study any historical episode of democratic backsliding. One party, either from the far left or the far right, sets out to attack and weaken democratic norms. The small-d democrats resist, trying to maintain democratic norms. But theyre fighting at a disadvantage against a ruthless foe that does not observe their limits, and at least some of the opposition undertakes a more drastic action. Any offense becomes a pretext for the authoritarians, who exaggerate the threat of violence and chaos by their enemies to justify the antidemocratic measures they were planning all along. The threat Trump poses does not excuse the left from upholding democratic standards. (I have made this case repeatedly, in fact.) That said, Trumps illiberalism only works because respectable conservatives cooperate with his fiction that he is more victim than aggressor. French writes, Its time to stop excusing, rationalizing, and minimizing behavior that is dangerous, menacing, and threatening. Indeed it is. American Samoa has kicked off its summer cruise season with the arrival of the Golden Princess into Pago Pago Harbor Oct. 9. The ship was carrying 4,258 passengers and crew on a 29-day cruise from Los Angeles to Sydney, where she will be based for the summer. Five more ships are slated to call at Pago Pago for the remainder of the year: The Emerald Princess on Nov. 5; the Seabourn Sojourn on Nov. 9; the Seven Seas Mariner on Nov. 20; the Regatta on Dec. 1; and the Amsterdam on Dec. 8. Nineteen ships have been confirmed for 2019. Santo Silvestro says he doesnt believe in leaving anything to chance. Every day, Silvestro said, he or his fleet manager inspect the vehicles that have gone out from his Hoyt Livery or Crosstown Limousine, both in New Canaan. Im here seven days a week, Silvestro said last week. Im out looking for dents, checking the tire pressure ... if I see a something wrong even it its a tail light out, that car does not go out until its repaired. The Silvestro family, which has owned Hoyt Livery, also known as Hoyt Limousine, since 1987, maintain their own body and repair shops New Canaan Auto Body and New Canaan Auto Repair, on the same Cross Street site. The deadly crash of a re-manufactured Ford Excursion a so-called super stretch limo in upstate New York that killed 20 on Oct. 7 has sounded warning bells in the heads of brides and grooms scheduling parties and receptions, parents preparing for proms and others, including state. Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, who sits on the General Assemblys Transportation Committee. That crash has left questions about the vehicle and the driver, Boucher said. We need to determine if our laws are well-written as to the qualifications of drivers and the inspection of these vehicles. In Connecticut, limousine services using vehicles carrying fewer than eight passengers are only required to be inspected once by the Department of Transportation, and thats when the company is applying for a license. If they dont pass inspection, they are not licensed, said Kevin Nursick, a DOT spokesman. They have to pass before they can do business. He said the majority of vehicles inspected are sedans and SUVs, not stretch limousines. And he added vehicles operating under services like Uber and Lyft are not inspected at all. Thats another problem Boucher said the Transportation Committee needs to look at. Stretched out Vehicles carrying eight or more passengers in the state must be inspected every six months by Connecticuts Department of Motor Vehicles. Stretch Limousines operating in Connecticut can only do so if they are specifically certified by the factory manufacturer to be altered in such a way, and only if the modifications are or were performed by a factory-approved establishment, Nursick explained. These vehicles would also be inspected by CTDOT prior to service. Vehicles not meeting this criteria are immediately rejected, and cannot be registered for livery use in Connecticut. But DOTs requirements only extend to vehicles garaged in Connecticut and transporting passengers within the state. Additional requirements for commercial motor vehicles traveling into and out of Connecticut fall under the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The Silvestros said they never operated with any super stretch limos. They sold their two conventional stretch limousines two years ago because their wasnt much call for them. A reputable company really needs to be careful, Silvestro said. Any time you take a car, chop it in half and add a piece how safe can it be? Federal and state investigators in New York are attempting to determine the cause of the catastrophic upstate crash. Published reports claim the 2001 Ford Excursion, modified into a stretch limousine, ran a stop sign, struck a parked sport utility vehicle and rolled down an embankment. The 17 passengers and driver were killed, along with two pedestrians. Safety measures Nationally, there were 28 fatal crashes and 39 total deaths involving large limousines from 2008 through 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That compares with nearly 318,000 fatal crashes and nearly 347,000 total fatalities in crashes involving all types of vehicles during that period. Of the 39 fatalities, 24 were occupants of large limousines, while 15 of those killed were pedestrians or in other involved vehicles. The administration, through its Fatality Analysis Reporting System, defines large limousines as as automobiles with more than four side doors or a stretched chassis with sections added within its wheelbase to increase length and passenger/cargo carrying capacity. The term does not refer to regular-sized automobiles that might be chauffeuring passengers like a town car. It also does not refer to utility-truck-based limousines, such as the Cadillac Escalade, Hummer, or Suburban limousines. Silvestro said each of his cars is equipped with a hammer to break glass and seat belt cutters. His vehicles also have fire extinguishers and flares. Newer vans have push-out glass on the sides and the roof, Silvestro said. Our drivers have been trained in safety procedures, he said. I personally hire them. They have been with us anywhere from five to 23 years. He said his insurance company requires periodic safety inspections of his vehicles, more than the state requires. If Im told by a driver that something doesnt sound right in a vehicle, its coming off the road, said Linda Silvestro, of their family owned businesses. Were in the business of transporting people thats precious cargo; I want to be able to put my head on the pillow every night and go to sleep knowing we did the right thing. More than 300 bridges in Connecticut carrying 4.3 million vehicles daily are considered structurally deficient. Highways in the Bridgeport-Stamford area are so congested motorists waste 49 hours a year in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And 62 percent of Connecticuts major roads are in such poor condition they cost motorists $681 annually in vehicle repairs, according to TRIP, a national transportation think tank. Given those challenges, the three men seeking to replace Gov. Dannel P. Malloy could be making transportation the centerpiece of their campaigns. But instead, these candidates for governor are offering mostly modest plans to fix the states infrastructure mess. From an economic growth perspective, transportation is the number one issue, said Joseph McGee, vice president for policy at the Business Council of Fairfield County. The state has to invest in transportation infrastructure. The lack of investment is holding back economic growth. It cant take an hour to get to work. Companies will just leave, and we are seeing that. Democrat Ned Lamonts transportation plan includes highway tolls on heavy cargo trucks, which he says will bring in an estimated $350 million annually and help pay for expanding airports, fostering economic development around train stations, faster Metro-North service and expanded bus connections. Republican Bob Stefanowski opposes tolls and is pushing a plan that relies on unspecified budget cuts and savings, and reorganizing the states bonding priorities, to free up money for transportation projects. Independent candidate Oz Griebel favors statewide tolling and would re-establish a transportation strategy board to choose projects supported by the private and public sectors. No easy fix Solving the states transportation needs is not an easy task, as Malloy found out. And paying for it is even harder. Perpetual budget deficits, reduced gas tax receipts and dwindling federal money has made funding big transportation improvements without a new revenue source such as tolls or a larger diversion of the state income tax more than challenging. Malloy proposed a sweeping $100 billion, 30-year plan to ease congestion and improve the states aging transportation system. The outgoing Democratic governor had some wins the more than 100 year old Walk rail bridge in Norwalk is being replaced, I-84 in Waterbury was reconfigured and a new rail line between Hartford and New Haven is exceeding expectations. But much of his plan remains unrealized, including widening the most congested sections of Interstates 95 and 84. McGee said offering long lists to solve the transportation problem sounds productive, but a governor must also push projects through the legislature. You can come up with a $100 billion plan, but its getting things done that counts, McGee said. James Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group and a Hearst Connecticut Media columnist, said he doesnt see much of a transportation plan from the three gubernatorial candidates. Almost none of them is talking about transportation, Cameron said. How can we create jobs, stop people from moving out of state, encourage entrepreneurs or do anything to save our economy when we are in a literal and political gridlock? Cameron added the candidates mostly pay lip-service to one of the most critical issues facing the state. Highlights of candidates transportation plans Democrat Ned Lamont Highway tolls for big trucks only Fix roads and bridges Faster commuter rail service, with added WiFi and rail connections to Bradley airport Transit-oriented development Encourage public/private partnerships Republican Bob Stefanowski No highway tolls Encourage public/private partnerships, including investment Embrace zero-based budgeting, use spending reductions for transportation Eliminate waste, streamline approval process Reduce bonding for unnecessary projects Independent candidate Oz Griebel Pilot program to toll express lanes around Hartford, then spread tolling statewide Reestablish the state Transportation Strategy Board Cancel $10 million state study on tolls Reduce Metro North travel time between New Haven and New York Launch barge service to move containers from New York-New Jersey to ports in Bridgeport, New Haven and New London See More Collapse Toll or not Stefanowksi, along with his Republican counterparts in the General Assembly, is firmly against highway tolls. Connecticut taxpayers already have the second highest tax burden per capita in the nation, Stefanowski said in a prepared statement. The candidate declined requests to be interviewed by Hearst Connecticut Media. Neds plan to put up tolls will only serve to increase that burden, forcing more families and businesses to leave our state, he said, adding the state can borrow money through bonds and avoid tolls or tax increases. Lamont said Stefanowskis approach means little spending on transportation and predicted he would do considerable damage to Connecticuts economy. Major projects simply will not happen, Lamont said in a prepared statement. He also declined to be interviewed. Metro-North service will continue to deteriorate, Lamont said. His Trump-like tax experiment will all but guarantee ending state investments in transportation, ultimately driving businesses away. Griebel said he would immediately begin a pilot toll program in the Hartford area on existing high vehicle occupancy lanes. That tolling could be spread across the state, he said. The congestion is significant, Griebel said in an interview, adding toll revenue will help rebuild the states transportation system. The region from New Haven down must be kept as a viable corridor, Griebel noted. McGee said Stamford employers are increasingly seeing workers come from New Haven, Hartford and the towns and cities in between. No one likes tolls, McGee conceded. But we are going to need more options. The lack of investment in infrastructure has hurt the states ability to grow. It was not addressed for the last eight years. There is no question we need another revenue source for transportation. Different approaches Lamont and Griebel both support a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would place a lockbox on transportation funds and prevent lawmakers from diverting those funds to other uses. Stefanowski opposes the lockbox, saying its not an effective solution because lawmakers in the past diverted money from similar lockboxes Much like Malloy, Lamont sees a link between highway gridlock, aging rail systems and economic growth. Lamont wants faster rail service, private sector and public partnerships to lessen the cost of construction, increased bus connections, linking the new Hartford rail line to Bradley International Airport and increasing daily round trips between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass. When it comes to revitalizing Connecticuts economy and fixing the states fiscal crisis, investing in 21st century infrastructure is critical, Lamont said. Other than revenue from truck tolls, however, Lamont did not offer specific ways to pay for his transportation improvements. Stefanowski sees overspending and taxes as the cause of the states fiscal and economic woes. He said greater efficiency and savings, reduced overall spending, streamlining project approval times, partnering with financial institutions and the private sector and prioritizing will free up money for transportation work. Weve seen the state continue bonding for projects that are not absolutely necessary, and which wont pay dividends through economic growth, even though the state is in dire financial straits, Stefanowski said. We would immediately begin to develop a clear strategy to fund our priorities, such as school construction and transportation, and adhere strictly to that plan until our budget is in better shape, Stefanowski said. That pitch mirrors the Republican caucus plan that pledges $1 billion annually over the next 30 years for transportation improvements without tax increases or tolls. Malloy and the majority Democratic lawmakers have said the GOP plan offered by legislators cannot produce the revenue it claims. Lamont said decades of underinvestment in transportation can no longer be ignored. Were in a competition with the world for jobs, and right now, employers view our rail, roads and infrastructure as a fundamental impediment, Lamont said. That means we have a simple choice: we can either move into the future with a modern transportation system that will attract companies and grow jobs, or we can go backward by disinvesting, he said. bcummings@ctpost.com SOUTHBURY President Donald J. Trump generates enthusiastic crowds at campaign rallies elsewhere, but he was rarely mentioned Saturday by Republicans at a unity rally in Connecticut, where activists were reminded all politics is local, and the only issues that matter are taxes and the economy. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton both introduced Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob Stefanowski at the rally and endorsed the nominees blinkered view of the campaign as revolving around a single issue his supply-siders approach to slashing taxes to stimulate economic growth. Some people are trying to nationalize this and make this a national campaign. This campaign is not a national campaign, said Boughton, who ran second to Stefanowski in the five-way GOP primary. This campaign is about Connecticut. Its about your home. Its about your street, your neighborhood, the town that you live in. The rally in a function room at Pomperaug Regional High School was the first for the entire statewide ticket since Stefanowski, a businessman seeking office for the first time, defeated Boughton, who was the front-runner as the GOP convention-endorsed candidate. On a rainy and raw Saturday, it filled a room with seating for about 200. Tax-cut contest Stefanowski, who trailed Democrat Ned Lamont by eight percentage points in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, pronounced the race a dead heat and said his campaigns tight focus on fiscal issues have framed the campaign. We have an argument right now about who the better tax cutter is going to be. Thats the turf we want to be on. Thats why were going to win this election. Stefanowski said. Im going to focus on what matters in Connecticut, which is this economy. Matt Corey, the nominee for U.S. Senate, taunted Sen. Chris Murphy, the Democrat seeking a second term, for refusing to debate him more than once. Hes not man enough to stand on stage with me, said Corey, the owner of a bar and a window-washing business. Stefanowskis approach has generated some quiet grumbling among Trump supporters who would like to see the party celebrate the presidents tax cutting, his nomination of conservative Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the nations historically low unemployment, and an economy seen as strong until the stock markets faltered in recent days. State Sen. Eric C. Berthel, R-Watertown, whose district includes Southbury, said he has heard those complaints, but does not share them: Whats going on in Washington is being used as a distraction in Connecticut. Democrats gather Trump figured more prominently at a Democratic rally in New Haven, one in a series of smaller events Democrats staged across the state with an eye toward keeping activist closer to their communities on one of the four weekends before Election Day. It could not be more clear now that if youre a woman, if youre an immigrant, if youre a Connecticut taxpayer, if you live in the city of New Haven the president of the United States has declared war on you and your family, said Rep. William Tong of Stamford, the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Murphy cast the stakes of the election in near-apocalyptic terms. And if we dont win this election we will also potentially put this country on a slow descent away from democracy, away from democratic norms, to a country that none of us may eventually recognize, Murphy said. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said Trumps election has energized the Democratic base, bringing in a surge in young voters. We have the biggest surge in voter registration in the history of the state 275,000 new voters since that fateful day in November of 2016, and the biggest number is 18 to 24-year-olds, Merrill said. Ive waited all my life for this moment. There are four times as many 18-to-24-year-olds registering to vote this year than ever before. Susan Hatfield, the GOP nominee, told Republicans at their rally that Tong speaks so frequently of Trump that he sounds less like a candidate for state office than for president. Sen. Joe Markley of Southington, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, said unity rallies are important, even if they take activists off the streets and only put the candidates in a place where they are preaching to a choir. I think the purpose of it is pretty clear, Markley said. The choir is the group that you count on to go out and proselytize. We need them not simply supporting us, but fired up to go out and work for us. You can produce a kind of an energy at an event like this that I think is good for everyone who takes part in it. Afghan Taliban to respond positively to American peace envoy ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban will respond positively to suggestion by top American peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, about the formation of a team for talks with the United Sates, Taliban leader Mullah Agha Jan Mutasim said on Friday. Khalilzad, US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, had urged the Taliban and the Afghan government to form an authorised team of negotiators for peace talks during his visit to Kabul this week. The High Peace Council (HPC), responsible for peace process, says it will form inclusive negotiating team, according to reports. Mutasim, who once headed the Taliban political committee, argues that the Taliban are likely to include senior officials and members from the powerful leadership council in the negotiation team for formal talks with the US. The US and Taliban officials met in Qatar in July and had agreed to continue the process. Khalilzad is likely to oversee the dialogue process with the Taliban. As the US has now opened direct meetings with the Taliban to find out a political solution to the Afghan conflict and Khalilzad has suggested the Taliban and the Afghan government to form teams for dialogue, the Taliban will also form a team as they also favour political solution, Mutasim told Daily Times from Kabul. Mutasim, who had been a close confidant of Mullah Omar, added: The Talibans real problem is with the Americans and that is the presence of foreign forces. The Taliban give top priority to this issue. They also want removal of the names of their leaders from the sanctions list and this is also related to the Americans as the Kabul administration has no powers in these issues. He went on to say that the Taliban had not started this war rather it was imposed on them. If the US intends to end the war, I am confident both (US and Taliban) can reach an understanding to end the conflict in direct talks, Mutasim said. Asked if the Afghan government would endorse the Taliban-US direct talks, the Taliban leader said all Afghans wanted to put an end to the war. All political leaders, former Mujahideen leaders, political parties, elders and the public are eager to see peace and they will support any deal between the Taliban and the US, he said. When asked about the reports that the Afghan officials have met the Taliban leaders in Saudi Arabia over security of the upcoming parliamentary elections, he said that the reports were false. Taliban have respect for Saudi Arabia and recognise the kingdoms role and if there are talks in Saudi Arabia that will be open. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Khalilzad in Riyadh and reviewed bilateral relations between the two friendly countries as well as efforts exerted on the Afghan arena, Saudi Press Agency reported. The meeting was attended by a number of officials, including Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. The US envoy, who earlier held talks in Islamabad on his peace mission this week, is on his first visit to five countries to explore options for political solution to the problem. To a question about the Taliban contacts with Russia and Iran, Mutasim did not rule out Taliban contacts with both countries but said that the US-imposed war had forced the Taliban to develop relations with all those who are anti-US. For Subscribers Hunsberger barn rises from the ashes in Davidsville It could be the motto of the Hunsberger family: Farming and family go on. Imran Ali to be hanged till death on Oct 17 A special anti-terrorism court on Friday issued black warrants for Imran Ali convicted for the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab to execute on October 21. The convict, who was awarded 21 death sentences in the case, will be sent to the gallows for hanging till death on October 17, the ATC judge ruled. Seven-year-old Zainab was kidnapped from near her aunts house in Kasur on January 4 and was found dead in a garbage heap five days later. On January 23, the authorities claimed to have nabbed Imran, a serial killer involved in other such crimes, through a DNA match. Imrans DNA also matched samples taken from seven other minor girls who were abused and murdered earlier in Kasur, according to the police. After the police arrested him, Imran reportedly confessed to assaulting eight minor girls at an under-construction site and two others in a garbage heap in Kasur. On February 17, the anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the high-profile case sentenced Imran to death. Appealing against the ATC verdict, Imran claimed innocence before the Lahore High Court and pleaded for the verdict to be declared null and void. We all know that there are rules in politics and some of them are really disgusting. This country is drifting away from an ideal model of democracy tempered by minority rights. It is up to the leadership to put their obligation to do the right thing above their own political needs. As we just saw in the tumultuous fight over the seating of Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Supreme Court, political courage is in short supply. Senator Susan Collins of Maine comes to mind when one is looking for an illustration of political hypocrisy. She would at heart rather remain senator than do whats right. She says that she voted for Kavanaugh because he had assured her that Rowe v. Wade was considered established law. Would you like to stake your retirement account that hell be there when the court starts to eat away at a womans right to self-determination? It is quite clear that the Republicans in this country are fiercely in favor of both Donald Trump and certain Republican principles. As people of privilege, these voters, representing about 40 percent of the country, are the children of the children of the children of the Civil War. You can see it in what they say they want. For example, they want guns to protect themselves against the almost non-existent home invaders. Think of Emmet Till, who was lynched after having been accused of offending a white woman in her familys store, and you get the picture. Frankly, thats the way they get some of the have-nots to come over to their side. Then there are those people of the FDR stripe. These are the folks who truly believe that the only way to have a country that lives in harmony is to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and frankly, benevolently. These are the folks who brought us civil rights and health care and fairness in mortgages. Many of these people are what we might call haves. As you read this column, you have an opportunity to place yourself. Do you believe that someone with a little kid at home whose life could be saved with proper health care deserves health care as a right? How about the right of every child to be educated fairly, so that when the child grows up, she has equality of opportunity? In order to get what they want in this political system, the Republican haves do everything they can do to rig our politics. For example, they capture state legislatures and then they gerrymander to their hearts content. In a so-called democracy, they draw districts where they cant lose. They make sure that efforts that would encourage people to vote are discouraged. Same-day registration or voting by mail are both on the list of no-nos. In New York, for example, if one of these measures that would encourage or allow people to vote is proposed, the Republicans who control the Senate arent interested. The big if is whether the Democrats will change the rules when they take the so-called upper house. Dont forget that even the Democrats got elected under the existing rules. Then there is the question of debates. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, like his father Mario before him, doesnt want to screw up his huge lead with nasty old debates. Predictably, he has insisted that third party candidates be included in any debates. His opponent, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, knows this is the kiss of death. Cuomo is so far ahead in the polls that he will not risk doing the right thing by agreeing to debate. The last thing he wants to deal with is questioning about his tenure so far, including the trail of corruption among his closest aides. Hypocrisy really knows no political party. If we look away, we deserve what we get. If we fight, we will overcome. Sunday Freeman columnist Alan Chartock is a professor emeritus at the State University of New York, publisher of the Legislative Gazette and CEO of the WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network. Readers can email him at alan@wamc.org. Two royal weddings in the space of five months. Two dresses, two processions, two trips up the aisle at the ravishing St George's Chapel at Windsor. And two very different mothers-of-the-bride. The first, Doria Ragland, the very model of self-effacing dignity. Alone, unknown and unaccompanied; unfussy, unpretentious, clearly slightly overwhelmed by all the pomp and circumstance but nevertheless faultless in her behaviour and demeanour on the big day. Just an ordinary woman making the most of an extraordinary situation, savouring every moment of her daughter's triumph. The second, Sarah Ferguson: the opposite in every way. Brash, bold, basking in the glory of her daughter's royal position, surrounded by old friends and muckers, giggling and gurning at the congregation, brimming with confidence and back at last where she has always felt she belongs: within the royal fold, next to her ex-husband in the front row of life. Didn't that fist pump as she greeted the crowd say it all! Fergie's fist pump: The Duchess of York greets the crowds at Windsor Castle with her daughter Beatrice ahead of Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank on Friday What the lip-readers saw at the chapel Groom Jack Brooksbank's overswelling emotion was never more apparent than when he saw his bride enter the chapel. As he stood at the altar, he whispered to his brother Tom: 'Oh my heart, oh, break my heart.' Jack then told his soon-to-be wife: 'You look perfect.' Sarah told Princess Beatrice: 'My stomach, can't hold my stomach in!' The romantic words were captured by professional lipreaders. Meanwhile, as everyone's attention was focused on the bride and groom, a number of sidesplitting asides were caught being whispered in the pews. Sarah, Duchess of York, told Princess Beatrice: 'My stomach, can't hold my stomach in!' Her giggling daughter replied: 'Mine is OK as I'm wearing a corset.' Zara Tindall remarked pithily to cousin Prince Harry: 'It's very quiet compared to the screaming at your wedding.' Zara Tindall remarked pithily to cousin Prince Harry: 'It's very quiet compared to the screaming at your wedding.' Outside the chapel, Sarah was asked by Robbie Williams' daughter Teddy, six, if she was the Queen. 'No,' came the brisk response. Teddy's pop star dad also seemed impressed. 'Wow, this is awesome ... yeah, yeah,' Robbie exclaimed. Advertisement Even Doria and Fergie's choices of outfit mirrored their contrasting approaches: they both chose green, but wore it so very differently. Doria, you may remember, was elegant and understated in soft mint; Fergie chose a vivid shade of eye-catching emerald and a winged look-at-me hat. From the moment she arrived, beaming like the Cheshire Cat, she was every inch the incorrigible, rumbustious Fergie of legend, whose behaviour has been a staple pain in the royal backside. Yes, this was Eugenie's 'Big Day' (and didn't she look gorgeous in her Peter Pilotto dress, arguably better cut and pitched than Meghan's boat-necked Givenchy number?); but it was also without doubt Fergie's 'Moment', the culmination of her long walk back from the wilderness. Prince Philip's presence despite his great age of 97 (it would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to plead illness and skip the whole thing altogether) and famously not her greatest fan, must have been the cherry on the cake. Behind the scenes, of course, Fergie's rehabilitation has long been widely accepted. She and Andrew, both 58, have described themselves as the 'world's happiest unmarried couple'. They share the newly refurbished Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park and a 13 million chalet in Verbier, Switzerland. For someone Princess Margaret once described as having 'done more to bring shame on the family than could ever have been imagined', she has pulled off a royal rapprochement that few would have predicted. But this public recognition, not just in the eyes of the British public but in front of God and the Queen herself, means so much more. It represents the final stage in a process that has taken the best part of three decades. And whatever you think of the woman, there is no denying that she has the tenaciousness of a terrier when it comes to getting what she wants. Yes, she has behaved appallingly on innumerable occasions; but despite it all I cannot help admire her ambition, persistence, humour and sheer lust for life. So congratulations, Eugenie and Jack: I wish you all the very best. And cheers Fergs: they broke the mould when they made you. Pulling faces: The Duchess of York comes face to face with 97-year-old Prince Philip before the wedding ceremony (left), she puffs her cheeks as she sits down in the chapel (right) Sarah, Duchess of York arrives to attend her daughter Eugenie's wedding on Friday. She and Andrew, both 58, have described themselves as the 'world's happiest unmarried couple' Beatrice and Sarah the Duchess of York (left) stood next to George and Nicola Brooksbank (right) as they waved at the crowds gathered outside Prince Andrew, Beatrice, her mother the Duchess of York, as well as Mike Tindall and his wife Zara, who had already taken off her high heels The majority of senior royals can be seen here smiling at the couple in the moments after they married today The newly married couple seem delighted as they sit tight in the royal carriage as it passes through the streets of Windsor Jack and his new wife Eugenie exit the chapel after their royal wedding ceremony, followed by a procession of bridesmaids and page boys The newlyweds share a kiss after marrying in front of 850 royals, aristocrats, VIPs and friends today in a celebrity-packed ceremony today The Scottish State Coach passes a statue of Queen Victoria as they pass crowds of supporters waving Union Flags and taking photos Andrew wrestled with Eugenie's train as his youngest daughter began her new life as a married woman The bride's older sister Beatrice also helped her sibling into a rare DB10 Aston Martin made for the James Bond movie Spectre ahead of two days of partying The couple look happy as they drive through the grounds of Windsor in a royal carriage encrusted with jewels Sarah Ferguson seems to be trying to get someones attention as she sits next to Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Eugenie and Jack Prince Charles sits next to his son William as the proceedings get under way for the wedding of Eugenie and Jack Jack and Eugenie at the top of the altar at their wedding at St George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle Eugenie is walked down the aisle by her father and is followed by her procession of bridesmaids and pageboys Here comes the bride: Eugenie (left) looks elated as she arrives at the chapel and is then escorted down the aisle (right) The clock is counting down to next weeks crunch EU summit in Brussels, which, in the view of many, is D-Day for Brexit. Of course, we are not due to leave the EU until next March, but if we are to avoid a serious crisis of confidence and financial jitters between now and then, industry wants to see the politicians agree some sort of framework deal by the end of the month. A year and seven months after Mrs May triggered Article 50 and began the EU exit process, we really do find ourselves at a crucial juncture. Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 a whole year and seven months ago, in preparation to leave the bloc in March 2019 [File photo] We can (and probably will) go on haggling about the final exit terms for years, but business needs to know the boundaries pronto. Theresa Mays Chequers deal may invoke scorn from both ends of the Brexit spectrum but, in the eyes of German industry, it is a basis for negotiation. It also involves a just-about-swallowable answer to the problem of the Irish border. To many European businesses, its at least a start. Yet EU hardliners such as Macron and the arch-federalists in Brussels keep throwing it back in her face. Why? Because some, like Macron, beset by plummeting popularity ratings, want to show their home audience that they are tough on the treacherous Brits. French President Emmanuel Macron, above, has suggested politicians who backed leave were 'liars' at last month's EU summit [File photo] It is also because they are deploying a dangerous strategy: the tougher the deal, the more likely (so the theory goes) that Britain will be pushed into holding a second referendum. And if that doesnt lead to a second vote, it will certainly terrify any other country with the nerve to consider leaving the grand projet. The knuckleduster approach may play well in Brussels and pander to the sort of Remainer zealots who want Brexit to be a total disaster so they can gloat amid the wreckage. But how does it go down in Europe, among the people who actually pay for it all? For the answer, I have come to Bavaria. And they are clear that they dont want Britain dragged outside for a beating. They want common sense. Germanys largest state is so prosperous that if it went independent, its GDP (at half a trillion pounds) would put it ahead of most countries in the world. It is the home of global brands including BMW, Audi, Siemens and Adidas. But it is also home to thousands of smaller companies, many of them family businesses, which form the bedrock of the European economy and which also happen to export billions of pounds worth of goods to Britain every year. They are the widget-makers who prop up the German corporate pyramid. They are hard-nosed commercial people, most of whom are fervent believers in the European dream. Yet they are also realists. They believe a no-deal Brexit would be disastrous for the European economy as well as for Britain because of the vast imbalance in trade. In other words, Britain buys much more from them than it sells to them. That is why they want Europes politicians to cease their posturing, threatening behaviour towards the UK. The UK is essential to our business, so I want a deal. The best thing is to find a solution that does not hurt either the UK or the EU. We need to protect the industry of both players, says Reinhold Braun, general manager of Sortimo International, a company that makes racks and shelving, employs 1,400 people and sells 20 per cent of its products to the UK. A Mercedes Benz factory in Sindelfingen, Germany. Businesses in the country are also worried about the Brexit impact on their industries [File photo] He wants German Chancellor Angela Merkel to steer Europe round to a more conciliatory position. It has to happen that Merkel steps in and pushes for a deal. It has to happen, says Braun. He adds that the hardline Brexiteers need to give the Prime Minister some leeway, too, as she tries to re-work her Chequers deal. Is Chequers the solution? I dont know. But its there, so personally Id take it. It is something to work with and it is getting really late in the day. This is a view echoed by German economists such as Wolfgang Munchau, who writes for the fiercely pro-Remain Financial Times. Writing in the German business paper Handelsblatt last month, he warned German politicians: Given the political situation in Britain, anyone who continues to call for a hard stance in talks with the British Government doesnt have Germanys economic interests at heart or is behaving like turkeys voting for Christmas. This week, the de facto spokesman for German manufacturing warned that unless Europe cuts a deal with Britain in the next month, there will be disaster on both sides of the Channel. We have to pave the way for a well-structured exit of the UK in the next four weeks, Joachim Lang, director-general of the German Industry Federation (BDI), declared. The alternative was a worst-case scenario that would put tens of thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of workers on both sides of the Channel in the greatest difficulties. Note that he was not calling for a second referendum. Nor, unlike President Macron, was he invoking pious devotion to the sacred European ideals of the single market and the customs union. To listen to French politicians, things such as the Schengen Agreement and free movement of people are somewhere up there with Thou Shalt Not Kill as an article of faith. Unless you happen to visit, say, the French-Italian border or the German-Austrian border, where border controls are rigidly enforced (especially if you happen to be from an ethnic minority). What is different now is that the people who actually drive and sustain the European economy are no longer wagging fingers solely at Britain. They are turning their wrath on their own. Langs outburst was all the more telling because German business organisations are pretty wary of rocking the boat. They dislike sensational headlines, especially in the naughty British media. Industry wants to see the politicians agree some sort of framework deal by the end of the month, including in London [File photo] Despite lodging requests with four separate organisations over the past fortnight, including Mr Langs BDI, the German-British Chamber of Commerce and two prominent Bavarian trade associations, I was offered just one company that would talk to me. Then, suddenly, that company found it was too busy after all. So I went knocking on doors instead. And, away from the spin-doctors and the lobby groups, the response was fascinating. German businesses have not changed their view on Brexit, of course. They still think it is inexplicable, though they concede that Britain and Germany had very different ambitions right from the outset. Whereas the Brits wanted to join a trading bloc, the Germans think of Europe as a political utopia. But these businesses also accept that we are off and there is no point in punishing us. That is why they favour helping Mrs May rather than siding with all her tormentors. Take Bernhard Erdl, the founder, president and boss of Puls. I am all for a pragmatic approach, not an idealistic one, says Erdl, who started his business in a Munich cellar with one other engineer in 1980. I hope all this talk of punishing Britain is just a bargaining position, not a real position. His company, a world leader in industrial power control units, employs 1,300 people, 300 of them in Germany. His transformative moment was getting into Asia ahead of his rivals. I work with the Chinese and they are the most pragmatic people I know. In Europe, we talk about dying for our ideas. The Chinese would never do that. Their main purpose is to keep the country together. An election campaign poster of the political party 'Alternative fur Deutschland' (AfD) in Munich, Germany. Angela Merkel's CSU party could lose its majority this weekend in the Bavarian State By common consent, the moment has come for Angela Merkel to intervene. British-born engineer Richard Lawrence, who has built up a successful power repair business in Munich and raised his family here, says he has no doubt the German leader will come on board when things get what he calls hypercritical in the coming weeks. Right now, its all a show. Everyone has to look like they won, he says. Merkel is staying out until the last moment. Once BMW start laying off workers, shell be in there. No one is keener on resolving the Brexit impasse than the German car industry. One German job in seven depends on it, and Britain is one of its biggest markets. It is not just that Britain buys so many German cars, but that so many are made in the UK. Dr Tobias Nickel is head of corporate communications for Draxlmaier, one of the worlds biggest makers of door panels and wiring harnesses for cars. Among the companys major clients is Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). Such is the advanced state of car design now that his company has just three days to build each bespoke panel for every new JLR car, and must then get it from Germany to the British factory within a precise four-hour window. Miss that slot and you hold up an entire plant, with punitive results. The idea of 30-mile traffic jams at the Channel is the stuff of nightmares. He dreads a no deal. His company is hardly small, with 70,000 workers worldwide. Yet by German standards it is not big enough to enjoy lobbying access to the German government, unlike the car giants. So does Dr Nickel not support the EUs attempts to punish and grind Britain into submission? Does he not support the strong stance of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker? Merkel's 2015 decision to open Germanys borders to more than a million unchecked migrants has seen the CSU lose substantial ground to the AfD. Above, an AfD street stall in Deggendorf, Bavaria, for this weekend's elections Mr Juncker is from Luxembourg, which is a country that does not have a large automotive industry, he says carefully. In the automotive industry, we are not in the business of teaching other countries a lesson. We are in the business of making cars. I get the same no-nonsense message from business all over Europe. Take Claudio Calabresi, who runs his family textile business near Florence, making clothes for M&S, Ted Baker and others. Up to 40 per cent of his 25 million turnover goes to Britain. A bad Brexit would be very grim indeed. As in Germany, he wishes Brexit wasnt happening. But he is practical, too. He places the blame for the current situation equally on the British and EU politicians and wants calm. It is a very confusing situation. From my point of view, the people shouldnt be punished, he says. We must respect the decision it has come from the people, not the politicians. In fact, there is a feeling in Italy that if we could take a similar decision, many might go the same way. In Normandy, meanwhile, political and business leaders have warned President Macron that a no-deal Brexit would threaten the regions economy. Herve Morin, the chairman of the regional council, wrote a public letter this week signed by ten other prominent figures in Normandy, including port and ferry operators, to demand financial help should the negotiations end without a deal. A Brexit without an agreement... represents for our economy, and especially for the economy of our ports, a major threat, they wrote. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appeared to mock Theresa May when he performed a little dance while preparing to give a speech in Brussels earlier this month Back in Bavaria, I do meet some who feel that Britain deserves all it gets. But they are in a minority. Most would like to see Angela Merkel assert more authority over her EU counterparts. After last years dismal performance in the general election, there is a sense that she has regained some authority at home. In Europe, she is certainly still queen bee. But her standing at home may depend on this weekends state election here in Bavaria. For years it has been the stronghold of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian wing of her party. Yet her 2015 decision to open Germanys borders to more than a million unchecked migrants has seen the CSU lose substantial ground to the far-Right AfD and it is on course for its worst result in living memory. I meet one of the anti-migrant AfD candidates, Uli Henkel, in the Munich pub that is now his headquarters. Its my ninth bar, he says, explaining that protesters have driven his campaign HQ out of the previous eight. He cannot envisage Germany ever leaving the EU, but blames Brussels for Brexit. Europe should have done everything to keep the Brits in but it didnt, he says. At which point two policemen come into the pub. The AfDs toxic, anti-Islamic message has led to car burnings, broken windows and regular protests. The cops are here to keep the peace. It dawns on me that there is now only one major EU nation that does not have an extremist Right-wing party making serious inroads into public life. Britain may have its faults. It may be divided. But unlike France, Germany and the rest, it can still offer a few lessons in community cohesion. Some EU politicians may want to treat it like a pariah. Fortunately, those who pay their wages now seem to think otherwise. With three successful businesses under her belt before she hit her late twenties, it's safe to say that Erika Geraerts knows how to run a corporation. And now, the ex Frank Body founder and alumni has launched her very own makeup range, Fluff, which aims to encourage women to buy less makeup, but better products. Borne out of a frustration with the industry and what it pushes onto women, Erika, now 29, spoke to FEMAIL about Fluff and what she wants to achieve with her new category within the Australian market: casual cosmetics. She also shared the ten business secrets she swears by for success. Ex Frank Body founder and alumni Erika Geraerts has a new beauty brand, Fluff Beauty (pictured) The 29-year-old from Melbourne (pictured) explained why Fluff Beauty is different from other brands, as well as sharing her ten business tips she swears by for success According to the Melbourne-based businesswoman, the idea for Fluff first popped into her head when she was still working at the cult coffee scrub brand, Frank Body. 'I was disengaged and disheartened with what I could see all around me elsewhere in the beauty industry [not at Frank Body],' Erika told Daily Mail Australia. 'Brands all around me were promoting a democratic approach to beauty, but still pushing their ideals onto girls and women.' Knowing that if 'no one stood for change, then change wouldn't happen', Erika decided to launch her own company with natural formulations and a brand 'that wasn't only desirable, but stood for something'. 'Instead of telling girls what to think, Fluff allows them to tell us what they think. These girls are the drivers of our products, content and growth.' Unlike other brands, Fluff Beauty launched with just a bronzer duet (pictured), which came after nearly two years of work Erika said she designed the brand after feeling 'disengaged and disheartened with what I could see all around me elsewhere in the beauty industry' (pictured: the Fluff campaign) So what is the meaning of casual cosmetics and how is Fluff different from other brands? With Fluff, Erika has taken far more time than many beauty brands that rush out to market. After spending two years working on the brand and 18 months researching the beauty industry as a whole, she released just one first product: a bronzing duet, made up of a bronzing powder and kakubi brush. 'We spent two years developing our Bronzing Powder #1, which has been made in Italy and developed with feedback from countless girls,' she said. 'It has buildable colour and coverage for various skin tones. It's a natural, mineral formulation with coconut oil, German chamomile, sunflower seed oil and mica. It's vegan, cruelty free, and it has a matte finish (no sparkles) and no talc or palm oil - this was super important for us. 'Our core makeup range will be a foundation line without a foundation product,' she added. 'We spent two years developing our Bronzing Powder #1, which has been made in Italy and developed with feedback from countless girls,' Erika said As well as the bronzing duet, from next year, you will be able to get your hands on a skin and planet-friendly lip balm, tint, mascara and concealer. 'We like to think that just as you feel most comfortable in casual clothes, casual cosmetics are the most obvious and effortless extension of you,' Erika said. The item that's next on the agenda is a lip product - which has been 18 months in the making and will come without palm oil, lanolin, petroleum or 'any other lame stuff'. As well as the bronzing duet, from next year, you will be able to get your hands on a skin and planet-friendly lip balm, tint, mascara and concealer (pictured: the Fluff team) Speaking about the ten business tips that have helped her over the years, Erika said it's all about writing lists and being patient and persistent (pictured: the campaign) What are Erika's ten tips for making it in business? 1. Write lists. 2. Ask questions. Don't ever think you know everything. 3. Be patient and persistent. 4. Be kind. 5. Don't think about being rich, care about creating change. 6. Hire like your life depends on it. 7. Raise your standards, lower your expectations. 8. Wake up, dress up, show up. 9. Meditate. 10. Drink wine and deal with it. Advertisement Speaking about the ten business tips that have helped her over the years, Erika said there are many things that have helped her. 'Writing lists is number one,' she said. 'Next, I would recommend asking questions. Don't ever think you know everything.' Being patient and persistent is her third tip, while kindness is also something she swears by. 'Don't think about being rich, care about creating change,' she added. 'And hire like your life depends on it.' Elsewhere, she said you should 'raise your standards and lower your expectations'. 'Wake up, dress up, show up,' she said. Finally, Erika said she loves to meditate. 'Drink wine and deal with it,' she added. To find out more about Fluff Beauty, you can visit the website here. Much-loved mall favorite Claire's will live to pierce another ear. The 40-year-old company announced on Friday evening that it has successfully emerged from Chapter 11, having filed for bankruptcy back in March, joining a line of stores to run into severe financial difficulty. At the time, bosses vowed to keep all stores open as the company worked to restructure its debt, a process that has since seen the brand wipe close to $1.9 billion from its balance sheet. Celebration: Claire's has announced it has successfully emerged from Chapter 11, after filing for bankruptcy in March of this year Thanks to the help of its creditors and stakeholders, including an Ad Hoc Group of First Lien Creditors led by Elliott Management Corporation and Monarch Alternative Capital LP, Claire's has also gained access to an impressive $575 million of additional capital, allowing it to reverse its fortunes - with bosses pledging that the company plans to be around for 'many more years to come'. 'Through the process of Chapter 11 Claires has continued to be the home of fun and innovation for all girls and their families around the globe, as they have over the last five decades,' the company's CEO Ron Marshall said. 'Claire's has reached major milestones recently, piercing over 100 million ears over 40 years, and raising over $14 million for child focused charities over the last five years. '[The company's] aim is to bring smiles to customers faces, whether it be through making magical memories piercing ears, providing her with that must have product that makes her day, hosting her special birthday celebrations, or just providing her with positive, empowering messages that help her believe in herself. 'So we are delighted to announce that were emerging stronger than ever from the Chapter 11 process, continuing to be there for all girls around the world for many more years to come creating those magical memories and making people smile.' He then added: 'We committed at the beginning of this process that we would emerge as a healthier, more profitable company - and that is exactly what we have done. 'Our renewed financial strength cements Claires position as one of the worlds leading specialty retailers of fashionable jewelry, accessories and beauty products for young women, teens, tweens and girls, and with our key growth initiatives already delivering value, we are well-positioned for long-term growth and success. Bright future: Bosses at the ear-piercing specialist vowed that the company will be around 'for many more years to come' 'We look forward to being a stronger partner and employer thanks to the support of all the customers, employees, partners, landlords, and lenders who worked with us during this process.' Claire's first filed for Chapter 11 in March of this year, becoming just the latest retailer to seek bankruptcy protection, close stores or go out of business entirely as the result of a surge in online shopping, which has seen many people turn their backs on malls altogether. Toys R Us, for example, announced last week that it would close or sell all its stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year. However, at the time Claire's bosses insisted that company was 'confident' it would emerge from bankruptcy protection within a matter of months, insisting that it offered unique and enticing services - specifically its in-store piercing - that would continue to draw people into its brick-and-mortar locations. Despite this, the brand has certainly shifted a huge amount of its focus to online personalities, collaborating with the likes of JoJo Siwa, a former Dance Moms star-turned-influencer and YouTube sensation, whose product line with the chain sparked a flurry of feverish excitement among her tween fans. More recently, Claire's released a collaboration with Doug the Pug, an adorable pooch with an incredibly impressive legion of fans on Instagram, where he currently boasts more than 3.6 million followers. The company has also joined forces with a host of mommy bloggers from around the world in order to launch its new Claire's Cares campaign, which 'reaffirms its commitments to customers', which - among other things - including pledges to continue 'making them smile with fun, unique products' and to carry on 'promoting empowerment, kindness and friendship'. Besides the Claire's chain, the company also operates Icing stores. Both sell earrings, lip gloss, iPhone cases and other accessories, and as of last year, the company, which is headquartered in Illinois, boasted more than 4,000 stores around the world Could you imagine spending 450 on a hair gadget? James Dyson is hoping the answer is Yes. Because earlier this week, he revealed the firms latest gadget, the Airwrap. This magic-wand-like gizmo claims to do it all curl, wave, straighten and blow dry, and all without the extreme heat generated by other such tools. Two years ago Dyson unveiled a 299 hairdryer, and despite being the most expensive ever sold in the UK it was a hit, boosting profits by 41 per cent year on year. The company has now upped the ante with this new multi-tasking styler. Staggering price tag aside, the numbers sound impressive: six years, 642 prototypes and 24 million in the making. Dyson's revealed it's latest gadget the Airwrap which curls, straightens and waves hair without using extreme heat Until now, hair-styling devices have either been, to put it crudely, bits of metal that heat up think tongs and straighteners or things that blow out hot air with an integrated brush that you either have to manually wrap the hair around, or use a motor to help it rotate. The Airwrap, however, uses a miniature motor to force high velocity jets of air from six slots around the barrel. These jets then create a vortex that wraps around the barrel drawing in damp hair (yes damp, unlike other curlers, theres no need to dry hair before). Once dry, you flick the temperature switch to cool to fix the curl. The interchangeable barrels come in two versions one which curls hair clockwise, and another anticlockwise so you are able to use it on both sides to get a symmetrical look. Jets then create a vortex that wraps around the barrel drawing in damp hair and once it is dry the temperature can switch to cool to fix the curl But its not just for curls. The styler comes with a range of attachments. Theres a basic drying head, flat brushes for creating a smooth look, and a round brush for volumising. While styling devices for dry hair have to function at temperatures from 185c to 230c to create a curl, because the Dyson styler is for damp hair it never gets above 150c meaning less hair damage. To really put it through its paces, we asked five women, with different hair types, to give it a go with the help of our stylist, Kerry September. Heres how they got on . . . They won't work on my fragile hair Fine hair: Before (pictured left) and after (pictured right) of Sarah Gravell Sarah Gravell, 36, is a caterer. She lives in Surrey with her three children. She says: My hair is very fine and theres not much of it. Its got a natural wave, but although Ive always coveted curls, I avoid using styling heated tools because my hair is so weak. For that reason I had hopes for the Airwrap, but even Kerry admitted that it really wasnt suitable for my type of hair. We used the smallest attachment to give better curl but they werent forming well, and after ten minutes my hair was flat. Im not convinced at all by it sadly, and wouldnt dream of paying anywhere near 450 for it. I can do better with my Carmen rollers Thick hair: Before (pictured left) and after (pictured right) of Elsa Gwilliam Elsa Gwilliam, 50, is a visual merchandiser from Brockley, South-East London. She says: My mum was a hairdresser and shed be horrified if I paid 450 for this. I agree. I can get a better effect with my usual tongs and Carmen rollers so I wont be buying it. My hair is quite thick but it usually holds a curl really well. If I use setting spray with my rollers, the curls can last a whole week. I found the Airwrap a little weird to use and fiddly when I was doing the back of my head. And ten minutes after styling it, the curls were dropping out. I like the idea of a product that doesnt use much heat on my hair but as I dont blow dry it regularly, I can probably get away with using ordinary curlers, which are quicker and give my hair more bounce. Ill be sticking with my usual styling tools. I got the 1920s look I love Dry hair: Before (pictured left) and after (pictured right) of Mary Isokariari Mary Isokariari, 35, is a writer. She is single and lives in South London. She says: Afro hair needs a lot of looking after so I always use protecting sprays or creams and castor oil to lock the moisture in when Im styling it. Naturally my hair is very soft and curly but if I use straighteners, it lasts for a long time. However I dont like using too much heat as it can make my hair brittle and thin. Ill use a hairdryer on a very low heat but that can mean Im drying my hair for up to an hour at a time. This was much quicker. Using the smaller curling barrel only took around 15 minutes to create Twenties-style ringlets which I absolutely loved. But wow, the 450 price tag is heavy. I might see if my friends want to buy one between us so we can share. Easy to use and super glamorous Long hair: Before (pictured left) and after (pictured right) of Jo Chamberlain Jo Chamberlain, 59, is a milliner. She is married to Patrick, 60, and they have two children. She lives in Caterham Surrey. She says: Ive had some real disasters using heated tongs once they turned my silver hair yellow! So I was looking forward to trying a tool that doesnt use too much heat. I used the soft brush head on most of my hair but the bigger curling barrel on top to define the curl. My whole head took just 15 minutes to curl and they were still bouncy an hour later. I love this glamorous look. It was so much quicker than using heated curlers. But 450? Thats a lot of money Im really not sure I could justify spending that much. I'm impressed...No heat means no fear Curly hair: Before (pictured left) and after (pictured right) of Janine Craig Janine Craig, 37, is a full-time model from Newcastle. She says: My hair is naturally curly, and although its fine, I have a lot of it. After washing I use a mousse and then dry my hair with a diffuser with my head tipped upside down to add volume. I rarely style it differently because heating tools can damage the hair. The Airwrap is different to other tongs Ive used in the past that Ive worried would singe my hair. This has a lot less heat so I didnt have that fear. And its quicker. Conventional tongs take around an hour to curl my hair but we did this in about 20 minutes. I was impressed. I love the look and my hair feels soft and smooth The tongs are expensive. But if it means that my hair is in better condition because I use less heat on it, then it will be worth it for my job as a model. It might save me money if I need fewer salon appointments to get rid of the dry ends. Imran Khan approved measures to facilitate expatriate Pakistanis ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday approved various measures to facilitate the expatriate Pakistanis besides directing the departments concerned to submit a workable plan to remove hindrances in sending remittances through e-solutions. In a follow-up meeting of the briefing by Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the prime minister directed all the departments concerned to provide speedy mechanisms for ease of sending remittances through legal channels. The prime minister emphasized that the PTI government was fully cognizant of the problems faced by overseas Pakistanis in sending remittances and issues of retaining their legal properties in Pakistan while they were abroad to earn livelihood. He said the government was working on fast track basis to resolve their problems. He said the overseas Pakistanis were an asset of the country who could play a very important role in improving the financial condition through remittances. He directed the Ministry of Finance, Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan and NADRA to jointly present a workable plan for removing hindrances in sending the remittances through e-solutions. It was also decided to bring legal reforms in the civil and criminal laws to recover the properties of overseas Pakistanis under illegal occupation. Establishment of special courts for these cases was also discussed. The prime minister stated that workers belonging to the lower income groups were already burdened as they were away from their homes to earn livelihood abroad in harsh conditions. Hence, it is the responsibility of the government to facilitate and provide all necessary facilities and incentives to them and their families back home, he added. The meeting discussed various incentives including tax exemptions on remittances and several social welfare schemes for expatriates. The prime minister emphasized that strict action would be taken against the illegal occupants of the properties owned by overseas Pakistanis. In this regard, directives would also be issued to provincial governments and the law enforcing agencies. The meeting took various decisions for immediate implementation including the establishment of connectivity between Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development and NADRA Database to maintain a record of overseas Pakistanis abroad. The meeting decided to reduce the biometric verification charges for workers going abroad from Rs 45 to Rs 10 per verification. It was decided that the family tree record of Pakistanis working abroad would be shared with the ministry concerned so that their families were provided with benefits of health, education and accommodation. The meeting declared the NICOP for emigrants and workers as optional. Directions regarding clarification would be issued through newspaper advertisements. To bring further clarity, necessary legal amendment would also be initiated. Free of charge connectivity between Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Pakistanis and the FIA has already been established that would be operational by October 17. The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to PM on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari, Special Assistant to PM on Media Iftikhar Durrani, secretary to PM, secretary finance, secretary overseas Pakistanis and human resource development, chairman FBR, chairman NADRA and other senior officials from the State Bank of Pakistan, FIA and Civil Aviation Authority. At a separate meeting with a delegation of senators from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) at the PM Office, the prime minister said the introduction of local government system in tribal areas would help empower the people and ensure development of the area at par with other parts of the country. He said the completion of the process for merger of FATA and their mainstreaming was governments foremost priority. The meeting discussed the overall situation in tribal areas, merger of FATA and other administrative issues. As Princess Beatrice seemed to shun her wedding duties during her sister Eugenie and Jack Brooksbanks wedding, it seemed Jacks best man was taking his duties very seriously. Jacks smiling brother Tom Brooksbank served as his best man during the lavish ceremony at St Georges chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Tom, 30, who is two years younger than Jack, is his only sibling and seemed to play a key role in the latest royal wedding, from calming the grooms nerves to being liaising with other royals, Tom seemed to have his best man duties under control. Tom Brooksbank (left) served as Jack's best man during the ceremony of which the couple had invited over 800 guests Tom was by Jack's side for most of the day and even gave well wishers a cheeky look when he and his brother walked up the stairs to St George's chapel Tom looks to be joking with his brother Jack as they head up the steps At the start of the day Jack and Tom arrived at St Georges chapel and were greeted by well-wishers who had gathered to watch the festivities. As they made their way up to the chapel Tom looked like a typical best man, throwing his brother cheeky looks as they walked up the stairs. At one point he even glances back to the well wishes and flashes them a charming grin. Visibly nervous, Jack looked on edge as he climbed up the steps, only to be reassured by a gentle hand on the back by his brother Tom. When the Duke of York announced who Jack's best man would be a Twitter post was sent out with the photo of the two as young boys with Tom of the left and Jack on the right Jack was clearly nervous ahead of the ceremony but Tom reassured him by gently placing his hand on his lower back The two brothers seemed relaxed in each others company as they waked up the steps, with Tom no doubt muttering calming words to his brother, who at times seemed overwhelmed with the publicity surrounding the wedding. Inside the chapel he can then be seen at his brother's side at the altar, as Jack geared up to take his vows to Princess Eugenie. Throughout the ceremony he can be seen smiling behind his brother Jack who was clearly unnerved by the event, of which the couple had invited over 800 guests. Before Eugenie arrived both Tom and Jack looked nervous and Jack looks down as though he doesn't know where look As Eugenie walked down the aisle Tom once again flashes his cheeky grin as his brother Jack puts on his glasses so he can see the bride from afar Jack looked nervous as they exchanged rings, with Tom glancing at the pair with a charming look After the ceremony he can be seen stood outside the chapel with his parents Nicola and George Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson, as well as bridesmaids and pageboys. Tom seemed to look less comfortable in this situation and stood slightly away from the rest of the guests . Tom, works for London-based asset management company Troy Asset Management, where he works on the business development side of the firm which first launched in 2000 by the late Lord Weinstock, with the company being named after his 1979 Epsom Derby winner. Tom looked to be a reassuring presence for Jack as they stood at the altar in St George's chapel Tom graduated from the University of Leeds in 2011 where he achieved a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts degree in French language and literature. From 2001-2005 he has also attended the infamous Eton College. In an interview to the BBC before the wedding, Eugenie praised Jacks family and said that Tom was already like a brother to her. Theyre really wonderful people. Seven years, you get to know people pretty well. Theyre already sort of parents and brother. Despite wearing a cheeky grin for most of the day, Tom looked slightly uncomfortable on the steps outside the chapel The last royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, saw Harry choosing William as his best man, despite there being much speculation surrounding who he would ask. Before ceremony which took place earlier this year, the brothers were seen joking in the chapel and discussing how tight their trousers were. As they waited for the bridge to arrive, a nervous Harry asked his brother: 'Is she here?' Wills replied: 'No not yet. I don't know actually.' Back in 2011, Prince Harry had also served as William's best man, when he married Kate Middleton. During the best man speech Harry had reportedly teased William about his thinning hair and had once joked that William had turned bald at the age of 12. Princes Harry and William joked about Harry's 'tight trousers' while they waited for the bride The Duchess of Cambridge does not shy away from wearing her favourite clothes multiple times, but while her ensemble for Eugenie's big day was a new outfit it was certainly rather familiar. Stepping out at Eugenie and Jack's wedding at St George's Chapel yesterday, Kate opted for the same dress she wore for Trooping the Colour in 2017. The Duchess wore a baby pink version of the Alexander McQueen frock to the Queen's official birthday celebrations last year. And she clearly liked the outfit so much she purchased another version, this time in a darker raspberry shade. Most of Kate's Alexander McQueen outfits are bespoke, so it's likely she requested the same dress to be remade in a different shade. Her favourite frock? For Princess Eugenie's wedding, Kate wore a darker version (left) of the Alexander McQueen dress she wore to Trooping the Colour last year (right) The 36-year-old showcased the thigh-skimming gown as she accompanied Prince William to St George's Chapel for the lavish wedding ceremony. She had a 'Marilyn Monroe moment' when gusty winds sweeping through Windsor whipped up her skirt, forcing her to pin it down. McQueen is a firm favourite of the duchess, with her iconic lace wedding gown and the cream frock she wore to her son Prince Louis' christening made by the designer. As well as the Royal Wedding yesterday, she has worn McQueen dresses to Trooping the Colour three years running. The Duchess finished off her look with a burgundy clutch bag and matching heels as she arrived at St George's Chapel with Prince William Kate, 36, opted for a structured dress featuring puffed sleeves, which she teamed with a matching fascinator by Philip Treacy A crowd of excited well-wishers gathered outside Windsor Castle to watch the wedding of Princess Eugenie, 28, and Jack Brooksbank, 30. They were treated to scores of celebrities filing into the chapel, including Jimmy Carr, Liv Tyler and Naomi Campbell. While waiting for Princess Eugenie to walk down the aisle, Kate and Prince William were seen clasping hands in the chapel. In a rare display of public affection, the pair looked relaxed and happy as they chatted with Prince Harry and Meghan who were sitting beside them. Kate chats to the Duchess of Cornwall at the Trooping the Colour last year, showcasing a lighter pink version of the Alexander McQueen dress she wore to Princess Eugenie's wedding Firm favourite: Kate in a light pink Alexander McQueen dress at the Trooping the Colour 2017 Princess Eugenie's wedding bouquet has been laid on the grave of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey. The newly-wed's delicate bunch consisted of Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray roses and trailing ivy. And keeping with tradition, it has been put on the Unknown Warrior's Grave as a touching tribute to the fallen of the First World War and international military conflicts since. Princess Eugenie's wedding bouquet on the grave of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey The perfect white posy carried by Princess Eugenie as she prepared to walk down the aisle included Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray roses and trailing ivy Princess Eugenie's bouquet was created by floral designer Rob Van Helden's sister Patrice Van Helden Oakes. The tradition of sending it to the grave at Westminster Abbey following royal nuptials began with the Queen Mother when she married King George VI. It was laid there in memory of her brother Fergus who was killed in 1915 at the Battle of Loos during the First World War. Sprigs of myrtle from Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight were also included in Princess Eugenie's bouquet. The tradition of carrying myrtle began after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Alberts grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany. Hold on tight: Eugenie grasps Jack's hand as they prepare to walk down the steps of the chapel, where they are greeted by well wishers who have turned up at Windsor to wish them luck It was first carried by Princess Victoria, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, when she married in 1858, signifying the innocence of a bride. A crowd of excited well-wishers gathered outside Windsor Castle to watch the wedding of Princess Eugenie, 28, and Jack Brooksbank, 30, yesterday. They were treated to scores of celebrities filing into the chapel, including Jimmy Carr, Liv Tyler and Naomi Campbell. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was all smiles as she attended the official reopening of her country's national museum today. The royal heiress oversaw the ceremony in Stockholm along with her husband Prince Daniel, her father King Carl and mother Queen Silvia. Fanfare was sounded by The Royal Swedish Cavalry Band as the inaugural ribbon was cut by the nation's monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf. Crown Princess Victoria (pictured) was all smiles as she attended the reopening of Sweden's national museum in Stockholm today The Crown Princess attended the event with King Carl Gustaf (right), Queen Silvia (centre right), Prince Daniel (centre left) and Director General Susanna Pettersson (far left) Inaugural speeches were given by Director Susanna Pettersson and Sweden's Minister for Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kunkhe. The national museum (or 'Nationalmuseum') was opened in 1866, but since 2013 it had been closed for renovation. Its overhaul, which cost the Swedish government 100million, saw improvement in the museum's security, fire safety, accessibility and climate control. The museum officially reopened today after a five-year-long overhaul which cost the Swedish government 100million (pictured: Queen Silvia) King Carl returns the scissors used to cut the ribbon, officially reopening the museum Extra exhibition space, a restaurant and a new sculpture courtyard all feature as part of the building's redesign. New displays will show more than 5,000 works of art, some dating back as far as the 16th century. Before it closed the museum hosted roughly 1,700 artworks. Those featured include Rembrandt and Scandinavian artists Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn. The museum had previously charged for admission but it will now be free access. Those featured at the museum include Rembrandt and Scandinavian artists Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn (pictured left: Minister for Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kunkhe) The museum had previously charged for admission but it will now be free access Not content with tackling the worlds problems by producing driverless cars and robot vacuum cleaners, it seems that Silicon Valley has a new target: the female body. Over the past three years, its boffins have been focusing on womens health concerns, from fertility and contraceptives to breast cancer and pregnancy care. Coined femtech, this new field represents one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry, and is expected to be worth almost 40 billion within the next decade. And its not hard to see why: many of the innovations are startlingly good ideas. Over the past three years experts have been focusing on womens health concerns, from fertility and contraceptives to breast cancer (pictured is stock image of a woman examining her breasts) and pregnancy care After all, what woman wouldnt want a DIY scanning device that could flag up breast tumours in minutes from the comfort of her living room? Or perhaps an app to replace the contraceptive Pill by predicting a safe window in the month within which to have sex? So far, so impressive. However, as Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, warns: Its good to see patients taking an interest in their own health, but any tech device you use has to be safe and evidence-based. Only a handful of products have been given the official stamp of approval and even fewer are vetted by UK health watchdogs, leaving the sector largely unregulated. So which femtech inventions can women trust with their health? And which are for the time being best avoided? We spoke to the experts to find out AN APP THAT STOPS YOU GETTING PREGNANT... Natural Cycles (naturalcycles.com, 39.99 per year) is a smartphone app and thermometer that the makers claim works as digital contraception. Users pop the thermometer in their mouth every morning and input the temperature reading into the app. The Natural Cycles algorithm uses this to work out their fertility cycle. On days where the user is reckoned to be most fertile, a red Stop signal warns against unprotected sex. A green sign gives the go-ahead when she is least fertile. Natural Cycles (pictured) is a smartphone app and thermometer that the makers claim works as digital contraception The app, launched in 2016, has more than 125,000 UK users, and is aimed at women who worry about the long-term effects of the Pill. Earlier this year it emerged that 37 out of 668 women seeking abortions at a Swedish clinic had become pregnant while using Natural Cycles. THE VERDICT I would only recommend this for people who wouldnt mind getting pregnant, says Dr Anita Mitra, a gynaecologist and researcher at Imperial College London. The app claims to predict fertility from changes in temperature across the 28-day cycle. But random fluctuations occur for a variety of reasons, which will affect this prediction, such as taking paracetamol, changes in eating, exercise and sleep. A spokesman for Natural Cycles said: The effectiveness of Natural Cycles is supported by scientific evidence. The rate of reported unintended pregnancies among users between January and June 2018 was found by the Swedish Medical Products Authority to be in line with the published typical use effectiveness rate of 93 per cent, which is based on the study of more than 22,000 women. ... AND ONE THAT BOOSTS YOUR FERTILITY CHANCES Ovusense (ovusense.com, 79, then 20-a-month subscription) is a silicone sensor that tracks fertility via temperature changes in the vagina, and beams the data wirelessly to an app. It gives 24 hours notice of the four-day window when pregnancy is most likely when an egg is released from the ovaries. The app is a fully certified medical device everywhere it is sold including the UK. The company website refers to a 2012 study that it funded, which showed OvuSense to be 99 per cent accurate. Ovusense (pictured) is a silicone sensor that tracks fertility via temperature changes in the vagina, and beams the data wirelessly to an app THE VERDICT Dr Christine Ekechi, consultant gynaecologist at Imperial College London says: There is no evidence that I am aware of to show vaginal temperature is a more accurate predictor of fertility than traditional measurements we dont use vaginal temperature in NHS practice. I embrace new health technology but it must be used in conjunction with medical professionals. In a statement, Rob Milnes, CEO of OvuSense, said: OvuSense is an independently regulated device proven in clinical trials and over 30,000 cycles of use. DIY SCANNER THAT SPOTS EARLY BREAST CANCER A new method of scanning for breast cancer, known as breast thermography, is offered at private British clinics. Women can also buy home-use devices from 200 that do the same thing: the devices are said to detect the first signs of breast cancer by measuring temperature changes on the skin. Some, including the hand-held Braster (Braster.eu, from 351), said to detect signs of breast cancer in 15 minutes, immediately send information to an app that is later analysed by the companys medical team. As cancer cells grow and multiply, blood flow to the area increases and this raises skin temperature. Research has suggested thermography has a higher success rate than mammograms for detecting breast cancers 95 per cent versus 87 per cent. The hand-held Braster (pictured) is said to detect signs of breast cancer in 15 minutes THE VERDICT Thermography is effective, but only for larger tumours that emit heat and not the majority of breast cancers. A small cancer will not necessarily be hot but it will be visible via a mammogram, says Dr Steven Allen, Consultant Radiologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The same is true for pre-cancerous cells that become a lump within a year. For these women, mammograms are life-saving. HAND-HELD BABY HEART RATE MONITOR The Sonoline B Handheld Foetal Doppler (medisave.co.uk, from 33.95) is a DIY foetal heartbeat detector comprising a probe, a battery-powered monitor and headphones. It allows expectant parents to listen to their babys heartbeat from the 12th week of pregnancy. Manufacturers say the device is not a replacement for pre-natal clinicians, but parents can use the at-home devices as reassurance of their childs development. A spokesman for Sonoline said: Increasing amount of research indicates that up to six per cent of babies with compromised immunity develop complete atrioventricular block, leading to early deaths. Current pregnancy blood tests do not screen for this so monitoring irregular heartbeats is all that is left. An example of what a foetal heartbeat detector might look like. They allow expectant parents to listen to their babys heartbeat from the 12th week of pregnancy THE VERDICT The device may show an accurate picture of foetal heartbeat, but this doesnt tell you if the baby is healthy, says Clive Spence Jones, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at The London Clinic. THE STICK-ON MATERNITY NURSE Momsense (mymomsense.com, 60) is a stick-on-sensor and microphone attached to a babys neck during nursing. It amplifies and records the sound of the baby swallowing, and compiles a daily report on the quantity of milk baby has consumed, easing mothers concerns about their newborns weight gain. Momsense (mymomsense.com, 60) is a stick-on-sensor and microphone attached to a babys neck during nursing THE VERDICT Midwife and breastfeeding expert Clare Byam-Cook says. Mothers differ in production and flow, as do babies in the way they suck. The best, most reliable indication a baby has had a good feed is if he or she goes three to four hours between feeds. Fertility app left me with baby I couldn't afford Store manager Roksana Siqueira was devastated to learn she was pregnant having relied solely on fertility apps as contraception for almost a year. The 31-year-old said: My husband and I planned to wait three years for a baby to allow us to save up for a deposit on a house. When I saw the positive line on the pregnancy stick, I burst into tears. It changed everything. Roksana, who has been married to her husband Diego for two years, first placed her faith in apps in December 2016 after suffering bad skin as a result of hormonal contraception. I talked to my GP about the fertility apps Id seen online and he suggested I use one. I began using a fertility tracking app called Flo and didnt have sex on unsafe days, according to the app. Roksana Siqueira (pictured with daughter Kelsey) was devastated to learn she was pregnant having relied solely on fertility apps as contraception for almost a year Roksana, who lives in London, precisely followed the app for nine months. Then one morning in September 2017, she began to experience symptoms of nausea. A pregnancy test was positive. I was in shock for several days, she recalls. How could I be pregnant? We werent prepared financially for a baby. But there was no question of termination so we went ahead with it. In May this year, Roksana gave birth to Kelsey, and although both mother and father are truly happy, they remain furious about the way the app let them down. Im so frightened Ill fall pregnant again, says Roksana. Now Ill take the Pill, although I am reluctant. I would never rely on a fertility app again. The NHS has backed a small number of devices or apps designed to aid womens health. They include... 1. BREAST CHECKER APP An app featuring written and video guides for breast self-examination, shown to help with detecting early signs of tumours. Women can record and track the number of self-examinations and set alarms to remind them to do so. Free, breastcancernow.org 2. GESTATIONAL DIABETES MONITOR This gestational diabetes monitor (pictured) allows women with gestational diabetes to input and track their levels of glucose A blood glucose tracker app developed by scientists at Oxford University that allows women with gestational diabetes to input and track levels and communicate information directly to their healthcare team. Free, ouhbsp.oxnet. nhs.uk/gdm 3. BABY KICKS COUNTER The baby kicks counter (pictured) enables women to input the number of times their baby kicks and computes graphs of changes Developed by charity Kicks Count, this app enables women to input the number of times their baby kicks and computes graphs of changes. A sudden change may be a sign of distress. Free, apps.beta.nhs.uk/ kicks-count 4. PELVIC-FLOOR TRAINER This pelvic-floor trainer (pictured) can help strengthen pelvic-floor muscles. This version costs 169 from elvie.com Developed in partnership with the NHS, the pebble-shaped pod (below) and smartphone app strengthen pelvic-floor muscles. Once inserted into the vagina, the silicone pod tracks movement via bluetooth and transports information back to the connected iphone app. The app guides you through five-minute pelvic-floor workouts and charts performance. 169, elvie.com Additional reporting: Pat Hagan For the first time, Tate Modern has launched an exhibition devoted entirely to textiles. The subject is the weaver, printer and author Anni Albers (1899-1994). Bow to the Bauhaus: Geometric Temple is an Albers inspired design by Christopher Farr Cloth Viewing her works in a gallery as you would art is fitting because Albers specialised in pieces known as pictorial weavings, designed to be looked at rather than sat or walked on. She wanted to see herself as an artist, says curator of the exhibition Ann Coxon. Thats not to say her work wasnt practical. She was also famous for developing a sound-proof fabric in 1929 and for creating loose weaves to filter light through the large, modernist windows which were fashionable at the time. She made draperies shot through with glitzy copper thread for the Rockefeller Guest House in New York, plus room dividers and bedspread fabric for the dorms in Harvard Graduate Center. Artist and designer: Anni Albers pictured in her studio at Black Mountain College in 1937 Like any craft it may end in producing useful objects, or it may rise to the level of art, she wrote of her work. Albers loved to experiment, even creating jewellery from washers, corks and bobby pins. Later in life, when arthritis affected her ability to weave, she took up silkscreen printing. She was the first textile designer to be shown at New Yorks MOMA in 1949 and her work continues to be a source of inspiration for designers today. Bold: A wall hanging by Anni Albers dating from 1926 and using only three shades of thread Weaving, meanwhile, is having a renaissance. Christopher Farr has an official collaboration with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and produces rugs from her designs. You can see Annis love of geometric patterns in rugs such as Camino Real, 1967, based on her rich red tapestry for the lobby bar of Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City. It was fresh and contemporary then and it still works today. Christopher Farr/Cloth, founded by Christopher Farr, Michal Silver and Matthew Bourne in 2000, is releasing two new designs based on Annis prints to celebrate the exhibition. Anni was an artist so her work stands the test of time, says Silver. Orchestra is based on Annis Orchestra series, completed in her 80s and inspired by her concert visits in Salzburg. The colours are uplifting and the designs are screen printed onto Belgian linen in London. Ochre a navy blue, soft blue and mustard combination was taken from Annis work and it fits right in with this seasons palette (from 150 per metre, christopherfarrcloth.com). Musical chairs: Orchestra in ochre by Christopher Farr cloth and based on Anni's prints of the same name But you can also enjoy the print as silk scarves which the company has produced for the Tate Modern shop (from 60). Albers never intended to be a weaver, but even at the egalitarian Bauhaus, where she studied, women were encouraged to take up the craft and the studio became known as the Womens Workshop. She loved the rigour and discipline, which gave her a framework within which to explore. She was always more interested in structure than colour, wanting the threads to speak for themselves. Like many of us, she was inspired by her travels and often went to Latin America. She and her husband, the more famous artist Josef Albers, collected ancient Andean textiles, objects and figurines which gave her work new direction. Wonderful weave: Interrupted Pattern II woven by Catarina Riccabona for the New Craftsmen Weavers busy reviving the craft include Catarina Riccabona who, mindful of the damaging effects of the textile industry, uses second- hand yarns and recycled linens from a spinner based in Bradford. She weaves cloth from her London studio. Even if you dont know the person who made it, there is evidence of the human hand, which gives it a warmth, says Riccabona. Certainly theres nothing nicer than cosying up in a soft throw, though her alpaca one created for the New Craftsmen to chime with the exhibition will set you back. Its 1,200 while her wall panels start from 1,900, thenewcraftsmen.com. Eleanor Pritchard also creates gorgeous geometric cushions and blankets, which have more than a nod to the Bauhaus aesthetic. Her Dovetail blanket in indigo, black and tobacco would make a statement while her brilliant yellow Charlock cushion would pep up a tired sofa (blanket 296, cushion, 132, eleanorpritchard.com). Margo Selby continues Anni Alberss pictorial weaving tradition. Along with rugs, throws and cushions, she creates hand-woven artworks from her Whitstable studio. Margo Selby also creates 'pictorial weavings' designed to be looked at rather than trodden on She describes Albers as a hero because she was passionate about creating well-designed textiles as well as intricate handmade wall hung work. She, like Albers, enjoys the constraints of weaving as they present a challenge within which to work. The Bauhaus weaving studio, where Albers lectured, is a great example of weavers working together, and in a similar vein there is a small team of weavers at the Margo Selby studio, she says. Selby mixes colours on the loom and her Pick by Pick series includes colour combinations used by Albers rainy day greys mixed with piercing yellow. Her artworks start from 555, margoselby.com. Anni Albers is on now until January 27, 2019, at Tate Modern, tate.org.uk Rolls-Royces were out in force at yesterdays royal wedding. Princess Eugenie arrived at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, in a vintage 1977 Phantom VI and two brand-new 400,000 Phantoms chauffeured the groom and his parents. But behind the scenes was a forthcoming and yet-to-hit showrooms Rolls-Royce Cullinan, dropped off at Windsor Castle just days earlier for use by the Royal Mews fleet. And if theyd needed a driver, I was their man. Entering royal service: The new Rolls-Royce Cullinan is admired by Ray Because this week I was among the first journalists to drive this new Rolls-Royce the marques first purpose-built 4x4 at the global launch in Wyoming. And the car has another royal connection. Its named after the legendary 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, unearthed in 1905 in South Africa as the largest, most flawless gem ever found, pieces of which adorn the Crown Jewels. The Cullinan has been designed with a monarch in mind right down to the commanding, high-set rear pavilion seats, sumptuous leather interior and extras including a champagne cooler. The car can even curtsy, dropping 16 in to help one get in. But its truly jaw-dropping aspect is the cars ability to climb steep mountain tracks with all the agility of a goat. Splendid Bentley Heartfelt thanks to Bentley chief executive Adrian Hallmark and his team for their generosity including their splendid Bentley Experience auction item in support of The London Press Club Ball. Thursdays event raises vital funds for the Journalists Charity, helping those in the trade who fall on hard times. Whizzing around the tightest of hairpins part of a ski slope come winter was aided by the Cullinans clever four-wheel steering by which the rear wheels can turn, within limits, independently of those in front. The balance, poise and power was astonishing. This is a Rolls-Royce, for heavens sake, climbing up and down mountains off road. Indeed, its a luxurious SUV with the capability to surprise and delight. Prices start at 250,000, though Rolls-Royce reckons many customers will spend double that on expensive extras. It comes in two main styles. For off-roading, theres the flexible five-seater, while for more formal, even regal, occasions theres a fixed four-seater hatchback. Cocooned in luxury, the acceleration from its 6.75-litre, twin-turbo, V12 engine is awesome. The handling is sharper and more precise than the more stately flagship Phantom limousine and it has a surprisingly tight turning circle. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang celebrates 50 years A truly phantasmagorical experience awaits at Beaulieu as the National Motor Museum launches its Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 50 Years exhibition from October 20. Celebrating a half-century since the 1968 film was released, the exhibition reveals the exploits of racing driver Count Louis Zborowski, who provided inspiration for the story about a magical flying car. For more information, visit beaulieu.co.uk. Robo Range Rover After passing my driving test, I only learned to drive properly by spending years as a trainee journalist mastering one of Britains most tricky highways Coventrys inner-city ring road. The driverless Range Rover Sport made a complete circuit of Coventrys inner-city ring road by successfully changing lanes, merging with traffic and exiting junctions Now, remarkably, a self-driving car has done the same. A prototype driverless Range Rover Sport made a complete circuit of the road by successfully changing lanes, merging with traffic and exiting junctions at the 40 mph speed limit all without a human at the wheel. The feat by Jaguar Land Rover was the climax of the 20 million Government-funded project UK Autodrive, which ends this month after a three-year programme. JLR autonomous vehicle chief Mark Cund said: The Coventry ring road, known for complicated slip roads and exits, is challenging, especially in rush hour. Skys boss has been handed a near-40million windfall following the takeover of the broadcaster by the US owner of Universal Studios. Jeremy Darroch, who has run Sky as chief executive since 2007, sold his holding of more than 2.2m shares to Comcast for 1728p each, earning him 38.3million. The 55-year-old was given many of these shares at no cost through long-term incentive plans and bonuses. Comcast and 21st Century Fox, both of which were hungry to buy Sky, which broadcasts hit shows such as Game of Thrones (pictured) Chief operating officer and finance head Andrew Griffith has bagged 17.3million selling his shares, while four other directors between them will take home 857,503. The payday is the result of a drawn-out bidding war between Comcast and Rupert Murdochs 21st Century Fox, both of which were hungry to buy Sky, which broadcasts hit shows such as Game of Thrones. The battle for Sky, which was eventually won by Comcast with a knockout 30billion bid, caused the companys shares to more than double driving up the value of the directors stakes. Jeremy Darroch sold his holding of more than 2.2m shares to Comcast for 1728p each, earning him 38.3mi City veteran Martin Gilbert, who was appointed to an independent committee by Sky to preside over the takeover saga and helped push up the eye-watering offers, will himself take home 160,064. It is thought that Darroch will have to pay a tax bill of around 14million, more than the combined UK tax total stumped up last year by Amazon, Facebook and Netflix. Amazon paid just 4.6million, Facebook 7.4million and Netflix received a 175,000 rebate in 2017. As well as buying out the directors stakes, Comcast will also have to pay more than 13,000 Sky employees for their shares. These Sky staff were able to opt in to the companys Sharesave scheme, which allowed them to buy shares at a discount. Darroch will be in for yet more money when Sky reveals his annual pay and performance-related bonuses for running the company over the last year. He has yet to reveal whether he will stay at the company, but his contract states that he must give up to a years notice if he decides to leave. There is also a one-year non-compete clause, meaning he couldnt jump ship for a rival. Comcast is likely to want the boss to stay as during his time at Sky, Darroch has seen the firms share price almost triple in value. When he was appointed, Sky was trading at 595.1p. This shot up to 990.2p in December 2016 when Fox submitted its first 18.5billion bid, and escalated again to 1348p when Comcast threw down the gauntlet in February this year. Comcast eventually paid 1728p a share. Both firms were willing to splash the cash for Sky, as competition from the likes of on-demand providers Netflix and Amazon has posed a threat to their dominance. The deal now makes Comcast the biggest pay-TV company in the world, with around 52m customers. Investors in scandal-hit cake company Patisserie Valerie are set to lose nine-tenths of their money after the companys value plunged in a rescue deal. Parent firm Patisserie Holdings raised 16.7million by selling new shares to investors at 50p each. Before it was rocked by fraud claims, the shares were worth 429.5p each. It means the firms value has plunged from almost 450million to around 67.7million in a matter of days. Rescue deal: Patisserie Valerie Parent firm Patisserie Holdings raised 16.7million by selling new shares to investors at 50p each. Most buyers in the placing are thought to be existing investors, including executive chairman Luke Johnson, who had a 37 per cent stake before the stock was issued. Johnson, 56, is also lending the business 10million for three years at no interest to help it survive. He has provided another 10million of short-term finance to cover costs until the money raised by the share sale is available to spend. Sources said the rescue deal has guaranteed the future of Patisserie Valerie, meaning all stores will open today and no staff will lose their jobs. The company was left reeling after it discovered a multi-million pound black hole in its accounts and warned fraud may have taken place. A petition had been issued by the tax man to wind the business up over an unpaid bill of 1.1million. Finance director Chris Marsh was suspended and has since been arrested. Sources said that it had missed a deadline to pay large amounts of rent last month. Stores in the London districts of Hammersmith and Edgware had notices placed in their windows yesterday saying they had been shut by landlords. But both stores are due to open this morning. An American man who admitted to jetting off to the Dominican Republic to have sex with underage girls has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Theodore Symonds, 51, traveled to Puerto Plata in March 2017 to have sex with an at-the-time 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, according to the United States attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida on Friday. Prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic, but 60 percent of the 25,000 to 35,000 prostitutes in the country start out as minors, according to the International Labour Organization. Theodore Symonds, 51, traveled to Puerto Plata in March 2017 to have sex with an at-the-time 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl The age of consent in the Dominican Republic is 18. Many children find that they can get in a cycle of abuse as they work to make ends meet for their families, hoping to escape the waves of poverty that ravishes the nation. 'There is no immunity for these heinous crimes, whether committed at home or abroad,' asserted Benjamin G. Greenberg, the United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Court documents reveal that Symonds corresponded with the girls on Facebook, asking if he had ownership over the girls and demanding that they send him nude photos. When clothes were seen in the photos, he stated 'No clothes, my God,' and required that the girls take off more of their clothes. The man also sent photos to the girls that featured past visits, including one where he and a victim were lying down while partially clothed. Symonds told American authorities that he would not have gone back to the Dominican Republic if he knew that he could get in trouble in the United States Messages between Symonds and a friend - only referred to as A.R. - show that at one point, he made a comment about one of the girls being 20 but was quickly informed that she was actually 13. Symonds would go on and explain that the girl's age was no concern because he was friends with her family and the police. A.R. claimed that the man was the girl's first sexual encounter, to which Symonds informed him that the girl's mother was cool with the relationship. The 15-year-old girl once asked Symonds to use protection when they next met up, prompting questions from the man and him informing her that he didn't want problems with his penis. Symonds told authorities that he had relationships with the girls and knew they were underage. But the man asserted that he never had sex with the girls. The investigation started in March 2017 after Domincan authorities detained him and informed the United States Government. Symonds told American authorities that he would not have gone back to the Dominican Republic if he knew that he could get in trouble in the United States. TLP warned of paralysing country on Aasia Bibi LAHORE: The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has warned of paralysing the country within hours if the Supreme Court sets Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, free. The TLP directed its local leaders across the country on Friday to start holding sit-ins within hours without waiting for a decision by the central leadership, if she is freed. Judges remarks have sown doubt among the party leaders and fears that she would be released soon, Pir Afzal Qadri, patron-in-chief of the TLP, said while addressing a rally taken out to protest the possible acquittal of Aasia Bibi. Reading out a four-point resolution approved by the party leadership, he said the possible acquittal would be deemed an attack on Islam, the Constitution and blasphemy law. Responsibility for the subsequent law and order situation would rest with the judges, the government and all institutions supposed to protect the Constitution, he warned. The central leadership has already decided about a countrywide protest and local leaders should not wait for any message from the central leadership and start their sit-ins immediately, Mr Qadri said, adding that these nationwide sit-ins should continue till all those responsible for [Aasia Bibis] release are punished, even if the central leadership is incarcerated or killed. A number of TLP workers gathered on The Mall in Lahore and other major cities in the country, including Karachi, Multan and Gujranwala, to pre-empt the acquittal. Police, unlike previous rallies, did not block Charing Cross till the last moment and even when the rally arrived at the venue, the road was blocked by the party workers who dragged barriers put up to block access to the Punjab Assembly building and encircled the crossing. Addressing the rally later, firebrand TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi not only seconded the decisions announced by Mr Qadri but also took on the judiciary, inviting the judges to a debate on the blasphemy law and its violations on television. He concluded his speech by asking the workers to be ready for nationwide sit-ins. Stay ready and wait for Tuesday when another important announcement would be made, he said. In Karachi, the TLP held a big rally warning the government against showing any flexibility in cases pertaining to blasphemy. The participants of the rally demanded the execution of Aasia Bibi and action against those pursuing a campaign in her favour. Hundreds of participants marched from Hasan Square to Numaish intersection where leaders of the party addressed the rally. Traffic on main University Road and then on M.A. Jinnah Road remained badly affected. The TLP leaders asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to come up with a clear policy on blasphemy laws and satisfy the people who had voted him to rule under the Constitution. The charged participants of the rally on motorbikes, buses, cars and pickups chanted slogans vowing to protect the blasphemy law. A TLP statement said the rally was part of its countrywide movement against the possible acquittal of blasphemy convict Aasia Bibi. The sister of a ruthless crime boss has told of the heart-stopping moment she hid a microphone in her bra to secretly record him boasting about his murders. Revealing her ultimate betrayal, Astrid Holleeder hid the recording device in the only place she knew he wouldn't look as she chatted to her brother Willem, the most feared criminal in Holland. Knowing she would be killed instantly if he found out, Astrid said she turned on her own brother because it was the only way he could be brought to justice. Hours of the incriminating tapes have now put the celebrity gangster - who carried out Holland's crime of the century by kidnapping the boss of the Heineken beer empire in the 80s - on trial again and facing life in prison. Astrid Holleeder, sister of ruthless crime boss Willem (pictured together as children) has told of the heart-stopping moment she hid a microphone in her bra to secretly record him boasting about his murders Revealing her ultimate betrayal, Astrid hid the recording device in the only place she knew he wouldn't look as she chatted to Willem, (above) who is the most feared criminal in Holland Hours of incriminating tapes have now put Willem, a gangster who carried out Holland's crime of the century by kidnapping the boss of the Heineken beer empire (pictured above right in the 80s with his then co-accused Cor van Hout), on trial again and facing life in prison Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Astrid said: 'I know I have committed the ultimate betrayal and the evidence I gathered could put him in prison for the rest of his life. 'But he had to be stopped. He had turned into a serial killer and I knew getting him on tape would be the only way that he could not manipulate the evidence.' Astrid fitted a mini microphone to her bra and when Wim called round to talk at her Amsterdam home she was able to record his every word. 'Wim would pat me down as he was suspicious of everyone, but he would not touch me down around my breasts,' she said. 'I wasn't convinced the microphone was picking up his whispers so one time had it sewn into my jacket collar. I was terrified that he would find it. 'I would have been dead by the end of that day, if not in hours, if he had found out. I was his sister and I was gathering evidence to put him in jail for the rest of his life.' Wim, 60, has been compared to the 1960s gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray for his ruthlessness and desire for attention when mixing with celebrities. From his prison cell he has allegedly put out a contract on his sister's life, in revenge for her turning informer. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Astrid (pictured as a child) said: 'I know I have committed the ultimate betrayal and the evidence I gathered could put him in prison for the rest of his life' Speaking to the Mail Online, she said: 'He had to be stopped. He had turned into a serial killer and I knew getting him on tape would be the only way that he could not manipulate the evidence' Wim, 60, has been compared to the 1960s gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray for his ruthlessness and desire for attention when mixing with celebrities. From his prison cell he has allegedly put out a contract on his sister's life, in revenge for her turning informer It has meant Astrid's life as a successful criminal defence lawyer has been turned upside down and she is now part of a witness protection programme. Despite living in a 'safe house', using disguises and driving a bulletproof car, Astrid believes she will end up dead as her elder brother will one day have her killed. 'I know I am on borrowed time and whatever happens at Wim's trial he will get me. If he is acquitted or found guilty and sent to prison for life he will come for me. 'I just want to stay alive for as long as I can.' Astrid has already given evidence against Wim, who ruled the Dutch criminal underworld for 35 years and is on trial at a top security court for six murders of gangland rivals. Her decision to betray him, which could be ripped from 'The Sopranos', has led her to write a best selling book entitled 'Judas' which has been turned into a Dutch TV series with actress Rifka Lodeizen playing Astrid. Steven Spielberg's Amblin production company also want to make a series about her life. But her treachery has come at a cost. She has limited contact with friends and is often too afraid to meet her daughter Miljuschjka, a former model and celebrity chef with her own show on Dutch TV. Astrid's life has been turned upside down and she is now part of a witness protection programme. Despite living in a 'safe house', using disguises and driving a bulletproof car, Astrid (right) believes she will end up dead as her elder brother will one day have her killed Astrid (second left) has already given evidence against Wim who ruled the Dutch criminal underworld for 35 years and is on trial at a top security court for six murders of gangland rivals She has limited contact with friends and is often too afraid to meet her daughter Miljuschjka, a former model and celebrity chef with her own show on Dutch TV (pictured with Jamie Oliver) 'I know as long as I am here and alive Wim will not go after my family,' she said. 'I am the one who has committed the ultimate betrayal. 'Strange as it may seem I am trying to put my brother away in jail for the rest of his life, but I still love him.' Such is her fear, Astrid rarely ventures out. When she does it might be disguised as a man or wearing a prosthetic nose and false teeth. All strangers are seen as a possible threat, she never sits with her back to the entrance of a building and makes sure she only travels in a bullet proof car. In agreeing to meet the MailOnline, she devised an elaborate plan using an anonymous hotel phone to direct us to an industrial estate where she was waiting. A vivacious 52-year-old, she requested no description be written about her appearance for fear it would provide a vital clue for any hitman hired to end her life. Her life changing decision came in 2013 when she realised her brother was behind the murder of her sister Sonja's husband, Cor van Hout. Until his death in 2003 when he was gunned down outside a Chinese restaurant Wim and Cor had been partners in crime. In 1983 they became the most famous criminals in Holland when they kidnapped Freddie Heineken, the boss of the brewing empire, and held him hostage until a 15m ransom was paid. The kidnapping, which was later turned into a Hollywood film with Anthony Hopkins as Freddie, shocked the liberal nation. Her life changing decision came in 2013 when she finally realised her brother was behind murder of her sister Sonja's husband, Cor van Hout (above) Until his death in 2003 when he was gunned down outside a Chinese restaurant Wim and Cor had been partners in crime. In 1983 they became the most famous criminals in Holland when they kidnapped Freddie Heineken and held him hostage until a 15m ransom was paid The kidnapping, which was later turned into a Hollywood film with Anthony Hopkins as Freddie, shocked the liberal nation. Pictured: Wim, arriving at court this year Astrid, then aged 17, was arrested along with Sonja but later released when police realised they had no knowledge of the crime. Wim spent three years in jail in France where he had fled, and later served five years of an 11-year sentence after being extradited back to Holland. Astrid kept in contact with her brother and later began studying law, including spending a summer at Cambridge University. Wim's connections with the criminal underworld meant that she was never short of clients. 'The Holleeder name did open doors as my brother was held in such high regard by other criminals,' she said. She said the pair were also bound together having survived an abusive childhood at the hands of their alcoholic father. In 'Judas', Astrid describes a horrific incident where her father bullied her into eating more than she could manage and when she was sick forced her to eat her own vomit. 'Wim and I shared a lot and we were close. I knew what he was like and what he was involved with as a criminal lawyer but also as his sister. We shared many secrets. 'There were people who wanted him dead and the police wanted him. I was always on edge around him. He didn't scare me, but I always knew what he was capable of.' After Wim (left) was jailed for the kidnapping, he built up his criminal empire and was in and out of prison for extortion and money laundering. But on his release from jail in 2012 he became well known, often posing with celebrities Before embarking on recording her brother in 2013, Astrid discussed the implications with her daughter Miljuschka, who was fully supportive. 'She told me I have to do the right thing' As he built up his criminal empire, Wim was in and out of prison for extortion and money laundering but on his release in 2012 he became well known, often posing with celebrities. Before embarking on the secret recordings the following year, Astrid discussed the implications with her daughter. It is when talking about Miljuschka and her two grandchildren aged six and eight that Astrid's eyes well up and she has to pause to wipe away the tears. 'My daughter was fully supportive. She told me I have to do the right thing,' she said. 'But it has meant I cannot walk down the street with her arm in arm like others. 'She is well known in Holland and in a way that makes it less likely that anything will happen to her. Miljuschka being famous makes her less of a target.' In 2014, while Wim was awaiting trial for a gangland execution of rival, news emerged of the hundreds of hours of recordings had been handed to police and that Astrid would give evidence for the prosecution. Wim was so incensed he allegedly asked two members of a street gang called No Limit Soldiers to get rid of his sibling, but this has since been denied by him. The Dutch authorities felt differently and Astrid was placed in a witness protection programme, while Wim was charged with solicitation to murder. Wim's trial is expected to last into next year and Astrid is determined to be in court when the verdict is returned. 'By taping him and cooperating with the authorities I hoped to put a stop to him. All along this was never about revenge but justice' His trial is expected to last into next year and Astrid is determined to be in court when the verdict is returned. 'What appalled me was the way he could talk about taking someone's life and not really think much about it,' she said. 'By taping him and cooperating with the authorities I hoped to put a stop to him. All along this was never about revenge but justice.' When Nicole Cartwright wasn't out visiting friends, she was doing what she loved most: caring for her parents. The 'bubbly' woman, 32, whose badly beaten body was found dumped in a Sydney park 10 days ago, still lived at home with her mum Brenda and dad Terry. In the aftermath of her shocking death, friends have recounted how Ms Cartwright proudly cared for her parents and relished that role. Her older brother Ben lived nearby with his wife Jackie, but Ms Cartwright still lived at the family's Lansvale home, in Sydney's south west. Scroll down for video Nicole Cartwright (pictured with a friend) was found murdered at a Sydney park on Wednesday October 3. Police are still hunting her killer and say they are 'confident' of soon making arrests 'Her parents are older, she was always at home looking after them,' a friend said. 'She was in love with animals... she loved dogs especially. She was a really kind hearted person.' Now police fear that kind-heartedness might have been what her killer preyed upon. Ms Cartwright was last seen alive on September 30 at 9.14pm, when she CCTV captured her at Museum train station in the city. They are now piecing together who she met with and what happened in the three days before she was found dead. Friends said they noticed Ms Cartwright's demeanour change over the last six months, when she began to discover online sexual fetish websites. She was posting pictures of herself in corsets and skimpy dresses and saying that she was 'nasty'... I asked her, are you ok? 'We also both had depression and mental health issues, so we often talked about that. She was in to some kind of BDSM and alternate sex,' the friend said. Her social media posts used to be filled with plush toys, her beloved black Labrador Bella and food pictures. Ms Cartwright regularly walked her dog Bella (pictured) through local parks, a deliberate effort to aid in her ongoing battle against mental health Ms Cartwright (pictured) lived with her parents at their home in Lansvale, in Sydney's west Her body was found severely injured and with her hands tied together at Buffalo Creek Reserve (pictured) at Hunter's Hill, on Sydney's lower north shore, on September 30 The park where Ms Cartwright's body was found (pictured) was almost 30 kilometres from the home she shared with her parents. Terry and Brenda Cartwright reported her missing after hearing a report about the grim discovery More recently, Ms Cartwright began posting photos of herself in dark makeup. She wore collars and chokers and dyed her hair different colours. It's understood she broke up with a boyfriend a few months ago, but police are still working to establish her more recent dating habits. A high school boyfriend, who met Ms Cartwright when they were both students at Canley Vale High told Daily Mail Australia she was a 'bubbly' girl. 'Nicole was a fun loving girl who would help anyone out and just loved life,' he said. 'She was always joking, smiling and laughing. She had a really bubbly personality.' A local council worker made the grim discovery of Ms Cartwright's boy at 7.30am on October 3 at Buffalo Creek Reserve in Hunter's Hill, on Sydney's lower north shore. She had gruesome head injuries, had her hands tied behind her back and was covered in a blanket. Drag marks up to 30 metres long were spotted nearby, indicating she may have been killed elsewhere before being dumped at the park. Friends have told how Ms Cartwright was a mostly 'bubbly' person, but her social media posts had become 'increasingly dark' (pictured) in the months before her death Friends say the change may have been to do with her use of fetish websites and dating apps Prior to her 'dark' online posts, Ms Cartwright would regularly share photos of her plush toy collection (pictured) Some 30 kilometres away at their family home in Lansvale, in Sydney's west, Mr and Mrs Cartwright were unaware their daughter was in trouble. 'She wasn't really missing she lived here but it wasn't unusual for her to leave for a week or so,' her father Terry Cartwright told The Australian this week. 'We heard the description report (on the news) and thought something was off.' A close friend told Daily Mail Australia that she used to chat regularly with Ms Cartwright until she suddenly removed her accounts. 'We used to chat on Snapchat or Skype and all of a sudden everything was gone,' the friend said. Police are now investigating whether Ms Cartwright met her killer through one of these fetish websites A woman is overcome by emotion at a community vigil in memory of Ms Cartwright this week Dozens turned out to pay tribute to Ms Cartwright at Buffalo Creek Reserve on Thursday night 'She did begin to reach out sexually, as a lot of people do when they are struggling. 'We fear she's got involved with the wrong person.' It is understood the websites used by Ms Cartwright included Fetlife - a 'BDSM, fetish and kinky' network - and Vanilla Umbrella - a dating app for 'open minded singles'. A community vigil for Ms Cartwright was held at Buffalo Creek Reserve on Thursday, with dozens of locals turning out to remember the young woman. Police said the hunt for her killer has reached advanced stages and they are 'confident' of soon making an arrest. 'We are confident we can get to a result and find those responsible for this but that unfortunately will take time,' Inspector Anthony Boyd said. Ms Cartwright did not have a car and caught public transport in the days before her body was discovered. She is pictured on a bus from Town Hall station to Ashfield on Friday, September 28 Two days later on Sunday, September 30, she was spotted tapping her opal card at a gate at Ashfield train station at 8.42pm Some 30 minutes later at 9.14pm she was last seen at Museum train station (pictured). Three days later on October 3 her body was found near the Buffalo Creek Reserve kids playground Police have appealed for the public's help in an effort to catch her killer, releasing an array of CCTV footage from her last moments alive. On September 28 she caught the bus from Town Hall station to Ashfield, with CCTV capturing her stepping onto the bus at 4.35am. A few hours later she sent a selfie taken at Maroubra Beach to her family. Two days later on Sunday, September 30, she was spotted tapping her opal card at a gate at Ashfield train station at 8.42pm. She got off the train 30 minutes later at Museum train station - the last time she was seen. Three days later on October 3 her body was discovered by the council worker about 7.30am. Her devastated brother Ben shared an emotional message after his sister's death was confirmed Detectives from the homicide squad are investigating Ms Cartwright's death Ms Cartwright's shattered family paid tribute to her this week with brother Ben sharing an emotional message after his sister's death was confirmed. 'Rest in peace my little sister. I love you with my all,' he wrote on Facebook. 'It is with very sad and heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved daughter, sister and friend Nicole Cartwright has sadly passed away. 'Thank you for all the love and support we have received from family and friends over the last few days.' Ms Cartwright will be farewelled by family friends at a funeral service on Wednesday, October 24 - a date that marks exactly three weeks since her body was discovered. Anyone with information about her death should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Welfare recipients who turn down work available on Australian farms without a valid reason could have their Centrelink funds frozen for up to a month. The development comes as struggling rural farmers begin preparations for another crucial harvest season. The federal government are making no apologies for their new employment focus, pledging to increase penalties if dole bludgers dodge potential work opportunities remotely. Welfare recipients on Centrelink could see their payments frozen for a up to a month if they turn down work on Australian farms without a valid reason Welfare recipients receiving Centrelink payments could have their payments frozen for up to a month if they refuse to work on farms without a valid reason Australian farmers will require plenty of cherry pickers during the upcoming harvest season - either locals, welfare recipients or holiday travellers Apples on farms will soon be ripe for picking, with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison looking at welfare recipients to fill the roles 'Our government has heard from farmers across the country about how tough it is right now to find workers, particularly at the height of harvest season for some crops,'' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. 'We want to highlight exactly where the jobs are and make sure job-seekers know where to look. 'Tackling the labour shortage also ensures job-seekers on taxpayer support have no excuse to refuse (work) opportunities.' If the required amount of workers cannot be recruited to work on the farms, visitors on a holiday visa are likely to fill the roles. 'We cannot allow the fruit to rot,' Mr Morrison told the Daily Telegraph. 'We will back our farmers and make arrangements through our Pacific Island worker and migration program to get the job done.' The harvest season is rapidly approaching for farmers, starting in Leeton next month. Young's stone fruit season commences in January, with pears, grapes and prunes available to be picked and bagged across regional NSW from February. Apples will soon be ready to be picked off trees, just in the time for the harvest season in Australia - PM Scott Morrison is looking at welfare recipients to help the farmers Farmers will need plenty of workers to help them with their crops during then upcoming harvest season in Australia Corn will soon to be ready to be picked ahead of the harvest season - Australian farmers are chasing workers, be it welfare recipients or those on holiday visas A downturn in the housing market has given some prospective buyers the chance to buy up in otherwise exclusive suburbs. A report from realestate.com.au has outlined which Sydney suburbs could likely benefit from the housing market's 'cooling' off period. The median house prices across Sydney suburbs have this year dropped by as little as 12.8 per cent in Alexandria, to as high as 30 per cent in Milsons Point. A downturn in the housing market has given some prospective buyers the chance to buy up in otherwise exclusive suburbs before prices rise again (stock image of Sydney) Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said the lower prices have started to attract fresh interest from buyers who previously would not have been able to afford property in the area. 'Suburbs like Birchgrove are very nice places to live and will remain popular in the long-term thanks to the good amenities and its proximity to the city,' she told said. 'They may have had a shock with prices but are now coming back to a more reasonable level and as a result have grown in popularity.' Warrawee is proving to be a popular choice among prospective buyers looking to buy a bigger home in a top rated suburb. Homes in the area, priced at more than $4million, are selling within 22 days. Drops in the median house prices across Sydney suburbs is ranging from as low as 12.8 per cent in Alexandria, to as high as 30 per cent in Milsons Point (pictured is a home in Beacon Hill) Di Jones-North Shores Tim Fraser said the advantages of the area - nearby schools and a railway - coupled with the softening of market prices, has helped properties sell faster. SYDNEY PROPERTY RATE DROPS Longueville: 10 per cent Concord West: 10 per cent Petersham: 10 per cent North Bondi: 10 per cent Alexandria: 12.8 per cent Wilberforce: 14.4 per cent Birchgrove: 18.5 per cent Warrawee: 24.2 per cent Milsons Point: 30 per cent Source: realestate.com.au Advertisement 'If you look at it with a five-to-10 year plan you have a great chance to get into a market that a lot people would have been priced out of 12 months ago,' he said. Other suburbs seeing a downturn in property value include Birchgrove, with 18.5 per cent, Alexandria, with 12.8 per cent, and Bondi, Petersham and Concord West - which all saw a 10 per cent drop. The downturn in housing prices for the state is the result of industry confidence dropping 'fourteen index points from 134 to 120 over the quarter and 27 index points over the 12 months to December 2018', the Property Council of Australia reported. Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said a number of factors had contributed to the down turn. Other suburbs seeing a downturn in property value include Birchgrove, with 18.5 per cent, Alexandria, with 12.8 per cent, and Bondi, Petersham and Concord West - which all saw a 10 per cent drop 'NSW had gone from the top of the ladder to the bottom in what has been a 27 point turn around, a combination of tighter lending, a slower residential market and lower economic growth expectations have driven lower sentiment,' she said. The lower housing prices likely won't last long, Ms Fitzgerald said, because the industry was always looking at ways to improve on market value. 'Sentiment can be strengthened through strong leadership from our State Government; as we move closer to the 2019 election we need to see a renewed commitment to long term planning in Sydney, continued investment in critical infrastructure and sustainable funding for local infrastructure,' she said. Disheartening 911 audio released Friday hears an Atlanta woman who called to report a black man babysitting two kids tell the operator she has a 'funny feeling' about him. The unidentified caller first said in the call, in which she sounds concerned: 'Hi there, I'm in the Walmart parking lot at Barrett Parkway and I just got my nails done... and I see this black gentleman with these two little white kids and I just had a funny feeling.' The woman said she began driving around while closely watching the behavior of the man, since identified as Corey Lewis, who believes he was racially profiled by the stranger. Lewis had been caring for Addison, 10, and Nicholas, six, on Sunday, while their parents, David Parker and Dana Mango, went out for dinner. 'I rode around and I just came back and saw the girl get in and the little boy... and I said, "Are these kids OK? Do you know these kids?,"' the caller said. 'And he goes, "why wouldn't I?" and I said "let me see the little girl" and he goes, "No."' She told the operator, who was silent during most of the call, that she continued to ask to speak with Addison about Lewis. The woman then told the dispatcher 'it could be nothing' but if she didn't report the sighting she 'would be up all night.' The operator asked the woman if she wanted to meet with a police officer, and she said yes, insisting a welfare check needed to be done for the kids. Disheartening 911 audio released Friday hears the conversation between an Atlanta woman who called to report a black man babysitting two white kids and the operator The woman then asked: 'He just got gas and now he's pulling away... should I follow him?' The operator replied to the woman: 'No, ma'am... I'd recommend not following him. She added: 'I think he knows I'm watching him. I'm right behind him... and if I'm wrong, that's great. I'm thrilled. 'And maybe he knows their mom, I don't know, but I don't know that he knows them.' The Atlanta parents who hired Lewis to look over their kids have since spoken out about the incident - and said their youngsters were 'scared' when cops arrived because they thought their babysitter might get arrested. The couple told GMA they had been out at dinner when the incident unfolded, and missed a call from Lewis. When they called back, a police officer answered the phone. 'The police officer was trying to explain that he was there with my kids and that they were OK, but he wanted to confirm that I had given permission to Mr. Lewis to be with them,' Mango said. 'It truly took me several minutes to believe that it was real. I was just in a state of disbelief.' David Parker (left) and Dana Mango (right) hired Corey Lewis (center) to look after their two children. The couple were appalled when a white woman called 911 on him, presuming something was awry with the pairing The police officer was filmed speaking with Lewis when the drama first began, and asking the children repetitively if they were OK. Mango said the kids told her they had been afraid in that moment Lewis, who Mango says the pair love like family, could be arrested. 'They said they were scared that they would say the wrong thing and cause him to get arrested,' she said. Lewis was in the parking lot of a Walmart with the kids when the woman approached them and asked to check on the children. When Lewis refused, she followed him to a gas station and then tailed him to his house before calling 911 to request the welfare check. Lewis, who runs an after-school mentoring center, filmed the entire ordeal on Facebook Live. 'I'm babysitting right, I got two kids in the backseat with me, we just came from Subway and Walmart,' he began in the first video. 'This lady is following me because I got two kids in the backseat that do not look like me. She asks to see the little girl so she can ask her if she knows who I am.' Mango and Parker revealed their children were afraid when a police officer turned up to do a welfare check The two children love Lewis 'like family' and were scared he would be arrested if they said something wrong, their mother said Lewis (left) filmed his interaction with a police officer who seemed embarrassed to be there Lewis said he refused to let the woman talk to the little girl, so she then followed him to the gas station. He kept the camera trained on the woman's car to show that it was waiting for him to make a move. The officer explains that he is just responding to the 911 call to make sure everything is fine. He then asks Lewis why he is filming their interaction 'I see this lady is not moving, all because I got two kids in the backseat that do not look like me,' Lewis said. 'This lady has taken it upon herself, said she's going to take my plate down and call the police. It's crazy, it's 2018 and this is what I got to deal with. 'I can't go out with two kids that don't look like me without something being weird. You see this lady is still not moving, she's harassing me.' Lewis then returned home and filmed his interaction with a Cobb County police officer who the woman had called to check on the children. 'I'm being followed and harassed,' Lewis tells the cop. 'I got two kids I'm babysitting.' 'She pulled up talking about, "Are the kids OK?" Why wouldn't they be OK? No one's yelling, no one's screaming, no one's trying to run away,' Lewis continues. 'She left, came back, and asked to see the little girl so she can ask her if she knows who I am. Then I went over to get some gas, she came back there and stayed there, that's crazy.' Lewis launched his mentoring program - called Inspired by Lewis - to 'provide enrichment to socially challenged youth', and told police he works with children every day Parker and Mango said their kids were excited to have Lewis come and babysit them again The police officer then asks to speak with the children himself and the boy and girl get out of the car and tell the officer that Lewis is babysitting them. 'He's babysitting us,' the 10-year-old girl tells the officer, explaining they went to Catch Air, an indoor play facility, before going to Subway for dinner that day. 'Then this lady started following us,' she added. Lewis explains that he runs an after-school mentoring program, called 'Inspired by Lewis'. He was even wearing a shirt advertising his business that day. 'I work with kids every day, even on my off days,' he tells the cop. The officer explains that he is just responding to the 911 call to make sure everything is fine. He then asks Lewis why he is filming their interaction. 'I'm letting the world know what's really going on,' Lewis says. 'I can't even step out into the community without being profiled.' 'It is what it is,' the officer replies. The matter was resolved when the cop called Mango and Parker. 'I said are you saying that because there's an African American male driving my two white kids, that he was stopped and pulled over and questioned and he said "I'm sorry ma'am that's exactly what I'm saying,"' Mango told CBS46. Speaking to GMA, Mango said the officer was 'apologetic' when they spoke. 'I think he was embarrassed. He saw what was happening pretty quickly, and after he spoke to me and confirmed that everything was all right, he let them go,' she said. Lewis has worked with students in emotional and behavioral disorder classrooms, as well as homeless youth, foster kids, and children whose parents have been incarcerated The parents said their son attends Lewis' mentoring program and they had arranged for him to watch the children. Parker fumed that Lewis had been targeted for 'babysitting while black'. The identity of the woman who called police remains unclear. Lewis launched his mentoring program to 'provide enrichment to socially challenged youth,' according to the Inspired By Lewis website. The organization aims to help children by 'promoting positive character development, self-awareness, and life skills'. Lewis has worked with students in emotional and behavioral disorder classrooms, as well as homeless youth, foster kids, and children whose parents have been incarcerated. Mango said her children adored Lewis, and were excited to have him back with them. 'After this ordeal on Sunday night the first thing the kids asked was, '"When can he come babysit us again,"" she said. Just hours before the highly contested Everest race, $40million horse trainer Bert Vieira has revealed his biggest win would be for his beloved wife to awake from her coma. Gai Vieira was placed in an induced coma after her car was T-boned by a police patrol car during a high-speed chase in Cronulla on September 5. Mr Vieira's Schitzel colt named Trapeze Artist is set to compete in the Everest on Saturday, and while the horse trainer admitted he must attend, he said it would be 'very hard' without his wife by his side. Mr Vieira said all he wants is for Gai to open her eyes and speak to him once again. Just hours before the highly contested Everest horse race, $40million horse owner Bert Vieira (pictured) has revealed his biggest win would be for his beloved wife to awake from her coma Gai Vieira, 68, (pictured) took the impact of the crash while her three-year-old grandson who was sitting in the backseat escaped uninjured 'She is breathing by herself now - she squeezes my hand,' Mr Vieira told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday. 'The biggest win I can have is to have Gai back. If I can hear her voice, it will be better than any trophy. 'If she can open her eyes, that's what I really want.' Mr Vieira said he planned to spend the morning of The Everest by his wife's bedside in St George Hospital, as he has every day for the past month. Mr Vieira's $40million horse Trapeze Artist (pictured) is set to compete in The Everest on Saturday Mr Viera has been demanding answers and is threatening legal action against police following the crash that left his wife in a coma 'We have a saying, it doesn't matter what I do as long as you are beside me. That's what makes Saturday so hard,' he said. Saturday's Everest race at Royal Randwick Racecourse is worth a whopping $13million in prize money. Racing NSW, the organisation representing the races, sparked protests on Tuesday as a gambling advertisement for the horse race was projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Mr Viera demanded answers about his wife's crash and has threatened legal action against police. Police confirmed the officer was travelling at a speed of 124 km/hr in a 70km/hr zone when he slammed into Mrs Vieira's car. The officer did not have the vehicle's flashing lights or siren on while in pursuit of another driver on their cellphone, news.com.au reported. Mrs Vieira took the impact of the crash, while her three-year-old grandson who was sitting in the backseat escaped uninjured. Bill Cosby is switching up his legal team as he looks to appeal his conviction and three to 10-year sentence in his Pennsylvania sex assault case. A court filing Friday says the 81-year-old Cosby is replacing the suburban Philadelphia lawyer who handled his sentencing with a pair of criminal defense attorneys. Joseph Green is exiting after about four months on Cosby's defense team. Joseph Green (right) is exiting after about four months on Cosby's defense team. The Philadelphia lawyer is seen arriving for Cosby's sentencing in September The new lawyers are Brian Perry and Kristen Weisenberger of Harrisburg. Another lawyer, Peter Goldberger, worked with Green on a motion last week challenging the outcome of the case, a first step toward an appeal. More than a dozen lawyers have come and gone from the case, including Tom Mesereau, who once represented Michael Jackson. Another ex-Cosby lawyer is suing over what he says is more than $280,000 in unpaid bills. Cosby is switching up his legal team as he looks to appeal his conviction. Kristen Weisenberger (above) is one of the new lawyers President Donald Trump called on supporters to show up at the polls and vote Republican in the fast-approaching midterm elections at a 'Make America Great Again' rally in Lebanon, Ohio, on Friday evening. Praising Republican leadership, Trump told the cheering crowd: 'We're here to make sure our amazing progress continues full speed ahead.' As he described economic triumphs including the creation of 4.2million jobs and a declining unemployment rate, Trump noted how much his administration has impacted the African American demographic. 'My administration is fighting every day to deliver safety, opportunity, and justice for everybody, for everybody. Were asking, as an example, all African American voters to honor us with their support this November. Get away from the Democrats,' he said. He then thanked Kanye West, with whom he met in the Oval Office on Thursday, praising the rapper as 'pretty amazing' and boasting that his support would boost GOP support in the polls. 'I think we're going to get the African American vote,' Trump said. President Donald Trump greeted an enthusiastic crowd at a 'Make America Great Again' rally in Lebanon, Ohio, on Friday evening During the rally at Warren County Fairgrounds, Trump repeatedly urged supporters to show up for the GOP in the midterm elections, which are coming up in just three weeks As he does in most rally performances, Trump took a number of swings at Democrats, including one where he referred to Democratic candidate for governor Richard Cordray as a 'disciple of 'Pocahontas' - his nickname for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. He specifically blamed Democrats for the circus surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, accusing the party of trying to end the judge's career over a 'little mistake'. 'This incredible man, you saw it, what they did to him, to his family, to his daughters,' Trump said of Kavanaugh. He urged the crowd to combat 'hateful' Democrats by electing Republicans to Congress, specifically plugging Senate candidate Jim Renacci and Representative candidate Steve Chabot. Long-time Ohio Republican Rep Steve Chabot, who is up for re-election this fall, addressed the crowd, saying: 'God bless America, God bless Donald Trump and God bless Kanye West' US Rep Jim Renacci, a Republican who is running for Senate, took the mic briefly to criticize his opponent, incumbent Sherrod Brown The rally was held at Warren County Fairgrounds in the heart of southeast Ohio's 1st Congressional District, where long-time Republican Rep Chabot, 65, is seeking re-election in a tight race against Democrat Aftab Pureval. Chabot was invited to speak to the crowd, saying: 'God bless America, God bless Donald Trump and, I never thought I'd say this, God bless Kanye West.' Renacci also took the mic for several minutes to criticize his opponent, incumbent Sherrod Brown. When Trump stepped back up to the podium he mentioned Brown's voting record in Senate as a segue into a plug for his Mexico border wall, which the Democratic Senator opposed. Trump said of the wall: 'It's happening, it's moving, we've made so much progress.' He also warned that if Republicans don't get out to the polls, that progress could be stunted by 'the radical Democrats'. 'Don't take any chances. We don't want any surprises,' Trump said. 'You have the power with your vote to defend your country, your family, your values.' Trump tweeted his thanks to the thousands who attended the rally after giving his speech The president was photographed on the White House lawn as he returned from the rally The 7pm appearance in Lebanon caps off a press-heavy week for the president, who set up a string of media appearances following a spate of good news for his administration. On Thursday alone, Trump held four separate press availabilities, including a 45-minuthat featured a profanity-laced Oval Office performance by rapper Kanye West and a 45-minute phone call in to Fox & Friends. While the Russia investigation still looms and polls still predict major Republican losses in the House in next month's midterm elections, Trump has been logging a series of wins, including appointing a second Supreme Court Justice to the bench and reaching an updated North American trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The stream of negative headlines that have been a constant presence through most of Trump's administration, has abated - at least for a time. Kanye West's astonishing meeting in the Oval Office was Trump's live TV hit of the week In a bit of less positive news, surviving family members of legendary artist Prince asked the president to stop using late rock star's music at campaign rallies. Prince's 'Purple Rain' has frequently been on Trump's playlist at recent rallies, including last week in South Haven, Mississippi. A statement retweeted on behalf of the estate by Prince's half-brother Omarr Baker said: 'The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or the White House to use Prince's songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately.' Such is our fascination with Nigella Lawson, it seems no utterance of hers goes unreported. Last month she revealed she has a weakness for self-help books, but was too embarrassed to reveal which ones. This week, she told a podcast audience that shes cut back on alcohol, because it exacerbates her anxiety. Both are interesting insights, but neither is quite as fascinating as Nigellas recent revelations about her sleep patterns. I think shes on to something. Nigella revealed she often gets up during the night to potter around and sleeps in two hour bursts - just like how our ancestors got their rest In a womans magazine interview, Nigella said shes often in bed by 7.30pm and sleeps in two-hour bursts. In between, she gets up, potters around and makes tea, before going back and sleeping for another two hours. It sounds crazy surely she must be seriously sleep-deprived. Everyone needs a good, uninterrupted eight hours, dont they? Actually, they dont. In fact, Nigellas mode of sleeping is far more in keeping with historic sleep patterns than the single period of sleep so many of us aspire to now. We tend to assume our forefathers retired to bed at sundown and rose with the sun. Well, we assume wrong. Instead, they had what is known as a biphasic sleep pattern theyd sleep for four hours and then get up, do household chores, pray, eat, have sex, even visit neighbours. Then theyd go back to sleep for another four hours. Prayer manuals from the 15th century stipulated specific prayers for the waking hours between sleeps, while it was commonly believed that this period was a good time to try to conceive a child. What is there to be open-minded about with cannabis? The Royal College of Psychiatrists is to review its current opposition to the legalisation of cannabis. It says it will keep an open mind which fills me with fear that the vociferous pro-cannabis lobbys war of attrition might be paying off. Because what is there to be open-minded about? The scientific and clinical evidence linking cannabis use with severe mental health problems, ranging from psychosis to anxiety, is irrefutable. Anyone who works in mental health will have seen countless lives shattered and minds broken by this drug. This is no time to be swayed by popular opinion, fashionable credos and the increasingly relaxed attitude too many police forces now have towards cannabis use. The Royal College must hold the line. Advertisement Monophasic sleep which describes the eight hours we currently strive for is a relatively new concept. It developed as a result of various social factors, including the Industrial Revolution, which saw the introduction of shift working, and later the installation of gas and electric lighting in homes. By the late 1600s, biphasic sleep patterns started to be replaced by monophasic patterns, starting with the urban upper classes and, over the next 200 years, filtering down to all parts of society. So the way we sleep today goes against tens of thousands of years of human evolution and I believe that is a factor in the epidemic of sleep problems we face. Around two-thirds of us report difficulties sleeping, according to The Sleep Council. Half of us lie awake worrying, with only a quarter saying they get enough sleep. Could it be that our bodies are yearning to return to the natural, biphasic pattern? An experiment conducted in the Nineties by psychiatrist Dr Thomas Wehr certainly suggests that. He took a group of volunteers and placed them in darkness for 14 hours a day, every day for a month. It took a while for their sleep to regulate but, with no clocks and cut off from the outside world, they fell into a very distinct sleep pattern. They would sleep for four hours, wake for several hours and be active, then go back to sleep again for a further four hours. When given the opportunity, the body adopts the biphasic pattern of the past. Dont trust Dr Google: he misses deadly symptoms The internet is fuelling a new range of mental health problems, including addiction to online gambling and pornography and a condition known as cyberchondria, scientists announced this week. Cyberchondria is the online equivalent of hypochondria. It describes the compulsive use of the web to seek reassurance about ones health, but which results in high anxiety when so many terrifying conditions seem to fit your symptoms. Every medic I know has experience of patients who arrive waving a sheaf of print-outs after consulting Dr Google, and self-diagnosing something rare and probably fatal. Usually, its just a throat infection, not the bubonic plague. But while a reliance on Dr Google can lead to people worrying unnecessarily, sometimes the opposite is the case. I had one patient who came into A&E after feeling faint at work. I know whats wrong, Doctor, she said. Ive got glandular fever. I know Ive just got to wait until I get over it myself. She was correct, but I ordered blood tests and a chest X-ray anyway. An hour later, after looking at the blood results and the X-ray, I knew something wasnt right. When I asked her what her GP had told her about glandular fever, she said she hadnt bothered with him for years. Shed self-diagnosed after a bit of online research. Unfortunately, shed ignored the symptoms that didnt fit her own diagnosis, like the chronic cough and weight loss. My patient actually had TB and was in dire need of treatment. We also had to trace all her contacts and test them, too. It was a salutary lesson in the failings of Dr Google. Advertisement I know several people plagued by sleep problems who have adopted alternative sleeping patterns with very positive results. I realise its hard to introduce two or three sleeps spread through the night if you have to be up by 6am with the kids and get to work. But it is possible. I had one patient, a successful illustrator, who suffered from insomnia for years until she changed how and when she slept. She started going to bed when her children did at around 8pm. Shed get up at midnight and then work productively for several hours in peace. After doing the school run, shed go back to bed for another four hours. She felt fantastic. For many of us, our body clocks simply arent tuned to the demands modern life places on us when it comes to how we sleep. Perhaps we should take note of what Nigella does and find out what our bodies really want. I toast the young puritans We learned this week that a third of Britains 16 to 24-year-olds are teetotallers and there has been much celebration of sobriety among young adults. Im not so sure. I think the occasional drink might do this generation of Young Puritans good. In moderation, alcohol is a great drug. It helps people relax and socialise more easily, which is exactly what so many of our youngsters need. A third of 16 to 24-year-olds are now teetotallers but an occasional drink may do them good (stock image) Ive never come across such a serious, self-obsessed bunch, who seem to prefer living their lives online rather than the real world. Spontaneity, taking risks, being a little crazy its completely alien to them. I think this is their way of rebelling. Their parents were the party animals of the 80s and 90s who got riotously drunk, took drugs and generally behaved badly before settling down. In their joyless isolation, the Young Puritans are missing out on so much and on the vital learning experiences that would help them develop the psychological resilience they will need as they mature. My secret struggle Latest figures show lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) children are five times more likely to try to kill themselves than other children. I always knew I was gay, but it wasnt until I was 14 that the enormity of what it meant struck me. Every evening after school, before my parents came back from work, Id lock myself in the bathroom and allow myself to cry for exactly one hour. I wanted to feel normal; to have the same home life as my parents, the same prospects and hopes as all my friends. I thought being gay ruled that out. After doing this for six months, I realised crying hadnt changed anything, and so, as I sat on the side of the bath, I decided that I could either kill myself or just accept I was gay and get on with my life. I chose the latter. Im proud of how this country has become so much more accepting of LGBT people, but its not perfect. We need to continue to challenge homophobic/transphobic bullying wherever it occurs, until there is zero tolerance of it . And for all those youngsters out there who are still struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, know this: it gets better. US President Donald Trump has said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud about the disappearance of Saudi writer and US resident Jamal Khashoggi. The American leader spoke about the situation to reporters in Ohio ahead of his campaign rally Friday and revealed he'll be getting on the phone to hold a conversation with the Middle Eastern royal. 'Were going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey having to do with Saudi Arabia and the reporter,' said about journalist who went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul October 2. 'I will be calling at some point King Salman.' Scroll down for video US President Donald Trump has said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (pictured) about the disappearance of Saudi writer and US resident Jamal Khashoggi Trump, 72, called it a 'terrible situation' after accusations emerged the journalist had been killed and dismembered at the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 2 Trump said that the United States was one of many countries 'looking very hard and fast' to get to the bottom the story after Khashoggi (pictured) vanished when he entered the consulate Trump, 72, said that the United States was one of many countries 'looking very hard and fast' to get to the bottom the story after Khashoggi vanished when he entered the building to get documents for his upcoming wedding, but his wife-to-be never saw him again. 'A lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation,' Trump said. Khashoggi was a critic of the Saudi government and Turkey's government has reportedly told US officials it has audio and video proof he was killed and dismembered that day. A delegation from Saudi Arabia has now arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into his disappearance, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu said. Saudi Arabia has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Mr Khashoggi 'baseless'. However, it has offered no evidence to support its claim he left the consulate and vanished despite his fiance waiting outside. Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there. US officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government, and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he is 'planning' on going to a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia despite man CEOs and journalists pulling out over concern for the Khashoggi story. Protests took place outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC but KSA has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Mr Khashoggi 'baseless' However former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia thinks it's bad news for America's relationship with the kingdom that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited in May 2017. They went on the tour with Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her Senior Advisor to the president husband, Jared Kushner. 'I think this is the worst moment in US/Saudi relations since 9/11,' Robert Jordan told MSNBC, reports Mediaite. 'I arrived in Saudi Arabia as ambassador a month after 9/11, and the question then was are the Saudis friend or foe? I think weve got similar questions going on right now.' KSA's new Crown Prince has been praised on one hand for relaxing rules on cultural norms in the country but Khashoggi wasn't entirely positive about the new regime. Jordan added that the younger royal, 33, feels like he can do whatever he wants and get away with it. Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul is under scrutiny after Turkish officials said they had audio recordings to prove what happened to Khashoggi The Washington Post reported that a 15-man security team (not pictured) at Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul moved the body out of the building after killing the journalist 'Is this a regime that is descending on a slippery slope into authoritarianism, thuggishness, and perhaps rogue behavior?' he continued. 'And I think weve got to seriously ask that question. I think the time has come for us to stand up and show some leadership on this issue.' Meanwhile Morocco's justice minister has confirmed that the country handed the former head of security to the Saudi royal family back to Saudi Arabia in 2015 on the basis of an Interpol notice. He reportedly disappeared days later. The confirmation from Mohammed Aujjar came in response to the reports of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump (pictured with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) visited Saudi Arabia in May 2017 During the trip he met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud who he is set to speak to soon Aujjar said Turki bin Bandar, who fell out with the Saudi royal family and fled to Paris in 2012, was arrested in Morocco on November 11, 2015 under an international warrant issued by Saudi Arabia 'for disturbances of public order via internet and for committing financial crimes' and extradited to Saudi Arabia five days later. The Washington Post reported that Turki disappeared in 2015. On Thursday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey and Saudi Arabia would form a 'joint working group' to look into Mr Khashoggi's disappearance. The 59-year-old journalist, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but shown little tolerance for criticism. Mr Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year. UK acknowledged Pakistan achievements in war against terrorism The United Kingdom (UK) has acknowledged Pakistans achievements in the ongoing war against terrorism as well as its efforts towards regional peace and stability. British leadership was unanimous in acknowledging Pakistans extraordinary achievements in counter terrorism and commended the improved security situation in Pakistan and its positive efforts towards regional peace and stability, according to a press statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) following the meetings of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa with senior military officials in London. During his visit to UK, General Bajwa met Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Sir Nicholson Carter. The meeting was followed by delegation-level talks on security environment and bilateral cooperation. Later, the COAS called on Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson, Prime Ministers Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Gareth Bayley and National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill. During the meetings, evolving regional security environment and matters of mutual interest were discussed. Gen Bajwa told the British leadership that Pakistan was moving steadily towards enhanced stability and was ready to take the bilateral relationship in security and other fields of common interest to the next level for mutual benefit. Advertisement The family and friends of the thousands of people still missing after Hurricane Michael are desperately searching for their loved ones as rescue teams discover bodies in the ruins and rubble along the Florida coast. The death toll rose to 17 on Friday evening after the hurricane - the fourth most powerful to ever hit the US - struck Florida on Wednesday and swept north through the Carolinas and Virginia leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Four people died in Gadsden County, Florida, while in Georgia, 11-year-old girl, Sarah Radney, was killed when a piece of metal carport crashed into her family's trailer and struck her in the head. Search and rescue teams have uncovered bodies in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael as thousands of people remain missing A body is removed after being discovered during the search of a housing structure in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida on Friday There were five deaths in Virginia, four from drowning, including 53-year-old William Lynn Tanksley and 45-year-old James E. King Jr. of Dry Fork, Virginia, who were both killed after being swept away from their vehicles by floodwaters on Thursday. The fifth was Lt. Brad Clark, a Hanover County firefighter, who was killed while helping at the scene of a car crash Thursday when a tractor-trailer struck his fire engine. Authorities say two others in his crew were seriously injured. The truck driver had to be extricated and also suffered serious injuries. Searchers found another person dead in the rubble of Mexico Beach, said Joseph Zahralban, Miami's fire chief and the task force leader of a search and rescue unit. Three additional deaths were reported in Marianna, in Jackson County, Florida, Sheriff Lou Roberts told a news conference on Friday afternoon. 'I've watched on television, thinking of what others have experienced, like in the Carolinas and Texas,' Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey told reporters. 'But it's different when you walk down and see this, and your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community.' Slide me These satellite images (before the hurricane left and after right) show the aftermath of Hurricane Michael which swept through Florida on Wednesday, October 10 A home stands damaged from hurricane Michael as members of a South Florida urban search and rescue team look for survivors in Mexico Beach Members of City Miami Fire Rescue look for victims in a building in Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 A member of a Tennessee urban search and rescue team checks a housing complex for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida The number of fatalities is expected to rise further as rescuers go door to door and comb through the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities such as Port St. Joe and Panama City. And authorities fear the death toll will continue to rise as search teams have uncovered a number of bodies in the rubble of the ruined homes and businesses. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs carried out a grim search for victims on Friday. Zahralban said that search teams found 'individuals who are deceased' among the devastation in Mexico Beach and surrounding Bay County. Zahralban says teams had also rescued several people from Mexico Beach who found themselves trapped or injured after the storm. Pete Miller checks the remains of his house in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 A CBP flight crew conducts search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael that left a swath of destruction across the area near Panama City, Florida, on October 11, 2018 Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12, 2018. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs carried out a grim search for victims of Hurricane Michael on Friday amid fears that the death toll from the monster storm could rise A Siberian lynx sits in its cage in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael at the Bear Creek Feline Center in Panama City Thousands more are missing after the storm as family and friends desperately hunt for information on their whereabouts. Mark Bowen, chief of emergency services in Bay County, said in Mexico Beach 'a tremendous number of people' are 'unaccounted for.' In Charlotte County, crews were still looking for a grandmother who was swept away by rushing water. The county administrator said she is presumed dead. Thankfully, plans to erect a temporary morgue have been scrapped - a sign that authorities don't expect mass casualties. 'I don't think we know enough,' Gov. Rick Scott said. 'We've got to finish search and rescue. The other thing on top of that, a lot of people get hurt afterwards. That's why we talk about: Make sure you know how to use generator. 'Don't put it inside your house. Be careful with all the chainsaws and don't touch downed power lines.' This satellite image shows the destruction of Hurricane Michael in a residential area, where winds reached 155mph on Wednesday An aerial shot taken in July this year, before the Category 4 storm swept through the Florida town of Panama earlier this week U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long says he expects the death toll from Hurricane Michael to climb because teams haven't gotten to the hardest-hit areas in Florida. Long said Friday that he's worried people didn't evacuate along Mexico Beach or from other devastated locations and may not have survived. Long said 'very few people' live to tell what it's like to experience a high storm surge. The waters rose about 14 feet (4 meters), pushing buildings aside. The FEMA director says the country doesn't learn enough from past storms, and he's concerned that residents will suffer from 'hurricane amnesia' when blue skies return. He said it's critically important to heed evacuation warnings and to build their homes cautiously and have the proper flood and damage insurance necessary to live in hurricane zones. Slide me Satellite pictures taken before (left) and after (right) the powerful Hurricane Michael flattened houses in the Florida town Long said he'd be traveling to Florida this weekend. State emergency officials say that the search will continue for days but expect the number of missing people to go down as communications and power are restored. Food, water and supplies have been dropped via helicopter to some of the more remote areas, like St. George Island, Apalachicola and Port St. Joe, state officials said. State officials said about 432,000 people were still without power Friday afternoon, down from about 565,000 at the height of the storm. Gov. Scott said that there were dozens of shelters open for people who had lost their homes in the storm. An aerial view of the beach which shows a huge boat to have capsized nearby after battling strong winds by the storm Part of a house is seen to be on top of broken down trees as a rescuer and dog negotiate their footing while looking for people A search and rescue team look for survivors in a house on Mexcio bridge after the storm resulted in tragic loss of life Sarah Radney, 11, and Lieutenant Brad Clark from Station 6, were among the 17 confirmed victims of the hurricane An aerial shot shows the catastrophic destruction in the area as many homes on the sea front were completely destroyed Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 Rex Buzzett, far left, his son Josh Buzzett and neighbor Hilda Duren stand outside the Buzzett's home, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, that was gutted by a storm surge in Port St. Joe, Fla Florida Gov. Rick Scott points out some damage caused by Hurricane Michael while flying somewhere over the panhandle of Florida Thursday 'We have shelters open (and) as long as there's a need they're going to stay open,' he said. 'We'll make sure we provide whatever is necessary. If it's to keep people warm, we'll keep people warm.' Scott has opened up the governor's mansion in Tallahassee to state troopers on their way to areas hit hard by Hurricane Michael. Scott and first lady Ann Scott had dinner on Thursday with 50 troopers, 35 of whom slept in cots inside the mansion. The governor's office said it would continue to use the mansion as a shelter for law enforcement as 'long as necessary.' Most of Florida's capital is without power, but the mansion has its own generators to provide electricity. The residence is located just north of the state Capitol. While most residents fled ahead of the storm's arrival, others stayed to face the hurricane. They barely escaped as homes were smashed from their foundations, neighborhoods got submerged, and broken boards, sheet metal and other debris flew through the air. Resident Tom Garcia watched in terror as fingers of water pushed inland across the beach and began filling up his home. His wife handed him a drill and Garcia used screws to pin his front and back door shut. But soon the storm surge from Hurricane Michael was up to his chest. His dogs sat on his bed as it floated. He said it took all of his strength to hold his sliding door shut as the waters outside the glass rose higher than those flooding the house. MISSING: Family and friends are desperately searching for their loved ones who braved the storm. Pictured left is Agnes Vicari, 80, of Mexico Beach, and right is Mike Myers MISSING:Joni Cain (left) and Wendy Williams-Rush, of South Port (right) 'It was life or death,' Garcia said through tears Friday as he walked amid the destruction in Mexico Beach. Hector Morales, a 57-year-old restaurant cook, never even thought about evacuating. He grew up in Puerto Rico, where he said 'you learn how to survive a storm.' His mobile home isn't on the beach. But the canal lined with boat docks behind his home quickly overflowed as the hurricane came inland. Soon, Morales said, his mobile home started floating. 'The water kept coming so fast, it started coming in from everywhere,' he said as he sat outside on a broken set of stairs lying atop a mattress and other storm debris. 'I had about 3 feet of water in my house. That's when I decided to jump.' He got through a window of his home on to the top of his car outside when Morales saw two neighbors wading through the rushing surge. He swam out and grabbed a utility pole, then reached out and helped steady the wading couple. They fought their way onto a fishing boat that had been tied to a palm tree and climbed inside. Morales left his neighbors in a bathroom below the boat's deck, while he sat in the captain's chair. He said they stayed in the boat for six hours before the winds calmed and the surge receded. 'I lost everything - my clothes, wallet, credit cards,' he said. 'But I made it.' Bill Shockey, 86, refused when his daughter pleaded with him to leave Mexico Beach. He said he didn't want to leave behind his collection of 'Gone with the Wind' dishes and antique dolls. So he stashed those valuables up high in a closet before heading to his daughter's newly built two-story home next door. MISSING: Sheila Dady and her son Justin Downum (left) and Ronald Dean Gresham (right) The family of John Reinhardt, of Port St. Joe in Bay County put out a desperate appeal for their grandfather (pictured). Thankfully, Reinhardt has been found With a pocket full of cigars and his cat named Andy, Shockey watched the hurricane roll in from an upstairs bedroom. The wind shredded the roof of his single-story home. Water rose nearly to the top of his garage door. A neighbor's home across the street got shoved off its foundation. Was he scared? 'Worried, I think, is more like it,' Shockey said. His daughter's home took in some floodwaters downstairs, but was otherwise unscathed. Shockey's own home of 24 years didn't fare so well, though his collectibles survived. 'It's a wipe out,' he said, adding that he plans to sell his property rather than rebuild. 'Whenever they want, I'm going to move in with my son in Georgia.' For years, Hal Summers has managed Killer Seafood, a Mexico Beach restaurant known for its tuna tacos. Michael destroyed the eatery as well as Summers' townhome on the beach. Summers rode out the storm at his parent's house nearby. They had evacuated, but an elderly friend was staying there and Summers promised to watch him. Summers knew they had to get out when, about 30 minutes after the storm made landfall, water surging into the home's kitchen rose up to his neck. He opened the front door and fell in deeper when he tried to step onto front stairs that had washed away. Hector Morales sits on a debris pile near his home which was destroyed by hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach Hector Morales, left, is hugged by friend Matthew Goss, a fisherman, as they reunite after Hurricane Michael which destroyed Morales' home and Goss' boat in Mexico Beach Summers said his parents recently added a large, outdoor bathroom onto their home and he saw the door was open. The large sink was still above the water. He grabbed a bench that was floating by, and shoved it into the open bathroom to give them something to stand on. Then he helped the elderly man inside. 'I knew we could sit on the sink or we could stand on the sink if we had to,' Summers said. 'I had to hold the door shut or it would just keep flooding. There was a little crack and I could just see everything flying. I thought, 'Oh my God.'' They never had to stand on the bathroom sink. Finally, the flooding receded. While Garcia and his wife survived the hurricane's wrath, he was out Friday searching for his daughter and mother. Kristen Garcia, 32, and her 90-year-old grandmother, Jadwiga Garcia, were staying in a second-floor beachfront apartment Wednesday as the storm came ashore. Garcia said his daughter called him to say the apartment was flooding and they had taken shelter in the bathroom. He hadn't seen them in the two days since the storm passed, and hadn't been able to gain access to their apartment. He had tears in his eyes recalling their last conversation. 'She said, 'Dad, get down here,'' Garcia said. 'I said, 'It's too late.'' President Donald Trump says he'll visit Florida and Georgia early next week to assess damage from Hurricane Michael. Trump announced his plans on Twitter on Friday but didn't say what day he'll visit the affected areas. Trump also tweeted that 'people have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia.' Michael struck the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane earlier this week. Trump says the administration is 'working very hard on every area and every state that was hit. We are with you!' North Carolina is also cleaning up from Hurricane Michael, the second major storm to rip through the state in a month. Michael was downgraded to a Tropical Storm on Thursday as it took its drenching rains to Georgia and the Carolinas - just one day after unleashing deadly fury on Florida with its 155 mph winds Gov. Roy Cooper urged the public to stay safe while damage is inspected and not to drive around road barriers. Many of the 40 deaths in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence were of drivers who got caught in floodwaters. The governor said it wasn't clear whether there was enough overall damage to qualify for federal aid to help with the cleanup. Congress already has approved $1 billion for North Carolina's response to Florence. Why was Hurricane Michael so strong? Scientists say it was so strong because warm waters of 84F (29C) extended unusually far up the northern Gulf Coast for this time of year after Florida had its warmest September ever. It was also strong because the eyewall - the ring around the eye of the storm - formed late. This meant that there was not enough time for an eyewall replacement - a second ring formed of rainclouds - to form and weaken the storm. Normally, the so-called eyewall replacement cycle weakens a storm by 20-30mph - but Michael was at its strongest when it made landfall. Source: Dr Jeff Masters Advertisement Oil and gas workers are now returning to drilling rigs and production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, but oil production remains down by about one-third as operations are restarted. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a report Friday that 32.4 percent of oil production and a little more than 13 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf remained shut down. The agency bases its estimates on daily reports from operators. The bureau says workers remained evacuated from only nine of the 687 staffed platforms in the Gulf, and that all unmoored rigs that were moved as the storm approached have returned to their drilling spots. The Walt Disney Co. is donating $1 million for relief efforts to areas devastated by Hurricane Michael. The company said Friday in a news release that the money will be funneled through the Florida Disaster Fund. The news release also says contributions from employees to eligible relief groups will be matched dollar-for-dollar through a matching gifts program. Disney has a 70,000-person workforce in Florida at its Walt Disney World theme park resort in the Orlando area. Two paramedics who granted a gravely ill woman's wish to visit the beach before she died have been invited to join the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for lunch during their Australian tour. A touching photo of the woman, who was in palliative care, admiring the sea for the last time made national headlines when it was posted on Facebook, catching the attention of the Royal couple. Queensland ambulance workers Graeme Cooper and Danielle Kellam decided to take the last-minute detour to the ocean in November after their sickly patient began talking about her love of the water. The paramedics were taking a sickly patient to hospital for the last time in November, when they decided to take a last-minute detour to the ocean (pictured) Two paramedics Graeme Cooper and Danielle Kellam (pictured) who have cared for a dying woman have been invited to join Meghan and Harry for a special lunch 'She just wished she could be at the beach again,' Helen Donaldson, the Officer in charge of Hervey Bay, wrote alongside the touching image of the woman's beach visit. 'Above and beyond, the crew took a small diversion to the awesome beach at Hervey Bay to give the patient this opportunity.' Mr Cooper told 7 News that the patient 'loved' it. 'She was really happy, she was so grateful, just one of those people you wanted to give and give to,' Mr Cooper said. Mr Cooper and Ms Kellam will join Meghan and Harry for a lunch with honourary guests on Fraser Island after the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex land in Australia next week. The couple's 15-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga will begin on October 16. Theresa May could put an end to her alliance with the DUP and press ahead with her Brexit plans despite opposition from the Northern Irish party. The DUP's 10 MPs have kept the Conservatives in power since Mrs May lost her Commons majority after her snap election gamble backfired last year. However the alliance has been strained this week as the DUP has rejected Mrs May's proposals to keep Northern Ireland in the single market while the rest of Britain leaves, a plan they believe would split the UK. The DUP - which yesterday slammed the PM's 'flawed judgment' - has threatened to force an election but Mrs May will consider pushing ahead with her plans and daring the DUP to bring her down. Theresa May (pictured leaving Downing Street) could put an end to her alliance with the DUP and press ahead with her Brexit plans despite opposition from her Northern Irish allies What would Theresa May's backstop deal mean? The PM's backstop proposal is designed to ensure there is no hard Irish border. It would see the whole of the UK stay in the customs union 'temporarily' until a wider trade deal is struck. Northern Ireland would effectively remain in the single market to avoid regulatory checks on the border with the Republic. The government's previous plan said that it wanted the UK to stay in the customs union until 2021 'at the latest'. But it is not clear whether the UK would be subject to rules that stop countries striking their own trade deals outside the bloc. It also remains to be seen whether free movement rules would still apply in Northern Ireland. The Common Travel Area already protects movement between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The blueprint would reduce friction on the Irish border but lead to greater checks across the Irish Sea. These would include health and sanitary inspections for animals and animal products. The backstop is designed to fall away when a wider trade pact is agreed - which Mrs May says should be based on her Chequers plan for a 'combined customs territory' with the EU. Advertisement 'When we put something forward we hope to have their support', a Whitehall source told The Times. The PM could get her Brexit plans through with support from opposition MPs rather than the DUP, another source said. The Northern Irish party opposes Mrs May's plans because of the regulatory checks which would be required between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain. DUP leader Arlene Foster said the party would stand by its red line on the constitutional and economic integrity of the UK 'come what may'. The party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson has called for a new Tory leader to 'heal the wounds' between the two parties. He said: 'We don't trust her judgment to date because her judgment to date has been flawed'. A new leader taking a 'different direction' on Brexit would 'ensure that the agreement could stay in place', Mr Wilson said. But Tory MP and former minister Nick Boles delivered an angry response, saying: 'Conservative leaders are chosen by Conservative MPs and Conservative Party members.' The latest row comes with just days to go until a crunch EU summit that could decide Mrs May's future. In an effort to soothe tensions, Downing Street insisted yesterday: 'The Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently.' The PM's 'backstop' plan to avoid a hard Irish border would see the UK remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit until a permanent solution to the Irish border problem can be found. The UK could remain tied to Brussels' rules beyond the end of 2020 to give negotiators more time to finalise a trade deal, according to reports. Four ministers confronted the PM on Thursday when she gathered senior Conservative allies to win support for her plans. DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured in Portadown yesterday) said the party would stand by its red line on the constitutional and economic integrity of the UK 'come what may' Liam Fox, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab all voiced fears about the lack of a time limit on the UK's membership of the customs union. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said that a provision on customs which was not 'finite' would fail to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum. One Cabinet source predicted the issue could lead to resignations in the coming days. They said: 'This is going to be a big test for some ministers. Are they willing to accept assurances that this is temporary if those words have no legal force? If not, then they surely have to resign.' Stewart Jackson, who was chief of staff to ex-Brexit secretary David Davis, said it was 'quite possible' that another Cabinet minister could follow the example of his former boss and resign. He said: 'Political resignations are part of the landscape.' Brexit was a 'fundamental, existential issue' and 'on that basis maybe some people will obviously consider their position', he said. Chancellor Philip Hammond signalled that the EU and UK were getting closer and held out the prospect of a 'deal dividend' for the economy if a settlement is reached. He said yesterday that the last 10 days had seen 'a measurable change in pace around the Brexit negotiations. Everyone agreed, if the Sothebys auctioneer knew of the drama about to unfold, he certainly gave no indication of it. Lot 67, Banksys Girl With Balloon, he announced with his usual understated authority. It was the final lot of the evening the graveyard slot, some call it often reserved for a minor work when potential bidders have already begun to disperse. Not this time. The New Bond Street saleroom remained packed. This was a Banksy, after all. The Spray-can Pimpernel, as he has been dubbed, hides behind a cloak of anonymity to mock the Establishment and satirise modern society and has become one of Britains most successful artists. Girl With Balloon had a more poignant, ambiguous message, the 100-strong gathering was informed in the catalogue notes, leaving the viewer to decipher whether the girl is reaching for the balloon a vibrant emblem of childhood delight or rather has let it slip from her fingers, a metaphor perhaps for the inevitable loss of childhood and innocence. It is possibly Banksys most widely known image, voted the nations favourite artwork last year ahead of Turners The Fighting Temeraire and Constables The Hay Wain. The bidding was furious. 200,000 . . . 300,000. . . Sitting in the third row, Jonathan Cheung, head of acquisitions for Londons Maddox Gallery, came in at 650,000. I couldnt go beyond that, he said. He was gazumped. Banksy artwork shredded moments after being sold for nearly 1m, shocking bidders at Sotheby's Alex Branczik Sothebys head of contemporary art in Europe posted on his Instagram after the stunt, the words F*** EM IF THEY CANT TAKE A JOKE, in black stencilled letters The piece then became a piece of art in its own right called "Love is in the Bin" worth an estimated 2million The canvas eventually sold to a telephone bidder for 860,000, which, with fees, brought the final total to 1.04 million. But moments after the hammer came down, pandemonium. An alarm sounded and Girl With Balloon began to self-destruct. There were gasps as the artwork started to shred itself. Some guests almost dropped their champagne glasses, and one well-groomed, bespectacled man could be seen putting his hand to his forehead in disbelief. They had just witnessed the most spectacular prank in art history. The escapade at Sothebys New Bond Street galleries on Friday last week came at the climax of the busiest week in the London art market, when international collectors fly in for the Frieze art fair. It made headlines around the world. Banksy later posted a video on Instagram claiming responsibility, showing Girl With Balloon being sliced into strips by blades he had secretly installed in the pictures frame a few years ago, defending the stunt with a quote from Picasso: The urge to destroy is also a creative urge. Behind the quotation lay Banksys contempt for what he and others see as the rampant commercialism and misplaced values of the art world. Booby-trapping his own creation seconds after it sold for more than 1 million was the ultimate expression of that credo. Yet the added notoriety, some experts argue, could double the value of the vandalised Girl With Balloon and increase the value of all Banksy works, with opportunistic dealers reaping the commercial rewards. Will Banksy who is widely acknowledged to be former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, 45 benefit financially? He says he gives much of the money he makes to charity. But the author of his unauthorised biography, The Man Behind The Wall, noted that he was much richer than I imagined. So might there be an element of hypocrisy in his latest stunt? The buyer, Sothebys has revealed, is a female European collector and long-standing Sothebys client, who has decided to go through with the purchase for the same price achieved at auction. The news was released in a statement from Sothebys on Thursday night, after a slick PR operation. Banksy didnt destroy an artwork in the auction, he created one, declared Alex Branczik, the auction houses head of contemporary art in Europe. Following his surprise intervention on the night, we are pleased to confirm the sale of the artists newly titled Love Is In The Bin, the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction. The collaboration between the worlds most admired guerrilla artist and an institution that caters, in Banksys own words, to the overprivileged, the pretentious and the weak will be seen by some as a betrayal of his anti-Establishment credentials. But how far did it go? Sothebys insists it had no prior knowledge of the stunt and was not in any way involved. There were rumours that rather like Alfred Hitchcock, who made fleeting appearances in his own films Banksy was in the saleroom on the night in question. The grand finale was certainly worthy of a Hitchcock plot and, a week on, continues to fascinate. Suspicious observers have pointed out that the frame of Girl With Balloon was so heavy it had to be hung on a load-bearing strip. Was it a publicity stunt? Suspicious observers have pointed out that the frame of Girl With Balloon was so heavy it had to be hung on a load-bearing strip Sothebys say they asked Banksys studio which provided a certificate of authenticity if the frame could be removed during cataloguing but we were expressly told not to because this could damage the work and negatively impact its artistic value. This is not unusual, Sothebys pointed out. But wouldnt the frame have been X-rayed by them nonetheless? Sothebys says it doesnt discuss security matters. But Paul Manning, a former Metropolitan Police officer who used to work in Mayfair and socialised with Sothebys security staff, says: Back in the Nineties, I was present when the X-rays from a Picasso were delivered. They did the frame as well as the painting. Sothebys own Mr Branczik has himself inadvertently, perhaps contributed to the speculation. The morning after the stunt, the words F*** EM IF THEY CANT TAKE A JOKE, in black stencilled letters, appeared on his Instagram page, with the caption Banksy-ed. It prompted a flurry of responses. I bet you knew, read the comment underneath Mr Brancziks post. Others echoed that view. Sothebys explained that the sentence with the expletive was a [word] painting by a U.S. artist, Christopher Wool, that is coming up for sale at Sothebys in New York. He (Alex) felt it captured the spirit of the prank, the company said. Clearly, not everyone who follows Mr Branczik on Instagram understood what he meant. Our own inquiries suggest Banksy was not acting alone, despite his claim that he was. The clue is in the date: 2006, which was when Girl With Balloon, a stencil spray painting, was given to the now previous owner by Banksy, and a shredder was built into the frame in case the owner might one day sell it. This print is one of 25. Thats a lot of booby-trapped frames to make just to punish secondary market sellers, the Art Market Monitor newsletter wryly concludes. Moreover, the contraption surely needed batteries to have been activated, probably by remote control from inside the saleroom. But batteries are unlikely to last for 12 years so it stands to reason that the person who acquired Girl With Balloon from Banksy must have co-operated with him. Banksy is widely acknowledged to be former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, 45, (pictured) That was confirmed to us by a dealer this week. I met Banksy many times before the auction, he said. The seller knew about it. There have been many trials [Sothebys were not involved] in the last year for the shredder to be activated with the remote. The intrigue has also turned the spotlight on the man himself. Banksy was unmasked as Robin Gunningham, from Bristol, in 2008 by The Mail on Sunday after a year-long investigation. His parents, in their 70s, separated some years ago; his father, a retired contracts manager, lives in a housing association flat in the city; his mother, a former company directors secretary, lives in a bungalow above Avon Gorge. They have never spoken about their son, a former pupil at Bristol Cathedral School. After leaving the school at 16, the future Banksy drifted into Bristols thriving graffiti subculture. It is said that when, on one occasion, he found himself hiding from police under a dustcart, he noticed it had a serial number stencilled on it a technique he subsequently employed to speed up producing his handiwork and so evade arrest. He never looked back. Everyone has seen his work on a wall, poster or print. The Paparazzi Rat. Umbrella Girl. The Kissing Coppers. He left an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland, California, hung a joke version of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and installed a cave painting of a Stone Age hunter pushing a supermarket trolley at the British Museum. His many celebrity collectors include Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. Few people are aware, though, that Banksy has settled down to married life. Mrs Banksy is Joy Millward, 39, who was brought up in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. The couple tied the knot at a Las Vegas chapel in 2006. Miss Millward, the daughter of a businessman, was a researcher at the time for Austin Mitchell, the then Labour MP, before leaving Westminster to set up a lobby group that supports charities. Miss Millward and Banksy used to share a two-bedroom flat on the eighth floor of a block in Shoreditch, East London. It was purchased in 2007 in Miss Millwards name and she still owns it. It is not far from Old Street, where a Banksy mural of Pulp Fiction hitmen Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta holding bananas once graced the side of the Tube station. How much is Banksy worth? It is impossible to say because officially he does not exist and his real name doesnt appear to be on publicly accessible financial records. But he is believed to be behind companies sitting on more than 4 million generated through his artwork. The most well-known is Pest Control, the sole agent for selling his artwork and authenticating it or not, as the case may be; hence the name. It was Pest Control that authenticated the shredded Girl With Balloon. The companys registered office is above an empty shop in Hackney, East London. But Pest Control has assets of 2.2 million. Some of the cash is used to fund Banksys projects, such as Dismaland, the family theme park unsuitable for children in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, that opened for 36 days a few years ago. Then there is the hotel on the edge of Bethlehem offering the worst view of any hotel in the world because of its location along the 400-mile concrete wall that cuts through the West Bank. Opened last year, The Walled Off Hotel is full of Banksys artwork. Guests can sleep under a mural of an Israeli security officer and a Palestinian having a pillow fight. Back in Mayfair, excitement is growing. The new version of Girl With Balloon is going on public display at the Sothebys New Bond Street galleries this weekend. Does anyone smell a giant rat? Additional reporting: Mark Branagan Until this week, I never doubted the patriotism of Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and their band of Brexiteers. Quite the reverse. I credited them with a romantic respect for the integrity of this country, our borders and our national institutions. By contrast, the Remainers argued that membership of the European Union was worthwhile because of the trading advantages, even though Britain was made subject to EU institutions such as the European Court of Justice. But something strange is taking place this weekend as the Brexit talks reach their final phase. Brexiteers and Remainers have effectively swapped sides. The hard Brexiteers now appear determined to put the United Kingdom at risk. Meanwhile, those seeking to strike a pragmatic deal led by Prime Minister Theresa May are fighting to save it. This is because the central debate between Britain and Europe now hangs on the future of the border between Britain and Ireland. I have crossed this border, an area of great natural beauty, many times. For much of the past century it was a dangerous place across which illicit goods and weapons were smuggled by criminal gangs and terrorists. But the Good Friday Agreement, reached in 1998, put paid to all that. Have they swapped sides? Jacob Rees-Mogg and friends appear to be taking a risky stance Theresa May is still battling for a deal with the European Union after more than a year of turbulent discussions It implicitly committed the British and Irish governments to a guarantee that there should be no border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic thus helping to open the way to peace after many decades of bloodshed. Unfortunately, this Irish border reared its head again when the negotiations between Britain and the European Union started over Brexit. The hard Brexiteers are absolutely insistent that Britain must leave the customs union and the single market. Fair enough. But Brussels says that Britain leaving the customs union and single market means bringing back the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to prevent smuggling of goods from the United Kingdom customs area in the north to the Irish EU zone in the south. The European Union also points out that the resurrection of customs checks runs contrary to the Good Friday Agreement, and therefore insists that Northern Ireland must remain as part of the customs union, even if the rest of Britain chooses to leave it. This means there would have to be two separate jurisdictions within the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland would be part of the customs union run by Brussels, while in mainland Britain we would determine our own trading arrangements. The prospect of a two-tier United Kingdom, with one set of rules for Northern Ireland, has been greeted with pleasure by Irish republicans. They hope and believe that over time Northern Ireland would draw closer to Eire, and eventually leave the UK altogether. This prospect is greeted with horror by unionists, which explains why Theresa May is fighting like a ferret in a sack to stop it. As for the most determined Brexiteers, they dont seem to regard the Irish border as much of a problem. They dismiss the EU demands that the Good Friday Agreement should be respected as a cynical contrivance by Brussels negotiators to punish Britain and cause mischief. The border problem: The Good Friday Agreement implicitly committed the British and Irish governments to a guarantee that there should be no border checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic thus helping to open the way to peace after many decades of bloodshed It may be that this is partly true. However, it is not just Brussels which appears to be willing to see the effective break-up of the UK. By the same token, so are the Brexiteers themselves. This troubles Tories like me. I believe, in common with many other Britons, that the United Kingdom has been a force for good in the world ever since its creation more than 300 years ago. Its often forgotten that the full name of the Tory Party is the Conservative and Unionist Party. Certainly, the Conservative Party represents free markets and capitalism. But the one pledge that has held it together since its foundation has been its commitment to the Union and everything that comes with it. Its this commitment that took Britain through two terrible World Wars in the 20th century. These hard Brexiteers seem to have forgotten that. They appear to regard escaping from the European Union as more important than the survival of the United Kingdom itself. And consider this: if Northern Ireland is given special status to remain in the customs union in the wake of Brexit, you can be sure that it will not be long before Nicola Sturgeons Scottish National Party demands the same thing. Significantly, the great majority of Brexiteers are English. Some see it as part of their duty as politicians to promote an English identity. Last week in the House of Commons, John Redwood, one of their leaders, asked: Who in this Government does speak for England? I come into the Chamber and hear debates about the Scottish problem and the Irish border, but we must not forget England, our home base for most of us on this side of the House. England expects; England wants better. Does this mean the rest of Britain can go hang? David Davis, who resigned from the Cabinet this summer in order to fight against Theresa Mays handling of Brexit, speaks the same language. He has called for an English parliament. Indeed, in the wake of the Scottish referendum result he quoted the words of G. K. Chesterton: Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget; For we are the people of England, that never have spoken yet. Haunting words indeed. But how ironic it will be that if in their bid to escape from the European Union, the standard-bearers for a full Brexit end up destroying the United Kingdom. The thug who doused Katie Piper in acid, leaving her with horrific injuries, has been released from prison, sparking a rush to surround the star with security. Stefan Sylvestre, 30, was released from Highpoint jail, Suffolk, but has been warned he is not to step foot in a designated 'exclusion zone' stretching way around Katie's home. Strictly Come Dancing chiefs have given the go ahead to cover Katie, 34, with extra security, The Sun revealed. In 2009, Sylvestre was sentenced to a minimum of six years before becoming eligible for parole. Katie Piper seen with her bodyguard who is paid for by the BBC at Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals Stefan Sylvestre Katie Piper's acid attacker was jailed in 2009 after he attacked her in 2008 In August, a distraught Katie Piper told fans she was having to come 'to terms' with the fact he was being released. Sylvestre attacked her in Golders Green, North London leaving her partially blind, with severe scarring to much of her body after throwing sulphuric acid at her face on the orders of her former partner Daniel Lynch in 2008. The obsessed fan who had a brief relationship with Piper, raped the aspiring model and presenter and ordered Sylvestre to attack her with acid. After a trial the following year, Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years at the age of 33. Sylvestre, then 20, received life with a minimum of six years. Ten years after her horrific ordeal, Ms Piper, now a mother-of-two, is starring on Strictly Come Dancing. A source told The Sun: 'Sylvestre's licence conditions include an exclusion zone which bars him from an area around Katie's address. Miss Piper (pictured aged 26) was a model and aspiring TV presenter when she had sulphuric acid thrown in her face Brave Katie Piper has carved out a successful career in television despite being scarred all over by a man on the orders of her jealous ex Mother-of-two Katie has moved on and become a success but admitted she struggled with the news her attacker was being let free 'Any attempt to go near the Strictly studios in Hertfordshire would almost certainly also see him returned straight to jail. 'But although Sylvestre is banned from contacting Katie in any way, the simple fact that he's back in London will be of great concern to her.' Katie, who dreamed of being a model, had 40 operations after the sulphuric acid was chucked in her face. Sylvestre's release was recommended by the Parole Board despite the Justice Secretary's representatives advising the panel to move him to an open prison. The thug will have a curfew and is banned from contacting Katie. However, his hostel will be in the same city she resides in, in London. Soil tests around Grenfell Tower have revealed toxins that could have health implications for local residents, according to early findings from a toxicology study seen by the Guardian. Professor Anna Stec, who conducted the study, is said to have found 'huge concentrations' of potential carcinogens in the soil and dust around the west London tower block. The newspaper reported that the professor in fire chemistry and toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire warned senior health officials, the police and Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) of the need for further tests. Cancer causing chemicals including Hydrogen Cyanide have been found in soil samples taken from up to a mile away from Grenfell Tower Professor Anna Stec of the University of Central Lancashire warned Kensington and Chelsea council that further tests were required following her initial survey She is also said to have found high levels of hydrogen cyanide in the soil she analysed. Professor Stec told the Guardian she had taken a high number of samples from locations up to almost a mile away from the tower. She told the paper: 'As a result of this work, I already have datasets that indicate a number of toxins that have not yet been measured by Public Health England (PHE), who have already looked into air quality. 'I think my research will show there are a number of added toxicants that need to be measured, but it's important to emphasise that this work has not yet been completed - and we still need to carry out a lot of analysis before we can be completely sure of the implications. 'The findings will need to be validated before they are published.' A total of 72 people were killed as a result of the blaze from June 14 last year Seventy one people died in the blaze on June 14 last year, with a 72nd victim dying months later in hospital. Last month, Professor Stec was instructed by the public inquiry into the blaze as an expert witness. She will provide a report to determine the fire derived toxicants and related deposits present in the tower and their origin. A spokesman for PHE said the agency had received a phone call from the professor but had not been briefed and had not seen the data. The agency has been monitoring the air quality around the tower and has consistently said it has found nothing of concern. A PHE spokesman said: 'Local authorities are responsible for assessing and legally determining contaminated land within their communities. 'PHE is aware of Professor Stec's preliminary research but it has not been shared with us and therefore we have not had the opportunity to review the evidence being referred to. 'PHE awaits the research with interest and will carefully consider the results. Public Health England has been monitoring air quality in the surrounding area since the fire 'We are continuing to fully support local health partners and the Grenfell community to ensure that they have access to best available public health evidence and advice for ongoing monitoring and surveillance of people directly impacted by the fire.' An RBKC spokesman said: 'Our priority is the long term health needs of all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy, and we will work with our health partners to examine carefully any new evidence about the impacts of the disaster on local residents.' It was recently announced that Grenfell survivors and surrounding residents are to be given special screening to examine the effects of smoke inhalation and possible asbestos exposure, health chiefs have announced. NHS England said it would provide up to 50 million to fund long-term screening and treatment for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. It follows calls from the Grenfell coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, for the NHS to set up a screening programme for those who were exposed to smoke and dust in the fire. Police have been banned from putting poppies on their cars in a move which has 'gone down like a cup of cold sick' with officers. British Transport Police have told their officers not to use the poppy stickers on their vehicles ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended World War I. Police chiefs were concerned about singling out one charity over others and feared the stickers were not official. But Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, said the ban had 'the stench of political correctness all over it'. Police have been banned from putting poppies on their cars in a move which has 'gone down like a cup of cold sick' with officers Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan told officers it would 'not be doing the right thing' to prefer the Royal British Legion over other charities, The Sun reported. One BTP officer said that people 'seem to be forgetting what these blokes died for' while another said the ban had been received 'like a cup of cold sick'. Many of the officers upset about the British Transport Police decision were said to be former members of the armed services. A BTP spokesperson said: 'It is important to stress that British Transport Police supports the Royal British Legions Poppy Appeal. Each year, officers up and down the nation attend Remembrance Sunday events, in memory of those who died. 'However, we were concerned that stickers placed on some of our cars were not official Poppy Appeal merchandise. 'Because of concerns regarding where the money for these stickers was ending up, we took the decision to not place these Poppy stickers on BTP vehicles. 'We fully recognise the sacrifices made by all armed forces colleagues, therefore we will always permit officers and staff to wear the traditional Royal British Legion poppy on their uniform.' British Transport Police have told their officers (file photo) not to use the poppy stickers on their vehicles ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended World War I Earlier this week Cambridge University came under fire after members of its students' union rejected a call to celebrate Remembrance Day next month. Attendees at the Cambridge University Students Union (CUSU) meeting on Monday rejected a motion for the commemoration of 'all those whose lives have been affected by war across the University of Cambridge'. The controversial move came after various amendments were made, including crossing out the phrases 'British war veterans', 'Remembrance Day' and 'Poppies'. The UK will mark 100 years since the end of the First World War with a procession of 10,000 civilians past the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day. Those taking part will pass to Whitehall and have the chance to lay wreaths at the foot of the Cenotaph. The event will be followed by bell ringing by churches across the country to echo the actions of British citizens 100 years ago. The procession and bell ringing will take place on November 11 after the national service of remembrance and the march past the Cenotaph by the British Legion. An Australian man is still counting his blessings after garbage collectors located a bag with $100,000 in cash he had accidentally thrown out. The Perth resident, who didn't want to be identified, frantically contacted workers from the City of Swan council after realising his potentially catastrophic mistake. The incident happened soon after the waste workers collected the man's bin on their usual neighbourhood run in July. Waste management workers from the City of Swan council in Perth successfully managed to help a man locate a bag he had thrown out by mistake containing $100,000 cash After four months, it remains a mystery as to how the money ended up in the bin, or why the gentleman was holding such a large amount of cash at his residence. Waste service workers emptied their truck, but their initial 60 minute search proved to be fruitless. Upon returning to the local tip, a second search began, which the man assisted in, that was successful. City of Swan council chief executive Mike Foley said the situation was unusual. 'It's not every day that $100,000 is found in a pile of rubbish; in fact, this is the only reported lost valuable we have ever recovered,' he said in a statement. 'To isolate the truck carrying the lost money and notify the driver in time is quite a remarkable feat, and a testament to the hard work of our staff. 'I'm extremely proud of the team who went above and beyond to help this resident in an extremely unfamiliar situation.' He said the resident, was 'very grateful' for the professional and tireless efforts of the waste management staff. Authorities have described the robbers as aged between 17 and 25-years-old Two men are on the run after robbing a convenience store of money and cigarettes early on Saturday morning. The men entered the shop armed with a machete on Price Street in Nerang, Queensland at 4.30am. One of the men reportedly stood at the door while the other threatened a 21-year-old male store attendant with the large knife. Authorities have described the robbers as aged between 17 and 25-years-old. One of them was wearing a camouflage hooded jumper (pictured) The second man was wearing a light grey hooded jumper with 'Everlast' written in large black letters (pictured) The machete-wielding robber then proceeded to demand the store attendant hand over cash. The attendant placed cash and cigarettes into a large black bag before the two men fled the scene. Police said the men are believed to be between the ages of 17 and 25-years-old. One of the men was wearing a camouflage hooded jumper, black knee-length shorts, black and white sneakers and was holding an umbrella. The second man was wearing a light grey hooded jumper with 'Everlast' written in large black letters down the right hand side, black shorts and was carrying a machete. Anyone who may have further information is urged to contact Policelink. The two robbers entered the shop on Price Street (pictured) in Nerang, Queensland at 4.30am The UK could remain tied to Brussels' rules beyond the end of 2020 to give negotiators more time to finalise a trade deal, according to reports. The potential extension of the transition period, which would see the UK stay in the EU single market and customs union, is being considered as intensive negotiations continue ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Wednesday. Under the current plans, if there is a Brexit deal the transition period will last until the end of 2020, during which the UK will accept Brussels' rules without having a seat at the table when they are decided. Theresa May, pictured, is spending the weekend preparing for crunch Brexit talks in Brussels next week The EU's chief negotiator is believed to be willing to offer Britain a longer transition period until the end of 2022 to facility a less traumatic exit from the European Union But the Guardian and Daily Telegraph reported that the option of a potential extension was being considered by negotiators in Brussels to allow extra time to drawn up a deal on the future UK-EU relationship - and avoid the need to use a controversial 'backstop' arrangement to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is believed the European Union may offer Theresa May the chance to extend the transition period to the end of 2021 to help avoid a cliff-edge Brexit. The Department for Exiting the European Union said it would not comment on speculation. The need to resolve the backstop issue is a political headache for Theresa May. The European Union's version, which would see just Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels' rules, has been called unacceptable by Mrs May and is fiercely resisted by her Democratic Unionist Party allies. Mrs May's counter-proposal, set out in June, was for a 'temporary customs arrangement' for the whole UK, but Tory Brexiteers are suspicious this could turn into a permanent situation - restricting the freedom to strike trade deals around the world. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said that a provision on customs which was not 'finite' would fail to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson, pictured, told Mrs May she should show the EU negotiators 'the door' And Downing Street insisted that Mrs May would never agree a Brexit deal with the EU which 'traps' the UK permanently in a customs union. The pledge came amid speculation over possible ministerial resignations if the Prime Minister gives too much ground ahead of the Brussels summit next week. Mr Raab said: 'What we cannot do is see the UK locked in via the back door to a customs union arrangement which would leave us in an indefinite limbo. That would not be leaving the EU.' However, the EU is mounting resistance to any specific time limit being included in the text of the UK's Withdrawal Agreement. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney insisted the backstop should be able to remain in place 'unless and until something better comes along' and told ITV News it was a 'deal breaker'. Chancellor Philip Hammond became the first senior Government figure to suggest that the backstop - designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic open in the case that no broader EU/UK trade deal is finalised - will 'probably' have to come into effect for a period. Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party which props up Mrs May's minority Conservative administration in the House of Commons, said he expected developments over the weekend 'in terms of the Government's own position and the Cabinet'. DUP leader Arlene Foster, pictured, met with Michel Barnier during the week to explain her party's problems with the proposed Irish backstop arrangement The party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson urged Mrs May to show EU negotiators 'the door'. He said: 'She [Theresa May] has declared herself to be a unionist, she has repeated that time and time again, she knows the consequences if she walks away from that promise, not just for Northern Ireland because of course she will open a Pandora's box in Scotland as well. 'I am sure the Prime Minister is well aware of the grave responsibility which lies on her shoulders.' He added: 'Go with your principles, go with your instinct, go with your responsibility to the people of the UK and show the EU negotiators the door.' Stewart Jackson, who was chief of staff to ex-Brexit secretary David Davis, said it was 'quite possible' that another Cabinet minister could follow the example of his former boss and resign. He told BBC's Newsnight: 'Political resignations are part of the landscape.' Brexit was a 'fundamental, existential issue' and 'on that basis maybe some people will obviously consider their position', he said. Meanwhile, pro-EU Tory MPs faced a campaign orchestrated by insurance tycoon and Leave.EU founder Arron Banks - although he insisted the funding came from Brexit-supporting small donors. The Blue Wave is targeting a 'Dirty Dozen' of Conservatives, including an 'an epic constituency-wide maildrop in Folkestone' - the seat of Damian Collins, the chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee who has clashed with Mr Banks. Asked if he was trying to 'put the frighteners' on the MPs, Mr Banks told Channel 4 News: 'Well there is an element of that, I'm not going to deny that.' Mr Collins said: 'He can send as many letters as he likes, I won't stop doing my job.' Fellow Tory MP Antoinette Sandbach said she would not be 'bullied' by Mr Banks. Arch Brexiteers will gather in Torquay for a Leave Means Leave rally on Saturday which will see Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg share a stage with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Mr Farage said: 'The Government's Brexit Betrayal is getting worse by the day. 'We at Leave Means Leave are going to build national branches all over the country to fight for democracy from grassroots level and to deliver the Brexit that people voted for.' A transgender prisoner in an all-male jail has been released just six months after a drug-fuelled crime spree. From September 2017 to April, 37-year-old Jacinta Mason committed property, drug and bail offences. Her rampage only came to an end when she was caught stealing biscuits from the Queensland Country Women's Association hall in the Gold Coast. Mason, who pleaded guilty to 21 offences at the Southport Magistrates Court on Friday, says she has little recollection of the crime spree as she was under the influence of drugs, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported. Over eight months Jacinta Mason (pictured) committed property, drug and bail offences that ended when she was caught stealing biscuits Mason was caught stealing biscuits from the Queensland Country Women's Association hall in the Gold Coast (an example of the biscuits is pictured) Legal Aid defence lawyer Vered Turner told the court Mason was happy to be arrested. Despite her relief the spree was over, Ms Turner said Mason had undergone a difficult six months behind bars following her arrest due to being a pre-operation transgender woman in a male prison. When sentencing, Magistrate Louise Shepherd said she took this into account. 'You are a pre-op transgender woman and I imagine that would bring many difficulties and stresses in your life,' Ms Shepherd said. 'In the six months in custody you have done that time in a male prison, and I assume that brought its own difficulties for you and I take that into account.' Although she was originally given an 18-month sentence in prison, Mason was allowed parole as long as she paid $800 in restitution. Mason (pictured) said she has little recollection of the crime spree because she was under the influence of drugs President of the Australian Transgender Support Association in Queensland, Gina Mather, told the publication that pre-operation transgender women always went to male prisons. 'You go to jail (according to) the genitalia between your legs,' Ms Mather said. Ms Mather said it's hard to change the law, but instead as tried to isolate pre-operation transgender people in protective custody. Although progress has been made in Queensland Correctional Services, Ms Mather urges prisons to keep transgender women separate from men at night to keep them safe. President Donald Trump called Confederate icon Robert E Lee a 'great general' during his speech at a Make America Great Again rally in Ohio Friday night. Toward the end of his hour-long address, Trump went off on a tangent about Lee's leadership in the Civil War, claiming that President Abraham Lincoln had developed a 'phobia' of the commander and subsequently sought help from General Ulysses S Grant. The odd history lesson appears to have been Trump's roundabout way of praising Grant, a native Ohioan who is 'finally being recognized as a great general'. However, in the process of complimenting the state for being Grant's birthplace, Trump dredged up the controversy surrounding Confederate Commander Lee. President Donald Trump has drawn criticism after he called Confederate icon Robert E Lee a 'great general' during his speech at a Make America Great Again rally in Ohio Friday night The president raised eyebrows with an informal Civil War history lesson in which he said President Abraham Lincoln (center) developed a 'phobia' of Confederate Commander Robert E Lee (left) and subsequently called on Ulysses S Grant (right) to lead the Union soldiers Trump's full remarks on the Lee, Lincoln and Grant relationship are shown below: '[Ohio] also gave you a general who was incredible. He drank a little bit too much. You know who Im talking about right? So Robert E Lee was a great general. And Abraham Lincoln developed a phobia. He couldnt beat Robert E Lee. He was going crazy. 'I dont know if you know this story. But Robert E Lee was winning battle after battle after battle. And Abraham Lincoln came home, he said: "I cant beat Robert E Lee." 'And he had all of his generals, they looked great, they were the top of their class at West Point. They were the greatest people. Theres only one problem they didnt know how the hell to win. They didnt know how to fight. They didnt know how. 'And one day, it was looking really bad. And Lincoln just said: "You," hardly knew his name. And they said: "Dont take him, hes got a drinking problem." And Lincoln said: "I dont care what problem he has. You guys arent winning." 'And his name was Grant. General Grant. And he went in and he knocked the hell out of everyone. And you know the story. They said to Lincoln: "You cant use him anymore, hes an alcoholic." And Lincoln said: "I dont care if hes an alcoholic, frankly, give me six or seven more just like him." 'He started to win. Grant really did he had a serious problem, a serious drinking problem, but man was he a good general. And hes finally being recognized as a great general. 'But Lincoln had almost developed a phobia, because he was having a hard time with a true great fighter, a great general Robert E Lee. But Grant figured it out. And Grant is a great general, and Grant came from right here.' Trump's praise of Robert E Lee (above in an illustration from 1870) drew backlash particularly because of his past comments on the controversy surrounding Confederate statues Trump's praise of Robert E Lee drew backlash on social media particularly because of the president's past comments on the controversy surrounding statues of the general and other Confederate symbols. He drew widespread condemnation last year following a deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying that white nationalist protesters were there to oppose the removal of a 'very, very important' statue. 'They were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee,' Trump said at the time. 'This week it's Robert E Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?' A devastated father who is forced to speak to his severely autistic daughter through a hole in a door has won an extraordinary legal battle to talk about their plight after a council tried to gag him. Jeremy from Walsall has now revealed his 17-year-old child Bethany is fed and talked to through the hole in the metal door to her tiny cell in a psychiatric hospital. Bethany has been locked away for almost two years with just a mattress and a chair in a 12ft by 10ft room which costs 13,000 a week to theNHS. Outraged by his daughter's treatment for autism and sever anxiety, Jeremy began a social media campaign to free her. But last week he was taken to coFurt for his posts, as Walsall council sought an injunction to ban him from broadcasting details about her. This would have meant he was breaking court imposed rules if he talked about her health or the facility she was being held in. 'The attempt to silence me was never about caring for Bethany, it was never about protecting Bethany's rights,' the ex-teacher told The Times. 'It was purely there to silence me from bringing to the forefront the failures of the local authority, NHS England and St Andrews hospital.' Jeremy a former teacher won the battle to talk about his daughter's case at the Royal Courts of Justice in London (pictured) Jeremy from Birmingham, backed by two pro-bono barristers and Mencap, successfully fought the injunction and won the right to talk about her case. Walsall council must now pay Bethany's father's costs and said he was free to discuss her case but ruled that their surname should not be disclosed. The authority argued it only wanted to prevent her identification in her own interests. Bethany's 50-year-old father has explained how his daughter was detained under the Mental Health Act and 21 months later is still at St Andrews Healthcare, a private psychiatric unit at St Andrews Hospital Northampton. The girl is being kept in a room at St Andrews Healthcare, a private psychiatric unit at St Andrews Hospital Northampton Because of what experts at the hospital said were 'self harm' and 'aggressive' incidents, Bethany has been kept in the seclusion room. However, her father who must talk to her through a hatch while kneeling down outside her 'cell' was determined to fight it and ordered better conditions for her. Her detainment is legal unless a tribunal or doctors decide otherwise. Dan Scorer, the head of policy at Mencap, said: 'The local authority used taxpayers' money to try to silence him from publicly talking about human rights violations.' In a heart breaking reflection of her life right now Bethany was asked to draw pictures to thank the people who supported her. As well as smiley faces she drew a part of the door she is locked behind every day. According to NHS figures obtained by The Times the number of disabled children in secure units has more than doubled, from 110 in March 2015 to 250. Professionals have now agreed to move Bethany to a separate secure unit with two rooms. Advertisement Punters have dressed to impress at Royal Randwick in Sydney for Saturday afternoon's eye-watering set of races, watching Redzel race to victory for the second year in a row. Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show with anticipation of The Everest hotting up. Female representatives from TAB, the race's sponsor, led the charge as they put on the glitz and glamour inside the Randwick showground. The summery ensembles had to be ditched at a number of points throughout the day, as Sydney's disappointing start to Spring briefly put a dampener on proceedings. Scroll down for video Punters have been dressing to impress at Royal Randwick in Sydney ahead of Saturday afternoon's eye-watering set of races. Punters make the most of the sunny weather at Royal Randwick during a much-anticipated day of racing at the Sydney racecourse Racing fans (L-R) Maddy Schwarz, Michaela Lloyd-Jones, and Kiah Foster pose for a photograph while the sunny skies held over the racecourse The summery ensembles had to be ditched at a number of points throughout the day, as Sydney's disappointing start to Spring briefly put a dampener on proceedings Large groups of fans descended on the inner-city racecourse to watch the day's racing and wear their fanciest attire Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show with anticipation of the race hotting up Female representatives from TAB, the race's sponsor, led the charge as they put on the glitz and glamour inside the Randwick showground Other TAB employees were happy to pose for the camera in a sea of green before the races started Also catching the eyes of revellers were two female attendees wearing matching pairs of circular-rimmed glasses - with one of them also daring to flaunt a plunging neckline. Another racegoer attracted attention with a sleek wide-rimmed hat decorated with a black-and-white ribbon. Her sense of style was rivalled by another guest who dazzled in a mustard and black pinstriped jacket. While high fashion was in order for the event, so was copious amounts of alcohol - as evident from one group snap taken before the event. Others, meanwhile, made the bold choice of replacing the traditional racing hat with elegant floral headdresses. Large groups of fans descended on the inner-city racecourse to watch the day's racing and wear their fanciest attire. The event this Saturday is the world's richest horse race and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne. While high fashion was in order for the event, so was copious amounts of alcohol - as evident from one group snap taken before the event Others, meanwhile, made the bold choice of replacing the traditional racing hat with elegant floral headdresses Her sense of style was rivalled by another guest who dazzled in a mustard and black pinstriped jacket Cheeky grins and plastic champagne glasses were the order of the day at the marquee racing event in Sydney's inner-east The event this Saturday is the world's richest horse race and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne Two elegantly-dressed racegoers dazzled in slimline dresses as the sun shone down on Royal Randwick on Saturday Other female revellers took to Instagram to post photos of them helping themselves to plastic glasses of sparkling wine Another racegoer attracted attention with a sleek wide-rimmed hat decorated with a black-and-white ribbon. While most revellers were forced to watch the much-anticipated race from the public section, others were lucky enough to watch the day's racing from more exclusive areas of the raceground Racing fans descended on the inner-city racecourse to watch the day's racing, which will culminate with The Everest race at 4.15pm Only the richest horse owners from Australia and overseas are able to buy their way into the 12-horse race, as entry cost a colossal $600,000. The Everest was the top draw on the 10-race card, which also features The Kosciuszko for country-trained sprinters worth a similarly staggering $1.3 million. Returning Everest champion Redzel made a back-to-back win in the race, beating out early favourite Shoals. The controversial signage decision has not been the only thing to attract animosity towards the race, with animal rights activists making their voices heard at a protest outside the raceground on Saturday Earlier this week, Redzel's trainer Peter Snowden revealed to Daily Mail Australia his horse is enjoying some well-earned down time ahead of the big race. He also revealed he doesn't like to open Redzel up too much as even his 'fast' gallop is better than most horses best gallop. To date the gelding has won $8,823,000 in prize money after being purchased at auction for $120,000 and is seen as one of Australias premier sprinters Protestors from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event, while making sure their voices were heard by the thousands of racegoers parking their cars nearby Those protesting held up slogans ranging from calling for jockeys' use of whips to be banned to questioning whether the pomp and circumstance surrounding horse racing is really worth it The big day came after the state government stood by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million horse race. More than 120,000 Australians signed a petition protesting against plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard. The controversial signage decision has not been the only thing to attract animosity towards the race, with animal rights activists making their voices heard at a protest outside the raceground on Saturday. The coalition's activity, aside from protest, include undercover investigations, public awareness campaigns and political lobbying Protestors from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event, while making sure their voices were heard by the thousands of racegoers parking their cars nearby. Those protesting held up slogans ranging from calling for jockeys' use of whips to be banned to questioning whether the pomp and circumstance surrounding horse racing is really worth it The coalition's activity, aside from protest, include undercover investigations, public awareness campaigns and political lobbying. Despite being named the youngest female on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list this month, life for In-N-Out heiress Lynsi Snyder hasn't always been super simple. The 36-year-old, who has a reported net worth of $3billion, is no stranger to turmoil as she has been divorced three times, lost her father to a prescription drug overdose in 1999 and even faced an addiction battle of her own. Now president of the popular West Coast burger chain, the Forbes October cover girl opened up about dark memories of her past and why she doesn't plan to take the beloved burger business East Coast. Now happily married to her fourth husband, Sean Ellingson, Snyder said her long list of mistakes with men have 'forced' her to be the 'stronger' woman she is today. The since born-again Christian first married her high school sweetheart, Jeremiah Seawell, in 2000 before the couple divorced three years later. She then tied the knot to Richard Martinez, whom she has two children with, in 2004, but their matrimony ended in 2011. In-N-Out heiress Lynsi Snyder has been named the youngest female on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list, but life wasn't always so simple for her The burger chain was first opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, California by her grandparents By 2004, Snyder said her wild streak was in full effect and she developed an addiction to alcohol and marijuana. 'It was like a black-sheep era of my life... by the time I hit 22, it was pretty much over,' Snyder told Forbes. Snyder, pictured winning the National Hot Rod Association's Lucas Oil Drag racing series event in 2012, became the president of In-N-Out in 2010 She married her third husband, Val Torres Jr., who she has one child with, in 2011 before they divorced in 2014. The third wasn't a charm for Snyder - she says she then discovered Torres had been cheating on her for nearly four years and claims he was only interested in her for financial benefits. The same year of their divorce, she wed her current spouse, Ellingson, who she has her two eldest children with. Ellingson is a former employee of In-N-Out. Aside from her romantic roller coaster past, Snyder spoke about the troubles of her late father, Guy Snyder - who previously served as the president of the chain his parents, Harry and Esther Snyder, founded in 1948. Snyder's dad had an affair on her mother, Lynda, and the pair divorced when she was only 12. Guy was arrested on Christmas in 1995 for public intoxication. He was carrying an illegal firearm and a switchblade during the arrest. In 1999, he sadly died at 48 following a hydrocodone overdose. Snyder was only 17 when she lost her dad to addiction. 'When he was sober, he was the best dad in the world... we had our time cut short,' Snyder told Forbes. She even has 'Daddys Girl' tattooed on her right shoulder. The burger heiress pictured with her current husband, Sean Ellingson. Lynsi was able to recover from addiction and her dark past after finding religion Her third husband, Val Torres Jr., is pictured above She tied the knot to Richard Martinez in 2004, but they divorced in 2011 Snyder married her high school sweetheart, Jeremiah Seawell, in 2000 before the couple divorced three years later While speaking of the business that made her American's youngest female billionaire this year, Snyder said she has no plans to sell or take the chain East Coast. The burger chain, known for its simple menu and for being a hot spot for Hollywood stars, only exists in six states, mostly on the West Coast. 'I don't see us stretched across the whole US... I don't see us in every state. Take Texas, draw a line up and just stick to the left... that's in my lifetime,' Snyder said to Forbes. 'I like that we're sought after when someone's coming into town. I like that we're unique... you put us in every state and it takes away some of its luster.' Amy & Axel Steenburg The limousine that crashed Saturday was headed to a brewery in Cooperstown, New York, to celebrate Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday. Amy was killed alongside her new husband Axel The limousine that crashed on Saturday was headed to a brewery in Cooperstown, New York, to celebrate Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday. Axel, 29, and Amy had just tied the knot in June. Amy was a nurse for the state Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Her three sisters - Allison, Mary, and Abby - were also killed, as were two of their husbands and Axel's brother Rich. Just days before the crash, Amy had uploaded a post gushing about Axel to Facebook which read: 'I love you more than words can say.' '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.' Amy and Axel had rented a bus from Prestige Limousines. When the bus broke down en-route to the brewery, it sent a 2011 Ford Excursion stretch limo in its place. Abigail & Adam Jackson Amy's sister Abigail and her husband Adam Jackson were parents to Archer, four, and one-year-old Elle (all pictured together) Amy's sister Abigail and her husband Adam Jackson were parents to Archer, four, and one-year-old Elle. A GoFundMe campaign was launched for the young girls after they lost both parents in the crash. It has since raised more than $100,000. '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.' Abigail, or 'Abby' as she was known, was a reading teacher at Lynch Literacy Academy. She became a teacher because she loved working with children, Rich Peters, president of the Amsterdam Teachers Association, told the Times Union. 'She wanted to help them better their lives,' he said. Adam was a deputy commissioner with the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Mary and Bob Dyson Mary, one of the four sisters killed in the crash, and her husband Rob Dyson left behind a three-year-old son named Issac Mary, one of the four sisters killed in the crash, and her husband Rob Dyson left behind a three-year-old son. The couple lived in Watertown, New York, where Mary - who served in the US Army from 2007 to 2013 - worked as an engineer. She was also a coach at Star Spangled Crossfit, which dedicated a workout to her on Monday. A GoFundMe campaign for Issac, who is now in the care of Rob's mother, has since been launched. The couple graduated from Clarkson University together in 2007, and the school held a candlelight vigil for them on Monday night. 'Clarkson is a tight-knit community,' it wrote in a statement on Facebook. 'All losses like this cause us to come together and reflect on the friendships we've made.' Allison King Allison King, pictured with her niece, also died in the tragic crash that left 20 people dead Allison King, sister to Mary, Abby, and Amy, also perished in the devastating crash. King was one of four people in the limo who was an alumni of SUNY Plattsburgh, where she graduated in 2010 with a degree in speech communications. Barbara Douglas, the sisters' aunt, said the family was completely devastated by their loss. 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 said. Rich Steenburg Axel's brother Rich, (right) was also killed in the accident. Pictured left, a tribute to all three of the Steenburgs posted on social media Rich Steenburg, 34, was killed alongside his brother Axel. They both worked at GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor and manufacturing company. Steenburg's wife Kimberly had planned to go to the birthday party, but canceled at the last minute because she wasn't feeling well. The couple share two children together, a 10-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. They recently bought a home together. Steenburg's family released a statement on Monday evening, saying they had 'suffered tremendous loss that is nothing short of tragic'. 'Those left behind by the perished include children, spouses and parents among others,' it read. '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.' Erin and Shane McGowan Erin and Shane McGowan were one of two pairs of newlyweds in Saturday's tragic limo crash Erin and Shane McGowan were one of two pairs of newlyweds in Saturday's tragic limo crash. Shane, 30, and Erin, 34, had only just tied the knot in June after dating for three years. McGowan was an administrative assistant at St Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam. She had recently been thinking of going back to school to become a billing administrator, according to her aunt Valerie Abeling. 'They had everything going for them,' Abeling said. 'She was a beautiful, sweet soul. He was too. They were two very young, beautiful people.' Anthony Vertucci, Erin's uncle, spoke of the 'darkness and devastation' that had hit his family and shared photos of his niece'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.' It was Erin who had texted both Abeling and her friend Melissa Healey about the state of the limo before it crashed. McGowan told Abeling the limo was in 'terrible condition', and texted Healey that the motor was 'making everyone deaf'. Patrick Cushing and Amanda Halse Patrick Cushing, Erin's cousin, was killed in the crash alongside his girlfriend Amanda Halse Patrick Cushing, Erin's cousin, was killed in the crash alongside his girlfriend Amanda Halse. Cushing, as the 31-year-old was lovingly called by friends, worked in the technology office of New York's state Senate. On Monday Senate Leader John Flanagan described Cushing as an 'extraordinary' employee and 'wonderful young man'. Cushing also played for Team USA Dodgeball, and his team said he was full of 'unconditional kindness' and the ability to 'make friends of his fiercest competitors'. The team plans to retire Cushing's number in his honor. Halse, 26, worked as a waitress in Watervliet and was a 'very strong and independent person', according to sister Karina. 'She didn't like it when other people did things for her,' she added. 'She would be the one to initiate things.' Karina, who had been texting with Amanda just as she was stepping into the limo, said the couple were 'two peas in a pod'. 'I feel like my heart is sunken,' she added. 'It's in a place where I've never felt this type of pain before.' Matthew Coons and Savannah Devonne Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, was killed alongside his girlfriend Savannah Devonne Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne were among the victims of Saturday's crash. Coons had been a groomsman at Axel's wedding in June. He lived with Savannah and his sister, a single mother with two daughters who he helped financially support. Suzanne Douglass, Coons' aunt, said he had a 'huge golden heart'. 'He will be sorely missed by his sister and her children,' she said. 'He made their life very joyful with his very sweet disposition.' Savannah graduated from Hartwick College in 2015 with a degree in political science and business administration. She was a volleyball player and a member of the Phi Sigma Phi sorority. '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,' her sorority sisters wrote in a tribute. Amanda Rivenburg Amanda Rivenburg, a friend of Amy's, spent the last seven years working for Living Resources, a New York nonprofit for people with disabilities Amanda Rivenburg, a friend of Amy's, spent the last seven years working for Living Resources, a New York nonprofit for people with disabilities. Steve Klein, the organization's associate executive director, said she was beloved by all her colleagues. 'She was passionate about her work, and everyone relied on her for guidance,' he said. Frank Prevratil, Amanda's supervisor, said she was a 'young susperstar'. 'Amanda met her actual calling,' he said. 'Her calling was to serve the population and she did.' 'She was dedicated and wonderful and kind.' Rachael Cavosie Rachael Cavosie also perished in the tragic limousine accent on Saturday. Alyssa Cavosie, Rachael's cousin, said she was a soul that 'touched so many lives' Rachael Cavosie also perished in the tragic limousine accent on Saturday. Alyssa Cavosie, Rachael's cousin, said she was a soul that 'touched so many lives'. 'She gave me so much guidance,' Alyssa wrote in a touching Facebook tribute. 'Even though she was the younger cousin, I looked up to her and often sought her advice through out my life.' Rachael is survived by her parents, a sister, and two brothers. Michael Ukaj Michael Ukaj, 34, was one of three US Army veterans who died in Saturday's horrific crash Michael Ukaj, 34, was one of three US Army veterans who died in Saturday's horrific crash. Ukaj, a US Marine Corps veteran who served one combat tour in Iraq, was killed on his birthday. His mother, Mary Ashton, had tried to call and wish him a happy birthday nearly at the exact time the crash occurred. 'You were such an inspiration when you wanted to join the Marine Corps,' Ashton wrote in a tribute to her son, who enlisted at age 17, on Facebook. 'Thank you for your combat service and for being my son. I love you forever.' Ashton told the Times-Union that Ukaj suffered with severe PTSD from his time in combat, but that he was 'very happy and enjoyed life'. 'He posted pictures of him with friends, skeet shooting and having bonfires,' she said. 'He was fixing up my parents' house and enjoying his life.' Brian Hough and James Schnurr SUNY Oswego associate professor Brian Hough (pictured) and his father-in-law James Schnurr were the two pedestrians who were killed during the limo crash on Saturday Brian Hough and his father-in-law James Schnurr were the two pedestrians who were killed during the limo crash on Saturday. The pair were in the parking lot of Apple Barrel Country Store when the limo ran a stop sign at a dangerous intersection and came barreling through, striking them. Hough, who had a PhD in geological sciences, was an associate geology professor at SUNY Oswego. He leaves behind a wife and an eight-year-old son. Atra Hough, Brian's mother, said he was a 'warmhearted, wonderful person' who loved teaching and working with students. Brian's aunt, Katie Kent, said the family was 'absolutely devastated' at the 'incomprehensible loss'. 'My nephew was an accomplished professor, an amazing husband, and daddy. Our family is trying to make sense of this,' she wrote. SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley released a statement on Monday and said Brian was a 'major part' of the campus' family. '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,' she said. 'He will be missed and remembered fondly by all, always.' Scott Lisinicchia Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was the driver behind the wheel of the 2001 Ford Excursion that crashed on Saturday. He is pictured here with his wife Kim Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was the driver behind the wheel of the 2001 Ford Excursion that crashed on Saturday. 'It hurts me to a core to have to bury my husband,' Lisinicchia's wife, Kim, wrote in a tribute on Facebook. An Australian mother-of-four accused of murdering her step-daughter has appeared in court in shackles and an orange jumpsuit - before mouthing 'I love you' to her daughter, 21. Adelaide-born Lisa Cunningham, 43, and her husband Germayne Cunningham, 39, could face the death penalty if convicted over the murder of Sanaa Cunningham, 7, in Arizona. The pair allegedly abused and neglected Sanaa, who died from pneumonia and complications from sepsis in February 2017. Scroll down for video An Australian mother-of-four accused of helping to murder her step-daughter has appeared in court in shackles and an orange jumpsuit (pictured left) At Maricopa County Superior Court on Friday, Judge Michael Kemp heard arguments from defense lawyers seeking to have the first-degree murder charge, which carries the death penalty, dropped. The couple are accused of zip-tying the child to a water tank in a garage and neglecting to treat a septic wound to her foot. Sanaa was also made to pick up dog faeces by the pair with her bare hands and restrained in a straight-jacket-like long-sleeved shirt, the prosecution allege. Lisa and Germayne Cunningham (pictured), the former of whom has lived in the USA for 20 years and comes from Adelaide, could face the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder But defence attorney Eric Kessler told Judge Kemp the young girl's parents took care of her the best they could, according to Channel 9. Mr Kessler told the court the Cunninghams sought medical advice in Sanaa's final days but were given inappropriate guidance. The couple's defence counsel is arguing for the case to be sent back to a grand jury, which determines the charges to be faced in the desert state. The defence is also alleging the prosecution showed misconduct in presenting only 'one side of the coin'. Prosecutors allege the restraints Cunningham used to tie up Sanaa (pictured) meant she was unable to expel liquid from her lungs, exacerbating her pneumonia and leaving her unresponsive Prosecutors allege Sanaa was unable to expel liquid from her lungs as a result of being restrained, exacerbating her pneumonia and leaving her unresponsive. According to The Phoenix New Times, Sanaa's death went unreported by state welfare agents for months before a grand jury charged them with 10 counts of child abuse and one of first-degree murder in December. The couple were allowed to remain free until last month, when judge Michael Kemp ruled prosecutors had enough evidence to justify their aim to seek the death penalty. He said: 'There were many warning signs with regard to her need for medical attention. 'This was more than reckless behaviour. This was more than a failure to provide care and it led to the child's death.' But Lisa Cunningham's lawyer Taylor Fox argued doctors had differing views about what killed the seven-year-old - who noted the autopsy was inconclusive as to whether Sanaa was killed or died by accident. Cunningham (left) and her husband Germayne Cunningham, 39, (right) are charged with 10 counts of child abuse and one of first-degree murder after Sanaa's death went unreported by state welfare agents for months Sanaa Cunningham had pneumonia at the time of her death, and the prosecution allege the couple's neglect made her condition worse and left her unresponsive The method of death penalty in Arizona is lethal injection, but a criminal convicted before November 23 1992 can also opt to be killed by gas inhalation. No-one has been executed by death penalty in the state since 2014. The Australian had lived in the US for 20 years and is eligible for $500,000 in funds from the Attorney-General - which provides support to Australians facing the death penalty overseas. Dr Phelps is running as an independent candidate in the Wentworth By-election The female politician running to replace Malcolm Turnbill in the Wentworth by-election has received a chilling rape threat. The threat was made to candidate Kerryn Phelps, aged 60, via an anonymous voicemail message left on the voicemail of one of her senior aids at 6.47am on Tuesday morning, news.com.au reported. The message contained a recording of a foreign politician saying that one of their colleagues wasn't worth raping. The female politician running to replace Malcolm Turnbill in the Wentworth by-election has received what appears to be a chilling rape threat (pictured: Dr Kerryn Phelps) The threat was made to candidate Dr Kerryn Phelps, 60, (pictured) via an anonymous voicemail message The incident was reported to police. However, late on Tuesday night, the senior adviser received another anonymous message from the same number. The man left a voicemail containing a torrent of abuse. Police are investigating the incident. Former Prime Minister Malcom Turnbill resigned from Parliament following his defeat as Prime Minister in the Liberal leadership spill, leaving his seat up for grabs. Dr Phelps is a doctor and the first female and LGBT person to be elected as president of the AMA. She is running as an independent candidate in the Wentworth By-election. Former Prime Minister Malcom Turnbill (pictured) resigned from Parliament following his defeat in the Liberal leadership spill, leaving his seat up for grabs Her main contender is Liberal candidate Dave Sharma, a foreign policy expert and former ambassador to Israel, who was chosen ahead of female Liberal candidate Katherine O'Regan. Phelps is also up against Labour candidate Tim Murray, and Greens candidate Dominic Wy Kanak, among others. The high-profile doctor's win could topple the Liberal stronghold, which currently holds the seat with a buffer of 17.7 per cent against Labour. Polling day will be on Saturday, October 20. Teresa Klein, a white woman who called the cops on a nine-year-old black boy who she claimed groped her buttocks, has apologized to him after security footage proved he never put a hand on her A white woman who called the cops on a nine-year-old black boy claiming he groped her buttocks has apologized to him after security footage proved he never put a hand on her. Teresa Klein, dubbed 'Cornerstore Caroline' on social media, left the young boy in tears after she started an explosive argument with the boy's mother in a Brooklyn bodega on Wednesday. The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media as a video of Klein's tirade, in which she tells 911 dispatchers: 'I was just sexually assaulted by a child' and reveals her home address and phone number, went viral. When approached by a New York Post reporter outside her apartment on Friday, Klein said of the mother: 'I would like to apologize to her daughter and her son but not to her. She could have walked away, but she didnt. Im also a Buddhist, [but] I let my temper show. Klein, who calls herself 'white lady' several times in the video and told dispatchers: 'Yeah I know, white lady calls the cops on black lady', said to the Post: 'Ive been called racist before, and Im not.' However, her neighbors disputed that assertion, claiming that she has written 'racial slurs' in chalk outside the building. Klein reacted to those allegations by saying: 'I have no idea what theyre talking about.' A witness outside the store recorded Klein calling police to report the boy had 'grabbed her a** The boy accused of grabbing the woman's butt can be seen cowering behind his mom The Post reported that when its reporter arrived at Klein's apartment on Friday, neighbors were heckling her and shouting: 'Shame on you, Caroline!' and 'Youre racist!' Neighbor Hazel Freeman, a 52-year-old pastor who lives above Klein, said the behavior displayed on the video was hardly out-of-character. 'People moved out of the building because of her. Shes terrorizing the building,' Freeman said. 'She would call me up and tell me my son is smoking weed in the hallway. Hes married and he lives in Canarsie.' Earlier in the day surveillance footage from inside the Sahra Deli Market had discredited Klein's story that the boy groped her. The video shows Klein bent over the counter as the boy passes behind her with his mom and sister. As the bag he's holding appears to come in contact with her butt, she lifts and begins to look around. She gets the attention of the boy's mother and is seen yelling out the door before the boy's mother comes back in. Though there is no audio, the body language between the two woman is tense as bystanders look around confused as to what's transpiring. That's when Teresa goes outside and a witness begins recording her shouting in her phone as the mother tries to comfort her two children, both dressed in school uniforms. New surveillance footage from inside the Brooklyn bodega shows the nine-year-old boy holding a large plastic bag that appears to brush 'Cornerstore Caroline' as he walked by The boy, pictured in the green shirt and blue book bag, had a large plastic bag in his hand as he walked by Teresa who was leaning over the check-out counter at the Brooklyn bodega 'That's right, the son grabbed my ass and she decided to yell at me,' Teresa says of the mother. The dramatic scene quickly drew the attention of passersbys who were shocked to hear that the woman would call the police on a child. 'You're a pedophile. Go home,' one person says angrily. The woman continues her tirade, telling the dispatcher: 'White lady calls the cops on black lady, I get it. 'There are security cameras outside of this bodega. I'm more than happy to submit the security tapes for evidence.' Ironically, the bodega security footage is working against her case. An outraged witness then approaches the woman and says: 'What is your problem? Did you seriously just call the police on a child? Go home.' Other bystanders approach the woman as the argument continues throughout the four-minute video, which cuts off without a resolution. It was shared on Facebook by Jason Littlejohn. 'As I walked up I noticed the argument, apparently the kid brushed up against her and she said he touched her and decided to call police on a nine year old child. As you can see the kid is crying and the mom is upset,' he wrote in the caption. The cops did respond to the scene 17 minutes later but a report was never filed as everyone had left. 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. Saudi Arabia is keen to find out the whole truth about what happened to Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi according to a statement from the country's Minister of Interior. Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz holds the position and spoke on behalf of his kingdom in a statement released late Friday night. After the country had already labelled accusations the 59-year-old man was tortured, killed then dismembered October 2 for criticizing his homeland as 'baseless', Abdulaziz affirmed the idea through the Saudi Press Agency. Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz denied Jamal Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 2 The country labeled accusations the 59-year-old man was tortured, killed then dismembered for speaking out as 'lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom' The statement mentioned the 'condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media on the Saudi government and people. Abdulaziz specifically addressed claims that officials had been told to kill Khashoggi, who hasn't been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. 'He also stressed that what has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions,' the statement went on. The Minister of Interior also told the world that the country was keen to team up with the Turkish authorities to get to the bottom of what has happened to Khashoggi. 'He praised the cooperation with the brothers in Turkey through the Joint Investigation Commission and other official channels, stressing the importance of the role of the media in the transfer of facts and not to affect the paths of investigation and judicial proceedings,' the message sent out to media read. 'He also stressed the Kingdom's keenness on the interest of its citizens at home and abroad and its keenness in particular to clarify the whole truth about the disappearance of the citizen Jamal Khashoggi.' Protests took place outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC but KSA mentioned the 'condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media' The statement about Khashoggi (pictured) said Saudi Arabia is 'committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions' A Turkish newspaper said the authorities had obtained information from Khashoggi's watch The statement came as a report from a Turkish newspaper claimed investigators had obtain evidence about what happened to the journalist after he send recordings from his Apple Watch. Pro-government publication Sabat reported that the conversation was sent to his iCloud and the phone his fiancee Hatice Cengiz was holding for him outside. CNN said the newspaper added security guards used his fingerprint to delete some evidence but not was wiped. However it raises questions as Apple Watch does not use fingerprint technology to unlock the device. While the Apple Watch 3 with Cellular is the only version that can be used without close connectivity with an iPhone, his mobile was with his partner outside. She had previously said Khashoggi had another cell phone inside the building however. BBC reported that Khashoggi had told a journalist there that he didn't think he'd ever be able to go home after hearing stories of people being punished for speaking out. 'When I hear of an arrest of a friend who did nothing... makes me feel I shouldn't go,' Khashoggi said off-air. 'That friend of mine... maybe he was talking critically over something at a dinner party. That's what we are becoming in Saudi Arabia, we are not used to that, we never experienced [this].' Mr Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year. US President Donald Trump has said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (pictured right) about the disappearance of the Saudi writer and US resident While Donald Trump had been reluctant to risk the country not investing up to $110billion in the United States, on Friday he said the US taking the 'terrible situation' seriously. The president said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud about the disappearance of Saudi writer and US resident. The American leader spoke about the situation to reporters in Ohio ahead of his campaign rally and revealed he'll be getting on the phone to hold a conversation with the Middle Eastern royal. 'We're going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey having to do with Saudi Arabia and the reporter,' he said. Trump, 72, said that the United States was one of many countries 'looking very hard and fast' to get to the bottom the story after Khashoggi vanished when he entered the building to get documents for his upcoming wedding, but his wife-to-be never saw him again. Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia thinks it's bad news for America's relationship with the kingdom that the Trumps visited in May 2017 (pictured Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) A delegation from Saudi Arabia has now arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into his disappearance, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu said. But US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin revealed he is still 'planning' on going to a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia despite man CEOs and journalists pulling out over concern for the Khashoggi story. Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia thinks it's bad news for America's relationship with the kingdom that the Trumps visited in May 2017. 'I think this is the worst moment in US/Saudi relations since 9/11,' Robert Jordan told MSNBC, reports Mediaite. Jordan added that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 33, feels like he can do whatever he wants and get away with it. Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul is under scrutiny after Turkish officials said they had audio recordings to prove what happened to Khashoggi Advertisement Tyndall Air Force base was razed to the ground by the devastating Hurricane Michael as experts warn it could take years for the area to recover from the storm. The air force base, which sits between Panama City and Mexico Beach in Florida, suffered catastrophic damage when the Category 4 hurricane tore through the Florida Panhandle, ripping roofs off airplane hangars, tossing vehicles around a parking lot and leaving a fighter jet that had been on display flipped over on the ground. Photos show twisted metal gates, half-standing structures and debris strewn all over the base. A military police officer walks near a destroyed gate in Tyndall Air Force Base, in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 Base officials speak to the press about the state of Tindall Air Force Base in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12, 2018 in Panama City, Florida Tyndall Air Force base was razed to the ground by the devastating Hurricane Michael as experts warn it could take years for the area to recover from the storm An F-15 fighter jet on display at Tyndall Air Force's entrance was torn from its base and flipped upside down Photos showed the serious damage wreaked on the air base. Hangers were damaged, roofs ripped off and an F-15 fighter was flipped on its back by the wind A Tyndall official wrote that they'd found 'widespread catastrophic damage' across the base. 'The flight line is devastated. Every building has severe damage. Many buildings are a complete loss,' the wrote. 'The hurricane completely destroyed the Tyndall marina. The structures and docks are gone.' The drone runway and Tyndall Elementary School also sustained severe damage. Power and basic utilities have not been restored to the base. The home to the nation's 325th Fighter Wing 'took a beating,' Col. Brian Laidlaw said in a letter posted Thursday night to the 3,600 men and women stationed at the base. The Air Force evacuated the base in advance of the storm's arrival Wednesday afternoon. 'I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I can't tell you how long that will take, but I'm on it,' Laidlaw wrote. 'We need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings. I know that you are eager to return. I ask you to be patient and try to focus on taking care of your families and each other.' An aircraft hangar damaged by Hurricane Michael is seen at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida The eye of the storm cut directly over the base, ripping the surrounding trees in half and tearing the stormproof roofs away. Photos show twisted metal gates, half-standing structures and debris strewn all over the base A report posted on the base website found 'widespread catastrophic damage' - with the flight line devastated and every building on the base suffered severe damage, with many considered a complete loss The evacuations were ordered Monday and everyone except the 'ride-out' team left the base by Tuesday afternoon. The evacuation means there were no reports of injuries. It is not clear when people will be able to return to the base. Tyndall is home to 55 F-22 stealth fighters, the Air Force's most advanced and expensive stealth fighter jets which each cost $339 million. The base sent at least 33 of the fighters to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before the storm. Officials would not comment about the location of the remaining 22 planes except to say that a number of planes were left at the base because of maintenance or safety reasons. They would not comment if the planes were F-22s. But footage of the base showed the distinctive F-22's squared tail fins and vertical stabilizers amongst the rubble of the base. Fox New reports that at least three F-22s were left behind and damaged. An airplane hanger at Tyndall Air Force Base damaged from the hurricane. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews began making their way into the stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind A soldier stands guard at the entrance to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City. In the background, two pickup trucks appear to have been damaged by the storm The 155mph ripped the trees surrounding the base in half before battering the air force base A damaged airplane hanger is seen on the grounds of Tyndall Air Force Base after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 12 One picture, showed a jet in a hangar that had its doors and a wall ripped off by wind. An F-15 fighter jet on display at entrance was ripped from its foundation and flipped on its back by the wind. The New York Times calculated that total value of the 22 fighters that may remain at Tyndall to be $7.5 billion. Officials said that all the hangars on the base were damaged and that they expect the aircraft inside it to be damaged too. The eye of the storm cut directly over the base, ripping the surrounding trees in half and tearing the stormproof roofs away. The last time a military base was hit by a storm so badly was Homestead Air Force Base, just south of Miami, in 1992, which was devastated by Hurricane Andrew. It was two years before it finally reopened as a smaller Air Force Reserve base. Slide me Hangars at Tyndall AFB, Florida, are pictured before (left) and after (right) being hit by Hurricane Michael Meanwhile, Florida residents fear it could be years before the area recovers from Hurricane Michael. Florida Keys resident Mike Umberg, whose home was damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, is still fighting with his insurance company to get them to payout for his house. From his experience, he told NBC he believes the Panhandle could take between five and seven years to recover. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has described Michael as worse that Irma. 'This is the worst from what I've seen in a long shot,' he told NBC News on Friday as he toured the devastation. 'And if you think about the difference with Irma, water just came in and came out it didn't move things like this.' Michael was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the U.S., and this Gulf Coast community of about 1,000 people was in its bullseye Wednesday. While most residents fled ahead of the storm's arrival, others stayed to face the hurricane. They barely escaped as homes were smashed from their foundations, neighborhoods got submerged, and broken boards, sheet metal and other debris flew through the air. Hector Morales, a 57-year-old restaurant cook, never even thought about evacuating. He grew up in Puerto Rico, where he said 'you learn how to survive a storm.' His mobile home isn't on the beach. But the canal lined with boat docks behind his home quickly overflowed as the hurricane came inland. Soon, Morales said, his mobile home started floating. 'The water kept coming so fast, it started coming in from everywhere,' he said as he sat outside on a broken set of stairs lying atop a mattress and other storm debris. 'I had about 3 feet of water in my house. That's when I decided to jump.' He got through a window of his home on to the top of his car outside when Morales saw two neighbors wading through the rushing surge. He swam out and grabbed a utility pole, then reached out and helped steady the wading couple. They fought their way onto a fishing boat that had been tied to a palm tree and climbed inside. Morales left his neighbors in a bathroom below the boat's deck, while he sat in the captain's chair. He said they stayed in the boat for six hours before the winds calmed and the surge receded. 'I lost everything - my clothes, wallet, credit cards,' he said. 'But I made it.' Data and analytics firm CoreLogic predicts insured losses for homes and businesses could be $4.5 billion The death toll rose to 17 on Friday evening after the hurricane - the fourth most powerful to ever hit the US - struck Florida on Wednesday and swept north through the Carolinas and Virginia leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Four people died in Gadsden County, Florida, while in Georgia, 11-year-old girl, Sarah Radney, was killed when a piece of metal carport crashed into her family's trailer and struck her in the head. There were five deaths in Virginia, four from drowning, including 53-year-old William Lynn Tanksley and 45-year-old James E. King Jr. of Dry Fork, Virginia, who were both killed after being swept away from their vehicles by floodwaters on Thursday. Slide me Display aircraft at Tyndall before (left) and after (right the hurricane rolled through The fifth was Lt. Brad Clark, a Hanover County firefighter, who was killed while helping at the scene of a car crash Thursday when a tractor-trailer struck his fire engine. Authorities say two others in his crew were seriously injured. The truck driver had to be extricated and also suffered serious injuries. Searchers found another person dead in the rubble of Mexico Beach, said Joseph Zahralban, Miami's fire chief and the task force leader of a search and rescue unit. Three additional deaths were reported in Marianna, in Jackson County, Florida, Sheriff Lou Roberts told a news conference on Friday afternoon. 'I've watched on television, thinking of what others have experienced, like in the Carolinas and Texas,' Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey told reporters. 'But it's different when you walk down and see this, and your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community.' The number of fatalities is expected to rise further as rescuers go door to door and comb through the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities such as Port St. Joe and Panama City. And authorities fear the death toll will continue to rise as search teams have uncovered a number of bodies in the rubble of the ruined homes and businesses. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs carried out a grim search for victims on Friday. Gov. Scott said on Friday that it was too early to tell how many people had died because so much of the worst-hit area remains inaccessible. 'We are not completely done, we are still getting down there,' he said. Senator Marco Rubio painted a bleak picture of the situation on Friday, telling CNN: 'This is as bad as it gets. 'I have lived in Florida my entire life and This is as bad as it gets. Panama City reminds me of South Florida after Andrew. It's going to be a long time to recover. It's going to be weeks before power will be restored. 'Mexico Beach is wiped out. Our biggest concern about Mexico Beach is there are around 100 people who they know stayed behind until the last minute. They were begging them to leave. 'They did not leave. That included some children and some elderly people who are still not accounted for.' There is no cell reception in the area so people are still unable to call for help if they are stuck. Rescuers resorted to comparing before and after photographs of the area on Friday to determine which houses were still standing and which had been obliterated. Sen. Rubio said grimly that the operation would soon start focusing on identifying bodies found in the wreckage. Innocent bystanders could be caught in the crossfire of two rival Australian bikie gangs, police fear. Tensions are rising by the day in Perth, with the Rebels and Comancheros gangs battling daily for control. Bashings, shootings and fire-bombings have practically become the norm in some areas of Western Australia, with Detective Inspector Mark Twamley admitting concerns for civilians are increasing. Tension are rising between the Comanchero bikie gang (pictured) and the Rebels in Perth Bashings, shootings and fire-bombings have practically become the norm in some areas of Western Australia, with Detective Inspector Mark Twamley admitting concerns for civilians are rising 'There is the potential risk of innocent people getting caught up in it and injured so that is why we are maintaining the pressure on them (bikie gangs) and actively trying to get guns out of their hands,' he said. Crime squad gang detectives have kept close tabs on the ongoing drama, but a shooting a few weeks ago, plus numerous bashings on both sides, has escalated fear. The recent launch of Taskforce Seagrass resulted in charges against more than 15 members identifying with bikie gangs. Guns, drugs and cash were also seized. It hasn't stopped the violence. In September, in full view of terrified witnesses at Crown Perth, the two gangs were involved in a vicious brawl. A fist fight began outside the casino, with two men kicked and stamped on. Last month in Calista, a suburb in Perth's south, a Rebels associate had a chilling brush with death. Pulled over by an unmarked SUV with blue flashing lights, the 53-year-old believed the vehicle to be that of an undercover police officer. Seconds later, the motorcyclist was shot in the stomach and the arm in point-blank range - but miraculously survived. 'There was planning and thought gone into it. That person was targeted because he was associated with the Rebels,' Detective Inspective Mark Twamley said. 'But until we make an arrest we won't know for sure whether it was him as a person who was targeted, him as an associate or whether they believed he was a Rebels member.' The assassination attempt also highlighted the risk to the public as well as police officers, especially those who pull over bikies for routine traffic matters. Perth has a total of 13 different bikie gangs - the current feud between the Rebels and Comancheros could result in the deaths of innocent civilians Lone Wolf is one of the 13 bikie groups in Perth - the current feud between the Rebels and Comancheros is escalating to the point where police fear for civilian safety Daily Mail Australia understands the chief reason for the feud of bikies in Perth is up to seven Rebels defecting to join to Comancheros Daily Mail Australia understands the chief reason for the feud stems from seven Rebels jumping ship to join the Comancheros the ultimate bikie code breach. Outlaw motorcycle gang expert Mark Lauchs pointed to numerous incidents where innocent civilians were injured or killed by ruthless bikie gangs. The consequences are frightening. 'These are not guys who keep up-to-date databases, they often shoot the wrong house because the guy they are targeting used to live there,' he told The West Australian. 'They go to the wrong street or a completely innocent person is renting a house owned by a bikie.' In an astonishing resurfaced interview from 1999, First Lady Melania - then just a young supermodel dating Trump - said could picture herself in the White House. She was still named Melania Knauss and was just 26 in the interview dated December 3, 1999 where she talked from behind the scenes of a photoshoot for the North Shore Animal League America campaign in New York City. She was still in the honeymoon phrase with beau Donald Trump, 53 at the time, after the two met at a New York Fashion week party just one year prior. But even back then Melania said Trump would be a 'great president' set for success. 'He's very smart. He knows how to do a business. He would be a great leader,' she said in the ABC interview with journalist Don Dahler. Willed it into existence: Melania Trump envisioned what kind of First Lady she'd be back in December 1999 in an ABC interview with Don Dahler. Melania was just 26 and took ABC behind the scenes of a photoshoot she was working on When asked if she could see herself as the first lady Melania said: 'Yes. I would be very traditional like Jackie Kennedy and Betty Ford' She was just 26 in the 1993 interview and had been dating Donald Trump, then 53, for a year after the two met at a New York Fashion Week party the year prior She praised Trump back then saying: 'He's very smart. He knows how to do a business. He would be a great leader' When Dahler asked 'Can you picture yourself as the First Lady', a smiling Melania replied 'Yes. I would be very traditional like Jackie Kennedy and Betty Ford. I will support him. I will do a lot of social obligations'. She added her charity of choice would be the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The reporter presses her saying that if she were to become First Lady, her modeling career would be over. She happily replies: 'I will stand by [my] man.' The supermodel is then questioned about the swirling rumors that she's dating Trump for his fortune. 'You know the people they don't know me. People who talk like this they don't know me,' she replied. 'You can't sleep or hug or talk with beautiful things with beautiful apartment, beautiful plane, beautiful cars, beautiful houses - you can't do that. You could feel very empty. And if somebody said you're with the man because he's rich and famous. They don't know me,' she said shaking her head. Her fantasy became a reality on January 20, 2017 when Trump was sworn in as President. Melania is pictured center wearing very Jackie Kennedy inspired outfit and holding a Bible as Trump takes his Oath of Office as their son Barron Trump, pictured right, looks on In the old interview she said she's sacrifice her modeling career to 'stand by' her man. Trump pictured planting a kiss on Melania's cheek at the Wilmington Airport in November 2016 Family: Trump, Barron, and Melania pictured returning to the White House after disembarking from Air Force One on August 19 She went on to describe Trump as 'very kind' and 'very charming' and conceded that she was 'in love' with Trump when asked. Dahler brought up the prickly prenuptial agreement she may have to sign if she marries Trump, who has a 'history with acrimonious divorces. She simply said: 'Let's see what happens'. When he asked if she'd say yes if Trump pops the question she said she didn't want to answer after she's been 'misquoted' in previous interviews. 'Media can be very tricky sometimes. You need to be very careful,' she said. 'I like to have my private life, too. Yes, but I'm always open. I'm not shy of the media. I'm not shy about the camera. That's my business. That's my modeling career. But it sometimes could be very tricky and unpleasant, unfair,' she added. It seems her opinion about the media hasn't changed over the years as she claimed in a recent sit down interview that she may be the most bullied person in the world. First Lady duties: She's keeping her word on being a First Lady dedicated to service and just wrapped up a tour of Africa focused on child welfare and healthcare. Melania pictured holding the hands of children during a visit to the Nest Orphanage in Limuru, Kenya on October 5 Melania smiled as she took a baby into her arms at the Nest Orphanage in Limuru, Kenya She said she wished to be a First Lady like Jackie Kennedy and Betty Ford in her 1993 interview In a recent interview she said 'I could say that I'm the most bullied person in the world' Dahler brought up Trump's self-described 'playboy' persona which she downplayed as 'a man thing, and sometimes I find it very cute'. Trump was known to ask for Melania saying 'Where's my supermodel'. Melania said she wasn't insulted by such a pet name. 'It's his sense of humor. He's very kind,' she said. Melania said as a child in Slovenia the United States was a 'dream' land for her. 'Your dreams come true. You could do a lot of things, wherever you decide to do,' she said. Her dreams of making it in the U.S. certainly came true with her modeling career and marrying one of the most famous men in the nation. She and Trump tied the knot in January 2005 in a wedding at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. And although she's hasn't quite followed in the steps of Betty Ford and Jackie Kennedy, Melania has launched an anti-bullying campaign and just wrapped up a tour in Africa stopping in Egypt and Kenya to promote child welfare and education. A man who is almost two metres tall has hit out at an airline after claiming they made him pay extra to 'upgrade' from one economy seat to another that would allow him more room. New Zealand man Richard Mountain, 34, who stands at six foot and six inches tall (198cm), told the NZ Herald he asked Hong Kong Airlines about extra leg room prior to flying and was says he was told he would be seated in an appropriate aisle. But when he found himself in a regular seat on Friday, with is long legs poking into the aisle way, he was forced to ask the flight crew for help. Richard Mountain, 34, is almost two metres tall and has hit out at an airline after claiming they made him pay extra to upgrade to a seat that would allow him more room Mr Mountain claimed he was charged an extra $100 to move seats for better leg room and shared a picture of his receipt 'They put us at the back of a section so that I couldn't put the seat back easily and I couldn't fit in, my legs were in the aisle which is actually an aviation hazard because the aisle was completely blocked,' he said. Mr Mountain said the flight attendant tripped over his legs 'three times' and also slammed into his knees with the cart before he was offered the upgrade. He took photos of his legs protruding out into the aisle and frustratingly the row of empty seats, which happened to be at the front of the plane with extra leg room. He took photos of his legs protruding out into the aisle and frustratingly the row of empty seats, which happened to be at the front of the plane with extra leg room However when he asked to move he was shocked by the response. 'They said ''We're not upgrading you for free. You've got to pay''. I ended up having to pay $100 New Zealand dollars to sit in a seat which would otherwise be unoccupied,' he said. He described his treatment as a 'disgrace'. 'I always get extended leg room for free. I've been to 35 countries, over 200 flights in my life and I've never been asked for money for sitting somewhere I can fit in, tut to charge me extra money for being tall, it was an absolute disgrace,' he said. Hong Kong Airlines was contacted for comment. A woman is fighting for life in hospital following a freak skydiving accident. Emergency services were called to the Adelaide Tandem Skydiving School on Port Wakefield Highway in Lower Light, 45 minutes north of Adelaide at around midday on Saturday. It's believed the experienced skydiver hit strong turbulence during a 1400-foot dive. The South Australian woman suffered serious leg and and head injuries in a skydiving accident The woman, 26, was airlifted to Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition with head injuries and leg fractures. 'It's understood her parachute deflated 30 metres before landing,' a South Australian Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'Police have taken statements from a number of witnesses and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will be investigating.' It's also understood the Australian Parachute Federation will also investigate. A spokesman for the school told reporters that the woman has completed more than 150 jumps and was skydiving with others at the time. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Adelaide Tandem Skydiving School for further comment. The experienced skydiver was airlifted (pictured) to Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition 'It's understood her parachute deflated 30 metres before landing,' a South Australian Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia The school prides itself on being South Australia's most experienced skydiving centre. School operator Allan Gray has more than 30 years of military service, including as an instructor at the Australian Army Parachute Training School. 'Our instructors have over 50,000 skydives between them and we have the highest number of National and World skydiving record holders in South Australia,' its Facebook page states. Emergency crews were called to the school on Port Wakefield Highway in Lower Light, north of Adelaide at around midday on Saturday The near tragedy occurred at Adelaide Tandem Skydiving School (pictured) 'Our chief instructor has two world records, a European record and over eight national skydiving records.' The terrifying ordeal comes just two weeks after the parachutes of two skydivers became tangled two kilometres above the ground on the Gold Coast. Redzel made it back-to-back wins in The Everest at Royal Randwick on Sunday and claimed the $6 million first prize for taking out the world's richest horse race. The six-year-old gelding led the field into the home straight and dashed clear of the 12-horse field on a heavy track, and beat home Trapeze Artist and Osborne Bulls. Ridden by experienced South Australian jockey Kerrin McEvoy, Redzel was much too good for a field that included international challenger U.S. Navy Flag. Redzel came out triumphant in The Everest at Royal Randwick - taking home a massive $13 million in prize money in the process Redzel (left) defended his win in the event last year ridden by jockey Kerrin McEvoy Redzel jumped ahead of Maykbe Diva with the win to become the second highest-earning racehorse in Australian history Redzel, trained by Peter Snowden and his son Paul and owned by a syndicate of small-share investors, now has $14 million in career prizemoney. The horse had drifted out past 6-1 in many markets after a disappointing performance in his previous start in the Premiere Stakes. 'A lot of people wrote him off, but it's about knowing your horse and getting it right,"Mr. Snowden said. Redzel is trained by Peter Snowden (pictured left) and his son Paul Snowden (pictured right) 'We got him back and it is great for the staff, great for everyone. Redzel jumped ahead of Maykbe Diva with the win to become the second highest-earning racehorse in Australian history behind Winx. Rank outsider Belflyer took home the spoils in The Kosciuszko, a new race for country horses in which lucky punters can earn a share of ownership in each of the competitors. Despite the pomp and pageantry inside the grounds, the big day was met with protests from animal rights activists making their voices heard at a protest outside the raceground on Saturday. The Everest, the world's richest turf race, was the top draw on the 10-race card, followed by The Kosciuszko worth $1.3 million Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show as they soaked up the atmosphere at the inner-city racecourse grounds The victory was watched by around 40,000 racegoers - many of whom had dressed to impress for the marquee event. Despite the overcast conditions in the city, racegoers weren't afraid to leave skin on show as they soaked up the atmosphere at the inner-city racecourse grounds. They were not able to soak up the weather for long though, with a series of downpours hitting the racecourse throughout the day. Protestors from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses could be seen holding placards outside the event which were critical of the horse racing industry. The protest was the latest distraction from the event after the state government stood by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million horse race. More than 120,000 Australians signed a petition protesting against plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard. They were not able to soak up the weather for long though, with a series of downpours hitting the racecourse throughout the day Donald Trump Jr appeared to agree with journalists who smeared missing Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi Friday as he retweeted a posted that dirtied his name twice. A foreign correspondent for Pajamas Media suggested that the 59-year-old journalist from Saudi Arabia was friends with terrorists, referring to his time interviewing Osama Bin Laden. 'I didn't realize until yesterday that Jamal Khashoggi was the author of this notorious 1988 Arab News article of him tooling around Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda co-founder Abdullah Azzam,' Poole wrote sharing an image of the publication on Twitter. 'He's just a democrat reformer journalist holding a RPG with jihadists.' Missing Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi had his name smeared Friday as the investigation to find out what happened to him October 2 in Istanbul gets underway A foreign correspondent for Pajamas Media suggested that the 59-year-old journalist from Saudi Arabia was friends with terrorists on Twitter Donald Trump Jr shared the conversation between both men Friday afternoon with his 3 million followers on the website At that point the Federalist co-founder Sean Davis added a comment as he retweeted the post, adding more insult to the reporter who has not been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. 'It's almost like reality is quite different than the evidence-free narratives peddled by media with a long history of cooperating with or getting duped by Iran echo chamber architects,' Davis added. Reports have circulated that the Saudi critic has been tortured, killed and dismembered for speaking against some of the government's decisions over the years. A report from a Turkish newspaper claimed Khashoggi sent audio evidence of what happened to him via an Apple Watch synched with his iPhone Trump Jr shared the conversation between both men Friday afternoon with his 3 million followers on the website. Meanwhile his father President Donald Trump had been reluctant to risk KSA not investing up to $110billion in the United States but on Friday he finally said the US taking the 'terrible situation' seriously. The president said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud about the disappearance of Saudi writer and US resident. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, labeled accusations Khashoggi was killed for criticizing his homeland as 'baseless', through the Saudi Press Agency. Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz denied Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey The statement mentioned the 'condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media on the Saudi government and people. Abdulaziz specifically addressed claims that officials had been told to kill Khashoggi, who hasn't been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. 'He also stressed that what has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions,' the statement went on. The Minister of Interior also told the world that the country was keen to team up with the Turkish authorities to get to the bottom of what has happened to Khashoggi. Protests took place outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC but KSA mentioned the 'condemnation and denunciation of the false accusations circulated in some media' US President Donald Trump has said he will speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (pictured right) about the disappearance of the Saudi writer and US resident The statement came as a report from a Turkish newspaper claimed investigators had obtain evidence about what happened to the journalist after he sent recordings from his Apple Watch. Pro-government publication Sabat reported that the conversation was sent to his iCloud and the phone his fiancee Hatice Cengiz was holding for him outside. CNN said the newspaper added security guards used his fingerprint to delete some evidence but not was wiped. However it raises questions as Apple Watch does not use fingerprint technology to unlock the device. While the Apple Watch 3 with Cellular is the only version that can be used without close connectivity with an iPhone, his mobile was with his partner outside. She had previously said Khashoggi had another cell phone inside the building however. BBC reported that Khashoggi had told a journalist there that he didn't think he'd ever be able to go home after hearing stories of people being punished for speaking out. 'When I hear of an arrest of a friend who did nothing... makes me feel I shouldn't go,' Khashoggi said off-air. 'That friend of mine... maybe he was talking critically over something at a dinner party. That's what we are becoming in Saudi Arabia, we are not used to that, we never experienced [this].' Mr Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year. A crocodile that killed an Aboriginal woman on Friday may still be on the loose, even though it was speared in the head by rangers. The female park ranger was taken by a saltwater crocodile while fishing with her family in waist deep water in remote Arnham land in the Northern Territory. Police found the woman's body and the crocodile just before 5pm, less than one kilometre from where she disappeared. A crocodile that killed an Aboriginal woman on Friday may still be on the loose, even though it was speared in the head by rangers The group, which was comprised of about seven women and children noticed she was missing when they heard a commotion, and realised her bucket was floating in the water. Northern Territory police wrongly reported that the crocodile was destroyed by rangers, as it was speared in the head but escaped. The ABC reported that there is a high chance the creature survived the spearing and is yet to be found. The ranger was an employee of the Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation, which supports indigenous communities across the East Arnhem region and runs the Yirralka Rangers program. Police from Lake Evella and Nhulunbuy were located about three hours' away and travelled to the scene by car and boat to help local rangers and the community to search waterways. The female park ranger was taken by a saltwater crocodile while fishing with her family in waist deep water in remote Arnham land in the Northern Territory A close friend of the woman, who asked to stay anonymous, told the ABC that children witnessed the attack. They also said rangers were aware of the crocodile and had attempted to capture it multiple times, yet failed. 'Any death is traumatic, our thoughts are with family and relatives,' Police Commander Tony Fuller told reporters. A report into the cirucmstances around the death will be prepared by police for the coroner and NT WorkSafe spokesman is also investigating, a spokesman said. Melania Trump has revealed that she tells the president which of his staff he can trust - and which ones he shouldn't. In an administration notorious for its revolving door of staff and frequent leaks, the first lady admitted she hadn't always trusted some of Donald Trump's staff. And says there are still people close to Trump who she doesn't trust. 'You know, you always need to watch your back,' she said of her husband, when surrounded by people he couldn't trust. In an interview with ABC News' Tom Llamas, Melania said she tells the President which White House staff can be trusted and who needs to go The first lady admitted she hadn't always trusted some of Donald Trump's staff - and would tell him so Melania said that after she'd given Trump her 'honest advice' about his staff and allies, many of them no longer work at the White House. The mother-of-one admitted that she also sometimes struggled in her role as first lady, especially with losing her privacy. 'That's maybe the part that you always under the microscope,' she explained. 'And I cannot freely move anymore. Now it's bigger production. 'Wherever you go it's a big, big production.' But she rejected the suggestion that she ever felt like a 'state prisoner.' 'I don't feel like a prisoner. No. I enjoying it, and this will not last forever. And it's very special time.' In an interview with ABC News' Tom Llamas, the First Lady is asked about having to 'deal with her husband's alleged infidelities' and whether 'this put a strain' on their marriage. The moment the question is asked, the First Lady's face gets visibly tense and a look of fear creeps into her eyes. 'It is not a concern and focus of mine. I'm a mother and a first lady and I have much more important things to think about and to do,' replies the First Lady. 'I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip but I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines, getting advertisers and, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today.' The interview then moves on, with the First Lady never being asked point blank whether or not she thinks President Trump has had affairs over the course of their marriage. Dodging the storm: The First Lady is not asked at any point in the interview previews if she thinks her husband had affairs with other women (left with Stormy Daniels in 2007, Daniels on right in October) When later asked if she has been hurt by all the news stories and speculation about her husband's alleged liaisons, Melania says 'it's not always pleasant, of course. But I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true or not true.' And when asked if she has a good marriage and loves her husband, the First Lady states: 'Yes, we are fine, yes. It's what media speculate and it's gossip, it's not always correct stuff.' Things are not fine however between her and Rudy Giuliani, who she appears to still be angry with ever since he declared during a television interview that she did not believe her husband had an affair with Stormy Daniels. 'She believes in her husband and knows it's not true. I don't even think there's a slight suspicion,' said Giuliani at the time, prompting the First Lady to release a statement that reminded the public that she speaks for herself. 'I never talked to Mr. Giuliani,' declares the First Lady, who is then asked why she thinks he made that statement. 'I don't know. You need to ask him,' she states. The First Lady also opens up about the frequent attacks and criticism she has endured since her husband took office. I could say that I'm the most bullied person in the world, says the First Lady. When Llamas then presses her on this notion, the First Lady reaffirms her statement, saying: One of them - if you really see what people are saying about me. This is the same woman who last year responded to a writer receiving death threats in response to a profile she wrote about the First Lady by stating: ' She provoked them.' She explains that the bullying she endures on a daily basis led in part to her creation of the Be Best initiative. Her announcement of the anti-bullying initiative and these most recent remarks made no mention however of her husband, who in just the past week very publicly declared that an alleged victim of sexual misconduct was a liar. The First Lady does talk about her husbands administration in the interview, noting that it is hard to govern and saying that she does not trust all those around him inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Llamas asks her if she believes there are people her husband cant trust, prompting her to reply: You always need to watch your back. When asked if she has 100 percent control over her husband, Melania laughs and says: 'I wish.' She then adds: 'I give him my honest advice and honest opinions. And then he does what he wants to do.' Stormy Daniels was signing autographs during the Venus Erotic Trade Fair in Berlin on Friday Weasel: Later in the interview, Melania expresses how much it bothered her when Rudy Giuliani (above in 2001) said she did not believe her husband had an affair with Stormy Daniels Being Melania The First Lady aired Friday with the announcement that no question was off the table. The First Lady was asked at one point, if she supports the #MeToo movement, which was revived on the claims of over a dozen women accusing her own husband of sexual assault or harassment. 'I support the women and they need to be heard. We need to support them, and also men, not just women,' explains Melania. 'We need to have hard evidence that, you know, that if you are accused of something, show the evidence.' Llamas points out that her answer to the #MeToo question might be seen as not supporting victims, a concern that the First Lady brushes aside. 'I do stand with women but we need to show the evidence. You cannot just say to somebody, I was, you know, sexually assaulted and or you did that to me,' she says. 'Because sometimes the media goes too far and the way they portray some stories, it's not correct. It's not right.' Prior to that, The First Lady was seen discussing how hard her job has been in the White House when it comes to finding partners with for her Be Best initiative. 'It's sad to see that organizations and foundations that I want to partner with chose not to because of the administration,' says the First Lady. 'I feel they are choosing the politics over helping others.' Foreign types with the hookah pipes say: 'I do stand with women but we need to show the evidence. You cannot just say to somebody, I was, you know, sexually assaulted and or you did that,' she adds (First Lady in Egypt on Saturday above) Pressing questions: The First Lady is asked about the state of her marriage and her husband's infidelity (pair on left in September) in the interview and that jacket (right in June) When asked to name a charity or initiative that turned her down, the First Lady declines. 'I'm not going to talk about it, they know who they are,' she tells Llamas. 'I'm not going to put them out in front of the world.' A preview aired on Tuesday also showed that the First Lady is asked about the state of her marriage and her husband's infidelity. 'You're not the first first lady to have to deal with your husband's infidelities, has this put a strain on your marriage,' he later asks the First Lady. The preview ends with him asking about 'the jacket,' which the First Lady wore soon after her husband's justice department enacted an order which allowed parents and their children to be separated at the border. On a visit to one of the facilities housing those children, The First Lady wore a Zara jackets which read: 'I Really Don't Care Do You?' People, it turned out, did in fact care. And lastly, Llamas asks the third Mrs. Trump what the biggest misconception is about her. Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America. Dozens of dashing dachshunds have battled it out for the coveted title of 'fastest sausage dog' in an adorable canine race in central Melbourne. About 80 miniature, standard and puppy sausage dogs took to the racing field on Saturday to compete in the annual Teckelrennen Dachshund Race at Southgate. The race, which was organised by the Hophaus Bier Bar and Grill, raises money for Dachshund Rescue Australia and was part of the restaurant's Oktoberfest festivities. Scroll down for video Dozens of dashing dachshunds (pictured) have battled it out for the coveted title of 'fastest sausage dog' in an adorable dog race in central Melbourne About 80 miniature, standard and puppy sausage dogs took to the racing field on Saturday to compete in the annual Teckelrennen Dachshund Race (pictured) at Southgate Spectators were treated to a hilarious and heartwarming display of canine competitiveness as the short-legged dogs raced the 18-metre long track (pictured) Dachshunds (pictured) were let off the leash in the annual hot dog race at Southgate podium courtyard on Saturday Spectators were treated to a hilarious and heartwarming display of canine competitiveness as the short-legged dogs raced the 18-metre long track. Some of the hounds dressed up for the costume parade, which followed the races, with outrageous outfits ranging from Batman and Robin, to pirates and fairies. Other adorable doxies were dressed in tutus, peacock feathers and sunglasses. One dog was even dressed as the Pope, with a large white hat and bright red robes. 'Her name's Frankie,' the hound's owner, Jaimie said. 'But when she gets in trouble, we call her Francis. Pope Francis.' Some of the hounds dressed up for the costume parade, which followed the races, with costumes ranging from Batman and Robin (pictured), to pirates and fairies Other short-legged doxies were dressed up as familiar characters such as the Despicable Me Minions (pictured) After the races, spectators were treated to a fancy dress costume parade, with doxies dressed up as fire engines (pictured) Some dachshunds (pictured) simply dazzled dressed in sequins, pom-poms, feathers and chiffon Jaimie bought Frankie's pope outfit online, but she had to make some minor adjustments. 'I had to take up the legs because the legs were so short,' she said. Event organiser Katrina Sherlock told The Courier the event has proven to be so popular that it attracted short-legged animal lovers from across the country. One adorable brown-haired doxie (pictured) matched her little human and was dressed head-to-toe as Red Riding Hood The race (pictured), which was organised by the Hophaus Bier Bar and Grill, raises money for Dachshund Rescue Australia and was part of the restaurant's Oktoberfest festivities Event organiser Katrina Sherlock said the event (pictured) has proven to be so popular that it attracted short-legged animal lovers from across the country While some of the doxies (pictured) dashed straight for the finish line, others darted every other way but straight forward 'We have people from South Australia, Sydney, country Victoria coming to the race and there's a waitlist of 80 dogs,' Ms Sherlock said. 'The owners are mad, they get more excited than the dogs.' One of the 'top dog' hopefuls who battled it out on the field was Heidi, a well-behaved long-haired 'doxie' whose owners Darryn and Ilana signed her up to race. The annual race (pictured) has proven to be so popular that its event organiser said there's a wait list to enter There was plenty of glitz and glamour on the track as doxies in tutus (pictured) dashed for the coveted prize Some of the race's entrants required a bit of encouragement from their enthusiastic humans (pictured) 'She's probably the friendliest dachshund you'll ever meet,' Ilana said. While dachshunds were originally bred as hunting dogs, they are known for their feisty but loyal nature, but Heidi's owner Darryn said she was more of a softie. 'She's got the speed. She's very fast,' he said before the races. 'If she runs in a straight line, she'll win.' After all the dogs had done their dash, the winner of the coveted top dog title was eventually awarded to a black and brown doxie called Frankie and his human Jordan (pictured) The winner of this year's event, Frankie (pictured), takes a moment to pose for photos with his owner Jordan (centre) and family Winner of the race, Frankie (centre), smiled for the camera on the winner's podium alongside his owner Jordan (right) But as it turned out, some of the racers had other things on their minds and became distracted and darted every way as soon as the starting pistol was fired. Some of the hounds even had to be reined in after a series of adorable barking scraps broke out at the event near the Yarra River. After all the dogs had done their dash, the winner of the coveted top dog title was eventually awarded to a black and brown doxie called Frankie and his owner Jordan. There was plenty of cuteness on display (pictured) at this year's running of the wieners event in Melbourne Despite being cute to look at, not all of the short-legged pups (pictured) were as keen to don fancy dress costumes The popular event attracts people from all over the country, and this year's event had entrants from South Australia, New South Wales, and country Victoria, with a wait list of 80 dogs Eton College has banned students from using mobile phones in the classroom and now faces backlash from teachers. Simon Henderson, headmaster at the 40,000-a-year school, wrote to parents at the start of the academic year to announce the ban, which he said would be introduced as a trial. But the move left some of its teachers 'spitting' with anger, with one senior master criticising it as 'Luddite' and 'Amish'. Teachers at Eton College are furious after the headmaster takes mobile phones off boys during class time Joe Francis, an English teacher at Eton College, said the experimental ban caused some consternation among masters who see mobile phones as a useful teaching aid. 'There are some teachers who are absolutely spitting about it,' Mr Francis told The Daily Telegraph. 'They tend to be the more techy teachers, maths and science people who think it is a bit Luddite and anti-progress. 'There will be people, older people particularly and humanities teachers, who applaud it. I sympathise with [them] but we have to get across this divide.' The Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he supports any headteacher who chooses to ban mobile phones, saying that they get in the way of education. The move has come as a trial to improve concentration and will be evaluating in coming weeks But Mr Francis, who is developing a new kind of education model which will embrace the use of technology, said that mobile phones are an invaluable classroom resource. 'You have an instant, dictionary, calculator, encyclopediayou have an amazing resource there,' he said. Schools which seek to ban mobile phones risk being seen as out of touch and 'fuddy duddy' by youngsters, Mr Francis added. The ban is only one of a number of new initiatives being trialled by Eton College, which has set up a working group to consider boys' use of mobile phones in school. The school currently confiscates phones from teenagers overnight in order to prevent the '24/7' social media culture. In a letter sent to parents last month, Mr Henderson explained that the school intends to develop a strategy that 'recognises the benefits of mobile technologies and educates boys in using these responsibly' but which also 'protects boys from the downsides of over-use and from the dangers of mobile phone addiction'. Currently, Year 9 students are required to hand their mobile devices in overnight but this has now been extended to Year 10s Eton College has said they are developing their digital strategy and will be introducing a tablet device programme across the school in September 2019. So far, Year 9s are required to hand their mobile devices in overnight and several houses are piloting an extension of this policy into Year 10. The short trial of not allowing phones during lesson time will be evaluated in the coming weeks and inform future policy. Eton College is the latest in a series of schools to crack down on mobile phone use among their pupils. Last year, the 39,000-a-year Brighton College began forcing students to hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of each day in an effort to wean them off their 'addiction' to technology. The Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he supports any headteacher who chooses to ban mobile phones, saying that they get in the way of education. Students in year seven, eight and nine are now required to hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of the day to teachers who will lock it away, ready for collection when they are about the go home. Students in year ten are allowed their phones, but must subscribe to three 'detox' days a week where they hand it in, with year elevens having one 'detox' day. At Wimbledon High School, a fee-paying day school in south-west London, all children and parents are given a copy of the schools' digital rules, one of which is 'put your phone away at meals and leave your phone downstairs at bedtime - try and be screen free at least an hour before bed'. Costs have soared in the rearing of the flightless bird making it more expensive for farmers to land them on our tables this Christmas. Brexit means British farmers have to pay their European workers higher wages, and with the pound losing strength prices have jumped significantly. Paul Kelly, the chairman of the British Turkey Federation and boss of KellyBronze, a free range producer, said the industry was being forced to increase prices because of a 5% to 7% rise in costs. A scorching summer has already affected crops and as a result dinner staples including onions, potatoes and sprouts are also rising in price The development is the latest in a list that may make this the most expensive Christmas dinner in recent memory. A scorching summer has already affected crops and as a result dinner staples including onions, potatoes and sprouts are also rising in price. The dry summer across Europe has affected the wheat yield making a ton of the crop more expensive, 25 more than last year. This is significant because it is used in the feed for the turkeys. The fall in the pound has also reduced UK buying clout. Mr Kelly told the Guardian he had also had to put up wages to protect take home pay for the 95 workers he hires every year from eastern Europe, who account for 77% of his total workforce at peak times. He guaranteed an exchange rate against the Polish zoty to tempt regular workers back, which he said cost him 'a lot of money'. A ton of wheat, used to feed our Christmas dinner mainstay, is also 25 more expensive But 'at least we can get the work done', he added. The experienced farmer also added that unsavoury attitudes emanating from Brexit has scared off high quality workers from the likes of Poland who now feel unwelcome. He said would have to slash the size of his business by at least 70% if workers did not come over from Europe because the UK government made it harder for EU citizens to work in the UK after Brexit. 'It would just be me and my dad. It's a hell of a worry.' It had already become harder to attract workers from eastern Europe, he said. 'The emotional side of things means they don't want to come here. They don't feel welcome and don't see a future.' Kelly said that further hiring problems would be a tragedy as sales were increasing and the company, which raises 45,000 birds a year, expected to sell 5% more this year. A young woman was found dead in a home, and police believe her death is suspicious. The 22-year-old's body was found in Mapoon, in far north Queensland, after police attended a call out at the home. It was during that trip they located her body. A 38-year-old man has been assisting police with their inquiries. Investigations are still ongoing. A tradie charged in relation to posting an online tribute to a slain bikie associate has been acquitted. A judge has ordered Queensland Police to foot Giovanni Vladik's $4,500 legal bill after charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence were dropped in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday. He was facing up to three years in jail for the offence. The Brisbane panel beater was arrested on the Gold Coast a day after Comanchero Liam Scorsese, 31, was shot dead while trying to break into his ex-girlfriend's Brisbane home in February. Comanchero Liam Scorsese, 31, was allegedly shot dead by police in Brisbane in February Scorsese was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition but later died. Police intelligence officers spotted the hashtags #youtakeoneofourswetaketenofyours' and '#andimeanthat' in an online tribute to Scorsese a day after his death, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported. Vladik was arrested and charged after he was pulled over by police later that day. Police told the court in August a post was made on a Facebook page for Vladik's employer Prestige Collision Repairs, which was 'menacing to members of the Queensland Police Service'. Vladik admitted to a post to his private Instagram page, which included lyrics to a P Reign rap song called We Them N***** but denied posting a tribute on his employer's Facebook page. Chireez Beytell (pictured) said her pain was 'unbearable' and suffering 'unimaginable' following the death of her boyfriend Liam Scorsese With no evidence Vladik posted the tribute to his employers Facebook page, Magistrate Kerrie O'Callaghan dropped the charges on Friday. Defence lawyer Chris Hannay welcomed the decision. 'It's clearly a massive over-reaction by police, you see they couldn't care less about who they damaged, who they hurt, what they did to get a result,' he told reporters outside court. 'It has been expensive for him to get to this point and should never have happened.' A tradie charged in relation to posting an online tribute to a slain bikie associate Liam Scorsese (pictured) has been acquitted. Police intelligence officers spotted the hashtags #youtakeoneofourswetaketenofyours' and '#andimeanthat' in an online tribute to Liam Scorsese (pictured) a day after his death Vladik is currently behind bars on unrelated matters. Scorsese's father Peter Maloney described his son at the time of his death as a 'business man' and entrepreneur who had the personality of a movie star. His girlfriend Chireez Beytell said her pain was 'unbearable' and suffering 'unimaginable'. 'Four years wasn't enough, it wasn't the lifetime you promised me or yourself, now your're gone. May you fly with the angels, I will never let go bub I will never let go,' she wrote. Peter Maloney described his son Liam Scorsese at the time of his death as a 'business man' and entrepreneur who had the personality of a movie star Another friend said he was 'angry and devastated' to hear of the man's death. 'Too many memories to think of, from starting high school together, sleeping at mine every weekend, turning the back yard or living room into a hotel so everyone could sleep over or putting up tents in the back yard for everyone to sleep in,' he wrote. Scorsese was convicted of assault on a Surfer's Paradise bus driver after pleading guilty last year.' He also pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and obstructing emergency services officers in December 2016, after he had stabbed himself in the chest. A father whose son's drink was spiked with Viagra by a fellow pupil while on a class trip to Germany has spoken of his anger at what he believes is a lackluster response by the school. The 16-year-old who was responsible received a two-day suspension, but the father of the victim, 15, says this is an inadequate punishment for what is ultimately a criminal offence. Not only this, but his son's life could have been put in danger, the father told The Comet newspaper on Monday. Etonbury Academy in Arlesey, Bedfordshire - a secondary school with academy status that caters for the 9 16-year-olds Viagra can be dangerous to men with severe heart or blood vessel problems. It is unclear how the 16-year-old obtained the drug, as it is not available to under-18s The pupils, who attend the Etonbury Academy in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, were in Berlin for a six-day history trip to learn about the Holocaust and the Cold War. They were among about 80 students, accompanied by 10 teachers, The Comet reported. The victim's father says his son, who was on his first ever school trip, was not friends with the boy who spiked him. He told The Comet: 'He did it to be nasty and advertised it on Snap Chat [a multimedia messaging app] as well. The two pupils attend Etonbury Academy in Arlesey, Bedfordshire and were in Berlin for a six-day history trip with 80 other students and 10 teachers 'Spiking somebody's drink is appalling. He doesn't know my son's medical history. He could have heart problems.' Viagra can be dangerous to men with severe heart or blood vessel problems. It is unclear how the 16-year-old obtained the drug, as it is not available to under-18s. Drink spiking with any drug is illegal, whether or not an attack or assault has been carried out. It can result in a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison for anyone who is found guilty of doing it. If an assault, rape or robbery has also taken place, the sentence will be higher. Viagra is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Common side effects include headaches and heartburn, as well as flushed skin Drink spiking, whatever the motive, is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The victim's father believes the school should have taken more decisive action against the perpetrator and treated the incident more seriously. He said: 'The school feels two days' suspension is enough of a punishment and I have been told I'm overreacting. Two days' suspension for putting a child's life in danger is appalling. He said he was worried about his son, who is now the subject of ridicule after the story spread to a nearby school. The victim was on his first ever school trip and was learning about the Holocaust and the Cold War in the German capital Alan Lee, who is the interim principal at Etonbury Academy, said: 'Etonbury is aware of an incident arising from the recent school visit to Berlin and has undertaken an investigation into the incident. 'This has resulted in the relevant policies and procedures being applied and the individuals concerned have had appropriate sanctions applied to them.' Devastating storms are forecast for Australia's east coast as residents continue to endure flash floods. Torrential rain, destructive winds and hailstorms have hammered Queensland for the past two days. There's no end in sight either, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings for Central Queensland on Saturday afternoon. The wild weather has culminated in heart-wrenching video emerging of a kangaroo coated in hail. Torrential rains and destructive wind has pelted Queensland (pictured) in the past three days Footage shows a drenched kangaroo standing in the middle of an outback road with hail peppered across its back. A man approaches the animal, offering a hand for it to sniff before the camera pans around to the flooded road. The asphalt is completely invisible under the deep waters, with overturned trees and hail covering the dirt either side of the road. The cameraman uploaded the footage to social media, saying he found the kangaroo just after midday on Friday near the remote town of Kingaroy. A drenched kangaroo has been filmed in regional Queensland after being pelted by hail Flash floods have left roads unusable, with hailstorms and huge winds causing mass damage The storms began in the middle of the week, with more than 50 homes in the Central Queensland region of Gympie still without power. Floodwaters across a number of roads are preventing crews from restoring the network. The damage bill from Thursday's storms is still being assessed but is expected to be hefty, with crops wiped out, animals killed and roofs torn from homes. Floodwaters across a number of roads are preventing crews from restoring power to homes The storms have resulted in the closure of all beaches on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday. Pictured: Storm clouds over Surfer's Paradise 'There's no sun on the horizon,' Surf Life Saving Queensland's duty officer says The Bureau of Meteorology issued its thunderstorm outlook for the entire state about midday on Saturday, warning towns between Port Douglas and Gladstone could be hammered with heavy rain, destructive winds and large hail over the weekend. One town just north of where the kangaroo was filmed, Boondooma, received more than 200mm of rainfall. Some residents have begun the clean-up, anticipating it could last months, with every beach on the Sunshine Coast closed on Saturday. Surf Life Saving Queensland duty officer Jack McNeil has urged swimmers to avoid the water. 'Were unsure at this stage if conditions are going to get any worse but theres no sun on the horizon,' he told the Courier Mail. Almost 1000 insurance claims for storm damage have been lodged in Queensland , with many more predicted to come. Conditions are forecast to improve on Tuesday. Two thieves who snatched mobile phones and sped away on mopeds triggering a 90-minute high-speed chase through London have each received prison terms of more than two years. On the afternoon of August 17, a stolen moped was used for three mobile phone thefts in half an hour in Greenwich, the court heard. Shortly after, at around 12.50pm, CCTV operators from the borough of Tower Hamlets observed two men on a moped acting suspiciously, and believed they were 'looking for people to rob'. Jack Green, 22, of Southwark pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to steal; Aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving; Failing to stop after the scene of a collision; Failing to stop when required to do so by a police officer; Driving not in accordance with a licence and Driving without insurance Tarik Oliveira, 19, also of Southwark, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to steal and Allowing to be carried on a stolen vehicle Police and traffic officers supported by a police helicopter approached the suspects, who made off on the stolen moped. Jack Green drove dangerously fast through London with Tarik Oliveira in the pillion passenger seat, as they attempted to evade the officers in pursuit. After around 90 minutes, the moped collided with a bus in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton and the suspects fled on foot. They were detained shortly afterwards following a foot chase. Oliveira was found to be possession of five mobile phones - including the three stolen in Greenwich just before the pursuit. On Friday 12 October both men pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court. Jack Green, 22, of Southwark pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to steal; Aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving; Failing to stop after the scene of a collision; Failing to stop when required to do so by a police officer; Driving not in accordance with a licence and Driving without insurance. Tarik Oliveira, 19, also of Southwark, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to steal and Allowing to be carried on a stolen vehicle. After receiving credit for their guilty pleas, Green was sentenced to 28 months and Oliveira was sentenced to 26 months for his role. Detective Sergeant Mark Kelleher, from the Venice Investigation Team, said: 'Green and Oliveira embarked on a spree of snatches where victims on their mobile phones were targeted. The number 45 bus passes through Coldharbour Lane in Brixton, south London. The two suspects drove a stolen motorbike at high speed through London with police officers in pursuit before crashing into a bus and fleeing on foot (file image) Police on the streets in Brixton, where a the two moped thieves were apprehended after crashing into a bus on Coldharbour Lane 'They were reckless and risked the public's safety by making off at speed through busy London traffic when trying to evade police, eventually colliding with another vehicle before being arrested. 'Criminals on mopeds think they have the upper hand because of their ability to make off from the scenes of their crimes and from police at speed, by weaving through traffic. 'In this case, a combination of good quality CCTV coverage, specialist officers, and the police helicopter meant that they had few avenues of escape. 'The Venice Investigation Team is committed to ensuring that those who commit moped-enabled crime face the consequences of their reckless and dangerous acts.' Tory rebels have warned Philip Hammond that they intend to block his raid on pensions. The chancellor is being warned that his tax-raising budget does not have the support of the Commons. The opposition follows the chancellor's strongest signal yet that he is preparing to raid pension pots to fund extra health spending. Speaking on a trip to Bali, the Chancellor said that tax breaks given to those saving for retirement had become 'eye-wateringly expensive'. Phillip Hammond, above, has given his strongest signal yet that he could raid pension pots to fund the NHS in this month's autumn budget however his comments have sparked retaliation from Tory rebels [File photo] The comments fuelled speculation that he is planning yet another attack on pensions as he scrabbles for cash in this month's Budget. However his comments were not well received by the Conservative Party and prompted a row among MPs and business leaders. One told The Times: 'I think the Treasury thought it would be clever to have the budget now rather than December, close to the vote on any Brexit deal. But it turns out they've just rescheduled to slap bang in the middle of another Brexit mess.' The disagreement comes at a difficult time for Theresa May's majority which was under threat from the DUP this week. Workers currently pay no tax on income they put into a pension pot. Instead, they pay tax when the money is taken out in retirement. This means it costs a basic rate taxpayer 80 to save 100 into their pension, a higher rate taxpayer 60, and a top rate payer 55. Workers currently pay no tax on income they put into a pension pot, but this money is taxed when it is taken out for retirement. This stops workers being taxed twice (File photo) The tax break worth 39billion a year is offered to encourage responsible saving by workers for later life and to ensure their income is not taxed twice. The Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank has argued that 'it's not much of a relief it's merely tax deferred rather than tax saved'. But the Chancellor is understood to be considering plans to reduce the amount that can be saved tax free to help pay for a pledge to increase health spending by 20billion a year. Anyone earning less than 150,000 can currently save a maximum of 40,000 a year into their pension pot, tax free the so-called annual allowance. Mr Hammond could cut this to 30,000 or lower and bring the threshold down from 150,000 to 125,000. The annual allowance was cut from 255,000 to 40,000 by George Osborne. And the lifetime allowance the amount that can be saved tax free over a lifetime has been reduced from 1.8million to 1million. This is also under threat. Mr Hammond said at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Indonesia: 'My general feeling on pensions tax relief is that it is eye-wateringly expensive. 'We spend a huge amount of money on pensions tax relief but of course for many reasons we want people to save and have resilience in older age.' But former pensions minister Steve Webb, of investment manager Royal London, said: 'Pensions should be a long-term business, and the constant short-term tinkering and speculation undermines confidence in long-term saving.' Paul Johnson, director at the IFS think-tank, said: 'If you didn't give tax relief on contributions and continued to charge tax on pensions in payment that would quite simply constitute double taxation.' The Chancellor is understood to be considering plans to reduce the amount that can be saved tax free to help pay for a pledge to increase health spending by 20billion a year [File photo] Mr Hammond insisted he was a low-tax Tory despite figures showing the tax burden is heading to the highest level for 50 years on his watch. He said that, while the deficit has fallen from 153billion under Labour in 2009-10 to less than 40billion last year, the Government has made some 'very large commitments' to areas such as the NHS that need funding. 'I don't like raising taxes,' he said. 'But I also don't like out of control deficits. We have made some big spending commitments in line with what we know to be the public's priorities. 'The constraint is that I'm both a fiscal disciplinarian in that I expect to continue to focus on seeing debt fall as a percentage of GDP. I genuinely believe that lower taxes are good for the economy and good for our society. 'But of course we have to do that in a way that is consistent with supporting good quality public services.' Baroness Ros Altmann, a former pensions minister, said: 'Ongoing tinkering salami slices away the benefits of pensions. We need a period of stability so people can plan.' This is the shocking moment a woman falls to her death from the 27th floor of a high-rise block as she loses her balance while taking a selfie. The 27-year-old, named locally as Sandra Manuela Da Costa Macedo, went over a balcony railing she was leaning against as she took the snap. Sickening video footage showed her still holding the selfie stick as she plunged to the ground below. An onlooker filming the tragedy shouted: 'She's mad, there she goes, look at her, look at her, she's fallen.' The woman (white shirt) leans on the railings before attempting to take a selfie and falling Paramedics rushed to the scene, a building called the Luxor Tower in a popular neighbourhood of Panama City called El Cangrejo after the alarm was raised just after 10 am local time yesterday. The woman, initially identified as a Portuguese holidaymaker who had just arrived in Panama although a woman describing herself as a friend later took to social media to say she was a mother-of-two who had gone to the country to work as a teacher, was already dead when they arrived. Construction workers on a neighbouring tower block are said to have yelled at her to get down from the railing she was half-sat on before her death plunge, but strong winds blowing at the time meant she couldn't hear their warning cries. The Portuguese woman plummeted 27 floors and was pronounced dead on arrival of medics Local reports said the incident was still under investigation, but police were focussing on the theory that a gust of wind may have knocked her off balance. Panama's Fire Service published a warning on its official Twitter site after the tragedy which said: 'Don't risk your life for a selfie. It's more important to lose a minute in life than your life in a minute.' A Portuguese friend wrote on Instagram: 'This woman was a very good friend of mine, a mother of two children. She was a teacher and she was in Panama to work in her chosen profession. The Luxor Tower in a popular neighbourhood of Panama City called El Cangrejo 'She was Portuguese and called Sandra. Let's pray for her.' Another replied: 'It's sad to see a person like that, so full of life and wanting to look beautiful in a photo but not realising the place she's in is dangerous because of the wind.' A recent study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi found 259 people died while attempting to take a selfie between October 2011 and November 2017. Findings were published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. The study said more than 72 percent of the deaths were men, and drowning was the most common cause of death during a selfie-taking attempt. 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 This CCTV footage from a train station captures the last known moments of a young woman who mysteriously vanished without a trace almost eight weeks ago. NSW Police released the CCTV images on Saturday in their desperate search to find Sydney woman Beilin Zhang, 23, who concerned family and friends haven't seen or heard from since August. Also known as Elaine, Ms Zhang was reported missing to police on August 25 after her family overseas had not heard from her. This CCTV footage from Kiama train station from the early hours of August 20 is the last known movements of Sydney woman Beilin Zhang, 23 (pictured) Following inquiries, Elaine was last seen on CCTV footage leaving Kiama Railway Station south of Sydney about 3am on Monday August 20. She has since failed to return to her Wolli Creek home in Sydney's south. Police and her family hold serious concerns for her welfare. Beilin Zhang, also known as Elaine (pictured) hasn't been seen or heard from by family and friends since August 20 Elaine is described as of Asian appearance, about 160cm-165cm tall, of slim build with short bleached blonde hair (naturally black hair) and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a long white coat, black pants and gloves and may be in possession of a black handbag. Anyone with information on Elaines whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A young girl who was attacked by a shark has lost her leg. Hannah Papps, 12, from Melbourne, was savaged by a shark near Whitsunday Island in Queensland on 20 September. The school girl remains in a stable condition at Queensland Children's Hospital. Hannah Papps (right), 12, from Melbourne was savaged by a shark in Queensland has lost her leg Paralympic swimmer Ellie Cole shared a photo of her visit to Hannah, who was in a wheel chair on social media. 'Today she jumped in a wheelchair for the first time and I couldn't even keep up with her,' Ms Cole wrote. The 12-year-old's upper thigh had a large piece of flesh torn off by the shark at popular tourist spot Cid Harbour. Hannah was airlifted to the Mackay Base Hospital from the beach by CQ CareFlight paramedics in a critical but stable condition. Hannah was airlifted to the Mackay Base Hospital from the beach by CQ CareFlight paramedics in a critical but stable condition The 12-year-old's upper thigh had a large piece of flesh torn off by the shark at popular tourist sport Cid Harbour When loaded into the aircraft, Hannah gave rescuers a brave smile and a thumbs up. The shark attack occurred just 24 hours after 46-year-old Tasmanian tourist Justine Barwick was attacked near her yacht near Sawmill Bay in Queensland. At least two sharks have been killed in Cid Bay as they were caught on baited drum lines after the state government issued a catch and kill order, following the attacks. Thomas Humphreys, 22, of Ruskin Court, Farnworth, was sentenced yesterday for his part in the horror crash that killed 19-year-old Sophie Smith in May A man who loaned a high-performance BMW to a friend who then knocked down and killed a teenager while 'drifting' at a car meet has been jailed. Thomas Humphreys was jailed Friday after Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard he had loaned the BMW courtesy car to Scott Watkins. Watkins 24, knocked down and killed Sophie Smith, 19, with the 3-series BMW at the 'Magic Roundabout' car meet - a meeting of 'spontaneous, unauthorised' car enthusiasts driving 'high performance and modified' vehicles - on Europa Way Trafford Park, Manchester, on May 31. Seven people were injured in the crash, with two suffering injuries so severe they were left in a wheelchair. Humphreys, 22, tried to cover his tracks by claiming it had been stolen, the court heard. The BMW had been supplied to Humphreys, of Ruskin Court, Farnworth, as a courtesy car after he had smashed his own car up in a crash in Bolton. Witnesses said on the night of May 31 Humphreys was seen driving the BMW at speed and attempting to 'drift' the car around. Watkins 24, knocked down and killed Sophie Smith, 19, with the 3-series BMW at the 'Magic Roundabout' car meet He then loaned the car to Watkins shortly before the fatal crash took place. Afterwards 'cowardly' Humphreys fled the scene and went to his mother's house. He then telephoned the police and reported his BMW as stolen, in an attempt to cover his tracks. But his lies were uncovered, and he was swiftly arrested. He was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison and banned from driving for two years and six months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice, aiding and abetting dangerous driving, and dangerous driving at an earlier hearing. Insp Daniel Byrne, from GMP's Serious Collison Investigation Unit, said: 'This was an incredibly tragic incident in which a young woman's life was cut short, and my thoughts remain with Sophie's friends and family. Sophie Smith, 19, from Bury was killed when she was hit by the BMW driven by Scott Watkins that had been lent to him by Thomas Humphreys. Sophie's boyfriend Jordan Chidgey, 24, (pictured with Sophie) was seriously injured and has spent weeks in hospital 'Humphreys made the cowardly decision to flee the scene, and refused to face up to his actions by lying to police in an attempt to cover his tracks. 'I welcome this sentence today, as Humphreys will face the next 20 months in jail and must finally face the consequences of what he has done.' Watkins was jailed for nine years and nine months in August for causing death by dangerous driving and banned from the road for 14 years. He was charged with eight offences - causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving without insurance, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to stop at scene of a collision and failing to report an accident in June. There were additional sentences on the other counts but all will run concurrently. Scott Watkins, 24, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a licence and was sentenced to 9 years in prison and a 14-year driving ban In a victim personal statement read to the court, Sophie's stepfather, Harishchandra Patel said: 'We can never begin to put into words how we feel. I have been with Sophie's mum since Sophie was five years old and I have brought her up as my daughter. 'It is very difficult for the family to speak about that day. I still think: "No it's not happened, we will wake up from this, everything seems so surreal." 'I try to keep myself busy, but then I hear a certain song that reminds me of Sophie and I have to stop and compose myself. 'You should not have to organise funerals for your children and that was one of the hardest days for us and we couldn't wait for it to be over. 'We will never be able to see her get married, Sue will never help her pick a wedding dress, and I will never be able to walk her down the aisle. The road was sealed off by police after the crash on May 31, in which seven people were hit and Sophie was killed GVs of the scene were five people were seriously injured as they were hit by a car on Europa Way, Trafford 'We will never see Sophie's special smile again and that is due to the actions of the driver that night.' In another statement read to the court, Sophie's boyfriend, Jordan Chidgey, 24, said: 'I just want the driver of the vehicle which caused the collision to feel what we are feeling. I feel gutted and devastated. 'This has been especially difficult for me as a Sophie was not only my girlfriend but my best friend and my soul mate. I have since been confined to using a wheelchair and crutches and I have had to teach myself how to get out of bed on my own.' Judge Potter told Watkins the death of Sophie Smith and the serious injuries caused to four others 'lies squarely with you'. He described the crash as a 'grotesque act of selfishness'. Judge Potter said the case concerns an 'unauthorised and unregulated' car 'meet' or 'cruise'. He said a number of drivers had been executing manoeuvres 'particularly around roundabouts' such as the so-called Magic Roundabout. 'A considerable amount of driving was taking place that night which some observers described as creating an atmosphere of driving at excessive speed creating danger to themselves and others.' The judge reads a statement from a witness who says the event was getting out of hand and like 'Need for Speed'. Watching the cars shorty before the crash, he said: 'My teeth were gritted and my body was stiff thinking there was going to be a crash. 'Someone remarked that they thought something bad was going to happen. I agreed an was thinking of going home as I was getting scared.' In a tribute given before Watkins was jailed, Sophie's parents said: 'Whatever the sentence, it will not be long enough and will not take away the physical and mental pain that will continue along with further surgery and rehabilitation for the rest of their lives, which Watkins has caused, and nor will it bring Sophie back. 'Sophie's hugs and smile would light up the darkest moments and I just wish her here to do that now.' There was also very serious injuries caused to others in addition to causing the death of Sophie Smith. Floral tributes to Sophie Smith on Europa Way in Trafford Park, Greater Manchester. Scott Watkins, 24, sobbed as he pleaded guilty to causing the death of Sophie Smith, 19, in court Boyfriend Jordan suffered a broken pelvis and shattered kneecap among others and is in a wheelchair. Colin Burton suffered injuries including loss of kidney function, broken leg, arm, and is also in a wheelchair. Helen Lord suffered a broken nose, three lost teeth and bruising of her heart among other injuries. Sarah Morrison's injuries included a broken leg, severe lacerations to her head, legs and arms. Watkins told police officer that he felt suicidal on knowing that his actions may have caused the death of another. Mitigating, his defence lawyer Michael Brady said: 'He knows he will be receiving a substantial custodial sentence. He expresses sincere and genuine remorse for his actions. 'This has weighed heavily upon him and he carries the burden of guilty. The genuine remorse is the only mitigation he has.' Tiffany Parmar, 32, invested in her eyelash business but found a trademark application for its name was blocked by the US jewelry giant Tiffany & Co American jewelry giant Tiffany & Co have threatened a British mother called Tiffany with legal action after she included the name in her beauty business. Tiffany Parmar, 32, filed a trademark application for the brand name 'Cotswold Lashes by Tiffany' in April, but is being blocked by the famous firm which says it is too similar to its own. The company, which submitted a legal notice of opposition in August, says it will take any steps it considers necessary to protect its rights. Parmar's proposed brand name would be 'likely to cause confusion', it argued, and might bring their worldwide brand 'into disrepute'. The mother of two, from Gloucester, said she was fighting to be able to 'use my own name', and has written an open letter to the New York-based retailer. She wrote: 'Shame on you. I have no interest in competing with you, nor would I stand a chance. Tiffany, a mother of two from Gloucester, said she felt bullied by company and has written them an open letter 'As a very small business I'm so saddened to see that you found it necessary to go after me so aggressively for trying to do things the correct way and trademark my company name. 'I bet even Tiffany & Co had help along the way as a small venture. It's a shame you feel the need to squash people's dreams.' The beautician, whose children are aged one and two, set up 'Lashes by Tiffany' in 2014 at her home in Coney Hill Road, Gloucester. She has since invested 5,000 in plans to expand her business and her new venture is called 'Cotswold Lashes by Tiffany.' 'Cotswold Lashes by Tiffany' will sell eyelash glue and trays to other businesses and run a beauty training course Tiffany & Co was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young and moved to its iconic Manhattan headquarters at the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in 1906 She hopes to sell eyelash glue and trays to other businesses and launch a beauty training course. Tiffany & Co was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young in Brooklyn, Connecticut as a 'stationery and fancy goods emporium' and now has net sales of more than $1bn (757m) a year. The firm's lawyers say Parmar is taking 'unfair advantage of our client's registered marks'. The multi-billion dollar Tiffany & Co, headquartered in New York, has net sales of more than $1bn (757m) a year and counts high-profile stars such as Kim Kardashian West (pictured) among its customers But Parmar says she will not withdraw the application and could launch a fundraiser to pay for legal costs if Tiffany & Co take further action. She was 'shocked and really upset' to receive the warning from Tiffany's, she said, adding that her grandmother Audrey Davies, 80, had given her 600 to pay for the trademark application and she did not want to let her down by giving up. 'They're just bullying me out of it because they know I don't have the financial backing to pay for the costs,' she said. 'I just can't believe that a big multi-billion dollar company is bothered about little old Tiffany in Gloucestershire.' First lady Melania Trump has revealed that there actually was a message behind the infamous jacket with the words 'I really don't care, do you?' splashed across the back, which she wore on June 21, amid the unaccompanied migrant children crisis. At the time, the White House vehemently denied the wardrobe choice was anything more than a fashion statement, as the wife of President Donald Trump unexpectedly showed up for a visit to the Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter in McAllen, Texas. But now, in a sit-down interview with ABC's 20/20, Melanie told Tom Llamas that the message was 'for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.' She added: 'I want to show them that I don't care. You could criticize whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right.' When the first lady opted for the controversial look of the day, about 2,000 children remained separated from their families at the border, due to the administration cracking down on illegal entries, according to US Department of Homeland Security figures. Melania's now infamous jacket was first photographed as she boarded her plane at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on June 21, headed to Texas. She was criticized as being tone deaf with the outfit selection, given the tense situation as so many children remained separated from their parents and guardians, who had been detained while trying to enter the US. 'It was kind of a message, yes,' Melania told Llamas, contradicting the official White House word on the matter, from back in June. 'I would prefer that they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives [rather] than what I wear.' First lady Melania Trump has revealed that there actually was a message behind the infamous jacket with the words 'I really don't care, do you?' across the back, which she wore on June 21 in Texas, in an interview with ABC's 20/20 When she opted for the controversial look of the day for her trip to Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter in McAllen, Texas on June 21 (pictured here leaving andrews Air Rorce Base on her way to Texas), about 2,000 children remained separated from their families Figures show that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults between April 19 and May 31, breaking down to an average of 46 children per day being separated from their families. The separations were not broken down by age, and included separations for illegal entry, immigration violations, or possible criminal conduct by the adult. It was under a 'zero tolerance' policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that Department of Homeland Security officials began referring all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. US protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime when the parents are. The policy was so disliked by the public that the president ended it by executive order on June 20. Even so, Melania was the only senior administration official to visit multiple detention centers in June. She quickly dismissed previous suggestions that the words on the jacket had anything to do with the plight of the children she was visitng, and their families. 'It's obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children,' she said. 'I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane. After the visit, I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it.' The mass separation was due to President Donald Trump's administration cracking down on illegal entries, which he ended by executive order on June 20 'It's obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children,' Melania said, putting those rumors to bed There was also some discussion that the lettering on her jacket may have been a reference to not caring about stories of her husband's alleged extramarital affairs. But Melania put those rumors to bed, as well. 'It is not a concern and focus of mine,' she told Llamas, speaking about whether the accounts about the president's alleged infidelities have put a strain on their marriage. 'I'm a mother and a first lady and I have much more important things to think about and to do.' Melanie told Tom Llamas that the message was 'for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me,' adding, 'I want to show them that I don't care. You could criticize whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right' She's aware of what's being said, though, made apparent by the list she rattled off when asked what kinds of claims she had to endure. 'People say that I'm not happy in the White House, that I don't even live there and that I'm miserable in my marriage, that I'm out of touch,' she said. 'There are so many things I don't know where to start.' She added: 'I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip but I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines, getting advertisers and, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today.' Melania didn't say outright whether she thought the president had ever stepped outside the bounds of their relationship. The very private woman said one of the hardest things about her role, which she's been envisioning herself in since at least 1999 when she first gave an interview on what kind of first lady she might be, was possibly the lack of privacy that comes along with it. 'You're always under the microscope,' she said, adding that it's also been a difficult transition when it comes to spontaneous travel of any kind. 'I cannot freely move anymore,' Melania said, discussing the production required any time she has to go somewhere. But she made sure to let Llamas know that though she's restricted, she's happy where she is right now. 'I don't feel like a prisoner, I'm enjoying it,' she said. 'This will not last forever and it's a very special time.' Police were involved in a tense stand-off with a man who allegedly stormed into a brothel while armed with a gun and demanded cash. Hussein Ghamrawi, 41, allegedly entered the Villawood brothel, south west of Sydney, on Friday just after midday. Ghamrawi is accused of stealing cash after threatening an employee inside the bordello. Hussein Ghamrawi, 41, allegedly stormed into Villawood brothel, south west of Sydney on Friday with a gun and demanded money, just after midday Police located the man at an apartment on Cambridge Street in Gladesville, in the northern suburbs of Sydney at about 11pm on the same night. Mr Ghamrawi refused to leave the home, which led to an 11 hour stand-off with police. According to Ten Daily, neighbours heard loud knocks and shouts from police demanding him to come out of the unit. Mr Ghamrawi was understood to have been living sporadically in the garage of the unit, owned by his friend, The Daily Telegraph reports. Police successfully located the armed man at an apartment on Cambridge Street in Gladesville, in the northern suburbs of Sydney at about 11pm on the same night Police armed with a number of weapons made the move to arrest Mr Ghamrawi at 10am. The man fell to the ground as he was handcuffed as he struggled to escape officers who forced him in the back of a police vehicle. Mr Ghamrawi was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition late yesterday. He is expected to be charged once he is released from hospital. who is currently on dance show Strictly has been given extra securit y Katie Piper has powerfully shared her way of finding 'inner strength' on the same day her acid attacker is released from prison. On her Instagram, the 35-year-old said she was using 'meditation to stay calm and centred today' alongside the message: 'Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.' The quote by American dancer and social activist Katherine Dunham follows the release of Stefan Sylvestre, 30, who left Ms Piper with horrific burns in 2008. The thug, who was released from Highpoint jail, Suffolk, on the same day as Ms Piper's birthday, has been warned he is not to step foot in a designated 'exclusion zone' stretching around Katie's home. His release sparked a rush to surround the star with security and Strictly Come Dancing chiefs were given the go ahead to cover Katie with extra security, The Sun revealed. Katie Piper has shared a powerful message on the same day her acid attacker is released from prison. Pictured: Ms Piper seen with her bodyguard who is paid for by the BBC at Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals Her quote follows the release of Stefan Sylvestre- Katie Piper's acid attacker who jailed in 2009 after he attacked her in 2008 In 2009, Sylvestre was sentenced to a minimum of six years before becoming eligible for parole. In August, a distraught Katie Piper told fans she was having to come 'to terms' with the fact he was being released. Sylvestre attacked her in Golders Green, North London leaving her partially blind, with severe scarring to much of her body after throwing sulphuric acid at her face on the orders of her former partner Daniel Lynch in 2008. On her Instagram the 35-year-old posted the message: 'Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out' The obsessed fan who had a brief relationship with Piper, raped the aspiring model and presenter and ordered Sylvestre to attack her with acid. After a trial the following year, Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years at the age of 33. Sylvestre, then 20, received life with a minimum of six years. Ten years after her horrific ordeal, Ms Piper, now a mother-of-two, is starring on Strictly Come Dancing. A source told The Sun: 'Sylvestre's licence conditions include an exclusion zone which bars him from an area around Katie's address. Miss Piper (pictured aged 26) was a model and aspiring TV presenter when she had sulphuric acid thrown in her face Brave Katie Piper has carved out a successful career in television despite being scarred all over by a man on the orders of her jealous ex Mother-of-two Katie has moved on and become a success but admitted she struggled with the news her attacker was being let free Ms Piper is currently competing in the dance show Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1. Pictured with dance partner Gorka Marquez 'Any attempt to go near the Strictly studios in Hertfordshire would almost certainly also see him returned straight to jail. 'But although Sylvestre is banned from contacting Katie in any way, the simple fact that he's back in London will be of great concern to her.' Katie, who dreamed of being a model, had 40 operations after the sulphuric acid was chucked in her face. Sylvestre's release was recommended by the Parole Board despite the Justice Secretary's representatives advising the panel to move him to an open prison. The thug will have a curfew and is banned from contacting Katie. However, his hostel will be in the same city she resides in, in London. Advertisement Loved-up newlyweds Barbara Bush and Craig Coyne were treated to a futuristic party hosted by friends and family at a swanky Tribeca loft Friday night. Social media posts showed guests enjoying swings, light-up limbo and oracles telling fortunes at the glitzy bash held in their honor following their intimate Maine wedding on Sunday. Photographers outside snapped people arriving, and Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager surprised onlookers as she puffed away on a cigarette. Newlyweds: Photographs shared on social media inside the Tribeca loft show the loved-up couple celebrating with friends and family. Barbara appears to be giving a speech at the swanky party (left) Guests of honor: Barbara arrived carrying a large bunch of flowers from Whole Foods and a box of what appeared to be baked goods. Her new husband Craig Coyne is seen behind her Light her up! Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager surprised onlookers as she puffed away on a cigarette outside Letting her hair down: Jenna is seen smoking a cigarette outside the venue in Tribeca in New York City on Friday evening Cigarette break: The bash was reportedly hosted by Today host Jenna (seen smoking) and her husband Henry Chase Hager Arrival: Jenna is seen arriving at the bash for her twin sister Jenna and her new husband following their wedding on Sunday Bringing the glamor: Barbara's cousin Lauren Bush was spotted outside the venue in downtown Manhattan Friday night with her husband David Lauren The dress code encouraged sequins and new bride Barbara rose to the occasion in a plunging sparkling gown paired with black strappy sandals. She arrived carrying a large bunch of flowers from Whole Foods and a box of what appeared to baked goods. The bash was reportedly hosted by Today host Jenna and her husband Henry Chase Hager. An invite sent out via Paperless Post reads 'Join us to toast Barbara and Craig' and instructed guests that 'sequins [are] highly encouraged to get your groove on'. Among the guests spotted at the party were Barbara's glamorous cousin Lauren Bush and her husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren. Dancing queen: Barbara is seen (left) showing off her moves on the dance floor and with her sequin-clad friends (right) Futuristic bash: Social media posts showed guests enjoying swings (left), light-up limbo and bizarre oracles telling fortunes (right) Selfie time: Entrepreneur Rob Fishman shared this picture of himself and Barbara at the party in his Instagram stories Futuristic bash: A light-up limbo rope was pulled across the room (left) and oracles told guests' fortunes (right) Barbara and Craig kept their secret five-week engagement under wraps and got married in a small ceremony on Sunday at her family's estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. The blushing bride was walked down the aisle by her beaming father George W. Bush as her proud grandfather George H. W. Bush watched on. The couple revealed they rushed the wedding to make sure that Barbara's 94-year-old grandfather could see her walk down the aisle in Kennebunkpot before he makes his made his annual return to Houston for the winter. Her grandmother Barbara Bush passed away in her Houston home surrounded by family in April of this year. Dressed to impress: A party-goer wearing a long white dress and strappy heels is pictured outside the venue with Lauren Bush and her husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren Silver sequins: Guest Danielle Prescod is seen arriving at the newlyweds' bash in downtown Manhattan on Friday Colorful: A guest wearing a multicolored sequinned frock is spotted outside the venue in Tribeca, New York City Embracing the theme: Guests clad in sequins arrive at the swanky loft to celebrate the couple's nuptials Craig, a 37-year-old writer and Vanderbilt graduate, popped the big question August 25 on the Maine estate and in the same spot where Barbara's grandparents got engaged. He is a writer and former actor who has appeared in a handful of movies, including Jarhead (2005), and Unlovable (2018), as well as the web series Lonelygirl15 (2006). He also formerly worked as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving to Los Angeles. His writing career has seen him work on a live-action show for Comedy Central, pen the play Delusions of Grammar, and create web content and series with producers located in Los Angeles and the UK. Celebration! Barbara Bush and fiance Craig Louis Coyne tied the knot at her family's Maine estate last weekend (pictured), after keeping their engagement under wraps 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 Family affair: On Saturday morning, Jenna Bush shared this picture of her twin sister Barbara and her daughter Mila on the special day A man who allegedly raped a two-week-old baby has been moved to a secure unit at a prison hospital after being attacked by inmates. The 25-year-old was punched and kicked by prisoners at HMP Maghaberry in Northern Ireland after being arrested two weeks ago. The alleged rapist was being kept in a single cell on 24-hour guard in jail to 'stop other prisoners from attacking him'. Inmates at HMP Maghaberry in Northern Ireland such as murderers are being kept away from the 'Special Person at Risk' But despite being treated as a 'Special Person At Risk' - which means inmates such as terrorists and murderers are being kept away from him - he was still attacked. An inmate suspected of launching the attack has been stripped of privileges as a prison orderly. A source told The Sun said: 'It was a few digs, just for a few seconds. Then there was some panic and staff moved in to sort it out.' The child is being treated in intensive care at Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children The 25-year-old was arrested after an alleged sex attack on a 12-day-old infant at a home in the seaside village of Annalong area of Co Down. The child is being treated in intensive care at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. A desperate mother has appealed for help to raise 1million to treat her 'perfect baby boy' who has just days to live. Amber Schofield was told doctors could do 'no more' for Charlie Proctor, five, who suffers from Hepatoblastoma a rare childhood liver cancer. The mother has now blasted 'cruel' NHS bosses who allow a system which benefits 'rich families' over poor ones after Charlie was denied vital life saving treatment. Little Charlie Proctor, five, was told he had a 'maximum' of 14 days to live earlier this month But the five-year-old's parents, from Accrington in Lancashire, refused to give up when they were told he had a 'maximum' of 14 days to live. Instead, Ms Schofield and his father Ben Proctor found a doctor who is willing to treat Charlie if he can get to the US within the week. Ms Schofield, 24, said: 'We basically don't have the money to save our baby, how cruel is that. 'The NHS has stopped anything but pain relief and on Wednesday this week told us Charlie has a maximum of two weeks. 'We have to get him to America within the week. We have a week to save our brave and wonderful boy. 'The problem is, it costs, and we could sell everything we own and still be no closer.' Charlie was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a very rare form of liver cancer, in February 2016 The proposed treatment plan involves a liver transplant, which the NHS refused Charlie because it was not guaranteed to be successful. If the family are able to transport the five-year-old to Cincinnati in Ohio for the treatment, the procedure would cost around 1million. Ms Schofield said: 'We were expecting Charlie to make it until near the end of the year. Probably not Christmas, but we thought we'd have a bit more time. 'The news we have so little time came as a shock. It's broken us. My chest hurts from sobbing so hard. It just feels so unfair. 'The NHS have done a lot for us but this is where the road ends as far as they are concerned, and as a mother it is difficult to accept that my son will die purely because we aren't rich enough to save him. 'Cancer is a rich man's game. The more money you have, the more likely it is that your child will live. How is that fair?' Charlie has stage four of the cancer there is no stage five. His mother said: 'It makes me feel sick that he could die because we aren't rich. It makes me feel so helpless. His mother, Amber Schofield, now hopes to raise 1million to fund treatment which could save his life in Cincinnati, Ohio 'The NHS would not even try another round of chemotherapy. Because the cancer is in his liver, they believe the chemo will kill him before the cancer does. It is just a horrific situation to be in.' The treatment which is available at Cincinnati Children's Hospital would see doctors perform a liver transplant before blasting any remaining cancer cells with radiotherapy. It is believed to be highly successful - but because it is a private procedure, money must be paid in full and upfront. 'We are in a race against time,' she continued. 'At the moment Charlie is well enough to travel, but we don't know how long that will be for. 'We have to fly this week for him to still have time to have the procedure. It feels like a massive hill to climb but I will not give up. I can't.' The family are asking 500,000 people to donate 2 - the cost of a cup of coffee. Ms Schofield said: 'To many it's nothing, something you don't even think about spending. 'But it could mean life or death for my five-year-old.' The family are asking 500,000 people to donate just 2 each - the cost of a cup of coffee The 24-year-old also revealed how Charlie calls his cancer the 'monster inside his body.' She said he was devastated to learn the monster had come back earlier this month after he went into remission in May last year. 'It was heartbreaking to have to tell him. He looked me in the eyes and said 'Mummy is the monster back?' and I couldn't lie to him,' she said. 'He has been fighting this since the age of 2. He is just incredible. And we thought we were getting somewhere but it is back and it is more aggressive than ever. 'He should be in his second year of school now, but he is in a hospital bed. We have had to lie to him and tell him it is the school holidays still. 'He cries to put his uniform on. He is scared that his friends will forget him. 'I'm terrified I'm going to lose him.' Charlie was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at Blackburn Royal Hospital in February 2016 after his parents noticed his stomach had begun to harden and his veins were visible. The only treatment available in the UK for this type of childhood cancer, which affects fewer than one in a million, is chemotherapy, which Charlie has had more than 20 rounds of. The five-year-old underwent an operation at Birmingham Children's Hospital in May 2017 to remove the tumours in his liver, and he was then told he was in remission. But earlier this month Charlie began developing rashes, and it was confirmed at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital that he had several small tumours in his liver, the Sun reported. The family has set up a JustGiving page to raise the funds for Charlie's treatment. President Donald Trump has vowed 'severe punishment' for Saudi Arabia if the kingdom is found to be responsible for a journalist who went missing at its consulate. In a forthcoming interview with 60 Minutes, an excerpt of which was published on Saturday, Trump spoke about the October 2 disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and fierce critic of the crown, was last seen entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey to deal with a paperwork matter. 'As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes,' Trump said of Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump spoke with 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl for a forthcoming interview set to air on Sunday Journalist Jamal Khashoggi is seen in a 2014 file photo. He as last seen entering the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey on October 2 'They deny it in every way you can imagine,' he continued. 'In the not too distant future I think we will know an answer.' Trump said that potential sanctions would have to be carefully considered due to potential impacts on US jobs, mentioning a massive 2017 Saudi order for $110 billion worth of US military equipment. Senators from both parties have called for the deal to be reviewed or cancelled in light of alleged Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. 'I'll tell you what I don't want to do,' Trump said, 'I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that. And you know what, there are other ways of punishing.' 'There's a lot at stake,' Mr. Trump continued, 'And, maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something, you'll be surprised to hear me say that, there's something really terrible and disgusting about that if that was the case.' 'We're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment,' he added. Khashoggi, 59, was last seen on surveillance video entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get marriage paperwork as his fiancee waited outside, and was never seen leaving. Despite there being a number of visible CCTV cameras - ringed in red - Saudi Arabia claims none of them worked on the day in question and that Khashoggi left without being filmed Journalist Jamal Khashoggi (right) arrives at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2 in the last known footage before he disappeared On Friday, Turkish newspaper Sabah claimed that Khashoggi may have recorded his own torture and death inside the consulate on his Apple Watch He turned on the device's recording function before entering and his 'interrogation, torture and killing were audio recorded and sent to both his phone and to iCloud', the newspaper claimed. Security forces leading the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance found the audio file on the phone he had left with his fiancee, according to the paper. Fiancee Hatice Cengiz, 36, waited outside the embassy for him for hours, but he never emerged. Hatice Cengiz, 36, who waited outside for hours for her fiance Khashoggi to return, has spoken of being left in a 'state of deep confusion and sadness' That account supports another report from the Washington Post, which said that conversations between those involved in Khashoggi's alleged assassination were recorded at the consulate - but it was not clear from that report how these recordings had been made or later found. An insider told the newspaper: 'The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered. 'You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.' The Post has cited sources saying that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, dismembered, and the body ferried out in pieces in cars with diplomatic plates. There were also reports that a team of Saudi agents had flown into Istanbul on a private jet, and may have smuggled Khashoggi, alive or dead, back to the kingdom. The Saudi Arabian government has strenuously denied claims that it was involved in Khashoggi's death, calling them 'lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom.' Riyadh faces a chorus of international calls to shed light on what happened to the Washington Post columnist, and business leaders have already shunned the regime. Billionaire mogul Richard Branson suspended talks with the kingdom over a proposed $1 billion investment in Virgin Galactic. Fracking for shale gas in the UK has been delayed yet again - this time because of the weather. Work was expected to get under way near Blackpool, Lancashire, today but energy firm Cuadrilla said fracking had been postponed until Monday as the region felt the effects of Storm Callum. A spokesman for Cuadrilla said on Saturday: 'Due to the weather conditions yesterday afternoon and this morning, we will now start pumping on Monday. Campaigners protest outside Cuadrilla's Preston New Road fracking site near Blackpool Work was expected to get under way today after an environmental campaigner failed in a High Court bid to block operations But energy firm Cuadrilla said fracking had been postponed until Monday as the region felt the effects of Storm Callum. The site was waterlogged on Friday, above Anti-fracking protesters gather around a stove in a small shelter near the entrance to the drill site 'In high winds we couldn't use the crane to manoeuvre some equipment into place.' Work was due to go ahead after an environmental campaigner failed in a High Court bid to block operations over fears the process could cause another earthquake. Fracking for shale gas was ceased in the UK in 2011 after one tremor of magnitude 2.3 hit the Fylde coast on April 1, followed by a second of magnitude 1.4 on 27 May. At a hearing in London on Friday, Mr Justice Supperstone dismissed Bob Dennett's application for an injunction preventing the company from fracking the UK's first horizontal shale gas. Bob Dennett (pictured) claimed Lancashire County Council's emergency response planning and procedures at the site are inadequate But the judge ruled there was not a 'serious issue' to be tried which would justify an interim order. Pictured: Protesters stand alongside Mr Dennett at the High Court in London Mr Dennett claimed Lancashire County Council's emergency response planning and procedures at the site are inadequate, but the judge ruled there was not a 'serious issue' to be tried which would justify an interim order. In a statement after the ruling, Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan said: 'We are delighted to be starting our hydraulic fracturing operations as planned. We are now commencing the final operational phase to evaluate the commercial potential for a new source of indigenous natural gas in Lancashire. 'If commercially recoverable, this will displace costly imported gas with lower emissions, significant economic benefit and better security of energy supply for the UK.' Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday, Mr Dennett said: 'We have been advised that there are two clear errors in this judge's determination that leave the way open for us now to take this to the Court of Appeal, which is what we are obviously going to do. Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan, pictured above, speaking at the site in Little Plumpton, said of the court hearing: 'I think it's a last-gasp attempt at trying to slow the process, but this is going to go ahead' 'We remain defiant. This started in Lancashire and we are going to finish this in Lancashire. 'I'd like to say a really big thank-you to our legal team, they have worked so hard for so long. 'We didn't get the result we were looking for, but we will fight on.' President Donald Trump has met with Andrew Brunson, the American pastor freed after nearly two years of detention in Turkey. Brunson, 50, arrived in the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon after being freed from a Turkish prison on Friday and flying to Germany for a medical checkup at a U.S. military hospital. 'From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, that's not bad,' Trump said as he introduced Brunson to the press. Bruson thanked Trump and officials in his administration, as well as senators who had worked toward his release. The pastor then knelt and placed his hand on Trump's shoulder to offer a blessing. Brunson knelt and placed his hand on Trump's shoulder to offer a blessing in the Oval Office The Evangelical pastor prayed for Trump and asked God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon him 'Lord God I ask that you pour out your Holy Spirit on President Trump, that you give him supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country and for him,' Brunson prayed. 'I ask that you give him wisdom and help to lead this country into righteousness. I ask that you give him perseverance, and endurance and courage to stand for truth. I ask that you protect him from slander from enemies, from those who would undermine,' the pastor continued. Brunson's wife Norine then offered up her own brief prayer, and Trump graciously thanked the couple. Turning jocular, Trump pointed at Norine and asked who she voted for in the last election, before laughing and pointing to himself. 'I would like to say that I sent in an absentee ballot from prison,' Brunson said, to laughter from the room. Brunson and his wife Norine (left) both prayed for Trump and thanked the administration Trump turned jocular, asking who the Brunsons had voted for in the last presidential election 'It's a little unfair, I knew the answer,' Trump joked to the press after asking about voting 'It's a little unfair, I knew the answer,' said Trump. 'I would never do that to myself, it could be too tough.' Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Erdogan for Brunson's release and called it a 'big step' in relations between the two countries. Brunson declined to comment on his treatment behind bars for two years in Turkey, where he was held for over a year without charges. Eventually he was accused of connections to a 2016 failed military coup and links to a banned group, supposedly because police found pictures of a certain suspicious rice dish on Brunson's phone. He had faced up to 35 years in prison if convicted of the charges, which came during political purges following the attempted coup. Erdogan openly offered to trade Brunson to the US for exiled Islamic cleric Fetulah Gulen, a deal that Trump rejected. In the Oval Office, Brunson expressed his profound love for America, saying that when the US ambassador to Germany greeted his plane and presented him with a US flag that had flown over the embassy, Brunson was moved to kiss it. 'I love this country and we pray for this country,' Brunson said. Trump was flanked by top foreign police officials and many of Brunson's religious colleagues also joined the meeting in the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson shakes hands with Trump in the Oval Office Saturday Trump walks with Pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife Norine Brunson at the White House After meeting Brunson, boarded Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base to travel to Richmond, Kentucky to attend a rally Trump waves as he prepares to board Air Force One en route to Kentucky for a 'Make America Great Again' rally in Richmond Trump said that it was purely coincidental that Brunson had been released so soon after the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi Arabian citizen and critic of the kingdom who is feared dead after disappearing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Trump said the prospects of Khashoggi still being alive were 'not looking good'. Brunson, an Evangelical Presbyterian minister, lived in Turkey for 25 years with his wife and children. He says he now plans to return to his home in North Carolina and spend time with his wife and children after the long separation. US pastor Brunson arrives at Adnan Menderes airport in Izmir, after being freed The trial of pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (pictured), which has huge implications for U.S.-Turkey relations, ended Friday with an order to release him a move that allows him to go home The President then tweeted that 'no deal' was struck for Brunson's release A Turkish court on Friday convicted Brunson of only the terrorism charges, and the government then freed the evangelical pastor allowing him to return home. The North Carolina native had rejected the charges and strongly maintained his innocence. In a follow-up tweet the President made it clear that no deal was struck in order get to secure Brunson's release. 'There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I don't make deals for hostages. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!' The U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, tweeted that he presented Brunson and his wife with an American flag when they arrived in Germany, and the diplomat says Brunson 'immediately kissed it.' President Donald Trump told reporters in Ohio that Brunson will soon meet with him in the Oval Office US pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (down L), is escorted to his home in Izmir, Turkey, before heading to the airport to board a US military plane to begin his journey back to the United States after a court freed him Speaking in Ohio on Friday, Trump told reporters that it was 'good news' and he understands that Brunson is 'in good shape.' Trump has long pressed Turkey for the pastor's release. 'He's going to be coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday,' the president said in Ohio. 'But we're very honored to have him back here with us. He suffered greatly but we're very appreciative of a lot of people, a lot of people.' 'We went through a system and we got him out. We tried to get him out for a long time. This has nothing to do with anything and there's no deal there at all, there's no deal,' he insisted. The White House said it was still 'deeply concerned about the continued detention of other United States citizens in Turkey and around the world, and urge the resolution of all these cases in a transparent and fair manner.' The Turkish court's decision to lift judicial controls meant that evangelical pastor Brunson, at the heart of a diplomatic spat between the two countries, can leave Turkey and return to the United States. Brunson's arrest in 2016 sparked a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the Trump administration, which had threatened new sanctions against the Erdogan government. A U.S. embassy official escorted Norine Brunson, the wife of Andrew Brunson, before his trial in Izmir, Turkey, early Friday, October 12 US pastor Andrew Brunson (C) travels in a police vehicle escorted by Turkish police as he enters Aliaga Prison Court at Aliaga District in Izmir President Donald Trump tweeted after international press reported the verdict that he was '[w]orking very hard on Pastor Brunson!' He later added in a second tweet: 'My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!' And then a third hit Twitter: 'PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!' Fahrettin Altun, communications director for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, insisted that Turkish courts are independent from governments, including Trump's. 'We would like to remind him once again that Turkey is a democratic country with the rule of law, and that Turkish courts are independent, he told reporters. 'No body, authority, office or person may issue orders or instructions to the courts or to judges in the exercise of their powers.' President Donald Trump tweeted after international press reported Brunson's release that he was '[w]orking very hard on Partor Brunson, later adding his 'thoughts and prayers' and a prediction that he will have a safe return to the United States Pamela Brunson, 75, the mother of the pastor, was at her home in Black Mountain, a town in North Carolina near Asheville, when she learned of the news from a Reuters reporter calling about the court's decision. 'They have?' she said, her voice quavering. 'Well, we were at an all-night prayer meeting during the trial and we got home and we fell asleep. We were up all night. Praise God! I'm so excited! Oh that's wonderful! Thank you so much for letting us know. We're so happy.' She brought her husband, Ron, near the phone as the reporter read aloud some of a published Reuters report about the proceedings in Turkey. 'We are overjoyed that God has answered the prayers of so many people around the world,' she said. In Turkey, witnesses said Brunson wept as the decision was announced. Before the judge's ruling, the pastor told the court: 'I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey.' The fourth hearing of the case against Brunson took place in a prison complex near the western Turkish city of Izmir. Brunson, an evangelical pastor accused of terror-related charges and espionage, arrived in a secured convoy before daybreak. He had faced up to 35 years in jail. Brunson, 50, has lived in Turkey for more than two decades. He rejected the charges and strongly maintained his innocence. He is one of thousands caught up in the widespread government crackdown that followed a failed coup against the Turkish government in July 2016. Prosecutors accused Brunson of committing crimes on behalf of terror groups, linking him to outlawed Kurdish militants and a network led by a US-based Turkish cleric who is accused of orchestrating the coup attempt. The U.S. maintained that he was being held unjustly, and repeatedly called for his release. The new hearing came at a time of a new but growing alignment between the U.S. and Turkey over the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who lived in America and who is feared to have been killed inside the Gulf kingdom's Istanbul consulate. Turkish police sources have leaked information to a number of news outlets that the Turkish government believes that the Saudi Arabian government ordered Khashoggi's murder. Some commentators have suggested that in order to procure America intervention - particularly against the Saudis, who Trump considers a firm ally Turkey should release all of its American hostages starting with Pastor Brunson. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Thursday that the US was hopeful he will soon go free, but said she was unaware of any agreement for his release. A car carrying Norine Brunson, wife of pastor Andrew Brunson, arrives at the Aliaga Prison and Courthouse complex in Izmir Turkish security officials stand outside a courthouse before a convoy with US pastor Andrew Brunson sitting inside a car arrives for his trial in Izmir Norine Brunson wife of American pastor Andrew Brunson, departs for her husband's court hearing. Brunson has been under house arrest in Izmir, Turkey while awaiting trial President Trump has posted a number of tweets about Brunson's case, demanding his release and threatening sanctions on Turkey The pastor, who is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, was imprisoned for nearly two years detained in October 2016 and formally arrested in December that year before being placed under house arrest on July 25 for health reasons. The court's decision failed to improve tensions between the two NATO allies and Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish officials and doubled tariff on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. Those moves in August, coupled with concerns over the government's economic management, helped trigger a Turkish currency crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted demands for Brunson's release, insisting that the courts are independent. But he had previously suggested a possible swap of Brunson and the Pennsylvania-resident Fethullah Gulen - the cleric accused of being behind the coup. Turkish police officers stand near the residence of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who is being held under house arrest in Izmir Official car of Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Turkey Jeffrey M. Hovenier (not pictured) arrives to visit US pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been accused of abetting terrorist groups and supporting Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed for the failed coup attempt in 2016 A person involved in efforts to free Andrew Brunson say the 50-year-old pastor from North Carolina could be freed at his next court appearance on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because officials had not yet reached a final agreement on the release and it could still fall through Brunson led a small congregation in the Izmir Resurrection Church. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, with representatives monitoring the trial, has listed him as a 'prisoner of conscience.' William Devlin, an evangelical pastor from New York spoke to reporters outside the prison, saying hundreds of thousands of Christians are praying for Brunson's release. Brunson's lawyer took the case to Turkey's highest court last week seeking his release. Houston teacher Tiffany Scott, 27 (pictured), who is black, has been fired A Houston teacher has been fired after she unleashed a racist rant on a Hispanic couple, following a minor traffic accident. Tiffany Scott, 27, got into a fender bender with engaged couple Kimberly Lopez and Jose Sanchez on Tuesday, which led to the black educator being caught on camera shouting at them. 'You swam here with the rest of your family,' Scott said in the video, among other things. Lopez, whose Facebook account is listed as Kimberly Sanchez, shared the short clips on social media, which resulted in Scott being fired from KIPP Voyage Academy for Girls. Lopez was also arrested on an assault charge, after allegedly swatting the phone out of Lopez's hand, the Houston Chronicle reported. She later apologized for her remarks, adding that she was responding to a similar comment about swimming, made by the couple, who she said also spat on her, which they denied. WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE The video was allegedly taken after Scott left the scene of the accident, but then returned. Scott, who is from Miami, told the Chronicle that when she made the comment about swimming, she was responding in kind to something Sanchez and Lopez had said to her. 'They asked me if I swam from Africa to Houston,' she said. 'My intentions was never to bring any other race down, so I want to go ahead and apologize for that.' Lopez, whose Facebook account is listed as Kimberly Sanchez, shared the short clips on social media, which resulted in Scott (pictured) being fired from KIPP Voyage Academy for Girls The video was taken after Scott allegedly left the scene of the accident, but then returned But moments after Scott's swimming comment, she makes the choice to cast doubt on the citizenship status of Lopez and Sanchez. 'You have kids here so that made you a USA citizen? Right,' Scott says, seemingly aware that she is being videotaped. In a second clip, Scott insults not only Hispanic people in general, but specifically the children she teaches, with reference to Lopez and Sanchez. She says something about Mexico, but the first part of her sentence is cut off. Sanchez can then be heard off-camera saying, 'Yeah, we make them in Mexico... oh yeah, we f***ing make them in Mexico.' Then Scott replies, 'No, they don't. I teach all ya'll dumb-a** kids, ya'll dont.' Houston police arrived on the scene at around 6.40pm on Tuesday, department spokesperson Jodi Silva said, after receiving a call about an 'accident with a disturbance.' 'You swam here with the rest of your family,' Scott said in the video, among other things Scott was eventually arrested on an assault charge. Both Lopez and Sanchez deny making racially motivated comments toward Scott, and say they didn't spit on her. The video clips were first posted to Snapchat, but then uploaded to Facebook. Lopez later removed the records from public view, due to comments from others users, Sanchez said. Before they were removed, however, KIPP was made aware of them and immediately fired Scott. 'You have kids here so that made you a USA citizen? Right,' Scott says, seemingly aware that she is being videotaped, before saying, 'I teach all of y'all dumb-a** kids' in a second clip 'Wednesday morning, we were made aware of a video being shared on social media where a KIPP employee is observed making racially insensitive and inappropriate comments while off-campus,' KIPP Regional Superintendent Daniel Caesar wrote in a statement. 'We acknowledge the many social media supporters who shared their concerns. We value each and every student and family that is a part of the KIPP network, and we do not tolerate discriminatory remarks of any kind. 'KIPP Texas Public Schools is committed to taking swift action in situations such as these, and we remain committed to our mission of preparing our students for choice-filled lives as they continue on the path to and through college.' Scott said that she's not a racist, and is contemplating litigation. 'I made sure that, when I came to Houston, I gave 100 percent and I made sure that every child I taught knew that Ms. Scott loved them,' she said. Scott had been teaching at KIPP for two years before she was fired. A scientist has discovered a new rift in an Antarctic glacier which measures 19 miles long and, if it breaks off whole, could result in a new, 115-square-mile long iceberg that's big enough to get a name. Stef Lhermitte, an assistant professor in the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing, first saw the enormous crack in the ice on October 3. He told Scientifc American that he discovered the rift while looking through batches of satellite images of West Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier which he is emailed daily. Scientist Stef Lhermitte discovered a new rift in an Antarctic glacier on October 3, which he discovered while analyzing satellite images he receives on a daily basis He tweeted out satellite images of the Pine Island Glacier in September, which shows no crack He then tweeted out a satellite image from October 1, with arrows pointing to the new rift 'All of a sudden I saw something I didn't see the day before,' he said. What that was, was an almost 19-mile-long rift that had formed in the middle of the ice shelf. Lhermitte said that the rift only needs to split another six miles before the glacier starts to 'calf' when chunks of ice break off from its edge. Lhermitte is an assistant professor in the Netherlands' Delft University of Technology Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing Should the iceberg break off in one piece, as opposed to several smaller splinters, Lhermitte expects the new iceberg will measure 115 square miles across, the equivalent of more than five times the size of Manhattan. On Twitter, Lhermitte wrote that this upcoming calving would be sixth largest calving event since 2001. If the calving should produce an iceberg big enough, he said, it'll get a name. Lhermitte stated that this Pine Island Glacier rift as well as previously formed rifts 'are typically occurring in locations with basal crevasses (crevasses at the bottom of the ice shelf in contact with the ocean) where the ice shelf is thinner.' In other words, where the ice meets warmer ocean water, which melts the glacier from beneath. Lhermitte told Scientific American he anticipates that the iceberg could break off anywhere from a few weeks to months from now, due to the rift spanning almost the entire glacier. He thinks it will likely happen sometime during the Antarctic summer, which runs from December to February, when temperatures have been known to get as high as 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Should the newly-formed iceberg stay in the water near where it breaks off, Lhermitte said that it will likely stay solid. But, should it drift north, towards warmer waters, it would melt. The Pine Island Glacier is said to be calving icebergs at a higher rate than ever before. Lhermitte said that if the entire 19-mile-long rift breaks off, the new starting line for the Pine Island Glacier will be four miles back from where it currently stands. This image shows the where the glacier broke in 2017 and where it is expected to break again soon In September 2017, this 26km rift produced an iceberg that was 103-square-miles long These images from 2015 (left) and 2017 reveal the changing frontline of the Pine Island Glacier A look at an 18-mile-long crack on the Pine Island Glacier as seen in October 2011 Previous calvings occurred with generous amounts of time in between them. There was a calving in January 2001, with the next one occurring in November 2007, followed by a calving in December 2011. Comparatively, there were two calvings in the last three years one in August 2015 and another in September 2017, which produced an iceberg that was 103-square-miles long. When this new calving occurs, the Pine Island Glacier's new front line could be where the rift began, nearly four miles back from where its edge currently is. While calving is seen as a natural process, it is said to be concerning that the Pine Island Glacier is calving so frequently, as Lhermitte said that ice shelves help stop glaciers from flowing unimpeded into the ocean. Without ice shelves, enormous amounts of Antarctic ice would flow into the ocean, potentially resulting in the sea level rising by yards, Mashable reported. The Washington Post reported that the Pine Island Glacier loses 45billion tons of ice each year, resulting in a sea level rise of .03 inches every eight years. Should the glacier completely melt, sea levels would rise by 1.7 feet. A 12-inch sea level rise would lead to chronic flooding of coastal cities and communities, as well as drive salt water further inland, contaminating drinking water and impacting farming, according to How Stuff Works. Higher sea levels are also said to result in stronger storm surges and more severe high tides. Terrified residents have been forced to lock themselves in their own homes as police rounded up a swarm of youths wreaking havoc on their street. For the second time in as many weeks, police were called to Banjo Paterson Park in Melbourne's south-eastern suburb of Lynbrook on Saturday night to usher dozens of rampaging youths, predominantly African-Australians, onto trains. As locals hid, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was vocal in his criticism of Victoria Police's leniency, saying youths will continue to treat authorities with contempt unless arrests are made. Dozens of police have ushered as many as 100 youths away from homes and onto trains at Lynbrook Train Station It's the second time in as many weeks police were called to the suburb, after riot squads (pictured) were called to another incident on October 3 Police were called to the park on Saturday evening at around 7:30pm after reports of chanting and public intoxication. One female resident told the Herald Sun she was expecting a fight to break out at any minute. The youths were reportedly approached by police with their batons drawn and ushered to Lynbrook Railway Station, about a ten-minute walk away. One man was seen being put in the back of a police van. Frightened locals watched through their windows as the scene was returned to tranquility about four hours later. Officers were called to the park on Saturday night after reports of chanting and drinking One resident saying they had 'never had this issue here before'. But fewer than two weeks ago, on October 3, police were called to the exact same park after a report of African youth gang violence. On that night, at least 25 riot squad officers were seen near the railway station and the reserve where the youths were loitering. They were called on reports of violence and assault, but later said no arrests were made and no victims had come forward. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott slammed Victoria Police, accusing them of 'pussy footing' around youth and gang crime in Melbourne 'Looks the same group of people that were here a couple of weeks ago are back again,' one local wrote on Facebook Saturday night, leading to concerns for re-offenders. Mr Abbott has led the criticism of Victoria Police, accusing them of 'pussy footing' around youth and gang crime in Melbourne. 'The problem is that there seems to be a few hundred youngsters in outer metropolitan Melbourne who treat the police with contempt,' Mr Abbott said. Legislation was introduced earlier in the year, which restricts youths with no prior convictions from associating with known gang members. A painting that was featured on Antiques Roadshow 30 years ago and sold in July this year has been revealed to be a stolen piece. 'Portrait of Mary Emma Jones' by Emma Sandys, a 19th-century English Pre-Raphaelite painter from Norwich, was stolen a week after the show was broadcast in January 1988. The portrait piece was valued at 20,000 by the show's experts and newspaper reports from the time show it was snatched a week later. Christie's auction house is now involved in tense negotiations with the former owner's daughter after they sold the 1874 painting for 62,500 with the 69-year-old thinking it was lost forever. The painting, oil on board, from 1887 was valued at 20,000 before being sold for 62,500 It is allegedly trying to buy the silence of the family from whom it was stolen by making an offer of 10,000 in exchange for them surrendering their claim and signing a confidentiality agreement. Jan Davey, 69, daughter of the late owner, told The Times that her family rejected the offer as it was too low. The famous auction house is still holding the oil painting and say they won't release it until a settlement can be reached with the family. Christie's catalogue entry for the painting described it as 'recently rediscovered' and an example that bore 'all the hallmarks of Emma's mature style'. It gave no information about the provenance, listing it only as 'the property of a private collector'. Met Police art specialists believe that the thieves tuned in to watch Antiques Roadshow the week before the painting was stolen from the house in Norwich. Presenter, Fiona Bruce now fronts Antiques Roadshow, pictured here on the 40th anniversary Richard Ellis, former head of the art and antiques squad with the Metropolitan Police, told The Times: 'When I was at the Yard it was always stated that the Antiques Roadshow was what the criminals watched on television, more to appreciate what things were and their values so that if they were in a house they would be able to recognise them. 'If you appear on the show you need to make sure you've got adequate protection because you're running a flag up the mast to say, this is what I've got.' Ms Davey said that she and her father, the antiquarian bookseller David Ferrow, both thought that the thieves had recognised the painting from the programme. She recalled that she and her father had been out at a local casino when the thieves struck. 'We came back on the Saturday night and everything had gone. As soon as we got in the hall there were no pictures on the wall. We ran down the corridor and there were no pictures anywhere. The next day, putting two and two together, it was pretty obvious. The week before it had been on the TV.' Mr Ferrow had arranged for a friend to take the painting for valuation when the show visited the town's marina in May 1987, she said. 'He knew it was worth something and he wanted to know how much.' He received an insurance payment for the robbery, in which thieves also took a collection of Toby jugs and 3,000 in cash that he kept in the pocket of an apron, but ownership of the painting was not necessarily transferred to the insurance company because it was not named in the claim. Christie's said that it had checked whether the painting was listed as stolen in the Art Loss Register database but that it was absent. The register was not set up until the 1990s. 'We are working to resolve this with all parties and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment,' a spokeswoman told the paper. 'Christie's would never knowingly sell any work of art without correct title.' An Oklahoma cardiologist was allegedly drunk when he hit and killed a motorcyclist early on Friday morning, before fleeing the scene in both his car and on foot. Dr. Bryan Frank Perry, with the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, is said to have hit 31-year-old Nicholas Rappa around 1.30am on 1-35 in Edmond, Oklahoma. 'The Mercedes driver ran into the rear of the motorcycle rider,' Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain Paul Timmons said to KFOR. Dr. Bryan Frank Perry, with the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, (left) is said to have hit 31-year-old Nicholas Rappa (right) around 1.30am on 1-35 in Edmond, Oklahoma 'The Mercedes driver ran into the rear of the motorcycle rider,' Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain Paul Timmons said 'The driver of the Mercedes continue on northbound, ran off the road on the east side of the interstate where he struck a light pole, which caused he vehicle to become disabled.' Perry then was said to have jumped out the vehicle, running until he was stopped by officers. It is believed that the man was drinking. 'There were strong indicators of that. A field sobriety tests were given, some other information and evidence that was located at the scene of the crash,' Timmons added. Perry then was said to have jumped out the vehicle, running until he was stopped by officers Perry is being charged with first-degree manslaughter, DUI and various other charges. Officials are investigating the accident but are seeking the public's help in learning about the doctor. Perry is being charged with first-degree manslaughter, DUI and various other charges. The cardiologist has a slew of other speeding violations that have occurred in both Canada and Oklahoma 'Anybody that spend time with him that day, that evening people that know, people that may have seen that vehicle on the interstate prior to this accident or even after the accident,' said Timmons. The hospital where Perry worked, released a statement offering their condolences for the family but asserted that they had doctors ready to meet with his patients. 'Everyone at Oklahoma Heart Hospital extends our deepest sympathy to all loved ones of the motorcyclist killed in the accident involving Dr. Bryan Perry,' the hospital said in a statement. 'In this time of shock, we assure the public that all patient care in which Dr. Perry was participating is being managed by other providers. We extend our thoughts, prayers and profound regret to all involved in this tragedy.' Perry has six other speeding violations from 2005 to 2016, including some in Canada. The doctor had a reckless driving arrest in 2012 after he allegedly hit a trooper. At the time of the incident, court documents say that Perry was 'extremely unsteady on his feet, had a very strong odor of alcohol about his breath and person and had extremely slurred speech.' Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean bishops who are implicated in the South American country's ever-worsening sexual abuse crisis, the Vatican said on Saturday. The Vatican named the first man as Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus, 84, who was archbishop emeritus of the city of La Serena - capital of the northern Coquimbo Region. The second was Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez, 53, who was archbishop emeritus of Iquique - capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapaca Region. A Vatican statement in Spanish said the pope's decision was definitive and not open to appeal. It referred to a part of Canon law related to the crime of sexual abuse of minors. Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus, 84, who was archbishop emeritus of the city of La Serena has been defrocked by Pope Francis Defrocking, officially called 'reduced to the lay state', means they have been expelled from the priesthood. It is the harshest punishment the Church can inflict on a member of the clergy and such action has rarely been taken against bishops. Last month Pope Francis ordered the defrocking of Chilean Reverend Cristian Precht Banados, 77, a man accused of sexually abusing minors and who had already been suspended from priestly duties in 2012. Francis then defrocked Father Fernando Karadima, an 88-year-old Chilean priest who was accused of sexually abusing teenage boys over a period of many years. Chile has been hit by one of the worst sexual abuse crises in the Catholic Church, a scandal that prompted all of the country's 34 bishops to offer their resignation to the pope last May. He has so far accepted seven. Last month Pope Francis defrocked Chilean reverend Cristian Precht (L) and Chilean priest Fernando Karadima (R) both for allegations relating to the sexual abuse of minors Cox and Ordenes were not among the 34 because, although they still had the clerical rank of bishop before Saturday, they were no longer running dioceses. The Vatican's announcement come shortly after the pope held talks in the Vatican with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and discussed the country's sex abuse crisis. 'We shared the hope that the Church may experience a renaissance and recuperate the affection, the closeness of the people of God, and can continue playing the important role that the Church plays in our country,' Pinera later told reporters. Earlier this month, the religious order to which Cox belongs, the Schoenstatt Fathers, said the Vatican was investigating an accusation against him relating to the sexual abuse of a minor in Germany in 2004. Cox, who is believed to have returned to Germany after a period in Chile, could not be reached for comment. According to Chilean media, Ordenes, who resigned as bishop of Iquique in 2012 while under Vatican investigation, was accused of molesting an underage altar boy years ago. He is believed to be living somewhere in Chile. It was not immediately possible to reach him for comment. Chile's President Sebastian Pinera meets Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican on October 13 Chilean civil justice has investigated 119 allegations of sexual abuse or cover-ups involving 167 church workers including Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, the archbishop of Santiago. During a trip to Chile in January, the pope strongly defended one of the 34 bishops who later resigned. But days after returning to Rome, the pope, citing new information, sent sexual abuse investigator Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta to Chile to speak to victims, witnesses and other Church members. Scicluna produced a 2,300-page report accusing Chile's bishops of 'grave negligence' in investigating the allegations and said evidence of sex crimes had been destroyed. At the beginning of October a Chilean archdiocese issued a new set of behavioral guidelines for priests which was immediately slammed for its matter-of-fact tone and disturbing level of detail. The Vatican's announcement come shortly after the pope held talks in the Vatican with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera (L) and discussed the country's sex abuse crisis The 'Guidelines Promoting Good Treatment and Healthy Pastoral Coexistence,' was published in Spanish on the archdiocese website and received widespread condemnation, with many people calling the language used around sexual abuse as tone-deaf. According to the document, local priests must not 'give hugs that are too tight, slap the buttocks, touch the area of the genitals or the breast, or recline or sleep with children or adolescents.' They must also refrain from 'taking pictures while children, adolescents or vulnerable people are naked, getting dressed or in the shower'. Anne Barrett Doyle of the online abuse database BishopAccountability.org said: 'This is a bizarre and frightening document. 'It reveals the dangerous mindset of the Chilean bishops.' 'Even in this era of supposed penitence and reform, they remain weirdly removed from healthy social norms of child protection,' she added. Advertisement The death toll is expected to rise this weekend in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael as hundreds remain unaccounted for along the Florida Panhandle where decimated communities are cut off and in the dark. As of early on Saturday, state officials were reporting that at least 18 have been killed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Rescue teams, hampered by power and telephone outages, were going door-to-door and using cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for people in the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities, such as Port St. Joe and Panama City. 'We still haven't gotten into some of the hardest-hit areas,' said Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday, noting that he expects to see the number of people killed climb. A sign written on a life preserver ring reads: 'we survived hurricane Michael' Blue sky and calm water belies the damage done by Hurricane Michael to the Mexico Beach, Florida, area Victor Rocha helps a friend salvage items from his print shop after Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage Emilio Hernandez helps his grandfather salvage items from his print shop after Hurricane Michael Marvin Heymann carries his cats as he returns home after evacuation from Hurricane Michael at Alligator Point Mike McMahon stands in the Outlet Grocery store that he manages Mike Lester walks along the washed out road in front of his home on the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael An American flag hangs from a broken palm tree along the water where homes were swept away by hurricane Michael Peggy Cauley cleans up debris from her family's home in the aftermath of the hurricane A family gathers buckets of water to be used to flush the toilet. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm causing massive damage and claimed the lives of 18 people Carlos Deviana and his sister Jessica Deviana sit in the back of their father's SUV which they are using as a bedroom after hurricane Michael destroyed their home as it passed through the area Mike Jackson sifts through debris looking for remnants of his home which was destroyed by hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach Kristi Stokes, Casey Whatler and Kevin Guaranta (L-R) look for a friend's mother in the demolished remains of the home that she was possibly in as Hurricane Michael passed through the are in Mexico Beach, Florida Local residents make their way across a washed out road after category 4 Hurricane Michael made landfall along the coast Signs warn thieves to stay away from shops which have been abandoned following the hurricane Another sign warns passers-by not to steal from people's homes or workplaces Mary Frances Parrish reacts outside her heavily damaged home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City. She didn't leave the storm because her car was broken down, she didn't have a place to go and if she did she didn't have the money for it. She is caring for her terminally ill son who lives with her People clean up their house that was destroyed following Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida The task of cleaning up is long, hard, dirty and smelly - but it has to be done, no matter what The strain is clearly showing on residents living in Mexico Beach and yet the work has only just begun Little by little, the trash is cleared away and put outside... with the other trash! The stairs to the home are clearly visible and even an upstairs mattress. But surely it is easier just to move and start again? Catholic Church volunteers serve lunch to people affected by Hurricane Michael, in Callaway, Florida Mike Lester walks along the washed out road in front of his home on the Gulf of Mexico A section of road is washed out in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael at Alligator Point in Franklin County, Florida Mary Frances Parrish shows her toppled pecan tree, which fell in a neighbor's house. Parrish didn't leave the storm because her car was broken down, she didn't have a place to go and if she did she didn't have the money for it. She is caring for her terminally ill son who lives with her Boats poke through the outer walls of the Alligator Point Marina in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael at Alligator Point A washed up boat lies in the front yard among flattened bushes at Alligator Point in Franklin County, Florida Women collect water from the sea for use in the bathroom of their homes, as the water service is not working Mike McMahon salvages some of the tobacco products at the Outlet Grocery store that he manages after Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage A damaged house is seen on the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of Michael at Alligator Point The message is clear on the front deck of this boarded up home - 'keep out or risk getting shot!' Brian Bartlett from the South Florida Search and Rescue team checks in on Tom Garcia after Hurricane Michael passed. Garcia said he stayed in his home through the storm and he had to hold the sliding glass doors shut as the wind tore through Members of City Miami Fire Rescue look for victims in houses, in the aftermath. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs carried out a grim search for victims amid fears that the death toll from the monster storm, which currently stands at 18, could rise further A resident enters a home through a damaged door after Hurricane Michael hit in Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael Slide me Harrowing before and after photographs show the extent of the damage on Mexico Beach. The area is shown, left, on Thursday after Michael hit and right, beforehand. An entire pier was torn from the ground by the storm and homes were completely wiped out Slide me Mexico Beach's homes were utterly destroyed. Emergency rescuers were still unable to get to the town on Thursday because the roads were impassable. They are now in the process or working through the damage to try to find anyone who is alive or dead Slide me Many roads in the region are impassable because of debris which was blown over the region by the monstrous winds. The Panhandle was hit worse by winds than it was by storm surge which is plaguing parts of Georgia and Virginia Slide me More of the devastation in Mexico Beach is shown above in images taken left, after the hurricane, and right, before. Of the 1,200 people who live there, around 280 stayed. Many are unaccounted for Slide me The Mexico Beach mayor said on Thursday: 'We're broken here. I think it's pretty obvious we need some help.' Slide me The aftermath of the storm is shown left, on Thursday. The same area, including a home which sits in the middle of a lake, is shown right, before the hurricane. Around 20,000 people are in shelters across the region because their homes have been destroyed MICHAEL DEATH TOLL Florida: 9 Virginia: 5 North Carolina: 3 Georgia: 1 Advertisement The Houston-based volunteer search-and-rescue network CrowdSource Rescue said its teams were trying to find about 2,100 people either reported missing or stranded and in need of help in Florida, co-founder Matthew Marchetti said. Social media websites were crowded with messages from those trying to reach missing families in Florida's Bay and Gulf Counties. Marchetti said his volunteer search teams, consisting mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters, had rescued or accounted for 345 others previously reported to CrowdSource Rescue. Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach on Wednesday afternoon as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, with winds of up to 155 mph. It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding. Members of the South Florida Search and Rescue team search for survivors in the destruction left by Hurricane Michael In devastated Mexico Beach, where Hurricane Michael unleashed its most violent rains and winds, residents are taking stock of the damage, reuniting with their loved ones - and bracing for what will be a long, difficult clean-up operation Members of City Miami Fire Rescue look for victims in a building in Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Michael Members of the South Florida Search and Rescue team search for survivors in the destruction. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage A member of the South Florida Search and Rescue team searches for survivors in the destruction left behind Rescue teams remove a body was a home in Mexico Beach, one of the worst hit areas. The current death toll is 18 across four states but officials have warned that number is likely to rise as emergency crews finally make their way around the areas that have been inaccessible for days. In Mexico Beach, around 280 people stayed behind despite being told to go. Not all were accounted for on Friday The victim's body was found inside a building where boats were being stored in Mexico Beach A body is removed after being discovered during the search of a housing structure in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida on Friday A destroyed home near US 98 in Mexico Beach on Friday. Residents compared the damage of the hurricane to the 'mother of all bombs' State Road 98 in Mexico Beach was torn up by the hurricane and is now completely impassable A ruined home in Mexico Beach, Florida, which had been boarded up in part by its owners before they fled for their lives A trailer lies n a heap of snapped tree trunks and other debris on Friday. Terrified residents who stayed behind to ride out the storm spoke on Friday to describe the most 'terrifying' night of their lives which involved seeing entire structures ripped from the ground The tropical storm, which grew in less than two days into a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, tore apart entire neighborhoods in the Panhandle, reducing homes to naked concrete foundations or piles of wood and siding. FEMA crews have been using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push a path through debris so rescuers can sift the rubble using specially trained search dogs. More than 1,700 search and rescue workers have been deployed, Governor Rick Scotts office said in a statement, including seven swift-water rescue teams and nearly 300 ambulances. Except for the emergency 911 system, authorities in Bay County, the epicenter of the disaster, were virtually without telephone or internet service until late on Friday, making communications internally and with the public difficult. Ruth Corley, a spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff's Department, said local television stations were knocked off the air for two days, and authorities were relying on the Gulf State College radio station to transmit public service bulletins. By Friday morning the storm remnants were about 275 miles southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. A car lies among wreckage next to the water in Mexico Beach, Florida, on Friday. It is the worst hit the town has ever been, with entire streets of homes destroyed and the death toll uncertain This was the desperate scene at Mexico Beach on Friday where dozens of homes once stood. The city's coastline has been entirely flattened Horrifying wreckage in one stretch of land in Mexico Beach, once an idyllic beach community A sobering view of the beach where houses once stood but have been either torn from the ground by winds or flattened by debris Home owners returned to their destroyed properties on Friday morning to start the clean up operation. Many had nothing to come back to A heap of toppled structures lies beneath a boat which was lifted by the winds and slammed around next to homes and businesses in Mexico Beach More than 940,000 homes and businesses on the U.S. East Coast were without power and it could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida. Authorities are working to recover any bodies from the wreckage that they could not get to when the storm was raging. Energy companies are desperate to reconnect the 1million plus customers who have lost power and have taken to the skies in helicopters to survey the extent of the devastation and the results are sobering. Mexico Beach was described as Michael's 'ground zero' on Thursday by emergency workers. 'Mexico Beach took the brunt. That's probably ground zero,' FEMA Administrator Brock Long said. As camera crews flew over it on Friday including one belonging to CNN, stunned reporters remarked: 'It's gone. It's gone.' Residents in other areas described the terrifying conditions as the storm hit on Wednesday including in Georgia where they likened the noise of the looming hurricane to a 'train coming'. On Friday, Virginia's Department of Emergency Management said five lives been claimed in the state. They include four people who were swept away by flood water and a fire fighter who died in a highway crash. Much of the debris ended up in the water, where boats were kept, after Michael passed through on Wednesday bringing 155mph winds Homeowners survey the unimaginable damage to their property on Friday. Not all of the 280 who stayed behind to brave the storm have been accounted for Roof panels were lifted to expose the insides of some of the sturdier homes whose main structures withstood the powerful winds on Wednesday The view outside a bedroom inside a home which was not destroyed reveals the devastating landscape in Mexico Beach Spencer Hardy saves some of his father-in-law's guitars from the family's destroyed printing shop in Panama City, Florida, on Friday The once pristine roads and backyards of Mexico Beach were transformed into a junk yard by Michael on Wednesday when it hit Tiffany Cox (left) helps her friend Monica Fabie (right) to save any belongings that were not destroyed in the hurricane at Fabie's business in Mexico Beach Resident Pete Miller returns to what is left of his home in Mexico Beach. Emergency teams returned to the town with sniffer dogs on Friday to begin the grim process of looking for bodies Flooding was a concern further along the Panhandle in Panama City. Above, a newly-released image of one patch of waterlogged land that was released on Thursday A homeowner surveys the damage of his home in Mexico Beach on Friday after returning for the first time with other residents since the storm hit In Panama City, piers and marinas were strewn with debris and boats had collided as a result of the damage The damage in one building in Panama City where officials including Sen. Marco Rubio said the damage was 'as bad as it gets' The community in Mexico Beach as been rocked to its core. Pictured, Neighbors Kevin Guaranta and Kevin Kirby seeing each other for the first time since the storm passed Slide me This is the Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin Aircrew's view of Mexico Beach on Thursday, after Hurricane Michael passed through the region (left) and (right), an aerial view of the same stretch of beach before the devastating storm Slide me A stretch of beach in Mexico Beach that was obliterated by Hurricane Michael on Wednesday is shown, left, on Thursday and right, before the storm. Mexico Beach was one of the worst hit Slide me The entire beach community of homes in Mexico Beach was obliterated by the storm. The city took the brunt of Michael, feeling the full force of its 155mph winds on Wednesday afternoon Sarah Radney, an 11-year-old, was visiting her grandparents' home when Hurricane Michael roared into southwest Georgia. She and her siblings were there on a fall break. Her parents decided cautiously to let them stay as Michael approached because they thought the home was powerful enough to withstand the storm. If the family feared anything, it was probably falling trees - not a carport next to the house. In what could only be described as a freak accident, authorities say Michael's powerful winds lifted the portable structure high into the air and slammed it back down on the house. Florida Governor Rick Scott talks with residents as they return to Mexico Beach on Friday. He said the area is still not safe and it will be some time before power is restored A line of people outside a store on Friday wait to be able to buy whatever they can. Much of the Panhandle has been left inaccessible and essentials such as food and water are running low in smaller communities which have been especially hard-hit Michael has now moved away from Florida and the south and is lingering off the coast of Canada It has been downgraded to a tropical storm but is expected to move away, further across the Atlantic Horrifying drone footage shows Hurricane Michael's path of destruction across Florida as authorities confirm the devastating storm has killed 18 people. Pictured is what's left of Mexico Beach The storm caused 'catastrophic damage' at the Tyndall Air Force, which sits on the shoreline between Panama City and Mexico Beach (pictured), a small community which was almost completely destroyed Part of a house is seen to be on top of broken down trees as a rescuer and dog negotiate their footing while looking for people A search and rescue team look for survivors in a house on Mexcio bridge after the storm resulted in tragic loss of life An aerial view of the beach which shows a huge boat to have capsized nearby after battling strong winds by the storm An aerial shot taken in July this year, before the Category 4 storm swept through the Florida town of Panama earlier this week This satellite image shows the destruction of Hurricane Michael in a residential area, where winds reached 155mph on Wednesday A Siberian lynx sits in its cage in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael at the Bear Creek Feline Center in Panama City Pete Miller checks the remains of his house in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12, 2018. Rescue teams using sniffer dogs carried out a grim search for victims of Hurricane Michael on Friday amid fears that the death toll from the monster storm could rise Members of City Miami Fire Rescue look for victims in a building in Mexico Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 12 A member of a Tennessee urban search and rescue team checks a housing complex for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida A home stands damaged from hurricane Michael as members of a South Florida urban search and rescue team look for survivors in Mexico Beach When it landed, one of the legs tore through the roof, fatally striking Sarah in the head. It also hit her grandmother, puncturing her in the lung and breaking her rib. Sarah's father and stepmother, Roy and Amber Radney, said Thursday that Sarah loved being around her big family and made everything more fun. Her grief-stricken father told The New York Times before she died that it was 'just hell'. 'Last night was just hell. I'm an hour and a quarter away, and my daughter's dying, and I can't do anything about it. I can't think of anything that is more related to hell than that,' he said. He urged others to heed warnings when they are told to leave their houses. 'I want people to know, man, when they say, 'Get out of your house' leave your house, listen to them. When they say, 'No first responder is going to be able to get to you' they're not joking.' Five people were killed in Florida after the storm devastated the state's Panhandle. They include Steve Sweet, a 44-year-old who died in his wife's lap after an oak tree came crashing down on their home, crushing them both. His wife Gayle was able to call her father and brother who came to the house and pulled her out from beneath the tree. They could not save Steve. A wrecked boat yard in Panama City, Florida, on Thursday after Hurricane Michael Entire homes and buildings were wiped out by the monster storm which has so far claimed 18 lives Hector Morales, left, is hugged by friend Matthew Goss, a fisherman, as they reunite after Hurricane Michael which destroyed Morales' home and Goss' boat in Mexico Beach MISSING: Sheila Dady and her son Justin Downum (left) and Ronald Dean Gresham (right) Sarah Radney, 11, and Lieutenant Brad Clark from Station 6, were among the 18 confirmed victims of the hurricane MISSING: Family and friends are desperately searching for their loved ones who braved the storm. Pictured left is Agnes Vicari, 80, of Mexico Beach, and right is Mike Myers MISSING: Joni Cain (left) and Wendy Williams-Rush, of South Port (right) Why was Hurricane Michael so strong? Scientists say it was so strong because warm waters of 84F (29C) extended unusually far up the northern Gulf Coast for this time of year after Florida had its warmest September ever. It was also strong because the eyewall - the ring around the eye of the storm - formed late. This meant that there was not enough time for an eyewall replacement - a second ring formed of rainclouds - to form and weaken the storm. Normally, the so-called eyewall replacement cycle weakens a storm by 20-30mph - but Michael was at its strongest when it made landfall. Source: Dr Jeff Masters Advertisement Fire Lt. Brad Clark died at the scene when a tractor trailer hit his fire engine on Thursday night. The tractor slid into his vehicle on the slippery road. James E. King Jr, 45, also died being swept away in his vehicle after being caught in a flash flood. Another man, whose name has not yet been released, died in a storm-related traffic accident in North Carolina on Thursday. The storm initially knocked out power to more than 1.2 million homes because of the storm. After the storm had passed, under a clear blue sky, families living along the Florida Panhandle emerged from shelters and hotels to a perilous landscape of shattered homes and shopping centers, beeping security alarms, wailing sirens and hovering helicopters. 'So many lives have been changed forever. So many families have lost everything,' said Gov Rick Scott. In a tweet, he described the damage as 'unprecedented'. 'The damage we have seen from Michael is indescribable and unprecedented for the Panhandle. I have activated the Emergency Bridge Loan Program for small businesses damaged during Hurricane Michael so they can get back to work as soon as possible,' he said. Some of the worst damage was in Mexico Beach, where the hurricane crashed ashore as a Category 4 monster with 155mph winds and a storm surge of 9- feet. Dawn Vickers, who decided to stay to ride out the storm but was forced to flee her home and take shelter in a condo, described it as the 'worst nightmare' of her life. 'I don't even know if I have the words to describe it. It's been the worst nightmare I've ever been through in my life. 'I feel we will. It's very tough right now. They brought us here and left us at what was the gas station. We ran into some people who had a condo that was higher and dryer. 'My home was taken off the foundation, cracked into, and was floating away with my cars,' she told CNN. Video from a drone revealed widespread devastation across the town of about 1,000 people. Base officials speak to the press about the state of Tindall Air Force Base in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael Tyndall Air Force base was razed to the ground by the devastating Hurricane Michael as experts warn it could take years for the area to recover from the storm An F-15 fighter jet on display at Tyndall Air Force's entrance was torn from its base and flipped upside down As thousands of National Guard troops, law enforcement officers and medical teams fanned out, the governor pleaded with people in the devastated areas to stay away for now because of hazards that included fallen trees and power lines. 'I know you just want to go home. You want to check on things and begin the recovery process,' Scott said. But 'we have to make sure things are safe.' Among those brought to safety were nine people rescued by helicopter from a bathroom of their home in hard-hit Panama City after their roof collapsed, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronald Hodges said. A dramatic video shows the moment members of the United States Coast Guard rescues a trapped woman in Florida. In nearby Panama City Beach, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford reported widespread looting of homes and businesses. He imposed a curfew and asked for 50 members of the National Guard for protection. The hurricane also damaged hospitals and nursing homes in the Panama City area, and officials worked to evacuate hundreds of patients. An aircraft hangar damaged by Hurricane Michael is seen at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida The eye of the storm cut directly over the base, ripping the surrounding trees in half and tearing the stormproof roofs away. Photos showed the serious damage wreaked on the air base. Hangers were damaged, roofs ripped off and an F-15 fighter was flipped on its back by the wind Photos show twisted metal gates, half-standing structures and debris strewn all over the base A report posted on the base website found 'widespread catastrophic damage' - with the flight line devastated and every building on the base suffered severe damage, with many considered a complete loss A soldier stands guard at the entrance to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City. In the background, two pickup trucks appear to have been damaged by the storm An airplane hanger at Tyndall Air Force Base damaged from the hurricane. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews began making their way into the stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind The 155mph ripped the trees surrounding the base in half before battering the air force base A damaged airplane hanger is seen on the grounds of Tyndall Air Force Base after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 12 The damage at Bay Medical Sacred Heart included blown-out windows, a cracked exterior wall and a roof collapse in a maintenance building. No patients were hurt, the hospital said. The state mental hospital in Chattahoochee, which has a section for the criminally insane, was cut off by land, and food and supplies were being flown in, authorities said. Landlines and cellphones also were down to the complex, which has nearly 1,000 residents and more than 300 staff. They relied on emergency radios to make contact with first responders. About two million ready-to-eat meals, one million gallons of water and 40,000 10-pound bags of ice are ready for distribution in Florida. Leading Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg said dozens of Conservatives were steadfast in their opposition to Theresa May's Brexit plans. At a Leave Means Leave rally in Torquay, Devon, Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'There are probably 39 Tory MPs who are more tough-minded on this issue than I am. 'I am not the most tough-minded among my friends in the Conservative Party, and those 39 will not turn, I will not turn and there are growing numbers beyond that who are determined that we should deliver on the Brexit that we promised.' Left to right: Tim Martin, founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon; MEP and former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, and Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg He said 'the future of our country is at stake, the future of our party is at stake', and added: 'We are so nearly there, we must make sure that Chequers is binned, that this idea of a customs union, the sheer lunacy of paying 3.5 billion a year to subsidise the European Union for all eternity is binned. 'We are close, we are almost there, we just need to be steady for a few more weeks and if we do that the prize is there to be grasped.' The speech at Torquay's Riviera International Centre on Chestnut Avenue comes as it emerged that the UK could remain tied to Brussels' rules beyond the end of 2020 to give negotiators more time to finalise a trade deal. The possible extension of the transition period, which would see the UK remain in the single market and customs union, is being considered as negotiations continue ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Wednesday. Under existing plans, reaching a Brexit deal would mean the transition period will last until the end of 2020, with the UK accepting Brussels' rules without having a seat at the table when they are decided. Mr Rees-Mogg told a Leave Means Leave rally in Torquay that the Chequers plan must be 'binned', adding: 'We are close, we are almost there, we just need to be steady for a few more weeks and if we do that the prize is there to be grasped' Pictured: Nigel Farage visits a cafe on a walkabout ahead of the 'Leave Means Rally' at the Rivera International Centre today But a potential extension was under consideration to allow more time to draw up a deal on the future relationship between the EU and UK and avoid the need for a 'backstop' arrangement to circumvent a hard border in Northern Ireland, according to reports by the Guardian and Daily Telegraph. The Department for Exiting the European Union said it would not comment on speculation. Theresa May called the EU's solution to the backstop issue - which would see Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels' rules - unacceptable. The Prime Minister's counter-proposal, which was set out in June, is for a 'temporary customs arrangement' for the whole UK. Conservative Brexiteers are suspicious that this could become a permanent situation - restricting the UK's ability to negotiate trade deals around the world. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said a provision on customs which was not 'finite' would fail to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum and Downing Street insisted that Mrs May would not agree a Brexit deal which would 'trap' the UK in a permanent customs union. Families can explore army life in both the English and French encampments, and watch a 600 strong remake Advertisement Thousands of people have turned out to watch a re-enactment of one of the most famous battles in history. More than 600 soldiers clashed in a Battle of Hastings remake in East Sussex on Saturday. The two-day event, organised by English Heritage at Battle Abbey, hopes to bring to life the tension of the 1066 conquest. King Harold and his Saxon army took on Duke William and his Norman soldiers in a fight for the English throne. Visitors were able to step into Norman and Saxon encampments to learn about life in an 11th century army and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the battlefield. Medieval music was also performed along with falconry displays. Organiser Diana Evans said: "This event is always incredibly popular, it's the opportunity to relive the most important battle in English history and experience what it would have been like on the battlefield for the Saxon and Norman soldiers." The event continues on Sunday, which is 952 years exactly since the day of the battle. Visitors were able to step into Norman and Saxon encampments and watch an exciting battle re-enactment, with more than 600 soldiers in Battle Abbey, East Sussex this weekend. The two-day event was organised by English Heritage, and even included archery for visitors to try A well dressed King Harold with a now infamous arrow in his eye, which killed him. However, historical accounts imply that was a metaphorical 'arrow' which fell from God, and actually King Harold may have been hacked to death instead. It was not obvious at the time the Normans would win the battle, since the two armies were roughly equal in men The Saxons, above, created defensive walls which the Normans could not break through. However, the Saxons later retreated and the Normans then gained ground. The actual battle took place 952 years ago this weekend The Normans also had a slight advantage, for King Harold had been fighting another battle in the north just three days before. Thousands of men on both sides were killed during the battle King Harold and his Saxon army took on Duke William and his Norman soldiers in a fight for the English throne. The Saxons had ruled England for more than 600 years. Above, men form the shield wall tactic which kept the Normans from breaking through A Saxon man plucks a dead chicken at the show. Norman conqueror William, although he had fought in other battles previously, did not win the name after the Battle of Hastings. Instead, the name 'William the Conqueror' was not used until after his death Re-enactors in Battle, near Hastings, re-enact the clash between the two armies. After the Normans had won the battle, they set about building churches made in stone, along with intimidating castles Crowds watch on the moment the Saxon King Harold is shot in the eye by an arrow. Although this scene may have been a more romanticised account of the battle, more than 10,000 English men were lost. But this did not compare with the number of English killed after the battle, as more than 100,000 Britons were later killed by the Normans during their occupation of Britain A dead Saxon soldier is dragged away from the ongoing battle. On the infamous day of William's coronation as King of England on Christmas Day 1066, months after the battle, there was still resistance. Englishmen started to riot outside Westminster Abbey, and Norman soldiers set buildings alight in response While on his death bed, King Edward granted the throne to King Harold, but William claimed he had been promised the throne ten years earlier. The Battle of Hastings, above, did not take place until nine months after Edward's death The event continues on Sunday, which is 952 years exactly since the day of the battle. The first person to be killed in battle was a French jester. He began singing to the English troops while flinging his sword about, then ran straight into the English shield wall, where he was killed Much like the re-enactment event, both Saxon and Norman sides took a lunch break. William the Conqueror, despite being from modern day France, was believed to have had Viking origins More than 600 soldiers clashed in a Battle of Hastings remake in East Sussex on Saturday. William claimed he was promised the throne by King Edward ten years earlier in 1056 A Florida surfer waiting for a wave got a slap in the face from an acrobatic shark instead. Kara Haun was out on her board Thursday morning, waiting to catch a wave at Bethune Beach in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, when she had her unexpected encounter with a spinner shark. Haun, who has 15 years of surfing under her belt, said she had been out on the water for about 45 minutes and 'had no idea it was coming.' Kara Haun was out surfing Thursday morning when she was knocked off her board by a spinner shark which had broken through the water's surface 'I was laying on my board faced down, just looking out into the ocean waiting on the next wave, and it landed on top of me really, really heavy and hit me in the face and knocked me off my board,' Haun told News 6. Haun said the shark 'kind of felt like a car landed on me.' A video of the shocking shark slap, shot from afar and captured by Surfline, shows Haun sitting on her board in the water. Spinner sharks are named after the way they rotate on their axis while feeding on fish (stock) The shark landed on Haun and knocked her off her board, leaving her with a black eye Suddenly, the spinner shark breaches the surface, flying high up into the air, before landing on Haun and disappearing into the ocean. Haun, who has been knocked into the water, is left scrambling to grab hold of her board. Haun, a former firefighter and now co-owner of CrossFit Nika, said she 'thought I was getting attacked because of the way it hit me from behind, and so hard.' A mix of adrenaline and instincts were said to have helped get back onto her surfboard, where she then lingered for a few minutes, before returning to shore. Haun, who noted that she was 'very scared,' was left with a black eye and sore muscles as a souvenir of her brief time with the spinner shark. She said that she doesn't intend to let this incident frighten her off surfing in the future. 'The chances of it happening again are even worst than it happening the first time!' she told News 6. Spinner sharks are named after the way they spin on their axis while feeding on schools of fish. While vertically zooming their way through schools of fish, they break through the surface of the water, which is what happened when Haun was hit. They weigh an average of 110 pounds. Ten migrants and a people smuggler were killed when their speeding car collided with a truck in Greece and burst into flames. The car was being driven by a people smuggler at 'high speed' and crossed lanes moments before the accident, police said. Also in the vehicle were ten migrants, believed to have crossed into Greece from Turkey. The truck driver tried to swerve at the last moment, but could not avoid the head-on collision, police said. The car, which had been heading to the main northern city of Thessaloniki, collided with a truck heading in the opposite direction and burst into flames. Eleven people including ten migrants and a people smuggler died when the car they were crammed into smashed into a lorry in northern Greece A firefighter said a least one child was in the car and between three and four passengers were in the boot at the time of the crash The nationalities of the dead is not yet known due to the horrific burns they suffered and DNA testing will have to be carried to establish their identities All of the victims were said to have been burned beyond recognition as the truck caught fire and was completely destroyed. It is thought at least one child was in the vehicle and as many as four passengers were crammed in the boot, according to the emergency services at the scene. The accident took place at around 5am today near the town of Kavala in northern Greece. All of the people in the car were killed, but the truck driver, a 39-year-old Greek man, managed to escape the HGV before it caught fire and was treated for minor injuries in a hospital in northern Greece before being discharged. Police said the car in which the migrants were packed in had another vehicle's license plates and is suspected of having been used for migrant trafficking. A firefighter told AP on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation that one of the victims was believed to have been a child and that three or four of the other passengers were in the car's boot. Police said the truck driver tried to swerve out of the way of the head-on crash but could not avoid the car travelling at 'high speed' It is thought the migrants had been smuggled across the Greek-Turkish boarder and were being taken to Thessaloniki The car full of migrants failed to stop for a police checkpoint before the tragic accident in Kavala in the early hours of this morning DNA tests will have to be carried out on the bodies of the victims to determine their identities and the nationalities of the victims was not immediately known. The car had not stopped at a police checkpoint during its journey, so it was not immediately clear to officers how close to the site of the crash the passengers got on board. Police said the car had failed to stop when officers tried to pull the vehicle over for a check earlier on Saturday. The car was not traveling on the highway connecting Thessaloniki to the Turkish border but on an older road, because there were more police roadblocks on the main routes. The driver of the truck was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries after narrowly avoiding the deadly collision The 39-year-old driver of the lorry managed to escape the fireball before his cab was engulfed in flames Thessaloniki has become a focal point for migrants trying to get into Europe from Turkey and registering for asylum Greek authorities have been seeing an increase in refugees illegally crossing the Greek-Turkish border in recent months. Many are transported to Thessaloniki, where they head to police stations to be registered and apply for asylum. Migrant arrivals from Turkey into the EU country hit a peak of more than one million in 2015. Today Spain's maritime rescue service confirmed it recovered the bodies of three migrants and feared that another 17 were missing in the Mediterranean Sea. The service says that its rescue craft found the three bodies in waters near a sinking boat it intercepted east of the Strait of Gibraltar. Rescuers saved 36 men of sub-Saharan origin from the boat. The rescued migrants said that another 17 men who had traveled with them were missing. In total, the service pulled 509 migrants from 15 small boats on Friday. The United Nations says that 337 of the total of 1,783 migrants who have died trying to reach Europe by sea in 2018 perished in waters near Spain. A young Texas girl was rushed to hospital after she was stung by one of the most poisonous caterpillars in the United States. Lauren Chambers received a call from her daughter's Rockwall daycare and learned that Adrie, five, had been stung by an asp caterpillar, also known as a Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar. 'They said that she had been stung by the most poisonous caterpillar in the United States,' Chambers explained to NBC Chicago. Lauren Chambers received a call from her daughter's Rockwall daycare and learned that Adrie, five, had been stung by an asp caterpillar Adrie told the daycare workers that the critter was stuck in her arm, prompting them to look it up and determine that it was an asp or Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar The daycare staff believed that Adrie suffered the sting from the wooly caterpillar while she was playing outside, with the asp falling from a tree above. 'They said that she had been stung by the most poisonous caterpillar in the United States,' Chambers explained 'It was burning,' said the little girl. Adrie told the daycare workers that the critter was stuck in her arm, prompting them to look it up and determine that it was an asp or Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar. They learned that the caterpillar was venomous and has venomous spines in its hair. 'How does that happen?' the mother asked. 'We have those here in Texas? I mean I never even heard of those before yesterday.' Adrie experienced pain before she had a stomach ache and saw swelling. But the removal of the spines by the daycare staff helped save her life, according to local doctors. 'They said if that had not happened it could actually cause her whole body to go numb and start shutting down,' added Chambers. According to Michael Merchant, an entomologist with Texas A&M University, there has been a shocking increase in calls about the asp. 'They're common on a lot of trees and plants we have in North Texas on oaks, yaupons, even rose bushes,' Merchant explained. According to Michael Merchant, an entomologist with Texas A&M University, there has been a shocking increase in calls about the asp Merchant said that the asp's spines contain a vicious venom that can last up to 12 hours and be extremely painful. He added: 'Different people react in different ways, feeling pain in different parts of the body. I had one friend who actually felt like he was having some heart trouble or something after he got stung. So it's not a pleasant experience.' The entomologist asserted that the pesky critters should be gone within the next few weeks, as they prepare to enter their cocoons for the winter. When the moths hatch in the spring they don't retain any of their harmful spines. An eighth-grade boy is 'no longer a student' after posting a photo brandishing a gun in a school bathroom, officials have said. The photo, which shows three students of Chastang-Fournier K-8 School in Mobile, Alabama, was taken about a month ago and posted to Facebook on Thursday, police told WPMI. The photo, allegedly taken in the school's bathroom, depicts two eighth-grade students, identifiable by the gold uniform shirts they are wearing. The third boy is in sixth or seventh grade, based on his burgundy school uniform. The photo, which shows three students of Chastang-Fournier K-8 School in Mobile, Alabama, was taken about a month ago and posted to Facebook on Thursday The boy in the center of the photo is seen brandishing a revolver, while the older boy flanking him raises a middle finger to the camera. In a statement to the NBC affiliate, a school district spokeswoman said: 'We were recently made aware of the social media post and we are investigating the matter with the Mobile Police Department.' 'The young man holding the weapon is no longer a student in Mobile County Public Schools,' the statement continued. Chastang-Fournier is a charter school that serves grades kindergarten through eight The spokeswoman later amended the second sentence of the statement to state: 'The young man in middle is no longer a student in the Mobile County Public Schools.' Mobile Police say they have detained the boy seen with the gun and are questioning the other two boys in the photo. The photo does not appear to be taken in a mirror, but there has been no mention of a fourth student who may have worked the camera. A multi-million-pound fighter jet exploded and another was damaged when a mechanic accidentally opened fire from a third plane during maintenance. The F-16 Falcon jet, worth around $19million (15million), was destroyed in the blaze as it was parked at a military base in Belgium and the second plane sitting next to it suffered fire damage from the on-board Gatling cannon. Two technicians working on the Belgian Air Force stealth planes were said to have been injured in the incident at the Florennes air base, 60 miles south of Brussels, on Thursday afternoon. It is understood maintenance staff were repairing the F-16 which was parked in a hangar near the control tower, just out of sight of the third jet, when the volley of shots was accidentally fired. The F-16 Falcon jet was destroyed in a blaze as it was parked at a military base in Belgium after being shot at from another plane at the Florennes air base in Belgium One jet was destroyed after catching fire and another was damaged after the incident on Thursday afternoon The shots came from the 20mm Gatling guns with six cannons capable of firing 6,000 shots per minute which are the formidable fighting machine's standard weapons. That aircraft had just been refuelled and along with the other damaged jet, was being prepared for a training mission when one jet was blasted with bullets. Both technicians were said to have suffered from hearing problems as a result of the accident and not burn injures, according to Sudinfo. A rescue operation was launched and huge plumes of black smoke was seen coming from the air base for miles around after the several explosions were heard. Around 30 firefighters including civilian officers reportedly raced to the scene along with ambulances and other emergency workers. The exploded war plane, which is capable of travelling at supersonic speeds, was said to have been filled with around 10,000 litres of highly explosive kerosene fuel. Colonel Didier Polome, who flew back from the Baltic where Belgian F-16s are policing NATO's frontier with Russia, said: 'You can't help thinking of what a disaster this could have been.' A huge plume of smoke was seen coming from the war planes as the emergency services rushed to the scene Boris Morenville, head of the defence trade union, said it did not appear to be a deliberate act or a terrorist incident. He told Belgian broadcaster RTL Info:'We may be thinking about human fault or technical failure, but in any case we have not yet been warned of an intentional act.' The Belgian Air Force tweeted in both French and Flemish shortly after the fire: 'On October 11, 2018, at approximately 2:10 pm, a fire broke out during maintenance work on an F-16 on the Florennes Base. The plane burned. A second aircraft suffered collateral damage.' Belgium's Federal Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Aviation Safety Directorate are said to be investigating the circumstances around the destruction of the jet. The air base at Florennes, in the French-speaking southern half of the country, is home to the Belgian air force's 2nd Tactical Wing. The F-16 Fighting Falcon (file photo), first developed for the US Air Force, has been sold to 28 military forces around the world, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin The military plane caught fire and 'burned out' during maintenance work at the airbase in Florennes (file photo) in southern Belgium, officials said It houses two squadrons and 20 of the F-16 fighter jets, according to the Belgian website sudinfo.be. The base was previously home to NATO's Tactical Leadership Programme but it moved to Albacete in Spain in 2009. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, first developed for the US Air Force, has been sold to 28 military forces around the world. The 49-foot long warplane, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can travel at 1,500mph - faster than Mach 2. Belgium has 60 of the aircraft, of which 48 are assigned to NATO, according to the country's defence ministry. Theresa Mays future as Prime Minister could be decided tomorrow evening over boxes of take-away pizzas in a historic room deep in the bowels of Parliament. Pro-Brexit Cabinet Ministers will assemble in the office behind the Speakers Chair to decide whether to accept Theresa Mays latest attempted Brexit fudge or to walk out in protest during Tuesdays Cabinet meeting. If they resign en masse, Mrs Mays tenure in Downing Street could be measured in just weeks. Pro-Brexit Cabinet Ministers will assemble tomorrow night to decide whether they'll accept Theresa May's (pictured) latest Brexit plan or whether they'll walk out in protest at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting The 'pizza club' is chaired by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (left) and the group, which includes Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox (right), are said to have met numerous times throughout moments of crisis in the Brexit negotiations The pizza club is chaired by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom in her palatial room and regular attenders include International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling all staunch Brexiteers. The club has met secretly during moments of crisis in the Brexit negotiations to co-ordinate their approach to Mrs Mays strategy. No trade deals. But Foxs staff can take a break to hug pillows Staff working for Trade Secretary Liam Fox are coping with the stress of trying to strike post-Brexit deals by hugging pillows in a safe space. The Department for International Trade has set up a tranquillity room where frustrated officials can use mindfulness techniques to help them calm down. Dr Fox is embroiled in the stand-off with No 10 over the length of time the UK stays in the EUs customs union as part of Theresa Mays Brexit deal constraining officials from signing deals elsewhere while still subject to customs rules set by Brussels. The tranquillity room is part of a daily mindfulness club created by the DIT. Mindfulness is a form of meditation said to help practitioners feel calmer, more fulfilled and better able to concentrate. As well as hugging pillows, techniques include blowing bubbles to focus on breathing and making a mindfulness jar filling a jar with water, tipping in glitter, shaking, and watching the glitter settle is said to be soothing. A spokesman for Dr Fox said: The Secretary of State has been a long-standing champion of mental health issues. Like any organisation, the health of our staff is our utmost priority. DIT is committed to being an engaged, diverse, and inclusive department. Advertisement But with at least three members prepared to quit the Cabinet if Mrs May does not agree to set a strict time limit on the UKs membership of a customs union at a crunch Brussels summit on Wednesday, tomorrows gathering has become critical to the Governments fate. The extraordinary behind-the-scenes drama comes as: Allies of former Brexit Secretary David Davis attacked Boris Johnson, saying he could never become leader and should stand aside for Davis, while Boriss supporters hit back, describing Davis as painfully out of his depth; Tory HQ stepped up preparations for a Christmas General Election if Mrs Mays Chequers plan is rejected by MPs, leading to panic among Ministers; Brexiteer backbenchers warned that if Mrs May tries to push through Chequers with Labour support, they will hit the nuclear option of an instant no confidence vote; Ex-Tory Chancellor Norman Lamont warned the PM that if she did not chuck Chequers, she risked letting Jeremy Corbyn into No 10. This weekend, No 10 is trying to broker a deal with the rebels to secure Cabinet approval for Mrs Mays plan before she heads to Brussels to try to win over the EU. Mrs May has struggled to unite her party around the plan agreed at her Chequers residence in the summer, which will see the UK remain closely tied to Brussels and create a new UK-EU free trade area for goods under a common rulebook. The Ministers will thrash out whether they can accept Mrs Mays new backstop plan to avoid a hard Irish border which would see the UK effectively remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit until a permanent solution to the border issue can be found. Brexiteers have been alarmed by signs that No 10 is rowing back on a previous commitment that the UK will have cut customs ties by the end of 2021 at the latest in the face of resistance from Brussels. Home Secretary Sajid Javid (left) backed Remain but joined the 'pizza club' over the past year. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling is another regular attender to the meetings A pizza club source said that they 'try to make sense of how to respect the result of the referendum and stay true to our beliefs without destabilising the entire Government' at the meetings. Pictured is International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt Mrs May has also faced warnings from Northern Irelands DUP party that it could vote down this months Budget if the province is cut off from the rest of the UK by effectively remaining in the Single Market along with Ireland while customs checks are carried out in the middle of the Irish Sea. The pizza club has also been joined over the past year by Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who backed Remain but have tacked towards Brexit as they eye the next leadership race. A pizza club source said: We have managed to keep it very secret. We slip into Andreas office and she orders eight or nine boxes of pizza from a place in Pimlico while we try to make sense of how to respect the result of the referendum and stay true to our beliefs without destabilising the entire Government. Pensions Secretary Esther McVey (pictured) is also said to attend the meetings in Andrea Leadsom's room Brexiteer Tory MPs are growing increasingly militant. Last week, one prominent member of Jacob Rees-Moggs European Research Group obtained advice from the parliamentary authorities about how to trigger a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, passed seven years ago. The MP said: Mrs May has her backstop, and so do we the nuclear backstop. If she tries to get Chequers through by using Labour votes we will blow her up before she has a chance to pass it. We know how the mechanism would work. A powerful cell of Cabinet Ministers, led by Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, are increasingly alarmed by the prospect of a no-deal and are pushing No 10 to adopt a free trade deal with the EU along the lines of the one recently struck between Canada and Brussels. In todays Mail on Sunday, Lord Lamont writes that Mrs Mays attempt to push through her Chequers plan is a big gamble, one that could end up destroying the Government and breaking up the party. A spokeswoman for Mrs Leadsom said: Andrea is supporting the Prime Minister to get a good deal for the UK that takes back control. The Mail on Sunday revealed how soldiers given the boot for drugs can re-apply Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has blocked soldiers kicked out of the Army for taking drugs from returning to the ranks and pocketing 10,000 golden hello payments. The Secretary of State ordered a U-turn after The Mail on Sunday revealed how thousands of squaddies given the boot for using banned substances such as cocaine, cannabis and ketamine can re-enlist and apply for jobs that come with extra financial incentives. The policy, launched earlier this year in a desperate bid to solve the Armys recruitment crisis, was branded an outrage by critics and an insult to troops who obey the rules. Scroll down for video The Secretary of State ordered a U-turn after The Mail on Sunday revealed how thousands of squaddies (pictured in a stock image above) given the boot for using banned substances such as cocaine, cannabis and ketamine can re-enlist and apply for jobs that come with extra financial incentives [File photo] Since 2005, more than 5,000 soldiers have been kicked out of the Army after failing drugs tests but, remarkably, drug-taking troops were able to get back in just two years after their most recent offence and could even return to the same ranks they achieved before being ejected. But following our front page story, Mr Williamson has now ordered top brass to reject any applications to re-enlist from troops discharged from the Army after failing drugs tests. The Defence Secretarys restoration of the Armys zero-tolerance policy towards drug taking represents a major victory for the MoS. In recent months we revealed how senior officers have gone soft on offenders including how 40 per cent of troops who failed drug tests last year were given a second chance. This is the second time in a year that Mr Williamson has changed a key defence policy following our revelations. Last December he stepped in to preserve the Armys famous Be the Best motto after top brass followed the advice of image consultants, who thought the phrase was elitist and should be scrapped. Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed how top brass had dropped a one strike and youre out drugs policy including cocaine, above, and ketamine. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has blocked soldiers kicked out of the Army for taking drugs from returning to the ranks and pocketing 10,000 golden hello payments [File photo] Speaking exclusively to the MoS last night, the Defence Secretary said: Drugs have absolutely no place in our Armed Forces, which is why I have made it clear there should be a zero-tolerance approach for anyone found to have taken illegal substances. I am determined to stamp out the malevolent presence of drugs in our military and only a zero-tolerance approach can do that. Mr Williamsons new crackdown is expected to become official Army policy within weeks, after meetings with senior officers and military lawyers. But the full force of his edict is already being felt. We can also reveal how a soldier who tested positive for cocaine in September has been booted out. No leniency was shown to Guardsman Charanpreet Singh Lall, 22, of the Coldstream Guards, even though he qualified for a reprieve based on his age and junior rank. Details have emerged about how a Goldman Sachs CEO's ex-personal assistant sold more than $1.2million worth of wine he stole from his boss, before leaping to his death from a luxury New York City hotel to avoid facing prison time. Nicholas DeMeyer aka Nickolas Meyer and Nicolas Von Meyer was pronounced dead by authorities in Manhattan on October 9 after he jumped from the balcony of his 33rd floor hotel room at the Carlyle Hotel. DeMeyer, 41, was the long-time, former assistant to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and ex-wife Mary, and was accused of stealing more than $1million worth of rare wines and selling it on, before jaunting around the world to avoid prosecution. Details have emerged about how Nicholas DeMeyer (in undated photo) allegedly stole $1.2million of wine from the CEO of Goldman Sachs while he was his personal assistant DeMeyer was Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and then-wife Mary's personal assistant from 2008 to 2016. From 2014 to 2016, DeMeyer was said to have stolen 500 bottles of wine from them, after which he fled the country for 14 months Court papers revealed that between 2014 and 2016, DeMeyer, while working for the Solomons, had pilfered 500 bottles of wine from them, including seven bottles of Domaine de le Romanee-Conti, which David Solomon had purchased for $133,650 each. DeMeyer's assistant responsibilities included receiving wine at the Solomons' apartment, and moving it to his former boss' wine cellar in East Hampton, New York, the indictment said. David, known for his devotion to wine, and his wife, Mary, maintained an apartment at the prestigious San Remo co-op on Central Park West while the alleged scheme occurred, public records show. DeMeyer allegedly made use of his access to the wine cellar to steal the wine and sell it on to North Carolina wine broker, Ryan Chaland, who ran a company called Wine Liquidators at the time. The scheme began in 2014, when DeMeyer, using the alias Mark Miller, contacted Chaland about selling off wine lots. Among the bottles stolen were seven bottles from the famed French estate Domaine de la Romanee-Conti in Burgundy (a bottle from the winery pictured above) DeMeyer jumped from the 33rd floor balcony of the The Carlyle Hotel in New York, while his lawyers were said to be waiting for him to enter his guilty plea in court DeMeyer's sister had alerted hotel security to check on him after receiving texts indicating that he might try to kill himself. When security entered his room, DeMeyer jumped Chaland told the New York Post that he, or one of his associates, would go to DeMeyer's Midtown Manhattan apartment to pick up the wine as much as 40 to 80 bottles at a time. Chaland said that DeMeyer 'downplayed his wine knowledge' and would attribute what he knew to having tasted wines with his boss, who he did not appear to have named. When negotiating what Chaland would pay DeMeyer for the wine, Chaland said that DeMeyer would always say that he needed to take the offer to his boss first. After a few days, DeMeyer would make a counteroffer. Chaland, who was the broker involved in the French Laundry restaurant wine theft, said that he had no idea that something was hinkey about the way DeMeyer had obtained the wine he was making deals over until the final deal, involving the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, that is. In October 2016, Patrick Albright, a Napa Valley wine dealer, bought Solomon's seven bottles of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti wines from Chaland, paying significantly less than what Solomon had originally paid for them, according to The Post. A suspicious Albright apparently tracked the wine back to New York Wine Warehouse owner Geoffrey Troy, Solomon's wine purveyor, who then told Solomon that his wine was on the market. Solomon called police to investigate the wine theft in November 2016. DeMeyer was said to have been cool as a cucumber when he let police into Solomon's wine cellar. A source told The Post that 'One of the reasons the police, the wine seller and David and Mary, none of them thought it was Nicolas, is because he was so calm throughout the whole thing.' DeMeyer, prosecutors said, wasn't ruffled until a detective casually mentioned that they'd find the thief quickly because the wine was traceable. Thinking the jig would soon be up, DeMeyer met with the Solomons on November 8, 2016 and told them that he had taken and sold off the wine. He then apparently promised that he would meet Mary Solomon on November 9 to give back some of the money he'd made. DeMeyer's wine theft scheme was figured out when a suspicious wine buyer traced the wine back to Solomon's (pictured) original wine dealer. When it became apparent that he was going to be caught, DeMeyer was said to have confessed to Solomon and his wife But, prosecutors said, just an hour and a half after making the promise, DeMeyer was at JFK Airport. He purchased a $5,300 Alitalia ticket to Rome the first stop in a multi-city, 14-month jaunt around the world, which included visits to Capri, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Court documents stated that most of DeMeyer's wine money was paid in cash and that he had made more than $1million off the stolen wine, at least $153,000 of which had been put into DeMeyer's then-boyfriend's bank account, while $34,500 was deposited into his mother's account. While he was abroad, DeMeyer's mother was said to sent him $39,000. A week into his trip, DeMeyer was said to have called Mary Solomon to explain that he had run off because he was scared and unwilling to go to prison. Just prior to his return to the United States, he was said to have asked his mother to hire a lawyer for him. DeMeyer was arrested in January 2018 when flying into Los Angeles. After news of his arrest and theft hit headlines, it was revealed that DeMeyer had made a concerted effort to hide his roots for most of his life. DeMeyer, who was born Nickolas Meyer, grew up in Findlay, Ohio, with his self-storage business-owning mom and stepfather. DeMeyer's college classmates said that he had hidden his Midwestern roots and changed his name from Nickolas Meyer to Nicholas Von Meyer and finally DeMeyer (undated photo) In college, while studying art history at Vassar, friends told The Weekly Standard that they assumed Meyer was a New York City kid, based on what he wore, how he behaved and who he hung out with. Some classmates said that Meyer had even claimed to be from Florida. Midway through his time at Vassar, friends said that Meyer claimed that his last name was actually Von Meyer and that 'Meyer' was a mistake. DeMeyer was said to have already begun using the 'DeMeyer' name by 2008, when he first started working with the Solomons. He then remained with the Solomons, working as their personal assistant until 2016. After DeMeyer's arrest, he was charged with one count of transporting stolen property across state lines and released on a $1million bond, secured by $200,000 in cash and his mothers home in Findlay, Ohio, where he was staying. DeMeyer had checked into The Carlyle in New York City prior to entering his plea. DeMeyer's sister had alerted hotel staff after she received text messages from him, indicating that he would harm himself, according to the New York Post. When security barged into his room, DeMeyer was sitting on the window sill of his balcony on the 33rd floor, naked. He smiled at them and then jumped out of the window. DeMeyer landed on a 17th floor balcony, but the impact was said to be so severe that it split his body in two, with the other half landing on a terrace on the 15th floor. The apparent suicide took place at about the same time that DeMeyer was expected in Manhattan federal court to enter a guilty plea. If convicted of his charge, DeMeyer would have faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. It is unclear how long he would have had to serve in prison as part of the terms of a guilty plea. Solomon issued a statement on Tuesday, saying: 'Mary and I are deeply saddened to hear that Nicolas took his own life. 'He was close to our family for several years, and we are all heartbroken to hear of his tragic end.' For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 A Brexit deal could be agreed by negotiators in Brussels in secret on Sunday before being presented to the British Government next week, it has been claimed. Internal documents, believed to be from the team working under chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier, have been leaked in Germany. Reporters from one of Germany's largest newspapers, Suddeutsche Zeitung, were allegedly given access to documents which carried a timetable. On the papers, it was claimed an agreement on the Brexit deal with Britain should be reached on Sunday. The 'provisional timetable' and its content was presented to the EU ambassadors on Friday to make them aware of the EU's position, it was claimed. Highlighted in red on Sunday, the papers say: 'Deal made, nothing made public (in theory)'. According to the same timetable, Britain will be given access to the offered deal on Monday. Within days, if it is agreed, there should be a joint public announcement by British Brexit Minister Dominic Raab and EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels. However, the paper reports there was still heated exchanges on the trade agreements after the official leave date and the following, 'transition phase' ends, on Saturday. Michel Barnier could offer a deal to the UK on Monday after it is agreed by his negotiating team This week, the Irish border appeared to be the major sticking point for negotiations. Michel Barnier did not appear to be close to making a deal, or backing down over the EU's demands on the border. The EU negotiator insisted 'checks' would be needed between the UK and the bloc in future, and they could not happen between Northern Ireland and the Republic. In a speech in Brussels, Mr Barnier repeated his plan for the province to stay within the EU's customs jurisdiction - suggesting barcode scanning and other technology could be used to ease 'political sensitivities'. Under the European Commission's 'backstop' plan for the Irish border, customs and VAT checks would be carried out using existing customs transit procedures, to avoid the need for physical inspections at the border, he said. Mr Barnier vowed he would keep fighting to protect the integrity of the EU single market. 'Brexit brings no added value. It is a negative negotiation. It is a lose, lose game,' he said. Mr Barnier also said Britain could ease the situation by joining a customs union - something the PM has ruled out as it would make trade deals elsewhere almost impossible. In a stinging putdown, he took aim at Mrs May's Chequers blueprint for future trade, warning it would undermine the single market and give the UK a 'huge competitive edge'. Mrs May has insisted the idea is unacceptable as it would risk splitting up the UK. There have however been faint signs of progress amid reports that the two sides are now working on a single text of a divorce agreement - rather than making counter-proposals. The intervention came amid a desperate scramble to put together a package that is acceptable to both sides. An apparent suggested solution would be that Northern Ireland could remain in the European internal market for a limited period of time to prevent a hard border. However, Northern Irish politicians have repeatedly rejected offers which sees their people treated differently to the rest of the United Kingdom. Earlier this week Michel Barnier was critical of what the UK offered to Brussels - but a counter offer is in the making, it is believed Theresa May will have a difficult week ahead to get her DUP colleagues onside if a Brexit deal cannot solve their issues with the Irish border proposals Mrs May is thought to be trying to unlock the negotiations with new plans for a 'backstop' to avoid a hard Irish border. It could effectively keep the whole UK in the customs union as a 'temporary' measure until a broader trade agreement is finalised based on her Chequers blueprint. But there are also likely to be increased regulatory checks in the Irish sea to protect the EU single market. That could destroy relations between Mrs May and the DUP - which has warned it has a 'blood red' line on the issue. Any agreement this weekend will be discussed by the General Council and then approved by the 27 Heads of State and Government at their EU summit meeting on Wednesday evening, it was claimed . For the following day, the notes state: 'Deal with Theresa May confirmed in the European Council'. Reviled hate preacher Anjem Choudary is to be personally targeted by United Nations sanctions when he is released from prison this week, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Ministers are steeling themselves for a public outcry when Choudary, who led the banned terror organisation Al-Muhajiroun, is freed after serving just half of a five-and-a-half-year term for publicly supporting Islamic State. They have admitted that they were powerless to halt his release, despite Prisons Minister Rory Stewart branding him a deeply pernicious, destabilising influence and a genuinely dangerous person. Reviled Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary, above, is to be personally targeted by United Nations sanctions when he is released from prison this week. It is believed that such draconian measures have only once been used before in Britain, on an Egyptian cleric [File photo] But after a diplomatic push led by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, UN Security Council powers will be used to hit Choudary with an asset freeze and travel ban and even force him to be subject to its arms embargo provisions. The move, carried out with the close co-operation of French President Emmanuel Macrons government, means that each UN member state is legally obliged to freeze his financial assets, prevent him from entering their countries and stop any weapons reaching him. It is believed that such draconian measures have only once been used before in Britain and on that occasion the subject was Abu Hamza al-Masri, the hook-handed Egyptian cleric who preached Islamic fundamentalism and militant Islam from Finsbury Park Mosque in London before being extradited to America in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Choudary will have to live in a taxpayer-funded safe house in north London, and will be subject to stringent restrictions on his activities or risk an immediate return to jail. These will include an evening curfew, the wearing of a GPS electronic tag and a ban on visiting specific venues such as Regents Park Mosque in Central London, where he used to worship. He will also be banned from communicating with a number of his former associates. Al-Muhajirouns disciples included London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt and the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Ministers are steeling themselves for a public outcry when Choudary, who led the banned terror organisation Al-Muhajiroun, is freed. Instead, after a diplomatic push led by Jeremy Hunt, the United Nations, above, will be used to hit Choudary with an asset freeze and travel ban [File photo] Choudary will live in a taxpayer-funded safe house in north London, and police will protect him from reprisals. Last month, Theresa May revealed that police and the security service MI5 are running 676 investigations into suspected terrorism [File photo] About a dozen followers will soon follow Choudary out of prison while his right-hand man, Mizanur Rahman, will also be released halfway through his sentence. Counter-terrorism experts have warned that al-Muhajiroun could reform. Some of its members went to Syria where they fought with so-called Islamic State. They included Londoner Siddhartha Dhar, who the US State Department says has taken part in the murder of hostages. Police will protect Choudary from reprisals by far-Right activists. Last month, Theresa May revealed that police and the security service MI5 are running 676 investigations into suspected terrorism. Thirteen plots by Islamist extremists have been foiled since March 2017. A senior Government source said of the UN action against Choudary: This is a great coup for Jeremy and for Britain and shows we are serious about taking all necessary action to destroy Islamic State and its tentacles around the globe. The British mother jailed in Iran for supposed spying, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is being denied medical treatment for a mystery illness that has numbed her right arm, hand and neck, according to her husband. Richard Ratcliffe said her symptoms have steadily worsened since she was recalled to Tehrans notorious Evin prison after a temporary three-day release in August. He said his 39-year-old wife, who is now unable to cook, knit or lift a book, is also suffering from depression. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, pictured with her daughter Gabriella, is being denied medical treatment for a mystery illness, her husband claims The prison psychiatrist says she needs to see an expert neurologist outside the prison, but the head of Evins medical service has refused to grant permission. It feels like a very basic refusal, he said. I am really worried, not just about her physical symptoms but the desperate tone in her voice. She spends many of our calls crying, and shes clearly at the end of her tether. If she isnt released soon, I dread to think what may happen to her. Detained by the Revolutionary Guard at Tehran airport after visiting her parents with the couples daughter, Gabriella, four, in April 2016, Nazanin has now spent 925 days of a five year sentence in prison. Mr Ratcliffe said the impact of his wifes plight on their daughter, who is living with Nazanins parents, has been traumatic. On a recent visit she gave her mother her Paddington Bear, he said. She told her, Mummy, if I cant sleep with you, you can cuddle Paddington. The devastating effect of cannabis on Britains mental health can be revealed for the first time today. As campaigners call for the drugs legalisation, shocking figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday show that it has caused more than 125,000 hospital admissions in the last five years. And around 15,000 of those cases involved teenagers some of whom were rushed to A&E departments suffering serious psychosis. More than 125,000 hospital admissions have taken place over the past five years as a result of taking cannabis - including 15,000 teenagers - some of whom were rushed to hospital suffering from serious psychosis The number of cannabis-related hospitalisations per year in England has leapt by 50 per cent Analysis carried out by NHS officials for this paper has also revealed how children below the age of ten have been admitted to hospital after taking the powerful and addictive substance. Some people hooked on the drug have taken their own lives after suffering hallucinations and many more are now unable to lead normal lives, according to doctors. The number of cannabis-related hospitalisations per year in England has leapt by more than 50 per cent since 2013 from 19,765 to 31,130. The dramatic rise has coincided with an increasingly liberal approach to policing the Class B drug in many parts of the country. In Durham, police now turn a blind eye to possession and even small-scale cultivation. Last week, the Royal College of Psychiatrists announced it was setting up a panel to consider backing legalisation of cannabis arguing that could be a way to control its increasing strength. But evidence from the US, where nine states have legalised recreational use, shows that is not happening. In Colorado and Washington State, for example, the average strength of the drug is going up. And since it was legalised in Colorado in 2014, cannabis-related trips to emergency rooms by teenagers have quadrupled, according to an academic report. Evidence is also building that regularly smoking cannabis during teenage years can affect brain development shrinking the hippocampus, essential for memory and regulating emotions. Last night, Tory MP Craig Mackinlay said the figures were a stark wake-up call to those considering legalisation. Far too few people are aware of the severe mental health problems cannabis can cause, particularly on younger, developing brains, he said. Caving in to populist demands to legalise a harmful drug is not the way to deal with preventing its normalisation and use. Around 2.4 million people in Britain smoke cannabis, including a million 16- to 24-year-olds. While rates are little changed over the last decade, there are signs teens are starting to use it more. Cannabis has been growing stronger and stronger over the years a key reason why more people are ending up in hospital, say doctors. Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, pictured, said too few people are aware of the severe mental health problems cannabis can cause Powerful varieties known as skunk now account for 94 per cent of cannabis consumed in Britain, according to recent research. It contains at least four times as much of the main psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol as previously dominant types of cannabis. THC is strongly linked to increased risk of psychosis. Yet there is a growing perception among youngsters that cannabis is harmless. Experts say many interpret the Governments decision to let doctors prescribe cannabis-based medicines as a green light to smoke it even though the medicines and street drugs have hugely different effects. Addiction specialist Dr Cyrus Abbasian said: The main reason we are seeing more cannabis-related hospital admissions is its increasing strength. In some areas cannabis strength has increased tenfold since the 1990s, from two to 20 per cent THC, he added, with less powerful forms so hard to find in the UK that users go online to buy from overseas. Ex-mental health nurse Ian Hamilton, a lecturer at York University, said people were increasingly ending up in A&Es with absolutely terrifying cannabis-induced psychotic episodes, as its growing strength meant they had no idea how much THC they were consuming. People can see things, hear things, become hyper-anxious, or enter a state of depersonalisation where they dont feel they are real, he said. They can end up vomiting, while the anxiety can make your heart-rate go through the roof. Home Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured, will allow doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicines from next month although he said has no plans to legalise recreational use of the drug Consultant psychologist Matthew Gaskell, of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust, said stronger cannabis including the synthetic version spice was leading to more cannabis dependence in addiction services, and great difficulty stopping among regular users. He said: Acute intoxication can have severe effects including a rapid heart rate, vomiting, violent behaviour, seizures and suicidal thoughts. The NHS figures show there were 125,290 cannabis and spice-related hospital admissions in England from April 2013 to March 2018, including 14,888 under-20s. Of those, nine were admissions of children under ten. Researcher Hannah Fletcher, of HealthWatch Essex, a local watchdog, who interviewed 717 youngsters, said cannabis use was now prevalent among teens. One told her cannabis was everywhere in secondary school. Some thought it was actually good for them, she said. Last Thursday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced that, from next month, doctors will be able to prescribe cannabis-based medicines. These usually contain low levels of THC. Mr Javid has made clear the Government has no plans to legalise recreational cannabis use. A fight broke out on New York's Upper East Side when members of a far-right group know as the 'Proud Boys' ended up brawling with protesters on the street. Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes held a rally for around 50 people at the vandalized Manhattan GOP headquarters. After the rally was over, a number of bare-knuckle fights broke out with the men wrestling one another on the sidewalk. Several members of the Proud Boys kicked and pummeled a small group of antifascist protesters It happened on Friday night outside an Upper East Side Manhattan club where Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes had delivered a speech The melee was captured on video and in photos posted to social media 'Followed the Proud Boys as they left the event,' photojournalist Shay Horse tweeted. 'About 1-2 blocks away a 30 (proud boys) vs. 3 fight broke out.' 'It ended with 30 proud boys pummeling a guy on the ground screaming, 'ARE YOU BRAVE NOW F****t?!' he wrote. McInnes managed to drive off without getting arrested, witnesses told the New York Daily News. No serious injuries were reported. The Proud Boys posed for a picture on the street before going to an East Side bar, he tweeted, adding that 'many fights were happening at once.' Proud Boys members dressed in black polo shirts yelled homophobic slurs as they attacked at least three protesters. Members are pictured above Several Proud Boys could be seen kicking victims after they had been knocked to the ground One photojournalist tweeted pictures of the fight, but said that it was only afterwards he knew how bad it was Photographer Shay Horse tweeted about how sickened he was to see the racism on display The fight broke out just before 9pm on Third Avenue and East 84th Street where vandals sprayed anarchy symbols on its doors. Police arrested protesters accused of attacking a 30-year-old New Jersey man leaving the rally. Protesters took the man's backpack during the brawl and stole the man's wallet. 80 protesters showed up at the club on Friday night chanting, 'No racists, no KKK, no fascist USA' and holding signs and banners, including some opposing white supremacy. There were plenty of witnesses and a lot of video and still photos were taken of the fight The fight broke out just minutes after about 30 Proud Boys left the Metropolitan Republican Club, where McInnes had been speaking Police said investigators are reviewing video and evidence to determine if other crimes were committed, and if so identify the suspects and make additional arrests The three men, Finbarr Slonim, 20, and Caleb Perkins, 35, both of the Upper East Side and Kai Russo, 20, of Brooklyn, were charged with robbery, harassment and assault. Police are reviewing additional video and other evidence to see if other crimes were committed. 'If so, (we will) identify those perpetrators and make further arrests as warranted,' NYPD spokesman Phillip Walzak said. 'There is no tolerance for violence anywhere in New York City, and the NYPD will do everything in its power to ensure public safety,' Walzak said. Councilman Rory Lancman said in a statement that he was outraged that no Proud Boys members ended up in handcuffs despite being seen fighting while police stood nearby. 'It is revolting to see white supremacists commit a hate crime on the streets of New York City in full view of the NYPD and for none of them to be arrested or prosecuted,' Lancman said. 'We have seen this in other cities, but it is shocking to see it here.' 'Hateful and violent behavior has no place in New York City, and those responsible must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' A Somalian whose deportation from Britain was dramatically halted after airline passengers staged a mutiny demanding his release can be exposed today as a convicted gang rapist who was being kicked out of the country because of his sickening crime. Officials escorting Yaqub Ahmed on a flight from Heathrow to Turkey were forced to abandon his deportation when around a dozen holidaymakers who felt sorry for him angrily intervened shortly before take-off. At one stage during the astonishing episode, filmed on mobile phones, one traveller complained: Theyre separating him from his family, while others chanted take him off the plane. When harassed security guards caved in and walked 29-year-old Ahmed off the Turkish Airlines flight, he was seen thanking those on board for their support as they cheered and applauded. One person was heard declaring: Youre free, man! Yaqub Ahmed, 29, is one of a gang of rapists who brutally assaulted a young girl. The 16-year-old victim was gang-raped in a flat in New Orleans Walk in Crouch End on August 10 Passengers helped Ahmed get kicked off the plane as he resisted being deported by the Home Office after serving a prison sentence for gang rape But the passengers who thought they were doing a good deed were unaware that the man they were defending had been sentenced to nine years in jail for his part in a vicious gang rape of a teenage girl and that another member of his gang later fought for Islamic State in Syria. Today The Mail on Sunday can reveal how Ahmed and three other youths preyed on a 16-year-old stranger after she became separated from her friends during a night out in Londons Leicester Square, in August 2007. In a planned attack, they lured her back to a flat in Crouch End, North London, by pretending her friends were waiting for her there then gang-raped her. The gang, aged between 18 and 20, were caught when neighbours heard the girls cries for help and rang police. All four men denied rape, despite DNA evidence. They were found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court and each jailed for nine years. Police detective Emma Bird said at the time: The sentences given out by the judge reflect the seriousness of this offence. Ahmed, 18 at the time of the rape and living in Clerkenwell, North London, is thought to have been granted refugee status after arriving in Britain from war-torn Somalia as a boy. Stunned plane passengers turned around to witness the commotion at the rear of the flight He was released from prison after serving little more than four years, and lived in a halfway house in North London until recently. Because he had been jailed for such a serious crime, the Home Office ordered his deportation, which led to him being placed on the flight to Istanbul last Tuesday afternoon. He received a temporary reprieve because of the impromptu intervention of passengers. But when video of the protest was published by MailOnline, hundreds of readers expressed their outrage. One wrote: The police should have been called and all the passengers who were interfering should have been arrested and removed from the plane. Another user said: Looked like a plane full of snowflakes. And a third pointed out: Now it will cost a lot more to fly the man back on a private charter! Well done silly interfering, self-seeking, do-gooding idiots! Ahmed is now believed to be in an immigration detention centre while officials try to place him on another flight out of the UK, but this process could take months particularly if his lawyers use his temporary reprieve as an opportunity to appeal against his deportation. Last night, Tory backbencher Philip Hollobone, who has tabled bills to speed up the deportation of foreign criminals, said: We need to deport these people and members of the public should not be allowed to obstruct the proper course of justice. Officials accompanying the deportee need to react appropriately to passengers who do not know what is going on. To simply walk off in the face of passenger confusion is not good enough. Harry Fletcher of the Victims Rights Campaign said: This deportation was clearly in the public interest. Sitting deportees in the general passenger area of a plane is wrong and leads to this kind of ill-informed protest. Ondogo Ahmed was jailed for eight years alongside Ahmed for the gang rape of a teenager Passengers caused a commotion when they realised Ahmed was being deported - although he did not tell them he was a convicted rapist Passengers began to record what was happening and stood up for the man, now 19, being returned to Somalia A man pulled out his camera phone to record the deportation team at the back of the plane until so much pressure was put on security the Somalian was led off the plane It is not the first time that planned deportations have been disrupted on planes. In July, a Swedish student filmed herself halting the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker on a Turkish Airlines flight from Gothenburg to Istanbul. Elin Ersson said in the video that was streamed live on Facebook: A person is going to get deported to Afghanistan where there is war and hes going to get killed. Then, in August, a Turkish Airlines pilot refused to take off from Heathrow after campaigners convinced him that the asylum seeker on his jet would face beheading by the Taliban if he was returned to Afghanistan. Virgin Airlines has stopped assisting the deportation of illegal immigrants after pressure from activists. The Home Office previously spent millions of pounds a year chartering planes to fly failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders to their home countries, most commonly Albania, Pakistan and Nigeria. But because of the cost of the flights, it now increasingly books seats on commercial services. Latest figures show the Home Office spent 17 million on scheduled flights and 8.6 million on charter flights to deport people in 2016-17. The man should not be being 'separated from his family' according to those who put a stop to his deportation A Home Office spokesman said: All foreign nationals who are given a custodial sentence will be considered for removal. Those who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them and we have removed more than 43,000 foreign offenders since 2010. One of Ahmeds co-defendants, Adnan Mohamud, was granted refugee status in Britain in 2002 having been born in Somalia, and is still thought to be in the UK. The youngest member of the gang, Ondogo Ahmed, travelled to Syria to fight for Islamic State just months after he was freed from jail. He is thought to have been killed a few weeks later. Additional reporting by Abul Taher, Jonathan Bucks and Mark Wood Sarah Palin has slammed Instagram as biased against conservatives after the company removed a controversial image she posted which used her own son with Down Syndrome to mock liberal protesters. Palin posted the meme to her Instagram page on Tuesday, and the company removed it on Friday for violating 'community guidelines' after intense outcry over the image. The image showed heroic female warriors with the label 'What protestors [sic] think we see', contrasted with pictures of Palin's 10-year-old son Trig melting down with the label 'What we really see'. In a new post on Friday, Palin shared the takedown notice from Instagram and excoriated the company and parent firm Facebook in a lengthy diatribe accusing them of censorship and political bias. Sarah Palin posted this meme to Instagram, with her son Trig in the bottom half. Trig has Down syndrome and liberals blasted Palin for allegedly mocking people with the disorder Palin posted this takedown notice on Friday along with a lengthy caption blasting Instagram and parent company Facebook for alleged censorship and political bias 'CENSORSHIP is to sharing opinions as LYNCHING is to justice! Unbelievable. Instagram took down a post of my son Trig acting like a normal kid ~ which I am so proud he can do,' Palin wrote. 'My heart soars when Trig proves hes a normal kid... I cant even explain how it tickles our whole family. But the intolerant powers-that-be, sitting in a seat of judgement, think not? 'The nauseating, downright evil hypocrisy from their parent company, Facebook, continues ~ but only aimed at commonsense conservatives? 'When Obama was POTUS, he MOCKED children with Down Syndrome on late night tv, and nary a word of outrage from these same folks. But theyll censor my post of my most favorite person in the world... Inexplicable,' Palin continued. It is unclear exactly what incident Palin was referencing, although then-President Barack Obama was forced to apologize in 2009 after comparing his poor bowling skills to 'the Special Olympics' in an interview with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. Palin was slammed for her post featuring her son crying hysterically. People said she was being demeaning to people with disabilities Palin continued: 'Unbelievable. And scary. Facebook continues to censor traffic flow to my website, too. 'Ummm, Zuckerberg, you were in Alaska recently.. did you not learn a thing about Mama Grizzlies when you visited?' Controversy erupted after Palin posted the original meme, which appeared to be in response to intensifying protests over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The bottom half of the meme features her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, sporting his sweatshirt 'Homie with an extra chromie,' crying hysterically at Walmart. In the caption next to her meme, Palin wrote: 'What protestors [sic] (who can't explain what they're protesting) think we see -vs- what we really see,' followed by a laughing emoji. She also issues a brief apology to her son: 'sorry Trig!' Protesters is spelled wrong in both the meme's caption and the writing next to her Instagram post. Trig has been pictured in the sweatshirt before. Palin's post came under intense criticism by commenters on Instagram. Halfevild took a jab at Palin's intellect, writing: 'Thank you, Bore of Babble-On, for once again reminding people why you're accurately referred to as a World Class Idiot and America's Resident Dunce.' Petparker76 was kind enough to bleep out their own curse word writing in a lengthy comment onto Palin's post: 'What kind of piece of s*** uses her son to try to insult people. Especially when you guys were holier-than-thou when a cartoon used his image. And by the way it's not an insult to all of us who actually know why people were protesting.' 'You don't because you don't know anything and you've proved that to the world. And to be compared to someone with Down Syndrome is a compliment. They are beings that shine brightly, and love fiercely and the ones that I know that have the syndrome are some of the most intelligent people that I know. The fact that you don't know that and you have a son with Down Syndrome shows you do not deserve him. You should be ashamed of yourself.' lovehealnourish wrote: 'Wait are you saying protestors look just like your beautiful son?? I couldn't imagine how you and the Right would act if a Democrat posted this.' Another commented: 'This is a disgrace and demeans all developmentally disabled.' Palin gave birth to Trig in August of 2008 and has previously defended against attacks on her son's disability Palin has, to her credit, fought against attacks on people with Down syndrome in the past. Palin criticized a 2010 episode of the Family Guy that showed a character with Down syndrome whose line was: 'My dad's an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.' Palin called the cartoon a 'kick in the gut.' She has also voted in support of banning abortions for women pregnant with Down babies. However in a 20/20 interview she admitted when she found out Trig would be born with the genetic disorder, she understood why other women may choose abortion. 'I knew that the option was there... I thought again, for that split second, ''OK, now I know, too, why, when that fear strikes you, because of the unknown,'' she said. 'I understood then, too, why a woman would consider [abortion] an easier path to perhaps, if you will, do away with the problem, instead of understanding that every child has purpose. There is destiny for every child. And it can be good, in our world. And that's what I held onto.' Hares are in danger of being wiped out by an outbreak of a deadly disease which has spread from rabbits, a leading expert warned yesterday. Myxomatosis, which arrived in Britain in the 1950s and resulted in the deaths of 99 per cent of the rabbit population, has now jumped to hares, Dr Diana Bell believes. The University of East Anglia expert issued a joint appeal with two local wildlife trusts last week to help discover the cause of a spate of mysterious hare deaths in the region. Britains brown hare population has seen a decline of more than 80 per cent in the past 100 years, due to hunting and illegal hare coursing. They have longer legs and ears than rabbits [File photo] Since then they have been flooded with an overwhelming number of responses from across Britain, Dr Bell said. The expert, from the universitys School of Biological Sciences, said she was aware of hundreds of cases but believed it was the tip of the iceberg. Britains brown hare population has seen a decline of more than 80 per cent in the past 100 years, due to hunting and illegal hare coursing. The animals, which have longer hind legs than rabbits and black-tipped ears as long as their heads, are almost entirely absent in the South West. Myxomatosis is highly infectious and symptoms include runny and swollen eyes. The disease, which is typically transmitted via blood-sucking insects, is nearly always fatal. According to Dr Bell, the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) classes a mass mortality event as three deaths in close vicinity and she said she has received reports of six or seven dead hares together. Asked about suggestions that the deaths may be down to another disease called coccidiosis, which attacks the intestines of animals, Dr Bell said she was absolutely sure it was myxomatosis killing the hares. She told BBC Radio 4s Today programme yesterday that in the worst case scenario, the disease could wipe out the hare population. From the photographs that have been sent in to me weve definitely got a jump of myxomatosis to hares, she said. Myxomatosis arrived in Britain in the 1950s and resulted in the deaths of 99 per cent of the rabbit population. The disease, which is typically transmitted via blood-sucking insects, is nearly always fatal for rabbits, above [File photo] Were talking about certainly hundreds [of cases] I know about and thats just the tip of the iceberg. There have been cases of myxomatosis killing hares in Spain, said Dr Bell. The joint appeal by the University of East Anglia and Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Wildlife Trust was launched following a spate of sightings of dead hares from farmers and the public. Defra said myxomatosis had been recorded sporadically in British hares but that it had not confirmed any cases this year via its agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Its wildlife service would continue to work closely with Dr Bell and her team, it added. Advertisement Barbara Bush and Craig Coyne continued their wedding celebrations with a post-party brunch Saturday, walking onto the streets of Lower Manhattan following a glitzy bash in New York Friday night. Bush, 36, stepped out with her new husband and a group of friends to enjoy a late breakfast, both opting to wear casual jeans, and the new bride wrapping up in a warm coat with turtleneck sweater. The duo emerged looking rather fresh considering they had partied the night away at a futuristic party hosted by friends and family at a swanky Tribeca loft the previous evening. Scroll down for video Barbara Bush and Craig Coyne went to brunch with friends in New York Saturday as their wedding celebrations continued Bush wrapped up in a coat as she and her new spouse chatted to pals after a fun-filled party the night before The couple dressed casually in jeans as they walked around New York's Lower Manhattan area The happy couple then headed from Tribeca to the west side of the city to meet another set of friends in the Big Apple New bling: Coyne fiddled with his wedding ring and Bush showed off her fresh bling as she adjusted her turtleneck sweater Caffeine fix: Coyne and Bush headed to grab some beverages with pals and spent 90 minutes perking up on Saturday Bush and Coyne walked around the city following a meal at Italian restaurant A Summer Day Cafe in the same neighborhood, a nautical-themed space that features floor-to-ceiling windows and lush greenery. They walked across to the west side of town to connect with more friends for coffee later. Both were clearly in need of a perk as they spent 90 minutes getting their caffeine fix to take them through the weekend. Gentle touch: Bush affectionately stroked her new spouse as they chatted to friends during the outing Bush and Coyne walked around the city following a meal at Italian restaurant A Summer Day Cafe in Tribeca The newlyweds enjoyed the nautical-themed space that features floor-to-ceiling windows and lush greenery Bush and Coyne kept it low-key as they traipsed the streets and shielded their eyes from the bright sunlight Coyne appeared in good spirits as he waved to on lookers during the weekend outing that followed a huge celebration Groom: Coyne tousled his hair as he walked around the Big Apple in a green sweater and white sneakers Social media posts showed guests enjoying swings, light-up limbo and oracles telling fortunes at the glitzy Friday bash held in their honor following their intimate Maine wedding on Sunday. Photographers outside snapped people arriving, and Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager surprised onlookers as she puffed away on a cigarette. The dress code encouraged sequins and new bride Barbara rose to the occasion in a plunging sparkling gown paired with black strappy sandals. Newlyweds: Photographs shared on social media inside the Tribeca loft show the loved-up couple celebrating with friends and family. Barbara appears to be giving a speech at the swanky party (left) Guests of honor: Barbara arrived carrying a large bunch of flowers from Whole Foods and a box of what appeared to be baked goods. Her new husband Craig Coyne is seen behind her Light her up! Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager surprised onlookers as she puffed away on a cigarette outside Letting her hair down: Jenna is seen smoking a cigarette outside the venue in Tribeca in New York City on Friday evening Cigarette break: The bash was reportedly hosted by Today host Jenna (seen smoking) and her husband Henry Chase Hager Arrival: Jenna is seen arriving at the bash for her twin sister Jenna and her new husband following their wedding on Sunday Bringing the glamor: Barbara's cousin Lauren Bush was spotted outside the venue in downtown Manhattan Friday night with her husband David Lauren She arrived carrying a large bunch of flowers from Whole Foods and a box of what appeared to baked goods. The bash was reportedly hosted by Today host Jenna and her husband Henry Chase Hager. An invite sent out via Paperless Post reads 'Join us to toast Barbara and Craig' and instructed guests that 'sequins [are] highly encouraged to get your groove on'. Among the guests spotted at the party were Barbara's glamorous cousin Lauren Bush and her husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren. Dancing queen: Barbara is seen (left) showing off her moves on the dance floor and with her sequin-clad friends (right) Futuristic bash: Social media posts showed guests enjoying swings (left), light-up limbo and bizarre oracles telling fortunes (right) Selfie time: Entrepreneur Rob Fishman shared this picture of himself and Barbara at the party in his Instagram stories Futuristic bash: A light-up limbo rope was pulled across the room (left) and oracles told guests' fortunes (right) Barbara and Craig kept their secret five-week engagement under wraps and got married in a small ceremony on Sunday at her family's estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. The blushing bride was walked down the aisle by her beaming father George W. Bush as her proud grandfather George H. W. Bush watched on. The couple revealed they rushed the wedding to make sure that Barbara's 94-year-old grandfather could see her walk down the aisle in Kennebunkpot before he makes his made his annual return to Houston for the winter. Her grandmother Barbara Bush passed away in her Houston home surrounded by family in April of this year. Dressed to impress: A party-goer wearing a long white dress and strappy heels is pictured outside the venue with Lauren Bush and her husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren Silver sequins: Guest Danielle Prescod is seen arriving at the newlyweds' bash in downtown Manhattan on Friday Colorful: A guest wearing a multicolored sequinned frock is spotted outside the venue in Tribeca, New York City Embracing the theme: Guests clad in sequins arrive at the swanky loft to celebrate the couple's nuptials Craig, a 37-year-old writer and Vanderbilt graduate, popped the big question August 25 on the Maine estate and in the same spot where Barbara's grandparents got engaged. He is a writer and former actor who has appeared in a handful of movies, including Jarhead (2005), and Unlovable (2018), as well as the web series Lonelygirl15 (2006). He also formerly worked as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving to Los Angeles. His writing career has seen him work on a live-action show for Comedy Central, pen the play Delusions of Grammar, and create web content and series with producers located in Los Angeles and the UK. Celebration! Barbara Bush and fiance Craig Louis Coyne tied the knot at her family's Maine estate last weekend (pictured), after keeping their engagement under wraps 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 Family affair: On Saturday morning, Jenna Bush shared this picture of her twin sister Barbara and her daughter Mila on the special day One person has died and two other passengers are missing after a small plane crashed into waters near the Hamptons, south of Long Island. The twin-engine Piper PA-34, which lifted off from Danbury Municipal Airport in Connecticut, crashed into the water about a mile from Quogue Beach at 11.10 am. A debris field which included a wing and an oil sheen have been spotted near the reported crash site, officials said. At about the same time, there were reports that engine parts had washed up on Quogue Beach. Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki told Newsday that first responders found 'what appears to be pieces of aircraft'. Surfers on the beach saw the plane 'sputtering and crashing into the ocean', said Kevin Raynor, a third assistant chief for the Westhampton Beach Fire Department. Rescuers search for plane wreckage and two missing people off the Hamptons Coast Video courtesy PIX11 Three people were reportedly on the plane when it crashed. The New York State Police reported that at least one body has been recovered so far. The name of the deceased has not yet been released until all family members are informed as is protocol. The aircrafts registration number has not been confirmed, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said. The aircraft left Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut and landed at Danbury Municipal Airport on Saturday morning, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Airport Authority said. It was not immediately clear where the plane was going, although the Francis S Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach is about three miles from where the plane crashed. Rescue workers assisting in the search for two missing people and a plane at Quogue Beach The Bay Constables, a commercial salvage crew, as well as a multiple aircrews from the New York Air National Guard are assisting in the search, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The Coast Guard was also dispatching a helicopter to review the crash scene from above. A spokesman for the Coastguard Rodion Mazin confirmed Saturday that one body was found and the search continued for two others. 'They're still searching,' he said. A total of three people were on board the plane, according to USCG Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier of Shinnecock Station. It was a rainy morning as a weak weather disturbance moved through the area. It wasn't immediately clear whether rain was a factor in the crash. A twin-engine Piper PA-34 (pictured), similar to the plane that went down on Quogue Beach Assisting in the search are Suffolk County marine, bay constables, a commercial salvage crew which is considering sending down divers as well as a multiple aircrews from the New York Air National Guard. Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, an 87-' patrol boat, was also underway en route to the scene. An aircrew from Air Station Cape Cod is scheduled be dispatched to relieve the Air National Guard, the USCG said. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed an 'aircraft has crashed in the water approximately three miles south southeast' of Francis S Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. The stand alone figures on anti-Semitic offences are part of a move to crack down on hate crime after a summer in which Mr Corbyn (pictured) himself was branded a racist and anti-Semite by one of his own MPs Bitter divisions over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party will be reopened by Ministers this week with official figures expected to show a rise in hate crimes against Jewish people. In what Jeremy Corbyns supporters will perceive as a deliberate attempt to stoke rows within his party over the racist behaviour of his supporters, the Government is planning to release stand-alone figures for anti-Semitic offences for the first time. The move part of a new drive to crack down on soaring hate crime follows a summer in which a future Labour government was said to pose an existential threat to British Jews, while Mr Corbyn himself was branded a racist and anti-Semite by one of his own MPs. Jewish safety group the Community Security Trust recorded 727 anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2018, including 34 that made specific reference to Labour. However, the figures to be published this week are expected to provide more detail on the scale of the problem. The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that a Corbyn supporter is facing arrest after failing to appear in court to answer allegations that he branded a senior Labour figure a Jewish pig and a bloodsucker. Frid Milani, 69, is accused of telling Lord Levy, a key ally of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, to p*** off to Israel in an email on March 28. The message allegedly read: I see that you dare to criticise the Labour leader. Who the hell are you to comment on Jeremy Corbyn? You are just another Jewish pig, bloodsucker living on taxpayers money. What are you doing in this country anyway? Frid Milani, 69, is accused of calling Lord Levy (pictured), a key ally of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, a 'Jewish pig' in an email. He is facing attest after failing to appear in court Why dont you p*** off to Israel? We dont need Jewish bastards like you in this country. Mr Milani, who lives in Wembley, North-West London, was charged with sending a grossly offensive message, but failed to attend Westminster magistrates court last Wednesday. Kerry Broome, prosecuting, said inquiries were being made at the defendants address, adding: Police officers have attended. The blinds are shut, the property is locked, and there is no sign of any movement. Either Mr Milani is out or not willing to come to court. We cannot say which. She added: Mr Milani refused to be interviewed on a number of occasions. Officers attended with a mobile recording device and he eventually consented to being interviewed but said nothing. Police also emailed Mr Milani, asking him to attend a police station for an interview. He made further anti-Semitic remarks in one of the emails effectively suggesting he (the officer) was acting on the behest of the Jewish state, said the prosecutor. Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ordered Mr Milani be arrested and held in custody, adding: I find that this defendant has not interacted with the police, in fact has insulted the officer. I am satisfied that postal requisition has been sent to him at his address and also he has been avoiding the police. I will grant a warrant not backed for bail. Last night, Lord Levy, who raised more than 100 million for Labour during the Blair years and was Mr Blairs personal envoy to the Middle East, said he was unable to comment for legal reasons. Earlier this year, he criticised Labour for failing to combat anti-semitism within its ranks. There has to be a zero-tolerance policy. Enough words, Lord Levy said. They are just not taking this seriously. A heroic father-of-two has revealed how he leaped off a balcony to save his eight-year-old son's life. Brad Lewis, a former soldier, was at a friend's house in Church Point in Sydney's north on August 4 when his son Oscar playfully shot a few Nerf gun bullets at him. The bullets flew over the first-floor balcony, and Oscar ran to see where they went, losing his balance. The 42-year-old lunged at his son to save him, but they ended up both tumbling toward the concrete below. Brad Lewis (pictured), 42, reveals how he heroically threw himself off a balcony to save his eight-year-old son, Oscar, who fell Mr Lewis (pictured with his sons), a former soldier, was at a friend's house in Church Point in Sydney's north for a BBQ on August 4 when his son Oscar (pictured, left) fell from the balcony after playing with a nerf gun 'I was only half-a-metre away so I twisted to my left, leant over the balcony and grabbed him by the waist but the weight of our upper bodies pulled me over the railing as well,' Mr Lewis told the Daily Telegraph. 'As I went over, I clutched Oscar as tight as I could, then I blacked out.' Mr Lewis took the brunt of the impact and sustained major head and neck injuries. He cracked his skull open from his ear to the crown of his head, bruised his brain, fractured his C6 vertebrae and broke a rib. Mr Lewis's friend Beau Worthington was the first to respond, and recalled Brad's first words after the fall were 'Are the kids OK? Don't let them see me like this, don't let me die mate'. Mr Lewis said he remembers Mr Worthington holding his head together and that his were covered with blood. Mr Lewis (pictured with his wife) took the brunt of the impact and sustained major head and neck injuries. He cracked his skull open from his ear to the crown of his head, bruised his brain, fractured his C6 vertebrae and broke a rib Mr Lewis (pictured with his family) said he remembers Mr Worthington holding his head together with his hands that were covered with blood Doctors were amazed Mr Lewis didn't die and told the father that if he had landed at a different angle he could have been paralysed or killed. Due to the brave efforts of Mr Lewis, Oscar was protected from the worst of the impact, sustaining a concussion, bruising to the brain and a hairline skull fracture. Oscar has since experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 'He has a good, positive attitude, but he's frustrated he can't go skateboarding, ride his bike, or play contact sport with his friends until December at the earliest,' Mr Lewis said. Mr Lewis has been nominated for the Pride of Australia medal following his bold move to save his son. He is still in a neck brace which is due to be removed later this month. David Davis has written off Boris Johnsons chances of ever becoming Tory leader and is planning to mount his own bid for No 10, friends of the former Brexit Secretary have told The Mail on Sunday. Mr Davis who joined the ex- Foreign Secretary in resigning from the Cabinet over Theresa Mays Chequers plan has argued privately that Mr Johnson does not have enough support among Tory MPs to win a leadership contest if Mrs May goes. And he regards himself as the Brexiteers natural candidate of choice. But the claims have angered Mr Johnsons supporters, with one telling this newspaper last night that Mr Davis was painfully out of his depth and insisting that he would be a disaster as Prime Minister. Mr Daviss friends claim that Mr Johnson is struggling to build a large enough base of MPs prepared to vote for him in a contest. Although he remains the clear favourite among Tory party members, who have the final say in a contest, it is the MPs who vote to select the two candidates they have to choose between. Brexiteers Boris Johnson and David Davis are vying to become the top Brexit MP in order to succeed Theresa May Mr Daviss embryonic campaign team believes that Tory MPs have been alienated by Mr Johnsons attacks on the Prime Minister and what they claim is an attempt to use party activists to pressurise MPs into voting for him. One ally of Mr Davis said: People realise Boris cant win now. Theres no way he can get through the parliamentary party. But a furious supporter of Mr Johnson said: David Davis and his allies are telling everyone who will listen that he can be the father of the nation and deliver Brexit. MPs havent forgotten that for almost two years he was Olly Robbinss [Mrs Mays civil service Brexit adviser] useful idiot and was totally outmanoeuvred by the civil service. If he was so painfully out of his depth as Brexit Secretary, how could he possibly be considered for Prime Minister it would be a disaster and everyone knows it. David Davis say Boris Johnson does not have enough support among Tory MPs to win a leadership contest if Theresa May is ousted Mr Robbins repeatedly clashed with Mr Davis. The civil servant is disliked by Brexiteers, who regard him as a pro-Remain establishment figure set on thwarting Brexit. There has been bad blood between the Davis and Johnson camps since their resignations in July. Mr Davis made his dramatic announcement at midnight on the Sunday after the Brexit plan was agreed at Chequers on the Friday. Mr Johnson followed 15 hours later. Despite his ambitions for No 10, allies of Boris Johnson say David Davis would be a 'disaster' as Prime Minister Allies of Mr Johnson said Mr Davis suggested they should announce they were leaving the Government in a co-ordinated double act, but the former Foreign Secretary declined. The Davis camp dismissed this version of events as nonsense and claim Mr Johnson came up with the idea. Mr Daviss original plan had been to position himself as a natural caretaker leader in waiting, ready to take over if Mrs May was forced to resign allowing him to steer the country through Brexit before stepping down and clearing the way for a broader leadership contest involving Mr Johnson. Now he thinks that it is in the public interest to push more proactively for the leadership. Mr Johnson called yesterday for Mrs May to rebuff the European Unions demand for a special backstop deal to avoid a hard border in Ireland after Brexit, saying it would be the UKs greatest humiliation since the Suez crisis of the 1950s. Philip Hammonds twin battles CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond is fighting a war on two fronts after Tory MPs mobilised to block his raid on pensions. As revealed by the MoS, Mr Hammond sees the 39 billion cost of pension tax relief as a pot of gold which could help fund a planned 20 billion-a-year boost for the NHS. But Tory rebels have warned him his plan lacks MPs support. He is also arguing with No 10 over Mrs Mays pledge to end austerity, which he thinks is damaging to the Tory brand of fiscal prudence. Advertisement He said that it was now completely obvious that the Government made a dreadful mistake in bowing to the EUs demands for the backstop, adding: The only way to put things back on the right track is to ditch the backstop and then to chuck Chequers. The fatal error was not to challenge the EUs position that the only way of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland an objective we all share is for Northern Ireland to have the same regulations for trade as Ireland and the rest of the EU. The Government well understands how weak the backstop makes its future negotiating hand which is why it has proposed Chequers. If we let this go it will be the greatest national humiliation since Suez. A source close to Mr Johnson said last night: As Boris has consistently stated, he wants a change of policy not leader. Chequers is a bad deal for this country it would leave the UK as a permanent EU colony. We must chuck Chequers and deliver what the people of this country voted for. Is DUP set to dump Arlene as leader? THERESA May is not the only leader facing an uncertain future the position of the DUPs Arlene Foster is increasingly being questioned by her ten-strong political party. Without a Commons seat, Mrs Foster is absent from the gossip and intrigue of Westminster; and since the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended last year over a power-sharing dispute with Sinn Fein, she has also lacked a power base in the province. Last weeks threat by her party to vote down the Budget, over fears that the EU will recommend keeping Northern Ireland in the customs union and impose a border down the Irish Sea, led to cold fury inside No 10. DUP leader Arlene Foster issued 'red lines' to Theresa May over the Irish border Brexit negotiations The warnings issued to Mrs May about the DUPs red lines on Brexit are designed to signal Mrs Fosters tough leadership qualities to her members but Nigel Dodds, the partys Commons leader, is increasingly being talked up as her replacement. A source said: The DUP is not the easiest party to lead MPs like Dodds and Jeffrey Donaldson are always at each others throats. But it is even harder when she is not based in Westminster. Her grip on the leadership means she has to be unyielding on her red lines or risk being toppled herself. Despite holding the fate of the Government in her hands, Mrs Foster remains an enigma to most voters outside Northern Ireland who know little of her traumatic childhood. Aged just eight, she suffered the horror of witnessing her fathers shooting at the hands of the IRA and, when she was 16, Republicans bombed the school bus she was travelling on. Alphabet's Google unit has told U.S. lawmakers it was considering 'a variety of options' to offer additional services in China, but declined to detail plans for addressing Chinese censorship. The company has come under criticism after reports it was considering re-entering China's search engine market and would comply with its internet censorship and surveillance policies. In an Aug. 31 letter to six senators made public on Friday, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said the company was 'thoughtfully considering a variety of options for how to offer services in China in a way that is consistent with our mission.' Scroll down for video Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said the company was 'thoughtfully considering a variety of options for how to offer services in China in a way that is consistent with our mission.' WHAT IS GOOGLE'S DRAGONFLY PROJECT? Recent reports have suggested Google plans to build a censored version of its search engine in China, as part of a project called 'Dragonfly.' The app would have to comply with China's rigid censorship laws, which would mean restricting access to content that government officials consider unfavorable. Search terms about human rights, democracy, religion and peaceful protests will be blocked from the app. Linking searches with a user's phone number would allow officials to easily track activity on the platform, potentially allowing them to target political activists, journalists and dissenters. Advertisement The letter was reported earlier by The Intercept, a news website. Google declined to comment. Reuters and other outlets had reported in August that Google planned to launch a version of its search engine in China that would block some websites and search terms. The move would mark its return to a market it abandoned eight years ago on censorship concerns. Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said on Friday he was 'really disappointed with Google's response,' through the letter, to questions from senators about the company's plans in China. Google said it was 'unclear' if it would move forward with a search engine in China, and that it was 'not in a position to be able to answer detailed questions.' 'Their response to the Senate failed to provide any information about Google's reported plans to consider launching a censored search engine in China,' Warner said. 'Any effort to get back into China could enable the Chinese government in repressing and manipulating their citizens.' CHINESE INTERNET CRACKDOWN While China is home to the world's largest number of internet users, a 2015 report by US think tank Freedom House found that the country had the most restrictive online use policies of 65 nations it studied, ranking below Iran and Syria. But China has maintained that its various forms of web censorship are necessary for protecting its national security. It has cracked down on VPNs after the passing of a controversial cybersecurity bill last November that tightened restrictions on online freedom of speech and imposed new rules on service providers. Since the regulation took effect this June, authorities have closed dozens of celebrity gossip blogs and issued new rules around online video content to eliminate programmes deemed offensive. Advertisement In September, a bipartisan group of 16 U.S. House lawmakers asked Google to disclose precautions it would take to protect the safety of its users if Chinese regulators allow its search engine to operate. The letter said Google was 'committed to promoting access to information, freedom of expression, and user privacy, as well as to respecting the laws of jurisdictions in which we operate.' On Thursday, three other U.S. senators wrote Pichai to explain why it delayed disclosing vulnerabilities with its Google+ social network. A former employee of Google warned of the web giant's 'disturbing' plans for a search engine in China which could help Beijing monitor its citizens online A former employee of Google has warned of the web giant's 'disturbing' plans for a search engine in China which could help Beijing monitor its citizens online. Jack Poulson wrote in a letter to the US Senate's commerce committee that the proposed Dragonfly website was 'tailored to the censorship and surveillance demands of the Chinese government'. In his letter he also claimed that discussion of the plans among Google employees had been 'increasingly stifled'. Mr Poulson was a senior research scientist at Google until he resigned last month in protest at the Dragonfly proposals. Facebook has removed accounts, pages and apps linked to firms which build facial recognition software for the Russian government. The social media giant announced on Thursday it had removed 66 accounts associated with SocialDataHub and its sister firm Fubutech. It said the companies had violated Facebook policy by scraping data from the social network. Facebook has removed 66 accounts, pages and apps linked to firms which build facial recognition software (pictured, the entrance to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California) 'Facebook has reason to believe your work for the government has included matching photos from individuals' personal social media accounts in order to identify them,' the company said in a cease-and-desist letter to SocialDataHub, The New York Times reported. The companies involved, which share 52 employees in Moscow, were reportedly given until yesterday to confirm what data they had taken and delete it. WHAT IS DATA SCRAPING? Data scraping is a process in which computer programmers extract data from another website. While this can be done manually by a software user, this is generally an automated process implemented using a bot or web crawler. Specific data is then gathered and copied from the web into a central spreadsheet or database. Data scraping is often used for research for web content or business intelligence, pricing for comparison sites, or conducting market research by crawling public data sources. It can also be used to send product data from one e-commerce site to another online vendor. Source: Target Internet Advertisement Both SocialDataHub and Fubatech have existed for at least four years, relying in part on Facebook data. SocialDataHub assigns scores to Russians based on their social media profiles to evaluate potential new customers for insurers and banks. Fubatech, on the other hand, has compiled a database of Russian citizens and their images that the government can use for facial recognition. The two companies have reportedly been collecting at least some of this data through web scraping. This is a technique in which computer programmers can pull information from a website, in a way Facebook said is difficult to detect and prevent. Artur Khachuyan, the chief executive of SocialDataHub and Fubutech, said in an interview on Friday that Facebook had deleted his companies' accounts unfairly. He admitted Fubutech does build facial-recognition software for the Russian government and uses Facebook data, but said it data scrapes Google search results for the information. The 26-year-old also said SocialDataHub required permission from the users it rates. Mr Khachuyan said he believes two of his journalism students scraped Facebook for the public profiles of their classmates after being taught how to do so, and this was mistaken for the activity of his companies. The company said SocialDataHub and Fubutech, based in Moscow, had violated Facebook policy by scraping data from the social network (file photo) He said: 'Maybe it's a reason to deactivate our accounts, but I don't know why Facebook deletes Instagram account of my dog.' Katy Dormer, a Facebook spokeswoman, rejected Mr Khachuyan's claim that Facebook confused his students' activity with that of his companies'. She said: 'We don't take these actions lightly. The fact we took the action and sent the letter means we saw enough evidence.' It comes after Facebook yesterday confirmed its 'worst-ever' data breach may have affected 'only' 30 million users, revised down from its earlier estimate of 50 million. In late September, the social media giant announced it had been hit by a significant data breach, with hackers gaining access to tens of millions of users' accounts by taking advantage of the site's 'View As' feature. Facebook now believes that around 15 million users' names, phone numbers, email addresses and other sensitive information was visible to the attackers. It comes after Facebook yesterday confirmed its 'worst-ever' data breach may have affected 'only' 30 million users (file photo) About 14 million of that 30 million had an even wider scope of their personal data exposed to hackers, ranging from usernames, date of birth, the types of devices they used to login to Facebook and the last 10 places they checked into or were tagged in, as well as a myriad of other information. A remaining 1 million users didn't have any personal information accessed as a result of the attack. Facebook has determined no credit card numbers were exposed as a result of the attack. The identity of the hackers continues to remain unclear. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive in Australia on Tuesday. And fans of the young royal couple are eager to see what the 37-year-old will wear during her visit Down Under. Over the last four weeks, Meghan Markle's stylist has received outfits from some of Australia's best designers. Who will be shot to international fame by the 'Meghan effect'? We reveal the Australian designers who could be in the running to have their clothes by The Duchess of Sussex (pictured) Alex Perry told Private Sydney on Friday that he had been approached and had sent off 10 designs to Meghan's stylist. 'I am not counting my chickens yet but if she wears one of my pieces, oh my god, I will absolutely ecstatic,' the 55-year-old told the publication. Private Sydney reported that clothes from designers and labels such as Carla Zampatti and Zimmerman are understood to be in the running. What designs will she choose? Alex Perry (pictured) told Private Sydney on Friday that he had been approached and had sent off 10 designs to Meghan's stylist Many of the clothes that Meghan wears to royal events are sold out within hours - a phenomenon known as the 'Meghan effect'. A white coat from Canadian label, Line, was worn by the former actress at her engagement announcement and it crashed the website, such was its popularity. Indeed, the fanaticism was so great it led to the coat being named after her. Meghan effect: Private Sydney reported that clothes from designers and labels such as Carla Zampatti and Zimmerman are understood to be in the running. Pictured: Carla Zampatti at opening night of Handa Opera's La Boheme on March 23, 2018 During their tour of Australia, Prince Harry and Meghan will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Dubbo and Fraser Island. The first day of the tour will begin in Sydney at Admiralty House, the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove. Sir Peter's home offers spectacular views across Sydney Harbour, making for a picturesque start for the royal couple on their visit Down Under. Big impact! Many of the clothes that Meghan wears to royal events are sold out within hours - a phenomenon known as the 'Meghan effect'. Pictured: Designers Nicky Zimmerman and Simone Zimmerman at the Women of Style Awards in Sydney Representatives from each of the 18 countries participating in the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 will be present. The Invictus Games is an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in competitive sports. The royal couple will also visit Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand during their tour. Ayda Field has candidly spoken about life after welcoming her and husband Robbie Williams' third child Colette Josephine. The X Factor judge, 39, revealed that she feels like she is in a 'bliss bubble' at the moment as she gushed over her 'complete family unit'. Ayda, who already shares Teddy, six, and son Charlton, three, with Robbie, told the Mirror that her kids are 'over the moon' to welcome a little sister. Over the moon: Ayda Field has candidly spoken about life after welcoming her and husband Robbie Williams' third child Colette Josephine The actress said that this year has been 'one-life changing moment to another', referring to their new roles on the X Factor and the arrival of Colette - affectionately known as Coco. She added that the whole family are extremely excited about the next step that they get to take together, with the added joy of Teddy's recent birthday she said there has been plenty of cake, balloons and bubbles. Prior to the birth of Coco, Ayda didn't think it would be possible to have another child as she and Robbie were having problems conceiving. Family unit: The X Factor judge, 39, revealed that she feels like she is in a 'bliss bubble' at the moment as she gushed over her 'complete family unit' However when she was able to have another child via surrogate she waxed lyrical over her happy news on ITV's Loose Women and said that she was 'so, so grateful'. She said: 'I thought this wasn't meant to be, but for her to be in our lives, it's more than I can put into words.' Ayda, who began dating Robbie in 2006, when asked about her new job said that X Factor was really out of her comfort zone. Complete: Ayda, who already shares Teddy, six, and son Charlton, three, with Robbie, told the Mirror that her kids are 'over the moon' to welcome a little sister Although she said that Loose Women was just about outside her comfort zone, she loves being creative as an actress and trying new things. The mother-of-three finds joy in being the underdog and being able to view the competition and then take them on. When it comes to her fellow judges, Ayda thinks that Robbie and Simon are firmly in the lead, with decades of experience between them. New roles: The actress said that this year has been 'one-life changing moment to another', referring to their new roles on the X Factor and the arrival of Colette - affectionately known as Coco However Ayda was sure to state that her level of music experience is underestimated, saying that people don't understand how involved in Robbie's music she has been. She said: 'I've been intricately involved. Rob used to lovingly refer to me as his dressing-room b****. But now he's my dressing-room b****, let's just be clear.' Ayda admitted that she knows the sacrifices she has made to be by Robbie's side, she said that she gave up her career to be at every single promo and studio song. Cute as a button: Proving to be just as confident as her mother, Teddy stole the show outside Windsor Castle on Friday following the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank When it comes to looking for new talent Ayda said she is fed up of the perfectly preened pop princess and is looking for something much more interesting. Proving to be just as confident as her mother, Teddy stole the show outside Windsor Castle on Friday following the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Spotting Sarah Ferguson on the steps outside St George's Chapel, as the six-year-old made her first public appearance, she drew laughs when she boldly asked Fergie in her sweet American actress if she is the Queen. Grilling: Spotting Sarah Ferguson on the steps outside St George's Chapel, as the six-year-old made her first public appearance, she drew laughs when she boldly asked Fergie in her sweet American actress if she is the Queen 'No, I'm not the Queen,' Fergie replied, 'You're a princess?' she enquired further in a confident fashion. Yes' Sarah responded, despite the fact she is not a princess, but instead the Duchess of York, as she rushed down the steps. And the six-year-old flower girl did not appear phased by the exchange, as she confidently held her bouquet in the air as the group posed for photographs, while the other children politely held a pose. Hugh Jackman may have just turned 50, but the handsome Aussie actor can still move with the best of them. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, just a day after his milestone birthday on October 12, Hugh shared a high-energy short video of himself performing at a photoshoot. Wearing a black tux with the bow tie undone, the Wolverine star appeared to have the time of his life as he hammed it for the camera. Just for kicks: Hugh Jackman may have just turned 50, but the handsome Aussie actor can still move with the best of them as he proved in a clip posted to Instagram on Saturday 'I'm 50!' the star can be heard yelling, before busting out a few moves for the camera. 'And I like to kick! Stretch!' he added, demonstrating each highly physical action as the light bulb flashes. But when it came time to really push himself, Hugh discovered he perhaps isn't quite as limber as he remembered. Nifty 50: Taking to Instagram on Saturday, just a day after his milestone birthday on October 12, Hugh shared an incredible short video of himself performing at a photoshoot The actor almost loses his balance and topples over while lunging in his suit during a particularly ambitious move. Still, after regaining his composure, Hugh is able to laugh it off, and continue to pose in between fits of giggles. 'I'm 50! Five-oh!' he laughed. Nap time: 'When people tell you "you dont look 50" part of you believes it... until you see yourself sleeping,' the actor captioned this photo on Friday The energetic photoshoot appeared to have taken its toll, however, with Hugh seen bent over and clutching at his knees at the end of the session. The Australia star has been in a reflective mood of late. Taking to Instagram on Friday, Hugh shared a photo of himself napping alongside his beloved French Bulldog, Dali. Out on a limb! But when it came time to really push himself, Hugh discovered that he perhaps isn't quite as limber as he remembered The handsome star captioned the photo: 'When people tell you "You dont look 50", part of you believes it... until you see yourself sleeping.' In an interview with INQUIRER.net in September, Hugh spoke about how he was planning on celebrating his milestone 50th birthday. 'My wife would want the whole city to come to my birthday party. I'd probably like a dinner party for 10, so we're going to meet somewhere in the middle,' Hugh said. Never act your age! After regaining his composure, Hugh was able to laugh off his struggle to stay upright, and continued to pose in between fits of giggles. 'I'm 50! Five-oh!' he laughed 'We'll do something but it's going to be fun. No speeches,' he continued. 'One of the key things for parties is you should be able to walk there or at least be driven within three blocks. That's the radius.' He made a sensational return to the cobbles on Friday's dramatic episode after a 16 month absence from the soap. And now Coronation Street has released spoiler images teasing Nick Tilsley's comeback as he dotes on Leanne Battersby's hospital bedside. While actor Ben Price, 46, has teased his character's explosive return storyline and chillingly warned that things 'might not run smoothly'. He's back!: Coronation Street has released spoiler images teasing Nick Tilsley's comeback as he dotes on Leanne Battersby's hospital bedside Nick returned on Friday's episode after his former partner, as well as Ryan Connor, were dramatically hit by drug dealer Ronan Truman's car and left fighting for their life, before he was murdered by Ali Neeson. Soap watchers were left stunned after Leanne's sister Toyah Battersby showed up at the hospital to see Nick sitting next to her, as he revealed he was still her emergency contact. Talking about his return and the upcoming storyline, Ben told the Mirror: 'You can expect a different Nick. A lot's happened to him, he will have more ties than I think we will know will come out. Exiting times: While actor Ben Price, 46, has teased his character's explosive return storyline and chillingly warned that things 'might not run smoothly' 'I dont think he will understand whats happened to his brother or his family, he wont have understood that and I think thats a shock for him.' He added: 'If he had known about his brother he would have come back. Its a black and white situation - its binary for Nick. Hes either there or hes not. And when hes not there he has to block it completely off. As soon as hes Leannes point of contact he know in his heart thats where he belongs.' Ben went on to tease that his character hasn't been 'static' during his time away from the cobbles and that his new life will be added to his return. Scary: Nick returned on Friday's episode after his former partner, as well as Ryan Connor, were dramatically hit by drug dealer Ronan Truman's car and left fighting for their lives Return: Soap watchers were left stunned after Leanne's sister Toyah Battersby showed up at the hospital to see Nick sitting next to her, as he revealed he was still her emergency contact The actor had announced he was leaving the soap in February 2017, revealing that his gruelling schedule left him seeing wife and children only one full day a week. His character Nick's final scenes were shown in June 2017, after he decided to leave Weatherfield following a near-death experience. The character nearly died after he got stuck in quicksand, but was saved by his nemesis Peter Barlow. News has broke earlier this year that Ben would be making a return to the cobbles this autumn after his dramatic exit last year. Coronation Street continues on Monday at 7:30pm on ITV. The Duke of Westminster (pictured) 27, is said to have split with his girlfriend Heres some news to have female hearts fluttering across the nation: Britains most eligible young bachelor is said to be back on the singles market. I hear that the Duke of Westminster, 27, who inherited a 10 billion fortune when his father died two years ago, has split up with his girlfriend, Harriet Tomlinson, also 27. They are no longer a couple, claims one of their friends. Its sad, but Hugh is still young and it was too soon for him to settle down. It remains to be seen if the break-up is permanent or merely a temporary setback, as the Duke has been a friend of Harriet since they were pupils at 30,000-a-year Ellesmere College in Shropshire, where he was known simply as Hugh Grosvenor. The daughter of a curtain factory boss, Harriet studied teaching at the University of Wales, Cardiff before taking a job in recruitment. Hugh, who studied countryside management at Newcastle University, has taken Harriet on a luxury holiday to California and reports last year said the couple were blissfully happy. 'Blissfully happy': Harriet Tomlinson and Hugh on holiday last year in California He inherited a control of property including the family home of Easton Hall in Cheshire He became Britains youngest billionaire on the death of his father, Gerald. As well as inheriting the title, he gained control of a property empire with 300 acres in Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as land in Cheshire, Oxford, Scotland and Spain. A friend of the royals, Hugh was asked by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2013 to be Prince Georges godfather. He was, though, brought up to be without airs and graces and began his education at a state primary near the family home of Eaton Hall, Cheshire. A spokesman for the estate declines to discuss Hughs love life, telling me: It has long been our policy not to comment on personal matters. Damien Hirsts works may be dropping in value, but the bad boy of British art still earned more than 185,000 every day last year. Revenue at his company, Science UK, more than tripled from 22 million to almost 68 million in 2017. Damien Hirst, 53, known for his pickled shark in a tank, earned more than 185,000 every day last year The huge surge, reported in newly published accounts, is believed to be partly due to his opulent Venice art show, Treasures From The Wreck Of The Unbelievable. Hirst, 53, who is known for his pickled shark in a tank, chopped-up cows and a diamond-encrusted skull, was reported to have sold 70 per cent of the works after just a month with buyers including collectors such as French billionaire Francois Pinault. The smart sets talking about...Jeweller's girl Emerald Fennell Named after a precious stone and the daughter of a society jeweller, Emerald Fennell was always likely to follow her father into the luxury goods business. The 33-year-old Oxford graduate (right) is, however, rapidly becoming a showbusiness gem. After dyeing her blonde hair red to play Nurse Patsy Mount in the BBCs hugely popular Sunday night drama Call The Midwife, Emerald who has also found time to write four novels in the last five years now plans to make a name for herself as a scriptwriter. And what a way to do it! She has won the plum job of writing the script for the second series of BBC hit Killing Eve. Emerald Fennell, 33, plans to make a name for herself as a scriptwriter with the next series of Killing Eve The critically acclaimed drama is about a beguiling, psychopathic assassin, played by Jodie Comer. Emerald, who was educated at the Duchess of Cambridges 37,815-per-year alma mater, Marlborough College, is following in the footsteps of actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who adapted the first series from Luke Jenningss Codename Villanelle novellas. With her career going from strength to strength, and a home in Chelsea with her long-term boyfriend, the film producer Chris Vernon, Emerald would appear to have it all. But she still cant banish her insecurities. In other jobs you can have a bad day and it doesnt matter, she has said. In this job if that happens, then millions of people are watching everything you do and commenting on it. Her solution? Shes banned herself from reading anything about her work. Weddings are joyful occasions, but they can also put friends noses out of joint. Banker Thomas Skippy Inskip was delighted to be invited to the whole of Princess Eugenies wedding after suffering an indignity at Prince Harrys nuptials in May. Despite being one of Harrys oldest friends, Skippy and his wife, Lara Hughes-Young, were invited only to the ceremony and afternoon reception when he married Meghan Markle, and not to the more exclusive evening party at Frogmore House, Windsor. Skippy and Lara were very upset not to be invited to the evening do as Harry and Meghan had attended all of their wedding in Jamaica last year and Harry was even an usher, claims a pal. Particularly as Meghans presence at their wedding with Harry led to much unwelcome attention from the worlds media. Does Meghan see Skippy as a danger? After all, he did accompany Harry on his infamous trip to Las Vegas, when the Prince was photographed naked during a game of strip billiards. Sydney's PR queen Roxy Jacenko is letting it all hang out. In an Instagram post on Saturday, the businesswoman, 38, shared a photo of herself wearing nothing but a black and white snakeskin-print bra and a string of small white pearls. But the decidedly racy post is all for a good cause, as Roxy was promoting the Breast Cancer Network Australia. Busting out! Sydney PR queen Roxy Jacenko (pictured) showed off her chest in a new Instagram photo... but it was all for a good cause. She was promoting the Breast Cancer Network Australia It's a cause close to the publicity maven's heart, after she herself battled the life-threatening disease. Roxy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 - just three weeks after her husband, Oliver Curtis, was imprisoned for insider trading. 'The timing is extraordinary,' Roxy told The Daily Telegraph at the time. Survivor: Breast cancer awareness is a cause close to the publicity maven's heart, after she herself battled the life-threatening disease in 2016 'What I have experienced in the past three weeks is the most shocking thing I have ever experienced. I dont think there is anything that could shock me more now.' Roxy apparently discovered a lump in her left breast while showering, and underwent emergency treatment soon afterwards. Her mother, Doreen Davis, is also a breast cancer survivor. Shocking: Roxy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 - just three weeks after her husband, Oliver Curtis, was imprisoned for insider trading Speaking to Daily Mail in October last year, Roxy said she felt 'lucky' with the timing of her devastating diagnosis, because it helped put things into perspective for her. 'My life had become this whirlwind. I couldn't walk down the street anymore - it was being chased, it was nasty things being left on my Instagram about myself and my children,' she explained. 'So when I got cancer it was like "this is just another thing" and I kind of felt like I was lucky I got it when I did get it. 'There was so much turmoil, there was so much to adjust to... I didn't have time to think and stew and feel sorry for myself, I didn't have that opportunity.' He recently wrapped up a stint in rehab for alcohol abuse. And on Friday it looked like Ben Affleck was ready to get back to being a great dad to his children. The 46-year-old Gone Girl actor looked relaxed as he walked hand-in-hand with son Samuel and daughter Seraphina. Fun father! On Friday it looked like Ben Affleck was ready to get back to being a great dad to his children Ben looked fit in a black shirt, dark wash jeans, grey sneakers and a full beard. Son Samuel, aged six, was dapper in a white polo shirt, black slacks and running shoes with a white sole. He wore a grey backpack and looked to be talking to someone on a cellphone as he walked perhaps mom Jennifer Garner. Daughter Seraphina, aged nine, also rocked a white polo, along with a green plaid skirt, navy blue leggings and dark-hued trainers. Casual cool: Ben looked fit in a black shirt, dark wash jeans, grey sneakers and a full beard Important call? He wore a grey backpack and looked to be talking to someone on a cellphone as he walked Hard to miss! She also wore a backpack, though hers boasted a wild multicolored print Chauffeur Ben: At one point the Justice League star ushered his brood into a waiting SUV She also wore a backpack, though hers boasted a wild multicolored print. Earlier in the day Ben carried his favorite Dunkin' Donuts beverage as he headed to therapy in Los Angeles on Friday. It has been nearly a week since the Oscar winner has been seen with his love Playboy model Shauna Sexton, 22, who told DailyMailTV that the two were still together despite reports they split. Extra large: Ben Affleck carried his favorite Dunkin' Donuts beverage as he headed to therapy in Los Angeles on Friday The Ben look: The actor, 46 - who was with a handler - looked fit in a black shirt, dark slacks and a full beard The two were last in each other's company this weekend in Big Sky, Montana. Ben was seen in a parking lot surrouded by mature trees. It is not known what drink Ben chose from Dunkin' Donuts but the chain only sells iced coffee and iced tea. Very Top Gun of him: Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses added a stylish touch to the star who looked as if he had a fresh haircut Meanwhile, Sexton exclusively revealed she had not split from Ben. It was her first ever public comment on their relationship. She told DailyMailTV: 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'. Shauna spent the weekend enjoying a romantic break with The Accountant actor fishing and wildlife watching in Big Sky, Montana. But recently, reports surfaced quoting an anonymous source who claimed the pair's six-week 'casual' relationship was over. Now Sexton, who lives in Woodland Hills, California, has hit back, angrily telling DailyMailTV: 'I know [there are lots of unnamed insiders] - and they just make s*** up, just like this.' The relationship between the Gone Girl actor and the Playboy model came into question following a People report published on Tuesday claiming that the actor and model are no longer seeing one another following a trip to Montana over the weekend. What a catch! Sexton posted a photo of herself fishing during her recent trip to Montana An insider close to the actor, who was treated for addiction alcohol this year (on the heels of prior stints in 2017 and 2001), downplayed the idea that he and Sexton were in a serious relationship in the first place. 'There was nothing to split from as it has been casual,' the insider said. 'He enjoyed being with her but is working on himself, and being together with her at this time is not something that works.' The father-of-three - to daughters Violet, 12, and Seraphina, nine, and son Samuel, six, with ex Jennifer Garner, 46 - 'will date in the future, but for now his focus is on his sobriety, family and his next project,' the insider told People. She's the age-defying Hollywood star who was lucky enough to have received an invite to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding on Friday. And for the first time, Demi Moore has documented her experience, finally joining the world and officially joining Instagram. The 55-year-old beauty shared a video of her gorgeous ensemble, where she announced she 'felt like a princess'. She's on Instagram! Demi Moore was lucky enough to get an invite to Princess Eugenie's wedding and joined Instagram to give her thanks and discuss her ensemble on Friday 'My first ever Instagram post!' she captioned the video. Demi spent the clip showcasing her incredible ensemble and thanking the designers and Stella McCartney for creating the magical look. 'Stella, this is for you, I'm just back from the wedding,' she began. Royalty: In the video Demi revealed that she had 'felt like a princess' at the Princesses wedding 'I just have to say, thank you so much. I felt so beautiful, so comfortable, I felt like a princess today.' Demi also dedicated her new account to her three daughters Rumer, 30, Scout, 27, and Tallulah Belle, 24. And the gestures seemed to be appreciated by all three sisters, all reposting their mom's first video and sharing their excitement. Her biggest fans: Demi also dedicated her new account to her three daughters Rumer, 30, Scout, 27, (left) and Tallulah Belle, 24 (right) The golden ticket! Demi's date for the evening what her good friend and florist Eric Buterbaugh 'SCREAMING THAT MY QUEEN MOTHER HAS FINALLY CAVED AND GONE VIRAL. Welcome. We are so happy to have you @moore2d,' captioned Tallulah. Celebrities including Busy Phillips and Jenna Dewan have already followed the beauty's account. Demi joined an array of celebrity guests at Princess Eugenie's big day including Kate Moss, James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Naomi Campbell and Cara Delevigne. Her date for the evening what her good friend and florist Eric Buterbaugh. Sam Frost consistently proves that she is a style icon. And her outfit she wore for The Everest race day at the Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday was no different. The 29-year-old shared her look on Instagram ahead of the big event. Winter wonderland! Home And Away star Sam Frost (pictured) showed off her Everest look ahead of the richest horse race in the world on Saturday Sam, who is a Racing NSW ambassador, wore a midnight blue jumpsuit with a lace overlay from Camilla and Marc. But it was her makeup and accessories that truly made a statement. To complement her outfit, the soap actress flaunted smokey blue eye makeup with a nude lip. Glamour queen! Sam, who is a Racing NSW ambassador, wore a midnight blue jumpsuit with a lace overlay from Camilla and Marc Her dramatic hooped earrings and jewelled headpiece had tones of a winter wonderland-inspired look. Despite her love of the veil trend, like the one she sported at Epsom, the former reality star opted for a headband-style accessory. She shared some advice for those attending the star-studded event. Mixing it up! Despite her love of the veil trend, like the one she sported at Epsom (pictured), the former reality star opted for a headband-style accessory on Everest race day 'Have fun, be comfortable and dress for the legality - a little champagne and a dance doesnt hurt anyone,' she told Who magazine on Thursday. The Everest is the richest horse race in the world, with only 12 horses able to compete for the $6million first prize. There is $13million up for grabs in total. Many Australians wake up on Saturday morning bleary eyed in search of coffee, or perhaps aspirin to offset symptoms of a hangover. Not so mum-of-three Simone Callahan - the former wife of Shane Warne, 48, much prefers to start her weekends with a healthy set of yoga exercises, as evidenced by her latest Instagram video. The svelte blonde begins her workout while positioned upside down on her colourful red and blue yoga mat. 'Headstand to honour our feet': Simone Callahan (pictured), 48, turned her world upside down in an impressive yoga workout on Saturday morning Clad in a white crop top and grey activewear tights, the yoga teacher begins her challenging asana with her elbows placed either side of her head for support. With stirring classical music playing in the background, Simone brings her legs down into a 'scissor' shape, before gradually returning them to a vertical position. She holds this position briefly, forming a perfect line from her head to her toes, before again assuming the scissor legs position, this time using her other leg as the lead. With stirring classical music playing in the background, Simone brings her legs down into a 'scissor' shape, before gradually returning them to a vertical position She brings her right leg all the way down to the floor, briefly touching her toe on the yoga mat, before steadily returning to the start position with her legs vertical in the air. Next, in a bold move, Simone bends her legs at the knees to bring both limbs down to form a V-shape. To finish, the yoga teacher brings her legs and arms to the floor and lies facedown on her yoga mat in a position of calm resignation. Lithe! Next, in a bold move, Simone bends her legs at the knees to bring both limbs down to form a V-shape She captioned the video: 'I love this little reminder. Headstand to honour our feet which give us our foundation for stability in yoga and life.' 'OK not for the over-70s but well done,' commented on of Simone's followers, to which Simone replied with kiss and heart emojis. 'Wow! The strength to do this,' wrote another impressed fan. Centred: To finish, the yoga teacher brings her legs and arms to the floor and lies face-down on her yoga mat in a position of calm resignation Jarrod Woodgate is planning on yodeling his way through Melbourne's St Kilda this weekend. The 32-year-old former Bachelor In Paradise star shared a photo of himself and his friends all dressed up in Lederhosen on Saturday afternoon ahead of their Oktoberfest celebrations. 'Oktoberfest with the lads and all the Lederhosen. Now, wo isns Haisl?' he captioned the group photo. Bottoms up! Jarrod Woodgate (pictured second from right) is planning on yodeling his way through Melbourne's St Kilda this weekend as he celebrates Oktoberfest with friends Clearly expecting a big night out, Jarrod included the tag, '#wheresthebathroom'. Resembling one of the children from iconic movie The Sound of Music, Jarrod fully committed to his German-inspired ensemble. The former reality star was seen wearing brown patterned Lederhosen and a blue and white check shirt. Alone: Jarrod appears to be enjoying his single status, after splitting with fellow Bachelor In Paradise star Keira Maguire in August He also wore cream socks, brown shoes, and a dark hat with a feather at the side. It seems to be something of a tradition for Jarrod, having worn a similar inspired get-up in the past. In May last year, he posted another photo of himself in Lederhosen from an earlier holiday in Europe. Uniform: Lederhosen seems to be something of a tradition for Jarrod, having worn a similar inspired get-up in the past 'TBT to Munich and Oktoberfest 2016,' he captioned the picture. Clearly a personal highlight for him, he re-posted the same photo again in October last year. 'Ahhh Oktoberfest, you (almost) ruined me,' he wrote at the time. Single status: Jarrod said he wasn't looking to jump into another relationship anytime soon after splitting with Keira Maguire (left). 'I think I just need a break,' he said Jarrod appears to be enjoying his single status, after splitting with fellow Bachelor In Paradise star Keira Maguire, 32, in August. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph's BW Magazine on Saturday, Jarrod said he wasn't looking to jump into another relationship anytime soon. 'I think I just need a break,' he told the publication. Mick Molloy is known for making uproarious remarks about his celebrity mates. And the comedian was true to form on Saturday, mercilessly mocking MasterChef's Matt Preston during a televised interview with Channel Seven. The Crackerjack star, 53, was attending TAB Everest in Sydney, when he uttered a shock joke about Matt riding a horse. 'Imagine Matt Preston coming down the straight!' Comedian Mick Molloy (pictured) mercilessly mocked the MasterChef judge by claiming 'bigger blokes' should ride race horses on Saturday 'Why do they put weights on horses? Why don't they just get bigger blokes to ride the horses?' Mick asked. He then quipped: 'Imagine Matt Preston coming down the straight! You'd watch that, wouldn't you?' The wisecrack caused Channel Seven's female interviewer to burst into giggles as Mick pulled a cheeky grin. 'Why do they put weights on horses? Why don't they just get bigger blokes to ride the horses?' Mick asked. Pictured: Mick Molloy (left) and Matt Preson The joke appeared to be a gentle ribbing between mates, with Mick and Matt, 54, frequenting the same events over the years. MasterChef star Matt has also appeared on the Triple M radio program the comedian hosts with Jane Kennedy. Meanwhile, it appeared the funnyman was in high spirits at TAB Everest, known as the world's richest horse race. Comedy favourite: Mick has been on the scene for almost three decades, and he current co-hosts AFL chat show The Front Bar During his TV interview he was seen brandishing a can of Carlton Draught beer. Mick is best known for starring in the 2002 film, Crackerjack. He also appeared on The Late Show in the early 1990s, and currently co-hosts AFL chat show, The Front Bar. Todd Harrell, who used to be the bassist for early aughts rock band 3 Doors Down, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a gun charge. The Mississippi native will apparently serve his prison term in the Magnolia State reports TMZ. Judge Robert Krebs of Jackson county handed down the sentence, which was for possession of a firearm by a felon. Bad news: Todd Harrell, who used to be the bassist for early aughts rock band 3 Doors Down, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a gun charge The charges stemmed from an arrest back in June fordomestic violence, possession of firearms and drugs. At the time, police in Jackson County responded to the scene after an alarm went off and they were alerted about the matter, the department said in a press release. When officers arrived, the wife of the former musician, Jennifer Fields, told police she and Harrell had been involved in a verbal dispute that became physical. Officers also noticed weapons and drugs lying around inside the home while performing a search warrant, which led to Harrell's arrest. Saga: The charges stemmed from an arrest back in June on charges of domestic violence, possession of firearms and drugs (pictured on stage in 2013) The musician had then been booked into the Jackson County Adult Detention Center without bond, as further investigation ensued. Police also said Harrell was wanted for a probation violation in Tennessee. Harrell spent two years behind bars beginning in 2015 for causing the death of another motorist in Nashville where he was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Troubled: Harrell spent two years behind bars beginning in 2015 for causing the death of another motorist in Nashville where he was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol (pictured in 2012) Driver Paul Shoulders Jr., 47, who was not wearing a seat belt, succumbed to his injuries after the deadly crash on April 19, 2013, KHOU reported. Harrell had been speeding down the Interstate 40 near Hermitage at 101mph when he hit the pickup truck, sending it rolling over the guardrail. Police discovered Harrell had anxiety medication Alprazolam and pain killer Oxycodone in his system the night of the fatal accident. They also found 36 pills hidden inside his sock - which contained 8 Xanax pills, 24 Oxycodone pills and 4 Oxymorphone pills. Sad: The crash cost him his membership to 3 Doors Down, famed for early 2000s hits Kryptonite and When I'm Gone, as bandmates kicked him out the group (pictured with Matt Roberts, center, and Chris Henderson) He was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication the following day. The musician was released on bond and immediately went and checked himself into rehab for his drug addiction. The crash cost him his membership to 3 Doors Down, famed for early 2000s hits Kryptonite and When I'm Gone, as bandmates kicked him out the group. Runs in the family: Of course his wife Robin Nicole Harrell, 46, has had her own run-ins with the law. In August she was a charged with introducing a controlled substance into a correctional facility when she tried sending drugs to her incarcerated husband While waiting for his trial for the fatal crash, Harrell was charged with a second-offense DUI involving a substance other than alcohol, according to D'Iberville police Chief Wayne Payne. Of course his wife Robin Nicole Harrell, 46, has had her own run-ins with the law. In August she was a charged with introducing a controlled substance into a correctional facility when she tried sending drugs to her incarcerated husband. 3 Doors Down is perhaps now best known for their performance at the inauguration of Donald Trump back in 2016. They are in the passionate throes of love as husband and wife. And bikini-clad Olivia Buckland packed on the PDA with shirtless Alex Bowen on the beach during their sunny honeymoon, in the Maldives, in recent days. The first married Love Island couple, 24 and 26, shared a sensual smooch as they put on an incredibly amorous display. It is Love (Island's first married couple): Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen shared a steamy smooch on sun lounger during Maldives honeymoon in recent days Passion ensued as Alex climbed on top of his bikini-clad ladylove while she led out on the sun lounger on the beach. Later the married lovebirds were the picture of true love when they walked hand-in-hand on their romantic stroll across the sandy shores. Olivia displayed her phenomenal tattooed physique in her trendy zebra print halterneck bikini and shirtless Alex showcased his inked muscle-bound physique. Meant to last: Later the married lovebirds were the picture of true love when they walked hand-in-hand on their romantic stroll across the sandy shores Olivia and Alex tied the knot in the first ever Love Island wedding in front of friends, family and reality TV co-stars in Essex last month. They held the ceremony at Gosfield Hall, which boasts 10 acres of elegant grounds, in the blonde beauty's native Essex on September 15. The reality TV pair initially jetted off to Sri Lanka just hours after their lavish reception in Essex, before moving onto the second leg of their honeymoon in the Maldives Take a walk on the wild side! Olivia displayed her phenomenal tattooed physique in her trendy zebra print halterneck bikini Loved-up: Olivia and Alex tied the knot in the first ever Love Island wedding in front of friends, family and reality TV co-stars in Essex last month On their return from their honeymoon, the pair started their family by adopting an adorable puppy. The couple first met on the 2016 series of Love Island, in which they starred alongside the likes of Cara De La Hoyde, Nathan Massey, Zara Holland, Tina Stinnes, Malin Andersson and the late Sophie Gradon. Olivia and Alex came in second place behind Cara and her fiance Nathan Massey, and moved in together in Essex in August 2016. Alex popped the question during a romantic trip to New York that December after just five months of dating. Wild ceremony: In her column for New Magazine , Olivia revealed the boozy mishaps had resulted in an extremely sore head the next day Rugby star Nick Cummins has cancelled his book tour appearances amid ongoing Bachelor backlash for dumping BOTH finalists in heartbreaking finale. After the Wallaby player's woeful RSVPs online, the 31-year-old pulled out of his first two scheduled appearances this week just hours before his anticipated arrival. Enraging fans with last-minute cancellations, they took to social media to vent their frustration, asking: 'Can that man disappoint people anymore than he already has?' 'He cant commit to anything!' Furious fans hit out at Nick Cummins after the rugby star canceled book tour signings at the last minute amid ongoing Bachelor backlash on Saturday Nick was supposed to appear at two Big W outlets to kick off his national tour for 'The Honey Badger Guide To Life', but his two Sydney appearances were abruptly cancelled. On Saturday, central coast's Erina Fair alerted customers, while Warringah Mall took a jab at Nick on Thursday, by writing: 'Now we know how those Bachelorettes felt.' Fans were only given three hours notice before Nick was scheduled to appear at the book signing on Saturday, leaving fans infuriated. Outraged: Nick was supposed to appear at two Big W outlets to kick off his national tour for 'The Honey Badger Guide To Life', but his two Sydney appearances were abruptly cancelled 'Now we know how those Bachelorettes felt': New South Wales' Warringah Mall took a jab at Nick on Thursday, telling fans the rugby star cancelled his appearance Commitment issues? Fans couldn't help but joke about how Nick's inability to attend the event was similar to being unable to pick a 'winner' on the show to date 'Can't commit to anyone or anything can he?' one wrote, as another grunted: 'This guy is a disappointment all round.' One fan even went as far to say: 'The girls are lucky to have dodged a bullet. He cant commit but expected the girls to open up to him and express their feelings when he knew that he was never going to pick any of them. I feel he was extremely dishonest.' Despite more than 1000 eager fans expressing they were definitely 'going' to the Queensland events via the Facebook event listings, one of the stores has since alerted 'attendees' of the cancellation of the Saturday, October 20 date. There were a surprisingly low amount of RSVPs for the tours other dates as of Tuesday last week, with two stores receiving less than 10 confirmed attendees each. Not so rose-y for fans! Despite more than 1000 eager fans expressing they were definitely 'going' to the Queensland events via the Facebook event listings, one of the stores has since alerted 'attendees' of the cancellation of the Saturday, October 20 date 'I'm not surprised': While fans ranged from angry to humoured, the underlining sentiment was that they saw it coming It's uncertain whether Nick will continue his other pre-scheduled tour dates across the nation next week at participating QBD Books and Dymocks stores. His next appearance is anticipated at Sydney's George Street Dymocks store, with signings promoted for 12.30pm onwards. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Nick Cummins' representative for comment. Case of the exes! Nick received widespread criticism after he sensationally dumped both Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman during the shock finale last week Nick received widespread criticism after he sensationally dumped both Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman during the shock finale last week. And it wasn't just the fans who were left with a sour taste in their mouths. Last week, KIIS FM shock jock Kyle Sandilands made fun of Nick's book and claimed it was written exclusively for people with low intelligence. 'Let's do it!' Nick's brutally rejected finalists Sophie (L) and Brittany (R) attempted to set light to the book while on KIIS FM's Kyle And Jackie 'O' on Friday after co-host Jackie Henderson produced a lighter and suggested the women burn it During the interview with Nick's brutally rejected finalists Sophie and Brittany, his co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson produced a lighter and suggested the women burn it. 'After last night, there's nothing worse that can happen to us so let's do it!' Brittany replied excitedly as they attempted to set the pages on fire. Nick has remained quiet about the incident, and refused to apologise to the women when he was ambushed by A Current Affair last week. Is the Badger going into hiding? It's uncertain whether Nick will continue his other pre-scheduled tour dates across the nation next week at participating QBD and Dymocks stores In September, Nick was in high spirits as he spruiked the book on social media and even encouraged fans to pre-order their copies. Nick was seen flipping through his own book while enjoying a hearty cackle at the word 'dingleberry'. According to the book's publisher Macmillan, The Honey Badger Guide To Life is: 'A fast, funny, deliciously feral collection of ripper yarns, jokes, and warped philosophy.' Nick Cummins is scheduled to appear on The Project on Sunday from their live studio in Sydney Welcome Guest! You Are Here: She's ventured into acting following her reality TV stints on Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother. And Jess Impiazzi showed off her flair for fashion as she cut a stylish figure while enjoying a night out on Friday at the Neighbourhood bar in Manchester. The model, 29, showed off her toned figure in a pair of coral and white striped wide-leg and high-waisted trousers, teamed with a black crop top. Glam: Jess Impiazzi showed off her flair for fashion as she cut a stylish figure as she enjoyed a night out on Friday at the Neighbourhood bar in Manchester Adding a touch more glamour to her ensemble, the reality TV star opted for a sensational fur coat. Jess completed her look with a pair of black barely-there heeled sandals and gold chained black clutch bag. She styled her auburn locks into a curly and tousled hairdo, which she swept to mostly one side. She also added a slick of make-up to her pretty features, which included false eyelashes and a glossy lipstick. Out and about: The model, 29, showed off her toned figure in a pair of coral and white striped wide-leg and high-waisted trousers, teamed with a black crop top The beauty was taking some time away from her hectic workload, having bagged a horror feature flick The Seven Film following her reality television stints. Aside from her stellar television career, Jess recently discussed her difficult childhood and how being accepted into famed Italia Conti stage school combated it. Jess recalled on Loose Women: 'The thing that got me out of that sadness was Italia Conti stage school. I auditioned and got in... Girls night: Adding a touch more glamour to her ensemble, the reality TV star opted for a sensational fur coat 'Then I had a scholarship for college and it was the day I got the letter in 2006 that my nephew died of meningitis and septicemia. It took away the brilliance of that day. I got hit with depression. The head teacher let me go away for a couple of months.' Jess went onto reveal that she eventually dropped out of the prestigious stage school to care for her mum Debbie. Debbie had lost her sight after suffering Uveal effusion syndrome, a rare condition that causes fluid to build at the back of the eyes. Australia comedian Mick Molloy is known for his hilarious one-liners. And on Saturday, the Australia larrikin mercilessly joked during a televised interview with Channel Seven, that he'd 'keep his pants on this year' at the races. The Crackerjack star, 53, was attending Australia's richest race day The Everest in Sydney, when he uttered the hilarious joke. 'I promise Ill keep my pants on this year: Mick Molloy joked on TV while holding a tin can of beer trackside at Everest on Saturday 'I'd like to thank the MRC for letting me back on the course, I promise I'll keep my pants on this year,' he joked. That's not the only comedic moment Molly had during the interview. He also mocked one of his celebrity mates, Matt Preston, during the brief chat. Humour: 'I'd like to thank the MRC for letting me back on the course, I promise I'll keep my pants on this year,' he joked 'Why do they put weights on horses? Why don't they just get bigger blokes to ride the horses?' Mick asked. He then quipped: 'Imagine Matt Preston coming down the straight! You'd watch that, wouldn't you?' The wisecrack caused Channel Seven's female interviewer to burst into giggles as Mick pulled a cheeky grin. 'Imagine Matt Preston coming down the straight!' Comedian Mick Molloy (pictured) mercilessly mocked the MasterChef judge by claiming 'bigger blokes' should ride race horses on Saturday The joke appeared to be a gentle ribbing between mates, with Mick and Matt, 54, frequenting the same events over the years. MasterChef star Matt has also appeared on the Triple M radio program the comedian hosts with Jane Kennedy. Meanwhile, it appeared the funnyman was in high spirits at TAB Everest, known as the world's richest horse race. 'Why do they put weights on horses? Why don't they just get bigger blokes to ride the horses?' Mick asked. Pictured: Mick Molloy (left) and Matt Preson During his TV interview he was seen brandishing a can of Carlton Draught beer. Mick is best known for starring in the 2002 film, Crackerjack. He also appeared on The Late Show in the early 1990s, and currently co-hosts AFL chat show, The Front Bar. Strictly's Kristina Rhianoff defended Katya Jones and Seann Walsh after finding love with married Ben Cohen who was recently estranged from his then-wife Abby. Appearing on Saturday's BBC Breakfast, the former Strictly star expressed her deepest sympathies as she claimed the pair had weathered a 'terrible' week. Rubbishing the Strictly Curse, the mother-of-one insisted people fall in love all the time at work and she explained how the BBC show consumes the dancers' lives. 'People get together at work': Strictly's Kristina Rhianoff admitted she UNDERSTANDS Katya Jones and Seann Walsh's betrayal... after finding love with married partner Ben Cohen Of the Strictly Curse, she said: 'Statistically people get together at work... for the professional dancers on the show its a full time job. 'You prepare for the show, you tour. You dont go anywhere else, you dont do anything else.' Kristina freely expressed her sympathy to the cheating duo as she claimed she hoped people would give them a chance after their 'terrible' week. Controversy: Appearing on Saturday's BBC Breakfast, the former Strictly star expressed her deepest sympathies as she claimed the pair (pictured) had weathered a 'terrible' week Honesty: Rubbishing the Strictly Curse, the mother-of-one insisted people fall in love all the time at work and she explained how the BBC show consumes the dancers' lives She went onto say: 'I hope people can give them a chance. Theyre professionals and they have to put all of that aside. Its been a terrible week but they have to get it together... 'I dont think It Takes Two was the right programme to apologise, because this is about personal lives, not dancing.' The whole nation will have their eyes on Katya and Seann when they take to the dance floor on Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing. Different story: However, Kristina distanced herself from Katya and Seann's cheating scandal as she insisted she couldn't see the parallels with her own Strictly romance What's going on? The whole nation will have their eyes on Katya and Seann when they take to the dance floor on Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing Their boozy clinch sent shockwaves through their relationships, with Rebecca Humphries publicly dumping her cheating beau on Twitter. Meanwhile, Katya's husband Neil has remained tight lipped on the topic but whispers suggest the married couple could be in an open relationship. However, Kristina distanced herself from Katya and Seann's cheating scandal as she insisted she couldn't see the parallels with her own Strictly romance. 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) Candid: Rebecca heaped further condemnation on Walsh by revealing his passionate kiss with Katya happened on her birthday, while she sat alone in their London flat The Russian stated the fact that her relationship and family with Ben blossomed after the BBC show had finished. She said: 'Our relationship developed after the show. Also I have a family so I cant really see the connection. Relationships do happen, Im not the only person to have a second relationship, a second marriage. 'Anything where you have a partnership or teamwork you do have a connection because you have to trust each other. But whether its going to anywhere else, we dont know. On the defence: The Russian stated the fact that her relationship and family with Ben blossomed after the BBC show had finished 'We cant really judge because we dont know whats happening behind closed doors.' Ben and Abby, who share ten-year-old twin daughters Harriette and Isabelle, were married in a romantic ceremony in 2003. However, just months after his 2013 Strictly stint when he was partnered with Kristina, the married couple became estranged. What happened? As Abby and Ben officially called it quits in March 2016, speculation was rife whether there was a crossover in the relationships but this was denied by Ben and Kristina Strictly pair Kristina and Ben embarked on a relationship shortly after, with the couple welcoming their daughter Milena in June 2016. As Abby and Ben officially called it quits in March 2016, speculation was rife whether there was a crossover in the relationships but this was denied by Ben and Kristina. Devastated Abby told The Sun at the time: '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.' New love: Strictly pair Kristina and Ben embarked on a relationship shortly after, with the couple welcoming their daughter Milena in June 2016 Peaky Blinders' newcomer Anna Taylor-Joy was blown away by Storm Callum when she filmed her first scenes with her co-star Finn Cole on Saturday. The actress braved the turbulent weather conditions in her floral costume dress as she filmed the Peaky Blinders' hotly-anticipated fifth season. Split star Anna, 22, used a plastic wrap to protect her newly-dyed blonde locks from the wet weather, as the pair quickly walked to a vintage car in Liverpool. Peaky Blinders fifth series: Newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy BATTERED by Storm Callum first day on set as she braved weather in floral costume dress with co-star Finn Cole on Saturday The rainy set was re-imagined as 1920s America as the Peaky Blinders cast descended on the paving stones. Anya looked immersed in her character, whose name has yet to be revealed, as she dressed up in a blue and yellow paisley print dress, which had a tasselled hem. Protecting herself from the cold weather in a blue puffy overcoat, she added an anachronism to her period ensemble with a pair of black Ugg boots. Freezing! The actress braved the turbulent weather conditions in her floral costume dress as she filmed the Peaky Blinders' hotly-anticipated fifth season Peaky Blinders fifth series: FIRST LOOK at newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy as she stepped out on set for the BBC drama alongside co-star Finn Cole on Saturday Getting into it: Anya looked immersed in her character, who name has yet to be revealed, as she dressed up in a blue and yellow paisley print dress, which had a tasselled hem Staying warm: Protecting herself from the cold weather in a blue puffy overcoat, she offset her period ensemble with a pair of black Ugg boots Sharp: Finn, who portrays Michael Gray, looked dapper in a three-piece royal blue suit which he teamed with black shoes, while he wore a rain coat to protect his ensemble Finn, who portrays Michael Gray, looked dapper in a three-piece royal blue suit which he teamed with black shoes, while he wore a rain coat to protect his ensemble. It had been rumoured that Peaky Blinders' fifth series could be its last, with Deadline reporting the new series will see the story of the Shelby clan 'come to a conclusion'. However, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight confirmed in May, earlier this year, that the gangster drama will come to a close after the seventh season. What's going on? It had been rumoured that Peaky Blinders' fifth series could be its last, with Deadline reporting the new series will see the story of the Shelby clan 'come to a conclusion' Busy: The stars were armed with Sports Direct.com umbrellas to battle the storm in Liverpool All together: The stars all huddled under a series of umbrellas in a bid to keep away from the rainy weather conditions Starring role: It had been rumoured that Peaky Blinders' fifth series could be its last, with Deadline reporting the new series will see the story of the Shelby clan 'come to a conclusion' Pictured: The rainy set was re-imagined as 1920s America as the Peaky Blinders cast descended on the paving stones Look the part: To ensure viewers were transported back to 1920s America, vintage cars were out in droves and filmed on set Day out: The actors kept dry by holding an umbrella over their heads while they took breaks from filming the scenes for the fifth season But fans of the BBC Two drama shouldn't be too disheartened, as there could also be a Peaky Blinders film in the works. Speaking to Digital Spy, Steven revealed how he envisioned the story ending and his thoughts on a potential follow-up movie. The show's boss told the publication: 'My ambition is to make it a story of a family between two wars, so always I've wanted to end it with the first air raid siren in Birmingham in 1939. 'It'll take three more series [to reach that point].' Steven confirmed. Storytelling: Speaking to Digital Spy , Steven revealed how he envisioned the story ending and his thoughts on a potential follow-up movie No disasters here! The umbrella ensured the period costumes worn by the stars remained dry and in tact for shooting scenes Wow: The crew filmed in Liverpool, with the city getting transformed into 1920s America Still on: The show was rumoured to end after the fifth series, but Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight confirmed in May that the gangster drama will come to a close after the seventh season More to come: Speaking to Digital Spy , Steven also revealed how he envisioned the story ending and his thoughts on a potential follow-up movie But the series finale may not be the last viewers will see of Tommy Shelby and his crime family, as Steven is open to the idea of bringing the crime exploits to the big screen before the show ends. Steven continued: 'We're getting approached to do all kinds of things the ballet, the musical... and the movie would be great. I wouldn't want to do it at the very end, but maybe in between two of the series.' The upcoming series of the gangster drama will be directed by Anthony Bryne, who is taking over the role from season 4's David Caffrey. The fifth season will air on BBC Two in 2019 and is set to be released on Netflix. Exhilarating: The fifth season will air on BBC Two in 2019 and is set to be released on Netflix New director: The upcoming series of the gangster drama will be directed by Anthony Bryne, who is taking over the role from season 4's David Caffrey Interesting: Peaky Blinders has been directed by a different director each series - including Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper and Colm McCarthy Anticipation: After Tommy was elected as the Labour MP for Birmingham at the end of series four, the Shelby clan will be more powerful than ever Explained: And it seems even Arthur will have political connections Suited and booted: The stars all donned their period costumes Peaky Blinders - which also starred Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Adrian Brody - has been directed by a different director each series - including Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper and Colm McCarthy. There was an 18 month gap between series three and four airing so fans could be waiting as late as Spring 2019 for the next series to air. After Tommy was elected as the Labour MP for Birmingham at the end of series four, the Shelby clan will be more powerful than ever and it seems even Arthur will have political connections. Actor Paul Anderson - who portrays the eldest Shelby sibling Arthur - recently told the Metro of his alter-ego: 'Well all have more cover, well have more opportunity, and more protection. And by protection I mean by society and the police and so on. 'Well be able to get away with things under the guise of, "were politicians, were respectable" But well be able to manipulate things more. Arthur will be even more Arthur. So it will be a lot of fun.' The great and good of the showbiz world headed to Deadline's The Contender's event for a day full of talks about this year's awards-season competitors. And Olivia Colman was on hand to talk about her new film The Favourite, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. The Broadchurch star, 44, looked elegant in a pastel pink gown, which had a ruched neckline and a small brown belt for an added chic flair while she was joined by suited and booted Black Panther star Letitia Wright. Stunning: Olivia Colman looked elegant in a pink gown as she led the glamour at Deadline's The Contender's event Her cropped brunette locks were brushed into a tousled style, and she wore a slick of black eye liner and pink lipstick. The actress completed her look with a pair of pointed brown heels, and she kept her accessories to a minimum so as to not distract from her bright ensemble. Olivia arrived at the event in style with her director Yorgos Lanthimos, who found awards success with his films The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. Pretty: Her cropped brunette locks were brushed into a tousled style, and she wore a slick of black eye liner and pink lipstick Supportive: Olivia arrived at the event with The Favourit director Yorgos Lanthimos (pictured), who found awards success with his films The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Having fun: Olivia had a great time as she took photos during Fox Searchlight Pictures' film presentation New role: She was on hand to talk about her new film, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone Letitia looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes. She styled her tresses into a sleek up-do, and wore light touches of make-up to highlight her stunning features. Letitia was at the event to discuss the Marvel blockbuster which can be considered for the Oscars' new Outstanding Popular Film category. Glamorous: Black Panther star Letitia Wright looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes Looking good: She styled her raven curls into a sleek up-do, and wore light touches of make-up to highlight her stunning features Big deal: Letitia was at the event to discuss the Marvel blockbuster which can be considered for the Oscars' new Outstanding Popular Film category Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen. The Moonlight star, 44, looked sharp in an off-white suit, which he teamed with a grey shirt, a red beanie, and black trainers. In the film, Mahershala world-class African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley, who hires a straight-talking bouncer-turned-driver Tony Lip (Mortensen) to protect him as he embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South, in 1962. Viggo also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes. Dapper: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen Handsome: The Moonlight star, 44, looked sharp in an off-white suit, which he teamed with a grey shirt, a red beanie, and black trainers Casual: Viggo also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes Interesting: Director Peter Farrelly also came to talk about his films, which follows pianist Dr. Don Shirley as he embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South, with bouncer Tony Lip Sharp: John Krasinski came to discuss his hit horror film A Quiet Place, and the actor-turned-director looked handsome as he donned a sleek bomber jacket over his torso Finishing touches: Pairing it with black denim jeans and a white top, the hunk styled his hair in spikes and sported a close-cropped beard for a handsome look John Krasinski came to discuss his hit horror film A Quiet Place, and the actor-turned-director looked handsome as he donned a sleek bomber jacket over his torso. Pairing it with black denim jeans and a white top, the hunk styled his hair in spikes and sported a close-cropped beard for a handsome look. Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print for a glamorous flair. The actress came to talk about the Coen Brother's Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which she plays Alice Longabaugh in the chapter The Gal Who Got Rattled. Pretty: Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print for a glamorous flair Starlet: The actress came to talk about the Coen Brother's Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which she plays Alice Longabaugh in the chapter The Gal Who Got Rattled Also there: Marina de Tavira came to discuss the Netflix film presentation of Roma Western: Harry Melling also came to talk about Netflix's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Fun: Jeremy Dawson (L) and Tristan Oliver (R) came to talk about Wes Anderson's Isle Of Dogs Historical: Beau Willimon, Josie Rourke and Dr. John Guy discussed Mary Queen of Scots He's so stylish: Hugh Grant looked sharp on arrival in his pale blue shirt worn open at the collar when he joined the stars at the occasion Eva Longoria touched down in Sydney this week amid her Australian filming schedule for live-action flick, Dora The Explorer. And on Saturday, the 43-year-old took some time out of her her busy schedule to sightsee with husband Jose Antonio Baston and their three-month-old son, Santiago. The high-profile couple cut casual figures as they strolled around Sydney Harbour with their baby boy. Baby's day out! New parents Eva Longoria and her husband Jose Antonio Baston enjoy a day exploring the Sydney Opera House with their three-month-old son The Desperate Housewives star wore a pair of black tights and a matching tight long-sleeved sweatshirt as he pushed the tot's pram near the Sydney Opera House. She added a black cap, a Chanel bum bag around her waist, white sneakers and a pair of sunglasses, to the ensemble. The actress appeared to be makeup free and wore her long brunette hair down around her shoulders. In town: On Friday Eva Longoria touched down in Sydney, where she is working on the Dora The Explorer film. Pictured with husband Jose Antonio Baston (left) and their baby son Out and about: On Saturday the 43-year-old took some time off from her busy schedule, enjoying a windy day out on Sydney Harbour with husband Jose Antonio Baston (left) and their three-month-old son, Santiago Casual: The Desperate Housewives star wore a pair of black tights with a matching black, long-sleeved shirt Clean faced: The actress appeared to be makeup free and wore her long brunette hair down around her shoulders Relaxed: Her husband donned a grey jacket with a dark shirt underneath for the outing Stroll: The 50-year-old added white light track pants, matching shoes and reflective sunglasses to the casual ensemble Her handsome husband donned a grey jacket with a dark shirt underneath for the outing. The 50-year-old added white light track pants, matching shoes and reflective sunglasses to the casual ensemble. The brunette star fussed with her son's dummy before she and her hubby sat down to feed him. Mum duty: The brunette star fussed with her son's dummy before she and her hubby sat down to feed him Cute: Dressed in a patterned jumpsuit and hat, little Santiago was held in his mother's arms as he was fed from a baby bottle Smile! The Mexican television executive took a moment to take a selfie of the three of them as they sat on a bench alongside the harbour Dad duty: Eva cradled her son as her husband pulled out his smart phone in a blue case All smiles: Eva could be seen smiling and cuddling up to her husband and son as Jose took a series of photos Dressed in a patterned jumpsuit and hat, little Santiago was held nestled in his mother's arms as he was fed from a baby bottle. The Mexican television executive took a moment to take a selfie of the three of them as they sat on a bench alongside the harbour. Eva could be seen smiling and cuddling up to her husband and son as Jose took a series of photos. Suits him! The new parents also had a giggle as Jose held his sunglasses up to the baby's face for a moment So funny! Eva seemed very amused by her husband's funny actions with the accessory That's enough! Eva reached for the baby as Jose laughed uproariously at his own gag The new parents also had a giggle as Jose held his sunglasses up to the baby's face for a moment. The star has been in Australia this week working on the new Dora The Explorer film. She was on the set of the live-action Nickelodeon movie in Queensland earlier in the week before arriving in Sydney. New addition: Jose has joined the star in Australia this week as she has been working on the new Dora The Explorer film Eva and Jose, who married in May 2016 in Mexico, welcomed their first little bundle of joy in June. 'Just going on a new journey with him and being a witness to his life is pretty exciting,' she told E! News back in August. This week marks the second time Eva has flown to Australia to film scenes for Paramounts Dora The Explorer film, with her last arrival being just last month. They are preparing for the return of their TV series The Mummy Diaries. And Sam and Billie Faiers celebrated the end of filming with a double date with their partners Paul Knightley and Greg Shepherd at Pasha in Billericay, Essex, on Friday. The TOWIE originals looked sensational as they left the restaurant, with Sam, 27, opting for a plunging white leopard print dress. Siblings: Sam and Billie Faiers celebrated the end of filming with a double date with their partners Paul Knightley and Greg Shepherd at Pasha in Billericay, Essex, on Friday night Showcasing her ample assets, the reality star paired the outfit with minimal accessories so as not to distract from her curvy figure. She left her brunette locks flowing freely and sported a bronze make-up look while wearing plenty of blush. The mother-of-two accentuated her enviably-tanned legs with some velvet ankle boots as she put on an affectionate display with beau Paul Knightley. The whole gang: All four of the stars from The Mummy Diaries were celebrating its upcoming return Swept away: The TOWIE originals looked sensational as they left the restaurant, with Sam, 27, opting for a plunging white leopard print dress All smiles: The siblings looked to be having a ball as they existed the popular Essex restaurant Adding a touch of sparkle to her ensemble, Sam donned a pair of statement flower drop earrings. Sister Billie, 28, walked hand-in-hand with fiance Greg Shepherd, as he seemed to carry a picture of his partner on a carousel. The mother-of-two opted for an all red ensemble with a stylish one shoulder jumpsuit and classic court heels. Her sensual ensemble was given a touch more fierceness as the reality TV star sported a leopard print bucket bag to complete her attire. Look of love: Showcasing her ample assets, Sam paired her outfit with minimal accessories as to not distract from her curvy figure Lady in red: Sister Billie, 28, walked hand-in-hand with fiance Greg Shepherd, as he seemed to carry a picture of his partner on a carousel Greg looked dashing in a crisp white shirt and khaki chinos, while Paul donned a navy bomber jacket and jeans combo. Sam gave birth to her second child, Rosie, in early November and her first child Paul, two, in January last year. Earlier this year, the former TOWIE star discussed why herself and boyfriend Paul, 30, were still in separate bedrooms after their daughter's birth. Paul said: 'It's just sleep' while Sam added the couple do still get to spend quality time together. Red hot! The mother-of-two opted for an all red ensemble with a stylish one shoulder jumpsuit and classic court heels All in the details: Her sensual ensemble was given a touch more fierceness as the reality TV star sported a leopard print clutch bag to complete her attire Sam, who has been in a relationship with Paul since 2014, said: Everyone gets to sleep in our house. We're alright we still have our moments. Meanwhile, sister Billie raises her daughter Nelly, aged four, and Arthur, 16 months old, with her fiance Greg. The Faiers and Shepherd clan will return to screens in season four of The Mummy Diaries, which is set to include Billie and Greg's upcoming wedding in The Maldives. Group outing: The Faiers and Shepherd clan will return to screens in season four of The Mummy Diaries, which is set to include Billie and Greg's upcoming wedding in The Maldives EastEnders' Mick Carter has been in a living hell after being locked up for shooting Stuart Highway. And it seems like the character, played by Danny Dyer, is set to seek revenge, as new pictures have surfaced showing Mick armed with a crowbar in explosive scenes filmed for the BBC soap on Friday. Following his protest to clear his name after being wrongfully imprisoned, Mick hunts down Stuart and takes him hostage before carrying out a violent attack. Explosive: Danny Dyer was seen filming explosive new scenes for EastEnders on Friday where Mick Carter kidnaps Stuart Highway and arms himself with a crowbar Actor Danny seemed completely immersed in his character as the dramatic scenes played out. Mick is seen with Stuart's car, before bundling his enemy into the vehicle while tied up and gagged. In the foreboding images, Mick has taken Stuart (played by Ricky Champ) to a deserted industrial site and is seen reversing the silver BMW into a skip. Armed with a crowbar, he appears to attack Stuart, only to be left holding his head in his hands - suggesting the pub landlord instantly regrets his actions. In the dramatic climax between the two characters, Dyer's character is seen with a furious look on his face while clad in jeans and a charcoal grey coat. Furious: Mick appears to seek revenge on his former friend Highway - after being wrongfully imprisoned for shooting Stuart Drama: It's set to be an explosive climax between the pair, as Mick brutally attacks Stuart with a crowbar Regret? Following his act, Dyer's character is seen with his head in his hands after attacking Stuart Highway in an industrial site It's claimed these will be Dyer's last scenes before he takes a few months off from filming for the BBC soap. MailOnline have contacted a representative for Danny Dyer. It's the first time Mick has been seen outside of prison, after being framed for shooting Stuart. Fans learned Highway shot himself in order to set up his former friend - much to Mick's protest. While behind bars, Mick was beaten up by a fellow prisoner in harrowing scenes as villainous Stuart continued to be painting as the innocent victim - much to the outrage of fans. Man with a vengeance: Danny appeared completely immersed in his character as he performed on set End of the road for Stuart? Highway (played by Ricky Champ) was seen with a bloodied cut across his face on set Nail biter: Mick will steal Stuart's BMW to take his former pal hostage in upcoming scenes Many have taken to Twitter in recent weeks to proclaim that they couldn't bear to watch Mick's ordeal play out on screen. One tweeted: 'Can't deal with what they're doing to Mick make it stop make it stop it's uncomfortable TV man.' Another wrote: 'I feel like something is gonna happen to Mick in jail, this could be his exit, as he is starting his own reality show?' Revenge: Stuart had shot himself in an attempt to frame Mick and send him to prison Back to bite him: However, it seems he may meet a sticky end with Mick finally out of prison and on the search for him Dramatic: Mick ties up and gags Stuart before bundling him into the boot of his own car Disaster? The pub landlord takes Stuart on a full speed ride across the country Danny's onscreen alter ego has since been abandoned by his wife Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright, and been accused of being a paedophile by a fellow inmate - in scenes that have sparked Ofcom complaints. The shocking plot saw Mick accused of paedophilia by a fellow inmate, after fears rose that he may be released after hiring a new lawyer. Fraser - the prisoner in question - cornered Mick in his cell before accusing him of sickening acts. Shocking: Images show Mick reversing into a skip with Stuart in the boot of his car Brutal: Mick has been in a living hell after being wrongfully locked up Downfall: And it seems the experience has left him tormented as he hunts down Highway He said: 'Stuart, he's a legend in here. Says he tracked you down, had you cornered like the rat that you are. He was going to destroy you and you stopped him, didn't you?' 'He's lying,' Mick insisted - but Fraser failed to believe him, adding: 'You're one of them - a vile, twisted little n****.' Later in the show Fraser made his views against Mick extremely public, shouting out loud: 'We've got a n**** on the ward - a dirty little n****.' An Ofcom spokesperson revealed to Daily Star: 'I can confirm we have received six complaints about the Mick Carter/Stuart Highway storyline.' MailOnline has contacted a representative for Ofcom for further comment. A representative for EastEnders declined to comment. Taking a break: It's claimed these will be Dyer's last scenes for the BBC soap before taking a few months off from filming That's a wrap! Danny looked pleased with his efforts as he flashed a smile while working on set Hard times: Fans have been left outraged by Mick's recent storylines that have seen Danny's onscreen alter ego accused of being a paedophile by a fellow inmate She's been the talk of the town at the international Fashion Weeks. And Ashley Benson looked stunning as she stepped out of her hotel in Paris on Saturday afternoon as she appeared in the capital just hours after her rumoured girlfriend Cara Delevingne attended Princess Eugenie's wedding in Windsor. The Pretty Little Liars actress, 28, showcased her enviable figure in sequinned royal blue trousers that was cinched to flaunt her trim waist. Wow! Ashley Benson looked stunning in a blue top and sequinned trousers in Paris on Saturday... after 'girlfriend' Cara Delevingne attended Princess Eugenie's wedding Ashley paired her statement trousers with a ribbed turtleneck crop top, while she offset her ensemble with a small grey clutch bag. The actress styled her blonde locks into sleek waves, and wore a natural palette of make-up which included dark pink lipstick to accentuate her pretty features. Ashely's rumoured girlfriend Cara attended Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding on Friday, where she decided to buck convention by wearing a top hat and stylish black morning suit. Their outings comes after Ashley made a cosy departure with the actress, 26, from the Balmain show during Paris Fashion Week, in France in September. Standing out: Ashely's rumoured girlfriend Cara decided to buck convention at the royal wedding by wearing a top hat and stylish black morning suit The British model put on an energetic display as she showed off her twerking skills while storming the runway in the heart of the French capital. Rumoured couple Cara and Ashley did nothing to dispel the rumours they are dating when the pair stepped out into the bustling streets of the city of love. It also recently appeared that she had confirmed her relationship with Cara after commenting 'mine' and sharing suggestive emojis under a sultry shot of the catwalk queen at the Toronto Film Festival. Pretty: The actress styled her blonde locks into sleek waves, and wore a natural palette of make-up which included dark pink lipstick to accentuate her pretty features However, the screen beauty claimed that her account was hacked, as she shared a snap of herself on Instagram posing at an airport on Tuesday with the caption: 'When you just get off a flight with no WiFi and find out your Instagram got hacked.' Revealing that she already had somebody on the case to deal with the problem, she added: 'Thank god for @remi.franklin fixing it.' Rumours of their romance first began in April after they were spotted holding hands together during a late night in New York. Millie Mackintosh got to relive her wedding day to husband Hugo Taylor all over again, as she slipped back into her bridal gown on Saturday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, took to Instagram with a sweet snap of herself and her grandparents and revealed it was the first time they had seen her in her dress. She explained that her grandparents - who have been married for 66 years themselves - were forced to skip her nuptials in July due to ill health. Blushing bride once more? Millie Mackintosh got to relive her wedding day to husband Hugo Taylor all over again, as she slipped back into her bridal gown on Saturday While they couldn't be there for Millie's wedding, the reality star turned designer brought her big day to them as she slipped back into her Kate Halfpenny gown to give her grandparents their very own private viewing. The beauty couldn't hide her delight as she stepped back into the elegant design that came complete with a lace full skirt and ruched sheer sleeves. Cuddling up to her grandparents, Millie was pictured sporting her wedding veil along with her gown. She penned alongside her post: 'Today was such a happy day! I finally got to show my grandparents my wedding dress as they couldnt make it on the day due to bad health. 'They have been married for 66 years and still going strong.' Wedding fever: Inspired by Princess Eugenie's nuptials, the star, 29, took to Instagram with a sweet snap of herself and her grandparents and revealed it was the first time they had seen her in her dress Millie's bridal post came after Princess Eugenie married husband Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Friday - where many members of the Royal family and a slew of celebrities, including Millie's former MIC co-star Oliver Proudlock attending. Inspired by the Royal wedding, Millie told fans watching Princess Eugenie wed had 'got her in the mood' to try on her own bridal gown. She explained she had 'adapted the sleeves' in her photo and thrown the lace over skirt of her dress over a silk slip. Millie wed Hugo at his uncle's country estate Whithurst Park over the summer. The couple opted for a religious blessing as they had married formally at Chelsea's Old Town Hall in London three days prior to the celebration. The couple favoured a 'rock n roll' themed nuptials, which saw their tables named after nightclubs - an ode to their wild younger years on the London party circuit - and guests served a fried chicken breakfast, as Hugo gushed about his 'angel' bride in his wedding speech. I do! Millie wed Hugo at his uncle's country estate Whithurst Park in July - they opted for a royal blessing after marrying formally at Chelsea's Old Town Hall in London three days prior Millie and Hugo dated in 2011 while on Made In Chelsea, but split up when it emerged he had cheated on Millie with her friend Rosie Fortescue, who attended the wedding alongside a bevy of their other co-stars. They reunited in the second half of 2016 and Taylor proposed during a holiday in Mykonos, Greece, in July last year. She was previously married to musician Professor Green, real name Stephen Manderson, in September 2013. The couple announced their split in February 2016 after two-and-a-half years of marriage and finalised their divorce in May 2016 - the same week that Millie went public with Hugo during a trip to Monaco. Guests in attendance at her wedding to Hugo including Spencer Matthews, who acted as Hugo's best man and attended with his wife Vogue - their first wedding after tying the knot themselves. Details: The couple favoured a 'rock n roll' themed nuptials, which saw their tables named after nightclubs - an ode to their wild younger years on the London party circuit Millie and Hugo treated fans to an inside look of their big day in an all-access-areas shoot with Hello! magazine. Enamoured newlywed Millie revealed that she was accompanied down the aisle by the family's pug, Mabel, as she said: ' It wouldn't be right to get married without Mabel. She's one of the family'. Talking about his bride, Hugo told Hello!: 'I knew she was The One within about five minutes of us getting back together.' Millie concurred: 'But if we'd stayed together when we were younger, we wouldn't be together now. We had to go away, do our separate things and grow as people. We needed that time apart.' Speaking of the big day, Millie said: 'The whole day has felt like an out-of-body experience. Even in my wildest dreams I didn't imagine it would be this perfect. I am so excited to finally be married to Hugo - he's the love of my life.' Kathmandu, Nepal: At least nine mountaineers- five Korean and four Nepalese nationals- have been killed due to the massive avalanche near to the base camp of Mt. Gurja (7,193 metres). Mt Gurja is the mountain of the south face of Mt. Dhaulagiri located at Magdi district. Wangchu Sherpa, Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal has confirmed the incident adding that five Korean climbers in support of four Nepali had moved to the mountain under the leadership of South Korean national Kim Chang-ho. Amber Rose and her new boyfriend Alexander 'AE' Edwards are getting so close they're starting to become one person. The happy couple was spotted twinning at the Migos and Drake concert on Friday night in matching outfits. Champagne Papi's show was the place to be this weekend for celebrities; Adele, Zoe Saldana, Tyga, Nina Dobrev, Halsey, Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe were just a few famous faces who braved some inclement weather to see the Canadian rapper perform. Twins! Amber Rose and her new boyfriend Alexander 'AE' Edwards were spotted at the Migos and Drake concert in Los Angeles Friday night looking more like twins than lovers in matching shirts Bold: The couple made the unique choice of wearing giant Marilyn Manson shirts to Champagne Papi's show Third wheel: AE is best friends with rapper Tyga who headed into the concert with the couple Hot spot: Champagne Papi's show was the place to be this weekend for celebrities Amber and her new beau made an interesting fashion choice for the show and decided to coordinate their ensembles. The 34-year-old model and the music exec were spotted walking in with their arms wrapped around each other looking more like twins than lovers. Both donned enormous black and white button up shirts that were plastered with the haunting face of goth rocker Marilyn Mason. The ex-girlfriend of Kanye West paired her rocker shirt with over-the-knee black suede boots and a pair of dark sunglasses. Meanwhile, her 28-year-old boyfriend, opted for black jeans and white sneakers. Too much? Not only did the couple's outfits match, but they have matching super short blond haircuts As if the matching outfits weren't enough, the couple looked even more alike with similar cropped blond haircuts. Earlier this week Amber was spotted kissing her new love, who is best friends with rapper Tyga who was also with the couple at the concert Friday night. Amber has been dating the Def Jam Records vice president of A&R for a few weeks, according to an article on Monday by TMZ. The pair seems to really love buying in bulk because the Staples Center concert wasn't the first time they've been seen in matching outfits. On Thursday the duo looked like a couple of fabulous retirees in Boca Raton in matching track suits in a photo the mother of one posted on Instagram. Things are clearly moving quickly for the lovebirds because in the caption she wrote: 'I dont care what none of yall say, I still Love him' The quote was a play on a line from her ex's hit song Gold Digger I dont care what none of yall say, I still Love him:' Amber quoted ex Kanye West in the caption to this photo snuggled up with her new beau while wearing matching tracksuits Amber Rose wasn't the only celeb to step out in uncharacteristically rainy Los Angeles weather for the concert. Zoe Saldana was spotted shielding her face from the shower with her jacket as she headed to her car after the show. The 40-year-old stunner was guided safely to her destination while hidden under a red white and blue puffer coat by her husband Marco Perego, who held her hand tightly. Superstar Adele was also in the crowd to watch the Hotline Bling rapper perform. While cameras didn't spot the star, she later tweeted that the concert was the 'best production' she'd ever seen. Amazing! Drake got quite a compliment on Twitter from multiple Grammy winner Adele about his concert Rain, rain go away! Zoe Saldana hid from the rain after the show as her husband escorted her to their waiting car No worries: Cara Santana and beau, actor Jesse Metcalfe, didn't seem bothered as much by the rainy weather Cara Santana and beau, actor Jesse Metcalfe, didn't seem bothered as much by the rainy weather as they walked casually out of the venue. The actress bared her taut tummy in a crop top and cropped jacket with leather pants and sneakers. Jesse prepared for the storm and wore a bold patterned shirt with flood length pants. More celebs are expected to step out over the weekend to catch the A-list concert. \ Drake and Migos are doing dates under the title Aubrey And The Three Migos - Drake's legal name being Aubrey Drake Graham. The began their tour in August at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, and their venues thus far have included Madison Square Garden and the MGM Grand. They will also play Saturday and Sunday at the Staples Center before heading to The Forum in Inglewood, then up north to the Tacoma Dome in Washington State. From there, they will pop up to Drake's native Canada for shows in Vancouver and Edmonton, before swinging down into Miami. The final gigs of this tour will be three dates next month in Atlanta, the town where Migos - the trio of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff - first formed. In My Feelings: Everyone had some feelings after the show which Adele called the 'best production' she'd ever seen She got married to Aaron Phypers just last month. And Denise Richards looked like a happy newlywed as she was spotted smiling on her way to dinner in Los Angeles on Friday. The 47-year-old former Bond girl rocked a glamorous green top as she was joined by fellow Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Teddy Mellencamp, 37. Happy stunner: Denise Richards, 47, looked like a happy newlywed as she was spotted smiling on her way to dinner in Los Angeles on Friday Daring to impress, the Wild Things star showcaed her toned and tanend arms in the chic sleeveless top. Her trademark sandy blonde tresses was left long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders. Denise began dating Aaron the ex-husband of actress Nicollette Sheridan in December of 2017. They tied the knot in Malibu, on September 8 of this year. Besties: The former Bond girl rocked a glamorous green top as she was joined by fellow Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Teddy Mellencamp, 37 Denise shares two daughters 14-year-old Sam and 13-year-old Lola, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen; her third daughter Eloise she adopted after the split. Meanwhile, Us reported over the weekend that Lisa Vanderpump wasn't speaking with any of her co-stars with the exception of Richards. 'She is not talking to any of the cast except for Denise,' a source told the outlet. 'There have been numerous attempts from the other cast members to reach out to her and they have gone unanswered.' Another source said that the rest of the cast isn't interested in mending fences. The reality show is in the midst of shooting their ninth season and Us reported that Richards is the only member of the cast who is willing to shoot scenes with Vanderpump. Season nine of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs later this year. Advertisement She recently revealed she went through an intense transformation as she undertook for the role of journalist Marie Colvin for her latest film A Private War. And Rosamund Pike reaped the rewards of her hard work as she attended The Contenders London, which is an all-day event designed to give Ampa, Bafta and Guild members a look at this year's awards season contenders. The Gone Girl star, 39, looked radiant as she showcased her natural beauty at the event on Saturday afternoon, donning a structured white dress with corset detailing. Angelic: Rosamund Pike reaped the rewards of her hard work as she attended The Contenders London, which is an all-day event designed to give Ampa, Bafta and Guild members a look at this year's awards season contenders The chic strapless number, which offered a Victorian feel due to its structured top half flowing out into pretty ankle-length skirt, also featured a puff sleeve. Her minimalist look was completed with a pair of brown leather strappy heels, keeping her look accessory free Rosamund kept the attention on her statement frock. Opting for light touches of make-up the Academy Award nominee beamed as she took to the red carpet alongside a whole host of stars, who turned out for a day full of talks about this year's competitors. Glowing: The Gone Girl star, 39, looked radiant as she showcased her natural beauty at the event on Saturday afternoon, donning a structured white dress with corset detailing Striking: Joining her at the event was Letitia Wright, who looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes, alongside Arlissa and Marina de Tavira Beauty! Opting for light touches of make-up the Academy Award nominee beamed as she took to the red carpet alongside a whole host of stars, who turned out for a day full of talks about this year's competitors Joining her at the event was Letitia Wright, who looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes. She styled her tresses into a sleek up-do, and wore light touches of make-up to highlight her stunning features. Letitia was at the event to discuss the Marvel blockbuster which can be considered for the Oscars' new Outstanding Popular Film category. All smiles: Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print New flick: Olivia Colman was on hand to talk about her new film The Favourite, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone Olivia Colman was on hand to talk about her new film The Favourite, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. The Broadchurch star, 44, looked elegant in a pastel pink gown, which had a ruched neckline and a small brown belt for an added chic flair while she was joined by suited and booted Black Panther star Letitia Wright. Her cropped brunette locks were brushed into a tousled style, and she wore a slick of black eye liner and pink lipstick. The actress completed her look with a pair of pointed brown heels, and she kept her accessories to a minimum so as to not distract from her bright ensemble. Statement suits: Bel Powley rocked a quirky graphic print suit which consisted of a 70s style jacket and high waisted trousers while Michelle Yeoh opted for silk pyjama style co-ords The boys: Suited and booted Pawel Pawlikowski, Jamie Dornan and Dr. John Guy dressed to impress as they donned their finery for the event Olivia arrived at the event in style with her director Yorgos Lanthimos, who found awards success with his films The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen. The Moonlight star, 44, looked sharp in an off-white suit, which he teamed with a grey shirt, a red beanie, and black trainers. In the film, Mahershala world-class African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley, who hires a straight-talking bouncer-turned-driver Tony Lip (Mortensen) to protect him as he embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South, in 1962. Blonde babes: Maria Bock power dressed in a black suit and glittering top as she joined Josie Rourke who opted for a feminine nude dress with pops of colour Edgy: Harry Melling wowed in a plaid shirt which he wore under an on-trend cord blazer and black skinny jeans, finishing his look with a pair of leather boots Viggo also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes. John Krasinski came to discuss his hit horror film A Quiet Place, and the actor-turned-director looked handsome as he donned a sleek bomber jacket over his torso. Pairing it with black denim jeans and a white top, the hunk styled his hair in spikes and sported a close-cropped beard for a handsome look. Keeping it casual: Viggo (right) also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes Looking good: Yorgos Lanthimos opted for a denim shirt and blue blazer while Andy Gent worked a shirt and jumper combo Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print for a glamorous flair. The actress came to talk about the Coen Brother's Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which she plays Alice Longabaugh in the chapter The Gal Who Got Rattled. The Contender's line up included a look at 23 films, featuring clips and conversations with the actors, writers, directors behind the most critically lauded films of 2018. Cool: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (centre) also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen Old hand: Hugh Grant was at hand to chat about Paddington 2 wearing a lilac shirt and boasting a sun-kissed glow She is tipped to become an Oscar nominee for her gripping portrayal as an undercover detective in the film Destroyer. And Nicole Kidman was on hand to talk about the crime thriller and her character Erin Bell at The Contenders event in London on Saturday. The actress, 51, cut a sophisticated figure in a grey tartan suit as she took to the stage with the director Karyn Kusama. Tipped for an Oscar: Nicole Kidman was on hand to talk about the crime thriller and her character Erin Bell at The Contenders event in London on Saturday Nicole's tartan blazer nipped her in at the waist with a gold embellished button, while the matching cropped trousers made the most of her lithe limbs. The Golden Compass star paired the look with patent black brogues and a simple black vest top. She wore her blonde hair up and in tousled curls, while her youthful visage was accentuated with blush-swept cheeks, black eye-shadow and a red-pink lip. The actress, 51, cut a sophisticated figure in a grey tartan suit as she took to the stage with the director Karyn Kusama Stylish display: Nicole's tartan blazer nipped her in at the waist with a gold embellished button, while the matching cropped trousers made the most of her lithe limbs Discussions: Nicole appeared in her element as she answered questions about the film, which is due to be released later this year What a transformation! Nicole Kidman (L) looks completely unrecognisable as she swaps her glamorous style a to play a disheveled detective (R) in the upcoming thriller Destroyer Nicole appeared in her element as she answered questions about the film, which is due to be released later this year. The premise of the film follows Nicole playing main characted LAPD detective Erin Bell, who is placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. Her character is traumatised after going undercover in a criminal gang. The Golden Compass star paired the look with patent black brogues and a simple black vest top Of the transformation Nicole had to undertake for the role, director Karyn Kusama told Vanity Fair she wanted that character's trauma to be evident in her appearance. 'We always knew that what we wanted her to look like was a real middle-aged woman with a past that she wears on her face,' she told the publication. 'With sun damage and sleep deprivation and stress and rage, just in her whole physical body.' Dramatic: Of the transformation Nicole had to undertake for the role, director Karyn Kusama said she wanted that character's trauma to be evident in her appearance Meanwhile, Olivia Colman was on hand to talk about her new film The Favourite, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. The Broadchurch star, 44, looked elegant in a pastel pink gown, which had a ruched neckline and a small brown belt for an added chic flair while she was joined by suited and booted Black Panther star Letitia Wright. Stunning: Olivia Colman looked elegant in a pink gown as she chatted about her new film The Favourite, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne Her cropped brunette locks were brushed into a tousled style, and she wore a slick of black eye liner and pink lipstick. The actress completed her look with a pair of pointed brown heels, and she kept her accessories to a minimum so as to not distract from her bright ensemble. Olivia arrived at the event in style with her director Yorgos Lanthimos, who found awards success with his films The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. Pretty: Her cropped brunette locks were brushed into a tousled style, and she wore a slick of black eye liner and pink lipstick Supportive: Olivia arrived at the event with The Favourit director Yorgos Lanthimos (pictured), who found awards success with his films The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Having fun: Olivia had a great time as she took photos during Fox Searchlight Pictures' film presentation New role: She was on hand to talk about her new film, in which she portrays British royal Queen Anne opposite Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone Letitia looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes. She styled her tresses into a sleek up-do, and wore light touches of make-up to highlight her stunning features. Letitia was at the event to discuss the Marvel blockbuster which can be considered for the Oscars' new Outstanding Popular Film category. Glamorous: Black Panther star Letitia Wright looked fierce in a light blue suit, which she paired with a white shirt and matching shoes Looking good: She styled her raven curls into a sleek up-do, and wore light touches of make-up to highlight her stunning features Big deal: Letitia was at the event to discuss the Marvel blockbuster which can be considered for the Oscars' new Outstanding Popular Film category Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen. The Moonlight star, 44, looked sharp in an off-white suit, which he teamed with a grey shirt, a red beanie, and black trainers. In the film, Mahershala world-class African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley, who hires a straight-talking bouncer-turned-driver Tony Lip (Mortensen) to protect him as he embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South, in 1962. Viggo also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes. Dapper: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali also made an appearance at the event to talk about his new film Green Book, which he stars in alongside Viggo Mortensen Handsome: The Moonlight star, 44, looked sharp in an off-white suit, which he teamed with a grey shirt, a red beanie, and black trainers Casual: Viggo also stepped out for the event, and he opted for a more casual look as he paired a logo T-shirt with black jeans and matching shoes Interesting: Director Peter Farrelly also came to talk about his films, which follows pianist Dr. Don Shirley as he embarks on a concert tour in the Deep South, with bouncer Tony Lip Sharp: John Krasinski came to discuss his hit horror film A Quiet Place, and the actor-turned-director looked handsome as he donned a sleek bomber jacket over his torso Finishing touches: Pairing it with black denim jeans and a white top, the hunk styled his hair in spikes and sported a close-cropped beard for a handsome look John Krasinski came to discuss his hit horror film A Quiet Place, and the actor-turned-director looked handsome as he donned a sleek bomber jacket over his torso. Pairing it with black denim jeans and a white top, the hunk styled his hair in spikes and sported a close-cropped beard for a handsome look. Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print for a glamorous flair. The actress came to talk about the Coen Brother's Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which she plays Alice Longabaugh in the chapter The Gal Who Got Rattled. Pretty: Zoe Kazan looked chic in a grey floor-length dress, which had puff sleeves and a daisy print for a glamorous flair Starlet: The actress came to talk about the Coen Brother's Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which she plays Alice Longabaugh in the chapter The Gal Who Got Rattled Also there: Marina de Tavira came to discuss the Netflix film presentation of Roma Western: Harry Melling also came to talk about Netflix's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Fun: Jeremy Dawson (L) and Tristan Oliver (R) came to talk about Wes Anderson's Isle Of Dogs Historical: Beau Willimon, Josie Rourke and Dr. John Guy discussed Mary Queen of Scots He's so stylish: Hugh Grant looked sharp on arrival in his pale blue shirt worn open at the collar when he joined the stars at the occasion George Clooney is a class act. The icon introduced himself at Variety's Power of Women event as 'Amal's husband' on Friday before delivering an emotional speech ahead of presenting the night's award to Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez. The debonair actor's better half was across the country at the time, delivering the Keynote speech at The Pennsylvania Conference for Women. Mr. Amal Clooney: George Clooney took the stage at the Power of Women event on Friday and introduced himself to the crowd as 'Amal's husband' Power couple: The proverbial bachelor, Clooney married the human rights attorney in 2014 Clooney, 57, took the stage in a grey suit at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills following 2017's funny 'it' girl Tiffany Haddish. 'You know, I'm 57 years old and I know better than following Tiffany Haddish.' the Oscar winner joked. He then went on to introduce himself in the most appropriate way, considering the crowd. 'Hi I'm George, I'm Amal Clooney's husband,' he quipped. Over the laughter of the crowd, he added: 'Oh I know, I know, I can read this room.' 'I can read this room:' George laughed with the crowd over the joke about his exceptionally successful wife For the girls: Amal wasn't at the event as she was headlining the Pennsylvania Conference for Women Meanwhile, Amal, world renowned human rights lawyer, was in Philadephia to headline a women's conference. The couple tied the knot back in 2014 after decades of the A-lister being Hollywood's most eligible bachelor. They have two children together, one-year-old twins Ella and Alexander. After a few laughs with the crowd, the Gravity star launched into a powerful speech about fear in America. The philanthropist was there to present an award to honoree, Parkland, Florida, shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez. What an honor: The actor was there to present an award to Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez This is America: Before presenting the award, George launched into a long and emotional speech about the state of the country 'Listen it's an honor for me to be here today to give the award to the fearless Emma Gonzalez,' the star said from the podium. 'She's fearless.' Gonzalez, 18, became a high profile and fierce advocate for gun control in the wake of a mass shooting at her high school, Majory Stoneman Douglas in February. 'We're living in a time where fear is our stock and trade,' the actor said. 'Fear of Muslims, fear of immigrants, fear of minorities, fear of strong women. 'And, because of our government needs us to be afraid, the question is, are we really going to be scared of all the things that actually make america great?' 'We're living in a time where fear is our stock and trade:' The Oscar winner spoke about fear in the country and the importance of history Clooney, a staunch human rights advocate, continued: 'If the answer is yes then we're going to have history to answer to because these are the ideas that are going to define us for generations.' Speaking of the current state of politics and culture in the US, the ER actor touched on several hot button issues. 'When you call an entire religion your enemy. you might very well make an enemy out of an entire religion. 'And, when you tell a whole race of people that you value you them less, you can't be surprised when they question your values. Issues: The speech touched on issues of race, religion and sexual violence He then referred to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and her accusations against newly sworn in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. 'And when you tell women that coming forward to testify about their abuse is a joke, then you don't be shocked when they're standing on your lawn laughing on November seventh.' The actor then pivoted to Gonzalez, who he was there to honor, calling her an overnight expert on gun violence after being the 'victim of a senseless massacre.' After the shooting, George and Amal donated half a million dollars to the March for Our Lives movement, which was started by Gonzalez and her fellow survivors. 'She's fearless:' Clooney spoke of the 18-year-old's fearlessness and bravery 'For 6 minutes and 20 seconds, the same time it took someone to take 17 innocent lives, Emma Gonzalez stood in front of 800,000 people and she forced us to listen,' Clooney said. Adding: 'Not to her words, there are none. How could there be? She made us listen to her heart.' The teen took the stage and lightened the mood a bit by correcting Clooney's count of the attendees during the March for Our Lives rally. 'More like a million,' she joked. 'Not trying to brag, you know? Size doesn't matter,' she said to a room of laughter. Powerful: Emma accepted the honor from the veteran actor The laughter quickly ebbed and transformed into a more sober mood as Emma was brought to tears during her acceptance speech. 'Nothing made sense in those days, except for the fact that there was nothing to stop this from happening to anyone in a country with practically no gun safety laws,' she said. 'To each of you powerful women I say this, you know that you are forces to be reckoned with.' She added: 'You can and have inspired peace and understanding and most importantly right now you can inspire your audience to vote.' Vote! Both George and Emma mentioned the importance of voting in their respective speeches Low key: Hours later, George was seen leaving LA hot spot Craig's; pictured on Sunday Beaming: The star beamed while rocking a gray blazer and black button up shirt He's worth an estimated $380million. So when Ryan Seacrest decided to get out of New York City for the weekend, he was able to afford a helicopter with which to do so. The 43-year-old American Idol host was joined for the flight by his 26-year-old model girlfriend Shayna Taylor and their dogs. Mo money: When Ryan Seacrest decided to get out of New York City for the weekend, he was able to afford a helicopter with which to do so The Keeping Up With The Kardashians executive producer went casual for the trip in skinny blue jeans, gray sneakers and a gray hoodie. Taylor meanwhile paired black leggings with a white top and sneakers. Ryan walked his black Lab Georgia to the waiting chopper, while his girlfriend carried her pooch Panda. Good company: The 43-year-old American Idol host was joined for the flight by his 26-year-old model girlfriend Shayna Taylor and their dogs Keeping it casual: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians executive producer went casual for the trip in skinny blue jeans, gray sneakers and a gray hoodie The Atlanta native and Shayna dated a few years ago before rekindling their romance in 2017. The pair currently live together in NYC, but have no plans for marriage. 'I've never been engaged,' he told Ripa back in May. 'I love the idea of marriage because my parents have been married for 47 years. The truth is I don't want to screw it up.' Genetically blessed: The Atlanta native and Shayna dated a few years ago before rekindling their romance in 2017. The pair seen here last month Seacrest and Taylor recently took up dance lessons. 'We decided that we're going to learn a few things I call them pursuits but we're gonna learn a few things that are outside of work for me,' Ryan told Us Weekly. 'Our first attempt is tango dancing. We've had two lessons. I'm starting to get the point where it's frustrating, but I'm trying keep my cool. We will on a date night eventually attempt to do it somewhere for fun. Right now we're just in the practice studio.' Reality star Tony Raines and his long time girlfriend Alyssa Giagone are celebrating their engagement despite a brewing custody battle with his ex over Raines' young daughter. The couple took to social media on Saturday to announce that after nearly a decade off and on together, they're finally making things legal. In simultaneous posts, the couple shared a kissing photo on Instagram, showing off Alyssa's new rock. Engaged! The Challenge and Real World star Tony Raines announced on Instagram on Saturday that he's officially engaged to girlfriend Alyssa Giacone The MTV star captioned his photo: 'We're engaged! Alyssa followed up with her own post and wrote: 'Fiance has a nice [ring] to it! We're ENGAGED yall!!!!' Tony and Alyssa are locked in a passionate kiss in the photo, as he holds his blonde beauty's ringed hand that showed off a pear shaped diamond. The picture was snapped in Times Square in New York City. The duo share a one-year-old daughter, Isla. Raines is also the father of Harper, two, from a previous relationship with former co-star Madison Walls-Channing. Family: Tony and Alyssa have one daughter together, Isla, as well as Harper, 2, who he has with ex and former co-star Madison Walls-Channing Tony's ex and Challenge co-star, Madison, recently relinquished her parental rights. Radar reported on Thursday that her parents are trying to battle the 30-year-old father in court to gain custody of Harper. The same day, Raines posted a photo with his then girlfriend and daughters. He captioned the pic: 'Getting everyone to smile at the same time is always hit or miss, this was a miss but it's still picture perfect.' Picture perfect things were not. Cyber attack: Commenters dragged Alyssa for allegedly ranting in an Instagram Live over Tony's custody battle with Madison when he posted this photo of the family on Thursday Alyssa and Tony have been together off and on for years. She recently posted a throwback photo of the two kissing from 2009. Last year, while filming The Challenge: XXX Tony was shown making out with fellow contestant Camila Nakagawa in an episode. At the time, his girlfriend was at home with their infant daughter. Tony called her in front of the cameras to deny that he had cheated but E! reported at the time that things had gone south with the couple and things were 'complicated.' She was on hand to talk about her new crime thriller and her character Erin Bell at The Contenders event in London on Saturday. And following a day of talks Nicole Kidman transformed into evening attire to attend The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences new members reception at The National Gallery. Nicole, 51, who is tipped to become for an Oscar nomination for her gripping portrayal as an undercover detective in the movie, donned an elegant semi-sheer gown for the event. Breathtaking: Nicole Kidman transformed into evening attire to attend The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences new members reception at The National Gallery The star's simple yet chic dress was given a stylish flair with ruched detailing on the midriff, which she teamed with a pair of strappy teal stilettos. Nicole opted for Hollywood glamour when it came to her hairstyle, framing her attractive features with strands of her curled platinum locks, while working the rest into an updo. The Big Little Lies actress added further glam to her look with a peach pallet of make-up, which included a girly pink lip. She means business: Nicole, 51, who is tipped to become for an Oscar nomination for her gripping portrayal as an undercover detective in the movie, donned an elegant semi-sheer gown for the event Classic: The star's simple yet chic dress was given a stylish flair with ruched detailing on the midriff, which she teamed with a pair of strappy teal stilettos Cheeky! The Big Little Lies actress added further glam to her look with a peach pallet of make-up, which included a girly pink lip as she showed off her cheeky side Earlier in the day Nicole cut a sophisticated figure in a grey tartan suit as she took to the stage with the director Karyn Kusama. Nicole's tartan blazer nipped her in at the waist with a gold embellished button, while the matching cropped trousers made the most of her lithe limbs. The Golden Compass star paired the look with patent black brogues and a simple black vest top. She wore her blonde hair up and in tousled curls, while her youthful visage was accentuated with blush-swept cheeks, black eye-shadow and a red-pink lip. Elegant: Nicole opted for Hollywood glamour when it came to her hairstyle, framing her attractive features with strands of her curled platinum locks, while working the rest into an updo Tipped for an Oscar: Nicole was on hand to talk about the crime thriller and her character Erin Bell at The Contenders event in London earlier in the day Cool: The actress cut a sophisticated figure in a grey tartan suit as she took to the stage with the director Karyn Kusama Nicole appeared in her element as she answered questions about the film, which is due to be released later this year. The premise of the film follows Nicole playing main characted LAPD detective Erin Bell, who is placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. Her character is traumatised after going undercover in a criminal gang. Stylish display: Nicole's tartan blazer nipped her in at the waist with a gold embellished button, while the matching cropped trousers made the most of her lithe limbs Discussions: Nicole appeared in her element as she answered questions about the film, which is due to be released later this year Of the transformation Nicole had to undertake for the role, director Karyn Kusama told Vanity Fair she wanted that character's trauma to be evident in her appearance. 'We always knew that what we wanted her to look like was a real middle-aged woman with a past that she wears on her face,' she told the publication. 'With sun damage and sleep deprivation and stress and rage, just in her whole physical body.' What a transformation! Nicole Kidman (L) looks completely unrecognisable as she swaps her glamorous style a to play a disheveled detective (R) in the upcoming thriller Destroyer The Golden Compass star paired the look with patent black brogues and a simple black vest top He has big clown shoes to fill following Jared Leto, Heath Ledger, and Jack Nicholson as all three actors played The Joker. And Joaquin Phoenix took it all in stride as he filmed scenes for the new titular movie in New York City on Saturday. The 43-year-old Walk The Line Oscar winner was dressed in full goofy clown costume and makeup for his take on the DC super-villain origin story. Goofing around: Joaquin Phoenix filmed scenes for The Joker in New York on Saturday Rocking a neon green wig, tiny hat, and plaid jacket, Joaquin turned on the charm as he paraded around the street holding a sale sign. At one point, he kicked up his feet allowing a full view of his over sized clown shoes. The origin story sees Joaquin in the titular role despite Jared Leto most recently playing The Joker in Suicide Squad. The movie has Martin Scorsese as one of its producers and Robert De Niro is set to be in the movie as 'a talk show host who is somehow instrumental in the Jokers origin', according to The Hollywood Reporter. Salesman: Rocking a neon green wig, tiny hat, and plaid jacket, Joaquin turned on the charm as he paraded around the street holding a sale sign Deadpool 2 actress Zazie Beetz plays 'a single mother who catches the interest of the man who will become the clown prince of crime,' THR.com also reported. Marc Maron appears as 'an agent on Robert De Niros talk show who plays a part in booking Phoenixs character, eventually causing him to go mad and become the Clown Prince of Crime,' according to Variety. The origins script is reportedly loosely based on The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore for DC Comics in 1988. Kick off: At one point, he kicked up his feet allowing a full view of his over sized clown shoes In that version, the Joker quits his job as a lab assistant and becomes a stand-up comedian to support his pregnant wife. Unsuccessful, he agrees to help mobsters with a robbery and dons the Red Hood, however, the heist goes awry. The comedian leaps into a chemical vat to escape Batman, surfacing disfigured and this, along with the earlier accidental death of his wife and unborn child, drives the comedian insane and he becomes the Joker. The film is due to be released on October 4, 2019. Katya Jones left viewers confused on Saturday night's instalment of Strictly Come Dancing as she referred to her week as 'amazing'. The professional dancer, 29, appeared thrilled as she and dance partner Seann Walsh received a total score of 28 from the judges - despite the pair facing immense backlash for their kissing scandal. Despite Seann, 32, being dumped by girlfriend Rebecca Humphries and Katya's husband Neil looking stoney-faced in the background of the episode, the Russian star gushed: 'It was an amazing week, we worked so hard.' Scroll down for video Shock comment: Katya Jones left viewers confused on Saturday night's instalment of Strictly Come Dancing as she referred to her week as 'amazing' Seann and Katya returned to the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor on Saturday night following their week from hell amid a cheating scandal. However, the funnyman and dancer put on a defiant display during the episode and even failed to mention their kiss scandal in their VT, while the judges also ignored the reports. After performing the Charleston to Bills by Lunchmoney Lewis, which boasted an impressive lift, the pair couldn't help but hug each other in celebration. Proving she couldn't be happier, Katya delightedly revealed she had an 'amazing week.' Ignoring scandal: The professional dancer, 29, appeared thrilled as she and dance partner Seann Walsh received a total score of 28 from the judges - despite the pair facing immense backlash for their kissing scandal Despite Seann, 32, being dumped by girlfriend Rebecca Humphries and Katya's husband Neil looking stoney-faced in the background of the episode, the Russian star gushed: 'It was an amazing week, we worked so hard' However, viewers of the show, who were gripped by their kissing scandal alongside the rest of the nation, weren't so sure as they took to Twitter with their thoughts: 'Katya "this week's been amazing" #scd #Strictly.' 'Katya screeches 'amazing week' wonder what a bad week would include? #strictly2018.' 'Katya Jones just saying its been an amazing week?! I'm sure her husband didnt think the same... ' 'Its been an amazing week. Could Katya be any more self involved? #Strictly2018.' 'Anyone see Katya think "oh sh*t" after she said "It's been an amazing week....." Oh dear #Strictly.' "It's been an amazing week" sure katya, you've broken a woman's heart on her birthday by snogging her partner! nice job seann! #strictly.' 'Has it?' However, viewers of the show, who were gripped by their kissing scandal alongside the rest of the nation, weren't so sure as they took to Twitter with their thoughts Strictly fans were left aghast when images came to light showing the couple enjoying a steamy kiss in the street following a boozy, post-training night out and on Seann's ex-girlfriend Rebecca's birthday, where she waited at home alone. On Wednesday's edition of Strictly sister show It Takes Two Katya apologised to 'everyone it hurt and involved', but said she and husband Neil were 'absolutely fine'. 'Obviously I apologise, and I can't apologise enough to everyone who it hurt and involved,' she said. 'But, the main thing, me and Neil are absolutely fine and thats what matters to me the most right now and focusing on my job and doing it as professionally I can.' Seann, whose girlfriend ended their five-year relationship after the incident, added: 'I think that, obviously Im sorry for the hurt that Ive caused. 'Amazing week apparently': The confusion from fans of the show continued to pour in over Katya's view of her week Strictly fans were left aghast when images came to light showing the couple enjoying a steamy kiss in the street following a boozy, post-training night out and on Seann's ex-girlfriend Rebecca's birthday, where she waited at home alone 'We were getting on well, we were having fun. We had a couple of drinks and made a huge mistake and I regret it deeply.' Reflecting on his separation, he added: 'I made a mistake, which Im very sorry for - sorry for the hurt that Ive caused. You never think about the extent of the damage that youre going to do, in a moment of, you know the mistake that youve made. 'Im not perfect, far from it. Our relationship wasnt perfect. That doesnt mean I wanted it to end the way it finally did, and Im very sorry for that. 'I feel its also important for me to say that the people that know me the most, that love me, they know that I am not the person Im being portrayed as. Im still sorry for what I did, but its very important for me to get that out there.' Channel Seven reporter Rahni Sadler, 45, has given birth to her first daughter. The journalist, who became pregnant via IVF with her best friend Geoff Dunn, welcomed the bundle of joy into the world on Wednesday, reported the Sunday Telegraph. Geoff shared their baby joy with the publication, revealing the long-time friends were 'besotted' with the newborn named Anna. 'We can't stop staring at her': Rahni Sadler, 45, and best friend Geoff Dunn share their baby joy after the Channel Seven reporter gives birth to first daughter Anna 'We've waited a very long time to meet our little girl,' he said. 'This is a joy beyond anything we'd ever imagined. Anna is absolutely perfect.We just can't stop gushing, and we can't stop staring at her.' The happy arrival comes after Rahni suffered 'life-threatening complications from a miscarriage' just months before she split from her husband, Trent Miller in 2009. 'We've waited a very long time to meet our little girl,' The friends reportedly embarked on IVF treatments in South Africa in 2018 Former Sunday Night reporter Rahni announced in June she was expecting her first child with her single best friend, Geoff. According to news.com.au it is believed the close pals decided to embark on IVF treatments in South Africa earlier in 2018. Rahni temporarily left the Channel Seven current affairs program last year in an attempt to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Former Sunday Night reporter Rahni announced in June she was expecting her first child with her single best friend, Geoff. Taking a career break: Rahni temporarily left the Channel Seven current affairs program last year in an attempt to ensure a healthy pregnancy Rahni was left reportedly 'broken hearted' over her split with her former husband of one year and is not thought to have remarried. Trent, who was previously wed to Rahni re-married AFL Footy Show host Rebecca Maddern. Australian Ninja Warrior co-host Rebecca and freelance cameraman Trent split from their respective partners in 2009, and announced they were dating almost a year later. The 40-year-old and her husband Trent - who kept the sex of the baby a surprise throughout the pregnancy - welcomed their first child in April this year. Sarah Hyland was spotted arriving to a spa in Los Angeles on Saturday. The Modern Family star flaunted her chic style in an animal print coat and tight denim leggings for the sunny day out. And the outing comes days after the 27-year-old playfully joked on Instagram that she was pregnant with her 33-year-old beau Wells Adams. Stunner:Sarah Hyland, 27, was spotted arriving to a spa in Los Angeles on Saturday Daring to impress, the young American beauty showcased her delicate decolletage as the animal print coat was opened at the top. Her gorgeous gams were thrust on center stage as the fashion forward pants were form fitting. She swept her trademark brunette tresses back in a loose ponytail allowing her youthful face to shine. Wild side: The Modern Family star flaunted her chic style in an animal print coat and tight denim leggings for the sunny day out Leggy lady: Her gorgeous gams were thrust on center stage as the fashion forward pants were form fitting On Tuesday, Sarah posted to Instagram a paparazzi picture of herself while running errands in Beverly Hills. In the snap, she is rocking loose fitting gray sweats with a matching top - with the shirt bunching at her slim waist. Sarah, who is not pregnant, jokingly wrote: 'Caught prego by paps.' Hair story: She swept her trademark brunette tresses back in a loose ponytail allowing her youthful face to shine An hour later her beau Wells playfully comments: 'So, this is how I find out?' to which Sarah quips back 'I thought you would think it's cute!' Wells responds with: 'Can we just not do some basic a** gender party?' and the actress said: 'We have to. We'll call it the softest gender reveal party ever.' He wrote back: 'That's a big Texas sized 10-4 there buddy.' RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REVIEW 1. Existing laws that create exemptions in anti-discrimination laws for religious bodies - with respected to race, disability, pregnancy or intersex status - should be reviewed in line with community expectations. 2. The Siracusa Principles - UN criteria to determine if protections exist when rights are restricted - should be considered when drafting laws that would limit the right to freedom of religion. 3. Clauses should be considered in anti-discrimination legislation to reflect the equal status in international law of all human rights, including freedom of religion. 4. Commonwealth charity laws should clarify that advocacy of a 'traditional' view of marriage would not, of itself, amount to a 'disqualifying purpose'. 5. Commonwealth sex discrimination laws should be amended so religious schools can discriminate against staff and contractors on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status - if based on religious teachings. 6. Any exceptions to such laws should be abolished. 7. Commonwealth sex discrimination laws should be amended so religious schools can discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status - if based on religious teachings and the best interests of the child is the primary consideration. 8. Any exceptions should be abolished. 9. Policies should be developed for when parents can remove their children from classrooms if they are being taught about topics which are inconsistent with their religious beliefs. 10. The Attorney-General should update information for marriage celebrants regarding religious protections made available to them. 11. The Attorney-General should consider updating the marriage regulations code of practice to suit the needs of smaller and emerging religious bodies. 12. Draft laws should be progressed to "make it clear" that religious schools don't have to make their facilities available, or provide goods or services, for any marriage - if the refusal is based on religious beliefs or is necessary to prevent followers from being offended. 13. All remaining offences of blasphemy should be abolished. 14. Regulations should be changed so ships can't have offensive names. 15. Commonwealth laws should make it unlawful to discriminate against a person's religious belief or activity, even if that person does not hold religious beliefs. Exceptions should be considered for religious bodies, schools and charities. 16. NSW and SA should change their laws so it's unlawful to discriminate against a person's religious belief or activity, even if that person does not hold any religious belief. Exceptions should be considered for religious bodies, schools and charities. 17. The federal government should collect and analyse incidents when people in the community are exposed to violence, harassment and discrimination because of their faith. 18. A religious engagement and public education program should be developed about human rights and religion in Australia, including the importance of the right to freedom of religion and belief. 19. The Australian Human Rights Commission should take a leading role in protecting freedom of religion through increased community engagement. 20. The prime minister and attorney-general should take leadership of the recommendations. (Source: Religious Freedom Review, Fairfax Media) Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton denies triggering a raid on his own department over leaked emails relating to the au pair saga. "The AFP make their own decision about execution of warrants and investigation of matters, there's nothing to do with me as the minister," he told reporters in Brisbane on Friday. The Department of Home Affairs offices in Canberra were raided on Thursday after internal emails leaked to the media showed Mr Dutton's office demanded an au pair detained at Brisbane airport be given urgent consideration for a visa. One of Australia's forgotten pioneers of the heroic era of Antarctic exploration will at last have a marked grave, 76 years after his death. Sidney Harry Jeffryes, the relief wireless operator on Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911-14, was buried in an unmarked grave at Ararat in 1942 after 28 years as a patient at the Ararat Mental Hospital. A plinth for his grave with his name and details of his Antarctic adventure is being installed on Tuesday, October 16. It has been made by the Mawson's Huts Foundation, a not-for-profit charity established in 1997 to conserve the fragile wooden huts at Cape Denison, East Antarctica. These buildings were used as the expedition's main base and it was there that Jeffryes spent most of 1913. He was the wireless operator onboard the ship Aurora that was to collect Mawson and his entire team in early 1913, but was forced to leave without Mawson when he failed to return on time. Jeffryes volunteered to stay behind as the wireless operator with five other members of the AAE to search or wait for Mawson's return. But he suffered a mental breakdown because of the cold and isolation and had to be relieved of his duties by Mawson who was recuperating after barely surviving a 500km trek back to the huts after losing his two sledding companions. Jeffryes was heard transmitting false messages in Morse code to the AAE's base on Macquarie Island, which Mawson established in late 1911 after leaving Hobart to relay messages from his main base to Australia. Jeffryes' messages claimed his six companions were trying to kill him and he was the only sane person. He eventually returned home in February, 1914 with Mawson and other members of the team. After boarding a train to return to his home in Queensland, Jeffryes left the train at Stawell, stripped his clothing and wandered naked through the bush for 12 days living on moths and grubs. Local residents reported him to police who admitted him to the Ararat mental hospital, where he remained in J Ward for the criminally insane until his death on October 16, 1942, aged 58. Records show he was buried the following day. There is no record of Jeffryes ever being visited by any member of the AAE. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Sixteen years after explosions ripped through a Bali tourist hot spot - killing 202 people including 88 Australians - a grieving Sydney father has pledged to keep moving forward like an indomitable "Australian thong". Survivor Dave Byron on Friday told a memorial service he mourned his teenage daughter who was killed in the attack every day. "Every day is difficult," he said while wearing a tropical shirt that stood out against the grey skies. "I wake up every morning and the first thing I think about is my 15-year-old daughter. The last thing I think about when I go to bed is my 15-year-old daughter Chloe." The 2002 Bali bombings were Australia's brutal introduction to the era of modern terrorism - the attack was directed specifically at the Kuta nightlife strip that was filled with western tourists. Mr Byron wears the purple Hawaiian shirt, bought in Bali just two days before the blast, to the ceremony each year because it would make Chloe laugh. He refuses to "dwell on awful things" such as the bomb site, the smells and sounds he witnessed and the hospital. "Life may not be fair but it's still good," he said. "It's real good and we have a chance to keep living that and keep it good." Mr Byron described looking down at his legs - just hours after picking through the debris of the attack site - to see his feet covered in soot and grime but miraculously unharmed. "They were protected by the hardest thing on the planet," he told the crowd, unwrapping the pair of battered rubber thongs he wore through the ordeal sixteen years ago. "So I'm going to live my life like an Australian thong - I'm never giving up." Sydney's eastern suburbs lost 20 people in the attack including six members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league club. Four memorials were erected across the suburb including a bronze sculpture on the headland above Coogee Beach. The Australians killed in the blast were in the Indonesian city for family holidays, surfing trips and what Prime Minister Scott Morrison described as normal Australian celebrations of life. "That's what makes that night so shocking," he told the Coogee service. "The realisation our daily living and our daily freedom could arouse such warped fury and hatred. It was a tragedy of evil." A flock of white doves was released into the dark sky over the headland before Mr Morrison lead the crowd in laying gerbera flowers at the base of the memorial. Many paused to lay a hand on the bronze surface and whisper a message in the wind. The clock is ticking for dairy farmers after storms swept across southern Queensland and knocked out power just before their milking time. Cows need to be milked at least every 24 hours to avoid contracting Mastitis but with the power out since storms hit much of the South Burnett region on Thursday afternoon more than 3000 cows on about 30 farms are at risk. "Unless they get power within 24 hours, they're going to have real troubles with their cows ... when power becomes life or death for your farm, it's a real problem," Queensland Dairy Farmers spokeswoman Sarah Ferguson told AAP on Friday. The federal government has sent Stuart Robert a bill for almost $38,000 after it was revealed the Assistant Treasurer racked up more than $1000 a month for data at his Gold Coast home since 2016. Special Minister of State Alex Hawke said he had been advised the Finance Department signed off on Mr Robert's internet connection. "Due to the location of his residence, Mr Robert was only able to access mobile broadband services with limited monthly download capabilities," Mr Hawke said in a statement on Friday. Despite the plan being approved, the high excess data charges had "understandably caused concern", Mr Hawke said. Mr Robert wrote on Twitter on Friday, after his colleague issued a media release, that he had paid $37,975, which reflected excess usage charges beyond those covered under the plan. The minister intends to hook up the NBN when it is available in his area. Police trying to get access to terrorists' encrypted messages will have to check with a judge or another authority, if proposed changes become law. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is pushing for new laws requiring tech companies to hand over encrypted messages when authorities are investigating crimes. Spy agencies say 95 per cent of their investigations now involve people using encrypted messages. But Mr Dutton says authorities won't have warrantless access. "We need to get the proper balances in place. Judicial oversight, warrants being issued by magistrates, warrants being issued by the attorney general, all of that has been contemplated," Mr Dutton told reporters in Brisbane on Friday. "We're not asking to go beyond the powers that exist at the moment. What we're asking is to keep up with the technology." Mr Dutton called on Labor to support the laws through the Senate as a matter of national security. Labor has been sceptical of the need for the laws, over concerns they could overreach. Tech companies also say the laws will require them to break their encryption, which Mr Dutton denies. Western Australia's Police Commissioner Chris Dawson has been nabbed for speeding, copping a $100 fine. Mr Dawson was caught doing 59 km/h in a 50 km/h zone in East Perth on September 28 while driving his own car to the national police remembrance day service. "As commissioner of police, I am very aware of the consequences of speeding and I acknowledge my mistake," he said in a statement on Friday. "Speeding is a focus of our traffic enforcement effort and this reinforces that no one is immune from being caught." Small business tax cuts and the Wentworth by-election are set to dominate federal parliament which sits from Monday. After three weeks away from Canberra, MPs will present a rare display of bipartisanship when the government and Labor agree on fast-tracking a new 25 per cent corporate tax rate for businesses with turnovers under $50 million. The draft laws are expected to be presented to parliament mid-week. Labor leader Bill Shorten said on Friday it was "one less issue for the nation to have to waste time arguing about". However, the opposition will press the government on school and hospital funding and the coalition's commitment to further big business tax cuts, which Labor opposes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says lower businesses taxes are key to more investment and higher wages. "The top end of town might have their disagreements with us from time to time, but what we do is we back small and family businesses, medium sized businesses," Mr Morrison said on Friday. The My Health Record system will return to the spotlight with Labor pushing for further changes to ensure private health insurers can never get their hands on its data. Labor will seek changes to better protect the privacy of employees and women fleeing domestic violence. The October 20 by-election in Malcolm Turnbull's former Sydney seat of Wentworth will loom large. The Liberal candidate Dave Sharma is facing off against independent Kerryn Phelps, with polls showing the race is extremely close. A loss for the government will upset its one-seat majority. Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers will seek to exploit rifts within the coalition over religious freedom protections, following the leaking of former minister Philip Ruddock's report into the issue. The Greens plan to introduce a private bill to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to bar religious schools from discriminating against students and teachers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identification. Independent senator Derryn Hinch will seek Senate support for a motion calling for government funding to be stripped from private schools that discriminate against teachers or students on sexuality grounds. Within the Labor caucus the issue of support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership continues to simmer, as the Senate moves closer to a vote on enabling legislation. A report into why the government handed a charity almost $500 million for reef projects without a proper tender process is set to be tabled. Lollipops were handed out to mourners as The Wiggles song Three Little Monkeys played at the funeral for three young girls, their mother and grandmother, all allegedly murdered by the children's father. Three-year-old Charlotte, two-year-old twins Alice and Beatrix, and their mother Mara Lee Harvey, 41, were allegedly killed by Anthony Robert Harvey, 24, at their home in Perth last month. He then allegedly murdered his mother-in-law Beverley Ann Quinn, 73, when she came to visit them at their house in Bedford the next morning. The caskets were adorned with blankets and each had a different item of personal significance - Ms Quinn had a ball of wool, Ms Harvey had an encyclopaedia, and the children had toys. Ms Quinn was so organised, she had previously arranged the songs for her funeral, choosing two Daniel O'Donnell songs to open and close the service, but no one was prepared for the deaths of her daughter and grandchildren. Her youngest daughter, Taryn Tottman, gave a 20 minute eulogy, drawing laughter as she shared stories of adventure and mischief. She described her mother, who was born in New Zealand, as a "mischievous rebel" during her childhood, who was burnt by boiling water at 18 months and began wearing glasses at the age of three. Ms Quinn always put her family first and gave her daughters every opportunity possible, Ms Tottman said. "Mum was everything to us," she told the 200 mourners. Ms Tottman said her mother was the canteen lady at school and later helped with aged care and in 1997, cared for her dying husband. Within four years, Ms Quinn had become a grandmother of six. "All she ever wanted to do was help others." Ms Tottman said her sister was adventurous and became a travel consultant, which took her all over the world. She later worked in mining, then in 2014 started the romance that led to marriage and children. Charlotte was remembered as an outgoing and bubbly child, with a loud and confident singing voice. She was also described as an old soul and intelligent. "We are now left in a world that is a little quieter, less energetic and a lot less bubbly now that our sweet little Charlotte has gone, but she will certainly be remembered with a happy heart," Ms Tottman said. Alice was remembered for her smile and fearlessness, while Beatrix was the quieter twin with a cheeky side. Ms Tottman recalled the last time she saw Beatrix she received the most heart melting hug. "That is now a memory and a moment I will cherish forever," she said. "The world is a lot colder now that it will be missing Beatrix's hugs." The family thanked detectives and the wider community for their love and support, with Ms Tottman relaying how it had restored her faith in humanity. The speaker of Queensland Parliament has referred Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to the powerful ethics committee over her decision to strip a minor party of resources. Ms Palaszczuk stripped the resources from Katter's Australia Party;'s three Queensland MPs after they refused to denounce federal Senator Fraser Anning for using the Nazi-associated phrase "final solution" during his first speech in federal parliament. The corruption watchdog ruled last month the premier technically breached the law but left it up to the parliament to decide how to proceed, with Labor speaker Curtis Pitt on Friday announcing he would refer to the premier to the ethics committee for possible contempt of parliament. Two teenage boys have been charged with setting fire to several cars in the underground car park of a Sydney apartment complex. The pair of 16-year-olds allegedly broke into the basement car park of a Coogee apartment complex at 1am on September 26 before setting fire to several cars, police allege. The boys were arrested on Friday and charged with eight offences, including destroying property and aggravated break, enter and steal. They were refused bail to appear at a Children's Court on Saturday. Today's Birthday, October 13: British actor, comedian and writer Sacha Baron Cohen (1971 - ). Legendary satirist Sacha Baron Cohen is back to his controversial best in a new series, shining a torch on America's political divisions. The 47-year-old disguises himself as four new characters - his first television creation in 15 years - to hoodwink politicians, gun lobbyists and right-wing supporters for popular streaming service show Who Is America. Despite many outlandish scenes across the seven-part series, the Borat and Ali G creator's skit in which he uses a "paedophile detector" on failed US Senate candidate Roy Moore has landed him in the most hot water. The former Alabama supreme court chief justice is suing the comedian for $US95 million due to "extreme emotional distress" stemming from the prank. Born in West London in 1971, Baron Cohen's mother came from Israel and his grandfather from Wales. After graduating from Cambridge's Christ College, Baron Cohen worked as a fashion model and began working on local cable television in the 1990s. He caught the attention of TV producers in 1995 after sending in an audition tape of himself acting as a fictional Albanian reporter. The idea was later developed into Borat, the bumbling Kazakh journalist and agent provocateur. After earning his television presenting chops and debuting another two trademark characters, Austrian fashionista Bruno and uncouth English lad Ali G, Baron Cohen spun all three creations into his own show. Da Ali G Show, featuring interviews with unsuspecting celebrities and politicians, debuted in 2000. It won a BAFTA for best comedy the following year. Two years later the imbecilic, tracksuit-wearing character starred in his own film, Ali G Indahouse. Borat was his next persona destined for theatres in 2006 as the roving reporter travelled across the US to experience American culture. It remains his most iconic work. Bruno was also given silver-screen treatment in 2009, but to far less acclaim. Baron Cohen released The Dictator in 2012, taking the mickey out of rulers akin to deposed Libyan autocrat Muammar Gaddafi as Admiral General Aladeen. Outside of his own projects, the funnyman has appeared in Talladega Nights, the Madagascar trilogy, Hugo, Les Miserables, Anchorman 2 and Alice Through the Looking Glass. He has three children with his wife, Australian actress Isla Fisher. The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the "White Helmets", pictured in September 2018, saves those wounded in attacks on rebel zones Russia was denounced at the United Nations Thursday after describing the Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets as a "threat" and demanding their removal from the war-torn country, diplomats said. "(The) presence of White Helmets is a source of threat," the Russian representative said in a closed meeting of the UN Security Council called by Moscow, according to a diplomat present at the talks. "We call on western countries to move the White Helmets from Syria. Terrorists should be removed. (It's) not a good idea to have them in civilized society," the diplomat quoted the Russian envoy as saying. Moscow's representative specifically highlighted their presence in Idlib, Syria's last major rebel stronghold, according to another diplomat speaking anonymously. Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defense, or White Helmets, saves those wounded in attacks on rebel zones. Russia does not consider members present in Syria's rebel areas to be rescue workers and has already accused them several times in the past of being linked to terror groups. According to several diplomatic sources, the United States, Britain and France reacted with fury and dismay. The US condemned the "outrageous and false accusations of Russia. The White Helmets are a humanitarian organization. Russia continues to spread false information," according to the sources. Britain meanwhile called on the Russians to "stop wasting the council's time" while France said it was "surprised and dismayed," adding that the group has "saved hundreds of people." Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have retaken large parts of Syria from opposition fighters and jihadists since Russia intervened in September 2015. Moscow's demands to the Security Council came as a planned buffer zone in northwest Syria was cleared of heavy armaments and a new deadline loomed for the tougher task of Turkey convincing jihadists to pull out. The demilitarized zone ringing the Idlib region is the result of a deal reached last month between rebel backer Turkey and government ally Russia to stave off a regime assault on the rebel bastion. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the enactment of an anti-hate law named for gay student Matthew Shepard, who was tortured and murdered in 1998 The remains of a gay US college student whose murder became a symbol of homophobic violence will be interred at Washington National Cathedral 20 years after his death, the church has confirmed. Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, robbed and beaten in 1998, then left to die strapped to a ranch fence in Laramie, Wyoming. The 21-year-old hung on the fence for 18 hours until two passing cyclists found him. His death five days later in a Colorado hospital triggered a national outcry. Scores of mourners attended his funeral but it was picketed by homophobic protesters. As a result, his parents did not choose a final resting place for his ashes, concerned it would be desecrated, according to US media reports. But on October 26, Shepard will be interred at the Episcopal Church's Washington National Cathedral in a private ceremony following a public remembrance service. "Join the cathedral as we host a service of thanksgiving and remembrance for Matthew Shepard, whose brutal death in 1998 shocked the world, grieved the church and mobilized the LGBTQ movement," the cathedral, a neo-gothic icon of Washington's skyline, said on its website. In 2009, the US congress approved legislation named after Shepard bolstering prosecution of "hate crimes" committed because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability. The Soyuz MS-10 rocket carrying US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovichinin to the International Space Station experienced a failure of one of its engines after takeoff on October 11, 2018 The taxi service to the orbiting International Space Station is taking no passengers until further notice. Neither the United States nor Russia will be able to send astronauts to the ISS until investigators determine why a Soyuz rocket failed after blast-off Thursday, complicating an already tricky launch calendar for 2019. The only way to get astronauts from Earth to the ISS since 2011 has been aboard Russian Soyuz rockets. But the Russian space agency Roscosmos has grounded the rockets until a probe concludes into what caused the anomaly which forced US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan. Here are questions and answers about the disruption of service to the ISS: - How long could the suspension last? - The next Soyuz launch for the ISS was scheduled for December 20, and it is supposed to take a new three-person crew to the Space Station. But it's not clear how long it will be grounded. "If it's two months or six, I really can't speculate on that," International Space Station Operations Integration Manager Kenny Todd told a press briefing. "They're probably going to ground the Soyuz rockets for a while," said Erik Seedhouse, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Seedhouse, who specializes in applied aviation sciences, estimated that it would last at least "a few months." In 2015 the Progress -- an unmanned transport spacecraft that sent supplies to the ISS -- had problems similar to those experience Thursday by the Soyuz rocket. However, the Thursday case involves a manned vehicle, "so there's much stricter requirements in investigations," Seedhouse told AFP. The European Space Agency has already acknowledged that the incident will affect the ISS calendar. It is making contingency plans for the three current ISS crew members -- German Alexander Gerst, American Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Russian Sergey Prokopiev, all of whom were scheduled to return to Earth in December -- to possibly stay aboard the station longer than expected. One potential problem: the spacecraft that would let the ISS crew return to Earth, which docked at the station in June, is equipped with batteries that lose power after about 200 days, NASA said. That would in theory push the time limit of crew's return to Earth to early January 2019, which is the sole limiting factor, said John Logsdon, head of the Space Policy Institute at The George Washington University. As for food -- there is enough for the crew to last several months, as the station is regularly resupplied by unmanned Japanese and American spacecraft. - When will the American rockets be ready? - NASA mothballed the Space Shuttle program in 2011, and since then has been paying Russia tens of millions of dollars to send astronauts to the ISS. The contract with the Russians ends in late 2019, and the US space agency has deals with two American companies, Boeing and SpaceX, to step in. Elon Musk's SpaceX, who also runs electric carmaker Tesla, will be using its Falcon 9 rockets. Since 2012 SpaceX has launched satellites for NASA, and has carried out 16 resupply missions to the ISS. US astronaut Nick Hague (L) and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin (R) in Jezkazgan, Kazakhstan, during medical exams after their emergency return to Earth Sending astronauts to the ISS will be a first for a privately owned company. However, SpaceX's rocket program, just like Boeing's, has run into delays, as is often the case in the aerospace industry. An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule is scheduled for launch in January 2019, with a similar manned launch set for June 2019. For Boeing, launches are set for March and August 2019 respectively. - What is the risk for NASA? - Soyuz's problems are a headache for the United States, which has a policy of having a continuous presence in space. An interruption would be disastrous in terms of image, but also for the research aboard the ISS, as the orbiting station serves as a scientific laboratory. The slightest delay by SpaceX or Boeing could hold up the approval of their manned launch programs. This could mean that the first astronaut they would send to the ISS would depart in 2020 instead of 2019. Thursday's Soyuz incident "will put some pressure" on SpaceX and Boeing "to meet their current schedule," Logsdon told AFP. Ethiopian peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) patrol Abyei town at night in December, 2016 The UN Security Council on Thursday approved a final extension of its peacekeeping mission in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan -- unless the two sides make progress on border demarcation and other benchmarks. In its unanimous decision, the Security Council extended for six months the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei but said "this shall be the final such extension unless the parties take the specific measures." It repeated a previous warning that the situation in Abyei and along the Sudan-South Sudan border "continues to constitute a serious threat to international peace," and called on the two countries to show concrete progress on border demarcation and monitoring, as well as other benchmarks. Abyei is an area of about 4,000 square miles (10,500 square kilometers) contested since Sudan split into two countries in 2011. There have been tensions between the Arab Misseriya and Ngok Dinka peoples of the region. Sudan and South Sudan years ago agreed to take steps for setting up an administrative structure for Abyei but the Security Council in May, when it last renewed UNISFA's mandate, expressed disappointment that "few steps" had been taken in that direction. In November 2015, shelling in Abyei killed a four-year-old girl and a UNISFA peacekeeper. Almost the entire UNISFA contingent of several thousand troops comes from Ethiopia. A woman holds a sign as she takes part in the Second Annual Women's March Chicago -- which saw thousands march in the city -- on January 20, 2018 Energized by a bitter fight over a US Supreme Court justice nominee, thousands of women were expected to march Saturday in Chicago and cast early midterm election ballots against the "anti-woman agenda" of President Donald Trump's administration. The protest organized by Women's March Chicago was a sign of the political fallout from the partisan fight to confirm Trump's nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the nation's highest court despite sexual assault allegations. Organizers timed the march to coincide with the run-up to the crucial November 6 midterm elections, when Democrats could wrest away control of the lower house of Congress from Republicans. They said similar marches fueled by anger over the Kavanaugh confirmation were scheduled later in October in other states, including the Republican strongholds of Texas, Georgia and South Carolina. "Women are very upset over the Kavanaugh confirmation and are fired up to vote," Women's March Chicago spokeswoman Harlene Ellin told AFP. All but one Republican in the US Senate voted in favor of Kavanaugh's elevation to the Supreme Court. All but one Democrat voted against. Women's March Chicago said in a statement that it was targeting the "anti-woman agenda of the White House and the Republican party." After a rally and a march, protesters were to be directed to early voting locations in downtown Chicago to cast ballots. - 'Take back the reins' - Republicans currently hold the White House and both chambers of Congress, but many in the GOP fear anti-Trump voters will overwhelm the president's supporters in the midterm elections. The protests came as early voting was ramping up in Illinois, and had already begun in more than a dozen other states. More will join in in the coming days. Most states allow early voting by mail-in ballot or at a limited number of polling stations. The process allows those who cannot show up at polls on election day to have a chance to vote. Chicago organizers insisted their event -- where a giant "Baby Trump" balloon was to make an appearance -- did not favor any one party, even though funding came largely from unions and Democrat-aligned groups. "We want to take back the reins of a government that is out of control, and give to lawmakers who can steer us always in the right direction," Women's March Chicago organizer Eman Hassaballa Aly told a news conference earlier in the week. Simultaneous marches were to be held in nearby cities in Republican areas of Illinois -- outside of the Democrat-stronghold of Chicago. "Our marching community is fired up to begin the process of voting out politicians who ignore, demean and disrespect women," Women's March Chicago said in a news release. "With the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, women across the country have been calling for marches more broadly where they can vocalize their dissatisfaction regarding his elevation to one of the most powerful positions in our country." Previous women's march protests have included plenty of anti-Trump rhetoric. Protests in January shut down streets in dozens of American cities. In Chicago, hundreds of thousands marched. The appearance of the "Baby Trump blimp" -- as dubbed by British media -- will be the first at a major American protest. The inflatable was designed as a virtual poke in the eye at the president during his visit to Britain over the summer. Activists in New Jersey created six duplicates, which they planned to float around the country. After Chicago, it will next appear in Los Angeles and New York. Gerald York poses at his home in Alexandria, Virginia with a photograph of his grandfather Sergeant Alvin York, one of the most decorated US soldiers in World War I It's a simple leather briefcase, bearing the inscription "Sgt Alvin C. York" in gold letters. It belonged to a World War I hero who later founded a school for poor rural children. When he was drafted in 1917 to go fight in France, York was a 30-year-old farmer with a third grade education. "He had always lived in Tennessee, in a rural area, was never really exposed to the world," his grandson, retired army colonel Gerald York, told AFP at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. "When war came along, he did not know where they were fighting. He didn't know anything about the people." A briefcase and a checkbook belonging to Alvin C. York, a World War I hero who used fame to found a school for poor rural children in his native Tennessee In October 1918, Corporal York became a hero during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the Allied campaign that finally broke the German army. Under heavy fire, York killed 25 German soldiers and took more than 100 prisoners during a harrowing mission to infiltrate enemy lines and take out machine gun positions. He was promoted to sergeant and showered with military honors, including the Congressional Medal of Honor, America's highest; the Croix de guerre; and the French Legion of Honor. He received some 50 awards and medals in all, making him one of the war's most decorated American soldiers. A book, a movie, a sketch and post stamps featuring Alvin York, a US sergeant who was a World War I hero, are on display on a table in Alexandria, Virginia After the armistice, he remained in France for several months before returning to New York to a hero's welcome. He then went back to his home in Jamestown, Tennessee and embarked on another stage in life. "Because of what he had seen in France, in New York, because he felt his education was a real hindrance to him... he decided that education and better roads were going to be what he wanted for his community," Gerald York said. So York created a foundation, and traveled the country with his leather briefcase under his arm, using his fame as a war hero to raise funds for a rural school. Sergeant York's grandson Gerald holds a note from French Colonel Eric Taillandier thanking him for his grandfather's achievements and contributions during World War I The Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute opened in 1926. For the first 10 years, even in the midst of the Great Depression, he paid for the teachers, the school buses and the construction of paved roads in the area. York was a fervent Christian and member of a small pacifist congregation. According to his grandson, shortly before his death in 1964, he said: "What I want to be remembered for is my contribution to education." The Alvin C. York Institute, now a public school, still exists today in Jamestown, Tennessee. Japan has a critical labour shortage in the construction industry Japan on Friday unveiled a plan to attract more foreign blue-collar workers, as the world's number-three economy battles a crippling labour shortage caused by an ageing and shrinking population. The plan reportedly aims to fill gaping shortages in sectors such as agriculture, nursing, construction, hotels and shipbuilding. Under the draft legislation, foreign nationals with skills in fields identified as facing shortages would be awarded a visa allowing them to work for up to five years. Foreign workers in those fields who hold stronger qualifications and pass a Japanese language test will also be allowed to bring family members and can obtain permanent residency status. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday that the bill would be submitted to parliament "at the earliest possible time," with a possible launch in April. Japan has traditionally been cautious about accepting unskilled workers from abroad and currently limits residential status to highly skilled professionals. The only exception to this rule is for South Americans of Japanese descent. And Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has stressed the reforms are not intended as a wholesale overhaul of Japanese immigration policy, and mass immigration is not expected. Japan will not rely heavily on foreign immigrants and the policy "remains unchanged," Suga said, asked if this represented a drastic shift in immigration policy towards accepting a large number of foreigners. Businesses have long lobbied for looser immigration rules, saying they struggle to find workers in a country where unemployment hovers around 2.5 percent and there are 163 job vacancies to every 100 job seekers. The government has not set a target for foreign workers under the new proposals, although local media put the figure at more than 500,000 people by 2025. According to government figures, there were 1.28 million foreign workers in Japan in 2017 -- twice as many as a decade ago. But more than 450,000 of those are foreign spouses of Japanese citizens, ethnic Koreans long settled in Japan, or foreigners of Japanese descent, rather than workers coming to Japan to seek jobs. A further 300,000 are students, who are allowed to work part-time during their studies but are expected to return home afterwards. Japan had fewer than 240,000 foreign skilled workers and just over 250,000 foreign trainees in the country in late 2017, according to government figures. It has bilateral deals admitting limited numbers of nurses and care workers from other parts of Asia. Canada is about to legalise recreational use of marijuana, which will make it the second nation in the world to do so after Uruguay more than five years ago. While many countries have decriminalised the use and possession of the drug, abandoning prison sentences for consumers, just a handful have gone as far as to make it fully legal, including for medicinal purposes. Here is an overview: - Latin America - - Uruguay in 2013 became the first country in the world to legalise the production, distribution and consumption of marijuana. Under Uruguayan law, citizens and residents can buy up to 40 grammes (1.4 ounces) of pot a month from pharmacies, grow it themselves at home, or join cannabis clubs where members tend to the plants together. The government has licensed two private companies to produce and distribute marijuana. - Several other Latin American countries have legalised cannabis for medicinal use: Chile in 2015, Colombia in 2016 and Argentina, Mexico and Peru in 2017. - North America - - US federal law prohibits the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. However eight states and the national capital Washington, DC have legalised marijuana for recreational use, with the last to date, California, becoming on January 1, 2018, the biggest legal market in the world. Twenty-nine states and the capital have legalised marijuana for medical use. - Canada will on October 17 become the first Group of Seven (G7) member and second country in the world to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis. The legislation will limit personal possession to 30 grammes and four plants per household. - Europe - - The Netherlands in general, and Amsterdam in particular, have tolerated the sale and use of marijuana in iconic coffeeshops since 1976. That year the Dutch decriminalised the sale of small amounts of cannabis -- less than five grammes -- and allowed individuals to legally grow five plants each for personal use. Dutch coffeeshops generate hundreds of millions of euros in sales annually, and in major hubs such as Amsterdam they have proven a major tourist draw. In recent years, however, politicians have pushed back against these tolerant policies. A controversial 2012 law bans the sale of marijuana to non-residents and tourists in three southern provinces. The capital The Hague banned cannabis from the city centre in April this year. But in July the Dutch government gave the green light to a wide-ranging experiment to allow up to 10 municipalities around the country to legally grow cannabis. - Spanish law allows for the private production and consumption of cannabis by adults, though its sale is still illegal. - The Czech Republic imposes only fines on people in possession of up to 15 grammes of marijuana or who have only five plants at home. - In July 2018 the Constitutional Court in Georgia abolished fines for using marijuana but stipulated that growing and selling it would remain an offence. - Several other European countries have legalised cannabis for certain medical purposes including Austria, Britain, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. - The French government has announced plans to soften penalties for cannabis use, swapping potential prison sentences for on-the-spot fines, but it remains opposed to legalising the substance. - South Africa - In September 2018 South Africa's top court ruled that private, personal cannabis use by adults was legal. The court ordered parliament to draft new laws within 24 months to reflect the order. Demonstrators burn a Chinese flag during a protest to denounce China's treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims in front of the Chinese consulate in Istanbul Malaysia has freed 11 ethnic Uighur Muslims who escaped from immigration detention in Thailand, their lawyer said Friday, ignoring a request from Beijing to deport the group to China. In the dramatic breakout last November, 25 members of the persecuted minority used blankets to climb out of their cells in a daring pre-dawn escape from immigration detention in southern Thailand. Eleven of them, all men, escaped overland to neighbouring Malaysia, where they were caught and charged with illegal entry. Southern Thailand and Malaysia share a common border, which is easily penetrable. The group were freed and flew to Turkey on Tuesday, their lawyer Fahmi Abdul Moin told AFP. "Prosecutors decided to drop all charges on humanitarian grounds," he said. The decision was made after lawyers wrote to the Malaysian attorney general urging that the charges be withdrawn, Fahmi added. Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed the group's release. "These 11 men faced detention, torture or worse if they were returned to China," HRW deputy director for Asia Phil Robertson said. China had asked Malaysia's previous government to repatriate the group in February, but new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has taken a more independent stand with Beijing. Since coming to power in May, Mahathir has cancelled more than $20 billion worth of mega-infrastructure projects backed by Chinese firms, including rail and gas pipelines. Mahathir's predecessor Najib Razak was seen as too friendly with Beijing. Najib's government last year deported to China 29 Uighurs it said were involved with Islamic militants. Uighurs are persecuted in western China, where they are subject to strict regulations suppressing public displays of religion. Over a million Uighur and other Muslim minority people have been detained in re-education camps for offences as minor as making contact with family members outside the country or sharing Islamic holiday greetings on social media, the UN says. Beijing has denied reports of the camps but evidence is mounting in the form of government documents and testimonies from former detainees. A scathing US congressional report released this month accused China of the unprecedented repression of its ethnic minorities, including Uighurs, with authoritarian tactics potentially constituting "crimes against humanity". Israeli soldiers carry out searches after an army reservist was stabbed and wounded at the Hawara checkpoint south of the West Bank city of Nablus on October 11, 2018 Israeli forces detained a Palestinian suspected of stabbing and wounding a soldier but a manhunt continued for a second Palestinian who shot dead two Israeli civilians, the army said Friday. The army spokesman's office released video it said had been taken late on Thursday showing a cuffed and blindfolded man being led by soldiers in what appears to be a military facility. "A short while ago, the terrorist who committed the terror attack... this afternoon was caught," regional commander Colonel Sagiv Dahan said in the Hebrew-language clip. An army spokesman told AFP that details of the suspect and his arrest were being withheld for the time being as his interrogation was still in progress. He is suspected of stabbing and wounding an army reservist on guard at a junction near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday afternoon. A civilian was moderately wounded from shrapnel when soldiers fired in the direction of the fleeing assailant, the army said. The fugitive who remains on the run is suspected of killing two Israelis and wounding a third in a shooting on Sunday in the Israeli-owned industrial zone where they all worked near the northern West Bank Jewish settlement of Barkan. "Activity continues to catch the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack at Barkan," an army statement said in Hebrew. The army has named the wanted man as Ashraf Naalwa, 23, from the northern West Bank village of Shuweika. The two attack sites and Shuweika village all lie within a 32 kilometre (20 mile) radius but so far there has been no indication of any connection. A wave of mainly lone-wolf Palestinian attacks against Israelis erupted in 2015 but it has since largely abated. Richard Branson is suspending two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia and discussions with Saudi Arabia over proposed investment in Virgin Galactic British entrepreneur Richard Branson is suspending two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia following the unexplained disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement late Thursday, Branson said also that his Virgin group would suspend discussions with Saudi Arabia over proposed investment in Virgin Galactic, which is set to carry out its first space flight within weeks. "I had high hopes for the current government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and it is why I was delighted to accept two directorships in the tourism projects around the Red Sea," Branson said in the statement posted on the Virgin website. "I felt that I could give practical development advice and also help protect the precious environment around the coastline and islands." But he added: "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government. "We have asked for more information from the authorities in Saudi and to clarify their position in relation to Mr Khashoggi. "While those investigations are ongoing and Mr Khashoggis whereabouts are not known, I will suspend my directorships of the two tourism projects. "Virgin will also suspend its discussions with the Public Investment Fund over the proposed investment in our space companies Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit," Branson added. In comments Tuesday, Branson said he expected his Virgin Galactic company to conduct its first space flight "within weeks, not months". Both clashed several times with the hardline government of president P.W. Botha, who was no relation Former South African foreign minister Roelof "Pik" Botha, whose long career in government straddled both the apartheid era and the presidency of Nelson Mandela, has died aged 86, local media reported Friday. Botha served as foreign minister for 17 years until the end of apartheid in 1994, and then joined Mandela's cabinet after the end of white-minority rule and the country's first non-racial election in 1994. "As you know, originally we were enemies," Botha told the BBC in 2013. "From our point of view, (Mandela) led an organisation which we regarded as a terrorist organisation and they saw themselves as freedom fighters. "Of course all that had to change. It is not always that simple and easy to change mental attitudes, mindsets but eventually it did change. He played the role of a saviour." Botha was described by some as a "good man working for a bad government", despite years defending the apartheid system around the world. He had several clashes with the hardline government of president P.W. Botha, who was no relation. In 1985, he drafted a speech that suggested Mandela could be released from prison -- which did not happen until 1990. He also said that the country could one day be ruled by a black president, earning a public rebuke from his boss. Botha later served as mines and energy minister in Mandela's government before retiring in 1996. President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Botha "would be remembered for his support for South Africa's transition to democracy and for his service in the first democratic administration". Piet Botha told News24 that his father died in his sleep during the night. "His wife Ina was with him until the end," he said. "He was very sick during the last three weeks and his body just couldn't take it anymore." Japan's Shinzo Abe and China's Xi Jinping have met numerous times over the last few years on the sidelines of international events but no Japanese leader has made an official visit to China since 2011 Shinzo Abe will pay the first visit to China by a Japanese prime minister since 2011 later this month, Beijing announced Friday, in the latest sign of warming ties between the rivals. Abe will visit from October 25 to 27 and mark the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the two nations, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang. The visit will "elevate our bilateral ties and put bilateral cooperation back on the right track," Lu said at a regular press briefing. Lu added that the two sides will work to "jointly uphold multilateralism and the free trade system" -- a comment that comes as China and the United States are mired in a trade war that the IMF said this week will hobble global growth. Lu said a reception was planned to celebrate the Sino-Japanese friendship treaty, which was signed on October 23, 1978. Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met numerous times over the last few years on the sidelines of international events. But no Japanese prime minister has paid an official visit to China since 2011 and no Chinese president has visited Japan since 2010. "We hope to have open, frank discussions on not only Japan-China relations but also regional and international situations, including the North Korean issue," Japanese chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo. "We want to use this visit to boost Japan-China ties to new heights by pushing ahead with concrete cooperation in various fields," he added. - 'New stage' - Relations between Beijing and Tokyo soured in 2012 over a territorial dispute over several tiny Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea. Upon returning to power in 2012, Abe took a firm position on Japan's sovereignty over the island chain, aggravating tensions with Beijing. But he has since softened his rhetoric and called on China to press North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes. Abe announced last month that he planned to visit China later this year. "After that, I very much wish to invite President Xi to Japan," Abe said after meeting the Chinese leader on the sidelines of an economic forum in Russia. "Through this exchange of visits at the leaders' level, I hope to raise Japan-China relations to a new stage. I am firmly determined in this regard," he said at the time. Japanese businesses have also voiced desires for closer ties with China to boost trade. Despite the rapprochement, sources of tension linger. Last month, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said China had been "unilaterally escalating" its military activities in the past year, including carrying out new airborne operations around Japan and running a nuclear submarine near disputed East Coast isles. Japan also carried out in September its first submarine drills in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing mostly claims. At the time, the Chinese foreign ministry said Tokyo "should act cautiously and avoid doing anything which would harm regional peace and stability". Map showing the town of Bukalasi in the Bududa district, Uganda, where at least 31 people have been found dead after heavy rains caused a landslide and a river burst its banks At least 31 people have been found dead in eastern Uganda after heavy rains caused a landslide, a government official said Friday. "The number of confirmed dead as of now is 31 people," Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness Martin Owor told AFP. The disaster took place on Thursday, and also involved a river bursting its banks in the town of Bukalasi in the Bududa district, sending muddy water coursing through a market. Nathan Tumuhamye, director of an organisation which helps communities recover from natural disasters and conflict, told AFP that "four to five villages", and possibly a primary school had been affected. Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita on Thursday shared photos of the scene of what she described as a "massive landslide" on WhatsApp, including images of dismembered corpses caked in mud laid out by the river. Some of the bodies have been partly covered with banana leaves by members of the public. "I have received the sad news of landslides wreaking havoc in Bududa District, killing a yet-to-(be)specified number of residents. The government has dispatched rescue teams to the affected areas," President Yoweri Museveni wrote on Twitter. Bududa district in the foothills of Mount Elgon, which lies on the border between Uganda and Kenya, is a high risk area for landslides. At least 100 people were reported killed in a landslide in Bududa in March 2010 and in 2012 landslides destroyed three villages. Government efforts to move vulnerable people to neighbouring districts have faced resistance from residents. Residents of the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin, seized by Turkish-backed Arab rebels from Kurdish forces in March, live in fear of its new masters who stand accused by the United Nations and human rights groups of a litany of serious abuses From kidnappings for ransom to armed robberies and torture: residents of Syria's Afrin region say they are suffering a litany of abuses at the hands of Turkish-backed rebels. They say the fear of harassment has kept them shuttered inside their homes since Ankara and its Arab rebel allies overran the then overwhelmingly Kurdish city in March after a two-month air and ground offensive. Their testimonies, given under pseudonyms because of fear of retribution, paint a picture of a chaotic city with little protection for civilians. "They robbed my son's house and didn't leave a thing -- not even the clothes," says 55-year-old resident Ahmad. His own motorcycle and 20 gas canisters were seized by rebels, who also looted his family's liquor store. Since Turkish troops and pro-Ankara Arab rebels captured the city from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the United Nations and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented widespread abuses. Half of the enclave's 320,000 residents fled, according to a recent report by the UN Commission of Inquiry, and most are unable to return. Turkish-backed Syrian Arab rebels loot shops in the traditionally Kurdish-majority city of Afrin after seizing it from the Kurdish People's Protection Units on March 18, 2018 Those who have often found their homes occupied by fighters or by Arab civilians displaced from other parta of Syria, the UN said. Other returned to homes "stripped of furniture, electrical appliances and all decor," in large-scale looting. Ahmad and his family fled the fighting but came back recently to scenes of devastation with their property looted and their hometown barely recognisable. "When we came back, not even our tractor was left," he said. "They don't even let us sleep at night, with all the shooting." - Kidnap for ransom - Other residents have been forced to buy back stolen cars for up to $5,000 or pay bribes at checkpoints to access their property, according to the UN commission. Syrian Kurdish civilians live in fear of the checkpoints manned by Turkish-backed Arab rebels around Afrin where the United Nations and human rights groups have a documented a litany of abuses, including beatings, torture and kidnappings for ransom Salim, 50, owns several olive groves in the fertile agricultural land outside the city but he can no longer reach them without permission from the new authorities. "If you don't get a paper from the local council, you can't enter your own land," the father of three complains. Even with authorisation, the roads are dangerous for Kurdish civilians. "A rebel faction could find you on the way to your land and kidnap you for a ransom," ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, he tells AFP. "Kurds don't dare leave their homes." Both the UN and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported cases of kidnapping for ransom. The Britain-based Observatory said it documented at least 40 people abducted and taken to "hostage houses" in recent weeks. Detainees are tortured and beaten, their relatives asked to pay to secure their release. Abductions have become "a way to make money," the monitor said. A Syrian Kurd waves the banner of the YPJ, the women's section of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) which was driven out of Afrin in March and is anathema to the city's new Turkish and Arab masters Rebel factions have accused Kurdish residents of being loyalists of the Damascus regime, or members of the YPG or its Turkish rebel ally, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "They accused me once of being a shabiha (pro-government militiaman), and another time of being a PKK member," says Ibrahim, an industrial worker in Afrin. Ankara is bitterly opposed to the YPG, which also holds swathes of northern and northeastern Syria with the backing of a US-led coalition, regarding it as an extension of the PKK, which has waged a deadly insurgency against Kurdish troops in southeastern Turkey since 1984. "They arrested me, took me to a base outside Afrin, hung me on the balango and hit me," says Ibrahim. The "balango" is a torture method notorious across Syria, by which the victim is hoisted in the air for hours from wrists tied behind the back. - 'Blood spilt for nothing' - Turkey has denied allegations of abuses, and rebels say proven offenders are punished. A Syrian Arab who left his home in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus when it surrendered to government forces in April celebrates Eid al-Adha on August 22, 2018 in Afrin where he has taken over the home of a Kurdish family who fled But residents say not enough is done to curb violations. And it is not only Kurds who have fallen victim to the lawlessness. Samia, an Arab student in Afrin, says she has been permanently scarred by her father's brutal killing by armed men trying to steal their family car. "The first time they tried, my father kicked them out of the house. They came back a second time for revenge and killed him," she recounts. Rebels investigated, but "the killer went to jail for just one month," she said. "My father's blood was spilt for nothing." The UN and Amnesty have also reported patterns of house appropriations by fighters and civilians bussed to Afrin during the April surrender to government forces of the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta suburb outside Damascus. Some relocated families have opened businesses in Afrin, including the Ghouta Pastryshop and Damascene Dame restaurant. Parts of Afrin have even been renamed to reflect its new authorities. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels demolish a statue of legendary Kurdish resistance symbol "Kawa" in a landmark square in Afrin on March 18, 2018 after seizing the northwestern city from Kurdish forces One is a traffic roundabout formerly called Kawa, after the legendary blacksmith and Kurdish symbol of resistance whose statue once stood there but was destroyed by the rebels after their capture of the city. Turkish-backed Syrian Arab rebels stand guard on October 9, 2018 in the same square, now called "Olive Branch Circle" after the name Turkish commanders gave to their operation to oust Kurdish forces from the city in March Now, a banner in Arabic and Turkish identifies it as "Olive Branch Circle," after the name that Turkish commanders gave to their operation to drive Kurdish forces out of the enclave on the border with Turkey. Another sign reads: "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Square." Abu Jihad, 60, misses Afrin's calmer days, before its seizure by the Turkish-backed rebels. "Injustice, injustice, injustice, and no one is holding them accountable," he sighs. Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents ahead of his upcoming marriage A Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey on Friday for talks on the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last week at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, a Turkish diplomatic source told AFP. The source gave no further details but state-run news agency Anadolu said the delegation arrived in the capital Ankara and would have talks with Turkish officials at the weekend. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Thursday said that a joint working group would be set up to solve the mystery over the disappearance. Saudi journalist and The Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents ahead of his upcoming marriage. Turkish government sources say police believe he was killed but Riyadh has rejected such claims as "baseless" and insisted Khashoggi left the consulate safely. Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017 and lived in the United States, fearing arrest back home. He had been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. Ousted lawmaker Lau Siu-lai (3rd L) was barred from trying to win back her seat because of her support for Hong Kong self-determination An ousted Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker was Friday barred from trying to win back her seat because of her support for self-determination, in the latest blow to the city's democrats. Lau Siu Lai -- who was unseated from the legislative council in 2016 for failing to properly take her oath in protest at Beijing -- was barred by electoral authorities from running in a by-election scheduled for November 25. A document of reasoning submitted by the returning officer said that Lau's advocacy of self-determination for Hong Kong entirely rejected Chinese rule over the semi-autonomous city. Lau said she was not given the chance to make a representation or defend herself, and said the returning office had used "institutional violence" to distort her views. "Running in an election is our right, how can a government deprive us of it?" Lau told reporters late Friday. A group of pro-democracy lawmakers at the press conference chanted "Shame on political censorship, shame on political persecution" in support of Lau. The Hong Kong government said it supported the returning officer's decision. "If a person advocates or promotes self-determination or promotes that independence could be an option for Hong Kong, he or she cannot possibly uphold the Basic Law or fulfil his or her duties as a legislator," it said in a statement. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of the press which are protected by a handover agreement between China and Britain. But the space for dissent is shrinking as Beijing flexes its muscles. Lau's disqualification comes one week after the city's immigration department refused to renew the visa of a senior Financial Times journalist who hosted a talk by an activist advocating Hong Kong's independence from China. Any talk of independence incenses Beijing as Chinese President Xi Jinping increasingly emphasises the importance of territorial integrity. The Hong Kong National Party, which advocates independence and whose leader Andy Chan gave the talk, was banned in late September, with the government calling it a threat to national security. It was the first ban on a political party since the territory reverted to Chinese control in 1997. Earlier this year, young pro-democracy leader Agnes Chow was barred from standing in by-elections because her party advocates self-determination for Hong Kong. In 2016 and 2017, the city's courts had ousted six pro-democracy lawmakers, including Lau, for breaches in their swearing-in ceremony and in their oaths of allegiance, a move backed by Beijing. Two of ousted lawmakers advocated separatism from mainland China. Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents ahead of his marriage French President Emmanuel Macron said the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "very serious", calling for an investigation to yield "complete clarity" on what happened to him. "What has been described is serious, very serious," Macron told French broadcasters France 24 and RFI in his first comments on the case. "I await the truth and complete clarity being established." Macron said that he had not spoken to Saudi King Salman or his son Crown Prince Mohammed about Khashoggi, who has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Some commentators in France have criticised the lack of response by the government, which like other Western allies of Saudi Arabia have recently embraced Crown Prince Mohammed as a reformer of his kingdom. Media reports have suggested Khashoggi was killed and dismembered after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh -- claims denied by the Saudi government. Macron, who welcomed Prince Mohammed to Paris in April, said he would speak on the matter with fellow world leaders "in the coming days". "Depending on what is established, I will take a position," he said. jri-adp/fc/nla Pastor Andrew Brunson's detention since 2016 caused one of the worst diplomatic rows of recent times between NATO allies Turkey and the US US President Donald Trump said Friday an American pastor freed by Turkey after two years in detention would be returned "soon" to the United States. "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!" Trump tweeted, after a Turkish court sentenced Andrew Brunson to just over three years in jail but released him after taking into account time served and good conduct. Brunson's detention since 2016 caused one of the worst diplomatic rows of recent times between NATO allies Turkey and the US, and a crash in the Turkish lira that exposed the country's economic fragility. Turkish judicial authorities had repeatedly rejected requests for the release of Brunson, who was moved from prison to house arrest in the city of Izmir in July. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. "My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!" Trump had tweeted earlier, shortly after posting that he was "working very hard" on the case. US broadcaster NBC said Turkey and the United States had reached a secret deal for Brunson to be released Friday, with some charges against him dropped, in exchange for the US easing "economic pressure" that included sanctions that have hammered the lira. But Turkey says its judiciary is independent and US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said she was "not aware" of any such deal. A Soyuz rocket failure forced a two-man crew to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan on Thursday NASA chief Jim Bridenstine on Friday praised the Russian space programme and said he expected a new crew to go to the International Space Station in December despite a rocket failure. "I fully anticipate that we will fly again on a Soyuz rocket and I have no reason to believe at this point that it will not be on schedule," he told reporters in Moscow. The NASA administrator spoke to reporters at the US embassy in Moscow a day after a Soyuz rocket failure forced a two-man crew to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan. It was the first such incident in Russia's post-Soviet history -- an unprecedented setback for the country's space industry. Bridenstine, who is visiting Russia and Kazakhstan for the first time since his appointment as NASA head this year, observed the launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Rogozin. He said he was "confident" that a new manned mission to the ISS would go ahead as planned in December, praising the "wonderful relationship" between the Russian and US space agencies. The next Soyuz launch had been scheduled to take a new crew to the ISS on December 20. The Russian space agency said on Friday it may bring forward the launch of the next mission to the ISS. Looking at times emotional, the NASA chief praised "the resilience" of the Soyuz rocket. "Not every mission that fails ends up so successful," he said. He added he had discussed the accident with US Vice President Mike Pence but not with US President Donald Trump. He said he had also spoken to US astronaut Nick Hague who appeared in high spirits despite the ordeal. "He was very funny," he said. The NASA chief played down tensions between the two countries, saying space remained an area of cooperation. "We can both do more in space together than we can do alone," he said, adding his relationship with Russian space agency chief Rogozin was "very solid." When asked about the accident, Trump said on Thursday that he was "not at all worried" that Americans had to rely on Russians to go to space. Present but absent: The figure of Jammeh, now in self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea, will loom over Gambia's truth and reconciliation panel The tiny West African state of The Gambia will journey into its grim past on Monday as it begins a probe into atrocities committed under former dictator Yahya Jammeh. Dubbed the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), the panel faces high expectations of justice in this struggling young democracy. But it is far from clear whether the man at the centre of it all will ever be put in the dock. "Prosecuting perpetrators is a lesson to others that no amount of time or distance or power can prevent justice," human rights activist Madi Jobarteh told AFP. "Justice provides solace and relief to victims, even if it does not fully restore the rights, dignity and properties they lost, or ease the pain they endured." For 22 years, Jammeh was kept in place by a web of oppression that touched nearly every part of Gambian society. Death squads, disappearances, sexual violence, torture and summary detention were its hallmarks. - Need to heal - The nightmare -- but not the memories -- ended only when Jammeh was forced out in January 2017 after he stunningly lost elections to opposition leader Adama Barrow. He flew into self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea after regional countries intervened diplomatically and militarily. Despite taking the helm of one of the world's poorest countries, Barrow has earned much praise for sweeping away Jammeh's structure of oppression. But healing the wounds largely lies with the TRCC, a project inspired by the South Africa's famous post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Protest: Hundreds of cases of abuse have been documented, but the full scale may never be known Created under an act of parliament, it aims at using openness and a court-like approach to investigate how abuse began and became systemic and the impacts it had. Victims and witnesses will be invited to testify in public hearings, with specific sessions on certain themes or the role of institutions. The commission will be empowered to recommend financial compensation and advise prosecution of perpetrators. Eleven commissioners, drawn from all the major regions, its five main ethnic groups and two religions, will be sworn in on Monday. The panel, led by a retired UN diplomat, Lamin Sise, notably includes four women, one of whom is deputy chair. Gender-based violence is expected to be a major theme of the two-year mission. - Hundreds of cases - The Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations, an NGO set up by victims and relatives of victims, says it has already documented hundreds of cases, although the full extent of abuse may never be known. Political dissidents and the media were especially targeted. One such victim was the BBC's former correspondent in Banjul, Lamin Cham, who was picked up in June 2006 and tortured by Jammehs personal bodyguards at the headquarters of the dreaded National Intelligence Agency (NIA). "I was asked why I chose to report for a particular foreign media organization, and why I mentioned Yaya Jammeh's name on my reports," Cham told AFP. Senior members of the NIA are already on trial in a major case, and some members of Jammeh's ultra-loyal death squad, known as the "Junglers" are behind bars. - Challenges - In South Africa, the trail-blazing Truth and Reconciliation Commission began its work after an orderly, negotiated end to apartheid and democratic elections. But the TRRC does not enjoy the advantages of political closure. It must juggle the anger of victims with the resentment of Jammeh supporters and the absence of the former autocrat himself. The tense mood is reflected by brawls outside the trial which began last year of nine NIA officials, including its director general and deputy director general, accused of torturing to death a political activist, Solo Sandeng, in 2016. Marta Colomer of Amnesty International said the TRRC's immediate task was to ensure "people from all over the country fully understand its mandate and missions." "This will be key to managing the victims' expectations," she told AFP. "They suffered terrible human rights violations for many years and some of them have really high expectations of what the TRRC will be doing for them." - Shadow - The TRRC's work will unfold even as Jammeh continues to cast his shadow over the country. In July, the country was shocked by a leaked 10-minute audio recording between Jammeh and a senior figure of the former ruling party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). It was the first time, Jammeh's voice had been heard since he went into self-imposed exile. In it, Jammeh, 53, was heard laughing and cracking jokes. "I... once told Gambians that they will not know who I am until I leave that country," he said, in remarks that some feared were a hint of a comeback. Gambia: Socio-economic data The Gambia on Monday launches a truth and reconciliation commission into the era of former president Yahya Jammeh, who ruled with an iron fist for 22 years. Here are five things to know about the small West African nation. - Colonialism and a coup - The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, narrowly straddling the river that gives it its name. It has a tiny coastline on the Atlantic but is otherwise surrounded by Senegal. The Gambia was a British colony from 1888 until independence in 1965, becoming a republic in 1970, when then prime minister Dawda Jawara was appointed president. Jawara was overthrown in a bloodless coup in 1994 by Jammeh, who ruled until he lost elections in December 2016 to opposition leader Adama Barrow. Jammeh fled to Equatorial Guinea the following month after other countries in the region intervened, politically and then militarily. - Abuse and graft - Jammeh's reign was associated with massive abuse of human rights, ranging from torture to disappearances, entrenched corruption and grinding poverty. In 2013, Jammeh said The Gambia would withdraw from the "neo-colonial" Commonwealth and in 2014 announced plans to drop English as The Gambia's official language. In December 2015 he declared that the predominantly Muslim country, which had a history of religious tolerance, was an Islamic republic that had broken free from its "colonial legacy". - Poverty and migration - Some 60 percent of Gambians live in poverty, UN data shows, with a third of those living on less than $1.25 (1.2 euros) a day. The Gambia's agricultural base is weak, and the main crop is peanuts. The economy is also supported by tourism and remittance payments by the large Gambian diaspora in Europe. Per capita gross national income (GNI) fell to $430 in 2016, from $750 in 1993. Repression and poverty have driven many Gambians to seek a better life in Europe. With a population of less than two million, Gambians are among the largest groups, per capita, seeking to crossing the Mediterranean to Italy, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). There are several statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Africa including this one in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Gandhi was forced off a train in Pietermaritzburg in 1893 in a racially-motivated incident Over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre, saying the Indian independence hero had done nothing for the southern African country. Work on the statue began two months ago along a road named after Gandhi. The Malawi government says it is being erected as part of a deal that will see New Delhi construct a $10 million (8.6-million-euro) convention centre in Blantyre. "Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawis struggle for independence and freedom," a statement from the "Gandhi Must Fall" group said. "We therefore, feel that the statue is being forced upon the people of Malawi and is the work of a foreign power aiming at promoting its image and dominion on the unsuspecting people of Malawi." The petitioners claim that Gandhi, who early in his career practised in South Africa and fought against apartheid-era segregation laws, was racist. "We are not comfortable with imperialistic and neo-colonial ideologies that seek to impose... foreign influence which deprives us of honour," Wonderful Mkutche, a member of the group told AFP on Saturday. "Now more than ever, our nation must rise above pettiness and weakness in international deals.... This must mean that we should only accept investments, partnerships... that are responsible, fair, equal, honourable, sustainable, efficient and transparent." But Isaac Munlo, Principal Secretary in the foreign ministry, defended the project saying: "It should be recognised that Mahatma Gandhi promoted values of simplicity, fight against social evils, promoting human and civil rights as well as uplifting of social well-being of people. "It is also worth noting that all African freedom fighters that fought against colonialism and oppression and thus demanded independence were influenced by what Mahatma Gandhi fought for. In other ways, Mahatma Gandhi is a role model of a human rights campaigner for both Africa and India," he said. Malawi and India established diplomatic ties in 1964 and New Delhi is one of the country's biggest donors. The pro-government news website Ikiriho, which is one of the only sources of news in Burundi, has been forced to shut down temporarily due to its being investigated for defamation Burundi's main, pro-government news website has been suspended over a defamation probe, a judicial source said Saturday. The website Ikiriho -- which has some 350,000 visitors daily and is one of the only sources of news on the troubled east African country -- has been forced to shut temporarily due to its being investigated for defamation over an article accusing a local bank of money laundering, the source told AFP. A letter from state prosecutor Sylvestre Nyandwi to Ikiriho's director on Friday, seen by AFP, confirmed the site's suspension. "In the context of the investigation... Ikiriho is suspended," it said. The website was created by Donatien Ndayishimiye, a former secret service official, and is seen as close to government. A high-ranking Burundi official, however, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the site's closure was in reality due to a "clan war" within government. Burundi's independent media houses were largely shut down by government in 2015 as President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a controversial third term in office, sparking civil unrest. Scores of journalists later fled the country due to the crackdown on the media. PHOENIX (AP) - PHOENIX - In a story Oct. 10 about the closure of a Phoenix-area shelter for unaccompanied migrant children, The Associated Press erroneously reported that some shelter staff members physically abused three children. Federal officials alleged the abuse took place but no charges have been filed. A corrected version of the story is below: Arizona shelter shut in latest case of alleged migrant child abuse Federal officials say staff members at a Phoenix-area shelter for unaccompanied migrant children allegedly physically abused three children, leading to the closure of the shelter PHOENIX - Staff members at a Phoenix-area shelter for unaccompanied migrant children allegedly physically abused three children, leading to the closure of the shelter, federal officials said. It was the latest in a series of incidents of alleged abuse involving staff members at shelters and children. Southwest Key's Hacienda del Sol shelter was shut down last Friday, but federal officials did not reveal the reason behind the closure until Tuesday. The Texas-based federal contractor has fired the staffers involved in the Sept. 18 incident, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. The agency did not release additional details about the incident or how many staff members were involved. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request to locate the incident in its files. It was not immediately clear how many staff members were involved, or if any face possible criminal charges. The Health and Human Service Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement oversees children who crossed the border without their parents or have been separate from their parents due to the Trump administration's previous zero-tolerance border policy. "ORR has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of abuse or inappropriate behavior at (migrant) care provider facilities and acts quickly to address any alleged violations of policy, including initiating employee disciplinary action, termination, or reporting to law enforcement agencies and all relevant licensing bodies," the agency said. The children were all relocated to the company's other shelters within 10 days, The Arizona Republic reported. Southwest Key is working to retrain staff, said Jeff Eller, a Southwest Key spokesman. The closure comes after Arizona officials moved to revoke the licenses for Southwest Key after it missed a deadline to show that all employees passed background checks. Arizona has seen numerous allegations of sexual abuse at its many shelters for immigrant children, including one made by the government of El Salvador, which said it received reports of three children, 12 to 17, who were sexually abused at unnamed shelters in Arizona. Last month, a former youth care worker was convicted of sexually abusing seven teenage boys at a Phoenix-area shelter for immigrant children. In August, authorities arrested a 32-year-old man on allegations that he had molested a 14-year-old girl at a Southwest Key facility the previous month. ___ Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com "The Pope and the Capital Juror" | Main | "Unstitching Scarlet Letters? Prosecutorial Discretion and Expungement" October 13, 2018 Some prosecutors and some conservatives push back on momentum for federal criminal justice reforms As highlighted via recent posts here and here, momentum seems to be picking up again for the passage of a version of the federal FIRST STEP Act that would reform federal prison practices and tweak federal sentencing rules. Perhaps prompted by these realities, a new poll and new letter has emerged to push back on reform efforts. The poll comes from ORC International and was commissioned by the Foundation for Safeguarding Justice, a group which represents the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys. This press release reports on the heart of the poll: A new survey of American adults, commissioned by the Foundation for Safeguarding Justice (FSJ), confirms that Americans overwhelmingly oppose sentencing and prison and reforms that would reduce federal criminal penalties for drug traffickers and allow the early release of prisoners to home confinement. Three out of four Americans surveyed (74 percent) said that they oppose proposals that reduce penalties for criminals involved in the trafficking of heroin, fentanyl, and similar drugs.... Public opposition to criminal leniency is deep across the American population and holds true regardless of race, gender, or party affiliation, the FSJ survey results (detailed below) show. The survey results represent an objective barometer of public opposition to criminal leniency for drug traffickers, in sharp contrast to the skewed results of a recent Kentucky poll touted by criminal leniency advocates.... The survey, conducted from September 13-16, 2018, interviewed 1,004 American adults, and was administered by ORC International, a nationwide polling firm. Full study results and methodology are available here. Employing similar rhetoric and expressing similar concerns(and citing this poll), an assortment of conservative leaders have sent this letter to Prez Trump urging him to oppose FIRST STEP Act. Here is part of the letter: Now, a leniency-industrial complex is urging you to support a bill that would reduce the sentences for federal drug traffickers, and allow large numbers of those same traffickers to serve their sentences outside prison in home confinement. Mr. President, dont do it. Trust your instincts. America seems, to many of us, to be plagued with different applications of justice. The public is losing faith in the rule of law and reforms are needed. But, here [we present] just four of many reasons why you should oppose this emerging new bill.... But this bill is not prison reform its prison release. Its not sentencing reform its sentencing reductions. Contrary to what jailbreak supporters tell you, these policies are far from popular. Proponents inadvertently acknowledge how unpopular their proposals are by disguising what theyre doing with buzzwords and abstract concepts. Given how momentum for federal reform has built, slowly but surely, over much of 2018, I would be surprised if this new poll and letter significantly changes how important political players' are dancing with the FIRST STEP Act. But they both show that seemingly ever-growing consensus in support of federal reforms does not include everyone, and they also help highlight why even relatively modest reforms like the FIRST STEP Act can be a challenging political lift. October 13, 2018 at 12:33 PM | Permalink Comments "a leniency-industrial complex" LOL. Posted by: Daniel | Oct 13, 2018 2:28:16 PM Fearmongering 101. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Oct 13, 2018 5:21:42 PM Also ironic that those most responsible for different applications of justice -- prosecutors -- are the ones bemoaning this. Posted by: Fat Bastard | Oct 13, 2018 5:29:17 PM Post a comment PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews struggling to make their way into the stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. At least three deaths were blamed on Michael, the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in over 50 years, and it wasn't done yet: Though reduced to a tropical storm, it brought flash flooding to North Carolina and Virginia, soaking areas still recovering from Hurricane Florence. Under a clear blue sky, families living along the Florida Panhandle emerged from shelters and hotels to a perilous landscape of shattered homes and shopping centers, beeping security alarms, wailing sirens and hovering helicopters. Gov. Rick Scott said the Panhandle woke up to "unimaginable destruction." "So many lives have been changed forever. So many families have lost everything," he said. The full extent of Michael's fury was only slowly becoming clear, with some of the hardest-hit areas difficult to reach because of roads blocked by debris or water. An 80-mile (130-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 10, the main east-west route along the Panhandle, was closed. In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP) Some of the worst damage was in Mexico Beach, where the hurricane crashed ashore Wednesday as a Category 4 monster with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). Video from a drone revealed widespread devastation across the town of about 1,000 people. Entire blocks of homes near the beach were obliterated, reduced to concrete slabs in the sand. Rows and rows of other homes were turned into piles of splintered lumber or were crumpled and slumped at odd angles. Entire roofs were torn away and dropped onto a road. State officials said 285 people in Mexico Beach had defied a mandatory evacuation order ahead of the storm. National Guard troops made their way into the ground-zero town and found 20 survivors Wednesday night, and more rescue crews were pushing into the area, with the fate of many residents unknown. Mishelle McPherson and her ex-husband searched for the elderly mother of a friend. The woman lived in a small cinderblock house about 150 yards from the Gulf and thought she would be OK. The home was found smashed, with no sign of the woman. "Do you think her body would be here? Do you think it would have floated away?" McPherson asked. As thousands of National Guard troops, law enforcement officers and medical teams fanned out, the governor pleaded with people in the devastated areas to stay away for now because of hazards that included fallen trees and power lines. "I know you just want to go home. You want to check on things and begin the recovery process," Scott said. But "we have to make sure things are safe." Over 900,000 homes and businesses in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas were without power. The Coast Guard said it rescued at least 27 people before and after the hurricane came ashore, mostly from homes along the Florida coastline, and searched for more victims. Among those brought to safety were nine people rescued by helicopter from a bathroom of their home in hard-hit Panama City after their roof collapsed, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronald Hodges said. In Panama City, most homes were still standing, but no property was left undamaged. Downed power lines lay nearly everywhere. Roofs had been peeled off and carried away. Aluminum siding was shredded to ribbons. Homes were split open by fallen trees. Hundreds of cars had broken windows. Twisted street signs lay on the ground. Pine trees were stripped and snapped off about 20 feet high. In nearby Panama City Beach, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford reported widespread looting of homes and businesses. He imposed a curfew and asked for 50 members of the National Guard for protection. The hurricane also damaged hospitals and nursing homes in the Panama City area, and officials worked to evacuate hundreds of patients. The damage at Bay Medical Sacred Heart included blown-out windows, a cracked exterior wall and a roof collapse in a maintenance building. No patients were hurt, the hospital said. The state mental hospital in Chattahoochee, which has a section for the criminally insane, was cut off by land, and food and supplies were being flown in, authorities said. Landlines and cellphones also were down to the complex, which has nearly 1,000 residents and more than 300 staff. They relied on emergency radios to make contact with first responders. A man outside Tallahassee, Florida, was killed by a falling tree, and an 11-year-old girl in Georgia died when the winds picked up a carport and dropped it on her home. One of the carport's legs punctured the roof and hit her in the head. A driver in North Carolina was killed when a tree fell on his car. As the storm made its way inland, it caused havoc in Georgia, spinning off possible tornadoes and taking down power lines and trees. Forecasters said it could drop up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain over the Carolinas and Virginia before pushing out to sea Thursday night. In North Carolina's mountains, motorists had to be rescued from cars trapped by high water. "For North Carolina, Michael isn't as bad as Florence, but it adds unwelcome insult to injury, so we must be on alert," Gov. Roy Cooper said. More than 375,000 people up and down the Gulf Coast were ordered or urged to clear out as Michael closed in. But emergency authorities lamented that many people ignored the warnings. "Why people didn't evacuate is something we should be studying," said Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a former Florida state emergency management chief. "Is there more the government can do? But we ask that every time." ___ Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Florida; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Florida; Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jennifer Kay and Freida Frisaro in Miami; Brendan Farrington in St. Marks, Florida; Russ Bynum in Keaton Beach, Florida; Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland, contributed to this story. ___ For the latest on Hurricane Michael, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes Homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael are shown in this aerial photo Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Michael Williams, 70, waves to passing motorists while looking for food and water as downed trees prevent him from driving out of his damaged home with his family in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "I don't know what I'm going to," said Williams. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A boat sits amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) People hold hands as they walk amidst destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door to door search in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Rescue personnel search amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Mishelle McPherson, climbs over the rubble of the home of her friend as she searches for her, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) An American flag flies amidst destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Rescue personnel perform a search in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael litters the ground Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Aerial photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on St Teresa Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Scott Clause/The Daily Advertiser via AP) Danny, right, and Gina Holland collect water in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Parker, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "We're running out of water," said Danny Holland of his neighborhood up the street that was damaged by the storm. "We're going to make do." (AP Photo/David Goldman) Kylie Strampe holds her four-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage from Hurricane Michael after riding out the storm in Callaway, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A woman walks through a damaged store in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Kelsey Gronbeck walks past damaged homes after checking on a friend's house in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Callaway, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews began making their way into the stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. (AP Photo/David Goldman) JUNCTION, Texas (AP) - Emergency personnel have found the bodies of two of the four people swept away when raging floodwaters overtook a small city in West Texas. Texas A&M Forest Service spokeswoman Christi Powers says the bodies were found Thursday on the banks of the Llano (LA'-noh) River more than 6 miles (9 kilometers) downstream from where they went missing. The search for the other two continues. Heavy rains Sunday night caused the South Llano River to rise and submerge parts of Junction, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Austin. The three men and one woman were staying at the South Llano RV Park when the floods washed away several RVs and the park office. Emergency crews were able to rescue dozens of other people using ropes, life jackets, boats and helicopters on Monday, including some who were plucked from the river and a tree. Texas Task Force 1 member walks through debris to find the missing people after the South Llano River flooding Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Junction, Texas. (Yfat Yossifor /The San Angelo Standard-Times via AP) Search and rescue helicopter flies by the RV park hit in Monday's South Llano River flooding Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Junction, Texas. (Yfat Yossifor /The San Angelo Standard-Times via AP) A search and rescue dog sniffs around a truck buried in the sand after South Llano River flooded Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Junction, Texas. (Yfat Yossifor /The San Angelo Standard-Times via AP) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Latest on Thursday's scheduled execution of Tennessee inmate Edmund Zagorski (all times local): 8:10 p.m. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge of Tennessee's lethal injection protocol and lifted a stay of execution ordered by a lower court because of inadequate counsel, clearing the way for the execution of Edmund Zagorski. The court issued the orders Thursday around the time Zagorski's execution had been scheduled. But earlier in the day, Gov. Bill Haslam granted a 10-day reprieve to prepare for an execution by electric chair. Zagorski requested that method earlier this week, instead of lethal injection. The state denied the request, arguing that Zagorski missed the deadline, but hours before the scheduled execution, a federal judge blocked the state from using its three-drug cocktail. Zagorski was sentenced in 1984 for the slayings of two men during a drug deal in Robertson County. ___ 4:40 p.m. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has granted a 10-day reprieve to death row inmate Edmund Zagorski. Zagorski was scheduled to be executed Thursday evening, but legal challenges surrounding his case halted the execution after one federal court issued a temporary stay, while another blocked the state from using its preferred lethal injection method. Haslam said Thursday that the reprieve will give the state enough time to prepare for an execution via electric chair, which Zagorski had requested earlier this week. The state had previously denied that request because they argued Zagorski missed the deadline. However, a federal judge blocked the state from using its three-drug cocktail just hours before Zagorski was scheduled to die. Zagorski was sentenced in 1984 for the slayings of two men during a drug deal in Robertson County. ___ 1:15 p.m. A federal judge has ordered the state of Tennessee not to proceed with plans to execute Edmund Zagorski by lethal injection after it refused his request to die in the electric chair. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger granted a motion by Zagorksi's attorney not to execute Zagorski Thursday by lethal injection. Zagorski had asked to be executed by electrocution because he said the three-drug cocktail the state used constituted cruel and unusual punishment and violated his constitutional rights. That choice is permitted by Tennessee state law. Trauger's order is the second in two days to halt the effort to execute Zagorski, who was sentenced to die in 1984 for the killing of two men during a Robertson County drug deal. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled late Wednesday that the execution couldn't proceed until a challenge by Zagorski about his legal representation was resolved. Both orders have been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. ___ 11 a.m. Legal challenges continue to surround a Tennessee death row inmate whose execution has been temporarily halted. Edmund Zagorski had been scheduled to be executed Thursday evening until the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on Wednesday over questions of whether Zagorski had adequate representation. In return, the state has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the decision, arguing the federal appeals court disregarded Tennessee's interest in enforcing "criminal judgments." However, even if the delay is overturned, other legal challenges are still pending before the Supreme Court seeking to halt both the timing and method of the execution. Zagorski was sentenced in 1984 for the slayings of two men during a drug deal in Robertson County. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A legal ordeal that dragged on for close to half a century is officially over for a man wrongfully convicted in a 1971 rape. The advocacy group Innocence Project New Orleans said Thursday that prosecutors in Baton Rouge officially dismissed charges against Wilbert Jones in the kidnapping and rape of a nurse at Baton Rouge General Hospital. At age 65, Jones was released from the state prison at Angola last November after spending nearly 46 years behind bars. The release came after state District Judge Richard Anderson overturned the conviction, saying the case against Jones was weak and that evidence favoring his case had been withheld. Prosecutors in East Baton Rouge Parish had indicated they would not seek to retry Jones. But they did seek a review of the case at Louisiana's Supreme Court. That court rejected the appeal Monday. "Mr. Jones was exonerated today after 46 years and nine months wrongly charged with a rape he did not commit," attorney Emily Maw of the Innocence Project New Orleans said in a Thursday news release. "His conviction was not reversed on a technical legal issue." The Innocence Project New Orleans, which took up Jones' case in 2001, said the victim had told police she was not 100 percent certain when she picked Jones from a lineup months after the crime. They also said evidence linking a suspected serial rapist to the case - one who matched the victim's description of her attacker - was never given to the defense. Anderson agreed last year, overturned the conviction and ordered Jones released on bail. FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2017 file photo, Wilbert Jones, center, leaves East Baton Rouge Parish Prison with Emily Maw, director of Innocence Project New Orleans, left, and Kia Hayes, IPNO staff attorney, in Baton Rouge, La. A legal ordeal that has dragged on for close to half a century is over for Jones, a man wrongfully convicted in a 1971 rape. The advocacy group Innocence Project New Orleans said Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, that prosecutors in Baton Rouge officially dismissed charges against Jones in the kidnapping and rape of a nurse at Baton Rouge General Hospital. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) ___ This story has been corrected to fix date of rape in headline and clarify group name in last paragraph. ATLANTA (AP) - An Atlanta-area city offered residents a $50 discount from citations for registering to vote or confirming their voter status. The move by the city of South Fulton has raised questions about whether state law barring the exchange of money or gifts for registering voters was violated. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that city solicitor LaDawn Jones said the policy was an example of the city's "innovative" criminal justice system. She said that the offer was not simply for gifts or money, but to consider a person's civic engagement when the city assessed fines. The Georgia secretary of state's office told the newspaper they had not received any complaints about the discount offer. The deadline to register was Tuesday. It's unclear how many people took advantage of the discount offer. Jones said the city did not inquire about any specific parties or candidates in the process. ___ Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com NEW YORK (AP) - Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says he now remembers speaking with former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon in spring 2017 about adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. census. Government lawyers made the revelation in a Manhattan federal court document Thursday. The new information comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Ross must answer questions from lawyers challenging whether the citizenship question legally can be included. Over a dozen states and big cities, among others, have sued, saying Ross acted improperly before it was announced in March that the question would be added to the census. Plaintiffs in two lawsuits say the citizenship question will discourage immigrants from participating, diluting political representation and federal dollars for states that tend to vote Democratic. A judge presiding over the lawsuits has said a deposition by the secretary is necessary in part because Ross had testified under oath that he was unaware of discussions between him and anyone in the White House on the subject. U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman said last month there was reason to believe that Ross had consulted with Bannon. The judge also said Ross must be deposed because evidence developed so far "casts grave doubt" on claims by Ross that he only considered adding the question last December when the Justice Department recommended it. Furman said Ross has admitted he began considering whether to add a citizenship question shortly after his appointment in February 2017 and consulted with various other government officials before demanding to know as early as May 2017 why no action had been taken on his request. In its filing Thursday, federal government lawyers said Ross recalls that Bannon called him in the spring of 2017 to ask if he would speak with then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach about Kobach's ideas about adding a citizenship question to the census. The lawyers wrote that Ross also discussed adding the question with Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the spring of 2017 and at other times. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, among those who have sued over the citizenship question, sent a series of tweets about the papers filed Thursday by the government and its admission about Bannon. "The story keeps unraveling," she said. ___ This story has been corrected to say citizenship, not censorship, in first graph and summary. CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois high school student accused of shooting a classmate last year has been sentenced to juvenile prison, with the possibility of adult prison if he commits other crimes. The Journal Gazette and Times-Courier reports that the 15-year-old boy was sentenced Thursday by Coles County Circuit Judge Matt Sullivan. The September 2017 shooting in the Mattoon High School cafeteria left one student hospitalized. The judge said he didn't care whether the shots the teen fired were intentional or accidental. He said it only mattered that he took a gun to school planning to shoot someone. The teen pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm in August. A 25-year sentence in adult prison can be imposed if the teen commits other crimes or otherwise violates sentence requirements. Detention in the juvenile system can't go past age 21. ___ Information from: Mattoon Journal-Gazette, http://www.jg-tc.com QUINCY, Ill. (AP) - Illinois' candidates for governor again traded accusations over leadership, taxes and alleged corruption in a debate Thursday that was their final one to be televised before the Nov. 6 election. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker both tried to deflect attention from questions about their integrity. The debate played out on a sensitive stage - Quincy, home of the state-run military veterans' home beset by a deadly Legionnaires' disease crisis. Rauner decried a criminal investigation by the Democratic attorney general into his handling of the outbreak that has led to 14 deaths since 2015, calling it a "shameful abuse of power." Pritzker is struggling with his own problems in the form of an investigation that declared he engaged in a "scheme to defraud" property taxpayers by misrepresenting how he was renovating a Chicago mansion. The billionaire businessman accused Rauner, a wealthy former private-equity investor, of putting personal and political interests above public safety by mismanaging the Quincy crisis and other matters. Rauner has been sharply criticized for his handling of the Legionnaires' situation and whether his administration notified the public in a timely enough manner, which has become the focus of the criminal investigation launched last week by Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who's not seeking re-election. "Much of this so-called criminal investigation is a political ploy to divert attention from the tax fraud that Mr. Pritzker engaged in, and it's a shameful abuse of power by the attorney general," Rauner said. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks during a debate against Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker at the Oakley-Lindsay Center, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 in Quincy, Ill. (Jake Shane/Quincy Herald-Whig via AP) Pritzker, the heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, said he followed the rules in his family's renovation of a mansion it owns and did not mislead tax authorities by pulling toilets so the home could be declared technically uninhabitable. The declaration saved Pritzker $330,000 in property tax breaks, which he announced he would repay by the end of this week after the fraud allegation was made in a report by the Cook County inspector general. He scoffed at Rauner's claims to have created 211,000 jobs and cut red tape for businesses, and his promise to create the largest capital-construction plan in state history. Pritzker pointed out that Rauner presided over a two-year state budget stalemate with Democrats who control the Legislature, negatively impacting social services, higher education and other areas of the economy. "The governor made all these promises four years ago," Pritzker said. "He's living in a state of denial, the rest of us are living in the state of Illinois." He said Rauner has never called on U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and leader on Capitol Hill, for help from Washington. Pritzker also used the lone debate outside of Chicago to criticize Rauner for not standing up to Republican President Donald Trump on tariffs and the way they negatively affect Illinois soybean farmers. Rauner continued pressing Pritzker on his plan to replace the state's flat-rate income tax with a graduated plan, making wealthier taxpayers pay more. When Pritzker was asked how a Peoria public school teacher making $51,000 would fare under his plan, he said the teacher should get a tax break. And Rauner pounced. "He won't answer because he knows the middle class is going to get crushed," Rauner said. Rauner has labeled it a plan to raise taxes statewide and claims that Pritzker and powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Chicago Democrat who has served as foil to Rauner's conservative agenda since 2015, have a plan to increase spending by $11 billion. That would be an increase in state spending of nearly 30 percent. Pritzker denies it. "Mr. Pritzker says he's going to do big things, and he will," Rauner said. "Big spending, big taxes and big corruption by supporting the Chicago political machine." Pritzker has contributed nearly $150 million of his own money with hopes of becoming the third Democratic governor in Illinois in 16 years. Rauner also has self-financed, but after nearly single-handedly keeping the state's Republican Party afloat financially since before his 2014 election, he hasn't chipped in on his own behalf since a $50 million contribution in late 2016. ___ Follow Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/john%20o'connor .Sign up to have a weekly roundup of our best 2018 election coverage delivered straight to your inbox: http://apne.ws/hzZJF7Z Democratic gubernatorial challenger J.B. Pritzker speaks during a debate against Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner at the Oakley-Lindsay Center, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 in Quincy, Ill. (Jake Shane/Quincy Herald-Whig via AP) Democratic gubernatorial challenger J.B. Pritzker speaks during a debate against Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner at the Oakley-Lindsay Center, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 in Quincy, Ill. (Jake Shane/Quincy Herald-Whig via AP) HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) - New York's most conservative congressional district is unexpectedly in play as Republican incumbent Chris Collins fights insider trading charges while seeking re-election. Collins was among the first members of Congress to endorse President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Now Republican leaders in the western New York district Trump overwhelmingly won are counting on party and presidential loyalty for a Collins win next month. His Democratic challenger, Nate McMurray, says his volunteers and donations surged after Collins was charged in August. Collins is accused of leaking information about a biopharmaceutical company to his son that allowed him and others to avoid nearly $800,000 in stock losses. The most serious charge carries a potential 20-year prison term. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The Latest on the South Dakota trial of an ex-nonprofit executive accused of backdating contracts to try to avoid a potential audit (all times local): 11:15 p.m. An attorney for a former South Dakota nonprofit executive cleared of backdating contracts to try to avoid a potential audit says the defense always maintained his innocence and proved it. Stacy Phelps was found not guilty late Thursday night of falsifying evidence and conspiring to offer forged or fraudulent evidence. Defense attorney Dana Hanna says Native American people in South Dakota have always known Phelps, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, was innocent of the charges and have been behind him "all the way." Prosecutors alleged Phelps backdated the contracts between the nonprofit and an educational cooperative to avoid an audit. A jury cleared him after about nine hours of deliberation. Attorney General Marty Jackley says he appreciates the jury's service and respects the verdict. ___ 10:35 p.m. A South Dakota jury has cleared a former nonprofit executive accused of backdating contracts to try to avoid a potential audit. Stacy Phelps was found not guilty late Thursday night of backdating the contracts between the nonprofit and an educational cooperative. Defense attorney Dana Hanna said during trial the evidence showed Phelps didn't commit any crimes. Attorney General Marty Jackley argued the case was about a "cover-up" of the nonprofit's financial dealings. Phelps was the second and final person to face trial in a sprawling case known as Gear Up. The first hint of major issues came after the nonprofit's chief financial officer, Scott Westerhuis, shot his wife, his four children and then himself in 2015. The deaths spurred a financial investigation that led to charges against Phelps and two others. ___ 3:25 p.m. A South Dakota jury is weighing the case of a former nonprofit executive accused of backdating contracts to try to avoid a potential audit. The Argus Leader reports that closing arguments were Thursday in the trial of Stacy Phelps. Prosecutors highlighted discrepancies in Phelps' testimony, trying to convince jurors he had a motive for wanting to avoid an audit of the nonprofit he headed. But defense attorney Dana Hanna deflected blame from Phelps, saying he got played by the nonprofit's chief financial officer, Scott Westerhuis. Westerhuis was embezzling money before he killed his family and then himself in September 2015. Phelps is the second and final person to face trial in a sprawling case known as Gear Up. The deaths spurred a financial investigation that led to charges against Phelps and two others in 2016. Highlighting how constitutional problems with death penalty also apply to drug prohibitions | Main | Some prosecutors and some conservatives push back on momentum for federal criminal justice reforms October 13, 2018 "The Pope and the Capital Juror" The title of this post is the title of this new essay authored by Aliza Cover now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: Counterintuitively, the Popes recent announcement that the death penalty is impermissible in all circumstances may make death sentences easier to come by, at least in the short term. The reason for this peculiarity is the death qualification of capital jurors the process of questioning prospective jurors about their views on the death penalty and removing for cause those who are substantially impaired in their willingness to consider imposing a death verdict. This Essay anticipates three problematic consequences of the Popes declaration, given a capital punishment system that relies on death-qualified juries. First, prosecutors will likely be able to strike a greater number of death-averse jurors, thereby seating juries tilted in favor of death and obtaining death verdicts with greater ease. Second, with more believing Catholics excluded from jury service, the representativeness and hence the legitimacy of capital juries will suffer. Third, if the number of death verdicts rises with the ease of disqualification, one of the key objective indicators of evolving standards of decency will be skewed, registering more support for the death penalty despite indeed, because of societal movement against it. The potential for these unexpected consequences to flow from a major pronouncement against the death penalty highlights how death qualification shapes and distorts the practice of capital punishment in our country. October 13, 2018 at 11:19 AM | Permalink Comments The author, based on her resume, appears never to have defended (or prosecuted) a capital case. I am weary of academic articles by persons who have never experienced, first hand, a capital case. No, working for the late Justice Stephen Reinhardt and then on to appellate advocacy on behalf of the condemned doesnt count. Posted by: David | Oct 14, 2018 10:58:21 AM The number of American Catholics who closely follow the Pope's pronouncements on issues are few and far between. If you look at other issues on which the church has taken a significant stand -- contraception, abortion, LGBT rights, defense spending, immigration, health care -- there is, at most, a small difference between the cross-tabs for Catholic voters and the general results. Sometimes that difference is in the direction of the Church's teachings but sometimes it is in the opposite direction. I guess it depends upon how you define "believing Catholics," but if it means somebody who follows the Church's teachings on all issues, the number of potential jurors who meet that definition is likely to be very small. Posted by: tmm | Oct 15, 2018 11:36:44 AM Post a comment NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has taken aim at tensions between big economies like the U.S. and China, saying trade wars are an invitation to destruction. Widodo said sparring between big powers was causing turmoil in financial markets at a time when attention should be focused on slowing growth and disruptions from new technologies. He spoke Friday at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Bali, Indonesia, that comes amid an unnerving spate of turmoil in world financial markets. In an allusion to the popular TV series "Game of Thrones," Widodo said victory is pointless in a "sinking world." Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 industrial nations were due to issue a statement on their talks later Friday. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo delivers his speech during the opening of International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank annual meetings in Bali, Indonesia on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde delivers her speech during the opening of International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank annual meetings in Bali, Indonesia on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati) People whose relatives were lost in the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami waited for word on the searches and grieved when bodies were recovered from the rubble and mud. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on Sept. 28 killed more than 2,000 people, most of them in the city of Palu. Many of the hundreds and perhaps thousands who are still missing may be buried in the mud that acted like quicksand during the shaking and swallowed whole neighborhoods. The tsunami that leveled swathes of the coast also swept numerous ships and boats ashore in central Sulawesi. In other images from the Asia-Pacific region this week, Tokyo's famous fish market reopened at a new location, Toyosu, but kept the traditions of its opening activity: the tuna auction. Clanging bells opened the sale of raw and frozen tuna displayed wall-to-wall in the huge warehouse. The rhythmical shouts of the auctioneers and the special hand signals by the bidders were unchanged from Tsukiji, which the market recently left after more than eight decades. The Vegetarian Festival began in China and Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Worshippers pray at temples and refrain from eating meat during the festival that coincides with the celebration of the nine Chinese Emperor Gods. ___ This gallery was curated by Associated Press photo editor Shuji Kajiyama in Tokyo. In this Oct. 6, 2018, photo, villagers wait for any word on their missing relatives lost in the Balarola neighborhood of Palu city when a massive earthquake caused the soil to loosen like a liquid, swallowing some homes whole and collapsing others into piles of rubble in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The 7.5 magnitude quake triggered not just a tsunami that leveled huge swathes of the region's coast, but a geological phenomenon known as liquefaction, making the soil move like liquid and swallowing entire neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) ___ Visit the AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com In this Oct. 7, 2018, file photo, men chat on top of the rubble at Petobo neighborhood, which was wiped out by the earthquake-triggered tsunami, in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia,. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File) In this Oct. 6, 2018, photo, Aminah Gozah grieves after seeing the bodies of two of her three missing sons buried meters deep in the earthquake-damaged Balaroa neighboorhood in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. She was home waiting for her three children to return for dinner when the disaster struck. None of them ever came home. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) In this Oct. 10, 2018, photo, a man walks past a boat swept ashore by a tsunami in Wani village on the outskirt of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. A 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Central Sulawesi province on Sept. 28, triggering a tsunami and mudslides that killed a large number of people and displaced tens of thousands of others. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File) In this Oct. 11, 2018, photo, a prospective buyer looks at frozen tunas during the first auction at the newly opened Toyosu Market, new site of Tokyo's fish market, in Tokyo. Tokyo's famous fish market reopened Thursday at a new location but with an old tradition: the tuna auction. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) In this Oct. 8, 2018, photo, a woman lights long incense sticks at a Chinese temple in Bangkok, Thailand, to mark the eve of the Vegetarian Festival. During the festival that runs from Oct. 9 to 17 in 2018, worshippers refrain from eating animal products over the nine days to coincide with the celebration of the nine Chinese Emperor Gods. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File) In this Oct. 8, 2018, photo, Indian Air Force soldiers march past their C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft during the Indian Air Force day parade at the Hindon air base on the outskirts of New Delhi, India. Air Force Day is celebrated to mark the day the Indian air force was officially established in 1932. Apart from defending Indian air space, the air force also delivers humanitarian aid and disaster relief material during natural calamities. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) In this Oct. 8, 2018, photo, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, reacts as he is shown the way by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. 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, File) In this Oct. 7, 2018, 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. 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, File) In this Oct. 10, 2018, photo, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a question and answer session after delivering her policy speech at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's leader says the semi-autonomous Chinese territory plans to ban e-cigarettes and other new smoking products to protect public health. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File) In this Oct. 10, 2018, photo, an Indian cycle rickshaw puller maneuvers his rickshaw past an awareness mural campaigning for a clean and green Delhi in New Delhi, India, Wednesday. Huge sums have been spent on a marketing blitz, including videos of Bollywood stars sweeping the streets, for the government's ambitious Swachh Bharat, or Clean India, program launched by Modi in 2014. (AP Photo/R S Iyer, File) In this Oct. 9, 2018, photo, an Indian woman, left and two yellow cabs prepare to cross an intersection of a street painted with colors ahead of Hindu festival Durga Puja in Kolkata, India. The festival is scheduled to run from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File) NEW YORK (AP) - When Toys R Us closed its doors, customers mourned the loss of a beloved brand that conjured memories of their own childhood. Retailers, on the other hand, saw an opportunity. Rather than cede any more ground to online behemoth Amazon, companies like Target, Walmart and Party City ramped up their offerings. Now, ahead of the pivotal holiday season, they're going even further by focusing on making their stores a dynamic shopping experience. That means creating play areas for kids, offering demos of new toys and staging events like scavenger hunts in the stores. Retailers are trying to grab a piece of the nearly $3 billion left on the table by Toys R Us, or 12 percent of the U.S. toy market, according to NPD Group Inc., a market research group. Last month, Party City opened 50 Toy City pop-up shops that feature six-by-eight-foot Lego dinosaurs and other interactive displays. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." Starting in late October, Target will devote extra space at 500 stores located near former Toys R Us stores for bigger toys like electric cars, playhouses and musical instruments as well as adding nearly 200 more products. And 100 Target stores will see new layouts and fixtures in the toy area. The company is also expanding the number of kids' events it hosts. Most recently, it had a Lego Minecraft event that featured a scavenger hunt. In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Seraphina, 3, plays with a V-Tech Explore and Write Activity Set at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) At least one foreign toy retailer is looking into the U.S. market after the demise of Toys R Us. Mexico-based Distroller World, an experience-based retailer with more than 60 stores in Mexico and Latin America, is set to open its third store in the U.S. in October. And it will be approaching U.S. department stores to open shops to replicate its model in Mexico, says CEO Daryn Fillis. At the center of the experience: Parents and children create their own adventure to adopt an alien baby delivered in a space capsule. "It's all about the demonstrations, the hands-on experience," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review site. "When you get your hands on a toy and you can touch and feel, it does lead to greater sales. And those are the experiences that shoppers enjoy." Meanwhile, Amazon is reportedly planning a toy catalog to be distributed at its Whole Foods stores. The company declined to comment on the catalog, but analysts say Amazon could grow its market share in toys from 15 percent to 20 percent this year. Toy sellers had been long taking advantage of Toys R Us woes, but it stepped up its efforts when the chain filed Chapter 11 in the fall of 2017 and accelerated the pace when the chain announced it was liquidating its operations in March. As of early this year, Toys R Us had more than 800 U.S. stores. It closed the last 200 stores at the end of June. But no one can replicate Toys R Us' constant supply of hot products to its stores until Dec. 25. In fact, NPD expects 20 percent of Toys R Us sales will "simply evaporate." It's not issuing a holiday toy sales forecast, but others expect the figure to be unchanged compared to a year ago, when it was up about 2 percent. With reports of the retailer's demise, there was an outpouring of nostalgia from shoppers, and some analysts credit that empathy for helping to drive an uptick in toy sales for the first half of the year. U.S. toy sales from January through June increased 7 percent to $7.9 billion, according to NPD. Last year, toy sales increased 1 percent to $20.7 billion from 2016. "I am convinced that the strong toy industry growth so far this year has been at least partially supported by the empathy that people felt toward losing a store like Toys R Us," said Juli Lennett, NPD's senior vice president and industry adviser for toys in a statement. "I think it brought about an emotional response that resulted in parents buying more toys overall." Even FAO Schwarz is taking advantage of the nostalgia. The iconic toy store is set to reopen in November in Manhattan shuttering three years ago. The store will be staffed with theatrical performers and will feature new play areas like a mini grocery store where kids can buy pretend food made of wood. In another section, there'll be a mechanic who will help kids build radio controlled race cars. FAO Schwarz is also bringing back the oversized piano made famous in the Tom Hanks movie "Big." Jessica McCune, 30, was a big fan of Toys R Us and she stocked up on a number of toys when the stores were closing. Although she said she plans to shift her toy shopping to Walmart, Target and Amazon, she still misses her old go-to. "There's a void," she lamented. "It's one less place dedicated to toys and babies." _____________ Follow Anne D'Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Anne Marie Kehoe, Vice President of Toys at Walmart speaks about the retailer's Toy Shop at their event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo 20-month-old Eva plays with Num Nom Silly Shakers Maker toy at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Enzo plays with the Lego Creator Pirate Roller Coaster at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Alexander, 5, explores a Jurassic World Jurassic Rex at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Juliet plays with an L.O.L. Surprise! House at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Hutton, 3, plays with Little Tikes Circuit Center at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) In this Aug. 30, 2018, photo Gabriel, 12, plays with an Air Hogs Supernova quadcopter at the Walmart Toy Shop event in New York. Walmart says 30 percent of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40 percent more toys on Walmart.com from a year ago. In November and December, the company's toy area will be rebranded as "America's Best Toy Shop." (AP Photo/Richard Drew) SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - Bespectacled, smiling and with close-cropped hair, the late Archbishop Oscar Romero's visage gazes kindly from postage stamps, handmade busts on sale at the San Salvador cathedral, even from a huge black-dot mural on the side of the Foreign Ministry. On Sunday in the Vatican, Pope Francis will officially make Romero a saint nearly four decades after he was martyred by an assassin's bullet to the heart. But for many Salvadoran Roman Catholic devotees who already know him as "Saint Romero of the Americas" that will only formalize something they have long known in their hearts. "He was a great man. He already was a saint," said Jose David Santos, 73, in a recent interview before traveling to Rome along with 5,000 other Salvadorans to be present for the canonization. "He was a great example of humility," added Santos, clad in a white shirt with Romero's face imprinted on it. "He professed love for the poor man. He denounced injustices. He defended victims. He criticized the violence of the military and of the guerrillas." Romero was slain March 24, 1980, a day after he implored the military dictatorship to "cease the repression" against civilians as the country spiraled toward a 12-year civil war. At the time - and still today - some in conservative sectors loathed him as a "guerrilla in a cassock" for sympathizing with leftist causes. But he was and remains broadly popular among the poor and working class, whom he passionately defended, and many began lionizing him almost immediately. In this Oct. 3. 2018 photo, pigeons fly in front of a mural of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, on a wall of the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador. Romero, who was killed in 1980 by a right wing will death squad during Mass, will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) "A real man of the people. ... And so even prior to his canonization, even shortly after his martyrdom, we see this almost kind of folk-saint, popular-saint devotion springing up," said Andrew Chesnut, chair in Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "I've found a number of people that have tattoos of his image on their arms ... a lot of popular murals and artwork on the streets of the capital," Chesnut continued. "So yeah, it's a real, genuine kind of grass-roots, working-class, popular devotion that you don't often see with a lot of other, European-born Catholic saints." The fervor for Romero has grown so much that the cathedral crypt where his remains were interred can barely handle the thousands of pilgrims who arrive to pray in front of his tomb, beseech him for intervention or give thanks. Many also visit the hospital chapel where he was murdered while celebrating Mass. Maria Isabel de Hilario never met Romero but is convinced that in 1981, the year after his assassination, he visited her on her sickbed. "I didn't know who he was, and he came to my bed at the hospital. He put his hand on my head and told me: 'It will no longer be necessary for you to be here. You will be healed," de Hilario said, weeping, in front of the tomb. "We come every Sunday to visit him." No place is more of a shrine to Romero than the Chacon family home in San Salvador. It was here that Romero sought refuge, watching TV and dining with the family to forget, even if briefly, the death threats that were mounting daily. "He would sit next to my father to watch soap operas and tell jokes, while they prepared his beans for him. He said that this was his family. He said this home was his Bethany, that he felt so happy that he had an urge to take off his shoes," said Leonor Chacon, 80. Chacon maintains a collection of Romero memorabilia - his cassock, a shirt, a postcard he sent the family from Mexico City's Torre Latinoamericana, at that time the tallest skyscraper in the Americas - and hundreds have come to the home to hear her. On a recent day she showed a photo of him taken in March 1980, days before his death. "He knew that they were going to kill him. He told us, just like that. But he didn't want to talk about it," said Chacon, who first met Romero in 1963 when he officiated her wedding. Romero's assassin was contracted by right-wing death squads, but none of those who ordered the killing were ever punished, in part due to an amnesty for civil war-era crimes that was ruled unconstitutional two years ago. Many years after Romero's death, Pope Francis declared him a martyr killed because of "hatred of the faith," paving the way for his beatification and then canonization. "It is the greatest thing we can have, it is the greatest blessing from heaven, the whole world acknowledging his sainthood," current San Salvador Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas said. "Because not only his person but his teachings as well are being canonized." Often said to have been influenced by the leftist Liberation Theology movement sweeping through the Latin American church at the time, Romero famously urged soldiers to disobey immoral commands and even asked President Jimmy Carter to cut off U.S. aid to El Salvador. Taking such a bold stance against the dictatorship, Chesnut said, was essentially "signing his death warrant." El Salvador's civil war ended with peace accords in 1992. But the country is now plagued by hyper-violent street gangs, and Chesnut said many Salvadorans turn to Romero for solace from that. "It's still one of the most murderous countries on Earth. ... Few people have suffered like Salvadorans have in the last few decades," he said. Esteban Fuentes, a 55-year-old who has been driving a cab for 35 years in the Salvadoran capital and has a weathered card with an image of Romero hanging from his rear-view mirror, agreed. "He has protected me from so much evil," Fuentes said. "I started working in the middle of the war, and I came out alive. I believe that Romero kept me alive and continues to watch over me in these times of great problems." ___ Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed to this report. In this Oct. 4. 2018 photo, Leonor Chacon shows a March 1980 photograph of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero a few days before the was assassinated, at her house in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. Leonor maintains a special space in one of the rooms of her house with Romero memorabilia. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 4. 2018 photo, a 1972 postcard sent from Mexico City, shows the good wishes written by Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero for the family of Leonor Chacon in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. The text of the postcard reads ins Spanish "A loving greeting and a welcome to the one who comes to make this beloved home happier." Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 7. 2018 photo, Carlos Hercules, a former Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, FMLN, guerrilla rebel, visits the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero at the Metropolitan Cathedral, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Carlos said that his faith in Monsignor Romero continues because he was always fighting for the human rights of the poorest in El Salvador. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 3. 2018 photo, Salvadoran army cadets stand next to a huge mural of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero at the Foreign Office, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Romero was killed by a right wing death squad a day after demanding that the government stop the repression of the people. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Aug. 2. 2018 photo, a group of pilgrims carrying posters to Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, take part in a religious procession in San Salvador, El Salvador, on the occasion of the 101 birthday of the archbishop who was killed in 1980. Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Aug. 2. 2018 photo, a mini-bus with the phrase in Spanish "The prophet of the wounded chest", drives on a street in San Salvador, El Salvador. The text refers to the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero in 1980 by a right wing death squad . Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) This Oct. 5. 2018 photo, shows an aerial view of the Divina Providencia chapel in San Salvador, El Salvador, where on March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was assassinated during mass. Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 3. 2018 photo, the Mitre belonging to Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero with the text in Spanish that reads "Feel with the Church" is on display at the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador. Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) This Oct. 3. 2018 photo, shows a collection of official postage stamps with the image of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Romero will be canonized in Rome by Pope Francis on Sunday, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 5. 2018 photo, a woman takes photographs of a mural of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, located at the Monsignor Romero Historic Center, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Romero had a small apartment at the Divina Providencia chapel, the same chapel where he was murdered. The living quarters have been turned into the Monsignor Romero Historic Center, a small museum that remains open to visitors. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) In this Oct. 7. 2018 photo, a woman checks out a shirt for sale with the image of the Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, at the entrance of the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador. The shirts cost between $5 and $8 each. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez) MIAMI (AP) - Tropical Storm Michael has sped off toward the Atlantic Ocean, but there will be nothing quick about Florida's recovery from the hurricane, where rows upon rows of homes have been smashed to pieces . The storm also has brought flash flooding to hurricane-weary parts of the Carolinas and Virginia . BY THE NUMBERS - Hurricane history: first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Florida's Panhandle since record-keeping began in 1851. - Top winds: 155 mph (250 kph), strong enough to completely destroy homes and cause weekslong power outages. - Powerful pressure: 919 millibars minimum pressure in the eye, the third most intense hurricane landfall in the U.S. in recorded history. - High water: estimated peak storm surge of 9 feet (2.75 meters) and 14 feet (4.25 meters) from Mexico Beach east through Apalachee Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center Monica Jones looks out over the debris littering her yard after riding out hurricane Michael in her home in Callaway, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "I didn't think it was going to be this bad," said Jones on her decision to stay through the storm. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus Thursday with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews began making their way into the stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. (AP Photo/David Goldman) - Storm riders: Roughly 375,000 people in Florida warned to evacuate; many refused, including 285 people in Mexico Beach where Michael made landfall. - Rescued: 47 helped out of hard-hit areas along Florida's coastline, and 20 people in flooded neighborhoods in North Carolina. - Staying safe: nearly 6,700 people took refuge in 54 shelters in Florida. - Power outages: Roughly a million customers in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina lost power. - Food and water: 2 million ready-to-eat meals, 1 million gallons (3.75 million liters) of water and 40,000 10-pound (4.5-kilogram) bags of ice ready for distribution in Florida. - The human cost: Falling trees have killed a man in Gadsden County, Florida; a man in Iredell County, North Carolina; and an 11-year-old girl in Seminole County, Georgia, was killed when a carport blew through the roof of her home. - Damage estimates: Boston-based Karen Clark & Company, an insurance company that produces models for catastrophes, is estimating Hurricane Michael caused about $8 billion in insured losses. It includes the privately insured wind and storm surge damage to residential, commercial and industrial properties and automobiles. The figure does not include losses covered by the National Flood Insurance Program. IMAGES of DESTRUCTION Images captured by Associated Press journalists show the devastation left in Hurricane Michael's wake. MEXICO BEACH One of the hardest-hit spots in Florida is Mexico Beach , where Michael crashed ashore. In a beach town home about 1,000 people, entire blocks of homes have been reduced to nothing but concrete slabs in the sand or piles of splintered lumber. FLASH FLOODING Michael left North Carolina behind with rivers rising and more than 530,000 households in the dark. The power outages were concentrated in central North Carolina's Piedmont region, where motorists had to be rescued Thursday from cars trapped by high water. Flashing flooding also was reported in the big North Carolina cities of Charlotte and Raleigh. Similar scenes played out in parts of Virginia as the storm raced seaward. HOSPITALS EVACUATED The largest hospitals in Panama City shut down and evacuated hundreds of patients due to heavy hurricane damage. Bay Medical Sacred Heart was moving about 200 patients from buildings with blown-out windows, a cracked exterior wall and a collapsed roof. State officials say Florida's largest psychiatric hospital has been "entirely cut off." Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee has been running on emergency generators. A helicopter dropped water and food at the facility on Thursday after a tree downed during the storm caused a water line to break. BASE CLOSURE Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida is closed while officials assess what they're calling "widespread catastrophic damage." No injuries were reported, but there's roof damage to "nearly every home" on the base. NO EXTENSION A federal judge rejected a push by Democrats to extend Florida's voter registration deadline , which was Tuesday, by a week. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner told local election supervisors that if their offices were closed due to the hurricane, they could accept paper applications when their offices reopen. DAMAGED CROPS Georgia's Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black said crops, animals and infrastructure have all taken a substantial loss because of the storm. Black says poultry contributes $23.3 billion to Georgia's economy and has reported the most widespread power outages and losses. Intense winds also hurt cotton crops. STORMY WEATHER Michael isn't alone. The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Leslie and Tropical Storm Nadine are no threat to land over the open Atlantic Ocean, but Tropical Storm Sergio in the Pacific is blowing toward Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. ___ For the latest on Hurricane Michael, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes Michael Williams, 70, waves to passing motorists while looking for food and water as downed trees prevent him from driving out of his damaged home with his family in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "I don't know what I'm going to," said Williams. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Homes washed away by Hurricane Michael are shown in this aerial photo Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) The restroom in the home of Cindy an James Murphy, in Port St. Joe, Fla., is plastered with the remnants of a violent tidal surge on Thursday , Oct. 11, 2018, which damaged most of the homes on the town's coast and decimated a majority of coastal structures in adjacent Mexico Beach after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - An officer says Australia has assigned a guided missile frigate to the East China Sea to boost international efforts to enforce sanctions against North Korea. Australian Defense Force Chief of Joint Operations, Air Marshall Mel Hupfeld told reporters on Friday the warship with a crew of 230 will be supported by two Australian AP-3C Orion surveillance aircraft based in Japan. Hupfeld says the Australians would work in cooperation with the Japanese, United States, Canadians and the South Koreas to enforce sanctions. Hupfeld would not say whether the frigate HMAS Melbourne's role would be intercepting suspect cargo ships. President Donald Trump has encouraged U.S. allies to maintain sanctions on North Korea until it denuclearizes as part of what his administration has termed a campaign of "maximum pressure." WASHINGTON (AP) - Sword dancers. Gleaming palaces. Military jets streaming red, white and blue trails. President Donald Trump soaked up the grandeur of Saudi Arabia on his first foreign stop as president last year and envisioned huge benefits for the United States in building closer ties with the repressive and oil-rich desert kingdom. Now, the White House relationship with Riyadh is imperiled over the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer, and the situation is creating friction between the Trump administration and members of Congress demanding to know if the columnist for The Washington Post was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Trump said he has talked to officials at the highest level of the kingdom and is "demanding everything" to explain how Jamal Khashoggi, an activist who had been critical of Saudi leaders, vanished after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married. Turkish authorities claim Khashoggi, who resided in the United States, was killed by members of an elite Saudi "assassination squad." The kingdom describes the allegation as "baseless." But if Saudi Arabia is found to be complicit in his disappearance or death, the warm U.S.-Saudi relationship - and even hopes for Middle East peace - could be upended. Trump has backed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious campaign to modernize the conservative kingdom and its economy. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who exchanges phone and text messages with the young crown prince, was instrumental in last year's deal to sell $110 billion in U.S. weapons to the kingdom. FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2018, file photo, people hold signs during a protest at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Washington. The Trump administration's ongoing courtship of Saudi Arabia is on pause over allegations that the key U.S. ally is involved in the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer and dissident who went into his nation's consulate in Turkey but never came out. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File ) But even before Khashoggi vanished, concerns were mounting in Congress over Saudi Arabia's policies and the crown prince's aggressive steps to silence his critics. And now there are calls on Capitol Hill for the U.S. to halt arms sales to the kingdom, and Khashoggi's disappearance could galvanize more opposition from lawmakers and pressure Trump to rethink his relations with Saudi Arabia. Trump on Thursday pronounced U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia "excellent" and said he doesn't want to scuttle arms deals with Riyadh because it means tens of millions of dollars pouring into the U.S. economy. He said the kingdom would simply buy the weapons from Russia or China instead. "If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling this situation," he said without elaborating. Much of how the U.S. responds will depend on whether evidence surfaces that proves Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi's death. Trump will have to craft a "calibrated response," said Jon Alterman, who directs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "He doesn't like that approach. The president likes complete wins." The close ties between the Trump White House and the kingdom were in part forged by a friendship between two young princes: Last spring, Kushner and the crown prince met formally for the first time as a late-season snow fell outside the White House. The two men - both in their 30s, both trusted aides of older, familial leaders - struck a bond. As their countries' chief negotiators on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Kushner and the Saudi prince were both looking to make a name for themselves on the world stage and consulted with each other frequently over the following months. Kushner championed Crown Prince Mohammed to the president and senior foreign policy officials, some of whom expressed wariness at the embrace of MBS, as he is known in diplomatic circles. The two men's relationship also played a key role in Riyadh becoming the unlikely first stop on Trump's maiden international trip in May 2017. Trump, despite endorsing a travel ban on Muslims during his campaign, became the first U.S. president to make his official first trip to an Islamic nation. Relations between the two countries are complex because they are entwined on energy, military, economic and intelligence issues. The Trump administration has aggressively courted the Saudis for support of its Middle East agenda to counter Iranian influence, fight extremism and forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "We want to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia. They're a strategic partner. They're a mortal enemy of the Iranians. They're helping us on terrorism," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump supporter and top member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Having said all that, if this did happen - and it's increasingly likely that something bad happened to this man at the hands of the Saudi government - that shows contempt for us. That's disrespectful to us. It puts people like me in a box who've been one of the leading champions of the relationship." It's not just Graham who's in a box. It's also Trump, who has long-standing business ties to Saudi Arabia. Jeff Prescott, who was senior director for the Middle East at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that a reassessment of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is overdue and that Trump should raise U.S. complaints with Saudi leaders. "What the Trump administration has given Saudi Arabia is a green light to pursue any policy," said Prescott, now executive director of National Security Action, a group of former officials opposed to the Trump administration. "The key question is whether Republicans will have the courage to force the administration to have a reckoning of the relationship." He said Kushner's project to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians also could be in jeopardy. "There is no question that a rift with Saudi Arabia - or even relations strained by pressure from Congress - would make an already bleak prospect even less likely," Prescott said. In Congress, there is a push for sanctions under a human rights law, and lawmakers are questioning American support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. The U.S. has raised concerns previously about heavy civilian casualties caused by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., voiced doubt there would be support in Congress for another arms sale to Saudi Arabia - though lawmakers haven't blocked sales before. He also called for at least a temporary halt in U.S. military support for the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. Murphy tweeted that if Saudi Arabia is found complicit in Khashoggi's death, it should be viewed as a "fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia." ___ Lemire reported from New York. FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump listens to a question during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. The Trump administration's ongoing courtship of Saudi Arabia is on pause over allegations that the key U.S. ally is involved in the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer and dissident who went into his nation's consulate in Turkey but never came out. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File ) KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Animal-rights campaigners are hoping this year's festival season in Nepal will be a little less bloody. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop -or at least reduce- the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. Such a campaign is novel in Nepal, where four out of five people are Hindu and animal sacrifice is a deeply rooted tradition. Activists first organized after the Gadhimai festival in 2009, when an estimated 250,000 animals were killed at a single temple in southern Nepal. Images of carcasses piled up on an open field were widely published and broadcast. Though there are no official data, fewer animals were believed to have been sacrificed at the subsequent Gadhimai festival in 2014, according to rights group Animal Nepal. In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2018, goats stand for sale at a livestock market in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) The number of buffalo sacrifices alone dropped from 20,000 in 2009 to 3,000 in 2014, said campaigner Pramada Shah. "We are very few campaigners but we have a very loud voice. We are a loud minority," Shah said. Shah and other campaigners are visiting temples where animals are slaughtered and where devotees line up around the blood-soaked floors, offering the blood to the temples' idols. They are hanging banners and distributing pamphlets denouncing the practice and speaking to devotees, hoping to persuade them to take the animals they've purchased for sacrifice to animal sanctuaries instead. At the Bhandrakali temple in the heart of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, priests and volunteers prepared for the estimated 100,000 devotees expected to visit during the festival. It is one of the main sites for animal sacrifices. One of the priests, Anuj Pujari, said that while the number of devotees had increased, there appeared to be fewer animals brought for sacrifice. "It is because more and more people are now against" it, he said. Truckloads of goats were brought in from other parts of Nepal and neighboring India to Kathmandu's goat market. Chandra Pokhrel, who has been selling goats for the last two decades, said sales for this year's Dasain festival were down compared to previous years. Krishna Prasad Dhangal, a shopkeeper and devotee who was at the market to purchase animals for sacrifice, defended the practice. "It is a tradition that our fathers and grandfathers have followed and we will continue to follow this path. We believe offering the blood to the goddess Kali will please her and bless us. The meat is not wasted and we distribute it with neighbors and we all feast," he said. In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2018 photo, a Nepalese man pulls goats at a livestock market in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) In this Oct. 5, 2011 file photo, Nepalese devotees drag a buffalo for sacrifice during the ninth day of Dasain festival at Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day annual Dasain festival, that began Oct. 10, 2018, in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2018, Nepalese men load goats onto a truck after purchasing the animals at a livestock market in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) In this Saturday Sept. 29, 2018 photo, animal rights activists protest against animal sacrifices ahead of the Dasain festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began in October in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) In this Saturday Sept. 29, 2018 photo, an animal rights activist protests against animal sacrifices ahead of Dasain festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began October in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop _or at least reduce_ the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2018, a Nepalese man walks on a road as goats for sale graze at a livestock market in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop, or at least reduce, the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) BEIRUT (AP) - Analysts say the Islamic State group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular conquests in 2014 - a shadowy insurgent network that targets civilians with guerrilla-style attacks and exploits state weaknesses to incite sectarian strife. The group is nearly defeated on the battlefields of its would-be caliphate. Now, hardly a week goes by without IS staging an attack on a town or village in Iraq and Syria, keeping its opponents on edge. Hisham al-Hashimi, an IS expert who advises the Iraqi government, says IS now operates like it did in 2010, before its rise in Iraq that culminated four years later with the fall of one of Iraq's biggest cities, Mosul, and the city of Raqqa in Syria, when IS declared an Islamic caliphate across both countries. FILE - In this undated file image posted on Monday, June 30, 2014, by the Raqqa Media Center of the Islamic State group, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, fighters from the Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, north Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Raqqa Media Center of the Islamic State group, File) FILE - In this undated file image posted by the Raqqa Media Center in Islamic State group-held territory, on Monday, June 30, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, fighters from the Islamic State group ride tanks during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Raqqa Media Center, File) FILE - In this undated file photo released online in the summer of 2014 on a militant social media account, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, militants of the Islamic State group hold up their weapons and wave its flags on their vehicles in a convoy on a road leading to Iraq, in Raqqa, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (Militant photo via AP, File) FILE - In this July 26, 2017, file photo, Syrians look at a U.S. armored vehicle convoy on a road that leads to Raqqa, northeast Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) FILE - In this Thursday, July 27, 2017, a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter runs in front of a damaged building as he crosses a street on the front line, in Raqqa city, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) FILE - In this Thursday, July 27, 2017 file photo, a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter, looks through a window as he takes his position inside a destroyed apartment on the front line, in Raqqa city, northeast Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) FILE - In this April 5, 2018 file photo, rubble of buildings line a street that was damaged during fighting between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and Islamic State militants, in Raqqa, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) FILE - This undated file frame grab from video posted online Monday, May 29, 2017, by the Aamaq News Agency, a media arm of the Islamic State group, shows people inspecting damage from airstrikes and artillery shelling in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the IS. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (Aamaq News Agency via AP, File) DARWIN, Australia (AP) - A wildlife ranger was killed by a crocodile Friday in Australia's Northern Territory while gathering mussels with her family in a waterhole, police said. The indigenous woman was attacked in a remote area 206 kilometers (128 miles) southwest of the community of Yirrkala, NT WorkSafe said. The employment safety watchdog said it was investigating. Her body was recovered hours later less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) from where she was taken by the crocodile, Northern Territory Police Commander Tony Fuller said. Local wildlife rangers killed the crocodile. "She was with the group ... and the group noticed her missing," Fuller told Australian Broadcasting Corp. "They heard some splashing. The bucket that she was carrying was found nearby." Fuller said the woman had been in waist-deep water when she was taken, and whether she was working as a wildlife ranger at the time would form part of the police investigation. The last fatal crocodile attack in Australia was October last year when a 79-year-old dementia patient was killed after wandering from a nursing home at Port Douglas in Queensland state. Crocodiles have been a protected species in Australia since the 1970s, which has led to an explosion in their population across the country's tropical north. Because saltwater crocodiles can live up 70 years and grow throughout their lives - reaching up to 7 meters (23 feet) in length - the proportion of large crocodiles is also rising. The meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon took place within the framework of the 40th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) and the 18th AMAF Plus Three (AMAF+3) meet-up in Hanoi.They reviewed cooperation outcomes and expressed their wish to step up bilateral ties.Minister Cuong said that agriculture plays an important role in holding up the economy of each country. The two agriculture industries also compliment each other well and as such, Vietnam will provide the best possible support for each side to develop.Minister Veng Sakhon appreciated Vietnams technical assistance for Cambodias agriculture, noting that cassava prices in his country are falling sharply due to the spread of disease. Cambodia hopes that Vietnam will further assist its market to deal with diseases of the cassava plant and increase the buying prices of cassava in border areas.Sharing Vietnams experience in dealing with cassava diseases, the host official said his ministry is ready to give technical support, including new cassava varieties, to Cambodia.He said some agricultural products of Cambodia like cashew and rubber hold great development potential. He pledged to promote the Vietnam Rubber Groups investment in processing facilities as scheduled and to purchase Cambodian rubber latex at reasonable prices.At the meeting, the two officials also talked about cooperation to remove the European Commissions yellow-card warning against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the two countries fisheries sectors.With regard to forestry, Cuong said Vietnam pays special attention to the sustainable development of the forest-based economy. Forest coverage in Vietnam reached 41.45 percent in 2017 and the country is striving to expand its forested surface area with certificates of sustainable forest management practices to about 1 million ha by 2030.In recent years, the two sides have exchanged information about forestry and cooperated well in forest protection and development, sustainable forest management, forest certification, forestry product management, and forestry science, he added. Vietnamplus BERLIN (AP) - While other German mainstream parties struggle to answer a challenge from the far right, the country's Greens have become a magnet for liberal-minded voters in the past year. The party appears poised for an unprecedented second-place finish in traditionally conservative Bavaria's state election on Sunday. It is polling strongly ahead in the election scheduled in neighboring Hesse two weeks later. The Greens have clear policies on central issues, including an emphasis on fighting climate change and a largely liberal approach to migration. The party also has a pragmatic approach and become a partner to parties from the center-right to the hard left in nine of Germany's 16 state governments. Nationally, some recent polls have shown them level with the Social Democrats, traditionally Germany's main center-left party. FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2018 file photo the new party leaders Robert Habeck, right, and Annalena Baerbock make their way on stage at the party convention of the Green party in Hannover, northern Germany. While other German mainstream parties flounder in polls and struggle to find an answer to a far-right challenge, the Greens have gone from strength to strength over the last year. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP) FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2018 file photo bucket wheels dig for coal near the Hambach Forest near Dueren, Germany. While other German mainstream parties flounder in polls and struggle to find an answer to a far-right challenge, the Greens have gone from strength to strength over the last year. They stand for climate protection and a largely liberal approach to migration. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) FILE - In this March 29, 1983 file photo leaders of the Greens, former General Gert Bastian his companion Petra Kelly, Otto Schily, and Marieluise Beck-Oberdorf, from left, carry flowers and potted conifers as they lead a parade of Green party members and supporters as they walk towards the Bundestag (West German parliament) before entering the building in Bonn, West Germany. While other German mainstream parties flounder in polls and struggle to find an answer to a far-right challenge, the Greens have gone from strength to strength over the last year. Their current flexibility would have been hard to imagine in 1983 when the Greens, then a protest party with a penchant for beards and sunflowers, first took their seats in the German parliament. (AP Photo) FILE - In this June 23, 1983 file photo Green lawmaker Joschka Fischer attends a meeting of the West-German Bundestag in Bonn. While other German mainstream parties flounder in polls and struggle to find an answer to a far-right challenge, the Greens have gone from strength to strength over the last year. Their current flexibility would have been hard to imagine in 1983 when the Greens, then a protest party with a penchant for beards and sunflowers, first took their seats in the German parliament. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski, file) TOKYO (AP) - The new Okinawa governor says he wants Americans to know the U.S. and Japanese governments are forcing a relocation of a U.S. Marine base rejected by people on the island. Denny Tamaki was elected last month after campaigning for moving the disputed Marine base entirely off the southern Japanese island and reducing the American military presence. Tamaki held talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, urging Tokyo to do more to reduce Okinawa's burden and have it shared by rest of Japan. Tamaki said the sides remained divided on the base relocation and that he wanted U.S. involvement in resolving the issue. About half of U.S. troops and the majority of their key facilities are on Okinawa. Residents have long complained about base-related noise, pollution and crime. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a meeting at Abe's office in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Tamaki won the election for governor at the end of last month, becoming the first Amerasian to lead the southwestern Japanese islands. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a meeting at Abe's office in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Tamaki won the election for governor at the end of last month, becoming the first Amerasian to lead the southwestern Japanese islands. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, center, speak to journalists after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's office in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) LOYGA, Russia (AP) - "First time here?" the conductor on the train that stops at the logging outpost of Loyga asks some departing passengers. "My condolences - there isn't even cell phone connection." This desolate village, deep in the far northern Arkhangelsk region, is the hometown of one of the suspected GRU Russian military intelligence agents who is believed to have poisoned a former Russian spy in Britain. The other alleged attacker and an alleged military intelligence operative accused of a hacking attack in the Netherlands come from equally dismal places. Their stories suggest how important the military and intelligence services are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia. Owning a car in Loyga is almost pointless - all but two roads are mud and navigable only by all-terrain vehicles. Most of the houses are unpainted, looking leaden in the constant autumn drizzle. Only one train a day connects it with Moscow, stopping for just one minute for visitors to descend onto a bare platform with a line of oil tank cars on the side track. "It's gray, and we have no roads," says Svetlana Lukina, chief of the village whose population of about 1,000 is a third of its onetime peak in the 1970s. The chilly stillness of the village streets is interrupted by a dog's barking or the sound of a passing freight train. A 28-year-old man biking home from a shift at the railroad appears intoxicated. A dog walks on the street in the village of Loyga, northern Russia, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2018. The career trajectories of suspected Russian military intelligence agents suggest how important the military are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia, like Loyga where suspected GRU agent Alexander Mishkin grew up. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva) "Only those who had nowhere else to go are left," says resident Yuri Poroshin, who occupies his time painting landscapes. "Only the drunkards and pensioners are left. Good young men are all gone." Alexander Mishkin is one who got out, leaving the village for a military academy in St. Petersburg. The investigative group Bellingcat said he's the man known to British authorities as Alexander Petrov, one of the two suspects in the nerve-agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter. For locals, Mishkin is an object of praise: he was awarded Russia's highest military decoration, Hero of Russia, and his portrait hangs at the local school, residents say. Work in the military and especially in the intelligence agencies has a special allure to youth from villages or small towns who were raised on movies about Russian spies and war heroes. Mikhail Trepashkin, a retired colonel in the Federal Security Service (FSB), says that under President Vladimir Putin, himself a former intelligence officer, the security apparatus has emerged as the only available social lift for rural youth. "In Soviet times, people were using the (Communist) party to get ahead: if you have chosen this path, that means everything is going to be all right. Now the FSB or the GRU does that," he said. Another suspected GRU officer, Alexei Minin, grew up in the coal-mining town of Gremyachinsk, in the Urals, more than a three-hour drive away from the Urals city of Perm. The mines are now shut, the streets of the town were deserted on a recent visit and the facade of the Soviet-era House of Culture was crumbling and some of its windows replaced with plastic. Minin is one of four Russians suspected in the Netherlands of trying to hack into the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons. Minin's neighbors told the AP last week that he made an enviable career by joining the military and moving to Moscow. Minin entered the prestigious Military Diplomatic Academy and during his years of study he listed the school, as his residence, public records show. Miskhin's fellow traveler to England's Salisbury, where the Skripals were poisoned, has been identified as Col. Anatoly Chepiga, who comes from a village in the Amur region in Russia's Far East. He left before he finished high school and enrolled into the Far Eastern Military Command School, where his name is now engraved on a monument to honor his Hero of Russia award. Villagers identified him as the Salisbury suspect who called himself Ruslan Boshirov in an interview with state-funded RT channel, and they proudly spoke of his career, referring him as a smart young man who managed to get ahead. In Loyga, where villagers cover the roofs of their houses with what were once sheets of tarpaulin advertising Moscow's booming property developments, Mishkin's success story stands in contrast to the slow disintegration of rural life. "The village is dying: Ten years will pass and there will be no village anymore," painter Poroshin says. His granddaughter Yulia, who is in the sixth grade, is one of only four students in her class, and they don't have an English teacher anymore. This year, the local school didn't enroll the final 11th and 10th grade because of the lack of students. "People from Moscow, (like) people from New York, are not so interested in a military career and being special ops," said military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. But thousands of miles away from the capital, "it's a way to get out of the misery of rural life in provincial Russia, and make a career." ___ Kate de Pury and Veronika Silchenko contributed to this report. A toy tank stands at a playground near the local administration building in the village of Loyga, northern Russia, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2018. The career trajectories of suspected Russian military intelligence agents suggest how important the military are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia, like Loyga where suspected GRU agent Alexander Mishkin grew up. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva) "I love Loyga" is spray-painted on the door of an abandoned house in the village of Loyga, northern Russia, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2018. The career trajectories of suspected Russian military intelligence agents suggest how important the military are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia, like Loyga where suspected GRU agent Alexander Mishkin grew up. (AP Photo/Iuliia Subbotovska) A car drives on a street in the village of Loyga, northern Russia, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2018. The career trajectories of suspected Russian military intelligence agents suggest how important the military are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia, like Loyga where suspected GRU agent Alexander Mishkin grew up. (AP Photo/Iuliia Subbotovska) A van with the sticker "Russia" is parked on the street in Loyga in northern Russia, Wednesday Oct. 10, 2018. The career trajectories of suspected Russian military intelligence agents suggest how important the military are for ambitious young men determined to escape the gloom and poverty of rural Russia, like Loyga where suspected GRU agent Alexander Mishkin grew up. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva) HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A court in northern Vietnam has sentenced an activist to five years in prison after finding him guilty of abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the government, organizations and individuals. Lawyer Ha Huy Son says his client, Do Cong Duong, was convicted in a two-hour trial Friday by a people's court in Bac Ninh province. Son says Duong used Facebook to accuse local officials of corruption and failing to address his family's land grievances. He said local law enforcement agencies accused him of abusing democratic freedoms instead of investigating his allegations. Communist authorities have stepped up a crackdown on dissent in recent years, with scores of activists, bloggers and democracy campaigners in jail on charges of violating national security laws. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has visited an Indonesian city shattered by an earthquake and tsunami to assess the impact of the disasters. Guterres paid a visit Friday to the city of Palu on Sulawesi island during a trip to Bali to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Guterres visited Balaroa, where the Sept. 28 quake liquefied soft soil and tore apart neighborhoods, and the coastal area of Talise, which was badly damaged by the tsunami that followed the magnitude 7.5 quake. The official death toll had risen to 2,073 as of Thursday. The IMF-World Bank meetings are being held until Sunday. Indonesian women stand on the rubble as they look for what's left from a relative's house at Balaroa neighborhood in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Indonesia's search for victims buried in neighborhoods annihilated by an earthquake and tsunami is nearing its end almost two weeks after the double disasters hit the remote city. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) LONDON (AP) - Global business leaders are reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to a dissident writer who disappeared after visiting its consulate in Istanbul. British billionaire Richard Branson on Friday suspended business links with Saudi Arabia, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he might not attend a major investment conference in the country this month amid reports that Jamal Khashoggi may have been killed at the Saudi consulate in Turkey's capital. "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government," Branson said in a statement. Branson, founder of Virgin Group, says he will suspend his directorships in two tourism projects in Saudi Arabia while an investigation takes place. He also is putting on hold discussions about a proposed Saudi investment in space companies Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit. Saudi Arabia is facing increasing international pressure to clarify what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, with U.S. President Donald Trump and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt among those demanding answers. Khosrowshahi is scheduled to speak at the Future Investment Initiative conference, which takes place Oct. 23-25 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The event also lists JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackrock Chairman Larry Fink and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin among dozens of expected speakers. FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2013 file photo, British billionaire Richard Branson visits a Zumba Step dance class at Virgin installations in Madrid, Spain. On Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 Branson announced he has frozen business links with Saudi Arabia amid reports that journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin, file) "I'm very troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi," Khosrowshahi said. "We are following the situation closely, and unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I won't be attending the FII conference in Riyadh." MILAN (AP) - The Italian populist government's relaunch of the struggling Alitalia airline includes plans to take a 15-percent share and the inclusion of the state railway company as a strategic partner, says Economic Development Minister Luigi Di Maio. The long-awaited details were revealed ahead of meeting with Alitalia union leaders and as the government awaits an Oct. 31 deadline for binding offers from other companies, a process that had been launched by the previous government. It remained unclear how the government's new shareholder structure would affect potential bidders' view of Alitalia, which has long suffered from competition with low-cost carriers without being able to successfully relaunch on more lucrative long-haul routes. But officials in Premier Giuseppe Conte's office said the government wanted to re-establish Alitalia as Italy's flagship carrier, giving it preferential rights, the news agency ANSA reported. Di Maio, whose 5-Star Movement made Alitalia's future a campaign theme, insisted in an interview published Friday by the daily il Sole 24 Ore that plans for the government to take a stake would not raise objections from European Union regulators. "We are considering a threshold of government participation that is not so far off from other European experiences," Di Maio told the paper, citing the French government's holding in Air France. Di Maio said that a partnership with state-owned national railway, Ferrovie dello Stato, would allow synergies, like the possibility of integrating a train ticket with airfare for tourists. Italian deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, left, and deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio talk with journalists as they arrive for a cabinet meeting to discuss an upcoming budget law, in Rome, Oct. 9, 2018. (/ANSA via AP)CLAUDIO PERI "Not only, Alitalia could concentrate much more on long-range flights, without overloading short- and medium-range national stretches," he said, adding that the new organization would have room for jobs for young people in tourist-related services. Union leaders who met with Di Maio on Friday said they welcomed the change of direction away from privatization and toward more government involvement. Francesco Alfonsi of the UGL air transport union said Di Maio's position "confirms the strategic importance of Alitalia." Di Maio refused to comment on reports that China Eastern and Delta Airlines were among the possible bidders, nor would he say whether Lufthansa, EasyJet and Wizz - which had made offers to the previous government in an earlier phase - were still interested. Airline analyst Gregory Alegi warned that the increased government participation seemed to be a return to more protectionist policies. The government may find itself in conflict with the EU if it takes a shareholding at a preferential price. And while Alitalia has been largely performing well, it lacks mostly in longer-range flights that potential partners would have a difficult time sharing. "Any industrial partner would be very wary of joining an airline at a time when the other shareholder is an activist or interventionist government," he said. LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - One of the four doping cases at the Pyeongchang Olympics has been closed in an agreement between bobsled's governing body and Russian driver Nadezhda Sergeeva. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it accepted a settlement which ended the case with an eight-month ban for Sergeeva. It expires on Oct. 22. All parties agreed a contaminated product was to blame for her positive test for trimetazidine in South Korea in February. Sergeeva was disqualified from her 12th-place finish in the two-woman bobsled event. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports MADRID (AP) - A royal parade and military fanfare are taking place in Madrid on Spain's National Day, an annual public holiday that provides a cue for nationwide displays of pomp and patriotism. King Felipe VI, wearing military uniform, and Queen Letizia were driven Friday in a Rolls Royce down one of the capital's main avenues, flanked by cavalry. People waving yellow-and-red Spanish flags lined the street. Rain though halted a Spanish Air Force flyover. Catalan leaders, who are demanding independence for the wealthy northeastern region stayed away from ceremonies in Barcelona - as usual. They have also snubbed King Felipe, who has spoken out against Catalonian independence. Catalonia's mostly pro-independence parliament passed a motion Thursday calling for the abolition of the monarchy. Several thousand people joined a unionist parade in downtown Barcelona. People waving Spanish flags march during Spain's National Day celebrations in the Catalan city of Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Catalan political leaders, who are demanding independence for the wealthy northeastern region, stayed away from Spain's National Day ceremonies in Barcelona. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has discussed with Vietnam's leader efforts by their countries to delineate their maritime boundaries in the disputed South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China. Duterte said Friday, without elaborating, that he told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in a meeting in Indonesia that such boundary talks may take longer because the Philippines is still establishing its continental shelf limit, or the country's outermost boundary. Vietnam initiated the on-and-off talks years ago. Carl Thayer of the University of New South Wales, Canberra, says China will likely object to the talks because Beijing claims all the land features and adjacent waters in the strategic waterway where the Philippines and Vietnam would define their maritime boundaries. The promise was made at a meeting between ADB President Takehiko Nakao and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of the annual meeting of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank held in Bali on October 12. The ADB emergency assistance fund consists of 500 million USD to support the Indonesian Government's emergency budget and 500 million USD to finance reconstruction of important infrastructure, such as water supply and sanitation, schools, roads and bridges, and electricity networks among others. The emergency assistance fund is on top of the ADB's regular sovereign loan programme to Indonesia, which stands at an average of 2 billion USD annually. The ADB's loans would be prepared in close coordination with the government, affected communities, and other stakeholders, and submitted to the ADB Board of Directors on a fast-track basis. The loans would have special terms, with grace period of 8 years and a repayment period of 32 years, longer than usual. The ADB will also provide technical assistance to support government-led damage needs assessments as well as the recovery and reconstruction planning. Besides the emergency assistance fund, the ADB has approved a 3 million USD of grant to support immediate relief efforts in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province. Suwelasi was ravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scale on September 28. A subsequent tsunami rose after the second quake, hitting the area sometime later in the afternoon. According to Indonesias National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as of 13:00 on October 11, the powerful earthquakes and tsunami had left 2,073 people dead, 10,679 injured, and 680 missing. A total of 78,994 people were evacuated to 112 safe locations in Central Sulawesi, while 8,731 were moved off the island altogether. Indonesia is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. A series of earthquakes in July and August killed nearly 500 people on the holiday island of Lombok, hundreds of kilometres southwest of Sulawesi. In 2004, a substantial earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 220,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 168,000 in Indonesia.VNA BRUSSELS (AP) - With just days to go before a key Brexit summit next week, optimism is growing that a deal can be reached to ensure a smooth transition for Britain's exit from the European Union. European Union Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Friday that he sees room for a breakthrough in the talks next week, when leaders from the 27 EU nations meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May. Oettinger confirmed reports that progress was being made on the difficult issue of the border on the island of Ireland. "It does appear possible there will be a breakthrough," he said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he spoke to May by phone on Friday and added that "we hope that next week at the European summit, if at all possible, the first results emerge." "I am cautiously optimistic that we can take steps next week but a lot depends on the talks happening in the coming days," Rutte said at his weekly press conference. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends a roundtable meeting with business leaders whose companies are inaugural signatories of the Race at Work Charter at the Southbank Centre in London, Thursday Oct. 11, 2018. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP) Even if the negotiators themselves agree on a deal, it is not the end of the matter. The EU leaders must also back the deal and then so must the British and EU parliaments. May in particular is likely to have a tough time selling a deal to the House of Commons, which is divided on the issue of Brexit and on what terms to leave the EU. The U.K. is slated to leave the EU on March 29. If there is no deal on future relations by then, widespread chaos on the borders is expected. Tariffs could go up on trade, customs checks could delay goods, and planes could not have permits to fly across the borders, among other things. EU leaders have a two-day summit starting Wednesday to assess the progress in the talks and if there is no breakthrough there, another summit could be planned for November. In London, British Brexit negotiator Dominic Raab cautioned not to be too optimistic and warned against a compromise that would give away too much. "If the EU doesn't match the ambition and pragmatism we've showed, we have the plans in place to avoid, mitigate or manage the risk of no deal - and make a success of Brexit," he said, as the government released the last 29 of 104 technical papers on preparations for a no-deal. ___ Mike Corder from The Hague and Danica Kirka from London contributed. BEIJING (AP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to travel to China later this month for his first formal visit in seven years, in a further sign of improving relations between the regional rivals. Bilateral ties nosedived in 2012 after Japan nationalized a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by Beijing, setting off violent protests in China. Despite close economic ties, many Chinese also resent Japan over its invasion of their country last century. Beijing routinely warms of resurgent Japanese militarism, despite little evidence that is happening. Abe's Oct. 25-27 visit announced Friday follows a trip to Japan in May by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the ruling Communist Party's second-ranking official. President Xi Jinping is also expected to visit Japan at a future date. BEIRUT (AP) - The Saudi contributor to Washington Post who went missing more than a week ago and is feared dead had major plans, including a string of new projects to promote inclusiveness and accountability lacking around the Arab world, his friends say. Jamal Khashoggi, a prolific writer and commentator, was working quietly with intellectuals, reformists and Islamists to launch a group called Democracy for the Arab World Now. He wanted to set up a media watch organization to keep track of press freedom. He also planned to launch an economic-focused website to translate international reports into Arabic to bring sobering realities to a population often hungry for real news, not propaganda. Part of Khashoggi's approach was to include political Islamists in what he saw as democracy building. That - along with his sharp criticisms of the kingdom's crackdowns on critics, its war in Yemen and its policy on Iran - put him at odds with the rulers of Saudi Arabia, which deeply opposes Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood, seeing them as a threat. The Saudi journalist, whose 60th birthday is this weekend, had also personal plans. He bought an apartment in Istanbul and planned to marry the day after he disappeared. He planned to commute between Istanbul and his home in Virginia. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct.2 and has yet to emerge. Turkish officials believe he was killed in side the building by a death squad that flew in from Saudi Arabia. Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a good friend sits next to an empty chair with a picture of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi placed on it, speaks during a live television program for London-based TV station al-Hewar, in Istanbul, late Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Khashoggi was supposed to appear on the show. The TV presenter Azzam Tamimi, a prominent Palestinian and a good friend of Khashoggi, told The Associated Press that the program was planned to discuss his new projects, his books and other issues.(AP Photo/Mucahid Yapici) A friend and neighbor in the United States, where Khashoggi had a condo since 2008, said the Saudi writer had the contacts and resources to make his plans work. "He had the wisdom of a 60-year-old. He had the energy and a creativity of a 20-something," he said, asking to remain anonymous out of respect for Khashoggi's family. Khashoggi had incorporated his democracy advocacy group, DAWN, in January in Delaware, said Khaled Saffuri, another friend. The group was still in the planning stages, and Khashoggi was working on it quietly, likely concerned it could cause trouble for associates, including activists in the Gulf, Saffuri said. The project was expected to reach out to journalists and lobby for change, representing both Islamists and liberals, said another friend, Azzam Tamimi, a prominent Palestinian-British activist and TV presenter. Tamimi had planned to interview Khashoggi about the project on his show on Thursday, airing from Istanbul. Instead, the show was held with an empty chair with Khashoggi's picture on it as guests discussed the case. "Democracy is currently being slaughtered everywhere. He wanted to alert Western public opinion to the dangers of remaining silent in the face of the assassination of democracy," Tamimi told the AP. "The Muslim Brothers and Islamists were the biggest victims of the foiled Arab spring." Tamimi said he and Khashoggi had set up a similar pro-democracy project together in 1992 when they first met. It was called Friends of Democracy in Algeria, he said, and followed the botched elections in Algeria, which the government annulled to avert an imminent Islamist victory. Khashoggi spoke out against powerful ultraconservative clerics in Saudi Arabia. He was a voice of reform when Saudi Arabia came under intense criticism following the 9/11 attacks, in which a dozen Saudis were implicated. When Sunni Islamists rose to power in other parts of the region, Khashoggi was pragmatic. He argued that the future of the region can't be without Islamists and denounced governments' crackdowns on them. He argued the most effective way to challenge Iran's growing influence in the region is by allowing Sunni political Islam- a rival to Shiite Iran- to be represented in governments. Khashoggi was to marry his Turkish fiancee on Oct. 3. He visited the Saudi consulate several days before he disappeared, and they asked him to return on Oct. 2 to pick up his divorce papers, necessary to legalize his new marriage in Turkey, Tamimi said. Tamimi said Khashoggi told him at lunch that the consulate staff were friendly and cordial. After the first visit, he flew to London to deliver a speech and then returned to Istanbul Oct. 1 at night. The next day, he went to the consulate, walking into what Tamimi called "a trap." Saffuri said he was surprised Khashoggi returned to the consulate. He said his friend avoided going to the Saudi Embassy in Washington and didn't talk to diplomats. "He didn't trust them. He knew they were up to something bad." A member of security exits the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. A senior Turkish official says Turkey and Saudi Arabia will form a "joint working group" to look into the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a good friend of Jamal Khashoggi, speaks to The Associated Press next to an empty chair with a picture of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi placed on it, before a live television program for London-based TV station al-Hewar, in Istanbul, late Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Khashoggi was supposed to appear on the show. The TV presenter Azzam Tamimi, a prominent Palestinian and a good friend of Khashoggi, told The Associated Press that the program was planned to discuss his new projects, his books and other issues. (AP Photo/Mucahid Yapici) PARIS (AP) - Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, has met with former White House strategist Steve Bannon and signaled her interest in his project to help European populist parties - just days after rejecting assistance from the American. Le Pen's companion, French lawmaker Louis Aliot, said on BFMTV station on Friday that she met with Bannon a day earlier in Paris. Aliot said Bannon wants to provide "technical means" for nationalist parties ahead of next year's European elections. He added that Bannon made clear he "doesn't want to play a (political) role." Le Pen said on Monday while in Rome that it was only European nations who would "shape the political forces ... to save Europe" - not an American. FILE - In this Saturday, March 10, 2018 file photo, former White House strategist Steve Bannon holds a press conference with National Front party leader Marine Le Pen, right, at the party congress in the northern French city of Lille. Far-right French leader Marine Le Pen has met with former White House strategist Steve Bannon and signaled her interest in his project to help European populist parties _ just days after rejecting assistance from an American. (AP Photo, File) ALIAGA, Turkey (AP) - The latest on the trial of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is accused of espionage and terror related charges(all times local): 2:35 a.m. President Donald Trump says an American pastor who had been detained in Turkey is "now free from jail" and on his way to Germany. North Carolina native Andrew Brunson was convicted on charges of terrorism links by a Turkish court Friday. Turkey's government then freed him to return home. Trump told a campaign rally in Ohio on Friday that Brunson will get checked out in Germany and predicted that "he's going to be in great shape." Trump says Brunson will then arrive in Washington on Saturday "and we'll say hello to him." President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from imprisonment in Turkey, at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) The president says the 50-year-old Brunson "went through a lot but he's on his way back." Brunson was imprisoned for nearly two years after being detained in October 2016. Brunson has denied the charges against him. ___ 2:30 a.m. President Donald Trump says he will meet with pastor Andrew Brunson in the Oval Office on Saturday, following his release by Turkey. Trump says the 50-year-old pastor "suffered greatly" but is in "very good shape." A Turkish court on Friday convicted the North Carolina native of terror links but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave the country. Brunson's case had become a cause celebre among conservative Christians. The president spoke about Brunson on Friday after arriving in Ohio for a campaign event and after the pastor was airborne. ___ 12:35 a.m. The White House is welcoming Turkey's release of an American pastor and says "we look forward to his return home where he will be reunited with his family." North Carolina native Andrew Brunson was convicted on charges of terrorism links by a Turkish court Friday, and Turkey's government then freed him to return home. In its statement, the White House says: "We commend the strength shown by Pastor Brunson and his family over a difficult two years." It adds that U.S. officials are concerned about other U.S. citizens still being held in Turkey and other nations. It urges "the resolution of all these cases in a transparent and fair manner." ___ 11:10 p.m. Turkish media say American pastor Andrew Brunson has left Turkey, following a court ruling that convicted him on terror charges but also set him free. The evangelical pastor from North Carolina and his wife Norine arrived at a private terminal in Adnan Menderes Airport in the coastal Izmir province late Friday. Turkish media later said Brunson's plane took off. His route back to the United States has not been confirmed. The Turkish court lifted Brunson's house arrest and ban on travel Friday after sentencing him to three years, one month and 15 days in prison. But since he had already spent nearly two years in detention, Turkish law allowed him to go free with time served. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted earlier that he and his wife "look forward to welcoming Pastor Brunson and his courageous wife Norine back to the USA!" ___ 8:50 p.m. Members of the Christ Community Church in Montreat, North Carolina, are overjoyed at Turkey's release of evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson. A Turkish court on Friday convicted Brunson on terror-related charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey. The decision is expected to ease strained U.S.-Turkey relations. Debi Forester, the church's communications director, says the church's Rev. Richard White has been with the Brunson family in Turkey for a day or two. The U.S. Consulate is handling Brunson's travel arrangements to return to the United States. She quotes White as saying the group is "all just shouting 'Hallelujah!' and doing the happy dance." She says the church will have a welcome home party for Brunson sometime. The court sentenced Brunson to a little more than three years in prison, but since the 50-year-old North Carolina native has already spent two years in detention, he won't serve more time. ___ 8:15 p.m. The fiancee of a missing Saudi journalist is urging U.S. President Donald Trump to use his clout to find out what happened to her partner, after he tweeted about the release of an American pastor in Turkey. Following the Turkish court's decision to free the evangelical pastor, Trump tweeted: "Working very hard on Pastor (Andrew) Brunson!" That prompted Hatice Cengiz to ask about her missing fiancee, Jamal Khashoggi, a writer who had been critical of Saudi leaders. "What about Jamal Khashoggi?" she tweeted. Khashoggi vanished last week after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married. Trump on Thursday said U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia were "excellent" and that he doesn't want to scuttle highly lucrative arms deals with Riyadh. ___ 7:20 p.m. Turkey has rejected President Donald Trump's assertion that U.S. pressure had contributed to the release from house arrest of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Fahrettin Altun, the communications director of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, voiced objection to Trump's comments in a tweet that the U.S. had worked "very hard" over the case of the pastor. Altun insisted that Turkish courts were independent from government and impartial: "We would like to remind him once again that Turkey is a democratic country with the rule of law, and that Turkish courts are independent." The official added: "No body, authority, office or person may issue orders or instructions to the courts or to judges in the exercise of their powers." Brunson, 50, had spent two years in custody. Though he was convicted of terror charges by a Turkish court, he was released from house arrest and allowed to leave Turkey. His lawyer said he was expected to return to the United States. ___ 5:45 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump is celebrating the release of an American pastor who was on trial in Turkey, saying he'll be back in the United States soon. A Turkish court on Friday convicted Andrew Brunson on terror-related charges, but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey. The decision is expected to ease strained U.S.-Turkey relations. The court sentenced Brunson to a little more than three years in prison, but since the 50-year-old evangelical pastor, a native of North Carolina, has already spent two years in detention, he won't serve more time. In an all-caps tweet Friday, Trump said: "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!" ___ 5:20 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump says he hopes to have U.S. evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson back in the United States soon. Brunson is a 50-year-old American pastor who was convicted Friday of terror-related charges by a Turkish court but released from house arrest and allowed to leave Turkey. The move is likely to ease tensions between the two NATO allies. Shortly after the verdict was announced, Trump tweeted: "Working very hard on Pastor Brunson!" Trump also tweeted: "My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!" The pastor is a native of North Carolina, but has lived in Turkey for more than two decades and has been imprisoned for the past two years. He is one of thousands caught up in a Turkish government crackdown following a failed 2016 coup against the Turkish government. Prosecutors accused Brunson of committing crimes on behalf of terror groups. He denied all the charges. ___ 4:45 p.m. A Turkish court has convicted an American pastor at the center of a Turkish-American diplomatic dispute of terror charges, but has released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey. The court near the western city of Izmir on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson to 3 years and 1 month in prison for the conviction, but since the evangelical pastor has already spent two years in detention he won't serve more time. Brunson, 50, had rejected the espionage and terror-related charges and strongly maintained his innocence. Lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt said Brunson was expected to leave Turkey for the United States ___ 4:05 p.m. A Turkish prosecutor has requested that an American pastor at the center of a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States be released from house arrest pending the outcome of his trial. In the fourth hearing in the case against Andrew Brunson, the prosecutor however also recommended that he be convicted on terror-related charges. A panel of judges is expected to reach an interim ruling later Friday. Brunson, 50, is accused of terror-related charges and espionage. He rejects the charges and strongly maintains his innocence. The pastor told the court he is "an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey." The United States has repeatedly called for his release. ___ 8:35 a.m. The trial of an American pastor at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States resumed Friday in Turkey, with observers waiting to see if authorities will release him amid threats of further U.S. sanctions. The fourth hearing of the case against Andrew Brunson began in a prison complex near the western city of Izmir before noon, hours after he arrived in a secured convoy before daybreak. The evangelical pastor is accused of terror-related charges and espionage, facing up to 35 years in jail if convicted. Brunson, 50, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, rejects the charges and strongly maintains his innocence. He is one of thousands caught up in a wide-scale government crackdown that followed a failed coup against the Turkish government in July 2016. Pastor Andrew Brunson, center left, and his wife Norine Brunson arrive at Adnan Menderes airport for a flight to Germany after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) US Pastor Andrew Brunson, front left, arrives at home after his release, following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United States. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) A car with US Pastor Andrew Brunson sitting inside leaves the courthouse after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United States. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, center, sits inside a car as he arrives for his trial in Izmir, Turkey, early Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. The trial against an American pastor at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Turkey and the United States is set to resume in Turkey.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) US Pastor Andrew Brunson, front left, arrives at home after his release, following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United States. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) US Pastor Andrew Brunson, front left, arrives at home after his release, following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United States. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) Turkish police officers stand outside the house of US Pastor Andrew Brunson after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) US Pastor Andrew Brunson, second left, arrives at home after his release, following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United States. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) Pastor Andrew Brunson, center left, and his wife Norine Brunson arrive at Adnan Menderes airport for a flight to Germany after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) Pastor Andrew Brunson, center, and U.S. Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey Hovenier, left, arrive at Adnan Menderes airport for a flight to Germany after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, A Turkish court on Friday convicted an American pastor of terror charges but released him from house arrest and allowed him to leave Turkey, in a move that is likely to ease tensions between Turkey and the United. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) - The father of a Minnesota teenager fatally shot by police is not surprised the two officers involved won't be charged. Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced Thursday that the officers who killed 16-year-old Archer Amorosi in Chanhassen in July had no choice because he was charging at them with a hatchet and a BB gun. Don Amorosi tells KARE-TV that while the prosecutor's decision was expected, he was surprised that Metz didn't share the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's investigative report. Amorosi says he can't understand why repeated calls to a crisis center and an earlier visit by sheriff's deputies didn't prevent the confrontation that ended with his son's death. Amorosi says his lawyers are considering whether to file a civil lawsuit. Chanhassen is 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis. ___ Information from: KARE-TV, http://www.kare11.com NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Pennsylvania's top prosecutor is appealing to legislators to change state law so that criminal and civil cases can be pursued in court in decades-old clergy abuse cases. Attorney General Josh Shapiro is holding a news conference Friday at the court complex outside Philadelphia where Bill Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in 2004. A state grand jury in August found that some 300 Roman Catholic priests had sexually abused children in cases going back decades and that church leaders systematically covered it up. The Pennsylvania House has voted to give child sex abuse victims, in cases now too old to pursue, two years to file lawsuits. The Senate's Republican leaders are resisting that provision. Shapiro also wants the Legislature to lift the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions. SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP) - A Republican candidate for Connecticut's General Assembly has withdrawn following criticism over comments he made online about victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Steven Baleshiski, a 22-year-old college student from Southington, had been challenging six-term state Rep. Joe Aresimowicz (ehr-eh-SIM'-oh-wits) for a House seat. The Hartford Courant reports the Republican town committees for Southington and Berlin withdrew their endorsements of Baleshiski before he resigned. The two committees said they do not condone Baleshiski's "hurtful and dividing behavior." Committee chairs said they are looking for a new candidate. In a social media post in March, Baleshiski said a survivor of the Parkland shooting who turned to gun-control advocacy "can burn in hell." Baleshiski did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper. ___ Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistani authorities on Friday released a Pashtun rights activist after holding her for several hours upon her arrival in the country. Gulalai Ismail was detained as soon as she arrived at an Islamabad airport from London. London-based rights group Amnesty International called for her immediate release saying she was being "detained solely for her peaceful human rights work." Ismail is a critic of the Pakistani military's operations in the country's tribal regions during which many innocent civilians have been killed. She has been a supporter of the Pashtun Protection Movement, a group which denounces perceived high-handedness by security forces and their operations in the country's northwestern regions. It calls for judicial probes into those killed by the military in the name of its war on terror. SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California school district has suspended a teacher who recounted how a senior aide to President Trump ate glue as a third-grader. Nikki Fiske told the Hollywood Reporter that when Stephen Miller was a student in her classroom, he was a loner with a messy desk who played with glue. She calls Miller "a strange dude." The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District placed Fiske on "home assignment" while it decides what to do - if anything - about the disclosures. The district says it's concerned about the public release of student information. The 72-year-old Fiske could not be reached for comment. Miller, who was taught by Fiske in 1993, grew up to be a senior adviser at the White House. A spokeswoman for Singapore Airlines said that Flight SQ22 departed at approximately 11:35pm with 150 passengers and 17 crew aboard. It is scheduled to land at the Newark airport after a 16,700-km journey in at least 18 hours and 25 minutes. The long-range Airbus A350-900ULR is configured to carry up to 161 passengers - 67 in business class and 94 in premium economy, with no regular economy seats available. For the flight crew - which also includes two first officers and a 13-strong cabin contingent - the workload will be broken up, the airline said, with each pilot having a minimum eight hours' rest during the flight. Singapore Airlines once again set a record in terms of the longest flight in the world. The airline originally flew the route for nine years using the gas-guzzling, four-engine A340-500 before abandoning it in 2013 because high oil prices made the service unprofitable. Earlier, Qatar Airways Flight 921 flew from Auckland to Doha, taking 17 hours and 40 minutes.-VNA WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Jury selection is complete in the trial of four Delaware inmates charged with murder, kidnapping and other crimes following a fatal prison riot. With the process of picking jurors completed Thursday, opening statements and initial testimony are slated for Oct. 22. The four defendants are among 18 inmates charged in the riot. One inmate has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others, who will be tried in five separate groups. Inmates at the state's maximum-security rioted on Feb. 1 last year, killing prison guard Steven Floyd and taking three other staffers hostage. Two other prison guards were released by inmates after being beaten and tormented. A female counselor was held hostage for almost 20 hours before tactical teams burst through a wall with a backhoe and rescued her. JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The United Nations children's agency says a self-defense militia in Nigeria has freed more than 800 children from its ranks as it combats Boko Haram extremists. The agency calls this the first formal release by the Civilian Joint Task Force, which had been listed in an annual U.N. report on children and armed conflict. The statement on Friday says 1,469 boys and girls associated with the militia group have been identified in Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Borno state, alone. Maiduguri is the birthplace of Boko Haram, which continues to carry out deadly attacks in the Lake Chad region. The Islamic extremist group has killed or kidnapped tens of thousands over nearly a decade and sent millions fleeing. Boko Haram also has seized and indoctrinated children as suicide bombers. BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on Syria-related developments (all times local): 6:05 p.m. The head of the U.N.'s World Food Program says the agency is preparing for a vast new wave of refugees likely to flee to Turkey if conflict breaks out in Syria's flashpoint Idlib region. WFP Executive Director David Beasley told The Associated Press on Friday that the agency is "pre-positioning rations for short term, middle range, along the Turkish border." Beasley says the WFP is working with Turkish, Russian, Syrian, U.S. and other officials "to do what we can to minimize the impact when a war truly goes into full scale mode there." For now, Turkey and Russia appear to have successfully created a demilitarized zone along Idlib's front lines, after rebels and an al-Qaida-linked alliance pulled back their heavy weapons. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a Turkey-Africa business forum in Istanbul, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) Turkey is already struggling to host some 3 million Syrians. ___ 11:40 a.m. The Turkish president is suggesting that Turkey's military could soon launch a new operation across the border into northern Syria, in zones held by Syrian Kurdish fighters. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement is renewing a threat to expand Turkey's military operations into areas east of the Euphrates River held by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds. Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish militia as terrorist and part of a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey. Erdogan says: "God willing, very soon ... we will leave the terror nests east of the Euphrates in disarray." He spoke on Friday at a military ceremony honoring Turkish commando soldiers. Turkey launched incursion into Syria in 2016 and 2018, into areas west of the Euphrates, pushing Islamic State militants as well as Syrian Kurdish fighters from the border area. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Gaza's Health Ministry says five Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire at a protest near the fence diving the territory and Israel. The ministry said Friday that 50 other protesters were wounded by live bullets. Thousands of Palestinians marched Friday after convening at five locations along the fence, burning tires and throwing rocks toward Israeli troops, who responded from across the barrier with tear gas and gunfire. Gaza's Hamas rulers have staged near-weekly protests since March, pressing for an end to a stifling Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Since the protests began, at least 150 Palestinians have been killed while participating or being present at the demonstrations. An Israeli soldier was also killed by a Gaza sniper in the same period. NEW YORK (AP) - Danielle Spencer, who played the tattletale little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s TV series "What's Happening!!," is home in Virginia recuperating from emergency brain surgery after a series of health setbacks. Spencer, who had been working as a veterinarian, was released from a hospital Oct. 4 after surgery for a bleeding hematoma, a result of a 1977 car accident that killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt, as he shielded her from harm. She can speak just slightly and must use crutches to walk, said a spokesman, Jason Hardy. The 53-year-old Spencer began suffering symptoms in 2004, when she was confined to a wheelchair and did a long stint in rehab to relearn how to walk. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, Hardy said. LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Florida's orange crop is expected to increase for the first time in seven years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that 79 million boxes of oranges are expected during the coming season, a 76 percent increase from the 45 million produced last season. That crop was ravaged by Hurricane Irma and the industry is still suffering from citrus greening, a disease that kills trees. A box of oranges is 90 pounds (40 kilograms). The forecast is only about a third the size of the typical Florida orange crop of the early 2000s. Almost all Florida oranges are sold to juice manufacturers. The grapefruit crop is expected to grow 73 percent to 6.7 million boxes and the combined tangerine and tangelo crop is expected to jump 60 percent to 1.2 million boxes. ___ Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan authorities have freed a prominent opposition activist jailed for four years just days after an anti-government politician died in state custody. News of Lorent Saleh's release late Friday came as a shock to his supporters, and even his mother, who rushed to a Caracas jail expecting to receive her son only to learn he had been taken to the airport to board a flight for Spain escorted by government officials from the European country. "I didn't know anything about this. I thought he'd be turned over here, but what's important is that he's free," a weeping Yamile Saleh told journalists outside the jail. "He tried to calm me, saying he is with people he trusts," she said after speaking to her son by telephone. "We have to take care of Lorent's life. There are things I can't answer." A government truth commission said Saleh was at risk of causing harm to himself after being evaluated for suicidal tendencies while imprisoned. It said it was decided he should be released as part of efforts to ease political tensions in the South American nation. Saleh's mother had mounted an international campaign to secure her son's release. Saleh, 30, was arrested in Colombia in 2014 and extradited by then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos after appearing on a video phone call leaked by Venezuelan authorities bragging to an unknown person about plans to hire sharpshooters to sow unrest in Venezuela. Santos, a future Nobel Peace Prize winner, was at the time seeking to curry favor with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was sponsoring peace talks between Santos' government and leftist rebels Further fueling the Venezuelan government's narrative that Saleh was plotting terrorist acts with international support, he was also photographed alongside prominent right-wing politicians such as former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. His extradition was widely condemned by human rights groups, who argued he could never get a fair trial in Venezuela and would be subjected to harsh conditions of confinement. In 2017, he was one of several anti-government activists the opposition considers political prisoners awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European parliament. His release capped a tumultuous week that saw another anti-government activist, Caracas area councilman Fernando Alban, fall from the 10th floor of a police building where he was being held. Authorities have called Alban's death a suicide, but opposition leaders have alleged - so far without evidence - that he was murdered while in custody. Several foreign governments and the United Nations have called for an independent investigation to determine whether foul play was involved. Alban was arrested last week at Caracas' international airport upon arriving from a trip to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to press foreign officials to apply more pressure on Maduro's government. The government said he was being investigated for his alleged involvement in an August attack on Maduro with explosives-laden drones. BEIRUT (AP) - The Islamic State group stormed a settlement for displaced people in eastern Syria and abducted scores of civilians in the latest attack by the extremists on civilians, a U.S.-backed Syrian force and a war monitor said on Saturday. The area in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province has been witnessing days of intense clashes between IS and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces amid bad weather and low visibility. The SDF said in a statement that the fighting on Friday in the Hajin camp for the displaced left 20 IS gunmen and "several" SDF fighters dead. It added that IS gunmen seized civilians by force and took them to areas in the last pocket of territory they control in the region. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's war, said as many as 130 families were abducted by the extremists. The Observatory warned that IS might kill them. The Observatory said the families are mostly made up of foreign women, including widows of IS members who had been killed earlier in the Syrian war. Since IS lost most of its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq over the past two years, the extremists have been resorting to attacks on civilians to show that they are still effective. FILE - In this Thursday, July 27, 2017, a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter runs in front of a damaged building as he crosses a street on the front line, in Raqqa city, Syria. With Islamic State's near total defeat on the battle field, the extremist group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular series of conquests in 2014 _ a shadowy terror network that targets vulnerable civilian populations and exploits state weaknesses to incite on sectarian strife. But a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance of the international news agenda. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) The area of Friday's attack is on the edge of the last pocket held by IS in Syria. Intense fighting has been ongoing on the area since Wednesday, amid a sand storm. Not counting the dead in the camp for the displaced, the Observatory said the fighting in the area in the past three days killed 37 SDF fighters and 58 IS gunmen. The SDF launched an offensive to regain control of the IS-held pockets of territory last month. MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael (all times local): 7:25 p.m. The first debate between the two candidates running for Florida governor is going to be cancelled due to Hurricane Michael. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum announced Saturday on Facebook that he cannot get back out on the campaign trail until at least next Wednesday due to damage caused by the storm. The Democratic nominee for governor was scheduled to debate Republican Ron DeSantis Tuesday in Orlando. Gillum said that he could not leave town if thousands of residents were still without power. More than 110,000 customers of the Tallahassee-owned electric company lost power as a result of Hurricane Michael's high winds that brought down hundreds of trees across the city. There were about 30,000 city customers still without power Saturday night. Mike Jackson sifts through debris looking for remnants of his home which was destroyed by hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) There are two other debates scheduled. ___ 7:25 p.m. North Carolina's top Republican legislative leaders say they're prepared to approve nearly $800 million for Hurricane Florence recovery when the General Assembly reconvenes Monday. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger on Saturday announced support to appropriate $794 million. Most would come from the state's rainy-day reserves. This past week, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled a detailed $1.5 billion relief request, for which he sought $750 million immediately. Moore and Berger's offices said in a news release they'll give Cooper and state agencies maximum spending flexibility while damage assessments continue. Cooper's plan focused on helping farmers and businesses and repairing homes, roads, schools and other government buildings. Republicans say they'll also back Cooper's request for a new hurricane recovery office. The legislature approved an initial recovery bill Oct. 2. ___ 6:30 p.m. Authorities in Virginia say a rescue team has recovered the remains of a woman who had been missing since she was swept away in flash flooding during Tropical Storm Michael. Virginia State Police said in a news release Saturday evening that a volunteer K-9 rescue team found 62-year-old Ruby S. Allen's body earlier in the day. The state Department of Emergency Management says the discovery brings the total of storm-related deaths in Virginia to six. Four others, including Allen's son, died in flooding, and a firefighter was killed when a tractor-trailer struck a fire engine. Authorities had previously said Allen, of Eureka, was presumed dead. She, her son and grandson were in a car when it became stranded on a bridge. State police say Allen and 36-year-old Ronnie Allen were swept away. Ronnie Allen's 17-year-old son was rescued. ___ 6:30 p.m. Duke Energy says 10,000 people are working to restore power to about 175,000 customers across the Carolinas in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Michael. The company said in a news release Saturday that power had been restored to more than 900,000 customers in the two states over the 48 hours since the storm passed through. Duke says Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance and Caswell counties in North Carolina were among the hardest hit. Crews from other states are assisting Carolinas-based line workers. An online outage map shows reported outages and estimated restoration times. ___ 5:15 p.m. Gov. Rick Scott says about 1,700 total search and rescue personnel are in Florida and so far have checked 25,000 homes statewide. Scott spoke with reporters Saturday after meeting with emergency responders in the Panama City area. He says the state is working to help distribute food and water to affected residents. In the meantime, more than 17,000 utility workers are busy restoring power to 245,000 Florida homes and businesses still without electricity. The governor said he understands that many suffering after Michael are tense. He says he feels sorry for people who have lost their homes and do not have much savings. He said, "Everybody just needs to help each other right now." The tally of lives lost across the South stands at 14, including one person found in the rubble of Mexico Beach, where about 1,000 people live. ___ 4:35 p.m. The main Florida utility that serves most of the Panhandle is warning that some people may be without power for weeks due to Hurricane Michael. Gulf Power officials said Saturday that some areas of Bay County on Florida's coast could get their power restored in the next two days. The company said that it may take six days to restore electricity to three counties near the Georgia border. Gulf Power officials, however, did not yet have estimates on how long it will take to restore power for downtown Panama City and other towns on the coast. More than 253,000 customers remain without power in the Panhandle. Thousands of utility linemen have been brought to help with the recovery effort. ___ 4:35 p.m. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is calling up 500 more members of the state's national guard as the state mounts a massive recovery effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Scott has now called up 4,000 members of the Florida National Guard to deal with the deadly storm. The National Guard is in addition to nearly 2,000 law-enforcement officials that have also been brought into the Panhandle. The guard members have been helping out with search and rescue efforts but are also being used to distribute supplies in 11 counties. Florida plans on distributing more than three million meals and two million gallons of water. Volunteer organizations are also setting up mobile kitchens across the region and plan to distribute 10,000 meals alone in the Panama City region. ____ 3:55 p.m. Rescuers are intensifying efforts to find survivors who might be trapped amid the ruins of a small Florida Panhandle community nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael. Crews with dogs went door-to-door in Mexico Beach on Saturday and pushed aside debris to get inside badly damage structures in a second wave of searches after an initial, hasty search. Authorities say there is little doubt the death toll will rise from the storm, which made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds (249 kph) and heavy storm surge. The tally of lives lost across the South stood at 14, including one person found in the rubble of Mexico Beach, where about 1,000 people live. ___ 12:15 p.m. Utility crews will be working throughout the weekend to restore power to Virginia customers. Dominion Energy said in an outage update Saturday morning that more than 6,000 personnel are working to get power back up for 160,000 customers who remain without service. More than 600,000 Dominion customers were impacted in what the company says was the sixth-largest outage in its history. Dominion expects to have the "vast majority" of customers' power restored by the end of the day Monday. Appalachian Power reported around 9,000 customer outages as of late Saturday morning. Michael brought high winds and flash flooding to Virginia after making landfall as a hurricane in Florida on Wednesday. ___ 11 a.m. Power and cellphone service are starting to be restored in parts of Florida's storm-battered Panhandle. State emergency management officials reported Saturday that nearly 264,000 customers remain without electricity in the state. They also said that 80 percent of cellphone service has been restored throughout the region hit by Hurricane Michael. But the numbers remain high in the hardest-hit areas. Bay County, which is where Panama City is located, only has 30 percent cellphone coverage. Nearly 100,000 customers in that coastal county also remain without power. Smaller coastal counties south of Panama City and rural north Florida counties also remain in the dark. Lights have been coming back on in Tallahassee. More than 100,000 city utility customers lost power right after the storm, but as of Saturday there were about 40,000 who remained without electricity. ___ 9 a.m. The White House has issued an emergency declaration for the state of Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Michael. President Donald Trump on Friday declared that an emergency exists in Alabama and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the hurricane starting Oct. 10 and continuing. Under the declaration, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding in Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent funding in Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Mobile, Montgomery, Pike, and Russell counties and the Poarch Creek Band of Indians. ___ For the latest on Hurricane Michael, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes Members of a South Florida urban search and rescue team try to gain entry to a home while looking for survivors of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A member of a South Florida urban search and rescue team checks a home for survivors of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Members from South Florida Task Force search a flattened home destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) South Florida urban search and rescue specialist Chris Boyer removes a damaged American flag from a downed pole while checking for for survivors of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) This aerial photo shows debris and destruction in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) A banner hangs from a damaged home as a South Florida urban search and rescue team checks for survivors of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) The remains of a burned home stand after being destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Members from South Florida Task Force search a flattened home destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) This photo shows debris and destruction in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town, was nearly obliterated by the hurricane, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Dave Mullins looks out over the damage in front of his home, seen in background left, where he rode out hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. "Right now I just need communication," said Mullins of not having cell phone service. "If I can get out here I would." (AP Photo/David Goldman) A search and rescue team walks past a debris pile from hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Damaged homes are seen along the water's edge in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Vehicles sit parked on a bridge while drivers try to reach a phone signal on Highway 71 near Port St. Joe, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. Hurricane Michael has left several thousand residents on Florida's panhandle without power. (Bronte Wittpenn/Tampa Bay Times via AP) Tiffany Harris moves out of her hotel room, after the hotel was heavily damaged during Hurricane Michael in Panama Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Marie Foister throws tree limbs from a tree that fell on their house, into a nearby lot, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Mary Frances Parrish shows her toppled pecan tree, which fell in a neighbor's house, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Parrish didn't leave the storm because her car was broken down, she didn't have a place to go and if she did she didn't have the money for it. She is caring for her terminally ill son who lives with her. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Religious leaders have united to call on the Home Secretary to prevent the deportation of two teenage asylum-seeker brothers from Scotland. Somer, 15, and Areeb Umeed Bakhsh, 13, face being returned from Glasgow to Pakistan, where their family fears for their safety. A letter written by Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, asking Sajid Javid to intervene has been signed by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley and Bishop Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. John Cross, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, Rev Dr David Easton, chair of the Synod of the Methodist Church in Scotland, and 13 former Church of Scotland moderators have also added their names to the appeal. The brothers have received strong support from the local community (Andrew Milligan/PA) They want Mr Javid to re-examine the familys case and recognise the Pakistan-wide threat they face. The boys father is said to have received death threats from Islamic extremists due to his Christian faith and the family fled Faisalabad in 2012. Mrs Brown wrote: As you will be aware, the blasphemy laws in Pakistan are such that even without substantive evidence, accusations can be made against those not of the Muslim faith. Petty disagreements between neighbours, for example, can result in people of another faith being accused under the law and lead to their imprisonment or being pursued with the intent to kill. This is precisely the reason why this faithful Christian family find themselves in Scotland. It is understood the UK Government has rejected the familys plea for asylum largely because officials do not believe they would be at risk if they moved to a different part of Pakistan. A petition calling on the Home Office not to deport the boys has been signed by more than 88,000 people to date. Somer is studying five highers and hopes to become an astrophysicist, while his brother Areeb is said to be interested in art and astronomy. Their father Maqsood holds two masters degrees and worked as a data analyst in Pakistan, while their mother Parveen is a trained midwife with 17 years of experience, the Church of Scotland said. They have been unable to work in Scotland and have been getting by on benefits and charity due to their immigration status. Mrs Brown wrote: With all respect, we urge you and, through you, the Home Office to step in and allow this family to play their part in serving a nation they very much feel a part of and want to contribute to. The Home Office said it does not comment on individual cases. Theresa May has briefed key ministers on the Brexit negotiations amid speculation the Government is moving closer to a deal with Brussels. Following the meeting of the inner Cabinet in Downing Street on Thursday, Government Chief Whip Julian Smith insisted ministers were united behind the PMs strategy. However, Westminster was rife with speculation of possible resignations if Mrs May gives too much ground to the EU in her attempt to win an agreement. Earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, who was not at the Downing Street meeting, pointedly refused to endorse the Prime Ministers Chequers blueprint for Brexit. Works and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has refused to endorse Theresas Mays Chequers plan (David Mirzoeff/PA) International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom who, like Ms McVey, both backed Leave in the referendum in 2016 were also said to harbour deep concerns. With the negotiations coming to a head, the central focus of the discussions on Thursday is thought to have been the issue of the Northern Ireland backstop intended to ensure there is no return of a hard border with the Republic. A number of ministers, including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, were said to have raised concerns during the meeting which lasted around an hour-and-a-half. The EU wants Northern Ireland effectively to remain in the single market and the customs union to avoid the need for customs checks until there is a final free trade deal between the UK and the EU. Mrs May insists such an arrangement must apply to the whole of the UK to avoid the creation of a border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. DUP leader Arlene Foster says her party cannot accept the EUs proposals (Liam McBurney/PA) However, Tory Brexiteers fear that she is about to concede to EU demands that it must be open-ended, despite previous assurances from ministers it would have to be time-limited. Without a time limit, critics say Britain could be tied to the EU indefinitely unable to negotiate free trade deals with other countries. Boris Johnson has said it would reduce the UK to a permanent EU colony. Following three days of talks with key figures in Brussels, DUP leader Arlene Foster whose party props up the Government at Westminster issued a renewed warning that they could not accept the EU proposals as they stood. The Prime Minister is a unionist. Many of her cabinet colleagues have assured me of their unionism, she said. Therefore, they could not in good conscience recommend a deal which places a trade barrier on United Kingdom businesses moving goods from one part of the Kingdom to another. Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has said she can understand why a no-deal Brexit could lead many former No voters to back independence. Ms Dugdale insisted she personally would never back Scotland leaving the UK. But she said she could understand and fully respect why some of those who had voted for Scotland to stay in the Union in 2014 might reconsider their ballot. The next question asks what impact the outcome of Brexit may have upon a future possible independence referendum #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/NeflFepQNr BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) October 11, 2018 The Labour MSP, who had previously said it was not inconceivable she would support independence if it would secure Scotlands status as part of the European Union, acknowledged she had got herself into a bit of trouble on this issue from time to time. She spoke out as the issue of whether Britain leaving the EU without a deal would result in a second vote on Scottish independence was discussed on the BBCs Question Time programme which was being broadcast from Holyroods debating chamber. The former Scottish Labour leader said: I just think it is very desperately sad, the question started with will a no-deal Brexit lead to a second independence referendum, will it change minds? Kezia Dugdale said she would never back Scotland leaving the UK (PA) It wont change my mind, but I understand why it would change so many others, because there is no good Brexit, there is no jobs-first Brexit. .@kezdugdale says that stopping Brexit is the only way to protect jobs, the economy and employment rights #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/wE40XudBY8 BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) October 11, 2018 She added: People are really worried right now and we have to do everything we can to stop Brexit, thats what Im committed to doing, its simply got to be done, it is the only way we can protect jobs, the economy, everything I hold dear as a Labour politician. Presenter David Dimbleby pressed her on the issue, asking Ms Dugdale if efforts to halt Brexit failed would she then support independence for Scotland. She stated: No I wouldnt. Ive thought long and hard about this and Ive got myself into a bit of trouble on this issue from time to time. But no, I believe in unions, I believe in unions of people, I believe in unions of nations, I think collectivism is the best way to operate as a country, thats my belief system. But I do understand and fully respect why some people and I think it is just some people are reconsidering what they think. The Duchess of Cornwall will watch a display of Highland dancing on a second day of engagements in Aberdeenshire. Camilla has been invited to the performance at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar, near the Royal Familys home at Balmoral. The park is home to a new heritage centre named in honour of her husband Charles, whose title in Scotland is the Duke of Rothesay. Her visit comes on the day Princess Eugenie is to marry Jack Brooksbank in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle. Around 850 guests are expected to gather in the historic surroundings where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wed five months ago. Camilla is known as the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA) The Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion tells the story of the popular Braemar Gathering, which is held in the park each year and is regularly attended by the Queen. The building, expected to open to the public early next year, will also provide new headquarters for the Braemar Royal Highland Society. During the visit, the duchess will meet the societys president David Geddes, and Robert Lovie of The Princes Foundation. On Thursday Camilla visited Alford Community Campus in Aberdeenshire and joined a cookery class with schoolchildren. She visited Alford Community Campus and met pupils and staff from local schools who had come together for a celebration of harvest time. Criticism of the Governments flagship welfare reforms, the royal wedding and judges pay are on Fridays front pages. Chancellor Philip Hammond plans to ditch a proposed cut to income tax in order to put extra money into Universal Credit, the Daily Telegraph reports. The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: Promised tax cuts dropped to fund welfare '#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/zcpIwL3Jlv The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 11, 2018 On the other hand the Daily Express reports a Treasury minister insisted the Government aims to keep taxes as low as possible. EXPRESS: Millions to get income tax cut #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/JWzCC36xbY Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) October 11, 2018 The i says the Conservative Party faces a row over the controversial roll-out of Universal Credit after Sir John Major warned of a poll tax-like public backlash. I: Tory welfare revolt after minister says families will lose out #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/oNPjIkS59A Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) October 11, 2018 Meanwhile The Times reports that charities and companies working with Universal Credit claimants have been gagged in a bid to avoid public criticism of the Pensions Secretary Esther McVey. Tomorrow's Times front page: Charities gagged by ministers pic.twitter.com/DoRzl6KhoH The Times (@thetimes) October 11, 2018 The Guardian leads with the start of works to enable the M26 in Kent to be turned into a potential lorry park to deal with a no-deal Brexit amid concerns there could be delays at the nearby port of Dover. What the papers say - October 12 Guardian front page, Friday 12 October 2018: Motorway closing to prepare for lorry parking in no-deal Brexit pic.twitter.com/Fkpy2L2xvG The Guardian (@guardian) October 11, 2018 Judges could be in line for an annual pay rise of almost 60,000 in a move which could spark fury among public sector workers, the Daily Mail reports. The Sun leads with Princess Eugenie ahead of her marriage to Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle on Friday. Tomorrow's front page: Princess Eugenie will wear her childhood scars with pride as she marries Jack Brooksbank https://t.co/ERu4lnezOu pic.twitter.com/Fre649B2VH The Sun (@TheSun) October 11, 2018 The NHS is facing its worst winter crisis, hospital bosses are warning, The Independent reports. INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: NHS winter crisis will be worse than ever this year #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/tKzSUZjqGY Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) October 11, 2018 And the Daily Mirror leads with admissions by the Duchess of Sussexs father, Thomas Markle Sr, about his earlier life. The remains of a German-American who invented the first submarine able to dive and resurface by itself have been exhumed in Panama. Julius Kroehls remains were dug up from a cemetery with help from the US Embassy. They are to be reburied alongside US war veterans near the Panama Canal. People gather under a tent as they exhume the body of Julius H. Kroehl (Arnulfo Franco/AP) The embassy said authorities will also seek to confirm the identity of the remains and establish a cause of death. Kroehl built his submarine from parts brought from New York to search for pearls off Panamas Pacific coast during the 19th century. Records say he died at age 47 of malaria, but some suspect he was killed by decompression sickness, also known as the bends. Kroehl was buried in 1867, and his grave was only rediscovered in 2005. The suspect arrested over the death of a Bulgarian television journalist has confessed to the attack but denies raping and robbing her, prosecutors in Germany have said. The Celle prosecutors office said the suspect, who has been identified in Bulgaria as 21-year-old Severin Krassimirov, told them he had not meant to kill TV reporter Viktoria Marinova. Tributes for reporter Viktoria Marinova (Filip Dvorski/AP) Prosecutors say the suspect confessed to being under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he got into an argument with a woman he did not know in a park. They say he told them he hit her in the face and threw her into bushes but denied the intent to kill. Prosecutors said Krassimirov, who was held on Tuesday in Germany on a European arrest warrant, will be extradited within the next 10 days. A man is in a serious condition in hospital following a stabbing in west Belfast. The 24-year-old suffered two wounds to his neck. The incident took place in the Carrigart Avenue area at around 4.15am on Friday. A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, and assault on police. Detectives appealing following a stabbing at Carrigart Avenue, West Belfast this morning. A 24 yr man received two stab wounds to his neck, taken to hospital in a serious condition. A 32 yr man arrested. Anyone with info asked to contact police on 101 with reference 172 12/10/18 Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) October 12, 2018 The Police Service of Northern Ireland has appealed for witnesses to come forward. Detective Sergeant Gardiner said: Shortly after 4.15am, it was reported that a 24-year-old man received two stab wounds to his neck in the area. The PSNI are investigating a stabbing in Belfast (Paul Faith/PA) The man has been taken to hospital for his injuries, with his condition described as serious. A 32-year-old man was arrested for grievous bodily harm with intent, disorderly behaviour and assault on police. He is currently assisting police with their inquiries. We would appeal to anyone in the area who witnessed the incident to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 172 12/10/18. No evidence of criminality has been found on a laptop thought to have belonged to the father of Poppi Worthington, police have said. In the hours before the Barrow-in-Furness youngsters death, Paul Worthington, 50, viewed adult porn on his laptop, but officers did not seize the computer at the time. It was one of a series of failures by Cumbria Police, who lost vital evidence during their botched investigation which meant no-one has been prosecuted over the 13-month-olds sexual abuse and death in December 2012. The laptop was recovered after police arrested a 39-year-old Barrow man in March this year on suspicion of assisting an offender. On Friday, Cumbria Police said in a statement: Cumbria Constabulary can confirm that a laptop seized by officers, as part of an investigative inquiry concerning the death of Poppi Worthington, does not contain any evidence of criminal activity. The laptop has been subject to meticulous forensic physical and digital examination by accredited forensic examiners in accordance with national best practice. This was subsequently independently assessed by another police force. The constabulary are confident that the laptop is the one used by Paul Worthington at the time of Poppis death. Poppis father Paul pictured leaving Kendal County Hall following a second inquest into the toddlers death (Owen Humphreys/PA) All examinations resulted in no evidence of criminality being found. The Crown Prosecution Service have been made aware of the results of the laptop examination. The 39-year-old man co-operated with the investigation and has been released with no further action. Paramedics were called to the Worthington family home on the morning of December 12, 2012. Poppi was taken to Furness General Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after 7am. An inquest in January found she was anally penetrated in her fathers double bed, although Cumbria coroner David Roberts said her death did not result from the abuse and that the toddler suffocated as she slept next to her father in an unsafe sleeping environment. The ruling came after judgments by a High Court family judge in 2014 and 2016 that on the balance of probabilities Poppi was abused by her father shortly before her death. The Crown Prosecution Service previously ruled Mr Worthington will not face any legal action. He strenuously denies any wrongdoing and is now living in hiding with the help of police protection. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals. Wuerl, who turns 78 in November, becomes the most prominent head to roll in the scandal rocking the Catholic Church after his predecessor as Washington archbishop, Theodore McCarrick, was forced to resign as cardinal over allegations he sexually abused at least two minors and adult seminarians. Theodore McCarrick was forced to resign as cardinal (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP, Pool, File) A Vatican statement said Francis had accepted Wuerls resignation, but named no immediate replacement. The decision came after months in which Wuerl initially downplayed the scandal, insisted on his own good record, but then progressively came to the conclusion that he could no longer lead the archdiocese. Police forces should approach the challenge of improving diversity with the same urgency as they respond to critical incidents, a new blueprint for chief officers suggests. The toolkit has been drawn up as part of the latest push to boost the numbers of female and black and minority ethnic (BME) personnel across the service. It proposes a host of measures, including the appointment in each constabulary of a lead officer to oversee their organisations efforts. Those assigned to the posts would be encouraged to approach increasing diversity with the same level of commitment as critical incidents, the National Police Chiefs Council said. It also suggested forces could set up gold groups in recognition of the critical nature of the issue. Gold groups are convened in response to major incidents or high-profile cases which have a major bearing on public confidence. Other possible steps include positive action measures such as proactively seeking out candidates from under-represented groups and increasing flexible working to take into account childcare commitments and religious or cultural events. The NPCC also published a new strategy, which all chief constables have signed up to. Under the plan, senior personnel will be assessed on their efforts to improve diversity within their operational command as part of the annual appraisal process. Latest figures show that at the end of March, 7% of officers in England and Wales were BME. This was the highest proportion since records started but it is still an under-representation as 14% of the wider population is BME. There also continues to be a significant under-representation of women in the police workforce, with 30% of all officers female as of March. The national policing lead for diversity admitted progress has been too slow. Chief Constable Gareth Wilson said: Having a police force that is more representative of the communities it serves is an operational imperative. We need officers and staff who are able to respond quickly to the changing demographics of local communities, overcome language barriers and bring a deep knowledge of certain cultures. It is proven that more diverse teams make better decisions and innovate more. Progress has already been made with more women and black, Asian and ethnic minority officers and staff now than ever before but the pace of change has so far been too slow. Mr Wilson said the strategy and toolkit will help forces make better use of the talents and skills of people from all backgrounds. There is no one-size-fits-all solution as no two communities are the same, he added. Metropolitan Police officers wearing white dress uniform gloves during a Metropolitan Police passing out parade (Nick Ansell/PA) Policing Minister Nick Hurd said that while forces have made good progress, it is an uncomfortable truth that they do not fully represent the communities they serve. He said: Im pleased to see that chief constables are committed to achieving this goal. Tola Munro, President of the National Black Police Association, said: Race is given a clear priority as promised, which we hope will ensure policing legitimacy, reflect operational necessity, and improve community engagement. He added that the association will monitor the toolkit as a critical friend. Chief Constable Dee Collins, lead for the British Association of Women in Policing, said: This strategy places responsibility on all of us to improve our representation within policing, which will help to build understanding, trust and confidence in policing. While it is pleasing to see increasing numbers of women joining the service, there is still a great deal to do across the diversity spectrum and its crucial that we do this together. Storm Callum weather warnings in Ireland have been downgraded, but severe conditions continue to cause havoc as they sweep across the country. Gusts of 124km/h (77mph) were recorded at Belmullet in Co Mayo on Friday morning as the storm battered the west of Ireland. More than 30,000 homes and businesses were left without power across the island. A man takes pictures of the stormy seas at Salthill promenade, Co Galway (Brian Lawless/PA) Several flights were cancelled out of Dublin and Belfast due to the storm on Friday morning, but airports were otherwise operating as normal. Met Eireann said an orange weather alert would remain in place until 5pm on Friday for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo, but the forecaster lifted the warning for the rest of Ireland on Friday morning. An orange warning had been in place for all coastal counties across the Republic and Met Eireann had earlier warned of potential risk to life and property. #StormCallum Record of winds measured at our station in Belmullet, Co. Mayo showing a gust of 67 knots (124 km/h) this morning at about 07:20 (timeline on image is UTC) pic.twitter.com/Uz1jNhzHjW Met Eireann (@MetEireann) October 12, 2018 Network operator ESB reported multiple faults, with counties Cork, Kerry and Donegal among the worst hit. The operator issued a warning via Twitter for people to be careful if they come across any fallen trees and to be aware that there may also be downed power cables. A mink decides to stick to dry land amid stormy weather off Co Galway (Brian Lawless/PA) In Northern Ireland, about 1,000 homes and businesses experienced power loss. The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland. Princess Eugenie looked sophisticated in a striking wedding dress by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, with a distinctive wide fold-over neckline caressing her shoulders. Peta Hunt, editor-at-large for You & Your Wedding magazine, said the gown, with its fitted bodice and full pleated skirt, had a 1950s feel. Princess Eugenie arrives for her wedding with her father, the Duke of York (Steve Parsons/PA) I thought it was fantastic. The gentle v-neck is caressing the shoulders, Ms Hunt said. Its got a slight 1950s couture look that helps massively to make it look different from Kate and Meghans wedding dresses. She added: Shes worked with her shape. She has a fabulously long train and no veil. It actually shows off her face. Its very sophisticated and elegant. Eugenies dress had a fitted bodice and full skirt (Jonathan Brady/PA) Ms Hunt predicted Eugenies choice would inspire future brides. I think there will be girls following that trend, she said. Buckingham Palace said the low back feature on the soft white dress was at the specific request of Eugenie, who had surgery aged 12 to correct scoliosis and has scars on her back. Eugenies dress showed off her scars from an operation she had on her back as a child (Victoria Jones/PA) Eugenies sparkling tiara was the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, lent to her by her grandmother the Queen. The tiara was made by Boucheron for Mrs Greville in 1919 in the fashionable kokoshnik style popularised in the Russian Imperial Court. Eugenies tiara (Yui Mok/PA) The tiara is made of brilliant and rose cut diamonds pave set in platinum, with six emeralds on either side. It was bequeathed by Mrs Greville to Queen Elizabeth in 1942. Eugenies diamond and emerald drop ear-rings were a wedding gift from her groom Jack Brooksbank. The Peter Pilotto brand is known for its innovative textile design, paired with a modern feminine silhouette. The gowns long train is prepared for her entrance (Victoria Jones/PA) The palace said the princess has been wearing designs by the brand for several years, and worked with them on the design. On the dress are symbols of personal significance to Eugenie, including a thistle for Scotland acknowledging the couples fondness for Balmoral, a shamrock for Ireland as a nod to the brides Ferguson family, and the York Rose and ivy representing the couples home. Pilotto and De Vos reinterpreted these symbols in a garland of rope-like motifs, woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton and viscose blend. Eugenie, who once revealed she usually does her make-up in the car, had help for her big day. Her hair was styled by Sonny-Jo MacFarlane of Haris, with make-up by Hannah Martin of Bobbi Brown. An American pastor at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States is back in court. The fourth hearing of the case against Andrew Brunson began in a prison complex near the western Turkish city of Izmir. He arrived in a secured convoy. A convoy of cars carrying Brunson (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The evangelical pastor is accused of terror-related charges and espionage, facing up to 35 years in prison if convicted. Brunson, 50, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, rejects the charges and strongly maintains his innocence. He is one of thousands caught up in a wide-scale government crackdown that followed a failed coup against the Turkish government in July 2016. Prosecutors accuse Brunson of committing crimes on behalf of terror groups, linking him to outlawed Kurdish militants and a network led by a US-based Turkish cleric who is accused of orchestrating the coup attempt. The US maintains he is being held unjustly and has repeatedly called for his release. On Thursday, a person involved in efforts to free Brunson told The Associated Press in Washington that the pastor could be released at the hearing. US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that America is hopeful he will soon go free but said she was unaware of any agreement on his release. Norine Brunson, the wife of US pastor Andrew Brunson, is escorted before his trial in Izmir (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) The pastor, who is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, was imprisoned for nearly two years detained in October 2016 and formally arrested in December that year before being placed under house arrest on July 25 for health reasons. The courts decision failed to improve tensions between the two Nato allies. Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish officials and doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium imports. Those moves in August, coupled with concerns over the governments economic management, helped trigger a Turkish currency crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted US demands for Brunsons release, insisting that the courts are independent. But he had previously suggested a possible swap of Brunson and the Pennsylvania-resident Fethullah Gulen the cleric accused of being behind the coup. Brunson led a small congregation in the Izmir Resurrection Church. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, with representatives monitoring the trial, has listed him as a prisoner of conscience. Brunsons lawyer took the case to Turkeys highest court last week seeking his release from house arrest. Theresa May would never agree a Brexit deal with the EU which traps the UK permanently in a customs union, Downing Street has said. The pledge came amid speculation over possible ministerial resignations if the Prime Minister gives too much ground ahead of a crunch Brussels summit next week. After Mrs May briefed key ministers on the latest developments in the Brexit negotiations in Downing Street on Thursday evening, attention at Westminster is focusing on the issue of whether a precise time limit can be set on her proposed backstop arrangement for the Irish border. Mrs May chaired a meeting of the inner Cabinet on Brexit progress (Andrew Matthews/PA) Mrs May set out in June proposals for a temporary customs arrangement to ensure that the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic remains open in the case that no broader EU/UK trade agreement has been finalised. The document stated that the UK Government expects this arrangement to remain in place no later than the end of December 2021. But the EU is mounting resistance to any specific time limit being included in the text of the UKs Withdrawal Agreement, while Leave-backing ministers are understood to be insistent that the end of the arrangement should be more precisely defined than the vague term temporary. Speaking to Bloomberg TV in Bali, Indonesia, Philip Hammond suggested that the `backstop arrangement would probably have to be implemented (Bloomberg) While the UK remains in a customs union with the EU, it cannot strike free trade deals with other countries like the US or China. Brexiteers fear that once Britain is signed up to any sort of temporary arrangement, the EU will seek to drag it out into the indefinite future. As officials continued to wrangle over the precise wording of the agreement in Brussels, a Downing Street spokeswoman told a Westminster media briefing: The Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently. The spokeswoman said Mrs May stood by her June proposals, adding: Our position is that this future economic relationship needs to be in place by the end of December 2021 at the latest. Downing Street has always been clear that it does not wish or expect the backstop option to be implemented, as it insists it will be possible to agree a wider trade deal guaranteeing an open border in Ireland by the end of the transition period in December 2020. But Chancellor Philip Hammond has now suggested that he believes the backstop will probably be needed for a period. He told Bloomberg TV: We are not going to remain in anything indefinitely, we are very clear this has to be a temporary period. But it is true that there needs to be a period, probably following the transition period that we have negotiated, before we enter into our long-term partnership, just because of the time it will take to implement the systems required. Its very important to us that business doesnt have to make two sets of changes, that there will be effectively continuity from the current set-up through the transition period into any temporary period and then a single set of changes when we move into our long-term new economic partnership with the European Union. Following Thursdays meeting of the inner Cabinet in Downing Street on Thursday, Government Chief Whip Julian Smith insisted ministers were united behind the PMs strategy. Works and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has refused to endorse Theresas Mays Chequers plan (David Mirzoeff/PA) However, Westminster was rife with speculation of possible resignations by hardline Brexiteers within the Government. Earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, who was not at the Downing Street meeting, pointedly refused to endorse the Prime Ministers Chequers blueprint for Brexit. International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom who, like Ms McVey, both backed Leave in the referendum in 2016 were also said to harbour deep concerns. A number of ministers, including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, were said to have raised concerns over the backstop issue during the 90-minute meeting. Princess Charlotte took a tumble as she arrived at the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank. Accompanied by brother, Prince George, five, acting as page boy, the three year-old bridesmaid enthusiastically waved to the adoring crowds as they approached St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, before falling on her way in to the church. The Bridesmaids and Page Boys have arrived at St George's Chapel! #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/VnliujVKCv The Duke of York (@TheDukeOfYork) October 12, 2018 Charlotte wasnt the only member of the young bridal party to struggle with the steps. Page boy Louis De Givenchy, also stumbled as he entered the church, falling onto his hands on the West Steps of the chapel. The six-year-old is the son of Zoe De Givenchy and Olivier De Givenchy. Louis de Givenchy fell on the steps of the chapel (Victoria Jones/PA) However, both youngsters dusted themselves off and accompanied Princess Eugenie down the aisle. George and Charlotte were joined in the bridal party by other royal children. Savannah Phillips, seven, and her six year-old sister Isla, daughters of Peter and Autumn Phillips acted as bridesmaids, alongside Mia Tindall, four daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, and Maud Windsor, five, goddaughter of Princess Eugenie and granddaughter of Princess Michael of Kent. The bridesmaids and page boys (Yui Mok/PA) Theodora Williams, six, daughter of Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field, also took on the role of bridesmaid. They were wearing dresses and uniforms designed my Amaia Arrieta of Amaia Kids, and the design incorporates the Mark Bradford artwork included in the Order of Service. Floral patterns were seen on belts on both the bridesmaids white dresses and pageboys navy trouser outfits. The bridesmaids white dresses and pageboys navy trouser outfits all had floral belts. (Owen Humphreys/PA) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 14, and James, Viscount Severn, aged 10, the children of Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex, were both given the role of special attendants. Lady Louise greeted the bridal party at the West Steps before they entered the chapel, and the team of youngsters were kept in check by the Cambridges nanny as they waited to follow the bride down the aisle. As they waited the few minutes for the bride to arrive, George and Charlotte had their hands held by their nanny. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor met the bridal party on the chapels West Steps (Victoria Jones/PA) Prince George seemed curious to be at the second St Georges Chapel Royal Wedding of the year, craning his neck to take in his surroundings at the church. But as the trumpeters took their positions to herald the bride, the future king was seen to put his hands over his ears at the noise. He was not the only one startled, as a number of the children were seen to jump and Savannah put her finger in her ear at the flurry of noise. A man who illegally collected more than 5,000 rare bird eggs has been warned he is facing jail. Daniel Lingham, 65, was reported to police by a member of the public who saw him head-to-toe in camouflage gear picking eggs up off the ground at Cawston Heath in Norfolk, Norwich Magistrates Court heard. Colette Harper, prosecuting, said officers attended and stop searched him on May 21. RSPB senior investigations officer Mark Thomas with some of the 5,266 rare bird eggs seized from Daniel Lingham. Lingham has admitted five offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. (RSPB/ PA) He disclosed he had eggs on his person and produced two small tubs, she said, adding officers also found he had a catapult and tree climbing spikes with him. She said Lingham told the officers: Ive been a silly man, havent I? Officers searched his home address and found tubs containing eggs under his bed and in the kitchen and living room, with many of them handwritten on. Ms Harper said officers found a total of 5,266 eggs of species including nightingales, nightjars, turtle doves, chiffchaffs, little-ringed plovers, woodlarks and kingfishers. The RSPB said some of the bird eggs Lingham collected were from species that could become extinct in the UK. (RSPB/ PA) Lingham, of Newton Park Homes in Newton St Faith in Norfolk, admitted five offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Ms Harper said that 75 of the eggs were protected under schedule one of the act, adding that these species are in decline. She said that in police interview Lingham claimed: This is an addiction. He was convicted of similar offences in 2005 when he was jailed for 12 weeks for illegally collecting 3,603 eggs, she said. The charges to which Lingham pleaded guilty on Friday are taking nine linnet eggs at Cawston Heath on May 21 and possession of articles capable of being used to commit an offence found during the stop search, which are tree climbing spikes, binoculars and padded containers. He also admitted possession of 75 schedule one listed wild bird eggs, possession of 4,070 ordinarily protected wild bird eggs and possession of articles capable of being used to commit an offence found at his home address, which were wooden receptacles, plastic containers and egg reference books. Lingham told magistrates: I didnt realise how many eggs there were. I didnt count them. James Burrows, mitigating, said Lingham has been referred to a mental health team and is being treated for obsessive compulsive disorder. Chairman of the bench Jeanne Heal, adjourning the hearing for a pre-sentence report, warned Lingham: Were looking at a quite lengthy custodial sentence. He was bailed to appear at Norwich Magistrates Court on November 27. Speaking outside court, RSPB senior investigations officer Mark Thomas described Lingham as a one-man crime wave in terms of rare birds in Norfolk whose actions had an incredible impact on birds both regionally and nationally. He said some bird species that Lingham targeted, such as nightjar, nightingale and turtle dove, have really declined in the last decade, some by as much as 90%. The RSPB is spending nearly 200,000 per year trying to conserve the turtle dove as there is a very high chance that this bird could become extinct in the UK, he said. He said egg collecting is now really rare after a change in the law in 2001 meant egg collectors could be jailed. He said this seizure of eggs was the largest since Lingham was last convicted in 2005. A former trade lawyer dubbed the Brexiteers brain has criticised the Government over the lack of planning ahead of a possible no-deal Brexit warning it risks the future of the country. Shanker Singham branded it shocking and verging on malpractice that so little preparation had been done in the event of Britain leaving the European Union in March without a deal. He said that planning for no-deal would strengthen Prime Minister Theresa Mays hand in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations with Brussels. Mr Singham called on Chancellor Philip Hammond who is due to present a crunch Budget at the end of October to focus on big structural changes. One of things about watching Budgets over the last few years is that the vision and the scope has got smaller, smaller and smaller, Mr Singham said. You are talking about little tiny things. I would like to see big structural changes. Shanker Singham, far left, is described as the `Brexiteers Brain (Victoria Jones/PA) I would like to see in the reality that we face now, and I think it is fair to say that the Chancellor has not been the biggest advocate of this hes unlocked 3 billion for preparing this country for the eventuality that is very possible that we emerge without a deal that is not enough. It is shocking and verging on malpractice that we have not prepared for what is a very possible outcome. I think a major element of it should be unlocking that and that we are getting ready. Even if we do have a deal the fact that we are getting ready for the possible outcome of no deal will help you in your negotiations. Whereas, if you are not getting ready and I would say we are not getting ready you are really imperilling the future of every person in this country. Mr Singham, who is the director of international trade and competition at the free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. He said there had been very little long-term planning for Britain leaving the EU, describing it as a huge problem. There has been very little discussion and were focused on the latest thing (EU chief Brexit negotiator) Michel Barnier said or the latest conflict with Boris. This is irrelevant stuff, he said. What really matters here whether you like Brexit or not is that Brexit is a major global event. We have a G7 nation that is about to embrace free trade for the first time in over 40 years. It is a major global event and yet there has been no real discussion about what we are going to do at any kind of level, any kind of big vision, this is the moment to do that. This is the moment that all these things can happen and if you dont have the discussion and put the vision in place then all that will happen is we will be back to where we started again. Miatta Fahnbulleh, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, said she believed that people who voted to leave the EU in the referendum wanted change, and she feared they were not going to get it. For me, the thing I find most terrifying is that some people voted for Brexit because they wanted an independent trading system, but I think (for) the big chunk of people who swung the vote to leave, it was about change, she said. It was about the reality of their communities and the fact that things are getting harder and they cant see a way out, and they wanted change. It worries me that when all this oxygen is being thrown into Brexit we are not talking about that, and these are massive issues and really hard to unpick. The frustration of people will just grow and grow while our politicians and our thinkers are just focusing on this thing. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he stepped over the line several times with women. In an interview in Mens Health magazine, the actor and former Republican governor of California says he was the first one to say sorry. Schwarzenegger says he feels bad about it and apologises. Schwarzenegger was accused of sexual misconduct when he ran for governor in 2003 and denied the allegations. Bodybuilder. Actor. Governor. Legend. Arnold @Schwarzenegger is one of three cover guys for our 30th anniversary issue, which were using to honor 30 people who have changed the way we live. Read our full interview with the Austrian Oak: https://t.co/Bmfbg5Yete pic.twitter.com/JEG5Bw0DmD Men's Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) October 10, 2018 He said that is why there were sexual harassment courses when he became governor to make sure no one, including himself, made that mistake. Schwarzenegger says calling political opponents girlie men was shortsighted even though he improvised it at the time. Arnold Schwarzenegger was accused of sexual misconduct when he ran for governor of California in 2003 (Anthony Devlin/PA) He says he has not changed his views of masculinity. He says his mother was the woman he was originally most in love with. An online sales tax is not among Government plans to tackle the dominance of tech giants like Amazon and Facebook, Philip Hammond has said. The chancellor said that the Government was looking at improving fairness but wanted to focus on companies whose business models were exploiting either the personal data of UK consumers or exploiting content which is uploaded by UK consumers. It came as a Treasury taskforce examining competition in the digital economy issued a call for evidence on whether competition in the digital market is being stifled by powerful tech giants. Companies including Amazon, Google and Facebook are facing increasing pressure over the discrepancy between their soaring profits and the low rate of tax they pay. The Chancellors comments came as a taskforce set up to investigate digital competition issued its first call for evidence for a report due to be published in early 2019 (Aaron Chown/PA) Mr Hammond, attending an International Monetary Fund conference in Bali, Indonesia, told Bloomberg TV that Britain would prefer an international agreement on the fairness issue but if we cant achieve that then I am prepared to look at a UK-only solution. He said: We are not looking at the moment at an online sales tax on the sale of goods over the internet, we are looking at those digital platform companies that add value, create value, by interacting with consumers. We believe that value added process takes place in the location the consumer is and therefore that is where it should be taxed. Mr Hammond announced in August the creation of a panel led by Harvard Professor Jason Furman, the chief economic adviser to former US president Barack Obama, that would look into competition in the sector. It is due to publish a report early in 2019. The Chancellor added on Friday that there were concerns that big players could be accumulating too much power in our new digital world. The committee will examine four areas: The pros and cons of the current market, where a small number of companies dominate Whether these firms accumulation of data is stifling smaller firms How rules can be strengthened to boost competition and choice How innovation can be improved to benefit consumers. Professor Furman said: Digital markets have produced significant consumer benefits and we are focusing on how to ensure that remains the case, while fostering competition and boosting the economy. Pik Botha, the last foreign minister of South Africas apartheid era and a contradictory figure who staunchly defended white minority rule but eventually recognised that change was inevitable, has died aged 86. Mr Botha died in the early hours of the morning at his home after an illness, his son, Roelof, told South Africas eNCA news outlet. Internationally, Mr Botha was the most visible representative of apartheid at the height of protests and sanctions against the racist rule that ended with Nelson Mandelas election as the countrys first black president in 1994. As such, the longtime foreign minister was vilified around the world while drawing the ire of his own boss, President P.W. Botha, when he said in 1986 that South Africa might one day have a black leader. ANC SADDENED BY THE PASSING OF #PikBotha The African National Congress express its condolences to the family & Friends of Pik Willem Botha, who passed away on Thursday, 11 October 2018 at the age of 86. pic.twitter.com/1no81ANrj1 African National Congress (@MYANC) October 12, 2018 Pik Botha, who was not related to the apartheid-era president, later served as minister of mineral and energy affairs under Mr Mandela, and said in 2000 that he would join the African National Congress, the ruling party that had led the movement against white minority rule for decades. By that time, however, Mr Botha was no longer active in politics. Pik Botha has died aged 86 (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj, file) He made few public comments in recent years during the scandal-marred tenure of former president Jacob Zuma, who resigned in February. Mr Botha was absolutely delighted when Cyril Ramaphosa, a key ANC negotiator during the transition to democratic rule in the early 1990s, replaced Mr Zuma as South Africas leader, Mr Bothas son said. Mr Botha, also a former South African ambassador to the United States, was foreign minister from 1977 until the end of apartheid in 1994. He was involved in negotiations in the late 1980s that led to independence in neighbouring Namibia and the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, where South Africa had been involved in a conflict of Cold War proxies. The reduction in regional tensions was followed by the 1990 release of Mr Mandela, who had spent 27 years in apartheid prisons. The Government has pocketed 150 million as Royal Bank of Scotland coughed up the first dividend since its 45 billion bailout a decade ago. The bank on Friday paid out a total of 240 million to around 190,000 ordinary shareholders including UK Government Investments, which manages the Governments 62% stake in the lender. RBS announced the 2p per share interim dividend in August after reaching a 4.9 billion US dollar (3.7 billion) settlement with US authorities over claims that it mis-sold mortgages in the run-up to the financial crisis. The shareholder payout comes almost 10 years to the day since the bank received the first tranche of a Government rescue package at the height of the banking crash on October 13 2008. The Royal Bank of Scotland branch on Princes Street, Edinburgh (PA) Chief executive Ross McEwan said: Im pleased to be able to pay a dividend to our shareholders; a small return after their many years of patience and a testament to the hard work of everyone at this bank. This is another important milestone in our turnaround, almost 10 years to the day that RBS was rescued by the British taxpayer. We have created a smaller, safer bank that is generating more sustainable profits. Our capital position is above our target and we are also looking to return any excess capital as soon as possible to shareholders. But while the dividend was welcomed by the Treasury, the Government is unlikely to ever recoup the cash it stumped out for RBS during the bailout. The Government earlier this year sold a 7.7% stake in RBS at a 2.1 billion loss to the UK taxpayer. The sale of around 925 million shares brought the public holding in RBS down from approximately 70.1% to 62.4%, resulting in proceeds of just 2.5 billion at 271p per share. The Government paid an average of 502p per share on its bailout of RBS during the financial crisis. RBS chairman Howard Davies said last month that taxpayers are unlikely to recoup [the] investment in full, given the banks languishing share price. The focus on survival over a decade has had a cost, he said. Loan loss provisions, hits from acquisitions and costs linked to misconduct and litigation over the likes of mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) and sub-prime mortgages in the US, have all dragged on RBS finances. The lender is now exploring a share buyback programme that would speed up its privatisation by bringing the public holding to less than 50% by the end of the current parliament. Commenting on the dividend payout, a Treasury spokesman said: We welcome the dividend payment, which demonstrates the continued progress RBS has made in resolving its major legacy issues and achieving its first full year of profit since the crisis. All money recovered from our shareholding in RBS will be used to pay down the national debt. Rare early edition comics have been found among thousands being catalogued at a university library. A copy of Punch magazine which first made cartoons popular dating from the 1800s was discovered at the University of Dundee along with rare DC and Marvel comics and early drafts of DC Thomson publications. American PhD student Hailey Austin made the find while looking through archives. She said: They are not only historically significant but invaluable for students and enthusiasts, especially those studying comics here in Dundee. We have Punch comics from 1895 donated by the late Stephanie Wolfe Murray the pioneering female publisher who founded Canongate. Not content with creating the detailed online catalogue for the collection of thousands of comics, @HaileyJayAustin also led the creation of Chronicle: The Archive and Museum Anthology comic pic.twitter.com/xRNnQKttBU University of Dundee (@dundeeuni) October 12, 2018 These sit alongside thousands of DC comics donated to the university by famous Scottish comics writer Grant Morrison. Haily Austin with a New Gods comic she found in the University of Dundee archives (University of Dundee/PA) Ms Austin, 24, created an online catalogue for the collection and also led the design of a comic telling the story of the collection. She said: Naturally being a comics PhD student, my first thought was to create a free comic that would highlight exactly what the universitys Archives and Museum Services have to offer. There are 19 contributors, including students and even someone who donated into the collection. These are amazingly valuable to comics students as they are integral to the creative process and are tough to get your hands on. Turkeys government has reportedly told US officials it has audio and video proof that missing Saudi Arabian writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Washington Post, for which Mr Khashoggi is a columnist, cited anonymous officials as saying the recordings show a Saudi security team detained the writer when he went to the consulate on October 2 to pick up a document for his upcoming wedding. A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into the writers disappearance, Turkeys state-run news agency Anadolu said. Saudi Arabia has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Mr Khashoggi baseless. However, it has offered no evidence to support its claim he left the consulate and vanished despite his fiance waiting outside. Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) Anadolu Agency said the delegation would hold talks with Turkish officials over the weekend. It did not provide further details. On Thursday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey and Saudi Arabia would form a joint working group to look into Mr Khashoggis disappearance. The 59-year-old journalist, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but shown little tolerance for criticism. Mr Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year. As a contributor to the Washington Post, he has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic spat with Canada and its arrest of womens rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. The Prime Minister knows the consequences if she walks away from her Brexit promise to unionists, the DUP has warned. The party gathered in Mid-Ulster on Friday to brief members on the Brexit process, with leader Arlene Foster and her deputy Nigel Dodds among those present. Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson urged Theresa May to show EU negotiators the door. Sammy Wilson said Theresa May should face down the EU negotiators (Brian Lawless/PA) He said: She has declared herself to be a unionist, she has repeated that time and time again, she knows the consequences if she walks away from that promise, not just for Northern Ireland because of course she will open a Pandoras box in Scotland as well. I am sure the Prime Minister is well aware of the grave responsibility which lies on her shoulders. Mrs Foster met chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels earlier this week. The DUPs MPs and members of the suspended devolved Assembly at Stormont gathered at Portadown in Co Armagh to receive an update on the Brexit negotiations. Its red lines for supporting the minority Government at Westminster in key votes include preventing the imposition of customs or trade checks between Northern Ireland and Scotland, England or Wales. Mr Wilson said the Prime Minister should face down the EU negotiators. .@NigelDoddsDUP: We advised the Prime Minister back in December that the concept of a backstop was fatally flawed. She ignored that advice. We will never support a deal that places trade barriers between NI & GB. pic.twitter.com/dqkTWpSuvy Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) October 12, 2018 He added: We are simply reminding her, you are being torn at the moment between what we believe are your gut instincts and your sound principles on the union and at the same time the bullying, threatening behaviour of the EU. Go with your principles, go with your instinct, go with your responsibility to the people of the UK and show the EU negotiators the door. There have been suggestions the DUP could vote down the Budget at Westminster over its Brexit concerns. Mr Wilson added: We are serious about ensuring that the unionist people of Northern Ireland are not in any way going to be affected by the narrow vision that the EU negotiators have in protecting their European project at the expense of the unity of the UK. He said Fridays party meeting involves serious business. He added: The serious business is how we get through these current negotiations, live up to our promises to be a unionist party, and protect the union. At least 34 people have died in mudslides triggered by torrential rains in a mountainous area of eastern Uganda that is prone to such disasters, the countrys Red Cross has said. Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita said on Friday that more victims are likely to be discovered when rescue reams access all the affected areas in the foothills of Mount Elgon. She said people were killed by boulders and chunks of mud rolling down hills following a sustained period of heavy rains on Thursday afternoon in the district of Bududa. In March 2010 at least 100 people died in similar mudslides in Bududa. Efforts by Ugandas government over the years to relocate people have not succeeded. There was double joy as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank treated onlookers to two kisses on the steps of St Georges Chapel. A jubilant crowd cheered the happy couple and waved small Union flags in the blustery conditions which saw the VIP guests holding on to their hats and one little pageboy take a tumble on his way in to the chapel. Five months after the sun-drenched, much-anticipated kiss between the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the latest royal newlyweds showed their affection under a more cloudy sky in Windsor. There were cheers as they kissed, as hoped, at the top of the steps, and further clapping when they shared another kiss halfway down. Louis de Givenchy falls on the steps, as the bridesmaids and page boys arrive for the wedding at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle (Victoria Jones/PA) Leaves blew off the autumnal trees decorating each side of the flower-lined staircase, and guests gathered in Horseshoe Cloister showed their concern, shouting Oh when pageboy Louis de Givenchy, six, appeared to lose his footing. As with Harry and Meghans wedding, representatives from charities close to the newlyweds hearts were invited to take up prime spots for close-up views of the couple entering separately and leaving as husband and wife. Opposite the West Door, on the neatly-kept lawn in Horseshoe Cloister, specially invited members of the public stood to cheer and clap the couple as they emerged, sporting beaming smiles. Guests gather in Horseshoe Cloister at Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank (Victoria Jones/PA) Guests laid out picnic blankets and quaffed champagne, like those who went before them in the May sunshine, but Fridays crowds donned long coats, had umbrellas at the ready and often had to fix their fascinators amid frequent gusts. One member of the crowd was treated to a warm hug by the Duchess of York, who rushed to greet the family friend as she arrived, waving and smiling to the crowds, before going into the chapel. Jessie Huberty, 83, a friend of Sarah Fergusons mother, said the Duchess never forgets her friends. Crowds cheer as Princess Eugenie arrives with her father, the Duke of York (Yui Mok/PA) There was an exclamation of she looks stunning when Princess Eugenie first arrived at the chapel, stepping out from the Queens Rolls-Royce Phantom VI car and revealed her long gown with its low-cut back. The bride was hailed an inspiration by the father of a nine-year-old scoliosis sufferer, who is due to have a similar operation to correct the condition as Eugenie had when she was 12. Unlike former television star Meghan, whose father, Thomas Markle, missed out on walking his daughter down the aisle after pulling out of the wedding with just days to go due to ill health, Eugenies father, the Duke of York, was proudly on hand. Andrew carefully walked his youngest daughter up the steps, lined with roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and berries in warm autumnal colours, and even helped at one point to fix the train of her dress. The bridesmaids and page boys, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte, wave as they leave St Georges Chapel after the wedding (Toby Melville/PA) Onlookers were besotted with the bridesmaids and pageboys, including five-year-old future king Prince George and his three-year-old sister, Princess Charlotte, who returned to the chapel for their second royal wedding this year, following their starring roles at their uncle Harrys nuptials. There was an exclamation of she looks so like him as Robbie Williams daughter, Theodora, waved from one of the cars and many awws as the children departed. With similar pomp and ceremony to this years first royal wedding, guardsmen lined the steps, pipes played and bells rang for the couples carriage departure from the castle as a newly married couple. The number of beavers has more than doubled to more than 400 in one Scottish region, a survey has found. Beavers were spotted in Tayside in 2006 due to authorised releases, four centuries after they were hunted to extinction across Scotland. The estimated population in the region has risen from about 150 in 2012 to about 430, according to a new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) survey, and the animals are spreading into the Forth River catchment area. The environment agency is setting up a mitigation scheme to help farmers deal with problems caused, such as feeding on crops and damage to fences. However, a wildlife charity has called for a ban on unregulated beaver culls as the report found numbers in some areas are falling. It found active beaver territories in Tayside have risen from an estimated 40 in 2012 to more than 100. Beaver numbers in Tayside have more than doubled (Steve Gardner/Scottish Wildlife Trust/PA) Researchers recorded 72 beaver lodges, 339 burrows, and 86 dams or recently removed dams across the region. The report states: In some areas, namely parts of the lower River Earn and River Isla which are associated with prime agricultural land-use, negative changes in densities of signs were recorded. This may represent areas in which culling has been known to have occurred. The report adds culls are unregulated meaning current estimates of between 50 and 240 animals killed are completely unvalidated. New report published today shows beavers numbers in Tayside have increased substantially - more info at https://t.co/55Qa6MQqFX Picture copyright Laurie Campbell pic.twitter.com/8qqLXps98U NatureScot (@nature_scot) October 12, 2018 Nick Halfhide, SNHs director of Sustainable Growth, said: By building dams, beavers improve local water quality and help nurture other wildlife, and its wonderful that people now have a chance to see these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat. But in some parts of Scotland, beavers can cause problems, particularly in areas with prime agricultural land. So we are setting up a mitigation scheme with input from a range of interest groups such as NFU Scotland through the Scottish Beaver Forum to develop and trial techniques to help farmers deal with any problems they encounter. The mitigation scheme will provide farmers with free advice and practical solutions including deterrent fencing, tree guards and piped dams. Legal protection for Scotland's beavers is overdue - we now need Scottish Government to move on this urgently and secure a bright future for these wonderful 'ecosystem engineers' https://t.co/AqRbSw3xXi pic.twitter.com/Bie9q56NSH Jonny Ecology (@JonnyEcology) October 12, 2018 Scottish Wildlife Trust conservation sirector, Susan Davies, welcomed the rising beaver numbers. She said: Beavers are now widespread in Tayside and they are starting to recolonise other areas including the River Forth. It is only a matter of time before they enter other river catchments. She said the trust believes the animals can help boost Scotlands ecosystems and that any negative impacts can be mitigated. She added: However, it is alarming that there are a number of areas where beavers are absent due to unregulated culls. Killing beavers should only be permitted under licence in situations where their impact are truly severe, and where alternative non-lethal approaches have failed. The current lack of regulation means that there are no standards to ensure that beavers are controlled humanely. She called on the Scottish Government to complete the steps required to give beavers protected status. Irelands premier has said the Governments former communications minister left himself open to the perception that he had given someone the inside track when it came to a multi-million euro State contract. Denis Naughten resigned his Cabinet seat on Thursday over a series of undisclosed meetings with the last remaining bidder for a contract to roll-out high-speed broadband to more than 500,000 homes across the country. Speaking in Cavan on Friday, Leo Varadkar said when it came to a contract as sizeable as the National Broadband Plan it was important that the process was legitimate. Its not just as simple as optics, perceptions do matter and when it comes to a contract of this size, importance and cost, it has to be seen to be all above board as well, Mr Varadkar said. The Taoiseach added: (Mr Naughten) left himself open to the perception of a conflict of interest, the perception that someone was given an inside track. I did ask him had he been in any of the other CEOs houses and he hadnt. Therein lies the problem. It was revealed on Thursday that Mr Naughten had attended multiple private dinners with US businessman David McCourt, who is part of a consortium bidding for the lucrative contract. At least one of the dinners was held in Mr McCourts home. Former minister for communications Denis Naughten (Brian Lawless/PA) The details of the previously undisclosed meetings were outlined in parliament by the Taoiseach. Mr Varadkar said Mr Naughten had informed him on Wednesday night about one dinner party he had attended at Mr McCourts home. On Thursday morning, the Taoiseach said Mr Naughten then told him of at least three more dinners where the pair had met. No officials were present at any of these dinners. Earlier in the week members of the opposition had raised questions in the Dail over Mr Naughtens interactions with Mr McCourt and it emerged that the minister had paid for a lunch for the businessman in Leinster house in April and the pair also had a meeting in June. Mr Naughten had also met Mr McCourt at a dinner in New York in July. Speaking on RTEs Morning Ireland programme Employment Affairs Minister Regina Doherty said that it was not the number of dinners that took place between Mr Naughten and Mr McCourt, but that they should not have happened. Richard Bruton is the interim replacement for Denis Naughten (Niall Carson/PA) Ms Doherty said the former minister had acted honourably by resigning and that he was one of the most inherently decent guys in politics in Ireland. The Taoiseach appointed Education Minister Richard Bruton on a temporary basis to the Department of Communications. He also set up an independent report on the National Broadband Plan to assess whether the process has been compromised. Mr Varadkar is expected to appoint a replacement for Mr Naughten in parliament early next week. ITVs coverage of the royal wedding received a mixed response from viewers with some annoyed that they were missing out on Jeremy Kyle. Husband and wife duo Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford fronted the This Morning extended special on Princess Eugenies big day. Richard Bacon was an early guest on the show, which also featured Alison Hammond talking to well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. Jeremy Kyle (Mike Egerton/PA) Some viewers were disappointed to find scenes from St Georges Chapel in Windsor on their TV screens instead of The Jeremy Kyle Show. Had no idea there was a royal wedding until I tried to watch Jeremy Kyle this morning OJ (@OllieLast1) October 12, 2018 @jazzth0mps0n wrote: Not happy that they havent put Jeremy Kyle on because of the royal wedding. Thats a joke. Didnt even know there was a royal wedding. Not happy that they havent put Jeremy Kyle on because of the royal wedding... thats a joke didnt even know there was a royal wedding Jazz Thompson (@jazzth0mps0n) October 12, 2018 No #jeremykyle because of this royal wedding Ursula (@ursulaamanda) October 12, 2018 Kimberley wrote: So Im looking forward to watching Jeremy Kyle and realise its been replaced by the royal wedding! Other viewers objected to the Queen being called Queenie on ITVs royal wedding coverage. @Cordelia Meacher wrote: Please Eamonn Holmes, This Morning, ITV stop calling Her Majesty the Queen, Queenie Its at best peculiar and at worst offensive!! And @JemThings wrote: I like Eamonn Holmes but generally the ITV royal wedding coverage has been a little unprofessional. I get you have hours to fill, but Queenie is a little disrespectful! https://twitter.com/JemThings/status/105068121900290048 But other viewers enjoyed the tone of the coverage. @out_Of-Synch wrote: The coverage on ITV is tremendous fun. Casual style lots of, Who is this? Could be anyone! A couple of flying hats have been shown. Im enjoying it a lot. The coverage on itv is tremendous fun. Casual style ... lots of who is this? Could be anyone! A couple of flying hats have been shown. Im enjoying it a lot M (@out_of_synch) October 12, 2018 And @suzysasha wrote: Thank you for covering this. I love royal weddings. Eugenie looked stunning! Gorgeous dress and tiara. BBC should have covered it too. Shame on them! Thank you for covering this. I love Royal weddings. Eugenie looked stunning! Gorgeous dress and Tiara. BBC should have covered it too. Shame on them! elizabeth scott (@suzysasha) October 12, 2018 Viewers saw Hammond ask one well-wisher whether she got really starstruck and excitable when meeting the royals. When you get a certain age things happen you know, the woman replied. Bit too much information there!, Hammond joked. One advert which aired in the break plugged an album by Andrea Bocelli, the opera star who performed at the nuptials. Earlier, Holmes had admitted of the wedding: Theres no doubt it wont be the same amount of audience or crowd that Meghan and Harry had but theres still a lot of love and a lot of interest. What else would you be doing on this Friday morning? Its very nice. It has been a long, controversial road to the start of fracking to extract shale gas from deep underground at Preston New Road, Lancashire. The shale gas revolution began in the US, and few had heard of fracking this side of the Atlantic when it hit the headlines in 2011 for causing two small earthquakes near Blackpool in April and May. Cuadrilla, the company operating in the area, suspended its activities and a Government moratorium soon followed. In 2012, fracking was given the green light again, with new controls to address the risk of seismic activity. But in early 2013, Cuadrilla announced delays to its plans to carry out tests to extract shale gas through the process until 2014. By then opposition was on the rise. Anti-fracking protests at a site in Balcombe, West Sussex, where Cuadrilla was seeking permission to drill for oil, attracted huge publicity in summer 2013. Protests in Balcombe, West Sussex, in September 2013 (Gareth Fuller/PA) Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was among a group arrested, tried and cleared of obstructing a public highway and a public order offence during the protests. The following summer, protesters concerned about impacts of fracking on ground water, the countryside and the climate set up a camp in the Fylde area of Lancashire, close to one of Cuadrillas two planned drill sites. Going all out for shale, which they hoped would deliver cheap and secure energy and jobs, ministers intervened to ensure local people received community payouts for hosting shale wells and introduced tax breaks. They also pledged a ban on fracking in national parks but brought in rules which allow the process to take place three-quarters of a mile (1,200m) underneath the parks and other protected areas. The case for shale gas exploration was arguably not helped by Lord Howell, the father-in-law of then chancellor George Osborne, who in 2013 called for fracking to take place in the desolate North East of England. It was also undermined by the emergence of a Government report which revealed potential negative impacts of fracking on communities, from reduced house prices to increased traffic, noise and damage to landscapes. Actress Emma Thompson takes part in an anti-fracking walk and silent protest at the Cuadrilla site in Preston New Road (Peter Byrne/PA) The Government initially published a heavily redacted version, but made the full study public in July 2015 on the orders of the Information Commissioner, just days after Lancashire County Council took its decision on Cuadrillas plans for the two sites in Fylde. By then, however, Lancashire county councillors had rejected the planning application. Cuadrillas two schemes were called in for public inquiry, and in October 2016 the Government gave the green light for the project at Preston New Road. On the last day of the parliamentary term before this years summer break, final consent was given to start fracking there. To fast-track further fracking schemes, the Government has recently proposed dealing with planning applications at a national level and removing the need for planning permission for non-fracking shale exploration. In an interview in 2013, then prime minister David Cameron blamed a lack of understanding about the process for objections to it. He predicted that once wells were up and running later that year there would be more enthusiasm for a home-grown source of energy that would be good for our country. In September, three men were jailed for staging a protest at Cuadrillas Lancashire site by climbing on to lorries and blocking traffic. Rich Loizou was jailed for 15 months for causing a public nuisance (Anna Vickerstaff) Simon Blevins, 26, from Sheffield, and Richard Roberts, 36, of London, were both jailed for 16 months, while Rich Loizou, 31, from Devon, was jailed for 15 months for the protest, which took place in July 2017. A fourth defendant, Julian Brock, 47, from Torquay, was sentenced to 12 months in custody, suspended for 18 months. Campaigner Bob Dennetts bid to temporarily block Cuadrilla from commencing work at Preston New Road has now been thrown out by the High Court. Mr Dennett claimed Lancashire County Councils emergency response planning and procedures at the site were inadequate, but Mr Justice Supperstone ruled that there was not a serious issue to be tried which would justify an interim order. During the hearing it emerged it costs Cuadrilla 94,000 a day to keep all its kit and equipment on the site. A worker at the Cuadrilla fracking site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton, Lancashire (Danny Lawson/PA) Whether public acceptance grows with the eventual arrival, some five years later, of the first working wells remains to be seen, but for now support for fracking remains low. Official Government surveying shows less than a fifth of people support shale gas exploration, compared to a third of people who oppose it and just under half who have no opinion either way. And despite the latest developments, shales future role in the UKs energy mix is by no means certain as Labour has pledged to ban fracking if it gets into power. Royal fans have expressed disappointment at the length of the carriage procession after some waited in Windsor for days to get a glimpse of Princess Eugenie on her wedding day. Kerry Evans, from Lincolnshire, arrived on Tuesday to secure a spot on the route of the procession. The couple depart St George's Chapel for a carriage procession. #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/1WNXvbYaE9 The Duke of York (@TheDukeOfYork) October 12, 2018 The 54-year-old said: I was very interested in the whole procession and the ceremony and the pomp and [Prince] Andrew led us to believe that that was what he wanted, for it to be on equal par with the last wedding. I expected to see military behind, where were the Coldstream Guards? And Im thinking, really, that isnt a procession. The couple had a shorter route than the one taken by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex earlier in the year (Kirsty OCommor/PA) Criticism had been levied at the estimated 2 million security bill, which falls to the taxpayer, for Eugenies wedding. The policing costs were increased by the 1km carriage ride and it was made shorter than that taken by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May, because Eugenie, who is not a working royal, and Jack did not head up the Long Walk like Harry and Meghan, but take a shorter route back to the castle. The couple travelled in a covered carriage because of weather worries (Andrew Matthews/PA) Bartly Graham, who had also been waiting for three days to see the carriage procession, said he was thoroughly disappointed. The 30-year-old from County Durham said: I did Harry and Meghans wedding and it was a much larger affair. Im thoroughly disappointed that we didnt have the general horse displays and the military aspect. (PA Graphics) The carriage was on its own I dont want to sound pedantic and petty, but that was an issue. When asked if he would attend other royal events, he said: Well I wont miss it, of course Ill be back. Richard Lamb, 64, from London, said: It seemed like they could have spent a bit more time. I know the security was very high but it was over very quickly. A mother and her daughter, attending their first royal wedding, also said they were underwhelmed. Hannah White, 23, from Oxford, who had waited three hours to see the procession, said: It was amazing to see the carriage, but we were wondering if there was going to be a bit more than that. Her mother Caroline Lewis, 50, from Cardiff, said: I was expecting to see the other royals. I did think they might have followed her around the block or something, that would have been nice as I was so excited about it. Miss White said despite it being over quickly it was an exciting atmosphere among crowds on the route. Royal fan Sky London, 58, said: I support Eugenie but I was disappointed at how quickly it came by. It was quicker than with Harrys wedding. Crowds cheer Jack and Eugenie in Windsor (Joe Giddens/PA) However, not all royal fans were disappointed, with some expressing delight at being able to see Princess Eugenie go past. Alpa Joshi, from Watford, said she could see Princess Eugenie thank her as she called out her best wishes. Ms Joshi, 47, who has been in Windsor since Tuesday, said: I shouted out to her: Congratulations Princess Eugenie, we love you and she looked at me, she waved and said thank you. I was hoping it would be an open top carriage but it doesnt matter because she had the window open. Efforts by energy companies and the Government to get fracking off the ground in the UK have been fought every step of the way by protesters. Here is the low-down on the process. What is fracking? More properly known as hydraulic fracturing, fracking is a process in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas or oil trapped within it. The Cuadrilla site in Lancashire (Danny Lawson/PA) How much potential is there for developing shale gas and oil in the UK? Assessment by the British Geological Survey suggests there are an estimated 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas resources in the Bowland Shale across northern England. There are modest shale gas and oil resources in Scotland, with an estimated 80 trillion cubic feet of gas and 6 billion barrels of shale oil in the Midland Valley stretching across Scotland and including Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is an estimated 4.4 billion barrels of shale oil in the Weald Basin in southern England. But it is not known how much of the resources can be extracted, with exploitable reserves thought to be much lower than the total estimated oil and gas. Anti-fracking campaigners outside the High Court in London (Sian Harrison/PA) Why is fracking controversial? The process has been mired in controversy since it hit the headlines in 2011 for causing two minor earthquakes in Lancashire, prompting a temporary ban on fracking in the UK. The ban was later lifted, with controls put in place to prevent tremors, but fracking continues to attract opponents who fear it can also cause water contamination, noise and traffic pollution. Environmentalists also warn that pursuing new sources of gas a fossil fuel is not compatible with efforts to tackle climate change, and the focus should be on developing cleaner sources of energy such as renewables. Why is it backed by the Government? Ministers hope it could boost tax revenues, create jobs, reduce reliance on energy imports and bring down household fuel bills, although experts have questioned whether it would have any impact on energy prices. The Government has taken steps to get the industry going, such as introducing tax breaks and community payments, and proposed changes to planning rules to get schemes off the ground more easily. There has been fierce resistance to fracking across the UK (Jane Barlow/PA) Where has fracking been pursued in England? Cuadrilla has been pursuing shale gas extraction in Lancashire for a number of years and is now due to commence after a final legal bid to stop them was thrown out by the High Court. In North Yorkshire near the village of Kirby Misperton, between Malton and Pickering, Third Energy has been granted permission to frack, but is still awaiting final Government go-ahead after Business Secretary Greg Clark raised concerns about its financial position. It said previously that fracking would not go ahead until at least autumn and with no sign of the deadlock being broken, campaigners have even packed up their protest camp at the site, saying they did not think the protest would go ahead in the near future. Ineos is embroiled in a legal fight with the National Trust over access to its land at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, for surveying, as the company attempts to push ahead with oil and gas exploration in the county. It is also pursuing fracking at sites in Derbyshire and Yorkshire despite local authority opposition. Whats the position elsewhere in the UK? In Scotland, an effective ban on fracking is in place. In Wales, where responsibility for onshore oil and gas is being transferred to the Welsh Government from October, ministers are proposing not to license any more petroleum extraction or support fracking applications. In Northern Ireland, there is a planning presumption against fracking. Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was lawfully killed when he was shot dead by a ministers bodyguard, an inquest jury has found. The 52-year-old Muslim convert mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a hired SUV, killing four and seriously injuring 29. He crashed into railings before storming through gates near the Houses of Parliament armed with two knives. Westminster Bridge terror attack victims (left to right) Pc Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes, Andreea Cristea and Kurt Cochran (Metropolitan Police/PA) He stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer to death before being shot dead by a bodyguard who rushed to the scene. The attack on March 22 last year took just 82 seconds. A jury of seven men and four women took two hours and 22 minutes to find that Masood was lawfully killed, adding in a short narrative of the events leading to his death. They found that Masood was intent on inflicting serious harm when he stormed through the gates to the Palace of Westminster. He had been issued with verbal warnings but continued to move toward the close protection officers at speed before he was shot, the jury said. Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood driving along Westminster Bridge (Metropolitan Police/PA) Earlier, Coroner Mark Lucraft QC had directed the jury to return a lawful killing verdict as the bodyguard who shot Masood believed it was necessary to open fire in defence of himself and others. The inquest heard dramatic accounts of how unarmed police officers and members of the public fled after Masood killed Pc Palmer and continued to advance, clutching bloodied foot-long knives, intent on targeting more officers. His rampage was stopped by a close protection officer identified only as SA74, on site to act as bodyguard to a government minister. The officer shot him three times with a Glock pistol after Masood continued to run forward at him, despite shouted warnings to get back. SA74 gave an emotional account of how the drama unfolded, pausing during his evidence and his voice wavering as he recalled: I was certain that something terrible was happening. Chief coroner Mark Lucraft had directed a lawful killing conclusion (Dominic Lipinski/PA) I saw a large black male running purposefully towards me. He was carrying two large knives and I could clearly see that they were covered in blood, he told the Old Bailey. He was going to kill me. Jurors were shown dramatic footage of the the bodyguard and his colleague SB73 confronting the heavily built attacker, who slumped to the ground after he was shot. Amid fears he was wearing a suicide belt, Masood was handcuffed and given first aid by the marksman and his colleague. Masood, who had sent a Jihadi document moments before launching his attack, was later pronounced dead. Sir Craig Mackey, one of the countrys most senior police officers, faced calls to resign and severe criticism on social media after he told the inquest he had stayed in his official car as Masood murdered Pc Palmer. Giving his account of events for the first time, he said that he locked the doors and remained in the vehicle with two civilian colleagues because they had no personal protective equipment or a radio. Khalid Masood (Metropolitan Police/PA) After Masood was shot dead, Sir Craig, who is due to retire in December, tried to get out of the car but was advised by an officer on guard at the site to eave. As acting Commissioner at the time, he also had to co-ordinate the police response to the attack. At the time it was not known whether it was part of a wider co-ordinated attack, although investigations later confirmed Masood acted alone. In his summing up, Mr Lucraft QC defended Sir Craigs actions as sensible and proper and intended to protect others in the car. Armed police at Carriage Gates (John Stillwell/PA) He said: It is clear from the evidence of Sir Craig there was nothing he could have done to stop Masood. Pc Palmer was under attack practically as soon as Sir Craig saw the attacker. None of them had any means of protecting themselves of resisting an attack, and even if he had got out of the car, it is clear from the CCTV evidence he would not have reached Pc Palmer before Masood inflicted his fatal wounds. Sir Craig did not flee the scene. His first instinct was to get out in New Palace Yard, as we saw on the footage when he opened the car door. However, he was told by an officer to leave, and for good reason. During the two-week inquest, jurors were also shown graphic video of the bloodshed on Westminster Bridge, with some becoming visibly upset at the horrifying sights. Masoods five victims were Pc Palmer, 48, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian designer Andreea Cristea, 31. Following an earlier inquest, Mr Lucraft concluded they were unlawfully killed by Masood. The coroner found it was possible that Pc Palmer may not have died if armed officers had been posted near the Carriage Gates. Wedding guests, spectators and die-hard royal fans spoke of their joy at experiencing the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Jacks former headmaster Anthony Wallersteiner said he was very proud of his former pupil and happy to have witnessed the marriage of the couple he knows. Meanwhile, 2nd Lieutenant Mark Osmond, 26, who was part of a guard of honour, said: When the doors opened and the bride and groom came out the West Door it was quite a special moment hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. The royal couple take a carriage ride following their wedding at Windsor Castle (Joe Giddens/PA) But some in the crowds thought the newlyweds much-anticipated carriage ride through the streets of Windsor was underwhelming. Mr Wallerseiner, who became headmaster of Stowe in 2003, a year before Jack left, said about the wedding: Very exciting, happy day, they are obviously very much in love. So its one of those days that brings a smile to everyones faces. Actually theyre a very modern couple because she works for Hauser & Wirth as a director of the art gallery and hes just set up his company. He described the decision by the couple to have the wedding service readings performed in the nave, where the majority of the 800 guests were seated, as inclusive. Mr Wallersteiner, who said Jack still supports Stowe as one of the schools old boys known as Old Stoics, added: Theyre very down to earth and Jack is very humble and Eugenie doesnt like to take centre stage, so that was very typical of their style. Eugenies father the Duke of York is Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and guardsmen from the regiments Nijmegen Company were lined up on the west steps of St Georges Chapel as the couple left to begin their new life as husband and wife. Troops from the Household Division march outside St Georges Chapel (Victoria Jones/PA) The guardsmen down there are incredibly proud to be part of this, said 2nd Lieutenant Osmond. The Army officer of Nijmegen Company, who is Captain of the Windsor Castle Guard, said about Andrew: To be invited by him to take part today is a really nice gesture and something well treasure. When the newlyweds went on their short carriage ride through the streets of Windsor two sisters said the spectacle was well worth the wait. Jane Cluett, 58, and sister Emma McCarthy, 46 had travelled from Swindon and waited more than four hours to see the couple. Ms McCarthy said of Eugenie: She looked absolutely beautiful and very, very happy. We toasted to the bride and groom with a glass of Prosecco and some red velvet chocolate cake. But Caroline Lewis, 50, from Cardiff and her daughter Hannah White, 23, from Oxford, were not impressed. Ms White said: It was amazing to see the carriage, but we were wondering if there was going to be a bit more than that. Her mother added: I was expecting to see the other royals. I did think they might have followed her around the block or something, that would have been nice, as I was so excited about it. The DUP has predicted developments in the Governments Brexit position over the weekend. The UK has suggested a temporary customs arrangement between the EU and country as a whole, with the expectation that a permanent future deal would be in place by the end of 2021. The EU has criticised that plan and Prime Minister Theresa May faces dissension within her own ranks. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said on Friday: I think there could be developments over the weekend in terms of the Governments own position and the Cabinet, so we will remain focused on the priorities for Northern Ireland. On many occasions both the PM and the Brexit Secretary said the backstop would be time limited. This is critical. If it isnt then the UK including Northen Ireland would be trapped in unacceptable arrangements unless and until the EU decide otherwise Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) October 12, 2018 He added: Lets hope that we get a deal, but in the case of a no-deal scenario we will have to manage that, but our aim is to get a sensible deal but one that respects the integrity of the UK. Democratic Unionists have threatened consequences if the Government does anything which could undermine the constitutional integrity of the UK. It is adamant it will not agree to anything which results in imposition of customs or trade checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, known as a border in the Irish Sea. Prime Minister Theresa May relies on her DUP allies 10 MPs to prop up her minority Government in key votes and there have been suggestions the Northern Irish party could vote against the Budget. Europe has largely interpreted the Irish border backstop to mean Northern Ireland could continue to follow its trade rules to ensure an open frontier even if the UK leaves without a deal in March. DUP leader Arlene Foster said the party would stand by its red line on the constitutional and economic integrity of the UK come what may. She said: This is a very fluid negotiation, things are continuing to happen and therefore we felt it was necessary to be very clear that for us the one red line in relation to the UK is one that we will stand by come what may. It is very important for us that we keep the constitutional integrity of the UK but also the economic integrity, and that is the point that we have been making in Brussels, and indeed for Nigel and his team in London as well. The leaders briefed party members in Portadown in Co Armagh after Mrs Foster met Michel Barnier in Brussels earlier this week. Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson urged Mrs May to show EU negotiators the door. Sammy Wilson said Theresa May should face down the EU negotiators (Brian Lawless/PA) He said: She has declared herself to be a unionist, she has repeated that time and time again, she knows the consequences if she walks away from that promise, not just for Northern Ireland because of course she will open a Pandoras box in Scotland as well. I am sure the Prime Minister is well aware of the grave responsibility which lies on her shoulders. .@NigelDoddsDUP: We advised the Prime Minister back in December that the concept of a backstop was fatally flawed. She ignored that advice. We will never support a deal that places trade barriers between NI & GB. pic.twitter.com/dqkTWpSuvy Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) October 12, 2018 He added: Go with your principles, go with your instinct, go with your responsibility to the people of the UK and show the EU negotiators the door. A counter-terrorism chief has blasted abhorrent remarks levelled at a senior officer who stayed in his car as an unarmed Pc was stabbed to death in the Westminster attack. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, who headed the inquiry into the murderous rampage, reacted as an inquest jury found Khalid Masood was lawfully killed when he was shot dead by a ministers bodyguard. Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Mr Basu paid tribute to the bravery of his officers and said his thoughts remained with the victims of Masoods barbaric actions. Sir Craig Mackey (Victoria Jones/PA) On controversy over then-acting Commissioner Sir Craig Mackeys decision not to confront Masood, he said: Can I turn to some of the abhorrent remarks circulating about the deputy commissioner Sir Craig Mackey? Both I and the investigators both know there is nothing that Craig could have done to have stopped Masood or to have saved Pc Palmer or any others from being injured. The inquest had heard how Masood, a 52-year-old Muslim convert, mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a hired SUV, killing four and seriously injuring 29. He crashed into railings before storming through gates near the Houses of Parliament armed with two knives. Westminster Bridge terror attack victims (left to right) Pc Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes, Andreea Cristea and Kurt Cochran (Metropolitan Police/PA) Masood stabbed unarmed Pc Keith Palmer to death before being shot dead by a bodyguard who rushed to the scene. The attack on March 22 last year took just 82 seconds. A jury of seven men and four women took two hours and 22 minutes to find that Masood was lawfully killed, adding in a short narrative of the events leading to his death. They found that Masood intended to inflict serious harm, and/or take a life as he continued without stopping or changing direction. He had been issued with verbal warnings but continued to move toward the close protection officers at speed before he was shot, the jury said. Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood driving along Westminster Bridge (Metropolitan Police/PA) Earlier, Coroner Mark Lucraft QC had directed the jury to return a lawful killing verdict as the bodyguard who shot Masood believed it was necessary to open fire in defence of himself and others. The inquest heard dramatic accounts of how unarmed police officers and members of the public fled after Masood killed Pc Palmer and continued to advance, clutching bloodied foot-long knives, intent on targeting more officers. His rampage was stopped by a close protection officer identified only as SA74, on site to act as bodyguard to a government minister. The officer shot him three times with a Glock pistol after Masood continued to run forward at him, despite shouted warnings to get back. SA74 gave an emotional account of how the drama unfolded, pausing during his evidence and his voice wavering as he recalled: I was certain that something terrible was happening. Chief coroner Mark Lucraft had directed a lawful killing conclusion (Dominic Lipinski/PA) I saw a large black male running purposefully towards me. He was carrying two large knives and I could clearly see that they were covered in blood, he told the Old Bailey. He was going to kill me. Jurors were shown dramatic footage of the the bodyguard and his colleague SB73 confronting the heavily built attacker, who slumped to the ground after he was shot. Amid fears he was wearing a suicide belt, Masood was handcuffed and given first aid by the marksman and his colleague. Masood, who had sent a Jihadi document moments before launching his attack, was later pronounced dead. Sir Craig Mackey, one of the countrys most senior police officers, faced calls to resign and severe criticism on social media after he told the inquest he had stayed in his official car as Masood murdered Pc Palmer. Giving his account of events for the first time, he said that he locked the doors and remained in the vehicle with two civilian colleagues because they had no personal protective equipment or a radio. Khalid Masood (Metropolitan Police/PA) After Masood was shot dead, Sir Craig, who is due to retire in December, tried to get out of the car but was advised by an officer on guard at the site to leave. As acting Commissioner at the time, he also had to co-ordinate the police response to the attack. At the time it was not known whether it was part of a wider co-ordinated attack, although investigations later confirmed Masood acted alone. In his summing up, Mr Lucraft QC defended Sir Craigs actions as sensible and proper and intended to protect others in the car. Armed police at Carriage Gates (John Stillwell/PA) He said: It is clear from the evidence of Sir Craig there was nothing he could have done to stop Masood. Pc Palmer was under attack practically as soon as Sir Craig saw the attacker. None of them had any means of protecting themselves or resisting an attack, and even if he had got out of the car, it is clear from the CCTV evidence he would not have reached Pc Palmer before Masood inflicted his fatal wounds. Sir Craig did not flee the scene. His first instinct was to get out in New Palace Yard, as we saw on the footage when he opened the car door. However, he was told by an officer to leave, and for good reason. Masoods five victims were Pc Palmer, 48, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian designer Andreea Cristea, 31. Following an earlier inquest, Mr Lucraft concluded they were unlawfully killed by Masood. The coroner found there were shortcomings in Palace security and it was possible that Pc Palmer may not have died if armed officers had been posted near the Carriage Gates. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has met with former White House strategist Steve Bannon and signalled her interest in his project to help European populist parties. Her overtures come just days after rejecting assistance from the American. Ms Le Pens partner, French politician Louis Aliot, told the media that she met with Mr Bannon a day earlier in Paris. Steve Bannon and Marine Le Pen (AP Photo, File) Mr Aliot said Mr Bannon wants to provide technical means for nationalist parties ahead of next years European elections. He added that Mr Bannon made clear he doesnt want to play a (political) role. Ms Le Pen said on Monday while in Rome that it was only European nations who would shape the political forces to save Europe not an American. A project to support refugee integration in Scotland has been awarded EU funding. Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees (SFAR) is to get 130,000 for work to improve understanding between communities, build social connections and create opportunities for refugees. The project said it will work with the Scottish Refugee Council and community groups to develop their capacity to welcome and support families. Wafa Shaheen, head of integration at the Scottish Refugee Council, said: We are fortunate that so many people in Scotland are keen to welcome and support new Scots and that so many community groups right across the country have been set up to do this. We are delighted to be able to work alongside these communities and with the expertise of our partners, to build on and strengthen this foundation. The money has come from the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, which aims to make management of migration flows more efficient across the European Union. A pro-refugees banner (Andrew Milligan/PA) SFAR coordinator Steve Aisthorpe said: As well as enabling tailored advice and help to individual refugees and families, this project will enable better support and coordination of the many local groups who are working hard to ensure the best possible welcome and integration of refugees across Scotland. We are perhaps at a turning point in Chinas relations with the rest of the world. During recent weeks, a series of events has showed that the "peaceful rise of China" may not be that smooth. During the last National Peoples Congress in March, the Chinese legislative included "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" in the countrys constitution, but the sailing for the Great Helmsman of the "new era" will certainly not be the way President Xi Jinping expected it. No global trust Take the sudden disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the Interpol chief; the story is unheard of and it is bound to have serious implication for Chinas growing role on the world scene. Meng is/was a high dignitary in the Chinese security apparatus; he served as deputy security minister before getting the plum international assignment in Lyon, France; this was till his wife Grace told the French police that she had not heard from her husband for several days. She was especially worried after receiving a text message from Mengs phone with a knife emoji. Chinas National Supervisory Commission had no choice but to announce in the middle of the night that Meng was under investigation: his insistence on doing things his own way means he only has himself to blame said the Commission. It was also announced that he had resigned from his high-profile job. What is the meaning of "insistence on doing things his own way"? Not listening to Xi? In the process, Chinas credibility takes a huge beating as it will be difficult to sweep the story under the carpet for the sake of business. This is happening at a time China celebrates the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, a reference to the transparent policies heralded by Deng Xiaoping. Mengs arrest looks more like a Stalinist procedure than opening-up. Can China today be considered a dependable global partner? Another example of Chinas wrong ways of dealing with the rest of the world appeared in a Bloomberg article. After long in-depth investigations, the financial newspaper discovered: The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 US companies, including Amazon and Apple, by compromising Americas technology supply chain. The journalists reached this conclusion after extensive interviews with government and corporate sources. Bloomberg affirmed: Nested on the servers motherboards, the testers found a tiny microchip, not much bigger than a grain of rice, that wasnt part of the boards original design. Amazon reported the discovery to US authorities, sending a shudder through the intelligence community. The microchips may have affected the Department of Defences data centres, the CIAs drone operations, and others. Though the affected companies denied the facts, nobody took Bloomberg to court, knowing perfectly well that the journalists had done their homework in a professional manner: During the ensuing top-secret probe, which remains open more than three years later, investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network. The chips had been inserted at factories run by manufacturing subcontractors in China. Can China today be considered a dependable global partner? (Photo: Reuters) US Criticism China is today so obsessed to become the World Number One superpower that the party led by Xi does not hesitate to use unfair means to reach its objectives, but the international community is slowly opening its eyes. Nothing may be the same for China anymore. The so-called Trade War, a small element of a larger design by the Trump administration (which includes a stronger presence in the South China Sea, triggering differences with the CCP, etc) was outlined by the US vice-president Mike Pence in a recent speech. After saying that President Donald Trump made our relationship with China and President Xi a priority, he complained about Chinas bad behaviour like never before: Were implementing tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods, with the highest tariffs specifically targeting the advanced industries that Beijing is trying to capture and control, he said. He added that the US is building new and stronger bonds with nations that share our values across the region, from India to Samoa. Targeting Beijing repeatedly, Pence asserted that Washington was working on a just and transparent alternative to Chinas debttrap diplomacy, pointing a finger to Xis Road and Belt Initiative. The Vice-President also warned Google not to launch a censored search engine in China. The distrust vis-a-vis China is fast spreading over the planet and Beijings new propagandist tool, the Voice of China, will find it increasingly difficult to defend Beijings views (like justifying a million Uyghurs sent to reeducation camps in Xinjiang). Tightening grip Two months back, Australia blocked Huawei and ZTE, two Chinese telecom giants, from providing equipment for its 5G network, though Huawei had given assurances that it would not pose a threat to Australian national interests. But who is believing China today? The wave is spreading to Europe, too. A question remains: can China amend its ways? It is doubtful. A new regulation was recently issued by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (Mengs parent ministry) authorising authorities to enter the premises of all entities that provide Internet services and look for information relevant to cybersecurity. Beijing is every day tightening its grip on Chinas already restricted cyberspace. Where is the opening-up of Deng Xiaoping? It will certainly have consequences on Chinas role on the world scene. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also read: China's great wall: The mysterious case of the missing Interpol Chief As a Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi had fought the Lok Sabha Elections from two places Vadodara seat of his home State Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, the largest State in the country. Later, he relinquished the Vadodara seat. Now, as another Lok Sabha poll inches closer, there is speculation over the number of seats Modi will contest from. Recently, the BJPs Odisha unit offered him Puri seat to fight from. The party has passed a formal proposal and sent it to Modi. This must be noted that Odisha will face the Assembly Elections along with Lok Sabha. The BJP believes that if the PM fights from Puri, then the party will benefit in both elections. At the same time, many leaders of Bihar BJP want the PM to contest from their State. The Patna Sahib seat was proposed for Modi, from where Shatrughan Sinha is the party MP. Modi might also be requested to fight from either East or West Champaran amidst the year-long 150th birth celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. On the other hand, leaders of Gujarat have also urged him to contest from the State, and there is a proposal from the South as well. But one thing is certain: He will fight from Varanasi. MAMATA REACHES OUT Think about this scenario: The Left leaders standing with Mamata Banerjee and jointly fighting the BJP. Sounds impossible? Well, nothing is impossible in Indian politics. Nitish Kumar had formed his party against Lalu Prasad, but later both joined hands; the TDP was formed against the Congress ideology, but the two parties might fight together; rivals SP and BSP have also come closer. In the same vein, it might not be surprising if the TMC and Left front go together in West Bengal. It is common knowledge that Mamata had formed the TMC to wipe out the Left Front from the State following the treatment meted out to her fellow men. She chose the political route to seek retribution, and snatched power from the Left after a long-drawn battle. Now, it seems that Mamatas biggest enemy has changed the BJP has replaced the Left. And that is why she has reached out to the Left Front to stop her old ally, the BJP. Mamata has announced a big rally of the Opposition parties in Kolkata on January 19, and is personally sending out all invites. She has invited the CM of Kerala and Communist leader P Vijayan. Mamata said that apart from the CPM, she will also invite leaders from the CPI, RSP, and Forward Bloc. The stand of the Left leaders isnt clear yet, but Mamata has sent a strong political signal. SHAHS DEBATE GAUNTLET BJPs National President Amit Shah is challenging the Opposition leaders to debates. Shahs challenge has been accepted, but the question is how will the debates be conducted and who will speak on behalf of Shah? Will Shah engage in verbal duel with the Opposition leaders? There are many countries where election debates are conducted. In India, they are organised only in the JNU at the time of student union elections, where all candidates put forward their viewpoints. Now, if Shah has thrown down the gauntlet to the Opposition parties on the issue of development, then why shouldnt the debates be held before elections? Recently, Shah addressed the Purvanchal Mahakumbh Rally in Delhi, where he declared that he was ready for a debate with CM Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of development. Kejriwal then asked him to decide the time of the debate, but the BJP didnt reply. If Shah and Kejriwal are indeed ready, whats stopping them from a debate? After a few days, Shah challenged the Congress President Rahul Gandhi, saying they should have a debate on the issue of development. The Congress also accepted the challenge, but no debate took place. This was followed by a slew of suggestions on social media on the model and way to conduct the debates. Many people said Sambit Patra should be sent for the debate on behalf of the BJP, so it wont matter who comes from the Oppositions side. RAJBHAR PARTYS ROLE What will the leader of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party the alliance partner of the BJP in UP OP Rajbhar do? The BJP leaders are keeping a hawkish eye on him in the same way they are tracking Upendra Kushwaha in Bihar. Both leaders have been the BJPs trump cards against Yadav politics in the two States. But as of now, they are not happy with the BJP. Sources say Rajbhar might make a big announcement at the end of this month. He is gearing up for a political function on October 27, where he will revive the demand for reservation. He wants the MBC category to be created within the OBC category, so that backward castes can benefit. Before this, he had been raising other issues, such as corruption in the Yogi Government. Although he is a part of that very Government, he says work in his constituency has been stuck due to corruption. Now, he has started demanding reservation within reservation. In the meantime, he also doesnt miss any opportunity to heap praises on the Opposition parties, which could explain the BJPs apprehensiveness. However, this is also being said that he can break his relationship with the BJP on October 27. Though this is also true that he is awaiting the results of five States, just like Kushwaha. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NRC What will the Government do with the 40 lakh people left out of the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) final draft, which was released on July 31? The correction process, which commenced on September 28, will continue till November 23. Documents approved by the court and NRC Registrar are being accepted afresh and will be investigated subsequently. According to speculation, post-investigation, maximum four to five lakh names will be added to the NRC list. Even after that, 30 to 35 lakh people will still be off the list, giving them the tag of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. While Amit Shah is calling them termites, claiming they would be thrown out of the country, there is news that India has promised Bangladesh that no one excluded from the NRC would be sent back to that country. Such claims are being made by only Bangladeshi leaders, but they are naming the top leaders of our country. HT Imam, political advisor of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, told journalists at Dhaka that PM Modi had assured Hasina that no one would be sent back from India. Elections are due in Bangladesh in the next few months, so it is possible that Imams statement is politically motivated. Some days ago, Sayeed Najib Ul Haj, a prominent leader in the Bangladesh Government, also said that the top leadership of India had promised that no one would be sent back to Bangladesh. He said Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had assured him that all these people are a part of the Indian economy and would be taken care of. Now the question is if no one would be sent back, then whats the point of the NRC? LEFT OPPOSES Rafale DEAL Till date, only the Congress had been up in arms against the Rafale deal. The entire Opposition has not been united on this, like it was on the Bofors scandal. But now, the Left parties have decided to hold an agitation against it. The Left has also decided to organise Jan Adalats where experts on Rafale and other strategic issues will be invited. Some former Army officers will also be called to give minute details of the deal. The Congress had been focusing on the Rafale price and Anil Ambanis company, which had been included as an offset partner. Now, it is being said that the Left will raise other minute issues. Meanwhile, questions are also being raised on S-40, a deal with Russia, and its offset partner. But its not clear whether the Left will raise this issue. The Left is all set to hold protests against the deal in the country after the Jan Adalats. There was a time when politicians were guided by a combination of feedback from the ground and gut instinct. The importance of the latter was never insignificant. It has become even more important in the age of Breaking News and the 24x7 news cycle. Todays politicians dont have the luxury of either reflecting or awaiting ground reactions to events and developments. The pressures of a persistent and pestering media often propel knee-jerk reactions from political leaders, reactions they subsequently come to regret. It is tempting to describe the ferocity of Rahul Gandhis most recent attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as lacking in reflection. To call the elected Prime Minister a chor (thief) without exercising the powers of subtlety both English and Hindi allow is calculated to raise eyebrows. It may even invite fierce and equally direct responses in this case BJP Ministers have dubbed the Congress president a clown prince and a serial liar which may, ironically, serve to draw public attention to the very issue that has provoked this unseemly exchange. As a person who has chosen to be in politics more as a family obligation than a passion, Rahuls awareness of democratic decorousness has always been tentative. His understanding of the cultural norms that govern social and professional interactions is probably more feeble and this despite photo opportunities in countless temples and pilgrimages. Sanskaras are partly transmitted through the family and partly imbibed through wider social association. Alas, because of exceptional circumstances Rahul Gandhi wasnt fully exposed to a normal middle-class Indian upbringing. His values are a shade too cosmopolitan and governed by an overload of entitlement. Consequently, there is a profound mismatch between his instincts and appropriate social conduct. Maybe this explains why Rahul is by far most comfortable addressing gatherings overseas, particularly in the US and Europe. Yet, it was not instinct alone that determined why, in attacking Prime Minister Modi on the Rafale aircraft agreement, Rahuls rhetoric was not very different from that of a warm-up speaker at a public rally. Like most political parties, including the BJP, the Congress is disproportionately data driven. Parties have invested heavily in accumulating data about how Indians think and feel, data that is subsequently used by analysts to recommend a political course. The only difference is that whereas data in the BJP is percolated through a political filter, the Congress often views it as a marketing exercise. The input of professional politicians with a sharp awareness of the complexities on the ground is often insufficient in the Congress. For a long time, the Congress has battled with what appears an insurmountable hurdle in the path of the partys recovery from the depths to which it plummeted in 2014. The problem they confronted was the fact that the popularity and acceptability of the Prime Minister has never really dipped in any meaningful way throughout his term. Yes, Modi has proved a disappointment to a small section of the pro-market Right that had supported it enthusiastically in 2014. But this loss has been more than compensated by the gains he has made among sections of the population that have traditionally not been associated with the BJP. Additionally, it is important to note that whereas awareness of Modi was patchy in 2014, he represents something more tangible in October 2018. The perception of Modis attributes too has undergone shifts. However, he has neither lost his appeal as the proverbial small-town boy made good. In his person, many Indians see the possibility of social and professional advancement in todays New India. Secondly, Modi has a reputation of a fanatical workaholic, a man who lives a punishing schedule and doesnt believe in holidays. Finally, and most important, he has reputation of being personally incorruptible and being intolerant of corruption in his Government. The greater transparency of the Modi Government has not come about only because technology has proved a boon in preventing transmission leakages. There is a new culture of politics that Modi has triggered that is intolerant of corruption at the top. Corruption in India hasnt ended. It is probably still endemic at the lower levels. However, for the first time since Independence, the advancing tide of corruption has begun to be rolled back. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. Despite numerous attempts to link the Prime Minister with the economic fugitives such as Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, Modis integrity quotient remains sky high. For the Congress this is an obstacle. The controversy over the Rafale purchases is basically an attempt to create a dust storm in the hope that this will result in both Modi and the Government not appearing spotless. It has to be seen in the context of the larger Congress bid to pain Modi as the head of a suit-boot sarkar, a Government that is partial to the rich and the corrupt. So far the strategy hasnt worked. There have been lots of allegations but, unlike the Bofors controversy that damaged Rajiv Gandhi politically, there is no documentary evidence of wrongdoing. The Congress has certainly created a dust storm but its political impact has been negligible. According to the India TV-CNX survey in Madhya Pradesh, a State where the Congress hopes to topple the BJP, only 1.30 per cent of the respondents saw the Rafale deal as the biggest issue in the Assembly poll. At one level that is not surprising because local polls are about local issues but add this to the 11.91 per cent that sees corruption as the biggest issue, and it is possible to appreciate the frustration of the Congress. Calling Modi a chor is a typical dhamaka strategy to draw attention to a campaign that doesnt appear to be getting anywhere. It is probably as consequential as the move to cast aspersions on the efficacy of the EVMs a campaign over which the Congress expended a lot of its energies. BJP state general secretary Yudhvir Sethi Friday said those sympathising with terrorists are doing no good to the nation, as he lauded security forces for eliminating two ultras including top Hizbul commander and former PhD student Manan Wani in north Kashmir's frontier district of Kupwara. He also termed as "misleading and against the very spirit of Kashmiriyat" former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's remarks that Wani's death was "entirely our loss as we are losing young educated boys everyday". Sethi said giving statements "glorifying" militants and describing their killing as a loss are nothing but akin to fanning militancy. "The sympathisers of such people (terrorists) are doing no good to the nation. Security forces have done a commendable job by eliminating terrorists." Instead of "glorifying" such militants, Mehbooba should ask youths not to get misled by Pakistan only to be killed by the security forces, he said. Sethi also dismissed her suggestion that all the political parties in the country should try to facilitate a solution through dialogue with all the stake holders including Pakistan to end "this bloodshed". The BJP is expecting a statement of explanation from Union Minister MJ Akbar on Sunday on alleged harassment charges levelled against him by several women journalists before taking a call on his continuation in the Council of Ministers. As many as nine journalists have accused Akbar of sexual exploitation when he served as editor of English dailies. Akbar is returning to Delhi from an official tour of African nations on Sunday. In the midst of growing demand that Akbar should be asked to resign from the Council of Ministers and the RSS as well as his ministerial colleagues Maneka Gandhi and Smiriti Irani virtually backing the women journalists, Akbars statement could decide which way the whole episode will settle down. While Akbars fate will be decided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah has already said that the party would also definitely look into the issue. We will definitely look into the issue. We have to see whether these allegations are true or false. We have to check the veracity of the post and the person who posted it, he was reported as saying. Earlier, Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi on Monday said she is happy that #MeToo movement has started in India. She said anger at sexual molestation never goes away and the individual never forgets the person who did it. It is because of this reason, we have written to the Law Ministry, saying that the complaints should be without any time limit, she added. Problem for Akbar further compounded on Saturday when a US-based woman journalist accused him of sexual harassment. Majlie de Puy Kamp of CNN has alleged that Akbar had sexually harassed her in 2007 when she was an 18-year-old intern. According to reports, Akbar grabbed her and kissed her when she went to thank him on the last date of her internship with the newspaper edited by him. Sharing the incident on Twitter, Kamp wrote: I extended my hand to him in gratitude, he shoved his 55-year-old tongue down my 18-year-old throat. In a major setback to Congress in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, State Congress working president and a key tribal leader Ramdayal Uike joined the BJP on Saturday. Uike, the four time MLA, joined the BJP in Bilaspur in presence of BJP president Amit Shah, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and BJP State president Dharamlal Kaushik. I was feeling suffocated in the Congress Uike told reporters after he rejoined the saffron party after roughly 18 years. He remarked Congress has no future in Chhattisgarh. Congress which is out of power in the mineral-rich State since 2003, has expressed shock over Uikes decision. Chhattisgarh Congress President Bhupesh Baghel has termed Uikes decision, shocking, disgusting and a classic example of politics of opportunism. Senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo remarked, I had not expected it, it is really unbelievable. Uike was BJP legislator from Marwahi seat in year 2000 when State was formed with a split of Madhya Pradesh. He later switched over to Congress along with 11 other BJP legislators when Ajit Jogi was heading the Congress Government in the State. Uike was winning as Congress candidate from Korba districts Pali-Tanakhar seat for past three Assembly polls where as BJP was placed at third position in last polls in 2013. Meanwhile, the Congress received some consolation on Saturday when a senior journalist Ruchir Garg joined the party in New Delhi in presence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Garg, who served several newspapers in the State as Editor during his long stint in Hindi journalism, is speculated to be fielded as party candidate in Raipur for next month Assembly polls. The Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have cracked the sensational bank robbery and murder in Chhawla area of Dwarka district and have two accused persons identified as Sachin (20) and Parvesh (19) on the charges of armed dacoity and murder. Police have also identified five others involved in the shooting of 44-year-old Santosh Sharma, cashier of Corporation Bank, and robbing Rs 3.16 lakh from the Khaira village branch near Chhawla on Friday. The whole incident was captured on CCTV, through which police with the help of technical surveillance were able to track down the 19-year-old Sachin, a resident of Sonipat, Haryana and arrested him from Murthal area on Saturday, police said. Parvesh who is also resident of Sonipat was arrested soon after Sachin was nabbed by a police team. On Friday, a police control room call was received about an armed robbery at a bank in Chhawla. On reaching the spot it was found that the cashier one Santosh Sharma was shot on the back. He was immediately taken to Vikas hospital in Najafgarh where he succumbed to his injuries, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse stated. The statement of the bank manager Prahbakar Kumar was recorded, he stated that six men entered the bank and three of them had pistols. They manhandled with the security guard and one of the accused hit him on the head with a pistol and snatched his gun. They went on to shoot the cashier. Police teams were assigned to the case and they recovered CCTV footage of the incident, the DCP said. After analyzing the CCTV footage, police teams were able to break-through the case with the arrest of Sachin (19) from Murthal. The motorcycles used in the crime were recovered. During interrogation, he revealed the identity of the five others who are still absconding, DCP said, adding Sachin is not the one who shot the cashier. While participating as the chief guest at the passing out parade of 11th Basic Recruitment Training Course at Central Training Centre of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Srinagar in Pauri district on Saturday, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat appreciated the rising participation of the women in such parades. He termed the increasing number of women joining the armed forces as a positive development for the nation. This is how the spirit of the Beti Bachao Beti Padho programme is being realised in the armed forces of the country, he said. Referring to the men and women from Jammu and Kashmir taking specialised training here before they return to combat terror, CM said that they have come from Srinagar of J&K to Srinagar of Garhwal and the gap between the two Srinagars is being bridged by them. While Srinagar is the capital of J&K, Srinagar, Garhwal was also earlier a capital of a princely State, he added. Congratulating the family members of the trainees, the CM said that they must be saluted for pledging their children to the service of the country. The country is strong since the armed forces are strong. It is heartening to see that the youth of the border areas are going back after taking training. This would definitely make our borders stronger, he said. He lauded the SSB for keeping vigil on the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders. This aside, SSB is also undertaking other responsibilities with dedication and commitment. They help the administration in maintaining law and order during the elections, he said. The CM also released a book titled Devbhoomi written by the trainees on the occasion. The Congress has started exercise to collect funds for the partys mouthpiece Navjivan, a Hindi weekly magazine published from New Delhi. Sources in the Congress confirmed that on the directions of All-India Congress Committee, partys chief in Uttar Pradesh, Raj Babbar, handed over subscription forms to all office-bearers of the state, district and city units and asked them to get them filled and collect funds. As per Babbars directive, all UPCC vice-presidents, general secretaries and secretaries would get 100 forms each and collect subscription fee of Rs 2,000 (for 130-week period) while district and city unit chiefs and in-charges would get 50 subscription forms each to collect the fees. With 129 district and city chiefs, and two in-charges and about 400 officer-bearers in the UPCC, the party hopes to collect over Rs 7 crore from UP alone. The sources said that the drive would be carried out along with the partys 90-day programme to get youths enrolled in voters list and convince them to join the partys Shakti App. The drive is scheduled to start on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhis death anniversary on October 31. When contacted on Saturday, a UPCC spokesman refused to speak on the issue saying he was unaware of it. The Delhi Government has set the ball rolling for the construction of Foot over Bridges (FOBs) and new Skywalks. Around 14 new FOBs and three skywalks will be constructed in the coming years. The projects were finalised after the Delhi Traffic Police identified the busiest areas which are also accident prone and submitted the report to the Government. Also, the city will get two more flyovers in the East and North-East Delhi. The expected time for the completion of the estimated FOBs and the Skywalks is 2020. Out of three skywalks, two will be constructed at Delhi Gate and Ajmeri Gate and the other one will be constructed in North-West Delhis from Pitampura Metro station to Rohini district court to decongest the Madhuban Chowk intersection on the Outer Ring Road. To facilitate the movement of pedestrians on the Netaji Subhash Marg (from Delhi Gate to Nukkar Faiz Bazar), a skywalk will be constructed at Nukkar Faiz Bazar. The largest skywalk will be constructed at Ajmeri Gate Chowk which is considered as one of the most congested regions of the Delhi as there is a huge movement of pedestrians due to the establishment of New Delhi Railway Station and the nearby commercial markets. This upcoming skywalk will connect the five roads going to GB Road, Chawari Bazar, Asif Ali Road, Paharganj and the New Delhi Railway station. The locations were identified by the Delhi Traffic Police under a mega decongestion project which was initiated by the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal after the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi Traffic Police to find solutions for the traffic hindrances and how decongest the city roads. Under the decongestion project, the traffic engineering team has divided corridors in three categories A, B and C as per their importance. The skywalks, FOBs and the flyovers have been identified under the category B and C. Further, it is upon the concerned agencies. However, the team is in touch of the authorities concerned, said a senior traffic police officer. However, the Delhi Department of Home which is heading the project said, The concerned departments and authorities have submitted the tentative specific timings for the tasks. But, the final deadline has been issued to all and it has been told strictly that by December 31 everyone should submit the detailed project plan with starting date of the project. Further, the FOBs will be constructed at various locations as per their need which includes Karol Bagh metro station, Prashant Vihar near the elevated flyover on Outer Ring Road, near National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Mahipalpur market. Chand Bagh colony and Bhajnpura petrol pump, Jagat Puri red light and Kapshera Border to facilitate movement of pedestrians going/coming from Gurugram in large numbers. An underpass will be constructed at Rithala Metro station. Also, as per their documents, which is with The Pioneer, the existing FOB at Anand Vihar ISBT will also be extended on either side of ISBT Anand Vihar and Kaushambi. Moreover, two more flyovers will be constructed in North East Delhis Mandoli red Light and Gangan cinema T point and to ease traffic congestion, prevent and reduce accidents and to cater future requirement once Signature Bridge becomes operational. Other flyover will be constructed in East Delhis Surya Nagar and Ram Prashtha traffic intersections to cater the requirement of Vivek Vihar, Surya Nagar and Ramprashtha Colony. The state government on Saturday shifted four IPS officers, including Senior Superintendent of Police in Faizabad. The SSP of Faizabad was reportedly shunted out of the district for his move of forcibly shift Swami Paramhans Das, mahant of Ayodhyas Tapaswi Chhawni, from a dharna site to a local hospital. The mahant was on indefinite hunger strike, demanding construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Earlier, UP minister Satish Mahana had met the mahant and requested him to call off his protest, offering to arrange a dialogue with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. As per a state government communique released on Saturday, SSP of Faizabad, Akhilesh Kumar Chaurasia, was removed and attached to DGP office. He has been replaced by SSP (ATS) Joginder Kumar. Additional superintendent of police in PAC headquarters, Jai Prakash Singh, has been promoted as Commandant of 29th Battalion PAC in Sitapur, replacing Satyendra Kumar Singh, who has also been promoted to DIG rank and posted as DIG, Arms Training Centre in Sitapur. Ahead of the festival season as a precautionary measure against sale of substandard sweets, Food Safety teams of Punjab have been put on high alert, state government officials said on Saturday. The food safety teams have been directed to maintain constant vigil on the bulk sale and purchase of milk and milk products, especially Khoya, besides the routine inspections, KS Pannu, Commissioner Food Safety Punjab, said. It is general impression that substandard khoya procured at cheaper rates from other states is stored ahead of the festival season in the cold stores by the sweets manufacturers, so we are constantly checking the cold stores across the State and are also putting the owners on guard against storing spurious items, Pannu said in a statement. Giving details of the inspections, he said that cold stores in Kapurthala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, Sri Mukatsar, Fazilka, Amloh, Faridkot, Kotakpura and Pathankot have been inspected. The statement said that Food Safety Wing Pathankot in a raid at Aman Cold Store found about 1.5 quintal of foul smelling khoya with storage dating back to over a year. It is linked with a sweets shop owner in Shahpur Chowk, Pathankot. The team took the samples and destroyed the khoya, not fit for human consumption. In the same premises, about 3.72 Quintals of fat spread was found which is sold as butter and it was linked with Balaji Enterprises. Sample of fat spread has been taken and whole of the stock has been seized. Similarly, two bread manufacturing units in Amritsar were inspected and sealed due to poor hygiene of premises as well as for being run in residential areas without FSSAI license. Very low quality ghee, maida and cherry and other ingredients were being used in processing. A Soda Manufacturing unit has also been sealed in Fatehgarh Colony, Anngarh, Amritsar for being run without mandatory license. An ill legal Water packing unit at Shri Goindwal Sahib, Tarntaran was also sealed on same account. At other places over ripened fruits and adulterated milk were found and destroyed after due sampling. Pannu said that extensive checking and the crackdown on the adulterators would continue in full swing to keep the substandard food articles at bay. A family in Sundargarh was ostracised from his locality by the PESA Act supporters for not supporting their stand. The family has written to the Director General of Police and also lodged an FIR in Rajgangpur police station. The police after registering a case are investigating the matter. According to sources, Manuel Topno of Kukuda village under Rajgangpur police station in his FIR told police that the PESA Act supporters of his village accused him of supporting the OCL India Limiteds land acquisition in December 2017 and called him to the PESA Gram Sabha (village meeting) to put his views. Manuel had gone to attend the meet and had put his views. The PESA supporters of his village again had brought same allegation against him in the month of January and had boycotted Manual and his family from their society. The PESA supporters had also stopped talking to him and his family. On October 8, when Manuel was cleaning a wheat storage area on a Government land, about 50 PESA supporters of his village attacked Manuel. Manuel was later rescued by his brothers. The Rajgangpur police after registered a case against 50 attackers under various sections of IPC. Significantly, while locals at different places of Sundargarh district have been active in campaigning for implementation of PESA Act and opposing various works over last few years, another group of locals under the banner of Khutkati Vikash Manch has started opposing the pathar gadi (stone erection) activities in the locality by the PESA activists. In a quick riposte to Bharatiya Janata Partys Shatru finding favours from Samajwadi Party, the Yogi Adityanath government, after rewarding Shivpal Singh Yadav with a big bungalow, is likely to allot the sprawling bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg vacated by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in June this year, to independent MLA from Kunda, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya. Both the leaders have chequered history of relationship. Akhilesh Yadav, as Chief Minister of UP, had got the palatial bungalow on Vikramaditya Marg allotted in his name in 2016 and he occupied it in the capacity of former Chief Minister in March 2017. Akhilesh had to vacate the bungalow in June this year on the order of the Supreme Court. There was a bitter exchange of accusations between the state government and Akhilesh Yadav after the bungalow was vacated. The Kunda MLA has already announced to float a new political party and he along with Samajwadi Secular Morcha of Shivpal Yadav are all set to make a dent in the vote banks of BJPs political rivals in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Raja Bhaiya was inducted as Cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadavs Council of Ministers in March 2012 and he had to resign a year later following the murder of a deputy superintendent of police in his assembly constituency Kunda in Pratapgarh district. The former minister was discharged from the case by the CBI which was handed over the investigation of the case. Akhilesh was reluctant to re induct Raja Bhaiya in the Cabinet but had to induct him following pressure from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The final break-up of relations between both the leaders took place in March this year during the Rajya Sabha election as Raja Bhaiya refused to vote in favour of the joint opposition candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party and voted for the BJP candidate. The dissident BJP MP from Patna, Shatrughan Sinha and former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha had joined the birth anniversary celebration of Jayaprakash Naryan at the Samajwadi Party on October 11 and later the SP indicated that the BJP MP could be its candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019 parliamentary election. Six-time independent MLA from Kunda constituency, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya has now approached the Election Commission to float a new party, likely to be named Jansatta Party. The controversial politician enjoyed proximity to the Samajwadi Partys first family until this years nail-biting Rajya Sabha election in UP that saw a photo-finish for the BJP. Gyanendra Singh, public relations officer of Raja Bhaiya, said the Kunda MLA would officially announce the party on November 30, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of his entry into politics. He said that SP president Akhilesh Yadav was no longer receptive to Raja Bhaiya after the results of Rajya Sabha election saw victory for additional BJP candidate at the cost of BSP nominee, who was supported by the SP. He also said that SPs growing proximity to BSP was one of the triggers behind Raja Bhaiyas decision to float a new party. South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel presented a cheque amounting to Rs 3.20 crore to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday. The amount has been raised by the SDMC to help the flood-affected people of Kerala and it will go to the Prime Minister National Relief Fund. The 43,000 employees of the SDMC contributed with their one-day basic salary for the flood affected persons of Kerala, said Director of Press and Information Radha Krishan. South Delhi Mayor Narendra Chawla said that the contribution is a humble humane help. It was much needed keeping in view the large-scale loss of lives and properties in the devastating floods which not only destroyed the economy of the State but forced the citizens to put up in open after losing their houses, he said. Appreciating the decision of the employees of the SDMC to contribute for a noble cause, Chawla said the civic body will continue to render humanitarian help to the disaster-affected persons in any other part of the country. Last time the SDMC employees had contributed an amount of around Rs 2 crore for relief measures of flash flood-affected persons in Jammu & Kashmir. The SDMC had earlier passed a resolution exhorting its employees to donate their one-day salary in the PM National Relief Fund. The Commissioner was accompanied by three Additional Commissioners Randhir Sahay, Rahul Garg, Umesh Tyagi, leader of House Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Director of Press and Information Radha Krishan. The State of Kerala greatly affected by unprecedented floods due to incessant rain that created havoc last month in which several were killed and thousands lost their home. Ever since he has helmed the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Sunil Sethi has revolutionised the business of fashion and changed the dynamics of the industry, which once sought Western approbation and which now takes pride in celebrating things Indian and selling big at home, says Rinku Ghosh Theres hardly a fashion event where you can miss the earnest man, not one strand of his silver hair ever out of place, his moustache curled up, not with bravado but with contentment and the neat wrap of a beard never daring to trespass the trim. Hes ever energetic and involved in every show, hardselling the virtues of our craftsmanship, creativity and style. Ever since he has helmed the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Sunil Sethi has revolutionised the business of fashion and changed the dynamics of the industry, which once sought Western approbation and which now takes pride in celebrating things Indian and selling big at home. He has single-handedly developed the pret market, encouraging young talent and street fashion, while hiving off couture as a grander, culture club space. In the process, he has birthed a movement of rescuing our heritage of textiles and weaves, breathing life into Government clusters and ensuring the weavers and artisans still have reams of continuity. Relying on his past experience as exporter and merchandiser, he has encouraged a sustainable business model of fashion and effectively taken it to the online space. Every corporate now wants to endorse a fashion week. Sitting on the cusp of change and welcoming winds of change, Sethi talks about how brand India is now a sensible rather than an emotional investment. But yes, he is totally emotional about his Ambassador. Many seasons into fashion weeks, the FDCI despite being supported by the Government has emerged with an independent, stable identity that has turned fashion into a serious business. How have you helmed the transition? The approach from the very beginning has been to be self-reliant. We have never really waited for Government money, though we were getting support from the Ministries of Textile and Commerce. However, what is more important is that we have the Government support in terms of any project we undertake, in terms of collaborations. In the current fashion week for example, the Ministry of Textile with DC Handlooms curated a special show with us. Such initiatives have helped us develop and mainstream weaver clusters and revive our textile heritage. For almost two years now, we have tried to work with production hubs of handloom weavers, like those of Telangana ikat and the Banarasi brocade. They even got in Australian designers to work with the fabric and come up with products and lines that have contemporary sensibilities and address a global audience. Recently, each fashion designer was roped in for design interventions at weaving centres and clusters and the money was sufficient to take care of the expenses. Interesting tie-ups like these have helped us widen the interpretative arc of fashion. The real evolution has been in the appreciation of fashion as a serious cultural and economic benchmark. Previously, it was associated more with glamour and lifestyle and neither a politician, nor a serious player was ever seen in the front row. Now ministers and politicians are opening these shows and walking alongside weavers and craftspeople on the ramp, lending fashion its rightful dignity as a fine art. Fashion today is going to the next level in terms of not only handlooms and handicrafts but also being adapted across multi-utility platforms as one of the drivers of the local economy. Corporates are engaging meaningfully, too. In fact, a few years ago, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel, was also happy to get on the ramp after a show on khadi and speak to the audience about the textile strength of Gujarat. Jyotiraditya Scindia walked the ramp along with weavers to focus on our Chanderi project. Our Make in India man, Niti Aayogs Amitabh Kant, has always been around to appreciate our shows. In Mumbai, we did a Banaras night with a chef and a leading hotel. Many of our leading designers presented their Banaras handloom collections. Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani had two very successful I love handloom and cotton school campaigns on social media, which nobody had ever thought of before. These are very big statements. They may be in politics but by promoting textiles, the region, jobs and emphasising that this industry is the second largest employer in the country, they have changed the perception about fashion and made us feel invested in our own heritage. Fashion is no longer seen as an unattainable concept beyond the lakshman rekha. We have crossed the boundary and that is a very major step, bigger than getting funds from the Government. How would you define the design revolution, this resurgence of ethnic consciousness and wearing our own identities as it were? I can explain this by citing the example of the Incredible India campaign. We were very happy to travel abroad and boast about it, but as soon as the campaign had a global impact, we started looking within. I remember there was a sudden rush and curiosity among North Indians to visit Kerala as the tagline Gods own country became popular. That global recognition boosted our own sense of self-appreciation. Then there was this phase of experiencing the newness of modernity when many people dismantled their old houses, threw away their antique furniture, got rid of the wooden arches and replaced them with modern-day architectural products. Those ethnic markers, however, found ready acceptance in the West as an Indian accent. The reverse psychology worked again to reinforce the value of ethnicity. A lot of jaali work and Burma teak have returned as have old trunks, chests and utilitarian metal items as a decorative comment on our legacy. The years of Western minimalism have now ensured that our ethnicity is not over-the-top, but the fact is that it took at least 30 years for us to realise our worth in the world. Everybody is now realising that the top global brands they run after come to us when they have anything to do with handicrafts, use our embroidery, buy fabrics, appreciate our handlooms. We have something special about our ikats and tie-dye, though variants are available all around the world, and our weaving processes. So we have grown into that proud feeling of being an Indian. I remember wearing a Nehru jacket, bundi, or whatever it is you want to call it, for the past 30 years. This has survived only because it is very practical, suited to our climate, can sit as easily on a kurta as on an Armani shirt, is a slip-on, convenient accessory and still lets you wear India on your sleeves. Of course, the politicians always wore it but now every news reader, every corporate honcho, every businessman, almost everybody has one in the wardrobe. Not that the feeling wasnt there, its just that we are now proud of wearing Indian. The same sensibility has permeated fashion. There was a time when ethnic, couture, bridal and occasion wear were not considered with it. Yet today, this category generates massive business. If we as a people are appreciative of Indian fashion designers and giving them round-the-year business and they are able to grow from a mom-pop operation to boutique, factory and a larger scale, then it is perhaps the best time for the Indian fashion industry. The domestic customer is now dictating terms of the market. And it is not just ethnic wear that is getting a boost, our consumer has coopted Western lines with equal glee, the evening gown now ubiquitous at galas and events. I remember gowns on the red carpet and at Navy and May Queen balls. Today, everybody wants a gown. Yes, the demand for ethnic and Indo-Western has peaked which has, in fact, cascaded and streaked into other lines, be it Western or corporate. Hotels, airlines, restaurants and brand offices are engaging our designers for interventions and styling. Some hotels and big corporations are exclusively helping out weaver clusters and buying uniform saris from them. So I would say the tremendous absorptive potential of India is responsible for the spurt in the fashion industry. The demand of Indian customers and the fact that they have started to appreciate how much difference a fashion designer will make in their profile have been a catalyst. After Bollywood and sports, fashion is what grabs the most eyeballs and has emerged as a key component of soft diplomacy. It is this ascension which has compelled our designers, some of whom were touting their placements in foreign stores and partnerships as successes and some who managed to set up individual outlets overseas, get real. How have fashion weeks helped in this transition? Consistently. Our first fashion week was in 2000 and it has only been a mere 18 years. In the first five or six years, there were no takers at all, but it boomed in the last 10 years when every small city tried to have an edition of its own. There were many fly-by-night operators too, who used the platform for promotion rather than generating any serious business, but they fizzled out. The FDCI has consistently stood by the business of, by, and for the designer and ensured the showcase is intended to fuel big buys and orders. So really there is no compromise that way. Our sponsors have stayed with us over the years, which proves our brand worth and credibility. We have had 34 editions so far and I have been part of the last 10. Within these 10-plus years, 40-45 shows have taken place during each outing. Some shows have been a conglomerate of four or five designers. I have been a part of more than a 1,000 shows myself and to maintain consistency has been a huge effort by the FDCI and its team. The pressure of ensuring a quality outing has meant the designer has been on his/her feet, has evolved with the times and is continuously churning out newer designs, output and innovation. Ours is not a slow industry. More so in the times of social media when you are exposed to everything happening then and there. The awareness is so high that you cant afford to be complacent anymore. So Indian fashion has changed much faster in the past five years than maybe any other industry. Because it is really happening on a day-to-day basis. But many people complain of a glut, of too many fashion weeks diluting their very purpose? I agree there was a big fashion fatigue and I am not even saying that we are out of that as yet, but nobody gets tired of looking at a fashionable outfit every single minute on Instagram. So what you call fashion fatigue has transmuted into curiosity. You might be over-exposed but people are still consuming it hungrily. That is the reason why we are still in business. Also, there is a demographic mix of baby boomers to millennials. One generation is happy with slow fashion and the other wants fast fashion. The demand is taut between these two arcs. Thats also the reason why even online entities now want a touch-and-feel flagship store. So how have online retail counters and social media changed the economics of fashion? Tremendously; they have made fashion gettable. The FDCI is lucky to have an e-commerce player. That started on the basis of participation in a fashion week. But sooner or later, they had to develop their own platforms to be strong enough and they have done it very successfully. The day is not far when we might have online fashion shows and if the market goes that way, so will the fdci. Personally, I am a bit old world though and would not want to let go of the ramp up close. What do you make of the design fluidity that has spilt over from what we wear to the smallest accessories and utilities? For a long time, India was deprived of foreign products. Just to get hold of an Ikea magazine was considered a luxury. People were not exposed to possibilities. Now that they are, they know they can roll out a thousand products out of one kind of weave or motif. Imagine the multi-billion scale of diversification. We never had a design school, there was NIFT and that too is also not more than 20 years old. What was experimental product design can now be utilitarian and mass grade. Young people are choosing fashion as a career even more now because you have to immerse yourself in it as much as engineering, medicine, or applied science to get the results. How did you find your way into fashion? I did not want to get into my family business of automobile spare parts and even though I joined because of family pressure, my heart was always set on the export market of handicrafts, textile and apparel. Fresh out of college, I left for Europe, Canada, and America with a bagful of samples. That exposure and experience worked in understanding how brand India could be marketed. I was fortunate I had achieved what I wanted to in my corporate life before I came to the FDCI, so I had already worked with the best. One of the largest sourcing companies in the world bought my intellectual rights. I achieved large turnovers of my own, so I was ready to give everything to the fashion industry without expecting anything in return. It is a blessing in disguise that I got so much out of the industry. It has made me value people. It has put me in the limelight without me wanting it. Even the 20-25 years of solid work I did in my earlier field got more recognition. I have worked with all fashion designers and done many alliances with them. I have made so many different products using their inspiration and given them additional lines to work with. That to me is a very big satisfaction. Most importantly, we have always had a healthy financial position. The FDCI is now capable of doing many things. The following companies are subsidiares of Crown: Adularia Inversiones 2010 S.L., Angleboard Sweden AB, Bates Cargo-Pak ApS, Butimove, CMB Machinery and Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CROWN AP (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Aerosols & Promotional Nederland, CROWN Aerosols Italia Srl, CROWN Aerosols Nederland BV, CROWN Aerosols UK Limited, CROWN Americas LLC, CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. 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Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shenzhen) Electronic Product Consulting Company Limited, Marubun/Arrow (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun/Arrow USA II LLC, Marubun/Arrow USA LLC, NIC Components Asia PTE Ltd., NIC Components Corp., NIC Components Europe Limited, NIC Eurotech Limited, NUH Electronics India Private Limted, Networld Systems Pty Ltd, Nextworth Solutions Inc., Nu Horizons Electronics, Nu Horizons Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Asia PTE Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Hong Kong Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Malaysia SDN BHD, NuHo Singapore Holdings LLC, Observatory Crest, Openway Group SA, Openway SAS, PCG Parent Corp., PCG Trading LLC, PT Marubun Arrow Indonesia, Pansystem S.r.l., Pax8 Inc., Power and Signal Group GmbH, R.D. Trading Limited, RDC, RF Wireless & Power - Richardson Electronics, Rack Systems Pty Ltd, Red Education Pty Ltd, Redemtech, Renewal Systems Pty Ltd, Richardson RFPD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Richardson RFPD (Thailand) Limited, Richardson RFPD Australia Pty. Ltd., Richardson RFPD Canada Inc., Richardson RFPD Electronics Trading (China) Co. Ltd., Richardson RFPD France SAS, Richardson RFPD Germany GmbH, Richardson RFPD Hong Kong, Richardson RFPD Inc., Richardson RFPD Israel Ltd., Richardson RFPD Italy Srl, Richardson RFPD Japan KK, Richardson RFPD Korea Ltd., Richardson RFPD Netherlands BV, Richardson RFPD Singapore, Richardson RFPD Spain SL, Richardson RFPD Sweden AB, Richardson RFPD Taiwan, Richardson RFPD UK Ltd., Richey Electronics, San Systems Pty Ltd, Schuylkill Metals of Plant City Inc., Seneca Data, Seneca Data Distributors Inc., Shared Technologies, Silicon Frameworks LLC, SiliconEgypt Technologies LLC, SiliconExpert Holdings LLC, SiliconExpert Technologies, SiliconExpert Technologies Inc., Sphinx CST Limited, Sphinx CST Networks Limited, Sphinx Group, Sphinx Group Limited, Sphinx Professional Services Limited, Spoerle Hungary Kereskedelmi Kft, Sun Chain Technology Corp., TLW Electronics Ltd., TechTurn, Titan Supply Chain Services Limited, Titan Supply Chain Services Pte Ltd., Trafomo AB, Trafomo ApS, Transim Technology, Transim Technology Corporation, U.S. Micro Operating Company LLC, UBM Tech Electronics Network, Ultra Source Electronics (SZ) Co LTD, Ultra Source Technology Corp., Ultra Source Trading Hong Kong Limited, United Technical Publishing Division - Hearst Business Media, Universe Electron Corporation, Verical, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Arrow Electronics GmbH, Wireless and Infrastructure Business Unit - Waching Company, Yongming Xincheng (Beijing) Technology Co., e-InfoChips, e-Infochips Private Limited, eInfochips, eMedia Asia Limited, immixGovernment Inc., immixGroup, immixGroup Inc., immixSolutions Inc., and immixTechnology. 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. 2 hours ago German agency suspends approval process for Russia pipeline BERLIN (AP) Germany's network regulator said Tuesday that it has suspended its procedure to certify the operator of a new pipeline that would bring Russian gas to the country under the Baltic Sea because of an issue with the company's status under German law. Construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was completed earlier this year, but it is not yet in operation. Read Article The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.. The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd.. There is not enough analysis data for Chinook Energy. 4.8 Community Rank Outperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 294 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Chinook Energy has received 118 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Chinook Energy has received 71.36% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Chinook Energy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CKE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CKE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of HCA Healthcare: 2490 Church LLC, 360 Community Alliance LLC, 4600 Waters Avenue Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., 52 Alderley Road LLP, AC Med LLC, ACH Inc., ADC Surgicenter LLC, AOGN LLC, AOSC Sports Medicine Inc., AR Holding 1 LLC, AR Holding 10 LLC, AR Holding 11 LLC, AR Holding 12 LLC, AR Holding 13 LLC, AR Holding 14 LLC, AR Holding 15 LLC, AR Holding 16 LLC, AR Holding 17 LLC, AR Holding 18 LLC, AR Holding 19 LLC, AR Holding 2 LLC, AR Holding 20 LLC, AR Holding 21 LLC, AR Holding 22 LLC, AR Holding 23 LLC, AR Holding 24 LLC, AR Holding 25 LLC, AR Holding 26 LLC, AR Holding 27 LLC, AR Holding 28 LLC, AR Holding 29 LLC, AR Holding 30 LLC, AR Holding 31 LLC, AR Holding 4 LLC, AR Holding 5 LLC, AR Holding 6 LLC, AR Holding 7 LLC, AR Holding 8 LLC, AR Holding 9 LLC, ASD Shared Services LLC, Acadiana Care Center Inc., Acadiana Practice Management Inc., Acadiana Regional Pharmacy Inc., Access 2 Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Management Co. LLC, Ace Leasing II LLC, Acute Kids Urgent Care of Medical City Childrens Hospital PLLC, Acworth Immediate Care LLC, Administrative Physicians of North Texas PLLC, Advanced Bundle Convener LLC, Advanced Plastic Surgery Center of Terre Haute LLC, Advanced Practice Providers of Gulf Coast PLLC, Alaska Regional Medical Group LLC, Albany Family Practice LLC, Aligned Business Consortium Group L.P., All About Staffing (India) Ltd., All About Staffing Inc., All About Staffing Philippines Inc., Alleghany General and Bariatric Services LLC, Alleghany Hospitalists LLC, Alleghany Primary Care Inc., Alleghany Specialists LLC, Alliance Surgicare LLC, Alpine Surgicenter LLC, Alta Internal Medicine LLC, Alternaco LLC, Altitude Mid Level Providers LLC, Ambulatory Endoscopy Clinic of Dallas Ltd., Ambulatory Endoscopy Holdco LLC, Ambulatory Laser Associates GP, Ambulatory Services Management Corporation of Chesterfield County Inc., Ambulatory Surgery Center Group Ltd., American Medicorp Development Co., Anchorage Surgicenter LLC, AppleCare/Memorial Immediate Care Joint Venture LLC, Appledore Medical Group II Inc., Appledore Medical Group Inc., Appomattox Imaging LLC, Arapahoe Surgicenter LLC, Arlington Diagnostic South Inc., Arlington Neurosurgeons PLLC, Arlington Primary Care PLLC, Arlington Primary Medicine PLLC, Arlington Surgery Center L.P., Arlington Surgicare LLC, Arthritis Specialists of Nashville Inc., Ashburn ASC LLC, Ashburn Imaging LLC, Athens Community Hospital Inc., Atlanta Healthcare Management L.P., Atlanta Home Care L.P., Atlanta Market GP Inc., Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center Inc., Atlanta Surgery Center Ltd., Atlantis Surgicare LLC, Atrium Surgery Center L.P., Atrium Surgicare LLC, Augusta CyberKnife LLC, Augusta Inpatient Services LLC, Augusta Management Services LLC, Augusta Multispecialty Services LLC, Augusta Primary Care Services LLC, Augusta Specialty Hospitalists LLC, Augusta Urgent Care Services LLC, Aurora Endoscopy Surgicenter LLC, Austin GI Surgicenter LLC, Austin Heart Cardiology MSO LLC, Austin Medical Center Inc., Austin Physicians Management LLC, Austin Urogynecology PLLC, Aventura Cancer Center Manager LLC, Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Research Group of Florida Inc., Aventura Healthcare Specialists LLC, Aventura Neurosurgery LLC, BAMI Property LLC, Backlogs Limited, Bailey Square Ambulatory Surgical Center Ltd., Bailey Square Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Bannerman Family Care LLC, Barrow Medical Center CT Services Ltd., Basic American Medical Inc., Basil Street Practice Limited, Bay Area Healthcare Group Ltd., Bay Area Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Bay Area Surgicare Center Inc., Bay Area Surgicenter LLC, Bay Hospital Inc., Bayonet Point Surgery Center Ltd., Bayshore Family Practitioners PLLC, Bayshore Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Bayshore Occupational and Family Medicine PLLC, Bayshore Partner LLC, Bayshore Radiation Oncology Services PLLC, Bayshore Surgery Center Ltd., Bayside Ambulatory Center LLC, Bedford-Northeast Community Hospital Inc., Behavioral Health Sciences of West Florida LLC, Behavioral Health Wellness Center LLC, Bellaire Imaging Inc., Belleair Surgery Center Ltd., Belton Family Practice Clinic LLC, Big Cypress Medical Center Inc., Blacksburg Family Care LLC, Blossoms Healthcare LLP, Blue Ridge-TKC LLC, Bone & Joint Specialists Physician Group LLC, Bonita Bay Surgery Center Inc., Bonita Bay Surgery Center Ltd., Bountiful Surgery Center LLC, Boynton Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Bradenton Cardiology Physician Network LLC, Bradenton Outpatient Services LLC, Brandon Imaging Manager LLC, Brandon Regional Cancer Center LLC, Brentwood ASC LLC, Brigham City Community Hospital Inc., Brigham City Community Hospital Physician Services LLC, Brigham City Health Plan Inc., Brighton Surgicenter LLC, Brookwood Medical Center of Gulfport Inc., Broward Cardiovascular Surgeons LLC, Broward Healthcare System Inc., Broward Neurosurgeons LLC, Brownsville Specialists of Texas PLLC, Brownsville Surgery PLLC, Brownsville Surgical Specialists PLLC, Brownsville Surgicenter LLC, Brownsville-Valley Regional Medical Center Inc., Buford Road Imaging L.L.C., Byron Family Practice LLC, C. Medrano M.D. PLLC, C/HCA Capital Inc., C/HCA Development Inc., C/HCA Inc., CAREOS Surgicenter LLC, CC Clinic PLLC, CCBH Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, CCH-GP Inc., CFC Investments Inc., CH Systems, CHC Finance Co., CHC Holdings Inc., CHC Management Ltd., CHC Payroll Agent Inc., CHC Payroll Company, CHC Realty Company, CHC Venture Co., CHC-El Paso Corp., CHC-Miami Corp., CHCA Bayshore L.P., CHCA Clear Lake L.P., CHCA Conroe L.P., CHCA Mainland L.P., CHCA Pearland L.P., CHCA West Houston L.P., CHCA Womans Hospital L.P., CHCK Inc., CJW Infectious Disease LLC, CJW Wound Healing Center LLC, CLASC Manager LLC, COL-NAMC Holdings Inc., COSCORP LLC, CP Surgery Center LLC, CPS TN Processor 1 Inc., CRMC-M LLC, CUC PLLC, CVMC Property LLC, Calder Immediate Care PLLC, California Imaging Center Manager LLC, California Urgent Care LLC, Calloway Creek Surgery Center L.P., Calloway Creek Surgicare LLC, Cancer Centers of North Florida LLC, Cancer Services of Aventura LLC, Capital Anesthesia Services LLC, Capital Area Cardiology, Capital Area CareNow Physician Associates, Capital Area Multispecialty Providers, Capital Area Neurosurgeons, Capital Area Occupational Medicine PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care Providers, Capital Area Providers, Capital Area Specialists PLLC, Capital Area Specialty Providers, Capital Area Surgeons PLLC, Capital Division - CCA Inc., Capital Division Inc., Capital Network Services Inc., Capital Professional Billing LLC, Capital Regional Healthcare LLC, Capital Regional Heart Associates LLC, Capital Regional Psychiatry Associates LLC, Cardiac Surgical Associates LLC, Cardio Vascular Surgeons of North Texas PLLC, Cardiology Associates Medical Group LLC, Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio PLLC, Cardiology Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Texas PLLC, Care for Women LLC, CareNow, CareOne Home Health Services Inc., CarePartners HHA Holdings LLLP, CarePartners HHA LLLP, CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital LLLP, CareSpot Professional Services of Middle Tennessee LLC, CareSpot of Brentwood (210 Franklin Road) LLC, CareSpot of Cool Springs (100 International Drive) LLC, CareSpot of Donelson (2372 Lebanon Road) LLC, CareSpot of Hendersonville (280 Indian Lake Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Hermitage (5225 Old Hickory Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Lebanon (1705 West Main Street) LLC, CareSpot of Mt. Juliet (S. Mt. Juliet Road) LLC, CareSpot of Murfreesboro (1340 Broad Street) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (2001 Glen Echo Road) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (West End Avenue) LLC, Career Staffing USA Inc., Carlin Springs Urgent Care LLC, Carolina Forest Imaging Manager LLC, Carolina Regional Surgery Center Inc., Carolina Regional Surgery Center Ltd., Cartersville Medical Center LLC, Cartersville Occupational Medicine Center LLC, Cartersville Physician Practice I LLC, Catalog360 Limited, Cedar Creek Medical Group LLC, Cedars International Cardiology Consultants LLC, Cedars Medical Center Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Cardiovascular Consultants LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Center LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Manager LLC, Centennial Heart LLC, Centennial Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Neuroscience LLC, Centennial Psychiatric Associates LLC, Centennial Surgery Center L.P., Centennial Surgical Associates LLC, Centennial Surgical Clinic LLC, Centennial Womens Group LLC, Center for Advanced Diagnostics LLC, Center for Advanced Imaging LLC, Center for Digestive Diseases LLC, Center for Occupational Medicine LLC, Centerpoint Cardiology Services LLC, Centerpoint Clinic of Blue Springs LLC, Centerpoint Hospital Based Physicians LLC, Centerpoint Medical Center of Independence LLC, Centerpoint Medical Specialists LLC, Centerpoint Orthopedics LLC, Centerpoint Physicians Group LLC, Centerpoint Womens Services LLC, Central Florida Cardiology Interpretations LLC, Central Florida Division Practice Inc., Central Florida Health Services LLC, Central Florida Imaging Services LLC, Central Florida Management Services LLC, Central Florida Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates LLC, Central Florida Physician Network LLC, Central Florida Regional Hospital Inc., Central Health Holding Company Inc., Central Pasco LLC, Central San Antonio Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Central Shared Services LLC, Central Tennessee Hospital Corporation, Central Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Physicians PLLC, Centrum Surgery Center Ltd., Charleston CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Chatsworth Hospital Corp., Chattanooga ASC Acquisition Inc., Chattanooga Diagnostic Associates LLC, Chattanooga Healthcare Network L.P., Chattanooga Healthcare Network Partner Inc., Chelsea Outpatient Centre LLP, Chesterfield Imaging LLC, Chicago Grant Hospital Inc., Childrens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Chino Community Hospital Corporation Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Sports Medicine LLC, Chippenham Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Chippenham Pediatric Specialists LLC, Chiswick Outpatient Centre LLP, Christiansburg Family Medicine LLC, Christiansburg Internal Medicine LLC, Christina Cano-Gonzalez M.D. PLLC, Chugach PT Inc., Church Street Partners, Citrus Memorial Hospital Inc., Citrus Memorial Property Management Inc., Citrus Primary Care Inc., Citrus Specialty Group Inc., Citrus Surgicenter LLC, City of San Antonio H2U Employee Health and Wellness Center PLLC, Clarksville Surgicenter LLC, Clear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Clear Lake Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., Clear Lake Cardiac GP LLC, Clear Lake Family Physicians PLLC, Clear Lake Medical Tower Owners Association Inc., Clear Lake Merger LLC, Clear Lake Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center Inc., Clear Lake Regional Partner LLC, Clear Lake Surgicare Ltd., ClinicServ LLC, Clinical Education Shared Services LLC, Clinishare Inc., Coastal Bend Hospital CT Services Ltd., Coastal Bend Hospital Inc., Coastal Carolina Home Care Inc., Coastal Carolina Multispecialty Associates LLC, Coastal Carolina Primary Care LLC, Coastal Healthcare Services Inc., Coastal Imaging Center L.P., Coastal Imaging Center of Gulfport Inc., Coastal Inpatient Physicians LLC, Coliseum Health Group Inc., Coliseum Health Group LLC, Coliseum Medical Center LLC, Coliseum Park Hospital Inc., Coliseum Primary Care Services LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Macon LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Riverside LLC, Coliseum Professional Associates LLC, Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center L.P., Coliseum Surgery Center L.L.C., College Park Ancillary LLC, College Park Endoscopy Center LLC, College Park Radiology LLC, Colleton Ambulatory Care LLC, Colleton Diagnostic Center LLC, Colleton Medical Anesthesia LLC, Colleton Medical Hospitalists LLC, Colleton Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery LLC, Collier County Home Health Agency Inc., Collin County Diagnostic Associates PLLC, Colorado Health Systems Inc., Columbia ASC Management L.P., Columbia Ambulatory Surgery Division Inc., Columbia Arlington Healthcare System L.L.C., Columbia Bay Area Realty Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Health Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare Inc., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare of South Florida Inc., Columbia Call Center Inc., Columbia Central Florida Division Inc., Columbia Central Group Inc., Columbia Champions Treatment Center Inc., Columbia Chicago Division Inc., Columbia Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Columbia Development of Florida Inc., Columbia Doctors Hospital of Tulsa Inc., Columbia Eye and Specialty Surgery Center Ltd., Columbia Florida Group Inc., Columbia GP of Mesquite Inc., Columbia Good Samaritan Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia Greater Houston Division Healthcare Network Inc., Columbia Health System of Arkansas Inc., Columbia Healthcare System of Louisiana Inc., Columbia Healthcare of Central Virginia Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation at the Medical Center, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Arlington, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Bay Area, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Central Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Corpus Christi, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Fort Worth, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Kendall, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Massachusetts Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of North Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Broward, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Dade, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Florida, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Tamarac, Columbia Hospital Corporation of West Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation-Delaware, Columbia Hospital Corporation-SMM, Columbia Hospital at Medical City Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Hospital-El Paso Ltd., Columbia Integrated Health Systems Inc., Columbia Jacksonville Healthcare System Inc., Columbia LaGrange Hospital LLC, Columbia Lake Worth Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia Medical Arts Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center Dallas Southwest Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center at Lancaster Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Arlington Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Denton Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Las Colinas Inc., Columbia Medical Center of Lewisville Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of McKinney Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Plano Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Group - Centennial Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Daystar Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Parkridge Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southern Hills Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southwest Virginia Inc., Columbia Medical Group - The Frist Clinic Inc., Columbia Midtown Joint Venture, Columbia North Alaska Healthcare Inc., Columbia North Central Florida Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia North Hills Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia North Texas Healthcare System L.P., Columbia North Texas Subsidiary GP LLC, Columbia North Texas Surgery Center Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Inc., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Partners Ltd., Columbia Ocala Regional Medical Center Physician Group Inc., Columbia Ogden Medical Center Inc., Columbia Oklahoma Division Inc., Columbia Palm Beach GP LLC, Columbia Palm Beach Healthcare System Limited Partnership, Columbia Park Healthcare System Inc., Columbia Park Medical Center Inc., Columbia Parkersburg Healthcare System LLC, Columbia Pentagon City Hospital L.L.C., Columbia Physician Services - Florida Group Inc., Columbia Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Primary Care LLC, Columbia Psychiatric Management Co., Columbia Resource Network Inc., Columbia Rio Grande Healthcare L.P., Columbia Riverside Inc., Columbia South Texas Division Inc., Columbia Specialty Hospital of Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Specialty Hospitals Inc., Columbia Surgery Group Inc., Columbia Surgicare of Augusta Ltd., Columbia Tampa Bay Division Inc., Columbia Valley Healthcare System L.P., Columbia West Bank Hospital Inc., Columbia Westbank Healthcare L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Canton Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Cleveland Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-Georgia PT Inc., Columbia-Osceola Imaging Center Inc., Columbia-Quantum Inc., Columbia-SDH Holdings Inc., Columbia/Alleghany Regional Hospital Incorporated, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Central Texas, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Northern Ohio, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of South Carolina, Columbia/HCA Heartcare of Corpus Christi Inc., Columbia/HCA International Group Inc., Columbia/HCA John Randolph Inc., Columbia/HCA Middle East Management Company, Columbia/HCA Physician Hospital Organization Medical Center Hospital, Columbia/HCA San Clemente Inc., Columbia/HCA of Baton Rouge Inc., Columbia/HCA of Houston Inc., Columbia/HCA of New Orleans Inc., Columbia/HCA of North Texas Inc., Columbine Psychiatric Center Inc., Columbus Cardiology Inc., Columbus Cath Lab Inc., Columbus Cath Lab LLC, Columbus Doctors Hospital Inc., Commonwealth Perinatal Services LLC, Commonwealth Specialists of Kentucky LLC, Community Hospital Family Practice LLC, Comprehensive Radiation Oncology LLC, Comprehensive Radiology Management Services Ltd., Concept EFL Imaging Center LLC, Concept West EFL Imaging Center LLC, Congenital Heart Surgery Center PLLC, Conroe Hospital Corporation, Conroe Montgomery Physicians Group PLLC, Conroe Orthopedic Specialists PLLC, Conroe Partner LLC, Conroe Specialists of Texas PLLC, Continental Division I Inc., Coral Springs Surgi-Center Ltd., CoralStone Management Inc., Corpus Christi Healthcare Group Ltd., Corpus Christi Heart Clinic PLLC, Corpus Christi Primary Care Associates PLLC, Corpus Christi Psychiatric Specialists PLLC, Corpus Christi Radiation Oncology PLLC, Corpus Christi Surgery Center L.P., Corpus Christi Surgery Ltd., Corpus Christi Surgicenter LLC, Corpus Surgicare Inc., Countryside Surgery Center Ltd., Crewe Outpatient Imaging LLC, Cumberland Medical Center Inc., Cy-Fair Medical Center Hospital LLC, DFW Physicians Group PLLC, DOMC Property LLC, DS Real Estate Holdings LLC, Daleville Imaging L.P., Daleville Imaging Manager LLC, Dallas CardioThoracic Surgery Consultants PLLC, Dallas Cardiology Specialists PLLC, Dallas Hand Surgery Center PLLC, Dallas Medical Specialists PLLC, Dallas Neuro-Stroke Affiliates PLLC, Dallas Pediatric Neurosurgery Specialists PLLC, Dallas/Ft. Worth Physician LLC, Davie Medical Center LLC, Daytona Medical Center Inc., Dean 4641 LLC, Deep Purple Investments LLC, Del Sol Bariatric Clinic PLLC, Delray EFL Imaging Center LLC, Denton Cancer Center PLLC, Denton County Hospitalist Program PLLC, Denton Pediatric Physicians PLLC, Denton Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Denver Clinic Surgicenter LLC, Denver Mid-Town Surgery Center Ltd., Denver Surgicenter LLC, Derry ASC Inc., Diagnostic Breast Center Inc., Diagnostic Mammography Services G.P., Diagnostic Services G.P., Dickson Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Bay Area Physician Hospital Organization, Doctors Hospital (Conroe) Inc., Doctors Hospital Columbus GA-Joint Venture, Doctors Hospital Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Hospital of Augusta LLC, Doctors Hospital of Augusta Neurology LLC, Doctors Osteopathic Medical Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Ltd., Doctors-I Inc., Doctors-II Inc., Doctors-III Inc., Doctors-IV Inc., Doctors-IX Inc., Doctors-V Inc., Doctors-VI Inc., Doctors-VII Inc., Doctors-VIII Inc., Doctors-X Inc., Doctors Memorial Hospital of Spartanburg Limited Partnership, Dominion Hospital Physicians Group LLC, Dublin Community Hospital LLC, Dublin Heart Specialists LLC, Dublin Multispecialty LLC, Dura Medical Inc., E.P. Physical Therapy Centers Inc., EASTSIDE URGENT CARE LLC, EHCA Diagnostics LLC, EHCA Eastside Occupational Medicine Center LLC, EHCA LLC, EHCA Metropolitan LLC, EHCA Parkway LLC, EHCA Peachtree LLC, EHCA West Paces LLC, EIRMC Hospitalist Services LLC, EMMC LLC, EP Health LLC, EP Holdco LLC, EPIC Development Inc., EPIC Diagnostic Centers Inc., EPIC Healthcare Management Company, EPIC Properties Inc., EPIC Surgery Centers Inc., EPSC L.P., East Falls Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery LLC, East Falls Family Medicine LLC, East Falls Plastic Surgery LLC, East Florida - DMC Inc., East Florida Behavioral Health Network LLC, East Florida Cardiology Network LLC, East Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, East Florida Division Inc., East Florida Emergency Physician Group LLC, East Florida Healthcare LLC, East Florida Hospitalists LLC, East Florida Imaging Holdings LLC, East Florida Primary Care LLC, East Houston Primary Care PLLC, East Houston Specialists PLLC, East Layton Internal Medicine LLC, East Orthopedics PLLC, East Pointe Hospital Inc., Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment LLC, Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment Manager LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners ACO LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners Holdings LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners LLC, Eastern Idaho Health Services Inc., Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Eastside Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Eastside General Surgery LLC, Eastside Heart and Vascular LLC, Eastside Medical Center LLC, Eastside Surgery Center LLC, Edmond General Surgery LLC, Edmond Hospitalists LLC, Edmond Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Edward White Hospital Inc., El Paso CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, El Paso Healthcare Provider Network, El Paso Healthcare System Ltd., El Paso Healthcare System Physician Services LLC, El Paso Nurses Unlimited Inc., El Paso Primary Care PLLC, El Paso Surgery Centers L.P., El Paso Surgicenter Inc., Eldridge Family Practitioners PLLC, Elite Family Health of Plano PLLC, Elite OB-GYN Services of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Irving PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Plano PLLC, Elstree Outpatient Centre LLP, Emergency Physicians at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Emergency Providers Group LLC, Emergency Psychiatric Medicine PLLC, Encino Hospital Corporation Inc., Endocrinology Associates of Lees Summit LLC, Endoscopy Surgicare of Plano LLC, Endoscopy of Plano L.P., Englewood Community Hospital Auxiliary Inc., Englewood Community Hospital Inc., Envision Stakes LLC, Eye Care Surgicare Ltd. a Missouri limited partnership, FHAL LLC, FMH Health Services LLC, Fairfax Surgical Center L.P., Fairview Medical Services LLC, Fairview Park GP LLC, Fairview Park Limited Partnership, Fairview Partner LLC, Family Care Partners LLC, Family Care of E. Jackson County LLC, Family First Medicine in Brownsville PLLC, Family Health Medical Group of Overland Park LLC, Family Health Specialists of Lees Summit LLC, Family Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Family Practice at Forest Hill LLC, Family Practice at Retreat LLC, Family Practitioners of Montgomery PLLC, Family Practitioners of Pearland PLLC, Fannin MOB LLC, Fannin MOB Property Management LLC, Far West Division Inc., Fawcett Memorial Hospital Inc., Florida Care Partners LLC, Florida Care Partners Orlando LLC, Florida Home Health Services-Private Care Inc., Florida Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Flower Mound Surgery Center Ltd., Focus Hand Surgicenter LLC, Foot & Ankle Specialty Services LLC, Forest Park Surgery Pavilion Inc., Forest Park Surgery Pavilion L.P., Fort Bend Hospital Inc., Fort Chiswell Family Practice LLC, Fort Myers Market Inc., Fort Pierce Immediate Care Center Inc., Fort Pierce Orthopaedics LLC, Fort Pierce Surgery Center Ltd., Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Inc., Fort Worth Investments Inc., Forward Pathology Solutions LLC, Four Rivers Medical Center PHO Inc., Frankfort Hospital Inc., Frankfort Wound Care LLC, Freeport Family Medicine LLC, Fremont Womens Health LLC, Frisco Surgicare LLC, Frisco Warren Parkway 91 Inc., Frist Clinic Express LLC, Ft. Pierce Surgicare LLC, Ft. Walton Beach Anesthesia Services LLC, G. Rowe M.D. PLLC, G. Schnider M.D. PLLC, G. Voorhees M.D. PLLC, G.P. Martin Fletcher & Associates LLC, GA PHYSICIAN SERVICES LLC, GA Urgentcare Holding LLC, GHC-Galen Health Care LLC, GI Associates of Denton PLLC, GI Associates of Lewisville PLLC, GME Services of Osceola LLC, GPCH-GP Inc., GYN-Oncology of Southwest Virginia LLC, Gainesville GYN Oncology of North Florida Regional Medical Center LLC, Gainesville Physicians LLC, GalTex LLC, Galen (Kansas) Merger LLC, Galen BH Inc., Galen Center for Professional Development Inc., Galen College of Nursing, Galen Diagnostic Multicenter Ltd., Galen GOK LLC, Galen Global Finance Inc., Galen Health Institutes Inc., Galen Health Partners Limited, Galen Holdco LLC, Galen Hospital Alaska Inc., Galen Hospital of Baytown Inc., Galen Hospital-Pembroke Pines Inc., Galen International Holdings Inc., Galen KY LLC, Galen MCS LLC, Galen MRMC LLC, Galen Medical Corporation, Galen NMC LLC, Galen NSH LLC, Galen Property LLC, Galen SOM LLC, Galen SSH LLC, Galen Virginia Hospital Corporation, Galen of Aurora Inc., Galen of Florida Inc., Galen of Illinois Inc., Galen of Kentucky Inc., Galen of Mississippi Inc., Galen of Virginia Inc., Galen of West Virginia Inc., Galen-Soch Inc., Galencare Inc., Galendeco Inc., Galichia Anesthesia Services LLC, Galichia Emergency Physicians LLC, Garden Park Community Hospital Limited Partnership, Garden Park Hospitalist Program LLC, Garden Park Investments L.P., Garden Park Physician Group - Specialty Care LLC, Garden Park Physician Group Inc., Gardens EFL Imaging Center LLC, Gastroenterology Specialists of Middle Tennessee LLC, General Hospitals of Galen Inc., General Medical Clinics Limited, General Surgeons of Houston PLLC, General Surgeons of North Richland Hills PLLC, General Surgeons of Pasadena PLLC, General and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Conroe PLLC, Generations Family Practice Inc., GenoSpace LLC, Georgia Health Holdings Inc., Georgia L.P., Georgia Psychiatric Company Inc., Glemm SA, Good Samaritan Hospital L.P., Good Samaritan Hospital LLC, Good Samaritan Surgery Center L.P., Goppert-Trinity Family Care LLC, Grace Family Practice LLC, Gramercy Eye Surgicenter LLC, Gramercy Surgery Center Ltd., Grand Strand Regional Medical Center LLC, Grand Strand Senior Health Center LLC, Grand Strand Specialty Associates LLC, Grand Strand Surgical Specialists LLC, Grandview Health Care Clinic LLC, Grant Center Hospital of Ocala Inc., Grayson Primary Care LLC, Greater Gwinnett Internal Medicine Associates LLC, Greater Gwinnett Physician Corporation, Greater Houston Preferred Provider Option Inc., Greater Tampa Bay Physician Network LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physician Specialists LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physicians - Pinellas LLC, Green Oaks Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Greenview Hospital Inc., Greenview PrimeCare LLC, Greenview Specialty Associates LLC, Gulf Coast Division Inc., Gulf Coast Electrophysiology Associates PLLC, Gulf Coast Inpatient Specialists LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Center Primary Care LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Ventures Inc., Gulf Coast Multispecialty Services LLC, Gulf Coast Physician Administrators Inc., Gulf Coast Provider Network Inc., Gwinnett Community Hospital Inc., Gynecology Specialists of Utah LLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Del Sol Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Las Palmas Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Medical City Dallas PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - St. Davids Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers LLC, H2U Wellness Centers Clear Lake Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe ISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Corpus Christi PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers El Paso PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers PISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers San Benito CISD PLLC, HBP Lone Star Inc., HCA - IT&S Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S Inventory Management Inc., HCA - IT&S PBS Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S TN Field Operations Inc., HCA - Information Technology & Services Inc., HCA - Raleigh Community Hospital Inc., HCA - Viera ALF LLC, HCA - WHS Progressive LLC, HCA - WHS Services LLC, HCA ASD Financial Operations LLC, HCA ASD Sales Services LLC, HCA American Finance LLC, HCA Carenow Limited, HCA Central Group Inc., HCA Central/West Texas Physicians Management LLC, HCA Chattanooga Market Inc., HCA Development Company Inc., HCA Eastern Group Inc., HCA Global Capital LLP, HCA Gulf Coast GME PLLC, HCA Health Services of California Inc., HCA Health Services of Florida Inc., HCA Health Services of Georgia Inc., HCA Health Services of Louisiana Inc., HCA Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Health Services of Midwest Inc., HCA Health Services of New Hampshire Inc., HCA Health Services of Tennessee Inc., HCA Health Services of Texas Inc., HCA Health Services of Virginia Inc., HCA Health Services of West Virginia Inc., HCA Healthcare Mission Fund LLC, HCA Healthcare UK Limited, HCA Holdco LLC, HCA Human Resources LLC, HCA Imaging Services of North Florida Inc., HCA Inc., HCA International Holdings Limited, HCA International Limited, HCA LewisGale Regional Cancer Centers Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Long Term Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Luxembourg 1 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg 2 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Equities Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Finance Limited, HCA Luxembourg Investments Sarl, HCA Management Services L.P., HCA Medical City Limited, HCA Medical Services Inc., HCA Midwest Comprehensive Care Inc., HCA Outpatient Clinic Services of Miami Inc., HCA Outpatient Imaging Services Group Inc., HCA Patient Safety Organization LLC, HCA Pearland GP Inc., HCA Physician Services Inc., HCA Plano Imaging Inc., HCA Property GP LLC, HCA Psychiatric Company, HCA Purchasing Limited, HCA Realty Inc., HCA Richmond Cardiac Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA SF LLC, HCA SFB 1 LLC, HCA Sarasota Orthopedic and Spine Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Squared LLC, HCA Staffing Limited, HCA Swiss Capital 1 LLP, HCA Swiss Capital 2 LLP, HCA Switzerland Finance GmbH, HCA Switzerland Holding GmbH, HCA Switzerland Limited, HCA UK Capital Limited, HCA UK Holdings Limited, HCA UK Investments Limited, HCA UK Limited, HCA UK Services Limited, HCA Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital Inc., HCA Western Group Inc., HCA-Access Healthcare Holdings LLC, HCA-Access Healthcare Partner Inc., HCA-California Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-EMS Holdings LLC, HCA-EmCare Holdings LLC, HCA-Georgia Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-HBPS Holdings LLC, HCA-HealthONE LLC, HCA-Solis Holdings Inc., HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Continental LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Gulf Coast LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of North Texas LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of TriStar LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Services LLC, HCA-Solis Master LLC, HCA-Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCAPS Anesthesia Manager LLC, HCAPS Conroe Affiliation Inc., HCOL Inc., HD&S Corp. Successor Inc., HDH Thoracic Surgeons LLC, HHBY Holdings LLC, HHNC LLC, HICCH-SCL LLC, HM Acquisition LLC, HM OMCOS LLC, HMMG 1226 LLC, HPG Energy L.P., HPG Enterprises LLC, HPG GP LLC, HPG Solutions LLC, HSS Holdco LLC, HSS Systems LLC, HSS Virginia L.P., HTI Gulf Coast Inc., HTI Health Services of North Carolina Inc., HTI Hospital Holdings Inc., HTI MOB LLC, HTI MSO LLC, HTI Memorial Hospital Corporation, HTI Physician Services of Utah Inc., HWCA PLLC, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Inc., Hamsard 3160 Limited, Harley Street Clinic @ The Groves LLP, Hathor Chelsea Ltd., Healdsburg General Hospital Inc., Health Care Indemnity Inc., Health Insight Capital LLC, Health International Billing Partners Limited, Health Midwest Medical Group Inc., Health Midwest Office Facilities Corporation, Health Midwest Ventures Group Inc., Health Partners of Kansas Inc., Health Service Partners Inc., Health Services (Delaware) Inc., Health Services Merger Inc., Health to You LLC, HealthCoast Physician Group LLC, HealthONE Aurora Investment LLC, HealthONE Care Partners LLC, HealthONE CareNow Urgent Care LLC, HealthONE Clear Creek LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Bariatric Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Behavioral Health LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cardiovascular LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Medical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Neurosciences LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Occupational Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Oncology Hematology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Orthopedic Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Otolaryngology Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Primary Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Surgeons LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgery Neurological LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Transplant Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Womens Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Youth Rehabilitation LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services LLC, HealthONE High Street Primary Care Center LLC, HealthONE IRL Pathology Services LLC, HealthONE Institutes for Clinical Research LLC, HealthONE Lowry LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Red Rocks LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Thornton LLC, HealthONE Ridge View Endoscopy Center LLC, HealthONE Surgicare of Ridge View LLC, HealthONE Urologic LLC, HealthONE at Breckenridge LLC, HealthONE of Denver Inc., HealthOne Heart Care LLC, HealthOne Lincoln Investment LLC, HealthOne Westside Investment LLC, HealthTrust Europe Company Limited, HealthTrust Europe LLP, HealthTrust Locums Inc., HealthTrust Workforce Solutions LLC, Healthcare Oklahoma Inc., Healthcare Purchasing Alliance LLC, Healthcare Sales National Management Services Group LLC, Healthcare Technology Assessment Corporation, Healthco LLC, Healthnet of Kentucky LLC, Healthserv Acquisition LLC, Healthtrust Inc. - The Hospital Company, Healthtrust MOB Tennessee LLC, Healthtrust Purchasing Group L.P., Healthtrust Utah Management Services Inc., Healthy State Inc., Heart Specialist of North Texas PLLC, Heart of America ASC LLC, Heart of America Surgicenter LLC, Heartcare of Texas Ltd., Hearthstone Home Health Inc., Heartland Womens Group at Wesley LLC, Heathrow Imaging LLC, Heathrow Internal Medicine LLC, Hendersonville Hospital Corporation, Hendersonville Hospitalist Services Inc., Hendersonville OB/GYN LLC, Hendersonville ODC LLC, Hendersonville Primary Care LLC, Henrico Doctors Hospital - Forest Campus Property LLC, Henrico Doctors Neurology Associates LLC, Henrico Doctors OB GYN Specialists LLC, Henrico Surgical Specialists LLC, Heritage Family Care LLC, Heritage Hospital Inc., Heritage Medical Care LLC, Hermitage Primary Care LLC, Hidalgo County Family Practitioners PLLC, Hidden Lakes Health Center PLLC, Highlands Regional Medical Center, Hip & Joint Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Homecare North Inc., Hometrust Management Services Inc., Horizon Orthopedics LLC, Horizon Surgical LLC, Hospital Corp. LLC, Hospital Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of Lake Worth, Hospital Corporation of Tennessee, Hospital Corporation of Utah, Hospital Development Properties Inc., Hospital Partners Merger LLC, Hospital Realty Corporation, Hospital-Based CRNA Services Inc., Hospitalists at Centennial Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Fairview Park LLC, Hospitalists at Greenview Regional Hospital LLC, Hospitalists at Horizon Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Parkridge LLC, Hospitalists at StoneCrest LLC, Hospitalists at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists of the Wabash Valley LLC, Houston - PPH LLC, Houston CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Houston Healthcare Holdings Inc., Houston NW Manager LLC, Houston Northwest Concessions L.L.C., Houston Northwest Operating Company L.L.C., Houston Northwest Surgical Partners Inc., Houston Obstetrics and Gynecology for Women PLLC, Houston Pediatric Specialty Group PLLC, Houston Urologic Surgicenter LLC, Houston Womans Hospital Partner LLC, ICU Associates of West Houston PLLC, IMX Holdings LLC, IRL Pathology Services MidAmerica LLC, Idaho Behavioral Health Services LLC, Idaho Physician Services Inc., Illinois Psychiatric Hospital Company Inc., Imaging Realty LLC, Imaging Services of Appomattox LLC, Imaging Services of Jacksonville LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana Manager LLC, Imaging Services of Orlando LLC, Imaging Services of Richmond LLC, Imaging Services of Roanoke LLC, Imaging Services of West Boynton LLC, InVivoLink Inc., Independence Neurosurgery Services LLC, Independence Regional Medical Group LLC, Independence Surgicare Inc., Indian Path Hospital Inc., Indianapolis Hospital Partner LLC, Institute for Womens Health and Body LLC, Institute of Advanced ENT Surgery LLC, Integrated Regional Lab LLC, Integrated Regional Laboratories LLP, Integrated Regional Laboratories Pathology Services LLC, Intensive Care Consortium Inc., Internal Medicine Associates of Huntsville PLLC, Internal Medicine Associates of Southern Hills LLC, Internal Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Internal Medicine of Pasadena PLLC, Internist Associates of Houston PLLC, Isleworth Partners Inc., J. M. Garcia M.D. PLLC, JCSH LLC, JDGC Management LLC, JFK Internal Medicine Faculty Practice LLC, JFK Medical Center Limited Partnership, JPM AA Housing LLC, Jackson County Medical Group LLC, Jackson County Pulmonary Medical Group LLC, Jacksonville CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Jacksonville Multispecialty Services LLC, Jacksonville Surgery Center Ltd., James River Internists LLC, John Randolph Family Practice LLC, John Randolph OB/GYN LLC, John Randolph Surgeons LLC, Johnson County Neurology LLC, Johnson County Surgery Center L.P., Johnson County Surgicenter L.L.C., Jordan Family Health L.L.C., Jupiter EFL Imaging Center LLC, KC Pain ASC LLC, KC Surgicare LLC, KPH-Consolidation Inc., Kansas CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Kansas City Cardiac Arrhythmia Research LLC, Kansas City Gastroenterology & Hepatology Physicians Group LLC, Kansas City Neurology Associates LLC, Kansas City Pulmonology Practice LLC, Kansas City Surgery Center Properties LLC, Kansas City Vascular & General Surgery Group LLC, Kansas City Womens Clinic Group LLC, Kansas Healthserv LLC, Kansas Pulmonary and Sleep Specialists LLC, Kansas Trauma and Critical Care Specialists LLC, Kathy L. Summers M.D. PLLC, Kendall Healthcare Group Ltd., Kendall Regional Medical Center LLC, Kendall Regional Urgent Care LLC, Kennedale Primary Care PLLC, Kingwood Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Kingwood Surgery Center LLC, Kingwood Surgicenter LLC, Kissimmee Surgicare Ltd., Kyle Primary Care PLLC, L E Corporation, LAD Imaging LLC, LGMC Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, LOC @ The Christie LLP, LOC @ The London Bridge Hospital LLP, LOC Partnership LLP, LPN TeleBehavioral Health PLLC, Lafayette OB Hospitalists LLC, Lafayette Urogynecology & Urology Center LLC, Lake City Imaging LLC, Lake City Regional Medical Group LLC, Lake Forest Family Health PLLC, Lakeside Radiology LLC, Lakeside Womens Services LLC, Lakeview Cardiology Specialists LLC, Lakeview Hospital Physician Services LLC, Lakeview Internal Medicine LLC, Lakeview Medical Center LLC, Lakeview Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Lakeview Regional Physician Group LLC, Lakeview Urology & General Surgery LLC, Lakewood Surgicare Inc., Laredo Medco LLC, Largo Medical Center Inc., Largo Physician Group LLC, Las Colinas Primary Care PLLC, Las Colinas Surgery Center Ltd., Las Encinas Hospital, Las Palmas Del Sol Cardiology PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Internal Medicine PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Urgent Care PLLC, Las Vegas ASC LLC, Las Vegas Surgicare Inc., Las Vegas Surgicare Ltd. a Nevada Limited Partnership, Lawnwood Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, Lawnwood Healthcare Specialists LLC, Lawnwood Medical Center Inc., Layton Family Practice LLC, Leaders in Oncology Care Limited, Leadership Healthcare Holdings II L.P. L.L.P., Leadership Healthcare Holdings L.P. L.L.P., Lees Summit Family Care LLC, Leslie Cohan M.D. PLLC, Lewis-Gale Hospital Incorporated, Lewis-Gale Medical Center LLC, Lewis-Gale Physicians LLC, Lewisville Primary Care PLLC, Lewisville Surgicare LLC, Lincoln Surgery Center LLC, Live Oak Immediate Care Center LLC, London Oncology Clinic LLP, London Pathology Limited, London Radiography & Radiotherapy Services Limited, Lone Peak Hospital Inc., Lone Star Intensivists at Gulf Coast PLLC, Lonestar Provider Network, Longview Regional Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Lorain County Surgery Center Ltd., Los Gatos Surgical Center a California Limited Partnership, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Los Robles Regional Medical Center MOB LLC, Los Robles SurgiCenter LLC, Loudoun Surgery Center LLC, Louisiana Psychiatric Company Inc., Loveland Surgicenter LLC, Low Country Health Services Inc. of the Southeast, Lowry Surgicenter LLC, M. Jamshidi D.O. PLLC, MCA Investment Company, MCA-CTMC Holdings LLC, MEC Endoscopy LLC, MFA G.P. LLC, MFM Fact PLLC, MGH Medical Inc., MH Anesthesiology Physicians LLC, MH Angel Medical Center LLLP, MH Asheville Specialty Hospital LLC, MH Blue Ridge Medical Center LLLP, MH Eckerd Living Center LLLP, MH Highlands-Cashiers Medical Center LLLP, MH Hospital Holdings Inc., MH Hospital Manager LLC, MH Master Holdings LLLP, MH Master LLC, MH McDowell Imaging LLLP, MH Mission Hospital LLLP, MH Mission Hospital McDowell LLLP, MH Mission Imaging LLLP, MH Physician Services LLC, MH Transylvania Imaging LLLP, MH Transylvania Regional Hospital LLLP, MHS Partnership Holdings JSC Inc., MHS Partnership Holdings SDS Inc., MHS SC Partner L.L.C., MHS Surgery Centers L.P., MMC Sleep Lab Management LLC, MOSC Sports Medicine Inc., MOVCO Inc., MP Management LLC, MRT&C Inc., MSL Acquisition LLC, MVH Professional Services LLC, Macon Healthcare LLC, Macon Northside Health Group LLC, Macon Northside Hospital LLC, Macon Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, Madison Behavioral Health LLC, Mainland Family Medicine PLLC, Mainland Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Mainland Primary Care Physicians PLLC, Management Services Holdings Inc., Manatee Surgicare Ltd., Marietta Outpatient Medical Building Inc., Marietta Outpatient Surgery Ltd., Marietta Surgical Center Inc., Marion Community Hospital Inc., Mark Gottesman M.D. PLLC, Martin Fletcher & Associates L.P., Martin Fletcher Associates Holdings Inc., Mary Alice Cowan M.D. PLLC, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Maternal Fetal Services of Utah LLC, Maury County Behavioral Health LLC, Mayhill Cancer Center LLC, McAllen Comprehensive Upper Extremity Center PLLC, McKinney Surgeons PLLC, Mechanicsville Imaging LLC, Mecklenburg Surgical Land Development Ltd., Med City Dallas Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Med Corp. Inc., Med Group - Southern Hills Hospitalists LLC, Med-Center Hosp./Houston Inc., Med-Point of New Hampshire Inc., Medi Flight of Oklahoma LLC, MediCredit Inc., MediPurchase Inc., MediStone Healthcare Ventures Inc., MediVision Inc., MediVision of Mecklenburg County Inc., MediVision of Tampa Inc., Medical Arts Hospital of Texarkana Inc., Medical Associates of Ocala LLC, Medical Care America Colorado LLC, Medical Care America LLC, Medical Care Financial Services Corp., Medical Care Real Estate Finance Inc., Medical Care Surgery Center Inc., Medical Center - West Inc., Medical Center Imaging Inc., Medical Center Surgery Associates L.P., Medical Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Medical Center of Plano Partner LLC, Medical Center of Port St. Lucie Inc., Medical Center of Santa Rosa Inc., Medical Center of Southwest Florida LLC, Medical Centers of Oklahoma LLC, Medical City Dallas Hospital Inc., Medical City Dallas Partner LLC, Medical City Dallas Primary Care PLLC, Medical City Frisco, Medical City OB-GYN PLLC, Medical City Pediatrics PLLC, Medical City Specialty Surgicenter of Dallas LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Alliance LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Frisco LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Lewisville LLC, Medical City Transplant PLLC, Medical Corporation of America, Medical Group - Dickson Inc., Medical Group - Southern Hills of Brentwood LLC, Medical Group - Southern Hills of Nolensville LLC, Medical Group - StoneCrest FP Inc., Medical Group - StoneCrest Inc., Medical Group - Stonecrest Pulmonology LLC, Medical Group - Summit Inc., Medical Imaging Inc., Medical Imaging of Colorado LLC, Medical Office Buildings of Kansas LLC, Medical Oncology Associates LLC, Medical Partners of North Florida LLC, Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center Associates L.P., Medical Specialties Inc., Memorial Family Practice Associates LLC, Memorial Health Primary Care at St. Johns Bluff LLC, Memorial Healthcare Group Inc., Memorial Neurosurgery Group LLC, Memorial Satilla Specialists LLC, Memorial University Medical Center, Menorah Medical Group LLC, Menorah Urgent Care LLC, Mercy ASC LLC, Metairie Primary Care Associates LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Boerne LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Landmark LLC, Methodist Cardiology Physicians, Methodist CareNow Physician Associates, Methodist CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio Ltd. L.L.P., Methodist Inpatient Management Group, Methodist Medical Center ASC L.P., Methodist Physician Alliance, Methodist Physician Practice Services LLC, Methodist Physician Practices PLLC, Metroplex Surgicenters Inc., Metropolitan Multispecialty Physicians Group Inc., Miami Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Miami Beach Healthcare Group Ltd., Miami Dade Surgical Specialists LLC, Miami Lakes Surgery Center Ltd., Miami-Dade Cardiology Consultants LLC, Michael Mann M.D. PLLC, Mid-America Surgery Center LLC, Mid-America Surgery Institute LLC, Mid-Cities Surgi-Center Inc., Mid-Continent Health Services Inc., MidAmerica Division Inc., MidAmerica Oncology LLC, Middle Georgia Hospital LLC, Middle Georgia Urgent Care Services LLC, Middle Tennessee Neurology LLC, Midtown Diagnostics LLC, Midwest Cardiology Specialists LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Kansas LLC, Midwest Division - ACH LLC, Midwest Division - CMC LLC, Midwest Division - LRHC LLC, Midwest Division - LSH LLC, Midwest Division - MCI LLC, Midwest Division - MMC LLC, Midwest Division - OPRMC LLC, Midwest Division - RBH LLC, Midwest Division - RMC LLC, Midwest Division Spine Care LLC, Midwest Doctors Group LLC, Midwest Heart & Vascular Specialists LLC, Midwest Holdings Inc., Midwest Infectious Disease Specialists LLC, Midwest Medicine Associates LLC, Midwest Metropolitan Physicians Group LLC, Midwest Oncology Associates LLC, Midwest Trauma Services LLC, Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists LLC, Mikrod Services Inc., Mill Creek Outpatient Services LLC, Millenium Health Care of Oklahoma Inc., Mission Bay Memorial Hospital Inc., Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists LLC, Mission Employer Solutions LLC, Mission Health, Mission Health Partners Inc., Missouri Healthcare System L.P., Mobile Corps. Inc., Mobile Heartbeat, Mobile Heartbeat LLC, Montgomery Cancer Center LLC, Montgomery Hospitalists LLC, Montgomery Regional Hospital Inc., Montgomery Surgery Associates LLC, Mountain Division - CVH LLC, Mountain Division Inc., Mountain View Hospital Inc., Mountain View MRI Associates Ltd., Mountain West Surgery Center LLC, MountainStar Behavioral Health LLC, MountainStar Brigham General Surgery LLC, MountainStar Canyon Surgical Clinic LLC, MountainStar Cardiology Ogden Regional LLC, MountainStar Cardiology St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Intensivist Services LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Cache Valley LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Ogden Regional Medical Center LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - St. Marks Hospital LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Neurosurgery-St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Primary Care LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Specialty Care LLC, MountainStar Specialty Services LLC, MountainStar Urgent Care LLC, MountainView GME Primary Care LLC, Mountainstar Brigham OBGYN LLC, Mountainstar Cardiovascular Services LLC, Mountainstar Ogden Pediatrics LLC, Movement Disorders of North Texas PLLC, Mt. Ogden Utah Surgical Center LLC, NPAS Inc., NPAS Solutions LLC, NT Urgent Care PLLC, NTGP LLC, NTMC Management Company, NTMC Venture Inc., NTX Pathology Program PLLC, Nashville Psychiatric Company Inc., Nashville Shared Services General Partnership, Nashville Surgicenter LLC, Natchez Medical Associates LLC, Natchez Surgery Center LLC, National Association of Senior Friends, National Contact Center Management Group LLC, National Patient Account Services Inc., National Transfer Center Management Services LLC, Navarro Memorial Hospital Inc., NeighborMD Management LLC, Network MS of Florida Inc., Network Management Services Inc., Neuro Affiliates Company, Neuro-Hospitalist of Clear Lake PLLC, NeuroHospitalist of McAllen PLLC, Neurological Eye Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Neurological Specialists PLLC, Neurological Specialists of McKinney PLLC, Neurology Associates of Hendersonville LLC, Neurology Associates of Kansas LLC, Neurosurgery Atlanta LLC, Neurosurgery of Kingwood PLLC, Neurosurgical Associates of North Texas PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of El Paso PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Nevada Surgery Center of Southern Hills L.P., Nevada Surgicare of Southern Hills LLC, Nevada Urgent Care Holdings Inc., New Iberia Healthcare LLC, New Iberia Holdings Inc., New Port Richey Hospital Inc., New Port Richey Surgery Center Ltd., New Rose Holding Company Inc., Niceville Family Practice LLC, North Augusta Imaging Management LLC, North Augusta Imaging Services LLC, North Augusta Rehab Health Center LLC, North Austin Plastic Surgery Associates PLLC, North Austin Surgery Center L.P., North Brandon Imaging LLC, North Central Florida Health System Inc., North Central Methodist ASC L.P., North Charleston Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Lake City LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Live Oak LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Tallahassee LLC, North Florida Division I Inc., North Florida Division Practice Inc., North Florida GI Center GP Inc., North Florida GI Center Ltd., North Florida Immediate Care Center Inc., North Florida Neurosurgery LLC, North Florida Outpatient Imaging Center Ltd., North Florida Physician Services Inc., North Florida Physicians LLC, North Florida Radiation Oncology LLC, North Florida Regional Company Care LLC, North Florida Regional Freestanding Surgery Center L.P., North Florida Regional Investments Inc., North Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., North Florida Regional Psychiatry LLC, North Florida Regional Trauma LLC, North Florida Rehab Investments LLC, North Florida Surgical Associates LLC, North Georgia Primary Care Group LLC, North Hills Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., North Hills Catheterization Lab LLC, North Hills Orthopaedic Surgeons PLLC, North Hills Surgicare L.P., North Houston - TRMC LLC, North Miami Beach Surgery Center Limited Partnership, North Miami Beach Surgical Center LLC, North Palm Beach County Surgery Center LLC, North River Physician Network LLC, North Shore Specialists of Texas PLLC, North Suburban Spine Center L.P., North Tampa Imaging LLC, North Texas - MCA LLC, North Texas Cardiology PLLC, North Texas Craniofacial Fellowship Program PLLC, North Texas Division Inc., North Texas General L.P., North Texas Geriatrics PLLC, North Texas Heart Surgery Center PLLC, North Texas Internal Medicine Specialists PLLC, North Texas Medical Center Inc., North Texas Neuro Stroke OP PLLC, North Texas Pulmonary Critical Care PLLC, North Texas Sports and Orthopedics Center PLLC, North Texas Stroke Center PLLC, North Texas of Hope PLLC, North Transfer Center LLC, Northeast Florida Cancer Services LLC, Northeast Methodist Surgicare Ltd., Northeast PHO Inc., Northern Utah Healthcare Corporation, Northern Utah Healthcare Imaging Holdco LLC, Northern Utah Imaging LLC, Northern Virginia CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Northern Virginia Community Hospital LLC, Northern Virginia Hospital Corporation, Northern Virginia Surgicenter LLC, Northlake Medical Center LLC, Northlake Physician Practice Network Inc., Northlake Surgical Center L.P., Northlake Surgicare Inc., Northside MRI Inc., Northwest Fla. Home Health Agency Inc., Northwest Florida Healthcare Systems Inc., Northwest Florida Multispecialty Physicians LLC, Northwest Florida Primary Care LLC, Northwest Medical Center Inc., Notami (Opelousas) Inc., Notami Hospitals LLC, Notami Hospitals of Florida Inc., Notami Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Notami Hospitals of Missouri Inc., Notami LLC, Notco LLC, Nuclear Diagnosis Inc., OB Hospitalists of Womans Hospital PLLC, OB/GYN of Brownsville PLLC, OB/Gyn Associates of Denton PLLC, OBS Diagnostic and Treatment Centre LLP, ODP Holdings LLC, ODP Manager LLC, ODP Properties LLC, OHH Imaging Services LLC, OPRMC-HBP LLC, Oak Hill Acquisition Inc., Oak Hill Family Care LLC, Oak Hill Hospitalists LLC, Oakwood Surgery Center Ltd. LLP, Ocala Health Company Care LLC, Ocala Health Imaging Services LLC, Ocala Health Primary Care LLC, Ocala Health Surgical Group LLC, Ocala Health Trauma LLC, Ocala Regional Outpatient Services Inc., Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery LLC, Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery Partner LLC, Occupational Health Services of PRH LLC, Occupational and Family Medicine of South Texas, Ogden Imaging LLC, Ogden Internal Medicine & Urology LLC, Ogden Regional Health Plan Inc., Ogden Regional Medical Center Professional Billing LLC, Ogden Senior Center LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy Manager LLC, Okaloosa Hospital Inc., Okeechobee Hospital Inc., Oklahoma Holding Company LLC, Oklahoma Outpatient Surgery Limited Partnership, Oklahoma Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Surgical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Surgicare Inc., Old Fort Village LLC, On-Site Primary Care PLLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi LLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi Manager LLC, OneSourceMed Inc., Online Pathology Services Limited, Orange County Healthcare LLC, Orange Park Hospitalists LLC, Orange Park Medical Center Inc., Orlando CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Ltd., Orlando Surgicare Ltd., Orthopaedic Specialty Associates L.P., Orthopaedic Sports Specialty Associates Inc., Orthopedic Hospital Ltd., Orthopedics Specialists LLC, Osceola Neurological Associates LLC, Osceola Physician Network LLC, Osceola Regional Hospital Inc., Osceola Regional Hospitalists LLC, Osceola Surgical Associates LLC, Outpatient Cardiovascular Center of Central Florida LLC, Outpatient GP LLC, Outpatient Services - LAD LLC, Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., Outpatient Surgical Services Ltd., Outpatient Womens and Childrens Surgery Center Ltd., Overland Park Cardiovascular Inc., Overland Park Medical Specialists LLC, Overland Park Orthopedics LLC, Overland Park Surgical Specialties LLC, Oviedo Medical Center LLC, Ozarks Medical Services Inc., P&L Associates, P/SL Hyperbaric Partnership, PET CT LLP, PMM Inc., POH Holdings LLC, PSG Delegated Services LLC, PTS Solutions LLC, Pacific Partners Management Services Inc., Palm Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Palm Beach General Surgery LLC, Palm Beach Healthcare System Inc., Palm Beach Hospitalists Program LLC, Palmer Medical Center LLC, Palms West Gastroenterology LLC, Palms West Hospital Limited Partnership, Palms West Surgery Center Ltd., Paragon Physicians Hospital Organization of South Texas Inc., Paragon SDS Inc., Paragon Surgery Centers of Texas Inc., Paragon WSC Inc., Paragon of Texas Health Properties Inc., Parallon Business Solutions LLC, Parallon Enterprises LLC, Parallon Health Information Solutions LLC, Parallon Holdings LLC, Parallon Payroll Solutions LLC, Parallon Physician Services LLC, Parallon Revenue Cycle Services Inc., Park Central Surgical Center Ltd., Park Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Park South Imaging Center Ltd., Park View Insurance Company, Parkersburg SJ Holdings Inc., Parkland Hospitalists Program LLC, Parkland Oncology LLC, Parkland Physician Services Inc., Parkridge East Specialty Associates LLC, Parkridge Hospitalists Inc., Parkridge Medical Associates LLC, Parkridge Medical Center Inc., Parkridge Professionals Inc., Parkside Surgery Center Inc., Parkway Cardiac Center Ltd., Parkway Hospital Inc., Parkway Surgery Services Ltd., Parthenon Insurance Company Limited, Pasadena Bayshore Hospital Inc., PatientKeeper, PatientKeeper Inc., Patients First Neurology LLC, Pavilion 2 Condominium Property LLC, Pavilion 2 Medical Office Building Condominium Association Inc., Pavilion Surgicenter LLC, Peach State Anesthesia Partners LLC, Pearland Institute for Womens Health PLLC, Pearland Partner LLC, Pediatric Anesthesia Consultants of San Antonio PLLC, Pediatric Cardiac Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Critical Care of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Hospitalists of Conroe PLLC, Pediatric Intensivist Group LLC, Pediatric Intensivists of El Paso PLLC, Pediatric Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Specialty Clinic LLC, Pediatric Surgicare Inc., Pediatrics of Greater Houston PLLC, Pensacola Primary Care Inc., Physician Associates of Corporate Woods LLC, Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Physicians West Surgicenter LLC, Pinellas Medical LLC, Pinnacle Physician Network LLC, Pioneer Medical LLC, Plains Healthcare System Inc., Plano Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., Plano Heart Institute L.P., Plano Heart Management LLC, Plano Surgery Center - GP LLC, Plano Surgery Center Real Estate LLC, Plano Surgicenter Real Estate Manager LLC, Plano Urology PLLC, Plantation General Hospital L.P., Plaza Medical Specialists PLLC, Plaza Primary Care PLLC, Plaza Transplant Center PLLC, Podiatry of Clear Lake PLLC, Poinciana Medical Center Inc., Port St. Lucie Surgery Center Ltd., Portland Primary Care LLC, Portsmouth Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Portsmouth Surgicenter LLC, Preferred Hospitals Inc., Preferred Works WC LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Medical Management Ltd., Primary Care Medical Associates Inc., Primary Care Plano PLLC, Primary Care Services of Orlando LLC, Primary Care South PLLC, Primary Care West PLLC, Primary Care of West End LLC, Primary Health Asset Holdings Ltd., Primary Health Group Inc., Primary Health Inc., Primary Health Network of South Texas, Primary Health Physicians PLLC, Primary Medical Management Inc., Proaxis Therapy HealthOne LLC, Provident Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., Psychiatry Services of Osceola LLC, Pulaski Community Hospital Inc., Pulaski Urology LLC, Pulmonary Renal Intensivist Group LLC, Putnam Community Medical Center of North Florida LLC, Putnam Hospital Inc., Putnam Radiation Oncology LLC, Putnam Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Putnam Surgical Group LLC, Quantum/Bellaire Imaging Ltd., Quick Care Centers LLC, Quivira Internal Medicine Inc., RCH LLC, RMC - Pulmonary LLC, RMC Transplant Physicians LLC, RMCA Professionals Mgmt LLC, ROi CPS LLC, Radford Family Medicine LLC, Radiation Oncology Center of Thornton LLC, Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Raleigh Community Medical Office Building Ltd., Rapides After Hours Clinic L.L.C., Rapides Healthcare System L.L.C., Rapides Regional Physician Group LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Primary Care LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Specialty Care LLC, Rapides Surgery Center LLC, Raulerson GYN LLC, Raulerson Gastroenterology LLC, Raulerson Primary Care LLC, Raymore Medical Group LLC, Red Rock Holdco LLC, Red Rock at Smoke Ranch LLC, Red Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Anesthesia Services LLC, Redmond Hospital Services LLC, Redmond Neurosurgery LLC, Redmond Park Health Services Inc., Redmond Park Hospital LLC, Redmond Physician Practice Company, Redmond Specialty Services LLC, Regional Hospital Healthcare Partners LLC, Research Cardiology Associates LLC, Research Family Physicians LLC, Research Internal Medicine LLC, Research Neurology Associates LLC, Research Neuroscience Institute LLC, Resource Optimization & Innovation L.L.C., Reston Hospital Center LLC, Reston Hospitalists LLC, Reston Surgery Center L.P., Retreat Cardiology LLC, Retreat Hospital LLC, Retreat Internal Medicine LLC, Retreat Surgical Associates LLC, Rhodes Limited-Liability Company, Richmond Imaging Employer Corp., Richmond Multi-Specialty LLC, Richmond Pediatric Surgeons LLC, Ridgeline Surgicenter LLC, Rim Building Partners L.P., Rio Grande Healthcare MSO Inc., Rio Grande NP Inc., Rio Grande Regional Hospital Inc., Rio Grande Valley Cardiology PLLC, Rio Grande Valley CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Rio Grande Valley Urology PLLC, Riverside CyberKnife Manager LLC, Riverside Healthcare System L.P., Riverside Holdings Inc., Riverside Hospital Inc., Riverside Imaging LLC, Riverwalk ASC LLC, Roanoke Imaging LLC, Roanoke Neurosurgery LLC, Roanoke Surgery Center L.P., Roanoke Valley Gynecology LLC, Robotic Radiosurgery LLP, Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology LLC, Rocky Mountain Surgery Center LLC, Rome Imaging Center Limited Partnership, Roodlane Medical Limited, Rose Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Rose Health Partners LLC, Rose Medical Plaza Ltd., Rose POB Inc., Rosewood Medical Center Inc., Rosewood Professional Building Ltd., Round Rock Hospital Inc., Round Rock Trauma Surgeons PLLC, Royal Oaks Surgery Center L.P., S.A. Medical Center Inc., SAPN LLC, SCRI Global Services Limited, SCRI Holdings LLC, SCRI Scientifics LLC, SJMC LLC, SSHR Holdco LLC, SSJ St. Petersburg Holdings Inc., STPN Manager LLC, SWMC Inc., Sahara Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Salem Hospitalists LLC, Salem Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Salt Lake City Surgicare Inc., Samaritan LLC, San Antonio Division Inc., San Antonio Regional Hospital Inc., San Antonio Surgicenter LLC, San Bernardino Imaging LLC, San Joaquin Surgical Center Inc., San Jose Healthcare System LP, San Jose Hospital L.P., San Jose LLC, San Jose Medical Center LLC, San Jose Pathology Outreach LLC, San Marcos ASC LLC, San Marcos Surgicenter LLC, Sante Fe Family Practitioners PLLC, Sarah Cannon Development Innovations LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK Limited, Sarasota Doctors Hospital Inc., Savannah Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Savannah Health Network LLC, Savannah Health Services LLC, Savannah Inpatient Services LLC, Savannah Multispecialty Associates LLC, Savannah Pediatric Care LLC, Savannah Primary Care Associates LLC, Sebring Health Services LLC, Selma Medical Center Hospital Inc., Senior Health Associates LLC, Short Pump Imaging LLC, Silicon Valley Health Holdings LLC, Silicon Valley Surgery Center L.P., Silicon Valley Surgicenter LLC, Sky Ridge Spine Manager LLC, Sky Ridge Surgery Center L.P., Skyline Medical Group LLC, Skyline Neuroscience Associates LLC, Skyline Rehab Associates LLC, Skyline Specialty Associates LLC, Smith Laboratories Inc., Solis Mammography at Bayshore Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Conroe Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Denton Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at HCA Houston Tomball LLC, Solis Mammography at Kingwood Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Las Colinas Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Alliance LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Arlington LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Lewisville LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of McKinney LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Plano LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical City Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography at Pearland Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Rose Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Skyline Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at StoneCrest Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at West Houston Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Womans Hospital of Texas LLC, Solis Mammography of Cedar Hill LLC, Solis Mammography of CyFair LLC, Solis Mammography of Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography of Flower Mound LLC, Solis Mammography of Frisco LLC, Solis Mammography of Garland LLC, Solis Mammography of Grand Prairie LLC, Solis Mammography of Houston NW LLC, Solis Mammography of Katy LLC, Solis Mammography of Louetta/249 LLC, Solis Mammography of Mainland LLC, Solis Mammography of Mansfield LLC, Solis Mammography of Mesquite LLC, Solis Mammography of Montgomery LLC, Solis Mammography of North Cypress LLC, Solis Mammography of North Loop LLC, Solis Mammography of Sugar Land LLC, Solis Mammography of West Plano LLC, Solis Mammography of Womans Place LLC, South Atlantic Division Inc., South Austin Surgery Center Ltd., South Austin Surgical Management LLC, South Austin Surgicenter LLC, South Brandon Imaging LLC, South Florida Division Practice Inc., South Texas Surgicare Inc., South Transfer Center LLC, South Valley Hospital L.P., Southeast Georgia Health Services LLC, Southern Hills Medical Center LLC, Southern Hills Neurology Consultants LLC, Southern Kentucky Medicine Associates LLC, Southern Kentucky Surgicenter LLC, Southern Texas Physicians Network, Southpoint LLC, Southtown Womens Clinic LLC, Southwest Florida Health System Inc., Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., Southwest Medical Center Family Practice LLC, Southwest Medical Center Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Southwest Medical Center Surgical Group LLC, Southwest Medpro Ltd., Southwest Surgical Clinic Inc., Southwest Virginia Orthopedics and Spine LLC, Spalding Rehabilitation L.L.C., Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology PLLC, Specialty Associates of West Houston PLLC, Specialty Physicians of Northern Virginia LLC, Specialty Surgicare of Las Vegas LP, Spotsylvania Condominium Property LLC, Spotsylvania Medical Center Inc., Spotsylvania Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Spotsylvania Regional Surgery Center LLC, Spring Branch Family Practitioners PLLC, Spring Branch Medical Center Inc., Spring Hill Hospital Inc., Spring Hill Imaging LLC, Spring Hill Physicians LLC, Springview KY LLC, Spruce Pine Healthcare LLC, St. Davids Austin Area ASC LLC, St. Davids Cardiology PLLC, St. Davids CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, St. Davids Healthcare Partnership L.P. LLP, St. Davids Heart & Vascular PLLC, St. Davids Neurology PLLC, St. Davids OB Hospitalist PLLC, St. Davids Ortho Neuro and Rehab PLLC, St. Davids Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PLLC, St. Davids Quality Alliance LLC, St. Davids Specialized Womens Services PLLC, St. Davids Trauma Surgeons PLLC, St. Lucie Hospitalists LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Hyperbarics LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Walk-In Clinic LLC, St. Lucie Medical Specialists LLC, St. Lucie West Primary Care LLC, St. Marks Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., St. Marks Gynecology Oncology Care LLC, St. Marks Investments Inc., St. Marks Physician Billing LLC, St. Marks Professional Services LLC, St. Marks South Jordan Family Practice LLC, St. Martins Healthcare Limited, St. Martins Ltd., St. Martins Medical Services Limited, St. Petersburg General Surgery LLC, Stafford Imaging LLC, Statland Medical Group LLC, Steamboat Springs Surgicenter LLC, Sterling Primary Care Associates LLC, Stiles Road Imaging LLC, StoneCrest Surgery Center LLC, StoneSprings Medical Office Building Property LLC, StoneSprings Surgicenter LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - Family Practice of Murfreesboro LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - SC Murfreesboro Family Practice LLC, Stones River Hospital LLC, Suburban Medical Center at Hoffman Estates Inc., Sugar Land Surgery Center Anesthesia LLC, Sugar Land Surgery Center Ltd., Sullins Surgical Center Inc., Summit Convenient Care at Lebanon LLC, Summit General Partner Inc., Summit Heart LLC, Summit Outpatient Diagnostic Center LLC, Summit Research Solutions LLC, Summit Surgery Center L.P., Summit Surgical Associates LLC, Summit Walk-in Clinic LLC, Sun Bay Medical Office Building Inc., Sun City Hospital Inc., Sun City Imaging LLC, Sun Towers/Vista Hills Holding Co., Sun-Med LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Holdings LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center LLC, Sunrise Mountainview Hospital Inc., Sunrise Mountainview Multi-Specialty Clinics LLC, Sunrise Outpatient Services Inc., Sunrise Physician Services LLC, Sunrise Trauma Services LLC, Surgery Associates of NTX PLLC, Surgery Center of Atlantis LLC, Surgery Center of Aventura Ltd., Surgery Center of Bay Area Houston LLC, Surgery Center of Greenview L.P., Surgery Center of Independence L.P., Surgery Center of Overland Park L.P., Surgery Center of Port Charlotte Ltd., Surgery Center of Rome L.P., Surgery Center of the Rockies LLC, Surgical Associates of Southwest Virginia LLC, Surgical Care Medical Group LLC, Surgical Center of Irving Inc., Surgical Facility of West Houston L.P., Surgical Park Center Ltd., Surgical Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Conroe PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Surgicare America - Winter Park Inc., Surgicare Merger Company of Louisiana, Surgicare Outpatient Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Surgicare Outpatient Center of Jackson Inc., Surgicare of ADC LLC, Surgicare of AGI LLC, Surgicare of Alpine LLC, Surgicare of Altamonte Springs Inc., Surgicare of Anchorage LLC, Surgicare of Arapahoe LLC, Surgicare of Arlington LLC, Surgicare of Ashburn LLC, Surgicare of Augusta Inc., Surgicare of Aurora Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Aventura LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area LLC, Surgicare of Bayonet Point Inc., Surgicare of Bayside LLC, Surgicare of Bountiful LLC, Surgicare of Brandon Inc., Surgicare of Brentwood LLC, Surgicare of Brighton LLC, Surgicare of Brooksville LLC, Surgicare of Brownsville LLC, Surgicare of Buckhead LLC, Surgicare of CAREOS LLC, Surgicare of Central Florida Inc., Surgicare of Central Park Surgery Center LLC, Surgicare of Central San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Chattanooga LLC, Surgicare of Chippenham LLC, Surgicare of Citrus LLC, Surgicare of Clarksville LLC, Surgicare of Corpus Christi LLC, Surgicare of Countryside Inc., Surgicare of Dallas Specialty LLC, Surgicare of Denton Inc., Surgicare of Denver Clinic LLC, Surgicare of Denver LLC, Surgicare of Denver Mid-Town Inc., Surgicare of Dickson LLC, Surgicare of Eastside LLC, Surgicare of Evans Inc., Surgicare of Fairfax Inc., Surgicare of Florida Inc., Surgicare of Flower Mound Inc., Surgicare of Focus Hand LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Co-GP LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Inc., Surgicare of Ft. Pierce Inc., Surgicare of Good Samaritan LLC, Surgicare of Gramercy Inc., Surgicare of Greenview Inc., Surgicare of Hanover Inc., Surgicare of Houston Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Houston LLC, Surgicare of Houston Womens Inc., Surgicare of Indianapolis Inc., Surgicare of Kansas City LLC, Surgicare of Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Kissimmee Inc., Surgicare of Lakeview Inc., Surgicare of Las Vegas Inc., Surgicare of Laurel Grove LLC, Surgicare of Lorain County Inc., Surgicare of Los Gatos Inc., Surgicare of Los Robles LLC, Surgicare of Loveland LLC, Surgicare of Madison Inc., Surgicare of Manatee Inc., Surgicare of McKinney Inc., Surgicare of Medical City Dallas LLC, Surgicare of Memorial Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Merritt Island Inc., Surgicare of Miami Lakes LLC, Surgicare of Mountain West LLC, Surgicare of Mt. Ogden LLC, Surgicare of Nashville LLC, Surgicare of Natchez LLC, Surgicare of Newport Richey Inc., Surgicare of North Austin LLC, Surgicare of North San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Northeast San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Orange Park II LLC, Surgicare of Orange Park Inc., Surgicare of Orange Park Ltd., Surgicare of Orlando Inc., Surgicare of Overland Park LLC, Surgicare of Palms West LLC, Surgicare of Park Ridge LLC, Surgicare of Pasadena Inc., Surgicare of Pavilion LLC, Surgicare of Physicians West El Paso LLC, Surgicare of Pinellas Inc., Surgicare of Plano Inc., Surgicare of Plantation Inc., Surgicare of Port Charlotte LLC, Surgicare of Port St. Lucie Inc., Surgicare of Portsmouth LLC, Surgicare of Premier Orthopaedic LLC, Surgicare of Reston Inc., Surgicare of Ridgeline LLC, Surgicare of Riverside LLC, Surgicare of Riverwalk LLC, Surgicare of Roanoke LLC, Surgicare of Rome Inc., Surgicare of Rose LLC, Surgicare of Round Rock Inc., Surgicare of Royal Oaks LLC, Surgicare of Silicon Valley LLC, Surgicare of Sky Ridge LLC, Surgicare of Sky Ridge Womens Center LLC, Surgicare of South Austin Inc., Surgicare of Southeast Denver Inc., Surgicare of Southern Hills Inc., Surgicare of Southern Kentucky LLC, Surgicare of Southwest Houston LLC, Surgicare of Spotsylvania LLC, Surgicare of St. Andrews Inc., Surgicare of St. Andrews Ltd., Surgicare of St. Davids Austin LLC, Surgicare of Steamboat Springs LLC, Surgicare of StoneCrest LLC, Surgicare of StoneSprings LLC, Surgicare of Stuart Inc., Surgicare of Sugar Land Inc., Surgicare of Swedish LLC, Surgicare of Tallahassee Inc., Surgicare of Terre Haute LLC, Surgicare of Thornton LLC, Surgicare of Travis Center Inc., Surgicare of Tulsa Inc., Surgicare of Utah LLC, Surgicare of Wasatch Front LLC, Surgicare of West Hills Inc., Surgicare of Westlake Inc., Surgicare of Wichita Inc., Surgicare of Wichita LLC, Surgicare of Willis LLC, Surgicare of Wilson County LLC, Surgicare of Winchester LLC, Surgicenter of East Jefferson Inc., Surgicenter of Johnson County Ltd. a Kansas limited partnership, Surgicenter of Kansas City L.L.C., Surgico LLC, Swedish MOB Acquisition Inc., Swedish MOB I Ltd., Swedish MOB II Inc., Swedish MOB III Inc., Swedish MOB IV Inc., Swedish MOB LLC, Swedish Medpro Inc., TBHI Outpatient Services LLC, TCMC Madison-Portland Inc., THN Physicians Association Inc., TUHC Anesthesiology Group LLC, TUHC Hospitalist Group LLC, TUHC Physician Group LLC, TUHC Primary Care and Pediatrics Group LLC, TUHC Radiology Group LLC, Tallahassee Community Network Inc., Tallahassee Medical Center Inc., Tallahassee Orthopaedic Surgery Partners Ltd., Tampa Bay Health System Inc., Tampa Surgi-Centre Inc., Tarrant County Surgery Center L.P., Tchefuncte Cardiology Associates - Lakeview LLC, Teays Valley Health Services LLC, Telehealth Physician Services LLC, Tennessee Healthcare Management Inc., Tennessee Valley Outpatient Diagnostic Center LLC, Terre Haute Hospital GP Inc., Terre Haute Hospital Holdings Inc., Terre Haute MOB L.P., Terre Haute Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Terre Haute Regional Hospital L.P., Texas CareNow Physician Associates, Texas HSS LLC, Texas Institute of Medicine and Surgery, Texas Psychiatric Company Inc., The Austin Diagnostic Clinic PLLC, The Cancer Care Center of North Florida LLC, The Cardiovascular Partnership for Quality LLC, The Charter Cypress Behavioral Health System L.L.C., The Christie Clinic LLP, The Glynne Medical Practice Limited, The Harley Street Cancer Clinic Limited, The London Breast Institute UK Ltd, The Medical Group of Kansas City LLC, The Neurohealth Sciences Center LLC, The Physicians Clinic Limited, The Prostate Centre Limited, The Rankin Foundation, The Regional Health System of Acadiana LLC, The Wasatch Endoscopy Center Ltd., The West Texas Division of Columbia Inc., Timpanogos Pain Specialists LLC, Timpanogos Regional Medical Services Inc., Total Imaging - Hudson LLC, Total Imaging - North St. Petersburg LLC, Total Imaging - Parsons LLC, Town Plaza Family Practice LLC, Travel Medicine and Infections LLC, Travis Surgery Center L.P., Tri Cities Health Services Corp., Tri-City Multi-Specialty LLC, Tri-County Community Hospital Inc., Tri-County Surgical Specialists LLC, TriStar Bone Marrow Transplant LLC, TriStar Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, TriStar Family Care LLC, TriStar Gynecology Oncology LLC, TriStar Health System Inc., TriStar Joint Replacement Institute LLC, TriStar Maury Behavioral Healthcare LLC, TriStar Medical Group - Centennial Primary Care LLC, TriStar Medical Group - Legacy Health LLC, TriStar Medical Network LLC, TriStar OB/GYN LLC, TriStar Orthopedics LLC, TriStar Physicians LLC, TriStar Radiation Oncology LLC, Trident Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Trident Behavioral Health Services LLC, Trident Eye Surgery Center L.P., Trident Medical Center LLC, Trident Medical Services Inc., Trident Neonatology Services LLC, Tulane Clinic LLC, Tulane Professionals Management L.L.C., Tuscan Imaging Center at Las Colinas LLC, U.S. Collections Inc., Ultra Imaging Management Services LLC, Ultra Imaging of Tampa LLC, University Healthcare Specialists LLC, University Healthcare System L.C., University Hospital Ltd., Uptown Primary Care Associates LLC, Urgent Care Enterprise LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Ann & Simmons LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Cactus & Southern Highlands LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Charleston & Decatur LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Charleston/Sloan LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Craig & Clayton LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Craig & Decatur LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Durango & Cheyenne LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Durango & Flamingo LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Eastern & Horizon Ridge LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Rainbow/Mardon LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Warm Springs & Green Valley LLC, Urgent Care Extra Silverado & Maryland LLC, Urgent Care Extra-Tropicana & Jones LLC, Urgent Care Nevada LLC, Urological Specialists of Arlington PLLC, Urology Associates (London) Limited, Urology Center of North Georgia LLC, Urology Services of El Paso PLLC, Urology Specialists Devonshire LLP, Urology Specialists London LLP, Urology Specialists of Kingwood PLLC, Urology Specialists of Richmond LLC, Urology Surgery Center of Colorado LLC, Utah CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Utah Imaging GP LLC, Utah Medco LLC, Utah Surgery Center L.P., VH Holdco Inc., VH Holdings Inc., VHSC Plantation LLC, VIP Inc., Valify, Valify Inc., Value Health Holdings Inc., Value Health Management Inc., Vascular and Endovascular Specialists LLC, Venture Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Venture Medical Management LLC, Village Oaks Medical Center Inc., Virginia Care Partners ACO LLC, Virginia Gynecologic Oncology LLC, Virginia Hematology & Oncology Associates Inc., Virginia Hospitalists Inc., Virginia Psychiatric Company Inc., Virginia Quality Care Partners LLC, Vision Consulting Group LLC, Vision Holdings LLC, W & C Hospital Inc., WCP Properties LLC, WHG Medical LLC, WHMC Inc., WJHC LLC, Walterboro Community Hospital Inc., Warren County Ambulance Service LLC, Wasatch Front Surgery Center LLC, Washington Holdco LLC, Waterway Primary Care LLC, Weatherford Health Services LLC, Weatherford Mammography JV LLC, Weatherford Regional Medical Center, Welbeck Street Diagnostic Centre LLP, Wellington Diagnostic Services LLP, Wesley Cath Lab LLC, Wesley Manager LLC, Wesley Medical Center LLC, Wesley Physician Services LLC, Wesley Physicians - Anesthesiologist LLC, Wesley Physicians - Cardiovascular LLC, Wesley Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Wesley Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Wesley Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Wesley Select Network LLC, Wesley Urgent Care LLC, West Boynton Beach Open Imaging Center LLC, West Creek Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, West Creek Medical Center Inc., West Florida - MHT LLC, West Florida - PPH LLC, West Florida Behavioral Health Inc., West Florida Cardiology Network LLC, West Florida Cardiology Physicians LLC, West Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, West Florida Division Inc., West Florida Gulf Coast Primary Care LLC, West Florida HealthWorks LLC, West Florida Imaging Services LLC, West Florida Internal Medicine LLC, West Florida PET Services LLC, West Florida Physician Network LLC, West Florida Professional Billing LLC, West Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., West Florida Specialty Physicians LLC, West Florida Trauma Network LLC, West Florida Urgent Care Network LLC, West Hills Hospital, West Hills Surgical Center Ltd., West Houston ASC Inc., West Houston Healthcare Group Ltd., West Houston Internal Specialists PLLC, West Houston LLC, West Houston Medical PLLC, West Houston Outpatient Medical Facility Inc., West Houston Surgicare Inc., West Jacksonville Medical Center Inc., West Jordan Hospital Corporation, West LPN Fort Worth Oncology PLLC, West LPN Inc., West Los Angeles Physicians Hospital Inc., West McKinney Imaging Services LLC, West Paces Services Inc., West Park Surgery Center L.P., West Valley Imaging LLC, West Valley Medical Center Inc., West Valley Medical Group LLC, West Valley Medical Group Specialty Services LLC, West Valley Therapy Services LLC, Westbury Hospital Inc., Western Plains Capital Inc., Westlake Surgicare L.P., Westminster Community Hospital, Westside Surgery Center Ltd., Wichita CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Wildwood Medical Center Inc., Willis Surgicenter LLC, Wilson County Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Womans Health Group PLLC, Womans Hospital Merger LLC, Womans Hospital of Texas Incorporated, Women Practitioners of Houston PLLC, Women Specialists of Bayshore PLLC, Women Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Women Specialists of Mainland PLLC, Womens & Childrens Center LLC, Womens & Childrens Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Center LLC, Womens & Childrens Pulmonology Clinic LLC, Womens Center at Brookside LLC, Womens Health Center of Central Florida LLC, Womens Health Center of SWVA LLC, Womens Hospital Indianapolis GP Inc., Womens Hospital Indianapolis L.P., Womens Link Specialty Obstetrical Referral Clinic PLLC, Womens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Womens Surgical Specialists of Texas PLLC, Womens and Childrens Professional Management L.L.C., Womens and Childrens Specialists LLC, hInsight-Airstrip Holdings LLC, hInsight-BMA Holdings LLC, hInsight-Customer Care Holdings LLC, hInsight-Digital Reasoning Holdings LLC, hInsight-Healthbox Holdings LLC, hInsight-I2 Holdings LLC, hInsight-InVivoLink Holdings LLC, hInsight-LS Holdings LLC, hInsight-Loyale Healthcare Holdings LLC, hInsight-Mobile Heartbeat Holdings LLC, hInsight-NX LLC, hInsight-PWS I Holdings LLC, hInsight-Procured Holdings LLC, and hInsight-VAI Holdings LLC. Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its IPO on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During Hertz Global's quiet period, underwriters and any insiders that worked on the IPO are prevented from issuing any earnings forecasts or research reports for the company because of SEC regulations. Following the end of the company's quiet period, it's expected that the brokerages that served as underwriters on the stock will initiate research coverage on the company. The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V.. BlackRock World Mining Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock Fund Managers Limited. It is managed by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited. The fund invests in public equity markets across the globe. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the mining and metal sectors. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Euromoney Global Mining Index. It was formerly known as Merrill Lynch World Mining Trust PLC. BlackRock World Mining Trust plc was formed on December 15, 1993 and is domiciled in the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC. According to analysts' consensus price target of GBX 130, GetBusy has a forecasted upside of 88.4% from its current price of GBX 69. GetBusy has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 1 buy rating, no hold ratings, and no sell ratings. 5.0 Community Rank Outperform Votes GetBusy has received 37 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes GetBusy has received 12 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment GetBusy has received 75.51% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about GetBusy and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe GETB will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe GETB will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc. engages in the production and sale of cellulose products, which is a natural polymer commonly used in the production of cell phone and computer screens, filters, and pharmaceuticals. It operates through the following segments: High Purity Cellulose, Forest Products, Paperboard, Pulp and Newsprint, and Corporate. The High Purity Cellulose segment manufacture and market high purity cellulose, which is sold as either cellulose specialties or commodity products in U.S., Canda, and France. The Forest Products segment manufacture and market construction-grade lumber in North America through seven sawmills located in Canada. The Paperboard segment comprises paperboard products. The Pulp and Newsprint segment involves in the production of pulp and newsprint in Canada. The Corporate segment consists senior management, accounting, information systems, human resources, treasury, tax, and legal administrative functions that provide support services to the operating business units. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. Read More The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, produces, distributes, and markets gas in Hong Kong and Mainland China. It is involved in the provision of liquefied natural gas, methanol, and coal and other chemicals; conversion and utilization of biomass, and industrial and agricultural waste; and operation of natural gas refilling stations, piped city-gas projects, upstream and midstream developments, water and wastewater treatment projects, energy exploration and utilization ventures, and aviation fuel facilities. The company supplies town gas to approximately 1.9 million customers. It also provides network connectivity, and data center and cloud computing services; and engages in the software development, solution implementation, and systems integration activities. In addition, the company offers consultancy and engineering contractor services, including utilities installation, infrastructure construction, and civil and building services engineering for public and private projects; and designs and manufactures gas meters and metering systems. Further, it is involved in water supply and wastewater treatment serving 2.4 million customers. Additionally, the company manufactures polyethylene piping and fittings; and engages in the customers center, cafA, restaurant, retail sale, automatic meter reading system development, laboratory testing, payment gateway and related, project management, landfill gas project, financing, logistics, oil, research and development, property development, and securities investment activities. The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited was founded in 1862 and is headquartered in North Point, Hong Kong. Read More Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, national, and international news to professionals through desktop terminals, media organizations, and industry events, as well as directly to consumers. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation is a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited. Read More 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 Boeing Co. is an aerospace company, which engages in the manufacture of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space and Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. The Commercial Airplanes segment includes the development, production, and market of commercial jet aircraft and provides fleet support services, principally to the commercial airline industry worldwide. The Defense, Space and Security segment refers to the research, development, production and modification of manned and unmanned military aircraft and weapons systems for global strike, including fighter and combat rotorcraft aircraft and missile systems; global mobility, including tanker, rotorcraft and tilt-rotor aircraft; and airborne surveillance and reconnaissance, including command and control, battle management and airborne anti-submarine aircraft. The Global Services segment provides services to commercial and defense customers. The Boeing Capital segment seeks to ensure that Boeing customers have the financing they need to buy and take delivery of their Boeing product and manages overall financing exposure. T Read More Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through Exploration and Production(E&P), and Midstream segments. The E&P segment engages in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Midstream segment offers midstream services, such as natural gas gathering, compression, processing and, gas lift supply; crude oil gathering, terminaling, and transportation; produced and flowback water gathering, and disposal; and water distribution. As of December 31, 2020, the company had 401,766 net leasehold acres in the Williston Basin; and 24,396 net leasehold acres in the Permian Basin, as well as approximately 152.2 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. The company sells its crude oil and natural gas to refiners, marketers, and other purchasers that have access to pipeline and rail facilities. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of BorgWarner: B80 Italia S.r.l., BERU AG, BW El Salto S.A. De C.V., BWA Receivables Corporation, BWA Turbo Systems Holding LLC, Borg Warner Europe Holdings (PDS) B. V., BorgWarner (China) Investment Co. Ltd., BorgWarner (Reman) Holdings L.L.C., BorgWarner (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner Aftermarket Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Alternators Inc., BorgWarner Arden LLC, BorgWarner Arnstadt RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Asia Inc., BorgWarner Automotive Asia Limited, BorgWarner Automotive Components (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Brasil Ltda., BorgWarner Chungju Co. LLC, BorgWarner Comercial e Distribuidora de Pecas para Veiculos Automotores Ltda., BorgWarner Comercializadora PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Componentes PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Limited, BorgWarner Cooling Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Diversified Transmission Products Services Inc., BorgWarner Drivetrain Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Drivetrain Management Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Drivetrain de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Electric Motors L.L.C., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems Holding LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Emissions Systems LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Portugal Unipessoal LDA, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Spain S.L.U., BorgWarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Emissions Talegaon Private Limited, BorgWarner Engineering Ketsch RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Engineering Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Esslingen GmbH, BorgWarner Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Europe Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Gateshead Limited, BorgWarner Germany Holding GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Holding Services GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REH GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REM GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, BorgWarner Global Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Heidelberg I RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg II RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg REH GmbH, BorgWarner Heidelberg REM GmbH, BorgWarner Holding Inc., BorgWarner Holdings Limited, BorgWarner Hungary Kft., BorgWarner IT Services Europe GmbH, BorgWarner India Holdings Inc., BorgWarner Investment Holding Inc., BorgWarner Ithaca LLC, BorgWarner Ketsch Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Ketsch REH GmbH, BorgWarner Ketsch REM GmbH, BorgWarner Kft., BorgWarner Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Korea Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Korea Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Korea LLC, BorgWarner Limited, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC. United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Dominion Energy: 96WI 8me LLC, Alamo Solar LLC, Align RNG Arizona LLC, Align RNG Arizona-Snowflake LLC, Align RNG California LLC, Align RNG California-Corcoran LLC, Align RNG Grady Road LLC, Align RNG LLC, Align RNG Magnolia LLC, Align RNG North Carolina LLC, Align RNG North Carolina-Bowdens LLC, Align RNG Utah LLC, Align RNG Utah-Milford LLC, Align RNG Virginia LLC, Align RNG Virginia-Waverly LLC, Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Azalea Solar LLC, BOE Holdings Inc., Blackville Solar Farm LLC, Blue Ocean Energy Marine LLC, BrightSuite Home LLC, BrightSuite Inc., BrightSuite Solar CT Inc., BrightSuite Solar SC Inc., BrightSuite Solar VA Inc., Buckingham Solar I LLC, CEA Americus LLC, CEA CO-Fort Morgan LLC, CEA Clovis LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Colorado LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Georgia LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Idaho LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC, CEA Dairy RNG New Mexico LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Texas LLC, CEA Greely LLC, CEA Mason LLC, CEA TX-Dimmitt LLC, CID Solar LLC, CNG Coal Company, CNG Power Services Corporation, Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, Catalina Solar 2 LLC, Clean Energy Asset USA LLC, Clean Energy Enterprises Inc., Clipperton Holdings LLC, Consolidated Natural Gas Company, Correctional Solar LLC, Cottonwood Solar LLC, Cove Point LNG LP, Cove Point LNG Limited, DE Arlington Solar LLC, DE Fluvanna Solar LLC, DE Hanover Solar LLC, DE Henrico Solar LLC, DE King William Solar LLC, DE Louisa Solar LLC, DE Newport News Solar LLC, DE Powhatan Solar LLC, DE Virginia Beach Solar LLC, DECP Holdings Inc., Dairy RNG Holdings LLC, Dairy RNG NY LLC, Dairy RNG NY-Curtin LLC, Dairy RNG OH LLC, Denmark Solar LLC, Dominion ACP Holding Inc., Dominion Alternative Energy Holdings Inc., Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Dominion Capital Inc., Dominion Cogen WV Inc., Dominion Energy Fuel Services Inc., Dominion Energy Gas Distribution LLC, Dominion Energy Generation Marketing Inc., Dominion Energy Inc., Dominion Energy Kewaunee Inc., Dominion Energy Marketplace LLC, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut Inc., Dominion Energy Overthrust Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Payroll Company Inc., Dominion Energy Questar Corporation, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline Services Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings II Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings Inc., Dominion Energy Services Inc., Dominion Energy Solar CA LLC, Dominion Energy Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc., Dominion Energy Southeast Services Inc., Dominion Energy Technical Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies II Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies Inc., Dominion Energy Terminal Company Inc., Dominion Energy Wexpro Services Company, Dominion Equipment III Inc., Dominion Equipment Inc., Dominion Fairless Hills Inc., Dominion Fowler Ridge Wind LLC, Dominion Gas Projects Company LLC, Dominion Generation Inc., Dominion Greenbrier Inc., Dominion High Voltage Holdings Inc., Dominion High Voltage MidAtlantic Inc., Dominion Investments Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline Holdings Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline LLC, Dominion MLP Holding Company III Inc., Dominion Mt. Storm Wind LLC, Dominion Nuclear Projects Inc., Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc., Dominion Person Inc., Dominion Privatization Florida LLC, Dominion Privatization Georgia LLC, Dominion Privatization Holdings Inc., Dominion Privatization Kentucky LLC, Dominion Privatization Maryland LLC, Dominion Privatization Pennsylvania LLC, Dominion Privatization South Carolina LLC, Dominion Privatization Texas LLC, Dominion Privatization Virginia LLC, Dominion Products and Services Inc., Dominion Projects Services Inc., Dominion Resources Capital Trust III, Dominion Retail Gas Holdings Inc., Dominion Solar Construction and Maintenance LLC, Dominion Solar Gen-Tie LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings I LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings II LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings III LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings IV LLC, Dominion Solar Projects A Inc., Dominion Solar Projects B Inc., Dominion Solar Projects C Inc., Dominion Solar Projects D Inc., Dominion Solar Projects I Inc., Dominion Solar Projects II Inc., Dominion Solar Projects III Inc., Dominion Solar Projects IV Inc., Dominion Solar Projects V Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VI Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VII Inc., Dominion Solar Services Inc., Dominion State Line LLC, Dominion Voltage Inc., Dominion Wholesale Inc., Dominion Wind Development LLC, Dominion Wind Projects Inc., ESCT-SA-Suffield LLC, Eagle Holdco Solar LLC, Eagle Solar LLC, Eastern Shore Solar LLC, Enterprise Solar LLC, Escalante Solar I LLC, Escalante Solar II LLC, Escalante Solar III LLC, Four Brothers Solar LLC, Fremont Farm LLC, Granite Mountain Holdings LLC, Granite Mountain Solar East LLC, Granite Mountain Solar West LLC, Greenbrier Marketing Company LLC, Greenbrier Pipeline Company LLC, Greensville County Solar Project LLC, Hardin Solar Energy LLC, Hecate Energy Cherrydale LLC, Hecate Energy Clarke County LLC, Hope Gas Inc., Imperial Valley Solar Company (IVSC) 2 LLC, Indy Solar Development LLC, Indy Solar I LLC, Indy Solar II LLC, Indy Solar III LLC, Innovative Solar 37 LLC, Iron Springs Holdings LLC, Iron Springs Solar LLC, Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas, Maricopa West Solar PV LLC, Moffett Solar 1 LLC, Moorings Farm 2 LLC, Mulberry Farm LLC, Mustang Solar LLC, PSNC Blue Ridge Corporation, PSNC Cardinal Pipeline Company, Pavant Solar LLC, Phone House, Pikeville Farm LLC, Prairie Fork Wind Farm LLC, Public Service Company of North Carolina Incorporated, QPC Holding Company LLC, Questar Corporation, Questar Energy Services Inc., Questar Field Services LLC, Questar Gas Company, Questar InfoComm Inc., Questar Southern Trails Pipeline Company, Questar White River Hub LLC, RE Adams East LLC, RE Camelot LLC, RE Columbia Two LLC, RE Kansas LLC, RE Kent South LLC, RE Old River One LLC, Richland Solar Center LLC, Ridgeland Solar Farm I LLC, SBL Holdco LLC, SCANA, SCANA Communications Holdings Inc., SCANA Corporate Security Services Inc., SCANA Energy Marketing LLC, SCANA Pharmacy LLC, SRFI LLC, Scana Corporation, Scott-II Solar LLC, Seabrook Solar LLC, Selmer Farm LLC, Siler Solar LLC, Sol Madison Solar LLC, Somers Solar Center LLC, South Carolina Fuel Company Inc., South Carolina Generating Company Inc., Southampton Solar LLC, Summit Farms Solar LLC, Sussex Drive Solar Project LLC, TA - Acacia LLC, TWE Myrtle Solar Project LLC, The East Ohio Gas Company, Trask East Solar LLC, Tredegar Solar Fund I LLC, VP Property Inc., Virginia Electric And Power Company, Virginia Power Fuel Corporation, Virginia Power Nuclear Services Company, Virginia Power Services Energy Corp. Inc., Virginia Power Services LLC, Virginia Solar 201 Projects LLC, Wakefield Solar LLC, Wexpro Company, Wexpro Development Company, Wexpro II Company, Wilkinson Solar LLC, Wrangler Retail Gas Holdings LLC, and Yemassee Solar LLC. Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. engages in the mining of copper, gold and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining; Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining and Corporate, Other and Eliminations. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. The South America Mining segment includes Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The Indonesia Mining segment handles the operations of Grasberg minerals district that produces copper concentrate that contains significant quantities of gold and silver. The Molybdenum Mines segment includes the Henderson underground mine and Climax open-pit mine, both in Colorado. The Rod and Refining segment consists of copper conversion facilities located in North America and includes a refinery, rod mills, and a specialty copper products facility. The Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining segment smelts and refines copper concentrate and markets refined copper and precious metals in slimes. The Corporate, Other and Eliminations segment Read More There is not enough analysis data for Brixton Metals. 4.9 Community Rank Outperform Votes Brixton Metals has received 65 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Brixton Metals has received 22 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Brixton Metals has received 74.71% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Brixton Metals and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BBB will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BBB will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC. Inmarsat plc provides mobile satellite communications services on land, at sea, and in the air worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Maritime, U.S. Government, Global Government, Aviation, and Enterprise. It offers voice and data broadband services; global maritime distress and safety system services; mobile and fixed voice services; a portfolio of machine-to-machine services that provide two-way data connectivity for messaging, tracking, and monitoring of fixed or mobile assets; maritime satellite services, including very small aperture terminals and television receive only antenna services; and Global Xpress, a high-speed broadband service that offer seamless connectivity for advanced data services on land, at sea, and in the air. The company also offers in-flight voice, data, safety, and cabin connectivity services for business and commercial air transport. It owns and operates 13 satellites. The company serves the aviation, government, enterprise, and maritime sectors. Inmarsat plc was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF's stock was trading at $93.15 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, RSP shares have increased by 73.8% and is now trading at $161.93. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of ITT: AIMCO Industries LLC, AcousticFab LLC, Allen Osborne Associates, Axtone, Axtone Bahntechink GmbH, Axtone GmbH, Axtone HSW sp. z.o.o., Axtone S.A., Axtone s.r.o., Blakers Pump Engineers, Bolton Insurance Co., Bolton International RE S.C.A., Bolton International S.C.A., Bombas Goulds S.A., Bombas Goulds de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bombas Goulds de Venezuela C.A., Bornemann Inc. (Canada), Bornemann S.A. DE C.V., C&I QSF LLC, C&K Components, Canberra Pumps do Brasil, Carbon Industries Inc., Computer & Equipment Leasing Corporation, DITTHA GmbH, Distribuidora Arbos C.A., Dolphin Technology, EP Industries Europe B.V., Edo, Electrofilm Manufacturing Company LLC, Ellis K. Phelps & Co., Energy Machine Services, Enidine Kabashiki Gaisha (Enidine Company Limited (Japan)), EnviroTech LLC, Equipos Hidraulicos S.A., European Pump Services B.V., F.B. Leopold, FLOJET Corp., Flowtronex PSI, Godwin Pumps, Goulds Mexico Holdings LLC, Goulds Pumps (IPG) LLC, Goulds Pumps (N.Y.) Inc., Goulds Pumps (NY) Inc. (PERU BRANCH), Goulds Pumps (NY) Inc. (TAIWAN BRANCH), Goulds Pumps (PA) LLC, Goulds Pumps Administration Inc., Goulds Pumps Canada Inc., Goulds Pumps Co. Ltd., Goulds Pumps LLC, Goulds QSF LLC, Hartzell Aerospace, Hydro Air Industries, ITT (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ITT (China) Investment Co. Ltd. (SHANGHAI BRANCH), ITT (Shanghai) Fluid Technology Co. Ltd., ITT Aerospace Controls LLC, ITT Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITT Automotive Enterprises Inc., ITT Blakers PTY Ltd, ITT Blakers Unit Trust, ITT Bombas Goulds do Brasil Ltda., ITT Bornemann GmbH, ITT Bornemann-Goulds Pumps S.R.L., ITT C'treat LLC, ITT Cannon (Hong Kong) LTD, ITT Cannon (Hong Kong) LTD (TAIWAN BRANCH), ITT Cannon Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, ITT Cannon GmbH, ITT Cannon GmbH (DENMARK BRANCH), ITT Cannon Korea Ltd., ITT Cannon LLC, ITT Cannon LLC (DUBAI BRANCH), ITT Cannon Ltd., ITT Cannon Mexico Inc., ITT Cannon Veam Italia s.r.l., ITT Cannon de Mexico S.A. de C.V., ITT Community Development Corporation, ITT Corporation India PVT. Ltd., ITT Egypt LLC, ITT Engineered Valves LLC, ITT Enidine GmbH, ITT Enidine Inc., ITT Finance Hong Kong Ltd., ITT Fluid Technology Asia Pte Ltd., ITT Fluid Technology International (Thailand) LTD., ITT Fluid Technology International Inc., ITT Fluid Technology International Inc. (DUBAI BRANCH), ITT Fluid Technology International Inc. (RUSSIAN BRANCH), ITT Fluid Technology S.A., ITT Germany Holdings GmbH, ITT Goulds Pumps Colombia S.A.S., ITT Goulds Pumps Inc., ITT Goulds Pumps Inc. (GREECE BRANCH), ITT High Precision Manufactured Products (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., ITT Holding LLC, ITT Holdings Czech Republic s.r.o., ITT Industries France S.A.S., ITT Industries Global S.a.r.l., ITT Industries Holdings Inc., ITT Industries Holdings Limited, ITT Industries Limited, ITT Industries Luxembourg S.a r.l., ITT Industries Rus LLC, ITT Industries Spain SL, ITT International Holdings Inc., ITT International Luxembourg S.a r.l., ITT Investments Luxembourg S.a.r.l., ITT Iran S.K., ITT Italia s.r.l., ITT Italy Holding Srl, ITT Japan B.V., ITT Korea Holding B.V., ITT LLC, ITT Luxembourg Europe Sarl, ITT Luxembourg Worldwide Sarl, ITT Manufacturing Enterprises LLC, ITT Motion Technologies America LLC, ITT Motion Technologies GmbH, ITT Motion Technologies LLC, ITT Motion Technologies Luxembourg S.a.r.l., ITT Motion Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, ITT Netherlands B.V., ITT Netherlands Europe B.V., ITT Netherlands Worldwide B.V., ITT Rheinhuette Pumps LLC, ITT Rheinhutte Benelux B.V., ITT Rheinhutte Pumpen Austria GmbH, ITT Rheinhutte Pumpen Co. Ltd., ITT Rheinhutte Pumpen GmbH, ITT Rheinhutte Pumpen do Brasil Industria de Bombas Ltda., ITT Saudi Co., ITT Technical Services S.K., ITT Torque Systems Inc., ITT Water & Wastewater U.S.A. Inc., ITT Water Technology (TX) LLC, InTelCo Management LLC, InTelCo Properties LLC, Industrial Tube Company LLC, Industries QSF LLC, International Motion Control, International Motion Control Inc., International Standard Electric Corporation, International Telephone & Telegraph Corp., K and M Electronics, Kentucky Carbon Corporation, Koni BV, Koni France SAS, Koni NA LLC, LLMZ Kamax, Leland Properties Inc., Matrix Composites, Matrix Composites Inc., Nova Analytics, O.I. Corporation, PT ITT Fluid Technology Indonesia, Pci Membranes, Precision Stainless, Qingdao Kamax Buffer Equipment Company Ltd., Qume, Rheinhutte Pumps Nordic Filial, Rheinhutte Pumpen Group, Rule Industries, Rule Industries LLC, SRA International's Airport Operations Solutions (AOS) group, STX Pte. Ltd, Shanghai Goulds Pumps Co. Ltd., Shanghai Hengtong Purified Water Development, Shanghai Hengtong Water Treatment Engineering, Sinton Engineering Group, Standard Electric, Standard Tecknik Services, Stanford Telecommunications Inc, Svedala Robot BV, TDS Corporate Services LLC, Uniservice Wellpoint, Venus Holdco LLC, WAM China Ltd., WC Wolverine Holdings Inc., Water Pollution Control Corp., Wolverine Advanced Materials (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Wolverine Advanced Materials Asia Limited, Wolverine Advanced Materials GmbH, Wolverine Advanced Materials LLC, Wolverine Advanced Materials LLC (INDIA BRANCH), Wolverine Automotive Holdings Inc., Wolverine Brasil Representacao Ltda., Wolverine Japan KK, Wolverine Press (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Wolverine/Tekno Laminates and Composites Ltda., and YSI Inc. Deutsche BArse AG operates as an exchange organization in Europe, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates through seven segments: Eurex (Financial Derivatives), EEX (Commodities), 360T (Foreign Exchange), Xetra (Cash Equities), Clearstream (Post-Trading), IFS (Investment Fund Services), and Qontigo (index and analytics business). The company engages in the electronic trading of derivatives, electricity and gas products, emission rights, and foreign exchange; operating of Eurex Repo over the counter (OTC) trading platform and electronic clearing architecture; and operating as a central counterparty for on-and-off exchange derivatives, repo transactions, and OTC and exchange-traded derivatives. It also operates in the cash market through Xetra, BArse Frankfurt, and Tradegate trading venues; operates as a central counterparty for equities and bonds; and provides listing services. In addition, the company offers custody and settlement services for securities; investment fund services; global securities financing services; and global securities finance and collateral management, as well as secured money, market transaction, and repos and securities lending transaction services. Further, it develops and markets indices, as well as portfolio management and risk analysis software; markets licenses for trading and market signals; provides technology and reporting solutions for external customers; and offers link-up of trading participants. Deutsche BArse AG was founded in 1585 and is headquartered in Eschborn, Germany. Read More Looking for the vulture assist with Neolithic burials 1 year ago The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan. NovaGold Resources Inc. explores for and develops gold mineral properties in the United States. It primarily owns 50% interest in the Donlin Gold project consisting of 493 mining claims covering an area of 71,420 acres located in the Kuskokwim region of southwestern Alaska. The company was formerly known as NovaCan Mining Resources (1985) Limited and changed its name to NovaGold Resources Inc. in March 1987. NovaGold Resources Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Vancouver, Canada. Read More iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU shares have increased by 30.8% and is now trading at $33.48. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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 Rowan Companies PLC (NYSE:RDC) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October, 31st. The oil and gas company reported ($1.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of ($1.15) by $0.02. The oil and gas company earned $192.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $179.39 million. Rowan Companies had a negative net margin of 42.12% and a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 9.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 33.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.16) earnings per share. View Rowan Companies' earnings history. Richwood, TX (77531) Today Areas of patchy fog early. Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More Tower International, Inc. manufactures and sells engineered automotive structural metal components and assemblies primarily for original equipment manufacturers. It operates in two segments, North America and Brazil. The company provides body structures and assemblies, including structural metal components, which comprise body pillars, roof rails, and side sills; and Class A surfaces and assemblies that consist of body sides, hoods, doors, fenders, and pickup truck boxes. It also offers lower vehicle frames and structures, such as pickup truck and sport utility vehicle (SUV) full frames, automotive engine and rear suspension cradles, floor pan components, and cross members. In addition, the company offers complex body-in-white assemblies comprising various components and sub-assemblies. Its products have applications in small and large cars, crossovers, pickups, and SUVs. The company was formerly known as Tower Automotive, LLC and changed its name to Tower International, Inc. in October 2010. Tower International, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Read More iShares North American Tech-Software ETF's stock was trading at $211.67 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IGV stock has increased by 108.2% and is now trading at $440.76. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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 Western Asset Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC. It is co-managed by Western Asset Management Company, Western Asset Management Company Limited, and Western Asset Management Company Pte. Ltd. The fund invests in the fixed income markets across the globe. It seeks to invest in variable rate investment grade securities, including U.S. and non-U.S. investment grade and high yield debt, senior loans, emerging markets debt and derivatives related to these securities. The fund seeks to maintain an average duration of around one to two years with an average credit quality of BBB+. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Merrill Lynch Constant Maturity 3-Month LIBOR Index. The fund was formerly known as Salomon Brothers Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. Western Asset Variable Rate Strategic Fund Inc. was formed on August 3, 2004 and is domiciled in the United States. Read More At the Tigor launch, which happened on 10 October 2018, Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD of Tata Motors confirmed to us that the carmaker plans to launch 12 new cars in India by 2023. While we know that two of these will be the Harrier and the 45X hatchback, details of other products are still not confirmed. However, Tata says it will foray into most of the mass-market segments with these cars. So, it might launch a compact sedan and a compact SUV. What reaffirms this is the fact that Tata motors, post the unveiling of the H5X and the 45X, had also unveiled the sketches of upcoming models giving us a glimpse of what to expect from the brand in the coming years. The sketches had four other models apart from the H5X and the 45X. It included a compact sedan, a compact SUV, a 7-seater SUV (bigger than Harrier) and a premium crossover with a coupe-like roofline, similar to the Renault Arkana concept. While the sedan and the compact SUV will be based on the Alpha modular platform that will underpin all future Tata cars that measure between 3.8m and 4.4m in length, the 7-seater SUV and the premium crossover will share underpinnings with the Harrier (OMEGA platform). As far as rivals are concerned, the sedan will take on the likes of the City and the compact SUV will rival the Hyundai Creta. The compact sedan will essentially be the production version of the 45X hatchback with a boot, in all likelihood. The large 7-seater SUV might be a Rs 20 lakh+ product with the kind of capability that the Fortuner and Endeavour offer. The premium crossover that Tata plans to offer could be a lifestyle vehicle bigger than the Harrier. The other six products scheduled to come by 2023 might include next-gen versions of existing cars such as the Tiago, Tigor, Bolt, Nexon, Hexa and the Safari, along with EVs. This can be concluded from the carmakers plans to bring the number of platforms down from six, currently, to two. All said, Tata seems to be very aggressive as far as product launches are concerned. In 2018 itself, the carmaker has already launched the Tiago NRG and the updated Tigor and we expect the JTP twins, the Tiago JTP and the Tigor JTP, to come to the market as well. Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho. India is a vast country where meeting power demands of the ever-increasing population is nothing less than a challenge. Constant efforts and innovations are being made to generate power so that not a single corner is not left under darkness. Solar panels and rechargeable batteries are making the lives of people easier wherever electricity is not in abundance. Moreover, a shift is being witnessed as people are understanding the importance of renewable energy. There is a surge in demand for rechargeable batteries and solar panels. With an aim to revolutionise the Indian market, Future Hi-Tech Batteries is working in a similar direction by manufacturing state of the art Lithium-ion batteries. Future Hi -Tech Batterries is an Indian company whose objective is to ensure that people should 'never feel powerless'. It aims at giving a stiff competition to foreign manufacturers and brands by providing superior quality lithium-ion batteries backed by innovation and after sales service. Another advantage is that they are Made In India. "Future Hi-Tech has a strong domain knowledge and boasts of a strong advisory panel. It is a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), MIA, MICA registered company. Also, it is an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 18001:2007 certified company," said Mr. Marjara, CEO, Future Hi-Tech Batteries. "We are following the footsteps of our former Managing Director, late Shri JP Singh. He was a visionary and a renowned banker with 26 years of experience in financial management and was also a legal advisor to many organizations. He was a recipient of four 'All India Awards' for excellence in customer service, deposit mobilisation and reduction in non-performing assets," Mr. Marjara further added. "We are passionate about bringing green energy to India by setting up this first of its kind manufacturing unit of Lithium cells and batteries. We are committed to delivering world-class energy solutions in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally sound manner. We believe renewable is the future, hence we are working towards 'Green Energy, Greener Earth'," said Ms. Gagandeep Kaur, ED and Sales Head, Future Hi-Tech Batteries. The company has made strategic tie-ups with global players for manufacturing Lithium-ion batteries, for that is the future. Future Hi-Tech has previously made technical collaborations with premier institutions in the country such as IIT Kharagpur, IIT Patna, CSIR, CECRI, Punjab University, during it's research and development phase. At Future Hi-Tech, products are designed by following strict cell grading process in order to ensure that only the best reaches it's customers. From a low volume to a high quantum of production, it has the capability and industry expertise to meet the unique needs of all OEMs. It's technically skilled team is designing and manufacturing custom battery solutions for Lithium-ion battery and allied systems. This 100% Indian firm is equipped with sophisticated machinery from the USA, Japan and China for manufacturing and testing. It also has modern in-house Quality Control and Testing Facilities. Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: NewsVoir. New Delhi: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on Friday directed direct-to-home service provider Tata Sky and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) to resolve its differences over pricing of channels within four weeks. "...we direct both the parties to sit across the table and try to work out a mutually acceptable negotiated agreement within a period of four weeks from today. If required the parties may seek extension of the period, TDSAT said in its order. The matter has been listed for November 11 for considering the outcome of the fresh round of negotiations which the parties are to carry out in the meantime. Earlier this month, TataSky removed 32 channels of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and three of TV Today Network on pricing issues. SPN's three-year contract with Tata Sky had expired on July 31, and the two since then have been negotiating on a new pricing deal. The contract tenure between SPN and Tata Sky came to an end on July 31. After the talks for a negotiated agreement did not yield any result, SPN served a notice to Tata Sky on September 7, followed by a public notice on September 10. Consequently, Tata Sky opted for a RIO-based agreement effective September 30 midnight for 10 channels. Tata Sky had pointed out that negotiations failed because the demand was for Rs 1,700 crore and that too when the right of telecasting IPL matches was no longer available with SPN as it has been won recently by another broadcaster. Under the old terms, SPN was getting Rs 800 crore approximately. Mumbai: T-Series honcho Bhushan Kumar Friday denied the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying the claims are being used a tool to malign his reputation. An anonymous Twitter user accused Kumar of propositioning her on the pretext of signing a three-movie contract with his production house. Also read: #MeToo: Pyaar Ka Punchnama director Luv Ranjan asked actor to strip down panty The user in her Twitter post had detailed how Bhushan wanted to sign her for a three-film deal and make her a superstar as he saw a lot of potential in her. But later he asked her to come to his bungalow in Versova, which she refused and he also said he was looking for relationship that involves both work and pleasure. She claimed after repeated attempts that went futile, she was informed she was dropped from the project because she refused to sleep with the boss. She alleged when she refused Bhushan's offer, he threatened he would spoil her career if she shares her account. Also read: #MeToo: Sajid Khan accused of sexual misconduct, Akshay Kumar stalls Housefull 4 "I am appalled and anguished to know that my name has been dragged in this #MeToo by some anonymous person(s). The allegations against me are bad on the face of it. I have enjoyed an impeccable reputation and have always maintained professionalism. The tweet has been used as a tool to defame me and malign my reputation," Kumar said in a statement to PTI. The producer said he would be lodging a complaint with the cyber cell of the Mumbai Police. "I have taken this allegation very seriously and lodging a complaint with the cyber cell of the Mumbai Police to track the mysterious people(s) whose twitter handles have disappeared within seconds of uploading the malicious tweet. I'll take all such actions as I will be legally advised," he added. Also read: #MeToo: Subhash Ghai anonymously accused of rape; director threatens defamation Many big names in the Bollywood such as Vikas Bahl, Subhash Ghai, Nana Patekar, Alok Nath and Sajid Khan stand accused of harassment as India's #MeToo movement picks up steam. Nana Patekar had shot for the film in Rajasthan recently. Mumbai: Amid allegations of sexual harassment against him, actor Nana Patekar Friday distanced himself from Housefull 4, saying he did not want to cause inconvenience to the people involved with the project. The development came hours after Housefull 4 director Sajid Khan stepped aside following allegations of sexual harassment. "Nanasaheb do not want any inconvenience caused to anyone and hence in the backdrop of false accusations levelled against him he thought it fit to distance himself with the ongoing project of 'Housefull 4'(sic)," Malhar, son of Patekar, said in a statement issued here. Actor Tanushree Dutta has accused Patekar of sexual misconduct on the sets of the film Horn 'OK' Pleassss in 2008. She has filed a case of sexual harassment against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. Patekar has denied the allegations levelled by Dutta. Around the time Ram Gopal Varma released his film The Attacks of 26/11, Nana Patekar had made a statement about Sanjay Dutt. The actor refused to work with Dutt after he was indicted in the Arms Act case, even though the rest of the film industry rallied around the Munnabhai star. I lost my brother in the Worli BEST bus blast. My wife Neelkanti, thankfully, survived as she had left early. I am not saying he did it. But if he had a small involvement, I will hold him responsible and wont work with him, said Nana. And now after Akshay and Riteish Deshmukhs statement, Nana is out of Housefull 4 as the actors do not want to associate themselves with an alleged offender. As a matter of fact, the films director Sajid Khan too has been ousted. Nana is accused of behaving inappropriately with Tanushree Dutta 10 years ago. I have just landed back in the country last night and reading all the news has been very disturbing. I have requested the producers of Housefull 4 to cancel the shoot until further investigation, Akshay had tweeted. Once the director is finalised, the film will go on floors. Sources say that the people connected with the film have been coaxing Sajid Nadiadwala to take charge of direction and complete the movie himself as he knows more about the film than anyone else. Another name being tossed up is that of Farah Khan. Sanskriti Media HT25 Prayer halls and places of worship were venerated from time immemorial with the ancients considering them ideal to unlock the distress in their minds and seek peace and solace from the pain and suffering in their lives. Churches, temples and mosques, their imposing exteriors and the peaceful and serene atmosphere within, have always acted as a cushion for the human mind battling a thousand fears and baffling questions about life, death and immortality. This could be the reason why emperors and kings of yore considered it their sacred duty to build iconic structures where people could pray, meditate and free their minds from troubling thoughts which would have otherwise wrecked their inner peace. One such magnificent structure is right here in the heart of Mysuru the St. Philomenas Cathedral, which was crying for attention for many years and is now being restored by the department of archaeology, museums and heritage. M.B. Girish delves into the history of the cathedral which has withstood the vagaries of time for almost a century and should be ready with a new look by Christmas. There are several heritage buildings dotting Mysuru city such as Mysuru Palace, Lalith Mahal and Jaganmohan Palaces which has earned it the tag, Heritage City and made it a popular tourist destination in the South. Built in the Neo-Gothic style of architecture, St Philomenas Cathedral, considered Asias second largest church, is a replica of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany and St. Patricks Cathedral in New York. The twin spires of the church are 180 feet (55 m) tall, making it the tallest structure in Mysuru with a striking resemblance to the Cologne Cathedral and St. Patrick's Church. A tourist coming from Bengaluru to visit Mysuru and passing via Lakshar Mohalla, cannot fail to catch a glimpse of the cathedral before proceeding to the heart of the city for a view of the magnificent Mysuru Palace. Like the Taj in Agra which is fast losing its lustre due to pollution, St. Philomenas had lost much of its charm due to accumulated dust, growth of vegetation all around and lack of maintenance. The outer structure had turned black and grey because of air pollution. And how did this structure spring up in the land of the Wodeyars? Due to an increase in the Catholic population in the city in the 1930s which the little church dedicated to Joseph found too much to handle, the need was felt for a large church in Mysuru. It was Priest Fr. Rene Feuga who did the groundwork in 1931, the year he took over the parish. Years of dust accumulation, fungal growth on St. Philomena's Church had turned the structure black. The foundation stone was finally laid for the new church dedicated to St. Philomena on October 20, 1933 in the premises of St. Joseph's Church. Rt. Rev. Maurice Despatures, the Bishop of the Mysore Diocese, blessed the stone and it was laid by then Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar Bahadur IV. This is no ordinary church, the main hall can seat up to 800 people and has stained glass windows depicting scenes from the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ. But the wear and tear of a century had left the church structure fragile with parts of its minars even starting to shake forcing the department of archaeology, museums and heritage to take up restoration. The task was entrusted to Savani Heritage Conservation Private Limited, Mumbai, a firm with a reputation of successfully restoring palaces, city gates, temples and churches. The massive effort began in March, 2016 at an estimated cost of Rs 2.7 crore with this being the first major restoration work on the church since its inauguration in 1936. Years of dust accumulation, fungal growth on St. Philomena's Church had turned the structure black. When restoration began, the minars were so delicate that they would shake if one touched them. The church was built using stones on the sides of the twin towers and bricks and concrete at other places. The skilled workers started off painstakingly removing the plaster on the walls and removing the decayed granite stones and stone masonry. The intricately carved wooden doors had become virtually invisible owing to dust deposits and had also developed cracks and they were cleaned up to make the designs visible. The doors now wear a neat look with a fresh coat of painting making them sparkle. When the church was built, lime mortar was used for interiors, now, archaeology officials are restoring them adopting the Aaraish technique developed in Rajasthan centuries ago and used during the rule of Maharaja Pratap Singh (1779-1803), the erstwhile ruler of Amber and Jaipur in present day Rajasthan. This technique comes in handy to make the wall surface shine even reflecting the face of the viewer and can also ensure a glossy and crack-free surface. This technique has been applied on a wide range of surfaces and has withstood extreme climatic conditions in arid and semi-arid regions for centuries. The restoration of the interiors has been completed and by using the Aaraish technique, any stain or dirt on the interior walls can be easily washed away, says Pramod Raghuvaran, Project Manager of Savani Heritage Conservation Private Limited. The workers are also taking precautionary measures to ensure the idol of Lord Jesus Christ in the main hall is intact. To keep the restoration work going, Savani Heritage Conservation has set-up a plant to prepare lime mortar in the church premises where skilled labourers from West Bengal and Bihar prepare the material to plaster the church walls. using lime slurry, fine sand, raw jaggery, methi (menthya), urad dal, eggs and soap nuts. Jaggery syrup mixed with lime mortar acts as an additive to make the plaster stronger. So the next time you decide to unwind with a visit to the Heritage City, the first stop maybe, could be St. Philomenas Cathedral instead of the Mysuru Palace. A little prayer helps in difficult times and what better place to let your thoughts settle than the sacred precincts of a church where generations have come and prayed for succour, where the walls speak a thousand tales of love and hope? B06 He said the girls pretended to dial a number and saying there were network problems, moved a little away from him, and in a moment they fled. (Representational image) Chennai: Two juvenile girls were detained and sent to the correction home in Kellys after they snatched a mobile phone from a youth near Chennai Central railway, on Wednesday night. According to police, A Thaniz (16), resident of Periamet, was walking near the Vepery high road around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, when two girls on a bike approached him and asked for his phone to make an emergency call. Thaniz at first hesitated, but gave it as the girls pretended to be lost, and said they were searching for their brother. He said the girls pretended to dial a number and saying there were network problems, moved a little away from him, and in a moment they fled. He immediately raised an alarm and passersby chased the girls and managed to nab them. They were handed over to the Periamet police, who sent them to the government correction home in Kellys. The counsel told the court that this matter should be heard after which the bench posted it for hearing in February. (Photo: File) New Delhi: A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta made this observation while hearing a plea which said that export of meat cannot be encouraged or promoted in the country. "We cannot pass an order that everyone should become vegetarian," the bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioner organisation. The counsel told the court that this matter should be heard after which the bench posted it for hearing in February. The court also dealt with a separate petition filed by the organisation on the issue of promoting organic farming in the country. At the outset, the bench said that this issue was for the government to decide. The petitioner's counsel told the court that they have already raised this issue before the government but no steps have been taken in this regard. "It is not our job to tell all this to the government," the bench said and posted the matter for hearing in February. Indian Navy joins a select league of nations with capability to search, locate and provide rescue to distressed submarines by induction of 1st Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) and associated kit in fly away configuration which can be rapidly mobilised. (Photo: Twitter | @indiannavy) New Delhi: Enhancing its operational capabilities, the Navy has inducted its first deep submergence rescue vehicle which is deployed to rescue downed or disaster-struck submarines at high sea. Navy Spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said that with induction of the deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV), India has joined a select group of countries that have the capability to locate and rescue "distressed submarines". At present, the US, China, Russia and a few other countries have the capabilities to deploy DSRVs. "Indian Navy joins select league of nations with capability to search, locate and provide rescue to distressed submarines by induction of first Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel(DSRV) and associated kit in fly away configuration," he said. Though DSRVs are used for rescue of personnel in downed submarines, they are also deployed for various other missions including to lay cables on the sea bed. Some DSRV vessels are air transportable in very large military cargo. Captain Sharma said the DSRV which was inducted can be mobilised from the naval base in Mumbai to nearest mounting port by air, land and sea. The second DSRV is expected to be inducted at Visakhapatnam in 2019. "The DSRV can be mobilised from Naval base at Mumbai to nearest mounting port by air/ land or sea for providing rapid rescue to the submarine in distress," the Navy spokesperson said. Indian Navy sources said induction of the DSRV was part of the Navy's efforts to enhance operational capabilities when China has been ramping up its maritime presence in critical sea lanes which are of strategic importance to India. Last year, the Indian Navy operationalised a new concept of deployment of warships in the Indian Ocean region to effectively counter China's growing presence in the strategically key waters. The "new mission-based deployment" involves deploying mission-ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. (Photo: File/PTI) Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees. including women, on Saturday took to the streets in Kochi against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting here to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening. Apart from devotees protesting the move, political parties have taken a stern and also a bizarre stand with Shiv Sena's Kerala unit threatening of suicide. Peringammala Aji of Shiv Sena told ANI, "When any young woman tries to enter Sabarimala, our activists will commit suicide." The "suicide group" will gather near the Pamba river on October 17 and 18, said Aji. Activist Trupti Desai, the 'Bhumata Brigade' leader, has also announced her plans to visit the hill shrine soon. Though the government has not reacted to Desai's planned trip to the temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine. Padalam royal family member, Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any "provocative' move. He also asked the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai said that she along with a group of women would visit the temple "shortly" to offer prayers. "We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal the agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine," she told Malayalam TV channels. "I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this," Desai said. Holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting his hymns, the protesters marched through the busy roads of Kochi, the state's commercial hub, after launching the stir from the famed Shiva temple there. Protestors stage statewide road blockade over SC's verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala Temple. (Photo: File/PTI) The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. Meanwhile, the 'Long March' led by BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reached Kollam district Saturday. Party state president, P S Sreedharan Pillai, who lead the rally, said Desai was visiting Sabarimala as she perceived it to be a challenge rather than a pilgrimage. "It is a dangerous approach. She should desist from visiting the shrine and should not make Sabarimala a tension zone," he said. "I do not know whether she is a devotee or not. But she is coming to add fuel to the fire," Pillai added. Claiming that the NDA rally was getting tremendous support from all sections of people, the leader said the march would reach the state capital on October 15. Activist Rahul Easwar, who already announced hunger strike at Sabarimala during the five-day monthly pooja period, said they would stop Trupti Desai if she attempts to visit the Lord Ayyappa Temple. "Ours will be a Gandhian mode of protest. Hundreds of devotees will lay down on roads leading to Sabarimala if Trupti Desai attempts to visit the shrine," he said. Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the Pinarayi Vijayan government's decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. Besides BJP, the opposition Congress was also against the government's decision not to go for review and extended support to the devotee's stir. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. Bengaluru: Ballari district in-charge minister D. K. Shivakumar on Friday tried to downplay confusion in the Congress over selection of a candidate for the byelection to the Lok Sabha from Ballari constituency, saying it would be settled amicably soon. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with party leaders led by Congress Legislature Party chief Siddaramaiah here, Mr Shivakumar said, Everyone is aware that the Congress party always has a problem of plenty and it is the same with the selection of a candidate for Ballari. We have around 11 to 13 aspirants for the ticket. The party will amicably settle the issue and pick a winnable candidate. In response to a question, Mr Shivakumar snapped that there was no confusion in the party over the selection of a candidate for Ballari. This is a media creation. We know what we are dealing with. Some things dont have to be discussed in public, he retorted. Mr Shivakumar claimed the partys legislators from Ballari had agreed to work unitedly for the victory of the Congress in the bypoll irrespective of the candidate. We have six legislators in Ballari and so can easily win the seat if all of them work unitedly, he contended. But the minister appeared to be putting up a brave front as although he had called a meeting with Congress MLAs from Ballari district at his home on Wednesday to arrive at an amicable solution to the issue, many of the legislators failing to turn up. On Friday, it was the turn of former Chief Minister, Siddarmaiah to convene a meeting and this was more successful as except the sulking Ballari mining strongman, Anil Lad, all the other MLAs attended the meeting. Whether this has resolved matters remains to be seen. 'Hon PM @narendramodi ji is the 11th #Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu (sic),' state BJP spokesperson Avadhut Wagh said on Twitter. (Photo: File) Mumbai: A Maharashtra BJP spokesperson on Friday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the "11th incarnation" of Lord Vishnu, prompting ridicule by the Opposition, with the Congress calling it an "insult" to the gods. "Hon PM @narendramodi ji is the 11th #Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu (sic)," state BJP spokesperson Avadhut Wagh said on Twitter. Talking to a Marathi news channel, he said, "The country is fortunate that we have got a god-like leader in Modi." Attacking Wagh, state Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said it was an "insult" to the gods. "This is also an attempt to find lost political ground (by Wagh). I do not think this (comment) needs to be given much importance," he added. The remark was reflective of the "low level of culture" within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Londhe said. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad also took a dig at Wagh. "Wagh is an engineering graduate from VJTI. There is a need now to check if his certificate (degree) is genuine. This was not expected from him," he told reporters in Mumbai. The Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) is an engineering college in Mumbai. Founded in 1887, it is one of the oldest engineering colleges in Asia. It was known as the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute till it adopted its present name on January 26, 1997. However, Lata Ketkar also said that she welcomed the Me Too movement as it gave strength to women if they felt they had been harassed. (Photo: ANI) Bhopal: In a statement that could possibly stir up a controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Madhya Pradesh women wing chief Lata Ketkar said that she does not consider women journalists so "innocent" that they could be misused by anyone. This statement comes in the wake of recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar during his time as a journalist. However, Ketkar also said that she welcomed the Me Too movement as it gave strength to women if they felt they had been harassed. According to a source, senior ministers, in off-record conversations, have indicated that Akbar will have to step down once he returns to India. However, a consensus has reportedly not been achieved among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members on whether an MoS can be ousted merely on the basis of allegations. Akbar has come under the scanner after several of his former women colleagues accused him of sexual misconduct when he held senior editorial positions in a number of media organisations. The slew of allegations were sparked by the #MeToo movement, which has gained momentum in the country after scores of women, from various fields of work, shared their harassment ordeals on social media platforms. However, he added, To the maximum extent possible we will try to avoid the inconvenience by tapping power from hydel and thermal sources to the fullest extent. It is not only our problem. The entire south of India is affected. Hyderabad: Cyclone Titli has damaged the power grid in the north-south corridor. Therefore, the availability of power supply to southern states including Telangana state has been affected, said CMD of Genco Prabhakar Rao. However, he added, To the maximum extent possible we will try to avoid the inconvenience by tapping power from hydel and thermal sources to the fullest extent. It is not only our problem. The entire south of India is affected. At a review meeting held in the presence of caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday, it was revealed that 3,000 MW of power shortage would affect the state. He said there wont be any power cuts. We will try to avoid inconvenience by tapping power from hydel and thermal sources. Average demand of power is 10,500 MW The state has recorded a peak consumption of 10,818 MW due to newly added load from Metro rail, Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation project and free 24 x 7 power supply to the farming sector. "On an average, the power demand is 10,500 MW. A loss of 3,000 MW would have to be made good by producing full capacity at Thermal and Hydel facilities", said Mr. Rao. Bengaluru: Scaling up his attack on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman over the ongoing Rafale fighter jet controversy, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "helping businessman Anil Ambani by destroying Hindustan Aeronautics Limited", which he described as a "strategic asset". He told HAL's former and serving employees to loud cheers, "Rafale is your right, you are a 78-year-old company." Speaking to reporters after his interaction with HAL employees at crowded Minsk Square against the backdrop of a Tejas fighter, within a stone's throw of HAL headquarters, Mr Gandhi, when asked whether he was implying that there was corruption in the Rafale deal said, "I am not implying, I am saying very clearly that corruption has taken place." Mr Modi helps his capitalist friend Anil Ambani whose group is debt ridden to the tune of Rs 48,000 crore, he said. "Kickbacks have been exchanged. Rs 30,000 crore has been snatched from these (HAL) people and have been given to Mr Ambani. Youth of Bengaluru and country must know this, that thousands of superb skilled jobs have been snatched away from them to help Mr Ambani," he said. HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company, he added. Mr. Gandhi told reporters that Ms. Sitharaman talked about lack of experience of HAL, but had not said anything about the lack of experience of Anil Ambani, "who has never built a plane in his life." "HAL has no debt, he has Rs 45,000 crore of debt. HAL has been working for 78 years. His company has been working for 12 days. So she has no comment about the person who got the contract, or HAL's experience," he said and demanded to know why the order was being taken away from HAL when it had all the experience. "Why hasn't the work being given to them? Why is HAL being destroyed by Anil Ambani... that is the question." "So the first thing is that they expect an apology from the Defence Minister for insulting HAL. We understand that the Defence Minister is not going to apologise," he said. On alleged corruption, he said HAL was one of the "modern temples" of India and it was being destroyed "because of corruption that Narendra Modi is doing to help Anil Ambani. We are here to defend the people who are defending the nation. From the government, we have to defend HAL," he said. In response to another question, Mr Gandhi charged that Ms Sitharaman has gone to France just to cover this up. "She is lying, when she is talking about the Rafale deal. France's former president has already on the record stating that Mr Modi himself and union government was instrumental in getting contract for Mr Ambani. Even the media in France has exposed the Dassault internal document, which clearly indicts Mr Modi and Mr Ambani. Therefore, Ms Sitharaman's cover-up efforts may not yield desired results as already truth is out in the public," he chided. Snapping at question on UPA's role, Mr Gandhi said, "When the UPA was signing the deal, the HAL was very much part of the contract proposal, hence, first media must learn to get its facts right on these issue." Cleverly evading direct response to the future of contract between Dassault with the Ambani, he quickly added that if the UPA comes to power, the Congress will always protect interests of nation building institutes like HAL, NAL and DRDO. Mr Gandhi asserted that the Congress will take this issue to every nook and corner of this country and expose them further. HAL regrets politicisation Against the backdrop of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's interaction with serving and former employees of HAL on the Rafale deal, the state run aerospace company Saturday regretted 'politicisation' of its employees and termed it as a fad and regrettable development that would be detrimental to national security and the organisation. An HAL statement, without making a direct reference to Mr Gandhi, states that the NDA government has extended full-fledged support (to HAL), having placed supply orders of over Rs 27,340 core during the 2014-18 period by recognising its premier position. Towards improvement and up gradation of infrastructure, including ramping up of production facilities, funding to the tune of Rs 7,800 core was sanctioned during the period, it said. B01 He is the first senior official from the Times of India editorial section to step down, nine days after he was named. Sources said Sreenivas had resigned stating that he was being targeted. Hyderabad: Times of Indias Hyderabad resident editor K.R. Sreenivas, the first to be exposed for indulging in sexual misconduct at the workplace in the explosive #MeToo campaign, has resigned. He is the first senior official from the Times of India editorial section to step down, nine days after he was named. Sources said Sreenivas had resigned stating that he was being targeted. Hours after the Twitterstorm broke, he had been asked to go on administrative leave. The TOI has shifted another of its resident editors, Satadru Oija of Kolkota, to a different role in another city. He was also named in the #MeToo campaign. The TOI said this move was done to facilitate an unbiased investigation. Earlier, Gautam Adhikari, the founding editor of DNA Mumbai and a former executive editor of the TOI, resigned as senior fellow of the Center for American Progress (CAP) after he was accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct. The issue runs deeper and lies unaddressed. Jaideep Bose, the head editor of TOI, is accused of misconduct and protecting harasser-editors. This leaves many wondering how misconduct at the highest levels will be treated by TOI and its HR department. Former staffers have said that the HR department was unhelpful. But the Times of India is not alone. A former student has spoken out against the prestigious Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad. Bengaluru-based Sowmya Rao, who uses the Twitter handle @sowmyarao, said in a post that in her initial days at Nalsar, students were asked to rate each other. I felt gross then, we all did it anyway. Ive heard that there used to be a professor who taught a friends batch, called Ramanamurthy. His nickname Boobanamurthy, you can guess why (sic), she posted. A graffiti on the wall at Pattom - Kaudiar road shows that it has been reserved by the Congress, on Saturday (Photo: DC) Thiruvananthapuram: The residents of the city will have to brace for the 'writings on the wall' as the major political fronts have started 'booking' the walls to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections due in May next year. Since the campaigners generally avoid walls with 'Stick no bills' boards, the residents are also preparing to ward of the assaults on their spaces. But the political parties will leave no stone unturned or no vacant space unfilled to ensure the visibility of their candidates and woo the voters. Though the parties have not officially started wall bookings, the booth committees have taken up the task in right earnest. Mr Neyyatinkara Sanal, Thiruvananthapuram DCC president, told DC that the booth committees will be strengthened for the elections. "There are 2,715 booth committees in Thiruvananthapuram district and 1,131 in the Lok Sabha constituency. Local booth committee leaders have started booking the walls before their rival parties do it," he said. The DCC has so far not paid any funds to the booth committees to do the preliminary campaign work. Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan had taken charge as chairman of the election campaign committee on Friday and started initial work. The BJP district leadership has entrusted its 1, 280 booth committees in the city and over 2,300 in the district to book at least five walls each for their candidate. "We have pancharatna, a five-member committee, which decides about the campaign. Our booth committees have become active for the LS elections," said Mr S. Suresh, BJP district president. The LDF has allotted Thiruvananthapuram seat to the CPI. Mr G. R. Anil, Thiruvananthapuram district secretary of the CPI, told DC that they were appointing 1,351 booth-level agents (BLA) in each committee. "We are completing the voters' table and tabulating additions and deletions. We have already formed 1,351 booth committees in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency," he said. Thiruvananthapuram: Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai said she would appeal to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ask his BJP men in Kerala to accept the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala the way his government upheld the Constitution in the case of Shani Shingnapur temple and Haji Ali Dargah. Ms Desai told DC that in both cases the BJP government had filed affidavits supporting entry of women. I would like to request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include Sabarimala verdict in his next Mann Ki Baat and appeal to BJP workers not to prevent entry of women. He should stand by Constitution and defend womens right," she said. I am firm on visiting Sabarimala to have darshan of Lord Ayyappa along with my team. The date is yet to be decided. Desai said post-SC verdict she had received 400 to 500 threats on the social media. "People threatened to break my legs, hands and eliminate me. I have not complained to the police yet. I am not afraid of these threats. Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will not back out because the SC has given us the fundamental right. This country is not run by religion or religious contractors. It is run by Constitution," Ms Desai said. "I belong to a deeply religious family. Our day starts with pujas at home. I am a devotee that's why I want to visit Sabarimala. Had I been an atheist, I would not have gone there, she said responding to allegations of being a non-believer. "During the Shani Shingnapur movement, many people opposed me, threatened to kill me because I challenged their dadagiri. But on the day when we entered the inner sanctum, they didnt stop us but stayed away from the temple. In the same way, those who want to wait let them wait. But they should allow us to enter the temple." To the women taking part in the nama japa ghoshayathra, Ms Desai said, "I appeal to them to stand for women's right and not to get misled by contractors of religion. They should welcome all women in temple. Actors from Women in Cinema Collective Padmapriya, Parvathy and Revathy during a press meet in Kochi on Saturday.(Photo: ARUN CHANDRABOSE) Kochi: The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) on Saturday slammed the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for protecting a rape accused instead of the survivor. Terming as the initial move to clean up the dirt in Malayalam film industry, the WCC accused it of irresponsive attitude towards its demands and reinstatement Dileep charged with hiring a rapist to seek revenge on a former co-star. At a time when the nation is supporting the #MeToo campaign and acting against the perpetrators, this industry is just doing the opposite, said Rima Kallingal, who addressed a press conference along with others. Similar cases are seen in the Bollywood over a week. A director who is accused of sexual abuse is being removed by the organisers from the Aamir Khan Kiran Rao movie. Even a production house is being dispersed after its co-owner is being the accused in the #Metoo movement. And here, director B. Unnikrishnan announces his movie with the accused actor. Revathy, Padmapriya and Parvathy said the executive committee of AMMA had betrayed them by deciding to postpone the issue of reinstating Dileep to the next general body meeting. A meeting of the EC held here on October 11 had decided that only the general body could decide on whether to review its earlier decision to reinstate the actor. The three formally introduced themselves to media in reply to AMMA president Mohanlals referring to them as three actors in his recent statement. He couldnt mention our names, the three names. That is why we felt the need to introduce ourselves, that who we are, with names and with what we have done, Revathy said. They alleged that during the first 40 minutes of their meeting with the executive committee on August 7, they faced severe accusations. We faced accusations including lack of participation in the meetings. But later, the committee slipped into pin-drop silence, after we played an audio clip by the survivor, Parvathy said, not revealing its content. People admire actors. That means they have some responsibility to the public. But instead of that, we have witnessed the EC members indulging in victim shaming, and constantly showing bias against the survivor. It shows it's not a safe space to discuss women issues. Revathy recalled a 17-year old girl knocking on her doors seeking protection from her predator late at night. But she refused to divulge more details saying it's up to the victim to do that. Padmapriya said that more stories of injustice and harassment against women in the industry would come out soon. The main highlight of the EC was to not to speak to the media on anything we intend to say. In the beginning, we had demanded three decisions to be taken by the EC, as we have to tell the press. First was regarding the reinstatement of the accused. Second was regarding the reinstatement of the survivor to the association, and third was the reinstatement of Rima Kallingal, Geethu Mohandas and Remya Nambeesan who resigned from the association earlier. But they didn't agree with the first point talking to press," they said. Hyderabad: TPCC working president A. Revanth Reddy has requested TS Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar to provide security from central security agencies since he feared a threat to his life. Mr Revanth Reddy met the CEO on Saturday and submitted a letter in this regard. He said he had no confidence on the DGP and his team. He alleged that the DGP had attended TRS meetings held at Nagarjunasagar in the past. He said the DGP had openly announced he would conduct Blue Star Operation. Mr Revanth Reddy alleged that minister G. Jagadish Reddy and TRS MLC Palla Rajeswar Reddy had recently threatened to kill him. Mr Revanth Reddy also complained about home minister Nayani Nara-simha Reddys statement that TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao offered him Rs 10 crore to contest from LB Nagar Assembly constituency. He said that it was a bribe and asked the authorities to suo motu register a case. TRS MP G. Vinod Kumar and TRS MLC Srinivasa Reddy also met Mr Rajat Kumar to seek clarifications on the violations of model code of conduct and other issues. Officials informed them that to hold any public meeting, permission had to be taken 48 hours before and the permission would be given on first come first serve basis. To send bulk SMS also permission should be taken from the election commission. Hyderabad: BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya said the TRS was suffering from internal turbulence and as the election date approaches, its own cadre would rock the boat. Citing home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, he said that the TRS was splurging crores of rupees of public money to retain power in the State. Telangana state's ranking in corruption reflects what the government is doing, he told reporters on Saturday, adding that caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has no guts to reply to the questions posed by BJP national president Amit Shah. Mr Dattatreya said Mr Shah would visit the state again on October 28 in order to address a big rally in the city. He said Mr Rao had changed his language and tempo as he saw the defeat approaching fast. Accusing both the Congress and the TRS for using demeaning language in their public meetings, he said that the two parties have no time to take care of people's genuine problems. Mr P. Babu Mohan, who recently joined the BJP, said he would canvass for the party in both Telugu states as he had a considerable following. He said Mr Rao, who brought him into the TRS, deserted him for no fault of his. Mr Mohan said the BJP was the only party in the state which gives importance to Dalits and BCs. Mr Mohan also accused Mr Rao of giving a ticket to a person who was known to have a shady history. Hyderabad: The Opposition alliance picked the name Prajakutami for itself on Saturday, a day ahead of crucial discussions over seats adjustment among the partners on Sunday. TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, TS TD president L. Ramana, CPI state secretary Chada Venkata Reddy and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) chairman Prof. M. Kodandaram or his party representative will meet on Sunday to discuss sharing of seats. The alliance will have a joint launch for its campaign after the Dasara festival next week. Prof. Kodandaram speaking to the media on Saturday said the discussion on seat adjustment was speeded up and said the responsibility lay with the Congress. He said there would be clarity in a day or two. He said the alliance had changed the political atmosphere in the state. He said it was the responsibility of all partners to protect the alliance. The alliance was strengthened with the support of balladeer Gaddar, Prof. Kodandaram said. Earlier, the alliance chiefs spoke over the phone on Saturday and agreed to call the grouping Prajakutami. Meanwhile, the AICC screening committee headed by party leader Bhakta Charan Das left for Delhi after sifting through the names of potential candidates for three days. The AICC central election committee is likely to meet on October 16 at Delhi to finalise the candidates. TPCC sources said high command may announce the list by about October 20. TPCC campaign committee chairman Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka stopped his campaign temporarily on Saturday. Mr Bhatti the leaders would be taking a two-day break to prepare the ground for Congress president Rahul Gandhis meeting scheduled on October 20. HASSAN: Reacting to reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on contesting from a safe Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka, former PM and president of Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday said, During the five-year rule of Mr Modi, Karnataka did not see any major progress. Let's see if the state develops if he (Mr Modi) gets elected to the LS from here. I have appealed to Mr Modi several times to focus on Karnataka's development. But nothing happened, Mr Gowda told reporters at Arakalgud near here. On BSP MLA N. Mahesh quitting the Cabinet, Mr Gowda said he quit on the directions from his party supremo Mayawati. The JD(S) alliance with BSP would be continued for Lok Sabha elections. Before quitting the cabinet, Mr Mahesh visited my house and spoke to me, Mr Gowda said. Senior Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundurao, Ishwar Khandre, R.V. Deshpande, G. Parameshwar and D.K. Shivakumar at a meeting on partys preparation for the coming byelections, in Bengaluru on Saturday. (DC) Bengaluru: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has reportedly instructed senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge to look into the controversy over the selection of a candidate for the November 3 Ballari LS bypoll. Mr Gandhi, who was in the city to interact with former HAL employees, had lunch with party leaders at the Kumara Krupa guesthouse and when the issue cropped up, reportedly asked Mr Kharge to look into it as he hails from the Hyderabad Karnataka region. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was also invited to the luncheon hosted by the party for Mr Gandhi, had a brief one-on-one meeting with him. The selection of a candidate for Ballari has become a thorn in the side of the party with Minister D.K. Shivakumar opposing candidates of Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholis choice and Minister Santhosh Lad promoting a candidate of his own. Bengaluru: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) that the UPA would not allow private companies to thrive at the cost of a defence PSUs like HAL. Speaking to a group of 100 HAL employees, including a few retired staff and several trade union leaders at the Minsk Square here on the country's Rafale deal with France's Dassault Aviation, which he claims reeks of corruption, Mr Gandhi said it was HAL's right to be involved in it. It is your right as you are the only company capable of producing the aircraft. One should look at merit and make an objective decision. Based on that nobody would've chosen the other company," he said. I understand that you are pained and hurt. This is as important to me as any corruption. You feel insulted and I understand that you are hurt and I want to stand with you in your discomfort, he declared. Maintaining that the HAL was more than just a company to him as it had made tremendous contribution to the nation, he said, If somebody thinks they can build their future on your graves that won't be allowed. These companies (HAL, NAL, ISRO, DRDO etc.) are the temples of modern India and they are being destroyed and we (the Congress) cannot allow this. We fundamentally believe that defence interests can be protected only when the public sector is strengthened." Mr Gandhi said he was not talking about only HAL but also ISRO, NAL, DRDO and the like. "All these companies have ensured that we are protected and can sleep comfortably at night. We are going to fight for you, he said. Recalling that former US president, Barack Obama had spoken highly of HAL, he wondered why it was not being shown the same regard by the Indian government. Mr Obama says that India and China can compete with the US and HAL is one of the reasons, the Congress president noted, adding, If you ever need my support and anybody in the defence PSUs wants me to raise issues concerning them 24/7 I will be available to you. But this will not be easy as the forces against the public sector are well connected. Hyderabad: With I-T raids on business establishments of C.M. Ramesh continuing for the second day, MPs with business concerns are under intense pressure. Who is next on the radar of the Income-Tax department has been giving sleepless nights to a number of politicians. A TD leader said Galla Jayadev who owns Amar Raja Batteries could be a potential target as he was perceived to be a potential enemy of the BJP after he made an excellent speech in Parliament while moving a no confidence motion. The directors report of Amar Raja Batteries Ltd for the year 2017-18 states that Out of the total disputed dues aggregating Rs 19.41 crore as above Rs 3.43 crore has been stayed for recovery by the relevant authorities. There are no dues of customs duty as at March 31, 2018 on account of disputes. These disputes were pending since 2005 according to the companys annual report. Leelanand, a chartered accountant said that several business entities had not been complying with advance income tax payments citing several reasons. Entities owned by MPs were taking extra care to pay advance tax dues, as on September 15 they would have paid 45 percent of tax. Telugu Desam MPs having business concerns were huddled together in New Delhi to devise ways to avoid search and seizure activities from direct taxes board. The MPs from Andhra Pradesh who had paraded before the Parliament during the last session seeking Special Category Status had attracted the nations attention as several regional parties from North and Far Eastern states extended solidarity to Telugu Desam MPs. Whats a jalebi but sugar friedAnd where the infant who never cried Where the lover whos never liedOr the wind-blown willow that never sighed?From The Diary of Rosemary Marlowe by Bachchoo My father, an Armyman, would pour himself a whisky each evening, reserving Sunday afternoons for beer with friends and fellow officers on the lawns of our cantonment bungalows. I never heard him discussing brands of whisky. I grew up thinking they were all called Scotch. It was only on coming to England that I became aware of brands and preferences for them. The realisation that there was a beverage called a single malt came later and with it the awareness that each Indian pretentious, snobbish or pretend connoisseur would pronounce that they only touched such-and-such malt. I recall parties where guests talked about buying expensive bottle of black, blue or whatever label of Johnnie Walker they exclusively drank. Ah, but have you ever tried the Johnnie Walker Vermillion Label? I once asked in such company. I think its only sold to British aristocrats. I was sure at least one or two of them would search for the Vermillion that went beyond the Red, Black and Blue. Of course, Indian whisky buffs nowadays know what theyre touting and some can probably catalogue the shelves of Edinburgh airports duty-free. But even they may not have heard of Macallan Valerio Adami, a bottle of which sold at an auction last week for 848,750 thats about Rs 73,000,000! It was distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986. Its obviously not for drinking, but for display, like a Titian or a Picasso except the wonder at the price is unaccompanied by any wonder at its artistry. For me the wonderous issue would be which idiot paid this price for a bottle of booze? Some years ago in Birmingham the scion of a capitalist trading company, a Sikh gentleman who was graciously lending us his premises for a TV series, invited us to dinner. For a billionaire, his house and its decor were very modest. However, as we finished our dinner, he produced a bottle of brandy, which he claimed was a hundred years old. We said it was a collectors item but he insisted that he was honoured by the presence of TV writers and directors and had to splash out to mark the occasion. The brandy was uncorked. It tasted like any other. The hundred-year gestation seemed to have made no difference to its strength or disposition. Maybe it wasnt that old. Wouldnt it have turned to vinegar if it was? And one can buy a bottle of vinegar for under 50 pence. This consideration came to mind when I read about the `7.3 crore whisky. Perhaps our host, Mr Deep, had been a bit hasty and overgenerous in serving us the century-old brandy. Or perhaps hed been sold a two-year-old distillation and hadnt bothered to demand papers to prove its pedigree. And now I wonder what he paid for it and am in awe at his generosity. Price is what fools pay. My grandfather, in his retirement, was a collector of stamps. He had 10 albums full of them with a few pages reserved for three, which the Stanley Gibbons catalogues pronounced as rare and outrageously priced. Our nana boasted about their rise in price over the years just as people who trade in Bitcoin do today. He bequeathed them to my mamu who may have made a tidy sum from these rarities. I dont know about whiskies and brandies that have aged but being a wine-drinker am told that wines which remain in the bottle for more than a few decades are undrinkable. And just as with the Macallan whisky, they sell as collectors items. Acquaintances of mine, fellow wine-quaffers pretend to be experts the sort that twirl spoonfuls of wine in a wine glass, take sniffs and watch the tears, the transparent films that stick to the side of the glass, to assess the alcoholic content. I dont do any of that but can certainly tell a Claret from a Burgundy or a Rioja and in the white wine universe can detect the difference between a Chardonnay and other grapes. I am partial to Sauvignon Blanc and the Indian Sula brand is, when in the mother country, my choice. (I have tried this product placement before but still havent received a single bottle from Sula Promotions, if there is such an institution! How dare you use this newspaper to beg for wine! Ed.) A wine shop in my neighbourhood changed hands. The new proprietors were an Indian family who brightened up the shop with shiny refrigerators and shelves full of cheap Australian, Chilean and South African wines. Stopping there soon after their takeover I looked through the shelves and couldnt see anything I deemed drinkable. The friend I was with spotted a shelf of dusty bottles eight feet high on the wall behind the sales counter, which had escaped the makeover. We asked the proprietor what those were. He climbed on a ladder and clandestinely, below the counter, wiped the dust off the bottles. They were eight-year-old clarets from famous chateaux. These are eight years old, my friend said. Must be mistake on label, the proprietor said. They are just now bought. Very fresh. We asked him how much hed charge for them. He looked doubtful but quoted a very derisory price what we would pay for one his Liebfraumilch rubbish. Bring the others down, well have all six, I said. Youll be glad to get rid of these stale old wines, my friend added. We walked out with a half crate of vintage claret for a tenth of what we would have paid in France. To this day, gentle reader, I protest I feel a pang of guilt when I recall swindling poor Mr Patel who didnt realise that in the realm of wines old is gold. Cheers! Duplicative content not only refers to copyright. If you are posting content from multiple sources or repurpose existing content, you may still be eligible for the program as long as you are contributing to the value of the content in some way, such as editing, original commenting, narrative, and so on. YouTube has updated its policy for Partner Program, making it difficult to post duplicate content without consequences. If you are a YouTube Partner and posting someone else's work or duplicate content, your channel will be removed. In its blog, YouTube explains that it is boosting its efforts at protecting the creator community from abuse. All the YouTube Partner Program participants will be scrutinized rigorously on a regular basis to ensure they meet the guidelines. YouTube says that 'duplicative content' not only refers to copyright. If you are posting content from multiple sources or repurpose existing content, you may still be eligible for the program as long as you are contributing to the value of the content in some way, such as editing, original commenting, narrative, and so on. Content found automatically generated, pulled from third-party sources, uploaded multiple times, or infringing the copyright tools will be removed under 'duplicative content'. Channels will have to reapply for the program in 30 days following review. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. 'We have taken the toughest-ever action to crack down on China's unfair trade actions and trade abuses,' Trump told his cheering supporters at an election rally in Ohio on Friday. (Photo: File) Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that his administration has taken the "toughest-ever action" to crack down on China's unfair trade practices. Trump has been steadily hiking tariffs on Chinese exports to the US since June, asking Beijing to bring down the billions of dollars of trade deficit. He has taken an unprecedented tough measure against the alleged unfair trade practices of China. The US has a nearly USD 500 billion trade deficit with China per annum, which Trump says is unsustainable for the US. "We have taken the toughest-ever action to crack down on China's unfair trade actions and trade abuses," Trump told his cheering supporters at an election rally in Ohio on Friday. Among the steps being taken by the US include imposing additional 25 per cent tariff on import of Chinese products worth USD 250 billion, announcing new curbs of nuclear technology trade with China and taking steps to stop China from allegedly stealing intellectual property from the US. Trump patted on his back with regard to his China policy as he listed out the achievements of his administration and the steps that has strengthened the American economy and creating jobs. "Thanks to our tariff and especially on steel that's been dumped all over this country, the Ohio steel industry and the US steel industry is roaring back to life and soon will be hitting its most successful years ever," he said. Last week, he announced the replacement of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) "with the incredible, brand-new" US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the USMCA, Trump said. "It's opening up Canada, opening up Mexico for our farmers, everybody," he said. Trump said that at his direction, the Pentagon is now working to create the sixth branch of the American armed forces called the Space Force. "That's very important. Hate to say it, but very soon, that's where it's going to be at. It's going to be space, everything, defence, offence, everything," he said. Referring to his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump said that this was one-sided. "I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal and look what happened to Iran," he said. "When I took office, Iran was all over the place. They were taking over Syria. They were taking over Yemen. They were taking over everything. I actually said, this is going to be a problem and we've got to do something. "And about four months ago, we withdrew from that horrible, ridiculous deal. And you take a look what's happening to Iran. There's riots all over the streets, all over the cities. It's a whole different ballgame. It's a whole different country. And it's looking real good," Trump said. The statement comes at a time when officials in Washington believe Beijing has been 'diverting civilian nuclear technology to power the new generations of Chinese submarines, aircraft carriers and floating nuclear power plants.' (Representational Image) Washington: The Trump administration has said that it will "sharply restrict" exports of civilian nuclear technology to China. The statement comes at a time when officials in Washington believe Beijing has been "diverting civilian nuclear technology to power the new generations of Chinese submarines, aircraft carriers and floating nuclear power plants." The move came a day after the US Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Chinese intelligence officer who was charged with stealing secret information from GE (General Electric) Aviation, one of the largest suppliers of jet engines. Read: China says US 'making something out of thin air' in spy case "The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures on Thursday. These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies. The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of "military diversion and proliferation concerns". As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new licence applications or extensions to existing authorisations related to the China General Nuclear Power Group, which is currently under indictment for conspiring to steal US nuclear technology. "For decades, China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to gain nuclear advantage," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call. These efforts are necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the long-term risk to US national security and economic interests, as well as the immediate impact to the US nuclear industrial base, the US' Department of Energy said. China is "actively pursuing our advanced nuclear technology for diversion to military use in its third-generation nuclear power submarine, in the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in strategic dual-use nuclear-powered platforms, such as small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants deployable in the South China Sea," the official said. The official alleged that China was already using nuclear power on man-made islands it created in the South China Sea. "We know that they are developing platforms for use on these islands and for nuclear-powered icebreakers, also floating nuclear power plants, which give the potential for rapid deployment to any platform that it could be tethered to," the official said. In 2017, China imported nuclear technology worth USD 170 million from the United States. The administration "carefully weighed" the economic impact, the official said. "We understand the US industry may suffer in the short term. We believe that in the long term, this policy will benefit the US and protect the American nuclear industry," the official asserted. The move appeared to be part of a more concerted effort by the Trump administration to put new pressure on China beyond the tariffs that President Donald Trump has already announced on Chinese goods, according to media reports in Washington. Singapore: An Indian yoga instructor, who repeatedly molested his student, had his jail sentence enhanced from nine months to a year, along with additional punishment of three strokes of the cane, by a Singapore High Court judge on Friday. Rakesh Kumar Prasad, 26, had appealed against his conviction but his arguments were rejected by the high court which allowed an appeal by the prosecution, reported The Straits Times on Saturday. Justice See Kee Oon said Rakesh had blatantly abused his position of trust. "His sheer audacity in carrying out repeated intrusions with increasing brazenness while disparaging, belittling and threatening the victim must point strongly towards the need for caning," said the judge. Rakesh had molested the woman, then 25, while she was the only student in his class at the Real Yoga studio in Tampines housing estate on 26 April, 2015. The woman made a police report the next day. After a trial, Rakesh was found guilty of one charge each of molestation and of using criminal force for grabbing the woman's neck. He was sentenced in April to nine months' jail for molesting her and fined SGD 1,000 for grabbing her neck. He appealed against his conviction. His lawyer argued that surveillance footage of the studio indicated that he could not have molested the woman in the way she described. But Justice See said it was not possible to discern any details given the poor picture quality. The footage did not raise any reasonable doubt in Rakesh's favour, he added. The judge said a year's jail was warranted as the case involved repeated skin-to-skin contact with the woman's private parts, with no substantial mitigating factors. The fact that Rakesh persisted after the woman fended him off, with his actions escalating, was an aggravating factor that warranted caning, he said. The Graphite India Ltd (GIL) informed the Supreme Court on Friday that it was not using imported needle petroleum coke (petcoke) at its Bengaluru plant, which is facing complaints about pollution and emission of black dust. The GIL told a bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta that it was using domestic petcoke at the plant, that too, for packaging and not as fuel. The top court had on October 9 taken note of a report filed by the court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) which had said that the GILs plant in Whitefield had utilised domestic petcoke which was causing huge amount of pollution and black dust in the area. The court had then issued a notice to the GIL asking it to explain why the use of needle petcoke should not be stopped with immediate effect since it was causing tremendous pollution and damage to the health of the community in Bengaluru. Seeks more time During the hearing, the counsel appearing for GIL said they needed some time to file their affidavit in the matter. The lawyer told the bench that a team of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had also visited the site. The bench asked the GIL to file its affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on October 23. It also asked the KSPCB to file its report before it. In September, the apex court had allowed the application of the GIL seeking its permission to import needle petcoke to be used as feed stock for manufacture of graphite electrodes, used in the steel industry. Matter very urgent When the issue of pollution from the plant was raised before the court on October 9, the bench had said that the matter had to be dealt with urgently as it was affecting the health of the people in the area. The court is hearing the issue related to petcoke which had cropped up while adjudicating a matter of air pollution in the Delhi national capital region. South Korean President Moon Jae-in called Friday on the United States to move towards the nuclear-armed North's demands for a declaration the Korean War is over, as the allies pursue increasingly different approaches towards Pyongyang. Washington has shied away from a formal announcement that the 1950-53 conflict, when hostilities ceased with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, has ended, saying that the North must first take more steps towards giving up its atomic arsenal. For its part Pyongyang - which long insisted it needed nuclear weapons to defend itself against a possible US invasion - has pledged only to work towards denuclearisation "of the Korean peninsula", demanding simultaneous moves by Washington in return, with a peace declaration its first priority. "The North has stopped all nuclear and missile tests, dismantled its only nuclear test site and is now dismantling its missile engine test facilities, and is promising to take steps toward dismantling its Yongbyon nuclear complex if the US takes corresponding measures," Moon told the BBC. "Declaring the end of the war is a political declaration that the US would end decades of hostile relations with the North," he said. "Moving towards such a process is the corresponding measure the US should take," he added, according to a transcript released by the presidential Blue House. The comments, made ahead of Moon's departure on Saturday for a tour of European capitals, emphasise the increasing differences between Seoul and Washington, which has 28,500 troops stationed in the South to defend it from its neighbour. Experts say the offers made by the North will have little impact on its military capabilities, and Pyongyang itself has said it has no further need to test its weapons. But Moon said Kim understood denuclearisation meant more than closing testing facilities. It also included "dismantling facilities that produce nuclear weapons and develop missiles", he said, "and it includes everything else, such as getting rid of existing nuclear weapons and nuclear materials". Pyongyang has made no such declaration in public, and missiles were included in the designs of propaganda posters on display in the capital last month, when it celebrated the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the country is officially known. The dovish Moon has long favoured engagement with the North, which is subject to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and visited Pyongyang last month for his third meeting with leader Kim Jong Un. Moon has dangled large investment and joint cross-border projects as incentives for steps towards denuclearisation, with Seoul opening a joint liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong last month and promising to pursue cross-border road and rail projects. Earlier this week Moon's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha told parliament Seoul was reviewing its own sanctions against the North. She later backtracked, saying she had misspoken, and her ministry said no active review was in place. In response to Kang's remarks, Trump said: "They won't do it without our approval. They do nothing without our approval." The United States, which spearheaded global efforts to squeeze the North Korean economy last year, has been adamant that the sanctions remain in place until Pyongyang's "final, fully verified denuclearisation". But after a visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, Trump said this week that a second summit between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could happen after the US midterm elections in early November. Moon expected Kim and Trump to make "bold agreements" in the upcoming summit, he told the BBC, adding he remained "very optimistic" about their talks. Seoul said separately that the two Koreas will hold high-level talks at the border on Monday to discuss how to implement the agreements made at last month's Pyongyang summit, when Moon and Kim vowed to meet again in Seoul "at an early date". The South's unification minister Cho Myung-gyon will led Seoul's delegation to the meeting in the border truce village of Panmunjom, his ministry said in a statement. It was not yet clear which North Korean officials would take part. Amid the Rafale row and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's meeting with HAL employees in Bengaluru on Saturday, the Karnataka BJP launched a scathing attack against him. Charging that Rahul was misleading people of the country, the BJP said that it was the UPA government which had "betrayed" the HAL employees by pushing the company out of the Rafale deal. Even as Rahul entered Bengaluru, BJP MLA C T Ravi and spokesperson Ashwathanarayana posed a series of questions to him, demanding answers for them. Follow live updates here BJP to Rahul: 1 In Jan 2012 Dassault Aviation was declared L1 by your UPA government for acquisition of 126 MMRCA aircraft for IAF. But the contract was not finalised. Till 2014 no action was taken by the UPA government. Was it not a serious compromise of national security by your UPA government during this period? 2. You have come to address HAL employees in Bengaluru today, but it is your UPA government that betrayed the HAL by not doing anything to help the HAL resolve differences with Dassault Aviation between 2012-2014 for the manufacture of Rafale in India. It was your government that back-stabbed and pushed the HAL out of the Rafale deal. 3. Your UPA government issued an RFP for the purchase of 126 MMRCA in August 2007. Till your government lost elections and went out of power in 2014, you had not concluded the MMRCA contract, creating an impression in the international community that it was difficult to do business with India and thus brought a bad name to the country. 4. You have been giving false and inconsistent statements about the cost of purchase of the Rafale in all your public meetings. Cost of a green aircraft as per your UPA government RFP issued in 2007 was Rs 737 crore. The cost of the same aircraft finalised by the NDA government is Rs 670 crore - which is 9% cheaper. You have been deliberately misleading citizens of this country. 5. Cost of a fully loaded Rafale aircraft finalised by the NDA government is Rs 1,638 crore, which includes weapons and India specific equipment, whereas your UPA government did not negotiate the contract with Dassault Aviation for a fully loaded aircraft. You cannot compare the UPA government green cost of Rs 737 crore with Rs 1,638 crore negotiated by the NDA government. You are deliberately lying to mislead people. 6. You have been making public accusations that Anil Ambani was favoured with Rs 30,000 crore of offset under the Rafale deal. Whereas, Dassault Aviation Chairman has given a statement a few days ago that only 10% of the total offset dispensation of Rs 3,000 crore has been invested by them in Reliance Defence. Anil Ambanis company is one among the 100 Indian companies with whom Dassault Aviation is currently dealing with as India offset partners. Thermal Power plants in the country are facing a severe shortage of coal supply with several plants running out of stock. Inder Jit Singh, secretary to the coal ministry, had written to Coal India, a public sector undertaking, to take immediate steps to augment the fossil fuels supply. In Maharashtra, the Opposition NCP had claimed that several states are facing coal shortages due to diversion of large scale fossil fuel to meet the demands in the poll-bound states Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The three states are being ruled by the BJP. According to the latest report from the Central Electricity Authority, 30 power plants are facing a shortage of coal. In these plants, 17 have stock sufficient for just four days while the rest 13 have stock which may last for less than 7 days. As per standards, a thermal power plant must have coal stock for 15 days. A few days ago, Indian Captive Power Producers Associations (ICPPA) had sought intervention of the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to improve the supply situation. The ICPPA members include players from key sectors such as steel and aluminum. The ICPPs generate electricity for their own manufacturing facilities like steel, cement and others. The shortage at independent and captive power plants has affected supplies to the grid, forcing huge-power consumers to make a beeline for the exchange, an power ministry official said. Shortage of coal and lower production by thermal power plants also led to the power tariff to sky rocket in the spot market. On October 3, the tariff touched a decade-high of Rs 18.20 per unit at the spot market. The reason being that the electricity demand, mainly for evening hours, continues to outstrip supply amid low wind and hydro energy production. On the same day, the average spot power price was also high at Rs 7.50 per unit at IEX on Wednesday, said an official. However, the coal ministry officials blame shortage of railway rakes and monsoon for the short supply of dry fuel. Power Minister R K Singh had recently asked state power generators like NTPC and DVC to strengthen their coal mining wing and secure more coal mines, noting that supply of the dry fuel to power plants was still a concern. Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Chad F. Kenney has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a new post on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. During his years of public service, Judge Kenney has proven himself to be an independent and fair jurist who has served the people of Delaware County well, said Republican Senator Pat Toomey in a joint release with his Democratic colleague, Bob Casey. Judge Kenney will make a terrific addition to Pennsylvanias Eastern District bench and I congratulate him. Kenney, 61, is a graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School, Villanova University and Temple Law School, where he served on the Law Review. He was nominated by President Donald Trump for the federal judgeship in December. Kenney has served in a variety of roles in the Common Pleas C ourt, including family court, the criminal and civil trial sections and the motion hearing division. He most recently oversaw orphans court. Kenney served as Delaware County Sheriff from 1998 until his appointment to the Delaware County bench in August 2003. He was elected to a full 10-year term on the bench later that same year and was elected by the Board of Judges to serve as president judge in June 2012, replacing Judge Joseph Cronin. Kenney, a Republican and former Nether Providence party leader, served as president judge until 2017, when he was replaced by Judge Kevin F. Kelly. Kenney is on vacation and could not be reached for comment Friday, but Kelly said Kenney had demonstrated unwavering dedication to his responsibilities throughout his years on the bench to assure that the ends of justice were always met for all parties. The hallmark of Judge Kenneys president judge tenure was a staunch commitment to systematic betterment and an insightful appreciation of the courts need to recognize and effectively address within the constraints of the judicial function a host of societal concerns, including the ongoing opioid epidemic battle and the unique challenges presented by those suffering from mental illness and military veterans becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system, Kelly said in an emailed statement. His foresightedness and tireless efforts in such regard led to the creation of the Mental Health and Veterans Court programs, along with the Second Chance Court treatment program, and the expansion of the existing Drug Treatment Court. The board of judges wishes him all the best for continued success on his assuming the federal bench. John Momis and Peter O'Neill sign the joint statement (Joseph Nobetau) KEITH JACKSON PORT MORESBY At a meeting here on Friday, Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter ONeill and Bougainville president John Momis agreed the important question to be put to Bougainville voters at next Junes referendum on the autonomous provinces political future. The question gives the voters a choice of opting for greater autonomy or independence, the precise wording being, Do you agree for Bougainville to have (1) Greater Autonomy or (2) Independence. The question itself raises other questions. Why has it been framed in the way it has? What is 'greater autonomy'? Is the offer of 'greater autonomy' as the alternative to 'independence' a successful demand by Momis or a clever distraction by O'Neill? I'm sure these matters will soon be addressed by people smarter and better informed than I. The agreement came late on Friday after weeks of delays at a meeting of a joint supervisory board attended by the chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Commission, former Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahearn. SALT LAKE CITY During his 2015 visit to Kenya, former President Barack Obama denounced a practice that the State Department calls a human rights abuse that produces devastating repercussions for a girls life. There's no place in civilized society for the early or forced marriage of children. These traditions may date back centuries; they have no place in the 21st century, Obama said in Nairobi on July 26, 2015. To some advocates against underage marriage, he could have given the same admonition at home. In 48 states, it is legal for a minor to be married. Of those, 19 states have exceptions in the law that allow a minor of any age to be married. Currently, the average minimum age for marriage nationally is 16. While the practice is on the decline, between 2000-2015 more than 200,000 minors were married in the United States in unions that were either forced, arranged or between consenting partners, according to data compiled by the advocacy group Unchained at Last. While there is no data showing if those marriages worked out, divorce rates of marriages involving a minor are as high as 80 percent, the female partner often drops out of school, rarely completes college and is up to three times more likely to be abused by her spouse, according to recent research on the fallout from underage marriage. Despite those troubling figures, state lawmakers struggle to determine how young is too young to decide something as life-altering as marriage. During the past two years, lawmakers in 25 states, including Utah, considered bills pertaining to underage marriage. And a movement to ban marriage for people younger than 18, with no exceptions, succeeded only in Delaware, which in May became the first state to pass a total ban on marrying younger than 18, and New Jersey, which followed suit the following month, a year after the proposal was initially vetoed. But this isn't a simple issue. Similar bills in 17 states either failed or were loaded with exceptions. Legislators, religious groups and individuals fought for exemptions that preserve a legal precedent that gives deference to parents and their children to make personal decisions like marriage. The great movement of the law has been to say that kids have more ability to make decisions not less, said Robin Fretwell Wilson, the director of the family law and policy program at the University of Illinois College of Law. Older, but still young The recent legislative focus on adolescent marriage continues more than a century of efforts, primarily by women's advocates and religious groups, that have incrementally increased the minimum legal age to marry. When the United States was founded, the states inherited much of the British law they were already operating under, including marriage laws. This remained the case for some states well into the 19th century and, in some cases, the 20th, wrote Nicholas Syrett, chairman of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at the University of Kansas, in his book "American Child Bride." Syrett explained that age wasn't the primary marker for maturity in the first century of the country as it is today. In the colonial era, the concern was less of the age of the child, but whether it was acceptable for the parents to marry off their daughter so they could control who has access to her inherited wealth. Syrett estimated that in antebellum America, around 42 percent of females in Kentucky were married under the age of 20. He cites demographics, religious practices and industrialization as reasons why teen marriage was more prevalent in the South, Midwest and West than in the Northeast. That trend began to change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as opposition against marrying young teens began to grow among feminists and womens religious organizations, Syrett wrote. Many womens movements have been concerned of the double standard of morality, this Victorian relic that sees womens virginity as a moral virtue and unconcerned of the sexual purity of men of comparable age," said Ann Braude, director of the Women's Studies in Religion program at Harvard Divinity School. Through the last century, most states have increased the legal age for marriage in response to changing social norms and pressure to protect vulnerable victims primarily teenage girls. Yet, the nation is an inconsistent patchwork of statutes with varying minimum ages and exemptions to the law for parental consent, religious beliefs and other circumstances. Still, to call underage marriage in the U.S. child marriage is misleading in comparison to what's allowed in other countries, Syrett said. It's fascinating that were having this conversation because (the minimum age to marry in most states) is far and away from what it used to be," he said. "One of the reasons we only think of child marriage (taking place) in other countries is because it is different here. What were really talking about is adolescent marriage. Religious objections Fraidy Reiss sees those under 18 as children when it comes to a decision like marriage and has become a single-minded force to increasing the minimum age. She said she was forced into an arranged marriage within the New Jersey Orthodox Jewish community she was raised in. After 13 years of what she described as an abusive marriage, she obtained a divorce at age 32, and with her two daughters began a new life that included advocating for protecting young girls married against their will. Her advocacy role started with buying a small house for her new family of three just a few months after leaving her husband. "It (buying the house) was the first time I thought, 'I made it out.' And I bet there are so many other girls feeling what I felt," she recalled. With a small circle of friends, Reiss started the nonprofit advocacy group Unchained at Last in 2011. While Reiss was 19 when she was married, most of the girls she helped get out of forced and underage marriages have been much younger. Reiss set out with a goal of helping five girls in her first year. She surpassed that goal six times over. Now, her advocacy work is full time as her team also helps craft legislation and lobby state lawmakers to set the legal age for marriage at 18 with no exceptions. It's proving to be a difficult task. I thought they (the legislators) would be so shocked and horrified, but once they found out about the laws, they did not want to end it, she said of her experience so far. The exception has been Delaware, where bill sponsor Rep. Kimberly Williams, D-Newport, credited its passage to lobbying from Unchained at Last and an open, bipartisan debate on the Senate floor. "Even though we are condensed and are more accessible, we still had to convince them (opposing legislators) to support the bill," she said. "It was all the work we did." For Reiss, her home state proved to be more difficult than anticipated once lawmakers started digging into the details. Reiss actually began lobbying her New Jersey lawmakers before she took her cause to Delaware. While the bill similar to Delaware's passed the New Jersey Legislature in 2017, it was conditionally vetoed by then-Gov. Chris Christie, who cited religious freedom concerns. It does not comport with the sensibilities and, in some cases, the religious customs, of the people of this state, Christie wrote in the veto message. During deliberations of the second attempt, Assemblyman Gary Schaer, D-Passiac, said that constituents from his own Jewish community had approached him with concerns about how the bill would restrict their religious practices, according to New Jersey Advanced Media. He abstained from voting on the bill. Schaer has been unavailable for comment after numerous requests for an interview. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in New Jersey, was surprised to hear Schaer's comments. "I can't imagine one rabbi that would endorse" underage marriage, he said. Most mainstream religions don't advocate for child marriage, even if underlying teachings on marriage aren't explicitly against the practice. But teachings and doctrine can be manipulated by fringe or nonmainstream religious groups to support marrying off minors in the religious community, experts said. Wilson, from the University of Illinois College of Law, is also skeptical of claims that increasing the age of marriage would violate legal protections for religious groups in New Jersey. Its interesting he (Schaer) raises the issue of religious freedom, she said. Wilson explained that there have been no recent or noteworthy cases indicating that any portion of the law would be unfair for religious people in New Jersey, including marriage laws. 'Special circumstances' While religious freedom was cited as an obstacle to banning child marriage in New Jersey in 2017, how to address teen pregnancy appears an issue in other states. Florida is among eight states and U.S. territories where marriage laws allow for underage marriage in the case of pregnancy or special circumstances. In Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, a child of any age can be married when she is pregnant. But experts say the argument that marriage should be a solution to a teen pregnancy doesn't stand up to research. We have a lot of faith in the institution of marriage to solve a lot of problems, Syrett said. But, "there is no evidence that marriage is going to solve the problem of teen pregnancy. Nor is it that girls who cant get married are more likely to terminate their pregnancy. Instead, the evidence points to problems, particularly for the young mothers. Girls who marry as minors are 50 percent more likely to drop out of high school than their unmarried counterparts, and four times less likely to complete college, according to Vivian Hamilton, a specialist and professor of family and adolescent law at the College of William & Mary, whose study on underage marriage is highly cited by scholars and advocates. Women who marry as minors are more likely to earn low wages, and Hamilton also found that such marriages end in divorce 70 to 80 percent of the time. Women who are married before 18 are also three times more likely to have been beaten by their spouses, according to the World Policy Analysis Center. Adolescent marriages tend to take place in places where people have lower socioeconomic status and are already poorer and tend to be relatively invisible," Hamilton said. "When you combine socioeconomic status, poverty and religious beliefs that would embrace marriage over nonmarital childbearing, people dont really see that there are other alternatives for them. Sara Tasneem said she grew up in such a community in California. She was a 98-pound 15-year-old when she married a man 13 years older, whom she had met the day they were married in a spiritual ceremony. Her father arranged the marriage through their religious community. Tasneem was six months pregnant before she stood before a judge in Reno, Nevada, to marry legally. Her parents were divorced and her mother, who was living in another state, had no knowledge of the marriage. They were putting makeup on me that I wasnt allowed to wear normally, she said. I knew what was happening, I didnt think it would happen to me. To protect the privacy of her family, Tasneem does not disclose her last name. Tasneem is her middle name. Tasneem, now 37, says her insular, rural and conservative community frequently practiced the marriage of children that used both gender roles and religious teachings to justify it. While she disagrees with her family's faith, she declined to identify the church because she doesn't want to disparage any of those involved as their views about gender and marriage are held by other religions. 'Age is no excuse' Tasneem works with Unchained at Last, helping young girls and telling their stories to lawmakers debating the issue of underage marriage. Reiss said the most common obstacle she has run into in setting the minimum marriage age at 18, is lawmakers wanting to allow marriage for 16- and 17-year-olds. Research into state marriage databases by Frontline PBS and Unchained at Last estimate that of all the marriages among minors, 95 percent were either 16 or 17. It's not known how many of these unions fall under the Romeo and Juliet theory of a foolish young couple in love. The marriage data analyzed by Unchained at Last shows 77 percent of underage marriages were young girls wedded to males ages 18 or older. "Many of the adult spouses were significantly older, but probably more of them had a smaller age difference," Reiss said. "It's easy to see how a child marriage with a big age difference probably was coerced, but a small age difference in no way means the marriage was consensual." That data and the argument that marriage should be able to accommodate teen pregnancies raises the question of whether the "special circumstances" exemption can be used to cover up a crime. In most states, having sex with a minor is considered statutory rape. However, in 20 states, it's not a crime when that minor is married. Gilbert Schaffnit, a criminal defense lawyer in Gainesville, Florida, said using marriage to cover up statutory rape would be rare if not impossible today. "Prosecutors don't put up with that, and ignorance of age is no excuse," he said. Schaffnit disagrees with an all-out ban on child marriage. "A 16-year-old is far more sophisticated than they were years ago. Sixteen is the old 18," he said, noting that 18 is an "artificially high age to require people to wait." If "they're legally married and understand consent and the responsibilities of sexual activity," there is no problem from a legal standpoint, he said. Blanket prohibition Despite research showing the myriad of problems associated with underage marriage, the prevailing thinking among lawmakers stewing over bumping the minimum age to 18 is that it is a personal decision for families to address. Anyone under 18 is way too young and is foolish to get married. However, who am I to say that some 16- or 17-year-old should not get married? We live in a republic that defends your choice to be dumb, said Utah state Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George. He sponsored a bill, HB343, that became law in March, that classifies subjecting or threatening a child with a legal or cultural marriage as sexual abuse. Brooks said that there was a "kink in the law" that required those escaping a forced child marriage to be returned to their parent by the police. This new law "requires a court or the Division of Child and Family Services to take into consideration a child's wishes for placement." But Brooks, who said survivors of polygamist marriages inspired the bill, said the state can now punish those who use state marriage laws to victimize others. Wilson said a blanket ban for marrying under 18 is unrealistic given legal precedents allowing adolescents and their parents to go the other direction. A blanket prohibition is so different from what weve had, you are going to get these kinds of religious and parental rights claims, she said. In 1981, the New York Supreme Court upheld the state's law that said parental consent is necessary to allow a minor to be married, citing that the "constitutional rights of children cannot be equated with those of adults," and that adults should aid them in their decision-making. New York's minimum marriage age is 17. Instead of boosting the minimum marriage age to 18, the public should be focusing on how to prevent forced or underage marriage, Wilson said. We should be worried about arranged child marriage and banning arranged child marriage by interviewing them to make sure they werent coerced, she said. But Reiss has no plans to modify her mission of an all-out ban against marriage under 18. Any loophole in the law, its just going to endanger children, she contends. Her argument eventually won the day in New Jersey. With the help of Unchained at Last, state Sen. Nellie Pou, D-Patterson, who focuses on women's issues and was contacted by Unchained at Last to sponsor the bill, reintroduced the formerly failed bill in January. After months of deliberation, and the stall by Assemblyman Schaer, the bill passed unanimously. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed S427 ending underage marriage in the state on June 22. It was such an emotional experience, Reiss said. It was a culmination of all the hard work for the team and for me personally. When I first set out to do this work, my first attempt was New Jersey. It was there that I learned its not going to be the simple process. Correction: An early version stated 18 states have exceptions in the law that allow a minor of any age to be married. It is 19 states that have such exceptions. WEST JORDAN The man shot and killed by West Jordan police Thursday after threatening his ex-girlfriendhad been arrested for threatening the same woman less than a week earlier and had previously stated his desire to have officers shoot him, according to police records. Diamonte Riviore, 22, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Oct. 5 after police say he hit his girlfriend and their baby with a lamp, then threatened to stab the woman with a knife. But he was released from jail Tuesday because prosecutors had not filed formal charges against him. The district attorney says West Jordan police waited too long to come into his office to sign the proper paperwork. Had they done so, Riviore likely wouldn't have been released from jail. The investigation into the officer-involved shooting death of Riviore continued Friday as more details about what led up to the deadly confrontation were discovered. Thursday afternoon, Riviore went to a home off Cherry Leaf Drive at the Liberty Landing housing development near 7000 South where his ex-girlfriend lives. The woman is also the mother of Riviore's child, according to police. At some point after Riviore arrived, the woman sent a text to a family member with a code word signifying that she needed help, said West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt. Three West Jordan police officers responded. The woman was able to answer the door and let the officers in, he said. The officers immediately came in contact with Riviore, who was holding a knife, according to Holt. After refusing to put the knife down, two officers deployed their Tasers, which were ineffective, he said. The third officer then used his gun, shooting and killing Riviore. What Riviore was doing with the knife at the time he was shot will be part of the investigation being conducted by Unified police. Holt noted that Riviore was in "close proximity" to the officers when he was shot. Neither the ex-girlfriend nor the infant child were injured. The officer who fired the shot has been with the department for less than two years, Holt said. He remained on standard paid administrative leave Friday pending the outcome of the investigation. The incident occurred just two days after Riviore was released from the Salt Lake County Jail after allegedly committing a similar threat against the woman. On Oct. 5, Riviore was arrested for investigation of aggravated assault, assault, child abuse, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child. West Jordan police had responded to the same residence, where the girlfriend reported that she was holding their 10-month-old child when Riviore "allegedly grabbed a lamp and threw it at the victims, hitting the primary victim in the face. The lamp also hit the child victim in the face," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. Riviore then grabbed a knife and told the girlfriend, "See this? I will (expletive) stab you with it if you don't stop," the report states. The woman locked herself in the bathroom and called police. Riviore forced his way in and pushed the woman, who was still holding the young child, into the tub, according to the report. By the time police arrived, Riviore had put the knife down, Holt said. He was booked into jail but released four days later on Tuesday because no formal criminal charges had been filed against him, according to the jail. An inmate can be held in jail for no more than 72 hours before prosecutors are required to file charges unless they receive an extension from a judge. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said the paperwork for West Jordan police to sign to formally file charges and issue a warrant for Riviore that would have held him in jail was ready to go before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. But because no one from West Jordan police showed up by 5 p.m. that day, Riviore was released from jail. A West Jordan officer signed the warrant Thursday morning, according to Gill. Holt acknowledges that his department did not make it to the district attorney's office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday and says there are no excuses. However, he said his department has been advocating for an electronic signature system to avoid scenarios like Riviore's. He said on some days, it is a strain on resources for his department to send an officer from West Jordan to downtown Salt Lake City to sign documents. In February, West Jordan police also arrested Riviore for aggravated assault and domestic violence at the same address against the same victims. At that time, Riviore held a "knife to the victim's throat while he held the victim against the wall," according to a police report. He then strangled the woman with his hands, police say. "During both assaults the victim was holding their baby in her arms," according to the report. In 2017, Riviore was charged with 911 abuse and with not appearing in court. It was during that time that Riviore sent a letter to the judge in the case explaining that he was back in California. "The problem I am currently facing is that I'm homeless and unable to get to Utah on my own. To explain further, I've been homeless since before my charges. When I was charged it was due to an attempt of suicide by cop which I decided not to go through with. When I was arrested I was sent to a mental hospital," his letter states. Riviore further went on to write that he "was desperate to kill myself" at that time. A judge eventually sentenced Riviore to suspended jail time and ordered him to receive mental health treatment. But in a letter to the court on May 24 from Valley Behavioral Health when the court was checking up on Riviore's progress, the facility responded, "We dont have anyone in our system under that name." Riviore's probation was revoked for failing to comply with the conditions outlined, and he was sentenced to jail, according to court records. The couple's volatile relationship dates back to 2016 when the woman filed for a protective order against Riviore. That came about the same time he was charged with assault in Midvale Justice Court. That case was later dismissed after a bench trial date was already set, court records state. Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA's Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the confidential statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online at udvc.org. OREM Officers shot and killed a knife-wielding man after responding to an Orem home Friday afternoon, police reported. Shortly before 3 p.m., two officers were called to a "family problem" involving a man and woman at 81 N. Paradise Drive, Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez said. While the officers were inside the home, the man came at them "armed with a knife," Martinez said. An officer tried to use a Taser to subdue him but it didn't work, according to the lieutenant. Both officers then fired "several shots," striking the man, Martinez said. The officers began performing CPR on him until paramedics arrived to take him to a hospital, where he died, Martinez said. The man's name was not immediately released. During the incident, one of the officers suffered a cut on the hand, but he was "not sure how he got that cut," Martinez said. The two officers on Friday were being interviewed by the Utah County Attorney's Office. Both were wearing body cameras at the time, Martinez said. He said police Friday had few details about the incident that police initially responded to. He said the department would not release additional information on Friday, including details about the man and woman's relationship. The Orem Police Department will do its own investigation into the incident parallel to an investigation by the Utah County Attorney's Office, Martinez said. Police were expected to remain in the area of the home into the evening. The incident was the second fatal officer-involved shooting in northern Utah in two days. On Thursday, West Jordan police responded to a domestic incident where a man was allegedly holding a knife and refused to put it down, according to police. Officers then tried to use a Taser to subdue the man, but it was ineffective. An officer then fatally shot the man, police said. MILLCREEK A mother and her fiance have been arrested after an unconscious 5-year-old boy with "numerous injuries" was taken to a hospital, police said. The boy's biological mother, Jordan Kay Wills, 26, and her fiance, John M. Manning, 31, both of Millcreek, have been booked into Salt Lake County Jail on investigation of child abuse, Unified police and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a joint news release. On Thursday, according to police, Wills and Manning brought the boy to Primary Children's Hospital and the hospital notified law enforcement. "Injuries to the child are at this time not consistent with explanations provided to physicians and investigators. The child's injuries, according to a child abuse specialist, appear to have occurred over a period of time indicating more than one event," police wrote in a probable cause statement. Police said there were also "concerns of malnourishment." Wills and Manning left the hospital "shortly" after the boy was admitted and returned about 12 hours later, according to the statement. "Our violent crimes and special victims units are actively investigating this case," police said in the news release. Friday afternoon, Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray said the boy was still alive but she could not provide a current update on his condition. Additional information was not immediately released. SALT LAKE CITY Dale Beba said he'd never grown a beard until this year. The 57-year-old man, confined to a wheelchair because of a twisted spine, a broken neck and fused bones, has had a lot of other things on his plate. Beba said he had been homeless 14 days as of Friday. He had gone from living in transitional housing with only disability income to back to the Road Home shelter after he said living with a fellow tenant became unbearable. "I was at the end of my rope," Beba said. "I didn't know what to do." So Friday, Beba came to the Salt Palace Convention Center for Salt Lake City's second annual Project Homeless Connect a daylong, one-stop shop event that brought together more than 100 service providers to help people in need. "I figured this was as good as a spot as any to figure out my options," Beba said. A free haircut and shave was one of his first stops. Beba sat down with a thick, gray beard. When the hairdresser finished and handed him a mirror, Beba jerked back in his chair, his mouth agape, and laughed. He said he "felt like a new man." "Everybody's going to think somebody stole my go-cart," he said, chuckling. Next on Beba's list: housing. But he knew that wasn't going to be as simple as a haircut. Most of all, Beba said he was grateful for the help. To have hundreds of volunteers and service providers all in one place was "great," he said. "A lot of people, they're at their wit's end, too," Beba said. "This gives us an opportunity to feel better." Tallies were still being taken Friday, but Mike Akerlow, chairman of Project Homeless Connect, said organizers were hoping to help about 1,000 clients. Last year, the city's first event, helped 784, he said. Akerlow, who is also CEO of Community Development Corp. of Utah, the nonprofit partnering with Salt Lake City to organize the event, said Project Homeless Connect brings "a lot of joy" to not only people experiencing homelessness but also volunteers. "I look at the people, the community volunteers, come here and they spend the day doing this, it just breaks down those barriers and really helps people understand the issues better," Akerlow said. "There's a lot of compassion and a lot of love." Akerlow said more than 1,300 volunteers registered for Friday's event, and an estimated 1,100 showed up. So did more than 100 service providers offering such things as dental work or vaccinations to legal assistance or workforce services. What's most important, Akerlow said, is that all are treated like humans. "They just want to be treated like everybody else. To have somebody look them in the eye and say, 'Hey we care about you. We want to take care of you and get you connected to services.' It makes all the difference," Akerlow said. For Lisa Bolan, 37, who had just gotten a fresh haircut, that message resonated. She said she and her boyfriend had been living on and off the streets for about five months. "You wouldn't believe how many people walk by homeless people every day and don't even acknowledge them," she said. "It's really sad. Because how do you think that makes that person feel?" "People are people. We're still human beings," Bolan said. "One day one of the people you're walking by could be you. Keep that in mind, not to take anything for granted. Even the smallest things." Marisa Diggs, 46, came to Friday's event with one thing on top of her mind the well-being of her "baby," Precious, a 6-year-old Chihuahua she carried around in a Superman backpack. Vet checkups, vaccinations and free dog food were offered to people in need that also care for animals. From 80-pound pit bulls to tiny Chihuahuas like Precious, pets of all sizes roamed the Salt Palace with their people. "She's all I've got, and I'm all she's got," Diggs said of her pet. Diggs said she adopted Precious after she saw her on TV as a homeless pet. She said she was told if no one adopted her, she'd likely be euthanized because she was aggressive. "Now she's changed," Diggs said, while Precious sat timidly in her arms. "Once she gets to know you, she's good." Diggs said she herself isn't homeless, and she's doing her best to keep it that way. But living off of disability $800 a month doesn't go very far, she said. Friday, Diggs said she hoped to also get some food in her pantry, as soon as Precious got her shots. Diggs said she was working as a crossing guard in South Salt Lake recently until one day, when she was holding her stop sign, she fainted. "All I remember is waking up at the hospital with two IVs," she said. Diggs said she was diagnosed with diabetes. She said she also had open-heart surgery in March. "I'm suffering right now from all that," she said. So to get help Friday, Diggs said made her "very happy." "It's a big relief," she said. SALT LAKE CITY Should police officers have to prove to a court that they are, in fact, acting as police officers every time they brandish their guns while performing their duties? Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge, believes that's the broader issue the justices of the Utah Supreme Court are currently deciding. And that decision could affect Utah law enforcers statewide, even those in uniform and on duty, he contends. On Friday, attorneys arguing the case of former Unified police officer Lance Bess went before the state's highest court to make their arguments. On Sept. 3, 2015, Bess, 36, of West Jordan, was duck hunting while off duty with a group of people at the Public Shooting Grounds Waterfowl Management Area in Box Elder County. Another group of hunters was nearby. But one of the hunters in the other group was inexperienced, according to court documents. At one point, that inexperienced hunter fired several shots at a duck without regard to his backstop. Those shots came close to Bess' group. Unsure what was happening and why his group was being shot at, Bess unholstered his police service weapon and held it by his knee. He also had his hunting shotgun over his arm as he approached the other group that had fired toward them. Bess angrily yelled at the hunters, using expletives, as he came upon them. According to a Box Elder County Sheriff's Office report, members of that group said they asked Bess multiple times to put his gun away as they tried to explain that the shots were a mistake and that they felt threatened by him. When a deputy responded to the scene, he told Bess he shouldn't have unholstered his gun. "I explained that I understood things where he works are a bit more crazy, in our area we deal with these things differently," the deputy wrote in the report. The deputy noted that because five to 10 minutes had passed from the time Bess' group was shot at until Bess confronted them, the imminent danger had passed and Bess did not need to draw his gun. Because of that, Bess was charged and in May 2017, the officer was convicted in 1st District Court of threatening to use a dangerous weapon during a fight, a class A misdemeanor. Judge Brandon Maynard ordered Bess to serve two days in jail, in addition to probation. Bess has since served his jail time. Because of the conviction, Bess resigned from his certified law enforcement position at the Unified Police Department, but he was later hired back as a civilian employee. He then appealed his conviction, asking it be thrown out and he be given a new trial. The Utah Court of Appeals agreed the case should be sent to the Utah Supreme Court for consideration. A key issue the Supreme Court must decide is whether the jury in Bess' original trial was given proper instructions in a timely manner. Cassell said it was important for the jury to know that a police officer is expected, and authorized, to perform police officer duties even when not officially on duty. When jurors were given preliminary instructions at the start of the trial in this case, that part was left out, Cassell said. It wasn't until final jury instructions were given after witnesses had been called to the stand that jurors were told to consider the expectations of an off-duty officer. "The problem was that they weren't told during the three-day trial to be listening for the defenses as they were being presented," Cassell said. "They didn't know up front that a police officer performing his duties is entitled to brandish a firearm. They weren't told that at the beginning, so as a result the trial was fundamentally unfair. "This was not some slam-dunk case (for the state). This was a case decided by the narrowest of margins. And if they had been told for three days, 'Hey, be listening to what the defense is trying to present here,' we think they would have come out another way," he said. Cassell argued that the state knew that the issue of a law enforcer performing his or her duties, and acting in self-defense would be crucial to the case, and there was no reason to wait until the last minute to include those points in the jury instructions. "This is not some technical issue. These were the two critical issues in the case," he argued in court. After Bess was convicted on a unanimous jury decision, one female juror signed a statement saying she was pressured into giving a guilty verdict, and stated, "I did not feel the instructions I received afforded me the option to disagree," according to court documents. The state, however, disputed there were any errors in delivering jury instructions and self-defense didn't apply in this case. While the state has argued that the issue at hand is a narrow technical one, Cassell believes the outcome of the case could have a greater impact on all law enforcers. He said a police officer, whether on or off duty, should not be burdened in every case with having to prove he or she is an actual police officer and used a gun in performing their duties. The burden should be on the state to prove a police officer was not acting in accordance with that officer's duties, he said. The case prompted several law enforcement groups to file a joint amicus motion with the Utah Court of Appeals, including the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, International Union of Police Association AFL-CIO, Utah Fraternal Order of Police and the Utah Peace Officers Association. The law enforcement groups argued that police officers are always "on duty," and that Bess should receive a new trial. Both those groups and Cassell point to the Trolley Square shooting spree in 2007 in which five people were killed and four others wounded as a gunman went through the mall and parking lot randomly shooting people. The death toll would have been much higher if an off-duty Ogden police officer who was having dinner with his wife had not jumped into action using the service weapon he was carrying. The Supreme Court justices took the arguments under advisement and will issue a decision at a later time. After the hearing, Bess gave a statement through his attorneys. "I've served as a law enforcement officer for nearly 14 years and I can't believe that I am now being asked to prove my innocence. We don't want it to happen to any other law enforcement officers in the future." Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training has agreed to delay a hearing regarding Bess' police officer certification until after his state case is completely resolved. Correction: An earlier version said the confrontation occurred at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, but it actually took place at the Public Shooting Grounds Waterfowl Management Area. Both are in Box Elder County. SALT LAKE CITY Democratic Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams narrowly leads Republican Rep. Mia Love in the 4th Congressional District race for the first time, according to a new internal poll released by his campaign Friday. The poll showed McAdams ahead 47 percent to 46 percent for Love. Previous polls have had McAdams trailing the two-term congresswoman, but within the margin of error, making the race too close to call. The Mellman Group, a Democratic pollster based in Washington, D.C., said it surveyed 400 likely voters in the 4th District Oct. 7-10 and that the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. The poll follows a ratings change by the respected Cook Political Report, from lean Republican to toss-up. RealClearPolitics.com has also rated the race a toss-up, although other rating entities still favor the Republican incumbent. McAdams' campaign manager, Andrew Roberts, credited the mayor's record of putting "people before party" for the shift in polling. "Voters appreciate Ben's bipartisan message and are deeply concerned by the dysfunction they see in Washington, which is why he's taken a lead in the polls and why we're confident he'll win on Election Day," Roberts said. Love's internal pollster, Scott Riding, questioned the transparency of the poll. "We have no details," he said. "All they give us is, 'We say we're up by one and trust us.'" Riding said the Love campaign was not releasing its own polling right now, but the McAdams poll "does not match our internal numbers." He said the dynamics of the race haven't changed and the campaign is confident with its trajectory. An analysis by The Mellman Group released by McAdams' campaign concluded, "Already surging in the lead against a better-known incumbent, Mayor McAdams is well-positioned to win this race." McAdams and Love will square off Monday in a Utah Debate Commission debate. AMERICAN FORK A judge has ordered a Utah man to stand trial on charges that he killed his ex-girlfriend and her 3-year-old son, then buried them where investigators haven't yet found them. Fourth District Judge Robert Lunnen ruled Friday that there is enough evidence for the case against Christopher Poulson, 28, of Smithfield, to move forward on each of five charges against him, court records show. Poulson denies the charges of two counts of aggravated murder, a capital offense and first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and two counts of abuse or desecration of a human body, a third-degree felony. He pleaded not guilty to each count Friday. The judge's ruling follows several days of a preliminary hearing, with testimony from investigators, forensic experts and the mother of Emily Quijano Almiron, who was reported missing in September 2015. Prosecutors say Poulson wrapped Almiron and her son Gabriel in sheets and buried them, even though their bodies have never been recovered. Poulson was arrested in Hawaii in October 2017, where the state argues he moved after FBI investigators spoke to him about the case. At the preliminary hearing, a letter from a friend and co-worker of Almiron's was read aloud in court, recalling that Almiron thought she may have been pregnant before her disappearance. Poulson visited her at work and urged her to get an abortion, but Almiron told him she would not, according to the letter. Poulson returns to court Nov. 6. SALT LAKE CITY Noted author and social scientist Arthur Brooks was searching for an epiphany about how to solve the growing opioid crisis when he came across a lecture about poverty by the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. In the speech, the cardinal talked about trying to raise money from some billionaires to help poor people, people they didn't know. "The poor need you to pull them out of poverty and you need the poor to keep you out of hell," George told them. Brooks seized on the quote. He asked himself if he needs people on the margins of society, eventually landing on this insight: "If we truly want to help people, we should need them." Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, spoke Friday at Sen. Mike Lee's 2018 Solutions Summit. Titled, "Instead Connecting for a Cure," the all-day event focused on combatting opioid addiction in Utah. In the morning, about 5,000 high school students filled the Vivint Smart Home Arena for a fast-paced mix of speakers including many who had battled addictions such as UFC fighter Court McGee songs, cheers and video clips, as well as a short film produced by the Mark Wahlberg Foundation. The message was how easy it is to lose oneself to the lure of opioids and how deadly that can be. The afternoon session featured speeches from government officials, business moguls, religious leaders, authors and performers, as well as panel discussions on health care, recovery and law enforcement. According to statistics provided at the conference, nearly 50,000 Americans died from opioid-related overdoses last year. Opioid-related deaths increased 110 percent in Utah from 2002 to 2016. But while deaths rose 10 percent across the country, they fell almost 20 percent in the state last year. Though the numbers dropped in Utah, they remain high because they were "off the charts" in previous years, Lee said. Uttam Dhillon, acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said attacking the opioid crisis is his agencys top priority, not just through law enforcement but working with treatment providers and prevention workers. We will not stop until we win this battle, he said. Some of the speakers, including Brooks, talked about having to find new ways to address the opioid epidemic as well as poverty and suicide. Society won't solve the problem without asking the right questions, he said. "Any policy that doesn't make people more needed is a bad policy. If it simply helps, it's not good enough," he said. Even with Utah's growing economy, there are still people dying from drug and alcohol abuse and suicide, Brooks said. "How long would it take you to know personally, emotionally, socially if all of the drug-addicted people, if all of the formerly incarcerated, all of the poor suddenly disappeared? How long would it take you to know? I dare say longer than it should," he said Brooks acknowledged it would take him longer than it should because his life doesn't interact with people on the margin. "I live a life that reflects the idea that I dont need them, and that is the problem," he said. "The problem is not just what they need. The problem is that I need them, and I need to understand that in a more fundamental, moral way." Dignity, he said, is the No. 1 ingredient to solving problems in life. "Help doesn't bring dignity. Need brings dignity," Brooks said. Bob Woodson, who works with community and political leaders to improve impoverished neighborhoods through The Woodson Center, said education and intervention would not solve the drug-addiction problem. "Drug addiction, opiate addiction it is not a rational problem that we have. A rational problem can be solved by a rational solution," he said. "If knowledge were the issue, you would not have people with Ph.D.s, people with M.D.s, drug counselors who are drug addicts." Faith in God and serving others, he said, is missing in many discussions about drug addiction and suicide. Feelings of emptiness and lack of meaning in life causes people to destroy themselves and others, he said. Woodson also said looking to those who have overcome addiction or survived crime-infested neighbors would provide mentors for young people. "The answer to the problem can be found among those who suffering the problem. But we have got to be able to think about creative ways to give these young people a voice," he said. J.D. Vance, author of "Hillbilly Elegy," asked the crowd to follow the advice of his friend who runs a home for people struggling with addiction: At the end of the day, what they need is love. If that doesn't work, love them some more. And if that doesn't work, love them a little more. Sri Lanka's telecoms sector is making significant progress in its IoT ventures, according to Research & Markets. In 2018 the government's Board of Investment of Sri Lanka formally approved a significant investment for network expansion and upgrade work on 4G mobile and fixed broadband services. Fixed broadband penetration in Sri Lanka remains very low mainly due to the dominance of the mobile platform and the limited and declining number of fixed lines is restricting more widespread development of fixed broadband. However, the market has grown strongly over the past five years from a very small base. Over the next five years to 2023 strong growth is expected to continue. Sri Lanka's mobile market has experienced strong growth over the last six years. Slow growth is predicted over the next five years to 2023. The market will be constrained from higher growth due to very strong local competition and a highly saturated mobile market. The market is now moving from 4G towards 5G mobile services. Dialog Axiata has carried out a 5G network capability trial with technology partners Ericsson and Huawei in Colombo. The demonstration included a range of 5G solutions including Massive MIMO, cloud radio and IoT-based smart parking and real time 4K video streaming. Dialog Axiata has claimed South Asia's first launch of a NB-IoT-enabled network supporting IoT solutions such as Connected Home and Car Connect. Mobitel has completed a further round of proof-of-concept (PoC) tests of LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro) technology in Colombo. Sri Lanka has seen a very strong increase in mobile broadband penetration over the past six years, driven by a rising level of 4G mobile subscribers. However, the mobile broadband market is still at an early stage of development with penetration well below most other developed Asian countries. Strong growth is predicted over the next five years to 2023. The images shared by Hyundai Fan Club on Instagram shows the five-seater amidst the traffic in New Delhi. As per reports, the Hyundai Kona is expected to be launched in India by mid-2019. For the same reason, one can be sure that this spotting is part of the tests done for homologating the product. The Hyundai Kona is already available in global markets and comes in two battery formats: 39kW and 64kW; among which the former is expected to make its way to India. With a claimed range of 312 kilometres on a single charge, the 39kW Hyundai Kona is a fitting option for the Indian market (if there is enough availability of charging points). The base variant Hyundai Kona's electric motor makes 134bhp and 395Nm of torque, while also having a limited top speed of 155km/h. Meanwhile, the higher 64kW variant can go 482 kilometres on a single charge and is capable of putting out 204bhp. Both battery packs can be charged up to 80 per cent capacity in around 50 minutes using a 100kW DC fast charger. With a standard AC charger, charging times can go over six hours. The fast charger will be available as an optional extra and we expect Hyundai to set up a dedicated charging station network in major cities too. The Hyundai Kona spotted in India looks identical to the international variant from all angles and gets the same 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. The design philosophy is in line with all the latest Hyundai models and the grille-less front profile might be the only unique factor (of course, the absence of an exhaust pipe too). Inside, the Hyundai Kona gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, fully-digital instrument console, electrically-adjustable seats and a host of other features. Safety aids such as multiple airbags, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and lane assist will also be part of the package. Thoughts On The India-Bound Hyundai Kona Sources suggest that the Hyundai Kona will be a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) unitbut locally-assembled, and might cost upwards of Rs 25 lakh ex-showroom. Hyundai might even introduce it in limited numbers and bring more batches after observing the market response. How well the clean' Hyundai Kona would perform on a price and mileage-conscious market is something we would have to wait and see. The absence of a proper rival is also an added advantage. Enterprise IT Lead Generation Services Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. Internet marketing has become so popular that e-commerce retail sales in the United States are on pace to double between 2009 and 2018, with sales amounting to US$127.3 billion in just the second quarter of 2018, according to an August 2018 update from the U.S. Census Bureau. The transaction value of e-commerce service industry contracts reached $600 billion in 2016. Despite the rush to digital commerce, the rules for business transactions are still the same, whether they are concluded on paper or electronically. Essentially, that means legally valid sales agreements need to demonstrate clearly that both vendors and consumers are aware of -- and consent to -- the terms of the agreements. It is especially important for vendors to ward off expensive class action suits by including contract terms that prohibit such suits and instead rely on arbitration to resolve any issues with consumers. Yet recent federal court cases indicate that poorly presented Internet contracts can result in the nullification of arbitration provisions and class action prohibitions -- thus giving consumers greater leverage in legal disputes with vendors. Usually the breakdown occurs when vendors mismanage either the display or the content of their websites -- and sometimes both. Website Messages Must be Conspicuous The most recent example is a June case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a decision. The case stemmed from complaints that Uber Technologies wrongly added the cost of local tolls in and around Boston to customers' bills. In Cullinane v. Uber, a federal district court initially ruled in favor of Uber and dismissed the complaint. However, such is the state of differing perspectives on applicable laws, that the appellate court overturned the district court and ruled against the company. Uber failed to convince the appeals court that the website sales agreement properly displayed both an arbitration clause and a prohibition against litigation, because the notice was not "conspicuous" enough to be legally valid. Absent adequate notice to the customer, there could be no agreement between the parties over terms and conditions, the court said in denying Uber's motion to compel arbitration. The case provided insight into the importance to vendors of arbitration clauses as a way to fend off class action suits. Compared to litigation, arbitration is a "speedy, fair, inexpensive, and less adversarial" process, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in an amicus brief in the Uber case. Members of the organization "have structured millions of contractual relationships -- including enormous numbers of on-line contracts -- around arbitration agreements." Similar suits dealing with the issue include a second case against Uber with a different plaintiff and over a different issue, as well as separate cases involving Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In each case, courts have gotten into the weeds of website design, finding flaws in styles, the choice of colors, the size of printing fonts, and the use of hyperlinks. For example, in Cullinane v. Uber, the appellate court noted that the website connection to the contract terms "did not have the common appearance of a hyperlink" because it was framed in a gray box in white bold text, rather than the normal blue underline style. Other screens on the site utilized similar highlight features causing the court to conclude that if "everything on the screen is written with conspicuous features, then nothing is conspicuous." Uber's petition for a rehearing of the case was denied by the appeals court in a July 23, 2018, ruling. The company had no comment on the litigation, Uber spokesperson Alix Anfang told the E-Commerce Times. Pulling the Trigger on Consent Of equal importance with presentation is the vendor's choice of using active or passive mechanisms to obtain customer consent to the terms and conditions of agreements. In Nicosia v. Amazon, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned a district court decision favoring the company, and instead ruled in favor of the consumer plaintiffs. The Second Circuit described two major types of customer consent mechanisms. The first, called a "clickwrap" procedure, involves the use of an "I accept" button, which forces customers to "expressly and unambiguously manifest assent," according to the court. A more passive alternative is a "browserwrap," which "involves terms and conditions posted via a hyperlink" and does not request an express showing of consent. "In a seeming effort to streamline customer purchases, Amazon chose not to employ a clickwrap mechanism," the court noted in the August 2016 ruling. Ultimately, the court based its decision not on the consent mechanism per se, but on Amazon's failure to display its terms adequately. The result was that "reasonable minds could disagree" on the adequacy of the company's notice to consumers. Amazon declined to comment for this story, spokesperson Cecilia Fan told the E-Commerce Times. The significant variance among federal courts on the validity of Internet contracts may be caused more by different judicial perceptions than by differing laws covering "conspicuous" or "reasonably communicated and accepted" terms. While these cases have been brought in federal courts, there is no federal standard for what constitutes adequate notice. Thus, for procedural reasons associated with the Federal Arbitration Act, federal judges have relied on applicable contracting law in different states, including California, Massachusetts, Washington and New York. "I do not yet see a majority of courts moving toward a single legal standard, especially not one that is adapted to today's technology," said Liz Kramer, a partner at Stinson, Leonard, Street. The U.S. Appeals Court for the Second Circuit reached opposite results in recent cases "despite pretty similar circumstances," she told the E-Commerce Times. One problem "is that state law applies, and the states are not consistent on what makes terms conspicuous enough to form part of the contract." "Different courts define the standard in different ways, but they all boil down to the principle that the arbitration clause -- and the links to the clause -- must be clearly presented to the consumer in order for there to be a meeting of the minds -- in other words, an acceptance -- of the arbitration clause," said Mark Levin, a partner at Ballard Spahr. "It is not so much the standard that is unsettled, but the application of the standard to the facts, since each website is unique and there are a multitude of factors, both in content and visual display, to consider in determining whether the consumer accepted the clause," he told the E-Commerce Times. "Even if there was a U. S. Supreme Court decision, or legislation that defined a single standard, there would still be a need to apply that standard to unique facts in virtually every case," Levin said. Web Designers Should Seek Legal Help While vendors strive to create ever more attractive and compelling websites, designers and marketing staffs need to address the basic nuts and bolts of contract communications, said Levin. For electronic documents, vendors should "refer to the arbitration clause near the beginning of the terms and conditions, make sure the link to the clause is obvious and clear, minimize the number of mouse clicks it takes for the reader to get to the clause, and refer to the arbitration clause again at the end, close to an electronic signature or 'I agree' button," he advised. The easiest way for e-commerce vendors to avoid trouble is to skip any indirect notification procedure, suggested Stinson's Kramer. Deliberate downplaying of key contract terms is an invitation to legal challenge. "The best way to ensure that an arbitration agreement is enforceable with customers who agree online, or through an app, is to have them actually click 'I agree' after reviewing the terms and conditions," she said. "Great care should be taken in designing and structuring a website arbitration clause, since courts scrutinize every detail, cautioned Levin. "This is definitely an area where businesses should enlist legal counsel to help with the design, substance and placement of the clause to help ensure that a court will enforce it," he said. "If adequate attention is not paid to these issues at the outset, the business could end up in a debilitating class action lawsuit." John K. Higgins has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2009. His main areas of focus are U.S. government technology issues such as IT contracting, cybersecurity, privacy, cloud technology, big data and e-commerce regulation. As a freelance journalist and career business writer, he has written for numerous publications, including The Corps Report and Business Week. Email John. 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. Michelle Cirocco is head of global marketing for Televerde, a company focusing on business-to-business demand generation and inside sales solutions. Televerde staffs a portion of its contact centers with incarcerated women, providing them with training and helping them find career opportunities after their release. In this exclusive interview, Cirocco explains how everyone wins when a company provides employees with the opportunity to turn their lives around. Televerde Head of Global Marketing Michelle Cirocco Michelle Cirocco: Televerde is the global leader in market insight. Our mission is to provide opportunities for our clients to grow their businesses and achieve their personal best. We're a B2B sales and marketing agency, and we generate demand and accelerate sales for our clients. Our clients are the largest technology companies in the world, as well as startup, high-tech, high-growth companies. Ninety-eight percent of our customers are in the high-tech space. We're a true extension of our clients' sales and marketing organizations, and we're consistently delivering measurable value for our customers. Our company was founded with the idea of providing job opportunities for women in corrections. Our CEO came with a technical background, and when he came to Televerde, he found the answer to what sales, marketing and technology companies needed. Sales reps needed good-quality leads, and he believed he could teach women in corrections all the skills they needed to enter the technical sales field. He built the business on this idea of providing job opportunities. We've had over 1,700 women work for us inside correctional facilities in Arizona and Indiana, and we've expanded the business outside of corrections to provide jobs when they're released and want to build real careers. TNW: Could you describe the trajectory of your career. How did you get where you are today? Cirocco: My real business career started with Televerde, and I've been with the company for almost 20 years. When you have the opportunity to work with a company with such an amazing social purpose, it makes it easy to fall in love and be committed to the mission of the company. That's also part of what the company is about -- investing in individuals and helping to achieve their personal best. I started in an entry-level position in project management and account management, and my career has been a procession of increasing responsibility within the company, from sales to sales operations to marketing. As my responsibilities increased, so did my education. When I started, I had an associate's degree, and then I got my bachelor's in marketing and finally an MBA. It's been a commitment to lifelong learning. TNW: Why do you have a passion for what you do? Cirocco: I have a passion for what Televerde does. When you have the opportunity to work with people to recreate themselves and build a meaningful career for themselves and their families, and you get to watch and help that happen, it's very rewarding. It enables me to have my arms around the brand and, promoting Televerde so that it becomes a bigger organization that can provide more jobs and more opportunities for women. The bigger this company gets, the more women and families we can help. TNW: What does it mean to use technology to accentuate the human connection? And why is it important? Cirocco: The thing about technology is that we're a human-touch organization. We're people people. Everybody's using technologies like artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, marketing automation tools, search engine marketing and lead analytics tools. We're using all these tools and technologies to identify who we should communicate with, and we use them to set the stage for our marketing and demand-generation efforts, and to get our names or clients' names in front of their prospects. Ultimately, though, our real goal is to build relationships. At the end of the day, people buy from people. Technology is a tool for us to enable trust and build relationships. TNW: What kind of work do the women do? Cirocco: A large portion of the work involves contact centers, lead development and inside sales. But we have people in a wide variety of roles outside of those, including project management, technical reporting, IT work and QA testing. We have women certified in marketing automation tools who are designing and setting up our marketing automation campaigns. We have folks in our finance department doing financial reporting and analysis. I have my marketing and communications team that's responsible for writing content and graphic design. Our own inside sales and sales development is also a job opportunity for women. They all have career paths at our corporate office when they get out, and many have career paths to go work for our clients. TNW: Why do you think it's a good idea to work with people in correctional facilities? Cirocco: They're a highly motivated, committed workforce. They're women who went left when they should have gone right, and they're at the lowest point in their lives. Every single one wants to have a better life. They're all willing to work hard at whatever will enable them to have a better life, to get their children and families back. It's a workforce of people who are in love with their jobs. These are people who truly love what they're doing, because they have the time and focus and ability to commit to it. They're in an environment that encourages them to be naturally supportive of each other to be more successful. Because of this environment, we have the highest-quality call centers in the world. Our clients buy from us because we're the best at what we do, and that's because we have a phenomenal workforce. TNW: Is Televerde's mission being adopted by other companies? Cirocco: Most states have correctional industries responsible for jobs within the community or within the government, providing work opportunities for inmates. While people are incarcerated, they're required to have a job, unless they're medically exempted. Many companies are using this kind of workforce, but we're one of the biggest employers. We're also one of the few employers developing knowledge workers. Most correction industry job opportunities tend to be vocational and blue collar, but our employees are truly knowledge workers, in fields like sales and technology. We offer more than just job opportunities. These are career opportunities. Vivian Wagner has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. Her main areas of focus are technology, business, CRM, e-commerce, privacy, security, arts, culture and diversity. She has extensive experience reporting on business and technology for a variety of outlets, including The Atlantic, The Establishment and O, The Oprah Magazine. She holds a PhD in English with a specialty in modern American literature and culture. She received a first-place feature reporting award from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Email Vivian. Medellin, Colombia, Oct 12 (EFE).- Some 150 international experts will take part in next week's Smart City Business America Congress & Expo 2018 (SCBAM&E), which for the first time will be held outside Brazil to seek inspiration in the progress being made in this Colombian city. The SCBAM&E, which comes to Colombia through the Greater Medellin Convention & Visitors Bureau, will bring together some 3,000 leaders of the public and private sectors in an exploratory atmosphere of business deals and dialogue. The Oct. 16-18 meeting's agenda will include artificial intelligence (AI) conferences, a technology expo and roundtables to exchange experiences in such areas as mobility, sustainability, resilience, security, health, education, energy, innovation and urban planning. During the event, Medellin will present the way this city has been transformed into a model of innovation in the region. "The relevance of this event to Medellin is completely in line with its stage of development," the city's secretary of economic development, Maria Fernanda Galeano, said, adding that the purpose is "to achieve the highest smart-city levels." According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company consultants, Medellin is the Latin American city with the highest score in the public adoption of smart-city approaches, with 17.8 puntos, followed by Santiago with 17.3 points and Mexico City with 15.9 points. This city is the leader in Colombia for free Internet connections through its Medellin Digital program. It also has Route N, a science, technology and data center that energizes the ecosystem of innovation in the city and stimulates the concept of a knowledge economy. "What we want is to improve people's quality of life in a sustainable way, for which technology has become an indispensable ally," Mayor Federico Gutierrez said. He noted that fundamental to Medellin's progress has been "thinking of citizens as a center of development, "combining technological development, computer connectivity and environment-friendly transport systems. Is gender justice being held to ransom by vote bank politics in the Sabarimala controversy? The question of the entry of women, between the ages of 10 and 50 years, into Sabarimala temple in Kerala, is as old as the formation of the state itself. The debate around Sabarimala temple has involved the judiciary, successive state governments, the priestly class and socio-religious organisations, and devotees of all ages and genders. However, parties to the debate do not constitute a homogeneous whole, as they hold diverse standpoints on the issue. The resultant differences between these standpoints have further widened the political fault lines following the much-awaited verdict of the Supreme Court in late September 2018. The Court revoked the existing ban on womens entry into the temple during their menstruating years. 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. AUSTIN Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sponsoring a proposed Texas license plate that glorifies Confederate soldiers to help raise money for the Sons of Confederate Veterans reigniting a decade-old debate over whether there should be a novelty plate to benefit the group. The new design includes a rebel soldier clad in a gray Confederate uniform carrying a Texas regiments flag. The license plate design does not include the Confederate battle flag. As first reported by the Dallas Morning News, Miller wrote a letter in support of the license plate design and, as Agriculture Commissioner, offered to sponsor it. He told the paper, I couldnt see anything offensive about it. Kim Olson, a retired lieutenant colonel running against Miller in the November general election, said the agency should be focused on agricultural resources instead of sponsoring Confederate license plates. This is not something I want to go to the mat for. I want to represent folks in agriculture, Olson said. We have bigger fish to fry. The Sons of Confederate Veterans has sought to establish a license plate since 2007. Its first design featured the Confederate battle flag and sparked criticism from people who said the plate was offensive and loaded with racial undertones. The state rejected that design in 2011, a decision the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2015. The court ruled that government agencies do not have to approve messages with which they do not wish to be associated. The Sons of Confederate Veterans claims about 3,200 members in Texas in its March application for the specialty license plate. The group estimates about 1,000 such plates would be sold in the first year. Of the $30 fee collected for the specialty plates, $22 would go to the Department of Agriculture as the sponsoring agency. The department would give that money back to the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the form of grants for supporting charitable causes and related activities, Miller told the DMV in a letter. The purpose of the special license plate is to remember and honor our Confederate ancestors and to make the commemorative plate available to people interested in Texas participation in the war, the application states. The group asked Miller to sponsor the effort, agency spokesman Mark Loeffler said. He agreed, provided the new design would be substantially different than the prior attempt. The Confederate battle flag is now gone and the only flag in the design is a representation of a Texas regimental flag that was carried by Texas Confederates during the war, Loeffler said in a statement. Commissioner Miller strongly believes that Texans benefit from learning about all our history and not hiding or ignoring parts that might now be considered offensive. Paul Gramling Jr., Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said hes hopeful this plate will be approved, and blasted the Supreme Courts 2015 decision, which he said was based on prejudices. Manny Garcia, Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director, called the proposal tone-deaf. Not only is Sid Miller an embarrassment to Texans, but he is also incapable of talking about critical issues in his own department; hungry kids, struggling farmers, and rural communities left behind, Garcia said. The Texas Department of Agriculture has sponsored several other plates, including for the American Quarter Horse Association , Order of the Eastern Star and the Grand Lodge of Texas, according to Loeffler. The Sons of Confederate Veterans has specialty license plates in a handful of other states, including Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama, Gramling said. Staff Writer Allie Morris contributed to this report. andrea.zelinski@chron.com Becoming a physician can be a challenge for many students, but Christopher Ponces immigration status creates additional hurdles. Ponce, whose parents brought him to Texas from Mexico when he was just 4 years old, is able to stay in this country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program. He recently graduated from Texas Tech but now hes finding medical schools in Texas wont accept him because of the programs uncertain future under the Trump Administration. Fortunately, he said, he met a recruiter for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanic & Native Americans in Science who helped him secure an internship and a job as a research assistant in Oregon, where he may be able to continue his education. Maybe next fall Ill be in medical school and everything will have all been worth it, Ponce, 23, said Friday. Ponce was among the thousands of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics students, scientists and researchers who are gathered at the Convention Center for the societys annual National Diversity in STEM Conference, which ends today. The 45-year-old organizations mission is supporting underrepresented minorities in pursuing advanced degrees, careers and leadership positions in STEM fields. John D. Winnett, executive director, said helping undocumented and LGBT students is part of the societys commitment to diversity. We ask our attendees to always bring their whole selves to STEM and not check their culture at the door when they arrive, he said. We need those differences within our membership and attendees to guide where were going. The commitment extends to practical matters; bathrooms on the first and third floors of the Convention Center are designated as gender neutral to accommodate students requests. I was just blown away by all of the inclusivity, said Elizabeth Cervantes, 19, a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I went into one of the gender neutral bathrooms and I just cried. Its something thats so incredibly inspiring. When planning was underway last year for the conference, controversy erupted over a bill in the Texas Legislature that would have required Texans to use public bathrooms based on their biological sex. Numerous national organizations threatened to and some did cancel planned conventions in Texas. Society president Lino Gonzalez said the organization never considered backing out. It felt disingenuous to say were going to pull this conference out of the state, he said. It felt like abandoning the people who live here and cant do anything about the legislation except vote. Winnett said organization leaders thought their mission would be better served by coming to Texas, not staying away. It is our obligation as a national organization to use the power of a national voice to influence, shape and change policies across this country, Winnett said. Evelyn Valdez-Ward, a third year Ph.D. student at the University of California at Irvine, became an advocate for the undocumented community after she experienced a series of rejections because of her DACA status. Shes appreciates the societys support and said shes concerned about the DACA students lack of access to federally funded grants for scientific pursuits. All of our opportunities are incredibly limited, she said. Clarissa Mae de Leon, a student at St. Edwards University in Austin who came out last year, said her love of mycology, the study of fungi, mirrors her love for her family and her culture. She said she looks forward to following the example of two people from her small town of Lavilla in South Texas who are now doctoral candidates. Maybe one day I could come back to the community and give back, De Leon. SACNAS is very important in allowing me to see that dream come into fruition. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis Five years ago, I moderated a forum at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus on the future of Alamo Plaza. It didnt take long for things to get contentious. You had one faction attacking the panelists, including then-Mayor Julian Castro, for desecrating Native American burial grounds. You had business interests fretting that a redeveloped Alamo Plaza would mean the uprooting of tourist attractions such as Ripleys Believe It or Not! Odditorium and Tomb Rider 3D. You had some attendees eager to re-create the footprint of the Alamo compound at the time of the legendary 1836 siege. And you had others who wanted the site to acknowledge the Spanish and Mexican history predating the battle for Texas independence. There was general agreement, however, on one crucial point: Alamo Plaza, in its current form, is unsatisfactory, both as a historical site and a modern civic space. Its worth keeping that fact in mind over the next week, as the City Council prepares to vote on an ambitious Alamo Plaza redesign plan. The vote will be the culmination of a three-year process that has brought together the city, the General Land Office of Texas and the Alamo Endowment Board in an unprecedented cooperative venture. The state has committed $106 million to the project, with the city allocating $38 million and the endowment looking to raise about $200 million. It would benefit this process if all of us measured the Alamo interpretive plan not by a standard of aesthetic and historical perfection that will never be attainable but as part of a sincere effort to transform a historic site in desperate need of transformation. Truthfully, I didnt need the experience of the 2013 forum to know that San Antonians are ultra-possessive about the Alamo. All you have to do is go back to the 1907 controversy over a proposal from a St. Louis hotel company to raze the Hugo-Schmeltzer building, at the site of the old missions Long Barrack, to make room for a park. You could revisit the lunacy over the 1969 Alamo Plaza filming of the political spoof Viva Max, so upsetting to the president of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas that she tried to get a court injunction to shut down the film. The films star, Peter Ustinov, responded by saying, Its come as a complete surprise to me that the cradle of Texas liberty still has babies in it. Theres also the 1988 drama over the IMAX film Alamo The Price of Freedom, which played at the Rivercenter mall and enraged local Chicano activists over its failure to recognize the role of Tejanos in the Alamo story. The controversy led to boycott threats against Lubys Cafeterias and Pace Foods, two backers of the film. The most common word uttered during each of these public conflicts has been desecration, a term that we associate with sacred objects. Thats what the Alamo means to San Antonians. Given that emotional fervor, only the willfully naive could have expected the current Alamo Plaza redesign process to go smoothly. Sure enough, weve heard angry complaints about everything from the proposed relocation of the 1940s-era Cenotaph to the closures of parts of Alamo, Houston and Crockett streets. The fact remains, however, that this has been a model of how a public redesign process should work. Weve seen more than 50 public meetings and 200 stakeholder gatherings, with input from a 26-member Citizens Advisory Committee and plenty of open discussion about what shape the new design should take. When locals rightfully objected to the 2017 Master Plan concept of glass walls surrounding the plaza, the idea was nixed. When people complained about the relocation of the Cenotaph, its proposed site was moved closer to its current spot. The proposed redevelopment will include a historical museum that has the potential to tell the full 300-year Alamo story, a lush public space for foot traffic, restoration of the Alamo church and Long Barrack and the reclaiming of the compounds historic footprint. These are elements that everyone should be able to support. The street closings will bring inconvenience, but theyre necessary to reclaim the Alamo footprint. Moving the Cenotaph has riled traditionalists, but they should know that the monuments current site does not actually mark the spot where the bodies of the Alamos defenders were burned. Some people are nervous about the city leasing Alamo Plaza to the state for 50 years, but its purely a practical management move that retains ownership rights with the city. Ultimately, the one legitimate concern is the plan to surround the plaza with railings. The idea is to direct visitors to a single point of entry, which will encourage them to take in the full Alamo Plaza experience. Nonetheless, its a bit of a jolt for people accustomed to open access to the plaza. Without a doubt, those precise details need to be ironed out. But we also need to remind ourselves of an old maxim: Dont let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470 Andris Trubee, Fairfields first Jewish resident, moved to town around three hundred years ago, in 1718. Trubee was a Sephardic Jew - a descendant of Spanish Jews who had been expelled from Spain in 1492 and found a home in Holland. He had emigrated from Holland to Boston a few years earlier. He was a merchant who was well-educated and spoke several languages, and had been experienced in dealing with international trade in Amsterdam. In Fairfield, he opened a furniture shop on the north side of what is now Old Post Road. As the only Jewish person in town, Trubees options were limited. Supporters of the Anglican Church (a distinct religious minority in Fairfield) sought Trubee out, seeing him as a learned man who would be an asset to the church. He converted and became a member of the church which was then located in Mill Hill. He gave some of his eight children names that honored his own heritage: Esther, Gitta, Samuel Cohen, and Ansel. Republicans have nearly doubled their presence in the state House of Representatives in the past decade, rising from 37 members after the 2008 election to the current 72. They need to win just five more seats in November to gain a majority, a dominance the party has not held since 1984. In the past four election cycles, weve won 35 seats in the house. Thats not just gains, those are historic gains, said Themis Klarides, House minority leader. I see no reason why that cant continue. For Klarides, its personal. She decided not to run for governor this year to focus on winning a House majority. If the GOP succeeds, she could become the first female Republican speaker of the House and second woman ever to have the job. But Democrats, who now hold 80 of 151 House seats, feel optimistic that the fabled blue wave and their own slate of candidates will mean Democrats can not only keep but also strengthen their majority. The current speaker, Democrat Joe Aresimowicz, predicted his party will have 82 to 92 seats in the House after the election. How many seats we pick up will probably depend on some very close races, but we feel very confident about where we are going, said Matt Ritter, House majority leader. Districts to watch While candidates are knocking doors all across the state, the battle for the House majority comes down to about 30 districts or less. There are 19 open seats, where no incumbent is running. Twelve of those seats are now held by Democrats, seven by Republicans. Each seat is a place where one party will be playing defense and the other, looking for a pick-up. If you dont have an incumbent running, that usually is an opportune time for turnover, said Gayle Alberda, a professor of political science at Fairfield University. Over 90 percent of incumbents win their re-election campaigns. In addition, there are eight other districts that were decided by fewer than 400 votes in 2016. Those slim margins mean those seats could be ripe for beating the incumbent, according to political observers. The closest of those 2016 races was in East Haven where state Rep. James Albis, a Democrat then in his third two-year term, beat Republican Steve Tracey by only 14 votes, requiring an automatic recount. State Rep. Liz Linehan, who represents Chesire, Southington and Wallingford, also had a recount in 2016, after winning her election by 54 votes. In four of those nail-biting races, voters split on their support for the state House and the U.S. president. Albiss district in East Haven went for President Donald Trump, as did Democratic state Rep. Michelle Cooks district in Torrington, where she won by 213 votes. Two other districts voted for Clinton, but narrowly elected Republicans to the state House in 2016. They are state Rep. William Duffs seat in Bethel, and state Rep. Sam Belsito in Ashford, Willington and Tolland. Aresimowicz said he feels especially hopeful about gains in districts from Milford to Stamford. While many of these races will turn on local issues, Republicans up and down the ticket are pitching a message of change, a departure from the administration of unpopular Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and longtime Democratic legislative majorities. Theyve made your life worse, said Klarides during a recent interview. Thats the overall message. Meanwhile, Democrats may enjoy higher turnout on Nov. 6. According to data from the Connecticut Secretary of the States office, 77,668 new voters has registered as Democrats since the 2016 election, compared to 37,742 new Republican registrations. If turnout is up five or ten percent in a district, a lot of those (people) will probably vote Democratic and thats going to help our candidates, said Ritter. Midterms are traditionally a referendum on the president, said Alberda, the political scientist. But Trump is such a divisive figure that he may motivate voters on both sides to go to the polls. Does the GOP stand a chance? Its possible, said Alberda. Five seats doesnt seem like large number five is pretty little but at the same time, its a big feat. PAC spending But a factor that can always change the calculus in politics, is money. Republican political action committee early spending reflects a focus on these open seats and battleground districts. The House Republican Campaign Committee, a PAC headed by Klarides, spent $94,200 on GOP House candidates in July, August and September. The PAC spent $18,550 on behalf of all its candidates equally, but targeted $14,000 at districts with open seats or previous close races. Latest campaign finance filings show, the PACs two biggest boosts of $2,500 each went to Laura Bush (no relation to the former presidents), running in Vernon where Democratic state rep. Michael Winkler won by a slim 335 votes in 2016; and Jim Feehan, running in Stratford where Democratic state Rep. Phil Young won a special election in February to seize a seat that had been a GOP stronghold for 40 years. Youngs win reduced Republican membership in the House from 72 to its current number, 71. Klarides bragged that GOP fundraising has been record breaking in Connecticut this year. Her three PACs raised about $190,000 in contributions this quarter, and nearly $482,000 in 2018 as a whole. Were able to do focus groups which weve never done before. Were able to do data surveys, which weve never been able to do before, said Klarides. Because weve raised so much more money, weve able to do more able of the things weve done in the past and add new things. But Democrats have fundraising heft of their own. Three Democratic PACs targeting the House raised $186,690 this quarter, and they have already pumped some of that money into their races, filings show. Democrats spent more broadly in July, August and September, hewing less closely to the 30 pivotal open and battleground districts. Their PACs spent most heavily to help incumbents state Reps Christine Conley of Groton, Jonathan Steinberg of Westport, John Hampton of Simbury and Aresimowicz, of Berlin. Thats just early contributions. That helps incumbents get up and running, Aresimowicz said. Unlike challengers, were still doing the peoples business. emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. 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Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. 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Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. 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 iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWU shares have increased by 30.8% and is now trading at $33.48. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares MSCI Thailand ETF's stock was trading at $63.83 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, THD stock has increased by 23.2% and is now trading at $78.63. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF's stock was trading at $158.09 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IWF stock has increased by 91.8% and is now trading at $303.29. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN. Read More Magna International Inc. designs, engineers, and manufactures components, assemblies, systems, subsystems, and modules for original equipment manufacturers of vehicles and light trucks worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Body Exteriors & Structures, Power & Vision, Seating Systems, and Complete Vehicles. Its Body Exteriors & Structures segment provides body and chassis systems, as well as engineering and testing services; exterior systems, including fascia and trims, front end modules, front integration panels, liftgate modules, active aerodynamics, engineered glass, running boards, truck bed access products, and side doors; and roof systems, such as modular and textile folding roofs, and hard and soft tops. The company's Power & Vision segment offers dedicated hybrid, dual and e-clutch, and manual transmissions; engine drive plates and accessories; AWD/4WD products, rear drive modules, and hybrid and battery electric drive systems; transmission, engine, and driveline components; advanced driver assistance systems, camera systems, ultrasonic sensors, and electronic controllers; interior and exterior mirrors, actuators, door handles, overhead consoles, and camera monitoring systems; head, tail, and fog lamps; signal and other lighting products; and latching systems, door modules, window systems, power closure systems, hinges and wire forming, and handle assemblies. Its Seating Systems segment provides seat structures, mechanism and hardware solutions, and foam and trim products. The company's Complete Vehicles segment offers vehicle manufacturing and engineering services. It also designs, engineers, and manufactures tooling products. Magna International Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Aurora, Canada. Read More 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 Fracking for shale gas has been given the green light for the first time in the UK since 2011, despite some concern from farmers. Energy firm Cuadrilla has so far drilled two wells at its site in Preston New Road, Lancashire after being given the go-ahead to extract by the government in 2016. Cuadrilla has now confirmed that it plans to go ahead on Saturday (13 October) with the start of hydraulic fracturing operations. At the High Court in London on Friday (12 October), Mr Justice Supperstone dismissed a last minute request for an interim injunction to prevent this from happening. He also dismissed a Judicial Review case against Lancashire County Councils (LCC) emergency response planning and procedures for the Preston New Road site. Mr Supperstone concluded that there was no evidence to support the contention that LCC had breached any of the relevant duties concerning emergency planning. The hydraulic fracturing process will take approximately three months to complete for both horizontal exploration wells. Cuadrilla will then test the flow of natural gas from those two wells with initial results expected in the New Year. Only one shale gas well near Blackpool, in Lancashire, has so far been fracked in Britain, but was later abandoned when some of the work undertaken triggered an earth tremor. That resulted in an 18 month ban on the hydraulic fracturing technology used to extract gas from shale rock. Some farmers have been critical of fracking and the direct consequences of the activity on nearby farms. A North Yorkshire farmer has spoken of her fear of pollution after a local authority gave the go-ahead for fracking operations in the UK for the first time in five years. She told FarmingUK that her cattle were reliant on water from a borehole, which she feared could be contaminated by the fracking operations. The farmer said that evidence was emerging from the United States, where fracking has been used for some years, that water sources had been polluted. More farmers would now be approached by energy companies looking to carry out seismic surveys is search of other gas deposits, she said. She urged them to think very carefully before allowing them onto their land. 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 Along with Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and Riteish Deshmmukh have stated their concern on the issue and have expressed the importance for the safety of woman in the industry. Along with Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and Riteish Deshmmukh have stated their concern on the issue and have expressed the importance for the safety of woman in the industry. With the #MeToo movement gathering more and more momentum with each passing day, many big names in the Bollywood industry are facing the heat. The latest name to come under the spotlight is Housefull 4s director Sajid Khan.As soon as the news of Sajid Khan being accused by three women for sexual harassment broke on the internet, Akshay Kumar issued a statement in which he revealed that he has a zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment and will not work with any proven sexual offenders. The actor stated that he has requested the producers to halt the shooting of the film for the time being until the charges are investigated properly. Sajid Khan took to Twitter to make the announcement official and requested people to stay away from making judgements until allegations against him are proven in the court. A report in a leading daily now claims that the makers have brought Farhad Samji of Sajid-Farhad fame on board to direct the film. The duo had directed the third part of the franchise which went on to be a huge success at the box-office. Date Of Kapil-Ginnis Wedding Hasnt Been Decided Yet When asked regarding the rumours doing the rounds about his December wedding, the actor told IE, "Yes, it's happening. Sab ki ho rahi hai main kyun peeche rahun (Everyone is getting married, why should I be left behind.) But the date hasn't been decided yet." Kapil To Announce The Date After The Films Release Kapil is busy promoting his maiden Punjabi production venture, Son Of Manjeet Singh. He feels that producing a film is a hectic task and will decide about the after his film releases. He said, "Producing a film is no less than arranging for a hundred marriages. So, I will decide the date of my marriage with my family after Son Of Manjeet Singh is released." Kapil To Announce The Wedding Date Soon! He further added, "As far as making an announcement is concerned, I am such a person who believes in telling people everything. So, as soon as I will zero in the date, I will announce it." Regarding His Controversy (Fight With Sunil Grover) Regarding his controversy (fight with his friend Sunil Grover), the actor-comedian was quoted by IANS as saying, "I feel everyone fights someday or the other. We are public figures and that is why our fights make it to the papers. But I feel everyone has fought once in life -- be it within family, business or work space. Small-small things keep on happening. But since we are public figures, these things become news in our case." I am one of the Nalayak students Regarding his profession and personal life hitting headlines constantly, the actor was quoted by IANS as saying, "It is a learning experience. I feel we learn till our last breath. Main 'nalayak' students mein se ek hun toh mein thodha late seekhta hun (I am one of the unintelligent students, so I am slow learner)." The Actors New Show Recently, the actor announced that he is returning to television with a new show on Sony TV and that too, with the previous cast. It is said that the actor will be coming up with new season of his popular show, The Kapil Sharma Show. About His Break The actor hopes for good things. He also wishes that he makes people laugh. Regarding his break, he said, "I gave ample amount of time to myself during the break. I am rejuvenated. Now I'm working on my health. I want to get fit now and be back on the small screen." Regarding His Health He added, "Health is wealth... People don't just say it for the sake of it. It is genuinely true and I have realised that. I didn't give much importance to my health. There was no fixed time to eat for me. But now, I will try to focus on my health while working." NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 13, 2018 / On Oct 12th, Bloomberg News published an article entitled "Crypto Exchange Sues Former Employee Over Seizure of Platform". Later, the plaintiff mentioned in the article, Wanlin Wang (also known as Aries Wang) released a statement in his personal tweet to respond to this report: The details are as follow: I, Wanlin Wang, feel deeply disappointed regarding the false information and unauthorized, untruthful quotations provided in a recent article from Bloomberg, by Erik Larson. I hereby solemnly declare that, I have never been interviewed by Bloomberg or anyone affiliated with Bloomberg, all the quotations in the article are never said or even known of by me. None of the quotes and claims in the article represents my own words or will; As the co-founder of Bibox Holding Group Ltd., my line of works and responsibilities are Bibox investments, BiboxLab, and Bibox North America consulting services. I am not in charge, nor do I have any control over or operational duties for any part of the digital asset platform. Investre Network is not in any way a subsidiary company of Bibox, at the time, Bibox was an institutional investor of Investre Network; I recognize the fact that I am in legal process with our former employee, Wei Liu, regarding her larceny and other serious misconducts. A formal complaint has been filed against Wei Liu in New York State Supreme Court. In order to clarify this situation, our reporter had contacted Wang, here quotes his words: "Ignore that there are lots of inaccurate information in that article. First, like what I post in my twitter, neither did I take any interviews with Bloomberg, nor did I meet the reporter myself. I sincerely hope that they can stand up to clarify the truth and revise their article." Besides, he also stressed that "Investre Network is not in any way a subsidiary company of Bibox, at the time, Bibox was an institutional investor of Investre Network." And Wei Liu was hired as the assistant of Wang at the beginning instead of helping with the launch of the new venture. "We have ample evidence for all the claims we had. All the allegations towards Wei Liu are supported by those evidence." The reason for this sue is not as simple as what mentioned in the article, "Liu has been planning this larceny for a long time. We found her intention and filed a lawsuit." It is said that Wanlin Wang has submitted the lawsuit against Wei Liu to the New York court on this matter. "The court is the most honest facility of modern society, I believe that justice will be eventually served here." As of press time, the official twitter of bibox.com forwarded Wanlin Wang's statement, and we will continue following the latest status. Background: Bibox was founded by Jeffery Lei, co-founder of OKCoin, and was officially launched in November 2017. Within a mere span of 6 months, Bibox has impressively climbed the ranks to become a Top-10 crypto exchange in the world in terms of transaction volume. Bibox has also established footprint across the world with operation centers in more than 10 countries and regions including Estonia, Switzerland, Singapore, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. Bibox integrates AI technology into all aspects of its platform trading, carefully screening high-quality projects for users, and has received wide acclaim from both users and industry experts for its smooth trading experience and excellent customer service. As of October 2018, the number of Bibox users has exceeded 1 million. According to CoinMarketCap's statistics, Bibox has a consistent average 24-hour trading volume of $200 million. Company Website: bibox.com Name: Lesley Zhang Contact: media_ia_release@bibox365.com Company: Bibox New York, New York SOURCE: Bibox View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/524232/Bibox-Co-Founder-Wang-Responds-to-Bloomberg-News-False-Report-Fake-Interview By Sankalp Phartiyal MUMBAI (Reuters) - U.S. online giant Amazon said its festive season sale in India had got off to a strong start, with three times the number of people signing up to shop in the first two days compared to last year By Sankalp Phartiyal MUMBAI (Reuters) - U.S. online giant Amazon said its festive season sale in India had got off to a strong start, with three times the number of people signing up to shop in the first two days compared to last year. Amazon and homegrown Indian rival Flipkart, owned by Walmart, kicked off competing sales events on Wednesday, jostling to grab shoppers in India's October-December festive season when households make most big-ticket purchases. "We are particularly excited by the three times higher new customer and Prime sign ups," Amit Agarwal, Amazon's India head said on Friday, adding the site is becoming the destination of choice for existing and new customers across India. The comment comes after Flipkart chief Kalyan Krishnamurthy, late on Wednesday, told Reuters Amazon was losing relevance in the country. Amazon and Flipkart are locked in a battle to dominate an Indian e-commerce market tipped, within a decade, to be worth $200 billion annually, according to Morgan Stanley. Agarwal said the company's push on attractive credit facilities, product insurance and a Hindi-version of its mobile website were among measures paying off this time around. Amazon's 'Great Indian Festival' sale will go on till Oct. 15, while Flipkart's version 'Big Billion Days' ends a day earlier. Amazon, which already has over 100 million registered users in India, is making a deeper push in the country's small towns and cities in a bid to attract another 100 million customers by investing in infrastructure and partnering with local players for quicker deliveries. Its Prime loyalty programme, which offers free delivery, early access to deals during sales and free music and video streaming, has helped Amazon win tens of millions of clients, making India its fastest-growing Prime market globally. Flipkart now offers a similar scheme. Large appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines as well as TVs are selling in huge numbers in this year's sale, Agarwal said, with fashion products becoming the largest selling category. Neither company gave specific sales numbers, but said their festive sales will break last year's record as competition intensifies after Walmart's acquisition of a controlling stake in Bengaluru-based Flipkart this year. "Amazon remains the most visited, most transacted, most trusted online marketplace in India," Agarwal said. "We look forward to maintaining this momentum for the rest of the holiday season." (Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Euan Rocha and Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. While a large number of exporters were granted GST refunds, a few claims are pending due to deficiencies found in claims, the Finance Ministry said. New Delhi: Denying reports on pending amount of Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds, the government on Friday said the actual amount pending is Rs 2,077 crore, less than 10 per cent of Rs 22,000 crore as quoted by export bodies. It has been noticed that unverified reports of pending GST refunds on account of exports are published in the print media by trade bodies. These figures being put out in the public domain are exaggerated and thus inaccurate, the Finance Ministry said in a note. It, however, added that while a large number of exporters were granted refunds, a few claims are pending due to deficiencies found in claims. This amounts to Rs 8,016 crore comprising Rs 3,065 crore in integrated GST (IGST) and Rs 4,951 crore in Input Tax Credit (ITC). It is clarified that about 92.68 per cent (Rs 38,824 crore) of the total IGST refund claims (Rs 41,889 crore) transmitted to Customs from GSTN as on date have already been disposed. The remaining claims amounting to Rs 3,065 crore are held up on account of various deficiencies which have been communicated to exporters for remedial action, it said. Further, in case of ITC refund claims with Centre and states, the pendency as on date is only Rs 2,077 crore. Out of the refund claims of Rs 39,372 crore received, provisional or final order has been issued in case of refunds amounting to Rs 32,345 crore. In claims amounting to Rs 4,951 crore, deficiency memos have been issued. Thus, actual pendency is far less than is being put out for the knowledge of the public. The overall disposal of GST refunds is Rs 71,169 crore till date, the Ministry said. Seeking co-operation from exporters in exercising due diligence while filing returns and shipping bills, the Ministry asked the export bodies to quote only verified figures to avoid needless alarm among exporters. A team of Income Tax department sleuths raided the residence of Raghav Bahl in Noida and are looking for documents and other evidence related to the case under probe. New Delhi: Rejecting allegations of claiming "bogus" tax benefits, media baron Raghav Bahl on Friday said all business gains and losses have been duly declared in his tax returns and the raids by the Income Tax Department against him and his companies were a "clear frame-up." The Income Tax Department on Thursday searched media baron Raghav Bahl's home and office in connection with a case of alleged tax evasion, officials said. A team of I-T sleuths raided Bahl's premises in Noida and are looking for documents and other evidence related to a case of "bogus long-term capital gains (LTCG) received by various beneficiaries", they said. Bahl, who was in Mumbai, had issued a statement on Thursday that he was on his way to Delhi and his wife and mother were confined to the residence and not allowed to speak to anybody. On Friday, Bahl claimed that "private contractors" were deployed by the tax sleuths to clone digital data during the searches as he raised questions about its privacy. Bahl, the founder of The Quint news portal, issued a nine-point clarification on what he called an "interrogation" by the tax sleuths on Thursday when they searched his office and residential premises in Noida for gathering evidences as part of their probe against him on tax evasion charges, primarily over claiming fake Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG). LTCG is broadly defined as the tax paid on profit generated by an asset such as real estate, shares or share-oriented products held for a particular time-frame. "All these and other gains/losses were fully detailed/declared in the appropriate year of tax filings and more importantly, were accepted and assessed to tax, under this very government," Bahl said. "So the attempt to 'colour' our tax returns, now, as 'bogus', is clearly a frame-up, and we shall take every legal recourse to protect our fair name and reputation in this case," Bahl said. The media entrepreneur said he was making public the "facts" on various personal and official transactions suo motu as he feared an "imminent possibility that more such frame-ups shall be attempted now". Bahl said Rs 3.56 lakh cash and "modern and ancestral jewellery" worth Rs 33 lakh were recovered by the taxmen during the searches and these were entirely from his 82-year-old mother's cupboard. "All of these assets are duly assessed and declared in past returns. Is it really that surprising that people of that age/generation feel more secure holding such a moderate amount within physical proximity?," he said. Bahl added his family purchased a flat in London from the "legally permitted LRS remittances" and all of this has been fully declared in their income tax filings. He claimed the raids went on for about "23 incessant hours" and nearly 500 journalists and other professionals of the Quintillion Media Group were "held to the most intrusive ransom by India's tax officers." In his statement, Bahl said questions were asked to them by the Income Tax Department team about their transactions with Reliance Industries Limited, a joint venture with Viacom18 group and about BloombergQuint and they "promptly" shared all documents and past emails. He added that simultaneous surveys were also carried out at their investee companies, which he claimed was nothing but a "fishing expedition." "We reiterate that we are absolutely in the clear, that we shall mount a robust legal defence against every trumped-up charge that is brought against us; that we are making these disclosures to pre-empt further character assassination against us, to thwart attempts through leaks, plants, and trolls," he said in the statement. Three 'beneficiaries' of LTCG gains arrested The income tax officials had said on Thursday that apart from Bahl, three other "beneficiaries" of the alleged bogus LTCG claims -- J Lalwani, Anoop Jain and Abhimanyu -- were searched as part of the same action. The LTCG broadly refers to the amount of profit generated by an asset such as real estate, shares or share-oriented products held beyond a particular time period. The tax officials had said the business links of these companies with offshore entities were also being investigated. After the raid on Bahl, he had also issued a statement to the Editor's Guild of India, saying: "I have a matter of great concern to share with the Guild. While I was in Mumbai this morning, dozens of IT officials descended on my residence and The Quints office for a survey. We are a fully tax compliant entity, and will provide all access to all appropriate financial documents. However, I have just spoken to the officer on my premises, one Mr Yadav, and requested him, strongly, to not try and pick up or see any other mail/document which is likely to contain very serious/sensitive journalistic material. If they do that, then we shall seek extremely strong recourse. I do hope the EG will back us on this, and thereby set a precedent for any such exercise that may happen on any other journalistic entity in the future. They should also not misuse their smartphones to take unauthorised copies of this material. I am now on my way back to Delhi." It is understood that the searches are being conducted at the premises of a few other people as part of the ITD action to probe tax evasion by a set of business professionals. --With PTI inputs BJP president Amit Shah's statement comes after Opposition leaders raised questions about the saffron party's silence on the issue. He said that it remains to be seen if the allegations are true or false. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah responded to the allegations of sexual assault against junior foreign minister MJ Akbar, saying that it remains to be seen if the allegations are true or false. "We will have to verify whether these allegations are true or false. We have to check the veracity of the post and the person who posted it... (Is baare me zaroor sochenge) We will definitely look into the issue," Shah was quoted as saying by The Times of India. Shah's reaction comes days after at least 14 women came out in the open to share their ordeal in newsrooms headed by Akbar during his journalism years. His response also follows a host of questions being raised about the BJP's silence on the issue, and a cry for Akbar's resignation. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari called it a very "serious matter" and said, "The minister concerned needs to speak up. Silence cannot be a way out. This matter should be investigated. We would like to hear from both the minister in question and the prime minister on this issue". Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari wanted to know the government's stand during "India's Harvey Weinstein moment." BJP leaders, however, were seen dodging pointed question about Akbar, who is on a foreign tour right now in his capacity as Minister of State for External Affairs. Akbar's senior in the ministry, Sushma Swaraj, usually known for her crisp unflinching responses to media queries, also evaded a response. She was seen walking away as a journalist tried to get a response from her. While BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to answer questions related to the journalist-turned-politician, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani said that it was for Akbar to respond to the charges. Irani, however, said that justice should be given to the "ladies who are speaking out". Union minister Uma Bharti also responded to the allegations against Akbar, saying that the "issue is of the times when he was not a part of the Central government," while adding that the matter is between Akbar and the women, and the government can say nothing on this. While Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi did not directly respond to the allegations against Akbar, she told a TV news channel Tuesday, "Men who are in positions of power often do this. And it applies to the media as well as to politics or senior personnel in companies." She said when women have started talking, their allegations should be taken seriously. "Women are scared to speak out because they think people would make fun of them and doubt their character but now when they are speaking out we should take action on each and every allegation," she said. Maneka has also written to the law ministry proposing to set up a panel of four retired Supreme Court judges to look into the allegations of sexual harassment that have surfaced in the #MeToo campaign. MJ Akbar, formerly the editor of Asian Age newspaper and now junior minister for external affairs, has been accused by several former female colleagues of sexual harassment during his time at various media organisations. With inputs from agencies Kejriwal's remarks came after Environment Minister Imran Hussain posted some photographs of rampant stubble burning, with an appeal to the Centre and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to 'urgently find long-term solutions' to crop burning New Delhi: With winter approaching, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday expressed his concern over stubble burning in neighbouring states and slammed the centre and state governments for their inaction despite incessant requests to solve the issue. Kejriwal tweeted: We have been pursuing with Central Haryana and Punjab govts, yet no concrete action has been taken. Farmers again helpless. The entire region including Delhi will again become gas chamber. People will again face difficulty in breathing. This is criminal. https://t.co/SDyXLTDvnc Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 12, 2018 His remarks came after Environment Minister Imran Hussain posted some photographs of rampant stubble burning on Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway with an appeal to the Centre and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to "urgently find long-term solutions" to crop burning. "It is extremely painful that despite repeated requests from the Delhi government, the Centre has still not convened meetings with the chief ministers and environment ministers of neighbouring states to find a permanent solution to this problem," Hussain wrote alongside the photographs on Twitter. An autorickshaw driver on Friday was robbed by two men, who threw petrol on him and set his hands on fire after trying to rob him in Bengaluru's Viveknagar Police station limits Posing as passangers, unknown assailants robbed an auto rickshaw driver and set him on fire in Bengaluru's Ejipura Circle area. A resident of Richmond Town, 30-year-old Mohammad Asif sustained burns to his left forearm, after two unknown assailants tried to rob him and later poured petrol on his hands and lit a match, The New Indian Express reported. The Deccan Herald quoted police sources as saying that the suspects boarded his autorickshaw in the guise of passengers around 1 am on Friday. After the duo threatened Asif to hand over cash and valuables, he gave them his wallet, which contained Rs 500. However, Asif followed them and later demanded the money back but they refused to do so. Asif got into a physical altercation with the muggers and managed to punch one of them. They took a bottle of petrol which they were carrying, poured it on him, lit a fire and fled. "Before leaving, they took out a bottle of petrol they were already carrying and poured it on Asifs hand and set it on fire. Asif managed to douse the fire. As per his statement, the two miscreants were aged between 25 and 30 and spoke in Tamil," police told The New Indian Express. A case has been registered in the Viveknagar police station. The police suspects that the duo stole petrol from vehicles. Four people, including a woman, have been left injured after a bomb blast in Fancy Bazar and Pan Bazaar areas, near Shukleshwar Ghat in Assam's Guwahati. Four people, including a woman, have sustained injuries after a low-intensity blast occurred near Fancy Bazar and Pan Bazaar areas in Shukleshwar Ghat of Assam's Guwahati. The explosion took place at a construction material dump in the Pan Bazar area when the four passersby, including a woman, were injured around 11.45 am, ANI reported. #Guwahati: Around 11:45 am, an explosion occurred at the river front. Preliminary investigation rules out any sabotage activity. Bomb disposal squad is present at the spot, further investigation is underway: Joint CP Diganta Borah pic.twitter.com/rr7UQqUynt ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 According to The New Indian Express, preliminary reports said that the explosion damaged a boundary wall along the Brahmaputra riverside and debris was scattered on the adjoining pavement and main road. The police have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation, according to Times Now. "We don't suspect it to be a bomb explosion as there were no splinters found and the injuries were due to stones hitting them," said DCP Ranjan Bhuyan who is at the site. We are yet to identify the injured. Their condition is serious and they have been rushed to Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, police sources told The Times of India. The police had issued an alert on Thursday and tightened security in the run-up to the Durga Puja. With inputs from PTI Desai was speaking to a Malayalam TV channel in Mumbai. Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst strong sentiments against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women in the 10 to 50 age group into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, gender equality activist Trupti Desai said on Saturday that she was still determined to visit it. "We will announce a date very soon to visit the Sabarimala Temple as the apex court has upheld the fundamental rights of women... There should be no attempt to stop us because we now have equal rights," Desai said, while speaking to a Malayalam TV channel in Mumbai. She has played a major role in opening up to women shrines like Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah that were hitherto closed to them. Reacting sharply to the remarks of the activist who is also the founder of the Pune-based Bhumata Brigade, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president PS Sreedharan Pillai said that Desai should not challenge the emotions and feelings of the devotees of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. "In the best interest of all, she should not venture out to challenge the feelings of thousands of devotees who have taken the apex court ruling as a shock...," Pillai, who is leading a march in protest against the 28 September ruling to the state capital from Alappuzha, told the media on Saturday. Rahul Eashwar, a member of the Sabarimala tantric family requested Desai to desist from coming to the temple. "We will be staging a protest in true Gandhian style if there is any attempt to break the traditions and culture of the temple. We request her to pray in other Ayyappa temples in the state and not at the Sabarimala temple," Eashwar told the media. The temple doors will open on 18 October for its routine monthly pujas. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government and the Travancore Devasom Boardthe custodian of the templeBoardhave ruled out filing a review petition against the apex court's order, saying that they would abide by the ruling. The Left Democratic Front, led by the CPM, has also decided to launch counter-political rallies across the state, against the stand of the Congress-led Opposition, the BJP and other Hindu organisations who are demanding an ordinance to be floated to counter the apex court ruling. The women's wing of the BJP, Mahila Morcha, will also stage a special prayer protest session starting on 17 October at the various entry points of the Sabarimala Temple. Lathika Subash, president of the Kerala Mahila Congress, on Saturday pleaded with all those are trying to break the traditions of the Sabarimala, not to attempt to visit the temple. "The Congress party has always kept out religion from politics and hence we request nothing should be done to affect the feelings of the devotees," said Subash. Meanwhile, the Sabarimala tantri family has filed a review petition against the apex court order, requesting that there should be no dilution of the traditions of the temple. The apex court will hear the petition on 28 October. 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. As the Election Commission of Jammu and Kashmir conducted the third leg of the four-phased municipal elections on Saturday, one thing becomes clear: Conducting urban and local body elections in the conflict-ridden state will remain a herculean task. As the Election Commission of Jammu and Kashmir conducted the third leg of the four-phased municipal elections on Saturday, one thing becomes clear: Conducting urban and local body elections in the conflict-ridden state will remain a herculean task. Though successive governments have faced this problem since the 1990s, inspiring confidence and coaxing voters out of their homes was more difficult for the BJP-led central government this time as the two major regional parties Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference opted to stay away from the polls. Days before the elections, the state witnessed a major political shift when many of the NC workers, including spokesperson Junaid Mattoo, left the party to contest the polls, which were being held after 13 years. Political analysts believe this could be NCs backdoor move to put up proxy candidates so as to avoid threats to their lives from militants, while the party stuck to its stand of boycotting elections. Threat to life On 5 October, three days before the first phase of the polls, two NC workers were gunned down by militants in broad daylight in Srinagar. It is believed that Nazir Ahmad and Mushtaq Ahmad both close aides of local NC MLA from Habbakadal Shamima Firdous were attacked since they were backing the municipal elections. However, Firdous alleged that the BJP-RSS were involved in the killing. Denying such allegations, the BJP said the NC was making such statements out of desperation. The first phases of the elections were rife with threats and boycott calls from separatists as well as mainstream parties. The Valley witnessed a turnout of only 8 percent. The turnout was an indicator of the fear that locals live with. Muzaffar, a resident from one of the districts that went to polls during the first phase, said, "It is just another bandh. There is nothing called elections here. If we go for polls, we will be killed. The government cannot provide round-the-clock security." Despite attempts like changing poll timings and advancing it by an hour, the poll percentage dipped further in the second phase when only 3 percent of the electorate turned to the polling station in the Valley. The voter turnout percentage in terror-hit areas of the Valley is likely to go down still as militants on Friday night gunned down a 'follower' working with Jammu and Kashmir police in Sopore. (A follower is a personnel who is deployed as an assistant of police officers.) The BJP, which is likely to benefit by the NC-PDP boycott call, is hopeful of a relatively better turnout in the Valley in Phase 3. While 350 BJP candidates are contesting in 600 municipal wards in 10 districts of the Kashmir, around 60 have already won the elections unopposed. "One thing is very clear, Jammu and Kashmir doesnt mean one or two districts. It includes 22 districts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh province. The voting percentage in Jammu and Ladakh are self-explanatory, state BJP Chief Ravinder Raina said. "The low turnout in the Valley is due to the fear psychosis that the militants have created among locals. Our forces will soon wipe them out and their so-called fear psychosis. Any attempt to destabilise democracy will be given a befitting reply," he added. According to the state Election Commission, 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the 1,145 wards in 79 municipal bodies of Jammu and Kashmir. Official figures shared by the Election Commission indicate that 244 candidates have won unopposed. A senior Election Commission official said that only 13 among the 244 are from Jammu region and the rest (231) are from the Valley. While 78 candidates won unopposed in phase 1, 65 candidates made through in phase 2, 49 in phase 3 and 52 in the last phase of Municipal Elections. In 177 wards, not even a single candidate contested the poll. These wards are concentrated in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla and Bandipore districts. These are also the areas most affected by militancy. In Pulwama district's Awantipora town, 11 out of 13 seats found no candidate whereas two were elected uncontested. In hometown of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, four candidates were elected uncontested whereas nine seats didn't have even a single candidate. These areas have always been influenced by the parties that have maintained an anti-establishment stance against the Centre. Before its alliance with the BJP, the PDP was the hero for residents of these districts. In the 2014 general elections, the PDP had a clean sweep in the Valley by winning all the three Lok Sabha seats. In the Assembly elections in 2014, out of the total 46 seats in the Valley, the PDP had won 25 seats whereas the NC had won 12 seats. The Congress had won four while Sajjad Gani Lone's JKPC had won two seats. With external forces such as Pakistan-backed militants and separatist in the Valley, the people of this region largely harbour secessionist sentiments and want Kashmir to be an autonomous entity associated with neither India nor Pakistan. The author is a Jammu-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com. The Marathwada region of Maharashtra may face severe drought conditions in the coming months, due to a 37 percent deficit in the monsoon. The Marathwada region of Maharashtra may face severe drought conditions in the coming months, due to a 37 percent deficit in the monsoon. Farmers have already lost a major portion of their kharif crops, and have no hopes from the rabi crops, due to the lack of water. People in the region are also facing a scarcity of drinking water. This year, Marathwada received 63 percent rainfall. Thus, the water reservoirs in the region have only been filled to the extent of 26.4 percent, as per statistics from the water resources department procured on 11 October. In comparison, last year, water reservoirs were filled to the extent of 66.39 percent. Marathwada has 965 dams, including 45 major ones. At the beginning of the kharif season, farmers sowed on time in June after a good spell of rain, and were expecting a good harvest. However, they later suffered heavy losses due to a dry spell from mid-July to August. Later, some good spells of rain again gave some hope to cultivators. However, after the last week of August, there was very little rainfall, which led to lower agricultural production. Although the monsoon has withdrawn from Maharashtra, the administration still hopes for some more rainfall. According to the state revenue department, out of 8,533 villages in Marathwadas eight districts, 2,958 villages have recorded agricultural production which is less than 50 percent of the expected amount. However, farmers say that the actual number of such villages is greater. At the beginning of October, most of the water from dams and lakes in the region has already been reserved for drinking purposes. Authorities have imposed a ban on using water from these sources for agriculture. Local administrations are also removing water pumps from rivers, dams and lakes in an effort to save water till the next monsoon. The district of Latur is facing a water scarcity, with the city getting drinking water only once a week. J Srikant, the collector of Latur, has already announced that all water reservoirs in the district are reserved for drinking purposes, and farmers will not be able to pump water for farming. He also announced that action would be taken against those who pump water for farming. The administration will also not allow pumping out of water from private wells that are near public water reservoirs. Thus, farmers have few expectations from the rabi season. Many farmers have sowed sugarcane, but availability of water will be a problem. Drinking water scarcity Residents of Osmanabad city are also having to make do with water supply once in 15 days. Babasaheb Manohare, CEO, Osmanabad, said, Normally, the Ruibhar dam fulfils the water requirements of 30 percent of the city, but the dam is presently dry. As far as the Ujani dam is concerned, pumping water from it requires electricity, and there are frequent power cuts. Hence, we are not able to supply water regularly. Presently, at the close of the monsoon, over 178 villages depend on tankers for water, and 198 tankers supply water to these villages. According to officials, the situation will worsen during winter and subsequently, in summer. Meanwhile, farmers and political parties are demanding that the government should declare the presence of a drought situation. However, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, during a visit to the region on 10 October, said a statement about the situation in the region will be made on 31 October. He also said that the central government will make a decision on declaring a drought situation based on the new rules and regulations framed by the present government. Ajit Nawale of the Kisan Sabha, which is holding farmers meetings in Marathwada on the issue of droughts, said, The new rules made in 2016, about the declaration of a drought situation, are complex. According to them, various factors like rain, water resources, drinking water, fodder, humidity in soil, employment and migration are to be taken into account. This is a complex and lengthy process. Due to this, the government may not declare a drought in a certain place, although there may be reason for doing so. People in such areas will then not be entitled to government help. Yogesh Pande from the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana said, For most farmers, agricultural production has been less than 25 percent, although the state government has claimed that about half of the farmers have seen production of less than 50 percent. Fodder will be a major issue for animals. The government needs to accept that this is a drought, and start working on minimising the damage. If it does not do so, we will see people from Marathwada migrating towards cities or other places which have good water supply. Last week, journalist Sandhya Menon in a Twitter thread accused KR Sreenivas of sexually harassing her in 2008. Sreenivas has now submitted his resignation. KR Sreenivas, resident editor with The Times of India, has submitted his resignation following allegations of sexual harassment against him as part of the #MeToo campaign. A source from The Times of India confirmed to Firstpost that Sreenivas has resigned. The News Minute reported that Sreenivas, in his resignation letter, said he decided to take the step as he was being "targetted." Last week, journalist Sandhya Menon in a Twitter thread accused Sreenivas of sexually harassing her in 2008. She said that after a trial print run of the Bangalore Mirror, Late at night he offered to drop a few of us. I was living the farthest, so I was dropped last. I get to my house, we're chatting. He lays his hand on my thigh and goes, 'my wife and I have grown apart. She doesn't understand me.'" Menon said that when she approached the human resources department at that time, a woman who headed it had said that she had known him for a long time and it was unlikely that he would act in that way. Following the Twitter thread put out by Menon, at least seven women allegedly harassed by Sreenivas wrote a petition to the newspaper seeking action against him. In a statement on Twitter on 5 October, Sreenivas said, "The Times of India has said the charge would be investigated by its committee against sexual harassment. A highly empowered committee headed by a senior woman under this policy and under the law is in place to investigate and address all allegations. I submit myself to the investigation." 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. After undermining SAARC, Pakistan now wants to hijack the SCO for its geopolitical machinations. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states to jointly address the challenge of terrorism and promote regional connectivity during her address at the SCO's Council of Heads of Government (CHG). Speaking during the same SCO meeting, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi praised his country's largest and most effective counter-terrorism operations in recent years and offered to share Pakistans expertise in combating terrorism through SCOs Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Qureshis offer is as amusing as it is ridiculous. It needs to be recalled that this is the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of the SCO in June 2017, along with Pakistan. There is no doubt that SCO has opened for India huge possibilities for greater regional cooperation on countering terrorism while placating the conflict zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Most importantly, SCO has also offered a unique platform to construct sustained high-level engagement with Central Asian republics, while minimising the trust deficit with China and reinforcing the traditional cooperative engagement with Russia. At the same time, Indias entry into SCO has increased the groupings heft in regional geopolitics and trade negotiations. But as suspected, there are serious concerns that Pakistan will try hard to undermine the SCO, and force it to lose its focus. Qureshi suggested an SCO-wide mechanism to conduct trade along with a proposal to adopt an SCO wide visa regime for businessmen. He also suggested exploring the feasibility of a joint SCO airline. Actually, Qureshi represents a civilian government which is led by a leader who has risen to power on the shoulders of Pakistans security establishment. Imran Khan has been elected prime minister because of the militarys determination to get rid of Nawaz Sharif. Thus, Imran will be guided primarily by the militarys preferences on Pakistans relations with India and Afghanistan. Pakistans security establishments speciality is to slip deeply divisive and dangerous ideas inside a wrapping that is as genuine as possible. On the surface, Qureshis suggestions may seem attractive and positive, but they hide an ominous reality. What Qureshi will never disclose is that any diplomatic engagement that Pakistan seeks with India is part of a package deal that also includes State-sponsored terrorism. Through sheer propaganda and deception, Pakistan wants the whole world to believe that India is responsible for a lack of progress on conflict resolution as well as regional connectivity. New Delhi is projected as using its conventional military advantage to keep Pakistan weak. Anyone familiar with the geopolitics of South Asia can easily tell that the deepening crisis of credibility that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) faces today is primarily due to Pakistans intransigence and anti-India mentality. And India is not the only country which is having troubles dealing with Pakistan. Due to Pakistans constant interference, Afghanistan has witnessed political instability and internal fighting for the last four decades. But despite repeated attempts, the Afghan government has been unable to make a fresh beginning in its relations with Pakistan. And Islamabads ties with Dhaka have been in a state of deep freeze for a long time. It is time to call Qureshis bluff on his desire for enhanced regional trade and economic engagement. One needs to remember that India and Pakistan are signatories to the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) and Pakistan is the only country which has not implemented this agreement. But India is not shedding tears for SAARC; it is trying to deepen cooperation through the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) and reactivating the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) forum that brings the BBIN countries with Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. However, what is really worrying is that after undermining the SAARC, Pakistan now wants to hijack the SCO for its geopolitical machinations. Before offering to share Pakistans so-called expertise on counter-terrorism, why did Qureshi not state in the SCO meeting that a delegation of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) just told Pakistan to do more in order to get out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)? The group members found Pakistans legal framework insufficient and the institutional arrangements weak in the fight against terrorism. The delegation believes the set-up for scrutinising the activities of non-profit organisations, brokerage houses, exchange companies and donations of corporate entities was not robust. The cross-border movement of currency by the UN designated terror groups, including 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its affiliates was among the four key areas of concerns that became the base for placing Pakistan on the FATFs grey list. In June, Pakistan was forced to make a high-level commitment to work with the APG and the FATF to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime by implementing the action plan. Without successful implementation of the plan and its verification, Pakistan cannot be removed from the grey list. Being on the grey list will surely hurt Pakistans economy as well as its international standing since it faces the risk of being downgraded by multilateral lenders such as the IMF, the World Bank and the ADB. Before offering his wisdom about the SCO-wide trade connectivity, why dud Qureshi not inform the SCO gathering that his country has not allowed Indian goods to be transported to Afghanistan through its territory? On the sidelines of the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment held in Mumbai last month, United States ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass reportedly said: Increased trade in both directions, increased connectivity through central and South Asia through Afghanistan: those are all missed opportunities if Pakistan has its sole focus on perpetuating the status quo. Not only the US, but Russia has also stressed the need to open up land routes between Central and South Asia. It is about time Pakistan seriously thought allowing transit trade between Afghanistan and India. Without reorienting its thinking from geo-security to geo-economics, Pakistan cannot hope to reap economic benefits arising out of SCO. Leaving strategic manoeuvrings behind, Pakistan should take concrete steps to position itself as a regional trade and transit hub by facilitating Indias land connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia. This will offer Pakistan huge economic benefits, while fostering genuine economic interdependence between India and Pakistan. Surely, this is the only shortcut to Pakistans long-term economic survival and political success. But this requires serious internal debate and subsequent transformation of Pakistans founding vision. And todays Pakistan seems utterly incapable of doing that. In the meeting with HAL employees in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi will ascertain the company's views and concerns on the company not getting the Rafale contract. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will meet working and retired employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bengaluru on Saturday in a bid to garner support against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's controversial Rafale aircraft deal with France. "Rahul will meet and interact with about 100 working and retired employees of HAL at Minsk Square facing its corporate office in the city centre on Saturday evening to ascertain their views and concerns on the company not getting the Rafale contract," party's state unit spokesman Ravi Gowda told IANS. The city police have allowed the party to conduct the meeting for about 90 minutes from 3.30 pm onwards in the Square circle where a replica of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, built by HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF), is showcased for the public. "Rahul wants to know firsthand how the HAL employees feel about losing out the Rafale contract and how the company would make up for the loss of offset orders from the French aerospace major (Dassault Aviation)," Gowda said. The meeting comes even after HAL issued a veiled threat to its employees about interacting with politicos. In a press release, HAL said all employees' unions must exercise restraint and ensure they don't become part of any controversy, The Times of India reported. However, HAL's code of conduct is not applicable to retired employees. "As the employment rules and service conditions do not apply to the retired personnel, we have no say in their meeting with Gandhi. Regarding working employees, some of them may meet him as union members of the HAL Employees Association," an official told IANS. Earlier, HAL had denied knowledge of any such meeting. "There is no communication on Rahul Gandhi's meeting with the HAL employees in Bengaluru," Gopal Sutar, chief of media communications at HAL, told reporters on Thursday. Following Sutar's announcement, Rao tried to clarify that Rahul will not be meeting HAL staff exclusively. Rao told ANI that the Congress chief will be attending an event in Bengaluru, which has been organised to discuss HAL's contribution to India. "It is not that Rahul Gandhi is coming to meet HAL employees. It is about HAL's contribution to India and on this topic there is going to be a discussion. In this program anyone can participate, ex-HAL employees, HAL employees, people interested in HAL developments or who have faith and pride in the company, can participate," he was quoted as saying by ANI. The Deccan Chronicle reported that Rahul will also address a Congress party workers rally in the city. It will be a quick visit, he will fly down to Bengaluru, head straight to the HAL employees meeting and then address party workers," KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said. The Congress, which has been accusing the government of "benefiting the Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani" from the deal, has also been demanding answers to why the state-run aerospace major was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA's tenure at the Centre. "HAL was given the Rafale contract to generate jobs. HAL had 70 years of experience, Anil Ambani had 10 days," Rahul had said. The Opposition party has been unrelenting in its attack on Modi and the shady dealings of the Rafale deal. They have previously accused the prime minister of snatching jobs of the people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Rahul had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. The BJP has dismissed all allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French president Francois Hollande on 10 April, 2015, in Paris. With inputs from PTI Devotees of Lord Ayappa held aloft placards and raised slogans against the SC ruling in the Sabarimala case, which they said was against culture and tradition. Coimbatore: Over 5,000 devotees of Lord Ayappa, mostly women, took out a procession in Coimbatore on Friday protesting the Supreme Court ruling, allowing women of all ages to offer prayers at the hill shrine in Sabarimala. They held aloft placards and raised slogans against the ruling, which they say was against culture and tradition. The procession was organised by Coimbatore Sree Ayappa Seva Sangham. Later, the devotees squatted in the middle of a road and sang bhajans for a while. Former BJP MP and chairman of coir board CP Radhakrishnan was among those who took part in the protest. Neighbouring Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the LDF government's decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. On 28 September, a five-judge constitution bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. Three Kashmiri students of the Aligarh Muslim University have been booked for sedition for allegedly raising 'anti-India' slogans and trying to hold a prayer meeting for Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Bashir Wani, who was killed in an encounter in north Kashmir, officials said Friday. Aligarh: Three Kashmiri students of the Aligarh Muslim University have been booked for sedition for allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans and trying to hold a prayer meeting for Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Bashir Wani, who was killed in an encounter in north Kashmir, officials said Friday. Senior Superintendent of Police, Aligarh, Ajai Sahni said police took the action after a video surfaced showing the three Kashmiri students raising "anti-India" slogans. "Police have filed an FIR against Wasim Malik, Abdul Mir and one unnamed person. They have been identified on the basis of a video recording," he said. AMU spokesman Shafay Kidwai said that show cause notices have been issued to nine students for trying to hold an unauthorised gathering Thursday. A three-member inquiry committee has been set up to probe the incident. It will submit a report in the next 72 hours, he said. The three were suspended from the AMU earlier. Some AMU students from Kashmir had Thursday gathered near Kennedy Hall on the campus to hold funeral prayers for Wani, following which the varsity staff and students' union rushed to the spot and tried to stop them, Kidwai said Friday. A heated exchange erupted between students' union leaders and the Kashmiri students and they finally moved out of the area, Kidwai said, adding three Kashmiri students were suspended for trying to hold the "unlawful" gathering. He said the university has made it clear that it has a zero tolerance policy for any act which could even remotely be described as anti-national. AMUSU president Faizul Hasan told PTI that he had always championed the cause of freedom of speech but any act of treason or terror was unacceptable to the union. He said they will not allow the university to be defamed by any person who indulges in such unlawful activity. Meanwhile, BJP lawmaker from Aligarh Satish Gautam said those trying to hold a prayer meeting for Wani on the AMU campus should be expelled. The 27-year-old Wani, who quit PhD studies in Allied Geology and joined the militant ranks in January this year, was killed at Shatgund village in the Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district during the encounter on Thursday. Amidst strong sentiments against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women in the 10-50 age group into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, gender equality activist Trupti Desai said on Saturday that she was still determined to visit it. Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst strong sentiments against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women in the 10-50 age group into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, gender equality activist Trupti Desai said on Saturday that she was still determined to visit it. "We will announce a date very soon to visit the Sabarimala Temple as the apex court has upheld the fundamental rights of women... There should be no attempt to stop us because we now have equal rights," Desai said while speaking to a Malayalam TV channel in Mumbai. She has played a major role in opening up to women shrines like Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah that were hitherto closed to them. Reacting sharply to the remarks of the activist who is also the founder of the Pune-based Bhumata Brigade, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President PS Sreedharan Pillai said that Desai should not challenge the emotions and feelings of the devotees of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. "In the best interest of all, she should not venture out to challenge the feelings of thousands of devotees who have taken the apex court ruling as a shock...," Pillai, who is leading a march in protest against the 28 September ruling to the state capital from Alappuzha, told the media on Saturday. Rahul Easwar, a member of the Sabarimala tantric family requested Desai to desist from coming to the temple. "We will be staging a protest in true Gandhian style if there is any attempt to break the traditions and culture of the temple. We request her to pray in other Ayyappa temples in the state and not at the Sabarimala temple," Easwar told the media. With due Respect - Trupti Desai & others will be stopped at #Sabarimala We will resist any invasion & #SaveSabarimala from being intruded by atheist & ultra feminists forces by Gandhian Prayer Resistance. We will guard Sabarimala for 125 Hours. Oct 17 - 22 . Swamy Saranam Rahul Easwar (@RahulEaswar) October 13, 2018 The temple doors will open on 18 October for its routine monthly pujas Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government and the Travancore Devaswom Board the custodian of the temple have ruled out filing a review petition against the apex court's order, saying that they would abide by the ruling. The Left Democratic Front, led by the CPM, has also decided to launch counter-political rallies across the state, against the stand of the Congress-led Opposition, the BJP and other Hindu organisations who are demanding an ordinance to be floated to counter the apex court ruling. The women's wing of the BJP, Mahila Morcha, will also stage a special prayer protest session starting on 17 October 17 at the various entry points of the Sabarimala Temple. Lathika Subash, President of the Kerala Mahila Congress, on Saturday pleaded with all those are trying to break the traditions of the Sabarimala, not to attempt to visit the temple. "The Congress party has always kept out religion from politics and hence we request nothing should be done to affect the feelings of the devotees," said Subash. Meanwhile, the Sabarimala tantri family has filed a review petition against the apex court order, requesting that there should be no dilution of the traditions of the temple. The apex court will hear the petition on 28 October . Delhi Police are scanning the CCTV footage of the bank to identify the accused New Delhi: A cashier was shot dead and three persons were injured after some unidentified people entered a bank in southwest Delhi's Dwarka on Friday and fled with over Rs 2 lakh, police said. Police were informed about firing at a Corporation Bank branch in Khaira village at 3.45 pm, they said. Six masked people entered the bank for committing loot and fired on the cashier Santosh Kumar (25). He and the other injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where Kumar was declared brought dead, they said. The accused fled on motorcycles and also snatched the pistol of the security guard, a senior police official said. Police are scanning the CCTV footage of the bank to identify the accused and teams have been formed to trace them, he said. The Miserable World I Reflected in a Response Letter by Limin Wang Oct. 13, 2018 I got a "No Units Available" email from 572 Eleventh Ave Apartments because I applied for public housing in NYC. Then, in a few days, its regular mail arrived, with extra information about Violence Against Women Act and family courts information. My outrage and desperation were quite obvious in the following email response to them, although I have held a lot of facts not disclosed yet. October 9, 2018 Hello, I got a regular mail copy of this rejection letter which also started to talk about "Violence Against Women Act". Then, I will take this initiation to talk about my miserable injured slave situation here. When I applied for this public housing in year 2017, it's because the adversary organization and individuals were using the so-called illegal conversion of a private residence's ground floor to evict the tenants me and my family. My slavery wage in 2017 was factually around $34,000, and the family member size was 4. On Jan 16, 2018, I fell as a victim to a premeditated murder in the workplace B.Q. Wide Auto Body Parts Supply, Inc (109-35 178th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433) due to a fall from a broken ladder owned and maintained by the employer. The aftermath was quite a struggle to find a physician either through the Medicaid insurance or through a Workers' Compensation Board. The employer and the WC insurance were wielding their wanton power to deny the premeditated murder as not even a Workers' Compensation case. After I got a lawyer involved, the WC case was established, but my recovery in health and in compensation has always been a struggle. This family of size 4 had been relied all on my slavery work in the past years. My wife and the two children's biological mother Li Li has been a tool to outside evils. Years ago, Li Li was working outside to earn income for the family, but she was having very difficult time working outside. Then in Aug 2014, Li's biological sister Chunling Li cheated on me and my two children to bring Li Li out of this family and technically kidnapped Li at her place and under her control. Li Li was found by me and persuaded to come home in Sept 2014. But the human scums including Chunling Li kept viewing me as a harm to Li Li, and thus Li Li deserted home once again in Nov 2014, while I was taking a full-time and over-time labor job outside. I worked as a slave, with the public humiliation of a running-away wife, and as a father to raise the two young children. Li Li, to my and the children's limited knowledge about Li's disgraceful >1/2 year of desertion, was not working while she was not under the family's "harm". Li Li was just reading and writing garbage while paying a hefty rent for a tiny room in a basement of a residential house. When I was suddenly fired from the job in July 2015, Li Li was pushed out from that hideout place about a week earlier and then moved to a tiny room in an attic with a rent of $500/month at a NYC realty businessman. I was able to get in contact with Li Li, because she still acted as if she still cared about the children's welfare. I regret now deeply and greatly I persuaded Li Li to come back home, because Li Li had been turned into a totally different person during her staying outside: a seemingly psychiatric woman with no capability to work outside to earn money or stay calm to help inside the family. I always have sympathy for the suppressed and the suffered, because I have long been one of them. But, Li Li's more than three years' everyday erratic behavior and talk was too destructive to me and the two children. If somebody thinks Li Li as a victim of domestic violence, please take Li Li away from me. If any of the two children would be persuaded by misinformation to go with Li Li, please do so. And that somebody, please teach Li Li to find her way to struggle on her own to survive in the animal world, not to live as a tumor on the marriage and the husband by creating domestic turmoil in the first place. I need to fight all the adversaries in the slavery animal world for a survival, although the foreseeing is quite dim. I am a genuine victim of the evil world: bitter slavery under employment, broken family under poverty, and attempted murders on my life because of my real experiences and public advocacies. Thanks for your attention. Limin Wang A woman killed herself in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur allegedly after tying the hands and legs of her four children and setting them ablaze following a dispute with her husband, Banda: A woman killed herself allegedly after tying the hands and legs of her four children and setting them ablaze following a dispute with her husband, police said Saturday. Three of the children died and one child is battling for life, they said. The incident took place Friday afternoon in Amgaav village in neighbouring Hamirpur district in the Raath Police Station area. Superintendent of Police (Hamirpur) Hemraj Meena said, "There was a dispute between 28-year-old Premwati alias Sukho and her husband. After this, she tied hands and legs of her children seven-year-old Sapna, five-year-old Prashant, three-year-old Sneha and one-year-old Divyansh and sprinkled kerosene on them and set them ablaze. After this she also set herself on fire." Meena said Divyansh died on the spot and Sapna died at the community health centre. Premwati, Prashant and Sneha were referred to Jhansi Medical College where Premwati and Sneha died, he said. Prashant is currently undergoing treatment and is in a critical condition, he said. The SP said the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination, and instructions were issued to probe the matter. A woman was gangraped allegedly by five persons, including an acquaintance of the victim, in Gujarat's Kutch district, police said. Gandhidham: A woman was gangraped allegedly by five persons, including an acquaintance of the victim, in Gujarat's Kutch district, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in Kotda Jadodar village in Nakhatrana taluka on Wednesday, an official said. A 40-year-old married woman from Moti Virani village in Nakhatrana was offered a lift in a car by Mohan Ahir, a man known to her, police said. "The accused offered to take her to Mata no Madh temple but instead took her to a shopping complex in Kotda Jadodar village, and along with four other friends, raped her," the official said. She managed to escape and filed a complaint with Nakhatrana police station on Saturday, he said. Efforts were on to nab Ahir and the other four accused, he said. Kollam Thulasi, actor and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter made the remark at an NDA rally in Kerala's Kollam city. Kerala has witnessed several protests since the Supreme Court allowed entry of all women in Sabarimala temple. An FIR was registered against South Indian actor Kollam Thulasi for making derogatory and violent speech against women. The actor had said on Friday that women coming to Sabarimala temple should be ripped in half, ANI reported. According to reports, the Malayalam actor has been booked under two sections of the Indian Penal Code in the Chavara police station in Kollam, for abusing women and provoking violence on religion lines. Thulasi, who was addressing a gathering in Kerala's Kollam city, added: "One half should be sent to Delhi. The other half should be thrown to Chief Minister's Office in Thiruvananthapuram," ANI further reported. Thulasi, a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made the remark at an NDA rally, India Today reported. The Week reported on Saturday that Thulasi issued an apology. "I spoke to a couple of elderly women outside the protest venue before making the speech. It was their comments that I inadvertently spurt out during my speech. I understand I made a mistake and I unconditionally apologise for the same," the report quoted him as saying. Earlier Friday, members of the Opposition Congress and BJP in Kerala staged demonstrations to express solidarity with Ayyappa devotees even as the CPI, the key partner in the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front, said there was an attempt to "politicise" the Supreme Court order on Sabarimala, PTI reported. The Supreme Court on 28 September ruled that women will be allowed entry into Lord Ayyappa's Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The apex court allowed women access to the iconic temple, with the constitutional bench headed by former CJI Dipak Misra saying that rules put in place by the temple administration violated articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution. Following the apex court's verdict, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government, the board, and several right-wing activists said they would not file review petitions against the order. Since the verdict, Kerala has seen a spate of protests from various groups. Congress moral turpitude is the inevitable result of a party that has long treated power as its entitlement, and now appears to be struggling outside its trappings. It is no secret that Indian National Congress is going through a severe crunch of funds and has been forced to take a slew of austerity measures. The interesting bit is how the Rahul Gandhi-led party is gaslighting on transparency and outreach to make a virtue out of necessity. To be sure, paucity of resources is not a crime. It is an indication of Congress altered political fortunes. Congress was at its lowest ebb when it relinquished power at the Centre in 2014. Since then, its national footprint has steadily eroded. The party is in power now in just three states (Karnataka, Punjab, and Mizoram), down from 15 in 2013. It shares power with JD(S) in Karnataka and rules Punjab, which barely qualifies as a big state. In terms of raising funds, which is easier when a party is in power, Meghalaya and Mizoram are almost inconsequential. Unsurprisingly, the party is facing an acute financial crisis. Congress has also not helped its cause by taking a strident anti-business stance. Rahuls habitual slandering of big business could be political opportunism to position himself as pro-poor but it has led to an erosion of trust among captains of industry on Congress presidents ability to lead instead of just being a disruptive influence. Not surprisingly, corporate donations have dried up. We dont have money, Divya Spandana, who leads the Congress social media department, was recently quoted as saying by Bloomberg. The partys income slumped to Rs 2.25 billion rupees, a drop of 14 percent from previous year while BJPs coffers swelled to Rs 10.34 billion in the same period. The Bloomberg report also quoted Carnegie senior fellow Milan Vaishnav as saying, Headed into 2019, the BJP has a decisive fundraising advantage, not least because the Congress and other key regional parties are seen as less business-friendly. Elections in India are expensive affairs. Congress needs money, and quickly. The party hopes to tide over this cash crunch in two ways: by tightening its belt and crowdsourcing its funds. Accordingly, office-bearers have been asked to minimise travel expenses (taking trains instead of airplanes, for instance, or settle for the cheapest flight if train fares are higher), MPs have been urged not to seek travel allowances and party workers have been instructed to take a haircut on everything, including use of vehicles, canteen expenditure, computer peripherals, electricity usage and even newspapers. The party also hopes to raise at least Rs 500 crore through its crowdfunding programme Lok Sampark Abhigyan that began on 2 October and will continue till 19 November. Congress eventually plans to make it an annual affair. According to reports, the party has identified one crore booth-level workers who will visit each home with vouchers containing receipts of Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to seek donations to tide over the partys fund deficiency vis-a-vis BJPs deeper pockets. BJPs financial strength is complemented by its structural superiority. Taking a leaf out of BJPs book, Congress plans to turn its crowdfunding campaign into a multipurpose initiative where some aspects of BJPs election machinery will be copied. BJPs panna pramukh model, for instance, has inspired Congress into launching its Congress sahyogi programme where party workersin charge of each boothalong with collecting donations will also remain connected with families all through the year. They will conduct door-to-door campaign, create awareness among voters, rope in youngsters and create a database of community leaders, influential people and businessmen right from the booth-level up to the state-level prior to the general elections. There is nothing wrong with the Congress imitating its rival, provided it succeeds in pulling it off. It is good to see Congress shaking off its lethargy and showing some initiative in tackling BJP. A deviation from its trademark laissez-faire politics was long overdue. The problem with Congress, however, is that it appears unable to recognise the importance of integrity in political messaging. Theres nothing wrong in running out of cash. There is nothing wrong, once again, in reaching out to voters for donations. If anything, it may make the voters more invested in Congress. However, this gesture of probity and sincerity sits at odds with Congresss reflexive gaslighting. Its leaders, even while approaching the voters for funds, cannot resist indulging in fake moral posturing, with the result that the entire crowdfunding campaign that rests on virtue-signalling, comes crashing down. Sample a few comments from Congress leaders. According to Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot, Industrialists fear donating to Congress because of the politically motivated income tax raids. We will go door to door to ask for money and urge people to help us overthrow a dictatorial government. These are arrogant people who think they will rule for 50 years. Congress has fashioned its crowdfunding as BJPs cash power versus peoples power. The party evidently believes that paucity of funds has washed the scam taints off its face and it can now pose once again as a clean party, never mind if that cleanliness is forced by circumstances. Sachin Pilot, Congress CM-designate in Rajasthan, told news agency PTI Congress stands for transparency and transparent resource mobilisation and claimed in a video message that BJP has enough money, power and resources. They do not lack anything. The Congress believes in politics of principles and hence, we have got peoples love and trust and that is our biggest strength... It is a very righteous and utterly romantic way of rebranding a publicity stunt. Had Congress been so averse to corporate funding out of principle (and not necessity), it would have refused all forms of funding from industrialists when it was in power. A cursory look at the top 10 corporate contributors to Congress and BJP between fiscal 2004-05 and 2011-12 (during UPA-I and UPA-II) reveals Congress received as much corporate contributions, if not more, compared to the BJP during that period. The Aditya Birla Group, for instance, contributed Rs 36.4 crore to the Congress and Rs 26.6 crore to the BJP; The Tata Group donated Rs 10 crore to the Congress and Rs 6.9 crore to the BJP; Bharti Enterprises donated Rs 11 crore to the Congress while it gave the BJP Rs 6.1 crore. These figures clearly show that Congress was not averse to corporate money when it flowed in but started believing in politics of principle and peoples trust only when the funds dried up. Taking money from people isnt wrong, but Congresss sleight of hand lies in adopting a pseudo moralistic tone and window-dressing dire necessity to make it look like probity. The intellectual dishonesty inherent in this exercise exposes the moral decay within Congress. As for austerity measures, in 2013 when the Manmohan Singh government and finance minister P Chidamabaram were mulling austerity measures to boost Indian economy amid a global economic slowdown, it turned out that the UPA spent Rs 21 lakh from public exchequer to celebrate its fourth anniversary at a dinner party thrown by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 22 May at his 7 Race Course Road residence. Information accessed by The Economic Times under the RTI Act showed that celebrations cost the exchequer Rs 20,61,359. This included tentage charges of Rs 11,15,819, catering charges of Rs 6,30,874, electricity charges of Rs 3,03,770 and flower arrangement charges of Rs 10,896. For the 300 guests who attended the event, that works out to Rs 6,871.20 per head. So much for austerity! Congress moral turpitude hasnt come about in a vacuum. It is the inevitable result of a party that has long treated power as its entitlement, and now appears to be struggling outside its trappings. It seems to have lost the ability to even sound sincere without appearing flippant. Congress did not concede to Mayawatis demands because it would have conveyed the impression that it lacks the confidence to win on its own in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh even with the BJP encumbered by 15 years of anti-incumbency Political pundits will have us believe that the Congress' failure to stitch a broad alliance of Opposition parties will render difficult its task of winning the forthcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. In case the Congress is unable to win at least two out these three states, they say, it would besmirch the leadership credentials of its president, Rahul Gandhi, and raise serious doubts about his ability to cobble together an Opposition front to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Such a dire analysis ignores the real significance that the Assembly elections have for the Opposition parties it is their last chance to gauge the relative strength of each other before they enter into negotiations to craft an electoral alliance against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Viewed from this perspective, the Congress' decision to go solo in the three states is paradoxically conducive for Opposition unity. As of now, there are three basic drivers of Opposition politics. One is the belief that anti-incumbency has set in against the Modi government. Its strength, though, is debatable, which brings into play the second driver the best possibility of dislodging the Modi government in 2019 is through an alliance in every state. Which party gets how many seats will depend on its proven electoral strength, which is also the third driver of Opposition politics. Barring two parties, the Opposition is a medley of regional outfits that have a footprint in just one state. One of the two exceptions is the Congress, which, regardless of having shrunk, commands a national identity and pockets of influence countrywide. The other is the Bahujan Samaj Party it is a significant player in Uttar Pradesh and also boasts of a sizeable vote share in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where it can become a factor behind a party failing to win. The BSPs strength lies in its ability to pull in the votes of Dalits, who, like Brahmins, are a social group with a pan-India presence. On paper at least, a Congress-BSP alliance could have been formidable in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. For such an alliance to fructify, it was imperative for the BSP to make a demand for reasonable number of seats. This is because the three states are just a few in which the Congress can hope to win on its own. Regardless of losing them over the last 15 years, its hope in the three states continues to kindle because the electoral contests there are bipolar. Consequently, the Congress will not want a third party to emerge in the three states to undermine its future prospects there. Once relegated to the third spot, the Congress tends to slip into some kind of terminal decline. Think Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. But BSP leader Mayawati, quite clearly, sought to exploit the Congress' desperation for significant victories before the 2019 polls to reverse the decline of her own party. In Madhya Pradesh, the partys vote share dropped from 8.97 percent in 2008 to 6.29 percent in 2013. In Rajasthan, it vote share declined from 7.6 percent in 2009 to 3.37 percent in 2013. In Chhattisgarh, the BSPs 6.11 percent of votes in 2008 was halved five years later. For sure, BSP votes are concentrated in certain pockets that give it a heft for instance, in Matsya region of Rajasthan and Bundelkhand area in Madhya Pradesh. Yet this factor alone cannot justify Mayawatis demand for seats that were palpably disproportionate to her partys vote share. For instance, she is said to have demanded 50 seats in Madhya Pradesh on the basis of the 2013 vote share of 6.29 percent. This was an unreasonable demand because there was nothing to suggest an upswing in the BSPs fortunes in Madhya Pradesh since 2013. True, the Dalits of Madhya Pradesh have been assertive in recent months, as evinced during the 2 April bandh against the Supreme Court judgement diluting the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. But Mayawati does not have the same significance for Dalits in Madhya Pradesh as she has for them in Uttar Pradesh. Their alienation cannot automatically translate into votes for the BSP either in Madhya Pradesh or in Rajasthan. In fact, Mayawatis demand for seats was an attempt at crafting a win-win situation for herself. Had the Congress aligned with the BSP and given her even half or 20 the 50 seats she demanded in Madhya Pradesh, a victory for the alliance would have been credited to the BSP. A share in power would have overnight consolidated her Dalit vote bank as it happened in Uttar Pradesh in the decade following the demolition of the Babri Masjid. In such a scenario, the BSP could well have become the 'third front' in Madhya Pradesh and, more significantly, erode the Dalit base of the Congress. It could have consequently made the Congress dependent on the BSP for 2019 and even beyond. After having been turfed out from one state after another, the Congress will be chary that it should, for uncertain gains of today, weaken itself in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh for all times to come. Another significant factor behind the Congress decision not to concede to Mayawatis demand was the findings of its internal survey. It conclusively showed that the BSP is no longer a player in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress feels more apprehensive of Jai Adivasi Yuva Sangathan, Gondwana Gantantra Party, and SAPAKS (Samanya Pichhda Varg Alpsankhyak Karmachari Sangathan) Samaj Party, a bunch of anti-reservationists, chipping away at its votes than what it thinks the BSP can. In fact, the internal survey showed the Aam Aadmi Party could bag, depending on the candidates it fields, anywhere between three percent and six percent of votes the upper limit equal to the BSPs vote share of 2013. In Rajasthan, the Congress feels the wind is blowing so strongly for it that it made no sense to accommodate Mayawati. In a way then, Mayawatis demand for seats from the Congress was deliberately designed to fail. Her logic seems to have been that should the Congress fail to win Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan or even one of them, she can go to town, as will political pundits and psephologists, pointing to what the verdict could have been had the Congress and the BSP tied up. Only then will the Congress come under pressure before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to align with the BSP in states where it has a single-digit vote share. In other words, Mayawati did not wish to make it easy for the Congress to win without enhancing her gains. A weak Congress provides her scope to expand her Dalit base outside of Uttar Pradesh in the long run. Unreasonable demands dashed the possibility of an alliance and provided her the opportunity to blame the Congress for being communalist and casteist. Likewise, the Congress did not concede to Mayawatis demands because it would have conveyed the impression that it lacks the confidence to win on its own. It would have been a poor strategy to accept that it is weak in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh without ascertaining, through elections, that it can no longer win these states even with the BJP encumbered by 15 years of anti-incumbency. It could also have inspired its potential allies in other states to demand seats disproportionate to their strength. On the other hand, should it win Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on its own, it will enhance its bargaining power in negotiations for seats before the 2019 elections. More significantly, it will also enable the Congress to become the glue for Opposition unity and provide a national perspective to an alliance largely comprising regional outfits. Whether or not the Congress performs well in the Assembly elections, the failure of the Opposition to unite in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will make the business of forming an anti-BJP alliance less messy in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP and its allies won 73 out of 80 seats in 2014. A Congress-BSP alliance in the three states, and possible victories as a consequence, could have had made the two parties mount pressure on Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav into giving a larger share of seats to them. This possibility has receded for the time being. It will recede even further in case the Congress performs well in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Mayawati will then have to redefine her ambitions and concentrate on keeping the Congress out of Uttar Pradesh, where her fortunes have been on the downswing since 2008. It will push both Yadav and Mayawati to stick together. Regardless of what the pundits say, the Congress decision not to have an alliance in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will clarify to it and others its own strength and consequently facilitate Opposition unity, not diminish its possibility. AAP faces the challenge of answering questions raised by ex-party member Neil Terrance Haslam pertaining to alleged financial irregularities by Kailash Gahlot. While the Aam Aadmi Party has termed the recent income tax raids on premises linked to Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot as a conspiracy, it now faces the challenge of answering questions raised by former AAP member and whistleblower Neil Terrance Haslam. Haslam backs the income tax department's stand that the raids were conducted to investigate the routing of black money by companies run by the ministers family. He also said that recently, he had filed a complaint with the income tax department in this regard, after which the raids took place The whistleblower had earlier alleged that the AAP had received Rs 2 crores as donations through shell companies. Gahlot did not respond to multiple attempts by Firstpost to contact him to seek his response. The income tax department on Wednesday launched a 24 hour-long raid at 16 premises connected to Gahlot. Officials had said that the searches were being conducted as a part of a probe against two firms Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd and Corporate International Financial Services Limited linked to the minister As per records with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Corporate International Financial Services Limited is a non-banking financial corporation. Haslam alleges that a big chunk of funds of this company came from dubious companies, and the money was routed to the companies owned by Gahlot and his family as unsecured loans. It is a known norm that a bank or a non-banking financial corporation is not expected to lend money without adequate collateral. However, according to Haslam, this norm was not followed by Corporate International Financial Services Limited while handing out loans worth Rs 57.23 crores to the minister's family members and companies. He said, Kailash Gahlot and his family own 18 to 19 companies. If we analyse the balance sheet of Corporate International Financial Services Limited, we will see that from the financial year 2010-11 to 2014-15, unsecured loans were given to these companies and members of Gahlot's family. Can Gahlot explain why unsecured loans of such big amounts were handed out by the company?" According to the complaint submitted by Haslam to the income tax department, the company lent Rs 7.66 crore to 11 companies and individuals in 2010-11, and Rs 31.62 crore to 13 entities in 2011-12. In 2012-13, the company is said to have given unsecured loans worth Rs 35.38 crore to 13 entities. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, it is said to have given unsecured loans worth Rs 47 crore and Rs 57.23 crore to 15 and 14 companies respectively. Gahlot's name appears as one of the recipients of the unsecured loans in the last four financial years. According to Haslam's complaint, the minister received Rs 1.25 crore in 2011-12 and Rs 2.94 crore in 2012-13. The corresponding amounts in 2013-14 and 2014-15 are Rs 3.62 crore and Rs 1.34 crore respectively. Haslam alleged that a part of the money paid to the companies as unsecured loans came from shell companies, as proceeds received from sale of equity shares, which existed only on paper. He further claimed that the unsecured loans were handed out to legitimise black money. He said, The company's balance sheet shows that in 2011 and 2012, it sold equity shares worth Rs 32 crores to these companies. To legitimise black money, these were shown as unsecured loans to the companies linked to Gahlot and individuals related to the same family. The complaint further claims that in 2011, the company sold 1,98,900 shares to a number of companies at the rate of Rs 990. In 2012, 22,730 shares were said to have been sold to these companies. Similarly, Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd allegedly transferred Rs 6.22 crores to the personal account of Kailash Gahlot and his wife. Haslam alleged this was done to route black money garnered through selling of large number of shares to Gahlot's family and close associates. He also expressed suspicion that Corporate International Financial Services Limited fudged rent figures to evade tax. The company has never shifted from its address House No A-14 Masoodpur, Opposite Chopal, New Delhi and yet, rent has quadrupled in six years starting from 2011. This is quite abnormal, he said. He further explained, The amount of rent paid for the official premises has a direct bearing on the profits earned by a company in a year. The more the rent, the less is the profit, and also the tax. An abnormal increase in rent in a span of six years smacks of attempts to evade tax. Ashok Agarwal, an advocate in the Delhi High Court, says that as per the prevailing law in Delhi, a landlord is entitled to an increase of rent by 10 percent every year. However, this is often decided through mutual understanding between the tenant and the landlord. There is no law which bars a landlord from increasing rent exorbitantly if the tenant is ready to pay such an amount. Often, with the help of this loophole, it is possible for a person or a company to fudge the documents related to payment of rent, he added. At a press conference called after I-T sleuths raided 16 properties with links to Gahlot, AAP leader Atishi alleged that the Centre was blatantly using internal agencies such as the I-T department, Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Delhi Police to intimidate AAP. However, Haslam said, "The AAP should understand that such tactics are not going to work anymore. The party should answer the questions raised in my complaint. Jammu and Kashmir is polling for the third phase of election for civic polls today, but there is little hope of any change in the trend of low voter turnout in the Kashmir Valley as most of the wards fall in the separatist hotbed of downtown Srinagar and south Kashmir. Voting is underway for the third phase of Jammu and Kashmir local body polls, but there is little hope of any change in the trend of low voter turnout in the Valley as most of the wards fall in the separatist hotbed of downtown Srinagar and south Kashmir. The polling for the third phase started at around 6.05 am in all the 4 districts after the mock poll was conducted. Of the 40 wards going to polls on Saturday, 20 fall in Srinagar city's downtown area, where the voter turnout has been generally low since the eruption of militancy in the state in 1989. The wards in downtown Srinagar going to polls are Khanqah-e-Mualla, Maharajgunj, Jamia Masjid, Makhdoom Sahib, Khwaja Bazaar, Aqilmir Khanyar, Rozabal, Daulatabad, Islamyarbal, Nawab Bazaar, Nawa Kadal, Safakadal, Rathpora, Edigah, Palpora and Tarabal. Ten other wards in the civil lines area of the city, where polling will be held on Saturday, are Lal Chowk, Rajbagh, Ikhrajpora, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Chanapora, Budshah Nagar, Baghat Barzulla, Hyderpora and Rawalpora. The voter turnout, however, is expected to be high in 13 wards in the Uri area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district, which has traditionally been a high polling area. A similar trend might be seen in seven wards in the Mattan area of Anantnag district, which has a significant Kashmiri migrant population. Although 207 wards in the state were scheduled to go to polls in the third phase, polling is being held only in 96 wards 56 in Samba district in Jammu division and 40 in the Valley. Of the remaining 111, candidates were elected unopposed on 49 wards, while no one came forward to contest polls in 62 wards mostly falling in Pulwama and Anantnag district of south Kashmir. As many as 365 candidates are in the fray 242 for four municipal bodies in Samba district and 123 for Valley's four municipal bodies. The polling will conclude at 4 pm, officials said. Preparations for polling have in full swing. According to officials, a thick security blanket has been thrown around the polling stations, while security forces have been carrying out area domination exercises over the past couple of days for ensuring incident-free election. The National Conference, the PDP and the CPM have boycotted the polls due to the legal challenge to Article 35-A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court. The voter turnout in the first two phases of the civic polls in the Valley has been low. While 8.3 percent of the electorate turned up to vote in the 83 wards in the first phase on 8 October, the poll percentage fell to an abysmal 3.4 percent in the second phase held on 10 October. With inputs from PTI Nirmala Sitharaman said areas of continued violence and instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, as well as parts of West Asia and Africa, have functioned as incubators of virulent manifestations of terrorism. Paris: In a clear reference to cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the presence of terror infrastructure and state support to terrorists in the immediate neighbourhood are constantly testing India's patience, and New Delhi was exercising great restraint in dealing with it. In an address at the Institute of Strategic Research in Paris, she said concerted efforts are required to choke financing and supply of arms to the terror groups besides disrupting the recruitment and mobilisation of "foreign terrorists". She said both India and France have been victims of terrorism and that the French government was playing a unique role in combating the menace. The defence minister arrived in Paris on Thursday on a three-day visit with an aim to further bolster India-French strategic ties. She made a special mention about the continued presence of terrorist infrastructure and state support to terrorists in the immediate neighbourhood and that they are constantly testing India's patience, according to a release issued by India's defence ministry. Sitharaman said the current international security environment can be characterised as one of rapid change and uncertainty, with swathes of sustained instability and violence posing a grave challenge. "The persisting threat of terrorism, or what we in India as well as increasingly in Afghanistan too, more accurately refer to as cross-border terrorism, is a primary security threat," she said. She also said that the interplay between "states and non-state actors", that are often used as proxies to foment violence, has been having severe consequences. Sitharaman said areas of continued violence and instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, as well as parts of West Asia and Africa, have functioned as incubators of virulent manifestations of terrorism. This, she said, combined with the issue of foreign terrorist fighters and uncontrolled migration now pose a clear threat to the stability of wider Asia and Europe. Delivering her lecture on "India-France Defence Engagement in a Multipolar World", Sitharaman said her visit to Paris is a reaffirmation of India's commitment to the strategic partnership with France, especially in the critical areas of defence cooperation. "Under the new framework for the defence industry in India, we are hoping to meet our defence requirements within a framework of joint manufacturing and technology-driven partnerships," she said. Sitharaman said India presents a major opportunity for the French defence industry and that Indian government's 'Make-in-India' initiative opens doors for third country exports. She also talked about the growing India-France maritime cooperation, especially in the Indian Ocean region. The defence minister said such cooperation will be crucial in order to preserve the strategic interests and in maintaining the safety of international sea lanes for unimpeded commerce and communications in accordance with international law. "India has been constantly supportive of recent efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. "Developments in West Asia are of great significance for India. India has key stakes in this region, which accounts for 66 per cent of our energy requirements and is home to over eight million Indians," she said. Sitharaman said the conflict in this region threatens to expand beyond the internal situation in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya. Talking about India-France defence ties, she referred to sacrifice of 9,300 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives on French soil, fighting in the two world wars. The BJP and the Shiv Sena, have been in a strained relationship despite sharing power at the Centre and the state. The Shiv Sena has already announced that it would go solo for the polls. The BJP, on the other hand, is eyeing to forge an alliance with the Sena for the upcoming elections. Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has predicted that the BJP and the Shiv Sena may come together for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but not for the Assembly polls in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters in Mumbai on Friday night, Pawar also ruled out the possibility of the two elections being held simultaneously, saying the "situation has changed". The Centre has been toying with the idea of holding simultaneous elections for quite some time now. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for "widespread" debate on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies saying it would result in financial savings. "The BJP and the Shiv Sena may join hands for the Lok Sabha elections, but may not come together for the state Assembly polls," Pawar said. The BJP and the Shiv Sena, have been in a strained relationship despite sharing power at the Centre and the state. The Shiv Sena has already announced that it would go solo for the polls. The BJP, on the other hand, is eyeing to forge an alliance with the Sena for the upcoming elections. Questioning the credibility of EVMs, the NCP supremo called for the use of ballot papers in the polls. He said the Opposition parties may meet within 15 days to discuss the issue. Pawar reiterated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged Rafale scam. He recalled how the BJP, while in the opposition in the 1980s, had demanded a JPC to probe into the alleged Bofors scam. "That demand was fulfilled then," he said adding, "Therefore, the demand for a JPC to probe into the Rafale issue cannot be ignored now." By Trend OPEC spare capacity fell below 1.4 million barrels per day (b/d) in September, the lowest level since December 2016 when global oil inventory levels were much higher, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its October Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). "In June, members of OPEC, along with Russia, agreed to increase oil production levels to the original crude oil production target set in November 2016," said the report. " In the third quarter of 2018, OPEC members (other than Iran and Venezuela) increased crude oil production by more than the amount that crude oil production in Iran and Venezuela declined." However, according to EIA, recent price increases indicate that oil market participants have concerns about the ability of Saudi Arabia, other OPEC members, and Russia to continue to offset expected further production declines in Iran and in Venezuela. Increases in OPEC crude oil production to offset declines in Iran and Venezuela have resulted in declining OPEC spare crude oil production capacity, said the report. In December 2016, at a meeting of oil producers in Vienna, 11 non-OPEC member countries, including Azerbaijan, agreed to cut oil production by a total of 558,000 barrels a day. The agreement was concluded for the first half of 2017 and was extended until the end of the first quarter of 2018 at a meeting on May 25, 2017. At the last OPEC meeting in Vienna, the agreement was again extended until the end of 2018. Azerbaijan supported the decision. Reuters Chipmaker Broadcom Inc said on Friday it has obtained antitrust clearance from the European Union for its $19-billion deal to acquire software company CA Technologies Inc. Broadcom had on Wednesday said a memo, purportedly signed by the US Department of Defense and circulated among lawmakers calling for a review of the deal, was likely fake. The chipmaker said here it now expects the deal to close on 5 November, as the clearance from the EU was the last regulatory hurdle. Broadcom Inc had earlier in the year announced an $18.9 billion deal to buy US business software company CA Inc on Wednesday, venturing far beyond its realm of semiconductors and testing investors confidence in its Chief Executive Hock Tans dealmaking credentials. Indo-Asian News Service An April Fool's Day prank may soon see the light of day as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that a Tesla-branded tequila, called "Teslaquila", is "coming soon". Teslaquila first featured in an April Fool's joke in which Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Twitter that he had been found "passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by 'Teslaquila' bottles" as he joked about his electric car company going bankrupt. The tweet, it now turns out, was a teaser for Teslaquila, as according to a report in CNBC on Friday Tesla had filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Teslaquila". The trademark is for "distilled agave liquor" and "distilled blue agave liquor", the report said. Besides sharing a link to the CNBC report on Twitter with the message "Teslaquila coming soon ", Musk also later shared a photo of a "Teslaquila" label in a tweet. Tesla might have initially applied for this trademark in Jamaica back in April, the report said. Reuters Two leading U.S. lawmakers, both sharp critics of China, urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday to consider dropping Chinas Huawei Technologies from helping to build next-generation 5G telecommunications networks. Senators Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said they had grave concerns about the prospects of Huawei equipment in Canadas 5G networks on the grounds that it would pose dangers for U.S. networks. While Canada has strong telecommunications security safeguards in place, we have serious concerns that such safeguards are inadequate given what the United States and other allies know about Huawei, the lawmakers wrote in the letter to Trudeau. Warner and Rubio are on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A spokesman for Huawei did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Huaweis chips and equipment have faced scepticism in a number of developed countries, with Australia saying in August that it would ban Huawei technology from its 5G network. Huawei, the worlds largest maker of telecommunications network gear, criticized the Australian ban as politically motivated. The company has repeatedly denied engaging in intelligence work for any government. Indo-Asian News Service The collision of elements during the separation of the Soyuz rocket's first and second stages is the primary cause behind the booster failure that forced the two astronauts on board to abort the launch and make an emergency landing, the media reported. "There are no final versions but the primary cause is understandable and is related to the collision of a side element making part of the first stage," Sergei Krikalyov Executive Director for Manned Flights at Roscosmos, was quoted as saying by TASS news agency on 12 October. "A collision occurred during the separation of the first and second stages," the Krikalyov added. The Soyuz MS-10 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station (ISS) at 4.40 a.m. on 11 October with Russian Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague on board made an emergency landing after their rocket malfunctioned. According to NASA, there was an "issue with the booster" and the crew returned to Earth in a ballistic descent mode, which is a sharper angle of descent compared to normal. "A deviation from the standard trajectory occurred and apparently the lower part of the second stage disintegrated. The rocket stopped its normal flight and after that, the automatic system did its work," Krikalyov said. An element of the booster's first stage collided with the second stage. "This could have been caused by the failure of the system of the normal separation, which should have been activated. We will analyze the causes in detail," the Roscosmos official said. The results of the government probe into the causes of the Soyuz-FG rocket's failure will be available later this month, the report said. "The panel of inquiry got down to work yesterday. The results are expected after October 20. The first components found in Kazakhstan's steppe will help find out what happened. The necessary measures will be taken afterwards and flights will be continued," Krikalyov said. He added that all rockets of this class will be authorised for use again only when the causes of the failure were clear. By Costas Pitas and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May struggled on Friday to find consensus on a Brexit plan that would be acceptable to her ministers, her divided Conservative Party and the Northern Irish lawmakers who prop up her minority government. Brexit negotiations with the European Union have accelerated and become more positive over the past week, though significant hurdles remain, finance minister Philip Hammond said. 'What has happened over the last week, 10 days, is that there has been a measurable change in pace,' he told the BBC By Costas Pitas and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May struggled on Friday to find consensus on a Brexit plan that would be acceptable to her ministers, her divided Conservative Party and the Northern Irish lawmakers who prop up her minority government. Brexit negotiations with the European Union have accelerated and become more positive over the past week, though significant hurdles remain, finance minister Philip Hammond said. "What has happened over the last week, 10 days, is that there has been a measurable change in pace," he told the BBC. "But that shouldn't conceal the fact that we still have some big differences left to resolve," Hammond said. "So process is a lot more positive this week - substance still very challenging." With less than six months to go until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, its most momentous shift in foreign and trade policy for over four decades, May is seeking to rally support at home on the details of a divorce deal though it is unclear if she can win parliamentary approval. The Irish border "backstop", which seeks to avoid extensive checks on the frontier between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU state Ireland should the open border there not be maintained by a new, post-Brexit EU-UK trade partnership, is the biggest sticking point. The EU side has indicated progress on future management of the 500-km-long border but diplomats in Brussels signalled the lifespan of any such emergency frontier fix was still not agreed. Negotiators were also sparring over whether that would cover Northern Ireland or mainland Britain as well. "It would have to be finite, it would have to be short and it would have to be, I think, time-limited in order for it to be supported here," said Britain's Brexit minister, Dominic Raab. "What we cannot do is see the United Kingdom locked in via the backdoor to a customs union arrangement which would leave us in an indefinite limbo - that would not be leaving the EU," he said on Friday. The EU says a backstop must be "all-weather" and not have a specific cut-off date. Negotiators are looking for creative wording to square that circle. HIGH-STAKES SUMMIT They will go on through the weekend and diplomatic sources in Brussels expect Raab to come on Monday if there is a deal. EU advisers of the 27 member states staying on in the EU after Brexit are also due to meet in Brussels that day. The bloc's national leaders meet for a high-stakes summit on Wednesday, hoping to declare "decisive progress" in the divorce talks and announce another extra Brexit summit to finalise the deal, including an offer of close future ties with Britain. But for all the cautious positivity coming from the EU side, May's Northern Irish supporters vehemently oppose any post-Brexit checks between the province and the rest of Britain. The head of the Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, said May "could not in good conscience" agree to checks on goods being imported to Northern Ireland from Britain after Brexit. Under May's plan, the whole of the United Kingdom would forge a customs "partnership" with the EU after a transition period ends in December 2020 if the backstop is triggered. Some of May's ministers have urged a time limit on that. "The prime minister would never agree to a deal which could trap the UK in a backstop permanently," May's spokeswoman said on Friday. The Times newspaper reported that May could face further resignations by eurosceptic ministers in her cabinet unless she found a way to ensure the backstop was not permanent. In the worst-case scenario of Britain failing to agree any divorce deal, London warned that the single electricity market shared between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic may cease. Consumers may also no longer enjoy the protections they are used to when buying goods and services in the EU, it added. Britain warned on Friday that leaving the EU without a deal would mean drugmakers needing to stockpile experimental treatments in case of border delays. Professional qualifications from European nations may no longer be honoured. London has published more than 25 technical notices covering issues from consumer rights and sanctions policy to rail transport and taking horses abroad. It said it was working hard to mitigate risks in these areas in case of a no-deal. (Additional reporting by Kate Holton, Padraic Halpin and David Milliken in London, Gabriela Baczynska, Philip Blenkinsop and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels, Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Mark Heinrich) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. These measures are results of US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material and technology from US companies. Washington: The Donald Trump administration has said that it would sharply restrict exports of civilian nuclear technology to China that officials claimed was being diverted to power new generations of Chinese submarines, aircraft carriers and floating nuclear power plants. The move came a day after the Justice Department announced the arrest of a Chinese intelligence officer who was charged with stealing secret information from GE Aviation, one of the largest suppliers of jet engine. "The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures on Thursday. These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies. The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of military diversion and proliferation concerns. As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new licence applications or extensions to existing authorisations related to the China General Nuclear Power Group, which is currently under indictment for conspiring to steal US nuclear technology. "For decades, China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to gain nuclear advantage," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call. These efforts are necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the long-term risk to US national security and economic interests, as well as the immediate impact to the US nuclear industrial base, the Department of Energy said. "China is actively pursuing our advanced nuclear technology for diversion to military use in its third-generation nuclear power submarine, in the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in strategic dual-use nuclear-powered platforms, such as small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants deployable in the South China Sea," the official said. The official alleged that China was already using nuclear power on man-made islands it created in the South China Sea. "We know that they are developing platforms for use on these islands and for nuclear-powered icebreakers, also floating nuclear power plants, which give the potential for rapid deployment to any platform that it could be tethered to," the official said. In 2017, China imported nuclear technology worth $170 million from the US. The administration "carefully weighed" the economic impact, the official said. "We understand the US industry may suffer in the short term. We believe that in the long term, this policy will benefit the US and protect the American nuclear industry," the official asserted. The move appeared to be part of a more concerted effort by the administration to put new pressure on China beyond the tariffs that Trump has announced on Chinese goods, according to media reports. The Saudi critic has not been seen since he walked into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October Washington: US president Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned Washington would inflict "severe punishment" if he was murdered. The Saudi critic has not been seen since he walked into the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, with Turkish officials accusing Riyadh of murdering him inside the diplomatic mission. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes", according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday, when asked if Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi Arabia. The network said it will air the interview in full on Sunday evening. Trump added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter." But when asked what options Trump would consider, the president said he was not keen to limit arms sales to the kingdom: a position he has previously voiced. "Well, it depends on what the sanction is," he said. "I'll give you an example: they are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted that order. Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it. We got it, and we got all of it, every bit of it. He added: "I'll tell you what I don't want to do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, I don't want to hurt jobs. I don't want to lose an order like that. And you know what, there are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true." By Angel Krasimirov RUSE, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bulgarians queued silently at a church in Ruse on Friday to pay their last respects to Viktoria Marinova, the television journalist whose brutal rape and murder shocked the country and triggered debates over freedom of the press. The body of the 30-year-old Marinova, a host of a regional current affairs show at a local TV station, was found in a park near the Danube port of Ruse, her hometown, on Saturday. Police said she had been raped, beaten and strangled By Angel Krasimirov RUSE, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bulgarians queued silently at a church in Ruse on Friday to pay their last respects to Viktoria Marinova, the television journalist whose brutal rape and murder shocked the country and triggered debates over freedom of the press. The body of the 30-year-old Marinova, a host of a regional current affairs show at a local TV station, was found in a park near the Danube port of Ruse, her hometown, on Saturday. Police said she had been raped, beaten and strangled. A Bulgarian man, Severin Krasimirov, 20, was arrested in Germany over the killing, and German authorities said he would be extradited to stand trial in Bulgaria soon. Bulgarian prosecutors said no evidence indicated Marinova's death was related to her work. A random attack and sexual assault were the most likely motive, they said, although they were still investigating all possibilities. In her last aired show, Marinova featured investigative journalists and pledged to engage in similar work, which stoked fears about retribution against journalists exposing corruption. She is the third journalist to be killed in the European Union within a year. More than 500 grieving Ruse citizens, carrying red and white carnations and funeral wreaths, flocked to her funeral service at the Sveta Troitsa (Holy Trinity) Cathedral. People who knew her talked about her determination, responsibility and kindness, her charitable work and commitment to social causes such as support for disabled and disadvantaged children, about which she also reported. "Viktoria's death is a great loss for the whole city," Zornitsa Koleva, 48, said. "She was so kind and ambitious at the same time. We all need to be united and show that we will do our best to prevent this from happening again in Ruse." RAMPANT GRAFT The murder heightened emotions among Bulgarians frustrated by a lack of clear progress in fighting rampant graft. On Friday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the company at the heart of the investigation into alleged high-level corruption and misuse of EU funds that was featured on Marinova's show, should be taken out of all projects with EU aid and public financing. "My political will extends to that: to take out of the tenders anyone suspected in wrongdoing and is under investigation...I will not allow my name to be stained," he told reporters. Earlier on Friday, German authorities approved Krasimirov's extradition, which should happen within 10 days.. The suspect told German magistrates he had hit a woman he did not know while drunk and on drugs but denied intending to kill her, rape her or rob her. His mother, however, said he had told he had killed the journalist. Bulgaria's Justice Ministry said the transfer of the suspect to Bulgaria is expected to take place next week at the earliest. Marinova's murder revived debate over the extent of press freedom in the Black Sea state, ranked 111 out of 180 countries this year in a world press freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. Bulgaria also ranks worst in the EU for violence against women, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov, additional reporting by Michelle Martin in Berlin and Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia, editing by Larry King) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach homes, shops and restaurants were lifted off their foundations by Hurricane Michael, and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. Mexico Beach: The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to at least 16 on Friday amid fears it would continue to climb as search-and-rescue teams scour the debris of the Florida town that bore the brunt of the monster storm. "Mexico Beach is devastated," Florida Governor Rick Scott said of the town where Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday. "It's like a bomb went off," Scott said as he toured the town of 1,000 people on the Gulf of Mexico. "It's like a war zone." Rescue teams were using sniffer dogs in Mexico Beach on Friday in a search for victims who may be buried under the rubble in the debris-strewn community. Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), warned that he expected the number of deaths to rise. "I hope we don't see it climb dramatically but I have reasons to believe we still haven't got into some of the hardest hit areas," he said. "What's happening is search and rescue is trying to get into the rubble to make sure that there's nobody covered up, trying to assess if there are additional casualties there," Long added. Dozens of structures in Mexico Beach homes, shops and restaurants were lifted off their foundations by storm surge and 155-mile per hour (250 kph) winds and moved hundreds of feet inland or smashed to bits. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge," Long said. "Storm surge causes the most amount of loss of life." State officials said Mexico Beach was under mandatory evacuation orders but some residents decided to stay and try to ride out the storm. "You hope that somehow at the last minute a bunch of people got up and left or went somewhere else," Florida Senator Marco Rubio told CNN. But judging from the number of homes reduced to "sticks," he said, "my sense is they are going to find more victims." Bob Tenbrunson, a Mexico Beach retiree, rode out the storm at his daughter's house in nearby Panama City and returned to survey the damage to his home. "I was going to stay here until it turned to a Cat 4," he said. "So I followed the mandatory evacuation order and left with my wife. "Luckily we did not get a surge," Tenbrunson said of his home. "I've got two trees on the roof and a couple of holes on the roof. I have been trying to patch it up the best I can." The rest of Mexico Beach did not fare as well, and most of the beachfront homes, restaurants and stores were obliterated by the storm. "I spent my life savings and retirement to stay here so I can't sell it now," Tenbrunson said. "I just have to be hopeful that (the town) will be rebuilt and fixed." Some residents arrived Friday with vans or moving trucks, hoping to recover as many personal effects from their splintered homes as they could. Others came with nothing, as there was nothing left to save. At least four deaths from the storm have been confirmed in Florida, five in Virginia, one in Georgia and three in North Carolina. US media on Friday quoted authorities in Jackson County, Florida, as reported three deaths there, bringing Michael's toll to at least 16. The latest two deaths in North Carolina occurred in McDowell County when a car struck a tree that had fallen across a road, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, and officials say it could be weeks before power is fully restored. President Donald Trump said he planned to visit Florida and Georgia. "People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia," Trump tweeted. "I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit and we are with you!" Michael was the most intense hurricane to strike the Florida Panhandle since record-keeping began in 1851. Many of the damaged Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. About 5,000 US servicemen were deployed to help with relief and recovery efforts, the Pentagon said, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Tyndall Air Force Base, home to the F-22 stealth fighter, suffered extensive damage, according to aerial photos of the coastal facility. The base was evacuated ahead of the hurricane and the costly fighter planes were flown to other installations out of the path of the storm. YEREVAN (Reuters) - Rwanda's foreign minister was named head of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) on Friday, a sign of slowly improving relations between Paris and Kigali a decade after the African nation turned its back on the French language. French President Emmanuel Macron announced his support for Louise Mushikiwabo's candidacy during a visit to Paris earlier this year by Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, who has long accused France of complicity in the 1994 genocide YEREVAN (Reuters) - Rwanda's foreign minister was named head of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) on Friday, a sign of slowly improving relations between Paris and Kigali a decade after the African nation turned its back on the French language. French President Emmanuel Macron announced his support for Louise Mushikiwabo's candidacy during a visit to Paris earlier this year by Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, who has long accused France of complicity in the 1994 genocide. "As secretary-general, I intend to give importance to French in an increasingly multilingual world because I am convinced that French has its place among other languages and for the good of the world," Mushikiwabo told an OIF summit in Armenia. The OIF represents 84 countries where French is spoken or where there is an affinity towards French culture, including many former French colonies. For decades France claimed Rwanda, a former Belgian colony where French was an official language alongside Kinyarwanda, as part of the Francophone fold. But embittered by the legacy of France's role in the genocide, Kagame, whose Tutsi rebels ended the massacre, ditched French in favour of English in Rwanda's schools in 2010. Kagame, an English speaker who spent his formative years in exile in neighbouring Uganda, led Rwanda in 2009 to join the Commonwealth of mainly former British colonies. Asked if Macron's backing of Mushikiwabo pointed to improved ties between the two countries, a French presidency official said: "His support deepens the dialogue between the two presidents but it will not be the act that leads to a normalisation of relations." The official said neither Kagame, who made a speech in French at the OIF summit, nor France at this point wanted a resumption of full diplomatic relations. Kagame has been lauded by some Western powers for masterminding the economic transformation a country deeply scarred by the genocide -- during which Hutu extremists killed some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over the course of 100 days. However he is also accused by rights groups of trampling on the opposition and muzzling dissent, accusations his government rejects. Mushikiwabo is a member of Kagame's inner circle and one his most trusted ministers, holding the foreign ministry portfolio since 2009. Macron said in March he wanted French to be more widespread. He also wants to reshape France's relationship with the African continent, seeking to shake off the tag of former colonial power motivated by commercial gain and shift the focus to education and investing in youth. "It is the first important signal that both Rwanda and France are willing to engage in friendly gestures," said Rwandan political analyst Christopher Kayumba, adding some government officials had begun tweeting in French in recent days. (Additional reporting by Richard Lough and Michel Rose in Paris and Clement Uwiringiyimana in Kigali; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Peter Graff) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Trend: A citizen of the Republic of Poland, Starosta of Wolomin County Kazimierz Rakowski has been removed from blacklist, Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry said in a message. Rakowski addressed a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for his removal from the List of foreign citizens who illegally visited the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In his letter Rakowski reaffirming his full respect to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, its laws and regulations, expressed his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. After considering the appeal by the Polish citizen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to remove his name from the list. 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. Iran lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh have alleged that there is a new diplomatic atmosphere for de-escalation with the US and it is fitting that Iran follows negotiation diplomacy and lobbying anti-Trump movements in America Tehran: One of Iran's top foreign policy officials has called for negotiations with "anti-Trump movements" in the US to dampen the impact of sanctions, local media reported Saturday. "America is not Trump," said Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh, a conservative lawmaker who heads parliament's influential national security and foreign policy commission, according to reformist newspaper Arman. "There is a new diplomatic atmosphere for de-escalation with America and it is fitting that Iran follows negotiation diplomacy and lobbying anti-Trump movements in America," he added. He said this would help alleviate pressure caused by Washington's "extensive sanction-focused force". The US pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May and reimposed punishing sanctions on the country, hoping to pressure Tehran into what President Donald Trump calls a "better deal". The US is due to complete the reimposition of sanctions on 4 November, targeting Iran's oil sector and central bank. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed Trump's offers to talk as "a dangerous game". But Mehdi Motaharnia, a Tehran-based political analyst, described Falahat-Pisheh's proposal as "very meaningful" since it signifies a potential shift in conservatives' stance on talking with the US. "This comes from a conservative whose party members called (Foreign Minister Mohammad) Javad Zarif a traitor for negotiating with the US," Motaharnia told reformist daily Hamdeli. "But now we do not see such reactions when the head of national security and foreign policy commission proposes talks," he added. NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli police said on Saturday they were investigating the death of a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank, after her husband said he suspected Israeli settlers had pelted their car with rocks. Reuters was unable to verify the circumstances of the incident independently. However, footage of the car, which a Reuters cameraman said bore Palestinian licence plates, showed what appeared to be a blood-stained broken brick at the foot of the passenger seat, which was covered in shattered glass. NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli police said on Saturday they were investigating the death of a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank, after her husband said he suspected Israeli settlers had pelted their car with rocks. Reuters was unable to verify the circumstances of the incident independently. However, footage of the car, which a Reuters cameraman said bore Palestinian licence plates, showed what appeared to be a blood-stained broken brick at the foot of the passenger seat, which was covered in shattered glass. A doctor at the Palestinian hospital where Aisha al-Rawbi was brought said the 47-year-old was dead on arrival and that she had suffered a head injury. Her relatives said an autopsy was to be carried out. The woman's husband, Aykube al-Rawbi, 52, said he was driving by a settlement late on Friday after dark along a main road near the Palestinian city of Nablus and that he could not see who pelted the car. "The stones came from the side where the settlement is. I could hear the people speak Hebrew, but I didn't see them," said al-Rawbi. Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said: "Police arrived in the area and have opened an investigation." An Israeli court issued a gag order on details of the inquiry. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa that it was "an ugly crime" perpetrated by settlers. On Sunday, a Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis and wounded a third near a West Bank settlement and on Thursday the Israeli military said a Palestinian had stabbed an Israeli soldier in the area. On Friday, Gaza health officials said Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in protests along Gaza's border. Israel said its troops had shot a group who broke through the fence with a bomb and attacked an army post. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Saturday all fuel deliveries to Gaza will stop and resume only when border violence ends. Israel allowed two trucks of fuel across its border into Gaza on Tuesday in a Qatari- and U.N.-backed effort to ease conditions in the enclave. Around 200 Palestinians have been killed since the border protests began on March 30, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures. One Israeli soldier has been killed by a Gaza sniper during the protests, and tracts of Israeli land have been scorched by incendiary kites and balloons sent across the border. The protesters are demanding an end to an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the enclave, which is home to around 2 million people. They also seek the right to return to lands that Palestinians fled or were driven from upon Israel's founding in 1948. Israel says the blockade is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching militants, including Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza and which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014 and a bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart them has shown little progress so far. The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem -- territories that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Settlements Israel has built in the West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule, are deemed illegal by most countries. Israel disputes this. (Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Catherine Evans and David Stamp) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own death as he turned on the recording function of his Apple Watch before walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, a Turkish daily reported on Saturday Ankara: Missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own death as he turned on the recording function of his Apple Watch before walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, a Turkish daily reported on Saturday. The moments of his "interrogation, torture and killing were audio recorded and sent to both his phone and to iCloud", CNN quoted the privately-owned Sabah daily as saying. It said conversations of the men involved in the reported assassination were recorded. Security forces leading the investigation found the audio file inside the phone Khasshoggi left with his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, according to the daily. Upon noticing the watch, Khashoggi's assailants tried to unlock the Apple Watch with multiple password attempts, ultimately using the journalist's fingerprint to unlock the smart watch. They were successful in deleting only some of the files, Sabah reported. However, on its website, Apple does not list fingerprint verification as one of the Apple Watch's capabilities. A representative from the company confirmed to CNN the watches do not have the feature. It was not immediately clear whether it would have been technically feasible for Khashoggi's Apple phone to transfer audio to his phone, which he had given to his fiancee before entering the consulate. Saudi and Turkish officials have not yet commented on the Sabah report. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance and says Khashoggi left the consulate that afternoon. Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence that he left the consulate, as they claim, CNN reported. Saudi Arabia interior minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz said reports that the Saudi government ordered the killing of Khashoggi were "lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom", according to a statement in the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published on Saturday morning. Abdulaziz also said "some media" have circulated "false accusations" regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. On Friday, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that showed Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there had been an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. Turkish security units analysed how Khashoggi's reported killing unfolded with the use of a translator, according to Sabah. Sabah also reported that investigation units were currently examining all cell phone and landline records from the consulate and the consul general's residence on 2 October. Efforts to locate Khashoggi's body are ongoing, Sabah reported. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went into the consulate to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. By Jonathan Allen (Reuters) - The parents of a U.S. pastor facing terrorism charges in Turkey rejoiced on Friday as they learned after an all-night prayer vigil that a court ordered the release of their son. A court in the western Turkish town of Aliaga on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson, who had been charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, to more than three years in prison but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016. By Jonathan Allen (Reuters) - The parents of a U.S. pastor facing terrorism charges in Turkey rejoiced on Friday as they learned after an all-night prayer vigil that a court ordered the release of their son. A court in the western Turkish town of Aliaga on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson, who had been charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, to more than three years in prison but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016. Pamela Brunson, 75, the mother of the pastor, was at her home in Black Mountain, a town in North Carolina near Asheville, when she learned of the news from a Reuters reporter calling about the court's decision. "They have?" she said, her voice quavering. "Well, we were at an all-night prayer meeting during the trial and we got home and we fell asleep. We were up all night. Praise God! I'm so excited! Oh that's wonderful! Thank you so much for letting us know. We're so happy." She brought her husband, Ron, near the phone as the reporter read aloud some of a published Reuters report about the proceedings in Turkey. "We are overjoyed that God has answered the prayers of so many people around the world," she said. In Turkey, witnesses said Brunson wept as the decision was announced. Before the judge's ruling, the pastor told the court: "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey." Brunson, 50, has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years. His arrest two years ago led to U.S. tariffs against Turkey and drew condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump. Brunson has been affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, which has its headquarters in Florida, since 2010, according to Brian Smith, a spokesman for the denomination. Smith said he had been up all night at home monitoring the court proceedings online, as had at least a few other members of the church's roughly 142,000 congregants. "We're obviously very thankful that God has shown himself faithful as he always does," Smith said. Pastor Richard Harris, who serves at the church near Brunson's parents' home in North Carolina, had travelled to Turkey to be in court on Friday, Smith said. Smith said the church was ready to help Brunson and his family settle back in the United States after more than two decades away. "Sunday is going to be a time of celebration in a lot of churches around the country for sure," Smith said. At Brunson's alma mater, the Christian liberal arts school Wheaton College near Chicago, news of Brunson's freedom was announced to hundreds of students and faculty during their regular morning gathering at a campus chapel after many had attended an overnight prayer vigil. "Applause broke out, and everyone was standing and rejoicing together," said Mikayla Williams, an 18-year-old student at the school. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; editing by Lisa Shumaker, Alistair Bell and Diane Craft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Saudi Arabia has rejected the claims that there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as 'baseless allegations and lies' Saudi Arabia has rejected the claims Saturday that there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as "baseless allegations and lies". Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef added that his country was "in compliance with international laws and conventions," the official Saudi Press Agency reported him saying. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished on 2 October after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish police and numerous media have claimed he was tortured and killed at the consulate, according to AFP. Widely broadcast video shows the 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor entering the consulate on Tuesday of last week, but there is none showing him leaving, according to The Associated Press. Khashoggi's case risks hurting not just fragile Turkish-Saudi relations but also damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home. The Saudi minister, in the first ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, said he welcomed the cooperation between his country and Turkey to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance. Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump declared on Friday that the US would uncover the truth about what happened to journalist and US resident Khashoggi. Trump promised on Friday to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about "the terrible situation in Turkey". "We're going to find out what happened," Trump pledged when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a political rally. US officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions. Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are important US allies in the region. Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month. Mnuchin had indicated earlier Friday he still planned to attend. On Thursday, Trump had said US relations with Saudi Arabia were "excellent" and he was reluctant to scuttle highly lucrative US weapons deals with Riyadh. A number of members of Congress have pressed the Trump administration to impose sanctions on the country in response to the Khashoggi affair. Meanwhile, Khashoggi's fiancee said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press that he was not nervous when he entered the Saudi consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. "He said, 'See you later my darling,' and went in," Hatice Cengiz told the AP. Citing anonymous sources, the Washington Post reported Friday that Turkey's government has told US officials it has audio and video proof that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered. The AP has not been able to confirm that report. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially "still missing". She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi left the consulate. He hasn't been seen since, though his fiancee was waiting outside. A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of an investigation into the writer's disappearance. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudis welcomed the joint effort and said the kingdom was keen "to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be." Cengiz said she and the journalist would have been married this week and had planned a life together split between Istanbul and the United States, where Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile since last year. She had earlier appealed for help to Trump, who earlier this week said he would invite her to the White House. Cengiz didn't respond to a question about that, but earlier on Friday she urged Trump on Twitter to use his clout to find out what happened. "What about Jamal Khashoggi?" she wrote in response to a tweet by Trump in which he said he said he had been "working very hard" to free an American evangelical pastor who has been held for two years in Turkey. Andrew Brunson was released late Friday. Amid growing concern over Khashoggi's fate, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country wanted to know "the whole truth" about the writer's disappearance, calling the early details about the case "very worrying." Macron said "I'm waiting for the truth and complete clarity to be made" since the matter is "very serious." He spoke Friday in Yerevan, Armenia, to French broadcasters RFI and France 24. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Berlin was also "very concerned" about the writer's disappearance and called on Saudi Arabia to "participate fully" in clearing up reports that he had been killed. Global business leaders began reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but has shown little tolerance for criticism. As a contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of 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. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. With agency inputs Khashoggi vanished on 2 October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork for his upcoming wedding. Istanbul: Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of failing to cooperate in the probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its consulate in Istanbul, calling on Riyadh to grant access to Turkish investigators. "We still have not seen cooperation in order to ensure a smooth investigation and bring everything to light. We want to see this," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by State-run Anadolu news agency. Ankara had said that a search of the consulate had been agreed but this has yet to materialise amid reports the two sides are at odds over the conditions of entry into what is Saudi sovereign territory. Speaking during an official visit to London, Cavusoglu said that Riyadh must let Turkish "prosecutors and experts enter the consulate" to carry out their investigation. "Where did he go missing? There, at the consulate," the Turkish foreign minister said, adding that "talks are continuing" with Saudi officials in a bid to resolve the impasse. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who had been living in self-imposed exile in the US since late 2017, vanished on 2 October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork for his upcoming wedding. The US is reviewing 'very carefully' India's decision to continue buying Iranian oil and purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, days after President Donald Trump observed that New Delhi would soon find out if it faced punitive measures. Washington: The US is reviewing "very carefully" India's decision to continue buying Iranian oil and purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, a top official has said, terming it "not helpful", days after President Donald Trump observed that New Delhi would soon find out if it faced punitive measures. The US is trying to cut off all oil imports from Iran to zero by 4 November following Trump's decision in May to pull out of the 2015 multilateral deal that eased global sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's suspected nuclear programmes and malign activities. Responding to questions on reports that India will continue to purchase oil from Iran after 4 November, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said this was "not helpful". India's Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November. "Overall with regard to those sanctions that will take effect on November 4th and you're referring to the oil sanctions for Iran and countries that choose to continue purchasing oil from Iran we have conversations with many partners and allies around the world about those sanctions," Nauert said on Thursday. "We make our policies very clear to those countries. We continue to have conversations with the government of Iraq about that particular issue and the implications for the reimposition of sanctions that were previously lifted or even waived under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," she said. The Trump administration has given the same message to all countries around the world, and the president has said that the US is committed to re-enforcing all of its sanctions. "We believe that countries coming together and recognising the malign influence that Iran has had around the world is important. We know that Iran and the government of Iran has taken the benefits that it received under the JCPOA and they've poured that money not into their own population, not into the good of the people, not into its medical hospitals and things of that nature, but rather they've used it for its own nefarious programmes," Nauert said. Noting that she has seen reports of India continuing to buy oil from Iran after November 4, she said this was a topic of conversation with the Indian government when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in India last month for the first 2+2 Dialogue. "The President had addressed it I believe it was just earlier today which he was asked about that question about whether or not India would buy oil from Iran after sanctions are reimposed. And the President said - and I'm not going to get ahead of the President, certainly - but he said we'll take care of that," she said. On the implication of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA on India, after it inked the $5 billion deal with Russia to purchase the S-400 Triumf air defence system, Nauert said, "He (the president) was asked also about CAATSA sanctions and possible imposition of CAATSA sanctions. And he said, you know, India is going to find out. "And India will find out. We'll see. So I'm not going to get ahead of him, but certainly, when we hear about things such as purchasing oil or the S-400 systems, it's not helpful. The United States government just reviews that very carefully," Nauert said. The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. In Russia's case, the act primarily deals with sanctions on Russian interests such as its oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US Presidential elections. Google is testing a new content discovery interface in the Chrome browsers new tab page called Explore. Users can access it on Android by enabling an experimental flag. It is clear that the interface is currently in early stages as it contains a large number of placeholder sites at the moment. Interestingly, most of these placeholders are specific to the Indian users but doesnt necessarily mean, they are targeted just for the Indian market as the websites appearing in the new UI have been chosen as examples by the team that is behind the development. To put this feature in short, it can be a channel in the browser that could potentially be of interest to the user. However, it is unclear if this would be based on your individual habits or if it will be more broadly tailored to locales and regions than specific users. To enable the Explore interface, go to chrome://flags in your browser, search for explore, and you should see the Explore websites flag. Set it to enabled and relaunch Chrome, then open a new tab. The Explore interface should then appear on the new tab page. As said, since it is in the early stages, the feature might not be very useful right away and it could also mean that the feature might not see light in the day ever again. Either way, stay tuned, we will let you know if something comes up our way. Via Social Security is, for better or worse, our nation's most important social program. Aside from providing a monthly benefit to more than 62 million people each month, it's responsible for keeping an estimated 22.1 million beneficiaries above the federal poverty line, according to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Without Social Security, we'd be facing a serious elderly poverty problem right about now. But for as much as Social Security has done for current and previous generations of Americans, it's also facing what could be the biggest hurdle of its 83-year existence. Social Security's biggest challenge to date Beginning this year, and continuing in each successive year, Social Security is projected to expend more than it generates in annual revenue. The last time this happened was all the way back in 1982. Although this net cash outflow will start off relatively small, it's expected to accelerate in a big way in 2020 and beyond. By 2034, the latest Trustees report implies that all $2.89 trillion in Social Security's asset reserves will be completely gone. The silver lining here for seniors (and other beneficiaries, too) is that Social Security isn't going to disappear. Though the interest income it's been earning on its asset reserves should vanish, it'll still be generating substantial recurring revenue from the payroll tax on earned income and the taxation of benefits. In other words, the program is in no danger of going bankrupt or being insolvent, meaning payouts will continue for many future generations of workers. The real issue is that the depletion of Social Security's asset reserves conclusively demonstrates the unsustainability of the existing payout schedule. The Trustees have forecast the need for an across-the-board cut to benefits of up to 21% by 2034 to sustain benefit checks without the need for any further cuts through 2092. Given that more than 3 out of 5 seniors lean on their monthly check for at least half of their income, such a scenario is downright scary. News flash: We absolutely need a bipartisan Social Security solution You might be wondering why Social Security hasn't yet been fixed by Congress and put back on a path where it can succeed for current and future generations. The answer, simply, is that Republicans and Democrats can't agree on much when it comes to the nation's most important social program. Each party believes they have the sole solution that could erase the estimated $13.2 trillion cash shortfall in the program between 2034 and 2092, thereby leaving no incentive to find a middle-ground fix with the opposition. But, in reality, we're absolutely going to need bipartisan cooperation if there's to be any chance of shoring up Social Security for current and future generations. Allow me to explain why. Why we need an increase to the maximum taxable earnings cap On one side of the aisle is the Democrats' core proposal of increasing the maximum taxable earnings cap tied to earned income. In 2018, all earned income between $0.01 and $128,400 is subject to the 12.4% payroll tax (although workers employed by someone else only cover half this liability, 6.2%, with their employer covering the other half). Earned income above this level is exempt from the payroll tax, thereby allowing a small percentage of well-to-do workers to escape paying tax on a portion, or majority, of their income. The cap increases annually on par with the National Average Wage Index. Without question, the most popular Social Security fix among the American public is raising the earnings cap, or eliminating it in its entirety. Since more than 90% of American workers are already paying into Social Security on every dollar they earn, increasing or lifting this cap would only impact a very small percentage of the population. The reason Congress needs to lift or raise this cap is simple: The amount of earnings escaping taxation has been steadily increasing in recent decades. Back in 1983, "just" $300 billion in earned income escaped Social Security's payroll tax. However, by 2016, $1.2 trillion in earned income was exempted. As income inequality continues to grow between the rich and poor, the amount of earnings bypassing the payroll tax should as well, leading to less revenue collection for the program. Raising or eliminating this cap would help to level the playing field on income inequality, with respect to the payroll tax, as well as generate added annual income that could support the current payout schedule through 2092. In short, raising the cap is a must, otherwise a growing percentage of income will keep escaping the payroll tax. Here's why raising the full retirement age is a must However, the other side of the aisle has an equally important solution. Republicans have long called for an increase to the full retirement age, or the age at which a worker becomes eligible to receive their full retirement benefit, as determined by their birth year. The full retirement age is currently set to peak at age 67 for those born in 2022 or after. Yet, between Social Security's inception in 1935 and 2022, the full retirement age will have only increased by two years. That's right... over nearly nine decades the full retirement benefit has moved from age 65 to age 67. The problem is that longevity has moved substantially higher over that time, with the average life expectancy rising by nine years since 1960. We've also witnessed far more workers reaching age 65 now than even a couple of decades ago. Social Security wasn't designed to support retired workers for decades when it was crafted in the mid-1930s, which is leading to quite the strain on the program today. By gradually increasing the full retirement age to, say, 69 or 70, it would require workers to either wait longer to receive their full benefit or to accept a steeper monthly reduction to their payout if claiming early. Either way, the lifetime benefits paid to workers would be reduced over time, thereby saving Social Security money in the long run. Keep in mind that doing so would not impact current retirees, but it'd effectively be a lifetime benefit cut for future generations of retirees if passed. While "reducing benefits" might sound like a terrible solution, not raising the full retirement age as longevity continues to increase would lead Social Security to disaster, even with a removal of the payroll tax earnings cap. These core proposals by Democrats and Republicans are critical fixes that need to be included in a bipartisan solution. In my opinion, one without the other will be nothing more than a Band-Aid for Social Security. By Trend Armenian leaderships attempts to demonstrate the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a conflict over the protection of human rights and assert that Azerbaijan demands territories without the Armenian population are completely unfounded and nonsense, deputy head of the foreign relations department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told Trend on Oct. 12. Hajiyev stressed that Armenia, contrary to the UN Charter, by using force, occupied the territories of Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts and created a separatist regime on those territories. "Armenia has committed numerous war crimes against Azerbaijan, crimes against humanity, by grossly violating the international humanitarian law, he said. Having carried out bloody ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia and the residents of the surrounding areas, the country openly demonstrates that it aims at the illegal annexation of these territories without the local Azerbaijani population, Hajiyev added. He also said that Armenias talks on human rights when it grossly violates the most fundamental rights of more than a million Azerbaijani internally displaced people and refugees, and goes beyond all political, legal and moral frameworks. "Armenia is trying to deny the existence of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh, Hajiyev said. Armenia in no way allows building a dialogue between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Fundamental human rights and freedoms are universal and must be applied on an equal basis without discrimination, he said. As fixed in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (1993), all human rights are universal, inseparable, interdependent and interrelated." Armenias such claims are nothing more than hiding the aggressive policy, creating an untrue impression of the real affairs and attempts to divert international communitys attention from the fact of Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan and the military occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, which is the basis of the conflict, he said. "Armenia must understand that military aggression and the situation, accompanied by bloody ethnic cleansing and gross violation of human rights, will never be considered legitimate, Hajiyev said. Therefore, the international community unanimously accepts and supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within internationally recognized borders, he said. Armenias claims on the creation of a democratic and civil society, without stopping an aggressive policy and fulfilling international legal obligations, are nothing more than words." As opposed to the mono-ethnic Armenian state, Azerbaijan is a multicultural country with an inclusive society, Hajiyev said. "Various ethnic and religious communities live together peacefully in Azerbaijan for many centuries, he said. Today, thanks to the state policy, these traditions are further strengthened. According to the requirements of the corresponding resolutions of the UN Security Council, the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the return of displaced people to their homeland, there may be a possibility for the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh to live together within the territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Finally, permanent peace, stability and security will be ensured in the region. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Trend: The legal logic says that the funds confiscated in Britain from Zamira Hajiyeva, the wife of the ex-chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Jahangir Hajiyev, should be returned to Azerbaijan, the Member of the Legal Policy and State Building Committee of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Gudrat Hasanguliyev said. "I believe the relevant agencies of Azerbaijan should also appeal to the British side. If there are evidences of the appropriation of funds of the state bank, the evidences should be submitted to the UK court," Hasanguliyev added. The Azerbaijani MP noted that after the completion of the trial, Azerbaijan should send an appeal for the return of these funds to the country. The UK government has passed a new anti-corruption law. According to the law, the owners of movable and immovable property with a high value must submit a declaration of the funds spent on the property. Hajiyeva was demanded to submit a declaration for a villa worth 25 million, but she could not provide information. As a result, the property was confiscated by a court decision. The case has now been transferred to the Supreme Court of Great Britain. Trend: The upcoming visit of the American president's national security adviser John Bolton to the South Caucasus and in particular to Azerbaijan confirms the interest of the American side in this strategically important region, Andrei Shenin, Professor of the Department of Regional Studies at the Gumilyov Eurasian National University, told Trend Oct. 13. Bolton will embark on visit to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia on October 20. Shenin noted that Bolton is a fairly well-known person in the post-Soviet area, and he is usually referred to the neoconservatives who gained fame during the administration of George W. Bush. We can assume with high probability that the main items on the agenda will be Afghanistan and energy issues that are crucial for the US in the region. Concerning Afghanistan, Bolton will reinforce agreements on transportation of cargo through ports of the Caspian Sea; as for the energy issues, the talks will possibly be dedicated to the business projects which are already being implemented, as well as the solution of the current problems." "As for Azerbaijan, at the moment the United States regards this country as an important strategic partner in the region. The large assistance for the American troops in Afghanistan will be delivered through Azerbaijan. At the same time, one should also not forget about the main pipelines - TAP and TANAP," Shenin said. He noted that the implementation of the large-scale Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which provides for transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is a priority for the United States. TAP, worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, and will be connected to another gas pipeline, TANAP, at the Turkish-Greek border. It will run across the territory of Greece, Albania, along the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, and then will go to the south of Italy. The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it. TAP's shareholders are: BP - 20 percent, SOCAR - 20 percent, Snam - 20 percent, Fluxys - 19 percent, Enagas - 16 percent, Axpo - 5 percent. So, if you didn't know already, flying a military plane several meters from a building in any direction can be considered a pretty risky repertoire. So for what exact reason is there one of those bad boys flying through a densely-built Australian city? Ah, the Brisbane's Riverfire airshow would explain it. Whilst fearsome spectators were absolutely bewildered as a result of this seemingly crazy stunt, it turned out that it was actually a rehearsal for the upcoming airshow at the South Bank parklands in Australia. Whilst the RAAF reassured the public that unless the pilots "had a synchronised heart attack or catastrophic plane failure", everything was going a-okay, the rest didn't think so. Some claimed it was "stupid and dangerous" and others argued that "it would only take one mistake" before several buildings could be taken down. Despite the seemingly outrageous stunts, around 500,000 people attended the airshow which was deemed to be "one of the best firework display shows of all time". Well, I suppose there's only one thing to say to that - phew! A Norwegian energy company is investing eight billion in Georgia - GeorgianJournal Finastra, a leading financial services software provider, has opened new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Finastra has been operating in Saudi Arabia for over 15 years, and currently works with 65 per cent of the countrys banks, including Bank Al Jazira, one of Saudi Arabias leading retail and corporate banks which uses Finastras core retail and transaction banking solutions, a statement said. Ahmed Al Hassan, COO at Bank Al Jazira said, We have been working with Finastra for the past 15 years. The company has played a central role in updating our systems, improving our customers experience and enhancing revenue streams. We look forward to Finastra having a base here, which will allow us to strengthen our relationship and continue our digital transformation journey. Finastras core banking solution, Fusion Essence, has also been chosen to power Saudi Arabias Agricultural Development Funds lending services. The governmental credit institution will use the platform - traditionally used by banks for retail - to provide its customers with an improved user experience, including new services and shorter loan approval times, as well as moving the fund forward in line with the Kingdoms strategic transformation plan, Vision 2030. The funds credit services are a vital element towards developing the Kingdoms agricultural activity, said Muneer bin Fahad Al-Sahli, general director for Agricultural Development Fund. Its crucial for us to offer our clients - farmers and other players in the agricultural space - a seamless digital experience which enables them with their endeavours. With Fusion Essence, we will be able to increase automation through our loan portal, which will lead to reduced timeframes for loan approvals and improved operational efficiencies. Wissam Khoury, managing director for Middle East and Africa, Finastra, said: Saudi Arabia is undergoing one of its most significant economic and technological transformations to date, and we are immensely proud to be part of it. This project with Saudis Agricultural Development Fund will enable the Kingdoms farmers to access credit faster, in support of agribusiness success, and in turn, encourages Saudi Arabias agricultural development. We are committed to the region and opening our office here will enable us to increase our footprint with existing clients as well as growing our client base by positioning innovative solutions across digital banking to align with the Saudi vision 2030. Finastra will start off with a small team on the ground in Riyadh, with the aim to increase it over time, according to the statement. TradeArabia News Service A total of 20 Bahraini entrepreneurs in the field of information technology will take part in the upcoming Gitex Technology Week 2018 in Dubai under the umbrella of the Bahrain National Pavilion (BNP). The entrepreneurs recently held a meeting with the Bahrain Technology Companies Society (Btech), the organiser of the pavilion, in relation to their Gitex participation. In cooperation with Tamkeen, the labour fund, Btech met with the ICT entrepreneurs who will be participating in the BNP @GITEX2018, which will be held from October 14 to 18, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Tamkeen chief executive Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi said the company is keen to develop Bahrainis working in the ICT sector. He added that Bahraini exhibitors participation at the national pavilion in the event aims to provide them with an unprecedented experience to showcase and gain international exposure to their products and services, and move forward to collaborating with international enterprises in the field to help in their regional and global expansion. This participation comes in line with the national efforts to develop the ICT sector to increase its contribution to the GDP and encourage the growth of its institutions, along with qualifying Bahrainis, he said. For his part, Btech chairman Ubaydli Ubaydli said that Bahraini entrepreneurs participation in Gitex is enabling them to view recent trends in the IT industry such as digital marketing, education, healthcare, smart cities, retail, energy, finance and developments in the virtual reality games that is expected to rank $4.4 billion by 2022. It is a great opportunity for Bahraini entrepreneurs to participate in Gitex 2018 and the five-day Technology Summit that coincides with Gitex Future Stars, the fastest growing startup event in Mena and South Africa for the third year in a row, held at Dubai World Trade Centre. The forum enables more than 850 Startup Company from around the world to meet more than 1500 investors, he added. WorkSmart chief executive officer Ahmed Al Hujairi stressed the importance of Gitex Tech Week and Gitex Future Stars, where more than 5000 companies from 100 countries will gather in an area of 1.4 million sq m. Gitex offers Bahraini entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet with a group of leading innovators from the industry, such as Twitter, Alibaba, Lego and Amazon, as well as a keynote speech address by Casey Kozyrkov, chief decision scientist at Google, he said. He noted the importance of Tamkeen's support to the BNP @ GITEX2018, stressing the keenness of the organisers to reach this ambitious strategic partnership. He also observed Tamkeen's objectives of supporting Bahraini private sector technology companies and encourage Bahraini entrepreneurs to explore and invest the quality employment opportunities offered by this sector. TradeArabia News Service Audi, Huawei join forces for self-driving technology in China News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Audi will soon have a self-driving car powered by Huawei. Audi and Huawei have joined forces to make a name for themselves in China's autonomous vehicle segment. Both companies have formed a partnership to develop Level 4 self-driving technology (that is, full control in specified areas) for Chinese vehicles in addition to connected car features. While not much information has been provided about the newly formed partnership, Huawei demonstrated a prototype Q7 SUV equipped with its Mobile Data Center, that brings together the necessary processing power for self-driving with cameras and sensors. Both firms have signed a memorandum of understanding in July and are said to be testing since September, but haven't been vocal about their team-up until now. Audi is planning to open a development center in China in 2019. Audi didn't have much of a choice if it wanted to enter the category in China. The Verge noted that China has many restrictions on the permissions for testing self-driving cars. China sees foreign ownership of detailed map data a security threat. Mercedes-Benz also had to partner with Baidu and other local firms to get past these regulatory issues. Apart from Huawei, Apple has also dipped its hands in the self-driving car waters. Apple's patent gave us a peek into what the Cupertino-based company has in store for the advancement of self-driven cars. The patent comes under the moniker 'Adaptive vehicle augmented reality display using stereographic imagery.' The patent reveals details about the display system that includes an AR system that will be capable of using a pre-generated 3D model of the surroundings. The patent also suggests that the system will offer even more details about the world around them, while on the move. The system will also provide information about places that are away from the driver's or car's vision, enabling them to see the path ahead through the AR view. This will be useful when the visibility is poor. The pre-loaded cloud data will help giving users what would be an expected route, in case of emergency. 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 Vivo Diwali Carnival Sale: Discount offers, cashback, free accessories and more Features oi-Harish Kumar This Diwali is going to be the most prosperous with mesmerizing deals offered by Vivo. The company have come up with its optimum offers on some of the devices and other electronic accessories. These deals are in the form of great discount offers, cash back, and more. The other best thing is you can also avail few free accessories with some devices. Certain offers rendered by the Vivo comprise- 5% cash back on HDFC bank credit cards and EMI, and no cost EMI with Bajaj Finserv cards and credit cards. You can get assured buyback on devices like V11, V11Pro and V9 Pro- and one time screen replacement with V11 and V11 Pro. There are some free Bluetooth earphones which the users can obtain with Nex, X21, V11, V11 Pro, V9 and Y83 Pro. As per the deal through new launch, you can avail the Vivo V9 Pro at a new revised price option of Rs. 17,990. The customers will get Vivo V9 as the best-seller with flat Rs. 8,000 off, Vivo V9 as a blockbuster deal with flat Rs. 6,000 off. You also get coupon of worth Rs. 50 that is valid on earphones like Vivo XE100 and XE160, power adapter and USB cable. Besides, the company also offers a chance to win Vivo Gift Bundle worth of Rs. 5,100 for randomly selected 10 lucky winners. For best deals, you can visit the company's official website. You must take as a note that Vivo carnival sale will commence from 15th October and will last on 18th October. Vivo V9 Pro Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.3-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB RAM 64GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 13MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 aperture, secondary 2MP camera 16MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor 4G VoLTE 3260mAh battery Vivo V11 pro Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.41-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED 19.5:9 aspect ratio display Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB RAM, 64GB storage expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM Funtouch OS 4.5 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 12MP Dual PD rear camera and secondary 5MP camera 25MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture In-display fingerprint sensor, IR face unlock Dual 4G VoLTE 3,400mAh battery with fast charging Vivo V11 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.41-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED 19.5:9 aspect ratio display Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU (V11) / Octa Core MediaTek Helio P60 12nm processor (Quad 2GHz Cortex A73 + Quad 2GHz Cortex A53 CPUs) with 800MHz ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU (V11i) 4GB (V11i) / 6GB RAM (V11) 128GB storage expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM Funtouch OS 4.5 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 12MP Dual PD rear camera and secondary 5MP camera with f/2.4 aperture 25MP front-facing camera Dual 4G VoLTE 3,400mAh battery with fast charging 13% off on Vivo V9 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.3-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display 2.2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 626 Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU 4GB RAM 64GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash and secondary 5MP camera 24MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor 4G VoLTE 3260mAh battery 15% off on Vivo V9 Youth Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.3-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU 4GB RAM 32GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 2MP camera 16MP front-facing camera with soft LED flash Fingerprint sensor 4G VoLTE 3260mAh battery 44% off on Vivo Y66 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) 2.5D curved glass display Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 (4 x 1.5GHz A53 + 4 x 1.0GHz A53) processor with Mali T860 GPU 3GB RAM 32GB internal storage expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Funtouch OS 3.0 Hybrid Dual SIM (Micro + nano/microSD) 13MP rear camera with LED flash 16MP front-facing camera with soft flash 4G VoLTE 3000mAh (non-removable) battery Vivo x21 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.28-inch (2280 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection Octa Core Snapdragon 660 AIE 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB RAM 128GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 12MP rear camera and secondary 5MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, AI HDR 12MP front-facing camera 4G VoLTE 3200mAh (typical) battery with fast charging Vivo XE710 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs Cord length: 1.2m Plug:?3.5mm,4pin, stereo VIVO Original Inner Earphones Vivo Y83 Buy This offer on shop.vivo.com Key Specs 6.22-inch (1520720 pixels) HD+ 19:9 IPS 2.5D curved glass display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 2GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) 12nm processor with 650MHz IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU 4GB RAM 32GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 13MP rear camera with LED flash 8MP front-facing camera 4G VoLTE 3260mAh battery Best Mobiles in India Week 40, 2018 launch round-up: Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018), Google Pixel 3, Nokia 3.1 Plus and more Features oi-Harish Kumar As a part of week 40, 2018 launch round-up, you have so many devices that come with amazing features. Also, the week 40 has witnessed couple of new-entries like Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL which are based on Android 9(Pie), offering more robust AI software features. In addition, there are some other electronic products which also let your expectation match with the reality depending on their great attributes. Some of the refined features of the two latest series by Google include- a Night Sight feature for clicking images in low-lighting conditions, Photo booth feature that will take shots of smiling subjects, and lot more. The BlackBerry KEY2 LE is another breathtaking series by Blackberry that offers an iconic keyboard experience. It also comes with soft textured back that gives a better grip. Also, real-time threat monitoring with pre-installed DTEK by BlackBerry provides you proactive security. Its Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 gives you a 50% charge in just 36 minutes. There are couple more smartphones which too offer some of the best features. While, there is a Chromebook Plus V2 (LTE) from Samsung that comes with 2-in-1 with built-in pen. It has a great screen size, an energy-efficient processor, 360-degree hinge, and more. You have Insta360 ONE X 5.7K 360 action camera which comes with advanced image stabilization and new TimeShift feature, which add amazing touch to your personalized images. There are couple more gadgets which you can consider for their purchasing. Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 (LTE) 2-in-1 with built-in pen announced Key Specs a 12.2-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) touchscreen display with a peak brightness of 300 nits. At the core, the Chromebook Plus (V2) gets an Intel Celeron 3865Y processor 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage Intel HD 615 graphics 13-megapixel rear camera sensor a 1-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calling USB Type-C ports, one USB 3.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are 1.5Wx2 stereo speakers, the battery is sized at 39Wh, while the weight of the computer is 2.93 pounds or about 1.33kg Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) announced Key Specs 6.3-inch (10802220 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB / 8GB RAM with 128 GB Storage expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card Android 8.0 (Oreo) Dual SIM ( nano + nano + microSD) 24MP rear camera + 10MP+ 8MP 120 Ultra Wide camera 24MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture 4G VoLTE 3800mAh battery with adaptive fast charging Honor 8C announced Key Specs 6.26-inch (1520 720 pixels) HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 632 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU 4GB RAM 32GB / 64GB storage expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM Android 8.1 (Oreo) with EMUI 8.2 13MP rear camera and 2MP secondary rear camera 8MP front-facing camera Dual 4G VoLTE 4000mAh (typical) / 3900mAh (minimum) battery Nokia 8110 4G VoLTE phone launched in India for Rs. 5,999 Key Specs 2.4-inch (320 x 240 pixels) QVGA display 1.1GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform (MSM8905) with Adreno 304 GPU 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage expandable memory up with microSD Dual SIM (micro + nano) Smart Feature OS powered by KaiOS 2MP rear camera with LED flash 4G VoLTE 2000mAh battery Nokia 3.1 Plus launched in India for Rs. 11,499 Key Specs 6-inch (1440 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with toughened glass for protection 2GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) 12nm processor with 650MHz IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU 2GB LPPDDR3 RAM with 16GB (eMMC 5.1) storage 3GB LPPDDR3 RAM with 32GB (eMMC 5.1) storage expandable memory up to 400GB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie) Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) 13MP rear camera and secondary 5MP camera 8MP front-facing camera 4G VoLTE 3500mAh battery Razer Phone 2 announced Key Specs 5.72-inch (25601440 pixels) Quad HD IGZO LCD UltraMotion display with 645 nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection 2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 64-bit 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU, Vapor Chamber Cooling 8GB LPDDR4x RAM 64GB (UFS) storage expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie) 12MP camera and 12MP secondary camera 8MP front-facing camera 4G VoLTE 4000mAh battery OPPO K1 announced Key Specs 6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED 19.5:9 2.5D curved glass display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB / 4GB RAM 64GB internal memory expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ColorOS 5.2 Dual SIM 16MP rear camera with LED Flash, secondary 2MP camera 25MP front-facing camera In-display fingerprint sensor Dual 4G VoLTE 3600mAh battery Google Pixel Slate announced Key Specs 12.3-inch (30002000 pixels) 293 PPI LCD display with Google Pixelbook Pen support, 400 nits brightness, 72% NTSC color gamut Intel Celeron Processor / 8th Gen Intel Core m3 / Core i5 / Core i7 Processor 4GB RAM with 32GB SSD 8GB RAM with 64GB SSD / 128GB SSD 16GB RAM with 256GB SSD Chrome OS 8MP Autofocus rear camera 8MP front camera Dual front-firing speakers for better surround sound, 2 mics for improved noise cancellation 48Wh battery Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL announced Key Specs 5.5-inch (1080 x 2160 pixels) FHD+ OLED 18:9 display, 443 PPI, HDR support, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection Pixel 3 XL - 6.3-inch (2880 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD+ OLED 18.5:9 display, 523 PPI, HDR support, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU 4GB DDR4X RAM, 64GB / 128GB storage Android 9.0 (Pie) 12.2MP rear camera with LED flash 8MP auto focus front camera and secondary 8MP fixed focus camera 4G VoLTE Pixel 3 - 2915 mAh (Pixel 3) / 3430mAh (Pixel 3 XL) battery GOME C7 and C7 Note launched in India starting at Rs. 5,999 Key Specs a 5.45-inch HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio powered by a 1.5 quad-core processor 2GB RAM 16 GB inbuilt memory expandable further upto 64GB runs on Android 8.1 out of the box a 13MP rear camera a 5MP front-shooter for selfies 4G VoLTE, Dual-SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS 35000mAh battery is on board Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 launched for Rs. 7,999 Key Specs 5.99-inch (1440 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display 1.3GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6739WA 64-bit processor with PowerVR Rogue GE8100 GPU 3GB RAM 32GB internal memory expandable memory up to 128GB with MicroSD Android 8.1 (Oreo) Dual SIM 13MP primary rear camera with LED Flash 8MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor 4G VoLTE 4000mAh battery BlackBerry KEY2 LE launched in India for Rs. 29,990 Key Specs 4.5-inch (1620 x 1080 pixels) 3:2 display with 433 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 4GB RAM 64GB internal storage expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD 4-row Physical QWERTY backlit keyboard with capacitive touch Android 8.1 (Oreo) Hybrid dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) 13MP rear camera and 5MP secondary rear camera Fingerprint sensor in space bar 4G VoLTE 3,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 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 Asus sends invites for new ZenFone smartphone launch in India on October 17 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Asus to launch a new phone in the coming days. Asus has sent media invites for a launch event to be hosted in India on October 17. Though the invite does not mention the name of the smartphone that could be launched in the country next week, it reveals that the device will be the latest Zenfone smartphone. Talking about the launch event, Asus is said to launch a new Zenfone smartphone in New Delhi on October 17 at 12:30 PM. The company will live stream the event so that its fans fro anywhere can watch the event live and get the live updates. However, there is no word regarding the exact device that will be launched or its pricing. New Zenfone smartphone While there is no word regarding the Zenfone model that will be launched in India on October 17, we can expect it to be any of the devices those were spotted on the certification sites of late. The Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Max M2, the alleged successors of the Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Max M1 were spotted with the model numbers ZB631KL and ZB633KL. Both the phones were spotted on the ECC certification listing running Android Oreo out of the box. It isn't a big surprise to see the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 get a successor as this smartphone is one of the bestsellers in the Indian market. The company recently revealed that the smartphone has managed to sell 1 million units in less than 6 months of its launch. Not the Asus ROG Phone This puts an end to the expectations that the ROG Phone will be launched in India. Earlier this year, there were speculations that the gaming smartphone will come to the Indian market sometime in the third quarter of this year but it didn't happen. Meanwhile, there are speculations that the company is working on the next-generation gaming smartphone. And, we have already seen the new ROG Phone on the TENAA certification database revealing its key specs and possible design. 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 What's new on MIUI V9.6.24 for Poco F1? Added Face Unlock in Belgium Adjusted screen brightness in Reading Mode Adjusted sleep time, when the device lies flat on a surface Improved camera's stability How to install MIUI V9.6.24 on the Poco F1? Go to Settings > About phone > System updates > check for an update to install the latest software update (in this case, the MIUI V9.6.24) on the Poco F1. Or, download the complete ROM (recovery ROM or fastboot ROM) and flash it manually on the Poco F1. Xiaomi Poco F1 specifications The Xiaomi Poco F1 comes with a 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen with FHD+ resolution, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass on top. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is the chipset that powers the smartphone with 6/8 GB of RAM and 64/128/256 GB of internal storage with a micro SD card slot for additional storage expansion. The device does come with dual SIM card slots with support for 4G LTE and VoLTE on both the slots. The phone also supports Bluetooth 5.0, dual channel Wi-Fi and A-GPS. Unfortunately, the device does not support NFC. The smartphone has a dual camera set up at the back with a 12 MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 5 MP depth camera. On the front, the device has a 20 MP selfie camera with an IR camera to support Face Unlock. The main camera can record 4K videos, whereas the video recording capability of the selfie camera is limited to 1080p, amidst having a 20 MP sensor. The Poco F1 has a 4000 mAh Li-ion battery with a USB type C port with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 capability. The device also has a dedicated 3.5 mm headphone jack on the top portion of the smartphone. The Poco F1 currently runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with MIUI 9, the device will be updated to MIUI 10 with Android 9 Pie in the near future. UK Refuses to Comment on Reports About Increased Intel Exchange on Russia, China Sputnik News 23:38 12.10.2018 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on Friday refused to comment to Sputnik on reports that the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which London is a member of, has been exchanging classified information on China's foreign activities with like-minded states since the beginning of the year. "Many thanks for your query. We will not be commenting," a GCHQ spokesperson said, when answering a question on the issue. Earlier in the day, the Reuters news agency reported, citing multiple sources, that the members of the Five Eyes alliance have increased cooperation with Germany, Japan and France on exchanging data on Chinese and Russian influence in foreign affairs. The Five Eyes is a reference to an intelligence alliance, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The states are parties to the UKUSA Agreement on cooperation in signals intelligence. Beijing and Moscow have repeatedly faced accusations of interference in the domestic affairs from a number of Western countries. Both China and Moscow refute the allegations, citing lack of evidence as well as the West's own attempts to interfere in third countries' domestic affairs around the world. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General visits USS Harry S. Truman, en route to Exercise Trident Juncture NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 12 Oct. 2018 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the North Sea on Friday (12 October 2018), together with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Curtis Scaparrotti. The USS Truman is en route to participate in NATO's biggest exercise in years, Trident Juncture 2018, joining around sixty other ships from across the Alliance. The Secretary General thanked the crew of the USS Truman for their service, emphasizing that the carrier delivers deterrence every day, and helps keep sea lines of communication open. He further noted that the carrier has been crucial in helping defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Mr. Stoltenberg welcomed that the USS Truman is taking part in exercise Trident Juncture, marking the first visit by a US carrier group to Norwegian waters since 1987. He said that Exercise Trident Juncture will send a clear message of Allied solidarity that NATO is ready to respond to any threat from any direction. Highlighting the key role of maritime power in NATO's strengthened deterrence and defence, Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that the Atlantic Ocean is a bridge between North America and Europe which needs to be protected. He welcomed that the Alliance is stepping up its efforts to this end, including with a new Joint Force Command for the Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia. On Friday, the Secretary General and General Scaparrotti also visited the HDMS Esbern Snare of the Royal Danish Navy the flagship of one of NATO's multinational naval groups. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NCBC Gulfport provides support for NSA Panama City after Hurricane Michael Navy News Service Story Number: NNS181012-10 Release Date: 10/12/2018 12:53:00 PM From Commander, Navy Region Southeast Public Affairs Gulfport, Miss. (NNS) -- Personnel at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Mississippi, have been doing their part to provide relief and support for Naval Support Activity (NSA) Panama City, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. NCBC Gulfport initially took in about 50 evacuees from NSA Panama City and provided non-availability forms for others to stay in hotels off base once there were no more rooms available onboard the base, according to Lewis Fountain, NCBC Gulfport emergency manager. Fountain said NCBC Gulfport also housed the security detachment from the Panama City base so that they would have a place where they could respond back to their installation quickly after the storm passed. The security forces left later that night to return to Florida and begin recovery operations. The emergency management team in Gulfport provided the NSA security forces with two cases of water and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) to take back with them to Panama City. Fountain said he also coordinated with the emergency management operations team in Panama City to have sleeping bags standing by for the security team when they arrived. At noon Oct. 11, Capt. William Whitmire, NCBC Gulfport commanding officer, held a town hall for the evacuees from Panama City to talk with them about the continuing support the Gulfport base would be able to provide them. An installation ministry team from the Seabee Memorial Chapel was also on hand to provide counseling and religious services support. "We introduced them to some of our staff to help get them connected with any base resources they might need, such as lodging support and galley availability. We're making sure that we're available to answer any questions they may have about what's going on in Panama City so that they can stay informed about recovery efforts and when they can return. We're happy to have them while they're here and help out in any way that we can," Whitmire said. Due to lack of internet connectivity and spotty cell phone service in the Panama City area, the NCBC Gulfport Facebook page at NCBC Gulfport has been making updates for NSA Panama City, so that evacuees and other NSA personnel can keep up to date on events around the base, as well as community recovery efforts. In addition, the Fleet and Family Support Center at NCBC Gulfport has been available to provide any support evacuees may need while displaced from the storm. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) onboard NCBC has helped in coordinating monetary assistance for single and married sailors to help them with any financial issues that may arise while evacuated, according to Alice Huffman, director of NMCRS Gulfport. Huffman said evacuees can contact NMCRS Gulfport at (228) 871-2610 for more information on the types of relief they can provide in the wake of the storm, or they can visit the society's Facebook page at Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Gulfport or www.nmcrs.org for more information. The Fleet and Family Center onboard NCBC Gulfport can also be reached at (228) 871-3000. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Visa, the worlds leader in digital payments, will showcase its Visa Developer platform and fintech partners from regional programs including winners of its Everywhere Initiative and participants of DIFCs Fintech Hive accelerator program, at the Gitex Future Stars. Gitex Future Stars is the largest startup event in the Middle East and Africa being held on the sidelines of the mega technology show from October 14 to 18 in Dubai that will attract startups, potential investors, corporate and government buyers. Visa Developer is an open platform that gives application developers access to the digital payment leaders APIs, tools, and payments experts that can help enable them to build easier, faster and more secure ways to power commerce. Visas Everywhere Initiative is a global program designed by Visa to encourage the development of the next big thing in payments. It was rolled-out in Mena, Russia region and Sub Saharan Africa region for the first time in 2017. The Visa booth at Gitex Future Stars will host Mohammmed Aideed, COO at Qpal, the Mena winner of the Visa Everywhere Initiative, providing the UAE-based fintech startup a unique opportunity to showcase its POS and mobile wallet solutions developed to speed up payments for food and beverages at events. Qpal, which won both the Acceptance Challenge as well as the overall prize for its idea, took home $50,000 last year, as well earned itself the opportunity to work with the team at Viss Innovation Center in Dubai to develop this concept further. In addition to Qpal, Visa will host Visa Everywhere Initiative fintech startup winners from Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa including Gleb Kharitonov of Briskly, Nikolaev Danila of Bartello, and Eric Thimba of Mookh who will display their innovative solutions throughout the week. Visa will also invite seven other fintech start-ups including Game Change Solutions, Verismart, Turnkey, Paysky, Amani, Bank Buddy, ebooc, and Spare to present their solutions at the Gitex Future Stars, as part of its ongoing mentoring program in association with Accenture. Furthermore, on day 4 of Gitex Future Stars (October 17), Visa will be running a mentorship clinic on Design Thinking and Visa Developer. Shahebaz Khan, Visas Group Country Manager for the UAE and innovation lead for Mena, said: "We are really excited about our participation at Gitex Future Stars this year. Not only is this an ideal platform for us to exhibit our unique products but also mentor fintech startups and showcase their solutions to a wider audience attending the event." "We look forward to meeting and interacting with various startups, innovators and investors at the event,," he added.-TradeArabia News Service NAVFAC Southeast CERT Deploys To Panama City To Assess Damage Caused By Hurricane Michael Navy News Service Story Number: NNS181012-08 Release Date: 10/12/2018 11:02:00 AM From NAVFAC Southeast Public Affairs Jacksonville, Florida (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast dispatched one military member and 11 civilian personnel to Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida, from Naval Air Station Jacksonville Oct. 11, as part of a Contingency Engineering Response Team (CERT) after Hurricane Michael made landfall there. NAVFAC Southeast Commanding Officer Capt. Mike Monreal spoke with the team before they left for Panama City today and thanked them as they left their families to help others. "Take your time, be safe. Don't take any unnecessary risks," said Monreal. "Know that the things you are doing are very important for our mission and for our military family in Panama City. Thank you for volunteering to do this and know that you have my full support." CERT members will work directly with the staff on the ground at the installation to perform assessments to help get the base back to normal operations as soon as possible. "This is the first deployment of the 2018 hurricane season for the team," said NAVFAC Southeast Production Officer and Disaster Preparedness Officer Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Thrun. "The team is experienced in responding to storms. They require little preparation time as they are ready to go at a moments notice. Our continuous planning for contingencies like this makes deployment of the CERT after disasters very smooth." In conjunction with the installation Public Works Department staff, the team will prioritize the review of each facility/infrastructure on the base. To accomplish this, the team will also deploy Disaster Assessment Teams (DATs) to identify and quantify damage caused by the storm. They will then record the damage to a sufficient degree to develop cost estimates for repairs. The CERT has DATs which consist of structural, electrical, and mechanical engineers, architects, roofing specialists, community planners, environmental specialists and construction contract specialists that deploy to begin Rapid Damage Assessments. It is during this phase that debris is removed and basic functions are restored such as opening roadways, sanitation, water, electricity and communications. "This will be the third CERT I have been on," said CERT Team Lead Lt. j.g. Derek Schmitz. "Being a part of a CERT is an exciting experience as it is fast-paced and demands long hours. Being able to coordinate a group of people with various engineering disciplines to safely assess damages of every structure on a base after a devastating event is challenging and rewarding." The entire team is comprised of volunteers. Every year before the hurricane season begins, a request goes out asking for volunteers so that teams are ready and established in advance of an event. When a disaster occurs, a multi-disciplinary team is brought together and is placed on stand-by. The CERT is ready to deploy as soon as it is safe to travel. Typically within 24 hours of the storm making landfall. "It is important to make sure the teams get what they need to accomplish the mission," said Schmitz. "Our goal is to get there and get working as soon as possible so that we can provide the base a record of each building and structure with details of the damages, percentages lost and the urgency of certain repairs." Sending engineers in to devastated areas is not new to NAVFAC. "We train for circumstances just like this. Our team is always ready to go," said Thrun. Typically, these teams are deployed to assess hurricane or other storm damage to military installations such as was the case last year with Hurricane Harvey at NAS Corpus Christi and then Hurricane Irma at NAS Key West, in October 2016 when teams deployed to the Bahamas and Cuba after Hurricane Maria went through the Caribbean, in April 2014 when teams deployed to NAS Pensacola after heavy storms rolled through the area and again in August 2012 when teams deployed to Gulfport, Miss. and New Orleans in response to Hurricane Isaac. They are also called upon to deploy for humanitarian efforts such as a tsunami or the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon suspends all F-35 flights after crash People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 07:34, October 12, 2018 WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday it is suspending all F-35 fighter jet operations after an F-35B jet crashed last month. "The U.S. Services and international partners have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations while the enterprise conducts a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft," a statement from the F-35 program office said. The statement said that if suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced, while aircraft with good tubes will resume flight. The inspection is expected to complete within the next 24 to 48 hours, the statement said. The suspension came after an F-35B jet crashed last month in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The incident marked the first time that an F-35 fighter jet, which costs more than 100 million U.S. dollars, had crashed. The crash came one day after the first airstrike conducted by a U.S. F-35 fighter jet, and hours after the Pentagon announced that it had awarded Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of F-35, with a new batch of F-35s. The F-35 stealth jet has three variants, F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, designed for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, respectively. The F-35B is the only model with short-take off and vertical landing abilities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US warship Ronald Reagan joins fleet review off South Korea Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 06:54AM US nuclear-powered warship USS Ronald Reagan has joined the South Korean naval fleet off for a once-in-a-decade international fleet review in waters off the southern island of Jeju. The warship, which was based in Japan's Yokosuka, joined some 40 other warships and more than 20 aircraft in waters off the southern island of Jeju on Thursday. For the international fleet review, the US deployed a total of three warships, including two cruisers, Chancellorsville and Antietam. The aircraft's entry, however, was interrupted as hundreds of demonstrators in kayaks paddled out to the sea to protest the naval event, which is to last till Sunday. Apart from the US and South Korea, Australia, Canada, Brunei and India have also participated in the review. The event, which is said to be designed to promote trust and cooperation among world navies, is a source of concern for North Korea, which has constantly been calling for the US military to leave the region. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who attended the event on Thursday, touched on the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying both Pyongyang and Seoul had "begun a journey toward complete denuclearization and lasting peace." Though the two Koreas technically remain at war as the Korean War ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty, Moon said, "The Korean Peninsula is in a ceasefire." He has been pushing to formally end the Korean War, through the three bilateral summits he had with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in which the two agreed to end their hostility and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. His government was also considering lifting a broad trade and investment embargo imposed on the North in 2010, but the move provoked a quick response from US President Donald Trump, who said Seoul could "do nothing without our approval." The South Korean minister for unification, Cho Myoung-gyon, said later that "no detailed consideration" had been given to removing the sanctions. Trump made the blunt remarks to keep squeezing Pyongyang, though he had earlier said "incredible" progress had been made in bilateral talks with the North and that he was ready to meet Kim for a second time very soon. Trump and Kim met for the first time in June in a summit Singapore, where they agreed to work toward denuclearization. Thus far, the North has been taking several steps toward the goal, including the suspension of missile and nuclear tests, while the American side has taken no moves in return. Kim, who had also agreed to allow the inspectors into North Korea last month, said he was prepared to permanently dismantle his country's main nuclear site at Yongbyon, but only if the US took "corresponding steps" to build trust. The least step Washington could take to build trust appears to be comprehensive sanctions relief, according to analysts. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Steps Down, Ambassador To Seoul Seeks Asylum Abroad RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service October 12, 2018 Kyrgyzstan's longtime foreign minister has left his post amid a standoff with the Central Asian nation's ambassador to South Korea, who was dismissed after alleging corruption in the Foreign Ministry and says he is seeking asylum abroad. In a statement on the Foreign Ministry website on October 12, Erlan Abdyldaev said that he submitted his resignation after six years as the country's top diplomat and that President Sooronbai Jeenbekov had accepted it. On the same day, Kylychbek Sultan, the Kyrgyz ambassador to Seoul, wrote on Facebook that he refused to recognize Jeenbekov's government and had asked for political asylum in an unspecified foreign country. The presidential press service said Jeenbekov had dismissed both Abdyldaev and Sultan of their duties. Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed Abdyldaev's resignation. HRW Central Asia researcher Steve Swerdlow said in a tweet on October 12 that Abdyldaev's six-year tenure was "marked by crackdowns on NGOs" and other rights violations. The announcements came a day after the country's Security Council released the results of its investigation into Sultan's allegations of the violation of laws and regulations by the Foreign Ministry. In September, Sultan accused the ministry of corruption and mishandling of diplomatic passports. In its statement on October 11, the Security Council said that Sultan's claims were true but that Sultan himself violated some ethical norms and regulations while serving as ambassador to Malaysia in 2014-16. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyz-foreign-minister-steps-down- ambassador-to-seoul-seeks-asylum-abroad/29540505.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah Leader Responds to Israeli Accusations of Building 'Missile Factory' Sputnik News 21:39 12.10.2018(updated 21:40 12.10.2018) Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of building a missile factory and hiding it in the civilian infrastructure of Beirut's international airport. Netanyahu showed an aerial image of the alleged factory site during his speech at the UN General Assembly. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has commented on the recent accusations by the Israeli prime minister of constructing a missile production and launch facility at Beirut's international airport. He said that the organization would not "help the enemy in its psychological war" by denying the information. "Delivering free information even by denying is considered as a free favor for the enemy," he said. In his speech, Nasrallah also slammed US President Donald Trump, comparing his calls on Saudi Arabia to "pay" more for its protection to "extortion." According to the Hezbollah leader, Trump is "blackmailing" Saudi Arabia to earn more money on selling weapons to them. Nasrallah proposed another way to spend money: "Let's invest all this money in studies for the sake of improving and developing our Arab world," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of utilizing civilian infrastructure at Beirut's international airport in order to set up and conceal a missile production and launch facility. He showed an aerial image of the airport as proof of his claims at the UN General Assembly. Hezbollah first commented on the claims today. The Lebanese government has denied the accusations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump's Afghanistan Strategy Must Be Given Chance to Succeed - Speaker Ryan Sputnik News 16:09 12.10.2018(updated 16:16 12.10.2018) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump's strategy for Afghanistan and the entire South Asia region must have a chance to succeed, Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan said during a visit to the war-torn country. "After this visit, it is clear to me that the president's South Asia strategy must be given an opportunity to succeed," Ryan said. Ryan said he was pleased to hear about the progress Afghan special mission units were made in reducing the threat of terrorism in the country. "Fighting terrorism in this region remains in our nation's vital interest and it is clear the current momentum of our military campaign is underpinning our diplomatic efforts to set the conditions for reconciliation," he noted. Ryan spent two days in Afghanistan along with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry in order to meet with US troops as well as military, State Department, senior Afghan and coalition officials, the speaker's office said in a press release. Trump last year announced a new "conditions-based" strategy for Afghanistan, which involves an open-ended military presence and more US servicemen on the ground. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'White House Wants to Kill Me': Maduro Accuses US of Assassination Plot Sputnik News 06:47 12.10.2018 MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro argued on Thursday that the United States had allegedly instructed Colombia to organize his assassination. "I am saying this to the entire world the order to kill Maduro was given to the [Colombian] government in Bogota from the White House that wants to kill me," Maduro said as broadcast by a state-run TV channel on Thursday. Maduro stressed that any future assassination attempt on him would fail. The attack on Maduro occurred during a military parade in Caracas in early August. Maduro was unharmed while seven Venezuelan soldiers sustained injuries in the incident. Maduro has repeatedly accused Washington and Bogota, particularly Colombian ex-president Juan Manuel Santos, of having a role in the attack. Moreover, Venezuela said it would put the blame for any future attack on its territory on Colombia. The Colombian Foreign Ministry denied any involvement of Bogota in the assassination attempt on Maduro. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belgian F-16 Incident May Be Caused by Accidental Firing From Jet - Reports Sputnik News 04:01 12.10.2018(updated 10:52 12.10.2018) BRUSSELS (Sputnik) A fire at an airbase in Belgium, which resulted in the destruction of an F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, might have been caused by a personnel member who had opened fire from a fighter, located at the same maintenance area, by mistake, local media reported. As a result of this accidental firing, the F-16 fighter, filled with kerosene, had exploded, the RTL Info broadcaster reported. "We can assume that there has been a human error or a technical fault. In any case, we have not been informed about an intentional act," Boris Morenville, the head of the SLPF Defense trade union said, as quoted by the broadcaster. One person, who had sustained hearing damage due to the incident, had been hospitalized, Didier Di Giovanni, serving at the Florennes base, said, as quoted by RTL Info. On Thursday, the Belgian Air Force said that the F-16 fighter had burned in a fire during maintenance at a base in the Belgian municipality of Florenne while another aircraft had sustained collateral damage. The activities at the base had been suspended until Friday, the reports suggested, adding that a federal inquiry into the incident had been launched. The broadcaster noted that a new F-16 cost 40 million euros ($46.3 million) so the destruction of the aircraft represented a significant loss for the Belgian Armed Forces. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN welcomes 'milestone' release of 833 Nigerian children from anti-Boko Haram force 12 October 2018 - The United Nations welcomed on Friday as an "important milestone" the release in Nigeria of 833 children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF); a group formed in 2013 to protect communities and support the country's security forces against Boko Haram extremists. "This is an important development for boys and girls of north-east Nigeria whose lives have been deeply affected by violence and insecurity," said the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba. "I also want to highlight that today's release of children is the result of months of productive work and collaboration between the CJTF and the United Nations We expect more children to be separated from the CJTF soon." For over nine years, Nigeria's north-east has been in the grip of a brutal conflict between various non-state armed groups, including Boko Haram, and the Nigerian military. This has resulted in the recruitment of thousands of children by the various militias. This release by the CJTF comes after it was named in the UN Secretary-General's Annual Report for Children and Armed Conflict and an action plan was subsequently developed and signed in September 2017. In the agreement, the group committed to ending and preventing the recruitment of children and agreed to release all children from their ranks. The United Nations has supported this process by providing training and awareness raising sessions to members of the CJTF and communities. This is the first formal release since the agreement, but the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that another 600 boys and girls remain within the ranks of the CJTF in the city of Maiduguri, and many more youngsters remain in other armed groups, either in combat or support roles. "The release of these children from CJTF shows commitment to implement the provisions of the Action Plan and to uphold international humanitarian law, human rights laws as well as other regional and national legislations, protecting children's rights," said Pernille Ironside, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria. We have an opportunity to help these children heal and rebuild their lives - Special Representative Virginia Gamba. Special Representative Gamba noted that the Nigerian authorities will be providing reintegration services to all children released today, with support from UNICEF and other child protection organizations. "We have an opportunity to help these children heal and rebuild their lives," said the Special Representative. "I call on all those who can support this process to work with us to ensure they have access to the best possible services." Since 2017, UNICEF and its partners have supported the Nigeria authorities in its efforts to reintegrate more than 8,700 children released by parties to the conflict. This work has involved tracing their families, getting them home and offering psychological and economic support, an education, vocational trainings, as well as helping them overcome the stigma they face from their association with armed groups. While today's release of children is an "important milestone" for the protection of children in Nigeria, Ms. Gamba regretted that children in the country's north-east continue to be subjected to grave violations. During the first six months of 2018 alone, 37 children, the majority of whom were girls, were used as 'human bombs' to harm civilians. During the same period, 349 children were killed or maimed, and another 140 children were abducted. The Special Representative also expressed concern over children detained by the authorities for their - or their parents' - alleged association with non-state armed groups. Calling on the Nigerian Government to consider these children primarily as victims, she appealed for a handover of these children to civilian care "without delay". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan Dials Up Pressure on China Over Southeast Asian Sea By Ralph Jennings October 12, 2018 Warfare exercises in the disputed South China Sea over the past two months reveal a sustained, long-term escalation of Japanese activity in a region where Tokyo has strategic interests that include keeping Beijing in check. In September a Japanese submarine, helicopter carrier and two destroyers explored the sea contested by six governments, with China the most militarily powerful. The exercise is part of a two-month initiative called Indo Southeast Asia Deployment 2018, designed to promote "interoperability with our partner navies," the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force says on its website. Then, on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to work with Vietnam on security in the South China Sea. Two days earlier his forces had held a beach-storming drill with their counterparts in the Philippines. Japan lacks a claim to the South China Sea, a 3.5 million-square-kilometer waterway stretching from Hong Kong to Borneo, as Vietnam and the Philippines do. But it wants to keep shipping lanes and other resource channels open, while muting China's growing control that includes artificial islands for military infrastructure. Tokyo, a U.S. ally, also vies with Beijing in a separate dispute over the East China Sea. "Clearly Japan wants to send a message to Beijing that China doesn't get to do anything it wants in the South China Sea," said Jeffrey Kingston, history instructor at Temple University Japan. "They are forging relationships with other nations in the region, conducting joint naval exercises, all of this to in a way show Beijing that we are not going to just let you claim the South China Sea as Lake China." "These exercises are going to become the new norm," he said. Trend of escalation Japan started intensifying ties in Southeast Asia, including to countries around the South China Sea, some 20 years ago as China began expanding its own economic relations in the same region. Japan has cut back its development aid to China since 1999 and raised the amounts given to Southeast Asia, some of it to build transport infrastructure before China does. About one-third of the world's marine shipping traffic passes through the South China Sea, making it crucial to Japan's acquisition of raw materials and export of manufactured goods. In the Philippines, Japan agreed in March to lend money to Manila's first subway system. It has also helped rebuild Marawi, a Philippine city partly destroyed by civil war in 2017. "For the longest time Japan has been acting as a good friend of the Philippines in terms of the economy, and then reconstruction for instance in Marawi, so in a way I think one of the tactics of Japan is to maintain its friendly policy in the area," said Maria Ela Atienza, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman. Alliance building Last year Japan vowed to work closely with Australia, India and the United States to keep the sea open internationally. Japan hopes other countries agree on international maritime "norms," said Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor in politics and international studies at International Christian University in Tokyo. Japan is expected to sustain its own missions in the sea so it becomes increasingly connected with coastal states. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines claim all or parts of the South China Sea but lack the economic or military clout that China has used to fortify its tiny islands over the past five to 10 years. In June Japan offered a $23 million grant to Indonesia for building ports on islands that face the South China Sea. Two years ago it extended loans and grants to the Philippines for patrol ships. A Japanese submarine visited Vietnam last month. Japan wants to help Southeast Asia, which in turn looks to Japan "as a counter balance," Nagy said. "There's a strategic partnership engagement, establishing their own security footprint within the region and forging a consensus on how international law should be obeyed by countries within the region, and it's all targeted at China," he said. Chinese reaction China protested Japan's submarine activities last month, saying they took place in waters that China claims. State-run news website Chinadaily.com said the mission "was testing one of China's red lines." China claims about 90 percent of the sea. But in the longer term China will try to build stronger Japan ties because it's now sparring with the United States over trade, scholars expect. The U.S. government has approved import tariffs this year covering $250 billion in Chinese goods. China hopes to "turn down heat on Japan" because the United States is Beijing's "biggest headache now" Kingston said. Japan for its part will engage China to show it can "smile and growl at the same time," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Oil has registered its biggest weekly loss since May as turmoil in equity trading spilled over into the crude market, said a report. Futures dropped 4 per cent this week in New York, echoing declines in the S&P 500 Index amid fresh concern about the escalating US-China trade war, reported Bloomberg. Oil stockpiles in the worlds biggest economy are swelling amid International Energy Agency warnings about growing threats to global energy demand. The long oil trade is way too overcrowded and these markets tend to overshoot their supply demand dynamics, said Phil Streible, senior market strategist at RJ OBrien Associates. Were seeing liquidation in the oil market because of the spillover effect from the equity market, he added. West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery advanced 37 cents to end the session at $71.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent for December settlement rose 17 cents to settle at $80.43 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It traded at a $9.25 premium to WTI for the same month. AMC provides support in aftermath of Hurricane Michael By 2nd Lt. Emma Quirk, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs / Published October 12, 2018 SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- Air Mobility Command is prepared to support victims affected by Hurricane Michael, which hit landfall in parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama on Oct. 10. Gen. Maryanne Miller, AMC commander, said mobility crews and assets are postured to provide airlift, contingency response and aeromedical evacuation during the rapid relief effort. "Mobility professionals are highly-trained and prepared to offer support whenever and wherever required," Miller said . "AMC's airlift and aeromedical evacuation capabilities and expeditionary Airmen skillsets afford the nation unique disaster relief options." Total force communications personnel from U.S. Transportation Command's Joint Communications Support Element from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and the Florida Air National Guard's 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron deployed to Tyndall AFB, Florida, to restore communication capabilities in the wake of Hurricane Michael. For the aircraft being positioned to respond in relief efforts, the 618th Air Operations Center commander said the 618th AOC has had their eyes on Michael for days, and they'll continue planning to deliver AMC's relief response as long as needed. "Airmen from the 618th AOC have been hard at work since before Hurricane Michael even made landfall," said Col. Jimmy Canlas, 618th AOC vice commander. "These men and women coordinated with Mobility Air Forces across the U.S. to ensure safe evacuation of four bases while posturing forces at five separate locations to provide support to effected areas. We are focused on helping the victims of Hurricane Michael and this extent of coordination is something we achieve every day." Of those requests, both Travis AFB, California, and Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, have also supplied C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and crews to support contingency response and search and rescue missions. "Travis (AFB) was and continues to be ready, when called upon, to support relief operations," said Col. Jeff Nelson, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander. "Our C-17s and medical personnel were poised to depart within 12 hours of notification, ensuring federal agencies such as FEMA could provide a rapid response to assist those in need." One aircraft crew from Travis AFB is scheduled to arrive Oct. 12, 2018 at Tyndall AFB transporting a contingency response team who will conduct an airfield assessment, after the base sustained damage from the hurricane. Pending the results of the survey, the 821st Contingency Response Group is prepared to reopen the airfield within hours. The team will deliver a Humvee, Meals Ready to Eat, a forklift and aircraft ground equipment to assist in reestablishing aerial port capabilities. At Scott AFB, a C-130J Super Hercules from Dyess AFB, Texas, was on standby postured to support aeromedical evacuation crews and Critical Care Air Transport Teams. If deployed, these Airmen will provide relief through the established En-Route Patient Staging System. No matter the challenge, Miller says AMC Airmen will continue to offer support and remain prepared in various capacities. "We recognize the world is unpredictable," Miller said. "Mobility Airmen pride themselves on the ability to continuously respond to numerous, simultaneous high priority missions on short notice while maintaining support for global combatant commands." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wisconsin, Ohio Guard troops head to Fla. for Michael relief By Capt. Joe Trovato | Wisconsin National Guard October 12, 2018 MADISON, Wis. -- A team of 12 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers are headed to Florida to conduct relief operations in support of civil authorities in response to Hurricane Michael. Two UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopters with hoist capabilities from the Wisconsin Army National Guard flight facility in West Bend reported for state active duty Wednesday to prepare for deployment to Florida. Also, the Ohio National Guard announced Thursday afternoon that it is sending a CH-47 Chinook helicopter and crew to assist with Florida rescues. Gov. Scott Walker authorized Wisconsin's support to Florida after the state received an emergency management assistance compact -- or EMAC -- request from Florida. Walker issued Executive Order 311 on Wednesday and declared a state of emergency, which authorized Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, Wisconsin's adjutant general, to call elements of the Wisconsin National Guard to state active duty as he deems necessary to support EMAC requests from Florida. "Assisting civil authorities during times of emergency is one of the core missions of the National Guard," Dunbar said. "Our Soldiers and Airmen in the Wisconsin National Guard continue to demonstrate their professionalism, and they always stand ready to respond when called." The Wisconsin National Guard stands ready to take on additional missions to support Florida or other states affected by Hurricane Michael, Dunbar added. The medevac unit brings an array of capabilities to the response, including medical treatment and transport as well as hoist capabilities that can pull individuals from areas cut off by high water. Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Wisconsin National Guard continue to monitor the situation and review requests to determine if there are other areas in which Wisconsin can provide support. The mission to Florida continues a busy fall for Wisconsin Army National Guard medevac units based out of West Bend. Multiple crews recently returned from North Carolina where they assisted in the wake of Hurricane Florence as well. In fall 2017, thousands of Wisconsin National Guard troops mobilized in support of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Approximately 650 Soldiers from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Brigade Combat Team supported civil authorities in Florida where they provided humanitarian relief, security, and traffic control support to communities. Black Hawk medevac crews also deployed to the U.S. Virgin Islands to transport patients in need of medical care to health care facilities, and Airmen from the Wisconsin Air National Guard deployed to Puerto Rico to assist in re-establishing communications on the island and provide mass feeding capabilities to first responders and civilians. The Wisconsin Guard has also been busy assisting civil authorities here in Wisconsin. Hundreds of Guard members assisted with sandbagging efforts after torrential rains soaked southern Wisconsin in late August and early September, and Soldiers responded on multiple occasions to flooding in summer 2017 in Monroe County and Burlington, Wisconsin. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Virginia National Guard providing high water transport capabilities, helicopter rescue on standby By Mr. Cotton Puryear | Virginia National Guard October 12, 2018 RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia National Guard has two medium tactical vehicles and four Soldiers providing high water transport capabilities today, in Danville, Virginia, after heavy rains caused widespread flooding in the area. A VNG aviation crew of four Soldiers and a team of three Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team members are on standby Friday morning in Chesterfield County, and they can be in Danville in an hour if needed. The VNG aviators and Chesterfield rescue technicians form the Virginia Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to provide rotary wing aviation rescue hoist capabilities that can conduct aerial rescue evacuation. "During domestic operations, the Virginia National Guard receives missions through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and responds as part of the state's multi-agency team," explained Brig. Gen. James W. Ring, Virginia National Guard Director of the Joint Staff. "Our personnel in the Danville area coordinate with local emergency management officials to provide additional capabilities to assist with the response and help people in need." Soldiers from the Danville-based 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team received the notification late Thursday and quickly staged personnel and equipment in order to be ready to go Friday morning, Ring said. Their 5-ton tactical trucks are capable of transporting personnel and supplies through water as high as three feet. The HART recently deployed to South Carolina to assist the South Carolina National Guard as they responded to Hurricane Florence, and they also deployed to Texas in September 2017 to assist the Texas National Guard with response to Hurricane Harvey. The Virginia National Guard staged more than 1,500 personnel Sept. 12, 2018, at key locations across the commonwealth to support local and state emergency management officials with possible response to Hurricane Florence, but most were not needed when the storm turned further south. When Governor Ralph Northam authorized Virginia's resources could be redirected to North Carolina, the VNG sent the HART and approximately 40 Soldiers and 20 light medium tactical vehicles to support with recovery efforts where the hurricane caused widespread flooding. Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 1173rd Transportation Company, 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group used their 5-ton tactical trucks to transport supplies for shelter operations and first responders conducting health and welfare checks in flooded neighborhoods. The HART remained on standby in South Carolina to provide rescue capabilities until the most severe flooding threat ended. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Soyuz Mishap A Reminder There's No Alternative To Russia's Manned Space Vehicles -- For Now Mike Eckel October 12, 2018 Russia's space program was already having a bad year. A suspicious hole discovered on a Russian vessel docked at the International Space Station (ISS) in August prompted speculation about a manufacturing defect or deliberate sabotage. That later gave way to veiled suggestions of politically motivated space skullduggery. Ten months earlier, a Russian rocket malfunctioned after launching from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, destroying a $50 million weather satellite and 18 other satellites. Experts concluded that a software programmer forgot to change the launch coordinates. Now, the October 11 malfunction and emergency landing of a rocket carrying a Russian and an American inside a Soyuz capsule has shone an even harsher light on the current reality of manned space flight. There is currently no alternative to using Russian launch vehicles to get astronauts to the ISS, and -- for now -- even that option is on hold. On October 12, Russia's space agency suspended all launches of the Soyuz-type rocket used in the aborted launch. In a Twitter post, Roskosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said that the two-man crew would "definitely have their flight," and said plans were being made to send them to the ISS in the spring. In 2011, the United States grounded the only real alternative -- the Space Shuttle fleet -- giving Russia a monopoly on getting people to and from the space station. Astronauts from the European Space Agency, Japan, and other countries have flown on the Soyuz missions. The technology used in the Soyuz, and many of the Russian rockets as well, is considered old, but exceedingly reliable. First developed by the Soviets in the mid-1960s, the technology has powered more than 1,700 manned and unmanned launches, making it the most-used launch vehicle in the world by far. The last major failure occurred in 1983, when a Soyuz rocket exploded on its launch pad. "It has a good reliability record, but like any system, you have to pay attention to details, and you can't let any problem arise because there are so many components that go into making a working rocket," said George Abbey, who directed NASA's Johnson Space Center between 1996 and 2001. With many in Congress wary about the high costs of manned space exploration, NASA has shifted priorities, and budgets, toward other programs. Filling A Gap In the meantime, the absence of a government-run manned space program, plus other technological advances, has helped spur a rush by private U.S. companies to develop their own launch technologies. SpaceX, the company owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, and veteran aerospace giant Boeing were awarded billion-dollar contracts in 2014 to develop manned space vehicles. Both are scheduled to contact their first manned test flights next year. SpaceX has already sent unmanned resupply capsules to the space station, using its own rocket technology. "For the first time since 2011, we are on the brink of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in August at a ceremony announcing the two sets of crews who will be manning the tests. Still, even with the push for private space travel, there have been warnings about more delays. The Government Accountability Office -- Congress's official auditing agency -- said in a July report that incomplete safety measures and accountability problems could push back the commercial program further. Two years earlier, in 2016, the NASA's own inspector-general explicitly criticized the agency, saying the delays had resulted in marked increases in the amount of money the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, was being paid for ferrying U.S. astronauts to the orbiting station. Currently, it costs NASA around $80 million per ride. China has successfully put its astronauts into orbit, but its space program is still in relative infancy. Russia has served as a singular source for rocket and space technology in another area as well -- U.S. commercial and military satellite launches -- something that has bothered some defense officials, and members of Congress, for years. The RD-180 engine, built by state-controlled NPO Energomash, has been used for years on rockets built by two private companies: United Launch Alliance and Orbital ATK. Two other private companies are both developing new engines in roughly the same class as the RD-180: Blue Origin, started by the billionaire owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Blue Origin is scheduled to unveil its engine in 2019, but regular launches of U.S. satellites are still years away. European company Arianespace is also building out its commercial launch portfolio for satellites. Abbey said he doubted the timeline for when commercial space flights would be ready to begin shuttling people to the space station, given all the testing and certification by U.S. authorities they face. "I would not assume that those two vehicles are going to be available anytime soon," he said. No Push For Change Because the Soyuz is the only option right now for manned travel, Roskosmos is expected to give the Soyuz the green light to resume operations, if only so that the space station isn't abandoned. The head of Roskosmos's manned-flight program has said the space agency is still planning to send a crew to the space station in December, pending the results of the investigation into the October 11 launch mishap. NASA officials said the three-member crew currently on board could remain there until January. And if they did then return to Earth -- on one of the Russian capsules now docked at the station -- the station itself could be operated remotely by ground controllers. Even when Soyuz does resume operations, there's another looming deadline: NASA's current contract with its Russian counterpart, Roskosmos, is set to expire in November 2019. Amid the still unresolved controversy over the mysterious hole in the space station, Roskosmos chief Rogozin has suggested that Moscow may not renew it. Regardless, from Russia's perspective, the looming loss of revenue from NASA contracts is a potential disaster, says Pavel Luzin, a researcher of Russian space policy. "Russia wants to continue a space partnership like it has been with the International Space Station," he says. "The ISS works like a huge bureaucratic institute, and Russia can be equal to the United States in this bureaucracy." Luzin argues that Roskosmos continues to function like a Soviet-era bureaucracy, and even much of the Russian civilian aerospace industry is unable to innovate and respond quickly to changes in technology. In addition to the Soyuz, there have also been problems with the Proton rocket, prompting the authorities to move to phase it out more quickly. And for Kremlin planners, space science is one of the only few remaining areas -- other than nuclear arms and military hardware -- where Russia is seen as being a peer to the United States. "That makes Russia a great power," Luzin says. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/soyuz-mishap-reminder-no-alternative-to- russian-manned-space-vehicles----for-now/29540427.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Suspends Space Launches After Failure, But Still Hopes For December Mission RFE/RL October 12, 2018 Russia's space agency says that it has suspended all Soyuz launches pending an investigation into the problem that forced a harrowing emergency landing, but the head of its manned program said Moscow still hopes to send a crew to the International Space Station (ISS) in December. Meanwhile, Jim Bridenstine, the chief of U.S. space agency NASA, praised the Russian space program and said he also expected a new crew to go to the ISS in December despite the incident. "I fully anticipate that we will fly again on a Soyuz rocket and I have no reason to believe at this point that it will not be on schedule," he told reporters in Moscow. Roskosmos announced the suspension on October 12, a day after U.S. astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksei Ovchinin returned safely to Earth in a "ballistic descent" after their flight was aborted following lift-off from the Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan a day earlier. The agency said the emergency was caused by a collision of the first and second stages of the rocket during the first stage separation. Hague and Ovchinin arrived on October 12 at the Russian space center for medical checks following the failed launch. U.S. and Russian space officials said the two were in good condition even though they experienced a gravitational force that was six to seven times more than is felt on Earth. The failed launch left it unclear when the next manned mission could be sent to the ISS, whose current crew had been slated to return from the station in December. Sergei Krikalyov, the cosmonaut who heads the manned spaceflight program at Roskosmos, said that the next manned mission to the ISS had been scheduled for December "and we are still counting on that date," the state-run news agency TASS reported. However, he added: "Of course, it will all depend on the results of the [investigation]" into the October 11 debacle. He said it was likely that, if a crew is sent to the the ISS in December, it will be the astronauts who had been ready as backups for Hague and Ovchinin. String Of Planned Launches Meanwhile, Roskosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Twitter that space authorities plan to send Ovchinin and Hague up in the spring of 2019. The two men "will definitely have their flight," he tweeted. "We plan to organize the flight in the spring of next year," Rogozin tweeted. While Russian rockets have experienced an array of glitches in recent years, the latest mishap was the first to be experienced by a manned Soyuz space mission since 1983, when a crew narrowly escaped before a launchpad explosion. The suspension of Soyuz flights could affect a string of planned launches and returns to Earth. While Krikalyov did not give a specific date, the next Soyuz mission had been scheduled for December 20 and was supposed to take a new three-person crew to the International Space Station. ISS Operations Integration Manager Kenny Todd told a press briefing in Houston late on October 11 that it's not clear how long the Soyuz operations will be grounded. "If it's two months or six, I really can't speculate on that," he said. "The fact that this crew didn't get to orbit, we feel bad for them. But we have confidence that our Russian colleagues will figure out what's going on and we'll hopefully see Nick and Aleksei in orbit at the space station soon." The European Space Agency is making contingency plans for three current space station crew members -- German Alexander Gerst, American Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Russian Sergei Prokopyev. They all were scheduled to return to Earth in mid-December, but may have to stay aboard the station longer. There is enough food for the crew to last several months as the station is regularly resupplied by unmanned Japanese and American spacecraft. But Todd said NASA is dusting off its plans for operating the space station without a crew, just in case the Russian investigation drags into next year. He said the current space station crew can stay on board only until January -- just a month beyond their scheduled December return -- because their Soyuz capsule, which has been docked at the station since June, has limited battery life and is only good for about 200 days in orbit. $100 Billion Asset If the Russian rockets remain grounded until it's time for the crew to come home, flight controllers could operate the station without anyone on board, Todd said. It could operate like that for a long time, barring a major equipment failure, he said. But it will need to be staffed again before private space companies SpaceX or Boeing launch their planned manned missions next year, Todd said. Given that the space station is a $100 billion asset, he said, it needs to have someone on board for the arrival of the first commercial manned missions, for safety reasons. NASA mothballed its space-shuttle program in 2011, and since then has been paying Russia about $80 million for each trip ferrying a U.S. astronaut to the station. The contract with Russia ends in late 2019, and the U.S. space agency has deals with the two American companies to step in at that point. Sending astronauts to the ISS will be a first for a privately owned company. Elon Musk's SpaceX will be using its Falcon 9 rockets. Since 2012, SpaceX has launched satellites for NASA, and has carried out 16 resupply missions to the space station. An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule is scheduled for launch in January 2019, with a similar manned launch set for June 2019. For Boeing, launches are set for March and August 2019. Despite NASA's publicly expressed confidence about the effects of a suspension in Russian Soyuz launches, some space officials expressed concern privately that it could affect important scientific research that is being conducted on board the station, which serves as an orbiting laboratory in space. Moreover, both SpaceX's and Boeing's rocket programs have run into delays, as is often the case in the aerospace industry. Any further delay of planned launches by SpaceX or Boeing could hold up the approval of their manned launch programs. This could mean that the first astronaut they would send into orbit would not depart until 2020 instead of 2019. With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, TASS, and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-suspends- manned-launches-pending-investigation-soyuz- launch-mishap/29539374.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Experts See Scant Progress From Pompeo's North Korea Trip By Christy Lee October 11, 2018 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling his recent trip to Pyongyang a success, but experts experienced in negotiating with Pyongyang remain unclear what he achieved in his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pompeo made his fourth trip to Pyongyang on Sunday and met with Kim to discuss steps North Korea is willing to take toward denuclearization and to prepare for the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim. Arriving in Seoul on Monday after his meeting in Pyongyang, Pompeo said "significant progress" was made in his talks with Kim and that they were "pretty close" to agreeing on the details of the second summit. Pompeo also said Kim agreed to open North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site and Sohae missile engine site to international inspectors. Significant progress doubted Evans Revere, a former State Department official who negotiated with North Korea and is now a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a U.S. research group, said, "I've looked hard for any signs that significant progress was made on denuclearization, but have found none." Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group at the Center for Naval Analyses, a research and development center serving the Navy and other U.S. defense agencies, also doubted that any meaningful steps were taken during Pompeo's latest meeting with Kim. "I was kind of surprised that he said that there has been significant progress because nobody seems to have any information that suggests something significant took place," said Gause. Revere said North Korea managed to use its test sites as a "trading bait" to gain concessions from the U.S. "On the nuclear weapons front, it seems clear that the North Koreans are eager to get as much mileage out of their promise to shut down and dismantle the two facilities at Punggye-ri and Sohae as possible," said Revere. "It will be interesting to see what the U.S. is asked to give up in order to gain access." Sohae site destroyed? The Sohae missile test site, also known as Tongchang-ri, was the facility that Kim had pledged to take down in front of international inspectors when he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at their third inter-Korean summit held in September. The Punggye-ri site consists of underground tunnels where North Korea conducted all of its nuclear tests. In May, North Korea blew up the tunnels to show its commitment toward denuclearization as foreign journalists observed the destruction. Christopher Hill, a chief negotiator with North Korea during the George W. Bush administration, said Kim needs to propose something more meaningful than dismantling the Punggye-ri site. "We all agreed or understood that Punggye-ri was nearing the end of its shelf life," said Hill. "I would like to see some progress in terms of their acknowledging what they have and discuss plans for shutting those things down, rather than just choosing things on their own." Gary Samore, the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Barack Obama administration, however, believes Washington and Pyongyang moving toward the second summit indicates that "progress was made" at the Pompeo's meeting with Kim. Inspections would be 'major breakthrough' David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector and current nuclear proliferation analyst at the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington NGO that informs the public about science and policy issues affecting global security, said allowing inspectors at the North Korea's key nuclear testing site could be "a major breakthrough" that might reveal crucial clues to what types of nuclear weapons North Korea possesses and how many there are. "The United States would love to be able to do testing and sampling at the test site where it would be able to tell whether the weapons were plutonium or weapons-grade uranium or both," said Albright. Albright said if the North Koreans are testing plutonium, they probably have no more than a dozen nuclear weapons in their possession. But if they are testing weapons-grade uranium, the number of nuclear weapons they have might range from 20 to 60. The big variance on the assessment, according to Albright, results from not knowing if they are using weapons-grade uranium and how much they have used. "The goal from [the inspectors'] point of view would be to sample the radioactive debris left over from the tests and then, secondarily, to know that the test tunnels are totally destroyed as advertised by the North Koreans," said Albright. More talks set Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea who accompanied Pompeo to Pyongyang, is slated to meet with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui soon to further discuss North Korea's denuclearization and Trump's summit with Kim. On Tuesday, Trump said his second summit with Kim would be held after the U.S. midterm elections in November. Ham Ji-ha and Ahn So-young contributed to this report, which originated with VOA's Korean service. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ICJ last session on Iran complaint against US wraps up IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Oct 12, IRNA -- The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday ended hearing the US lawyers' defense against the lawsuit filed against the country by Iran. The ICJ heard the US lawyers' defense against the lawsuit filed against Washington over violation of the Treaty of Amity through unlawful seizure of $2 billion worth of the Central Bank of Iran's (CBI) assets. The ICJ said that it will inform both Iran and the US about the time of release of its verdict. In the meantime, the Iranian delegation, attending the last session of the ICJ, rejected the US envoys' claims and accusations, citing documents thereof. The Iranian delegation described the US envoy's claims as baseless and urged the ICJ to turn them down. The Iranian team said the US courts have issued a decree against Iran's CBI to freeze about two billion dollars of its assets, thus causing problem for the bank in its international relations. The US sanctions against the CBI is against the treaty of amity between the two countries, the Iranian lawyers noted. At the end of the meeting, Mohseni Mohebi, head of the Iranian delegation, referred to the US accusation against Iran on sponsoring terrorism and noted that Washington made such accusations at the time when Iran's parliament approved a bill on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT). Earlier on Wednesday session, Iranian lawyers participating in the high court established to deal with the complaints of the governments against each other listed the US' violations of the treaty of amity of 1955. Probing the US violation of the treaty of amity through resuming sanctions against Iran is an example of a legal settlement of disputes between the two sides, which resulted in a court ruling in favor of Iran, the Iranian team said. 9191**1420 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to counter threats to its security beyond its borders: IRGC Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:25AM The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran will give a crushing response to any threat to its security even if it requires extraterritorial operations. "Iran will never avoid giving response [to threats] beyond its borders if its security is put in danger," Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari told Yemen's al-Masirah TV on Friday. General Jafari also referred to US President Donald Trump's claim that his administration has decreased the Islamic Republic's power, and said, "If in the past we could defend the Southwest Asia in 12 minutes, we can do it now in a shorter time." The Iranian commander's remarks came after Trump claimed on Tuesday Iran planned to take control of the Middle East in just "12 minutes." "Look at Iran, before I got there (to the White House), Iran was going to take (control) the Middle East in about 12 minutes, right?" Trump told his supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa. General Jafari further referred to US sanctions against Iran and said the Iranian nation has grown accustomed to such unilateral sanctions. "Despite the sanctions, we have managed to achieve self-sufficiency and strengthen our national solidarity." The top commander made the comments a couple of weeks after the IRGC attacked the gathering of the ringleaders of a recent terror attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz with several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles in an area east of the Euphrates in Syria. The strike took place on October 1 by the IRGC's Aerospace Division, killing and injuring dozens of Takfiri terrorists and ringleaders of the September 22 attack, in which 25 people were killed and 69 others wounded. Iran's top general has stressed that the retaliatory attacks were just the first stage of Tehran's revenge against those who sponsored and orchestrated the Ahvaz attack, for which Tehran holds "regional terror sponsors" and their "US masters" responsible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan asks US to ensure sanctions don't hurt Iran trade Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 07:56AM Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso has pressed his US counterpart Steven Mnuchin to ensure Japanese firms are not hurt by Washington's sanctions on Iran, Kyodo news agency reported Friday. The two men met in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a gathering of finance leaders from the Group of 20 major economies, which Mnuchin used to promote US sanctions snapping back against Iran's oil sector in about three weeks. The Japanese minister told a press conference he had relayed to Mnuchin his "hope that Japan's concerns are addressed." Japanese officials have said Iran's oil is "extremely important" to their country's energy security. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Hiroshige Seko said last month Japan "intends to have talks with the US tenaciously in order to continue Iranian crude oil imports." US President Donald Trump has pledged to bring Iran's oil imports down to zero. On Thursday, he said the US "will take care" of countries which defy the directive. "We will take care of them," Trump told reporters when asked about the decision of some countries like India and China to continue to purchase oil from Iran. Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November. Data released by traders and shipping intelligence firm Kpler showed recently that Indian buyers had lifted purchases of Iranian crude to 502,000 barrels per day (bpd) last month, up 111,000 bpd over August. On the other hand, India's purchases of US crude oil fell by 75 percent over the past four months, the data indicated. The firm said China had also increased shipments from the Middle Eastern country by 29,000 bpd to 620,000 bpd, while cutting its US purchases amid an ongoing trade spat with the United States. The US and India were to resume high-stakes negotiations Friday over the US request for India to slash its Iranian oil imports, reports said. Brian Hook, head of the US State Department's Iran action group, and Francis Fannon, assistant secretary for energy resources, were to travel to India and later hold talks on Iran in Europe with EU counterparts and the International Energy Agency. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said since July that the government would consider requests for sanctions relief from a "handful of countries". On Tuesday, the US administration marked its first retreat on the planned sanctions, allowing a gas field partly owned by the Islamic Republic in the North Sea to keep operating. The Rhum field northeast of Aberdeen, which supplies around 5 percent of Britain's gas demand, has now received a new operation license from the US Treasury, UK-listed producer Serica Energy said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's IRGC Vow 'Crushing Response' to Threats Beyond State Borders Sputnik News 16:58 12.10.2018(updated 17:01 12.10.2018) Iran would need "less than 12 minutes" to take control of the Middle East, an Iranian top military commander has warned. Iran will give a crushing response to any threat to its security, even if its enemies are "beyond its borders," the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, told Yemen's al-Masirah TV on Friday. The Iranian commander's remarks came after Trump claimed on Tuesday that Tehran planned to take control of the Middle East in just "12 minutes." "Look at Iran, before I got there [to the White House], Iran was going to take [control of] the Middle East in about 12 minutes, right?" Trump told his supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa. "While in the past we could defend the Middle East, not impose our hegemony on the whole region, within 12 minutes [as mentioned by Trump], today we can do it faster," General Jafari said. Mentioning the US sanctions against Iran, he said that Iranians had grown accustomed to unilateral sanctions. "Despite the sanctions, we have managed to achieve self-sufficiency and strengthen our national solidarity," he noted. General Jafari was speaking just weeks after the IRGC fired several surface-to-surface missiles at a gathering of the masterminds of the recent terror attack in Ahvaz, which left 25 people dead and 69 injured. Iran's top military commander said that the retaliatory strike was just the first in Tehran's revenge against those who orchestrated the Ahvaz attack, which Tehran blames on "regional terror sponsors" and their "US masters." Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole are the top five home languages for English-language learners in the nations K-12 public schools, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education. The Biennial Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Title III State Formula Grant Program offers an in-depth look at the prevalence of the languages among the nations K-12 English-learner population. Altogether, more than 80 percent of the nations English-learners are native speakers of one of those languages, but there is lots of linguistic diversity among the nations English-learners: 44 languages were represented among the individual states top five most commonly spoken languages during the 2013-14 school year, the report found. The study, delivered to Congress at the end of September, uses data from the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years to examine the state of English-learner education in the United States . Heres an overview of the data on the most common native languages of English-learners: 1. Spanish In the 2013-14 school year, 10 states reported that at least 80 percent of the English-learners enrolled in public K-12 schools were native Spanish speakers. Heres a look: All but five states reported Spanish as the most common language for English-learners. Those five states, along with the most common languages in each, are: Alaska (Yupik languages); Hawaii (Iloko); Maine (Somali); Montana (German); and Vermont (Nepali). 2. Arabic The number of English-learners reported as speaking Arabic increased by 157 percent between the 2006-07 and 2013-14 school years. The 2006-07 school year marked the first time the biennial report listed the number of Arabic-speaking English-learners. Even with the growth, Arabic speakers represent just about 2.5 percent of all English-learners. Overall, Arabic is among the top five native languages for English-learners in 36 states and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Heres a look: 3. Chinese The number of English-learners reported as speaking Chinese increased by 195 percent between the 2006-07 and 2013-14 school years. The 2006-07 school year marked the first time the biennial report listed the number of English-learners with Asian or Pacific Islander languages. Heres a look: Overall, native Chinese-speaking students represent about 2.4 percent of all English-learners. The report does not distinguish between Cantonese and Mandarin speakers. 4. Vietnamese The percentage of English-learners whose native language is Vietnamese is 1.9 percent, the same percentage as it was in the 2006-07 school year. However, the overall number of Vietnamese-speaking English-learners has declined over that period, dropping from nearly 86,000 to about 80,000a more than 5 percent decline. The decline of English-speakers of Hmong, another Asian-Pacific Islander language, took an even more dramatic drop, falling by 57 percent. (See the chart above for more detail) 5. Haitian Creole Haitian Creole replaced Hmong in the category of five most common languages spoken by English-learners nationwide in the 2012-13 school year. The Haitian Creole-speaking English-learners are largely concentrated in four states, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Heres a look: Haitian Creole remained among the top five languages during the 2013-14 school year, despite a 4 percent decline from the previous year that brought the population down to roughly 35,500. What About American Indian and Alaska Native languages? A declining number of states identify an American Indian or Alaska Native language among the five most common native languages of English-learners, dropping from 10 in 2012-13 to seven in 2013-14. The seven states where an American Indian or Alaska Native language were among the most common languages are: Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah. The states that dropped from the list are: Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The biennial report captures data on eight American Indian and Alaska native languages or language groups. Heres a copy of the full report: Biennial Report to Congress... by on Scribd Related Stories Schools Are Ill-Prepared to Educate Superdiverse English-Learners English-Learners Are a Diverse Group. How Can Schools Meet Their Needs? Few Aspiring Teachers Aim to Work With English-Learners, Report Finds Most States Failing to Meet English-Learner Academic Targets Images: U.S. Department of Education, office of English-language acquisition Photo Credit: Kindergartner Ava Josephine Mikel and teacher Priscilla Joseph dance to Haitian music during a game of freeze dance at Toussaint LOuverture Academy, a Haitian Creole dual-language program at Mattahunt Elementary School in Boston. More dual-language programs are cropping up in districts around the country. --Gretchen Ertol for Education Week Dubai Customs said it has won a lot of praise from the visiting King Abdul Azziz International Airport Customs officials for its best practices being applied to serve passengers and facilitate their arrivals and departures. The delegation from Jeddah was highly impressed with the advanced level Dubai Customs has reached. During their visit to the Passenger Operations Department in Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3, the Saudi visitors expressed admiration and willingness to benefit from the knowledge and experience Dubai Customs has in this field, said the statement from Dubai Customs. Customs Director General at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Bandar Al Rahili, said: "We are visiting Dubai International Airport to learn about the best practices applied by Dubai Customs to serve passengers and facilitate their arrivals and departures." The visitors toured the sections of the Passenger Operations Department and viewed the latest technologies and devices used in thwarting smuggling attempts. They also learnt about the procedures taken and the civilized way in which the customs officers treat passengers, whilst providing the highest levels of security in the airport. The delegates also viewed the latest innovations developed in-house including the smart luggage inspection system and Al kashif Vehicle. Ibrahim Al Kamali, the director of Passenger Operations Department, said Dubai Customs has made travel an easy hassle-free experience through the application of smart technologies. Terminal 3 is equipped with 41 inspection devices and 320 highly trained customs inspections officers noted Al Kamali. Shuaib Al Suwaidi, Director of Customs Intelligence Department gave a detailed presentation on the advanced systems used in the control room at the head office. Outlining the details, Al Suwaidi said: "The control room is the first of its type in the region. It was established in 2007 to cope up with the growing flow and traffic of trade and passenger to the emirate. A total of 500 control cameras are distributed on 20 entry points in Dubai and there are plans to raise the number to 1700 cameras," he explained. The control room manages 23 security customs programs around-the-clock to ensure highest levels of security in the airport, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Iraqi Army Strengthens Control of Country's Border With Syria - Statement Sputnik News 00:41 12.10.2018 BAGHDAD (Sputnik) - The Iraqi army has strengthened control of the country's border with Syria to prevent infiltration attempts by terrorists, the Iraqi security forces said on Thursday. "Presence [of the Iraqi forces] on the border posts and vantage points as well as construction and patrol of breastworks, fortifications and fences were enhanced on the Iraqi-Syrian border," the security forces said in a statement. According to the statement, reconnaissance work was also strengthened to ensure security of the frontier from the town of Qaim to the Tal Safuk village and eliminate any gaps terrorists could use to get into the Iraqi territory or smuggle weapons. All the operations were conducted in coordination with the Iraqi Air Force, the statement added. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations, whose members flee to the neighboring states as the government forces regain control of the Syrian territory. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel grounds F-35 stealth fighter jets over possible fault Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 09:47AM Israel says it has grounded all of its F-35 stealth fighter jets after the aircraft's engine fuel tubes were suspected to be the cause of a September crash in the US in which the jet was completely destroyed. The Israeli military's spokesperson announced on Thursday that the decision had been made as an "extra precaution" as the regime does not have the model that crashed in the US. The spokesperson said all the planes in the Israeli fleet will be tested even though no failure has been reported. "The test will take several days. After all checks are complete, the planes will return to full operation." The announcement came shortly after a similar decision by the US Defense Department, which said it had grounded its entire fleet of F-35 joint strike fighters. "The US Services and international partners have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations while the enterprise conducts a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft," the F-35 Joint Program Office said. "If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status," it added. The Israeli military's decision was made a few days after US President Donald Trump decided to provide Israel with more F-35 stealth fighter jets. Trump's move was a reaction to Russia's delivery of four S-300 air defense systems to Syria following an incident in which a Russian plane was shot down. Moscow blamed the downing of its Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft on Tel Aviv. Moscow said its data proved that an Israeli F-16 fighter jet had been trying to use the Russian aircraft as a shield when it was shot down by Syrian air defense forces. The F-35 stealth fighter, the world's most costly military project ever, has been controversial from the outset for all its claimed technical sophistication. The US military's "fifth-generation fighter" has been dogged by a raft of technical problems, including software delays, fuel tank redesign, lightning protection and helmet display issues, and flight control problems. According to a Pentagon report, numerous components of the aircraft are unreliable and require maintenance more frequently than desired. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IMF Sending Team To Pakistan To Discuss Emergency Loan Package RFE/RL October 12, 2018 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said she is sending a team to Pakistan in the coming weeks after the government requested emergency bailout loans. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde made the statement on October 11 after meeting with Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar and Central Bank Governor Tarik Bajwa on the sidelines of a conference in Indonesia. "During the meeting, they requested financial assistance from the IMF to help address Pakistan's economic challenges," Lagarde said. "An IMF team will visit Islamabad in the coming weeks to initiate discussions for a possible IMF-supported economic program. We look forward to our continuing partnership." If a package is agreed, it would be Pakistan's 13th IMF bailout since 1988. The fund most recently lent Islamabad $6.7 billion in 2013. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said earlier this week that he would seek about $12 billion in assistance from the IMF and "friendly nations" such as China and Saudi Arabia to address a rapidly growing balance of payments crisis. The announcement prompted opposition lawmakers in Islamabad to stage a sit-in outside the parliament building on October 11 to protest the decision. Both Beijing and Riyadh are already heavily invested in transportation and energy projects in Pakistan, which is one of the biggest borrowers in China's Silk Belt and Road initiative. China has pledged more than $60 billion in the form of loans and investments to build a transportation network from western China through Pakistan to the Indian Ocean, but Pakistan has not disclosed details about the loans it has received. The United States, which exerts considerable influence over the IMF, has criticized China's infrastructure lending, warning that it has saddled some developing countries with debts that they cannot afford to repay. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said there would be "no rationale" for an IMF bailout of Pakistan that is used to essentially refinance and pay off Islamabad's debts to China. Apparently with that objection in mind, Lagarde said that, in considering new loans for Pakistan, the IMF would "need to have a complete understanding and absolute transparency about the nature, size, and terms of the debt that is bearing on a particular country." Pakistan's currency plunged by around 7 percent earlier this week after word of the loan request was made public. The 26 percent drop in the currency's value since last year has caused prices of basic goods to go up, angering many in Pakistan. Khan when he took office vowed to curb borrowing in light of the heavy borrowing by the previous government. But he said this week that a looming financial crunch -- with the country barely having enough foreign exchange reserves to pay its debts -- forced him to seek further assistance. Any loan deal reached with the IMF might involve the restructuring of some of Pakistan's foreign debt, a Pakistani minister told Reuters. "It's in very initial stages, the negotiations haven't started or matured yet, but this is something that we may look towards," Muhammad Hammad Azhar, State Minister for Revenue, said. Critics have warned Pakistan that its budget deficit, which hit 6.6 percent of economic output in the last year, was unsustainable. "We do have extremely high deficits," Azhar told Reuters. "Unless we restructure the debt, the burden will mount." With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/imf-sending-team-pakistan- discuss-emergency-loan-package/29539404.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address IMF: Pakistan Submits Request for Emergency Lending By Ayaz Gul October 12, 2018 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Pakistan has formally requested financial assistance from the lender to help address the country's economic challenges. Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar submitted the request to IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde during a meeting on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank annual conference in Bali, Indonesia. "An IMF team will visit Islamabad in the coming weeks to initiate discussions for a possible IMF-supported economic program," an IMF statement Thursday quoted Lagarde as saying. "We look forward to our continuing partnership," she added. The statement did not specify how much money Pakistan is seeking. About $12 billion Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wednesday his government needs about $12 billion in the short term to steer the country out of a looming balance-of-payments crisis. In addition to an IMF bailout package, Khan said, the government is also seeking temporary loans from "friendly countries" to bridge the funding gap and boost Pakistan's depleting foreign exchange reserves that hit a four-year low of $8.4 billion last week. "We will get out of this. I will take (the country) out of this (crisis)," the prime minister, who took office in August, vowed in nationally televised comments. Islamabad has gone to the IMF many times since the late 1980s. The last time was in 2013, when the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif got a $6.6 billion loan to tackle a similar crisis. Pakistan's rupee currency has suffered a record 7 percent devaluation since early this week when Khan's young government announced it would seek IMF assistance to tackle a mounting balance of payments crisis. Belt and Road Critics have cited, among other factors, China's infrastructure loans to Pakistan as part of an economic development program Beijing has launched in its South Asia ally as part of President Xi Jinping's global "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI). The United States, which is critical of China's lending under BRI for allegedly saddling developing countries with debts, has cautioned Pakistan could use an IMF bailout package to pay off Chinese loans, assertions Islamabad and Beijing dismissed as misplaced. U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert reiterated Thursday Washington's reservations about Pakistan's plans to seek IMF bailout package. "This is something that we've been tracking fairly closely. ... I think part of the reason that Pakistan found itself in this situation is Chinese debt and the fact that there is debt that governments have incurred that they maybe thought wouldn't be so tough to bail themselves out of, but has become increasingly tough." Beijing and Islamabad maintain their mega-collaboration under the multibillion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is building transportation network, ports and power plants, has nothing to do with the current economic challenges facing the country. Pakistan's total external debt stands at just more than $69 billion, including $8.3 billion Chinese loans. Absolute transparency Lagarde also responded to those concerns at a news conference just a few hours before she announced receiving the funding request from Pakistan. She emphasized that any IMF loan to Pakistan or other countries requires "a complete understanding and absolute transparency about the nature, size and terms of the debt that is bearing on a particularly country." This requires, explained Lagarde, an assessment of both sovereign and state enterprise debt to actually determine the debt sustainability of a country as financing programs are considered. Khan, who came to power on an anti-corruption agenda, blames previous Pakistani rulers' alleged mismanagement and corruption for current economic woes. He has vowed to recover the stolen funds, most of which he asserts, have been stashed away in foreign bank accounts to buy expensive properties. Critics warn of higher bills, taxes Critics say an IMF program would lead to increased utility bills, rising taxes, further depreciation of the rupee and a slowdown in economic growth. The measures would undercut Khan's election promises, including 10 million new jobs and the establishment of a "welfare state" during the government's five-year mandated term in office. Khan dismissed criticism Wednesday and encouraged Pakistanis not to get frustrated. "This is a very small period (of crisis). Our country is a rich country, it is blessed by Allah. This country will come out of crisis," he said. Khan went on to announce an ambitious massive nationwide low-cost house scheme with the aim of building 5 million homes in the next five years. The Pakistani government has embarked on a series of populist austerity measures such as dedicating the palatial prime minister's complex in Islamabad to building a university, retaining just four people to serve Khan from more than 500 staff the previous leaders used, and auctioning luxury cars. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian nuclear forces hold drills on Putin's order Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 02:29AM Russia's strategic nuclear forces have staged major military drills in the country's territorial waters, practicing a wide range of nuclear attack and defense scenarios under President Vladimir Putin's direct order. "The exercise of the Strategic Nuclear Forces was held on October 11, 2018 on order from Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin," the Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement on Thursday. The war games saw Russian submarines operating from bases in the Barents and Okhotsk Seas live-fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) to test the force's ability to act in times of conflict. Russia's long-range aircraft also took part in the drills, firing a range of missiles and munitions, including nuclear-capable cruise missiles. "Ballistic missiles were live-fired from submarines, along with the launches of airborne cruise and aircraft missiles from the Barents and Okhotsk Seas, including by long-range aircraft, which took off from the Engels, Ukrainka and Shaikovka airfields," the ministry said in the statement. According to the statement, Russia's ballistic missile early warning system detected all of the SLBM launches from submarines and successfully transmitted the data to command posts. The exercise came on the heels of the "Vostok-2018" (East-2018) war games between September 12 and 17, which saw some 300,000 troops, thousands of vehicles, fighter jets, and warships test their readiness for battle. The exercise, described by Russia's Defense Ministry as the country's largest drills since the end of the Cold War, also incorporated contingents from China and Mongolia. The NATO military alliance has condemned Russia's recent drills as rehearsal for "large-scale conflict." This is while the US-led pact has often held military maneuvers near Russia's western borders, amassing advanced military hardware and specialized forces in the Baltic States Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The alliance is currently in preparation for a joint exercise with Georgia in March 2019. Russia said Wednesday that it would spare no efforts to safeguard its borders. "We will be appropriately responding to that massive exercise, as it is being held near our borders," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told state-owned TASS news agency. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump says won't risk $110bn in Saudi arms deals over Khashoggi Iran Press TV Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:17PM US President Donald Trump says he is not willing to throw away billions of dollars in military deals with Saudi Arabia over the suspected murder of a prominent Saudi journalist at the hands of the Riyadh regime's death squads in Turkey. "What good does that do us?" Trump asked, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, nearly a week since Jamal Khashoggi's mysterious disappearance after entering the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul. "This took place in Turkey and to the best of our knowledge, Khashoggi is not a United States citizen," Trump added, brushing aside the fact that the journalist lived in the US. Concerned by Riyadh's record of continued disregard for the right to free speech, several American lawmakers have asked Trump to pressure Riyadh until it comes clear about Khashoggi's fate. The most direct call for punishing Riyadh came from Republican Senator Rand Paul, who wrote in a tweet earlier in the day that the Saudi killings of dissidents and opposition journalists won't stop unless the US stops "arming and assisting" Riyadh. "I would not be in favor of stopping a country from spending $110 billion which is an all-time record and letting Russia have that money and letting China have that money," Trump told reporters, referring to an arms deal he signed with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his maiden trip to Saudi Arabia last year. In a separate interview, Trump told Fox News that while he didn't "like" the incident and had assigned investigators to get to the bottom of the issue, relations with Saudi Arabia remained "excellent." "We want to find out what happened," Trump said. "He went in and it doesn't look like he came out." Saudi's US envoy flies back home The US State Department announced Thursday that Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz had headed back home to get more information about the case. "I'm told that he's headed back to his home country, and we expect some information when he gets back," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. There is widespread speculation specially among Turkish officials -- that Khashoggi has been assassinated by as many as 15 Saudi operatives who took him into the consulate. The journalist's dismembered body is also reported to have been flown back to Saudi Arabia in two jets. Adding another twist to the already complicated puzzle, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that bin Salman had personally ordered the assassination. This is while Riyadh had denied being behind Khashoggi's disappearance. However, it has so far failed to provide any evidence to back its claims. On Wednesday, the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked Trump in a bipartisan letter to investigate whether "the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia" were responsible for possible crimes in Khashoggi's case. US Green Party leader and former presidential candidate Jill Stein also called on Trump to cut ties with Riyadh. However, the US president has shown no real interest in tangling with the Saudis. On the contrary, the American president has proudly boasted that his dealings with Saudis help the regime to stay afloat while creating jobs back home. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudis Face Business Backlash After Journalist Disappears By VOA News October 11, 2018 The Washington Post reported late Thursday that U.S. officials have been informed by the Turkish government that Ankara has audio and video recordings proving that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The recordings show that Khashoggi was detained Oct. 2 after he entered the consulate, detained, tortured and then killed and dismembered, U.S. and Turkish officials told the newspaper. The unnamed officials said the audio recording provides particularly gruesome evidence of Khashoggi's fate, the Post said. The report said it is not clear if U.S. officials have heard or seen the recordings, but Turkish officials have shared their content with the Americans. Turkey suspects murder Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump said the U.S. has investigators in Turkey trying to determine what happened to Khashoggi. "He went in and didn't come out," Trump told the Fox & Friends news talk show. "It certainly doesn't look like he's around." Turkish officials say they believe that Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who wrote opinion articles for The Washington Post, was murdered last week by a team of 15 Saudi agents who flew into Istanbul, a contention Saudi Arabia has called "baseless." The newspaper said that U.S. intelligence intercepts showed that Salman had ordered an operation to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia from his home in the U.S. and then to detain him. "We're being very tough," Trump said. "And we have investigators over there and we're working with Turkey, and frankly we're working with Saudi Arabia. We want to find out what happened." The White House has declined comment on the role the U.S. is playing in the Khashoggi investigation. FILE - State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert speaks during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, Aug. 9, 2017. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Thursday, "The United States government has offered its support to the Turkish government to provide law enforcement assistance to the Turkish government. In terms of whether or not we have people on the ground, that's not something that I can address here from this podium. That's not something that the State Department does." Nauert added, "We don't have an information on his whereabouts right now or what happened to him." Retired FBI Special Agent David Gomez said the FBI maintains a two-person office at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. "So it would be unnecessary to send agents from the States to conduct investigations," he said. The agents, however, would have to work with local law enforcement counterparts because they lack legal authority, Gomez said. Trump: no cutting weapons sales Trump said "it would be a very sad thing" if Khashoggi has been killed and would set a "terrible, terrible precedent. I don't like it. No good." Yet Trump said even if it is determined that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance, he is opposed to cutting off $110 billion in annual sales of U.S. weapons systems to Riyadh, because it would hurt U.S. defense manufacturers. "That doesn't help us," Trump said, "knowing (the Saudis) have four or five other options" to buy arms from other countries. Global Magnitsky Act A group of U.S. senators on Wednesday pressured Trump to hold Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East, accountable for Khashoggi's fate, possibly calling for sanctions against the kingdom if it finds human rights violations under terms of the Global Magnitsky Act of 2016. The lawmakers said Khashoggi's disappearance "suggests that he could be a victim of a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights." They told Trump, "Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the government of Saudi Arabia." Under the law, Trump would have 120 days to report to the Senate with a determination and a decision on the imposition of sanctions. White House and Saudis The White House said Wednesday that top Trump administration officials have spoken to Salman about the mysterious disappearance of Khashoggi. National Security Adviser John Bolton and senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, talked with Salman Tuesday, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a follow-up call with the Saudi leader to reiterate the U.S. demand for information about the case, the White House said. "In both calls, they asked for more details and for the Saudi government to be transparent in the investigation process," the White House said. Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the U.S. is continuing to monitor the unfolding investigation in Istanbul, but offered no information about what the crown prince told the U.S. officials about Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump told reporters he had talked with officials in Saudi Arabia "at the highest level" about Khashoggi's disappearance, but offered no indication on his whereabouts. Trump declined to say whom he talked with in the Saudi government. He said his aides have been in contact with Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and hope to set up a meeting with her at the White House. Turkish officials say they believe Khashoggi, a critic of Salman who has been living in self-imposed exile in the U.S., was murdered Oct. 2 inside the consulate when he went there to pick up documents to allow him to marry Cengiz, a Turkish national, or perhaps spirited away to Riyadh. State Department Correspondent Cindy Saine and Masood Farivar contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address American senators: US-Saudi relationship 'on the line' Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 04:29PM US Senators have warned President Donald Trump that ramping up pressure on the Saudi royal family over the disappearance of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi could endanger relations between Washington and Riyadh. Khashoggi, a Virginia-based critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies, has been unaccounted for since October 2 when he visited the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul to get paperwork for his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Authorities in Turkey believe he died there at the hands of a "murder squad" flown from Riyadh to kill him and dispose of his body. His body was smuggled out, they say, perhaps in a diplomatic car. Top Republican senators expressed hope on Thursday that the Trump administration would heed their warning and act on the Senate's request for the White House to conduct a statutorily required investigation into Khashoggi's case or whether punitive measures, including sanctions, against the Saudi regime were needed. "I think the burden of proof is now on the Saudis to demonstrate that they were not participants in any way in harming, killing or kidnapping Mr. Khashoggi," said Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "The burden of proof is on them. They got to show it, and if they don't show it, I think it will fundamentally change the nature of the relationship," he added. Trump who favors a particularly close relationship with Saudi Arabia expressed concern earlier in the day about Khashoggi's fate and pledged to find out what had happened. "We have investigators over there and we're working with Turkey, and, frankly, we're working with Saudi Arabia," Trump said on Fox News. "We want to find out what happened. He went in, and it doesn't look like he came out. It certainly doesn't look like he's around." Trump, who visited Riyadh in his first trip abroad as president and announced plans to sell the $110 billion in weapons to the Saudis, also dismissed in his Thursday's remarks the idea of abandoning the arms deal over the suspected murder of the prominent Saudi journalist at the hands of the Riyadh regime's death squads in Turkey. "We don't like it, and we don't like it even a little bit," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office about Khashoggi's disappearance. "But as to whether or not we should stop $110 billion from being spent in this country that would not be acceptable to me." "What good does that do us?" Trump asked, speaking to reporters. "This took place in Turkey and to the best of our knowledge, Khashoggi is not a United States citizen," Trump added, brushing aside the fact that the journalist lived in the US. Most members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent Trump a letter on Wednesday night, calling on him to conduct an investigation under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. That law stipulates that the president must conduct an investigation if requested by the leaders of the Foreign Relations Committee, and then report back to the panel on whether the US will levy sanctions. Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who signed the letter, described the request for a Magnitsky investigation as a "pretty strong step" that would force Trump to take action. "They will be under immense pressure, immense pressure if it's determined that Saudi Arabia was involved to sanction pretty severely the people who have been involved in this," Corker said of the US administration in Washington. In an interview on Thursday, Corker told reporters that "everything indicates" the Saudis murdered Khashoggi. The Saudi dissident's fate remains shrouded in mystery, with several reports indicating that he has been either killed or kidnapped at the consulate by 15 Saudi operatives among them bin Salman's elite close protection unit who had arrived in Istanbul on the same day only to leave Turkish soil hours later. The Washington Post cited several of Khashoggi's friends as saying that the prominent journalist had over the past months had been asked by senior Saudi officials close to return back home from the US, offering him "protection" and "even a high-level job." Khashoggi had, however, voiced distrust of the Saudi officials, and said they were unlikely to keep their words. Khashoggi's disappearance has evolved into a full-fledged international diplomatic crisis for the Saudi government. Bin Salman casts himself as a progressive reformer, but the disappearance and possible murder of a critical voice against his government has thrown Salman's relationship with foreign leaders and organizations into question. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi royals 'disappear' after asking about Khashoggi Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 09:35AM At least five Saudi royals have reportedly disappeared after they attempted to voice dissatisfaction with the disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who recently vanished upon entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khaled bin Farhan Al Saud, a dissident prince who lives in exile in Germany, told The Independent in an interview that the royals were grandsons of King Abdul-Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. He added that they had voiced dissatisfaction with Khashoggi's disappearance in a meeting with the authorities in Riyadh last week. The royals were promptly detained and their exact whereabouts are unknown, the dissident Saudi prince alleged. Khashoggi, a journalist known for his critical views of the kingdom's policies, went missing after reaching the diplomatic mission on October 2. Turkey says it fears that he has either disappeared or been murdered. "Just five days ago, a group tried to visit King Salman, saying they were afraid for the future of the Al Saud family. They mentioned Mr Khashoggi's case," Prince bin Farhan said. "They were all put in jail." He further said Riyadh regularly tried to "lure" dissident royals into its diplomatic premises abroad, offering them financial incentives. Prince bin Farhan said he believed this was part of an escalating crackdown orchestrated by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to silence his critics. Elsewhere in his remarks, the dissident Saudi prince said the authorities had tried to make him enter the facilities "over 30 times." Last time, they tried to prompt his family to bring him to the Saudi consulate in Cairo by promising them a "large cheque" and millions of dollars, just 10 days before Khashoggi's vanishing. He was told that the Saudi authorities had heard he was in financial trouble and "wanted to help". They promised he would be safe, The Independent wrote in its report over the development. "I know what can happen if I go into the embassy," Khaled bin Farhan said. Ghanem al-Dosari, a London-based Saudi satirist, verified bin Farhan's account, saying dissident expats now feared travelling abroad, and some were even afraid of leaving their homes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Claims it Possesses Video Proving Jamal Khashoggi Was Killed - Report Sputnik News 04:46 12.10.2018(updated 11:09 12.10.2018) The Turkish government has informed US officials it has audio and video recordings proving that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, according to a report by The Washington Post. The video and audio recording reportedly show that the Saudi Consulate's security team detained Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the building on October 2 to obtain some documents for his upcoming wedding, and then killed him and dismembered his body. According to US and Turkish officials cited by The Washington Post, the audio recordings, in particular, provide "persuasive and gruesome" evidence that Saudi security is responsible for the journalist's death. "The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered," said one source with knowledge of the recording. "You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic," the source added. "You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered." The other person quoted by The Washington Post says the recording proves Khashoggi was beaten by the Saudis. The existence of these recordings explain why Turkish officials were so fast to accuse the Saudis of killing the journalist, the newspaper reads. However, Ankara is reluctant to release these recordings as it would reveal the ways in which Turkish intelligence spies upon foreign nations on its soil, the source said. Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, known for his criticism of Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohhamad, has been missing since October 2 after allegedly visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to acquire documentation for his upcoming marriage. The Saudis have denied allegations that the journalist was captured or murdered and have insisted he left the building later the same day. In the meantime, media companies are pulling out of a Saudi investment conference over the growing outrage of Khashoggi's disappearance, Reuters reported Thursday. Journalists and executives from various major media companies, including The New York Times, CNBC, Economist and Viacom have already announced their decision not to attend the event. The Financial Times has also reportedly announced that it is reviewing its involvement as a media partner. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "Why do you work for a murderer? Increasingly, it seems that is a question many Americans should be preparing themselves to answer. Each year, Saudi Arabia employs, through consultants or otherwise, a host of retired American generals, diplomats, intelligence experts and others. Until now, they could assure themselves this was a win-win: lucrative for them, to be sure, but also enhancing mutual understanding with an important U.S. ally. Now, as more and more evidence implicates Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the reported murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Saudi diplomatic property in Istanbul, the equation has changed. So how might, say, a retired Air Force colonel explain his work when his daughter asks, Daddy, why do you work for a murderer? Well, it helps to pay your future college tuition, he might answer. And besides, I finally get to fly business class. Riyadh is no picnic, but they always spring for a couple of nights in a five-star hotel in London or Abu Dhabi on the way over and the way back. . . . And if I dont do it, someone else will." Hiatt ------------- As H. Rap Brown would have said, "the chickens are coming home to roost." Fred Hiatt is the neocon editorial page editor of Jeff Bezos' blog AKA the Washington Post. I seldom agree with anything that he and his henchpersons write but this time he has it right. I never had anything to do with "The Kingdom" except in so far as it was an intelligence collection or analytic target of the US. I never worked in retirement for any company that did contract work for Saudi Arabia. That was a deliberate choice for me. I know the place well and it has ALWAYS been a sinkhole of medieval theocratic barbarism adorned with modern infrastructure that was constructed by foreign contract "slaves." When I arrived in SA many years ago to be the military attache in the US Embassy, I discovered that my five immediate predecessors were all retired from the US Army and working in SA for "big bucks." How could it be I thought that the chief US military intelligence officers in the embassy who had been Counselors of Embassy could be doing that? Simple, they had all been bought and paid for. I did not follow that path. Throughout my tour of duty there I relentlessly told the story in my office's reporting of the military ineptitude of the Saudis and the corrupt practices common in the awarding of all foreign military sales contracts to The Kingdom. The goal of these hard money purchases from the US, the British, the French, etc. was always the same. It was the enrichment through "commissions" of all Saudi and foreign agents in the transactions. In the case of the foreigners the "pay off"was often made after retirement from government service. I made this clear in my office's reporting, and the DIA of that time stood bravely behind me even as they were threatened by the "friends" of Saudi Arabia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. I, personally, was threatened with career destruction by several seniors including the USAF major general who headed the US Military Training Mission (USMTM) established in country if I did not desist from exposing the situation. I did not desist. It is nevertheless true that many, many retired senior military officers and diplomats have sold themselves either directly to Saudi enterprises in that country or to foreign companies which represent the House of Saud. Their contribution to the enabling of the spread of Wahhabi fanaticism throughout the world is immeasurable. It should be noted that this enabling persisted under both Democratic and Republican Administrations. I am sorry for the self-referential nature of this post but I felt I must speak out. For shame! pl https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/are-we-willing-to-sacrifice-our-moral-standing-for-this/2018/10/12/baf7bff6-ce42-11e8-a3e6-44daa3d35ede_story.html?utm_term=.0dfcbe07696f Saudis Face Business Backlash After Journalist Disappears By VOA News October 12, 2018 U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday that he would still attend a large investment conference in Saudi Arabia this month, in the face of growing evidence that a Saudi journalist was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. "I am planning on going at this point," Mnuchin said on CNBC. "If more information comes out and changes, we could look at that, but I am planning on going." Top Wall Street banks will also attend the high-profile Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, even as a growing list of major media companies and business leaders withdraw from the event and sever business ties with the Middle Eastern country. British billionaire Richard Branson said Friday that he would end talks over Saudi investment in his Virgin Group's space ventures. "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government," Virgin Group said in a statement. AOL co-founder Steve Case, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Viacom CEO Robert Bakish have said they won't attend the conference in Riyadh. Media giants such as the The Financial Times, The New York Times and CNN, as well as reporters and editors from The Economist and CNBC, said they would also pull out of the conference, which has depended heavily on journalists to moderate the larger sessions at the annual event. Journalist 'distressed' Andrew Ross Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Times business journalist, tweeted he would not attend because he was "terribly distressed by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and reports of his murder." Former U.S. energy secretary Ernest Moniz said he had suspended his role on the board of Saudi Arabia's planned NEOM business zone until more was known about what happened with the journalist. The Saudi crown prince said last week that NEOM would build two to three towns each year starting in 2020 and be completed by 2025. The Harbour Group, a Washington firm that has been advising Saudi Arabia since April, ended its $80,000-a-month contract. "We have terminated the relationship," said a managing director. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who was listed as a speaker, will not attend because of a scheduling conflict, a World Bank official told Reuters on Friday. HSBC, Europe's largest bank and strategic partner of the event, declined to comment on whether CEO John Flint would still attend. Tidjane Thiam, the CEO of Credit Suisse, another strategic partner, still plans to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. The multinational financial services company Standard Chartered is also planning to attend, a spokeswoman told Reuters. The CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Mastercard are scheduled to speak. Siemens AG, the German manufacturing conglomerate, said there were no changes so far for CEO Joe Kaeser to attend. News of Khashoggi's disappearance came as the Saudi kingdom was finalizing preparations for the three-day conference that is scheduled to begin Oct. 23. Last week, Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Turkey to get a document for his upcoming wedding. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for The Washington Post that were critical of Saudi Arabia, apparently never came out of the consulate. The newspaper reported Thursday that the Turkish government informed U.S. officials it had video recordings that proved Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Saudi officials have denied any involvement in the reporter's disappearance and said he departed the consulate shortly after entering. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan threatens new incursion into northern Syria Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:20AM President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey could soon launch a new incursion across the border into northern Syria. Erdogan's address to a military ceremony honoring Turkish commando soldiers on Friday renewed his threat to expand Turkey's military operations into areas east of the Euphrates River held by US-backed Kurdish militants. "God willing, very soon...we will leave the terror nests east of the Euphrates in disarray," Erdogan said. Turkey invaded Syria in 2016 and 2018, occupying areas west of the Euphrates. The country associates Kurdish militants with anti-Ankara separatists, who have been fighting a deadly decades-long war against the country. It has locked horns on several occasions with the US, which has been generously arming and training the militants under the pretext of fighting Daesh terrorists who have been driven out of much of the territories under their control in Syria. Most recently, Turkey deployed forces to Idlib Province in the Euphrates River's western side as part of a joint operation with Russia to create a buffer zone. Syria regards the presence of Turkish troops as illegal and wants them to leave its territories. Ankara's agreement with Russia forestalled an imminent offensive to liberate Idlib where several Turkish-backed militant groups are based. Syrian President Bashar Assad said earlier this month that the Russian-Turkish deal to avert a military offensive in Idlib is a "temporary one" that prevented bloodshed but that his government's goal is to restore control over all of Syria. Turkey and Russia have voiced alarm at US massing of heavy weapons in support of Kurdish militants on the eastern site of the Euphrates. Erdogan said recently that "the biggest threat to Syria's future lies in the nests of terror to the east of the Euphrates," citing the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) which are supported by the US. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that "the main danger to Syria's territorial integrity originates from the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where independent and autonomous structures are created under the direct control of the United States." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. moves toward normal military sales to Taiwan: official ROC Central News Agency 2018/10/12 14:45:00 Washington, Oct. 12 (CNA) Randall Schriver, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said Thursday that the United States is moving toward a "more normal foreign military sales relationship" with Taiwan. Schriver, who was asked by reporters whether the U.S. will change its arms sales policy on Taiwan from the current "bundling" approach, said the Trump administration views arms sales to Taiwan as foreign military sales and will push for more normal arms sales. Schriver made the comments on the sidelines of the 8th Annual Jamestown China Defense and Security Conference organized by the Jamestown Foundation and the Global Taiwan Institute. In September, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced an arms sales proposal that covers standard spare parts and the repair and replacement of spare parts in support of Taiwan's F-16, C-130, F-5, Indigenous Defense Fighter and other aircraft systems. The sale would be the second U.S. weapons agreement with Taiwan since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, after a US$1.4 billion deal in June 2017. The US$300 million proposal was described by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council as a move by the U.S. away from the previous "bundling" approach to arms sales to Taiwan. The council also urged that new arms sales requests by Taiwan be given an interagency assessment that does not consider China's potential reaction to the sale as a part of the equation. On Wednesday, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty said he was sure it was going to be a "case-by-case" approach but was not aware of any new U.S. arms deals with Taiwan that would be approved soon. In response, Chen Chung-chi (), spokesman of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, said a normal arms sales approach is expected to help Taiwan upgrade its military capability. Chen said the latest US$330 million arms sales proposal showed Taiwan and the U.S. have good communications and cooperation which is expected to enable Taiwan to obtain necessary weapons parts in a timely fashion to meet the country's military needs. At the conference, Mike Green, a former United States National Security Council (NSC) official, said there is no doubt that Beijing is ramping up pressure on Taiwan in all arenas, diplomatic, economic, information and especially military. "In my view we should be pushing back in every domain so the military move is appropriate," Green said. He said it is concerning that officials in the administration do not know the importance of Taiwan or understand related security issues, referring to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has suggested that once Washington stops arms sales to Taiwan, the U.S. and China will reach an agreement on trade. Green said he hoped the U.S. government would build a broader consensus on Taiwan policy by closing difference of opinion in the administration and not rushing to pursue a trade agreement with China. Meanwhile, Abraham Denmark, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said at the conference the pragmatism from the administration in terms of Taiwan policy has been fairly consistent with past administrations. The only big change, Denmark said, was that the U.S. purposely made it public U.S. warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait a few months ago, but he preferred to see the move as symbolic. He said when it comes to Taiwan policy, the U.S. should think about what it can do to help Taiwan and cross-strait stability. "I am thinking about substantive impact" which will be more important than a symbolic gesture, Denmark said. (By Rita Cheng and Frances Huang) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish court allows US pastor Brunson to go free Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 04:03PM A Turkish court has ordered the release of an American evangelical Christian pastor whose imprisonment sparked a row between Ankara and Washington. The court on Friday sentenced Andrew Brunson to three years and 1-1/2 months in jail on terrorism charges, but released him after taking into account time served and good conduct. The pastor was detained two years ago and has been under house arrest in the city of Izmir since July. Brunson, 50, was indicted by a Turkish court on charges of having links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group and the movement of the US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Brunson has already denied the charges. His detention sparked a widening rift between Turkey and the US. Washington called for Brunson's release and taken a series of punitive measures against Turkey over the continued detainment of the evangelical Christian pastor. The US measures, which include imposing sanctions on Turkish ministers and doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs, have led to a sharp decline in the Turkish currency. Turkey has retaliated by raising tariffs on certain US imports. After the ruling, Brunson's lawyer said the pastor was likely to leave Turkey. Trump: Brunson 'will be home soon' US President Donald Trump, who has imposed sanctions on Turkey in an attempt to put pressure on the country to release Brunson, tweeted: "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!" Brunson said in a statement on Friday that he was heading home soon. "This is the day our family has been praying for -- I am delighted to be on my way home to the United States." He also voiced gratitude to Donald Trump, saying "My entire family thanks the president, the administration, and Congress for their unwavering support." American officials were quoted as saying that the US military has a plan to fly the pastor back to America on a military aircraft. US broadcaster NBC said on Thursday that Turkey and the US had reached a secret deal to secure Brunson's release. But Turkey said its judiciary is independent and US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said she was "not aware" of any such settlement. Turkey and the US also disagree over their military interventions in the Syria war, Ankara's plan to buy missile defense systems from Russia and the US conviction of a Turkish state bank executive on sanctions-busting charges in January. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish officials have evidence proving Khashoggi was assassinated: Report Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 03:29AM Turkish officials have shared contents of video and audio recordings that reportedly contain evidence supporting claims that a Washington Post contributor was murdered by the Saudi government with the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported Thursday night that recordings of Saudi consulate officials in Turkey obtained by Turkish investigators and shared with their US counterparts detail how Jamal Khashoggi was tortured, killed, and dismembered by a Saudi Arabian security team at the country's consulate in Istanbul. It is unclear whether the US has been given direct access to the recordings, the Post reported, but US officials confirmed that the Trump administration was made aware of their contents. "You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic," one person with knowledge of the recordings told the Post. "You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered." "The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered," the Post's source added, while a second official told the newspaper that Khashoggi could be heard on the recording undergoing beatings from his captors. Khashoggi's disappearance has evolved into a full-fledged international diplomatic crisis for the Saudi government, led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Salman cast himself as a progressive reformer, but the disappearance and possible murder of a critical voice against his government has thrown Salman's relationship with foreign leaders and organizations into question. The New York Times, The Economist and a number of notable journalists announced Thursday that they would withdraw from an international media event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this month as a result of the Khashoggi's disappearance. President Trump indicated Thursday that his administration was investigating Khashoggi's disappearance. "I have to find out what happened. I mean, I do have to find out. And we're probably getting closer than you might think. But I have to find out what happened," the president said in an interview on Fox News. Earlier news noted that Trump was not willing to sour relations with the Saudis over the incident. It is widely believed that Khashoggi was assassinated by Saudi operatives and his dismembered body was flown from Turkey to Saudi Arabia in two jets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Court Rules To Release U.S. Pastor, Lift Travel Ban RFE/RL October 12, 2018 A Turkish court has ruled to release American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest despite sentencing him to three years in prison on terrorism-related charges. The court in the western city of Aliaga said Brunson, who was at the center of a diplomatic dispute between Ankara and Washington, will not spend any more time in custody because of time already served. The court's decision, reached during the fourth hearing in the case, meant that Brunson could leave Turkey and return to the United States. Hours later, Brunson was transported to Izmir's airport and flown out of Turkey, where he had lived for over two decades. The 50-year-old Brunson, who was detained in October 2016, had faced up to 35 years in prison if convicted on the charges of terrorism and espionage. He was charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, rejects the charges. U.S. President Donald Trump said his "thoughts and prayers" were with Brunson. "We hope to have him safely back home soon!" Trump tweeted. An earlier tweet indicated that his administration had worked hard on Brunson's case, but did not elaborate. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1050743405578457093 Washington says he is being unjustly held as part of a wide-scale government crackdown that followed the failed coup. Washington in August imposed sanctions on two Turkish officials and doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkish-court-rules-to-release -u-s-pastor-lift-travel-ban/29540590.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Court Frees US Pastor Brunson After Two-Year Detention Sputnik News 15:44 12.10.2018(updated 22:02 12.10.2018) The court case of American evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson, who ran Resurrection Church in Turkey for two decades, is over. The pastor has been accused of supporting terrorist groups during a 2016 coup attempt. A Turkish court sentenced Brunson to 3 years in prison, stating, however, that he should be immediately released. Commenting on the decision, the court announced that the missionary had already served his time since the arrest in 2016. According to AFP, the court also ruled in favor of lifting his house arrest and the travel ban. Following the trial, US President Donald Trump expressed his satisfaction with the decision on his Twitter. Shortly after the US national was released, CNN Turk broadcaster reported that he arrived at his house in the Turkish city of Izmir. Later, Brunson announced that he would travel to the US soon. "This is the day our family has been praying for I am delighted to be on my way home to the United States," he said in a statement. Later in the evening, a Reuters cameraman said that Brunson left his home in Turkey's western Izmir province. Earlier in the day, the prosecutor announced in the final statement that the US pastor should be sentenced to 10 years in prison, adding, however, that the judicial controls on the US pastor should be lifted. According to the Brunson's lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt, the decision to lift the controls would let his client leave Turkey immediately. Previously, Brunson's lawyer stated that the pastor's house arrest had exceeded a reasonable duration and that there was no legal justification to limit Brunson's freedom. However, Turkish courts rejected the appeals three times, leaving the US national under house arrest. The detention of the American pastor has become one of the major reasons for the deterioration of relations between Ankara and Washington, leading to the imposition of tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum, as well as a financial crisis in the country due to a drop of the Turkish lira. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brunson Released from Prison, Ending US-Turkey Feud By Dorian Jones October 12, 2018 A Turkish court on Friday freed American Pastor Andrew Brunson, ending a bitter diplomatic dispute between Washington and Ankara. Brunson was facing 35 years in jail if he had been convicted on terrorism and espionage charges, allegations Washington called baseless. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that Brunson had "suffered greatly" but was now in "good shape." On Twitter, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration would continue to work to bring other "wrongfully imprisoned" Americans home. The U.S. military was flying Brunson to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for a medical evaluation before he continued on to the United States. Trump said Brunson was likely to fly to Washington on Saturday and would visit the White House soon. During the fourth day of hearings Friday in Brunson's case, three prosecution witnesses recanted earlier testimony. One said he didn't know who Brunson was, while others claimed the court had misunderstood their previous statements. The Turkish court found Brunson guilty but sentenced him to only three years and one month in jail. The pastor had already served two years in pre-trial detention, so he was freed for time served. "This is the day all my family has been waiting for," witnesses quoted Brunson as saying upon hearing the court sentence. "We're grateful to the president, members of Congress and diplomatic leaders who continued to put pressure on Turkey to secure the freedom of Pastor Brunson," his lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement. The pastor's case became the focal point of an unprecedented crisis in Turkish-U.S. relations. Trump, partly in retaliation for Brunson's prosecution, slapped Turkey with trade tariffs in August. The action made the Turkish currency collapse. Brunson, 50, had lived in Turkey since the 1990s, running an evangelical church. He belongs to the same church as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and had become a focal point of concern for Trump's evangelical voting base. Observers said the pastor's release just before November's midterm elections was a big win for Trump. U.S. media reported before Brunson's release about a secret deal between Ankara and Washington, a claim rejected by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Improved ties Analysts suggested the door was now open to resolving the many issues poisoning ties between the two NATO partners. "The hope is Brunson's release, from then on, that there will be a domino effect of positive progress in Turkish-U.S. relations," said political analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. "The release of Brunson is the essence for Turkish-U.S. relations to get back on track," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. But analyst Max Hoffman of the Center for American Progress, a U.S. research group, suggested in a VOA interview that there's danger to the U.S.-Turkey dynamic that resulted in Brunson's release. "The U.S. sees that the stick approach worked, that a pressure campaign worked. ... They say pressure got their guy out of prison, and they'll be tempted to go back to that approach. That's dangerous," he said, "because eventually Erdogan will feel too much pressure and will lash out or, you know, refuse to back down and we'll have ... an even deeper crisis." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump: No Deal Made With Turkey on Lifting US Sanctions for Brunson's Release Sputnik News 00:20 13.10.2018(updated 00:43 13.10.2018) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - American pastor Andrew Brunson has cleared Turkish airspace and is expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in the US state of Maryland at noon on Saturday after making a stop in Germany, the pool report said on Friday, citing White House spokesman Judd Deere. "We're very honored to have him back with us," US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday. "He suffered greatly but we're very appreciative to a lot of people," Trump added, saying no deal had been made with Turkey on lifting US sanctions in exchange for Brunson's release, according to Reuters. "There was no deal at all," Trump said as quoted by a White House pool report on Friday. Trump added that Brunson will likely visit the White House on Saturday. The US pastor was detained in 2016 over his alleged ties to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey holds responsible for orchestrating the failed military coup earlier that year. The pastor was released from prison in late July 2018, only to be moved to house arrest. Earlier on Friday, a court in Izmir sentenced Brunson to more than three years in prison but released him from house arrest, saying he would not have to serve any more jail time. Brunson's arrest significantly dampened US-Turkish relations. Following the pastor's detention, the United States imposed sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and doubled previously levied import tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively. The Turkish economy has been struggling due its depreciating national currency, lira, which has fallen by nearly 40 percent against the US dollar since the beginning of the year amid the deterioration in the relations between Ankara and Washington. In September, Turkey's economic confidence index took a nosedive to its lowest level in nearly 10 years. This marked the most significant decrease in the country's economic confidence since the 2008 financial crisis. On Thursday, media reported that the United States and Turkey had struck a secret deal to have the pastor released in exchange for Washington easing economic pressure on Ankara Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In US' Footsteps: Britain Grounds Entire F-35 Fighter Jet Fleet Sputnik News 14:10 12.10.2018 The most expensive weapons system around, the F-35 has been plagued by a flurry of problems which have sent the costs spiraling upward. The UK grounded its fleet of 120 million per plane ($158.5 million) F-35 stealth fighters following the crash of a US jet in September. Britain's current fleet of 15 F-35fighter jets that arrived in the country in June, is being examined to determine if last month's mishap with a US Marine Corps F-35B in South Carolina was caused by a faulty fuel tube. "Safety is our paramount concern, therefore the UK has decided to pause some F-35 flying as a precautionary measure while we consider the findings of an ongoing inquiry," a Ministry of Defense spokesman said. He added, however, that F-35 flight trials from the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, are continuing and the program remains on schedule. The Royal Air Force currently has 15 F-35B short take-off and vertical landing variants of the jets and plans to buy a total of 138 to be jointly operated with the Royal Navy. The United States temporarily suspended all F-35 operations worldwide after the first-ever crash of the advanced F-35 Lightning II fighter jet in September. Israel has also decided to follow in the US' footsteps and announced that it had grounded all of its F-35 stealth fighter jets. While the initial cost of the fifth-generation planes was in the ballpark of 100 million ($132 million), some estimates put the actual price tag at a whopping 150 ($198 million) each. It is believed the true cost of the plane has been bumped up to cover "extra" costs such as software upgrades and spare parts. The most expensive weapons system around, the F-35s have been plagued by a flurry of problems which have sent the costs soaring. There are also fears that shortcomings in the technical systems underpinning the new generation of war planes will leave them unable to function properly. The US Air Force and European customers consider the F-35's operating costs a major problem. According to the latest Pentagon acquisition report, the cost per hour of operating the F-35 averages $30,000 compared to $25,500 per hour for the older F-16. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Text and photos by Sheikh Saqib, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: Feroz Hajam, 25, is lying on bed number 32 inside Srinagars famed Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS). Unlike other patients in the ward, however, Feroz is not suffering from medical ailments. He is a victim of torture, whose throat was slit by security forces. Feroz is unable to speak and reaches for a notebook when asked about the reason behind him being in the hospital. I was picked by the Indian armed forces from Khanabal and was driven to the Joint Interrogation Center (JIC) where the Special Task Force (STF) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police tortured me and slit my throat, Feroz writes on a notebook which helps him communicate with people. Support TwoCircles Feroz is stuck to the hospital bed with his stitched throat and stares with haggard eyes at each passerby. While doctors fear he might not regain his voice, Feroz lives in hope and writes: Dont insist with my family members to talk about the incident; once I am able to talk, I will give you all the details. He fears that his family may face the wrath of the Indian armed forces if they talk about the horrifying experience he faced and directs his siblings not to talk to the media personals and writes, They will kill you, he writes. I want justice Feroz Ahmed Hajam, a resident of Khretti village in Kokernag area of Anantnag district, has been brutally assaulted by slitting his throat and is lying almost dead at SMHS Hospital, stated a petition filed by Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, chairman International Forum For Justice and Human Rights (IFJHR) on September 13. Later, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) directed the Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anantnag to file a report regarding the incident. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had issued a statement that on September 5, 2018, one Jaish suspect Feroz Ahmed Hajam, son of Ghulam Rasool Hajam, and a resident of Iqbal Pora Kherti Larnoo wanted in connection with case FIR number 125/2018 of Police Station Kokernag was brought for questioning. During the course of questioning the suspect went to attend the natures call and while in the washroom attempted to take his own life by slitting his throat. He was given immediate medical attention and shifted to a hospital in critical condition. He is under treatment in a hospital now, the statement further reads adding that the necessary legal actions have been initiated. But Feroz denies all the allegations and writes, Muje Insaaf chahiye (I want Justice). On September 5, at around 10 in the morning, Feroz was on his way to Kulgam to meet a customer who had purchased some clothes from him, says Ferozs brother, Tariq Hajam, who work together to manufacture shirts and trousers in a small shop in Anantnag. After reaching Khanabal area, Feroz writes, he was stopped by Indian-armed forces, who bundled him into a police vehicle. Later on the afternoon of September 6, Hajam was found near Nodura Army camp in the Dooru area, 20 kilometres from Feroz Hajams residence in South Kashmirs Anantnag district. While talking to TwoCircles.net, doctors who attended Feroz said on the condition of anonymity, When the patient came his throat was badly slit, he wasnt talking and we couldnt make out if it was a homicidal or suicidal injury. We had to perform an emergency surgery to repair the throat, and an artificial tube (tracheostomy) was placed to help him breathe. The patient is fine now, his life is safe, but we cant comment with surety if he can speak again or not, it will depend on how badly his vocal cords were damaged, we will review him regularly. The notebook on which Feroz writes in order to convey his messages has many torn pages. The first page that was cut from the book was when Feroz narrated the whole incident to his family. Since some strangers came over to check the medical certificates of Feroz, we try to hide every detail related to Feroz, says Ferozs sister. She said that after roller torture, police stubbed cigarettes on his legs and shoulder. After stubbing cigarette butts, I was subjected to electric shocks, writes Feroz. After torturing him for several hours in JIC, Feroz says that later he was driven to Kapran camp, a military garrison located 30 kilometres south of Anantnag. At Kapran, Feroz says, he was forced to wear an Indian-army uniform. After putting on the uniform, I was blindfolded and then the policemen cut my throat with a sharp knife, Feroz writes. It was only after the Crime Investigation Department called his brother, Tariq Hajam, that his family came to know about Feroz who had gone missing a day before. Police had arranged an ambulance to take him to the hospital for his treatment. He was taken to a hospital in Qazigund from where he was referred to the Islamabad hospital. From there, he was shifted him to SKIMS, Soura. After giving him the necessary treatment, the doctors then shifted him to SMHS, says Tariq Hajam. As per his family, more than eight people were involved in torturing Feroz at the interrogation centre. His family hopes to hear Ferozs voice again but his injury brings them to the dilemma: would he be able to speak again in future and if yes, then what will he say and how safe will it be? Ferozs story adds to Kashmirs torturous past According to Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a federation of human rights organisation and individuals, in 2010 turmoil there were 1,491 detainees who were captured by the Indian armed forces. Out of these, a total of 171 described being beaten and 681 said they had been subjected to one or more of six forms of torture. These included 498 on which electricity had been used, 381 who had been suspended from the ceiling, 294 who had muscles crushed in their legs by prison personnel sitting on a bar placed across their thighs, 181 whose legs had been stretched by being split 180 degrees, 234 tortured with water and 302 sexual abuse cases. The group also claims that 8,000 to 10,000 people disappeared in custody in the past 23 years. The state government acknowledged for the first time in 2011 that thousands of bodies lie in unmarked graves around Kashmir. Before armed conflict erupted in 1989, most of these torture centres in the disputed valley were guesthouses, hotels, or cinema halls. The men in uniform took over these places, nailed black blankets to the windows and brought in tools of torture: field rollers, iron hooks, strapping benches, pipes for waterboarding, electric wires, and needles. As per JKCCS, which is headed by Advocate Parvez Imroz, there are around 471 torture centres still existent in Kashmir, 1 out of 5 Kashmiris has been a victim of torture and there is a torture centre at every 5 kilometres. The levels of torture at these camps range from moderate to the seventh degree, around four lakh people had been exposed to all these kinds of tortures, almost 90% of the people who are arrested are being subjected to torture. the methods of torture include dipping the head in the water, inserting chili powder in private parts, rolling on the front side of the legs, electric shocks, cutting and/or mutilating body parts, keeping detainees naked during torture, sexual torture, stretching of arms and legs, inserting iron rods, hanging the detained upside down, forced to drink excessive water, etc. All of these methods have been used on the people of Kashmir. Some of the most notorious and haunting torture centres in the valley include Hari Niwas, Papa-II, Cargo, Kawoosa House, Red 16, Badami Bagh Cantonment and Shariefabad camp. Armed Forces Minister bolsters UK-Italy defence partnership Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster bolstered the strong defence relationship between the UK and Italy on a visit to Rome. 12 October 2018 The Defence Minister highlighted how our Armed Forces' can work closer together at a Protection of Cultural Heritage event, before further discussing future co-operation with Italian Defence partners. Minister for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster said: "European security is UK security and we are strengthening our defence partnership with Italy, a key NATO ally." "Our two countries cooperate on a wide range of shared security challenges, from threats to valuable cultural property to countering cyber-attacks." At the Protection of Cultural Heritage event, Lancaster announced that the Army-led Cultural Property Protection Unit (CPPU) is now starting to recruit reservists. The CPPU was established as part of the UK Government's implementation of the Hague Convention that places obligations on the Armed Forces for the protection of cultural property from damage, destruction and looting. In speaking with Italian counterparts, he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the Statement of Intent signed earlier this year to further defence and security cooperation between the two countries in the maritime, land, air and cyber domains and to strengthen the interoperability of our Armed Forces through regular planning and training activities. The Defence Minister also met with British Armed Forces personnel posted in Italy including those in the Combined Libya Fusion Cell, a multinational intelligence group monitoring the situation in Libya, and the European Naval Force mission to disrupt human trafficking networks in the Mediterranean. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia warns 'red line' crossed after Ukraine church split Iran Press TV Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:20AM The head of global Orthodox Christianity has recognized Ukrainian churches as independent from the Russian Orthodox Church, sparking cheers in Kiev amid criticisms that Moscow had been trying to promote political influence through its churches. The decision was announced following a three-day assembly chaired by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, in Turkey's Istanbul, the seat of Orthodox Christianity. Ukraine's Orthodox churches have been traditionally aligned with that of Russia's. Their independence from the Russian organization would be a victory for Kiyev as it struggles to keep Moscow at bay. This would be particularly important for Kiev in light of tensions between Ukraine and Russia in light of Moscow's support for separatists fighting against Ukraine's central government in the east. Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko endorsed the independence of Ukraine's churches from Russia, stating that the decision "finally dispelled the imperial illusions and chauvinistic fantasies of Moscow." "This is a victory of good over evil, light over darkness," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. Poroshenko had campaigned for independence. Russian response The Moscow Patriarchate has denied being a security threat to Ukraine and has labeled the move as Poroshenko's initiative to earn popularity for the upcoming presidential elections next year, warning that it may lead to a "tragic and possibly irretrievable schism of the whole Orthodoxy". Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoyda responded to the new measures by saying that Istanbul had "crossed a red line". The Kremlin also voiced its concern, opposing what it described as a rupture in the Orthodox community. The Russian Orthodox Church had also announced last month that it would no longer participate in sessions chaired by Bartholomew and would no longer commemorate him in services, threatening to even renounce the patriarch's spiritual status. Russia-Ukraine tensions Ukraine's bid to split from Russia's church marks one of the latest developments of an ongoing conflict between the two countries. An armed conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine between the government and pro-Russia forces following Crimea's separation from Ukraine and its reunion with Russia, leading to the deaths of about 10,000 people. Kiev accuses Moscow of involvement in the conflict, a charge it denies. Washington has sided with the government in Kiev in refusing to recognize the referendum and accusing Moscow of "annexation" of the peninsula. In one of the most recent incidents related to the conflict, a prominent leader of pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine was killed in late August as a result of an explosion blamed on the government in Kiev. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prayers Answered: Ukrainians Greet Church Split With Open Arms, Despite Moscow's Warnings Christopher Miller October 12, 2018 KYIV -- "The Lord has seen the struggle of the Ukrainian people for their independence. He has heard our prayers." That's how Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described the historic announcement late on October 11 that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople had agreed to recognize the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Underscoring the importance of the move, Poroshenko, in televised remarks, called it "another act of declaration of independence of Ukraine." He hailed it as a fresh blow to Russia's ruthless efforts to keep the former Soviet republic, a country of 44 million people that has been fighting Russia-backed separatists for four years, under its thumb. "The [Russian] empire is losing one of the last levers of influence on its former colony," Poroshenko said. Indeed the decision, made at a synod in Istanbul chaired by Patriarch Bartholomew I -- considered the leader of roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians, or "first among equals" of Eastern Orthodox clerics -- to "proceed to the granting of autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine" marked a clear step closer to another remarkable break from Moscow and its reach into Kyiv's affairs. There is still much to be done before independence is granted through a church decree known as a "Tomos," not least of which is unifying the current Ukrainian Orthodox churches and deciding on a leader for a united autocephalous church of Ukraine. And, of course, there is reason to fear a response from Russia. But the morning after news that the creation of an independent Ukrainian church was imminent, there was a steady flow of worshipers coming and going from Kyiv's yellow-and-blue St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, as its golden cupolas glistened in the autumn sun. Women in head scarves crossed themselves and bowed their heads before entering. Inside, worshipers lit candles, kissed the glass cases of sacred icons, and whispered prayers. It looked more or less the same as any other day, except for the slightly increased crowd and the smiles on their faces, said Tamara, a parishioner who volunteers her time to sell candles at the gates of the cathedral. "The Tomos is coming," she said with a big smile of her own as she handed a woman a yellow candle. After taking a moment to say a prayer, Natalia, a retired schoolteacher and parishioner of St. Volodymyr's, told RFE/RL that her previous prayer -- for her church to be legitimized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and broken free from Russia -- had been answered. The push for independence, said Natalia, who declined to give her last name, "was our own form of a tribunal, or referendum" on the Russian Orthodox Church and the grip it held on Ukraine's Orthodox Christians for hundreds of years. "It's a blessing," Natalia said. "I'm happy. We're all just so happy today. Praise God." 'Splitting Orthodoxy' But not everyone is happy about the decision. Across the capital, at the lower Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra -- the country's holiest site and largest monastery complex, which is leased for free by the government of Ukraine to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate -- monks did not want to answer questions about it. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Lavra directed RFE/RL to an online statement that condemned comments made by Ukraine's foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, who called the Moscow Patriarchate agents of the Kremlin, and accused him of "inciting religious hatred and discrimination on religious grounds." Later, another statement, this one from a senior Moscow Patriarchate cleric, condemned the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision. "What happened at the synod in Istanbul yesterday shocked the entire Orthodox world," said Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. "It seems that the Patriarchate of Constantinople deliberately takes the path of splitting world Orthodoxy." He added, defiantly, "We were, are, and remain the only canonical church in Ukraine." On October 12, the Kyiv Patriarchate called on Ukraine's senior Orthodox clerics to prepare for a special council to unite the country's churches ahead of a formal receipt of independence, which, according to the press secretary of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Archbishop Yevstratiy Zorya, is expected to come sometime in mid-November. The process of unification, the Kyiv Patriarchate said, "must be voluntary, peaceful, and without coercion." "Every member of the church, as well as every community of laity or monks, will have the right to freely choose the center of their church subordination -- to belong to the Ukrainian or Russian church," it added. Fear...And Joy Amid fears of disorder, Ukraine's interior minister, Arsen Avakov, called on political and public figures to refrain from "provocations" that could risk destabilizing an already tense situation in the country. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs will ensure security and law and order," Avakov said. "If there is a need to counteract extremism and religious hatred, it will be done so harshly. Let it not be a surprise to all hot heads." Meanwhile in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia was prepared to "defend the interests of the Orthodox" as it does Russians and Russian speakers across the world in the face of any "illegal actions." Those words, similar to the warnings delivered by the Kremlin before its annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, are certain to keep Kyiv on edge, especially as the war in the east grinds on. As the Tomos was discussed in Istanbul on October 11, four Ukrainian soldiers were reported killed and three more wounded in the worst day of fighting since summer. While some Ukrainians -- Tamara and Natalia at St. Volodymyr's, for instance -- acknowledged that they worried about what Russia's response might be, many more were jubilant. Even the secular were in a celebratory mood. "I'm an atheist, but an atheist of the Kyiv Patriarchate," read a meme with an orange cat that was widely circulated on the Ukrainian Internet. Also illustrating just how much the issue has bled into the mainstream in Ukraine, a popular Kyiv nightclub, Closer, was promoting a "Tomos Welcome Party" on Saturday night. More than 800 people had RSVP'd or expressed interest in going at the time of publication. The public invitation promised free Kagor wine and a "fire show" with church candles, while a DJ spins the latest techno hits. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/prayers-answered- ukrainians-greet-church-split-with-open-arms-despite -moscow-s-warnings/29540627.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amid Church Rift, Kremlin Vows To 'Protect Interests' Of Faithful In Ukraine RFE/RL October 12, 2018 The Kremlin has issued a fresh warning following a key step in Kyiv's quest for an independent church that is recognized by the Orthodox Christian leadership, saying Russia will protect the interests of the faithful in Ukraine if the historic split leads to illegal action or violence. The October 12 comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, came a day after Ukraine won approval from a synod led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based global spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, to establish an autocephalous -- or independent -- church. The decision is a blow to Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, whose branch in Ukraine had long been accepted by Bartholomew as the legitimate church there. Russian politicians and church officials have repeatedly said they fear a Ukrainian church would seek to take over property controlled by the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Christian Church in Ukraine. "Russia's secular authorities surely cannot interfere" in church matters, but Putin's government is paying close attention to the situation and will take "exclusively political and diplomatic" measures to protect people against violence or illegal actions, Peskov said. "Russia, of course, as it defends the interests of Russians and Russian-speakers, as Putin has always said, in the same way...defends the interests of the Orthodox Christians," he said. "This is if the Ukrainian authorities are unable to keep the situation within legal bounds, if it takes some ugly, violent turn," Peskov said. Later on October 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei described the move as "provocations by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, undertaken with direct public support from Washington" during a media interview. WATCH: A Ukrainian Church -- that currently doesn't even exist -- is about to change the Orthodox world. The historic move toward an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church that is backed by Batholomew's Ecumenical Patriarchate is adding to tension between Moscow and Kyiv, already extremely high following Russia's 2014 takeover of Crimea and as a war between government forces and Russia-backed separatists continues in eastern Ukraine. Russian officials have sought to justify Moscow's interference in Ukraine by citing what they said was the need to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers. In the October 11 announcement that it would "proceed to the granting of autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine," the Ecumenical Patriarchate appealed to the rival churches in Ukraine to "avoid appropriation" of monasteries, houses of worship, and other property "as well as every other act of violence and retaliation so that the peace and love of Christ may prevail." Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which is leading the independence drive, said in June that two major monasteries belonging to the Moscow-controlled church should change hands after autocephaly is secured. But at an October 11 news conference, he said, "Moscow wants a conflict but we, Ukrainians, do not." Bartholomew is considered the leader of the 300 million-strong worldwide Orthodox community, or "first among equals" of Eastern Orthodox clerics. In a statement on October 12, Metropolitan Antony, the administrator of the Moscow-affiliated church in Ukraine, accused Bartholomew of "choosing the path of schism" and rejected the synod's decision. Antony also told clergy and believers that it "is prohibited to co-serve or pray" with the two rival churches seeking independence, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. "What happened at the synod in Istanbul yesterday shocked the entire Orthodox world," Antony said in the statement, adding: "In reality, for our church, nothing has changed. We were, are, and will remain the only canonical church in Ukraine." Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, speaking on October 11, described the synod's decision as "something that we have dreamed of, waited for a long time, and fought for all the time." The Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church condemned it as "catastrophic." Aleksandr Volkov, a spokesman for Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, said in televised remarks that the Ecumenical Patriarchate "has crossed a red line." With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/amid-church-rift-kremlin-vows-to- protect-interests-of-faithful-in-ukraine/29540533.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Discusses Orthodox Church Crisis in Ukraine with Russian Security Council Sputnik News 23:59 12.10.2018 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian authorities and two rival churches have agreed to work together to avert religious strife after the leader of the Eastern Orthodoxy recognized Kiev's religious independence. "We discussed cooperation with the Interior Ministry to prevent sectarian strife, provocations and violence during the settlement process between the churches," Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. In a statement published by his ministry, the Ukrainian interior chief said authorities would enforce the law and protect parishioners of both churches. A dispute broke out Thursday over whether the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be independent from the Moscow Patriarchate after the Istanbul-based patriarch recognized several separatist churches and their leaders and gave them back control over parishioners. The Russian Orthodox Church described the proposed split as catastrophic for the Eastern Orthodoxy and millions of people in Ukraine and beyond. The Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church said the synod's decision was a hostile act and threatened the Constantinople patriarch with anathema. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues, including the situation around the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "The meeting discussed the issues on the domestic social and economic agenda, as well as a variety of international issues," Peskov said. "There was also an exchange of views on the situation around the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the well-known decision of the Constantinople Patriarchate," Peskov added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address TCN News: New Delhi, Oct 13, 2018: With 2019 elections just months away, members of the Muslim community across India observed a Day of Resistance in more than 20 cities across India to bring attention to the growing cases of fake encounters, lynchings, killings of human rights activists, missing names from voters list, illegal arrests among others. Coming together under the banner #EqualCitizens, protests were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Gaya, Dhanbad, Khalilabad, Mau, Azamgarh, Hyderabad, AMU, TISS, Gulbarga, Satara, and many others. The campaign is a result of initiative taken by a number of muslim professionals, academics, journalists and volunteers who have come together to launch the campaign as #VoteHamaraBaatHamari, which is an appeal to the entire political establishment to give space to the issues faced by the community. One of the organizers of #EqualCitizen and Founder of Association of Muslim Professionals Aamir Edresy, said, Today is the launch of this movement to reclaim the actual share and right of Muslims in India. We will go to every nook and corner of the country to reach to more and more people.The idea is to establish Muslim Agenda and make sure that everyone understands it and talk about it. Support TwoCircles Describing the need for this campaign, political strategist Umar Siddiqui said, Why is it that an elected government in Uttar Pradesh responds immediately to the outrage in the Vivek Tiwari fake encounter case and nobody, not even the opposition parties bat an eyelid when it comes to the Aligarh fake encounter. This is deliberate invisibilisation of the entire community and thats why its time for assertion. Student activist Fahad Ahmad, who was part of the protest in Mumbai said, The main agenda of this protest is how should we assert the rights that have been granted to us by the constitution. This is not an anti-BJP campaign, this is a pro-constitution campaign, we are talking about the rights given to us by Dr Ambedkar which talks about the social, economic and political equalityconstitutional ethos cannot be denied whatever be the political situation in the country. The campaigners believe these protests will help mobilise the community across India ahead of elections. Announcing its next step, the organisers will be launching a nation-wide drive urging voters to verify their names in the voter list ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Apart from social media, the coordinators have even issued a free missed call service that will enable people to join the campaign 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. In recent weeks, as protesters outraged by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court descended on the Capitol to express their dissent, politicians and commentators on the political right unleashed a barrage of criticism meant to shame these Americans into silence, merely for exercising their First Amendment right. At a rally in Iowa on Tuesday, President Donald Trump railed against what he called the "angry left-wing mob," even as his supporters chanted their warmed-over "Lock her up!" taunt. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, - who, hoping to whip up public opposition to health-care reform, stood up in a public park a decade ago and predicted the bill might "pull the plug on Grandma" - went on the Senate floor last week to decry protesters' "mob rule." When confronted last week at the Hart Senate Office Building - a facility paid for by taxpayers - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told protesters that he'd talk to them when they "grow up," then literally tried to shoo them away with a wave of his hand. As The Washington Post reported this week, Republicans have seized on this as their closing argument in the upcoming elections: Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said that "we're finding swing voters are turned off by how Kavanaugh was treated," later adding, "And we're responding." It all feels very familiar, because something similar happened to me and others when we spoke out against the Iraq War. After my son, Casey, was killed in action in Iraq in 2004, I raised my voice in opposition to an unprincipled, disastrous war that needlessly cost hundreds of thousands of lives. President George W. Bush, who I met after Casey's death, later refused to look me in the eye again and explain what my son and so many others died for, after I camped out near his ranch. A few Republicans urged him to talk to me, but others were busy trying to shoo the antiwar movement away. In 2005, days after we protested at the Washington Monument, Jeff Sessions, then a senator and now the attorney general, said we "did not represent the American ideals of freedom" and dismissed us as the "blame America first" crowd. Later that year, hand-waving Hatch called antiwar protesters "nutcakes." The irony, of course, is that no one in their right mind would defend that war now. We were mocked back then for trying to end bloodshed that the majority of Americans now recognize as a terrible mistake. It's why Trump twisted himself into a pretzel to convince people he'd always opposed the war, even though he initially said he favored it. But his instinct, and that of many others - Republicans and, yes, sometimes Democrats - is to immediately malign protesters as "Screamers" and "Troublemakers" who don't deserve to be heard by their elected representatives, never giving serious consideration to the issues underlying their protests, the possibility their own positions might need to be reexamined or the history of civil disobedience on which America was built. The first act of protest that most of us learn about in schools in the United States is the Boston Tea Party. Colonists were indignant about taxes, passed by Parliament, and not American colonial legislatures, which had the effect of bailing out the British East India Company by imposing taxes that raised the price of tea in the colonies. It's easy to oversimplify the economic issues involved, or the politics of colonialism, but what most of us learn as kids is that anger over "taxation without representation" helped provoke Americans into rebelling against monarchy. In 1913, thousands marched in Washington on Inauguration Day to demand women's right to vote. In 1917, suffragist Alice Paul was jailed after demonstrating in front of the White House. In 1914, National Guardsmen were deployed in a deadly attack against mine workers in Ludlow, Colorado, who were striking for better working conditions. In 1955, the arrest of African American organizer Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white rider on a segregated bus line in Montgomery, Alabama, spurred the famous boycott that helped to eventually bring about the end of the Jim Crow era. At the time of her death, she was honored with a memorial in the Capitol rotunda, but during the civil rights struggle, Parks and other activists were routinely called agitators and troublemakers, and faced threats of violence. In 2016 and 2017 at Standing Rock, protesters faced off against armed and well-funded government forces in a battle to protect something as vital as clean water and a livable planet. Today, we take it as a given that women vote, or that segregation is unconstitutional. But we got here because people marched, protested and, in some cases, subjected themselves to deadly violence to make their voices heard. Gains we take for granted, from the eight-hour workday to same-sex marriage, came about because Americans fought for them, often through protest, not because these things just happened. But if you only listened to some politicians, you'd be led to believe that Americans are obligated to just sit down and take it when we see we're being mistreated by our government. Wrong. Whether you believed Christine Blasey Ford's testimony or Kavanaugh's denials, whether you're a Republican or Democrat - I'm neither - the notion that protesters demanding a full and fair hearing and a credible investigation of Ford's sexual assault allegations were a "mob" to be dismissed, instead of citizens to be addressed, is not only repugnant, it flies in the face of history. And those trying to silence protest, not the protesters, should be ashamed. Last month, in an interview with the right-wing outlet the Daily Caller, Trump remarked: "I think it's embarrassing for the country to allow protesters," adding, "In the old days we used to throw them out. Today, I guess they just keep screaming." Actually, it's his statement that's an embarrassment. The president doesn't get to "allow" or disallow protest. The Constitution guarantees that right - to peacefully challenge our government and demand a response to injustice. It's something that should transcend party politics, but far too often doesn't. If the elected representatives currently in power won't respect this, they're abandoning oaths they've sworn, misinterpreting founding principles to suit their own partisan ends and showing themselves to be un-American. - - - Sheehan is the mother of Casey A. Sheehan, who was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004. She is an anti-war activist and an organizer of the 2018 Women's March on the Pentagon. Yesterday Asus scheduled an event for a new smartphone launch on October 17 in Delhi, India and we may have a lead on which phone the Taiwanese company is preparing. According to an unnamed source, the event will be all about two smartphones, not one. The report claims that Asus will be doing a follow-up of the successful Zenfone Max Pro with two versions - a regular one and a more budget-oriented Lite variant. Also, both of the handsets will sell for less than INR 12,000 ($162), which aims to disrupt the low-end segment where Chinese brands like Oppo and Xiaomi reign. The source also discloses that both handsets will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400-series - similar to the Zenfone Max (M1) that never launched in India. There's a good chance that the M1 will be the standard Max version in India, but we will see for sure in just less than four days. Source Samsung recently announced a new brand new color option for the Galaxy Note9 with a light gray S Pen thats exclusive to Best Buy in the US and its called Cloud Silver. Before that, only Lavender Purple and Ocean Blue (the true Best Buy color scheme) were the only two color options after Samsungs initial launch of the Note9. Although it isnt a new color, The Midnight Black Galaxy Note9 is now available in the United States from Best Buy, carrier stores, and Samsung.com. The larger 512GB storage option wont be available until October 26. Samsung Galaxy Note9 If you decide to purchase a carrier-branded Note9 from Best Buy (Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T), Youll get a free 32-inch Samsung TV, which is valued at $180. Otherwise, you can get up to $600 back with an eligible trade-in from Best Buy or Samsung.com. The Galaxy Note9 is now available in four colors in the US: Lavender Purple, Ocean Blue, Cloud Silver, and now Midnight Black. Via | Best Buy | Samsung New COVID cases surge in Tri-State; 25 die last week from illness The number of new reported COVID cases surged last week in the Tri-State area, with some counties reporting a more than 95% increase. The Madhya Pradesh Congress will continue its efforts to detect fake voters in the state despite the Supreme Court dismissing a petition by its chief Kamal Nath in this regard. We will continue to work on voters lists to find out fake voters, as the BJP will rely on them to manipulate the state assembly elections, said JP Dhanopia, state Congress spokesperson who is one of the leaders lodging objections before the Election Commission of India (ECI). Dhanopia said as per their assessment, there were at least 56 lakh fake voters in the state. However, after they raised the issue repeatedly, the state chief electoral officer (CEO) claimed to have deleted 24 lakh voters from the lists, but there had been further addition of lakhs of voters during a revision. My fear is that names of many voters who were dropped might have resurfaced in the voters lists during revision of the voters lists, he said, adding that they would convey their findings to the CEO. Its up to the ECI to take a decision on our complaints. Polling in Madhya Pradesh will be held on November 28 and counting on December 11, as per the Election Commission (ECI) schedule. The Supreme Court dismissed two petitions on Friday one demanding the voters list from the ECI in a text format and the other seeking directions to the poll panel to randomly verify at least 10% Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with the votes cast on electronic voting machines (EVMs). Fake Voters As per Congress leaders, fake voters are those whose names or photographs appear twice or thrice in the voters lists, dead peoples names or names of voters who have migrated to other states or other parts of the state or names of those who dont exist in the constituencies. As per the ECI, there are no fake voters. There have been instances of photographs of voters appearing more than once due to any technical glitch and the same have been deleted with the help of computer software. Duplicate photographs of about one lakh voters were detected in the voters lists while about 7.5 lakh voters were found dead during a scrutiny carried out, as per chief electoral officer (CEO), Madhya Pradesh VL Khantharao. After the scrutiny, the number of voters in Madhya Pradesh (for the assembly elections) is 5.03 crore. There has been an increase of 37 lakh voters as compared to the number of voters before 2013 elections, when the numbers stood at 4.66 crore. Dhanopia said there was an increase of 24 lakh voters in the past nine months which is quite unusual. Deriding the Congress, state BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, The Congress objections will continue to pour in even after their defeat in assembly elections. Its a part of their strategy to attribute their defeat to voters lists and EVMs so that they could save their image in the eyes of public. T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar has issued a statement denying allegations of trading roles for sexual favours on Friday. Earlier in the day, an unnamed woman had claimed on Twitter that Kumar had called her to a bungalow for a three film deal and threatened to destroy her career if she refused. I was new and I was scared, very scared!! The next day i got to know that i was dropped from the film bcoz i had refused to sleep with the boss, says the anonymous account. As part of Indias #MeToo movement, a number of Bollywood celebs have been named by women as sexual predators. T-Series also dropped Subhash Kapoor as the director of its upcoming film, Mogul, earlier this week after an old molestation allegation levelled by actor Girtika Tyagi resurfaced. Kumar denied the allegation in a statement issued to PTI, which reads, I am appalled and anguished to know that my name has been dragged in this metoo by some anonymous person(s). The allegations against me are bad on the face of it. I have enjoyed an impeccable reputation and have always maintained professionalism. The tweet has been used as a tool to defame me and malign my reputation. I have taken this allegation very seriously and lodging a complaint with the cyber cell of the Mumbai Police to track the mysterious people(s) whose twitter handles have disappeared within seconds of uploading the malicious tweet. Ill take all such actions as I will be legally advised. Aamir Khan recently left Mogul, a T-Series production which is based on the life of Kumars father, Gulshan Kumar. Khans decision to walk away from the film came in the wake of an earlier allegation of sexual harassment against Kapoor. As #MeToo gained momentum, Kapoor was dropped as the director by Kumar as well. Many big names in the Hindi film industry such as Vikas Bahl, Subhash Ghai, Nana Patekar, Alok Nath and Sajid Khan stand accused of harassment in what is being seen as Indias #MeToo movement. Actor Bipasha Basu Friday said she was glad that women were opening up about their experiences with Sajid Khan, whose attitude towards female cast and crew members on the sets of a film disturbed her. Sajid has been accused of sexual harassment by three women -- actor Saloni Chopra, actor Rachel White and a journalist. Bipasha, who worked with Sajid on 2014 film Humshakals, said though she never faced harassment at the hands of the director, she always found his behaviour towards women rude. I am glad that women are speaking up about the atrocities of these men with power and clout... But nothing of that sort happened with me... It was just his general attitude towards women that would disturb me on set- he cracked lewd jokes openly and was pretty rude to all girls . I was told by all not to say anything to him and stoop to his level, so I quietly finished my work as a professional and explained my stance to the producers, that I couldnt associate myself with this film anymore as I could lose my temper any moment, she posted on Twitter. Bipasha and Sajid had a fallout during the making of Humshakals and the actor decided not to promote the film. The movie also starred Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Esha Gupta and Tamannaah Bhatia. He never tried anything with me... otherwise I would have spoken in 2014 only. I have a very strong voice.Will never tolerate disrespect. Bipasha Basu (@bipsluvurself) October 12, 2018 In another tweet, Bipasha praised Tanushree Dutta, who kickstarted the #MeToo movement in India after she alleged that actor Nana Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets of a 2008 film. Kudos to #tanushreedutta... Because of her so many women have the courage to speak out against these men who take advantage of women... Owing to their fame, power and clout, she wrote. Kudos to #tanushreedutta ...because of her so many women have the courage to speak out against these men who take advantage of women ...owing to their fame, power and clout. Bipasha Basu (@bipsluvurself) October 12, 2018 After the accounts of the three women against Sajid Khan, he stepped down as the director of Housefull 4, which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role. Sajids decision came after Akshay halted the shoot of the film and posted, Ive just landed back in the country last night and reading all the news has been very disturbing. Ive requested the producers of Housefull 4 to cancel the shoot until further investigation. This is something that requires stringent action. I will not work with any proven offenders and all those who have been subjugated to harassment should be heard and given the justice they deserve. Sajid said he will prove the truth but is taking the moral responsibility by stepping down. In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on my family, my producer and the stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth..., he said. Can sex workers be intelligently, seriously and usefully compared to business leaders and, when they are, might they come out better? An analysis along these lines is one of the more interesting parts of a book due to be released next month. I was sent a preview copy and found it fascinating. Called A Stranger Truth, its by a clearly talented author, Ashok Alexander. His career started as a high-profile executive with the international consultants, McKinsey & Company. Then, one day, he threw it up to head Avahan, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations programme to fight HIV. He ended up running this organisation for a decade. The book is based on his experiences. It begins in the most striking way possible: Dont step on the people having sex! the NGO worker whispered urgently as we ventured into the darkness. This was Alexanders first encounter with sex workers. Their names were Parvati, Vatsala and Jayanthi. I could hear them giggle as they watched me move gingerly around the couples that lay strewn around the field sounds of frantic coitus emanated from behind the bushes. Chapter six contains the comparison I found intriguing. Its called Leadership secrets of the commercial sex worker. Every time I met and interacted with sex workers I would ponder over a fundamental question, Alexander writes. Why did sex workers show so many more leadership attributes than a business leader? The answer is straightforward out of necessity. As Alexander points out, business leaders have the attributes they need to have and very often just one or two might suffice. Rarely does a business leader have to be an all-rounder in terms of leadership qualities. He has people to cover for him. Female sex workers are very different. Her world is far more complex, much more challenging. She must deal with emotional, health and financial crises all the time. Theres the constant threat of violence and her first mission is really to survive. She has no power, but she still must stay in control. She has no support system, but she must cope. She simply cannot win with just one or two shots in her game. She needs a whole repertoire. Alexander got to know sex workers well. He says theyre tremendous judges of body language. They develop this faculty to survive. This also means theyre amazing judges of people, especially of men. They can size up an individual not just in a moment but from as far as twenty feet. Not surprisingly, negotiation is one of their prime skills. Its not just business leaders who have to be adept at negotiating. A sex worker negotiates all the time with her clients for safe sex. On the outcome depends more than the success of a business. It can determine the sex workers life. Alexanders conclusion is simple and straightforward: I was constantly learning about life, leadership and values from the commercial sex worker. I suspect the former McKinsey executive ended up a very different person and a better man. Now, if you think about it, theres nothing surprising about Alexanders analysis. Indeed, its hard to disagree with. The jolt lies in the fact this is not a subject we think about leave aside discuss. Alexander has broken that taboo. The result is a truth he calls strange but which feels undeniable. Karan Thapar is the author of The Devils Advocate: The Untold Story The views expressed are personal Pollution levels in the national capital and neighbouring cities shot up again on Saturday, as the wind speed dropped to zero, trapping local pollution, even as the effects from farm fires started to be felt. A thick haze hung over the city in the early part of the day and eight monitoring stations out of the 36 recorded very poor levels of air quality -- a stark contrast from the day before when air quality was moderate as the city recorded strong cold winds. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was classified as poor at 262 on Saturday a day before it was 154 in the moderate category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Levels of PM2.5, combustion particles that are roughly are a forty times finer than an average human hair, more than doubled in the last couple of days. A key source of PM2.5 this time of the year is the fire farmers in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana light to clear their fields of paddy residue. In the coming days, officials expect a combination of three factors to drastically worsen the pollution problem. Wind speed is likely to remain low, local emissions are set to increase due to the festive rush and pollutants from more farm fires are expected to drift in, said D Saha, former head of CPCBs air quality lab. The other major pollutant, PM10, also rose to 289.7 micrograms/cubic meter nearly thrice of the 100 microgram/cubic meter level that is considered safe. On Thursday, the India Metrological Department (IMDs) gave an input to the CPCB saying wind direction will change to north-northwest from Friday onwards. CPCB officials, who met that day, asked the Haryana and Punjab governments to enforce the ban against stubble burning. The CPCB has said that from Monday onwards, restrictions part of the so-called Graded Action Plan (Grap) will be in force. Bans on construction, odd-even and open burning could be announced under Grap if pollution levels reach alarming levels. Representatives of farmer unions have repeatedly expressed helplessness in combating the problem of crop residue burning, which they say is a cheap and quick method for those who have been unable to afford more modern machines that can remove paddy stubble. Burning stubble is our last resort. We know it harms our families first since we reside near our farms. It destroys micronutrients [from the soil], and we have to put up with all sorts of threats from the state government that files police cases and imposes hefty fines, said Chamkaur Singh Nainewal, a farmer leader, during a rally in Punjabs Barnala on Saturday. The rally was held by farmers to urge the government to do more to manage crop residue. While announcing Grap, the CPCB had said that the air quality may deteriorate to very poor later this month. From next week at least, the measures to combat pollution include a possible hike in parking fees to dissuade people from using private cars, and a ban on the use of diesel generators. (With inputs from HTC in Barnala) A cashier was shot dead and three others were injured as six armed robbers allegedly made away with Rs 10 lakh cash after a seven-minute-long hostage showdown at a bank in southwest Delhis Chhawla on Friday afternoon. Police said they have registered a case of dacoity and murder, but are yet to make any arrest. The robbers also allegedly took away the security guards rifle. According to senior police officers, the heist took place within seven minutes between 3.30pm and 3.37pm at Khaira village in Chhawla. Police identified the cashier who was killed as 45-year-old Santosh Kumar. Police said a PCR call was received at Chhawla police station at 3.45pm reporting gunshots being fired inside a branch of Corporation Bank in the locality. However, by the time a police team reached the bank, the robbers had left with the cash. The police team that arrived at the spot found Kumar lying on the floor. He had been shot by the robbers and was bleeding. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Three other people in the bank were injured. They were admitted for treatment at the hospital, said a police officer who was not authorised to speak to the media. #WATCH: CCTV footage of a corporation bank being robbed in Delhi's Khaira yesterday by armed assailants. Cashier was shot dead. Investigation underway. pic.twitter.com/4XSz1JX8AF ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 The officer said initial inquiry revealed that four armed men entered the bank around 3.30pm and overpowered the guard while their two associates stood outside with two motorcycles. The four men snatched the guards gun and hit him on his head with the rifle. The men then entered inside the bank and locked the main entrance. They fired shots inside the bank to scare the employees. As all the employees tried to get inside the managers room, one of the men shot the cashier. Seeing Kumar collapse, the robbers approached his desk and picked up all the cash kept there. They then exited the building and fled, the police officer said. Soon as the robbers left the bank, the employees called the police. A crime and forensics team also arrived at the bank to collect samples and evidence. Bank officials reported a loss of Rs 10 lakh to the police, however, the actual amount is yet to be ascertained. Initially it was reported the men left with Rs 2 lakh. We are ascertaining the actual amount, police said. Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said efforts are being made to identify the men. The robbery has been captured in a CCTV camera inside the bank as well as other cameras in the vicinity. We are trying to identify the robbers. Kumars family has been informed and the post mortem examination is being conducted. A case of robbery and murder has been registered at Chhawla police station, Alphonse said. A Delhi University (DU) student was arrested and her juvenile brother apprehended for allegedly kidnapping their landlords three-year-old son for Rs 5 crore ransom from southwest Delhis Ghitorni near Vasant Kunj on Thursday evening. The duo confessed to having carried out the kidnapping because they hated the childs grandfather, who apparently scolded them for petty issues. The sister-brother duo tied the childs limbs, gagged him, and locked him alone in a flat for almost 20 hours, before he could be rescued by the Vasant Kunj police on Friday afternoon. Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Devender Arya said the two had been planning the childs kidnapping since August and had hatched a near-perfect plot. To avoid being detected, they were communicating with the childs family members and negotiating for the ransom amount through WhatsApp messages. The DU student masterminded the kidnapping as they wanted to become rich overnight. They chose their landlords son as their target because they were aware of the familys financial condition. Also, they were enraged with the rude behaviour of the childs grandfather, who had slapped the 17-year-old boy three days ago, said Arya. Manoj Kumar Lohia, the childs father, said his son Aryaveer was playing in the lane outside their Ghitorni home when he was taken around 6:30 pm. Police were making efforts to find the child when around 7.30 pm, the father received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. Itni police aud bheed kyon hai tumhare ghar k bahar. Unko bolo wapis jaane ko warne bacche ko kabhi dhoondh nahi paoge. Police ko bolo baccha mil gaya hai aur jaane ko bolo (Why is there police and crowd outside your house. Ask them to go back, else you will never be able to find your child. Tell the police you have found your child and ask them to leave), the first message read. About 15 minutes later, the father received another WhatsApp message in which the suspect asked them for Rs 5 crore as ransom. We formed eight teams. The footage of CCTV cameras of the neighbourhood was scanned. A man was seen taking the child away in his lap, said Arya. Around 3am on Friday, the suspect toned down their demand and agreed to release the child if R 50 lakh was paid. The conversation helped investigators identify the mobile number through which messages were being sent to the father. The number belonged to a 70-year-man who had a small shop in the neighbourhood. We probed and ruled out his involvement and scanned the internet data of the mobile number the suspect was using. We then zeroed in on the DU student, living on the first floor with her mother and brother, said the DCP. DCP Arya said her involvement was confirmed when in the last WhatsApp message, the suspect asked the childs father to send her and his wife out of the house to deliver the ransom money. Police interrogated her and she confessed to the crime and her brothers involvement. She also led police to the flat where the child was kept. Infighting among senior Chhattisgarh Congress leaders is making the situation difficult for the party in the two-phase November assembly elections, causing the party high command to form a core committee to keep a check on state unit chief Bhupesh Baghel who, too, is part of the panel. Baghel is at the centre of the latest squabble in the state Congress. He was recently released on bail in a case involving a morphed sleaze CD that contained a purported clip of a Chhattisgarh minister. Baghel was again in the news after a news channel aired a video clip on October 2 in which a party leader was heard talking to Baghel about a CD of PL Punia and bargaining for two seats. Punia, who is the All India Congress Committee in-charge of Chhattisgarh, did not respond to phone calls and a text message. The two episodes precede polls to the 90-member state assembly due on November 12 and 20 in which the Congress is seeking to end the 15-year tenure of the BJP. Surfacing of the CDs hurt Chhattisgarh Congress politically. After the CD was released on social media, senior leaders of Congress in Chhattisgarh voiced their concerns against Baghel. The top brass of the state Congress united against him. On October 4, about a dozen senior leaders of Chhattisgarh were summoned to Delhi, where in front of Congress central leaders, they opposed Baghel. The Congress on Thursday announced the formation of a core committee to manage the partys functioning. The panel comprises all senior Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh. The core committee has been set up to put a check on Baghel..., said a senior Congress leader. Baghel claimed the perceived infighting was BJP propaganda. Chief minister Raman Singh is himself spreading these kind of rumours because he knows he is losing this election, he said. Chhattisgarh BJP spokesperson Sacchinand Upasane said infighting within the state unit of the Congress was a fact. Political commentator Ashok Tomar said it was a fact Baghel was ignoring senior Congress leaders in the state and was perceived to be arrogant. A deputy commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was arrested on Thursday for allegedly murdering his wifes Facebook friend, whom he had caught with her in a compromising position at their house in Basant Vihar colony in Rohtak in Haryana on September 30. The accused, identified as Suresh Kumar, was posted at Jammu, the police said. The police said Kumar had telephoned his wife from work on September 29, informing her about his plan to return home on October 1. Kumars wife Yamuna had invited her Facebook friend-turned-lover Deepak from Panipat at her house in the absence of her husband. However, Kumar turned up at home a day earlier on September 30 in order to surprise his wife. However, he caught his wife and her lover in a compromising position, a Rohtak police spokesperson said. The police said the investigation pointed out that Kumar got angry seeing his wife with someone else, but he forgave her when she apologised to him. He, however, made Deepak sit back at their home and called his wifes brother Gaurav there. The duo then killed Deepak by forcibly feeding him some poisonous substance. Later, Kumar and Gaurav carried Deepaks body on a scooter and dumped him near the Jind road, where it was found by local residents the next day. The family of the deceased had raised suspicion over some local boys in Panipat. But his call records showed he had spoken to Yamuna several times. The police team launched a search for her and detained her from the local bus stand from where she was trying to flee the city. Under sustained interrogation, she confessed that her husband and her brother were behind the murder, the spokesperson added. Yamuna and Gaurav have also been arrested and were being interrogated for further details, the police said. A high-profile investment summit in Riyadh later this month is rapidly becoming a fiasco as prominent businesses and media groups have pulled out over Saudi Arabias alleged involvement in the disappearance and possible murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Guardian writes in the article Saudi summit in crisis as Khashoggi case prompts mass withdrawals, that the Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC have withdrawn as media sponsors. The World Bank said it had previously informed the Saudi authorities that its president, Jim Yong Kim, would not be attending the Future Investment Initiative. The worlds business elite were due to attend the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which begins in the Saudi capital on 23 October. However, some of the companies involved say they are withdrawing pending the outcome of investigations into Khashoggis disappearance, while others have pulled out unconditionally. Saudi Arabias ambitious Vision 2030 project the brainchild of the kingdoms de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is strongly dependent on overseas investment, and the apparent shunning of the prestigious FII conference will be as disturbing to Saudi policymakers as the more distant threat of a US-imposed ban on arms sales. The New York Times withdrew its sponsorship of the event on Wednesday, starting a domino effect of withdrawals around the globe. In a short statement, the Financial Times chief communications officer, Fiona McDonnell, said the newspaper would not be a partner of the conference while Khashoggis disappearance remained unexplained. Media figures to pull out of the conference include Arianna Huffington, who runs the health firm Thrive Global, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the LA Times, and the CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin. The Viacom chief executive, Bob Bakish, and Ubers chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, have also confirmed they will not attend. Im very troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi, Khosrowshahi said in a statement late on Thursday. We are following the situation closely, and unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I wont be attending the FII conference in Riyadh. Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund is a major investor in Uber. Sir Richard Branson has halted discussions with Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund about a planned $1bn (760m) investment in Virgins space companies. He has also suspended his participation in two advisory boards. Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, is listed as a speaker at the conference. Jihad Azour, head of the IMFs Middle East department, would not say if she would attend. Like most of the people here and everywhere, we are waiting to have more information on this recent development, Azour said. The Economists editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, has withdrawn from the FII. An editorial in the latest issue contained a rebuke to Bin Salman, stating: His brutish handling of even mild critics is overshadowing more admirable policies, which include curbing the religious police, letting women drive and encouraging them to work." A day before the model code of conduct came into effect in poll-bound Rajasthan, the BJP-led state government relaxed its policy for allotting residential plots to Pakistani Hindu migrants. The Urban Development and Housing department had rolled out a policy on allotment of land to Pakistani Hindu migrants in May, and a fresh circular was issued on October 5 to amend it. Under the amended policy, Hindu migrants from Pakistan would be able purchase land at a concessional rate anywhere in the state. The state government will conduct a lottery to allot residential plots. It will benefit 200-250 Pakistani Hindu migrants. Land will be allotted to them after a 25 per cent concession on reserved prices, Urban Housing and Development (UDH) Minister Srichand Kriplani told PTI. The department amended the policy after it received several memorandums seeking changes in it. UDH Joint secretary Rajendra Singh Shekhawat said the condition that residential plots would be allotted in only those districts where Pakistani Hindu migrants have been living at the time of acquiring citizenship has been relaxed. The latest amendment allows eligible Pakistani Hindu migrants to apply for purchasing residential plots at concessional rates in any district. The head of the family will have to cite reasons like close relatives reside in a different district, that the person or his family is engaged in a business in another district or he intends to set up a business there, reads the circular. The amendment also enables Pakistani Hindu migrants with Indian citizenship living in Rajasthan for a minimum of two years to apply for residential land. Hindu Singh Sodha of Seemant Lok Sangathan, an NGO that works among the Pakistani Hindu migrants, said that there are nearly 5 lakh migrants in Rajasthan and around 1 lakh would be able to purchase land at concessional rates. Rajasthan will go to polls on December 7. The poll code had come into force on October 6. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, has predicted a warmer winter and increased drought conditions as a result of El Nino, the periodic weather phenomenon associated with the warming of surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean thought to be responsible for drought in India and other parts of South Asia. El Nino refers to the cycle of warm temperature in ocean waters because of radiation. This will slowly move towards the Arabian Sea and subsequently impact winter temperatures. That means, this year we have to face a warmer winter than usual in India, AK Srivastava, who is the head of the climate monitoring and analysis group at IMD, Pune, told Hindustan Times. Srivastava declined to predict the degree by which temperatures will rise in the winter. We will release a separate forecast for winter temperatures considering the El Nino effect in November. But it should be slightly more than normal temperatures as compared to the previous year, he said. The weather patterns possible emergence and its impact on the north-west monsoon is an annual cause of concern for policymakers in India, where 60% of the crop area lacks assured irrigation. The summer-sown Kharif crop, which accounts for half of Indias foodgrain output, is particularly dependent on monsoon rainfall. El Nino is part of a natural process, characterised by a warming in the Pacific Ocean, with repercussions across the globe, including higher temperatures and drought in some parts, Srivastava said. To be sure, the IMDs forecasts have proved to be inaccurate in the past. For this year,the agency had forecast a normal monsoon, projecting rainfall countrywide at 97% of the long period average, but recorded a 9.4% shortfall in rain. Srivastava said the process of formation of the El Nino has been underway in the past few months, because of which rainfall was low during the end of the June-to-September monsoon period. According to him, the El Nino formation process was also responsible for higher temperatures in September and October. The low rainfall at the end of the monsoon was directly related to increasing drought-related conditions, he said. Another scientist, DS Pai, head of the IMDs Climate Prediction Group, said the effect of El Nino will be felt in the winter in India. El Nino has not settled yet. Once it settles, it will show an impact by November/December, he said. Skymet, which accurately predicted that the south-west monsoon would be below-normal, doesnt analyse the impact of El Nino on temperatures, restricting itself to how the weather phenomenon would affect rainfall patterns, said Mahesh Palawat, chief Meteorologist at the private forecaster. Skymet, however, foresees Tamil Nadu and Kerala receiving more than average rainfall in November and December. Both these states will get more than average rainfall during the return monsoon, which can create flood-like situation there, Palawat said. The India-China special representative (SR) dialogue on boundary resolution will be held outside Beijing between Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi and Indias National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on November 23-25 with the focus on managing the 3,488 kilometre Line of Actual Control (LAC) and preventing any Doklam-like flare-ups in the future. The venue of the dialogue is to be decided. According to the diplomats based in New Delhi and Beijing, the 21st round of dialogue will not discuss any new initiatives with the Indian general elections five months away, but focus on reviewing the decisions made in earlier rounds of talks with a bilateral commitment to keep the LAC incident-free and peaceful. The ambit of the special representative dialogue has grown beyond the initial focus of boundary resolution since 2009, and the diplomats said there is a possibility that the two interlocutors may touch the ramifications of US-China trade war as well as mounting trade deficit on the Indian side in its dealings with China. The Strategic Economic Dialogue between NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and his Chinese counterpart is already seized of the trade issues. The special representative dialogue is significant as Wang Yi is senior to the foreign minister of China and Ajit Doval virtually heads the national security establishment including the high-power Defence Planning Group and Strategic Policy Group. While the hotline between Indias and Chinas defence ministers is a work in progress, Doval is in constant touch with Councilor Wang to ensure that there is no misunderstanding on the borders or on a global matter such as the Indo-Pacific or Afghanistan. The meeting of the two will also follow the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang at the East Asia summit on November 13-15. After the Doklam flare-up last year was addressed by some deft diplomacy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Peoples Liberation Army and the Indian Army have held numerous border meetings to contain tempers, and trans-LAC incursions by the PLA have come down by 20% this year as compared to 2017. The Indian Army too has taken a step further by not deploying battalions posted on the aggressive Line of Control with Pakistan to the China border. The next special representative dialogue comes at a critical juncture for both India and China as the international situation, both in its political and security dimensions, is undergoing unexpected shifts and will impact both countries. There is an opportunity to revisit the boundary issue but more importantly to look for opportunities to work together on regional and global issues of common concern, said Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary and an expert on China. Amid the ongoing #MeToo campaign, Union minister Smriti Irani said in Indore on Friday that the country has very strict laws in place to protect women, who can approach the police and the courts to get justice. For protection of women, there are police machinery and very stringent laws in our country. If a woman wants legal protection, she can approach the nearest police station. She can also knock on the doors of the courts to get justice, Irani said. The Union textile minister was replying to a question about the #MeToo movement at a program organised by the BJP to mark birth centenary of its stalwart Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia. On Thursday, asked about allegations of sexual harassment against her ministerial colleague MJ Akbar, Irani had said in Mumbai that it was for him to make a statement on the issue. In Indore, Irani also said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a historic decision to enact a law providing for the death penalty to those found guilty of raping minor girls. She also said that rape victims should get all possible help so that they can lead a normal life. If we look at the genesis of (sexual) crimes, they start with eve-teasing and lead to more heinous crimes, the Union minister said. Family members or social workers should inform local police and public representatives immediately if they come to know about instances of eve-teasing in the area, she said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has said that his Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) party is ready to join hands with the Congress for upcoming polls if it parted ways with its current ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The actor said he launched MNM on the promise of bringing a corruption-free government. For us, DMK and AIADMK are common and we are maintaining an equal distance from both of them. We will not join hands with either DMK or AIADMK. However, we are not against Congress, Kamal told newsmen in Salem. If Congress departs from its alliance with DMK, we are ready to join hands with them, Kamal said. In order to strengthen his party, Kamal has been travelling across the state to meet people. After completing his tours in Trichy and Coimbatore region, the actor had reached Salem region. The actor recalled his meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi in June. When I went to Bengaluru to take part in (Karnataka chief minister) H D Kumaraswamys swearing-in function, I met Rahul Gandhi. He asked me to visit his residence during my Delhi visit. So, I called on him when I went to Delhi to register MNM with election commission of India, he said. Kamal also said that his father was a Congressman. However, DMK said it would not pay too much attention to Kamals statement and emphasized that DMK-Congress alliance is continuing for now. Congress and DMK alliance continues for now. We havent changed our stand on the alliance with Congress, said TKS Elangovan, Rajya Sabha MP and principal spokesperson of DMK. Thirunavukkarasar, president, Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee said that they are not parting ways with DMK. As a PCC president, I am happy with Kamal Haasans willingness to join hands with Congress. However, I want to clarify that the DMK-Congress alliance is strong and it will continue. Thirunavukkarasar noted. Aazhi Senthilnathan, a political analyst, observed that Kamals moves have not been not serious. Though he launched his party some nine months back, he has not been practicing serious politics. Both Kamal and Rajini are behaving like part-time politicians. Also, its obvious that Kamals party connect at grassroots level are not strong. Though he has not had any electoral success till now, he demands that established parties should dance to his tunes. He can make such demands only after proving his strength electorally, in politics, Senthilnathan told HT. A middle-aged man created a flutter outside the Uttar Pradesh chief ministers secretariat Friday evening by offering namaz in the middle of the road with a knife tucked in his waist, triggering a traffic jam and raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was presiding over a meeting of senior officials inside the building when the incident took place. The man who was later identified as Rafiq Ahmed, a local cleric was eventually arrested at midnight after Lucknows senior superintendent of police Kalanidhi Naithani read the riot act to his force and ordered the registration of an FIR after the man had left the place. He was tracked and arrested for creating nuisance and blocking a road. Further investigations are on, Naithani said. Taking serious note of the incident, the Lucknow police chief also suspended two constables present at the spot for negligence and for allowing the man to offer namaz in middle of the road. Traffic movement on the busy road outside the CMs secretariat came to a standstill for around 20 minutes when the man was offering namaz. During this period, security personnel of the CMs secretariat as well as other police personnel including traffic cops remained mute spectators. The entire incident was recorded by television crews. The CMs secretariat is a high-security building and a large contingent of police force is always deployed there. After offering namaz, Ahmed, who could not be identified at that time, left the scene on his two-wheeler. The police personnel deployed at the CMs secretariat said that the person started offering namaz, so they did not take any action or tried to forcibly remove him from the busy road, said Hazratganj circle officer Abhay Mishra. He said that the security around the secretariat has been tightened so that such incidents are not repeated. On the second day of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival, the audience at Kasauli on a chilly morning was ruddy-faced with laughter as diplomat-turned-politician Mani Shankar Aiyar played the devils advocate to political interviewer and columnist Karan Thapar. Taking a leaf out of Thapars book, Aiyar turned on the heat as Thapar sat on the hot seat. A witty repartee ensued. In keeping with the fests theme, the strength of the nari (woman), Aiyar decided to focus the session on the prominent women Thapar knew and interviewed. Benazir Bhutto Thapars association with the former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto dates back to their student days in England. The two first met in 1977 when Thapar was the vice-president of the Cambridge Union Society at that time and Benazir was the treasurer of its Oxford counterpart. It so happened that in 1976, before her fathers election fell, they happened to be on the opposite sides of a debate. Benazir proposed the motion, This house would have sex before marriage. Indeed, this was dangerous territory for an aspiring Pakistani politician to tread on but Benazir wasnt one to be cowed down. In an attempt to ruffle her, Karan said, I see, madam, you are proposing sex before marriage. Would you care to practise what you preach? Benazir waited for the thundering applause that followed to subside, swivelled her chair and removing her spectacles, promptly said, Certainly, but not with you. Jaya Bachchan Aiyar took Thapar to task about the time he embarrassed Jaya Bachchan. Taking a stray remark by actor Amitabh Bachchan about American actor Warren Beatty, who had recently been pointedly interviewed about the ladies in his life, as an invitation to use the same tactics on him, he went on to question Amitabh about his affairs with Rekha and Parveen Babi. Amitabh categorically denied the allegations. Undeterred, Thapar turned to Jaya, who was sitting behind the scenes, and brazenly asked her, Do you believe him? Taking a long hard look at her husband, she replied, I always believe my husband. Later, Thapar was invited to stay at lunch but unfortunately Amitabhs volcanic anger at being probed in such a brusque way was displaced onto Jaya. He made apparent his displeasure over being offered rice instead of chapattis by thundering at Jaya. Jayalalithaa Aiyar went on to grill Thapar about his bullying tactics and questioned him about not allowing BJP leader LK Advani and former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa to re-record parts of their interviews. He also asked that since he had made a conscious decision to take a hard stance based on a manufactured principal of journalistic integrity, why was he now ruing not getting any interviews? Thapar allowed that he could have been a bit more mature about it. Battle of wits Aiyar: Karan, you had said I was the best interviewee you ever had. Why am I not in your book? Thapar: As nice as you are Mani, you are not a woman. Aiyar: Why are you not seen on TV anymore? Thapar: The BJP government has decided to forsake me. Aiyar (amid laughter): So youre waiting for us to win. Aiyar: Let me do a Karan Thapar and interrupt you. (When woman from audience raises hand to ask question) Aiyar: I hope you put him on the mat. Aiyar: You steal politicians of their honour despite being glib on some subjects. Thapar: Speaking glibly has stood me a great stead in life. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the Ayodhya Ram Temple issue for electoral gains. This is the first rally addressed by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, after she stitched together an alliance with Ajit Jogis Janata Congress Chhattisgarh on September 21. Under the agreement, BSP will contest on 35 seats, while Jogi will field candidates in the remaining 55 segments. Launching the campaign in Bilaspur, Mayawati said, her alliance with Jogi was against the anti-Dalit and anti-poor policies of the states BJP government. The BSP chief asked why the BJP was not answering to questions regarding the Rafale deal. She alleged that both the Congress and the BJP have been involved in defence scams. Close to elections the campaign for Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) is gaining momentum. On this issue, even if the BJP constructs a large number of Ram temples across the country, the BJP-RSS will not get any political benefit, she said. She also accused the RSS-BJP combine of strengthening the capitalist system in the name of Hindutva and marginalising the Dalits and the poor. Accusing the Centre and BJP-ruled states of apathy on the issue of mob-lynching over cow protection, she said these incidents were a blot on democracy. The Centre and BJP-ruled states are apathetic over mob-lynching and other atrocities against Dalit and tribals. They (BJP) are biased against Dalits, tribals and Muslims, she alleged. Speaking about her alliance with Ajit Jogis Janata Congress Chhattisgarh , Mayawati said, the alliance crucial for the welfare of the poor. Dalits are suffering in all the BJP ruled states, she said. Mayawati also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not fulfilling his promises made before 2014 elections such as transfer of Rs 15 lakh in account of all citizens. Reacting to her speech, BJP spokesperson Sachidanand Upasane said the BJP was a party of all sections of the society and it was because of parties like the BSP and the Congress that the country was divided on the lines of caste and religion. As the #MeToo movement intensifies in the country, a group of journalists Saturday held a protest in New Delhi expressing solidarity with their women colleagues who have come out and demanded proper implementation of the prevention of sexual harassment act to ensure dignity at workplace. The protesting journalists also sought immediate action against those facing allegations of sexual misconduct. They also demanded the removal of Union minister MJ Akbar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a number of women journalists, when he was an editor of several publications, a few years ago. The scribes also held placards bearing messages that sexual harassment at workplace was not acceptable and said accountability begins from the top with protesting journalists raising slogans seeking removal of Akbar. The group of journalists also passed a joint resolution seeking justice for the victims. Sexual harassment at workplace is non-negotiable. We salute those women who have come out and shared their trauma. It is not easy to speak out and takes a lot of courage to speak up about such incidents, senior journalist and IWPC president T K Rajalakshmi said. Besides members of the Indian Womens Press Corps (IWPC), journalists from some print and electronic media assembled in front of the Free School Church on Parliament Street and raised slogans, demanding proper implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. We, the assembled journalists today express our complete solidarity with all those ho have come out and spoken courageously against the harassment they have faced by colleagues and superiors, the resolution said. The IWPC president said such incidents need to be checked also through proper monitoring of the internal complaints committee (ICC). Such cases also show that ICCs are either not there or not effective in media organisations, she said. Union minister Maneka Gandhi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday had strongly backed women who narrated their experiences of sexual misconduct and more as the #MeToo floodgates opened wider with high-profile directors Sajid Khan, Subhash Ghai and Luv Ranjan the latest to be outed. Chhattisgarh Congress working president and tribal leader Ramdayal Uike joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, accusing the grand old party of neglecting tribal leaders in its fold. On the same day, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi launched the poll campaign of their alliance, announced last month, in Bilaspur. The BSP will contest 35 seats and Jogis Janata Congress 55 seats in the 90-member assembly. Uike, a well-known tribal face of the Congress in the Bilaspur region, said tribal leaders were being neglected in the Congress. There is a difference in what they (Congress) say and what they do, Uike said. Chhattisgarh will vote in a two-phase assembly election in November. The Congress is seeking to end the uninterrupted 15-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Uike was a BJP MLA from the Marwahi seat in 2003, when he joined the Congress and resigned his seat to make way for Jogi, the first chief minister of the state. Jogi left the Congress in 2016 to start his own party, the Janata Congress. Congress has neglected the interest of tribals, backward and poor people. Chief Minister Raman Singh has been making efforts for development of tribals and backward people and his development policies have impressed me and I am rejoining the home party, Uike said, describing his move as ghar-wapsi (homecoming). Congress spokesperson Sailesh Nitin Trivedi said Uikes joining the BJP was no loss for the party which, he added, has may other prominent tribal leaders. Till yesterday, he was very active in the Congress which suggests that a conspiracy took place last night, he said. Uike came back to us because of the infighting within the Congress. The party is apathetic towards the tribals and their leaders and hence tribal leaders are not happy in Congress Sachhinand Upasane, BJP spokesperson said. Polls in Chhattisgarh will take place in two phases; the 18 assembly seats in the Maoist affected Bastar region will go to polls on November 12 and the remaining 72 on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 7 together with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana. Meanwhile, Mayawati accused the BJP of raking up the Ayodhya Ram temple issue for electoral gains and claimed that mob-lynching in the name of cow protection was happening in BJP-ruled states. She also questioned why the BJP was not responding to repeated questions on the controversial Rafale jet fighter deal, but blamed both the Congress and the BJP for irregularities that have taken place in defence deals. The BJP and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government have denied any wrongdoing in the Rafale deal. The party has also disassociated itself from the mob lynchings, noting that action has been taken against suspects. Angela Merkel will distribute 6.85 billion (5.98 billion) to Germanys regions to help pay for accommodation, social housing subsidies, and language classes for migrants, according to a Reuters source. As Brietbar writes in an article "Merkels Germany to Splurge Billions on Housing, Integration for Migrants to 2022", the Chancellors electoral power base has been eroded since her unilateral decision to invite migrants into Europe in 2015, resulting in an influx of over a million people from the Middle East, South Asia, and the Global South more generally. Perhaps consequently, the Christian Social Union (CSU) Bavarian sister party to her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is facing significant losses to the increasingly popular, anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) in regional elections this weekend. The Reuters source claims that Merkels finance ministry has now agreed to distribute 500 million in migrant aid to Germanys states to fund social housing subsidies, 1.8 billion for accommodation, and 2.44 for integration programmes, such as language lessons for the so-called New Germans. All in all, Reuters suggests that 15 billion will be funnelled into the countrys states and communes to support migrants through to 2022. However, another Reuters report from as recently as May 2018 suggests total spending on migrant-related issues to 2022 will be an even more astronomical 78 billion, with the wire agency referring to a Der Spiegel report referencing another finance ministry draft document. This report suggests social payments to migrants to 2022 will reach 21 billion, with spending on integration programmes including language lessons totalling 13 billion. Germany allocated its entire national budget surplus to migrant crisis funding in 2016, a 6 billion spending spree. Whether a spending spree on migrant integration of any description will boost the fortunes of Mrs Merkels allies remains to be seen, however, with polls suggesting the CSU will win no more than 35 percent of the vote this weekend. This represents a dramatic fall from grace for the centre-right party, which since 1954 has never received less than 43 percent, and has been able to form a single-party government in the region after almost every election since 1966, with only a brief interlude from 2008 to 2013 when they were the senior partner in a coalition. With days left for the Sabarimala temple to open for monthly poojas, thousands of Ayyappa devotees took to the streets in Kochi on Saturday against the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple, even as activist Trupti Desai announced plans to visit the hill shrine soon. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting to evaluate preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on Wednesday. Though the government has not reacted to Desais planned trip to the temple, it has evoked sharp reactions from devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the shrine. Sasikumar Varma, member of Padalams ex-royal criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any provocative move. He urged the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai, the Bhumata Brigade leader, said in Mumbai that she along with a group of women will visit the temple shortly to offer prayers. We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine. I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this, Desai said. Holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting hymns, protesters marched through the busy roads of Kochi, the states commercial hub, after launching the stir from a Shiva temple there. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged the Central and state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the shrine. Meanwhile, the march led by BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance reached Kollam district on Saturday. BJP state president, P S Sreedharan Pillai, who lead the rally, said Desai was visiting Sabarimala as she perceived it to be a challenge rather than a pilgrimage. It is a dangerous approach. She should desist from visiting the shrine and should not make Sabarimala a tension zone. I do not know if she is a devotee or not. But she is coming to add fuel to the fire, Pillai said. Claiming that the NDA rally was getting tremendous support from all sections of people, the leader said the march would reach Thiruvananthapuram on October 15. Meanwhile, Shiv Senas Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Peringamala Aji threatened mass immolation if women try to break the age-old tradition of the temple. Our women workers are ready to die. We cant digest such an insult. The Kerala government and Travancore Devasom Board are playing with fire, he said. Though Shiv Sena has little following in the state the party has been taking a belligerent stand on Sabariamala issue since the verdict. Activist Rahul Easwar, who announced a hunger strike at Sabarimala during the five-day monthly pooja period, said they will stop Trupti Desai if she attempts to visit the Temple. This holiday season, tourist hotspots such as Phuket, Bali, Singapore, Istanbul and South Africa are emerging as the preferred foreign destinations for Indians due to a heavily depreciated rupee, according to four companies in the travel booking business. There is also an increase in domestic travel by Indians, and more foreigners are expected to come to India than in previous years, the companies added. After all, a dollar can now take them that much further in the country now. Thomas Cook says its domestic packages have recorded a 16% increase this Dussehra break, with destinations such as Goa, Ooty-Kodaikanal, Pondicherry, and the Andamans being the key drivers of business. Ixigo says that, among foreign destinations, trips to Turkey, South Africa, and Egypt whose currencies have also devalued to some extent are in heavy demand, as opposed to countries in Europe and the Americas. A depreciating rupee creates a fillip to the domestic travel opportunity, and with the current Dussehra break, our India packages have recorded significant growth. India is emerging as an attractive tourist destination and the fall in rupee will catalyse inbound travel, said Rajeev Kale, president, country head of the leisure travel at Thomas Cook (India). In two months, the rupee has gone from 69.04 to the US dollar on August 11 to 73.89 against the US dollar on Thursday a fall of over 7% and the trend continues to show no signs of abating. A depreciating rupee tends to steer strong demand for short-haul favourites such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong-Macau and emerging destinations such as Vietnam and Cambodia. Though the rupees depreciation makes travel expensive, we have seen a gradual shift in travel trends due to the devaluation of the rupee this year... We have witnessed an 8% growth in flight searches for Colombo, with a 6% reduction in flight fares. We also saw a 7% growth in flight searches for Phuket with a 23% drop in flight fares, said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder, Ixigo. SOTCs Daniel Dsouza, however, says that the rupees depreciation has not made much of an impact as travel plans are usually made 1-2 months in advance. Given the festive season, marginal increase/decrease in travel cost doesnt have much impact on travel decisions, especially among travel savvy Indians from metros and mini-metros. In a statement that could possibly stir up a controversy, Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Madhya Pradesh women wing chief Lata Ketkar said that she does not consider women journalists so innocent that they could be misused by anyone. This statement comes in the wake of recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar during his time as a journalist. However, Ketkar also said that she welcomed the Me Too movement as it gave strength to women if they felt they had been harassed. #WATCH: I welcome this #MeToo campaign but I don't consider women journalists to be so innocent that anyone can misuse them, says Lata Kelkar, Chief of Madhya Pradesh BJP women wing on MJ Akbar. (11.10.18) pic.twitter.com/4gM5shTkg3 ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2018 According to a source, senior ministers, in off-record conversations, have indicated that Akbar will have to step down once he returns to India. However, a consensus has reportedly not been achieved among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members on whether an MoS can be ousted merely on the basis of allegations. Akbar has come under the scanner after several of his former women colleagues accused him of sexual misconduct when he held senior editorial positions in a number of media organisations. The slew of allegations were sparked by the #MeToo movement, which has gained momentum in the country after scores of women, from various fields of work, shared their harassment ordeals on social media platforms. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Orange uniforms, gloomy cells and sadistic guards might not sound like the ideal ingredients for a fun night out, but Alcotraz cocktail bar believes Londons drinkers are ready for some time in the cooler. Back against the wall! a guard barks to a group of thirty-somethings celebrating a birthday. The guests comply, slipping into orange jumpsuits with numbers sewn on that will become their identity for the next two hours, during which they will be harassed by staff from Alcotraz, a pun on the name of the famous San Francisco prison. The Alcotraz Prison Cocktail Bar in east London. (AFP) Hurry up, youre slow! shouts the guard as the prisoners are shepherded inside the bar, which consists of a row of small and poorly lit metal-bar cells decorated with graffiti supposedly written by former prisoners. The concept is the idea of 27-year-old entrepreneur Sam Shearman. Alcotraz is a unique combination of immersive theatre involving actors and also world-class mixology the art of cocktail mixing. The bar is inspired by prisons from famous works of fiction, such as Shawshank Redemption and the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. But Sherman stressed it was not intended to make a mockery of the penal system. A mixologist dressed in prison clothing makes cocktails for guests. (AFP) Detainees are always under the steely gaze of Alcotrazs brutal director, Carol-Ann Hooks-Johnson, in her long black dress and military boots. What am I saying, loser? she shouts in her Southern drawl at one lag, who made the mistake of ignoring one of her commands. Repeat offenders face the humiliation of having to kiss the shoes of their fellow prisoners, among other punishments. However, guests are still willing to pay for the ordeal, even dreaming up their criminal past between drinks. It is really a bit intimidating, it does scare you a little bit but its a great laugh, said David Morgan, 32, a finance worker. You need to experience this once in your life. Its something that you need to put on your bucket list. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter As the #MeToo tide sweeps across the country, outing several powerful people across various fields, the founder-director of a Chandigarh school has been accused of child abuse and sexual harassment by a former student. In a blog, Delhi-based freelance journalist and eco-tourism entrepreneur Sanjay Austa (42) recalled his hostel life accusing Harold Carver, founder-director of St Stephens School of sexually harassing him and his hostel mates. He had joined the school in 1989 in the ninth standard. Austa alleged that Carver tried to browbeat him with the idea that sex with him would change his life. Carver who was then his principal allegedly made a suggestion for a physical relationship with him when he was 15 years old after calling him to his office. Carver was not available for comment. Schools principal Louis Lopez said, The person accused by Austa is known to be a man of immense integrity. With the ongoing #MeToo movement, someone has come out from nowhere and made these statements with an attempt to malign the directors reputation. Austa further wrote in his blog: He tried inducements. He said he would appoint me the school captain. Carver had earlier been arrested once after half a dozen boarders in the hostel that he ran, accused him of child abuse. They went to court with the allegations. However, they could not sustain the vicious grilling by Mr. Carvers fat-cat lawyers..... In the end these boys, along with their parents, decided it was best to thrown in the towel. They withdrew their charges. Shamed, humiliated and disparaged, they dropped out of school and disappeared, Austa wrote. Carver was released and promptly reinstated and he returned to school assembly as if nothing had happened, he wrote in the blog. But now Austa wishes that his former hostel mates would pursue legal options against Carver. I wish people especially those boys whom Ive lost contact with come forward and decide to pursue this legally and reopen the case, Austa said. The hostel run by Carver was shut down after which we were moved to Sector 38. We were made to share the place with bus drivers and cooks and had common washrooms, Austa told HT. Austa said that his grades had started to dip. Despite his fathers decision to shift him to another school, Carver expressed his concern and asked Austa to speak with him regarding the issue. He asked my father to wait in his office and took me to a classroom. He then made me sit opposite to him and asked - Do you masturbate? alleges Austa. Flabbergasted and not knowing any better in what he describes as a pre-Google area, Austa nodded his head, and to his surprise, was allotted the hostel accommodation. Austa alleged that Carver once asked him, What would you do if I kissed you? Austa alleges that as soon as he shared the tale with the fellow hostellers, the word spread quickly. Austa claims the vice principal questioned him about the rumour following which Carver stopped coming to school. The vice principal allegedly told Austa that the matter had been taken care of and asked him to accompany him to a school board members house to confirm the incident. Austa recalls that he was assured by the then principal Pritam Singh and the board member that Carver would be suspended. However, as soon as he left the institute, Carver was back on duty. Panjab University will turn 135-year-old on Sunday. Established on October 14, 1882 in Lahore (now Pakistan), PU was relocated to Punjab in India after partition in 1947. Over the years, PU has changed in terms of infrastructure, academics and culture. Sharing its revival story, former PU vice-chancellor RP Bambah, 92, who joined the university as a faculty member in 1958, said, Back then, the university only had the department of chemical engineering. With time, other departments which were set up at different places started shifting to Chandigarh. Following it, new buildings were constructed. In 1958, there were only three cars on campus. In 1960s, I brought a second-hand Fiat car which I used to drive to PU. PU had 30 teachers in 1958. Back then, renowned writers Mulk Raj Anand and Balwant Gargi taught the students on campus. Famous painter MF Hussain was a regular visitor. Moving ahead, a majority of boy students enrolled in the courses in the 1970s. The scenario is completely the opposite at present as PU has more girl students. The first president of Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) Naginder Singh, who was elected in 1973, shared, The number of girl students was only 20% in the 1970s. Talking about the environment on campus, he shared, Most of the students had scooters. If anyone brought his fathers car, he could not bring it the next day because petrol kaun puaawe (who could afford the petrol)? I used to ride a scooter. My friends used to ask for the key all the time. About the campus environment, he said, I never used to lock my hostel room. No theft took place. The environment was friendly. We used to take care of each other and the student council used to help the students who could not afford to pay the fee. Former vice-chancellor Arun K Grover started with the tradition of celebrating the foundation day of the university. This year, the university will celebrate its 7th foundation day with a lecture on Role of Universities in Rediscovering the Legacy of Gandhi, which will be delivered by professor N Radhakrishnan, chairperson of Gandhi Peace Mission. Burdening the consumers of Punjab to the tune of Rs 200 crore, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has imposed an additional 12 paise per unit levy in the form of Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) on consumption. The decision was taken on October 11 (Thursday) and the FCA would be collected from consumers even for the period from April 1 to June 30, with effect from October 1 to December 31. The state governments power subsidy bill will also increase by Rs 40 crore. The FCA is levied based on the changes in variable cost dependent on the cost of production of power. Coal prices, freight, taxes and other operational costs go into this calculation. In July, the PSPCL, on a directive from the regulator, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), had hiked power price by 8 paise per unit to claim Rs 146 crore from consumers as FCA. The power regulator has also allowed the PSPCL to impose an additional surcharge of Rs 0.86 per KWh from Open Access consumers for October 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, provided its contracted capacity remains stranded during the period. During this period, power is available at cheaper rates in the grid. Some large consumers then buy it from there through Open Access. This ultimately means that the the power generation capacity of the PSPCL remains unused. The PSPCL had anticipated this situation and said that with available generating capacities likely to remain stranded during this period, it is forced to pay fixed cost to private power plants in Punjab. So, it had approached the the PSERC to levy this special surcharge on industry. AAP, SAD slam hike Chandigarh The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has condemned the hike in electricity tariff by the PSPCL saying it was unwarranted and unacceptable. Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said the increase would burden domestic, industrial and farming power consumers. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also condemned the hike in power tariff and accused the Congress government of increasing rates through the back door. It also claimed that the rates had been increased 20% since the Congress had come to power. The Trump administration has said that it would sharply restrict exports of civilian nuclear technology to China that officials here claimed was being diverted to power new generations of Chinese submarines, aircraft carriers and floating nuclear power plants. The move came a day after the Justice Department announced the arrest of a Chinese intelligence officer who was charged with stealing secret information from GE Aviation, one of the largest suppliers of jet engine The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of Chinas efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures on Thursday. These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding Chinas efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies. The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of military diversion and proliferation concerns. As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new licence applications or extensions to existing authorisations related to the China General Nuclear Power Group, which is currently under indictment for conspiring to steal US nuclear technology. For decades, China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to gain nuclear advantage, a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call. These efforts are necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the long-term risk to US national security and economic interests, as well as the immediate impact to the US nuclear industrial base, the Department of Energy said. China is actively pursuing our advanced nuclear technology for diversion to military use in its third-generation nuclear power submarine, in the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in strategic dual-use nuclear-powered platforms, such as small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants deployable in the South China Sea, the official said. The official alleged that China was already using nuclear power on man-made islands it created in the South China Sea. We know that they are developing platforms for use on these islands and for nuclear-powered icebreakers, also floating nuclear power plants, which give the potential for rapid deployment to any platform that it could be tethered to, the official said. In 2017, China imported nuclear technology worth USD 170 million from the US. The administration carefully weighed the economic impact, the official said. We understand the US industry may suffer in the short term. We believe that in the long term, this policy will benefit the US and protect the American nuclear industry, the official asserted. The move appeared to be part of a more concerted effort by the administration to put new pressure on China beyond the tariffs that President Donald Trump has announced on Chinese goods, according to media reports here. Yesterday Baku hosted the 12th Azerbaijan International Education Exhibition. Rector of the Ufa State Oil Technical University, chairman of the Coucil of Rectors of Bashkortostan, co-chairman of the Association of Universities of Russia and Azerbaijan, Ramil Bakhtizin, discussed Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation in education in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza. - What do you think about holding educational exhibition in Azerbaijan? - I believe that such events are necessary. It's an international forum with many participating countries, and the fact that Russian education is represented here is a prove that potential applicants from Azerbaijan who wish to study at our universities can get comprehensive information about many Russian universities at one platform. - What is the level of Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation in education today? - At one time we were a part of a single country, and in many ways our educational formats were the same. Nowadays there are many differences, including in Russia, since boundaries between forms of education are being erased. It allows us to achieve more flexible integration links. Of course, Azerbaijan and Russia are the countries of the post-Soviet space, so they are very close in their understanding of situation in the world in education, culture and science. It's no coincidence that the most well-established public organization is the Association of Higher Education Institutions of Russia and Azerbaijan, where I, rector of the Ufa Oil University, am co-chair from the Russian side. Right now the Association includes almost 50 universities. We hold a lot of large-scale events in Azerbaijan and Russia, and not only in Moscow, but also in the regions. Not so long ago, Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mikhail Bocharnikov, noted positive role of the Association in establishing integration ties between the universities of the two countries. - How big is the interest in Russian language and education in Russian in Azerbaijan today? - Azerbaijan is the undisputed leader in use of Russian language in the field of education and, therefore, in all other areas. That's why majority of Russians who come to Azerbaijan can feel at home, because there are always people who speak Russian perfectly around. At least eight climbers from a South Korean expedition have died on Nepals Mount Gurja after their camp was devastated by a violent snowstorm, officials said Saturday. The bodies of eight climbers four South Koreans and four Nepali guides were spotted among the wreckage of their camp by a rescue team early Saturday morning, but unstable and icy conditions were hampering the search effort. We assume the incident happened because of a snowstorm because trees are broken and the tents. Even the dead bodies are scattered, police spokesman Sailesh Thapa told AFP. Thapa said a ninth climber may also be missing. A helicopter reached the site and managed to land just above the expedition teams camp, but were unable to retrieve any of the bodies. Everything is gone, all the tents are blown apart. The conditions were too icy to continue the search, pilot Siddartha Gurung told AFP. Gurung said a rescue team would hopefully return to the camp on Sunday, if conditions improved. Wangchu Sherpa, managing director of Trekking Camp Nepal, who organised the expedition, said they raised the alarm after they had not heard from the team for nearly 24 hours. After they (the climbers) were out of contact since yesterday we sent people from the village and a helicopter to search for them, he said. The group of South Korean climbers and their Nepali guides had been camped at the foot of 7,193 metre (23,599 foot) Mount Gurja since early October, waiting for a window of good weather so they could attempt to reach the summit. Feted South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who in 2013 became the fastest person to summit the worlds 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen, was leading the expedition, according to a government-issued climbing permit seen by AFP. Kim is believed to be among the dead, officials said. The climbing permit listed four South Korean climbers, but a fifth member had joined the team later, according to Suresh Dakal of Trekking Camp Nepal. Dakal said they were still struggling to confirm if the fifth South Korean had reached the base camp when the powerful storm tore through the area on Friday. Rarely-climbed Gurja lies in Nepals Annapurna region, next to avalanche-prone Dhaulagiri -- the worlds seventh highest mountain. Gurja was first summited in 1969 by a Japanese team but no one has stood on its summit for 22 years, according to the Himalayan Database. Four climbers have perished on its flanks and a total of 30 have successfully reached its peak -- a fraction of the more than 8,000 people who have summited the worlds highest mountain, Everest. Thousands of climbers flock to Nepal each year -- home to eight of the worlds 14 highest peaks -- creating a lucrative mountain tourism industry that is a vital source of cash for the impoverished country. The United States has warned of appropriate measures against anyone who tries to undermine the peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives and directly pointed to troubling actions by outgoing president Abdulla Yameen, who has challenged the election result in a dramatic turnaround. After accepting the results of the September election, in which Ibrahim Mohamed Solihs Maldivian Democratic Party posted a decisive victory, Yameen mounted a legal challenge to the verdict earlier this week and alleged rigging and unfair practices. The United States is concerned by troubling events in Maldives that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people, including a Supreme Court complaint filed by president Yameen contesting the election results, and reports of serious threats to member of the election commission, state department spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a video post on Twitter on Friday. The United States will consider appropriate measures (which might be in the nature of sanctions) against anyone who undermines democracy, the rule of law or free and fair electoral process in Maldives, he said. Palladino laid down the rules that the US and the international community will view with concern any attempt to undermine the democratic process, including delaying the inauguration scheduled for November 17. The blunt message came from the US just a day after Alice Wells, the head of the state departments south and central Asia bureau issued a similar but more conciliatory message in the nature of an appeal from Maldives which she was visiting. This was a decisive victory (for president-elect Solih) and President Yameen did the right thing when he acknowledged his loss and he said he would be a responsible opposition candidate, Wells said of the September election results in an interview to a local TV network. There is no doubt who won the election and the United States expects President Yameen will accept the voice of his citizens, the diplomat added. Yameen had promised to, but has since gone back on his word. He was widely expected to rig the elections himself in a bid to cling to power despite a massive groundswell of opposition to him and his policies, chiefly engineering a precarious economic dependence on China. The US had then warned of appropriate measures against anyone who undermined the free and fair election. Yameens actions since the election cast a doubt on whether he will allow a peaceful transfer of power. In her meetings with President-elect Solih and other members of the newly elected government, Wells had assured them of deeper and all-round US engagement with the Maldives, with enhanced economic cooperation and help in fighting corruption, improving governance in the larger context of Americas own evolving strategy for the Indo-Pacific. A US pastor has left Turkey after more than two years in detention in a case that badly strained ties with the US. Andrew Brunson left from the western city of Izmir in a US military plane bound for Germany, his lawyer said, BBC reported. President Donald Trump said Mr Brunson would probably visit the White House on Saturday after landing in the US. Earlier, a Turkish court sentenced Mr Brunson to three years in jail - but freed him because of the time he had already spent in detention. He was arrested over alleged links to political groups, including the banned Gulenist movement, after a failed coup attempt in 2016. Additional espionage charges against him were dropped. Appointment 12 October 2018 The Blackburn Inn, a boutique hotel in the historic Downtown Staunton neighborhood, recently announced a new addition to its property team. The Blackburn Inn welcomes Lacy Peterson as its new General Manager; she will lead the day-to-day operations of the 49-room luxury boutique hotel to ensure a unique travel experience for each guest. Peterson is a Wyoming native who brings more than 15 years of experience as a hospitality professional to The Blackburn Inn. Peterson has contributed to the success of properties spanning Wyoming and Virginia. Peterson earned a Business Management degree from the University of Wyoming and began her hospitality career in Laramie, Wyoming at the Laramie Travel Center. Most recently, she served as the Director of Rooms for the Oakhurst Inn in Charlottesville, VA where she led hospitality efforts to increase hotel profitability and improve consumer satisfaction. In her new role as the General Manager for The Blackburn Inn, Peterson oversees day-to-day operations and works to provide an incomparable experience for all guests. Peterson is a versed hospitality professional and business owner who enjoys traveling and immersing herself in each destination's historic background. She will play a crucial role in the continued overall success of The Blackburn Inn. Appointment 13 October 2018 Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a nationally recognized hotel owner and management company, today announced that Steve Martin, vice president of human resources, has been recognized as a 2018 HR Award winner by the Milwaukee Business Journal. The prestigious award salutes southeastern Wisconsin's top HR practitioners who are making a difference in the human resources profession. Martin, who was recognized in the publicly held company category, is responsible for supporting and overseeing human resources issues and strategic initiatives for the company's entire hotel portfolio, which includes 21 hotels across the United States. An 18-year employee of Marcus Hotels & Resorts, Martin was instrumental in re-imagining culture initiatives for the company and recently led the development of a new mission statement, "Serve People, Create Memories, Deliver Exceptional Experiences." Under Martin's leadership, the mission statement was integrated into all facets of hotel operations, and associates across multiple disciplines were reminded that simple customer service gestures make an extraordinary impact on guests. Martin also led efforts to improve the workplace environment for hotel associates through a variety of initiatives to include transforming associate break areas into "family rooms" where associates can dine in a special area that is focused on their enjoyment and relaxation during their shifts. "Steve is passionate about building a highly engaged culture that creates a better experience for our associates, and ultimately, our guests," said Gregory S. Marcus, president and CEO of The Marcus Corporation. "With his kind-hearted spirit coupled with his push for perfection, Steve is the consummate example of what an HR leader should be, and we are very proud that he is getting such wonderful recognition for all he has done for our company and the HR community." Martin joined The Marcus Corporation in 2000 as corporate human resources director of the company's former Baymont Inns & Suites limited-service lodging division. During his career with the company, he served as the director of human resources for the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and held several human resources roles for The Marcus Corporation, including director of benefits and most recently, assistant corporate director of human resources. Prior to joining The Marcus Corporation, Martin worked for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels and Embassy Suites. Martin is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and holds its Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) designation as well as the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation from the HR Certification Institute. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in hospitality, restaurant and institution management from Iowa State University. Teresa Sue Klein is the latest Caucasian to get a catchy nickname that reflects some type of racially motivated action. As reported by The New York Post, Klien was dubbed "Cornerstore Caroline" after she claimed a 9-year-old Black boy sexually assaulted her in a bodega. A video of Klien calling the cops to claim the boy assaulted her went viral. I was just sexually assaulted by a child, Klein can be heard saying in the video as the boy cries. The son grabbed my ass and she decided to yell at me, she continued, aiming her anger at the child's mother. She also claims that she is a cop in the video. Now, Klien is apologizing for her actions. Video surveillance from the bodega shows that the child's backpack brushed up on Klien's backside as she was leaning over the cashier counter. The child did not realize his backpack touched Klien. After The Post tracked Klien down to show her the surveillance video, she called police on the publication. Once the police arrived, she did give a brief statement. I would like to apologize to her daughter and her son but not to her," Klein stated. "She could have walked away, but she didnt. Im also a Buddhist, [but] I let my temper show. Ive been called racist before, and Im not. Maybe if you've been called a racist on multiple occasions, you should start to reexamine your belief systems. https://twitter.com/_/status/1050883348728606720 Today, a huge number of Christians live in the Middle East, analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza news agency Artem Sokolov told Vesti FMs National Question Program. Due to the latest data, their number reaches 18 million people. Todays Arabic Cycle program was dedicated to the history of the Eastern churches. For a number of reasons, its impossible to name the exact number of Christians currently living in the Middle East. However, according to the latest data from local churches and the UN, there are about 18 million Christians in the region, including the countries of the Persian Gulf, Yemen and Iran. The leader among other countries is Egypt - more than 9 million Christians live there. It is followed by Lebanon (2 million people), Saudi Arabia (1.4 million), Syria (1.2 million people), the United Arab Emirates (720 thousand) and Kuwait (714 thousand), the analyst cited the official statistics. The largest group of Christians in the Gulf countries lives in Saudi Arabia - 1.4 million people, over 1 million of them are Catholics, mainly Filipino expats, whom the authorities allow to work without granting Saudi Arabian citizenship. Although Saudis allow Christians to enter the country as foreign workers, they are prohibited from openly practicing their religion, as well as attending the historic Christian church in the Jubail region. Though, the situation is changing gradually: in May, Saudi Arabia agreed with the Vatican on the construction of the country's first church for Christians, Artem Sokolov said. In recent years, the highest migration rate of Christians from the Middle East has been observed in Syria. Now there are only 1.2 million people left there, which is almost half as much as in December 2010 (2.2 million at the beginning of the Arab Spring). The largest churches here are the Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic Church. There are also the Syrian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Gregorian, Assyrian and Chaldean Churches, the analyst added. The main reasons for the decline in the number of Christians in the Middle East over the past few years are the war in Syria and the emergence of ISIS, which provoked a large-scale emigration. In general, the migration of Christians from the Middle East is more than a hundred years old. This phenomenon has many reasons, which vary from country to country, Artem Sokolov concluded. If youre unaware, LeBron James has a new unscripted TV series on HBO called The Shop, which finds him and business partner Maverick Carter sitting in a barbershop setting and talking with various celebrities about pretty much anything. Well on Friday night, episode two aired on HBO, and it happened to feature non-other than Toronto rapper Drake, who spoke about a plethora of things fans have been waiting to hear. Throughout the 30-minute episode, Drizzy spoke on his beef with Kanye West, saying that 40 went to Wyoming a day early and told him there was something funny going on. He also confirmed that he played Kanye March 14 and asked him for advice on the situation and that Lift Yourself was supposed to be his song. I ended up linking with Ye, and he sold me on this whole speech of like, 'Im in a great place, Im making money, and Im a father, and I wanna be Quincy Jones and help you, but in order to do that, youve gotta be transparent with me. And you gotta play me your music, and you gotta tell me when youre dropping. And I know you dont like to do things like that,'" Drake recalled. "And so I was in the studio, guess we all kind of felt a genuine vibe from it. So I play him my music, and I told him when I was dropping. "He played me 'Lift Yourself' and he was like, 'Yo, you can have this if you want.' And I was hype. I started writing to it. And then he was like, 'Yo, you gotta come to Wyoming.' So Wyoming happened," he explained. "And then (producer Noah "40" Shebib) went to Wyoming early, and he was like, 'Man, Im here a day early, man. Somethings off.' Hes like, 'This guy is working on an album.' And I was like, 'For real? He just told me he wanted to work on, like he just told me he wanted to give me beats. He continued: "And he said he wasnt dropping until like October, November, something like that. And Im like, 'Its all good, lets just go, and lets just see what its about.' So I went and ended up pretty much spending the majority of my time working on his music, just trying to like cook up ideas for him. By the way, Im in Wyoming and I play him March 14th. I send him a picture of my son. I tell him I having trouble with my sons mother. I wake up, and all these dates are out. Then the next two days, whatever, I wake up now to this text from him, passive like, 'Yo, I love you brother,'" he recalled. "'Lift Yourself' comes out with him just talking nonsense. Oh this guys trolling me. This was like a manipulative, like, 'I wanna break you' thing. So I said alright. Im gonna go back to distancing myself again. I know what this is. Then, the first album drops. And of course theres a diss song toward me that you produced, thats talking about writing? I was just there with you as friends helping you, and now youre dissing me. So Im like, man, this is dark." Then after that, Drake transitioned into talking about Pushas diss track, saying that he wasn't mad about his son coming up or his family, but the line about 40s MS he felt went too far. "People love to say, like rap purists and people who just love confrontation, they love to say, 'Aye theres no rules in this shit.' But there are fucking rules in this shit," he said. "And Im gonna tell you something: Its like, I knew something was gonna come up about my kid. They had to add the deadbeat thing to make it more appealing, which is fine. I understand that. Even that, I was like, OK. The mom and dad thing, whatever. You dont even know my family. But Imma tell you, wishing death on my friend that has MS I study rap battles for a living. Now when you mention defenseless people who are sick in the hospital, that passed away, that really sent me to a place where I just believed then, and believe now, that theres just a price that you have to pay for that. Its over. Youre gonna get someones gonna fucking punch you in the fucking face. The shits done, the events over. I wanted to do other things. I didnt wanna further your reputation or your career by rapping back at you and having this exchange. And that was it for me. Drizzy also addressed the mysterious diss track he had waiting for Kanye & Pusha T, and why he never released it. I got home and listened back to it, and I was like man this is not something I want to be remembered for. This is not necessarily a place I want to go. By the way, hell of a chess move. The song I thought was trash, but the chess move was genius. Back agains the wall, I either go all the way filthy or I fall back and I kinda have this chink in my armor for rest of my time to rap purists, which is fine I can live with that. IId much rather live with that than the things I was about to say and the research I did against and the places I was gonna go. Not only for him but for the other guy too. Watch the interview (below). [Via] TMZhas learned that Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and the rest of the fam have checked into a Ugandan resort. Kanye, Kim and their entourage arrived at Entebbe International Airport Friday with plenty of luggage to spare. They were then transported over to Chobe Safari Lodge in Botswana where they will reportedly spend the next week or so vacationing next to Safari-grade wildlife. In the above video, Kanye West hops on the counter at check-in while wife Kim handles all the parental responsibilities. At one point, Kanye West picks up 5-year-old North West and swings her like a flailing helicopter, before handing her over to mum. Kim is reportedly so pleased with the locale she is already looking into extending their stay beyond the 19th. Interestingly enough, Big Sean is also staying at the resort around the same time. Both he and Kanye West have expressed an interest in working together in some capacity once more. For Kanye West, the African retreat appears to be both a much-needed vacation away from the media spotlight, as much as it appears to be a clean break for "right brain." Kanye told TMZ, he wanted to visit the African heartland so he could "feel the energy." As hip-hop continues to dominate the globe in 2018, we're seeing more of hip-hop's favorite rappers join forces with international acts. It's not anything new, but with trap music's influence dominating every genre, we're seeing more collaborations among American artists and artists from overseas. Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta and Jamaican producer Rvssian tap Lil Baby, Rich The Kid and Moneybagg Yo for the official remix to their hit single, "Pablo." Rich The Kid, Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo join forces with Sfera Ebbasta and Rvssian for the official remix to their single, "Pablo." This comes a little bit over a month after Rvssian and Ebbasta announced that the original single went platinum. Don't worry though, Moneybagg Yo, Rich The Kid and Lil Baby don't attempt to rap in Spanish for the single, sticking to their comfort zone and bringing their own swag to the Latin-inspired production. Peep the new single below. Quotable Lyrics Mi casa ain't su casa, no offence, don't post my crib I'm tryna get high as Calabasas where I live Double R's in the garage, I think I seen a ghost for real Hold my problems in a bottle, ain't gon forever shed no tear RZA has a relatively laid-back demeanor but this cool attitude completely switches when it comes to the well-being of his family. The rapper was reportedly seeking medical help for his son, a venture that ended up with the appearance of legal authorities. When RZA brought his son to the hospital in Los Angeles, he was met with what he might have considered a lack of appropriate attention. The medical staff failed to help his son quickly enough, which upset the father. When he realized that his kind wasn't receiving the treatment in a timely fashion, the entertainer popped off. The frustrated man caused such a scene that the cops were called. Thankfully, RZA had managed to calm down by the time the police arrived. He was not reprimanded in any way: no fine, no arrest. According to law enforcement sources, the rapper had taken his son to the EP at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Saturday morning. The 911 call was placed after he became aggressive and started yelling at the staff. The hospital supervisor is said to be the one who made the call. Both RZA and his son are said to have remained at Cedars following the ordeal. The medical condition that affected his son has yet to be disclosed. In an editorial published by ABC News, T.I. described the socio-economic conditions in his native Atlanta. Within the body of that text, the rapper nee Clifford Harris challenged privileged Atlanta residents to take on greater responsibility within their communities. T.I.'s penchant for philanthropy is no secret. His latest venture is labeled "Buy Back the Block." With BBtB he hopes to repurpose impractical buildings and convert them into affordable housing units. His anti-gentrification plan has plenty of support. Dynasty Real Estate Development and APD-Urban Planning and Management have been assembled to handle the logistical end of things, with T.I. undertaking the overhead and operational costs. Nine properties in total have already been purchased and earmarked for the project. T.I. is also somewhat of a conservationist in the ATL area. The rapper recently teamed up with Killer Mike to save a local eatery from going out of business. The local eatery, Bankhead Seafood, was close to being shut down for violating a series of building codes, but T.I. and Killer Mike stepped in with plans to modernize the building layout. "I have enough things going on where I don't have to chase sensationalism, I don't have to be provocative for no reason just because my personality lends itself to controversy," T.I. told ABC News. "Rather than try to be a role model, I'd rather be a real model." Kanye West has landed in the motherland in search of inspiration for his upcoming album. The artist had revealed his intentions in a lengthy interview concerning his plans to visit Africa. He claimed his desire to "grab the soil" for greater understanding of the continent while being completely free of his medication. He has since stepped foot in a resort in Botswana accompanied by his wife and kids. Ye's musical journey as "Alien Ye" has already begun, according to the latest clip of the rapper. A video of Yeezy dancing to an African tune has been circulating. The rapper got down to "Immediately," a song by the famous Mystro and Wizkid. These artists are considered to be some of the most popular in Africa and the song of choice has been named as one of Nigeria's summer anthems this year. Check out Kanye's bouncy dance moves below. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo4Pz-XAvcC The track was clearly to Kanye's liking, as he was filmed dancing to the track with much enthusiasm. Time will tell how this genre of music will affect Ye's next release. Perhaps a collaboration with the bop's artists is being considered. Check out the full track below and let us know what y'all think. By Yuyi Morales Holiday House, 32 pages, $19.99 Ages 4-8 Yuyi Morales hadnt planned on her immigration story becoming fodder for a childrens book. But as the conversation about immigrants, particularly from Mexico, took center stage in the media, Morales, who immigrated from Mexico in the mid-1990s, felt compelled to share it. The result is the breathtaking, dreamy Dreamers. Morales, 47, is a noted illustrator and author of many childrens books, including Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book, Little Night and Viva Frida, which received the 2015 Caldecott Medal. Morales is the first Latina to receive the award. The author will speak at St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 5501 S. Main, from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 24, courtesy of Brazos Bookstore. The event is free. Were in a time when every immigrant who comes to the U.S. should tell their story, she said. As things were shaping up against immigrants, I found myself thinking about how we should treat each other. Morales was a 25-year-old wife with 2-month-old son, Kelly, now 24, when she moved from her home in Xalapa, Mexico, to California with her then-husband, who is from the area. She currently lives in Mexico. I cried every day for a whole year, and I had to start finding what my purpose was, she said. Like many immigrants, I came with a feeling of not being enough. We are too brown, too indigenous, too low-class, too uneducated. There seems to be a belief that immigrants are less than. Immigrants who come here go through experiences that make them very strong. When Morales mother-in-law took her to a public library for the first time, she discovered a world of possibilities. She had never seen books on shelves, and she found the childrens section captivating. We had comic books in Mexico, but we didnt have a place to house a whole world of literature for children, she said. Morales soon started going to the library on her own and fell in love with A Mother for Choco, a heartwarming story about acceptance and embracing differences by Keiko Kasza. Dreamers is a tribute to all those books that welcomed me and that I made a connection with, Morales said. I want to make a connection that every immigrant brings gifts. We are all immigrants, and we can extend our hand to create something valuable together. When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana By Michael Mahin and illustrated by Jose Ramirez Simon and Schuster, 48 pages, $17.99 Ages 4-8 Carlos Santana is a music legend. But young readers may not know the power of his music yet. Michael Mahin and illustrator Jose Ramirez have captured the vibrancy and talent of Santana in When Angels Sing. (Ramirez also illustrated Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters.) The book takes children through Santanas youth when he would listen to his father, a traveling musician, play violin. His fathers music inspires him to learn to play guitar and to discover a love for blues and rock music. His ultimate goal is to make angels sing with his music, like his father did. When Angels Sings is a fitting tribute to a legend. Lucia the Luchadora and the Million Masks By Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez Powerhouse Books, 32 pages, $16.99 Ages 3-7 Cynthia Leonor Garza, a former Houston Chronicle reporter, returns with a follow-up to her Lucia the Luchadora, which was one of NPRs Best Books of 2017. This time Lucias little sister Gemma wants to be a luchadora like her big sister. But the troublemaking little sister is a big headache for Lucia. A trip to the mercado (store) to get a mask becomes an adventure that brings the sisters together in love. Illustrations by Alyssa Bermudez add a bright cheeriness to the story that feels like its destined for a TV cartoon. Lights, Camera, Carmen! By Anika Denise and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gomez Abrams, 32 pages, $15.95 Ages 5-7 Young actress Carmen (Starring Carmen, 2017) returns to the screen. She loves being the star, but sharing the spotlight with her little brother, Eduard, isnt what she had in mind. Lights, Camera, Carmen is a lively and compassionate story with Carmen and her family speaking a mix of English and Spanish. joy.sewing@chron.com As the creator of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner had a thing about spoilers. Each season arrived with a list of no-nos for critics, such as the number of floors in the advertising office where it was set. When he announced a series for Amazon Prime, I joked that maybe hed make it a spoiler to say what the new show was about. I have to hand it to him with The Romanoffs, which began Friday. Ive seen three episodes, and I couldnt tell you what the series is if I wanted to. OK, in broad terms I can. The episodes are stand-alone stories, with different stars and a thin tissue of connection: contemporary characters who are associated with or believe they are descended from the Russian royal family, whose members were executed by Bolsheviks in 1918. (Sorry, spoiler.) I can also say that The Romanoffs is TV only in the broadest sense. The episodes, around an hour and a half in length, are essentially movies. The first three installments are eclectic, sometimes beguiling and each, in a different way, ultimately frustrating. The series begins elegantly, in Paris, with The Violet Hour. Anushka (Marthe Keller), a spiteful, elderly aristocrat, is attended by her American nephew, Greg (Aaron Eckhart), and his sullen French girlfriend, Sophie (Louise Bourgoin). She keeps them in line with the promise of inheriting a Faberge egg and her grand apartment, once used by a Russian royal as a stash pad for his mistress. The Romanoffs Streaming on Amazon Prime See More Collapse Gregs burden is lightened, then complicated, by Anushkas new caretaker, Hajar (Ines Melab), a Muslim woman who patiently wears down Anushkas sourness and racism. They develop an odd, culturally freighted relationship the senescent past reconciling itself to Europes future until the last act blows up the scripts character-building for the sake of a shock ending. The Royal We shifts its setting to American suburbia, and its tone to marital farce. Shelly (Kerry Bishe) finds herself vacationing alone when her mopey, dissatisfied husband, Michael (Corey Stoll), contrives an excuse to cancel. The catch: The vacation is a themed cruise for Romanov descendants. He is one, but shes not. Bishe is luminous but underserved by the long-suffering-wife role, and the episode finds Michaels tedious midlife crisis way more absorbing than it is. But the scenes on the cruise full of elderly Americans cosplaying as early-20th-century Russian nobles are transporting. (A talkative gentleman in the bar keeps smashing his vodka glasses with a flourish; Sir, you have to stop doing that, the put-upon bartender says.) Theres a sense in both early episodes that the characters have been twisted and soured by family legends theyre doomed to fall short of. Mad Men, too, was fascinated with the layers of history and the stub ends of the faded gentry. Theres a little Pete Campbell in each of these modern-day nobles. In the third installment, House of Special Purpose, Olivia (Christina Hendricks), a high-profile actress, is on location in Austria shooting a Romanovs miniseries directed by the imperious Jacqueline (Isabelle Huppert). Huppert is astounding, her brusqueness gradually giving way to mania. The story a showbiz sendup with Rod Serling-esque horror elements gets increasingly over the top as it goes on. And on. The episodes feel stretched out, and while Amazon clearly invested in the series, which shot in seven countries, its not scaled up visually to match. The episodes are movie-length but directed, by Weiner, like television. That said, I love the audacity of the idea, the playfulness of the dialogue, the unpredictability of the storytelling. While shooting the series-with-in-a-series of the third episode, Hupperts character says jadedly, This is exactly what television needs: another period piece with well-dressed mannequins. The Romanoffs is not that. Its more like a Black Mirror of relationships, privilege and ruling classes in decline. All three screened episodes involve women navigating unequal power structures or dealing with men acting badly, as they often did in Mad Men. Its striking since this is also Weiners first series since he was accused, by the Mad Men writer Kater Gordon, of having told her while working that she owed it to him to let him see her naked. Weiner recently told Vanity Fair that he apologized if I have wronged somebody. Gordon, in a post on Twitter, wrote: My memory is intact. Matthews abuse of workplace power dynamics was rampant, and the comments he made should not be viewed as an isolated occurrence. After Mad Men ended, Weiner expressed doubts about binge TV. Mad Men was like a ghost that appeared for three months of Sundays, leaving its witnesses to interpret its portents for a week. If he ever made a streaming series, he said, hed want it to appear weekly, to preserve that experience. Hes done that. The first two Romanoffs became live Friday, with the other six coming once a week. I might start with The Royal We, which is not necessarily the best of the three but has the best moments, which I am enjoined from describing by the lengthy spoiler list. (Some things never change.) Maybe the whole will add up to more. Mad Men seasons would often start at a slow roll, only to layer on meaning and incident and build to a breathtaking finish. Only time (if the pattern holds, about 12 hours) will tell. But The Romanoffs does not introduce itself as a Russian nesting doll, one unit fitting into another to form one ingenious artifact. Its a series of ornate but ponderous creations, a shelf-busting set of Faberge ostrich eggs. Like all Texans, I remember the Alamo. Like many Texans, I learned about the heroism of its defenders as a student in Texas public schools. I remember Goliad, too, but not as frequently, or in quite the same way. What happened at Goliad, several weeks after the fall of the Alamo, was the massacre of some 400 Texians who were being held as prisoners by the Mexican Army, led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. That was among the notable events in Texass 1836 fight for independence. But it wasnt pivotal to the revolution itself, or to our subsequent understanding of state history. What happened at the Alamo was. Thats why the states curriculum standards specify that seventh graders should be taught about the heroic defenders who gave their lives there, among other things. This particular bit of history was recently mischaracterized by Gov. Greg Abbott, with an assist from Land Commissioner George P. Bush, when the State Board of Education was considering removing the word heroic from the state standard. An advisory group tasked with reviewing the states history curriculum standards had recommended doing so on the basis that the adjective is value charged. Grieder: Texas education board calls Mexican-American studies by its name Abbott took umbrage at this news, and flagged the issue to his Twitter followers. Stop political correctness in our schools. Of course Texas schoolchildren should be taught that Alamo defenders were Heroic! he tweeted. Abbott added that he was confident the board would agree with him, but that his followers should nonetheless call their SBOE member to complain. Bush seconded Abbotts concern, describing the proposal as politically correct nonsense. This was probably shrewd politics, given the context. Many Republicans are already concerned about political correctness run amok, these days. So are many Democrats, for that matter. A recent study from a research institute called More in Common found that fully 80 percent of Americans see political correctness as a problem for the country. And the concern at hand does seem a bit persnickety, at the very least. With that said, I expect members of the education board to consider such recommendations, because that is literally their job. Donna Bahorich, the Republican member from Katy who chairs the board, should be commended for her commitment to a process that allows for debates like this one. In times like these, its nice to be reminded that people involved in politics can listen to each others concerns, even if the concerns at hand might seem a bit persnickety. Also, since Republicans control 10 of the boards 15 seats, Abbott really didnt need to be too worried. As it happens, the SBOE ultimately decided to keep the word heroic, as he predicted. Read more: Board signals it will keep reference to heroic Alamo defenders But the governor himself was being a bit persnickety. The defenders of the Alamo were heroic, of course. I actually think thats inarguable but perhaps I would think that, because Im a product of Texas public schools. In any case, I agree. By the same token, though, its unnecessary to include the adjective in the state curricular standards, if those standards specify that students should be taught about the defenders of the Alamo as well as the siege. My teacher, for example, told us about Capt. William Barret Travis drawing a line in the sand with his sword, after explaining to his men that they were facing certain death unless they abandoned the Alamo immediately. His plea for help had been widely read in the United States, but ultimately ignored; there was no help on the way. The only man who chose to leave was Moses Rose, a coward, I was taught. Everyone else decided to stay at the Alamo and, as Travis put it, die with him. There was no guarantee that such a sacrifice would help Texas win its independence. The nobility of the cause itself was debatable. The defenders of the Alamo were wildly outnumbered, as well as surrounded on all sides. The Alamo was under siege for weeks, but once the Mexican Army attacked, it fell within minutes. In other words, the men who had gathered at the Alamo made a deliberate decision to sacrifice their lives, for no possible personal reward, after being abandoned, on behalf of an uncertain cause. With the exception of the aforementioned coward, Rose. I cant remember if my teacher used the word heroic in describing the men who died at the Alamo, but it wouldnt have been necessary; she taught me what they did. In fact, when we teach Texas schoolchildren about the Alamo, we may be teaching them what heroism is. So ultimately Abbott mischaracterized Texas history, while throwing this particular bit of red meat to his base. The defenders of the Alamo had no expectations when they sacrificed everything for Texas independence. Thats why we think of them as particularly heroic, even though they werent the only men who fought for independence, or who died as a result. When we remember Goliad, in other words, were remembering Santa Annas cruelty. When we remember the Alamo, were remembering the courage that cruelty was met with by people who had lost all hope and decided to keep fighting anyway. In doing so, the defenders of the Alamo defined what it means to be a hero in Texas. Their heroism is a historical truth that we can all take pride in and something that cant be erased, even if its not necessarily labeled as such and is sometimes misrepresented by the leaders of our state. erica.grieder@chron.com twitter.com/ericagieder According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, the police opened a criminal case against the New Political Center - Girchi party, which is organizing the Cannabis Legalization Festival in Tbilisi. According to the announcement of the partys leader, Georgian presidential candidate Zurab Japaridze, the Festival will be held on October 20 in Dead Ena Park. The festival will become an act of disobedience to the authorities and a de facto legalizing act of the cultivation and sale of the narcotic plant in Georgia. Love Elementary in the Heights opened in 1926, just five years before journalist Dan Rather was born in Wharton. The Love Rather visited Friday is very different than the one he attended in the 1930s, long before the schools curriculum became bilingual and children were outfitted in uniform red shirts. You could smell the trees, you could smell the flowers, he told a handful of students who joined him for a round-table discussion. And nearly everybody was barefooted. Though he still keeps busy providing some anchor work for the Young Turks News network, Rather wasnt revisiting his past for a story. The Love Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization reached out to Rather to see if hed stop by his old school. He obliged. His appearance involved a tour of the campus, which he estimated to be 75 percent larger school than the one he attended. Rather fielded questions from four elementary students, as well as four others from nearby Heights High School, before moving outside for a ceremonial tree planting. Rather said the new oak tree continued a tradition from his childhood on the campus. We planted a tree every Arbor Day, he said. Some of those oaks still stand eight decades later. Rather is 86, with a birthday at the end of the month. Im at an age where I dont even buy green bananas, he said. But I treasure every day. Rather told youngsters that his parents affinity for local newspapers in Houston prompted his interest in journalism. Being a reporter was the only thing I could remember dreaming about, he said. Rather began reporting at age 18. He spent time reporting for the Houston Chronicle, and also worked in radio in Huntsville. In the late-1950s, he started at the Houston ABC and latter CBS affiliates. Glen Tinsley crossed the street from his job at Tommie Vaughn Ford to see Rather. The last time I saw him in person was 1961, back when he was covering Hurricane Carla, Tinsley said. Its great to see him again. That year was a big one for Rather, when his work for CBS began to take him further from Houston. Asked by one of the students if he had a favorite story , Rather talked about the years spent covering Martin Luther King. That changed me as a person, he said, and as a professional. andrew.dansby@chron.com If there is a nightmare keeping Harris County Judge Ed Emmett awake at night, it may go like this: It starts months before November, when Democrats tell pollsters they, of course, will vote for Emmett, even though hes a Republican. They like how he led the county during Hurricane Harvey, and the storms before that, stretching back to Ike a decade ago. Election Day arrives. A surge of Democrats turn out, motivated by anger with Republicans at the top of the ticket and President Donald Trump, who is absent from the ballot. They have no quarrel with Emmett. But the lines are long, the ballot is long, and the county judges race is below dozens of state and federal contests. At the top of the ballot, however, voters can select the straight ticket of their party with one button. Democrats pick theirs, and leave. And Emmett loses to a 27-year-old who never has held political office. EMMETT'S OPPONENT: Lina Hidalgo hopes to unseat longtime Harris County judge That is the scenario, in the last Texas election with straight-ticket voting, election researchers say could sweep Emmett out of office. Though Emmett is likely to win a third full term, they said in an election in which Republican voters likely will be a minority, the judge should be reminding Democrats to buck their party and stick with him. Its all about Democrats voting for Ed, said Robert Stein, a political science professor at Rice University. I wouldnt rule out the possibility, however remote or odd it sounds, that Democrats never remember to. Emmetts opponent is Lina Hidalgo, a 27-year-old community advocate and graduate student in her first campaign for political office. Emmett is far more experienced, has raised more money and is more widely known than Hidalgo, yet takes her challenge seriously. In the pairs joint appearances Emmett has campaigned aggressively, seeking to portray Hidalgo as a candidate ill-prepared to run the nations third-largest county whose passion should not be confused with expertise. In an interview from his downtown office on a dreary afternoon, Emmett, 69, said he will focus the final weeks of his campaign on swaying Democrats he needs to build a winning coalition. Not a day goes by where somebody doesnt walk up to me and say Im the only Republican they ever vote for, or Im a Democrat and I always vote for you, Emmett said. My job is to make sure they find me on the ballot. Emmetts campaign had $934,000 on hand as of its July filing report, and he said he intends to spend much of it on an advertising campaign targeting Democrats. He is unafraid of losing voters on the right. Though some conservative Republicans may accuse the moderate Emmett of acting like a Democrat, he is confident those critics would not risk an actual one being elected. Emmett has survived a Democratic wave before. In 2008, Barack Obama rode a Democratic surge to win Harris County by 1.6 percent, while Emmett eked out 6.3-point victory over Democrat David Mincberg. Emmett enjoyed the benefit of incumbency, as the former state representative had been appointed county judge in 2007 when then-judge Robert Eckels retired. He was widely praised by residents for his leadership during Hurricane Ike, which had struck Houston just seven weeks earlier. The county executive cruised in his two most recent elections, winning 61 percent of votes in 2010, and 83 percent four years ago, when Democrats failed to field a candidate. The county electorate, however, continues to shift to the left. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Republican Donald Trump by 12 points, on the same evening the countys Republican sheriff and district attorney were defeated. Democratic voters again could turn out in high numbers this year, motivated by dissatisfaction with the Trump administration and excited by Democrats at the top of the ticket, including Senate candidate Beto ORourke. Emmett is confident he can convince enough Democrats to stick with him. At the annual State of the County speech on Sept. 13, Emmett was introduced by Democratic State Rep. Garnet Coleman, who also took the opportunity to endorse him. Stein said his research shows Emmett winning re-election, but with only around 55 percent of the vote despite being viewed positively by 70 to 80 percent of the electorate. University of Houston political science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus said Emmett, though popular, could become collateral damage in a backlash against the Republican Party. The wave may very well drown a moderate Republican, he said. Thats true for Emmett and, potentially, for State Rep. Sarah Davis. Davis, a moderate who fended off a primary challenger backed by Gov. Greg Abbott, represents a Houston district that voted for Clinton two years ago. Not taking chances Some longtime incumbents, especially those in the twilight of their careers, take a hands-off approach to campaigning. They point to their track records, avoid criticizing opponents and coast to victory. Any thought Emmett would take that approach evaporated in the opening minutes of the Houston Chronicle editorial boards meeting with the pair in late September. Emmett contrasted himself with Hidalgo from the start, and sought for the hour-long tussle that followed to cast her as a bright candidate with potential who has a limited grasp of county policy and misunderstands the role of county judge. Hidalgo, he charged, focuses too much on issues Commissioners Court does not manage, such as early childhood education and new light rail lines, and too little on emergency preparedness, which he views a primary responsibility. How on earth would she respond to a hurricane? We dont know, Emmett said. I think Ive got a very clear record. Emmetts experience is among his greatest assets, but if he is too pugnacious he risks appearing as if he is condescending to an opponent who is younger, non-white and a woman. During one exchange in which Hidalgo said Emmett had sought to fire the countys chief public defender, the judge appeared to let his frustration get the better of him. Youve kind of gone into pyscho-babble, he said. In his office, Emmett acknowledged he must walk the tightrope between being the most qualified candidate and a know-it-all, and said he has a reputation for being courteous. He said the fact that he has four adult children, two of them daughters, helps him bridge the generational divide between himself and Hidalgo. Emmett insists he has a responsibility to illustrate what he says are Hidalgos weaknesses as a candidate. He said her professional experience, which includes internships and summers spent as a medical interpreter in Houston for Spanish-speaking patients, leaves Hidalgo without the skills to lead the countys emergency response when the next storm comes. Im running against a person who has never really had a job, at all, the judge said. She has never really lived here, other than in high school. Final term? Emmett suggested this may be his last campaign, but declined to rule out seeking another term should he win. He suffered a minor stroke two weeks before Hurricane Harvey in 2017, but said he is in good health. The judge committed to serve his full term if elected, dismissing rumors that he hopes to resign and select a handpicked successor, much as he was appointed to the job 11 years ago. Emmett acknowledges the county and its flood control district could have done more between hurricanes Ike and Harvey to prepare for future storms, but said voters before Harvey likely would have balked at paying higher property taxes to fund improvements. He said he wants to oversee the construction of more than 200 flood mitigation projects funded by the $2.5 billion flood bond voters passed in August. Emmett and commissioners spent the summer hawking the proposal at public meetings. Emmett was was contemplative about the possibility he could lose. He concluded a defeat would have little to do with him as a candidate and even less with his opponent. I wouldnt take it personally, he said. zach.despart@chron.com A former MD Anderson Cancer Center scientist has been arrested on allegations he possessed child pornography on a computer hard drive, a charge he and his attorney emphatically denied Friday. Keping Xie, a researcher in pancreatic cancer, resigned from MD Anderson in April, some three months after University of Texas-Houston police launched their investigation. He was arrested Aug. 20, according to Harris County court records. I expect him to be cleared of all the allegations, said Nathan Mays, Xies attorney. Once the evidence has been sufficiently examined, it will show that Dr. Xie never intentionally or knowingly possessed any unlawful images. Xie and Mays also dismissed as ludicrous media reports that the FBI is investigating the cancer researcher for possible espionage on behalf of China. Mays said the FBI showed no interest in talking to Xie when he offered to answer any questions they might have. Mays said the report this week by NBC News was the first Xie and he heard of the suggestion. The charge is absurd, said Xie, 56. Ive been in Houston 29 years with one institution, MD Anderson, where I didnt do anything but search for the cure for cancer. Ive never committed any espionage. In a statement, MD Anderson said it is not aware Xie has stolen any intellectual property. A spokeswoman for the FBI said they could neither confirm nor deny whether they are conducting investigations. Xie is accused of possessing five child pornography images. Free on a $25,000 bond, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted of the third-degree felony of possession of child pornography. He has surrendered his passport after appearing last month in front of state District Judge Denise Collins. Mays said the thumbnail-sized images, located in a recycle bin on an external hard drive, havent been accessed since they were placed there in 2013. He said how they got there is a mystery and added that a computer forensic analyst he hired said it is not uncommon for such images to be accidentally downloaded. The case dates to January, when a computer security officer, using a program to watch what Xie was doing on his MD Anderson computer, saw the researcher appear to alter a restaurant receipt using Photoshop. He referred the matter to the University of Texas at Houston police to investigate as a possible case of tampering with a government record. Xie agreed to cooperate with the investigation and consented to a search where police took more than 80 electronic devices out of his home and lab, including laptops and external hard drives, Mays said. The police also had a judge sign a search warrant at 1 a.m. to search Xies computers in case he refused. That data, about 40 terabytes, contained years of test results and other work, including those of his assistants, said Mays. UT police hired an outside firm to conduct a forensic investigation of the data as part of their investigation of tampering with a government record. In March, that firm notified UT police that they suspected five images to be known child pornography. The police at UT took that report to the Internet Crimes Against Children unit at the Houston Police Department, where a detective said he believed the images were child pornography. But HPD did not seek charges and instead sent the case back to the UT police department unusual, Mays said, because HPD typically arrest suspects once child pornography is detected. Theyre the local experts in this field, Mays said. In June, the UT police got another search warrant to search Xies computers again but found nothing new, according to court documents. Two months later, Xie was arrested. HPD referred questions to the UT police, who referred questions to MD Andersons administration. It issued a statement noting only that Xie resigned in April and faces charges in Harris County district court for possession of child pornography as a result of a criminal investigation conducted by the University of Texas Police Department at Houston and the Houston Police Department. Mays said Xie resigned because he was humiliated by the charges, stressing his complicated relationship with an institution he successfully sued in 2011 to gain tenure. Xie said he was tired of being put under the microscope. Xie applied for a job as chairman of the department of interdisciplinary oncology at the University of Arizona in late 2017 and was hired in July 2018. He was placed on administrative leave after the school learned of the charges against him, said a spokesman. Keping Xie came to the University of Arizona in July before the university was aware of any allegations or charges made against him, Chris Sigurdson, vice president of communications, said in a statement. Upon learning of the charges, Xie was immediately placed on administrative leave and directed not to come to campus. Mays said Xie hadnt told Arizona officials of the investigation because he didnt expect anything to come of it. This child pornography charge is the second against an MD Anderson professor in the last few years. Dr. Dennis Patrick Hughes, a pediatrician, was charged with possession of child pornography in June 2015 and sentenced to seven years in prison in December 2016. In that case, MD Anderson immediately reached out to Hughes patients to share the news. There was no such disclosure of the allegations against Xie, said an MD Anderson spokeswoman, because he is no longer employed by the institution and never was involved in patient care. todd.ackerman@chron.com twitter.com/chronmed brian.rogers@chron.com twitter.com/brianjrogers UPDATE: Lina Hidalgo beat Ed Emmett in the midterm elections on Nov. 6, 2018. First-time candidate Lina Hidalgo hopes Harris County voters frustrated with what she says is poor leadership on flood control and criminal justice reform will help her defeat longtime County Judge Ed Emmett. Hidalgo, 27, is the Democratic nominee for the countys top executive position. She is one of a record number of Hispanic candidates in Harris County this year, and would be the first woman and Latina county judge. Democrats are betting high turnout among their voters, which helped defeat a Republican sheriff and district attorney in 2016, will overcome Emmetts broad popularity with residents. What I have is the moral compass to ensure we are putting the communitys interests ahead of the next election, Hidalgo said in an interview at her Galleria campaign headquarters. Even in a year where Democrats are motivated by a viable Senate candidate and united in anger against an unpopular president, Hidalgo faces a tough task. She is running against possibly the most popular local figure who did not win the World Series last year. Though Emmett has more experience, is far more well known and has raised more money than Hidalgo, election researchers say she has a path to victory if too many Democrats forget to vote for him. More Information Lina Hidalgo Age: 27 Occupation: Community advocate Party: Democrat Offices held or sought: Candidate for Harris County judge Ed Emmett Age: 69 Occupation: Transportation consultant Party: Republican Offices held or sought: Harris County judge since 2007, Texas House of Representatives, 1979-87 See More Collapse Hidalgos background is similar to those of the one-quarter of Harris County residents who are immigrants. She was born in Colombia in 1991, during that countrys war with drug cartels, and moved with her parents and younger brother first to Mexico, and then to Houston in 2005. She graduated from Seven Lakes High School in Katy ISD in 2009, and earned a political science degree from Stanford University four years later. She enrolled in 2015 in a joint masters program at Harvard University and law program at New York University. As part of her studies she has interned with the public defenders office in New Orleans and an inmate mental health project in New York City. Back in Houston, she spent two summers at Ben Taub Hospital translating for Spanish-speaking patients. Putsata Reang, her supervisor during a research project in Thailand studying free speech rights in Southeast Asian countries, described her as a hard worker eager to take initiative. Shes like this incredible force where we were getting 10 employees out of one because of the sheer workload she could handle, Reang said. Hidalgo said she has witnessed the toll ineffective or corrupt governments inflict on their citizens, from Colombias battles with organized crime and leftist guerillas, Mexico under one-party rule during her childhood and Egypt during the Arab Spring, where she spent time as an undergraduate. Pursuing a career advocating for often-underserved communities, whom she describes as people on the losing side of the system, would give her an opportunity to apply what she learned. Hidalgo said she had planned to use her front-line experience working in health care and criminal justice to improve local government from the outside. The election of Donald Trump as president two years ago changed her mind. Suddenly, she saw access to health care under siege and hard-line immigration policies gaining momentum. The response of Harris County officials, she said, was inadequate. I saw local government of such a powerful county, of such a powerful state, failing to stand up to policies I knew were dangerous, Hidalgo said. So, I decided this is what I needed to do. She put her graduate studies on hold and returned from Massachusetts to Texas last summer, in search of the right office to seek. Hidalgo decided on county judge, in part because she was dismayed by what she describes as the countys timid approach to flood control. She recalled huddling in her familys home during Hurricane Ike in 2008. In the nine years between that storm and Harvey in 2017, which included the Memorial Day Flood in 2015 and Tax Day Flood the following year, she wondered why the flood control district had not done more to protect residents. HIDALGO'S OPPONENT: Emmett makes his pitch to Democrats key to his victory Her criticisms on this issue and others including criminal justice reform, access to mental health care and public transit orbit a central theme: Harris County needs a bold leader willing to pursue new ideas, she argues, and Ed Emmett is not that leader. We saw what 40 years of politics does, she said of her opponent. (We have) someone who couldnt figure out we needed flood control until it became an international crisis. She calls the incumbent a leader who only shows up when theres a flood, whom residents cannot count on. Hidalgo supported the countys $2.5 billion flood bond proposal but accused Emmett of scheduling the low-turnout election in August to buoy his re-election campaign by boosting his name ID. The only reason county officials had a series of public meetings ahead of the bond vote, she said, was because Harvey had a body count. Hidalgo said she would be more effective securing funding for flood projects from the state and federal governments. So far, Gov. Abbott and the Legislature have resisted Emmetts calls to tap the states Rainy Day Fund for Harvey recovery. Hidalgo said she would be a tougher negotiator with Austin than Emmett, a former state legislator. What we have is someone who has not been successful, so we know what his track record is, she said. Echoing Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, the lone Democrat on Commissioners Court, Hidalgo said the county already should have settled a lawsuit brought by poor defendants who argue the countys cash bail system is unconstitutional. Federal judges have agreed. Emmett says he supports settling the case, which Harris County has spent more than $6 million defending, but the two sides have yet to negotiate an agreement. Tough campaigner Hidalgo is an engaging campaigner. At a September candidate forum in Near Northside, she articulated how the county has much room to improve on flood control, criminal justice and public transportation, drawing applause from some in the audience. She is a fresh face who surely could upset the dynamics of the all-male Commissioners Court, whose biweekly morning meetings on the ninth floor of the downtown county administration building strike some residents as too chummy. Harris County Democratic Party Chairwoman Lillie Schecter said voters should select Hidalgo so she can smash the good old boys system she said dominates county government. Its incredibly exciting to have a young Latina who has real life experience, Schecter said. The Democrats also are asking voters to look past Hidalgos flaws: They have nominated to run the third-largest county in the United States a candidate who lacks management experience, who has lived here sporadically as an adult and who never before sought public office or even attended a meeting of Commissioners Court, the body she assures voters she is ready to lead. Hidalgo held her own against Emmett when the pair sparred for more than an hour during a meeting with the Chronicle editorial board in September a feat in itself, considering Hidalgo was in the room in part because more experienced Democrats were uninterested in running. Emmett sought from the start to expose the limits of Hidalgos knowledge of county government. He challenged her to name the county auditor (she couldnt). She said the flood control district should have online maps where residents can see if they live in a floodplain (it does). With financial support from her family, Hidalgo has been able to devote herself full time to the campaign. She hired Juany Torres, a San Antonio native and her roommate at Stanford, as campaign manager. Together, the pair have pitched donors and organized volunteer events, including the alliteratively titled Monday phone bank Lunes del Latinas para Lina. Hidalgo said Hispanic families see her as a source of inspiration in a county where they are underrepresented at nearly all levels of government. They want me to meet their children, Hidalgo said. They say, I want them to see that this is possible. Through the first six months of this year, Hidalgo raised $183,000, less than a third of Emmetts haul. Fifty-eight percent of her donations came from out of state, including big checks from actors she met at a Los Angeles fundraiser in May. Reese Witherspoon gave $2,700; Charlize Theron, $1,333; and Jennifer Garner, $1,000. Far from being a liability in the eyes of Harris County voters, Hidalgo said the out-of-state donations show that Americans across the country recognize the Houston area as a large metropolis and economic hub. Were putting Harris County as a national area, Hidalgo said, adding she hopes to increase the countys profile while in office. zach.despart@chron.com The abrupt hiring of a new interim superintendent by the Houston Independent School District board on Thursday, its third leader this year, once again has cast doubt on board members ability to manage the largest school district in Texas and could scare away applicants for the permanent superintendent position. Trustees during a raucous meeting Thursday evening hired Abelardo Saavedra, who led HISD from 2004 to 2009, to replace Grenita Lathan as interim superintendent on a 5-4 vote. Those who voted in favor of replacing Lathan, who will return to her position as chief academic officer, said the interim post should be filled by someone who is not seeking the permanent job. Critics said replacing Lathan with another short-term leader without seeking input from the community erodes public trust in the board and further destabilizes the district, which has seen many top leaders depart this year. "(Its) unacceptable, and I cant condone it, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday. You cant govern any institution, certainly a large institution, by taking sudden, erratic actions that dont appear to be well thought out." Texas Southern University assistant professor of public policy Jay Aiyer said Thursdays meeting, during which some residents shouted at the board and trustees accused their colleagues of racism, made HISD more vulnerable to a state takeover. Under Texas law, should any of four chronically low-performing HISD schools fail to meet state standard next year, the Texas Education Agency is required to shutter those failing schools or take over the districts board of trustees. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath earlier this year indicated that closing schools was not his preferred choice. The TEA already has a monitor observing the district. Theres a sense that whats broken is the board, not the schools, Aiyer said. What weve seen is a breakdown of governance in several meetings now. TEA spokeswoman Lauren Callahan declined to comment on Saavedras hiring, saying personnel matters are left up to local school boards. Saavedra will start Monday. The superintendent carousel began when Superintendent Richard Carranza quit to lead New York Citys public school system in March after less than two years in Houston. He said trustees didnt have the stomach to make the reforms he had proposed. He also told the state-appointed monitor observing HISD that he had grown increasingly frustrated with board. Carranza, the monitor wrote, had complained that some trustees were politically motivated, overstepped their governance role and failed to carry out meaningful conversations about issues. After Carranza decamped for New York, trustees tapped Lathan as interim superintendent and voted last month to hire a firm to perform a national search for a permanent leader. Trustees who voted against replacing Lathan questioned why their colleagues had not been more transparent. Saavedras name did not appear on Thursdays meeting agenda, and he was not the subject of discussion at previous meetings. An item under personnel included the vague description consider employment of interim superintendent and employment contract through September 30, 2019. MORE HISD: Saavedra faces bumpy ride in his return to Houston There clearly had been a split on the board for weeks about whether to retain Lathan as the permanent superintendent. The board last month voted to postpone a motion to extend Lathans interim status another year, with Trustee Diana Davila saying the public had not been given an opportunity to voice its opinion on the move. At least three trustees arrived at HISDs West 18th Street headquarters on Thursday prepared to replace Lathan. Davila said she and Holly Vilaseca approached Saavedra earlier in the week. Sergio Lira said Davila also discussed Saavedra with him. The other yes votes, Anne Sung and Elizabeth Santos, did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Vilaseca declined to comment when asked what trustees other than Davila she discussed Saavedra prior to Thursdays meeting. Saavedra said he met with several trustees this week, but declined to identify them. If the five trustees who voted for Saavedra, together or separately, discussed a plan to appoint him prior to Thursdays meeting, that could constitute a violation of Texas Open Meetings Act, said Joe Larsen, a Houston First Amendment lawyer and expert on Texas open meetings and public information laws. If they met in numbers less than a quorum to avoid having an open meeting, that would be evidence of criminal intent, Larsen said. Trustees faced allegations of violating the open meetings law last May after Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones ejected more than 100 members of the public from a meeting when some members of the audience clapped and chanted after she warned them not to. Trustee Sue Deigaard on Friday said she voted against hiring Saavedra in part because she has never met him and because she first learned he was being considered at the meeting. She said introducing Saavedra as a candidate and appointing him the same evening, without allowing the public to weigh in, could lead residents to distrust the board. It made us look really bad, Deigaard said. The other three no votes Skillern-Jones, Jolanda Jones and Wanda Adams appeared blindsided during the meeting when Davila proposed hiring Saavedra. Adams and Jones reacted angrily, accusing colleagues of deceit and complaining of a racial divide on the board pitting black trustees against Hispanic trustees. Adams said the proposal should have been discussed in closed session rather than sprung on the board at the dais. This is disrespectful, she said. I did not know about this at all. Some of my other colleagues did not know about it. Some knew about it (Sergio) Lira knew about it, Holly (Flynn Vilaseca) knew about it and (Elizabeth) Santos knew about it. It goes back to my original statement about racism on this board. Gayle Fallon, the former longtime leader of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said she was dumbfounded by the boards action Thursday. The decision to replace Lathan with Saavedra and the way the matter was handled, with a decision apparently made behind the scenes could make it difficult to recruit a permanent superintendent, she said. Ive seen HISD do some things that were politically stupid before, but this one wins, said Fallon, who retired in 2015 after 32 years leading the districts largest teacher organization. It will guarantee that there will be community uprisings, and, unfortunately, it will be racial, as weve already seen. Strong candidates may be leery of taking the superintendent job, Fallon said, given the fractious relationship between trustees and the prospect of a state takeover. HISD could easily be a career-wrecker for someone, she said. Zeph Capo, the current president of the teachers union, said he was frustrated the bickering between trustees over an interim leader could lead to delays finding a permanent one. Parent Travis McGee, who has three children in HISD schools, said it was foolish for the board to replace an interim leader with another interim. He said trustees are so incapable of working with one another they have dragged students and taxpayers into their internecine dispute. Everybodys supposed to work for the best interest of the children, and that hasnt happened, McGee said. Reporters Jacob Carpenter, Shelby Webb, Mike Snyder, Samantha Ketterer and Rob Downen contributed reporting. zach.despart@chron.com www.twitter.com/zachdespart Abelardo Saavedra, who led the Houston Independent School District through a relatively calm five-year stretch a decade ago, prepared Friday to plunge into a more chaotic environment as he returns to HISD in the role of interim superintendent. Saavedra, 67, faced his share of controversies in Houston, but the district he left in August 2009 was considerably more stable than the one he will administer for the next six months while HISD conducts a national search for a permanent superintendent. The largest public school district in Texas, and seventh-largest in the country, faces academic and financial crises and a potential state takeover. Its board is wracked by factional squabbles that were on full display Thursday night, when trustees voted 5-4 to replace interim leader Grenita Lathan with Saavedra. MORE HISD: Trustees hire new interim superintendent in raucous meeting Aside from the challenges facing any urban public school leader, Saavedras biggest problems at HISD were pushing through a performance-based teacher bonus pay system and drumming up support for an $805 million bond election. Those issues may seem tame compared to the current situation, but people who knew or worked with Saavedra in Houston said he probably can manage in his interim role. In these conditions, it may be messy, but the reality is, six months isnt that long, said Gayle Fallon, who retired in 2015 after 32 years leading the Houston Federation of Teachers. No matter how good or bad Abe is, its just going to be a circus. Experience navigating issues such as board strife and potential state oversight may have contributed to his being considered for the job, Saavedra said Friday. "State oversight sometimes can be a blessing for a district. Clearly, the state comes in when they feel there are some major issues that need to be monitored and some leadership provided," Saavedra said. The fact that Ive been through that with South San puts me in a unique situation of being able to help Houston." Saavedra said he spoke by phone Friday with Lathan, and they committed to work together. "Its really up to the two of us to provide that guidance that not only the district, the board, but the community needs as well," he said. The divisions on HISDs board are not unlike those Saavedra encountered when he left retirement in 2013 to lead South San Antonio ISD, which serves 8,900 students 97 percent of them Hispanic across 13 campuses on the Alamo Citys southwest side. It is one of 16 traditional public school districts in Bexar County. Initially hired as an interim leader, Saavedra took the helm of South San Antonio ISD as it grappled with unstable leadership. Four previous superintendents had left in three years, and the school board was plagued by infighting. The district also faced scrutiny for its finances and was the subject of local and state investigations. Saavedra agreed to lead the district full time in March 2014, with the understanding that he would control hiring and firing decisions previously made by the board. He fired the longtime finance director, but questions about financial practices persisted. Tensions flared the following year, when Saavedra said trustees had impugned his character and were trying to micromanage district operations. In November 2015, he asked the board for a partial buyout of his five-year contract, days after the Texas Education Agency issued directives to improve financial management. Saavedra ultimately chose to stay but filed a complaint calling for state intervention to correct serious board governance issues. The TEA installed a conservator in February 2016 to oversee governance and finances. Conditions improved slowly after 2016 elections and subsequent vacancies brought new faces to the board. Trustees underwent governance training, and meetings grew more cordial. The TEA lifted its oversight last January. In June, Saavedra announced he would not seek a contract renewal and planned to return to a faculty post at Texas A&M University. Saavedras last day at South San Antonio ISD was Friday. In Houston, Saavedra took his place in history when he was hired in August 2004 as the districts first Hispanic superintendent. Early in his tenure, he laid out a vision of creating a college-bound culture. Steps to achieve that goal included supplying middle-school teachers with reams of test-score data and using school buses to bring college information to families doorsteps. He encountered opposition, however, when he introduced a system of annual bonuses to teachers based on their students scores on standardized tests. In a February 2007 school board meeting, more than 300 teachers some wearing lapel pins that called the scheme rotten to the core pleaded with trustees to scrap or overhaul the plan. Saavedra conceded that the rollout of the plan had been handled poorly. Fallon, the former teachers union leader, said Friday that the impetus for the performance-based bonus system came, not from Saavedra, but from state education leaders. That was really a statewide effort with pressure from the TEA, and he got it there over a lot of opposition, Fallon said. The teachers hated it, a lot of parents didnt like it, but the state of Texas loves it. Jay Aiyer, an assistant political science professor at Texas Southern University who served on the Houston Community College board during Saavedras tenure at HISD, said Saavedra led the district capably at a pivotal moment. HISD was sort of ground zero for test-based accountability, and looking to improve student outcomes like standardized testing. Aiyer said. He added that Saavedra took great pains of trying to not use race and ethnicity to wedge the community. In many ways he was not very political. When he starts at Houston next week, Saavedra said, his primary goal will be bringing stability to the board. "I think theres a lot of hope for Houston, and its a matter of everyone working together," Saavedra said. A gunfight with militants during the investigative work in the village of Endirey (the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan) resulted in a liquidation of two members of the gangland affiliated with the ISIS terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported today. The FSB, Rosgvardia and the police took part in the operation to neutralize the militants. Weapons and ammunition were found at the gunfight scene. During the shootout, two officers of the FSB special forces and a member of the Russian Guard were injured. There are no injured among the civilian population, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reports. AUSTIN The top criminal justice official in Texas has a mug shot and is facing a trio of felony charges this fall, as he asks voters to re-elect him. Attorney General Ken Paxtons felony white collar crime case has stretched on for more than three years as Paxton says he is innocent and calls his grand jury indictment a witch hunt initiated by his foes. While Paxton says he wants a quick trial, his legal maneuvering has caused some of the delays, as have his allies. For example, his attorneys appealed twice after his motion to dismiss the charges was denied by a judge, losing both appeals and delaying the trial for more than a year. Critics of Paxton, a conservative Republican known for suing the Obama administration, contend that he has taken great pains to avoid going to trial a claim that Paxtons campaign team denies. The idea that this is General Paxton stalling his own case, its just not, said Jordan Berry, Paxtons campaign spokesman. Theres multiple times along this way that they have asked to go to trial and they were not granted that, and it turns out it is not in his hands. It is in the prosecutors and the judges hands. Now the criminal charges are the centerpiece for Paxtons opponent, Democrat Justin Nelson, an Austin attorney who brings them up every chance he gets. For subscribers: 2018 voter guide If Mr. Paxton really believed in his innocence, he would have pushed for a resolution before voters went to the polls because voters dont want a crook as Texas attorney general, Nelson said. Paxton is still considered the favorite, though one summer poll showed a tight race. No Democrat has won statewide election in Texas since 1994. The criminal case has not diminished Paxtons support from the Republican Party of Texas and hes sharing the stage this fall with GOP heavyweights such as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Greg Abbott. The attorney general didnt even garner a primary opponent. Had there been any sense that he was dramatically affected by these claims, obviously there would have been, said James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. Paxton stands accused of lying to his friends and colleagues including a fellow state lawmaker about earning a $100,000 commission by convincing them to invest in a North Texas startup tech company that purported to sell revolutionary computer servers. He faces two first-degree felony charges of securities fraud and one third-degree felony charge of failing to register as an investment adviser. A year before he was indicted, Paxton admitted to illegally soliciting potential clients without registering with the state when he signed a reprimand and paid a $1,000 fine to the Texas State Securities Board. Whether signing that reprimand amounts to an admission of guilt will be up to a jury to decide. A case like no other A grand jury in Collin County indicted Paxton just months after he took office in 2015. Since then, the case has bounced to three different counties, been handled by three judges and set for trial three different times, only to be canceled. The shuffle started with the recusal of Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, who declined to prosecute the case because he is a friend of Paxtons. The district attorneys recusal set into motion the appointment of Houston-area lawyers to serve as special prosecutors charged with building a case against Paxton. But Paxtons allies on the Collin County Commissioners Court have choked off funding for the court-appointed prosecutors, saying the case is costing taxpayers too much. Four out of five members of the commissioners court sponsored a fundraiser for Paxton in 2013 during his first bid for attorney general. Members of the court say their past support of Paxton does not constitute an ethical problem in handling issues related to his criminal case. Nevertheless, the judge moved the case to Houston from Collin County after learning of the 2013 fundraiser. The states highest criminal court has also spent the better part of a year mulling issues related to Paxtons case. The Court of Criminal Appeals is considering how much the special prosecutors should be paid for their work. The first degree criminal securities fraud charges each carry a possible prison sentence of five to 99 years and a fine up to $10,000. Failing to register as an investment adviser, a third degree felony, is punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of no more than $10,000. A federal judge threw out similar civil charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a win for Paxton. White collar crime cases such as Paxtons tend to get resolved within a year or two, said Laurie Levenson, a criminal law and white-collar crime professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. But delays of three years or more are not uncommon, she said. Its easy to do if thats your motivation, she said about delaying a case. If Paxton is re-elected, Levenson said its possible the case may still be unresolved when his next term ends in 2022. Anythings possible. The scenario might be that you actually get a trial and then you have an appeal that sends it right back, Levenson said. Democrat points to health care lawsuit Paxton has hardly acknowledged Nelson and has declined to debate him. On the campaign trail, Paxton has appeared at events teaming up with Republicans like Cruz and Abbott, urging voters to support all GOP candidates including his wife Angela Paxton, who is running for state Senate. While on the campaign trail, Paxton also stresses how his office is cracking down on human trafficking and sniffing out voter ID fraud, said Berry, his spokesman. This summer, Nelson has also been trying to publicize another court case involving Paxton a lawsuit to take down the Affordable Care Act. The lawsuit, backed by 19 other state attorneys general, would eliminate protections for people needing health care coverage for preexisting conditions. Those protections are the most popular provision of Obamas signature health care law. Nelson is encouraging people to record testimonials of how they or their families would be affected if Paxton and the attorney generals office succeed in striking the law down. But more than anything, Nelson is hammering Paxton for his fraud indictment, over and over. We are hiring a lawyer for the state of Texas and you wouldnt hire a doctor who has the flu. You wouldnt hire an accountant who cant add, said Nelson. We need someone who will enforce the law in the state of Texas, not someone who is going to break it. andrea.zelinski@chron.com Strangely, over a century, America's two major political parties gradually reversed identities, like the magnetic poles of Planet Earth switching direction. When the Republican Party was formed in 1856, it was fiercely liberal, opposing the expansion of slavery, calling for more spending on public education, seeking more open immigration and the like. Compassionate Abraham Lincoln suited the new party's progressive agenda. In that era, Democrats were conservatives, partly dominated by the slave-holding South. Those old-style Democrats generally opposed any government action to create jobs or help underdogs. Through the latter half of the 19th century, the pattern of Republicans as liberals, Democrats as conservatives, generally held true. In 1888, the GOP elected President Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) on a liberal platform seeking more social services. Then in 1896, a reversal began when Democrats nominated populist firebrand William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), "the Great Commoner." "He was the first liberal to win the Democratic Party presidential nomination," political scholar Rich Rubino wrote. "This represented a radical departure from the conservative roots of the Democratic Party." Meanwhile, the GOP began shifting to conservative. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) - a vice president who took the top office after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 - was a Republican liberal who supported a "Square Deal" for working families. He broke up monopolistic trusts of rich corporations. He championed pure food and drugs. He created national parks and forests for the enjoyment of everyone. He won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for helping end war between Russia and Japan. After leaving office, Roosevelt felt that his successor, William Howard Taft (1857-1930), was leading America too far to the right. So T.R. challenged Taft for the GOP nomination in 1912, and lost. In rebellion, Roosevelt gathered his liberal delegates and formed the Progressive Party, with a bold platform bordering on socialism. The new-formed party called for universal medical care under a National Health Service. It sought government pensions for retirees, plus compensation for the jobless and disabled. It demanded an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage for women. It sought a constitutional amendment to allow a federal income tax. It supported voting by women, more freedom for workers to organize and strike, inheritance tax on rich estates, worker's compensation for on-the-job injuries, and many other left-wing goals. The Progressive platform attacked big-money influence in politics, vowing "to destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics." Roosevelt was a fiery orator and writer, saying: "I believe that there should be a very much heavier progressive tax on very large incomes, a tax which should increase in a very marked fashion for the gigantic incomes." While Roosevelt was campaigning in Milwaukee in 1912, a crazed assassin, John Schrank - who claimed that the ghost of William McKinley asked him to avenge McKinley's death by killing Roosevelt - shot the Progressive candidate in the chest. The bullet was partly deflected by Roosevelt's 50-page speech and his steel eyeglasses case, but wounded him nonetheless. Bleeding, he continued to orate unfazed. Later, when reporters asked if the wounding would deter his campaign, Roosevelt replied that he was "fit as a bull moose." Thereafter, his party was dubbed the Bull Moose Party. Progressives won about one-fourth of the 1912 popular vote, and Democrat Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) attained the presidency. In 1916, Roosevelt declined the Progressive nomination, and the liberal party he created soon disintegrated. In a sense, Teddy Roosevelt was the last major Republican liberal. Ensuing decades saw the GOP grow steadily more conservative, and Democrats acquire the liberal mantle. When the Great Depression struck, the "New Deal" of Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), Theodore's nephew-in-law, achieved landmark progressive reforms. In the 1960s, the "Great Society" of Democrat Lyndon Johnson (1908- 1973) vastly expanded the public safety net and gave legal equality to African-Americans - driving racist Dixie out of the Democratic Party, into the GOP. Then Republican President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) mobilized the "religious right" of white evangelicals for his party. Later, extreme white conservatives calling themselves "tea party" militants emerged in the GOP. All this outlines America's political flipflop - how the liberal Republican Party turned conservative, and the conservative Democratic Party turned liberal. It was a fascinating transition. James A. Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginia's largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail. His column is distributed by the Tribune News Service. He can be reached by email at haughtwvgazettemail.com. States taking over local school boards have a poor record of success. Either the schools stay mired in mediocrity or make minimal progress. Despite that prognosis, the utter failure of the Houston Independent School District trustees to set aside political interests to choose a new superintendent has added fire to the notion that only a state takeover will save the citys schoolchildren from the adults who are supposed to be their role models. Houston has been without a superintendent since Richard Carranza jumped ship in March to head New York Citys public school system. Chief academic officer Grenita Lathan was elevated to serve as interim superintendent, but from the beginning politics swirling around the position made it too murky to predict her future. The picture cleared up Thursday night when Lathan was unexpectedly demoted in something of a coup that exposed the ugly underbelly of identity politics. The trustees decided in September to contract an agency to conduct a national search for a new superintendent. They were expected to vote Thursday night on extending Lathans interim contract for a year while the search was ongoing. Instead, trustee Diana Davila abruptly made a motion to replace Lathan as interim superintendent with Abelardo Saavedra, who served as superintendent between 2005 and 2009. The motion passed 5-4. Trustee Wanda Adams said the hiring of Saavedra, a Latino, was all about racial politics. This is disrespectful, Adams said. I did not know about this at all. Some of my other colleagues did not know about it. Some knew about it (Sergio) Lira knew about it, Holly (Flynn Vilaseca) knew about it and (Elizabeth) Santos knew about it. It goes back to my original statement about racism on this board. Saavedra announced in June that he planned to retire as superintendent of the South San Antonio ISD in 2019. His sudden resignation from that job last week certainly suggests an orchestration of events in which some HISD trustees may have played a role. Adams said the personnel matter involving Lathan should have been discussed in a closed session before bringing it up for a vote before the public. The handling of Lathans demotion was an undeserved slap in the face of someone who had done a credible job of keeping Houston schools afloat after Carranza abandoned them for the bright lights of New York City. Lathans hard work paid off this summer when six chronically deficient schools Worthing High School, Woodson PK-8, and Blackshear, Dogan, Mading and Wesley elementary schools met standards to avoid a Texas Education Agency takeover. The bigger slap in the face, however, was to the schoolchildren and parents who are tired of waiting for the HISD trustees to commit to a superintendent who has the knowledge, experience, energy and attitude needed to improve every Houston public school. Its clear some trustees didnt think Lathan was that person. Others question how Saavedra got into the picture. He was a competent leader in Houston, politically adept, mild-mannered and relatively well-liked. But his sudden role adds flux to an organization that needs stability. None of the drama interferes with the task at hand. If the trustees cant get their collective act together, they should be expelled. A state takeover isnt a great option, but thats the direction HISDs trustees are driving their bus. Donald Trump may be remembered as the most honest president in modern American history. Dont get me wrong, Trump lies all the time. He said that he enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history (actually they are the eighth largest) and that our economy is the strongest its ever been in the history of our country (which may one day be true, but not yet). In part, it's a New York thing everything is the biggest and the best. But when it comes to the real barometer of presidential truthfulness keeping his promises Trump is a paragon of honesty. For better or worse, since taking office Trump has done exactly what he promised he would do. Trump kept his promise to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something his three immediate predecessors also promised yet failed to do. He promised to crush and destroy ISIS, and two years later he is on the verge of eliminating the Islamic States physical caliphate. He promised to impose a travel ban on countries that he saw as posing a terrorist threat, and after several false starts the final version of his ban was upheld by the Supreme Court. He promised to punish Syria if it used chemical weapons on its people, and, unlike his immediate predecessor, he followed through not once but twice. Trump pledged to nominate Supreme Court justices in the mold of Justice [Antonin] Scalia, and now Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh sit on the high court. Trump also pledged to fill the federal appellate courts with young, conservative judges, and so far the Senate has confirmed 29 more than any recent president at this point in his administration. Trump vowed to pass historic tax reforms, and signed the first major overhaul of the tax code in three decades. He vowed an unprecedented regulatory rollback, with a strict policy to eliminate two existing regulations for every new regulation. In his first year, he achieved $8.1 billion in lifetime regulatory savings and is on track to achieve an additional $9.8 billion this year. During the campaign, he told African American voters, What do you have to lose? ... I will straighten it out. I'll bring jobs back. We'll bring spirit back. On his watch, African American unemployment reached the lowest level ever recorded, and his tax reform included a little-noticed provision creating Opportunity Zones to try to revitalize struggling towns and inner-city communities. Trump promised to cancel President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, withdraw from the Paris climate accord, approve the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, and open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration. He fulfilled all of those pledges. On trade, he kept his promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and impose tariffs on steel and aluminum. He also committed to renegotiating NAFTA and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and recently signed new deals with Mexico, Canada and South Korea. He committed to imposing tariffs on China to force it to open its markets and stop its theft of intellectual property and is following through on that pledge. Whatever one thinks of Trumps trade policies, he is doing exactly what he said. The president pledged historic increases in defense spending, and delivered. He pledged to bring back manufacturing jobs, and manufacturing jobs are growing at the fastest pace in more than two decades. He pledged to sign Right to Try legislation to give dying Americans access to experimental treatments, and did. He pledged to take on the opioid epidemic, and will soon sign a sweeping bipartisan opioids package into law. Where Trump has failed to keep promises, such as building the wall or repealing Obamacare, it has not been for a lack of trying. Only in a few rare instances has he backtracked on a campaign pledge such as when he admitted that he was wrong to promise a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and reversed course. I'm glad he did. But whether one agrees or disagrees is not the point. When Trump says he will do something, you can take it to the bank. Yes, he takes liberties with the truth. But unlike his predecessor, he did not pass his signature legislative achievement on the basis of a lie (If you like your health care plan, you can keep it) which is clearly worse than falsely bragging that your tax cut is the biggest ever. The fact is, in his first two years, Trump has compiled a remarkable record of presidential promise-keeping. Hed probably say its the best in history which may or may not end up being true. Its too soon to tell. Follow Thiessen on Twitter. (c) 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group United States Representative, District 22: Sri Preston Kulkarni Pete Olson - Republican Party: Sri Preston Kulkarni - Democratic Party: ENDORSEMENTS: The Houston Chronicle editorial board recommends... ALSO: Why do the candidate endorsements have star ratings? In 2016 incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Olson did not meet with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, but he nonetheless earned our endorsement over his Democratic challenger. Thats not the case in 2018. First-time candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni, 40, wowed the editorial board with his knowledge, eloquence and robust resume that included time working in the U.S. Senate and 14 years as a State Department foreign service officer that took him all over the globe. That experience only emphasized to Kulkarni the value of American ideals, he told the editorial board, which sit at the core of his campaign. Hes running an optimistic, forward-looking effort that aims to combat the tribalism ripping apart our nation with a renewed sense of decency. Thats also why hes not accepting corporate donations. Besides English, the product of Houston schools speaks Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Hebrew. This polyglot skill comes in handy when running in this fast-growing, incredibly diverse district, which includes most of Brazoria County and Fort Bend Counties, including Sugar Land. His own personal background seems to reflect the changing reality of the Houston region. Kulkarnis father emigrated from India. His mother includes Sam Houston among her ancestors. While this district was gerrymandered for Republicans, political observers consider it a sleeper swing district because of changing demographics, the potential for high turnout among Asian and youth voters, and the quality of the Democratic candidate. Voters would be well served to swing it toward Kulkarni. Its local issues that Kulkarni says motivated him to run for office. He says Olson was missing in action in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Olson responded to the allegation with an email to the Texas Tribune that said he worked with the states congressional delegation to secure additional federal recovery funds. But thats not the same as showing up when people need to see you. In fact, showing up has become an issue in this race. Kulkarni has accused Olson of dodging public events where both were expected to appear. Add to that list of Olson no-shows the Chronicles endorsement meeting to interview the 22nd District candidates. Kulkarni is taking the opposite approach. Hes attending every town hall meeting and public event he can that allows him to try to persuade voters that he would better represent their views in Washington. Kulkarni supports a universal health care system, increased emphasis on cyber security, environmental policies that acknowledge climate change, more investment in education at all levels and sensible gun laws including background checks. The latter issue seems particularly important given that kids in this district attend schools only a short drive away from the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School. Kulkarni knows how debates about H1-B and H-4 visas that may seem academic in other districts become bread-and-butter concerns for immigrant communities. Weve liked Olson in the past because of his support for NASA and the Port of Houston, but any promise Olson displayed when first elected to Congress in 2008 has been washed away over the years. Instead of representing the best interests of his district, he has become just another D.C. hypocrite whos politically afraid to choose a more independent path. Olson must think no one is connecting the dots between calling himself a fiscal conservative and his support for Trumps tax cuts and profligate spending, which have raised the national debt to more than $21 trillion. The federal government made $523 billion in interest payments last fiscal year, the highest amount on record. He has pandered to bizarre conspiracy theories on talk radio and inaccurately claimed that Pakistan was responsible for the terrorist attacks on 9/11 it wasnt. Overall, Olson has come to represent all the worst instincts of U.S. politics. Kulkarni represents our politics at its best. Donald Trump has vowed severe punishment for Saudi Arabia if it is proven that the kingdom was responsible for murdering Jamal Khashoggi, the missing journalist, The Telegraph reports. The US president said he was very upset and angry about the case and indicated that he was not fully convinced by the Saudis repeated claims of innocence. Could it be them? Yes, he said. In the not too distant future I think well know an answer, Trump told CBS News in an a "60 Minutes" interview that will air on Sunday. We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment. Mr Khashoggi, who would have turned 60 on Saturday, has not been seen since he went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted to US President Donald Trump about the need to extradite opposition preacher Fethullah Gulen to Ankara after American pastor Andrew Brunson was released by the Turkish court. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted to Mr. Trump, saying that "as I always pointed out, the Turkish judiciary reached its decision independently." He continued: "I hope that the United States and Turkey will continue their cooperation as the allies that they are, and fight together against terrorist groups, CBS News reports. Russian company Gazprom and the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR discussed the issues concerning gas supplies to Azerbaijan. These issues were discussed during the meeting between Chairman of the Board of Gazprom Alexey Miller and SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, the Russian company said on Oct. 12, AzerNews reported. "Gazprom has supplied 1.15 billion cubic meters of gas to Azerbaijan since November 22, 2017 when gas exports to the country were resumed, the company said. The sides discussed cooperation prospects in this direction." Imperial Valley News Center Attorney General Becerra Leads Multistate Coalition in Filing Amicus Brief in Support of Students Defrauded by Corinthian Colleges Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of eight states, has filed an amicus brief in support of students defrauded by Corinthian Colleges (Corinthian). The brief, filed in the Calvillo Manriquez v. DeVos case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, supports a district courts order halting the U.S. Department of Education (Department) from its practice of giving only partial relief to defrauded students. The Department has been granting as little as 10 percent loan relief to students who attended the now-defunct, predatory, for-profit Corinthian. The Department has appealed the courts decision. Attorney General Becerra has a pending, related action against the Department and its Secretary. Students defrauded by the predatory Corinthian Colleges deserve full and total relief from the Department of Education, said Attorney General Becerra. These students were already cheated out of their education by Corinthian, and now the Department of Education is cheating them again. Betsy DeVos should be fighting for our students, not doing the bidding of for-profit colleges. At the California Department of Justice, well continue fighting to get these students the full relief they deserve. Corinthian intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable individuals through deceptive practices and false advertising that misrepresented job placement rates and school programs, among other egregious misconduct. In 2013, the California Attorney Generals Office (Cal AGO) led the charge against Corinthian, seeking to put an end to abusive practices that left students with large amounts of debt and without the jobs Corinthian had falsely promised its degrees would provide. The Cal AGO obtained a $1.1 billion judgement against Corinthian on March 26, 2016, and worked with the Obama Administration to ensure that tens of thousands of former Corinthian students are entitled to federal student loan relief. Subsequently, the Cal AGO, as the primary negotiator representing the interests of state attorneys general, worked with the Department of Education to enact new regulations and improve the loan forgiveness process for students defrauded by their schools. This process ultimately led to the development of the Obama Administrations Borrower Defense Rule. However, recent actions by the Department have made it immensely difficult for students to seek relief. In 2017, under current Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Department abruptly halted approval of all borrower defense claims. On December 2017, Attorney General Becerra sued the Department for failing to expeditiously grant full relief to student borrowers with pending Corinthian borrower defense claims. Soon thereafter, the Department announced it would implement a new policy granting only partial relief to these borrowers. The Calvillo Manriquez suit challenged this partial relief policy and sought an injunction from the District Court to halt it. By granting the preliminary injunction, the District Court halted the Department from carrying out its illegal attempt to shortchange defrauded Corinthian students. The District Court also halted collection efforts on federal direct student loans originating from Corinthians fraud. Attorney General Becerra has defended defrauded student borrowers and the Borrower Defense Rule at every turn: Imperial Valley News Center Sentencing of Sacramento Family for Illegal Foreign Pharmaceuticals Scheme Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Thursday announced the sentencing of a family of three husband Serhiy Kybych, 55, wife Svitlana Kybych, 52, and their son Oleh Kybych, 31 for the possession of unregulated pharmaceuticals and counterfeit merchandise intended for sale. The Kybychs own three businesses in the greater Sacramento area. Pursuant to the plea agreement, defendants Svilana Kybych and Serhiy Kybych will pay a total of $79,902 in restitution to the State of California. The defendants will pay: $49,947 in unpaid sales tax and $6,609 in unpaid use tax to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration; and $23,346 to the Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) Task Force. The defendants will pay an additional $10,000 in restitution to the counterfeit merchandise trademark holders. Both defendants will serve 120 days in county jail and will be placed on three-year probation. Defendant Oleh Kybych will be placed on three-year probation. The Kybychs put lives at risk by selling illegal foreign pharmaceuticals to enrich themselves, said Attorney General Becerra. In California, we take seriously criminal activity that imperils public safety and erodes trust in our healthcare system. Criminals like the Kybychs will be held accountable. The sentencing comes after a two-year long investigation by the California Department of Justices Bureau of Investigation and the multi-agency Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) Task Force. The investigation discovered that the Kybychs marketed the illegal pharmaceuticals, which had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, such as phenobarbital and antibiotics including Augmentin, Flemoxin, Amoxil, and erythromycin. The Kybychs purchased and imported these illegal pharmaceuticals from Russia and not only sold them but administered them to unsuspecting customers. The investigation also discovered the Kybychs possessed hundreds of items of counterfeit merchandise intended for sale. The TRaCE Task Force is comprised of investigators and special agents from multiple agencies working together to investigate, prosecute and recover revenue lost to the underground economy. These agencies include the California Department of Justice - Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board, California Employment Development Department, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security - Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. The memorandum of understanding facilitating interagency work is set to expire on December 31, 2018. Imperial Valley News Center Hurricane Michael: Red Cross Helping as People Face Untold Devastation Washington, DC - As the ability to access areas impacted by the fury of Hurricane Michael grows, the extent of the destruction the storm left behind is becoming more and more apparent. The American Red Cross is on the ground, providing food, shelter, health services and comfort to thousands of people across the region. In some areas, entire blocks of homes are destroyed. Storm damage can be seen throughout the region with homes, schools, medical facilities and businesses all victims of the storms fury. More than a million people are without power, roads are closed and travel is impacted. (All information as of October 12) Thousands of people have sought refuge in numerous Red Cross and community evacuation centers across Florida, Georgia and Alabama. The Red Cross has mobilized more than 1,000 trained disaster workers to support relief efforts across three states. We have already served 30,000 snacks; and are working with partners to start serving tens of thousands of hot meals each day. We pre-positioned enough shelter supplies, including cots and blankets, to be able to support some 15,000 people. Since October 9, more than 4.8 million weather alerts have been issued through Red Cross apps allowing people to make informed and lifesaving decisions. If you need to find a shelter, visit here. Find out how to stay safe at redcross.org/hurricane. If you are without power, find out what you should do here. Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to have real-time information about the weather, shelter locations, as well how to stay safe during and after a hurricane and flood. The Emergency App is in English and Spanish and is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps. RECONNECTING WITH LOVED ONES Due to issues with communication lines throughout Floridas Panhandle, there has been an increase in the number of calls for individuals missing, well-being checks, and concerns. The state has established a webpage for individuals to report these concerns. The State EOC will route these inquiries to the appropriate local agency for response. Go to Hurricane Michael Life Safety Reports. The Red Cross has two easy ways to help you reconnect with loved ones. The Red Cross Emergency App features an Im Safe button that allows users to post a message to their social accounts, letting friends and family know they are out of harms way. The Red Cross also offers the Safe and Well website, a secure option that allows people to list their own status and allows friends and family to search for messages from their loved ones. To register yourself or search for a loved oneon the Safe and Well website, visit redcross.org/safeandwell. You can also call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to be connected with your local chapter. HURRICANE FLORENCE Meanwhile, the Red Cross is still on the ground in the Carolinas, helping people impacted by Hurricane Florence. The Red Cross and other organizations have already provided more than 124,600 overnight stays in emergency shelters. Working with partners, the Red Cross has served more than 1.55 million meals and snacks and distributed more than 312,700 relief items like clean up kits, rakes, shovels, bleach, garbage bags and much more to help with the massive clean-up effort. HOW YOU CAN HELP This is the second massive hurricane response in the United States in less than a month. Thousands of people are looking to the Red Cross for help, and the organization depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Michael by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word MICHAEL to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters. The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Michael relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or on 1-800-RED CROSS. BLOOD DONORS NEEDED NOW To meet patient needs, the Red Cross asks eligible individuals unaffected by Hurricane Michael to give blood. The storm has forced the cancellation of dozens of blood drives, causing nearly a thousand units of blood to go uncollected in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. More blood drive cancellations are possible and low donor turnout is expected in the Southeast over the coming days as communities recover from the storm. Before the storm, the Red Cross already had a critical need for blood and platelet donations following Hurricane Florence. Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS. CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process. ADGP $1 Million members are: Adelson Family Foundation; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Brown & Brown Insurance; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; ConocoPhillips; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; Verizon; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Walt Disney Company. ADGP $500,000 members are: 21st Century Fox; Altria Group; AmazonSmile; American Express; Aon; BMW of North America; Capital One; CBS Corporation; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; General Motors; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; LabCorp; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelez International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Nissan; Procter & Gamble Company; PwC; Southwest Airlines; Target; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; and Wells Fargo. Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; Alliance Data; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; AXA Equitable Life; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; Boise Paper; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cox Automotive; DICKS Sporting Goods; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Farmers Insurance; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; HSBC Bank; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land OLakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Company; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder; SC Johnson; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; The Starbucks Foundation; Stearns Bank; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; U.S. Bank; and Visa. The new mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Marutyan, immediately after the inauguration, stated that he did not intend to personally make any decisions on the future life of the capital of Armenia. So he described the "new style" of the city halls work. The decision will not be made by me, but by the Council of Elders and law enforcement agencies. In general, we do not take individual decisions. Even in the faction there is a big opposition, and sometimes I will have to ask Prosperous Armenia and Luys to help with some issues, Sputnik-Armenia quotes him as saying. Imperial Valley News Center Fight Flu this Season by Getting Immunized Sacramento, California - The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) urges Californians to get the influenza (flu) vaccine to protect your health during the upcoming flu season. In California, flu usually begins to increase in late November or December. It takes a couple of weeks after vaccination for the body to build immunity, so now is the time to get vaccinated to have the best protection now the flu season has started. "Getting vaccinated is the best line of defense against flu," said Dr. Karen Smith, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. "You can prevent missing work or school, visits to the doctor or hospitalization, and protect others from coming down with the flu." A person with the flu may be contagious and infect others before they even feel sick. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the 20162017 season, flu immunization prevented an estimated 5.3 million illnesses, 2.6 million medical visits, and 85,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations in the United States. Flu vaccines are administered as a shot or nasal spray. For the 2018-19 flu season, the CDC recommends vaccination with no preference for any one vaccine over another. CDPH recommends the annual flu vaccination for everyone six months of age and older. While anyone can get flu, pregnant women, children under five, adults 65 years of age and older, and people with chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and asthma are particularly at risk for flu-related complications. Flu vaccinations are needed every year to maintain the greatest protection because the vaccine changes each year to match circulating viruses and annual vaccination boosts immunity. For pregnant women, flu complications can include premature birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth of the baby. Besides helping prevent flu complications, flu vaccine given during pregnancy also helps protect babies from flu infection for several months after birth, before the baby can be immunized, which is a time that babies are at high risk for flu complications. Common symptoms of the flu include fever or feeling feverish, a cough and/or sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, chills, fatigue and body aches. Children may also have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. To stop the spread of flu and other respiratory illnesses, you should also: Stay home while sick and limit contact with others. Cover coughs or sneezes with your sleeve or disposable tissue. Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. CDPH encourages Californians to contact their health care provider, physician's office or clinic about getting the flu vaccine. When flu vaccine is in stock, adults with Medi-Cal can also get immunized at the pharmacy where they generally pick up their prescriptions. Some local health departments may also offer low- or no-cost flu immunizations. For more information about the flu, visit CDPH's website. For the flu vaccine location nearest you, visit www.flu.gov. Attorney General Becerra and LA County Sheriff McDonnell Announce Operation Dual Force to Remove Weapons from Our Streets Los Angeles, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell Tuesday announced Operation Dual Force, a coordinated effort to remove illegally possessed weapons and ammunition from individuals in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database. The joint operation, which is expected to be completed in December 2018, has successfully closed 227 APPS cases, 35 of which resulted in arrests. Investigators seized 111 firearms, including seven assault weapons, 56 handguns, 21 shotguns, 24 rifles, and three lower receivers. In addition, the operation seized over 27,647 rounds of ammunition, 50 high-capacity magazines and 106 standard-capacity magazines. The State of California is the first and only state in the nation to have established an automated system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status. The APPS database works to identify individuals who previously procured firearms but later became prohibited from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness. This operation is a prime example of how law enforcement comes together to fight crime and keep our neighborhoods safe by removing illegally-possessed guns from our communities, said Attorney General Becerra. Thanks to the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, we can now hold these individuals accountable. We will continue this successful collaboration to keep guns away from people who are prohibited from owning them. The partnership between the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and the California State Attorney General will more effectively fight gun violence by preventing unqualified people from obtaining weapons, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell. Every day, agents at the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) work to seize firearms from individuals who shouldnt have them. Since June 2018, with the help of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD), the largest Sheriffs department in the country, Operation Dual Force has successfully reduced the number of active APPS cases in Los Angeles County. CA DOJ and LASD investigators worked together to locate subjects, conduct field enforcement operations, and make arrests of those who have lost the right to possess firearms. These cases will be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office for prosecution. This operation, as well as ongoing and day-to-day investigations, have reduced the number of individuals in the APPS database to a historic low. During the last five years, CA DOJ has removed over 18,000 firearms from persons prohibited under California law from possessing them. Attorney General Becerra Files Amicus Brief in California Supreme Court Opposing Unaffordable Money Bail San Francisco, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Tuesday filed an amicus brief in the California Supreme Court case In re Kenneth Humphrey. Humphrey had been detained in the San Francisco jail while awaiting trial because he was unable to afford the $350,000 bail set by the San Francisco Superior Court. Bail determinations should be about danger to the public, not money in your pocket, said Attorney General Becerra. Decisions regarding whether to keep a person in jail while he or she is awaiting trial must ensure public safety and respect the rights of defendants. Whenever possible, we should be using alternatives to incarceration that preserve public safety and ensure a defendants return to court. In the brief, Attorney General Becerra argues that principles of due process and equal protection require consideration of a criminal defendants ability to pay in setting the amount of any monetary bail. The brief also argues that the California Constitution permits the Legislature to protect victims and the public through alternatives to money bail, such as programs to detain dangerous defendants pending trial. In October 2017, a judicial working group recommended that Californias system of pretrial detention and release be significantly changed. Attorney General Becerra agreed with the working groups finding and stated that the current bail system is unfair and penalizes the poor. On August 28, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 10, a bill that will eliminate the money bail system in California and replace it with a system that assesses each persons individual public safety or flight risk. Presidential Proclamation on National School Lunch Week, 2018 Washington, DC - School meals help ensure that our children receive the nourishment they need to grow, develop, and learn. During National School Lunch Week, we acknowledge the benefits of school lunch programs, which provide millions of children the opportunity to enjoy nutritious meals, providing them with the fuel they need to achieve their full physical and mental potential. The National School Lunch Program provides nearly 4.9 billion low-cost or free meals to approximately 30 million students each year. These meals are a dependable and consistent source of nutrition for many children in schools and childcare centers throughout our country. My Administration understands that we have a responsibility to children and taxpayers alike to ensure that school meals are nutritious and enjoyable. The best way to do that is to return control back to the people on the ground who make these programs work. That is why we have lowered regulatory hurdles and restored flexibility to schools and communities with respect to the menus in their cafeterias. School nutrition specialists and food service professionals work tirelessly each day to provide students with the nourishment they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. We are committed to supporting them, listening to their feedback, and equipping them with the tools and flexibility they need to serve our children well. This week, we recognize the hard work of all the food service professionals, school administrators, community members, and parents across our Nation who help plan, prepare, and serve the meals that sustain millions of children. To emphasize the importance of the National School Lunch Program to our youths nutrition, the Congress, by joint resolution of October 9, 1962 (Public Law 87780), has designated the week beginning on the second Sunday in October each year as National School Lunch Week, and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week. 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 14 through October 20, 2018, as National School Lunch Week. I call upon all Americans to join the countless individuals who administer the National School Lunch Program in activities that support and promote awareness of the health and well-being of our Nations children. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth 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 SSC Atlantic Tests, Evaluates Gunshot Detection Technology for Department of Defense Charleston, South Carolina - A Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic team is performing an Office of the Under Secretary of Defense sponsored initiative centered on active shooter detection. The group is currently testing and examining a commercial-grade indoor gunshot detection system (IGDS) to determine feasibility and application across Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. The purpose of an IGDS is to provide first responders with real-time notifications of gunshot incidents in a facility to aid in a quick response without reliance on calls to 9-1-1. Many systems also provide security personnel with data on shooter location and movement. Rodney Rourk, SSC Atlantic information technology specialist, works in the area of physical security and force protection, and after reviewing previous active shooter reports, identified the topic of detection systems as a future area of interest. Serving in a Marine Corps technical representative capacity, Rourk proposed the project to the Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Group (PSEAG), comprised of physical security leads from each of the joint services who mutually supported the feasibility of testing and evaluating a commercial-grade gunshot detection system. The deliverable product will be a technical package including engineering planning, training artifacts and a test report containing raw test results to be submitted to the PSEAG. From there the data is distributed to each of the four services for their application, said Rourk. After receiving the greenlight to proceed from the PSEAG, Rourk and SSC Atlantic engineers acquired and installed an IGDS in an SSC Atlantic facility on Joint Base (JB) Charleston for testing in an office setting. The goal, Rourk said, is to provide project test results to the military services to aid in their decision and planning for potential application in their facilities. For the phased study, the team is using a facility that closely matches the most common type of working environment used by personnel across the DoD, which includes acoustic and line-of-site challenges that come with cubicle layouts and carpeted buildings. In the office type environment, cubicles are specifically designed to absorb and dampen sound and common office space furnishings can create blind spots and dampen the acoustics, he said. During testing we varied the sensor installation ceiling mounts, wall mounts and we tested multiple weapon types at many test points, with weapons discharged at varying heights, to ascertain probability of detection and performance of the system. In addition to installation testing, one of the key phases of research included multiple live fire scenarios with JB Charleston first responders from the 628th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) and the 628th Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) flight. Our goal with the system was to see if weapons firing would be registered during the live fire scenario, said Tech. Sgt. Ryan Silk, 628th SFS Combat Arms Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge. As fire was detected, the demonstration helped security forces know how and where to respond. For first responders, some of the challenges associated with current incident response include the reliance on third-party information from someone on scene. The possibility of delays in reporting and lack of location data create hurdles for security personnel in accurately and quickly responding to a life-threatening situation. The challenge of not knowing where the threat has been increases the amount of time in our search for additional hazards, said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Morrison, 628th EOD Plans and Intelligence Section Chief. This technology could allow us to see where the threat began and the possible route of travel. If we have that information, it greatly enhances our threat assessment and provides us with more information for our course of action. This additional threat information is a key capability that SSC Atlantic is researching through their assessment efforts. Depending on the sensor placement and configuration of the systems graphical user interface (GUI), the system GUI displays the precise sensor and shot detection time and location, and when combined with other sensor shot detections in close proximity, provides first responders with intelligence they may apply to predict where the threat may be going next, said Rourk. Other potential advantages to this type of detection system is the option to add automation. In the case of a gunshot being detected, not only could first responders receive an immediate report of shot detection and accurate shot location that reduces their response time, but the system may be integrated with other emergency response systems such as indoor/outdoor voice announcement, reverse 9-1-1 and computer notifications that deliver voice and text messages alerting those at risk. Youre making significant defense in-depth improvements when you automate through system-of-systems integration, said Rourk. With live fire testing successfully complete, Rourk said their final phase is to evaluate the system for nuisance alarm rate (NAR)/false alarm rate (FAR) to ensure the IGDS isnt sending false reports to first responders. The NAR/FAR system testing that began April 2018 at JB Charleston will continue to be monitored until April 2019. Since testing began this spring, Rourk said there have been zero instances of nuisance or false alarm detections. Once NAR/FAR testing is complete, the results from all phases of SSC Atlantics test and evaluation will be consolidated into a final report and delivered to the DoD PSEAG. The project results are intended to inform and shape the future acquisition, engineering, and application of IGDS within the DoD. Despite the lengthy process of test and evaluation, the SSC Atlantic team understands the value of their work and the potential positive impact it could have on the workforce. We have a very strong background within the Navy and Marine Corps, and other federal government agencies and joint services, with a history of force protection solutions, said Rourk. Having a full and thorough understanding of emerging technology that can be applied to the mission is key. We have to know whats there, what the gaps and issues are, and whats on the leading edge, so we know what we can bring to protect our warfighters and our assets. SSC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities. Equatorial Guinea National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Equatorial Guinea on the 50th anniversary of your independence this October 12th. "The United States and Equatorial Guinea enjoy robust economic ties. Our collaboration during your term on the United Nations Security Council is an indication of our shared international objectives. The United States will continue to support the people of Equatorial Guinea in their efforts to strengthen their democratic institutions and achieve greater economic prosperity. As you enjoy this momentous occasion, we look forward to further strengthening our partnership in the years to come." Spain National Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes to the people of Spain as you celebrate your National Day. "The bonds between the people of the United States and Spain are solid and long-standing. The visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the United States in June 2018 underscored the cultural and historical ties we have shared for over three centuries. Spain is a steadfast ally, partner, and friend of the United States that contributes to the security and economic prosperity of the transatlantic community. "On this special occasion, we look forward to a future of continued friendship and close cooperation with a strong and united Spain." Maybe you've heard about the massive new aviation law that Congress passed at 2:52 a.m. on a Saturday, and that President Trump signed last week, literally in the middle of a key senator's speech about the Supreme Court nomination. But you probably haven't heard from the flight attendants. I sure did--at least, I heard from the largest union representing more than 50,000 flight attendants at United Airlines, Spirit, Frontier, and Hawaiian, among others. They're very glad that the bill became law. But they also seem surprised about part of what was included in it, and frankly at the whole context. Quick background: The 2018 FAA Reauthorization bill was in the works for years. In fact, Congress had to pass the 1,200-page bill even just to keep the Federal Aviation Administration authorized and in business. It covers a lot of stuff--from the minimum spacing between seats on commercial airlines, to $1.68 billion for hurricane relief, to a provision authorizing the government to shoot down privately owned drones. But there are also some new rules about sexual harassment and sexual assault on commercial airlines, and that's what prompted a reaction from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. They've been working on these issues for years, and they've also proven what a lot of people probably already thought they knew: Namely that flight attendants face a lot of sexual harassment and even flat-out assault on the job, and that many passengers do as well. A few of their surveys show that-- More than two-third of flight attendants say they've experienced sexual harassment on the job. Fully 20 percent said they've experienced "physical sexual harassment from passengers, in the last year alone." Only 7 percent of flight attendants who experienced the abuse actually report it to their employers. And, 68 percent of flight attendants say they have not noticed any employer efforts over the past year to address sexual harassment at work. Most important in the new law from the union's perspective, its president Sara Nelson told me this week, is the creation of a National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force to study sexual harassment and misconduct on airplanes. Wait, I'm sorry: a task force? Sure. Because while sexual assault is a crime, obviously, victims are loathe to report it--and especially reticent to do so on a plane, where there might be few witnesses, lots of embarrassment or shock, and where they're not at all convinced that reporting it will lead to any kind of result, anyway. So, you need to study the whole thing first, Nelson told me, "fully reviewing the problem and understanding it, and getting all the experts in the room to put together best practices," before "creating legislation and training, and proscribing answers." If all goes according to plan, the task force is supposed to lead to new regulations in 18 months. But in the meantime, the new law does have some teeth. For one thing, it establishes a civil penalty for sexually assaulting flight crew, cabin crew, or anyone else on a plane (tough to believe that wasn't specifically covered before!). And, it increases the current civil penalty for interference with flight crew from $25,000 to $35,000. Those parts are a little more surprising to the flight attendants, since they came into the bill toward the end of the process--without a lot of Congressional hearings and negotiations. In fact, it's the speed with which things started to happen, after years of very slow progress, that Nelson said is most stunning: To put some perspective on it, our union was essentially formed to beat back the discrimination against women on the job. We had to quit when we were 32. You couldn't weigh more than 125 pounds. All kinds of discriminatory practices. You had to be a woman! ... When the #MeToo movement broke, it was almost jarring, to suddenly be able to say, "Yeah, this is unacceptable. We don't accept this either. And it gets in the way of us doing our jobs." Because there just wasn't a platform to do that before. And that's why we're so excited about this moment. A researcher known as the father of climate science has compared the UKs fracking programme to Donald Trumps environmental agenda. Ex-Nasa scientist Professor James Hansen also called on the British government to withdraw its support for the controversial gas extraction technique. In a letter to energy minister Claire Perry, Professor Hansen warned that supporting fracking is a grave mistake that will contribute to climate breakdown. Separately, he told The Observer the UK was joining Mr Trump and ignoring science as it goes full throttle ahead with the worst fossil fuels. The science is crystal clear, we need to phase out fossil fuels starting with the most damaging, the unconventional fossil fuels such as tar sands and fracking, he said. Professor Hansens comparison with the famously climate-sceptic US president came after a critical week for both climate science and the British fracking industry. On Monday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that greenhouse gas emissions must be halved within the next 12 years to avoid devastating global warming. 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 Many interpreted this as meaning that governments must immediately focus on switching from fossil fuels such as the shale gas obtained from fracking to renewable energy sources. At the same time, oil and gas company Cuadrilla was set to begin its first fracking operation in seven years on Saturday, only for the launch to be delayed by poor weather conditions. The government announced plans in May to accelerate its fracking programme, and a letter sent by Ms Perry that surfaced this week suggested ministers were considering relaxing the laws that halt fracking when it causes minor earthquakes. A copy of Professor Hansens letter was obtained by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, one of the many green groups that took the IPCC report as a cue to condemn the UKs support for fracking. If the UK were to join the US by developing gas fields at this point in time it will lock in the methane problem for decades, wrote Professor Hansen in his letter to Ms Perry, noting that fracking would make it difficult to meet the countrys climate targets. The fossil fuel companies are well aware methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and yet they seem willing to continue on a path which can have disastrous consequences for our grandchildren. Fracking has been condemned by groups ranging from scientists to Conservative MPs, and the most recent government polling suggests only 18 per cent of the British public supports it. How Fracking works Whenever new fracking operations have been mooted they have faced fierce local opposition and protest. Last month, three activists were jailed for climbing on to lorries carrying drilling equipment at a site near Blackpool. Despite this resistance, the government has consistently stated that safe and environmentally sound shale gas extraction will play a vital role in the countrys future energy provision. It has also emphasised the energy security provided by a new domestic source of gas, and the potential for new job creation the fracking industry brings. Government advisers the Committee on Climate Change have noted that natural gas can play a role in helping the transition to renewable energy sources and slashing carbon emissions. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it would respond to Professor Hansens letter in due course. For the past three years, We Feed the World has collaborated with 48 world-renowned photographers (including Rankin, Martin Parr and Graciela Iturbide) to capture the triumphs and challenges of 50 communities and family farmers who produce over 70 per cent of the worlds food. These images and stories show the farmers who really feed the world and demonstrate how small scale farming also offers the solutions to many other planetary issues such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of our waterways, unemployment and the empowerment of women. Bringing together groups and organisations from across the food, environmental, arts and business worlds, We Feed the World will launch as a large-scale exhibition in London at the Bargehouse Gallery on Londons Southbank, in time for World Food Day. The team of photographers (the largest number to ever get behind a single campaign) was brought together by Cheryl Newman, the former picture editor of the Telegraph Magazine, and the judge of numerous prestigious photographic awards. All of the photographers have donated their time to be a part of the project, which is led by The Gaia Foundation, an environmental charity who have been supporting rural farming communities for more than 30 years. Winona Farm, Australia Colin Seiss farm in New South Wales was all but destroyed 25 years ago, in a devastating bushfire that spread across 2,000 acres of his land. It took with it most of his flock of sheep, his home and almost his life. The disaster left Colin with no money to buy the fertilisers which his family farm had depended upon and he was forced to rethink his approach to farming. Over a few beers with a local farming mate, Colin decided to simply copy nature and plant cereal crops like oats and barley into perennial pasture rather than rotated fields, which had been the basis of all modern farming. Once the crops were harvested, he moved his sheep onto the land allowing them to graze and recycle the leftover crops and turn it once again into fertile pastureland. This radical new farming technique was so successful it became a global agricultural movement known as pasture cropping and is heralded for its ability to build topsoil and sequester carbon. Colin now travels regularly to the US and Europe to pass on the techniques he has developed. (Katrin Koenning) (Katrin Koenning) (Katrin Koenning) (Katrin Koenning) (Katrin Koenning) Katrin Koenning is a photographer from Ruhrgebiet, Germany, who regularly exhibits her work in solo and group shows in Australia and internationally. Her work has been published widely in volumes such as Firecrackers: Female Photographers Now, Photographers Sketchbooks, Hijacked III, The New York Times, Financial Times Magazine, California Sunday Magazine, National Geographic, Der Spiegel Magazine, The Guardian and ASX among others. (katrinkoenning.com/index.html) This story, along with others, will be featured in the We Feed the World photography exhibition at Bargehouse Gallery, Southbank, London, until 24 October (wefeedtheworld.org) As the U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Curtis Scaparotti, said today, the Alliance is preparing for actions, which are the reaction to the growing threat from Russia. Among the relevant actions is the redeployment of the US Navys hundred-ton aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to the North Sea, which, according to Scaparotti, will be a demonstration of the NATO capabilities. We are ready and we will defend the Atlantic, he said, without specifying what threats NATO sees from Russia in the Atlantic Ocean. An intermediary between the east and west is a trite expression but one that perfectly encapsulates Antoine Sfeir, who has died aged 69. Sfeir was the founder and editor of Les Cahiers de lOrient (Notebooks from the East), a French quarterly devoted to the study and reflection of the Arab and Muslim world, from Morocco to Indonesia. Recommended How novelist Emily Nasrallah inspired women in Lebanon in times of war The French-Lebanese scholar, author and journalist was a sought-after commentator on Middle Eastern affairs in the French media. Born in Beirut in 1948 to a Maronite Christian family, Sfeir began his career as a journalist in 1968 at Lebanons most widely read Francophone daily newspaper LOrient-Le Jour, which was established in 1971 and partisan to a liberal, Christian leaning line, according to the Arab Press Network. Civil war broke out in Lebanon in 1975 and the following year a 27-year-old Sfeir was kidnapped and tortured by a militia affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), reportedly on the orders of the Syrian regime who believed he was a spy of Israel. He was held by his captors for a week, and later recounted the ordeal, which left him with scars on his face in his book Le jour ou ma vie sest arretee (The day my life stopped), published in 2012. Sfeir decided to leave then-war-torn Lebanon for France where, during the mid-1980s, he worked at newspapers La Croix (The Cross) and then Le Pelerin (The Pilgrim). It was from Paris in 1985 that he founded Les Cahiers. He continued to publish essays and articles in many of Frances other esteemed press institutions and soon gained himself the stature of a recognised and respectable expert on the Middle East. Sfeirs views in the early 2000s warned against the dangers of Islamic radicalism, well before it became one of the medias most ubiquitous and critical topics, as it is today. In 2004, he said fundamentalist foreign imams were finding an eager audience in Frances deprived suburbs of large immigrant populations. The kids there already watch Arab stations on satellite TV, with their bloodthirsty slogans and anti-western propaganda, he told The Guardian. Theyve already been totally radicalised. One of his most notable interventions was a 2002 article published in Lyon Mag, in which Sfeir took aim at the influential Oxford professor Tariq Ramadan, a leading advocate of political Islam and grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, as a specialist in double-speak. Sfeir claimed that Ramadans influence on impressionable Muslim youths was more dangerous than that of violent Islamists. Ramadan tried unsuccessfully to sue him for defamation. Sfeir emboldened critics of the relatively moderate thinker on political Islam and bridge-builder between Islamic orthodoxy and secular democracy. They accuse him of being two-faced, adjusting his position according to his (religious or secular) audience, supporting the oppression of women and waging a clandestine jihad on the liberal West. (Ramadan is currently fighting rape charges in France.) A further illustration of Sfeirs disagreement with religious influences was his co-founding in 2005 of the Observatoire de la Laicite, a study group aimed at strengthening the principle of secularism as an integral part of Frances republic and democracy. Recommended Tunisia marks seven years since Arab Spring with fresh protests Sfeirs most controversial academic offering was perhaps his book Tunisie, terre de paradoxes published in 2006, for which he was accused of supporting the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former president ousted during the Arab Spring (who in 2012, after fleeing to Saudi Arabia, was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment on charges of theft, inciting violence and repression of protests). In the book, Sfeir denies the existence of a police state in Tunisia, saying, it is no more a police state than the United States, Great Britain, or even France, and was accused by many of colluding with Tunisias authoritarian regime. At the time, he replied that he always considered the Tunisian people as an example for the whole region in terms of education, modernisation and regional integration, as well as in the fight against religious fundamentalism. However, after the Tunisian revolution of 2011, Sfeir conceded to having been heavily deceived on Tunisia and the Ben Ali regime. Sfeir was the director of the Centre for Study and Reflection on the Middle East, the president of the School of International Relations at Paris-Sorbonne University and a former professor of international relations at the Sorbonnes communication and journalism school. In 2009, Sfeir was made an Officer of the Legion of Honour. His latest book published in 2012, Lislam contre lIslam: linterminable guerre des sunnites et des chiites (Islam vs. Islam: The Endless War of Sunnis and Shiites) lays out the origins of the historic Sunni and Shiite schism, arguing that this irreconcilable doctrinal divergence is integral to understanding the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East, earned him the French city of Nancys Book and Human Rights Prize in 2013. Sfeirs final blog post is dated 10 May 2018. It is titled Trump et le nucleaire iranien, ou comment se tirer une balle dans le pied (Trump and the Iran nuclear deal, or how to shoot yourself in the foot), and was dedicated and critical of the US presidents decision to withdraw from the historic agreement. According to Berenice Murgue-Khattar, former assistant and contributor at Les Cahiers who knew him well, Sfeir had also been critical of Frances approach to foreign policy in the Middle East in recent years. He considered that we must not ignore the lines of power in the Middle East, such as the confrontational relationship between Shiites and Sunnis, and he insisted that the Middle East is an ethnic and confessional mosaic, she said. Sfeir reportedly continued his daily rituals until the day he died, enjoying the pastries of his native Lebanon and his Gitanes. From the beginning of his illness a few years ago, Antoine had accepted it with a lot of philosophy. As a believer, death, he said, is part of life, Murgue-Khattar said. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. His eldest daughter Marie-Jose is a contributor of Les Cahiers de lOrient. Antoine Sfeir, writer, born 25 November 1948, died 1 October A vampire burial unearthed at a Roman site in Italy is evidence of ancient funeral practices to stop corpses rising from the dead, according to archaeologists. The body of a 10-year-old child was buried ritualistically with a stone in its mouth, possibly out of fear it would return to spread disease to its community. Known locally as the Vampire of Lugnano, evidence collected from the bones suggest the child was infected with malaria at the time it died. Ive never seen anything like it. Its extremely eerie and weird, said Professor David Soren, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona who has run excavations in the region for over three decades. The remains are the latest unusual discovery to emerge from the Cemetery of Children, a site containing dozens of childrens bodies and evidence of witchcraft including toad bones, raven talons and bronze cauldrons. Dated to a time in the fifth century when a deadly malaria outbreak swept across central Italy, archaeologists thought the cemetery had been set aside specifically for the babies and young children who would have been most vulnerable to the disease. The 10-year-olds skeleton is the oldest body to have been uncovered at the fifth-century Italian cemetery (David Pickel/Stanford University) The vampire skeleton, which is of unknown sex, is the oldest child to be identified so far at the site. It was one of five new burials discovered there over the summer, and was found placed underneath a makeshift tomb constructed from roof tiles. Knowing that two large roof tiles were used for this burial, I was expecting something unique to be found inside, perhaps a double-inhumation not uncommon for this cemetery where a single burial contains two individuals, said David Pickel, a PhD student a Stanford who directed the excavation. After removing the roof tiles, however, it became immediately clear to us that we were dealing with an older individual. Ancient Roman 'hand of god' helps reveal a Scottish tragedy Show all 3 1 /3 Ancient Roman 'hand of god' helps reveal a Scottish tragedy Ancient Roman 'hand of god' helps reveal a Scottish tragedy The Roman fort at Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall The fort is the rectangular walled area in the upper/left part of the photo. The other structures comprise the adjacent civilian settlement. The Temple of Jupiter Dolichenum is situated in the bottom right hand corner of the fort. Vindolanda Trust Ancient Roman 'hand of god' helps reveal a Scottish tragedy A coin, discovered at Vindolanda. It features a portrait of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus - the man who ordered and led the invasion. Vindolanda Trust. Ancient Roman 'hand of god' helps reveal a Scottish tragedy The bronze hand of the Roman god, Jupiter Dolichenus The hand is pictured here before conservation Vindolanda Trust The childs open jaws and tooth marks on the surface of the stone were evidence that it had been placed in the mouth intentionally. Similar burials have been documented from Venice to Northamptonshire, and along with dismembering bodies and forcing stakes through the heart are thought to be methods of preventing these vampires from returning to haunt the living. This is a very unusual mortuary treatment that you see in various forms in different cultures, especially in the Roman world, that could indicate there was a fear that this person might come back from the dead and try to spread disease to the living, explained bioarchaeologist Jordan Wilson, another PhD student who examined the body. Professoer Soren added: We know that the Romans were very much concerned with this and would even go to the extent of employing witchcraft to keep the evil whatever is contaminating the body from coming out. An abscessed tooth, which can be a side effect of malaria, provided evidence that the child had been killed in the epidemic that struck so many of the cemeterys inhabitants. Elsewhere at the site, a three-year-old girl had been buried with stones weighing down her arms and feet a practice also thought to prevent corpses from returning to life. Ancient Roman hand of god discovered near Hadrians Wall The researchers said these practices provide a fascinating insight into the thought processes of ancient Romans and their fears about life after death. Its a very human thing to have complicated feelings about the dead and wonder if thats really the end, said Ms Wilson. Anytime you can look at burials, theyre significant because they provide a window into ancient minds. With much of the cemetery still unexplored, the archaeologists intend to return to the site next summer to complete their excavations. Soil tests around Grenfell Tower have reportedly revealed huge concentrations of toxins in the soil and dust around the west London tower block. Professor Anna Stec, who conducted a toxicology study, early findings of which have been seen by The Guardian, is said to have found potential carcinogens that could have health implications for local residents. The professor in fire chemistry and toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire warned senior health officials, the police and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC) of the need for further tests. She is also said to have found high levels of hydrogen cyanide in the soil she analysed. Professor Stec told the newspaper that she had taken a high number of samples from locations up to almost a mile away from the tower. As a result of this work, I already have datasets that indicate a number of toxins that have not yet been measured by Public Health England (PHE), who have already looked into air quality, she said. I think my research will show there are a number of added toxicants that need to be measured, but its important to emphasise that this work has not yet been completed and we still need to carry out a lot of analysis before we can be completely sure of the implications. The findings will need to be validated before they are published. Seventy one people died in the blaze on 14 June last year, with a 72nd victim dying months later in hospital. Last month, Professor Stec was instructed by the public inquiry into the blaze as an expert witness. She will provide a report to determine the fire derived toxicants and related deposits present in the tower and their origin. Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Show all 18 1 /18 Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Kitchen in flat 16 where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 ReutersGrenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Hallway in flat 16, leading to the kitchen where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Toilet in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom 2 of flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom 2 of flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Kitchen in flat 16 where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Door to flat 16 from the lobby on floor 4 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Hallway in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA A spokesman for PHE said the agency had received a phone call from the professor but had not been briefed and had not seen the data. The agency has been monitoring the air quality around the tower and has consistently said it has found nothing of concern. A PHE spokesman said: Local authorities are responsible for assessing and legally determining contaminated land within their communities. PHE is aware of Professor Stecs preliminary research but it has not been shared with us and therefore we have not had the opportunity to review the evidence being referred to. PHE awaits the research with interest and will carefully consider the results. We are continuing to fully support local health partners and the Grenfell community to ensure that they have access to best available public health evidence and advice for ongoing monitoring and surveillance of people directly impacted by the fire. Recommended How boxing is helping the Grenfell community fight back An RBKC spokesman said: Our priority is the long-term health needs of all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy, and we will work with our health partners to examine carefully any new evidence about the impacts of the disaster on local residents. It was recently announced that Grenfell survivors and surrounding residents are to be given special screening to examine the effects of smoke inhalation and possible asbestos exposure, health chiefs have announced. NHS England said it would provide up to 50m to fund long-term screening and treatment for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. It follows calls from the Grenfell coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, for the NHS to set up a screening programme for those who were exposed to smoke and dust in the fire. Press Association Almost 900 homes, 1,000 businesses and around 60 irreplaceable ancient woodlands will be destroyed by the construction of the HS2 railway, according to the company behind the project. The scale of damage was described as far worse than expected by campaigners, who accused those behind the project of opting for a more damaging route to keep costs down. HS2 will provide a high-speed link between London and Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, but it has faced criticism due to its cost and environmental harm. The company behind the line, government-owned HS2 Ltd, has released a summary of its predicted impact, including effects on livelihoods and health. Among the figures listed was a projected 1,740 buildings demolished by the end of the project, including 888 homes, 985 businesses and 27 community facilities. The line, currently set for completion in 2033, will also cut through at least 61 areas of woodland, many of which are centuries old and home to rare species of birds and bats. In its assessment, which was based on reasonable worst-case assumptions, HS2 Ltd estimated that 19,590 jobs would have to be relocated, with 2,380 lost permanently. They noted that 2,340 permanent jobs would be created by the development. British mammals fight for survival Show all 11 1 /11 British mammals fight for survival British mammals fight for survival The Mammal Societys assessment of Britains mammal populations is the first such review in over 20 years. The results reveal winners and losers, and highlight some of the key threats facing the countrys wildlife such as habitat loss, invasive species and the spread of diseases. British mammals fight for survival Hedgehogs Populations of the much-loved insectivore may have declined by as much as 73% Richard Bowler British mammals fight for survival Greater mouse-eared bats Only one of these flying mammals has been recorded in the whole country, in a railway tunnel in West Sussex Andrew Harrington British mammals fight for survival Rabbits Despite being a common sight across the countryside, rabbits have decreased in number by nearly 10% Danni Thompson British mammals fight for survival Black Rats Though not generally considered threatened animals, black rats number have collapsed in recent years due largely to pest control measures. However their far more common cousins, the brown rats, are thriving. Tim Melling British mammals fight for survival Red Squirrels Though it is difficult to measure changes in squirrel numbers, their range has shrunk considerably due largely to the spread of squirrel pox virus by invasive grey squirrel Alistair Marsh British mammals fight for survival Wildcats There has been a marked decline in wildcat populations, with only around 200 left in Scotland Rachel Profit British mammals fight for survival Badgers Due to legal protections badgers have recovered from past persecution and the density of their setts (holes) has increased by over 100% in recent decades Phil Mumby British mammals fight for survival Otters The banning of persistent organic pesticides has had a positive population effect on otters Allan Chard British mammals fight for survival Fallow Deer The 2018 review estimates a population size of fallow deer almost three times the size of that estimated in the 1995 review a positive trend that is seen in other deer species. James Shooter British mammals fight for survival Eurasian Beavers These aquatic mammals were nearly extinct in Europe at the start of the 20th century, but their reintroduction to the UK have been largely successful Paul Scott In the context of the economies of the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and East Midlands, which provide over 10.5 million jobs, the potential level of job loss is a relatively small proportion of total employment, the report concluded. As a result of this disruption, the company lists adverse health effects including anxiety and stress resulting from uncertainty and lack of control. Additional environmental impacts noted by the company include the creation of 58 million tonnes of landfill four times the total waste sent to landfill in the whole country annually and the diversion of nine rivers. Woodland Trust ecologist Luci Ryan said the destruction of 16.7 hectares of ancient woodland would be catastrophic for the environment. We were braced for bad news but this is far worse than we were expecting. At least 19 ancient woods will be lost, almost double our estimate, she said. HS2 is continuing to ride roughshod over precious, irreplaceable centuries-old ancient woodland and in doing so the homes and populations of many wildlife species will be destroyed too. No amount of tree planting can ever make up for the loss of this precious habitat. Ms Ryan noted threatened species ranging from hedgehogs to lesser-spotted woodpeckers would be harmed by the creation of the rail link. We are going to need some time to digest the full horror of the draft environmental statement but rest assured we will stand up and fight, she said. Joe Rukin, campaign manager for the pressure group Stop HS2, said the new report was evidence they dont care about people, jobs or the environment, they only care about getting the costs down. With costs everywhere else along the HS2 route spiralling out of control, it is absolutely clear HS2 Ltd has gone for the most destructive, least cost option, he said. Responsing to critics, an HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: Were designing a railway that will reshape the economic geography of the whole country, as well as transforming the way we choose to travel for work and leisure. Local authorities and businesses are putting plans in place in the Midlands and the North that will see hundreds of thousands of jobs created. Through the public consultations, we are providing a more detailed account of how we propose to build the railway and minimise its impacts during construction and operation. We actively encourage people to have their say on the plans we have published. A consultation on the environmental statement is now open to the public until the end of December. Katie Pipers acid attacker was released from prison earlier this week, prompting extra security for the TV star. The former model, who is taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year, was left severely scarred after Stefan Sylvestre threw sulphuric acid at her in 2008. He was acting on the orders of Ms Pipers obsessed ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch, who is serving a minimum of 16 years for the crime. The acid attack left the presenter partially blind and with severe, permanent scarring across her face and body. Recommended Model left burned after acid attack shares tips on how to be confident Sylvestre was given a minimum six-year jail term in 2009 but became eligible for parole in 2015, though he was then deemed unfit for release. The Parole Board decided last month that Sylvestre now no longer poses a significant risk to the public despite hearing a personal plea from Ms Piper. I am trying to come to terms with this decision and this is something I need to deal with, the TV presenter wrote in a response on Twitter. He left Highpoint jail in Suffolk on Wednesday and was driven by police officers to a bail hostel in London, according to The Sun. Sylvestres licence conditions include an exclusion zone which bars him from an area around Katies address, a source told the newspaper. Any attempt to go near the Strictly studios in Hertfordshire would almost certainly also see him returned straight to jail. But although Sylvestre is banned from contacting Katie in any way, the simple fact that hes back in London will be of great concern to her. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Sylvestre, 30, will be forced to keep a nightly curfew and could be subjected to random drug tests. He is also banned from contacting Lynch, who remains in prison. Close Storm Callum wind 'breaks speed limit' Storm Callum caused further disruption across the UK on Saturday, as heavy downpours continued. An amber warning for rain remained in place until 6pm for south Wales, which was hit with severe flooding, swollen rivers and blocked roads. Heavy rainfall in the area led to the River Usk bursting its banks. The town of Crickhowell was hit by particularly severe flooding as water from the river flowed into roads, leaving them blocked. Teams from Natural Resources Wales used sandbags in an attempt to divert the floodwaters. People were warned to stay away from the coast (LNP) They also closed some flood gates and deployed pumps. Residents on Twitter described the town as an "island" as main roads out of the area were briefly blocked. Particularly high rainfall was recorded across the Brecon Beacons, with the village of Libanus receiving 182 mm of rain in 48 hours. Bad weather also led to speed restrictions being imposed on rail routes, causing numerous travel delays. A key road in Scotland, the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll and Bute, was closed following tonnes of debris falling on to it after multiple landslips. Recommended Storm Callum and Hurricane Leslie cause travel chaos 3,000 tonnes of debris has fallen on to the road since Tuesday. Drivers across the UK were warned to take care, due to surface water on the roads causing accidents. The Met Office said that rain would continue through Saturday night over Northern Ireland and Scotland. Showers should ease over Wales and the climate will be mild in England overnight. If you want to read how the flooding unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below. Anger among doctors and nurses about the notorious claim of a 350m-a-week boost to the NHS from Brexit has been laid bare, with two-thirds branding it a deliberate lie. The boast made by Boris Johnson and other Leave campaigners has also strengthened support among health staff for a Final Say referendum, a major survey has found. It comes as the Peoples Vote campaign reveals that more than three-quarters of NHS trusts it quizzed have made no preparations for the UKs departure from the EU. Recommended Corbyn under fresh pressure to back a final say Brexit referendum They include hospitals in Theresa Mays constituency and in the seats of Dominic Raab, the Brexit Secretary, and Liam Fox, the international trade secretary. Of the minority of trusts that are preparing, many are worried about the impact on services and about staff shortages, Peoples Vote said. Dr Mike Galsworthy, the founder of NHS Against Brexit, said: This new polling shows what we all know: that the promise of 350m a week is bust, and all forms of Brexit are costly. After all this, were left only with a fallen pound, EU staff leaving, extended austerity and preparations for medicine supply shocks. And Dr Andrew Dearden, the BMAs treasurer and Brexit spokesman, said: Our members have made it clear that they are worried that Brexit could seriously undermine the provision of healthcare in the UK and Europe. No one could have imagined the extent of the complications such a result would bring. In light of what we know now, it is imperative that the public has a say in any proposed Brexit deal. The Independent has launched its Final Say campaign, to give the British people the crucial decision on any Brexit deal, which is supported by more than 850,000 people who have signed our petition. The 350m-a-week for the NHS claim was the most controversial made by the official Vote Leave campaign, after polling suggested it was crucial in winning support for Brexit. 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 Statisticians have repeatedly pointed out it is misleading to claim it is Britains EU contribution, because it ignores a rebate and EU funding of projects in this country. Furthermore, shrinking economic growth because of Brexit will easily wipe out any savings. Some calculations have found that Britain is already more than 350m-a-week worse off. The YouGov poll of 322 doctors and 707 nurses shows a clear shift towards staying in the EU, now preferred three-to-one, up from two-thirds of respondents two years ago. Backing for a Final Say referendum on the outcome of Brexit negotiations stands at 71 per cent to 29 per cent, once dont knows are removed. Asked about the promise of a 350m-a-week bonanza for the NHS, 66 per cent of doctors and nurses described it as deliberate lie, and 14 per cent untrue but not deliberately so. Just 8 per cent said they still believed it to be true. The polling comes as the chances of any deal Theresa May secures being rejected thus increasing pressure for a fresh referendum remained high. Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist Party leader, warned the Tories allies would never accept a dodgy deal which would effectively cut Northern Ireland adrift. And leading Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg insisted around 40 Conservative MPs were steadfast in their opposition to the prime ministers Brexit strategy with 39 of them more tough-minded than him. Jeremy Corbyn is under fresh pressure to back a final say referendum on the Brexit outcome after Labours sister party backed the idea. Members of the Co-operative Party which stands joint candidates with Labour voted almost unanimously for a public vote on whether to leave the EU on the terms proposed. Gareth Thomas, a Labour/Co-op MP, said the result reflected what would have happened if a straight up-and-down had taken place at Labours own conference last month. This sends a strong signal. I hope the Labour leadership will take note of the decision we have made, he told The Independent. There is overwhelming support from the Co-operative Party for a peoples vote on any deal that Theresa May negotiates and for Remain to be an option. And he added: It indicates to the leadership that, if there had been a straight up-and-down vote at Labours conference, this is how it would have ended up. Instead, a complicated composite motion agreed after hours of debate in Liverpool said Labour would only support a fresh Brexit referendum if it failed to force a general election. John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, was then accused of going back on that agreement by suggesting the referendum might not offer a choice to halt Brexit. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS The Co-operative Party boasts 37 Labour MPs as members, including shadow cabinet members Jonathan Ashworth (health) and Kate Osamor (international development). The party also struck a more pro-EU stance than Labour by backing continued membership of the single market and the free movement of citizens. And it rejected the prime ministers assertion that no-deal is better than a bad deal, backing an extension to the Article 50 deadline delaying Brexit to avoid crashing out next March. Mr Thomas, the Co-operative chairman, added: It is vital that Brexit does not lead Britain down a path of greater inequality, insecurity and isolation. We call on the prime minister to listen to the growing number of people and organisations who are saying the people should be in the driving seat. Established in 1917 by co-operative societies to campaign for businesses based on co-operative principles, the party attracts Labour MPs with a strong interest in the likes of credit unions. It has had an electoral pact with Labour since 1927 to avoid the parties standing candidates against each other. The Conservatives have been hit by a shortage of candidates for the next general election because activists are demoralised by Theresa Mays leadership and fear defeat, a party insider has revealed. The number of applications is down on previous years across the board, the prime minister has been warned even as the turmoil at Westminster cuts the odds on a snap poll. Some branches in target seats have been forced to postpone decisions, despite pressure to get candidates in place early, the executive editor of the ConservativeHome website said. The warning comes as the Democratic Unionist Partys threat to pull its backing for the Tories in a bitter clash over Brexit leaves the governments future in growing doubt. Without the DUP, Ms May lacks a majority and if unable to pass a budget will face demands to accept she is unable to govern and must stand down. Mark Wallace, the ConservativeHome editor, wrote: The number of applications submitted to stand in the new contests is down on previous years across the board. Some constituency associations have received applications only numbering in the single figures where they would previously have expected scores. Mr Wallace pointed to the debacle of the 2017 election as a likely cause, adding: Last years grim experience certainly demoralised and deterred various candidates. Some have given up entirely, and many more are less eager to be a willing horse for the party as a result of their mistreatment. There was also widespread pessimism about the next election, with only about one-third of party members expecting an outright Conservative victory. Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Show all 6 1 /6 Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Phillip Hammond Chancellor Phillip Hammond said in an interview with the Mail that Boris has never been "a details man", won't be next Prime Minister and that his most notable policy achievement is the launching of Boris Bikes AFP/Getty Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris David Davis Speaking to Sophie Ridge on Sunday, former Brexit Secretary David Davis said "a lot of his ideas, I think, are good headlines but not necessarily good policies" PA Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Ruth Davidson Speaking on Sunday Politics, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson has said that Boris' use of language in attacking the Prime Minister's Chequers plan was "not wise" and urged for a "period of silence" PA Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Greg Clark Speaking at a fringe event at the conference, Business Secretary Greg Clark stated that Boris' idea to scrap HS2 and instead build a bridge to Northern Ireland was "completely the wrong approach" PA Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris Lord Digby Jones Speaking on stage in Birmingham, crossbench peer Lord Digby Jones branded Boris as "irrelevant" and "offensive" for his comments on business PA Conservative Conference: Tories line up to denounce Boris David Mundell Referring to Boris' recent 6-point Brexit plan, Scottish Secretary David Mundell stated that "these are things for headlines, not for the substance of negotiations" PA The implication is that some candidates are simply unwilling to put themselves forward when they dont believe target seats are going to be gained next time the nation goes to the ballot box, he said. Mr Wallace urged Ms May to intervene personally, to convince doubters that seats were worth fighting, saying: It falls to the Conservative Partys leadership to persuade candidates of the truth of that, and encourage more of them to throw their hats into the ring. The website said the Tories were desperate to avoid a repeat of the mad dash to select for last years election, particularly in target seats they had to win. Yet in one, Darlington, the selection process was put on hold when two of three shortlisted candidates were picked in other constituencies. In Wirral West, another must-win seat, the local Conservative association was so dissatisfied with the limited number and range of candidates who put themselves forward that it refused to produce a shortlist without fresh names. Multiple Labour MPs have told The Independent they are prepared to support the Brexit agreement Theresa May hopes to bring back from Brussels, boosting the prime ministers chances of forcing it through parliament. The MPs include the first to state publicly that they will struggle to vote against a deal secured in Brussels if the alternative is a no-deal Brexit even if, as expected, Jeremy Corbyn orders his party to oppose it. They say that crashing out of the EU would be a disaster for their constituents, while also fearing a backlash from voters accusing them of blocking Brexit. It comes as Ms May appears resigned to having to rely on Labour votes to secure parliaments support for her deal in the face of staunch opposition from many of her own Eurosceptic backbenchers. Labour MPs told The Independent that at least 15 could rebel against Mr Corbyn and back the government, which could be enough to tip the balance in the Commons in favour of the deal. One prepared to go public, Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke Central, said: If the deal is some sort of customs union, protection of the unity of the union and looking at a future trade deal, it would be very hard to justify why were not supporting that. Ruth Smeeth, Stoke North MP, said: If the option is voting for the deal or voting for something that would mean no deal well, Im not prepared to vote for no-deal. Don Valley MP Caroline Flint said: I believe if there is a reasonable deal that stops us crashing out with no deal, we shouldnt rule it out. Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Ms Flint added: "The problem is, we are now - those of us who want to get a deal - are sometimes stuck between a rock and a hard place between hardline Brexiteers who think we can waltz off without a deal and some hardline Remainers who, for their own reasons don't want a deal because they want to overturn the referendum results." Asked about speculation around 30 Labour MPs would be prepared to vote for a deal if it meant defying the whip, she said: "I'm really not sure, but I think if a reasonable deal is on the table the question for some of my Labour colleagues is 'why wouldn't you support a deal, why would you stand along (with) Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg who want us to crash out without a deal?" If 15 Labour MPs put their support behind the deal, the prime minister could afford a Tory rebellion of more than 20, presuming she is able to keep the Democratic Unionist Party on her side. Eurosceptic Tories claim they have at least 40 MPs ready to vote down the deal, although the government hopes to whittle down that number when pressure is applied. Many Labour MPs in Leave-supporting constituencies feel they cannot both vote against Ms Mays deal while convincingly opposing a no-deal exit. They are torn between, on the one hand, party members who will be furious if they help prop up a Tory prime minister and, on the other, constituents who will not forgive them if they vote in a way that could appear to be frustrating Britains exit from the EU. We cant vote against the deal but also oppose no-deal without it looking very much like were voting against Brexit, another said. That isnt an option. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS Mr Snell added: Im quite clear that no-deal would be an absolute disaster and therefore to avoid a no-deal outcome weve got to be open to supporting a deal thats presented. Im not wedded to opposing a deal just because it comes from the government. If the deal is as May has been suggesting then it would be difficult for me to justify to myself not strongly considering supporting it, if the alternative is crashing out without a deal. Labour is expected to instruct its MPs to vote against Ms Mays deal, which it will say does not meet the six strict tests the party has set out. However, one MP said: Everyone knows the six tests were designed to never be met. Mr Corbyn and his team are likely to warn MPs how members will react if they vote with the government and help the Conservatives stay in power. They will tell MPs that voting down Ms Mays deal would either force her to return to Brussels to renegotiate a softer Brexit, or trigger a general election a suggestion some MPs have already dismissed. The suggestion that parliament could somehow force her to go crawling back to Brussels, or that Labour could force a general election, is nonsense, one said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Another said Labour could not credibly oppose a deal that had the support of all 27 other EU countries. The idea the Labour Party should block a deal that is backed by the likes of Merkel, Macron and the rest of the 27 is ludicrous. The Labour leadership is understood to believe the fact that hardline Tory Eurosceptics will join them in the division lobby to vote against the deal will invalidate accusations the party is frustrating Brexit a confidence not shared by many of the partys MPs. Potential rebels have increasingly found an unlikely ally in John McDonnell, who, MPs said, appears to be increasingly concerned about the risks of Labour being seen to vote against Brexit. MPs dismissed reports that up to 30 Labour MPs could vote with the government and suggested the number of potential rebels has been intentionally inflated by Conservative whips in an attempt to convince Tory Eurosceptics that Ms May is not reliant on their support. And despite reports that Downing Street is actively lobbying Labour rebels with a view to cobbling together a majority for Ms Mays deal, none of the Labour MPs spoken to by The Independent said they had been approached by Tory whips. Several Labour frontbenchers are understood to be considering abstaining from the vote, effectively boosting Ms Mays chances of securing a parliamentary majority. They believe they could do this without having to resign from their positions. One said: Im definitely not going to vote against the deal. If its a choice between a deal or no deal, the deal has got to be really bad for me to vote it down. No-deal is the worst possible option for my constituents. Im pragmatic about it. If its something like Chequers I could support that. Several of us would likely abstain. Some MPs in Leave areas are banking on a constitutional get-out clause that would give them the cover to vote for a deal. While the Labour leadership and pro-EU Tory MPs are united in insisting the choice before parliament cannot be between Ms Mays deal and no deal, some Labour MPs believe that is exactly the decision they face. Some have even sought the advice of constitutional experts in the hope of seeking credible confirmation that there would be no parliamentary mechanism for avoiding a no-deal outcome if Ms Mays deal is rejected. That would give them the justification they need to allow them to vote with the government. Hayk Marutyan, who was inaugurated today as a mayor of Yerevan, has already managed to reject one of his statements made after the ceremony in an interview with journalists. It happened after Yerevan residents were outraged by his words about the need to increase fares for public transportation. Becoming the mayor, Marutyan said that the fares could be raised since from 2013 everything except the public transportation has risen in price in the city. He linked the stability of tariffs with the authorities' fear of the populations wrath. Millions in the southeastern United States are facing the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, with officials predicting a long road to recovery as the death toll rose to at least 18. Michael, which hit the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of up to 155mph, left thousands of people reported missing as it moved eastward away from the US coast. Just under 750,000 people were without power in the affected areas from Florida through to Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, according to the US PowerOutage website. On Saturday search and rescue teams used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for survivors in the rubble. One body was recovered in Mexico Beach, Florida, as volunteers went door-to-door checking homes. In Panama City a looter was shot dead by a state fire marshal after trying to steal a police car, it was reported by the NBC-affiliated TV station WPMI. Recommended Hurricane Michael death toll rises as storm leaves devastating damage About 4,000 members of Floridas national guard have been called up to deal with the storm and nearly 2,000 law-enforcement officials have been sent into the Panhandle. Rescue teams made up mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters said they had found more than 520 of the 2,100 reported missing since Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach. We expect that number to go up dramatically today, said Matthew Marchetti, co-founder of the Houston-based CrowdSource Rescue. Volunteers are working side-by-side with first responders. They are cutting holes in roofs. They try to take a picture so we can call the family and tell them we made contact. A diabetic mother and daughter were trapped in a closet in a mobile home damaged by the storm in Panama City for two days before being freed, according to rescuers. Taylor Fontenot, 29, a roofing contractor who founded 50 Star SAR, a volunteer search and rescue organisation, said: "We had another lady who was on her last tank of oxygen. No cell phone, no power, no nothing. There are people out here on dialysis, but there is no power." Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed by the hurricane, which pushed storm surges of up to 14ft (4.3m) in some areas. Michael brought winds that ripped roofs from buildings and tore through walls, leaving behind, in some cases, nothing but the skeletons of structures and images of devastation where whole neighbourhoods once stood. Florida governor Rick Scott, who put his campaign for US Senate on hold to handle the aftermath of the storm, began touring areas affected soon after the storm moved through and stressed that recovery efforts could take a while. Its still dangerous out there. There are still a lot of downed power lines a lot, Mr Scott said during a stop on one of his tours on Friday. Theres still a lot of weak structures so we have to be very careful. Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Show all 16 1 /16 Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A damaged store in Panama City, Florida Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Waves crash into houses on the shore at Alligator Point in Franklin County, Florida Reuters Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Haley Nelson of Panama City stands by her father's destroyed trailer home Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A damaged store in downtown Panama City, Florida Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A woman and her children wait in Panama City, Florida AFP/Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A stores windows are shattered by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A damaged apartment building in Panama City, Florida Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A damaged liquor store in Panama City Beach, Florida Reuters Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A helicopter hovers over a damaged neighbourhood EPA Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A man wades through a flooded street in Panama City, Florida EPA Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A boathouse is damaged in the storm EPA Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Charles Swaney of Panama City sits in the office of a damaged motel in Panama City, Florida AFP/Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A market is flooded in St. Marks, Florida Getty Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US A high-rise apartment building is damaged in Panama City Beach, Florida Reuters Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Lenora Adams of Panacea, Florida evacuates a motel with her dog Reuters Hurricane Michael: record breaking storm hits the US Haley Nelson of Panama City stands by her father's destroyed trailer home Getty Hurricane Michael was one of the most intense storms to make landfall in America in decades, and estimates indicate that damages could range from anywhere between $4.5bn and $8bn (3.4bn to 6bn). In Mexico Beach and Panama City Beach, Florida communities that felt the worst of the storm entire neighbourhoods were torn down after the storm smashed through the area, leaving behind rubble and the occasional home or business that somehow survived. Further inland and away from the worst of it, however, roofs were still torn to shreds and communities hit hard. Nearly 300 people were said to have defied evacuation orders in Mexico Beach, a town of 1,000. It was not clear if any of them managed to get out at the last minute, or if they had survived the devastation of the storm. In addition to homes, businesses, office complexes and vehicles, Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida was heavily damaged. Aerial footage showed that aircraft left behind out of necessity had been covered in debris after the roofs of hangars were torn from the buildings. Expensive F-22 Raptors may be among those jets left behind and potentially damaged, according to reports. Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator Brock Long said that as workers continue to sift through debris in search of missing people and bodies, he expected the death toll to rise in the region. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events I expect the fatality count to climb today and tomorrow as we get through the debris and Im very frustrated by that, Mr Long said on CNN. We seem to not learn this lesson in this country and you know, these guys behind us, they get to deal with the aftermath, Mr Long added. Theyre often the source of blame when everything goes wrong after disasters and its a vicious cycle. A bigger Femas not the answer. Building codes, resiliency, pre-disaster mitigation is the answer. Mr Long continued to say that people often ignore evacuation orders which were issued in areas expected to be hit hardest by Michael and that comes with the cost of lives. The bottom line is when we ask people to evacuate, and the governor asked people, and we even used the wireless emergency alert system to warn people that the ocean was going to rise and do this type of destruction, people still failed to heed the warnings and theyve lost their lives, he said. Hurricane Michael: Storm surge captured in ruined back garden in CCTV video Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration in Florida, where much of the damage was initially seen. Mr Trump also said that he planned to visit affected areas some time in the next week. People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia. I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit we are with you! Mr Trump tweeted on Friday afternoon. A massive effort to handle the aftermath of Michael has been mobilised comprising workers from across the country. Some 3,000 personnel from Fema have been deployed in the region, and 30,000 workers have been sent to restore power. Around 3,500 Florida National Guard troops were activated to conduct mostly high-water and search-and-rescue operations. Hurricane Michael was the most intense storm to hit the Florida since 1992, when Hurricane Andrew hit the states southeast coast as a category 5 storm. Around 127,000 homes were destroyed or damaged then, costing $26.5bn. At the time, Andrew was the costliest storm in American history. Additional reporting by agencies Melania Trump has said the infamous jacket she wore while en route to a childrens immigration detention centre was meant as a message to the media. The first lady said it was obvious the coats slogan, which read I really dont care, do you?, was not aimed at the youngsters who had been separated from their parents under the presidents hardline immigration policy. She claimed the wardrobe choice was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticising me. Speaking during an interview with ABC News, she said: I want to show them that I dont care. You could criticise whatever you want to say, but it will not stop me to do what I feel is right. Ms Trump was pictured wearing the Zara coat which caused a social media storm while flying to and from a Texas detention centre in June. Critics slammed the item as insensitive amid heightened tensions along the US-Mexico border following the implementation of husband Donald Trumps immigration policy, which separated hundreds of children from their parents. The new comments on Friday echoed what the president said at the time. He tweeted how the jackets message refers to the Fake News Media, adding: Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares! But they appeared to contradict what Ms Trumps own spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, who said on the day: There was no hidden message after todays important visit to Texas, I hope the media isnt going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. Recommended Melania Trump may well be one of the most bullied people in the world In portions of the new interview released earlier, Ms Trump called herself the most bullied person in the world. The 48-year-old also said women who accuse men of sexual misconduct need to show evidence, and claimed her husbands alleged infidelities are not a concern and focus of mine. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The first lady criticised the medias speculation on their marriage, and said we are fine when asked if she loved her husband. The interview was recorded during a trip to Africa Ms Trumps first solo sojourn abroad since Mr Trump took office last year. President Donald Trump has warned of severe punishment if Saudi Arabia is found to be behind the suspected death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet Mr Trump stopped short of threatening to ban arms deals with the Saudis, claiming such sanctions would only hurt jobs in the US defence industry. The president revealed US authorities were now investigating the suspected torture and killing of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Turkey on 2 October. Its being investigated, its being looked at very, very strongly, he told CBS News in his first 60 Minutes interview since becoming president. Mr Trump said the US would be very upset and angry if the Saudi authorities were found responsible. They deny it they deny it every way you can imagine, he added. In the not too distant future I think well know the answer. Were going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment. Later, after welcoming freed pastor Andrew Brunson to the White House, the president said that his hopes that Mr Khashoggi was still alive were not looking too good. Our first hope was that he was not killed but maybe thats not looking too good from what we hear but theres a lot to learn, there really is, he told reporters. Trump said that he would meet with Mr Khashoggis family but added that he had not yet discussed the case with Saudi King Salman. He also appeared to rule out a ban on selling arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, adding: I actually think wed be punishing ourselves. The president said that the sale is a tremendous order for our companies and suggested that the kingdom would only purchase weapons from Russia or China. There are other things we can do that are very, very powerful, very strong and well do them, Mr Trump added. A critic of the Saudi government, Mr Khashoggi went missing more than a week ago after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials have said they believe the 59-year-old was murdered there by a 15-member Saudi assassination squad. The Turkish newspaper Sabah has reported that the moments during which Mr Khashoggi was allegedly tortured and killed may have been recorded by his Apple Watch. Senior Turkish officials previously told Reuters Mr Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate, and claimed it had been connected to a mobile phone he left outside the building. It follows reports that US intelligence officials have already seen video and audio recordings of the murder. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty On Friday, a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey as part of the investigation into the reporters disappearance. The Turkish foreign ministry said the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would be searched as part of the probe. Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi authorities, had reportedly been banned from writing in newspapers, making TV appearances or attending conferences in Saudi Arabia after he criticised Mr Trump following his election victory in 2016. A campaign to remove Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council has been launched by a group of British lawyers, who argue the desert kingdoms membership of the body is contradictory and ironic. Saudi Arabia, whose seat on the council expires in 2019, has faced international condemnation for its role in the Yemen conflict. It is also accused of crackdowns on political dissidents as well as having deeply conservative laws on issues including homosexuality and womens rights. Recommended Saudi Arabia allows women to attend football matches for first time In a report, London-based lawyers Rodney Dixon QC and Lord Kenneth Donald John Macdonald said suspending Saudi Arabia from the body would act as a major lever for the government to clean up their act and make a proper new start. They raised the plight of 60 political activists and peace campaigners who the human rights lawyers said were detained in September last year. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mr Dixon said it was "completely contradictory and ironic for a government with systemic patterns of abuse - as we have highlighted in the report - to be sitting on the council, and in fact previously to have chaired the council. The report said: "Those detained have not been charged with any offence, and the information about the reasons for their arrests and circumstances of their imprisonment are very limited." Yemen has been torn apart by three years of conflict between the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty More than 10,000 people have died in the conflict, which has also triggered the world's largest cholera epidemic, starvation and other diseases. Saudi-led air strikes which in some cases have targeted hospitals and funeral gatherings have killed thousands of civilians. Human Rights Watch has previously criticised the decision to keep Saudi Arabia on the UNHCR, saying it raised questions about the integrity of the group. Labour's Fabian Hamilton, a shadow foreign minister, said it would be "entirely right that Saudi Arabias position on the United Nations Human Rights Council be reviewed". He told The Independent: "Due to its clear targeting of civilians in Yemen, causing many to die from starvation and a humanitarian catastrophe, it has become clear that Saudi Arabias position on the Human Rights Council is unsustainable and inherently contradictory. The UNHCR comprises 47 members distributed by region. Thirteen places go to Asia-Pacific states including China and Philippines, which themselves have faced global criticism for poor human rights records. A couples holiday to LA was ruined when their Airbnb host jumped through the window in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. Chiedozie Uwandu, 28, and Jaleesa Jackson, 29, both medical residents in anaesthesiology from Boston, had booked through a superhost, a status Airbnb only gives to hosts who go above and beyond and are rated 4.8 or more. The trip started well superhost JJ left the pair a bottle of wine and a welcome note but soon turned sour. Recommended Shocked couple find hidden camera in Airbnb On their first night, Jackson was woken at 5.30am by someone banging loudly on the door, reports the Boston Globe. She heard a man shout, I know youre in there Kevin, and opened the door just wide enough to tell the man to go away before slamming it shut. Jackson immediately rang their superhost to report the bizarre incident; JJ responded, Yeah, that was me. Sorry about the confusion. Lifes too short for me to give you an explanation. Have a nice time in LA. The couple tried to forget the encounter and enjoy their day relaxing on the beach. However, the next night things took a more alarming turn when, at 2am, a man came crashing through the bedroom window, showering shards of glass across the floor. Jaleesa Jackson and Chiedozie Uwandus Airbnb holiday turned into a nightmare (Facebook/Jaleesa Jackson) I had no idea what was happening, Uwandu told the Globe. But I reacted like we were under attack. Thinking it was a burglar, he pinned the man to the floor and shouted to Jackson to call the police. But on seeing his face Jackson recognised the assailant as JJ, their host. Uwandu loosened his grip to brush glass off his feet, which were bleeding, and JJ took the opportunity to break free and flee the room. The couple barricaded themselves in the kitchen, armed with knives, and waited for the police to arrive. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events They soon found the errant host, who alleged the couple needed to pay for cleaning. He told the police that Airbnb had ordered him to evict us, over cleaning fees, Uwandu said. It transpired that JJ did not have permission to rent the property out at all, as he himself was renting it from an elderly woman who had not given him authorisation. Airbnb offered to refund the couple and rehouse them at another Airbnb property at no extra cost, but Uwandu and Jackson opted to check into the local Hilton instead. They requested $5,000 compensation from the company for the trauma they underwent; Airbnb has offered $2,500 and five sessions of therapy instead. An Airbnb spokesperson told The Independent: Our original handling of this incident fell well below the high standards we set for ourselves. We have apologised to Dr Jackson and Dr Uwandu for our insufficient response. We are currently working with them to make this right, and we are reviewing every aspect of this case from the reports of the hosts disturbing behaviour to our response. Our communitys safety is our priority, we are deeply sorry for the anguish and inconvenience our guests have experienced and again we are working to make it right. The online homesharing platform said it has developed a number of features to help guests in times of need, including a customer experience team that works in every time zone. Richard Bruton has been appointed to Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment after Denis Naughtens shock resignation. Mr Bruton, who has served as Minister for Education and Skills since May 2016, will be replaced by Donegal TD Joe McHugh. The Taoiseach has confirmed four new ministerial appointments to his Cabinet. Expand Close Denis Naughten stepped down from his role (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Denis Naughten stepped down from his role (Brian Lawless/PA) Subject to the approval of Dail Eireann and the Cabinet, the Taoiseach proposes to make Sean Kyne the new Chief Whip and Minister for the Gaeltacht & the islands, and unaligned Independent TD Sean Canney the Minister of State at the Departments of Rural & Community Development and Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment. The Irish Government was called into question this week following the shock resignation of the communications minister. Mr Naughten resigned his Cabinet seat on Thursday amid controversy over multiple private dinners he had held with the head of the last remaining bidder for a multimillion-euro State contract for the rollout of high-speed broadband. Mr Varadkar came under intense scrutiny from the public and opposition parties, many of who predicted an election was imminent, after Mr Naughten an independent TD upset the balance of support for the Fine Gael led government. However, on Friday, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin called on the premier not to collapse the Irish government until Brexit issues have been resolved. Micheal Martin wrote to Fine Gael leader Mr Varadkar suggesting that they both commit to maintaining the government in its current form until a deal has been ratified. Not-so-prudent Paschal: Finance Minister has gone from minister to committee rapporteur by allowing so many to co-author his Budget. Photo: Gerry Mooney Here we go again, down the reckless populist path from boom to bust. We've just marked the 10th anniversary of the bank bailout, but all those solemn assurances about learning lessons are starting to have a tin echo. The scars of austerity and painful memories of boom-to-bust economics were commemorated. But that's as far as it went. Political amnesia is back. The past 10 days represent the worst period of fiscal irresponsibility in a decade. Budget 2019 and the out-turn of the public finances for this year amount to the weakest type of populism. Witness the reckless abandonment of budgetary prudence. It started last Friday. The Department of Health overspend is a record 767m - and counting. No proper explanation was provided either by the ministers for finance or health. No attempt, with still months of the year remaining, to stop the runaway train of health care mismanagement. Instead, we offset 1bn of extra corporation tax receipts (CPT) to balance off the overall State annual accounts. We are still bereft of an explanation as to the failures of the Revenue Commissioners/Finance Department to accurately forecast CPT yields from multinationals. Over the past three years, even before the latest billion miscalculation, the equivalent of 26 years of Ryanair profits has been completely missed. One tech giant accounted for 700m of the windfall CPT bonus. Windfall The likelihood of this becoming a sustainable revenue flow is remote to say the least. The Government has budgeted for permanent fixed health spending against a one-off mega-windfall. It's all reminiscent of the early Haughey budgets in 1980-81 (having just taken over from Jack Lynch). Haughey was desperate to secure his first general election mandate - there were massive supplementary estimates, promises to all. Annual receipts from CPT have risen from 4bn to 9.5bn. Something extraordinary is happening with the international warehousing of intellectual property (IP) into Ireland; 40pc of the CPT take last year of 7.4bn came from just 10 companies. The Irish CPT regime provides tax deductions for the capital cost of acquiring specified intangible assets which are used for the purposes of the company's trade. These intangible assets include patents, copyrights, trademarks, licenses, computer software, brands, know-how and goodwill directly attributable to any of these assets. These are treated in the same way as plant, machinery and buildings, whereby tech companies can claim tax deductions of up to 80pc of their income over a 15-year period through accounting impairment or amortisation. Further special stamp duty exemptions apply for the acquisition of IP by an Irish-registered company. Through the 'Knowledge Development Box', 50pc relief means a 6.25pc rate of tax applies to profits earned on patented inventions and copyright software for an Irish company. Research and development tax credits also applies to 25pc of that expenditure. Other concessions apply to dividends and withholding tax on royalties. These incentives have attracted, on a globally unprecedented scale, warehousing of intellectual property assets onto Irish corporate balance sheets. They have become a world magnet. But this lucrative game, yielding bonanza Exchequer returns, can't continue indefinitely. Restrictions on such write-offs are on the way even before Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Donald Trump declare war on our tax haven. It's unsustainable to plan multi-annual budgets on the basis of this gold rush. Seamus Coffey, chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and author of our CPT bible, says the Government's budget balancing isn't credible. He's absolutely right. Leo Varadkar tweeted that this Budget would "balance the books" and was "Brexit-proofed". In reality, it marks a return to fictional finances. Paschal Donohoe has lost significant authority. By allowing so many co-authors to write his budget, he's been reduced from minister to committee rapporteur. Every syllable was comprehensively leaked. Fianna Fail, Independent Alliance and ministers rushed to claim credit for each spending wheeze/tax concession at the expense of his credibility. Total (capital and current) increases in voted public expenditure relative to Budget 2018 are 5.6bn. It signifies a return to political promiscuity - on an industrial scale. Vested interest groups procured spending concessions relative to minimalist 291m income tax amendments. A ratio not of 2:1 but an incredible 19:1. That's not even counting consumers coughing up an extra 466m at restaurants and hairdressers. The spendthrift politics of this budget are extremely short-sighted for Fine Gael. It has lost its ace card. Leo famously promised to look after those "who get up early in the morning" - namely 1.7 million private sector workers. The same workers who saved this country from bankruptcy, paying 21bn or an extra 11bn in income tax since 2008. Ordinary taxpayers aren't the talking heads we hear from in the media. You don't hear any special pleading. They're too busy surviving in the squeezed middle - paying for everything, carrying the nation's national debt burden. Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and the left are optimal "caring and sharing" parties, always preferring more spending over tax reforms. FG, implementing its policies, will get little credit. Simply throwing more at health (2.25bn) and housing (2.3bn) won't overcome hospital mismanagement nor regulatory straitjackets of red tape from departmental planning, density, and procurement guidelines that prevent housing construction from attaining viability. Leo now looks more like a slick salesman, rather than a sombre statesman. And what exactly has he bought? If the central plank of his re-election platform is built on soft promises, he will sink. He'll easily be outbid in the election auction as reason goes out the window. Weakness Expect more fiscal weakness like the U-turn on carbon taxes through massive discounts on the Local Property Tax revenue base. It's strategically smarter for FG to act responsibly, maintain steady economic growth through budget surpluses - even at the risk of a Dail defeat. The slow building of a character rooted in prudence would give the party the armour to take on all comers on the hustings from the economic high moral ground. They have risked credibility over seven years of sound macro-economic management to please pressure groups and windy backbenchers. The fundamental fiscal failure of the Bertie Ahern era was to believe tax revenues from constructing 110,000 houses a year (VAT/stamp duty windfalls) were sustainable to finance benchmarking, tax cuts, wholesale welfare hikes and expanded public services. A similar mistake - believing momentary multinational accounting practices will yield perennial CPT cash to fund populist politics - is the fundamental flaw of Budget 2019. IT business Arkphire has taken on a substantial investment which is set to catapult it past a 100m valuation. The money comes from British private equity firm Bregal Milestone which has chosen Arkphire as the first investment in a new 400m pan-European fund focusing on high-growth companies. Though the parties did not announce financial terms, Bregals strategy is to deploy 20m to 60m into its companies while taking minority stakes. This deal will see as much as the full 60m deployed, depending on acquisitions that present themselves meaning Arkphire would be worth a nine-figure sum. The Irish firm has grown rapidly over the past four years, with turnover increasing from 20m to 90m. Thats been driven in part by a strategy of following customers into different countries multinationals are an important customer base alongside public sector agencies and big Irish organisations. It has also profited from companies looking to outsource. It is offering ranges from looking after desktops in offices to providing data centre services, having done partnerships with industry giants like Apple, Dell EMC and HP among others. Arkphire co-founder and CEO Paschal Naylor said the company had been seeking a long-term partner who shared our entrepreneurial values. He said the deal would help Arkphire ambitiously scale its business. The sector here is significantly fragmented, presenting plenty of opportunities for acquisitions. Bregal Milestone managing director Cyrus Shey said that Arkphire and Bregal would work together to further drive growth opportunities, both organically and through M&A. Arkphire boasts longstanding relationships with a blue-chip portfolio of global technology customers and enjoys unrivalled reputation as a reliable and customer-focused innovation partner, he added. The Dublin-based firm employs 90 people and was advised on the deal by IBI Corporate Finance. The deal is a reflection of the increasing prominence of private equity in the Irish market. Firms such as Carlyle Cardinal Ireland, MML Growth Capital Partners and Renatus Capital Partners have become active on the Irish M&A scene in recent years, as have a number of UK players. New providers have also emerged in the debt market. The low-interest-rate environment of recent years has helped people selling businesses achieve strong valuations as investors hunted for yield. Oil giant: Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson was a CEO of Exxon Mobil US giant Exxon Mobil - a so-called 'supermajor' of the oil industry - has taken a 50pc stake in an Irish exploration prospect due to be drilled next year. The move is a huge boost for the Irish exploration sector, as an entity with deep pockets commits to a drilling project that will boost the rest of the industry if the result is positive. Providence Resources has exploration acreage adjacent to the block which is known as the Iolar prospect. The prospect is located off the south-west coast in an area known as the Porcupine Basin. It is operated by Nexen - another large company owned by Chinese state company Cnooc. The deal is structured as an equity swap. Exxon is taking 50pc of the prospect in return for giving Nexen 25pc in each of two other Irish prospects. Nexen will continue to operate the project which is scheduled for drilling in the summer of 2019. The drill will coincide roughly with Providence's plans to drill at Barryroe, after completing a deal with a Chinese consortium which will see as many as seven wells drilled at the prospect, located off the Cork coast. Exxon - formerly run by ex-US secretary of state Rex Tillerson - teamed up with Providence a number of years ago to drill at an area known as Dunquin North, but no commercially viable oil or gas was recovered. Their decision to try again at Iolar will be seen as encouraging for the Irish exploration sector. The oil price has risen from $45 a barrel in June 2017 to over $85 a barrel at recent highs. Oil markets look "adequately supplied for now" after a big production increase in the last six months, but the industry is coming under strain, the International Energy Agency said on Friday. US sanctions on Iranian oil exports could reduce market supply - putting upward pressure on the oil price and encouraging more exploration activity. Additional reporting Reuters There was no deal with Turkey for the release of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday, thanking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his help and signaling a rapprochement in ties after a long period of trouble between the two NATO allies, Daily Sabah reports. Trump also thanked Erdogan for his help in the case of Brunson, who was freed by a Turkish court after two years of trial under arrest. He was sentenced on terror charges but released considering the time he was in prison. Turkey's decision to release Brunson accused with alleged ties to the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) and the PKK terrorist organization was not due to any pressure from outside but rather the result of the processes of the independent Turkish judiciary, spokesman for Justice and Development Party (AK Party) also said Saturday. THE US government has granted yet another temporary reprieve against the Russian owners of the Aughinish Alumina factory in west Limerick. Yesterday the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) extended, until December 12, licences allowing Rusal, which in turn owns Aughinish, to continue doing business. The future of Aughinish has been in doubt since last April when the United States imposed sanctions on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and eight companies in which he is a large shareholder, including Rusal. However the sanctions have been postponed several times since then as the US considers removing Rusal from the US blacklist if Mr Deripaska drops his control over EN+, which owns 48pc of Rusal. The sanctions caused havoc in the global aluminium market, prompting several countries, including Ireland and France, to lobby the US for a softening of the terms on Rusal. Aughinish Alumina is a key strategic asset in the global aluminium supply chain, producing 30pc of alumina in the European Union. Ireland had sought a minimum 12-month extension to help save hundreds of jobs amid concerns the sanctions could see production at Aughinish slashed by up to 70pc or face closure. OFAC's extension of the deadline until December 12 ensures that the outcome of the sanctions review, which must be approved by Congress, does not fall during the fraught midterm elections in the US. (Additional reporting Reuters) 'But what does this mean for me getting broadband?" The question was put to me by a colleague who lives a mere 30 miles from Dublin. It cuts straight through all the political positioning to the heart of the matter. This is about the deprivation of basic infrastructure to a million Irish citizens. Up until last week, the State's rural broadband rollout looked set to start within a few months. That meant that the first of 540,000 rural homes were on course to be physically connected to high-speed fibre broadband in the second half of 2019. Now, it's not so clear. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has temporarily outsourced responsibility for clearing the bid process to a consultant called Peter Smyth, nominated as the process's auditor. He has been asked to produce a report on whether critical elements of the procurement plan have been "contaminated". Given the stakes, it's not hard to imagine that this could take months. Expand Close Tender: US businessman David McCourt. Photo: Claire Wood / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tender: US businessman David McCourt. Photo: Claire Wood There is no comment from the Government on timing. The Taoiseach, likely mindful of his party's substantial number of rural voters, tried to sugar-coat things by saying the completion of the National Broadband Plan will be "a personal crusade" for him. "I promise I'll make it happen," he told reporters. But when? 2025? 2030? As with so many incidences in the past, the Government executive is now retreating from giving an updated time frame for when hundreds of thousands of citizens will start to get essential communications infrastructure. Of all the setbacks the National Broadband Plan has suffered, this is arguably the most depressing. The Government was weeks away from signing the critical deal to start the physical rollout. The consortium bidding for it submitted its final bid almost a month ago. Officials (not the minister) from the Department of Communications had asked the consortium for a few minor clarifications. But otherwise, nothing major had come up for the civil servants in charge of the procurement. In other words, up until Thursday, it looked likely that we'd have an actual deal, possibly by the end of this month. Now it may not make that deal until well into next year, if at all. Sources close to the consortium say that they remain in the dark as to what's happening. Unfortunately, the Government's track record on getting broadband rolled out in a timely fashion is pretty poor. It has repeatedly pushed delivery of the National Broadband Plan in recent years. It now looks unlikely that any rural home or business in the geographic majority of the country will get access to the promised broadband before 2020 at the earliest. Timeline: From Rolls Royce of internet to turmoil :: August 2012 Then-Labour Party communications minister Pat Rabbitte announced a National Broadband Plan (NBP) for Ireland. It is said to be "as important as rural electrification". State investment of 175m was envisaged by the Fine Gael-Labour government. Estimates later rise to between 335m and 500m for what Mr Rabbitte describes in 2014 as "Rolls Royce" broadband. :: July 2015 Labour Party TD Alex White, Mr Rabbitte's successor as minister, outlined a strategy to see 100pc broadband access delivered by 2020. The target by 2018 is 85pc. :: May 2016 Independent TD Denis Naughten becomes communications minister in Fine Gael-led minority Government. The programme for Government renews the commitment for 100pc access to next-generation broadband by 2020, or at latest 2021. :: April 2017 Mr Naughten announces a deal that will see telecommunications company Eir provide broadband to 300,000 homes on a commercial basis. The Government's broadband map is finalised, meaning the three consortiums shortlisted for the NBP can provide tenders. :: July 2017 Mr Naughten indicates there will be a delay in the NBP and the State-subsidised service won't begin until 2019. :: September 2017 Siro, a joint bid by ESB and Vodafone, pulls out of the running for the NBP, citing a lack of a compelling business case to stay. :: February 2018 Eir drops out of the bidding process citing "uncertainty" over pricing. This leaves Enet - a consortium that's led by US businessman David McCourt's firm Granahan McCourt - and includes energy company SSE as the only bidder left in the race. :: July 2018 There's fresh turmoil in the process as SSE drops out of the Enet consortium. :: September 2018 The final tender by the Granahan McCourt-led bid is submitted, though there are further changes in its make-up. The evaluation process begins. :: October 2018 Mr Naughten is embroiled in controversy over meetings he had with Mr McCourt. The Opposition claims it has contaminated the NBP process. He denies he compromised the project but resigns having lost the confidence of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The Taoiseach orders a report into the process by an auditor. At this point 75pc broadband coverage has been achieved. But 540,000 premises are still waiting. Mr Varadkar says it's a "personal crusade" for him to get the NBP over the line. TV presenter Ben Fogle has spoken of the dark cloud that was hanging over his head after climbing Mount Everest. Fogle and Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton, along with mountaineer Kenton Cool, took on Everest earlier this year to highlight the environmental challenges mountains face. Pendleton had to withdraw from the ascent of the 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) mountain on the Nepal/Tibet border after suffering from oxygen deprivation. Fogle, 44, said that after returning home in May he lost all his motivation and felt immensely guilty that Pendleton had developed depression after pulling out of the climb. Victoria struggled with altitude sickness and very nearly died when we got back to camp two and made the heroic decision to abandon her summit bid and came back early, Fogle said. She came back and struggled with depression. It was probably a collision of many different things hypoxia, ill-health, disappointment. Many things came together. Here is an individual who I admire more than anyone else. Shes heroic, strong, both physically and mentally, and Kenton and I spent two years training with her and shes an amazing athlete. Yet she succumbed to this depression. Coming back home and realising this affected me profoundly. I felt the guilt that perhaps I had helped push her into this situation in the first place. We had dreamt up this dream together, but I had kind of helped made it happen. Video of the Day In retrospect, I dont think I would describe myself as having depression because I think that would be really unfair to those who really do suffer depression, I definitely had what I would call a bit of a dark cloud hanging over me. I am not a dark cloud kind of person, I am an optimist and I like to see greatness all around and there was this levering darkness and I couldnt put my finger on it and I couldnt concentrate. I was over-emotional and I lacked any sort of drive. I didnt want to go to the gym or go for a run. I was trying to process things. Everest was a metaphor for life because for me, someone who lacked all this confidence. Fogle said he was lucky to complete the climb because on two occasions, while in the Death Zone, his oxygen regulator exploded and he had to borrow other peoples. He said it was a childhood dream to climb Everest having become mesmerised by the romance of the mountain. From the age of about eight I had this idea that the ultimate human endeavour was to climb Everest, he said. That was my benchmark of true grit and determination. It was always a pipe dream and never ever believed I would have the chance to do it and if I did I was pretty certain I would fail at it. Fogle has previously rowed the Atlantic, walked across Antarctica on foot, run the Sahara and crossed the Empty Quarter on camel. Kenton and I got to know one another and in the meantime I became a father and I woke up one day and thought Im telling my children to pursue their dreams and not to be held back by societys expectations or by your own lack of confidence and here in the back of my mind was this burning desire to try Everest, he said. Fogle was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival to promote his new book, Up: My Lifes Journey to the Top of Everest, which is published next week. The Countryfile co-host said he was given four weeks to write the book, but really struggled and ended up writing it at the last minute inside three days. I said to my wife I cant do it and she said, No, you are not abandoning that book. You are not climbing to Everest and getting to the summit and being defeated by a book, Fogle said. We went away and I sat down and wrote the whole thing in three days. It just all came out. What was amazing was after those three days it was like my mind was completely clear again. This darkness that I couldnt understand was gone and it is like it is all in that book. It was a very cathartic and therapeutic process. There's a repetitive patter to Taylor Swift's award acceptance speeches. The willowy pop star thanks her fans and tells them she loves them. There's a good chance she will recall a personal connection to the prize in question. She will appear slightly taken aback by it all, and massively grateful. What Swift has never done while picking up an award, however, is share a political message. She's thrown shade at Kanye West (while collecting her record-breaking third Album of the Year Grammy in 2016), but that's about the extent of her podium-based precocity. On Tuesday night, though, she collected her Artist of the Year American Music Award with the advice: "Get out and vote." Those four words may sound trite; Swift is not the first celebrity to encourage the American youth to register to take to the polls. Paris Hilton, 50 Cent and Ben Affleck are among those who have gone before her - despite not even being registered themselves. But this week, Swift broke a long-held (and roundly controversial) silence over her political views. In the process, she made a genuine impact, encouraging tens of thousands of Americans aged between 18-29 to register to vote. It's a turn of events that is surprising for two reasons. Swift was internationally criticised for refusing to state who she supported in the 2016 presidential election. As a woman who has shared so much of her life with her fans, Swift's determination to keep schtum on the most divisive election in recent American history was seen as highly suspicious. Many assumed that Swift, who had moved to Tennessee - a safe Republican state - during her childhood to pursue a musical career, was a supporter of Donald Trump in the wake of saying otherwise. Her lack of comment even encouraged members of the US alt-right to champion Swift as one of them - until her team threatened a blogger who compared her to Hitler with legal action, announcing an "unequivocal denouncement by Ms Swift of white supremacy and the alt-right". But on a broader note, pop stars don't tend to succeed when they try to make a political impact. That Swift did (the 237,428 registrations witnessed in October by Vote.org, the website shared by Swift, eclipsed the 190,178 made in September) bucks a trend. Her silence during the 2016 political campaign was all the louder because her contemporaries were stumping for Clinton. Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Katy Perry all publicly stood by Clinton. Trump, meanwhile, had no celebrities by his side, just soundbites from awkward D-Listers, including Loretta Lynn and Kid Rock. And yet, we all know who won the election. It wasn't just Swift's speech that did it. On Monday, she updated her Instagram post with a polaroid of herself and her boldest political affiliation of her 15-year career: "I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me." This was one sentence of a lengthy statement in which Swift stated that she believed in LGBTQ rights, was sickened by systemic racism and was against "any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender". She also hinted that she had voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, saying: "I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office." Expand Close Katy Perry campaigns for Hillary Clinton / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Katy Perry campaigns for Hillary Clinton After saying she would be voting for democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, Swift urged her young fans ("who have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count") to "educate yourself" on those running, while acknowledging that "we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100pc on every issue". The upload - which went to Swift's 112 million followers - also reached the upper echelons of the White House. Trump told reporters that he "liked Taylor's music about 25pc less now". Arkansas governor and Republican contrarian Mike Huckabee tweeted that Swift "has every right to be political, but it won't impact election unless we allow 13 yr old girls to vote [sic]. Still with #MarshaBlackburn". The voter registration statistics would suggest otherwise. What's intriguing about Swift's comments is that she's given them the same campaign treatment as she would a new single or album release. Swift's digital proximity with her fans - reading their blogs, following their Twitter accounts, liking their uploads - is unrivalled and a tactic she has developed over the years to shift records and gain influence. During the past two days, Swifties on Tumblr - and not just "13 yr old girls" - have been saying they were previously apathetic about voting, but her message convinced them to register. Swift, in turn, has been liking Tumblr posts that have celebrated her decision to make her politics public. Along with the confessional nature of her songwriting, Swift's seen as a best friend or big sister by her greatest supporters, and that's in part why she's able to make things happen when other pop heavyweights haven't. Beyonce, Jay Z and Rihanna may have attempted to tackle streaming's siphoning of the music industry with Tidal, their own subscription platform, but it was Swift who got Apple to pay artists for their music during Apple Music's three-month trial period after publishing an open letter in the Washington Post. Video of the Day Of course, there has been backlash, too. Some (albeit on that famously nefarious internet underbelly, 4Chan) said she had "ended her career". Conservative groups accused her of ignorance, while podcaster Jensen Karp suggested Swift's statement suggested a dire state of affairs: "Do you know how bad it has to be for Taylor Swift to get political?", he quipped on Twitter. What most seem to be aware of, though, is a sense of real change. As Christopher J Hale, a democrat politician from Tennessee wrote in Time this week, the only person who could persuade the 21-year-old cashier who served him daily to vote for him was Swift. And the biggest swing-voting demographic in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville - the staunchly conservative state's biggest cities - is women. Swift knows how to speak to young women: her narratives of fairytale romances and giddy midnight feasts in diners have provided the adolescent backdrop to millions of girls around the world. By contrast, Perry's trumpeting support of Clinton seemed showy, and distant. Beyonce and Jay Z's glimmering appearances in campaign videos felt earnest and aspirational. Yes, Swift probably should have broken her silence earlier. As we have seen, people listen when she tells them to vote. Punters queueing outside Central Hall in London for the Late Late Show tonight The Late Late Shows much anticipated broadcast from London has left punters disappointed after a high turn-up rate meant people were turned away at the door. Hopeful attendees claim that despite arriving hours before the 8pm start time, they were told that the venue was oversubscribed. Breda Corish, who was in attendance with the London Irish Abortions Rights Campaign, said there was a huge queue when her group arrived an hour before the show. We were very keen to arrive so we got there just after seven and there was a huge queue already, Breda told Independent.ie. Expand Close Punters queueing outside Central Hall in London for the Late Late Show tonight / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Punters queueing outside Central Hall in London for the Late Late Show tonight I have no idea what happened but there were a lot of disappointed people out there. It was chaotic and confusing and people were getting grumpy. One woman, who is 28 weeks pregnant, said her group were gutted when they didnt get in. Its so disappointing, I met so many lovely people who had made all sorts of big effort to get there, Sinead OSullivan told Independent.ie. The Waterford native, who has been living in London for 14 years, said she began queueing an hour before the show. When we arrived tonight there were huge crowds of people and the company which were handling the tickets said; sorry but its full - we were oversubscribed. There were hundreds of disappointed people left outside of all ages. It just didnt make sense why they issued so many tickets. People were so gutted. Video of the Day Some travelled over from Ireland for the live broadcast, with one student nurse claiming her mother flew over from Ireland for nothing. Its crazy there was still people outside giving out, we just left as the show had started, she said. Im a student nurse living London two years now and my mam has never been to visit. I couldnt believe I won ticket, I only found out we won them on Tuesday. She got a flight over Thursday night late for 160, all for nothing. A spokesperson for RTE told Independent.ie that the tickets were allocated through a UK based company called Applause Store. Audience Tickets for The Late Late Show in London were allocated and managed by UK based company Applause Store. Applause Store are ticket specialists for UK TV audiences, they said. The spokesperson added that the tickets stated that there was no guaranteed entry and that there was high demand for the London broadcast tickets. Tickets were allocated to applicants stating that it was not a guarantee of entry but seats would be allocated on the night on a first come first served basis. This is standard in UK TV audience management. However, such was the demand for this one-off show that more people were left disappointed than expected. A spokesperson for Applause Store said the demand was unprecedented and that there was a higher than normal turn-up rate. We have to oversubscribe our tickets to cover any no shows as all of them are free of charge and sadly not everyone uses them, Applause Store Audience Manager Mathew First said. We have, however, experienced a higher than normal turn-up rate which has meant that regrettably we could not accommodate everyone with a seat in the venue. The demand for Late Late Show tickets is unprecedented. The legendary show was broadcast from London this evening to celebrate the Irish living in London. Graham Norton, Brendan O'Carroll and Imelda May were among the line-up this evening, with music from Finbar Furey and Andrea and Caroline Corr. Graham Norton was the undisputed star guest on Friday night's Late Late Show, which broadcast live from London to celebrate the Irish in the UK. He was the first guest among an impressive line-up which included Mick McCarthy, Barry McGuigan, Imelda May, Finbar Furey, Brendan O'Carroll, Laura Whitmore, Angela Scanlon, Stephen James Smith, and an Irish Ceiili Supergroup. The show ended with a Brexit debate featuring former Labour spinmaster Alastair Campbell, Dublin-born Liberal Democrat Baroness Dee Doocey, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, and economist Liam Halligan. When the panelists all spoke over each other, host Ryan Tubridy interjected with, "Lads, no wonder you are in a mess." However, it was Norton's take on Brexit, shared with the audience earlier in the show, which made the biggest impact on the audience in the theatre and at home. Asked by host Ryan Tubridy how he reacts to Brexit, Norton said, "I shut my eyes, I do some deep breathing," and added, "Theres a bloody mindedness about it. Some sort of Brexit is going to happen even thought at this point everyone knows it's a bad idea." He continued, "But I do think there's something very British and just well, 'I said I was hungry enough to eat my foot so I'm going to eat my foot'. So, from next year we'll be having toes for an amuse bouche and chowing down on the ankle by mid summer." Video of the Day Norton, who has just published a new book, A Keeper, also drew laughs when he spoke about his mother watching the show. His own chat show also broadcasts every Friday night on BBC One. "She is watching Ryan," he said, "She'll be turning over soon for me though!" "Some weeks she doesn't and some weeks I ring her on a Saturday and ask her if she watched the show, and she says, 'I did'. And then she'll go, 'How did you think it went?'. The reviews are in!" The presenter also revealed that he references the 'Getting in Touch' column in the Irish Farmer's Journal in his book, which he thought no longer existed. "The Irish Farmer's Journal got in touch, quite indignant, 'No, Graham, there are lonely farmers still out there, looking for love'. The world wide web has not reached them all. The aul WiFi isn't great." Speaking about the difference between Ireland today and the Ireland he left in the early 80s, he said that now young people are engaged in politics and in fashioning a republic that allows them to live the lives they want to live. "It's such an optimistic, bright place," he said. "When you talk to young people, when I go home, they're so proud of it, so delighted with that they've done and it's so gobsmacking." While he has no plans to return to live in Ireland, he said, "My default position is I can always go home to Ireland and grow tomatoes plants on a windowsill and just not watch the radio or television." Another highlight of the show for viewers was the performance of When You Were Sweet Sixteen from Imelda May and Finbar Furey: You can watch Graham Norton's interview and the entire show on the RTE Player. A criticism of tribunals of inquiry is that, while their function is to discover facts, civil or criminal penalties do not automatically flow from their findings. Very often in previous tribunals, the main damage done to those subject to adverse findings has been largely reputational. In some instances, persons criticised have also had to pay all or a portion of their legal costs. People found to have not told the truth can be heavily penalised in the pocket. It will soon fall to Mr Justice Peter Charleton to decide whether various witnesses at the Disclosures Tribunal are entitled to have their costs covered by the State. Senior legal figures who have closely followed proceedings believe there is every chance former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan and his former press officer, Supt Dave Taylor, the two people most heavily criticised by the tribunal, will be hit with costs orders. In his report this week, Mr Justice Charleton said truth was a paramount consideration in relation to costs. He pointed out that the law allows him to make costs orders against persons who, in the opinion of the tribunal, knowingly gave false or misleading information or failed to co-operate or provide assistance. Expand Close Former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins Mr Justice Charleton said he believed the testimony of four key witnesses who said Mr Callinan denigrated Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe in conversations with them, and rejected the former commissioner's account. In relation to Supt Taylor, the judge said he had the gravest difficulty in accepting his evidence as anything approximating to the truth. However, the ramifications for the two men may well extend beyond damage to their reputations and a costs bill. In Supt Taylor's case it would be inconceivable if he were not to also now face a serious Garda disciplinary inquiry. Expand Close Sgt Maurice McCabe. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sgt Maurice McCabe. Photo: Gareth Chaney / Collins Another garda criticised by the Disclosures Tribunal, Keith Harrison, is currently facing such an inquiry. It has been alleged by the force that adverse commentary about Garda Harrison by Mr Justice Charleton "would bring An Garda Siochana into disrepute" and that his conduct in a number of specific incidents was "unbecoming to a member". It would not be difficult to imagine similar disciplinary allegations also now being laid against Supt Taylor. While the superintendent could seek to retire to avoid such an outcome, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris can refuse such a retirement if there is a disciplinary issue. Mr Callinan has been retired for the past four years and cannot be subject to any Garda sanction. However, legal sources say he faces the possibility of losing an indemnity granted to him by the State in a civil action being taken against him by Sgt McCabe for alleged misfeasance of public office. This is one of several lawsuits filed by Sgt McCabe that look set to proceed now that the tribunal has completed its inquiries into the smear campaign against him. In a damning report, Mr Justice Charleton found Mr Callinan engaged, with the aid of Supt Taylor, in a campaign of false and defamatory statements against the whistleblower. It said Sgt McCabe was a genuine person who had the interests of the people of Ireland uppermost in his mind when he highlighted penalty points abuses and other policing shortcomings. But instead of being lauded by his then commissioner, he was targeted by "a frontal attack" during 2013 and 2014 to "head off" what Mr Callinan saw as "the undermining of standards of duty and loyalty to which he had devoted his career". Mr Callinan felt his rights as he saw them, both as data controller of Garda information and as commander of his subordinates, would be breached if Sgt McCabe appeared at the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC). In particular, the plan followed by Mr Callinan and Supt Taylor was to spread information about a historic allegation of child sexual assault. The DPP found no offence of any kind had been disclosed against Sgt McCabe and that there was no basis for any prosecution. Mr Callinan also told then PAC chairman John McGuinness that Sgt McCabe had abused his own children. Mr Callinan denied all of this and Supt Taylor downplayed his involvement, but the tribunal rejected their evidence. The defendant, who has served in both metropolitan and rural areas, was decorated with a silver medal for bravery, Mr Fogarty said. (Stock picture) A serving member of An Garda Siochana was sentenced to two years in prison for what a judge described as "an opportunist and repellent sexual assault on a sleeping female". Imposing sentence at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, Co Mayo, Judge Rory MacCabe described the fact that the defendant will lose his job as a significant penalty but added "people have to accept the natural consequences of their actions". The judge refused a request by defence counsel, Ken Fogarty, for a suspended prison term. Earlier Mr Fogarty told Judge MacCabe that the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has already been served with dismissal papers by the Garda Commissioner. The defendant, who has served in both metropolitan and rural areas, is a decorated officer, Mr Fogarty said. Earlier this year the defendant, a married man with children, went on trial charged with sexually assaulting a woman after getting into her bed in a hotel room in the west of Ireland. As the trial was about enter its final stages, the accused changed his plea to guilty on a single count of sexual assault. At the previous hearing, evidence was heard that the accused is known to the complainant and travelled with her as part of an eight-strong group to a charity event in a west of Ireland town in July 2015. The victim was the only woman present. The group then stayed overnight in an apartment which forms part of a local hotel complex. The victim told the court the group had enjoyed drinks and played card games as the evening wore on. She said that she had put on her pyjamas and retired to the double bed she was later to share with her husband. The female gave evidence that she was awakened by a man who was molesting her. Her husband turned on a light and her attacker got out of bed with his trousers down. She gave evidence she was highly distressed afterwards and was comforted by her husband. The court heard that on the following day the victim and her husband received a Facebook message from the accused in which he apologised for what had happened. In the message, the accused claimed not to remember what happened. He added: "Unfortunately, loads of beer and Captain Morgan's (rum) do not fit well with me. I can only guess that in my drunken stupor I went to the wrong bed." In an emotional victim impact statement, the woman said being betrayed by a person she then regarded as a friend while in that most vulnerable state - sleeping - left her sick to the very core. She spoke of her initial difficulties in reporting the incident. "Who would take my word above that of a garda who is supposed to be a pillar of the community?" All her emotional torment could have been avoided in 2015 if he had pleaded guilty then, the victim added. She had embarked on self-harm. "I hated my body for not waking sooner," she said. "I am branded by the actions of another and I will carry this with me forever." Richard Gaughan of the Garda Ombudsman Commission, which investigated the complaint, told the court the defendant had gone to the toilet and was gone for some time. Mr Gaughan said the woman's husband ordered the defendant from the room after finding him in the bed. The victim was "dazed" at the time. Defence counsel Mr Fogarty said his client had made a drunken decision on the night and had asked him to convey to the victims his profound sorrow and remorse. When asked by Mr Fogarty to suspend the sentence, the judge said there was no reason to suspend because the defendant is not viewed as an ongoing risk. Accused: Michael Ferris is on trial for the alleged murder of Anthony OMahony. Photo: Domnick Walsh Gardai told a court this week of the quiet scene with "no one about" in the aftermath of the killing of 73-year-old tillage farmer John Anthony O'Mahony in Rattoo, Co Kerry. Michael Ferris (63), of Rattoo, Ballyduff, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr O'Mahony, at Rattoo on April 4, 2017. The Central Criminal Court sitting in Tralee has heard evidence over two days from Mr O'Mahony's neighbours, gardai who attended the scene and the Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster. The jury was told they would hear that dairy farmer Mr Ferris was driving a teleporter, "with large prongs" extended, on a country road. Just before 8am, he went to neighbours and said: "Mahony is gone." When gardai from Listowel arrived they found a severely damaged car. Mr O'Mahony was inside with serious injuries to his head and body and it was obvious there had been a violent incident. Expand Close Killed: Anthony OMahony, who suffered catastrophic injuries on the day he died. Photo: Eye Focus LTD / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Killed: Anthony OMahony, who suffered catastrophic injuries on the day he died. Photo: Eye Focus LTD Dr Bolster said Mr O'Mahony died from "polytrauma" and the deceased had multiple "gaping" and penetrating wounds with "total evulsion [forcible extraction] of the heart and liver". Dr Bolster said that when she arrived, there was a large amount of broken glass and the dashboard of the car was driven over Mr O'Mahony's legs. A large portion of his bowel could be seen protruding from his shirt. Read More On removal of the body the lacerated liver could be seen at the front well of the driver's seat, and his lacerated heart was between the side of the door and the driver's seat. There were multiple injuries and fractures and "gaping wounds"; one of the wounds went right through the skull and brain tissue could be seen. Gardai said they received a call at 8.30am that there had been a collision between a teleporter machine and a car and a man might be trapped. The garda patrol arrived at Rattoo at 8.41am. There was debris along the road from a blue Peugeot 508 for a distance of between 50 to 70ft. Listowel garda Pat Naughten told the court that the car was very badly damaged with several puncture marks, including on the bonnet and through the windscreen. He noted that a lone male was sitting in the driver's seat. He was later identified as Anthony O'Mahony and was "deceased and had been abandoned". "He had catastrophic injuries. They were absolutely horrific injuries to his upper body, to his face, to his skull," Gda Naughton said. There was damage to the ditches on the left and right side of the road. "That was the alarming thing. There was no one there, not one to tell us what happened," the garda said. He observed a yellow New Holland teleporter at the entrance to a milking parlour. On the front fork there was blood and possibly tissue. The brother of the accused, Paddy Ferris (61), told how he and his brother managed the 90-acre farm. He was aware his brother's neighbours did not get on with Mr O'Mahony over his regular use of a crow banger - a device used to scare birds away from crops. Asked by Patrick McGrath SC for the prosecution if the banger was a constant feature, Paddy Ferris said it was. "It had an awful effect on him [Michael Ferris]," he said. Brendan Grehan SC, for Michael Ferris said there would be no issue with the crime scene, forensic analysis of the teleporter or the arrest. It is admitted the accused was driving the teleporter on the day, Mr Grehan said. Effectively the issue to the forefront will be "not what happened, but why it happened", Mr Grehan said. The trial continues next week presided over by Ms Justice Carmel Stewart. Stylish rescue: Coasts fashions have been snapped up by UK retailer Karen Millen Five standalone Coast stores have closed down but 10 concessions will remain open following a deal which will see Karen Millen buy part of the Irish business. The High Court yesterday gave the provisional liquidator of the Irish subsidiary of fashion chain Coast permission to sell part of the business to UK fashion house Karen Millen. Under the sale agreement, Coast Stores Ireland Ltd, which is part of the UK-based Coast group of fashion outlets, 50 of the 99 full and part-time jobs in the Irish subsidiary will be saved. Coast Ireland had operated five stand-alone stores and a 10 concessions at department stores here. The agreement will see Karen Millen Fashions Ltd, which has bought the entire Coast Group in the UK, retain all the concession outlets in Ireland and purchase all of the Irish subsidiaries' stock. Karen Millen did not wish to acquire any interest in the five stand-alone stores. The sale agreement was approved by Ms Justice Caroline Costello. Liquidator and PwC Partner Declan McDonald commented that it's unfortunate that the Coast group's difficulties has affected the Irish business but the sale to Karen Millen has secured a future for the business in Ireland through its concession and online channels retaining approximately half the company's workforce. The company cited difficulties experienced by its parent, including the collapse of the department store group House of Fraser. The deteriorating relations between the United States and Russia are worsening international security and weakening efforts to reduce nuclear arsenals, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said, Sputnik reported. "The current relations between Russia and the United States struggle through the worst times. Historians, politicians, political scientists cannot recall any other time when our relations were in such a miserable state," Antonov said. "Other countries, international peace and security all suffer because of this. The worse the US-Russia relations get, the worse the situation concerning security as well as nuclear arsenals reduction and limitation in the world becomes." Antonov emphasized that Russia and the United States bear a special responsibility for maintaining global peace and security as they are the worlds biggest nuclear powers and permanent members on the UN Security Council. "I would like to remind you that the positive outcomes of Soviet- and Russia-US negotiations always had a positive impact on disarmament in other areas," Antonov said. Moreover, the United States and Russia are currently in visa war with each other, Antonov said. "In my mind, we have a visa war between the United States and the Russian Federation," Antonov said on Friday. "We have so many problems but again I would like to say and I have confirmed it many times at the State Department and the White House that we are ready to stop this visa war." A man who used his neighbour's bank card while her body lay undiscovered was told he faces jail for a "wicked series of offences". Robert Sharkey (24) faces a series of charges linked to his neighbour Marie Conlon (68), whose remains were found at her Larkspur Rise, Belfast, home in October 2017. Belfast Crown Court heard that after stealing her bank card, Sharkey - who had lived in the flat above Ms Conlon for around five years - used it fraudulently for two years. As well as paying Ms Conlon's rates bill in a bid to avoid detection, Sharkey ordered the same nine-inch pepperoni and anchovy pizza and two tins of juice for delivery from Domino's Pizza every day between 4pm and 6pm. Prosecuting barrister Peter Magill said: "So regular was this that staff nicknamed him 'the fish guy'." It was revealed that after finding his neighbour's body, he said he was worried about ringing the police as he was struggling with money. He also said that after stealing from her, he closed the door on her flat and "pretended that nothing had happened". Judge Piers Grant branded Sharkey's criminality as "a wicked, wicked series of offences against a decent woman who was clearly vulnerable because of her age". He also told Sharkey, from Grays Hill, in Bangor, that his offending was an "affront... to any right-thinking person", and said: "Prepare yourself on the basis a custodial sentence will almost likely be imposed." As relatives of Ms Conlon's sat in the public gallery, they heard how Sharkey defrauded more than 11,700 (13,300) from her estate. They also heard how Sharkey kicked her door in around October 2015 after noticing her post was piling up, and found her dead in bed. The authorities were not alerted about her death, and he returned to her flat when he needed light bulbs, which he stole along with batteries, a cup and a screwdriver. Sharkey also went through her post, found her new bank card, and began to use it fraudulently. On Friday, October 6, last year, Ms Conlon's remains were found by police following concerns raised by her family. Telling Sharkey his behaviour was "disgraceful", Judge Grant remanded him into custody and told him he will be sentenced next Friday. A 14-year-old pupil allegedly pulled a knife on another boy and held it to his throat during a row in a south Dublin secondary school. The incident caused deep concern among parents of children attending the school. One mother told Independent.ie her child and others have been very nervous since. It is understood the incident happened at around lunchtime on Monday, October 1 when an argument between two pupils broke out over the code for a door. One boy has been suspended, but is not thought to have been expelled. The principal of the school did not return requests for comment. Gardai from Dundrum are investigating the incident, though it is understood there will be no criminal prosecutions. While the second-year pupil was questioned by officers, he was not arrested. Gardai attended a school in south Dublin following a report of an incident, a garda spokesperson said. The matter will be dealt with by the school. No one was injured and no criminal offence has been disclosed. This issue will be primarily dealt with by the school, but Garda Juvenile Liaison officers are also involved and are dealing with it, a source said. One parent told Independent.ie: A second-year student upended a classroom and held another student up against a wall with a knife to his throat, a parent said. Students were terrified and went running and screaming. This student was suspended and is now back in class. Parents are talking about taking their kids out for their own safety. The schools principal and deputy principal wrote to parents and guardians immediately after the incident, informing them that a thorough investigation had been launched. The student will not be in class while the investigation is being carried out, they added. Please be assured that the safety and well-being of all our students and staff is our primary concern. In follow-up correspondence sent last Friday, the principal thanked parents for their support. All relevant authorities have been consulted and we are following the schools policies and procedures which are based on best national practice, she said. I understand how unsettling and frightening this must be for you as parents and for your children. Last Tuesday I addressed the students at assembly and assured them that their safety is the primary concern of all the staff and the board of management and that they should speak to a member of staff if they are concerned, worried or upset. She offered the services of a guidance counsellor, year head and tutor if needed. However, one parent claimed they could not get a direct response from the school when they asked questions about the incident, and the matter has caused a lot of unrest. AN INTELLIGENT young woman is over the moon to discover she achieved an incredible eight H1s in the Leaving Certificate - the perfect score - after getting her results re-checked. Edwina Aylward (18) was one of just eight students who achieved top marks in the Leaving Cert this year and was the only female to do so in 2018. Edwina, from Knocktopher in Co Kilkenny, told Independent.ie: "I got seven H1s and a H2 in accounting, I was pretty happy with that and I got my course. "Accounting would have been one of my stronger subjects though and my accounting teacher thought it would have been kind of odd and suggested we look at it. "I wasn't too surprised but I would have expected if I was going to get a H2 it would have been in one of my weaker subjects, like English or Irish, my weaker subjects. "Although in June after the accounting exam I knew there were things I was uncertain about, and with the nature of the accounting exam one error means all your totals are wrong. "You could see that throughout the paper there were marks that they just seemed to have forgotten to add in to the total, so it should have been about 9 per cent higher and once we saw that we knew it would automatically go up. Read More "With accounting it's not like it's a matter of judgement of anything, so we sent it off to be re-checked." Edwina, who attended The Presentation Secondary School in Kilkenny, got her results back on Tuesday and was surprised to see she had earned eight H1s. She said: "It's unbelievable, I still can't believe it really, I don't think I've really taken it in. "I remember on the day that the results came out I saw people in their twenties online saying that the Leaving Cert doesn't matter and that seemed unbelievable to me at the time but since I've started college nobody really talks about the Leaving Cert results ever. "I can appreciate that getting eight H1s is an achievement and I'm proud of mine, it's nice when your hard work pays off." She had already got into her dream college course studying maths in Trinity College but says not everyone may be so lucky and thinks maybe the system could be re-assessed to avoid others being disappointed. "It didn't matter for me in terms of that I got into my college course but I know for so many people that might not be the case - it could be the difference between them getting to do their college course or not and maybe they would have to repeating the Leaving Cert. "Human error happens and the reality is that out of the tens of thousands of Leaving Cert papers corrected there will be some mistakes when totting the results up. "Perhaps there is a way that there could be some way of greater communication between colleges and the State Examinations Commission so that third-level institutions could get the updated results sooner. "Even if the person is offered their course now it could be hard for them to catch up, I know that in my course we've already done five weeks of college, so there would be a lot to catch up on. "It would be better if the re-checks could come out sooner," Edwina explained. Edwina has thanked her teachers at The Presentation Secondary School Kilkenny for their support, as she shared her tips for success with this year's batch of exam students. Read More "It's a mixture of hard work and enjoying the subjects you're doing - I was fortunate enough to be doing STEM and maths-orientated subjects, which is what I like, I think if you enjoy what you're doing it makes it that bit easier. "I also worked really hard throughout fifth year and sixth year, I found the study methods that worked best for me and focused on my weaker subjects, you just have to keep at it. "I'd tell anyone doing their Leaving Cert to work hard, find the study methods that suit you, try to be productive when you're studying and make the most of the times when you are motivated. "Consistency is also the way to go because then you're never under too much pressure," she said. There's little time to celebrate for Edwina as she is already focusing on achieving top marks in her third-level course. The modest student said: "I'm getting on well, it's interesting and challenging but I'm enjoying the challenge. "Right now my focus is on getting good marks in my college course. "I'm not sure what I want to do afterwards, but I want to work hard and try to see what area of maths I'm most interested in." Housing activists occupied the offices of Airbnb in Dublin this afternoon in protest over Ireland's housing crisis. Open House Dublin, Ireland's biggest architecture festival, is being held at the company's flagship offices on Hanover Quay in the docklands this weekend. Protesters from campaign group Take Back the City occupied the building for over an hour today "in protest against Airbnb's impact on the housing crisis in Ireland - and across the world". In a statement released this afternoon, a spokesperson for the group is calling for properties in Dublin to be made available as long-term lets, not short-term. "Our tenant support groups frequently hear from people who have been evicted on grounds of significant renovations, only to find their old homes subsequently rented out on AirBnb and other short-term letting platforms," the statement reads. "As of August 2018 there were 3,165 entire properties for rent on AirBnb in Dublin, compared to 1,329 properties available for longterm rent on Daft.ie." Read More In a statement to Independent.ie this evening, a spokesperson for AirBnB said the company was "disappointed" that the demonstration disrupted the Open House Dublin event. Airbnb is an economic lifeline for countless Irish families and we are proud to have partnered with Open House Dublin for many years to celebrate our creative community. We are disappointed that a small and peaceful demonstration has disrupted the activities. We thank local hosts for their hard work in showcasing the best of Irish creativity, and apologise to any attendees affected," the spokesperson said. Aisling Hassell, the CEO of Airbnb's Irish arm and head of global customer experience, has previously defended its role in the housing crisis and insisted its impact has been blown out of proportion. "We took a look at all the listings we have and it's about 1pc of the housing stock in Ireland," she told the Sunday Independent. "Then we took a look at the homes that could potentially fall into that category of where they could be on the long-term rental because they were entire homes and they were rented for more than 180 days. It actually drops to 0.16pc." Legislation covering the regulation of short-term rental services was due to be introduced but has been delayed by an internal government row. Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Tourism Minister Shane Ross have clashed over who will take the lead on drafting the legislation due to the impact the regulations will have on the hospitality sector. Mr Murphy recently said he plans to introduce regulations similar to those in Toronto, Canada, which allow property owners to rent their principal residence on websites such as Airbnb. However, other investment properties or second homes can only for rented for at least 28 days at a time. More to follow... It was the photograph that was most sought after - the figure of Dr Gabriel Scally standing outside Leinster House as the remains of Emma Mhic Mhathuna were taken past in a final, stark gesture. Amongst the crowds who had gathered there, photographers and journalists looked out for the doctor presiding over the investigation into the CervicalCheck scandal. But he was not there. In any case, the photograph was unnecessary. Nothing further was needed to encapsulate this tragedy than the harrowing sight of the coffin as it passed slowly by the edifices of power. It was compounded by the devastated faces of Emma's five children and extended family, travelling in the vehicles behind, as they gazed silently out at the institutions that had let women down so catastrophically. There are still documents that Dr Gabriel Scally would like to have access to, around the original tenders for the laboratories used by CervicalCheck, he told the Health Committee that same morning. Those documents were 'shredded' after 10 years in line with HSE policy. But in a sign of his determination to leave no stone unturned in getting to the truth, Dr Scally vowed that he will continue to hunt for the original tender documents. Expand Close Dr Gabriel Scally feared more women could be affected than first thought. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Gabriel Scally feared more women could be affected than first thought. Photo: Frank McGrath "One of the tasks coming out of all this is to make sure this is an increasingly rare event over the next decade or two and we will never again see deaths like this in our lifetime," he said. In his words, one could sense the desperation and sorrow at this appalling mess, which had been the direct cause of Emma's untimely death along with many others. Worse was Dr Scally's fear that even more women could be affected than was originally thought. Vibrant, outspoken and courageous, the nation had known Emma even before she became a national figure, when she put herself forward as the face of the HPV vaccine in an advertising campaign. She was the striking beauty with the cleft in her chin, standing by the sea, gazing at her daughter, Natasha. And then we learned that this memorable figurehead, spearheading the fight against cervical cancer, had been directly affected by the Cervical Check scandal. It was the cruellest of ironies. Her cancer was missed in 2013 and it wasn't until her next routine smear was due three years later that Cervical Check caught it. Last May, Emma told RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta: "If I had got the right results at that time, I wouldn't be where I am now." Shortly after the scandal broke following Vicky Phelan's High Court settlement, Emma received a phonecall from her doctor in Dublin. "He said that he hoped I was reading the stories in the paper about the Cervical Check. I was one of the women involved," she said. "The doctor told me that the smear results I got in 2013 were wrong. The first indications of cancer, the cells changing in the body, were there." Slowly, we began to get to know Emma for the person that she was. She was the wonderful woman in the red dress, as she appeared on the steps of the High Court following her settlement. Emma was upfront and honest - in the way that the authorities were not. In relation to an entirely different scandal, Judge Peter Charleton this week wrote: "Plain speaking by those who know what they are talking about is the only acceptable way to address the Irish people." In her address to us, Emma was both plain speaking and knew what she was talking about far more than most - and we took her to our hearts. Finally last Sunday, five months after her struggle came to public attention, Emma passed away peacefully at University Hospital, Kerry in Tralee. In a statement, her family said: "Emma, who battled her illness with great valour, passed away peacefully in the comfort of her family's loving embrace 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." Her life was short - but she did her country some service. Her funeral in Baile na nGall on the Dingle peninsula was as beautiful as she herself was, with tradition and warmth of heart given equal prominence as the gales howled outside. In the bravery of her children, Natasha, Seamus, Mario, Oisin and Donnacha, we saw the eternal solidity of the cornerstone that Emma had left behind. At the funeral Mass at the Pro Cathedral on Wednesday, Fr Paddy Moran revealed Emma had spoken with no malice, anger or bitterness of the official apologies she had received. "Instead, she had been just a mother thinking first and foremost of her children," he said. Former President Mary McAleese accuses Pope John Paul II of "highly offensive" misogyny in a sensational new book. Ms McAleese says she was seriously offended by the pontiff purposely ignoring her when they were first introduced ahead of their much publicised meeting during her presidency. Instead of greeting Ms McAleese, the Pope reached across to her husband Martin and said: "Would you not prefer to be the President of Ireland instead of your wife?" In the book, 'Madam Politician - The Women at the Table of Irish Political Power' by RTE Political Correspondent Martina Fitzgerald, Ms McAleese says "nobody else thought it was funny" and her husband was "mortified" by the Pope's comment. Expand Close Offended: Former President Mary McAleese presents a gift to Pope John Paul II in 1999. Martin McAleese is pictured second from right. Photo: Plinio Lepri/AP Photo / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Offended: Former President Mary McAleese presents a gift to Pope John Paul II in 1999. Martin McAleese is pictured second from right. Photo: Plinio Lepri/AP Photo "He knew by my face that I didn't think it was funny. I did say to him, 'you would never have done that to a male president,'" she adds. The Pope said he did not have fluent English and the comment was intended to be a joke. He added: "I heard you had a great sense of humour." After the 1999 meeting in the Vatican, the then serving President described the Pope as "intellectually, ferociously agile". Ms Fitzgerald interviewed Ms McAleese, her predecessor Mary Robinson and every female TD who served at Cabinet for a book that charts the journey of women in Irish politics. It also documents how former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey pulled the bra strap of ex-Fine Gael minister Gemma Hussey during a Dail debate on rape. Mr Haughey approached Ms Hussey from behind while she was observing the debate on a private members bill she had sponsored. Expand Close Former minister Gemma Hussey. Photo: Liam Mulcahy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former minister Gemma Hussey. Photo: Liam Mulcahy He pulled at her bra strap and gestured her to sit down. "I was sitting there observing a debate when I felt a chuck on my bra strap at the back. I got a shock and leapt to my feet," Ms Hussey says in the book. Mr Haughey told Ms Hussey he would "look after" her bill and said he had an "excellent minister" working on the legislation. "I was dumbfounded. I was just amazed. "I was kind of rendered speechless really," the former Education Minister said. Galway West TD Noel Grealish has thrown Taoiseach Leo Varadkar a life line by committing his support to the Government during the upcoming crucial phase of Brexit negotiations. In a statement released by the Taoiseachs Office tonight, Mr Grealish said in the interest of the country he will vote to ensure there is a stable Government. The statement followed a meeting between Mr Grealish and Tanaiste Simon Coveney and a lengthy conversation with the Taoiseach. The Independent TD also spoke with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin before making the announcement. I have decided to give the necessary support to the Government during this crucial stage of Brexit negotiations, he said. Ireland is now entering one of the most critical and uncertain phases since the foundation of our state and it is in the best interests of our country as a whole that we have a stable Government at this crucial time, he added. Mr Grealishs support will ease pressure on the Government during Dail votes but the Taoiseach will need the support of at least one more other non-aligned TDs to pass legislation. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has described the confidence and supply agreement between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael as a political con job" which is leading to uncertainty, instability and a deepening crisis. "Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have a decision to make; to formalize their position as coalition partners in government or to go to the people, she said. "The current confidence and supply fudge has run its course. Families, workers and business cannot wait on the current game playing by the leader of Fianna Fail and an Taoiseach, she added. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is desperately working behind the scenes to shore up support for his creaking government - even as a new year election now looks inevitable. The sudden departure of Communications Minister Denis Naughten over the broadband controversy has left the coalition hanging by a thread. Fianna Fail's offer of a political truce until a Brexit deal is done appeared to buy the Taoiseach some time. However, senior Fine Gael figures fear they will be bounced into an election by Fianna Fail in the new year. Anxious to steady the ship, Mr Varadkar has met the Independent Alliance for a secret meeting where they were asked not to move on Minister of State Pat Breen. The Taoiseach has meanwhile been in contact with Independent TD Sean Canney who is expected to be brought back in from the cold and reappointed as a junior minster. And he staked his own reputation on the future of the National Broadband Plan (NBP), itself now in doubt. Following revelations about the Naughten meetings, Mr Varadkar insisted the Government is fully committed to bringing broadband to more than 500,000 homes and businesses. He said: I promise Ill make it happen and it will be a personal crusade. Mr Varadkar has sought a report from the NBP independent auditor Peter Smyth in order to assess if the process had been compromised. As election speculation mounted, Government sources accepted last night that Mr Varadkar cannot refuse the offer made by Micheal Martin but they are suspicious about the Fianna Fail leaders motivations. Mr Martin sent a letter to Mr Varadkar seeking agreement that both parties would not bring down the Government while a Brexit deal is being thrashed out and ratified. It has been met with much scepticism among Fine Gael TDs, who now believe they are being walked into an election in the first quarter of 2019. Those around Mr Varadkar are not keen on a January or February election, when the negative publicity around the hospital trolley and housing crises will be at its peak. However, Mr Martins proposal that neither party would collapse the Government just as Brexit talks reach their climax is seen as too good to refuse. Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar is considering how he will replace former communications minister Mr Naughten. The departments junior minister, Sean Kyne, remains the favourite to take the place at the Cabinet table. The Taoiseach has also been in contact with Independent TD Sean Canney for a junior ministerial role. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Canney indicated he would be willing to consider an offer from the Taoiseach. The Galway East TD said noted he had put a warning shot out there about the need for the NBP to get across the finish line in the Dail earlier this week. We need stability. The focus for me is to get broadband for rural Ireland, he said. Overtures will also be made to another Independent, Noel Grealish, this weekend. And Mr Varadkar is anxious to avoid further political attacks on Mr Breen, who organised a now infamous 2017 dinner between Mr Naughten and Irish-American businessman David McCourt, who is leading the last remaining broadband bid. Shore Mr Varadkar will insist that even if a consensus is reached on Brexit, Fianna Fail must immediately engage on talks about a longer deal. His reply to Mr Martin will include a reminder that he has already asked for a new confidence and supply arrangement up to summer 2020. The two party leaders will meet next week to discuss how they can avoid an election at this crucial time. The situation is now being closely watched in both London and Brussels but the potential for a united front in Irish politics remains in stark contrast to the UK. It was reported last night that the Brexit transition period could be extended by another year to help Theresa May find a solution to the Irish border problem. British negotiators believe an agreement to extend the transition period would help engineer a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations by pushing back the need for a backstop solution to the Irish border problem. In a presidential debate dominated by talks of funding and expenditure, the six candidates laid out their vision for the next seven years should they be elected. The debate, which was mediated by Cormac O'hEadhra on RTE Radio 1 today, saw the conversation focused mainly around President Michael D Higgins actions in his first term of office. While the debate failed to boil over- it simmered at most, amid talks of President Higgins expenditure and his praise of Fidel Castro, it did give us an opportunity to hear the outline of each candidates proposed presidency. Peter Casey, along with all of the other candidates, promised to give up any business interest that he currently has if elected, a requirement of any Irish president. The 60-year-old business man and dragon said that the people of Ireland need an active president. Its not his (Michael D. Higgins) fault hes 77, I get up and work out every morning Mr Caseys main objective as president, he said, would be to connect the people of Ireland who have travelled all over the world. To connect the Irish abroad, almost the way the Jewish community (are), was his answer as to what the legacy he would look to leave behind would be. There are six times more Irish in the world than there are than Jewish people. Theyre connected. They had Facebook long before Facebook was a thing. Gavin Duffy, who was surprisingly quiet during the debate, called for an audit to be done on the expenditure of President Higgins. The business tycoon and second of the three dragons said that he has already suspended any business ventures that he is involved in and that he has absolutely no ongoing files whatsoever. I think its important that the people of Ireland know that they are getting value for money, he demanded. Id have to question the cost of 8.1 million a year. We need more for the presidency. There hasnt been an audit in Aras an Uachtarain for the last number of years. Mr Duffy said that, if elected, he would look for the Irish people to decide upon the type of modern country in which to live. At the centenary commemorations for the funding of the state an assembly of citizens would work out the type of society that we are going to form and would set a compass, a new modern compass for the modern Ireland. Expand Close Gavin Duffy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gavin Duffy Like, Mr Duffy, Senator Joan Freeman also took a back seat for much of the debate. The independent politician defended her acquiring of a private loan from the US and reminded listeners of her work in founding Pieta House. Im talking about, given what the vulture funds have done for the country, tell me what would have been the right decision, she said of not taking a loan from an Irish bank. Speaking of decisions, I made a decision 15 years ago to take a loan to start Pieta House which has since saved over 13 million lives. Senator Freeman said that, if elected, she would prioritise the problems of the people of Ireland rather than the actions of the president. Over the last seven years and during this debate, we have been focused on the economy and finances, she said. I want to turn the lens of the presidential office back onto the people and all of the social issues that face us. Sean Gallagher was consistent throughout the debate in his calculated responses. While acting as mediator on several occasions when he thought arguments inappropriate, he did press President Higgins on the expensive hotels it came to light that the president had stayed in. Mr Gallagher, the third of the dragons, said that the experiences of his life mean that if elected he would try to change the way Irish people think of disabilities. Based not on the last seven years, but on the last 30 years of my life, he said. As a youth worker, a community worker, a disability advocate and someone who is passionate about SMEs; not because it is about business but because they are at the heart of sustaining our communities. Expand Close Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher answers questions from the media after the presidential debate in the RTE radio centre with his wife Trish. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher answers questions from the media after the presidential debate in the RTE radio centre with his wife Trish. Photo: Tony Gavin For me the only solution to long-term unemployment, long term disadvantage is education for our young people, jobs for our communities and more importantly in seven years time if I could look back and feel that based on my own experience growing up, I could have changed the perception among the public towards those with a disability to see their ability rather than their disability. Incumbent Michael D. Higgins was as eloquent as ever in trying to defend himself when he was targeted by the other candidates. President Higgins has been made a strong favourite in recent polls but received plenty of criticism throughout the debate. His expenditure in his first seven years as president and his praise of Fidel Castro were questioned in particular. In a speech last year, President Higgins labelled Castro, the former Cuban leader a giant among global leaders. President Higgins said that he does not regret referring to Castro this way but said that he may have reworded other parts of the speech. The ninth president of the Republic of Ireland said that, given a second term, he would like people to remember him as a compassionate president who spoke for the people of Ireland. Id like to be remembered for offering understanding, he said. (I would like) people being able to say - he offered us ideas, he offered us his life experience, offered us his training and he was unstinting in relation to time. He welcomed people to Aras an Uachtarain and when he spoke abroad on behalf of the people of Ireland, he was speaking for us with him as he did at home in Irish and in English. Liadh Ni Riada, who was very active during the debate, was the only candidate to actually speak for a period in Irish as she called for Eire aontaithe. Mrs Ni Riada called for the presidential salary to be halved. She also criticised President Higgins for not visiting Palestine during his first term. The Sinn Fein MEP repeatedly asked Sean Gallagher what he has done for marginalised communities over the past seven years. "I'm from a marginalised community, the Gaeltacht native said. "I haven't seen you Sean do anything for the communities you claim to have represented for the past seven years. If elected Mrs Ni Riada said that her main goal would be a United Ireland. The legacy she wishes to leave behind is a referendum on the topic in her potential presidency. For me its about Irish unity its about respecting diversity, respecting each others identities and having a shared Ireland. If we could have a referendum on Irish unity that would be some legacy to leave behind and that would be something I would drive forward. Junior Minister Pat Breen is under mounting pressure over his role in an infamous dinner attended by Denis Naughten at the home of an Irish-American businessman bidding for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed in the Dail that Mr Breen asked then-communications minister Mr Naughten to the meal in the home of David McCourt in 2017. Mr McCourt heads up the last remaining bidder in the broadband tender process and his home is close to Mr Breen's in Clare. The furore over this and other meetings between Mr Naughten and Mr McCourt led to Mr Naughten's shock resignation on Thursday. Mr Naughten insisted his actions did not compromise the broadband procurement process. Mr Breen released a statement that evening saying that to his knowledge, the NBP was not discussed at the dinner he was involved in arranging. He has remained silent since, despite growing questions over his involvement in the broadband fiasco. Last night Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the key question for Mr Breen is why he did not reveal his role in the 2017 dinner much earlier. He said the controversy over the July 2018 dinner hosted by Mr McCourt that Mr Naughten attended in New York "couldn't have been more prominent". "Why did he [Mr Breen] not tell the Taosieach and why did he not tell the Dail at that time?" Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy said she wanted to know the context of Mr Breen's invite to Mr Naughten to attend the dinner at Mr McCourt's home. She said it was up to Mr Naughten to refuse the invitation. But she added that Fine Gael Junior Business Minister Mr Breen would have been aware that it was likely to put his Independent colleague in a "problematic situation" given the ongoing NBP tender process at the time. She said she'd be "astonished" if the issue is not raised with Mr Breen in the coming days and suggested he could appear before the Oireachtas Communications Committee to face questions on the matter. Independent TD Michael Harty - a constituency rival of Mr Breen's in Clare - previously challenged Mr Varadkar in the Dail on the issue. He said while he wouldn't attack Mr Breen on a personal level, it did call his position into question. Last night Fine Gael general election candidate Julie O'Leary called for Mr Breen's resignation in a tweet, saying he should have to conform to the same standards as Mr Naughten. She quickly deleted the post. Mr Breen did not respond to attempts to contact him. Health Minister Simon Harris defended his embattled colleague. He said he didn't think Mr Breen organised the dinner and his role was to invite Mr Naughten. Mr Harris said that Mr Breen has "no involvement whatsoever in the National Broadband Plan", its roll-out or procurement. He also said Mr Breen does not sit at Cabinet where the ultimate decision on the broadband tender will be made. Emergency services at scene of crash in Co Wicklow Photo: Wicklow Fire Service Motorists across the country are being urged to take care this morning as heavy rain continues to make driving conditions difficult. Gardai in Co Longford are appealing for information after a man in his mid-twenties was fatally injured when his car hit a wall. The single vehicle crash occurred on the N4 between Edgeworthstown and Mullingar at around 6am this morning. The young man was the only person travelling in the car. His body has been removed to Mullingar Regional Hospital where a post-mortem will take place. Garda forensic collision investigating officers are at the scene and a local diversions are in place while the section of the road is closed to traffic. Anyone with information in relation to the collision are asked to contact Granard Garda Station on 043 - 6687660, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station. Meanwhile, emergency services are at the scene of a collision in Co Wicklow. Monastery Road is closed while Wicklow Fire Service deal with a vehicle which veered off the road and into a ditch. It is understood nobody was injured in the incident. AA Roadwatch are advising motorists to drive with caution as a Status Yellow rainfall warning is in place. Elsewhere, gardai are reporting very heavy rainfall in Clare, Galway, Leitrim and Limerick, while the rest of the country is affected by wet or damp conditions. Gardai are also reporting a lot of surface water on the M7 between J23 Moneygall and J27 Birdhill. "If you are driving on wet roads, slow down and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you," AA Roadwatch said. "Only drive through water if you know it's not too deep for your car." Irish beauty guru Melanie Murphy (26) became a YouTube sensation when her video teaching followers how to expertly cover up their acne also went viral For Lorna Weightman, hiding her acne, which appeared in her late teens and continued into adulthood, became a time-consuming affair For fashion presenter, stylist and blogger at Styleisle.ie, Lorna Weightman, hiding her acne, which appeared in her late teens and continued into adulthood, became a time-consuming affair Problem skin is not just for teenagers, thousands of adults are now presenting with acne each year. According to a survey by Whatclinic.com, a combination of hormones, stress, poor diets and pollution is contributing to a more than 200pc rise across the UK and Ireland in the number of adults seeking specialist treatment for acne. So why are we not talking more about it more? In July 2015, acne sufferer and British beauty blogger Em Ford, aka My Pale Skin, posted a short video to her YouTube channel, which collated some of the negative comments she had received via social media over the previous three months when she posted videos or photographs of herself without make-up. This video, which was entitled #Youlookdisgusting, quickly went viral, exposing not just the ugly reality of online trolling, but many disturbing reactions to her make-up free skin. Two years ago, Irish beauty guru Melanie Murphy (26) became a YouTube sensation when her video teaching followers how to expertly cover up their acne also went viral. The video quickly clocked up over four-million hits and today, Melanie's YouTube channel has 339,379 subscribers. Despite a few initial jitters, Melanie is glad she went public about her skin troubles and would like to see more people opening up about the subject and facing what has become a widespread and common fear of flaws, particularly when it comes to social media. Expand Close Cameron Diaz battles with break outs / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cameron Diaz battles with break outs "I actually had acne from age 12 and it continued into adulthood," Melanie explains. "It would become extremely cystic sometimes and I had no idea why, and after trying every product and medication under the sun, I discovered what worked for me through chance and an intolerance test. "I learned that milk and processed food containing whey powder was giving me my breakouts and I started up a skincare routine that healed existing breakouts. I also learned to manage my stress, which was - and still is - a massive trigger." "Simply talking about something that nobody likes to talk about makes you fear it less and realise how normal it actually is," Melanie adds. "Now, the whole world has seen that insecurity, so I'm not so insecure about it anymore. There is nothing left to hide, but initially, I was terrified." For fashion presenter, stylist and blogger at Styleisle.ie, Lorna Weightman, hiding her acne, which appeared in her late teens and continued into adulthood, became a time-consuming affair. "I never had very severe acne, fortunately, but what I had was a consistent mild form which never cleared up," Lorna explains. "An imbalance of hormones, coupled with the daily stress of work was the main cause, but my mum had turbulent skin when she was younger so genes played a part too. It really became an issue when I was modelling professionally and I missed out on some great jobs due to unreliable skin. "I used to look at the pore-free, flawless faces of some of the girls I worked with and couldn't understand why I had been landed with the unwelcome gift of pimples. It really affected my self-confidence." "I hid behind make-up and used my fringe to mask my forehead for so long," Lorna adds. "I tried to avoid anyone noticing it. I was so paranoid that my skin was all people saw when they looked at me. It was a horrible feeling, but one I didn't want to live with, so I started on the journey to remedy it." Treatment Expand Close Irish beauty guru Melanie Murphy (26) became a YouTube sensation when her video teaching followers how to expertly cover up their acne also went viral / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Irish beauty guru Melanie Murphy (26) became a YouTube sensation when her video teaching followers how to expertly cover up their acne also went viral Beauty therapist Elaine Butler Doolin suggested a course of treatments to decongest and hydrate Lorna's skin with a very light microdermabrasion and subsequently taught Lorna how to manage her skin. "I attribute how my skin looks now to Elaine's expertise," Lorna says. "She taught me what to use to keep it that way and the routine I needed to keep. My skin will never be perfectly clear or pore-free, but I can work to maintain it." Now in her 30s, Lorna has found a treatment that suits her skin, but warns that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. "I did go to a dermatologist when I was younger for advice, but all they wanted to do was put me on medication which I really didn't want to do," Lorna explains. "There are some amazing alternative remedies and I love natural products, so my advice to others is to explore all of your options." "Acne ranges in severity, so what works for my mild form may not be suitable for someone else. Regular facials help a lot to rehydrate your skin and give it a deep clean, but the main thing is to look after your skin and invest time in its care," Lorna adds. "Most recently, I have found Sunday Riley skin products to be amazing and a great serum from New York dermatologist Patricia Wexler, which I have just started to try at night-time. If I am having an angry skin day, a good exfoliating masque really helps, but just once a week - I think Glam Glo make the best one - and I also have a Clarisonic, which is a worthy investment." County Louth Student, Loui Byrne was recently awarded a Naughton Foundation scholarship worth 20,000 at a ceremony in Trinity College Biomedical Science Institute in Dublin. The award was presented by founding patrons of The Naughton Foundation, Dr. Martin Naughton and his wife Carmel who were joined by Mr. Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Education and Skills. Supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, this Scholarship Award is an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates. A former student of De La Salle College, Dundalk, Loui has accepted a place at University College Dublin studying Engineering and he joins 36 exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science and technology. Since its establishment in 2008 scholarships worth over 4million have been awarded to more than 200 students, the scheme started in 3 Counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed Scholarship (20,000) for each participating county, with the exception of Cork and Galway where there are two scholarships awarded and four for Dublin. Five additional Scholarships are also to be awarded. Each Scholarship is worth 5,000 per annum for each year of a student's three or four year undergraduate degree. Speaking about the growth of the programme over the past eleven years, the Naughton's commented: "Eleven years ago we envisaged a small scholarship program to help support local students studying the STEM subjects. We never imagined this group of over 200 students and alumni nationwide who are connected across the universities and STEM disciplines and we couldn't be more proud of the unique community they are developing" - Dr Martin and Carmel Naughton Loui's former secondary school, De La Salle College, Dundalk was also presented with a prize of 1,000 on the day towards their school's science facilities, for their support of these students. More than 160 schools have benefited from this prize to date with some schools receiving it on more than one occasion. Dealing with the ongoing problem of anti-social behaviour in Carlingford is putting a huge demand on garda resources, the annual meeting of the Dundalk Joint Policing Committee which took place in Carlingford last week was told. Local residents voiced frustration at their village being marketed as the hens and stag and party capital. They also highlighted the problems caused by people drinking in public and causing disturbances at the weekends, particularly at Easter when large numbers came down from the north. One lady spoke of how residents have to put up with the noise from hen and stag parties every weekend. 'Our village is being promoted by a small number of businesses as the hen/stag capital of Ireland,' she stated, asking if there was any way that could be changed. Chief Supt Christy Mangan said he was delighted to see so many people at the meeting as it showed they were interested in and cared about their area. Supt Gerry Curley noted that Carlingford was a lovely village, midway between the two major centres of population on the island, which made it attractive for people to visit. He said he would like to have more resources to put into the village on a daily basis, but they had to work within their budget. 'This doesn't mean we are abandoning Carlingford,' he pledged, outlining how resources had been drawn from other units to be put into the village. 'We have also brought people from the regular unit in Dundalk out at night time and we will continue to do so.' He outlined how extra resources were put into the village each weekend during the summer, with foot patrols and extra mobile patrols. 'During bank holiday weekends we have put in a specific operation, with a major operation at the Easter weekend which was a major draw on resources,' he said. While he realised the problem of noise at the weekend was a concern for a lot of people, it was not always a garda issue. He suggested that residents could liaise with the local authority if there was a problem with people gathering outside houses. He also pointed out that residents could take legal action and bring the property owners to court. Residents also called for a CCTV scheme for the village and welcomed the new bylaws on alcohol consumption. One of the country's most senior gardai has issued a stern warning as to the difficulties which a hard border would pose for gardai in the wake of Brexit. Chief Supt Christy Mangan told the annual general meeting of the Dundalk Joint Policing Committee that while he had a plan for policing following Brexit, it would take a lot of resources - resources which he didn't have. 'From a policing perspective it will be very difficult,' he said. He revealed that he was working on a plan as he didn't want to be left behind when Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019. Pointing to the difficulties facing the force, he said that conditions of garda stations along the border were 'disgraceful'. He said that Dromad Garda Station was in such a 'deplorable' condition that he feared it would fall apart if he were to bring in extra gardai to operate out of it, but he had no money to have improvement works carried out. The situation posed by a hard Brexit was 'not pretty', he warned, and he feared that politicians in Northern Ireland, the UK and Ireland didn't know what was coming down the tracks. He said that 'any confusion regarding borders creates opportunities for crime' and he pointed to the ongoing difficulties with diesel laundering as well as the potential for human trafficking. 'We need more clarity from our leaders,' the superintendent said. While he had a plan for what was needed to police the border after Brexit, he said he has to depend on other people providing the necessary resources. If there were soft border, on the other hand, he didn't think it would be too taxing. The looming prospect of Brexit presents a scenario which 'is not pretty', Chief Supt Christy Mangan stated at the Joint Policing Committee meeting in Carlingford last week. He feared that the politicians in Northern Ireland, the UK and Ireland don't know what is coming down the tracks and from a policing perspective, he wanted that they will be facing 'a very difficult situation'. 'I do not want a hard border. No one wants that with all the difficulties and old memories it would bring,' he stated. Any confusion on the border will create opportunities for crime, he said, pointing to the on-going problem with diesel laundering, the recently discovery of one of the biggest illegal cigarette factories in Europe, as well as the potential for human trafficking. 'We need clarity from our leaders,' he said. He revealed that he did have a plan for what sort of policing will be needed after Brexit, but it would take a lot of resources. Pointing to the condition of the Garda Stations along the border, he branded the condition of Dromad station as 'disgraceful'. 'It's in very, very poor condition and if I have to bring in 20 guards to operate in this building, and I'm being very kind in calling it a building, it would fall apart.' He warned that the resources needed to police the border would have a knock on effect on other areas. However, if there's a soft border, he didn't think it would result in a situation that would be too taxing. He was responding to a question from Vivian Mee of Ravensdale Community Alert who had voiced concerns about the consequences of Brexit for those living close to the border. Cllr Anne Campbell asked him if he was working with the Defence Forces in coming up with his plans as she knew that they were deployed along the border for a number of years to complement the gardai. She also queried if he had a plan for a hard border and a plan for a soft border, and asked if infrastructure along the border was part of what he was considering. Chief Supt Mangan again referred to the condition of Dromad Garda Station and stressed that he had no money to carry out improvements. He said some of the stations along the border were in 'deplorable conditions' and would require a lot of money and improvements or else they should be closed, but he didn't want to close them as they are wanted by the local communities. He told Cllr Campbell that the gardai were working with the Defence Forces, with whom they had a very good relationship. The SS Dundalk Centenary Committee, back from from left, Jim Kerley, Marie Agnew, Alan Bogan, Charlie McCarthy, Damien Higgins, Brendan McQuaid and Kevin ONeill. Front row, Audrey Tuite, Betty Mulholland, Anne Howard and Jacinta Kerley The date was October 14th 1918, and the destination was Dundalk. The ship 'S.S. Dundalk' was on a return trip from Liverpool when it was torpedoed on 14th October 1918 on her journey to Dundalk. Twenty lives were lost. Twelve survived to tell the story of the tragic loss. The S.S. Dundalk was the flagship for the Dundalk and Newry Steampacket Company. Her main trade was in carrying cattle and produce from Dundalk to Liverpool and other goods on the return journey. The ship also carried passengers. In spite of the dangers to shipping in the Irish Sea the S.S. Dundalk made weekly sailing to the UK all through the war years. In December 1917 the S.S. Dundalk was the target of an attack by a German submarine. That assault lasted about an hour and a half. Captain Hugh O'Neill adopted a zig zag course and managed to evade the submarine. The Captain and crew were commended for their bravery. But the worst was yet to come. On the night of 14th October 1918 the S.S. Dundalk left Liverpool for Dundalk. Shortly after 11pm she was hit by a torpedo and sank within minutes. There were dramatic scenes as mate John Higgins and seaman Patrick Byrne succeeded in getting one of the life boats released from the derricks just as the Dundalk sank. Three others Frank Deery, Patrick Kearney, James Tuite, managed to get to this life boat and Kearney was injured in the effort. This life boat was badly damaged and nearly sinking. Two of the gunners Alexander Ferguson and Timothy Connors were pulled from the water, Ferguson was very ill with flu and clad only in his underwear. Another lifeboat was also launched by the deck hands Pat Moonan,and Patrick McCourt. They pulled Thomas Fitzgerald, Hugh O'Neill, and John Mulqueen, from the water. Mulqueen was badly injured. The submarine (U90) came to the surface as the men were being pulled from the water. It stayed for about five minutes but made no attempt to rescue the men. The submarine moved away and almost immediately, the S.S. Carlingford also came on the scene. It nearly ran over one of the lifeboats. The men shouted and believed they received an answering call but the steamer didn't stop. The men in the two lifeboats in the darkness lost sight of each other. The men were very cold and hungry. They had no food and very little water. The lifeboats were damaged and water had to baled throughout the night. The next morning in one of the lifeboats Ferguson, the gunner who was sick, with a compass helped steer a course for the Welsh coast. The rudder of the boat was broken. They rowed all day. In the evening they were spotted by a seaplane and shortly afterwards the trawler Stormcock picked them up and brought them to Holyhead. The five men in the other lifeboat after 16 hours at sea were picked up by the S.S Douglas and brought to the Isle of Man. Some of the men from both lifeboats were hospitalised. In total, there were twenty lives lost in the disaster, including 19 men and one woman. The roll call of the dead featured many people from Dundalk, those who left behind grieving family, friends, neighbours. One hundred years later, the tragedy still echoes in the Dundalk area, with stories having been passed down through the generations. Many people can claim ancestors who perished on that fatal sailing. Their legacy lives on in the commemorations taking in Dundalk next week, a fitting tribute those who died. Hugh O'Neill (Capt) Edward Bennett, Patrick Melia, James Hernon, Daniel Stowell Thomas Tuite, William McKeown Patrick Hughes, Francis Kieran John Stack, Vincent Morgan Joseph Halpenny, Joseph Fox Peter Matthews, Peter V. Sloane Margaret Creegan, Edward Johnston, Harold Grey (Wales), Samuel John Cocks and John Muckian (Liverpool). Patrick Roddy was a regular crew member of the S.S. Dundalk and died with flu and was buried on the day before the disaster. He was also related to several on board. He was included in the Disaster Fund as he had a large family. The twelve survivors were John Higgins, Patrick McCourt, Patrick Byrne, Pat Moonan (Drogheda) John Mulqueen (Drogheda), Timothy Fitzgerald, Scotland, Hugh O'Neill, Patrick Kearney, Frank Deery, James Tuite, Timothy Connors and Alexander Ferguson. Some on board has been replacements for the regular crew, who were ill with influenza, and for some it was their first voyage. The sinking of the S.S Dundalk had a massive impact on the town of Dundalk. Families left bereft, communities stunned by the tragedy. The need to do something for those who had lost loves ones saw the formation of the 'Dundalk Disaster Fund,' set up on October 22nd 1918 by the Dundalk and Newry SteamPacket company and Cardinal Logue in Dundalk Town Hall to aid the dependants of the disaster, especially the children. The fund was kick started by the company with a 500 donation, and eventually raised 6000. A lady named Sarah Toale, who worked for the Steam packet company was Hon. Secretary of the fund. She ensured that the interests of the bereaved were protected. Families were supported by the fund for many year afterwards. Such was the gratitude shown to the efforts of Sarah Toale that the families presented her with a framed address, which is housed in the County Musuem to this day. A century after the sinking of the S.S Dundalk, a group of local people came together to plan a commemoration of the tragedy, and have worked tirelessly over the last ten months to organise a series of events for the anniversary, on Sunday next, October 14th. A final prayer will be at the Quay, Dundalk at 11.10p.m, exactly one hundred years to the moment when the ship was torpedoed. Many relatives of those who lost their lives on the S.S Dundalk will be joining the events, with an ecumenical service set to be held at 3pm on Sunday in St. Patrick's Cathedral. All are welcome. A permanent memorial is also set to be launched in the coming weeks. Joe Raedle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- When Hurricane Michael struck Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida head on Wednesday, it caused extensive destruction to the base and damaged some military aircraft inside hangars that were affected as well. "Our base took a beating," said the commander at Tyndall in a letter to base personnel. "Team Tyndall, our base took a beating, and I know you have a lot of questions," wrote Col. Brian S. Laidlaw, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing. "By now you already know that Tyndall Air Force Base requires extensive cleanup and repairs," he added. "I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I cant tell you how long that will take, but I'm on it." Earlier, the base had advised in a Facebook posting that "The flight line is devastated. Every building has severe damage. Many buildings are a complete loss." Tyndall Air Force base is located between Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach close to where Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday. The first wave of Air Force personnel who will help restore operations and begin relief efforts at Tyndall arrived on Friday aboard two C-17 military transport aircraft. The 66-person 281st Contingency Response Group (CRG) will help begin the difficult task of preparing the base to receive supplies and equipment to clean it up. "It's complete devastation to the topography, trees snapped in half, power lines down all over the place, and facilities have extreme damage," said Col. Justin Niederer, commander of the 281st CRG, in an interview with ABC News. Niederer said the damage at Tyndall was comparable to what he saw in the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten last year after Hurricanes Maria and Irma. He also described the scary conditions experienced by the small number of base leaders that rode out the storm in what they thought was a secure facility. "They were doing well until the winds reached 150 (sustained) knots then gusted to 170," said Niederer. "It blew the roof off the facility they were in. At that point, the eye of the storm passed over and when they went out to observe the environment around them they realized they were going to have a lot of work to do. Ahead of the storm, the base had evacuated most of its 54 F-22 Raptor fighters and T-38 Talon trainers to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. However, a small number of F-22s were left behind to ride out the storm in hangars because they were undergoing maintenance. It became clear on Friday that some of those aircraft may have sustained damage since the hangars they were housed in also experienced significant damage. A number of aircraft were left behind in hangars due to maintenance or safety reasons, and all of those hangars are damaged," said Major Malinda Singleton, an Air Force spokesperson. "We anticipate the aircraft parked inside may be damaged as well, but we won't know the extent until our crews can safely enter those hangars and make an assessment." There are only 183 F-22 aircraft in the Air Force's inventory, with each of the advanced stealth aircraft costing $135 million each. With production lines no longer in existence, any irreparably damaged F-22s cannot be replaced. Col. Niederer said his team would soon begin readying operations to offload military aircraft delivering cargo and personnel to the base. "We'll be receiving aircraft filled with engineering capability, lodging capability and personnel in order to help clean up the base proper and get the operations back up and running as quickly as possible," he said. With no food, power, fuel or running water available on the base, his team will have enough supplies to sustain them for five days while they begin the arduous task of beginning 24-hour operations at the base. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. A 36-year-old Dubliner being sentenced to life in prison for a double murder told the judge that the jury got it wrong. Jason O'Driscoll of Richmond Avenue, Fairview was receiving the mandatory sentence at the Central Criminal Court last Monday, after a jury found him guilty following a trial that ended two months ago. The jury had used circumstantial evidence to convict him of murdering 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co. Louth, where they had gone to sell him a stolen car on March 7th, 2012. The five women and seven men had reached a majority verdict of ten to two, following more than seven hours considering their verdicts. On that occasion, O'Driscoll stood up and asked: 'Guilty of f***ing what?' He said there was no evidence, he was guilty of nothing and added: 'F***ing crook.' He was back before the court yesterday for his sentence hearing, at which Alex Owens SC, prosecuting, read out victim impact statements prepared by his victims' mothers. Mr Burnett's mother, Marie Burnett, acknowledged that her 'loving, kind-hearted and caring' son had made some bad decisions in his life. However, she said he'd paid the price for them and had spent his final years trying to improve and rectify himself. 'He was my rock, my firstborn and my only son,' she wrote. She said her heart had been shattered into a million pieces on the day he was 'taken in such an evil and cold-blooded way'. She said she wasn't ready to say goodbye when he was killed a week before his birthday. 'Not only was my son shot, but their bodies were burned so badly that we couldn't even have an open coffin and say a proper goodbye,' she recalled. 'We were robbed of that by a callous, cold-hearted person,' she continued. 'How he sleeps at night, I'll never know. He not only killed our sons, but he killed a big part of us too. He has ruined so many lives and he has filled us with so much anger and hatred.' At this point, O'Driscoll interjected and shouted that he was innocent. However, Mr Owens continued reading the statement, in which Ms Burnett thanked all involved in the case 'for not giving up on Anthony and Joey and for working long and endless hours over the past six years' to bring the families justice. 'Nothing will bring our son home. Our lives will never be the same again,' she wrote. 'We will love and miss him until the day our hearts stop beating.' Mr Redmond's mother, Pauline Doran, wrote that her eldest son had been brutally murdered in a most violent manner 'for being in the wrong place at the wrong time'. 'My life will never return to normal after the total devastation,' she wrote. 'There are days that I don't feel able to get out of bed from utter emptiness at Joey's loss.' She said that no sentence imposed on the perpetrator would restore peace to her family. 'I will continue to mourn my son until the day I die,' she said, thanking the gardai, the PSNI and the firefighters, who attended the scene. Mr Justice Michael White then said that the court had a duty to impose the mandatory life sentence. He said that the two men had been 'executed in a callous, brutal way'. He was interrupted by O'Driscoll, who again shouted that he was innocent. 'I'm innocent, your honour. The jury got it wrong,' he insisted. Justice White continued, noting that the two victims had received 'an horrific death without justification', being executed and burned. He said that no human beings deserved this. He then imposed the mandatory life sentence on each count, backdated to June 2016 when O'Driscoll was taken into custody. He paid tribute to 'the endless hours of work' carried out by the gardai and refused a certificate of leave to appeal. The victims' families left without making any comment. However, retired Detective Inspector Pat Marry, who worked on the case, spoke outside. He said he hoped that the result would be of some comfort to the victims' families. He said that both families were very upset but satisfied. 'I'm hoping that maybe today they can get some solace and move on with their lives,' he said. A Cork County Councillor has branded recent statements issued over proposed road traffic safety works at Ballymacquirke Cross near Kanturk, incorporating the installation of a roundabout at the junction, as being both "wholly inaccurate" and "grossly misleading". It had been widely reported that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), responding to a parliamentary question from Cork North West TD Michael Moynihan (FF), had agreed to fund the design and construction of proposed safety improvement works, at the junction, once famously branded "one of the most dangerous in the country". Gary Lynch, TII's head of regulatory and administration wrote that Cork County Council was currently procuring a consultant to prepare a detailed design of the scheme, which would require planning approval, and that it was "anticipated that the works would be undertaken in 2019." While his comments were given a broad welcome, Cllr John Paul O'Shea (FG) said he had taken exception to some statements made in recent days through the press, broadcast and social media and to locals, community groups, business people in the Banteer/Kanturk area and regular commuters using Ballymacquirke Cross on the issue. Cllr O'Shea insisted that a timeline for construction works to commence in 2019 was purely aspirational and that it was wrong to suggest they might start next year. "At the outset I want to state clearly there is nobody more than I who wants to have these improvement works completed as soon as possible. However, I believe the statements issued over the last week by some are wholly inaccurate and grossly misleading to the general public," said Cllr O'Shea. "As a public representative, I have always believed in giving people accurate information on an issue. Sadly, some don't seem to believe in this, which creates uncertainty and distress for communities." He said that as of last Monday the Council's National Roads Office, as approved by TII, had gone to tender to complete road resurfacing works at the junction and to trim nearby trees and hedgerows to improve sight lines. Cllr O'Shea said these would merely serve as interim measures until works start on the roundabout. "While the timeframe for these interim works will depend on the outcome of tenders and the availability of contractors, I would hope that works would be completed before year end," said Cllr O'Shea. However, he said it was "somewhat disingenuous" of some commentators to suggest that works might begin on the actual roundabout at the junction during 2019. "While funding has been allocated by TII to the Council to acquire design consultants for the project, there will be numerous issues that will need to be addressed once the design process had been completed," said Cllr O'Shea. He said these would include Part 8 planning permission for the project that would include seeking submissions from stakeholders, state agencies and the public and the acquisition of adjacent lands, a process that may require Compulsory Purchase Order's (CPO's) should no agreement be reached with landowners. "Since the area is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) as it is located close to the River Blackwater, appropriate measures will no doubt be required as part of the whole process. The programme of works needed to bring the roundabout to construction stage is dependant on the outcome of all these preliminary works," said Cllr O'Shea. He said it was therefore "highly unlikely" that work on a roundabout would start with the next 12-18 months. "The time-frame for the commencement of these works has not been confirmed and it is far too early in this process to even suggest one. I will do my utmost to ensure the works start as soon as is practically possible, but raising people's hopes by intimating the works will start next year is, at best, somewhat disingenuous and will not be helpful in advancing this project," said Cllr O'Shea. The County Mayor's Charity Masquerade Ball, which is high on the social calendar for so many, has raised 24,000. The proceeds of the ball will go to help Enable Ireland, the West Cork Rapid Response and Special Olympics Munster. Speaking at the cheque presentation, former Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Declan Hurley thanked all who supported the event. "I am thrilled to be in such a position and to have held an evening where we collected such an astonishing amount of money. This represents the magnificent culture of charity we have here in Cork, and I know that this donation will be put toward a phenomenal use," he said. Representatives from the charities thanked all who supported the event and expressed their appreciation at having been selected by the County Mayor, noting how the proceeds will be of great assistance. It was a very special stop-off on the presidential campaign trail for Sean Gallagher and his wife, Trish, when they dropped into the Sinsir Club in Castlemagner last Thursday. Trish, who is a native of Kanturk, had arranged to meet up with her mum, Noreen O'Connor, who is a member of the club. "It's absolutely wonderful to be here. My Mum comes here every week to the Sinsir Club, and Kathleen Moylan invited us. We've been travelling all around the country but to come home is really, really special," Trish said. "I don't get to come down as often as I would like so to come here and get that welcome is just wonderful." It's an incredibly busy time for Sean, who said he was absolutely delighted to be visiting Castlemagner and Kanturk. "I'm delighted to be here in Castlemagner, this is where we got married, it's always great to return to your roots as the foundation from which we all come and the values that Trish would have got here growing up, her wonderful family, great neighbours and a caring community; this is the very best of what Ireland is all about" Sean said. Castlemagner PP Fr. Michael Dorgan welcomed Sean and Trish. "It's an anxious time and we wish them all the best," he said. He thanked Kathleen Moylan for organising the visit and said that if she wasn't looking after the Sinsir Club, and so many other things, she surely would have thrown her hat into the ring also. "She would have been a strong contestant!" he said. After a cuppa and a chat in Castlemagner, Sean and Trish headed on to Kanturk and Mallow on the next leg of their campaign trail. A 46 year old woman has been remanded in custody after she was charged with the murder of her husband in a stabbing incident in Macroom earlier this week. Rita O'Driscoll, with an address at Bridge Street, Bandon, was charged with the murder of Timmy Foley (44) at a house at Dan Corkery Place in Macroom between October 7th and October 8th (Sunday night - Monday morning). On Wednesday at Macroom District Court, Det Sgt Derek Mulcahy gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Ms O'Driscoll, who appeared in court dressed in black cardigan and blue jeans. Det Sgt Mulcahy told the court that when he put the charge to Ms O'Driscoll after caution, she replied: 'I did not kill my husband - I stabbed him twice, not 28 times'. Insp Brian Murphy applied for a remand in custody to Macroom District Court on October 17th, pointing out that the district court had no jurisdiction on the issue of bail on a murder charge. Defence solicitor Pat Horan said that his client would be pleading 'not guilty' at the appropriate time and he also applied for free legal aid on behalf of his client to Judge Mary Dorgan. Judge Dorgan granted Ms O'Driscoll free legal aid and remanded her in custody on the murder charge to Limerick Prison to appear again at Macroom District Court on October 17th. Mr Horan said that his client had asked him to ask the court to ensure that she received appropriate protection while on remand in Limerick Prison on the charge of murdering Mr Foley. Mr Horan said his client had asked him to inform the court she had been subjected to years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the family home which the state was aware of for years. The abuse had involved the use of weapons against her and some of these incidents had been witnessed by her children about whom she was deeply concerned, he added. Mr Horan asked that his client receive appropriate psychiatric and medical attention while on remand and Judge Dorgan granted the application and directed she receive all necessary support. She had also asked him to ask the court that similar measures be taken to protect her two children, aged 20 and 21, who were both vulnerable, and her extended family while she was in prison. Insp Murphy thanked all parties for supporting the gardai in their investigation to date and he urged them to continue with that support to ensure the case was brought to a proper conclusion. Judge Dorgan echoed Insp Murphy's appeal and she urged all parties to remain calm and exercise caution to allow the law take its course in relation to the death of Mr Foley. Earlier, Mr Horan told the court that Ms O'Driscoll's focus was on the welfare of her adult children, and she was upset to learn they had been locked out of their rented house when she was detained. He said that she discovered that, when she was arrested, the landlord of her rented house had boarded up the property and locked her children from the property, and they were now homeless. They still had belongings in the house and she was appealing to the Housing Dept of Cork County Council to ensure that they were properly housed as both were vulnerable people, he said. What has become a firm fixture on the business calendar, the sixth annual IRD Duhallow awards are set to take place again next month. It is the business community who must be lauded for playing their role in boosting the local economy as they have proven to be huge brand ambassadors for a region which is already rich in culture and music. IRD Duhallow, in conjunction with The Corkman, will honour and recognise the captains of industry across six categories. The awards ceremony will be held in a marquee on the grounds of IRD Duhallow at the James O'Keeffe Institute, Newmarket on Thursday, November 22. Moreover, what the awards ceremony recognises is the sustainability, creativity and innovation which the businesses in the region showcase, as well as their invaluable contribution to the local economy. On the night of the awards there is also the coveted Best Overall Business of the Year award. John Feerick, MD of The Corkman said: "For the sixth year in a row, The Corkman is once again delighted to be the media partner for the IRD Duhallow Business awards. "We have met so many in the business community over the last number of years, whether they are a start up and going up the ladder of success to firmly established family run companies who continue to strive upwards, and it is testament to the economic spirit that is in the Duhallow region." Maura Walsh, CEO of IRD Duhallow said: "We are delighted to once again hold the sixth business awards. Without question, the awards absolutely reflect the business acumen, talent and calibre of the people in this region who are proving to be so valuable to the local economy. It is only right that the very people who do so much for Duhallow be recognised." As the catchment region of IRD Duhallow has been expanded, applications can now be submitted from the Muskerry region. When all applications have been submitted, it will then be a matter for the judges to view each application on its own merits and the short-listing stage will then be undertaken. The categories for the awards will consist of: BEST BUSINESS START UP (confined to businesses which commenced trading on or after January 1, 2013) BEST ESTABLISHED BUSINESS AWARD (again confined to businesses which commenced trading on or after January 1, 2013) BEST WOMAN-LED BUSINESS AWARD (confined to women led businesses that are owned and managed by a female director) CREATIVE INDUSTRY AWARD this is confined to businesses that demonstrate innovation within the fields of advertising, architecture, the arts and antique market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music performing arts, publishing, software and computer services and radio and television). BEST AGRI-LED BUSINESS AWARD - confined to businesses that are agriculture based such as any business operating in crop production, (including farming and contract farming), seed supply, agrichemicals, agri-tourism, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales of agriculture related products. COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE AWARD - confined to businesses that are operating as social enterprises, and were established by community or voluntary groups. Applicants must be a not for profit organisation. Applicants can enter on-line on www.irdduhallow.com or email Louise.Bourke@irdduhallow.com for further details. The deadline is fast looming and the closing date for entries is Thursday, October 25. The town of Mallow stands as a shining example of how urban centres across the country can come together to bring together the local community for a single common purpose. That was the message from Mallow Chamber president Pat Hayes, who was speaking after a recent visit to the town by a judging panel from the 2018 Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards. The nomination for this year's competition by Cork County Council proved to be a rallying cry for the local community, which turned out in force to welcome the judges and show off all that the town has to offer. First stop was a presentation at the Mallow GAA Complex in Carrigoon. This was attended by a large cross section of people from various different community and business backgrounds. Following this the judging panel were taken on a tour of the town, visiting local landmarks including Mallow Castle. Mr Hayes said he was delighted by the manner in which the competition had caught the imagination of the local community, as evidenced by the large turnout for the presentation at Carrigoon. "It was a wonderful show of support for the town and we felt that we put on the best presentation that we possibly could have done," said Mr Hayes. "It showed Mallow at its very best, highlighting what a great place it is to live, work and do business in. "It is only when you put together a presentation of this depth and scale that you truly begin to realise the wonderful community spirit that Mallow possesses and the tremendous amount of community and business supports that exist within its environs," he added. Mr Hayes said the judges seemed to be happy with the presentation and that he and all involved were hoping for a positive result. "We will now have to wait until the regional, national and overall winners are announced on November 28 to find out how we fared," he said. Castlelyons farmer Donal Sheen has been short-listed in the inaugural Farming for Nature award for his work on the BRIDE Project The Castlelyons dairy farmer behind an innovative project aimed at rewarding farmers in the Bride Valley region for conserving wildlife on their land has been short-listed for a prestigious national biodiversity award. Donal Sheehan, who helped design and now manages the BRIDE (Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment) Project, is one of six finalists in the inaugural Bord Bia sponsored 'Farming for Nature' Award, an independent initiative aimed at supporting High Nature Value (HNV) farming across Ireland. The award is part of a nationwide initiative that sources, shares and celebrates the stories of Irish farmers who are undertaking projects that enhance nature on their land and across their respective communities. A five-minute film about the work being done by Mr Sheehan and the other nominees can be viewed at www.farmingfornature.ie, with the public invited to cast their vote for their favourite one - with the winner set to be unveiled later on this month. Launched in April of this year the BRIDE project provides local farmers with bespoke habitat plans that identify the most appropriate and effective wildlife management plans for their farms. In turn, they receive a financial payment for the conservation measures they put in place. Speaking at the launch, Mr Sheehan said the five-year project was specifically designed to increase and maintain biodiversity on intensively managed farms through "simple, innovative measures." "The effects on wildlife will be monitored through the project, which aims to create suitable habitats for local important populations of wildlife, including skylarks, yellowhammers, bumble bees and frogs and newts," he said. An ecologist will also work with participating farmers, focussing on vital habitats such as hedgerows, bogs, woodlands, pond and derelict buildings. Clusters of neighbouring farms are also encouraged to work collectively to enhance biodiversity on a larger scale than would be possible on an individual farm basis. "This is important as wild birds and other animals do not respect farm boundaries. Local participation will help forge a strong identity that values local wildlife and the 'farming with nature' concept," said Mr Sheehan. One of the more innovative aspects of the project is its 'higher payments for higher wildlife gains', which means the more flowers in a hedgerow or field margin, the higher the payment. "The greater reward for a higher quality product is very familiar to farmers, and the BRIDE Project applies this principle to the management of wildlife habitats. This means that farmers will be paid for the ongoing management of selected existing wildlife habitats, which is an important feature of the project," said Mr Sheehan. Brendan Dunford, organiser of the 'Farming for Nature' award, said it was powerful to witness Mr Sheehan and the other nominees tell their "unique stories". "Donal has a keen interest in creating a more sustainable way of farming and believes farmers can make a huge difference in improving biodiversity, lowering their carbon footprint and improving the quality of our water," said Mr Dunford. He said that while recognising the damage that can sometimes result from the wrong type of farming, it was also important to celebrate the good stories and highlight role models like Donal Sheehan. "They show that simple actions on the farm can make a big difference for nature without compromising viability, while making the farm a more enjoyable place to live, work and rear a family," said Mr Dunford. Top Irish amateur jockey Jamie Codd helped kick off the countdown to the Dowth Point-to-Point and Country Fair, set to take place on Sunday 28th October at Dowth, Bru na Boinne, County Meath. Organised and sponsored by agri-technology company Devenish in conjunction with the Meath Hunt and Tara Harriers, the event celebrates the very best of country life with a jam-packed offering of racing, food and family fun in the historic setting of Dowth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Six point-to-point races will take place over three miles throughout the day, showcasing Irish racing talent including Jamie Codd. Point-to-point racing is long associated with the Meath region and indeed Dowth, where its racecourse, designed in the 1700s, played host to such events through the generations. Now in its fourth year, the Dowth Point-to-Point and Country Fair expects to welcome even more than the 6,000 guests who joined the occasion in 2017. Guests will be able to shop for a mouth-watering selection of artisan foods and craft beverages in the Boyne Valley Flavours marquee, whilst keeping fuelled during the day through a variety of gourmet food stalls, barista stations and bars. Little racegoers will enjoy all the fun of the fair with a wide range of kids' activities on site, from pony rides to magic shows, pumpkin carving sessions to bouncy castles. Bringing country pursuits to life will be exhibits from organisations including the Maperath Mobile Farm, Newgrange Falconry, The Royal Meath Bee Keepers and The Deer Society, whilst Gun Dog and Archery demonstrations will provide further spectacle. Even canine guests can join in on the fun, with the popular Dog Show taking entries from star pet pooches on the day. On the eve of race day, Saturday 27th October, the Devenish Charity Ball will raise valuable funds for charities, Farm Africa and Irish Injured Jockeys. All funds raised through the Charity Ball go towards these causes, with last year's Ball having raised an impressive 128,000 in total. Dowth was acquired by agri-technology company Devenish in 2013, who remain committed to revitalising its heritage for the public to enjoy as well as using its lands as part of major farming and archaeological research. Executive Chairman of Devenish Owen Brennan said: "The Dowth Point-to-Point and Country Fair marks a celebration of heritage - our great love for racing and sport in general, our exceptional food and drink producers, and our tradition of outdoor pursuits. "It is a great opportunity to bring people of all ages together at Dowth, where our ancestors would have enjoyed such events with their families and friends so long ago. Now is your chance to win a house at Woodlands in Dunleer for just 100. St Kevin's GAA Club and St Kevin's Community Centre in Philipstown have launched the scheme, the biggest fundraising draw in the history of the GAA club. Limited to a maximum of 6,500 tickets, they can be purchased online at www.winahouse.ie or at various shops/offices in the towns of Dunleer, Ardee, Drogheda and Dundalk. Alternatively contact any committee member or email to info@winahouse.ie for further information. The club say they are reaching out to all fellow community supporters, neighbours and friends right across the globe. Steering Group Co-Chair Johnny Meehan has confirmed the value of the house at 210,000 and also mentions that the alternative to taking the house is a cash prize of 200,000 for the lucky winner. Other Prizes are a 3,000 Make-over from TC Mathews Carpets Dunleer, a 2,000 Trip to New York for two and also a 1,500 Belling Cooker. With the funds raised, the club have the objective of completing the new community centre and facilities at Philipstown. The draw takes place on June 1, 2019 in Philipstown. Development Perspectives' and their SDG Advocates will be hosting an exciting free event called the Exhibition of Experience in the Droichead Arts Centre in Stockwell Street in Drogheda on Wednesday, 17 October at 7pm. The event is part of a larger eight month programme where 19 changemakers learn about and take action on the UN's Global Goals. This has included an overseas phase in either Tanzania or Vietnam. The Irish team will be joined by eight advocates from Vietnam and Tanzania as part of a reciprocal visit, so come along and meet them. It will be an evening that promises to intrigue and inspire. The group will showcase projects they are implementing in their own communities. Guest speakers (to be announced) will also share their stories; how they have impacted communities and made a positive change. This a free event but as tickets are limited so please register at http://sdgshowcase2018.eventbrite.ie or email sdgshowcase@gmail.com If you want to rediscover your creative side, then join Nicola McKenna for 'The Artist's Way - An Introduction', a one-day creativity workshop in the Barbican Centre, Saturday October 13th. This informal 'No Skills Required' day introduces you to concepts in Julia Cameron's popular program for self-care and creativity, 'The Artist's Way', in an effort to make space and time for an art or craft that you want to revisit or try for the first time. The Artist's Way program has helped thousands of writers, artists, musicians and actors unblock their creative selves, but what about the rest of us? Nicola says "Not everyone has the time to work through 12 weeks of personal discovery, and not everyone wants to formally work in the Arts; most folks just want to take a step or two towards their chosen creative outlet. That might be poetry, painting, drawing, acting, music, writing, knitting, or any other craft. You don't need to be an artist or a writer to attend this workshop or to do the 12-week program, it's for everyone." Nicola emphasises informality to take the fuss out of creativity, "making it accessible and useful not only in enriching life, but in reducing everyday stress." This introductory workshop involves some easy art, a little writing, and a lot of fun. All materials are provided, and no skills are required. This one-day workshop runs from 10am to 4pm in the Barbican Centre, Drogheda on Saturday October 13th. There are 15 places and the price is 55. Tea and coffee are provided but attendees are advised to bring a packed lunch. 'The Artist's Way - An Introduction' is for adults only. For more information and online booking, go to www.nikkiweston.com or call 087 2674104. A number of local areas are to benefit from the allocation of funds from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which has handed out over 21m to communities in 2018. The Scheme focuses on projects which can help to enhance rural towns and villages, with a particular emphasis on stimulating economic development. One of the biggest winners was Collon Church of Ireland which is to receive 80,000 to re-slate the roof. The roof has been in a bad state of repair for some time and there are fears that the historic ceiling of the building will collapse unless works are carried out. 'It's great news for the people who are working so hard to save the church,' local councillor Dolores Minogue stated. She put them forward for funding for the project and is delighted with the outcome. There was also good news for Donore with 77,600 secured to fit out the community centre. Local councillor Paddy Meade said the funding was richly deserved as the community had come together to provide an invaluable addition for people of all ages for the future. Cllr Stephen McKee also expressed his delight with the news. 'I am delighted to have helped St.Mary's GFC secure their place as one of 12 applications from County Meath that went forward for funding. I would like to play tribute to the tremendous work being done at the Club.' Success also for Annagassan, securing 100,000, Baltray 42,400 for a viewing platform on the promenade, Fieldstown/Monasterboice, 60,000 for two sculptures, Grangebellew, 76,000 for village enhancement, Termonfeckin, 100,000 for the village, with Nobber awarded 88,000 for a town walkway. Former Labour TD Dominic Hannigan has declared his interest in contesting next year's European elections. He made the announcement last week after the constituencies were changed to take account of the re-assignment of the UK's seats post-Brexit. The changes mean that Ireland will get an extra two seats. Hannigan intends to run in the 4-seat Midlands-North-West constituency, which runs across Ireland from east to west, and includes the territory north of the M6 Galway to Dublin Motorway. The constituency includes all of Louth. "I am running because I'm worried about the direction that Europe is taking and so I want to get involved to help to build and shape a more progressive Europe. 'If I'm nominated I will be the only candidate for the Party of European Socialist in this constituency,' he stated. Hannigan is a long-time party member and has represented the party first as a Councillor in Meath, then as a Senator and then for 5 years as a TD for Meath East. In the Dail he spent four years as the Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs. Born and educated in Drogheda, after secondary school at St Mary's CBS he attended UCD, where he graduated in civil engineering. Following this he did a Master's Degree in Finance at the University of London. He worked for a engineering company until becoming a full time public representative in 2004. Since the 2016 election he has created a small distillery which now employs 6 people. He's also a member of SIPTU. The party's selection convention will most likely be within the next two months. Drogheda gardai have been congratulated for their part in the success of the 2018 Fleadh Cheoil. The community policing approach of the local service was praised by a number of speakers at the Joint Policing Committee meeting in the d Hotel. 'It was fantastic and safety was paramount for those attending the event and with Louth CC, they did a great job. Their participation was second to none and they even played a bit of Irish music,' Cllr Richie Culhane stated. Supt Andrew Watters confirmed that over 500,000 attended the eight day event and there were 39 arrests, at least 25 of those regular offenders. 'It was a huge success for everyone and the town and the people of Drogheda deserve great credit. They supported all the agencies and I'd have to thank the council and the likes of the vintners and hoteliers.' Cllr Pio Smith said he hadn't heard one complaint and it was 'a great example of community policing on a large scale.' Cllr David Saurin also praised the gardai for the way in which they handled the event. 'It wasn't a heavy presence and that added to the experience.' The sight of the gardai dancing outside Hurley's shop was a highlight Fergus O'Dowd TD, he added. Drogheda actress and comedian Deirdre O'Kane is to be honoured by the Kerry Film Festival committee later this month. She is to receive the Maureen O'Hara Award for 2018 to acknowledge her contribution to the film and television industry and for her extraordinary talent, skill and determination. The Kerry Film Festival inaugurated the Maureen O'Hara Award in 2008 in honour of the legendary O'Hara, one of Hollywood's best-loved and most inspiring actresses. The award celebrates outstanding women working in film & television today. Previous recipients include Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, French actress Juliette Binoche, writer/director Rebecca Miller, costume designer Consolata Boyle, actress Fionnula Flanagan and editor/director Emer Reynolds among others. Deirdre is an award winning actress, comedian and TV presenter. She won an IFTA, Irish Academy Award, for Best Actress for her portrayal of humanitarian Christina Noble in Noble. Her screen credits include Noble, Halal Daddy, The Lodgers, Festival, Intermission, Moone Boy (Sky), Younger (NBC US), and Paths to Freedom, while her theatre credits range from classical theatre to her acclaimed performance in the one woman show My Brilliant Divorce. She is one of Ireland's most successful stand-up comedians and is currently on tour with her brand new show,A Line of O'Kane. She also proved her superb dancing skills earlier this year when she danced her way into the finals of the popular Dancing With The Stars. Deirdre's talent and skills on screen has seen her secure key TV Presenting roles in recent years across RTE and Virgin Media TV, and she has been the host of the annual IFTA Film Awards Ceremony for the past four years. When presenting the 2018 IFTA Awards Ceremony, Deirdre paid tribute to her idol Maureen O'Hara in a widely acclaimed opening monologue, who had received the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2004. 'It is an absolute honour to receive this award which is named for such an inspiring screen legend. Maureen O'Hara achieved so much in her lifetime and was never afraid to speak her mind - she has paved the way for generations to come,' Deirdre stated. Maeve McGrath, Artistic Director of the Kerry Film Festival said, "We are delighted to announce Deirdre O'Kane as the recipient of the 2018 Maureen O'Hara Award. Deirdre's vibrant and creative talent, skill and persona epitomizes so many of the great qualities of Maureen O'Hara" The Kerry Film festival runs from 17-21st October in Killarney. Homes and businesses in Louth and Meath, served by the Staleen water treatment plant and the Drumconrath public water supply, are being advised that their supply is 'at risk'. Irish Water have said that the water, which supplies 72,000 customers, is still safe to drink. In the past, Irish Water only contacted homes and businesses if there was a problem with their drinking water supply that was likely to cause an immediate risk to health. However, the recent Water Services Policy Statement 2018 -2025, called for better engagement with, and greater transparency for people using public water supplies. In South Louth and East Meath homes and businesses will receive a letter to tell them that their water supply is affected by elevated levels of THMs (Trihalomethanes) and poor Turbidity removal. THMs are chemical compounds which can form over time when natural organic matter such as twigs and leaves, react with the chlorine necessary to adequately disinfect water supplies in order to make the water safe to drink. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. Irish Water, is investing 14 million to upgrade the Staleen Water Treatment Plant which treats water from the river Boyne. These upgrade works are already underway and are scheduled to be completed in mid-2019. This project will provide a significant upgrade of treatment facilities at the Staleen WTP to address and remedy any deficiencies in the treatment plant. The works include the implementation of an enhanced coagulation treatment process to limit THM formation and improved filtration to improve turbidity removal. In the Drumcondrath public water supply scheme, homes and businesses will receive a letter to tell them that their water supply is also affected by THMs. Irish Water are progressing with plans to change the water supply for these homes and businesses so in future they will be supplied from the Ardee Public Water Scheme. These works are scheduled to be complete by early 2021. Speaking about the public information campaign, Mark Macaulay, Asset Planning Manager at Irish Water said, "Irish Water has worked closely with the EPA to identify the public water schemes that need a plan or action to improve their water treatment. We are prioritising our investment in these treatment plants. Providing safe, clean drinking water for all in South Louth and Meath is our first goal. "We wish to assure everyone we are writing to in Louth and Meath that their drinking water is safe to drink. We monitor and test our supplies on a continuous basis and if this monitoring indicates a potential water quality issue we consult with the HSE. If the results from our monitoring programmes indicate any potential risk to public health from the drinking water supply we inform the public immediately. If anyone has any questions or concerns they should contact Irish Water." If members of the public have any questions they can call Callsave 1850 278 278 or +353 1 707 2828 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Horse trainer Aidan OBrien and Hospice chairman Eamonn Mernagh with supporters and friends at the launch of the Monster Benefit Renowned international horse trainer Aidan O'Brien was in Enniscorthy to officially launch the Friends of Wexford Hospice Homecare Race Night which will take place at Enniscorthy Greyhound Track on Sunday, October 28. Mr O'Brien, who is a native of Killigney, Clonroche, has been a long-time supporter of the work of Wexford Hospice Homecare (WHH) and the organisers of the launch were delighted that he was able to be present. His attendance and endorsement of the event was viewed as a major boost for the upcoming night. At the launch Mr O'Brien called for a 'whole hearted' response from the general public and in doing so praised the work of everyone involved with WHH. He said the Hospice Homecare team 'is greatly appreciated and admired all over the county'. 'Their work, reflects the highest standards of professional care for the terminally ill and as such their efforts deserve fulsome support from every sector of society,' he said. Mr O'Brien, who became Ireland's youngest ever Champion trainer in 1996 and has held the overall title continuously since 1998, said he was delighted to be asked to the launch. He also expressed delight at lending his name to the event. 'Wexford Hospice Homecare fully deserves the recognition of always being available when needed and of always providing the highest professional standard of medical care to cancer patients,' he said. Friends of Wexford Hospice Homecare (FWHH) is a voluntary group composed of business people and private individuals who combine their efforts to raise money for the organisation. The team members have also worked collaboratively at organising the race night in the hope of raising as much money as possible for a very worthy cause. All money raised from the event will go towards supporting the continuing work of the service which provides palliative care for the terminally ill across the county. A spokesperson for the organising committee highlighted there are very few families who have not encountered or required the services of the WHH team at what is always a 'very fragile time' in their lives. 'For the team to continue providing such a service, a generous response from the public to fund raising events is essential,' said the spokesperson. He also highlighted the fact that the Hospice Homecare Service is provided free-of-charge to those in need. 'It's very existence is totally dependent on public subscriptions and donations and the up-coming race night at Enniscorthy Greyhound Track is just one way in which the people of Co Wexford can show their appreciation by attending in large numbers,' he said. Of added significance to the event is the fact it will be the first time that racing will be held at the track on a Sunday night and the organisers are hoping this will lead to an increase in the number of people attending. The organising committee is composed of: Brendan and Christy Murphy, Ballinaboola; Mike Nolan, Marshalstown; Eamon Mernagh, Oylegate; Bill Nolan, Davidstown; Tom Kenny, Castledockrill; Charlie Bradley, Newbawn, and Robert Bennett, Ballinakill, Ballycarney. Tickets for the event, priced 10, are now on sale and according to the race night Chairperson, Robert Bennett, the reaction from the public so far has been 'phenomenal'. Advertising space on the race night programme is also available and details of how to book a space and the cost involved can be obtained by contacting the Chairperson on 087-4146801. At the launch Mr Bennett also spoke and reflected on the 'wonderful work being done by Wexford Hospice Homecare' and highlighted how the organisation is entirely funded from voluntary donations. The FWHH committee was formed in 2012 when Marshalstown, Camross and Newbawn Drama Groups banded together in an effort to raise badly needed funds for the Hope Centre in Enniscorthy. Since then the committee has expanded its theatrical offerings to include Wexford Hospice Homecare and over the past seven years has raised 53,790 for both deserving charities. Mr Bennett said the money raised from the forthcoming Dog Night will be donated exclusively to Wexford Hospice Homecare. He added that the money will be used to 'further develop the services already in place across the county'. Getting a car insurance is perhaps not hassle-free, as it calls for dedicated time and patience to acquire the quotes from some reliable insurance companies. However, the fact is that most of us have a busy schedule almost daily. The Car Insurance Now Company in South Africa is all set to take this hassle away and provide some of the most affordable quotes to the citizens. The South African company, Car Insurance Now, is in breaking news these days for its ability to offer smooth and cheap car insurance in the most efficient manner. The customer only needs to provide the contact details and the rest is what this company takes as its responsibility. 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Media Contact Company Name: Car Insurance Now Contact Person: Allan Daniel Email: Send Email Phone: 021 461 1609 Address:16 Grosvenor Court, 78 High Level Road, Greenpoint 8051 City: Cape Town Country: South Africa Website: http://carinsurancenow.co.za/ As we head towards the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I a Balbriggan man has taken a personal journey to France to honour two members of his family who fought and died in the Great War and above all, fulfil a promise to his late mother. Two years before his mother's death, Alec Graham from Balbriggan talked with his mum about two cousins she had that fought in the Great War and never came home. As Alec listened to the story and his mother's regret at having not visited their graves, Alec made a promise to his mum, saying if he ever got the chance, he would go to France and place flowers on the two soldiers' graves in her name. Alec's mother died two years ago and more recently, the Balbriggan man was sitting at home watching a documentary about World War I and the memory of that promise was sparked. Alec remembered: 'I was sitting down one day and I was watching Sky. I wasn't paying too much attention to it, I was reading the paper, but it was a documentary about the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium in World War I and it just reminded me of the promise I made to my mother to put flowers on the grave of her two cousins. 'At that moment, I decided I was going to go to France and find their graves. 'I rang my sister, Ethel there and then and told her I was going to go to France and find these graves and she said she would come with me. It kind of snowballed then and six of us went.' Alec explained that one side of his mother's family were Protestants and so the local Church of Ireland in Balbriggan was a good place to start the search for the two men's graves. Between that visit and Ethel's enquiries with the War Graves Commission, they found out some basic details about the two soldiers and the circumstances of their death and burial. First there was Lieutenant Ernest Dennis Ellis, of the 4th Batallion, Befodshire Regiment. Ernest was killed on September 27, 1918 whilst leading his company across the Canal du Nord, France and subsequently has his remains interred in the British Cemetery of Moeuvres. He was the youngest son of David A Ellis and Annie Ellis of Balbriggan. They there was Richard Thomas Dennis. a 2nd Lieutenant of the Royal Irish Rifles, attached to the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers. He wsa the only son of Richard and Marianne Dennis of Balbriggan and actually survived the war, only to die of Spanish Flu before he ever got home. He was wounded and taken prisoner at Mon tigny on May 28, 1918 and died at Wimereux on December 19, 1918 on his return from Rastatt, Germany after being liberated from a prisoner of war camp, aged just 19 years. His remains were interred at Terlingthun Cemetery, Boulogne. Armed with this information and more, Alec and his family set off for France and engaged World War I expert, John Anderson to be their guide. Alec told the Fingal Independent: 'We had all the information we wanted and we booked our flights. I said we should get a guide over there to help us out. 'We got on the internet and hired a fellow called John Anderson who turned out to be an author of a book on World War I. He's an Englishman but has been living in France for the last 11 years. 'He came back to us with a programme and arranged everything. 'He picked us up and brought us to the graves. He brought us to the spot where Ernest was shot and various other places.' 'He brought us to Ernest's grave. It was very emotional. We bought poppies there and laid them on the grave and we put a memorial card for my mother on the grave as well. It was very emotional. 'A few of us were very upset leaving the grave and looking back at this grave in France where there was now a picture of your mother.' Alec was struck by the respect and reverence with which the graves are kept. He said: 'The graves are kept impeccably. You have to give great credit to the people who look after them. 'There is a little tabernacle and you open it up and take out this book that has a record of all the graves. You find the name you are looking for and it directs you to the plot. And there's a visitor's book that you can sign your name to so we all did that and we left a phone number too just in case someone ever came along there that are related to them too and they might give us a call. 'I wrote on the card: 'Mam, a promise fulfilled.' It was very emotional, very, very emotional.' Because Richard was heading for home, his grave was much further north, near Calais and that is where the Balbriggan family headed next. Alec tried to imagine what it must have been like for Richard's mother back then who would have, over a number of months had reports he was missing, then presumed dead, then captured and alive, then liberated, and finally, dead from Spanish Flu. He said: 'His mother would have been told he was missing in action then after six months she would have been told he was presumed dead. But later they found he was in a prisoner of war camp and his mother would have been told that he wasn't dead after all. He was liberated from the camp and that message would have got back to his mother but then he died on the way home.' But at least, he said, he was there in a marked grave with his name on it where rows and rows of 'unknown soldiers' lay unknown, unclaimed and unloved. He said: 'There is rows and rows of graves of the 'unknown soldier'. It is heartbreaking.' The family had that same emotional experience at the second grave and again, Alec left a memorial card with his mother's picture on the graveside -- his mission to honour a promise was complete. The trip had one more moving experience in store when the family got a taste of what it must have been like to be in the trenches. In a preserved trench, just like it would have been 100 years ago, the family and others were invited down. Alec said: 'Down we went about 20 of us. They switched off the lights so we just had the same amount of light they had. 'We the battalion that used the trench were to attack at 5am or 6am this morning on a certain date. 'They were all down there ready to go and it was postponed. They couldn't get back out again, they would make too much noise. 'So they had to sit there, without food, without water, no toilets and they couldn't speak. 'It's unreal when you're sitting there.' November is coming and Ireland's awkward relationship with World War I and the wearing of the poppy in particular will no doubt surface in debate once again. For Alec, there is no debate. Although he says he can see the issue 'from both sides', he will proudly wear the poppy this year and commemorate two brave Balbriggan man who gave their lives in the Great War. He will remember their sacrifice, what they went through in the trenches and he will remember his mother's respect for them and the wish she had to have them honoured and remembered in the way that Alec and his family achieved, earlier this year. It is sad to relate that although Alec would love to see a permanent memorial to the soldiers and perhaps others from Balbriggan who made the same sacrifice, he fears it would become a target for vandals. But having visited the graveside of the two soldiers, Alec is assured they will be remembered forever and he will certainly do everything he can to keep their memories alive. Alec said the trip has given him a new found interest not only in family history but the history of the war itself. He says he hopes to return to the World War I battlefields and cemeteries and revisit the graves of his long-lost cousins. 'I just wanted to give a little bit of recognition to these two men and fulfil a promise to my mother,' Alec said finally. He succeeded in doing both. Young players from a number of Fingal clubs have participated in the breaking of a world record at Croke Park by stating the largest ever training session in hurling and camogie. O'Dwyer's of Balbriggan, St Finian's in Swords and the GAA club in Ballyboughal were among the local teams participating in the successful world record attempt. A spokesperson for O'Dwyer's GAA said: 'Massive congratulations to our U10 girls who are now officially amazing in their first year of camogie after breaking a Guinness World Record in Croke Park in celebration of the GAA Museum's 20th anniversary along with 40 clubs across the country! 'They participated in the largest ever hurling/camogie training session with 1,772 players and mentors taking part. It was an amazing night for everyone involved.' Children and mentors representing Ballyboughal GFC and St Finian's GAA also took part in the Guinness World Record attempt for the 'World's Largest Hurling Training Session' in Croke Park. Meanwhile, back at O'Dwyer's GAA in Balbriggan, the club has started this month offering something very special to the community of Balbriggan as part of its Healthy Club project. Between 7pm and 8pm for four weeks, the whole family (age 4 - adult) can get down to the club and get some exercise. The children will be catered for at the club with fundamental games/skill sessions. There will be three options for the adults aimed at all age groups and fitness levels. A spokesperson for the club explained: 'We will have a walking group, a running group and a fitness class to choose from. 'The running and walking groups will leave the premises and the fitness class will take place at the club. Weight/blood pressure and measurements will be offered as an option. 'We will end our 4 weeks with a walk in Carlingford on Sunday 28th October . The only cost for this initiative will be the bus to Carlingford so what are you waiting for?!' Government grants for Tidy Towns committees around the country will net 28,000 for committees in Fingal. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, has announced a national grant scheme to mark the 60th anniversary of the Tidy Towns Competition. This scheme will allow each Tidy Towns committee to apply for a grant of between 1,000 and 4,000 to support the work they do and will support ten committees throughout Fingal. Local TD, Alan Farrel welcomed the local grants, saying: 'This investment by the Government will directly support the local Tidy Towns groups. These volunteer led community initiatives bring out the best in our towns and villages. 'This competition really shows us the importance of participation. Our local Tidy Towns volunteers are a credit to our community. I encourage anyone who feels strongly about our community and our environment to get involved with Tidy Towns.' Senator James Reilly welcomed the Tidy Towns funding for local groups, saying: 'I have no doubt that towns and villages across Fingal will benefit hugely from this investment. Wherever you have active Tidy Towns committees, it gives the place a real boost and creates the environment for tourism.' Announcing the funding for Tidy Towns groups across the country, Minister Ring said: 'This funding is recognition from the Government of the huge contribution made by citizens in their own communities. 'Tidy Towns groups have made our country as a whole a better place to live in and to visit. 'The work is carried out on a voluntary basis and we all benefit from it. 'This investment by the Government will further enhance our towns and villages and represents great value for money.' Fingal's towns and villages participated in the competition with distinction again this year. Skerries and Malahide took gold medals, Swords a silver medal and Lusk a bronze, with Naul taking an Endeavour Award as one of the most improved performers in the competition this year. A man who was intoxicated and had a knife with a four inch blade in his car claimed it was for his own protection as he was homeless at the time. David Grimes (27) was outside the vehicle when gardai approached him. He was drunk and gardai discovered a four inch blade in the handle of the driver's side of the car. The defendant was arrested. Grimes, of Thomas Street in Dublin pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and being in unlawful possession of the knife at South Strand in Skerries on August 31. He has four previous convictions. Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said the defendant has not come to garda attention since. 'He was homeless at the time and strung out on alcohol. As he was sleeping in his car he felt vulnerable and had the knife for his protection,' Ms D'Arcy explained. 'He has now gotten a place to stay and hasn't taken any alcohol or illegal substances since.' 'It seems serious having the knife but there is a context to it. He has no history of violence and he is a gentle soul,' Ms D'Arcy continued. 'His life seems to have gotten a lot better now he has accommodation and is clean,' she said. Judge Paula Murphy agreed there was extenuating circumstances as to why the defendant had the knife and said as he is dealing with his issues she will impose a conviction and fine of 150 for being in possession of the knife. She took being intoxicated into consideration. Fingal is set to be lit up this Halloween as the Festival of Fire hits three local towns providing all the fun of a fiery festival, safely and legally. The Fingal Festival of Fire, part of Fingal County Council's Safer Halloween initiative, is returning with an expanded programme this year which will see three communities host the family-friendly event, culminating in a 'spooktacular' fireworks display. Building on the success of the event in Swords over the past couple of years, communities in both Blanchardstown and Balbriggan will, for the first time, be able to enjoy the wonderful event on Halloween night. The Festival of Fire takes place in Swords Town Park at 5.30pm on Halloween night while the fun starts in Millennium Park in Blanchardstown at 6pm and at Balbriggan Harbour at 7.30pm. Funded by Fingal County Council, the launch by Acting Mayor, Cllr Kieran Dennison took place at Millennium Park on and was attended by the key emergency and support services. Fingal County Council Chief Executive Paul Reid said: 'Fingal County Council made a commitment to expand the Festival of Fire last year. 'I am delighted to see that we are building on the success of Swords and that we are replicating the event in both Blanchardstown and Balbriggan to make Halloween a family fun event. 'We will be working with all the agencies to make sure Halloween is a safe time for everyone.' Acting Mayor of Fingal Cllr Kieran Dennison said: 'Let's all get together to make Halloween a great time for families, children, animals and communities.' Garda Superintendent Tony Twomey from the Balbriggan District said: 'I am delighted to be associated with Fingal County Council in promoting the event. 'It is important from our point of view to ensure the safety of children so they can enjoy Halloween. We are fully behind events that divert people away for uncontrolled bonfires and illicit fireworks.' Richie Hedderman, Assistant Fire Officer Dublin Fire Brigade, said: 'These events are very important in order to create awareness that fire and smoke can kill.' Fergus Byrne, assistant Civil Defence Officer and liaison to Fingal County Council, said: 'We want people and communities to enjoy themselves but enjoy themselves in a safe way and so they can go home with no injuries.' Fingal County Council has congratulated former Director and President of Fingal Dublin Chamber Siobhan Kinsella on her appointment as President of Chambers Ireland. Siobhan joined the board of Chambers Ireland in 2014 and served as Director of Fingal Dublin Chamber from 2007 to 2017 and as President from 2013 to 2015. She succeeds Niamh Boyle, Managing Director of the Reputations Agency who held the position since 2016. Chief Executive of Fingal County Council Paul Reid said: 'I am delighted to congratulate Siobhan on her appointment as President of Chambers Ireland. 'I am confident that her experience, skills and professionalism will be hugely valuable in her new role. She has made a significant contribution as Director of Fingal Chambers in representing businesses and I look forward to seeing her continue this work at a national level.' Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said: 'Having served with Siobhan on the Fingal Economic Development & Enterprise SPC and the Drinam Enterprise Centre, I know she is a great ambassador for Fingal and Fingal County Council. With her professional experience as a Director within The Noel Group and The Cpl Institute as well as her experience representing businesses as Director of Fingal Chambers, I am sure that she will be a valuable asset to Chambers Ireland.' Chambers Ireland Chief Executive Ian Talbot said: 'We're delighted to welcome Siobhan as our new President and we look forward to working with her in furthering the goals and objectives of Chambers Ireland and the wider affiliated Chamber Network.Siobhan said: 'Holding the presidency of Chambers Ireland is an exciting opportunity. As a Wexford native, and a long-time member of my local Chamber in Fingal, I'm proud of the work that chambers do around the country.' The cast of Les Miserable pictured with their musical director Roisin Dempsey. The production takes place at Gorey Theatre from October 15-20 A special performance from the Gorey Community School cast of Les Miserables was just one of the highlights at this year's open evening. Principal Michael Finn sent out invitations to primary schools in the locality weeks before the event and, as usual, the response was tremendous. 'We were extremely busy all evening,' said Mr Finn. 'A team of teachers and students stood out for most of the night to help park cars.' In his speech to the visitors Mr Finn emphasised the importance of getting applications in on time. 'If an application comes in after the deadline then they will more than likely not get a spot,' said Mr Finn. 'Every year it happens and unfortunately it is very disappointing for parents.' The deadline for applications this year is Friday, November 9, at 3.15 p.m. The open evening included displays of various subjects offered and the wide range of extra curricular activities and student supports. 'We had three students who didn't attend a Gaelscoil speaking about how they successfully passed the Junior Certificate through Irish,' said Mr Finn. 'They also spoke to parents of the benefits of doing exams in the Irish language.' With the upcoming Gorey Community School musical production of Les Miserables this month, students saw the open evening as a great opportunity to perform a number from the show. Mr Finn said the open evening is a great chance for pupils to get a taste of the school. The concerns of carers all across Wexford were aired at the Carers in Crisis meeting which was hosted by Family Carers Ireland at Clayton White's Hotel. The meeting focused on a variety of issues facing carers and their loved ones including: the lack of residential care; the transition into adult services; the lack of respite; the lack of vital therapies; the carers allowance and how it is assessed; the treatment of carers by the HSE and government departments; and the constant battle carers have to fight for supports. The meeting heard from carers are struggling with lack of supports that mean they cannot care safely for their loved ones. Local campaigner Jane Johnstone made a powerful and emotional plea to the government to invest in homecare, and support carers like herself to care for their loved ones in their own homes for as long as possible. Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Carer Engagement with Family Carers Ireland promised carers that FCI would continue to lobby and fight for better supports for family carers in Wexford and across the country. She said the organisation would lobby in three areas in particular: the drop-off in supports for young people transitioning into adult services, which they feel would be solved by better planning and starting the process when the person is age 16; the need for improved respite care, which they say is vital for carers and the cared for person and prevents burn-out on the carer's part; and transition into residential care, which they say would be far less stressful for all involved if adequate residential places were available. 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In his speech, Cllr Breen said there will be additional investment in ICT infrastructure this year and this will mean that the Work Matters service will be enhanced further during the coming months. He encouraged everyone to continue to come to Gorey Library to use the facility and avail of the research expertise of library staff. 'Those present said that Work Matters is a valuable addition to the services Gorey Library offers,' said librarian Dearbhla Ni Laighin. 'The business and employment events that are hosted are proving popular.' Work Matters offer a free public work space, free WiFi, internet and printing facilities, while also offering a social dimension. 'This can help overcome the social isolation that people working from home or as a solo start up can experience,' said Dearbhla. 'It can also offer networking opportunities.' Gorey Library hope the Work Matters space will prove popular with the community of entrepreneurs and will offer an alternative meeting venue. The Witness Tree which will be unveiled at the Irish National Heritage Park next week A unique new installation at the Irish National Heritage Park will be unveiled on Monday morning in the shape of a fossilised Scots Pine tree dating back to the Bronze Age. The 4,000 year old 'Witness Tree', which is about 14 foot long, will be mounted horizontally on a site near the Bronze Age section of the park with an information board alongside it. The tree was discovered in Kerry in 1986 by Michael Carroll who found it while he was searching for bog oak to indulge his passion for 'found art'. Michael had the presence of mind to realise that he had stumbled upon the remains of something that was truly ancient and he sent a sample of the log to the US where radiocarbon dating revealed its astonishing age. The tree was growing during the last phase of construction at Stonehenge and when the Pyramids of Egypt were still being built. Outdoor Park Manager at the INHP, Chris Hayes said the idea was to plant more Scots Pine trees around the area to create a grove of them. He added that the tree was a fossil and the park would have an ongoing maintenance plan for it which mainly involved treating it with linseed oil to prevent damage from wildlife. He explained that David Carroll, son of the late Michael Carroll, had contacted him late last year in relation to finding a home for the unique find. 'It fits perfectly with what we're about in the park so it was a no-brainer for us. It was a matter of finding the right place for it and, going by the timeline, it fits perfectly in the Bronze Age.' The Carroll family will attend Monday's event and will plant the first new Scots Pine tree alongside the 'Witness Tree'. Deichtine Ni Mhainnin munching her way through a kangaroo kebab at the Dingle Food Festival on Saturday Vivienne Rattigan, Catherine Manning and Karen McKinnie on the taste trail after travelling from Cork for the Dingle Food Festival Jack O'Sullivan on duty at the Dingle GAA stand where beef burgers were being served at a hectic rate outside Paul Geaney's bar during the Dingle Food Festival. Photo by Declan Malone Dingle's claim as the gourmet capital of Ireland got a massive vote of confidence at the weekend from the thousands of people who thronged the streets of the town, delighting in the food festival taste trail, the party atmosphere, the chat, the banter, and in the mouth-watering wonders they encountered along the way in restaurants, bars, streetside stalls and shops that normally sell such things as hammers, wellie boots and leather belts. The festival is now the great gathering point of the year in Dingle, somewhat akin to a watering hole in the Serengeti in the dry season. Except that there's no shortage of fodder for the palate on the festival taste trail, which this year had something in the order of 80 outlets serving all the delights that the culinary sorcerers of West Kerry and beyond could conjure up. There was a dizzying array on offer, from local beers to Guinness brownies, from black pudding to barbecued kangaroo, snails to tempt the brave, Dingle gin fudge, Kieran Murphy's cookie & sea salt ice-cream sandwich, coffee jelly with whiskey cream & cocoa. There was something for everyone, and it seemed like everyone from Dunquin to Dubai was looking for something to get their teeth into. By early on Saturday afternoon the Gardai had closed Main Street to traffic and there were concerns that the 54,000 taste trail tickets wouldn't be enough to meet the demand. In the evening festival organisers performed their own loaves and fishes miracle, gathering up the 'returns' from Saturday's taste trail and stapling them together into new books of tickets for the following day, making up a total of over 60,000 sold over the great weekend. Brosna native stained-glass master James Scanlon was back on home turf on Thursday to launch a new book by a fellow North Kerry man. Betrothed, written by Listowel native Paraic Maher, examines the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph; how they came to be wed. It's an especially poignant retelling of the story, as Paraic sets out just how difficult the whole experience must have been for the adolescent Mary; taken from her life of devotion in the Temple to live as man-and-woman with Joseph, in a union initially conducted under the weight of Judaic customs. Betrothed is as much a work of art history as it is of interpretation, however. For Paraic's work also encompasses the many glorious ways stained-glass artists depicted the marriage - in a tour of church windows across the island. Paraic was delighted to have two cultural powerhouses from North Kerry launch the work at his alma mater of St Michael's College, on Thursday: James Scanlon and Siamsa Tire founder Fr Pat Ahern. There are not too many who know the craft of stained glass better than the Brosna man. He is revered in the field; the creator of the amazing windows at Glenstal Abbey, of the Arts Council installation in Sneem, of part of the EU Consilium building in Brussels and much, much more. Both James and Fr Ahern put the stunning work in its context as a unique exploration of a key biblical event, combining its author's personal take on the tale alongside a visual guide examining the myriad ways in which some of the nation's finest artists interpreted it before him. The Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church in Cahersiveen is, incidentally, among the churches which feature in the eye-catching work. The Kerry Writers' Museum in Listowel is delighted to welcome back Tom Crean authority Michael Smith for a special lecture on Tuesday October 16 (at 7.30pm) marking the 80th anniversary of the explorer's death. Michael is an authority on Polar exploration having published nine books on the subject. His best-selling biography of Tom Crean - An Unsung Hero, has sold well over 100,000 copies worldwide and cast new light on Ireland's significant role in early Polar exploration. In his lecture, Michael will recall the epic life of the farmer's son from Annascaul. Crean served on three major expeditions of discovery to the Antarctic a century ago, spent longer in the ice than either Captain Scott or Ernest Shackleton and outlived them both. Michael will be joined on the night by Crean's granddaughter Aileen Crean O'Brien and partner Bill Sheppard who will recount the expedition they undertook on the centenary of the Kerry man's historic traverse of South Georgia with Frank Worsley and captain of the Endurance, Ernest Shackleton. "It will be a very special occasion to commemorate a remarkable Kerry man in the company of his granddaughter. Although Tom Crean died 80 years ago in 1938, his story lives on and Aileen's expedition to South Georgia demonstrates that he is still inspiring people in the 21st century," Michael Smith said. Artefacts associated with Tom Crean's incredible exploits will be on display at the event, which are being kindly loaned to the Museum from the Crean collection at Kerry County Museum, Tralee. Dramatic footage from the film of the Banna Sea Rescue unitin action. The unit staged a rescue specially for the piece, captured to perfection with the use of HD drones and cameras It's a village that punches far above its weight when it comes to the history books and now, the whole fascinating story of Ardfert - from its origins as the ecclesiastic powerbase of the Diocese to its part in the 1916 Rising - is set for a big screen treatment thanks to a couple of local filmmakers. Jim and Catherine McCarthy of Digimac Productions are delighted to screen their two-hour feature documentary Ardfert: A Historical Gem in Siamsa Tire on Friday, November 23 (7pm). It is the fruit of two long years of painstaking research by the Fenit-based couple, and it's clear from the moment the footage rolls that it's been a labour of love. It is also hoped that Ardfert: A Historical Gem will right what is considered by many to have been a major wrong against the people of the parish how they were smeared as having been complicit with the crown in the trial and execution of Roger Casement. But the documentary opens centuries prior, in the heart of the extraordinary national treasure that is Ardfert Cathedral. Jim worked on the massive archaeological excavation and renovation of the Cathedral, one of the biggest projects of its kind in the country at the time and which lasted a decade; effectively saving the ruin from further demise and uncovering a treasure trove of material relating to how the Irish lived in medieval times. "It was a great time, I worked on the dig for four years myself and it was a brilliant experience," Jim recalled. His inside track afforded him great access when it came to getting the whole story on camera, as Jim and Catherine interviewed some of the nation's leading experts in the field - Senior Archaeologist with the National Monuments Service Fionnbarr Moore; Senior Conservation Architect with the OPW Grellan D Rourke and Isabel Bennett, who now oversees Museam Corca Dhuibhne in Ballyferriter to name a few. How the intact remains of 2,300 locals came to be excavated; the discovery of priceless artefacts, from the extraordinary pilgrim's badge likely brought back from Santiago de Compostela to a bishop's ring believed to have been granted 12th Century Bishop David Ua Duibdithrib by Pope Celestine III, and much, much more - it's all there in a segment that stands by itself as a fascinating feature. Of great local interest too are speakers like Sean Seosamh O Conchubhair, Tommy O'Connor, Donal Stack, Phil Healy, Helen O'Carroll and Pat Lawlor to name but a few. The local knowledge provides a crucial counterpoint to one dark episode that has dogged Ardfert over the past century - the prosecution of Roger Casement. "This was one of the main points of the documentary as we really wanted to get across the true story of the trial from the point of view of the locals who were smeared by the UK media as somehow having betrayed Casement," Jim said. "A number of locals who witnessed Casement's movements around the parish were subpoenaed for the trial; but as the likes of Sean Seosamh and Phil Healy demonstrate, no-one had any idea at the time who he was. Casement gave a false name and it wasn't until Dublin that the RIC realised who they had so locals were entirely innocent and we hope the documentary sets a few of these things right." It's often been the case that communities show the strongest version of themselves when faced with adversity - and the Waterville community is the latest to show this kind of solidarity at a most trying time. It was difficult to tell how many people were in the Church of St Finian last Thursday night at a community Mass to pray for Michael Curran, who is in hospital in France after being critically injured in a road traffic accident. A long, narrow building, the Church of St Finian has two aisles; both were filled on the night, while many more people stood at the back of the Church and packed out the porch. A rough count suggested there were some 300 people; it may have been greater. Whatever the number, it was an extraordinary show of solidarity with the Curran family, and Michael's girlfriend, Keel's Sara O'Shea, who had joined Michael on a 14,000-kilometre round-the-world trip. Readings on the night included the Letter of St James which referred to the prayer of faith and the saving of a sick man, the subject upon which the evening's homily was subsequently based. "I'm sure the Curran family would be very impressed to know so many people have gathered here this evening to pray for the well-being of Michael and Sara," Fr Ger Finucane said. "You and I gathered here tonight fulfil the request that we heard in our first reading this evening," Fr Finucane continued, adding: "That if there is one amongst us who is ill, that we as a community, as elders of the Church, all of us, would gather and pray for the well-being of that individual". "This humongous crowd that is here tonight is witness to that great truth, and to a belief that we have - that God has the power to grant the gift of healing, the fullness of healing, to our brother, Mike. "We are very much aware of how doctors, and nurses, and medical personnel are the hands of Jesus in the world today - that they reach out and offer the gifts that they possess to help our brother, Michael, to get well. "That is all we need to do tonight: to gather and to present our prayers to our Heavenly Father... our request is that, by our presence here, he will listen to our prayers and grant Michael the fullness of health." Hundreds of classical music lovers descended on New Ross for the 13th New Ross Piano Festival, enjoying music from world renowned and up-and-coming pianists from the south east region. The Young Pianists Concert has anchored itself firmly in the festival programme and attracts an appreciative and growing audience annually. Pianists aged from as young as eight to 17 performed music ranging from the 17th century to 20th century, along with a fun-filled 'Tea for Two' arranged as a duet to jazz piano and a wonderful Chopin Ballade. The concert showcased the talent of the south east region and the dedication of students, teachers and parents. For the second year running a full jazz piano day was incorporated into the piano festival programme. It commenced with a lunchtime concert given by the Phil Ware Trio - Ireland's leading jazz trio comprising pianist Phil Ware (the festival's jazz curator), bassist Dave Redmond and drummer Kevin Brady. The trio played an entertaining set ranging from works of famous jazz composers to their own arrangements of well-known movie tunes. The much-acclaimed Lars Jansson from Sweden presented the evening jazz concert. His highly enjoyable programme included repertoire from the Great American Songbook, some improvisations as well as his own compositions which he also talked about with feeling and good humour. The piano festival also presented free jazz sessions with Darragh Hennessy on piano and Barry Donohue on double bass. This up-and-coming duo from Dublin performed their music to much appreciation at the Dunbrody Cafe on the Thursday afternoon and at New Ross Library on the Friday afternoon of the festival. Waterford pianist Sinead Crowley met several groups of primary school children in the library, showing them the workings of the piano in an exciting manner, and fellow Waterford native Billy O' Brien gave an educational recital for the second level music pupils of various schools in the area, joined by the public and 40 small students from the Educate Together School. Billy gave the first performance of a new work by Robert Coleman during this concert and the composer was present to talk about the process of making new music. Another initiative to involve younger audiences was the masterclass given by Anne-Marie McDermott to two young advanced students on Saturday afternoon in the Pastoral Centre, which was packed out as always. The Friday evening was the first of the three big concerts featuring five musicians - three wonderful pianists - Alexandra Dariescu lighting up the stage with her radiant smile, Anne-Marie McDermott making her Irish debut and joined at regular intervals during the weekend by some of her 267 Irish relatives, most of whom she had never met, and Finghin Collins, the festival's Artistic Director. They were joined by Svetlin Roussev on violin and Marc Coppey on cello for three iconic piano trios. Both of these superb instrumentalists are professors in music conservatories: Svetlin in Geneva and Marc in Paris. This group performed on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, with a different programme each time. There were two very different concerts at noon on Saturday and Sunday - both of them breathtaking. Francois Dumont gripped the audience's attention with his programme of Bach, Liszt and especially his very moving Debussy, while the Cuban Marcos Madrigal pleased everyone with his wide range of works, including the film music from the Oscar-winning film Fresa y Chocolate, and the popular Epilogo, both by Cuban composers. The late-night concert, called Labyrinth by its performer David Greilsammer, was inspired by his recurring nightmares of being stuck in a labyrinth and not being able to get out. His work featured a mixture of short snatches of Bach, Mozart and Janacek, all mixed up and very disorientating. It succeeded in its aim of confusion and disturbance, and set the audience talking and arguing about its merits for the remainder of the weekend. During the weekend the festival launched its CD of the 15 new piano pieces, The Ros Tapestry Suite, commissioned from 15 Irish composers inspired by the fifteen panels of the Ros Tapestry, and performed by international pianists during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 festivals. Sinead Casey, speaking on behalf of Wexford Arts Office, who supported the making of the CD, stated that it fitted perfectly into the council's cultural aims. Also during the weekend, Finghin Collins premiered a new work by one of Ireland's most respected composers John Buckley which the festival commissioned this year. John was present for the performance. The 2018 New Ross Piano Festival concluded triumphantly on Sunday afternoon with an exhilarating performance of Prokofiev's fiendishly difficult Sixth Piano Sonata by the Irish-American pianist Anne Marie McDermott. Festival director Connie Tantrum said: 'Although this was the thirteenth New Ross Festival there was certainly no hint of the usual superstition attached to that number as the lucky attendees were treated to an extraordinary exhibition of pianistic virtuosity by a truly international roster of gifted pianist, which included Irish, English, Swedish, French, Romanian, American, Cuban and Bulgarian artists. From the opening children's' concert on Wednesday night to the closing concert the standard never flagged nor indeed the enthusiasm of the audience. A particular highlight of the opening children's concert was the sight of the four Mercer sisters happily playing together on the one piano an arrangement of Lavignac's Galop- Marche for eight hands. Their enjoyment was infectious.' The organisers re-iterated how grateful they are for the continuing support they receive from the Arts Council, Wexford County Council, Failte Ireland and the Friends of the Festival. They also thanked the congregation of St Mary's Church for the use of the church with its extraordinary acoustic. Plans are already at an advanced stage for next year's festival and even for 2020. An exciting new season is now under way at The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely with four new events taking place during the month of October. On Thursday, October 11, the Courthouse presents Amatis Piano Trio, an exhilarating young piano trio which presents a programme of Hadyn, Schumann, Feery and Mendelssohn. Since winning the audience prize at the Grachtenfestival-Concours in Amsterdam and with a debut at the Royal Concergebouw, they've taken the chamber music scene by storm. On this tour they will premiere a new work by Irish composer Amanda Feery, commissioned by Music Network. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. and admission is 16/14. Friday, October 19 brings An Exploration of the Words and Music of Paul Simon to the Courthouse for the Courthouse Cafe. The line-up includes Frank Gallagh and Brian Whelan and this is a fundraiser for the centre. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. and tickets are 10. Art lovers are invited to the launch of the Heart of the Matter, an exhibition of 15 new works by Arklow artist Pauline Merry with quotes selected by Lida Quigley. The show opens at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 21 and runs until December 6. Admission is free. Another one for music fans is The Roller Trio which play the centre on Friday, October 26. Expect plenty of punchy grooves, high octane technicality, deceptively catchy riffs and swirling electronica as the Mercury Award-nominated Roller Trio roar into Tinahely. With influences ranging from Fly Trio and Tim Berne to Queens of the Stone Age and Flying Lotus, the Leeds-based trio waste no time in getting heads bobbing with their idiosyncratic blend of pin-tight beats, cool melodies and juddering stop-start motifs. New to the line-up, Chris Sharkey brings bass and ambient wizardry to the mix, his dark, multi-layered textures the perfect foil to James Mainwaring's John Zornian abstract-sax and the ingenious, twisting grooves of drummer Luke Reddin-Williams. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. and tickets cost 16/14. Wicklow County Council has a policy of posting interesting historical material on the internet. Latest to be given this treatment are the workhouse ledgers from Rathdrum (1842-1914) and Shillelagh (1842-1918). 'They are beautiful records and we are lucky to have them,' says Wicklow county archivist Catherine Wright. 'They are records that people are interested in, records of how generations managed to survive.' She has had the privilege of seeing, and handling the hefty original ledgers which are now available in digitised form on-line at www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Arts-Heritage-Archives/Archives/Collections/Digitised-Collections/Wicklow-Workhouse-Records. Some of the these documents are in a 'delicate' state, as she puts it, while others are fine. The condition of the paperwork is now, to a great extent, irrelevant as the material contained has now been preserved by painstaking camera work. The result is a resource available to historians and genealogists which is in many ways more flexible than the ledgers themselves. Most valuable is the way that the records are open to close inspection on the computer screen, without any need for a magnifying glass: 'The quality is so good, and you can zoom in,' Catherine points out enthusiastically. The archivist feels it is a matter of good fortune that such a wealth of material is available for the two workhouses. Rathdrum was the more substantial operation but Shillelagh also played its part in combating Victorian and Edwardian poverty in the somewhat pitiless style of the times. Unfortunately, the records for Baltinglass were destroyed by fire during the 1920s. Other parts of the Wicklow were served by centres outside the county boundary - Loughlinstown in Dublin and Naas in Kildare. The on-line offering is not the same a modern day web-site. Though the layout resembles computer style Excel sheets in many ways, with columns of names and rows of data, these are photographs not text documents. So it is not possible to search for a name and have it pop up pronto on screen. Nevertheless, Catherine Wright is full of admiration for the manner in which the bureaucrats of the past had ways of keeping tabs on each individual. 'These people were such good record keepers - they were remarkable,' she comments referring to the indexes where surnames appear in alphabetical order, cross referenced to entries in the main register. 'We are so lucky.' Let's log on to www.wicklow.ie and see if there are any Medcalfs (or Metcalfs or Metcalfes) in the annals for the 1840s, for instance. The first thing to notice is the complete disregard for any 21st century political correctness. The unfortunates who turn up at the workhouse door are not dignified as clients or service users. They are referred to as Paupers, with the capital letter. The format of the registers was clearly laid down by a central authority enforcing the sinister body of law called 'The Irish Poor Relief Acts'. The relevant forms were printed in Dublin by Alexander Thom (the firm best known for their street directories) and headed 'Persons Admitted into and Discharged from the Workhouse of the Rathdrum Union'. The word Rathdrum is handwritten in, in an impeccable copperplate hand on the standard issue form. The Poor Law commissioners required each Pauper to be classified by sex, age, trade and religious denomination. The final column on the form allows space to the record keeper to enter the date of the Pauper's death or discharge from the Workhouse. There is no suggestion that the system had any interest whether the Pauper was alive or dead at this point of departure. The M's are logged in the index on pages 10 and 11 of the 83 page register. The only obvious surnames beginning with the letters ME are Meaghan, Meagher and Merrigan with a stray Merna thrown in for good measure - not a Medcalf in sight. The Merna entry is none too clear but appears to be Catherine of that name, her assigned number being 4454. So, who was Catherine Merna? Scroll down through thousands of Paupers to row 4540 and there she is. But it turns out that Catherine is a mis-read or mistake and she was actually called Esther. She was (no surprise) female, aged 30 on admission, and single. Her 'Employment or Calling' was given as servant and her religious denomination went into the book as RC - Roman Catholic. All of the 40 entries on this page were Roman Catholics and Esther was one of four among the 40 who were listed as servants. Others were taking enforced career breaks from being Nurses (1), Charwomen (6) or Labourers (10). Most unsettling to modern ways of thinking is the fact that 16 of the 40 had 'none' inserted under the employment or calling heading. This lack of a trade was understandable enough in the case of young Catherine Keough since she was just nine years of age when her details were supplied. Catherine's mother Mary - a charwoman - was logged into the system when she arrived from Arklow in April of 1852 as suffering from a fever at that time. The child did not follow until June and the pair were both clocked out in July - whether alive or dead we cannot know but the mention of a fever cannot have boded well for mother and daughter But back to the brief portrait of servant woman Esther Merna. It turnes out that she came from Trooperstown. She was single and healthy but wearing 'bad clothes' on arrival. The bad clothes were a characteristic she shared with everyone else whose data appear on page 57. Back to the index. If there were no Medcalfs in the workhouse at Rathdrum in the period 1842 to 1852, could the family possibly show up in Shillelagh instead? The format here is identical though the script in the index is more cramped and more faded that n in the Rathdrum annals. Again, no members of the clan. Perhaps, while here, it might be instructive to have a look on a whim to see if there are any Sheerans - one of them has done quite well for himself recently in the field of pop music. Hah! Maybe Number 819 is a Sheeran, though the scrawl seems to show a James Sherown. In a list where Stokes is rendered Stoaks and Sinnott as Synnot, that sounds near enough for jazz. However, scrolling down to the entry for Number 819, the meandering writing seems to show nothing like Sheeran or Sherown. It just might be Shandon instead though it really is anyone's guess. The unfortunate James Sherown/Shandon turns out to be male and a servant with a wife whose name is even more illegible. His age is not given but the reason for his being consigned to the care of the Union is apparent. He arrived severely injured by horse and cart (or some other contraption beginning with a C, the writing is a challenge). He lasted only a month on the premises, from July into August of 1856. One can only fear the worst. Incidentally, James was one of nine Protestants out of the standard bunch of 40 Paupers detailed on page 54 of this section of archive. The oldest instalment of the Shillelagh register runs from early in 1842 to the end of 1861. As every attentive schoolchild knows from history class, the potato collapse or Great Hunger ran from 1845 to 1849. But, strange to relate, this fearful collapse of the main staple food crop is not mirrored on the Shillelagh workhouse roll. It appears that the agricultural and economic collapse accompanied by mass fatalities and migration which was experienced in the West of Ireland did not happen on the same scale in Wicklow. If the workhouse register is a reliable guide, then poverty and desperation were postponed until into the following decade. The clerks who kept the records filled in a total of 2,800 entries during those two decades 1842-1861 and the overwhelming majority of the entries were made later on in that period. In 1842 the number of admissions was five, with none at all the following year and a mere three in 1844, with five in 1845 and six in 1846. While the starving populations of Mayo and Galway were experiencing hellish meltdown in 1847 and 1848, Shillelagh welcomed no more than 26 Paupers to its joyless hospitality. The numbers only began to escalate in 1855 when 263 admissions were registered, the first time that the figure reached three figures - long after the Famine had blown its course The worst year was 1856 when 362 persons threw themselves on the mercy of the guardians. These roughly worked statistics, pulled on a whim by your reporter from the mass of data, suggest that there is scope for a great deal of scholarship and sampling to be done. The delight of the matter is that the raw material is now to hand via the world wide web for anyone who cares to go digging It offers a sobering window into the past. A sixth generation hill farmer from Glenmalure is among the six farmers shortlisted for the inaugural 'Farming for Nature Awards'. Members of the public are being asked to vote for their top pick for the 2018 National 'Farming for Nature' Award. Wicklow's Pat Dunne has been shortlisted for the awards which are part of a wider independent initiative which hopes to source, share and celebrate the stories of those farmers across Ireland who are doing great things for nature on their land and in their community. Each of the six candidates has made a short five-minute film which the public are being asked to view before voting for their favourite farmer. Speaking about Pat, award organiser, Brendan Dunford, said: 'It's powerful to witness these farmers tell their unique story, and act as such eloquent spokespeople for nature. Against the backdrop of the progressive decline of hill sheep farming and its associated biodiversity, Pat takes his role as the current 'keeper' of the family's long tradition of hill sheep farming seriously. 'Pat is also a key figure in the Sustainable Uplands Agriculture-environment Scheme (SUAS) in Wicklow, an ambitious project designed to address the complex agricultural, environmental and socio-economic challenges associated with hill farming in the upland regions of Wicklow and Dublin,' said Mr Dunford. A panel of ten judges narrowed the finalists down to six and they have assessed all the shortlisted farmers in detail and rated each one according to a list of agreed criteria. This will account for 40 per cent of the final vote, with the public deciding on the 60 per cent majority of the vote. You can vote buy visiting www.farmingfornature.ie. The deadline date for votes is Thursday, October 25 with the winner set to be announced at a special event taking place on Sunday, October 27. Jack Tisdall (second from left) performing with Vibe 5 on the X Factor The West Wicklow village of Manor Kilbride is bursting with pride this week as one of its own is making a big impact on the X Factor television talent show. Jack Tisdall (17) entered the show as a solo act but was given a lifeline by the judges to join four other male artists to form boy band Vibe 5, which are now being tipped to be the next One Direction. He received the news on Sunday that Vibe 5 are through to the all important judges' house round in LA and will be mentored by pop icon Robbie Williams. Jack confidently told the panel, including music industry mogul Simon Cowell last weekend that they heard 'No' as individual acts and cannot hear it again as a group. Son of Paul and Charlotte from Manor Kilbride, Jack attends secondary school in Templeogue in Dublin. 'We are all just so proud of Jack. Since he could talk, all he did was sing. This is his lifelong dream,' his mother Charlotte told the Wicklow People. Jack first auditioned for the show in September and was encouraged to do so by his older sister Roisin who travelled with him to the UK. He is also being cheered on by his younger brother Sean and the wider community including everyone at St Brigid's NS, Kilbride where Jack attended and his mum works. 'The whole school is covered in bunting and pictures of Jack and everyone is cheering him on. It's wonderful,' Charlotte said. Jack's X Factor appearance follows that of The Price Brothers, Sean and Conor from Blessington who reached the quarter finals in 2017. In excess of 1 million in LEADER funding has been granted to community groups and local businesses in County Wicklow since the programme began in November 2017 - and the window for funding applications is still open. Despite a delayed start, the LEADER/Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 is gaining momentum in Wicklow and approximately 22 per cent of the overall project budget of 4.6 million is now committed. The delivery mechanism has changed from previous years and County Wicklow Partnership (CWP) now implements the programme on behalf of Wicklow Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), with Wicklow County Council as financial partner. These closer links have helped to spearhead initiatives such as a Social Enterprise Strategy for County Wicklow, which has brought a number of key stakeholders together to help progress this sector. According to chairperson of the LCDC Cllr Grainne McLoughlin, the partnership approach continues to be a central feature of the LEADER programme and encourages innovative development methods and opportunities. 'Many rural communities are driving social enterprises in response to declining basic service levels in their areas and we want to do all we can to help them to address these needs,' she said. To date the demand for funding has been highest from the tourism, enterprise and community sectors, and Hidden Valley Holiday Park, Rathdrum was one of the current round recipients. The holiday park, run by Lloyd and Molly William, secured LEADER funding towards the cost of a new family aqua park and the expansion of their Christmas Island experience. 'Without LEADER funding we would not be able to offer these exciting new activities. Our Christmas Island experience is booking out fast and we hope to offer other seasonal events for a fun family day out. Splash Valley will be in the top five largest inflatable aqua parks in Ireland and the UK, and is opening on-site at Hidden Valley Holiday Park in the spring of 2019,' said the couple. Businesses or community groups interested in seeking funding are advised to contact CWP as soon as possible while funding is still available. CWP, on behalf of the LCDC, is also seeking expressions of interest from projects in the areas of environment and biodiversity to provide for more sustainable development opportunities. For further information, visit www.wicklowpartnership.ie or contact CWP Development Officers Alison Keogh and Siobhan Mehigan on 0402 20955. Ireland's first democratically run school, Wicklow Sudbury School, has launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to go toward the construction of a permanent home. The school opened in Kilpedder three years ago and currently has 23 students and 5 members of staff. The school's current location only has capacity for up to 30 students and won't be able to house the growing school numbers. 'We have just about reached our capacity. We have a waiting list and will be taking on more students during the course of the school year. We face a lot of challenges and aren't entitled to Government funding. Even getting grants is proving difficult,' said Rachel Kuhn. Wicklow Sudbury School is Ireland's first democratic school for self-directed learning. Students are free to determine their own learning path and structure their days in whatever way works for them. All students and staff have an equal vote, and everyone is entitled to have a say on all decisions and rule making. Students vary in age from 6 up to 18. Students attending the school come from the likes of Bray and Greystones in north Wicklow, but also from the east of the county and the south. Other students travel from north Dublin and County Kildare. 'This is the very early stages of our campaign. We will be more than likely looking for a new build so we need to look around and see what is around, We know the whole process will take two to three years. We would like to remain in the same general area and may need another interim school in the meantime to cope with the level of demand from students' said Rachel. A number of fundraisers are in the pipeline, including a dinner and raffle due to take place in November. Wicklow Sudbury has launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign at gofundme.com/grow-wicklow-sudbury-school. Funds from this campaign will go towards the architectural fees needed to begin the process of building a permanent home. The success of the fundraising campaign would not only mean that Wicklow Sudbury could continue to become more sustainable and equitable, it would also mean they could help other Sudbury schools to open across the country, like the one that just opened in Sligo and the ones set to open in Cork, Dublin and Galway. A wedding planner called Joe Duffy last Thursday after an alleged dispute with a priest in St Patrick's Church, Kilquade. Edel Cooney had dressed the small and very beautiful church for the wedding of Jenny and David O'Brien. The decorations included six cherry blossom trees and chairs for the bride and groom. The trees were ultimately moved outside, forming a passageway for the bride between the gate and the door of the church. Ms Cooney, who had not responded to a call at the time of going to press, told RTE's Liveline that the priest had said they should be removed before he would perform the sacrament. The priest did not appear on Liveline to discuss the matter, nor has he answered our calls. The bride, who spoke on the radio programme by phone from her honeymoon, said that she wasn't aware there was anything wrong until she saw the trees outside. 'He is actually a lovely man, and the ceremony he did was fantastic,' she told Joe Duffy. David said that he was having some pictures taken with family when the issue arose. 'There was a voicemail from the priest,' he said. 'I said to my two brothers, we need to go to the church.' David said that the priest told him the decorations were totally unacceptable and that the wedding wasn't a big party. Ms Cooney said that the decorations were tasteful and that the trees were not on the aisle. TV3 presenter Anna Daly has revealed the secret to her super svelte figure: ditching the gym and not weighing herself anymore. The Weekend AM host welcomed her third child last December and is back in her pre-baby wardrobe, which she credits to taking a healthy approach to weight loss - and allowing herself sweet treats in moderation. Expand Close Anna Daly at TV3's new season launch at The National Concert Hall. Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Anna Daly at TV3's new season launch at The National Concert Hall. Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins "I lost it without even thinking about it, to be honest, because I think when you're trying, it doesn't really work," she said. "I was trying a bit, which meant that I didn't have five biscuits with my cup of tea. I've never really killed myself, but when you're just busy and you stop weighing yourself, it just happens. "It's crazy. I haven't gone back to my yoga or my Pilates, and my gym membership has expired." She and husband Ben Ward flew to Portugal last month for a family holiday with their three boys James (six), Euan (four) and Rhys (nine months) and she said the idea of putting on a bikini was motivation enough to stay on top of things. Expand Close Anna Daly / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Anna Daly "I think a lot of people can relate to that. My holiday was in my sights and I was like, 'I can't look like s*it in my bikini,'" she added. "So, I was not working hard, but I was keeping on it. Then, I went on holidays and I took a break from exercising - you come home and the two weeks turns into three weeks and four weeks. Then, you realise your gym membership has expired." Anna, who got her start in TV3 working in the station's marketing department, recently branched out from presenting her weekend programme to filming a one-off documentary about Ireland's most lavish houses, called Dream Homes. She's hoping it could lead to a possible series and said the reaction was "great". "It was very positive all round and it did the number. To be honest, that was a bit of a no-brainer from TV3's point of view. I brought it to them, it's a tried-and-tested formula, this item on property rates," she expalined. Expand Close Anna Daly & husband Ben Ward / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Anna Daly & husband Ben Ward Video of the Day "We were doing it on Sunday's already, so we just extended it into an hour-long special - we'd love to do more of them." Anna will be turning on the smiles for the cameras this week for the Tesco Community Chill campaign, which helps feed 40,000 people weekly. And she admits that just like other parents, she struggles to get the greens into her children. "They are a little bit fussy and they pick out the veg and go, 'I'm not eating these'. It's fighting a losing battle at times, but they say to keep persevering, keep putting colour in front of them. But I do think it's a very Irish thing, to fill up a fruit bowl and throw it out a week later and yes, I am guilty of that, like many parents." She will always feel at home on the stage, but for Bonnie Ryan the decision to trade her microphone for makeup brushes is not one she regrets. The talented 25-year-old has chosen to set aside her career in music to focus on a successful move into the makeup industry, and while she will never be a stranger to the world of showbiz, becoming a pop princess was not for her. Although it was not an easy decision at the time, Bonnie - the daughter of the late Gerry Ryan and sister of 2FM presenter Lottie - said she was glad she had left the tough world of music behind. SCARY Expand Close Babs & Bonnie Ryan at the launch of the PS. Beauty NUDE Collection by Primark at the RHA. Picture: Anthony Woods / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Babs & Bonnie Ryan at the launch of the PS. Beauty NUDE Collection by Primark at the RHA. Picture: Anthony Woods "It was a bit of a complicated time," she told the Herald. "I was in that moment, which I think a lot of people are when they're that age - at the time I was 23 or 24 - and you're kind of going, 'what do I actually want to do with my life?' Expand Close Lottie, Morah, Bonnie and Babette Ryan. Photo: Brian McEvoy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lottie, Morah, Bonnie and Babette Ryan. Photo: Brian McEvoy "It was a bit of a scary time. I was trying to think of things that I wanted to do and everyone was like, 'it is so obvious - you love makeup, you do it all the time'." While music was a huge part of her life - she started in a band at the age of just eight - Bonnie did not want to subject herself to the pressure that comes with pursuing it as a career. Expand Close Bonnie, Babette, Morah and Lottie Ryan at the Peter Mark VIP Style Awards 2017 at The Marker Hotel, Dublin. Photo: Brian McEvoy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bonnie, Babette, Morah and Lottie Ryan at the Peter Mark VIP Style Awards 2017 at The Marker Hotel, Dublin. Photo: Brian McEvoy "[Singing] is unbelievably tough. I had been in a band since the age of eight, and then I went solo at 15. I was working at it so hard," she said. "I had been over and back to London, I'd been in Sweden, I put out a song. Expand Close A young Bonnie Ryan performs as part of Lady Nada at Childline in 2007. Photo: Arthur Carron. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A young Bonnie Ryan performs as part of Lady Nada at Childline in 2007. Photo: Arthur Carron. Video of the Day "It is just the most difficult thing and I kind of just got to a point where I almost loved it too much to keep dragging it out. "I'd rather just do it myself and not have this pressure of having it as my career. "I love to sing, so I can sing in my spare time, I can always do it. It is such a tough career and I just decided it was time for me to do something I really enjoyed." Entrepreneurial Bonnie now runs her own makeup business and has built an online following by showcasing her makeup artistry in videos. When she began filming herself, she knew she "wasn't Lottie or her dad", she said, and was determined to showcase her own personality on camera. "I am really shy when I first meet people. It is only people who know me really well who know I am quite outgoing, crazy and chatty," she said. "So doing my social media, I was like 'I am not Lottie and I am not my dad'. It didn't necessarily come completely easy to me. "I was kind of like, I have to work on it every day and make a really conscious decision when I go on social media. "I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to be like anybody else or be anyone else who is on social media. "I really wanted to show my own personality and so I told myself to act as if I am talking to my friends and try and just be myself." Tens of thousands of people have protested against racism and discrimination in Berlin, a demonstration that came amid rising concerns about Germanys increasingly confident far right. A wide range of groups, including pro-refugee, gay rights and Muslim organisations, backed the Indivisible protest on Saturday in the heart of the German capital under the slogan solidarity instead of exclusion, for an open and free society. Last years German election saw the far-right Alternative for Germany party enter the national parliament. Expand Close The slogan Indivisible can be read on the sign (Markus Schreiber/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The slogan Indivisible can be read on the sign (Markus Schreiber/AP) Anti-migrant violence a few weeks ago in the eastern city of Chemnitz has added to concerns. Organisers said at least 150,000 people turned out on Saturday. There was no immediate crowd estimate from police. Among backers was Germanys foreign minister Heiko Maas, who told the Funke newspaper group that he welcomed a great signal that the majority in our country stands for tolerance and openness. The local branch of Chancellor Angela Merkels conservative party did not back the protest, with senior official Stefan Evers arguing that its supporters included various dubious organisations. A mother has been jailed for 18 months after she falsely accused a teenage boy of raping her. Sophie Skinner, 25, had been found guilty of perverting the course of justice following two crown court trials earlier this year. Newport Crown Court heard on Friday the mother-of-three had sex with victim Damon Osborne, who was 18 at the time, in a public toilet before telling him she could get him into "trouble" after he refused to be in a relationship with her. The judge in the case said the false complaint had an "insidious effect" on the confidence of the public with genuine rape complaints. Skinner was found guilty of perverting the course of justice in September after an earlier trial ended in a hung jury. Skinner had gone to a Wetherspoons pub in Abergavenny alone in June 2016 where she was seen on CCTV "looking for attention", before coming across Mr Osborne and his friend. The three chatted before Skinner made her way to another bar, but she came across Mr Osborne again later that night while he waited for a lift home. Skinner asked him if he wanted to have sex with her, which he agreed to, and the pair went into nearby toilets where CCTV caught her initiating sex. When Mr Osborne declined her request to become her new "partner" because he had a girlfriend, Skinner told him she could get him into "trouble". Skinner then went to another bar where she was again captured on CCTV "desperately looking for attention from others", before returning to the Wetherspoons and telling door staff Mr Osborne had raped her. Prosecutor Owen Williams read a victim impact statement from Mr Osborne, in which he said he was kept in police custody for 17 hours and subjected to "embarrassing" medical examinations after the complaint was made. Mr Osborne said: "It's turned my life upside down. "Yes I had sex with her, but I was not expecting to be accused of rape because it was consensual. "I was given a curfew on bail which had an impact on my work and social life. "One employer said he no longer required me because I couldn't work the hours. "Yes I did wrong by my partner, and I feel ashamed by my actions. "I knew I was innocent but it didn't stop me thinking about the worst case scenario and being sent to prison for something I didn't do. "If there was no CCTV in this case she may have been believed and I would be spending years in prison. It would have ruined my life." Marion Lewis, defending, said Skinner had given no explanation about her complaint, but described her as a "vulnerable young woman" due to her being taken into care as a child. Ms Lewis said: "Her parents were not capable of looking after her and her siblings. "They were not properly fed. She still suffers from an eating disorder." Ms Lewis said Skinner had three young children, the youngest being one, who were being looked after by her partner. Judge Daniel Williams said it was "commendable" police dropped Skinner's complaint so soon after it was made and to prosecute her for her lies. But he said her false complaint had "dreadful consequences" for her victim. The judge said: "When Mr Osborne gave in to your persistent demands for sex you said you could get him into trouble for having sex with you. "CCTV footage could not have been clearer. You initiated sex with him. "Rape is a repulsive act. Victims of rape should be treated with every possible consideration by the justice system. "But equally, a false allegation can have dreadful consequences. "Every occasion a proven false allegation is made can have an insidious effect on public confidence in genuine complaints. "You have no victim empathy or remorse at all." Skinner, from Woodland Crescent, Llanfoist, was sentenced to 18 months in jail. GERMANY'S far-right AfD party has been criticised for launching a child informant programme in schools where pupils expose teachers who attack the party or show political bias. The Hamburg chapter of Alternative Fur Deutschland, which made major gains in last year's general election, launched a "Neutral Schools" website for anonymous complaints about teachers. But Katarina Barley, the German justice minister, condemned the programme, warning "organised denunciation is a tool of dictatorships". "A party using this to expose disagreeable teachers reveals a lot about its own understanding of democracy," she added. German teaching unions also hit out at the Stasi-esque surveillance, which the AfD hopes to extend to nine other states. Scared "It's to be expected that a party that wants to ostracise dissenters is now creating platforms to denounce people who have different opinions," said Ilka Hoffmann, a board member of the German Education Union. "Teachers should be scared. This is a frightening development." The AfD is the largest opposition party in the German parliament, the Bundestag, following a surge in support in the September 2017 election which handed them 90 seats. It has capitalised on popular anger against Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal refugee policy that resulted in a record influx in 2015. But the extreme rhetoric of some of its members has led to claims the party harbours neo-Nazi and fascist sympathisers. Party leader Alexander Gauland said the Third Reich was a "speck of bird poo in more than 1,000 years of successful German history". A study of human deception found that tics associated with untruths such as shifts in eye gaze and hesitation were actually found to be more common among those with nothing to hide. People who look you straight in the eye may be lying, research suggests. A study of human deception found that tics associated with untruths - such as shifts in eye gaze and hesitation - were actually found to be more common among those with nothing to hide. Scientists suggested that liars may be skilled at suppressing signals associated with mistruths. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used an interactive game to assess the types of speech and gestures speakers produce when lying, and which clues listeners interpret as evidence that a statement is false. Researcher Jia Loy created a computerised two-player game in which 24 pairs of players hunted for treasure and they were free to lie whenever they chose. The study's authors found that listeners made judgments about whether something was true extremely quickly - within a few hundred milliseconds of encountering a cue. However, they found that the common cues associated with lying were more likely to be used if the speaker is telling the truth. Lead researcher Dr Martin Corley of the University of Edinburgh said: "The findings suggests that we have strong preconceptions about the behaviour associated with lying, which we act on almost instinctively when listening to others. "However, we don't necessarily produce these cues when we're lying, perhaps because we try to suppress them." The study is published in 'The Journal of Cognition'. Earlier this summer Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist who had gone from kingdom insider to critic of its current leadership, tried to sum up the despondency he shared with others in the region clamouring for reform. "Many Arabs who seek freedom, equality and democracy feel defeated," he wrote. "They have been portrayed as traitors by pro-government media and abandoned by the international community." Last week Khashoggi, who has lived in the US since last year, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. He has not been seen since. The Turkish authorities believe the veteran journalist was killed soon after he entered the building. Saudi Arabia continues to deny involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance but with the Turkish authorities now claiming that video and audio evidence of his killing exists, pressure is mounting on Riyadh and particularly crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman - the de facto leader popularly known by his initials MBS. In the year since he was elevated to crown prince by his ailing father King Salman, 32-year-old MBS has tried to portray himself as a bold young moderniser, a narrative that won him fawning coverage by some commentators. His 'Vision 2030' blueprint was seen as a bid to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy beyond its dependence on oil and usher in societal changes while allowing the House of Saud to maintain its hold on power. Since MBS's promotion as heir to the throne, women have been allowed to drive and cinemas have opened for the first time in the kingdom. But hopes that the young prince in a hurry would be willing to introduce some political reforms were dashed when MBS oversaw a crackdown against a wide range of Saudis - from royals to dissidents, clerics, business people and activists including women who had campaigned for the right to drive. King Salman and his son have also showed they were determined to take a more belligerent path than their predecessors when it came to foreign policy, as shown in the Saudi intervention in Yemen and the ongoing blockade of Qatar. A diplomatic spat with Canada this summer showed how prickly and mercurial the new Saudi leadership could be. Riyadh expelled the Canadian ambassador and cut trade links with the country after Canada's government had criticised the jailing of women's rights activists and called for their release. For Khashoggi, a columnist for the 'Washington Post', these developments under MBS were deeply worrying. Little over a year ago, in his first column for the 'Post', he wrote about how several of his friends were among those rounded up in Saudi Arabia, explaining that the this wave of repression prompted him to go into exile. The messaging from Washington this week - where media reports citing US intelligence sources suggested MBS was implicated in plans to abduct Khashoggi - indicated Trump would not allow the case to affect his close relationship with the Saudi monarchy nor America's vast arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Trump chose Riyadh for his first international trip as president, using the visit to announce $110bn in new arms contracts. Senior Republicans in Congress, however, have said they will press strongly for punitive measures if Khashoggi was found to have been assassinated by the Saudi authorities. While the vanishing of Khashoggi has gripped Washington, in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East it has chilled journalists, dissidents and activists already under pressure from renewed authoritarianism in the region. A Turkish court convicted American pastor Andrew Brunson of aiding terrorism yesterday - but sentenced him to just time served and ordered his immediate release. The case of the evangelical preacher caught up in Turkey's post-coup security sweep had garnered the attention of the highest levels of the American administration and become a sore point in the two countries' relations. Brunson's trial had resumed yesterday in western Turkey, where he headed a small evangelical congregation, just hours after US officials said that a deal had been reached with Turkish authorities to secure his release. Brunson (50) has been held for two years on what he and the Trump administration said were false terrorism and espionage-related charges. Prosecutors accused the pastor of being linked both to Kurdish separatists and the US-based Muslim cleric who Turkish authorities say orchestrated a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson was released on house arrest in July due to health reasons but his ongoing trial has helped deepen a rift between Turkey and the United States, already at odds over the latter's support for Kurdish-led fighters battling Isil in Syria. Vice-president Mike Pence took a particular interest in Brunson's case and has helped mobilise Trump's evangelical political base to the cause. In recent months, the administration made Brunson's release a priority, and in August, the United States imposed sanctions on two senior Turkish cabinet ministers as a way to pressure authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that his government could not interfere in a judicial case. But US officials said that an agreement between the two sides to free Brunson was negotiated on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. The deal, they said, would include the lifting of US sanctions in exchange for reduced charges that would allow Brunson to either be sentenced to time served or serve any remaining sentence in the United States. Turkish prosecutors had sought a 35-year sentence for Brunson, who they accused of spying and supporting terrorists under the cover of humanitarian aid and interfaith dialogue. That request was later reduced to 10 years at the trial. He was swept up in the wave of arrests that followed the botched military coup in 2016, during which tens of thousands of people - including artists, intellectuals and ordinary Turks - were detained. But prosecutors also alleged he supported members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The PKK is a staunchly secular and leftist organisation. The indictment against Brunson quotes a witness as saying congregants at Brunson's Resurrection Church in Izmir province wore the "flags and pennants of the PKK terrorist organisation". But at the courthouse in Izmir's Aliaga district yesterday, a series of witnesses for the prosecution, including one who appeared via video conference, gave scattered and at times contradictory testimony. One witness, Levent Kalkan, said investigators misunderstood his original testimony that had implicated Brunson in harbouring coup suspects in 2016. The man that Mr Kalkan has said witnessed the protection of the fugitives appeared in court yesterday to say that he had seen no such thing. "I never told Levent that," the witness, Yilmaz Demirjan, said. Brunson, who sat alone in front of a panel of judges and the state prosecutor, was also allowed to speak following each witness's testimony. "I never met any PKK fighters," he said. His parents rejoiced yesterday on learning that a court had ordered their son to be released. Pamela Brunson, the mother of the pastor, of Black Mountain, in North Carolina, said: "Praise God. I'm so excited. Oh, that's wonderful. We're so happy. "We are overjoyed that God has answered the prayers of so many people around the world," she said. X-ray image shows a cloud of material resembling a hand that was ejected from a start that exploded originally detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory A second Nasa space telescope has shut down and halted science observations. Less than a week after the Hubble Space Telescope went offline, the Chandra X-ray Observatory did the same thing. Nasa said yesterday that Chandra automatically went into "safe mode", possibly because of a gyroscope problem. Hubble went into hibernation last Friday due to a gyroscope failure. Both observatories are ageing: Hubble has been in orbit for 28 years, while Chandra has 19 years on the clock. Flight controllers are working to resume operations. Nasa says it is coincidental that both "went to sleep" in the space of a week. An astronomer who works on Chandra, Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said yesterday: "Chandra decided that if Hubble could have a little vacation, it wanted one, too." Melania Trump has dismissed allegations that her husband, US President Donald Trump, cheated on her with a porn star. Mrs Trump said she had "much more important things to think about". In an interview with ABC News, excerpts of which were broadcast yesterday, the US first lady was asked about "your husband's alleged infidelities". She said: "It is not a concern and focus of mine. I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about, and to do." Mrs Trump (48) added: "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage, and circulate the gossip. I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines and, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today. "It's not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and not true." Asked whether she loved her husband, the first lady replied: "Yes, we are fine. Yes. It's what media speculate, and it's gossip. It's not always correct stuff." ABC conducted the rare interview with the Slovenia-born former model, the president's third wife, while she was on a solo visit to Africa last week. The network said no subjects had been declared off limits before the interview. In asking about the president's "alleged infidelities" the interviewer was referring to allegations by women including porn star Stormy Daniels, who has claimed she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006. Mr Trump has denied the allegation. Mrs Trump, dressed in jodhpurs with a safari pith helmet at her side, kept her answers short and to the point. She gave a wry smile when asked about comments about her marriage made by the president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Mr Giuliani said in June that the first lady believes her husband's denials about the alleged affair with Ms Daniels. Mrs Trump told ABC: "I never talked to Mr Giuliani." She also rejected speculation that she wants to move back to New York. Mrs Trump said: "I am enjoying it. I really love to live in Washington and the White House." Polls show her current approval rating at 54pc - higher then her husband's. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Rapper Kanye West gives a rambling 10-minute monologue during a meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters It was a bravura performance by a supercharged ego, lecturing America as he banged his fist on the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. No, this wasn't Donald Trump venting about untrammelled immigration. It was Kanye West venting about, well, everything. In the process he became the first person to ever use the word "motherf*****" at the White House while being beamed live into people's homes on TV. West free-styled through a list of the most serious issues confronting the world's only superpower. Unemployment, mental illness, prison reform, gun violence, globalisation, and he had an answer for most of them. That was because, as West himself told us, he is in the 98th percentile on IQ tests. "Tesla, Freud," he said, tapping the Make America Great Again hat on his head. A neuropsychologist had told him he was a genius, he said. In a rambling, 10-minute monologue, the rapper unburdened his soul about his support for Mr Trump. The president, who is not given to such soul-unburdening, sat on the other side of the desk uncharacteristically silent. Dumbfounded even. He appeared to view Mr Trump as a father figure. Putting his 'Make America Great Again' hat on had given him "balls", he said. To express his gratitude he rose from his chair and gave the president a hug. "I love this guy," West said. "He might not have expected to have a crazy motherf***er like Kanye West run up and support!" He praised a gang leader currently serving six life sentences, saying the man had been incarcerated because he was doing "positive" things for the community, and "fell through a trapdoor in the 13th Amendment". A damaged road after Hurricane Michael blew through Carrabelle, Florida, U.S., October 11, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. Duke Energy/via REUTERS Search and rescue teams have been looking for victims dead or alive in the flattened neighbourhoods or Florida after Hurricane Michael left a trail of devastation. The death toll stood at 13 across the South. The number of dead was expected to rise, but authorities scrapped plans to set up a temporary morgue, indicating they had yet to see signs of mass casualties from the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental US in nearly 50 years. Residents, meanwhile, began to come to grips with the destruction and face up to the uncertainty that lies ahead. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Boats lay among the debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael (Chris OMeara/AP) A bedroom of a destroyed house is pictured following Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Florida, U.S., October 11, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boats lay among the debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael (Chris OMeara/AP) "I didn't recognise nothing. Everything's gone. I didn't even know our road was our road," said Tiffany Marie Plushnik, 25, an evacuee who returned to find her home in Sandy Creek too damaged to live in. When she went back to the hotel where she took shelter from the storm, she found out she could no longer stay there either because of mould. "We've got to figure something out. We're starting from scratch, all of us," Plushnik said. Across the ravaged region, officials set up distribution centres to hand out food and water to victims. Expand Close Boats are seen among the rubble along the canals in Mexico Beach (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boats are seen among the rubble along the canals in Mexico Beach (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP) Some supplies were brought in by trucks, while others had to be delivered by helicopter because roads had yet to be cleared of debris. President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Florida and hard-hit Georgia early next week but did not say what day he would arrive. "We are with you!" he tweeted. Search teams continued to pick their way through the ruins of Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town of about 1,000 people that was nearly wiped off the map when Michael blew ashore there on Wednesday with devastating 155 mph winds. Blocks and blocks of homes were demolished. State officials said that by one count, 285 people in Mexico Beach defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Whether any of them got out at some point was unclear. Emergency officials said they have received thousands of calls asking about missing people. But with mobile phone service out across vast swathes of the Florida Panhandle, officials said it was possible that some of those unaccounted for are safe and just have not been able to contact friends or family to let them know. Governor Rick Scott said state officials still "do not know enough" about the fate of those who stayed behind in the region. "We are not completely done. We are still getting down there," the governor added. Emergency officials said they had done an initial "hasty search" of 80% of the stricken area, looking for the living or the dead. Shell-shocked survivors who barely escaped with their lives told of terrifying winds, surging floodwaters and homes cracking like eggs. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said he expected to see the death toll rise. "We still haven't gotten into the hardest-hit areas," he said, adding with frustration: "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson." Long expressed worry that people have suffered "hurricane amnesia". "When state and local officials tell you to get out, dang it, do it. Get out," he said. On the Panhandle, Tyndall Air Force Base "took a beating," so much so that Colonel Brian Laidlaw told the 3,600 men and women stationed on the base not to come back. Many of the 600 families who live there had followed orders to pack what they could in a single suitcase as they were evacuated ahead of the storm. The hurricane's eyewall passed directly overhead, severely damaging nearly every building and leaving many a complete loss. The primary school, the flight line, the marina and the runways were devastated. "I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I can't tell you how long that will take, but I'm on it," Laidlaw wrote. "We need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings." Pope Francis has defrocked two more Chilean bishops accused of sexually abusing minors, and to show greater transparency about how he is responding to the churchs global sex abuse crisis, he publicly explained why they were removed. The Vaticans unusually detailed statement announcing the laicisation of retired Archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and retired Bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez signalled a new degree of transparency following past missteps by Francis. The statement said the two were defrocked for abusing minors with evidence so overwhelming that a canonical trial was unnecessary. Expand Close Pope Francis poses with Chiles President Sebastian Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel (Alessandro Bianchi/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pope Francis poses with Chiles President Sebastian Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel (Alessandro Bianchi/AP) The Vatican said the decision cannot be appealed against. Cox, 87 and suffering from dementia, is a member of the Schoenstatt religious order and had served as a bishop in Chillan, Chile before becoming the number two official at the Vaticans Pontifical Council for the Family, a high-profile position during St John Paul IIs papacy. He returned to Chile and became bishop in La Serena until he left in 1997 under unclear circumstances, but took on administrative jobs in Rome and at the Latin American bishops conference in Colombia. In 2002, the Vatican office for bishops asked the Schoenstatt Fathers to take him in one of its houses, apparently because of abuse allegations. He has been living in Germany since then but last year a new, formal accusation was received by the Vatican about an alleged case of abuse that happened in Germany in 2004. The Schoenstatt Fathers said Saturday the Vatican had asked that Cox remain in their custody. Today more than ever, we deplore every act of abuse that offends the dignity of peopleThe Schoenstatt Fathers The order said it would cooperate with the justice system, given that victims in Chile have made criminal complaints against him. We receive this news with much shame for the damage caused to the victims, the community said. We show solidarity with them and their profound suffering. Today more than ever, we deplore every act of abuse that offends the dignity of people. Given the favour that Cox enjoyed by John Pauls inner circle, his fall is yet another stain on John Pauls legacy. It also calls into question the senior Schoenstatt cardinal in Chile, Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, an adviser to Francis who has long been accused of covering up for abusers. Ordenes Fernandez, 53, for his part, was made bishop of Iquique, in northern Chile, in 2006 at the young age of 42. He retired six years later allegedly for health reasons. Expand Close Pope Francis holds a folder (Alessandra Tarantino/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pope Francis holds a folder (Alessandra Tarantino/AP) But subsequently allegations of abuse were levelled against him. Previously, the Vatican has rarely, if ever, announced laicisations of individual priests and only issued a single-line statement if a bishop had resigned, without further explanation. Before Francis papacy began in 2013, it was Vatican practice to reveal if resignations were retirements due to age, or for some other grave reason that made them unfit for office. But Francis early on removed even that minimum amount of information. Advocates for abuse survivors have long complained about the Vaticans secrecy in handling such abuse cases, and the lack of transparency when it arrived at judgments. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Saturdays more detailed statement suggested a new trend in the way the Vatican will announce the results of investigations of bishops accused of abuse. A similarly detailed statement was issued when Francis defrocked Chiles most notorious abuser, Fernando Karadima, several weeks ago. Francis has been under fire for his handling of abuse cases for years. In May, all active bishops in Chile offered to resign over their collective mishandling of the abuse scandal. So far, Francis has accepted the resignations of seven. Francis discussed the issue during his Vatican audience on Saturday with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera Echenique, who also met with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Vatican said both meetings discussed the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment. A security guard checks on the entrance of Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP) Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper says. The new claim published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case, did not immediately explain how officials there also reportedly have video of Mr Khashoggis alleged killing. However, it puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi, who has written critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after he walked into the consulate on October 2. Expand Close A protest at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A protest at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) The kingdom has maintained the allegations against it are baseless, though an official early on Saturday acknowledged for the first time some believe Mr Khashoggi was killed by the kingdom. Authorities recovered the audio from Mr Khashoggis iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiancee before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Mr Khashoggis PIN on the watch, then later using the journalists finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. The newspaper did not address that in its report. An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection. The newspapers account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Mr Khashoggis iCloud account. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi assassination squad killed Mr Khashoggi at the consulate. They have also alleged that they have video of the killing, but not explained how they have it. Turkey has yet to publish any evidence of him being killed, though surveillance footage around the consulate shows a convoy of vehicles with diplomatic plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consuls home in Istanbul a little under two hours after Mr Khashoggis arrival. Saudi Arabia has said it had nothing to do with Mr Khashoggis disappearance, without explaining or offering evidence of how the writer left the consulate and disappeared into Istanbul with his fiancee waiting outside. A Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as tourists, without providing evidence to support the claim. Early on Saturday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying the kingdoms involvement. This time, however, it acknowledged for the first time that Saudi Arabia was accused of killing Mr Khashoggi. Israeli soldiers secure the area after a stabbing attack at Huwara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus (Majdi Mohammed/AP) Palestinians in the northern West Bank say a woman has been killed after being struck in the head by a stone thrown by Israeli settlers. A relative says Aisha Rabi, 48, was travelling with her husband and two daughters to their home in Bidya early on Saturday when their vehicle was pelted with stones. Her cousin, Isam Rabi, says she was struck in the head and rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. He says her husband saw a small group of settlers nearby. Israeli police say they are investigating. The area is near several ultra-nationalist Jewish settlements. Last Sunday, a Palestinian assailant killed two Israelis in a nearby settlement. And on Thursday, a Palestinian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier, raising the possibility of a revenge attack. The #MeToo movement is not ready to slow down anytime soon. After Bollywood actors like Alok Nath, Nana Patekar, Hrithik Roshan have been allegedly accused of sexual harassment, new names are coming up with every passing day. Now Amitabh Bachchan has also been accused of sexual misconduct. Although none of the women has come out as a survivor, the internet is abuzz with comments saying that stories involving the megastar have been heard by people. On Friday, celebrity hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani took to Twitter to attack Amitabh Bachchan. Replying to a Twitter user sharing Bachchans post on the Me Too movement, she wrote, This has to be the biggest lie ever. Sir, the film Pink has released and gone and your image of being an activist will soon too. Your truth will come out very soon. Hope you are biting your hands cuz nails will not be enough. @SrBachchan #Metoo #MeTooIndia #comeoutwomen." This has to be the biggest lie ever. Sir the film Pink has released and gone and your image of being an activist will soon too. Your truth will come out very soon. Hope you are biting your hands cuz nails will not be enough. @SrBachchan #Metoo #MeTooIndia #comeoutwomen https://t.co/gMQXoRtPW3 Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 11, 2018 Encouraging women to come out, she even went on to claim to have personally heard so many stories of Bachchans sexual misconduct. Have personally heard so many stories of Bachchans sexual misconduct and I I hope those women come out. His hypocrisy is sooooo tired. #Metoo #MeTooIndia https://t.co/2BpumLoYlF Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 11, 2018 Her tweet read, Have personally heard so many stories of Bachchans sexual misconduct and I hope those women come out. His hypocrisy is sooooo tired. #Metoo #MeTooIndia. T 2959 - An interview on the eve of birthday : It is that special day again...special for us, that is. Why (cont) https://t.co/8n1ERaBtXw Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) October 11, 2018 On his 76th birthday on October 11, Amitabh finally broke his silence on the ongoing Me Too movement and shred his take on the same in a lengthy social media post stating: No woman should ever be subjected to any kind of misbehaviour or disorderly conduct; especially at her workplace. After Sapna's tweets, she has been receiving a backlash on social media. folks telling me that i should be scared of losing my life .... huh??? why?? cuz i said his stories will come out soon???? is this how we keep women shut now? #MeTooIndia #MeToo Sapna Moti Bhavnani (@sapnabhavnani) October 13, 2018 This is the biggest case of #WhyNotMe. Your mind has gone and your existence will soon too. You will eat your words. Preserve your hands cuz fork and knife will not be enough. #StopLies Dharmesh Patel (@mrdkpatel) October 12, 2018 True said ,she is mad now #whyNotme ..sharam Kar #sapnabhavnani . kala EF (@KalaYadav3) October 12, 2018 Wohi to. Koi bhaav nahin deta to nirdosh ka naam chillati hain publicity keliye aisi aurate. Aur jo sach mein bhugat rahi hain, un pe kiye huwe atyachaar ka mazaak banaaya jaata hain. #WhyNotMe Dharmesh Patel (@mrdkpatel) October 12, 2018 If you aint naming the crime YOU HAVE NO RIGHT to drag someones name into the mud! Me too is a serious movement and NOT for ppl with other agenda to use it and trivialise it tina noor (@sealed_beauty) October 12, 2018 He has die hard fans .. you wont be able to get away if this so easily . But bye the way who are you : how come Me Bachchan comes in contact with such people. I dont think he even gives too hoots to such kind of people. Sharad Kumar Singh (@singhsharadkgma) October 12, 2018 Who is scared of opening their social media solely because you keep seeing people achieve things in life and then end up thinking about how youre just not doing enough? Well, Im one of those people. unsplash On any given day, I open my social media apps and come across: A classmate who is getting married The neighbour's son going to a fancy university abroad A former colleague who just bought a new car And college acquaintances who are currently on a vacation Dont get me wrong. Im absolutely happy for all these people but honestly, theres also a nagging feeling of not doing enough with life at the back of my head. The assumption I held was that if you have the perfect life in the virtual world, then it translates into having a perfect life in reality. unsplash Thats why I was very surprised when a friend from college, who I envied thanks to her degree from London, a recent vacation to Italy and basically, having a rather happening life, called me up for career advice. She sounded lost and having gotten over with her degree, she was almost desperate for a job. She told me shed actually been feeling very lonely since she was so far away from home. Revealing that shed lost a part of her luggage in Italy, she told me she feels stuck. And thats when it hit me. unsplash Social media is like any other rat race and were all vying for the who-is-the-happiest award each time we post something. We cleverly hide the disappointment when our boss scolds us by posting a photo of a coffee saying were #workaholics. We dont let anybody know about how were mentally struggling to even get out of bed by posting a #wokeuplikethis image and we plan our outfits for the perfect #vacay photos immediately after booking our tickets because did you even go for a holiday if your followers dont know about it? unsplash Nobody shares their worries on social media because its just not trendy to do so. We open our social media accounts and were instantly bombarded with happy and cheery faces. Everyone shares their joys and achievements but nobody will share the story of how much they had to struggle to achieve all of it. It isnt too surprising, really. unsplash Social media, with its colorful posts and everything-happy hashtags, has taught us to conceal our failures and struggles because on social media, happiness is literally forced down your throat. Its is only a human instinct to want to compete with each other but on social media, we find forcing ourselves to be happy just because all the other people on our friends list are. However, most of us dont realize that any kind of happiness is a result of hard work. Anyone who is on a vacation has earned it, anyone going to a famous college has worked for it and anyone who is getting married has also faced heartbreak before finding the right one. Just because people talk only about the happy things in their life on Facebook and Instagram, doesnt mean theyre not facing some amount of struggle. In fact, we should also use the power of social media to talk extensively about our struggles so that people dont feel forced to be happy. The rains have helped Delhi to improve its air quality. The traffic situation is no better, but according to reports, people are breathing relatively purer air. This won't last for long as the yearly phenomenon of stubble burning in neighbouring states will soon turn Delhi into a gas chamber. Also read: Not Just Stubble Burning And Construction, 40 Per Cent Of Delhi Smog Was Dust From Gulf Countries Also read: Stubble Burning In Punjab Brings Bad Air To Delhi Once Again, Air Quality Falls To 'Very Poor' Over past one week, at least 61 cases of stubble burning have been detected in Haryana and two in Punjab, confirmed the members of the respective state pollution control boards to Hindustan Times. Also read: NASA Blames Stubble Burning In Punjab & Haryana For Rise In PM2.5 Levels In Delhi In Haryana, all the 61 cases have been reported from Karnal district (140km from Delhi). We have lodged FIRs (first information report) in 26 cases so far. As much as Rs 90,000 has been collected from 35 farmers as fines, said S Narayanan, member secretary of the Haryana Pollution Control Board. These are the first cases of crop-residue burning in Punjab this season. Two cases of stubble burning have been reported so far. While one was reported from Amritsar, the second one was detected in Patiala, said Karunesh Garg, member secretary of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. Also read: Farmers Near Delhi Quit Stubble Burning As Hazardous Smog Continues To Torment National Capital A penalty of Rs 5,000 has been imposed on a farmer in Patiala for burning up crop stubble. In 2015, NGT had imposed fines between Rs 2500 to Rs 15000 on farmers for burning stubble. Reuters With the onset of stubble burning season in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab, the air quality in Delhi has dipped to 'poor' level. It is that time of the year again when Delhi will be blanketed in fog and the blame will be put on the neighbouring states. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) As Hunt For 'Man-Eater' Avni Continues, Activists Demand Presidential Pardon For The Tigress Photo: Twitter Avni has been tagged a man-eater and more than 100 men, over the last few days, have tramped through forests on the trail of the tigress. Avni is five-year-old and a mother of two cubs. Read more 2) Girl Dies After Attending Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao Event, Parents Say There Was No Drinking Water Representational Image A class 9 student, who was returning from home after attending an event on "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, got sick all of a sudden and died undergoing a treatment. Her health worsened after she was returning home from the event. Read more 3) This Malayalam Actor Says Women Who Enter Sabarimala Temple Should Be Torn Into Pieces On the recent Supreme Court order granting entry to women of all ages into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, Malyalam movie actor Kollam Thulasi said that women, who enter the Sabarimala temple should be torn into two pieces. Read more 4) Thousands Of Migratory Birds Killed, Nests Destroyed In Andhra, Odisha In Cyclone Titli Hundreds of migratory birds have died at the Telineelapuram bird sanctuary of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh due to the heavy rain and winds caused by the Cyclone Titli on Thursday. Read more 5) No Matter How Destructive It Was, People In Odisha Are Naming Their Kids After Cyclone 'Titli' BCCL It is not unusual for people to name their children after memorable dates or events, but not many would want to name their children after a disaster. Read more A group of farmers in Beed, called Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti, has threatened to lock the Met office in the city on Monday in a letter to the India Meteorological Department for getting the monsoon forecast wrong this year. The letter alleged that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) conspired with seed and pesticide manufacturing companies and wrongfully inflated the monsoon rainfall forecast, putting farmers in a tight spot. The letter stated that farmers had lost lakhs of rupees because of the wrong forecast and that the IMD would now have to reimburse them. The IMD officials have informed the Pune police commissioners office and the Shivajinagar police station about the threat letter besides sending a copy of it to the collectors of Pune and Beed, and Beed police, so that the authorities could take suitable action. The Pune police said that they were keeping a watch on the IMD office in view of the threat. Reuters/Representational Image The TOI is in possession of a copy of the letter sent by a farmers social worker, Bhai Gangabhishan Thavare, from the Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti, to the IMDs agromet department on October 9. It alleged, A police complaint was filed against the Met department on July 14 last year as the farmers had suffered financial losses to the tune of Rs2.5 lakh because of the incorrect monsoon forecast issued that year. This year, the monsoon forecast has again gone wrong. Therefore, farmers will be visiting your premises on October 15 to lock the establishment. The letter stated that farmers had spent lakhs of rupees on seeds and pesticides last year, going by the IMDs rain forecast. But it did not rain as per the forecast of the department, which caused huge financial losses to the farmers. A similar situation has cropped up this year, it said. An IMD official told TOI that the letter could have been sent out of political interest since the elections were imminent. This is a democracy, so people are free to say what they want. If they are not satisfied with a service, they are free not to use that service. It is up to the user to decide. We have been doing a satisfactory job on our part in issuing correct cyclone, rainfall and other weather forecasts. This tendency to censure an organization is not a progressive sign, he said. globalnewlightofmyanmar/Representational Image Another Met department official said a similar letter had come last year, too. Such threats keep coming. In 2017 too, some groups had tried to lodge a police complaint and had threatened to come here, but nobody turned up. We have received two letters from the same organization this year one on August 15 and another recently. The letter alleged that our forecast was wrong and that we had a nexus with seed and pesticide companies. We have merely informed the police about this and requested them to take appropriate action, he said. Shivaji Bodakhe, the joint commissioner of police (law and order), Pune, said the police had started keeping a watch on the IMDs premises. We would come to know if anybody visits the department to do something troublesome. If they do, suitable action will be taken against them, he said. A police complaint was filed by another organization, called Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, led by MP Raju Shetti, last year against IMD in Parbhani citing similar allegations. Weve been using the traditional method of burning crop stubble for ages. It is easy, inexpensive and efficient, says Ishwar, as he signals the driver in a crop reaper to begin the day in Juaan village, 25 kilometres away from Sonipat, Haryana. Ishwar is one of the millions of farmers from Haryana and Punjab, who are forced by the government to use machinery to cut crop and shift from the old-style method of stubble burning. Reason alarming dip in air quality in Delhi-NCR. The national capitals air quality has slipped back to poor category due to change in direction of the wind, which is now flowing from stubble burning areas in Punjab and Haryana. Every year, air quality in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab plunges to hazardous level as farmers set the leftover stubble and loose straw of on fire after paddy is harvested using combines. The equipment is ineffective in uprooting the stubble from the ground. Even if we use machinery, we must set loose straw on fire. There is no other way, shrugs Ishwar. Read more: Delhi To Move Court Against Stubble Burning In Punjab & Haryana As Air Quality Slips To Poor In the wake of toxic air pollution shrouding Delhi-NCR year after year, the Central and state governments have devised several measures to prevent this from slapping fines on farmers for burning crop stubble to subsidising machinery that allows seeds of the next wheat crop to be planted while stubble remains on the fields. However, the tall promises conveniently sit on papers. The ground reality stands in stark contrast to the government assurances and actions. A double-whammy Indiatimes' correspondent travelled to villages in Haryana and spoke with farmers as they gear up for the harvesting season. PTI Most of the farmers were unhappy with the fines slapped on them for burning stubble. First of all, the government has failed to provide us with affordable solutions. The farmers in Sonipat region are well-educated and come from a financially stable background. Yet, we find that stubble burning is the most convenient method. The machinery does no good. Additionally, our produce fetches a lesser price in the market if it is harvested using machinery. The finely-chopped straw remnants in the products are easy to catch. For farmers, its a double-whammy. If they burn the leftover straw, they are fined, if they use machinery for harvesting, their yield draws lesser price, says Inderdev Chhikara, a 35-year-old farmer from Sonipat who specialises in organic farming. As a measure to discourage farmers from burning stubble, the government as imposed a fine of Rs 2,500 per acre on farmers, if found guilty of burning crop remains. The cost of machinery is another factor. Several farmers have claimed that they are yet to get machinery or hear from officials. Simple economics Government has imposed a fine on farmers, however, they have not given us any affordable solution. For instance, if a farmer does farming on One acre of rented land, he will pay around Rs 30,000 to the landowner, Rs 30,000 goes for crops and another Rs 12,000-13,000 goes into cultivation, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. The government is forcing use of machines to harvest crop but the cost increases drastically for farmers. If we use machinery to cut One acre of crop, Rs 3,000 goes towards renting the machine, Rs 750 are charged for cultivation. For cultivating twice, the cost doubles to Rs 1,500. "If we go to sell the crops cut from machinery, we are paid Rs 300 less for per quintal of the crop. So, if the crop weighs 15 quintals, a farmer stands a loss of Rs 4,500 at least. In total, a farmer instantly bears a loss of Rs 9,000 if he uses machines for cultivation. If the government really wants to help the farmers, then it must give them subsidies, says Sunil Chhikara, a young farmer from Haryana. Farmers complained that the government has failed to provide an ideal price for their harvest and it makes little sense if they spend additional money on hiring these machines. AFP A study by the Department of Economics and Sociology of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, found that 95 per cent of the residue of paddy and 25 per cent residue of wheat is burnt every year. Lack of buyers, shortage of labour and time for the next crop, and little assistance by the state government emerged as the major reasons behind the ongoing practice, the study said. Read more: Once Again Toxic Air Pollution Shrouds Delhi, And As Usual, Govt Isnt Ready With A Plan Yet The majority of poor farmers are not in a position to hire machinery to remove stubble even at subsidised rates and will be forced to burn to burn their fields. Stubble burning is associated with the extensive use for machinery in paddy fields, which leave 12-14 inch stalks frequently described as stubble after the crop has been cut. There is a gap of hardly 15-20 days between harvesting paddy and planting the ensuing wheat crop and farmers prepare their fields for the subsequent sowing by setting their fields ablaze. This year, thousands of farmers have been booked for stubble burning in the state of Haryana. According to Haryana Environment Minister Vipul Goyal, authorities have booked over 1,000 farmers and imposed a fine of nearly Rs 12 lakh on them. "Given the air pollution from stubble burning, the Pollution Control Board has started a state-wide campaign. Under this till now, 1,011 farmers have been identified for burning stubble across the state. The department has filed police cases as well as imposed fines on them," he said. He said cases have been filed against 227 farmers who were caught by the Pollution Control Board and 454 farmers have been slapped fine of over Rs 11.89 lakh. Fining farmers in the absence of effective and affordable alternative measures is only harming the economic standing of farmers. If the government is serious about helping farmers, it must give them subsidies and a good price for their crop. Subsidies must be given on the cost of sowing, including seeds and fertilisers, so that farmers can sow crops at cheaper rates. Fining them makes little sense and is purely unjustified, says Sunil. India was elected to the United Nations' top human rights body for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates. The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections here for new members to the UN Human Rights Council. The 18 new members were elected by the absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council. India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India's election to the Council was all but certain. I am happy to inform that India has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council with highest number of votes. We have secured 188 votes out of 193. Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 13, 2018 Following the election, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin told PTI that India's win with the highest number of votes "reflects India's standing in the international comity." Happiness in the trenches. Team @IndiaUNNewYork is all smiles as India tops tally of votes garnered by all candidates elected to the @UN Human Rights Council today. pic.twitter.com/154uCGfZqm Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) October 13, 2018 In the Asia Pacific category, India got 188 votes followed by Fiji with 187 votes, Bangladesh 178, Bahrain and Philippines 165 each. India got the highest number of votes among all 18 countries in the five regional categories. The new members will serve a term of three years beginning January 1, 2019. India had previously been elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 term. Its last tenure had ended on December 31, 2017, and in accordance with the rules, it was not eligible for immediate re-election since it had already served two consecutive terms. Created by the Assembly in March 2006 as the principal United Nations body dealing with human rights, the Human Rights Council comprises 47 elected Member States. On the basis of equitable geographical distribution, Council seats are allocated to the five regional groups as follows: the African States, 13 seats; Asia Pacific States, 13 seats; the Eastern European States, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean States, 8 seats; and Western European and other States, 7 seats. Fancy some Teslaquila? Well, this isn't a joke anymore as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that a Tesla-branded tequila, called "Teslaquila," is "coming soon". Teslaquila first featured in an April Fool's joke in which Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Twitter that he had been found "passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by 'Teslaquila' bottles" as he joked about his electric car company going bankrupt. Elon was found passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by "Teslaquilla" bottles, the tracks of dried tears still visible on his cheeks. This is not a forward-looking statement, because, obviously, what's the point? Happy New Month! pic.twitter.com/YcouvFz6Y1 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2018 A few days later, he posted a photo on Instagram of a tequila bottle with "Teslaquila" label plastered on it. The tweet, it now turns out, was a teaser for Teslaquila, as according to a report in CNBC on Friday Tesla had filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Teslaquila". The trademark is for "distilled agave liquor" and "distilled blue agave liquor", the report said. Musk also later shared a photo of a "Teslaquila" label in a tweet. Tesla might have initially applied for this trademark in Jamaica back in April, the report said. There have been many instances around the world, where people have spotted strange and inexplicable sights in the night sky. And more often than not people are left terrified and come to the single most popular conclusion: alien life! In another strange incident, people in China were left flummoxed after many spotted a mysterious object that left a white trail of light behind it. According to a report, a mysterious looking object was spotted by residents of Beijing, Shanxi province and Inner Mongolia on October 11. Chinese social media outlets have been inundated by videos and photos of the alleged sighting: ET has phoned home! UFO sightings were reportedly witnessed around China, including in Beijing, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi on Oct. 11. Experts say the sightings are most likely tracks left in the sky by high-altitude aircraft, as similar cases occurred in April. pic.twitter.com/RrpYL7T6WB People's Daily,China (@PDChina) 12 October 2018 People who believe in UFOs were convinced that it was a spaceship with extraterrestrials on board and the trails were most likely left by high-altitude aircraft. While researchers haven't yet confirmed what the object is, people seem to be weirdly comfortable with the assumption of alien life. Because what's life without some mystery? We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Pedestrians walk past a Harvard University building on Aug. 30, 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Speaking on a conference call Oct. 10 ahead of the upcoming Students for Fair Admissions Inc. vs. Harvard affirmative action trial, Indian American activist Anjali Thakur-Mittal said the lawsuit poses a fundamental threat to opportunity for millions of young people. It jeopardizes the right of every college and university to build diverse student bodies. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) President Donald Trump is shown with Republican Hindu Coalition chairman Shalli Kumar at the Republican Hindu Coalition's Humanity United Against Terror Charity event on Oct. 15, 2016 at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. A new study jointly conducted by AAPI Data and APIA Vote revealed that two-thirds of Indian American voters disapprove of Trump. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images) Costco Wholesale (COST), the members-only big-box discount retailer, charges $60 annually for its lowest level membership, the Gold Star. For $120 per year, Executive membership offers additional savings, perks, and benefits, as well as cashback on qualified purchases. These fees may seem steep, but Costco relies on a subscription model for three reasons. Key Takeaways Costco has a business model that depends heavily on repeat shoppers buying and renewing memberships. By selling memberships, Costco can sell products at deep discounts that barely cover costs. Still, membership revenue continues to grow and contributes a significant portion of Costco's bottom line. Loyalty American grocery competition is intense. BJs Wholesale Club and Sam's Club offer direct competition for Costco. In addition, consumers can choose among Sam's Club parent Walmart Stores (WMT), Target (TGT), and a variety of neighborhood groceries and farmers' markets. Psychology plays a part in the success of the subscription model. Membership means Costco shoppers belong to a "private" club. Also, the fee motivates action: the money's been spent, so it's best to use the club's advantages. This thinking gives Costco its most powerful advantage: customers become loyal to the store. Having paid the fee, members are more likely to visit Costco than a non-membership store that confers no special benefits. Reducing Shrinkage Costco has found a way to deter theft in its stores: charge people to shop. It's unlikely that shoplifters will spend $60 a year for the opportunity to steal. By controlling entrances and exits in addition to the membership format, Costco believes its shrinkage is "well below those of typical retail operations." Income Stream In the volatile world that is the grocery business, membership fees provide a stable source of income. In the company's fiscal year 2020, revenue from membership fees came in at $3.54 billion. When you consider that net income was $4 billion, you can see why the company relies on membership fees to stay in business. This steady flow of membership fees allows the company to keep prices low and attract and retain more customers. Revenues from membership fees are great. Aside from a few minutes of an employees time, plus the cost of the card and subsequent promotional mailings, managing membership isn't too costly. As such, Costcos billions of dollars in membership fee revenue is almost entirely profit. The Bottom Line Costco has consistently low prices with a strong consumer following. With the company expanding both domestically and internationally, as well as profits increasing year over year and its sophisticated logistics network, the company looks poised to become a retail giant that rivals Walmart. Many Americans believe that Costco has membership fees solely for the cash they provide, but direct profit is only one of the three reasons. Companies and regulators try to prevent insider trading to ensure the integrity of the markets and maintain reputations. However, not all insider trading is illegal. A company's directors, employees, and management can purchase or sell the company's stock with special knowledge as long as they disclose those transactions to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); those trades are then disclosed to the public. Insider trading is considered illegal when a company's employees or representatives give out material nonpublic information to their friends, family, or fund managers. Another way that insider trading can occur is if non-company employeessuch as those from government regulators or accounting firms, law firms, or brokeragesgain material nonpublic information from their clients and use that information for their personal gain. Key Takeaways Insider trading is considered illegal when a company's employees or representatives give out material nonpublic information to their friends, family, or fund managers. The SEC monitors trading activity, especially around important events such as earnings announcements, acquisitions, and other events material to a company's value that may move their stock prices significantly. Complaints from traders who lose substantial sums on large trades are another way that regulators prevent and commence investigations of insider trading. Some companies have blackout periods when officers, directors, and other designated people are barred from purchasing the company's securities (usually around earnings announcements). How Regulators Prevent Insider Trading Monitoring Trading Activity The government tries to prevent and detect insider trading by monitoring the trading activity in the market. The SEC monitors trading activity, especially around important events such as earnings announcements, acquisitions, and other events material to a company's value that may move their stock prices significantly. This surveillance can discover large, irregular trades around those material events and lead to investigations as to whether the trades were legitimate or the result of inside information being provided to those who instituted the trades. Complaints From Traders Complaints from traders who lose substantial sums on large trades are another way that regulators prevent and commence investigations of insider trading. As inside traders often try to exploit their inside information to the maximum extent possible, they often turn to the options markets, where they can effectively leverage their trades and amplify their returns. If a trader has special knowledge that a company is being acquired, then that trader can buy a large number of call options on the stock; similarly, if a trader knows before any announcement that a company is going to report earnings well below Wall Street estimates, then that trader can take a large position in put options. Such trades before big events can signal to regulators that someone is trading on inside information; the big losses taken by investors without material nonpublic information on the other end of these trades also cause such investors to come forward and report the unusual returns. Whistleblowers Regulators also work to prevent and detect insider trading through insiders with knowledge of trades on material nonpublic information. The SEC gets tips from whistleblowers who come forward with the knowledge that people are trading on such information. Whistleblowers can be employees of the company in question, or they can be employees of the company's suppliers, clients, or service firms. Whistleblowers have incentives to come forward under the law by receiving 10% to 30% of the fines collected from successful prosecutions of insider trading. The media or self-regulatory agencies, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), can also be the initial sources for the SEC when it begins an insider trading investigation. How Companies Prevent Insider Trading Blackout Periods Before it escalates to the government level, most companies take several measures to prevent insider trading within their securities. Some companies have blackout periods when officers, directors, and other designated people are barred from purchasing the company's securities (usually around earnings announcements). Seeking Clearance From Legal Officer A company may also require officers, directors, and others to clear their purchases or sales of the company's securities with its chief legal officer (CLO) to avoid any conflicts of interest or violations of securities laws. Educational Programs In addition to these measures, companies usually implement an education program for their employees. These programs are meant to educate employees about how to avoid partaking in insider trading or sharing material nonpublic information. For example, employees may learn what is considered material and what is considered nonpublic, in addition to learning not to disclose information related to earnings, takeovers, security offerings, or litigation to outsiders. If you're thinking about graduate school, you may be wondering when you should go. Is it better to go straight from college or wait and gain some work experience first? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. If you believe that a graduate degree is in your future but are not sure whether now is the time, here are some financial and other factors to consider. Key Takeaways Getting an advanced degree may boost your earning potential, career advancement, and job security. Going to graduate school immediately after earning your undergraduate degree can keep your momentum going and often allow you to defer your undergrad loan payments. However, working for a few years before you go also has advantages, including the ability to save up some money to pay the bill. The Financial Benefits If you're questioning whether to go to grad school at all, consider the potential financial benefits after you've completed your program. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, each step up in education means a higher salary and greater job security, on average. For example, high school graduates with no college in 2019 had median weekly earnings of $746 and an unemployment rate of 3.7%. Workers with a bachelor's degree earned a median of $1,248 and had an unemployment rate of 2.2%. Those with a masters degree had median earnings of $1,497, with an unemployment rate of 2%. That can be a powerful argument for attending graduate school. But it does not necessarily mean that doing so immediately after receiving a bachelors degree is the right course. Though a handful of fields require a graduate or professional degree as the price of admission, in many others, a bachelor's degree is sufficient for an entry-level job. Here are some pros and cons to consider in making your decision. When You Should Go Right After College It may be easier to make the transition to grad school without taking a break. Consider the fact that you're accustomed to studying and test-taking, as well as living the far-from-lavish life of a typical college student. A couple of years in a comfortable job, on the other hand, could dull your study habits and accustom you to a higher standard of living. If you take a break from education, your life may change in unforeseen ways. You might get married, have children, buy a home, or take on new responsibilities that will make attending and paying for graduate school even more challenging. If you racked up a lot of federal student loan debt as an undergrad, one way to postpone repaying in some cases is to continue your education and obtain a student loan deferment. Of course, the downside is that youll probably take on more debt for grad school and have to start paying it all back sooner or later. To find out how much you might qualify to borrow as a graduate student, you will need to fill out the same form you may have used as an undergraduate, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This time, however, you most likely won't be required to supply information about your parents' finances because you're now considered an independent student. Graduate students are eligible for two types of federal loans: direct unsubsidized loans (for up to $20,500 per yearmore if you're enrolled in certain health profession programs) and Direct PLUS loans if you need to borrow more than that. Unlike undergraduates, graduate students are not eligible for subsidized loans. Grad students may also be eligible for a paid federal work-study job, as well as for financial aid from their state, school, or private programs. Important If you can get an employer to foot the bill for graduate school, the first $5,250 of that benefit is tax-free. When It's Better to Wait You probably deserve some time off from midterms, all-nighters, and cold pizza after you complete a four-year undergraduate program. And graduate school isn't cheap. Though the price tag varies widely from school to school and program to program, the average graduate student borrower with a master's degree now takes on $55,376 in debt in order to pay for it, according to EducationData.org. A couple of years of work could help you save up and pay for your next degree without taking on unnecessary debt. And you'll also make a dent in what you already owe. What's more, when you've spent some time in the workplace, your interests and ambitions may evolve. It might be better to discover your true vocation before you invest in a graduate degree in the wrong field. You might still end up in grad school but studying something completely different. With a little added maturity, you will bring more to graduate school and most likely get more out of it. Some work experience on your resume could also be a plus, both when you apply to grad school and when you finish your degree and are job hunting once again. What's more, many companies will subsidizeor completely pay forgraduate work, particularly if your training is in their interest. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 49% of employers were offering tuition assistance for graduate school in 2018, with many seeing it as a way to retain their most promising employees. What's more, under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, you can exclude up to $5,250 in employer-provided education assistance from your income if your employers program qualifies. Youll owe some income tax above that amount, but its still a better deal than paying for grad school all by yourself. The Bottom Line Whether you decide to pursue a graduate degree immediately after college or wait a while before going can depend on the state of your finances, your area of professional interest, and your instincts. Don't rush to go if you don't feel ready. On the other hand, if you are offered a tempting fellowship, it might be worth heading straight to grad school, particularly if you are targeting a field that requires further years of study toward a Ph.D. Accountants can earn a lucrative salary, especially if they work in the sub-sectors or cities, or areas listed below. It is a job that is needed in most industries and for the most part, all businesses. Most individuals only need a bachelor's degree to get started in an accounting career. On average, accountants and auditors earned a median annual wage of $73,560 as of May 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. Actual wages might be higher or lower, depending on industry and location, but they are well above the national median average for occupations. Key Takeaways Accounting is a necessity around the globe in a variety of fields, and as such, accountants are always in demand. Depending on the location and job type, accountants can earn a good salary; the median annual wage as of May 2020 for an accountant was $73,560. The median annual wage for an accountant is well above the national median average for occupations. The top-paying industries for accountants include finance and insurance, management of companies and enterprises, tax preparation, and the government. The top-paying states/districts for accountants include Washington D.C., New York, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Why Are Accountants Always in High Demand? The lucrative salary is based on demand and makes accounting one of the best business jobs. "Few fields are as fertile as the domain of accounting," said Robert Valli, former Dean of the LIU Post College of Management in Old Westbury, N.Y., who added that accounting is, in his opinion, recession-proof. "Companies need an audit if the economy is growing, and companies need an audit in a recession," Valli said. "Everyone needs to do their taxes. Accounting offers great all-weather positions, and regulatory events in Washington have made this even more pronounced. The Dodd-Frank Act, for example, is still being parsed and understood, and accountants will be doing work on that for years." In addition, accounting firms are excellent employers. "The 'Big Four' accounting firms are always listed among the top 100 companies to work for in America, which speaks to the salary and benefits that theyre able to offer, along with opportunities for growth," Valli said. Stuart Mease, former executive director of student advancement and career services at Virginia Tech's undergraduate business program, also feels that accounting is a promising field. "Federal regulation has secured the demand for individuals with mathematical and analytical skills," he said. "They are billable, and therefore firms need these people because their clients need people with these skill sets. This is why public accounting firms are so active on college campuses. There is a race to acquire talent because of the huge financial upside." But where do accountants earn the most money? According to data from the BLS, these are the highest-paying industries and locations: Top-Paying Industries Accountants earn the highest median annual wage in the following four industries and sub-sectors: What Is SEC Form 17-H? The term SEC Form 17-H refers to a form that must be filed by all securities brokers with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This form, called the Risk Assessment Report for Broker-Dealers, consists of six pages relating to the brokers business activities and their risk profile. This SEC form requires broker-dealers to file the form as per Rules 17h-1T and Rule 17h-2T of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Key Takeaways Certain broker-dealers must file SEC Form 17-H with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The form requires brokers to provide financial information about their risk profile, including financial statements and information about any legal issues they face. Broker-dealers must provide information about a parent company, holding company, or subsidiary's activities that may affect its financial or operating conditions. The SEC adopted rule and Form 17-H following the collapse of Drexel Burnham Lambert and its holding company, Drexel Burnham and Lambert Group. Understanding SEC Form 17-H The Securities and Exchange Commission is an independent federal agency responsible for protecting investors and ensuring the fairness of U.S. securities markets. The agency, which was created in 1934, requires public disclosure and oversees corporate takeovers in the U.S. while protecting investors from market manipulation and other types of risk. The 17h rules (17h-1T and 17h-2T) were added to the Securities and Exchange Act provisions in 1992, outlining certain requirements for recordkeeping and reporting for securities broker-dealers. In compliance with these rules, Form 17-H requires broker-dealers to disclose information regarding the activities of certain affiliated entities, such as parent companies, holding companies, and subsidiaries. The form is composed of six pages and is known as the Risk Assessment Report for Brokers and Dealers form. It requests items such as the investment companys current organizational chart, copies of all risk-management and related policies, information related to any legal proceedings, and the company's financial statements. The SEC amended the filing requirements for Rule 17h in June 2020, increasing the threshold for reporting entities. This change exempted certain broker-dealers, which the agency said, would reduce the burden for smaller firms. Companies whose capital ranges between $20 million and $50 million are now exempt from the rule, provided they maintain less than $1 billion in total assets. Broker-dealer firms must meet certain requirements before they can register with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), including licensing, compliance, and continuing education. Purpose of SEC Form 17-H The primary purpose of Form 17-H is to allow the SEC to monitor potential sources of systemic risk risks among broker-dealers. Each broker-dealer is required to list the number and types of assets under their control, as well as any pending litigation, debt obligations, organizational charts, as well as the names of "Material Associated Persons," the company's principal employees and executives. Many broker-dealers operate as part of a larger investment firm, with a family of parent companies, subsidiaries, and other affiliates, that may make risky trades or rely on one another for credit. Broker-dealers sometimes rely on their parent companies for short-term liquidity, so a credit risk at one of these companies could affect the financial health of the others. By disrupting market activities, such risks make it harder for investors and enterprises to access capital. As part of its risk-assessment program, the SEC currently focuses on 50-75 firms a yearout of approximately 275 17-H filer firmsfor in-person screening visits. The SEC is also developing an expanded liquidity review process, which may bring increased scrutiny of 17-H firms going forward. Focusing on liquidity was one of the big lessons learned during the 2008 financial crisis. History of SEC Form 17-H The SEC adopted the 17-H rules and Form 17-H following the collapse of Drexel Burnham Lambert and its holding company, Drexel Burnham and Lambert Group. The two companies were shut down in 1990 due to insider trading and manipulation in the junk bond market. During the 1980s, Drexel suffered from a series of investigations and lawsuits for the high-yield bond trading practices proliferated by Michael Milken and others. In 1990, the company attempted to stave off bankruptcy by transferring $220 million of BD capital to its parent as a short-term loan. Neither the SEC nor the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was made aware of this significant capital transfer at the time. In a matter of weeks, Drexel and its associated entities could not meet their financial obligations, and as a result, DBL filed for bankruptcy. According to the SEC, Drexel's collapse "demonstrated that broker-dealers could encounter serious financial difficulty due to the loss of market confidence, loss of access to the capital markets, or failure of the registered broker-dealers affiliates or the holding company itself." Thus, Rule 17-H is an important way that the SEC may screen securities organizations to mitigate or reduce risks, like the Drexel demise cited above. By Gordon Deegan The expansion of the Avoca brand contributed to operating profits at parent company Aramark Ireland more than doubling to 7.76m last year. Newly-filed accounts filed by Aramark Ireland Holdings Ltd and subsidiaries show the food and facilities management group also increased revenues by 30.4% to just under 351.6m. The company largely attributed the increase in revenue to the inclusion of a full-years Avoca business versus nine months in 2016 when the Avoca business was acquired. The business was boosted by Avoca adding to its network of outlets with the opening of its Dunboyne outlet in 2017. Aramark also said that revenues increased arising from positive increases in catering and facilities along with an increased client base, strong retention and new business wins in other areas. The group recorded pre-tax profits of 4m, after net interest payments of 3.7m are taken into account. The profit followed a pre-tax loss of 1.6m in 2016. The Avoca business is just one part of the Aramark operation where the groups services include on-site catering, cleaning, facilities, property management and retail. Numbers employed by the group last year rose 237 from 5,005 to 5,242. The groups balance sheet strengthened during the year following a cash injection of 130m with shareholder funds of 168.48m at the end of last year. The groups cash increased from 4.1m to 5.3m. By Geoff Percival The chief executive of Malin Corporation is to leave the company a year after taking the job. The State-backed investment company is active in the drug development and life sciences sectors. Adrian Howd, who stepped up from being Malins chief investment officer to become CEO last October, will leave the company on October 26. Former finance chief of paper and packaging company Smurfit Kappa Ian Curley and a previous CEO of glass packaging group Ardagh was drafted in as Malins non-executive chairman as part of a significant overhaul of the companys board. He will now become executive chairman until a permanent CEO is found. Malin is partially backed by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which invested 50m in it when it floated on the Irish Stock Exchange in 2015. The State has made a loss of more than 50% on that investment, based on Malins share price of 4.86. The company raised around 330m from what was seen as one of the biggest ever biotech sector flotations in Europe. Malin has been affected by setbacks for certain investee firms but last month said the value of its portfolio had risen to 402m thanks to the performance of its core investments. However, investors have been concerned over group strategy and rising operating costs, including executive pay. The groups new board has been reviewing the companys strategy for the past three months and is due to update at a capital markets day in London next month. Mr Curley said the company will recruit a new chief executive after it has made progress on closing the gap between the intrinsic value of our assets and our share price. By Emma Rumney Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has paid its first dividend since a 2008 British government bailout, rewarding around 190,000 shareholders with a 2p per share payout. RBS has spent a decade trying to return to its roots as a prudent lender following its near-collapse during the financial crisis, enduring hefty restructuring costs and years of losses. Ross McEwan, RBS chief executive, said the dividend was a small return for many years of patience from its shareholders, which still include the British government after it bailed the bank out with 45.5bn (52bn) at the peak of the crisis. This is another important milestone in our turnaround, almost 10 years to the day that RBS was rescued by the British taxpayer, Mr McEwan said. UK Government Investments, which manages Britains remaining 62% stake, will receive around 150m from the payout, first announced at the banks half-year results. A spokesman for Britains Treasury said it welcomed the payment, which it said demonstrated the progress RBS has made in resolving its major legacy issues. All money recovered from our shareholding in RBS will be used to pay down the national debt, he said. While the payment is a welcome boost to Britains coffers, the UK government is set to make a loss overall on its investment. It resumed sales of its shares earlier this year, after RBS agreed to pay $4.9bn to settle an investigation by US authorities into its sale of toxic mortgage-backed securities in the run up to the crisis. Re-privatisation is now the last remaining strand of RBSs return to normality, and is likely to take a number of years. Even after yesterdays payment, the bank has excess capital which it plans to return to investors, possibly via a special dividend or share buy back. While the bank has recovered financially, the longer-term damage to its reputation has endured. Positive Money yesterday delivered a birthday card to a London branch criticising RBS for what the campaign group said was its failure to reform in the 10 years since the crash. RBS detailed its long-awaited plans to resume dividends in August, saying its intentions were a great sign of the progress it had made in the ten years, and calling the payout a huge event for the bank. - Reuters Graham Norton has described how the UK seems determined to go through with Brexit, despite everyone knowing "it is a bad idea", according to the Corkman. The chatshow host made the comments during last night's London-based 'Late Late Show' special which featured guests such as Imelda May, Brendan O'Carroll, Angela Scanlon, Laura Whitmore and Barry McGuigan. Hospital patients records are to be stored on a new 225m digital system which is to be rolled out across the country. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided funding for an eHealth programme which is a key recommendation of the Slaintecare report. Health Minister Simon Harris said: If you want to have integrated healthcare you need to use technology to make that happen. We need to move beyond the days of lots and lots of patient files being passed from doctor to nurse back and forth all over our health service to having one place where all of our patient information is. Simon Harris: We need to move beyond the days of lots and lots of patient files being passed from doctor to nurse back and forth. Mr Harris said the new system would simplify the process for medical staff as it would mean they would have a screen on a trolley that they will push around the rooms in the hospital to see the patient rather than having to find the file here, there, and everywhere. This helps our staff in terms of their own efficiencies as they go about their busy jobs. It also helps reduce patient errors. The 20-year EIB loan will allow hospitals to move to an electronic health record system. St James Hospital in Dublin is one of the first to transfer its records to a digital portal and will be moving to this system from today. Mr Harris said the move to digital records is long overdue and would enable the reconfiguration of services across acute, community, and primary care sectors. On a very practical level, if you are not dependent on individual people writing notes and putting them in different places and different files and different pieces of paper and you have one central port that has all of that information about someones medication, about who has last seen the patient, about what observations or tests the patient has had or is going to undergo, it co-ordinates that information and therefore improves patient safety and improves outcomes, said Mr Harris. Digitisation of the health sector will include the introduction of individual health identifier numbers for every patient in the country and the development of a national shared record system accessible by all healthcare providers. This is the first eHealth project that the EIB has supported. EIB vice president Andrew McDowell said: This new engagement demonstrates the EIBs firm commitment to supporting long-term health investment in Ireland. This follows recent support for health investment at the National Childrens Hospital, primary care centres, the Royal College of Surgeons, Irish universities, and medical research by world-class Irish companies. By Elaine Loughlin and Daniel McConnell Fianna Fail must agree to a full confidence and supply deal or bring on a general election, Fine Gael has demanded. Government ministers rejected an offer made by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin to stall an election until after a Brexit deal. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is facing multiple political dilemmas following the shock resignation of former communications minister Denis Naughten. The Taoiseach admitted that having lost the support of a number of TDs he will face a significant challenge in securing enough votes to appoint a communications minister or get backing on other critical Dail votes. Fine Gael ministers last night tore apart a letter sent to the Taoiseach by Mr Martin which suggested that irrespective of what happens during the confidence and supply review process, we both agree not to bring down the Government until a Brexit agreement is ratified. Senior party sources said Fianna Fail should commit to a new confidence and supply deal or go to the country and will not tolerate the fudge proposition put forward. Mr Varadkar also restated his call for a two-year extension to the confidence and supply agreement in response to Mr Martins letter. Mr Varadkar, speaking through his spokesman, said the best way to provide stability for the country as Brexit enters a important phase is for both parties to agree to hold the next election in the summer of 2020. He said the best way to guarantee there will not be an election is to promptly start talks on an extension of the confidence and supply deal. The Governments overriding priority at this point is securing a good Withdrawal Agreement in the Brexit negotiations and preventing the return of a hard border on this island. So the Government wants to avoid an election at this crucial time. Mr Martin had written to Mr Varadkar proposing that both commit not to collapse the Government until the final Brexit settlement has been reached. Mr Martin was explicit in stating:We should both agree to pass the Finance Bill and other legislation at least up to the point where, whatever is agreed by the European Council on Brexit, in the coming months, has cleared the critical hurdle of ratification by the House of Commons and the European Parliament. But his letter appeared to contradict comments in the Dail this week where he suggested that Brexit does not provide an excuse to delay a general election. Mr Martin told the Dail: No party has a divine right to power, no matter how much time it spends praising itself. After a dramatic week, Mr Varadkar will face another hurdle in trying to kickstart renegotiations of the confidence and supply agreement. Officials from both parties met yesterday with more meetings planned for next week including one between the Taoiseach and Mr Martin. Officials are confident that brokering teams of three or four TDs on each side can be in place within the next two or three weeks. However, a Fianna Fail source stressed that these meetings would have to first review the three-budget deal in detail before any consideration is given to extending the agreement. In another day of twists and turns the Taoiseach yesterday morning indicated he would be announcing a successor to Mr Naughten later in the day, however he admitted the Dail arithmetic would now pose problems. It is of course a matter of fact that any appointments have to approved by Cabinet and the Dail, Cabinet in the case of ministers of state and the Dail in the case of Cabinet ministers, so the changes cant happen until Tuesday, Mr Varadkar said. Obviously the next test will be on Tuesday on whether the Dail is ready to ratify the ministerial appointments that I make. Including the Independents in government, Fine Gael have are three votes short of the 57 needed to pass important votes. This means it will need to heavily rely on other Independent TDs including Sean Canney, Michael Lowry, Noel Grealish or Michael Harty. By Cormac OKeeffe and Elaine Loughlin The Policing Authority has said the findings of the Disclosures Tribunal report will drive its work in overseeing the Garda obligations to the community and to ethical behaviour. The authority said the report gave important impetus to its work in overseeing the Garda Siochanas performance in areas such as visible policing, obligations to the community, culture [and] ethics. It said that examples of excellent police work, and the commitment of thousands of gardai, as noted by the judge, was also its experience. It said it was pressing the Garda leadership to make the code of ethics central to all aspects of police work. The authority said it pushed the importance of proper management, supervision and performance management. It said it would consider the judges comments in relation to the selection of senior officers very carefully. The authority welcomed Commissioner Drew Harris statement on the obligations of gardai to the truth and society. It said it would discuss the report with him at its meeting on October 24. Neither the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors made any comment on the report yesterday, with the GRA saying it needed to consider it further. Meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris demanded that Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein leader Mary-Lou McDonald apologise to former tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald for hounding a good woman out of office. Mr Justice Charleton found that Ms Fitzgerald acted appropriately at all times. He accepted her evidence regarding her knowledge of, and responses to, an alleged Garda strategy to undermine Sgt Maurice McCabe. The judge said she had selflessly resigned as the minister for business in the national interest. Mr Harris said: I think Frances Fitzgerald was vindicated, I think its really disappointing that the opposition has yet to apologise for the charges that they made against her which have now been found to be false. They hounded a woman out of office for political expediency and their statements in the last 24 hours have been mean-spirited. She was not afforded due process, Judge Charleton was very clear on that. Businessman Sean Gallagher insists that the race to become President is not yet over even though Michael D Higgins appears to be assured of victory. Campaigns matter. Im living proof that unprecedented things happen during elections, he said. I am focused on my own campaign and setting out my stall and vision to the people of Ireland, he said. He was speaking after a new opinion poll revealed Michael D Higgins holds a near-unassailable lead in the race to be the countrys next President. Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher launches his campaign in Dublins Shelbourne Hotel. Picture: Kinlan Photography A Red C poll carried out for Paddy Power shows that support for Mr Higgins is running at 70% more than double the combined support for all other candidates. The poll, based on a nationwide sample of 1,000 people over the age of 18, shows that the next nearest contender is Sean Gallagher at 14%. No other candidate has support of more than 6%. The full results are as follows: Michael D Higgins is on 70%; Sean Gallagher is on 14%; Joan Freeman is on 6%; Liadh Ni Riada is on 5%; Gavin Duffy is on 4%, and Peter Casey is on 1%. Michael D Higgins has 58% of Fianna Fail voters, 78% of Fine Gael voters, 85% of Labour voters, 55% of Sinn Fein voters, and 85% of Independent Candidate voters. Support for the incumbent is particularly popular among young people, the poll suggests, with the results showing a potential first preference vote of 83% in the 18 to 34-year-old group. More than three-quarters of Fine Gael and Labour supporters back President Higgins for a second term, according to the results, as well as a majority of Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein voters. The poll shows that there is an overwhelming consensus of 89% that there should be a full and detailed account of the expenditure within the office of the presidency. Last month it emerged that the office of the President receives an allowance of 317,000, on top of the presidential salary. Speaking on Newstalk to presenter Pat Kenny, President Higgins insisted that no salary of an employee was increased from the discretionary allowance: Thats absolutely an untruth it is completely untrue. Every single item has been spent entirely in relation to the function of the presidency. He insisted he is fitter now than he was seven years ago when he contested and won the presidency in 2011: I am in fact reading better, writing better, and physically I am much fitter than I was seven years ago. Mr Gallagher formally launched his presidential campaign yesterday, insisting that he has the right attributes to be a successor to President Higgins. Reacting to the opinion polls so far, Mr Gallagher, who finished second in the 2011 race after polls gave him an early lead, said unprecedented things can happen in a campaign. He observed: A journalist made the comment that something unprecedented would have to happen, potentially, in this election given her views of the poll. He suggested that as the October 26 vote draws nearer, people will begin to engage and consider what sort of Ireland they want over the next seven years. By Olivia Kelleher A father of two who has advocated for improved cancer screening after it emerged that his wife died arising out of deficiencies in CervicalCheck has received the Irish Tatler magazine man of the year award. Stephen Teap from Carrigaline, Co Cork, has expressed his appreciation for the support he has received since the death of his wife Irene. Upon receiving the award, Mr Teap tweeted: I dont view this @IrishTatlerMan award as an achievement but more as a recognition of the path I choose to influence change on the back of this #CervicalCheckScandal and get the answers we all deserve. Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died arising from CervicalCheck deficiencies, has received the Irish Tatler man of the year award for his campaigning work. Irish Tatler gave the award to Mr Teap for his trailblazing social activism, saying that his tireless dedication to the Cervical Cancer campaign moves us all. Mr Teap was congratulated on his award by Limerick woman Vicky Phelan who was instrumental in making public the failures in the cervical cancer screening system when she took a case for justice in the courts system. In a tweet, she said she was very happy for Stephen. You deserve this award for your tireless campaigning and for what you have achieved for womens health. Irene would be so proud of you. Irene Teap was diagnosed with stage two cancer in 2015, following two false negative smear tests in 2010 and 2013. She passed away in July of last year at the age of just 35. Prior to her death she wrote a blog entitled Fierce and Fighting. In her last blog entry two months before she died she wrote of bringing her two young children, Oscar and Noah, on a family trip to Disneyland. In the entry she said the trip gave her memories. She described her boys smiling faces as the very best medicine. Since her death her husband has fought for improvements in cancer screening. Meanwhile, Womens Lives Matter has called on the people of Cork to join a rally at Bishop Lucey Park in the city at 3pm today. A pilots union has described Ryanairs decision to close bases and reduce its fleet from early next month as a declaration of war. At the start of October, the airline announced that it was trimming its winter 2018 capacity, closing its Eindhoven and Bremen bases and cutting its five aircraft at its Niederrhein base to three. While it said this was in response to this lower fare, higher oil and higher EU261 cost environment it also lowered its full year profit guidance saying its Q2 and Q3 traffic and fares will be somewhat lower than expected largely as a result of two recent five-country strikes, which are being incited by competitor employees. In a statement yesterday, the European Cockpit Association said the development would seriously exacerbate the recent deterioration in the relationship between the airline and its pilots and cabin crew which had led to the strikes. The aggressive move by Ryanair management comes on top of already tense relations with its employees and stalling negotiations in numerous countries, it said. The associations president Dirk Polloczek said the hostility from Ryanair management would not be tolerated. Pilot associations demand the immediate withdrawal of the base closures in Eindhoven and Bremen and downsizing of the Niederrhein base, he said. We call on Ryanair management and its board of directors to change its confrontational and counterproductive approach. It is hard to see how Ryanair can realistically expect to reach agreements with its unions with such threats hanging in the air. Martin Locher, president of German union, Vereinigung Cockpit said forcing pilots and cabin crew to relocate or lose their job and income was not what was needed to build trust. If Ryanair is serious about reaching agreements by Christmas, such behaviour is very unhelpful, he said. The announced base closure date of November 5 will be a milestone to test managements real intentions and its willingness to actually do something for its employees, be it in Germany, be it elsewhere. Arthur van den Hudding, president of the Dutch pilots association VNV said: Instilling fear among Ryanair workers and to de facto restrict their right to strike will never be tolerated by us. We call on Ryanair to maintain their base in the Netherlands, to face their responsibilities, and to come back to the negotiating table, rather than running away and punishing everybody left behind. Departing East Ridge Mayor Brent Lambert on Thursday night slammed city council members for running off a series of city managers who were not willing to do their bidding. Mayor Lambert said, "It's disgraceful the way we have treated city managers in the past." He said, "This council decided to run off several people who ably filled this spot. The last one (Andrew Hyatt) did not want to go. He was let go because he would not agree to fire someone. That's it. That's all there was it. The majority on the council wanted somebody gone and Mr. Hyatt wouldn't do it." Mayor Lambert said, "I want the best for this city, but the best will never happen if we don't stop these petty games. To say, 'Do what I want or I'll get rid of you,' it's garbage." He said, "Eddie Phillips, Frieda Wheeler, as fine a people as are on this earth, they came and they went. They wouldn't do the bidding of the majority on the council. So they were part of the revolving door." Scott Miller, the latest to step down as East Ridge city manager, has recommended that Kenny Custer be named assistant city manager so he can head up the city while a search continues for a permanent replacement. But council members could not decide on how much he should make above his current pay of $64,095. Councilman Jacky Cagle, who was non-committal about the Custer appointment though he said he "has nothing against" him, recommended $1,000 extra per month while he fills in when no permanent city manager is in place. Councilman Brian Williams, who is running for mayor against former Councilman Jim Bethune, opted for $85,000 for permanent assistant city manager duties. Esther Helton, who is running for a state House seat, said it should be $95,000. She said, "I do not want to jeopardize losing a good person." It was also not agreed whether he would be permanent assistant city manager or drop back to just his current duties when a new city manager is in place. Mayor Lambert said to Mr. Custer, "If I were you I wouldn't do it - go from $85,000 back to $64,095." Mr. Custer said he was recently offered a post as #2 in the state fire marshal's office but turned it down. He said he has been with the city 18 years - under 11 city managers including interims - and would like to finish his career there if possible. He said, "I'm not quite done here yet." Mr. Custer would not say he would accept the assistant city manager position, but said he was considering it. He said, "It is a pleasure to serve the 21,000 people who live here and to operate their government efficiently and effectively." Mayor Lambert said, "I'll be surprised if he's in the same position a year from now. Mr. Miller, who is retiring but plans to continue living in East Ridge for the time being, said there have been some 50 resumes received from those who want to be East Ridge city manager. He said, "About a dozen show good promise." None of the motions dealing with the assistant city manager post could get a second so the matter was delayed until the next meeting. Larry Sewell, the vice mayor, was absent. Council members also discussed whether political signs would be allowed at Saturday's PioneerFest at Camp Jordan Park. Attorney Mark Litchford said an ordinance passed in 2016 bans the posting of political signs on city property. Several of the council members involved in upcoming races have paid for tables at the event. One of the exceptions for the sign posting dealt with election day. Mayor Lambert smilingly said there could be a king and queen election to meet the exception. But the city attorney said that would not work. It was finally decided there can be political signs at PioneerFest affixed to tents and booths - just not stuck in the ground. By Joe Leogue Almost 300,000 has been spent on developing the We Are Cork brand and marketing the county as a business destination, the Irish Examiner can reveal with the majority of the spend going on consultants. We Are Cork a branding exercise by Corks local authorities, along with stakeholders from business, educational, and transport sectors was launched to much fanfare last month and said its goal is to amplify to the world all that is good about Cork through the authentic stories of people who live, work, study, invest and do business here. Figures released to the Irish Examiner via the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the total cost of this branding exercise and an economic marketing strategy for the region has cost 290,305.10 to date. Tanaiste Simon Coveney, with pupils from St Maries of the Isle Presentation, at the launch of We are Cork. Picture: Clare Keogh Most of the spend has gone to consultants, and the majority of the cost has been borne by Corks City and County Councils. In its reply to the Irish Examiner, Cork City Council said it has a contract with economic development consultants OCO Global, working with Collaborate, to deliver both the development of the We Are Cork brand, and an investor-focussed economic marketing strategy. It is not possible to isolate the We Are Cork brand development related costs from the investment promotion and economic marketing costs most invoices from the consultants (OCO Global) refer to both strands of the overall contract, City Hall said. Its reply has revealed that 200,033.88 has been paid to the consultants so far, with the rest of the costs going on VAT on consultancy fees (45,505.42), the production of 12 videos (14,074), photography (7,178.31), PR support (4,234.90), design and print costs (11,068.55), pop-up stands (1,918.80), promotional items (3,341.92), equipment hire (282.90) and event costs such as venue hire, A/V equipment, refreshments, and an MC (2,666.42). National and international marketing of the City and County is vital as under Project Ireland 2040, the Cork City region is projected to be the fastest growing city region in the country in the next 20 years. The net cost to Cork City Council of the overall project i.e. the development and roll out of the We are Cork placebrand and on an investment promotion/economic marketing programme to promote Cork as a location for investment, is 139,407.34. Monies received/to be recouped from Cork County Council total 115,897.78 and a further 35,000 has been received/is being recouped from other project partners, the City Council said. These partners include UCC, CIT, Cork Chamber, IBEC, Cork Business Association, the Port of Cork and Cork Airport. The development of the Cork Placebrand is part of the policies in the Cork City Development Plan 2015-2021, the Cork City Council Corporate Plan 2015-19, the Cork City Local Economic and Community Plan 2016-2021 and the Cork City Council annual services plan, all of which were approved by Elected Members at Council, the City Council said. How did this all come about? The National Broadband Plan (NBP) was first published in August 2012 by then communications minister Pat Rabbitte and set out a strategy to connect all homes, schools, and businesses to high-speed broadband. The NBP promised to deliver minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload by 2020. The Government put the job of providing fast-speed broadband out to tender. Three bidders, Eir, Siro, and Enet, initially entered the competition for the contract. However, Eir and Siro, an ESB-Vodafone joint venture, pulled out of the tender process. In July, SSE, which had been part of the Enet consortium, exited leaving serious question marks over the entire project. However, the Enet consortium, in which businessman David McCourt is involved, indicated it would continue with its bid despite a major stakeholder in the group pulling out. It is believed that the considerable reduction in the number of homes and businesses covered in the contract had an impact on the decision of bidders to drop out of the tender process, especially since houses left in the plan are generally the most isolated in the country. Where does the process now stand? Serious questions were again raised around the future of the NBP this week following the shock resignation of Communications Minister Denis Naughten after it emerged that he had held a number of meetings and dinners with Mr McCourt. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday promised to make the provision of rural broadband his personal crusade in the wake of Mr Naughtens resignation. Although the procurement and tendering process had been continuing until Mr Naughten stepped aside the process will now be subject to an audit to ensure it had not been compromised. What will the audit do? Mr Varadkar has asked independent process auditor for the NBP, Peter Smyth, to compile a report into the tendering process to date to ensure that the meetings Mr Naughten held with Mr McCourt had not contaminated or compromised the procurement process. Asked about this, Mr Varadkar said: Peter Smyths job is to be the independent process auditor, he was taken on quite early in the project to make sure that there is an external person always making sure that the procurement rules were followed. Mr Smyth is an independent management consultant who was contracted, following a tender, as process auditor in respect of the NBP procurement process. In that capacity, he is required to confirm that the appropriate guidelines and processes are followed in the procurement of the project. He has now been asked to prepare a report which will allow the Government to assess whether or not the procurement process has been compromised. The terms of reference and timeframe for that report will be finalised early next week, in consultation with Mr Smyth. When will the audit be complete? No deadline has been set for completion of this investigation, with the Taoiseach stating: I dont think it would be right to set a deadline given that his role is to be independent. Tanaiste Simon Coveney yesterday said the Government will make a decision on how to proceed with the NBP when the audit is finished. How has the controversy impacted on the Government? Mr Naughtens resignation has left the already shaky Government in an uncertain place when it comes to obtaining a majority for crucial Dail votes. Of the 158 seats, Fine Gael has 49 but the four Independent Alliance ministers along with Katherine Zappone brings this number up to 54. However, the key number when considering votes is 57, meaning the Government will need to heavily rely on other Independent TDs including Sean Canney, Michael Lowry, and Noel Grealish. From redefining pop a decade ago to stealing the spotlight at film festivals this year, Lady Gaga, with her show-stopping role in A Star Is Born, is a force of nature, writes Rachel Syme. Lady Gaga did not so much arrive at the Venice Film Festival in August as she floated into it, a platinum Aphrodite borne on the waves, black stilettos skimming the sea foam. Which is to say, she took a water taxi. An image of her zooming across the canal perched precariously on the side of the lacquered motorboat in a little black dress, her legs elegantly entwined, her hair shaped into three victory rolls like a crown of croissants, holding a single red rose in one hand and blowing kisses with the other immediately became a meme. Of course, she couldnt just walk up to the premiere of A Star Is Born, the first feature film in which she has a leading role, playing the titular supernova. In mere hours, several internet sleuths began to post pictures of Gaga on the boat along with photos of classic Hollywood stars, including Marilyn Monroe in a one-piece black bathing suit. The next day, Gaga and Bradley Cooper, her director and co-star, arrived hand in hand to a screening; she was wearing a swingy white dress, the kind made for walking over subway grates. The wink was complete. We could have seen this coming. Lady Gaga is our pop laureate of the grand entrance, our patron saint of operatic ingress. She has never, in a decade of global fame, been content to simply appear in a room; she has to plummet into it, shimmying down a cable like a diamond-encrusted spider. Or she hobbles in, a fembot on fake crutches, a high-fashion Tiny Tim. Gaga once described herself as a show with no intermission, but it might be more accurate to view her career as a glorious series of overtures; her curtain is always rising. This is why her water ride in Venice elicited such collective delight in the form of vigorous retweeting. She may now be a serious actress, but she hasnt lost her sense of play. When I met Lady Gaga on a hazy afternoon a few days after her Venice tour, at her house so high up in the Hollywood Hills that I broke through the fog line before I reached it, she was still in full Marilyn mode. Having seen A Star Is Born the day before, in which Gaga gives a notably stripped down, unbleached performance, I was slightly jarred as I watched her shuffle through her house in a full face and spike heels. In the film, her character, Ally, starts off makeup-free, a frustrated waitress with mud-puddle hair (Gagas natural hue) who long ago abandoned her songwriting dreams and has settled for crooning live covers one night a week at a drag bar, the only woman on the bill. One night, Bradley Cooper, as the shambling, alcoholic rock star Jackson Maine, stumbles into the bar looking for a nightcap and instead discovers a muse he is bewitched by her performance of La Vie en Rose in an Edith Piaf costume complete with thin eyebrows fashioned from electrical tape. Later that night, Jackson asks Ally why she doesnt pursue a music career. She tells him that she tried, she really did. She just couldnt find any industry types who could get past her face. They loved the way she sounded, hated the way she looked. Hearing this, Jackson reaches out with a single finger and traces the contours of her nose. While this is on its own an erotic gesture, it is Allys reaction that makes the scene: She just breathes as he gently outlines the organ she feels worst about. Its an arresting moment, in which she seems both receptive and completely assured. Now, as we toured her house, Gaga was as opaque as Ally is transparent. She spoke carefully, in a breathy tone, as if she were in an active seance with an old movie star whose press agent advised her to remain enigmatic and demure. We made our way to a small alcove with whitewashed walls and 20ft ceilings, which looked like the storage room of an art museum an echo chamber, she explained. I asked about the acoustics, in part because it seemed the polite thing to do, but in part because I was trying to open any conversational tap I could find. Whether she was feeling legitimately shy or was simply method-acting as a restrained ingenue, she had yet to speak at full volume. Suddenly, she broke into song. A cappella, unprompted, voce forte, her arms flung out to full wingspan, her head tossed back to bare her throat. She was singing the chorus of Shallow, the song she co-wrote for A Star Is Born that has become the de facto theme song for the movie, sung at the moment when Ally reluctantly steps onto an arena stage for the first time to sing with Jackson. Gaga plays this moment with incredible restraint; its hard to imagine her not wanting to storm a stage, but she really sells it. Ally has been down for so long that she hesitates, not fully believing that this is her shot. But then something shifts. She straightens her shoulders, struts out to the microphone, and sends her voice soaring over the crowd. In the echo chamber, the words of the song ricocheted, shaking the room: Im off the deep end! Watch as I dive in! Ill never meet the ground! When Gaga sings, her whole body vibrates. She clenches her fists, squeezes her eyes shut. After she finished belting, Gaga looked beatific, almost giddy, having answered my banal question with undeniable certainty. The acoustics in here, we agreed, were very good. A Star Is Born has never really been a film about an unknown actress shooting across the screen like a rare comet. Instead, from the very beginning, it has always been a film about an already superfamous woman shooting a movie. Thats the real reason the franchise works: It comes with a built-in insurance policy. In 1937, when Janet Gaynor stepped into the role of the farm girl Esther Blodgett in the first version, she was making a comeback, but she had been a box-office titan of the silent era, the first woman to ever win an Academy Award for acting. Judy Garland, who tackled Esther in 1954, was a household name at 17, no longer a vaudevillian striver but a minted studio girl, kept on a steady infusion of amphetamines and barbiturates and praise. In 1976, Barbra Streisand was already an Oscar winner. This is why the lead role is so alluring to divas who want to explore the boundaries of their fame and what they had to endure to lasso it. These actresses, in drag as younger versions of themselves, get to wrestle with their flaws and air out their darkest fears. But we dont fear for them, not really, because we know how the story turns out. The many faces of Gaga, once known as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Gagas innate New York City toughness brings a different flavour to the role than her predecessors. Where Janet Gaynor plays the starlet as pure and cornfed, Garland plays her as a plucky troubadour in pert ribbon bow ties and Streisand plays her as a wise-cracking prima donna in colourful ponchos, Gagas Ally is more world-weary and knowing. When Cooper offered Gaga the role, he told her that this is what it would be like if you were 31 and had never made it, and she readily embodies the ferocious hunger of the would-be famous. Shes no innocent when she walks onstage to sing. She knows exactly what to do, and exactly what this will mean for her career. Shes ready to go. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when Lady Gaga, the international superstar, was born. Past a certain level of fame, the origin stories of pop artists begin to tilt into the mythological. I have a nerve inside of me to do this, said Gaga, sitting on a swivel chair in her basement studio, when I asked what drives her. She kept her legs crossed at the ankles and her spine rod-straight, with her shell-pink nails gingerly intertwined in her lap, as if she were practising to meet Queen Elizabeth. And I have no idea where it comes from, except that it might come from God. No one knows. What she does know is that at some point, she felt free: To drop her birth name (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), to turn herself into an event, to keep shedding old skins. Lady Gagas early career was a study in this invitational freedom: Look how free I am, look how free you could be. This is what she was selling, at 21, with her platinum oversize hairbows and gigantic sunglasses and skyscraper shoulder pads. This is the realisation that led her, after growing up on the Upper West Side, attending a private Catholic girls school, and studying piano minuets, to move downtown in 2004, first to study theatre arts at NYU (she dropped out during her second year) and then to sing in grungy bars on the Lower East Side while she sent her demos to record labels. She read Andy Warhols books and realised that what most people want, when they dream of fame, is not necessarily wealth or power but limitlessness: The ability to change. What if she began with the character, and the character was the physical embodiment of flux? What if she never wore the same outfit twice, or gave an interview out of costume, or claimed to be a paragon of creative authenticity? Gagas initial obsession with masquerade predicted the double lives we all live now, our simultaneous existences as living, breathing people and disembodied avatars. But instead of seeing those identities as segmented the real person, the facade she put forth the concept that its possible, and ultimately adaptive, in a fractured world to try to free yourself from old boundaries. You can be an insider and an outsider at the same time, a human and an alien. Her whole project was a Technicolor dream ballet, a gauzy hallucination. And it sold records (over 27m, worldwide) and won awards (six Grammys). Gaga has, over the last decade, arguably moved the entire pop apparatus towards forceful weirdness. Her influence is everywhere she opened the doors for more female hitmakers to be cheekily bizarre (Miley Cyrus grinding on a wrecking ball, Katy Perry with her sniper-rifle bra filled with whipped cream, Sia living under her wig, even St Vincents indie Fritz Lang affect) but as a result, Gagas early maximalism began to feel less vital to the cultural conversation. In 2011, Adeles 21 cemented a new austerity in pop; all she had to do to sell 11m records was stand in one place and sing plaintively about heartbreak. So Gaga swerved again, and again, and again. She made a jazz record with Tony Bennett. She made a crunchier, heavy-metallish album called Artpop that mostly failed to connect with the public, at least on the large Gagagian scale she was used to (it sold fewer than a million copies). When she turned 30, she released a more minimalist fifth record called Joanne, after an aunt who died young of complications from lupus. She promoted the album in ripped T-shirts and a plain, pink felt hat. She toured dive bars before the arenas. She also released the Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two, a verite glimpse into her daily life as she prepped for the 2017 Super Bowl, produced and promoted Joanne, and spoke openly about the debilitating pain caused by her fibromyalgia (something she had been dealing with privately for years). The documentary presents Gaga with a striking lack of vanity. She appears on camera with dirty hair and a bare face. This is Gaga the Vulnerable, Gaga the Sensitive Soul. She has not given up on the power of an audacious live show (this winter, she will put on a pyrotechnic Las Vegas residency called Enigma), but in making A Star Is Born, she is entering into a softer conversation with the public about talent, about ambition, about her own trajectory. Ally is the most human of all of Gagas creations, and offering her to us her fear, her loyalty, her shattered heart after tragedy is a different kind of gamble than stepping out in front of millions dressed like a holographic Muppet. She is, in essence, making exploratory autofiction on a grand scale, even as she is playing yet another character. If she was going to be a movie star, she couldnt just step into a role, or a film, that no one had ever heard of she wanted to waltz into a lineage. When she was younger, she told me, she used to watch The Wizard of Oz, over and over, convinced that Judy Garland was the greatest entertainer alive. Judy, I just think shes tremendous, she told me. Theres a vulnerability behind her eyes, the way she speaks, she has big features. I just always wanted to be like her. Its as simple as that. And now she is standing on the very same stage. Earlier in the afternoon, Gaga showed me a room that was empty save for a gigantic photograph of her own face, at least 15ft across, in a gilded frame. It was a gift from Bradley, she said. Its the last frame of the movie. Do you know the scene? Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine and Lady Gaga as Ally hit the stage in A Star Is Born. I did know it. It is the moment when Ally is standing on the stage of the Shrine Auditorium where Garland shot her final scene in an ice blue evening gown, singing a homage to her late husband. She starts out timid and drained of expression, explaining to the audience that she is going to sing the last song that Jackson wrote for her, and that maybe with their support, she can get through it. But as the ballad goes on, her voice swells and becomes an avalanche. Its a bravura performance in extreme close-up, a sort of symphonic summoning of every woman who has played the part. When she finishes, a single elephant tear rolls down her face. Magically, the moment somehow avoids bathos the tear feels truly earned. After watching her perform this scene, I felt elated by what Gaga managed to do, not just for her character but for herself. You desperately want to know what her future holds after the curtain falls. I asked Gaga later what we can expect from her next phase. Of course, theres Vegas and a new record on the way, and shes reading piles of scripts. But she really didnt want to discuss any of that. Instead, she just smiled enigmatically. Oh, she sighed. Im just shape-shifting again. Adapted from an article that originally appeared in New York Times Magazine Suzukis iconic Jimny is back - and its more grown-up than ever. Jack Evans heads to Frankfurt to see what its like WHAT IS IT? The cult classic returns its the all-new Suzuki Jimny. The previous (and third) generation was built for 10 years, and gained a momentous reputation for being brilliant off-road, incredibly reliable, and cheap to buy as well. Now, theres a new one. It may follow a similar platform its chassis is still a ladder-frame design, for instance but a variety of tweaks and touches have been implemented to make this Jimny just a little more grown-up, but no less bulletproof. We headed out to Frankfurt to see if it can match its predecessors form. WHATS NEW? The fundamentals remain delightfully simple. Theres still, as mentioned, a ladder chassis underneath the whole operation, which gives the Jimny excellent capability off-road and excellent robustness. And while other small off-roaders choose electronics to help when the terrain gets sticky, the Jimny still offers a proper four-wheel-drive system, with transfer gear and three-link rigid axle suspension. Theres a new powertrain and while the new Jimny is actually shorter than the car it replaces, its able to offer up better interior space and passenger legroom thanks to an increase in the front and rear seat hip points. All of these features mean while the new Jimny is no less capable off-road, its a little easier to live with. WHATS UNDER THE BONNET? Underneath the Jimnys short, snub nose beats a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 101bhp. In regular modes, it runs in rear-wheel-drive, sending power to the wheels through a five-speed manual (an automatic will be available from launch too), and though Suzuki hasnt quoted any official 0-60mph figures, wed estimate its somewhere over the 10 second mark. The whole drivetrain can be switched into four-wheel-drive with a separate shift lever underneath the conventional gear stick. This allows you to pick between two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive high gear, and four-wheel-drive low gear, for when the going gets really tough. In terms of economy, Suzuki claims 35.8mpg on the combined cycle (tested under new WLTP regulations) and emissions of 178g/km CO2. Top speed for the manual gearbox-driven car is a dizzying 90mph, but in truth this is a car which isnt about all-out performance. WHATS IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Quite a lot of the issues we had with the old Jimny have been suitably rectified. When on the motorway, the Jimny now feels far quieter and relaxing than its predecessor, for instance. Theres still quite a large amount of wind noise generated by the close to vertical windscreen, but the engine noise is isolated well and it sits at just under 3,000rpm when travelling at 75mph (while travelling on a de-restricted German autobahn, well add). Would a sixth cog in the gearbox help the whole affair feel a little more settled-down? Certainly. But as it is, it feels more than happy travelling at higher speeds. Then theres the way it goes off-road. Thanks to its low weight and impressive approach and departure angles, the Jimny still manages to tackle terrain which would leave other so-called off-roaders floundering in the mud. Its very impressive indeed. HOW DOES IT LOOK? Part Mercedes G-Wagen, part Japanese Kei-car, the Jimny manages to look both imposing and cutesy all at the same time. The square proportions make it stand out against ordinary traffic, while the chunky wheelarches and bumpers give it an appearance of a car that really is ready for any adventure. Our test car, finished in Kinetic Yellow (designed to be bright enough to stand out in poor weather), certainly turned heads as we ambled through German villages. Its a fitting evolution on the Jimny appearance, and though some throwback design touches remain the round headlamps with independent indicators being just two it feels thoroughly fresh and modern. WHATS IT LIKE INSIDE? The Jimny has been designed to be robust and hard-wearing, and as such we can forgive it for the amount of harder plastics used in the cabin. Everything feels rock-solid, however; the grab handle in front of the forward passenger, for instance, has been rubberised and feels as though its been built for chilly days out in the fields. Its a strange extra, therefore, that given that Suzuki impressed upon us that the cabin controls had been designed to be simple to use with gloves that a touchscreen audio volume controller had been fitted something wed be certain would have been accessed via a rotary dial. The standard boot space remains pretty woeful. With all seats in place theres little more than a space for the boot door to fit, though with the rear seats laid flat theres 377 litres to play with 53 litres more than its predecessor. WHATS THE SPEC LIKE? Just two specifications will be available from launch SZ4 and SZ5. Lower-grade cars still benefit from air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, and DAB digital radio. The full suite of off-road kit is included as standard, with features such as hill descent control and dual sensor brake support fitted to SZ4 models. Go up a grade, and youll find features such as 15in alloy wheels, climate control, and a full satnav system bundled in. Weve yet to find out how much the Jimny will cost from launch however. VERDICT Right off the bat, the Jimny has managed to encapsulate all that was loved about the previous car while adding better refinement and build quality. It still, as youd hope, is an utter triumph off-road, shaking off even the most difficult of surfaces and inclines. Our only real sticking point is the price, or rather the lack of it; if Suzuki pitches this at just a slight premium over the starting price of the older car then itll have a success on its hands. Too much more than that, and the limitations of the Jimny (lack of boot space, being one), could make this a less appealing prospect. We just hope it gets it right. All in all, since the Me Too movement gained momentum this time last year, it is estimated that around 100 people out of 7bn have been publicly accused of sexual assault, says Joyce Fegan. Youre not the victim, we are. This is a story about how very bad men give all the other ones cause to worry. The worry? That you too, could be accused of rape. This is the fear that US president Donald Trump mongers. Joint research from Brown University and the University of Massachusetts found that about 6.5% of men rape. About one in 16. And it is with this small percentage that the power lies. It is convenient for them that you, too, are afraid of being accused, because if you are afraid, you will join the Choir of Disbelief that invalidate the stories of their victims. Of this 6.5%, it is not just once that they rape. Because reporting is so low, (between 64% and 96% of all rapes are never reported to a criminal authority), these guys go again. And how often do they go again? These repeat rapists commit, on average, 5.8 attacks each. So who, then, benefits from the dismissal and disbelieving of victims? The rapists. They go undetected because victims know that the social norms are set in such a way that they will not be believed; worse, should they speak, they will be pilloried for ruining someones reputation. Trevor Noah, the 34-year-old South African mixed-race presenter of Americas The Daily Show, is fast becoming the sharpest cultural critic of our time. This week, after Brett Kavanaugh was sworn into the American Supreme Court, he identified Trumps most powerful tool throughout the entire Kavanaugh affair. Trump weaponises victimhood. What does this mean? In post-apartheid South Africa, for example, the fear was that once-oppressed black people were going to rise up and steal all of the jobs, homes, and lives of the powerful white. White people were shaking in their boots, indignant in their newly-found victimhood. Never mind the fact that we have been in control down here for centuries, we are the real victims now, they cried. Millions of black South Africans live in wood and iron structures in townships to this day. It is this flipping of the story, where the persecutor plays the victim, that Trump employs most often, and his most recent use of it has been around sexual assault. I find Trumps most powerful tool is that he knows how to wield victimhood, Noah told his studio audience last week during a break. He knows how to offer victimhood to people who have the least claim to it. The presenter said Trump has changed the focus of the Me Too conversation to one where men are the real victims, with the possibility of them being falsely accused. In doing this, he has turned the victim into the persecutor. [Trump] is saying the real victims of the Me Too movement are men, Noah said, adding that a lot of men will connect with that feeling. Noah then turned to his studio audience the cameras did too and he asked how many of them had ever been falsely accused of a sexual assault. Not a single hand was raised. All in all, since the Me Too movement gained momentum this time last year, it is estimated that around 100 people out of 7bn have been publicly accused of sexual assault. And what are the numbers in cold hard data for victims of assault? Around one in four women and in one in six men will experience either a rape or an assault in their lifetime. If the number of victims is so high and the number of predators is so low, whos the real winner here? These undetected winners, the presidents of countries who are recorded boasting about groping womens intimate parts, make themselves out to be the victims. In doing so, they get into the heads of all the good and great men who innately understand consent, trust, the delicacy of intimacy, and make them worry that they, too, could be accused of assault. No. In order to be accused of assault, you would firstly need a tectonic cultural shift where victims feel its worth their while talking about their assaults, let alone reporting them, and secondly you would need to have possibly acted improperly. However, Trump wants all heterosexual men on tenterhooks. He also wants all heterosexual men to be suspicious of victims who speak out. Again, who benefits from this fear-mongering and cynicism? Not innocent men and women, not the 64% to 96% of victims of assault who do not report, but the 6.5% of men who commit 5.8 rapes each. By peddling the fear of a false accusation, Trump and men like him play to your deepest anxieties: What if I get accused? It is an easy thing to connect with. Fear can grab a fierce stranglehold on us all. But it is not you he is trying to protect from so-called false accusations, it is people like him,people who have not only groped womens vaginas, but who have boasted about the freedom to do so. If youre afraid, you keep your mouth shut and he gets to be unaccountable, and the 6.5% continue to go undetected. This week, Noahs astute commentary was followed by a viral thread on Twitter, for men, by writer AR Moxon. He writes: Hi, guys. Imagine if one day you got kicked in the nuts, really hard, on purpose. You doubled over. Felt the pain. Nearly passed out. Nearly puked. Then you got kicked again. And again. Imagine it happened to you when you were 12. Imagine it was an 38-year-old woman who did it. Imagine it was your mothers friend and business partner. His thought experiment goes on and is worth the one minute of your time if you are trying to get your head around this whole whos the real victim here? stuff. One other man adding his twopence worth this week was Irish actor Robert Sheehan, formerly of Love/Hate. In Hot Press magazine, he talked about the Me Too reckoning, and whats interesting about what he says is that it is so non-defensive. It makes you self-examine and it makes you ask yourself: Am I being compassionate enough to women about their position in society, challenges they have to face? I think in that regard its been very helpful. Theres been a lot of healthy compassion encouraged out of men towards womens position. A woman once said to me you can judge or you can help, but you cant do both. As we are all faced with this cultural reckoning around intimacy, consent, and sexual relationships, what do we do? Do we dismiss? Do we belittle? Or do we listen? Do we look at the data, and not the myth, and reflect on how we could all be less fearful for ourselves and more compassionate for others? Dateline Pros and Cons of the NLDs New Look East Policy -- Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! It is fair to say that Myanmars relations with Western countries have soured since the Rakhine crisis broke out. Well discuss where the National League for Democracy [NLD] government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is finding new friends at such a time, and what the advantages and disadvantages of finding new policies and new friends will be. Im joined by NLDs Lower House lawmaker Ma Zin Mar Aung, and The Irrawaddys Burmese edition senior editor Ko Ye Ni to discuss this. Im The Irrawaddy English editor Kyaw Zwa Moe. The NLD has been severely condemned by Western governments over the Rakhine issue. I assess that the NLDs policy, both in politics and the economy, today is a look-east policy; to rely more on eastern countries. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting Japan and is set to meet the Japanese prime minister [on Tuesday]. [The NLD government] are approaching more Asian countries like Japan, and of course China, India, Singapore, and South Korea. What is your assessment, Ma Zin Mar Aung? Zin Mar Aung: The foreign policy of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi since she took the office is different from what analysts had expected and she did not move fast to forge close ties with Western countries. It is because [she has taken] the concerns of neighboring China into consideration. It is not good for Myanmar if China as a neighbor is very concerned [about its ties with the West]. KZM: Because China is a superpower. ZMA: Yes, China is a superpower of the world. I remember [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] said that you cant change your neighbors. This shows how great a caution she exercises in her foreign policy [towards China]. Taking a look at the democracy struggle of Myanmar, you can see that among Asian countries, Japan has given the biggest support for democracy in Myanmar. And the political values of China and Japan are different. Japan is more democratic. Economically, Japan is the best for Myanmar to make alliances with, and so is the case for political systems. Considering past and present political and economic situations, Japan is one of the best options for Myanmar. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently said that Japan has good ties with Europe and the United States of America so it can serve as a mediator in the diplomatic crisis. [The NLD-government] is approaching Japan more than other Asian countries because of its democratic values and political and economic strength. KZM: So, Myanmar has chosen Japan as it offers greater potential for Myanmar to forge alliances. In her trip, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi invited Japanese investment and Japanese investors to come and see [the country]. But the political crisis which resulted from the Rakhine issue is a bigger issue for Myanmar. An economic crisis erupted because of the political crisis. Now the EU is considering imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar, and if the US will do something, we still dont know. It seems that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wants Japan to take a mediating role to repair Myanmars relations with Western countries. How do you assess this, Ko Ye Ni? And what do you think about keeping balance as Myanmar shifts its focus to Asian countries as Western countries have distanced themselves from Myanmar? Ye Ni: Western countries, including the US, imposed targeted sanctions on the Tatmadaw after the Rakhine issue broke out. Even if they havent imposed sanctions, the EU has threatened to withdraw GSP [Generalized Scheme of Preferences] which it granted to Myanmar [as a reward] for its democratic change. Western countries supported Myanmar along its democratic struggle but this has changed all of a sudden, and the relations have soured. At such a time, China is very close to Myanmar in a geopolitical sense. Unlike the past, China has not just focused on the military in approaching Myanmar, but it is engaging with all the stakeholders. China is a superpower, and now re-approaches Myanmar with its political commitment and the economic benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative. While Myanmar is in a tight corner both politically and economically, Daw Aung San Suu Kyis visit to Japan is very interesting. It is interesting to see to what extent Myanmar-Japan relations will become important for Myanmar in handling the current crisis. KZM: Ma Zin Mar Aung, Japan is a democratic country, and China is a one-party state. It can be said that both have considerable interests in Myanmar. Some say that Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy being implemented by Japan is intended to counter Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said, we have to maintain ties with China as it is our neighbor. But considering their policies and behaviors, to which one of them do you think Myanmar should give priority? ZMA: Corporations are different in their nature. [Regarding Chinese corporations], there is the suspended Myitsone Dam project, and the Letpadaung copper mine and there are many other projects. Previously, Chinese investments had little support from locals. While there are weaknesses in existing laws and in their implementation, investors have also manipulated those weaknesses and administrative shortcomings and acted without responsibility or accountability. But this happens not just in Myanmar; many Chinese companies are much the same, like those in Africa. They dont pay attention to their environmental and social impacts. So what about Japanese companies? In the global economy and corporate field, big Japanese companies have good reputations. So considering an investments probability of acceptance from locals, and corporate practices, Japanese companies are more acceptable. KZM: I think the NLD government is keeping a balance. It is inevitable that Myanmar has to engage with China. There have been huge Chinese investments in Myanmar, for example, the Kyaukphyu [deep-sea] port and so on. Western countries have become more distant from Myanmar because of the Rakhine issue. As they dont hug Myanmar, Myanmar has to go to those who would hug her. In the words of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar needs countries that would help with greater understanding. Japan is one of those countries. How do you think Western countries will counter? I mean if they dont change their policies, Myanmar will get closer with China. Do Western countries need to review their policies? YN: Myanmar needs to persuade Western countries again. Their diplomatic policies are based primarily on human rights values as well as democratic norms, not focusing on the economy alone. But in the case of China, its values are obviousit has economic interests. Japan, however, is differenttheir value is not based only on human rights and democracy like Western countries. It might be a value Asian countries share. Historically, we were very close countries. Relations between the two countries started from the time of General Aung San and the thirty comrades [who underwent military training in Japan] during World War II and continued through U Ne Wins government. Japan maintained normal ties with the Tatmadaw even throughout the democratic struggle during which Western countries imposed sanctions. It can be said that todays Tatmadaw was trained by Japan, so there is a long history of bilateral relations. Japan will not view Myanmar as a developing market only. Previously, Myanmar relied solely on China and the Tatmadaw eventually became fed up with [that situation] and opened up the country to find new partners like Western countries and Japan. It is not a good thing that Western countries have withdrawn [their support for Myanmar] after they supported Myanmar throughout its democracy struggle. KZM: In fact, both the Myanmar government and people prefer countries that support and attach importance to democratic values. They didnt like China because of its policy and its support for the military regime, and they preferred Western countries. Our country, despite being small in size, cant align with them because we practice a non-aligned [foreign] policy. Western countries withdrew due to the Rakhine issue and alleged human rights violations. It is a lose-lose situation as opposed to a win-win situation. Western countries have lost Myanmar while China has become economically stronger on the international stage. Under such circumstances, how should Western countries re-approach Myanmar even if there are human rights violations? ZMA: It is said that Western countries have distanced themselves and withdrawn support because of human rights violations. The government in office is not an unelected government. The current democratic government, however, is not a 100 percent elected government. It has to strike a balance with the Tatmadaw leaders, ethnic armed organization leaders, and socio-economic dynamic under the topic of national reconciliation. The current government has to strike a balance not just between two sides, but between various sides. So it is difficult to see things in black and white regarding human rights. KZM: You mean not to approach Myanmar from the perspective of human rights only? ZMA: Yes, I do. By saying this, I dont mean we dont care about human rights. [Ensuring human rights] is our goal. We are not lost in pursuing this goal. They can criticize us, but if they criticize us excessively, this puts all the blame on the government while other factors are neglected. This is not good for us or Western countries either. The EU and the US have supported the democratic struggle in Myanmar and our democracy icon [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] along the way. They have put high stakes on Myanmar along the way. They wont want to see those wasted so they are not happy either. So who is happy under the current circumstances? Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not happy and neither are we. It is not a pleasant situation. If there is an influx of investment from Western countries into Myanmar, to whom will this pose a challenge? It is obvious. It is our neighboring country China which has taken one jump ahead of others in Myanmars market and investment environment. China could do so because it is our neighboring country. China will be happy. But as Western investment does not come, the market cant attain a balance. We have to continue engaging with China as it is the only option. Myanmar is heavily indebted and it needs to make money to run the country. Only when investments with full corporate social responsibility and respect for human rights come into the country, the human rights situation in all the fields of the country will improve. If Western countries withdraw their support now, it would be a waste of [all their efforts along the way]. KZM: Situations have forced the NLD government to practice a look-east policy. We will wait and see how successful it will be, how much support friends will give and if Western countries will come back. Thank you for your contributions! Food Yangons Rich Diversity in Seven Delicious Dishes Traditional ethnic food served at Vista Do Rio in Yangon. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy YANGON Sitting at a crossroads between India, China and Thailand, and with eight major ethnic groups within its borders, its no surprise that Myanmars cuisine is diverse and eclectic. Nowhere is this more evident than in the commercial capital of Yangon, the countrys melting pot of cultures and flavors. Since the time when Yangon, then Rangoon, was a powerful economic hub of Southeast Asia, migrants from neighboring countries settled here in large numbers, bringing with them their food, culture, languages and religions. During military rule and since then, people have traveled to Yangon from all corners of the country in search of economic opportunities and better living standards, also bringing with them their favorite dishes. The climate, topography and socio-economy of these regions influence the diversity of ingredients, cooking methods and flavors in the dishes found in Yangon today. Here, The Irrawaddy outlines the diversity of Yangon as defined by seven distinct and popular dishes. Barbecue in Chinatown Adventurous Chinese traders have been arriving in Myanmar for centuries with some, especially in upper Myanmar, settling here for good. During colonial rule too, Chinese immigrants were encouraged to move here for work and business opportunities, integrating with the Burmese over multiple generations. Today, ethnic Chinese own some of the largest businesses in Yangon including gold and gem companies and a number of private banks. While Chinese food is diverse in itself, perhaps the most popular Chinese-influenced food in Yangon is barbecue. In Yangons Chinatown, located around Latha Township in the downtown area, youll notice a different type of Buddhist temple, architecture and foods for sale. Among the Chinese-influenced skewered vegetables and meats ready for seasoning and barbecuing, youll find pigs ear, eel, intestine and chicken feet. Thali in the Indian Quarter Moving east from Chinatown, you quickly enter Yangons Indian quarter, where residents of Indian descent have lived for generations. Many Indians came here during the countrys period of colonization when Myanmar was officially a province of British India. Though many were forced out of Myanmar during the socialist regime, there remains a sizable Indian population in central downtown and the rest of Yangon. Nearly all teashops serve breakfasts of Indian influence. But most Yangoners love a good curry served on a thali platter usually a meat curry served with potato curry, daal and various chutneys and pickles accompanied by poori, dosa, roti or rice. Burmese Curry Since its founding as a fishing village built around Shwedagon Pagoda, a majority of Yangons population is and has always been Burmese, or Bamar. Curries are the foundation of Burmese cuisine. Usually made with a tomato base and onion, garlic and chili at their heart, chicken, pork, mutton, prawn and fish are the most common options. They are typically served with rice and a soup on the side. Thai Tom Yum Historically, relations between Myanmar and Thailand were very rocky with several wars over territory. In more recent decades, members of Myanmars ethnic minorities have flocked across the border to escape persecution and in search of work. In 2017, the biggest group by nationality of visitors who visited Myanmar were Thais. Thai cuisine is popular in Yangon and there are many long-established and new Thai restaurants as well as Thai dishes on most restaurant menus. One of the most popular dishes served at these is tom yum soup. Soups feature often in Myanmar cuisine and the sour-spicy flavor of tom yum is perfect for the Myanmar palate. Shan Noodles Shan State has a long and rich history and was the seat of powerful kingdoms at several points in time. Spread across cool highlands in the east, many say the countrys best vegetables come from Shan. The Shan cuisine is well developed and varied but almost all dishes are served with a side of pickled vegetables. Shan dishes are served all across the country, but no Shan dish is more popular in Yangon than Shan noodles. Usually eaten for breakfast, dry or wet, the sticky rice noodles are topped with a herby tomato sauce, chicken or pork chunks flavored with spring onion, sesame seeds and peanuts. Kachin Chicken The Kachin, who refer to themselves as Jingphaw, being from the northernmost state at the foot of the eastern Himalayas, have a different style of cooking and flavor to others in Myanmar. The Kachin people did not consider themselves part of Myanmar before the British colonized the land. In Yangon, there is something of a Kachin enclave in the Sanchaung area. One distinctly Kachin dish is Kachin-style chicken curry, which has a deep, herby base with lots of cilantro and ginger. Rakhine Mont Dti Rakhine cuisine makes the most of the states proximity to the sea but also uses lots of fresh green chili, which gives dishes a healthy, energizing spice kick. Mont dti is a simple dish with a base of rice noodles topped with fresh condiments like shallots, coriander, garlic, lemongrass, black pepper and a choice of fried pea fritters or chopped fish cake. Its flavored with chili oil, garlic oil and soy or fish sauce with an option of adding salty fish broth or eating the noodles dry. To eat mont dti on the street is an experience in itself. Sit at a tiny stool next to a mobile food cart with steam wafting from the cauldron of fish broth and watch the mont dti master add dashes of toppings with precision. As a whole, with Yangon becoming an ever more international, cosmopolitan city, cuisines and cultures from all corners of the country and the world are getting more representation here. There are a small number of Mon, Chin, Kayan and Wa restaurants serving traditional favorites here and the food scene is also diversifying internationally with everything from German sausages to Mexican fajitas available for all to try. YOW! was founded in 2008 by Dave Thomas, a Canadian based software visionary, in answer to pleas from local developers for Australian events featuring top quality international speakers. Since launching in Australia 10 years ago over 30,000 people have attended YOW! events and it is now the largest independent event organiser in Australia for software development. In 2018 YOW! presents another fantastic lineup at its signature Conferences held in November-December in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, featuring 40+ world class experts that have been hand-picked to share their insights. Keynotes will be delivered in each city by industry luminaries such as Dr Anita Sengupta, Brendan Gregg, Jessica Kerr and Kent Beck. Finding Performance Wins in the Cloud How does Netflix get both happier customers and lower costs? They have a dedicated performance team conducting root cause analysis on any issues with applications, runtimes, operating systems, and hypervisors, in an environment of 150k cloud instances that undergo numerous production changes each week. Brendan Gregg, a senior performance architect at Netflix and an industry expert in computing performance and cloud computing, is going to share the Netflix special sauce - the environment, procedures, and tools they use and build to do root cause analysis on cloud performance issues. The Future of Mobility: From Flying Cars to the Hyperloop The cartoon myth of the flying car has been replaced with the reality of the Hyperloop, a magnetically levitating, electromagnetically propelled, passenger vehicle in a vacuum tube - essentially space travel on the earths surface. Dr. Anita Sengupta, a rocket scientist and aerospace engineer who for the past 15 years has enabled the exploration of Mars, Asteroids, and Deep Space, will discuss how space-age tech coupled to the VC funded innovation environment is enabling the revolution in green transportation from suborbital rocket flights, to electric airplanes, to space travel on the ground with the Hyperloop. The Origins of Opera and the Future of Programming Jessica Kerr, lead engineer at Atomist, is going to tell a story of musicians, artists, philosophers, scientists, and then programmers; a story containing a truth that leads to a new view of work, that sees beauty in the painful complexity that is software development. Starting from The Journal of the History of Ideas, Jessica will trace the concept of an invisible college through music and art and science to programming. She will reveal the dark truth behind the 10x developer, a real definition of Senior Developer and a new name for our work and our teams. 3X: Explore - Expand Extract Youve heard of XP but how about 3X? Before you can evaluate a style of software engineering, you have to understand its goals. Quick execution of experiments? Rapid scaling in the face of unexpected bottlenecks? Sustained, profitable growth? Each goal requires a different style and yet we talk about software engineering as if it should be one thing. Kent Beck, author of Extreme Programming Explained (The White Book) and consistent challenger of software engineering dogma, will introduce 3X and the ways software development, quality assurance, design, management, financing, planning, and staffing change depending on the goal of development. Join us at our 10th Anniversary YOW! Conferences in Sydney 29 - 30 November Brisbane 3 - 4 December Melbourne 6 - 7 December Workshops Alongside the Conferences, YOW! offers a series of Depthfirst Workshops providing attendees with maximum learning through interaction with the experts in their field. All workshops are hands-on in a small group environment. This year you could learn how to create high-performance organisations that can innovate at scale from Barry OReilly (co-author of Lean Enterprise); how to build evolutionary architectures with Neal Ford (co-author of Building Evolutionary Architectures); how to program in Elixir by Pragmatic Dave Thomas (author of Programming Elixir 1.6); and more! - see the full list here. YOW! Workshops will be offered in Sydney on 27 - 28 November and Melbourne on 4 - 5 December. Estonian Vocal Ensemble to Perform BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan Universitys School of Music will host the Heinavanker Ensemble at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23 in Evelyn Chapel (1301 N Park St. Bloomington). The concert is free and open to the public. The IWU Collegiate Choir will join Heinavanker to perform Mu suda arka ules, arranged by Margo Kolar, at the conclusion of the program. An Estonian vocal group, the Heinavanker Ensemble performs timeless chamber and symphonic music, both ancient and modern. Estonian runic songs and folk hymns are an important part of the repertoire included in Heinavanker, a name which originates from Hieronymus Boschs early 16th century painting Haywain Triptych. Approximately 500 folk hymns with different versions have been collected in Estonia. The records exist both in Estonian and Swedish languages. Most likely these songs were sung in homes, but also at church services and religious meetings. The program combines liturgical music by several composers from the 15th and 16th centuries, including Johannes Ockeghem, Mikoaj Radomski, Marbrianus de Orto and Jacques Arcadelt. Director and composer Margo Kolar has led Heinavanker since 1996. Inspired by fairytales and spiritual imagery, Kolars music has been described as poetic and scenic, and has been used in film and theatre soundtracks. In 2014, he received the Grammy certificate for participating in the recording of Grammy Award-winning CD Part: Adams Lament. Heinavanker's concert at IWU is made possible by the Joel and Shelley Jameson fund to support the IWU School of Music Voice and Choral Department, the IWU School of Music, the Russian and Eastern European Studies Team of the IWU International Studies Program, and David Rayl. Heinavankers concerts are also supported by the Estonian Author's Society, Music Export Estonia, and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. For more information, please contact the School of Music at (309) 556-3061. By Rachel McCarthy 21 French prosecutors have requested the dismissal of a probe into the deadly 1994 attack on former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, which sparked the countrys genocide, according to legal papers seen by AFP Saturday. The long-running probe has been a major source of tension between the two countries following accusations that a Tutsi militia headed by current Rwandan President Paul Kagame was responsible for the attack on the plane in April 1994. In a statement dated October 10, prosecutors demanded that the charges be dropped against seven suspects because investigators had not been able to gather sufficient evidence. The final decision now lies with the investigative magistrate. Lawyers for Habyarimanas widow Agathe called the prosecutors move unacceptable and largely politically motivated. The missile strike on Habyarimanas plane near Kigalis airport in April 1994 triggered 100 days of bloodshed that left an estimated 800,000 people dead, mostly members of the Tutsi minority. Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide by supporting the Hutu regime, training the soldiers and militiamen who carried out the killings. Ties had been on the mend until 2014 when Kagame repeated accusations that French soldiers had been involved in the bloodbath. The relationship took an even worse turn when the French judiciary decided in October 2016 to reopen an investigation into the attack on the plane, as the French crew were among the victims. Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori on Saturday criticized the arrest of his daughter Keiko for alleged money laundering and pleaded with his feuding children, who are battling to lead the biggest party in Congress, to join forces. I have never felt greater pain in my life than I did seeing my daughter detained and hauled off to prison, the 80-year-old Fujimori said from a Lima medical clinic where he has been held since October 3, when Perus Supreme Court revoked his pardon for crimes against humanity. The former president suffers heart problems. Keiko Fujimori, 43, was detained earlier this week in connection with a sweeping graft scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Prosecutors are looking into contributions to her unsuccessful 2011 presidential campaign. She denies all wrongdoing. The elder Fujimori, who had served 12 years in prison nearly half the 25-year sentence before being pardoned in December last year, asked Keiko and her younger brother Kenji to be more united than ever. I give her all my love and support during this difficult time, he said in an audio message from his hospital bed sent to AFP and other media outlets along with a photo of himself. He also asked authorities to ensure due process for his daughter. Keiko Fujimori is the leader of Perus Popular Force party. Her brother leads a rival faction. They could face off in the 2021 presidential election. Alberto Fujimori, a Peruvian of Japanese descent, remains popular despite ruling the country with an iron fist between 1990 and 2000, and his subsequent conviction. That popularity has allowed his children to flourish in politics. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) State Rep. Knute Buehler, seeking middle ground on immigration issues in his race for governor of Oregon, criticized the Trump administration for pursuing rule changes that could hurt health care for immigrants. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Buehler on Thursday blasted a proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security. It would make it harder for immigrants to win permanent residency in the U.S. if they use Medicaid and other public health programs. "Access to care is critical to living a healthy and fulfilled life," Buehler said in a statement. "We should not be discouraging access to health care, particularly for children, as a condition for citizenship. This does not reflect Oregon's values and it is not the message we should be sending to our immigrant communities." Buehler, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, has been facing heat from immigration advocates upset at his support for Measure 105. That initiative would repeal Oregon's three-decade old sanctuary law, which limits state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown has criticized Buehler for supporting the measure, which she argues could lead to racial profiling and discourage immigrants from reporting crimes to the police. Buehler himself has played down his support for Measure 105, saying at a debate earlier this week that the initiative is "not something I'm campaigning on." He added that he differed with the Trump administration on several immigration policies. He said he backed protections for immigrants brought here illegally as children, and opposed the administration's policy of separating children from parents seeking to cross the border. Brown's campaign spokesman, Christian Gaston, charged in a statement that Buehler is "twisting himself in knots trying to cover up his record" in the Legislature on health and immigration issues. Among other things, he cited Buehler's vote against a 2017 bill aimed at providing health coverage to all children, including undocumented immigrants. Buehler said at the time that he couldn't justify the added cost of the legislation. MURPHY, Ore. -- Williams Highway near Murphy is now back open after a serious crash knocked down a power pole. Firefighters say a vehicle had left the roadway, knocked down a power pole and rolled over. The accident caused downed power lines that started a grass fire and blocked the roadway. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control without incident and the driver was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Power was restored to the area. The crash caused an outage for more than 400 customers. At nearly the same time, crews were called to serious crash near Merlin. A vehicle had left the roadway and crashed down an embankment and into a creek bed. This crash was at the intersection of Galice and Hugo Road. Emergency crews used a rope system to rescue the driver. The driver was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Pints for Pups event features dogs, beers, conversation for a cause The 42 North Brewing Company in East Aurora is holding an event on Veterans Day that will involve dogs, beer and raising money for a good cause. On Thursday, the... YMCA, FeedMore teaming up to fight hunger through fall food drive For the 11th straight year, YMCA Buffalo Niagara is teaming up with FeedMore WNY to help fight hunger this holiday season through an annual food drive. The organizations are asking... Town man indicted on manslaughter, drug charges Town of Tonawanda resident Zaire Pittman, 25, was arraigned last week on an indictment charging him with felony vehicular manslaughter, in connection with a car accident that took place in... Cardinal OHara to present Little Women in person next weekend Drama club students at Cardinal OHara High School will be presenting their first in-person fall play next weekend, following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The production will also... News Brief Following the FDAs emergency use authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 through 11, the Erie County Department of Health is asking parents to fill out this survey... PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - State Rep. Knute Buehler, seeking middle ground on immigration issues in his race for governor of Oregon, criticized the Trump administration for pursuing rule changes that could hurt health care for immigrants. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Buehler on Thursday blasted a proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security. It would make it harder for immigrants to win permanent residency in the U.S. if they use Medicaid and other public health programs. Buehler, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, has been facing heat from immigration advocates upset at his support for Measure 105. That initiative would repeal Oregon's three-decade old sanctuary law, which limits state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Plans for a major project on the Kings River in Callan are well underway, a public meeting in the town has been told. 72,000 was awarded to the Callan Kings River Improvement Project under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme last year. The scheme focuses on projects to enhance and develop towns socially, economically and culturally. A well attended meeting on Monday night was told that since the grant was announced background planning and design works have been taking place. It is now hoped that the plans for the Kings River (Avonree) will be announced in about four weeks. The plan will then have to go through the planning process before works can take place. The schedule is also affected by environmental rules on when work can take place in rivers. There are a vast amount of rules and regulations dealing with planning and the environment which involve the Office of Public Works, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Department of the Environment. An Environmental Impact Study will have to be obtained as part of the planning process. Local Cllr David Kennedy said the local committee behind the project hope to be shovel ready when the window to carry out works opens next summer - between July and September. Also at the meeting were Cllr Sean Tyrrell and Kathleen Funchion TD. Among the features that are expected to be included in the plan are measures to stop it silting up as well as making the river more accessible to local people for amenity use. The committee say they are determined to put in the time and work to see the local river restored to its full potential and they are confident this will happen. Funding of 72,000 represents the full cost of this project. It was granted under the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Applications were submitted under a competitive call for proposals. The selection of projects was undertaken by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs from a competitive process on the basis of applications submitted from all Local Authorities. Full involvement by community interest and business interests was an essential factor of the successful projects. Recently, Julia, Mrs. Richard Cramptom, nee Butler of Maidenhall, Bennetsbridge, when tidying up some papers of her late fathers - Hubert M. Butler - found a small collection of local postcards which were the work of R.A. Cash of Carrick-on-Suir, who with his mother and other family members perished in a domestic house-fire in Carrick-on-Suir c. 1917. These postcards in their original envelope had been gifted to Hubert by Sheila Carton, who I believe lived in the Piltown area of south Kilkenny in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Above: Kilcash Church Robert. J. Cash (born c. 1876 died 1916 or 1917) who was known as Sonny Cash or The Crippled Photographer captured much of the Tipperary-Kilkenny border area adjacent to his home-town, in his photographs. Sonny, partially crippled in his youth grew up to be hump-backed. He took to photography as a teenager and from his fathers shop on Market St.,Carrick-on-Suir, travelled the Tipperary-Kilkenny countryside in a side-car, building up a large collection of local views, some of which he reproduced as postcards. Sonny was one of the most prolific producers of postcards in south Tipperary at this time. All his glass negatives were destroyed in the same fire which cost him his life. The views which he reproduced as postcards are all that remain of his lifes work, a selection of which may be seen in the Clonmel Museum which largely came from a local collector, Mr. Hugh Ryan, who recognised the value of Sonnys work. To-day these postcards are a very important historical record. The earliest Cash postcard on display in the Clonmel Museum was postmarked 1904, taken when sunny was 28. He was about forty at the time of his death. Above: Kilcash castle with graveyard The Irish Census records of 1901 and 1911 tell us that his father was Robert Cash, a shopkeeper while his mother was Harriet and that there were at least two sisters, Ellen (born c. 1880) and Charlotte (born c. 1884). The family were Presbyterian. These postcards set alongside the near contemporary Lawrence Collection which is today owned by the National Library of Ireland, can track developments (or losses) in this relatively small are of the Tipperary-Kilkenny border. Amongst the topics Sonny covered were some of the local Big Houses and in this collection we have postcards relating to Rossenara House, Kilmoganny and to Curraghmore the home of the Beresfords, Marquesses of Waterford. There are also views of local clergy houses both Protestant and Roman Catholic. The collection gifted to KILKENNY ARCHIVES includes everyday scenes from, Windgap village, Owning, Grange Mockler, Carrick-on-Suir, Kilmoganny, Newtown Anner Clonmel, Fiddown and Portlaw, Ahenna (Ahenny) Curraghmore, Castletown (Cox) and Kilkeran where some of the notable High Crosses of the Ossory Group are to be found. In 2016 a group of Carrick-on-Suir people came together and collected up from local households examples of R. A. Cashs photographic work which they had copied and reprinted. The profits from the venture were spent in placing a headstone on the grave of R.A. Sonny Cash and his family. The detail in some of these postcards is amazing. Modern scanning techniques has allowed us to enlarge the views way beyond what was ever possible in the pre-digital age without expending vast sums of money for uncertain results. One which particularly caught my eye was of the area adjacent to the Kilcash National School. Here in a nearby farmyard we see cocks of hay stored for Winter use. Pleated hay (or straw) tops have been woven by hand to act as protection against the elements. With this article are the views from Kilcash village and district, including the ancient tower house of Kilcash Butlers who in the mid eighteen-century inherited Kilkenny Castle and its ancient estate and were duly recognised as Earls of Ormond in 1791. Nepal banned all adult sites at the end of September, and traffic to these sites took a big dip. See the attached graph provided by porn site xHamster. But the traffic soon rose to previous levels. Lesson learned: when faced with online censorship, people learn how to use VPNs. This knowledge will come in handy for things other than pornography. The Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga is presenting the 2018 Showcase of Homes this weekend and the next. The tour of 20 Exceptional Homes will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. Officials said, "Looking to build, renovate or design? Find ideas and inspiration during this self-guided tour of 20 newly constructed homes in Hamilton County from our regions award-winning builders. Each home features the newest construction techniques, latest products, high-quality furnishings and fixtures from some of the area's top designers and suppliers. "This free, self-guided tour of Southeast Tennessees most inspiring homes is a cant-miss event for anyone looking for their next home, remodeling their current home, or wanting to see the greatest in architecture and design. Download the Parade Craze App to see an interactive map with directions and images of each home." The official Showcase guide Chattanooga Builds will be available at the Home Builders Association office or you can pick one up at any of the homes. Visit at least 10 Showcase homes and you could be a winner. At each showcase home you will find a magic card. Take these cards to each home that you visit and ask the agent to place an official Showcase home sticker in the respective square on the front of the card. Visit just 10 or all 20 homes. Follow the instructions on the card and you could win one of the many prizes. The 2018 homes are here: http://chattanoogashowcase.com/2018-homes (St. Joseph,MO) Missouris relationship with the marijuana plant is changing.While Missourians are studying up on marijuana initiatives before the November election, several hemp derived businesses are already popping up around the state. "Hemp has been around a long time and the Farm Bill of 2018 pretty much made hemp legal again. Farmers can grow it, but it is regulated as far as the THC," Nurse Practitioner Sandy Lopez-Kemerling said. The newly reformed hemp legislation is paving the way for businesses like American Shaman to sell hemp derived products. Kathleen Wade and her husband both had lyme disease and after six years of treatment a friend introduced her to cannaoil, or CBD for her pain. After taking the oil regularly Wade said her quality of life drastically improved and she soon set out to share that new knowledge of CBD with other people by opening several American Shaman stores across the Midwest. This is not a head shop, this is not a smoke shop. [For] most people, the confusion and the hesitancy is that they feel that its marijuana, Wade said. Wade said the biggest problem is that most people mistake CBD for the chemical THC and are worried they will become inebriated. "You've got two sisters. You've got the marijuana sister and you're got the hemp sister. Marijuana is high in THC, which is what gets you high, and low in CBD. Hemp plants are high in CBD and low in THC," Wade said. American Shaman at 402 Felix St, sell oils pulled from the hemp plant with low levels of THC. "The hemp plant usually has about 0.3-0.4 percent THC in it, so you cannot get high on CBD," Wade said. CBD doesnt have to be smoked.American Shaman sells CBD bath bombs, candy, oils and even pet treats. Cannaboil hasnt been medically proven by the FDA to cure disease, but Kemerling said many patients still take it for chronic pain. "There is a lot of studies being done as far as it's effect with chronic inflammation,pain, diabetes, alzheimer's, anxiety, different mood changing disorders, even there are studies being done to show where CBD oil helps decrease the spread of cancer in some patients,"Kemerling said. Wade said the American Shaman store in Leavenworth, Kansas, is frequented by area veterans. We have a lot of veterans who come in for PTSD, they also come in for phantom limb pain, Wade said. The new legalization of hemp and hemp products means the research is still limited, but Kemerling said the research that has been done is promising. "The research that has been done so far has shown virtually no hazardous side effects whats so ever,"Kemerling said. In Missouri its legal to sell 0.3 THC levels in cannaboils, but in Kansas CBD oils must have zero THC in the product. Wade said the low level THC products shouldnt register on a drug test if taken properly, but when taken outside store guidelines, it is still possible to test positive for THC on a drug test. Kemerling feels the research being done with CBD and non-THC hemp could help a lot of people. "History has shown, and some of the research that has already been done has proven that it does have benefits that we need to tap into,"Kemerling said. Kemerling and Wade both recommend patients consult their doctor before using any CBD products. (St.Joseph,MO) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in the market to relocate two of their offices from Washington D.C. to the Midwest. St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray, Chamber of Commerce President Patt Lilly and Community Alliance Director Steve Johnson flew out to Washington D.C, Tuesday to pitch the city as a potential location for the new facility. The St. Joseph delegation met with Senator Roy Blunt and the staff of Senator Claire McCaskill and Representative Sam Graves to make them aware of what St. Joseph has to offer the USDA. Our visit was just to let our congressional delegation know that besides St. Louis and Kansas City, there is also St. Joseph and we would like to be considered favorably for some of those jobs, McMurray said. Lilly said St. Josephs proximity to the airport and major agricultural industries would make the city a prime location for what the USDA might need. We believe our proximity to the Kansas City area and in particular to the airport is a benefit. And given this area of the country we are close to a number of what they call land grant institutions; these are institutions that typically have agricultural research going on MU, Iowa State,K-State, Nebraska, so we think this is a good location, Lilly said. The USDA will move two of their facilities. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will construct a 90,000 square foot facility and host approximately 360 employees. The Economic Research Service (ERS) will construct a 70,000 square foot facility and host approximately 260 employees. Both of these facilities have around 300 jobs, so they will be looking for a population area that can support that number.Some of these folks will move from Washington D.C but I would say easily half wouldnt so we need to be in a position to make sure those people are hired here,Lilly said. The city submitted a letter of interest to the USDA on Friday, October 12. Lilly anticipates the USDA will have a list of finalist by early 2019. Blantyre, Oct 13 (AFP) Over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre, saying the Indian independence hero had done nothing for the southern African country. Work on the statue began two months ago along a road named after Gandhi. The Malawi government says it is being erected as part of a deal that will see New Delhi construct a USD 10 million (8.6-million-euro) convention centre in Blantyre. "Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawi's struggle for independence and freedom," a statement from the "Gandhi Must Fall" group said. "We therefore, feel that the statue is being forced upon the people of Malawi and is the work of a foreign power aiming at promoting its image and dominion on the unsuspecting people of Malawi." The petitioners claim that Gandhi, who early in his career practised in South Africa and fought against apartheid-era segregation laws, was racist. "We are not comfortable with imperialistic and neo-colonial ideologies that seek to impose... foreign influence which deprives us of honour," Wonderful Mkutche, a member of the group told AFP on Saturday. AFP (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) First Joint-exhibition 'Beyond The Frames' of South Korea, Maharashtra Artists Opens in Mumbai. (Photo Credit: sirjjschoolofart.in) Mumbai, October 13: Around 120 leading artists from South Korea and more than 70 from Maharashtra are participating in a first-ever joint six-day-long exhibition "Beyond The Frames" which opened here on Saturday, an official said. The first edition of the Mumbai-South Korea Biennial, the expo was described as "a life-affirming event for the contemporary art scene of the two countries," by Vishwanath Sabale, Dean of the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Arts (SJJSA), which is hosting the event on its campus in south Mumbai. The event has been jointly organised and produced by SJJSA and South Korea's K-Art International Exchange Association (K-AIEA), in association with Chennai's Inko Centre. Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawade inaugurated the function at a function on the SJJSA campus. Body Painting Artist Johannes Stotter Transforms Model Into a Turtle! (Watch Video). The artists from South Korea and Mumbai are showcasing an array of works creating on different concepts concerning their inner perceptions, cultural identity, cultural exchange, freedom of expression and social cohesion, besides strengthening cultural relations, he said. "It also brings together key speakers, world-renowned artists, art historians, gallerists, curators, museum heads, critics, collectors, and art students to discuss a diverse range of art-related topics. We expect the six-day event to be a visual delight for all the stakeholders," Sabale added. The exhibition displays different styles of paintings, print-making, and abstracts, all ranging from 'clearly striking' to 'utterly remarkable' by the South Korean artists and the SJJSA students and faculty. The Mumbai-South Korea Biennial has been conceptualised and curated by K-AIEA Chairperson and Curator Heo Sook, Sabale, Inko Centre Director Rathi Jafar and event coordinator Smita Kinkale. Some of the prominent artists who have arrived here from South Korea for the exhibition are Kim Youngwoon, Choi Sungwon, Ju Mihyang, Kim Oksuk, Kim Sunam, Lee Sunhee, among others. Joining them are well-known contemporary artists from Maharashtra including Uttam Pacharne, Tanuja Rane, Deepak Shinde, Ganpat Majgaonkar, Yashwant Deshmukh, Vilas Shinde, Minal Damani, Kishor Thakur, Ratnadeep Adivarekar, Nilesh Kinkale, Sanjay Sawant, Anand Prabhudesai, R. B. Holle, Rajesh Pullarwar and Pandurang Tathe. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2018 07:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Jaipur, October 13: At least eight people have been killed in a road accident in Rajasthan after the car they were travelling in collided with a truck on Saturday. According to a tweet by ANI, the eight members who lost their lives in a car accident in Udaipur district's Salumbar area, included five women and 3 children. As soon as the incident was reported, Police rushed at the spot to take a stock of the situation. The investigation is underway. The injured ones were rushed to a hospital in Udaipur. Reports inform that all the eight passengers travelling in the car were going for a picnic when the accident happened near Khairad area. According to a PTI report, the three students who lost their lives have been identified as Lakshya Yadav (4), Gauri Chaudhary (7), Upendra Singh (5). The teachers Manisha Goswami (28), Saroj Yadav (30), Monika Khateek (22), Geeta Ladauti and the owner of the school they taught, Santosh Rajput, died in the accident. Rajasthan: Fire Breaks Out in Building Complex in Jodhpurs Shastri Nagar Area. A data released by the government on Wednesday showed that over-speeding, mobile phone usage while driving and drivers fatigue caused the maximum number of road accidents in India in 2017. The report further states that over three out of four of the accidents happened because of over speeding, nearly one in five road mishaps took place because of using mobile phones during driving. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2018 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Kochi, October 13: Weeks after the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment, allowed all women to enter the Sabarimala temple, Former Devaswom Board President Prayar Gopalakrishnan criticised the verdict with highly sexist comments. Gopalakrishnan sparked a controversy by saying that allowing women of all ages in the Sabarimala Ayyapan temple in Kerala is going to 'turn it into Thailand'. According to a report by the News Minute, Gopalakrishnan said women devotees cannot complain if they are harassed or abused by men during the pilgrimage. Speaking on the Supreme Court's landmark verdict on women's entry to the temple, he said, I wont tell any sister to not enter Sabarimala. Whoever wants to come are welcome. But if you come you can get caught by a tiger or man". He said this while speaking at the Pathanamthitta Press Club on October 12. Will Soon Visit Sabarimala Temple: Gender Activist Trupti Desai. Gopalakrishnan further added saying that if young women are allowed to enter Sabarimala, he will not be ready to enter 'Thailand'. He said the power of Lord Ayyappa will be diminished if women of all ages enter the sacred temple. After Sabarimala Verdict, Kerala Muslim Womens Rights Group to Move SC Demanding Entry into Mosques. Gopalakrishnans comments come days after Malayalam actor Kollam Thulasi said that women who enter Sabarimala should be ripped apart. Thulasi, a member of the BJP said this while speaking at a public rally. "Women should be ripped apart; one half should be sent to Delhi and another to the Kerala Chief Minister," Thulasi was quoted in the report. The actor further added saying that the four judges of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court who delivered the judgment on Sabarimala are idiots. On September 28, the Supreme Court in a landmark verdict lifted a ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The top Court held this centuries-old Hindu religious practice is illegal and unconstitutional. The Chief Justice Dipak Misra-headed Constitution bench in a 4-1 verdict held that the existing ban is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2018 11:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Jaipur, October 13: Amid the Zika Virus outbreak in Rajasthan, a total of 50 people have tested positive in Jaipur district. The Union Health Ministry informed that 18 more people in Jaipur were tested positive for the virus, taking the total number of such cases to 50. Earlier, a department official had said that 30 of the total cases were doing fine after treatment. Reports inform that at least 10 of the new cases were reported from Jaipurs Shashtri Nagar locality. In the wake of the outbreak, at least 276 teams have been deployed in Zika virus-affected wards of Jaipur's Shastri Nagar. According to an ANI report, these teams have surveyed 11,313 houses, of which 2,282 are positive for mosquito breeding. Apart from this, around 39,246 containers have been checked, of which 3,567 are positive for larvae. A special isolation ward has been created at the Hira Bagh Training Centre to treat the Zika virus-affected patients. Fogging has also been done in the affected area to prevent the spread of the virus. Zika Virus Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of The Mosquito-Borne Infection. Meanwhile, a control room has been activated at the National Centre for Disease Control to monitor the situation. The first case of the virus had surfaced on September 22. Fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out in the Shastri Nagar area to prevent the spread of the virus. Zika Virus Outbreak: Centre Deploys Special Team to Control Spread. The Zika virus is a disease that is transmitted through Aedes aegypti mosquito. It has symptoms like fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. Reports inform that it is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a babys head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children. 22-year-old from Bihar's Siwan, studying in Jaipur was tested positive for the vector-borne disease. Zika Virus continues to be on surveillance radars of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under WHO notification since November 18, 2016. The first outbreak in India was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 while the second was reported in Tamil Nadus Krishnagiri district in July 2017. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management, the ministry had said earlier. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2018 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Google, a leading tech giant has finally introduced the much-awaited cloud subscription program - Google One in India. The program was launched earlier this year in May, and the company previously announced that it would be introducing the service in different parts of the world slowly and gradually. However, the Indian audience was on the top priority. The storage plan for the cloud subscription program starts from Rs 130 each month which will proffer the users with expanded storage across its products like Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. OnePlus 6T: Expected Price, Launch Date, New Features, Specifications - 7 Things To Know. Google is offering this new cloud storage platform with plans starting from Rs 130 each month for 100GB. The Alphabet-owned company is also offering a bigger storage plan proffering 2TB of storage for just Rs 650 per month. Moreover, the plans go up to Rs 19,500 each month for 30TB storage space. It was previously reported that the company might introduce the services in India at cheaper pricing than the US market. However, the services launched in India are similar to the US market which starts from $1.99 each month for 100GB and $9.99 per month for a 2TB plan. Google Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3 Pre-order Opens Tomorrow in India; Prices, Online Sale, Features and Specifications. Google One is here! Enjoy expanded storage and get additional benefits for you & your family. Get started at: https://t.co/zXFQuZHbOD pic.twitter.com/NI9MmgayFF Google India (@GoogleIndia) October 13, 2018 Another highlight of the Google One service is that the users can share their storage space with up to five family members. Also, the platform will not impact G suite business customers. Also, the users who purchased Drive storage will also be able to share the space with up to 5 family members. Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel Slate & Home Hub: Prices, Specifications, Pre-Order, Features, Availability and More. Google One is also available as a separate app, which is separate from Google's Drive storage that provides instant support for users using Google hardware such as Google Home and Pixel. Previously, Google also hinted that it might give free Google Play credits for purchasing apps, music as well as movies. Additional benefits of the services are one-tap access to experts for help across Googles consumer products and services. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2018 02:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). London, October 13: Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa met UK's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Gareth Baley in London. "Tensed relations" between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and India's role in the talks were discussed between the two during General Bajwa's official three-day visit to the United Kingdom, according to The Nation. Being strong trade partners, India, time and again, voiced unequivocal support to the Government of Afghanistan's efforts to emerge as a peaceful nation by eradicating terrorism in the country. During Afghanistan President Dr. Mohammed Ashraf Ghani's visit to India in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated India's support to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process that would enable the nation to continue as a united, peaceful, inclusive and democratic country and emerge as economically vibrant. Pakistan and Afghanistan relations, on the other hand, have been tumultuous, with Afghanistan alleging Pakistan army's aid to the Taliban in the deadly August 13 Ghazni siege, which left 100 dead and 150 others injured. U.S., China Officials to Hold Talks to Reduce Trade, Military Tensions. General Bajwa had denied Afghanistan's claims after President Ghani questioned the army chief as to why Taliban militants, who were accused of carrying out the attacks, were being treated in Pakistan's hospitals. This came in the wake of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government's vision to establish better bilateral relations with its neighbours, including Afghanistan. Efforts have been made by both Pakistan and Afghanistan to work together to counter terrorism in the region previously, with the inaugural session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) being held on July 22 this year. In-depth discussions regarding methods of counter-terrorism were discussed in the summit amongst other security issues, according to Geo TV. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also visited Kabul on September 15 and met the Afghan President to discuss peace and stability in the region by jointly working together to combat terrorism. India reiterated its support for Afghanistan at the UN Security Council Open Debate by launching a veiled attack on Pakistan by saying that terror offences in Afghanistan are perpetrated by those harboured in safe havens in the country's 'neighbourhood'. The girlfriend of the accused Bucks County bomb maker allegedly drove the man around as he threw explosives from the car on several occasions during the monthslong stretch of mysterious explosions in the community, according to authorities. The 31-year-old Milford Township woman, Tina May Smith, is now facing four dozen counts of conspiracy, half of which are felony charges, and one count of reckless endangerment, the district attorney's office announced. Smith posted $100,000 cash bail and is free, with a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Oct. 23. Authorities say Smith was driving while her boyfriend, David Surman Jr., threw improvised explosive devices from the open window of a vehicle on at least three occasions, according to the office of Bucks District Attorney Matthew Weintraub. Her attorney told the judge at her arraignment she isn't a danger to the community, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Surman was arrested on June 28 in connection with the months-long probe into dozens of explosions in his Milford Township community. In announcing Surman's arrest, authorities released pages from notebooks seized from him that include a collage of photos that appear to show a woman driving him in a black Ford Explorer as a cartoonish bomb explodes in the background. Investigators found that same collage on Smith's phone and say she was driving Surman in a black Ford, according to the affidavit of probable cause that led to her arrest. Court documents also confirm the collage has photos of Smith in the driver's seat and Surman as the passenger. Surman is scheduled for formal arraignment Nov. 2 in Bucks County Court after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing, court records show. Surman posted $75,000 bail in the explosives case and another $50,000 following his arrest Wednesday for allegedly possessing child pornography. Investigators asked anyone in Upper Bucks County who believes they may have found an unexploded bomb to dial 911. Anyone who believes they have information that could help investigators in the explosives case is urged to call the FBI at 800-225-5324 (800-CALL-FBI) and select Option 4 on the menu. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. By AMANDA CHRISTMAN The (Hazleton) Standard-Speaker Shawn Christy is not an anti-government nor an anti-law enforcement radical, his parents said in a recent wide-ranging interview. And is he not politically motivated, they insist. So, who is Shawn Christy? And why did the 26-year-old McAdoo, Schuylkill County, man threaten President Donald Trump and lead authorities on a multi-state, 95-day manhunt? Karen and Craig Christy say Shawn asked the government for assistance after a 2017 incident, and when he didn't get a response, he acted out. "His back was to the wall," Craig said. Craig and Karen say Shawn used his keyboard to vent his frustrations via social media to Trump and other elected officials over the injustice he perceived from local public officials. The threats he allegedly posted led to a federal indictment against him in June. But before he was a fugitive, Shawn Christy was a "simple man," something his parents say got lost in the barrage of news stories and public opinions that flooded social media accounts as the story of his flight unfolded. That flight apparently crossed six state lines, the U.S.-Canadian border and involved multiple suspected break-ins and vehicle thefts. It began June 20 when police say they attempted his arrest on a bench warrant for a 2017 aggravated assault case in McAdoo, a probation violation in Northampton County and the threats he made online against Trump, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and police. It culminated 440 miles to the west on Sept. 21 with his apprehension near an Ohio stream bed. It all leaves many unanswered questions -- for the public and his parents. The reasons Craig Christy said the manhunt and recent threats would have never happened if someone responded to complaints he and Shawn filed last year against a former McAdoo mayor and borough police. The complaints stem from a March 15, 2017, confrontation between Shawn and then-mayor Stephan Holly over snow removal. It ended with Shawn facing four felony counts of aggravated assault and two misdemeanors for simple assault after borough police say he swung a "large" stick at Holly. Shawn and Craig were later also charged with harassment after numerous phone calls were placed to McAdoo and nearby Kline Twp. police regarding the pending case. Holly was not charged, though Shawn and his family believe he should have been. They also believe video surveillance of the incident was edited. Those complaints were never acted on in Schuylkill County, and attempts for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to intervene also received no response, Craig said. An attempt to get comment from the Schuylkill County District Attorney's office for this story went unanswered. Shawn, who claimed there was a conspiracy to set him up, was facing years in prison for the case and he felt he had no option but to sound off on Facebook, Craig said. "Keep it up Morganelli, I promise I'll put a bullet in your head as soon as I put one in the head of President Donald J. Trump," read one post. "Your (sic) a dead man...Lets (sic) play," another threat in the four-count indictment read. The indictment states the target of that threat was a person only identified as "J.M." Why he targeted Trump and Morganelli remains a mystery, his parents say. Craig said Shawn had dealings in Northampton County over a $25 tax Shawn refused to pay because he felt the bill was issued erroneously. When he was told his wages would be garnished, he lashed out at the county tax collector on March 13, 2017, threatening to blow the office up and shoot the tax collector, Craig said. The outburst resulted in a jail stay followed by probation. He first found trouble eight years ago under somewhat similar circumstances. In September 2010, the Standard-Speaker interviewed the Christy family surrounding a protection from abuse order that then-Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin took out against him. Shawn believed he was receiving phone messages from Palin. Shawn said he reached out to Palin, then-President Barack Obama and then-Sen. John McCain for help, When he didn't get a response, he allegedly began sending threats thinking it would get attention and answers. Shawn got attention, via the protection from abuse order that Palin requested. She said he continually contacted her after he was told to stop and even after the PFA was issued. In her defense for the order, Palin said that Shawn visited her home state, she feared him and claimed he was delusional. Craig said Shawn had a full psychiatric evaluation in July 2009 and wasn't declared to be delusional. Shawn claimed she had a sexting relationship with him. Both Shawn and Craig were arrested in Allentown on federal charges in 2011 for making the hundreds of harassing phone calls to the offices of Palin's attorney. They pleaded guilty in federal court to one felony each for making the calls and were sentenced to time served plus five years probation. Craig calls Shawn's history of trouble a cycle of injustice that began with the PFA. All Shawn wanted was to be treated with the same fairness of others, Craig said. "And all he's asking for is the law to work both ways. Not to have selective law. Why should these people be able to get justice and he can't?" Craig questioned. His criminal history is a strike against him, Craig said. It will likely count against him in sentencing on the threats. "When you're a felon, you're a felon for life," Craig said. Shawn longed to find steady work, get married and have his own family. But his criminal history became a barrier, Craig said. He planned on becoming a gunsmith, but his criminal history prevents him from owning or possessing guns. Karen said she can't place him on her car insurance policy because of his past. The injustices Shawn spoke of online got the attention of Celia Harris of Idaho in 2009. She sympathized, claiming she dealt with her own injustices. Harris offered her opinion on Shawn in a phone interview with the Standard-Speaker. She never met Shawn, but through messaging over the years, said he's a "very intelligent" person who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as she does because of the way they feel sabotaged. Craig said he was never diagnosed with the disorder but he doesn't argue that Shawn may have PTSD. Harris said that during times when most would cower, Shawn stood tall and, though he made "idle" threats, he never acted on them. She worries about obstacles he'll confront as a felon facing a new case in the court system. Under the cover "He's very elusive," Deputy Robert Clark, supervisor of the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force said in August. Behind the evasive man, known mostly through news accounts and memes on social media, is another side, his parents say. Karen spoke tenderly of her child, a neat person who cleaned up after himself and their family cats and pet bird. Their only child, he was independent and educated through a traditional home school program until Karen noticed he was bored with the curriculum and found a student-directed home schooling method to challenge him. Shawn was born in a hospital in Voorhees Twp., New Jersey, but raised in Maple Shade, New Jersey, about a 20-minute drive away. Growing up in Maple Shade, he found playmates and instant socialization with a daycare facility next door to his home, his parents said. When the family moved to Pennsylvania in 2006, du to the cost of living, he began to make friends in his teenage years while they lived in Butler Twp. As a child, Shawn enjoyed Christmas and holiday lights. He even won a prize in Maple Shade for decorating the family doghouse. Later, he came to realize that people spend a lot of money on things they don't need, while others starve, Karen said. That revelation changed Shawn. He began to live a more primitive existence, reflected in his family's McAdoo home, void of decoration, save a Native American wolf tapestry hanging from the living room wall. The family bought the home in McAdoo in 2007. Shawn Richard Christy, 27, of McAdoo, Pennsylvania, is arrested Sept. 21, 2018, by federal, state and local authorities in northern Ohio, following a three-month manhunt related to threats against President Donald Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. (U.S. Marshals Service | For NJ Advance Media) All of Shawn's personal possessions can fit in his backpack, which his parents believe he lost during the Maryland leg of the manhunt, Karen said. "He has very little other things," Craig said. He practices Native American beliefs and embodies the characteristics noted in one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's most popular songs, "Simple Man," Craig added. Shawn isn't afraid of hard work. Craig said he cleaned tanks for the fracking industry in Bradford County, climbing into the vessels before removing muck inside them for hours. It wasn't uncommon for him to be covered in dirt at day's end. He can be compassionate, Karen said. Without being asked, Shawn fixed a neighbor's door a few years back after she fell in her home and a rescue attempt involved the door being broken down. Craig said Shawn wants to protect people, and, though he may do things in an unorthodox way, he isn't a bad person. Karen watched him plow through book after book for fun while growing up, and Craig often taught him wilderness survival skills. Shawn built his first debris hut at age 10, a moment his parents captured in a picture displayed in their living room. The hut was made with sticks and leaves and natural debris. Shawn knows how to live off the land, though he's accused of break-ins involving theft of food while on the lam. The manhunt endured as for so long because of survival skills Shawn honed over his life, they said. Shawn practiced his wilderness skills as an adult on his own in other states -- including Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana, his parents said. He worked for a casino in Bozeman, Montana, and even offered Montana Public Radio an interview as they worked on a story about the homeless in 2017, Karen said. In the woods is where he feels at peace, his parents said. That's where he was when law enforcement came to his family's door on rear South Harrison Street in June to arrest him, they said. Craig said Shawn's attorney in the matter told him he didn't need to appear in court, so Shawn went into the woods. "That's how he did so good out there," Craig said. He never returned home. Instead, law enforcement officials say he hid while they searched. His parents believe Shawn was playing tag with law enforcement as he crossed state lines on the run as his story circulated nationwide. Though they uncovered some information from phone conversations with Shawn after his arrest and sparse information gleaned from the two Facebook postings and a Facebook message Shawn wrote two weeks prior to his capture, Karen said she and Craig don't know many answers regarding his flight. They still have many questions for Shawn, like why did he return to the U.S. from Canada, where they say he visited a native reservation. Shawn's great-grandfather was part Mohawk, but that's his only known connection. Craig said he actually went to Montreal and Quebec, too, before coming back stateside. "We don't know all the answers," Karen said. Craig said he and Karen designed a "soft surrender" plan at their home early in the search and offered to help officers find him. The Christys went searching for him and came frustratingly close to him a few times, finding camps, footprints and clothing he left behind, Craig said. They wanted him to surrender and warned sympathizers not to assist him evading law enforcement. After his arrest, Shawn spoke to his parents from the jailhouse phone, saying he moved mostly during the night and they believe he had access to multiple cellphones while on the run. While hiding in the woods, he likely took cover in thick vegetation to conceal himself. Craig said Shawn cried often while on the run, if not for the isolation and homesickness, for the physical toll it took on his body resulting in a knee injury and two teeth that need to be pulled, according to Craig. Craig said he initially turned Shawn into authorities when he saw the threatening Facebook posts about Trump on his page, but assumed a few law enforcement officers would simply come to the home and talk to him. Instead, he said, they showed up with a search warrant and a large police presence. The Christys thought the search was overblown, claiming their home was smashed, two family cats were injured and another was killed when the arrest warrant was served. Though labeled as a threat by police, Karen and Craig don't believe Shawn would hurt anyone or act on the statements he allegedly made. He allegedly was in another state during the manhunt on Aug. 2, when Trump spoke at Mohegan Sun Area to support U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta's Senate campaign in Wilkes-Barre Twp., about 30 miles north of Christy's home. Craig said guns allegedly taken by Shawn on the run were used to hunt game for food. Shawn's story was covered at first only by local media, but as it endured through three months, made national news with coverage on CNN, Reuters, Newsweek and the Washington Post. He amassed 4,500 followers on a Facebook page that calls him a "political prisoner" and has a GoFundMe page for his legal expenses. Shawn was the subject of social media memes and other parodies which Karen and Craig said helped ease the stress, especially when witnessing the death threats made against their son while on the run. At times, Craig said, the reason for Shawn's actions seemed overshadowed or dismissed in the mainstream media and, like many people accused of a crime, he got dehumanized in the court of public opinion. "Shawn was just your average every day guy who was forced to act out because of the injustice against him," he said. He awaits transfer to Pennsylvania where he will answer charges against him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. TROPHIES After 45 years of providing baked goods to the Easton community and beyond, the owners of Easton Baking Co. closed the business for good last weekend. Mitzi, George and Patty Mosellie, who took over the Seventh Street bakery from their parents, said they want to spend more time with their mother Bessie, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Long-time customers waited in line Saturday and Sunday to get their last helpings. The Mosellies said they had no plans yet to sell the bakery, known for its cookies, danishes, special-occasion cakes, doughnuts and tomato pies. "These folks here aren't customers, they're our extended family," Mitzi Mosellie said. Wilson Borough resident Robert Hare hasn't forgotten a school chum he lost 25 years ago. Curt Moatz, then a recent Penn State grad, died in 1993 in a car driven by a friend who was drunk. His friends organized a tribute to him at Jeffrey Park, a black granite memorial. This week Hare received permission from borough council to freshen up the memorial with new bushes and mulch. He plans to add a plaque describing Moatz's "contagious smile, positive attitude and kind spirit," and hold a rededication. Animal lovers in the Lehigh Valley responded to the plight of 71 beagles rescued from a home in Upper Saucon Township, donating a stockpile of dog food to the Lehigh County Humane Society. The dogs, many of them sickly, undernourished and flea-ridden, were discovered by police responding to a noise complaint. The Humane Society reported that people had donated more than $7,000, along with food and other items. The dogs won't be available for adoption until they're been examined, treated and returned to good health. The society has reached its capacity for donated supplies and is now looking for volunteers and truck owners to move some of the goods. For information, check the society's facebook page. TURKEYS The town of Phillipsburg has charged weekend visitors nearly $3,500 since last summer to park in a town-leased lot, despite a stipulation by NJTransit, the property owner, that no parking fees be collected. In 2016 a previous town council voted to allow parking fees at the lot on South Main Street, which is used by tourists visiting popular train rides. Last March the town council passed an ordinance intended to clear up the situation, saying no lot users may be charged. Nonetheless, about $1,800 was collected in the last six months. Asked about that, Mayor Stephen Ellis said the fees have been discontinued and anyone who was charged is eligible for reimbursement. Just how the town will track down or identify those owing refunds is still unclear. "Neighbor spoofing" is the latest ploy by robocallers to fool unwitting victims, using phone numbers that show up on caller-ID as local calls. Attorneys general around the nation, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gurbir Grewal of New Jersey, are asking the Federal Communications Commission to give phone service providers the authority to work together to block the illegal solicitations. Last year the FTC logged 4.5 million illegal robocall complaints, two and a half times more than in 2014. The prosecutors say scammers using robocalls are estimated to have stolen $9.5 billion from consumers in 2017. 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. St Brigids Primary School in Kildare Town will welcome teachers from France, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy and Bulgaria as part of theirinvolement in the eTwinning project this year. It is described as an opportunity to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share ideas and feel part of an exciting learning community. The five teachers from primary schools in France, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy and Bulgaria will visit the school from October 15 to 18 We will demonstrate lessons in the classroom bringing awareness to our culture, said school PRO Elishe Burke Our visitors will take part in a Weaving workshop, a tin whistle lesson, a Ceili mor and a tour of Kildare Town with Mario Corrigan and much more. We are looking forward to learning from our European neighbors while sharing our best practices with them. A team of teachers along with Principal Mr Fleming and organiser Ms Nugent are busy preparing for the event. E Twinning offers a platform for staff working in a school in one of the European countries involved, to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting learning community in Europe said the programme operators. Students at Scoil Mhuire welcomed the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Sharon Donnery to the school last Friday. She was there because of the schools competition, Generation uro, where the Central Bank of Ireland engages with secondary level students to increase understanding of economic issues and the work of the Central Bank. Ms Donnery recognised the achievement of Scoil Mhuires Generation uro team. Generation uro encourages students to explore and engage with important economic issues at a European level. Competing against 84 teams from Ireland, Scoil Mhuire impressively made their way to Round 2 of this years competition. Ms Donnery met students and talked about economic issues and working at the Central Bank of Ireland. The Central Bank recently launched the opportunity for students to earn and learn through its Scholarship Programme in conjunction with Griffith College Dublin. Those who are accepted on the programme, will earn over 25,000 per annum working full-time with the Central Bank, while completing their college course. In addition, its graduate recruitment programme which is designed to identify and nurture talent, is open for applications from third level students. Ms Donnery said; We always enjoy getting out to meet students around Ireland and we always find we gain plenty of insights and information from students whose knowledge continues to impress me. She presented the school a collector coin, produced by the Central Bank, which celebrates the writing and career of Jonathan Swift. THE EXPERT behind University Hospital Limericks probe into 73 patient deaths has said the superbug crisis threatens us with the dawn of a post-antibiotic era, undoing many of the gains made in public health over the last century. The stark warning was made by UK microbiologist Dr Robert C Spencer, who was tasked with determining the correlation between the severe CPE superbug and the deaths of 73 UHL inpatients since 2009. The UL Hospitals Group published a final report this Tuesday morning, revealing that CPE was an associative factor in eight deaths, and did not contribute directly to any deaths since the bug was first detected in 2009. The report was the culmination of expert internal and external reviews that were carried out between June and December 2017. UL Hospitals Groups chief clinical director, Prof Paul Burke said that probes were launched following a major spotlight on the issue, particularly in the media, due to suggestions that patients may have been at increased risk because of its presence in our hospitals. The publics gaze darted towards UHL in November 2016 when the Irish Times reported that a whistleblower claimed up to 30 patients had died as a result of the CPE superbug. This was strongly rejected by Prof Burke in the media. The findings of the UL Hospitals Group report were discussed at a press conference at UHL this Tuesday morning. An internal probe, led by UHL consultant microbiologist Dr Nuala OConnell, found that CPE contributed directly to three deaths, and was a factor in a further 10 cases. Dr Spencer, who was unaware of these findings during his review, found that CPE was an associative factor in just five deaths. In December, Prof Burke contacted Dr Spencer to reconcile both findings, resulting in the final figure of eight patients. Speaking to the media this week, Dr Spencer said: All the patients had underlying diseases, often multiple. Thats why its very, very difficult for people to say what did they die of. He added: Its very, very difficult to say which was the cause of death. I talk about an association or a contribution to death. Thats why, I suppose you could say, its somewhat woolly, its not definitive. Of the 73 patient records reviewed, it was found that 28 patients had heart disease, 25 had respiratory disease, 17 had hypertension, 11 had dementia, 10 had malignancies, nine patients had diabetes, six had gastrointestinal problems, five had cerebrovascular accidents, three had renal disease, two suffered from alcoholism, one person had motor neuron disease and one patient had chronic collagen disease. From February 2009 to May 2017, a total of 196 CPE cases were recorded by the microbiology team at UHL, the majority of which were colonisation cases or carriers. CPE, which means carbapenemase producing enterobacteriaceae, is a superbug that has the strength to resist even the most powerful of antibiotics, and has proven to be a threat to modern acute healthcare settings and, furthermore, human health. The first CPE superbug in Ireland was detected at UHL by a team of microbiologists, who created awareness on the new phenomenon through extensive research in Ireland and internationally. UL Hospitals Group CEO, Prof Colette Cowan commended the UHL team for the work they contributed to Irish healthcare. They did a lot of work for the country, in my view, in getting CPE on the radar. I think that it was groundbreaking. It was a first for Limerick, maybe not like the All-Ireland, but it was still a first that this bug was identified in the region. There has been a lot of learning. They have presented internationally on it at conferences on all the work that they did here in the region, she told the media this week. UHL is one of the leading hospitals in detecting and managing CPE, and has carried out more than 41,000 screenings since mid-2017. Prof Cowan said that screening is a very expensive resource but that the group is happy to spend that money. She said that, in 2015, they spent 4.5m on staffing, hygiene standards and cleanliness and that that figure is growing year-on-year. Dr Spencer said: The screening procedure is not easy; its onerous. Its an enormous strain on resources, in terms of manpower, equipment and laboratory costs, but adds that the UL Hospitals Group team believe it all to be worthwhile. Of the eight families of deceased patients, seven have been contacted, Prof Burke said. Five families met with management, while two chose not to. We have only sent the report to the families in the last 48 hours. We obviously had spoken to them about their own particular circumstances. We havent had any feedback specifically on the report. In meeting the families, many of them did bring up issues related to when their loved one was in hospital. They had some outstanding queries and we have undertaken to correspond with them and to follow up with those things, he said. When asked if he could discuss some of their concerns or queries, he replied: No, they are personal things with each family. I would prefer not to discuss those. There has only been one paediatric case since 2009 when a young girl, aged between 0 and 10, had attended healthcare in Italy. In his conclusion in his report, Dr Spencer wrote: This [CPE] crisis threatens us with the dawn of a post-antibiotic era, undoing many of the gains made in public health over the last century. FOR the first time in Going For Gold history two County Limerick communities in went home with the grand prize of 10,000. Members of the Athea and Kilteely Tidy Towns committees, leapt for joy when MC Richard Lynch made the announcement at the Limerick Strand Hotel on Tuesday night. This year we decided to do a first, and for the first time here in Going for Gold, youre both getting 10,000! Mr Lynch hollered, with the historic announcement receiving rapturous applause. Kilteelys performances in previous Going for Gold competitions have improved every year and in the committees tenth year their painstaking efforts were finally recognised, seizing the well-earned prize of 10,000. The was no rest for the wicked for Kilteely Tidy Towns John McCarthy who was unable to sleep after the celebrations. I went to bed at two oclock, and I woke up at ten to five in the morning, and I got up because I couldn't sleep with the excitement of the night, he laughed. It meant so much to me, Ive been pushing this for the past ten years, and we have raised our standards every year, it was a wonderful achievement, Mr McCarthy rejoiced. Wildcard finalists Atheas efforts in helping the environment through innovative measures such as self-watering flower pots and the conversion of an unused telephone box to a defibrillator were deemed a massive advantage in earning the judges vote.But Damien Ahern of the Athea Tidy Towns committee said it was hard to believe his village had won the 10,000 prize. We didnt expect to win it at all, but we put in a lot of work, and we were lucky a lot of volunteers came on board, and they have made a huge difference for the overall look of the village, Mr Ahern beamed. Mr Ahern was also elated to secure an extra 500 for himself and the community after winning the #loveyourlimerick photo competition for his photographs of a snowy Athea. I was delighted, it was during the snow this year, and I went out at 5 oclock in the morning and took some lovely pictures of the village, it was a great night for all, he added. Liam MacCarthy was an esteemed guest of honour of the evening who garnered a lengthy queue for a photo-op with attendees. Gerry Boland, of the JP MacManus Foundation who back the awards, described the Going For Gold prizes as not as elusive, as the prestigious All-Ireland trophies and he commended the massive commitment given by the volunteers for their communities and county in the pursuit of local excellence. I am conscious of the Trojan work conducted by the many volunteers in other areas and of the particular success which you have achieved in improving the environment and landscape of city and county in which we live, Mr Boland concluded. A whopping total pot of over 80,000 across all categories was funded by Limerick City and County Council and the JP McManus charitable foundation. Mayor James Collins encouraged all communities to: Cherish this positive can-do attitude you foster in your communities. We are recognising your valuable contribution and it is that we are here honouring tonight. Nurturing community spirit and fostering civic pride are an important part of Limerick Going for Gold, he added. Richard Barry, Chairman of Tallanstown Tidy Towns in County Louth along with retired Director of Limerick City and County Council, Jimmy Feane acted as the judges. Mr Barry stated: I must say Ive been really impressed with the work carried out in the communities and especially the improvements that Ive seen in the past 12 months. Eugene Phelan, editor of the Limerick Leader newspaper, who are one of the media sponsors of the event, acknowledged: Along with the annual Team Limerick Clean-up on every Good Friday, the Going for Gold initiative, is helping transform Limerick city and county. Both events are helping bring communities in Limerick city and county closer together with the aim of making their towns, villages and districts, better places for all to live in, added Mr Phelan. HOUSING is the key issue in the budget for next year, with Limericks opposition TDs rounding on the government for what they see as not doing enough for hard pressed families. Deputies Jan OSullivan and Maurice Quinlivan have also turned fire on Fianna Fail, who had a key hand in the Budget, given the confidence and supply which keeps Fine Gael in power. In Budget 2019, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe pledged 10,000 new social housing units, as well as unveiling plans to deliver 6,000 affordable homes state-wide. But Labours housing spokesperson Ms OSullivan criticised the fact only 2,000 homes a year will be delivered under these proposals. Thats for everyone up to a couple on an income of 75,000. Youre talking about a huge chunk of the population who cannot afford to get a mortgage, are paying rents they cannot afford and they are in that income category and theres only 2,000 homes a year across the whole country. Youd find 2,000 and more in Limerick very easily who would want to avail of this affordable housing scheme, she said. She said despite the ministers claim that 10,000 new social houses are being delivered, in effect, it amounts to an increase of just 400 units. Fellow Limerick TD Maurice Quinlivan, Sinn Fein, has accused both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail of turning their backs on those in social and affordable housing need. Despite the hyped up Fianna Fail rhetoric that Budget 2019 would be a housing budget, the figures indicate that only a paltry additional 120m has been allocated for capital investment in housing for 2019 above existing commitments, he said. He accused Fine Gael again of over reliance on the private rented sector. They could have sided with the tens of thousands unable to access secure or affordable housing. They could have stood with the homeless, those on council waiting lists or those struggling to rent or buy. Instead, they turned their backs on those in need, Mr Quinlivan added. Labour TD Ms OSullivan believes there is a 40% chance of a general election this side of Christmas, pinpointing Friday, December 7. She believes that with the polls favouring Leo Varadkars charges, it allowed Fianna Fails impact on Budget 2019 to be lessened, saying: I would see this as very much a Fine Gael philosophy budget, in terms of relying on the private sector, in terms of the tax breaks being more focused on the higher earners, rather than lower earners. The TD illustrated this by pointing out those on the minimum wage stand to receive just 15c extra per week, while those with an annual income of 70,500 will get 5.47 extra weekly. I think Fianna Fail should be very disappointed, she added. But the partys flagbearer in the city, Willie ODea said it was at his suggestion there was a 5 rise across the board in social welfare payments. You can see Fianna Fails fingerprints all over this, he said. Niall Collins added: We sought an increase in the capital allocation for social housing and a significant package for affordable housing. I feel this is our influence on it. You can say what you like about Fianna Fail, but in government, we knew how to build houses. We never presided over the housing and homelessness crisis this government has done, the Limerick TD said. As for Limerick, the budgetary plan confirms the motorway connecting the city of Limerick with Cork will advance to the early planning stage in 2019. In a move which will boost Troy Studios in Plassey, Mr Donohoe announced an extension to the film corporation tax credit from 2020 to December 2024 - with time limited regional uplift of 5% over four years. And the Shannon Foynes Port Company are to receive share in finance of 587m to improve Irish connectivity - along with Dublin and Cork ports. Senator Kieran ODonnell said of the Budget: Its looking to improve the standards of living for people across a range of areas, in terms of the widening of the tax bands, the reduction in the 4.75% USC rate, the increase in the minimum wage, and the increase in the home carers credit. Then obviously, its a budget in the whole area of investment. Fine Gael TD Tom Neville welcomed news that the self-employed will qualify for job seekers allowance. Its a very welcome development and will particularly provide greater security to many of those small business operators who work hard to create jobs and generate revenue in their local economy, he said. There has been criticism from Limerick hoteliers at Mr Donohoes move to increase the lower VAT rate on tourism related businesses from 9% to 13.5%. Brian Harrington, the chairman of the Irish Hotels Federation Shannon branch said: Ireland will now have a higher tourism VAT rate than 26 countries in Europe with which we compete. We are already a very high cost economy by international standards so it is astonishing that the government is now imposing additional taxes on tourists and making our country less attractive as a destination. But Frank McDonald, the honorary president of Siptu in Limerick, welcomed the move. He said: We regard the hospitality sector as the hostility sector. Their workers are among the most neglected in the whole country. This VAT rate never helped any of our workers in the industry they never saw a penny increase. We gave them a leg up, while they wouldnt help the employees at all. Pat Begley, of the Limerick Senior Citizens Forum, believes the third Budget of the current Dail did not do any good at all for older people in the community. They didn't increase the fuel allowance. Nights are getting colder, but coal and gas prices are rising, he argued. Ramesh was among the lawmakers who protested and escalated their demand for the special status category to Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh, who is in Delhi, said, 'It is a clear-cut case of political vendetta. In fact, The Prime Minister himself warned us right inside Parliament about consequences since we have been fighting for the states rights. The I-T raids are a result of the warning.' (Photo: File) New Delhi: Income tax department continued tax raids overnight at the residential properties and offices of Telegu Desam Party leader CM Ramesh in Hyderabad and Kadapa. He said that the raids were a political vendetta. The raids started on Friday when multiple locations, including the office of a company owned by Rameshs relative, were raided. Tax officials conducted searches at his business premises at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, Amravati and Kadapa and also at Rithwik Projects, a company Ramesh owns. Ramesh, who is in Delhi, said, It is a clear-cut case of political vendetta. In fact, The Prime Minister himself warned us right inside Parliament about consequences since we have been fighting for the states rights. The I-T raids are a result of the warning. The Telugu Desam Party also condemned the raids. CM Ramesh, who is a Rajya Sabha lawmaker, was elected to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in August. He said he had declared an income of Rs 200 crore in last four years and paid all his taxes. Earlier this year, TDP broke its ties with Narendra Modi-led NDA over Centres refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh was among the lawmakers who protested and escalated their demand for the special status category. The TDP broke away from the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earlier this year over the centre's refusal to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh. THE curtain has not even come up yet on this years Richard Harris International Film Festival in Limerick and already plans are firmly in place for growth in 2019. The festival, which expanded to five days last year and which has unveiled a strong, vibrant and diverse offering for its sixth outing this October, intends to expand to a seven-day event when it returns next year. It has seen supported this year as part of the Global Irish festival series, a joint initiative between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Failte Ireland, along with the I.NY Festival, which is running in Limerick this week, plus support from Limerick City and County Council. Festival director Zeb Moore said it has drawn in over 250 movies from 27 countries throughout the world, of which we will screen over 130 over the five day period. We are welcoming people from all over the world - we have people returning from Australia, South Africa, North America and we now have Diaspora travelling from Canada and the Ukraine, which is very important as we are part of the Global Irish festival series, he added. The film festival has had a Diaspora focus since year one and it is, in Moores words, a great coup for us to be picked for the pilot programme. The Harris festival will screen a wide variety of premieres, documentaries, hosting live script reads, acting masterclasses and welcoming stars such as Patrick Bergin and Cass Warner, granddaughter of Harry Warner of the Warner Bros empire. We have a really strong, vibrant and diverse festival offering and our awards night will be a big spectacle, Zeb added. In 2019,the festival will be extended to seven days in order to showcase more emerging film-makers. It will also establish a new TV drama writers room to bring writers of all backgrounds and experience from all around the world to Limerick to write the next great long-form drama series in a US writers room style environment and residency. The festival runs from October 25-29. See www.richardharrisfilmfestival.com for more. A PARADE of light, a night swim and a lantern making workshop are just three of the events taking place as part of a new Halloween Festival in Limerick. Lumen Street Theatre has teamed up with Limerick Council and a number of other bodies to develop the Samhain festival, a free, three-day celebration of all things Halloween. The festival is completely free, with the first event taking place on Thursday, October 25, at FabLab in Rutland Street. This will see Michael Fortune give a presentation on the origins of Halloween in Ireland. The Curragower Boat Club will on Friday, October 26, at 5pm, host a lantern making workshop, before a NightSwim, organised by Swimmable Limerick will take place from outside at 6.30pm. The final day of the festival will see a shadow puppet workshop taking place in City Hall, followed by a dress rehearsal for the main Samhain Parade, which will bring the curtain down on the celebration. Up to 100 lanterns will be released into the River Shannon, providing a spectacular vista on the dark October night. Its aim is to banish the darkness and remember the souls of loved ones during Halloween. Speaking at the launch of the festival in FabLab this Monday, Martin Shannon, Lumen Street Theatre, said: We saw a gap in the market. We wanted to create a festival which is unique, but family friendly. All of the events listed might seem spooky and scary, but they are aimed at children but adults can come as well! Its a small festival, but we want it to grow. Mayor James Collins said the funding to Lumen was provided from the councillors group. We all wanted a festival around Halloween. We wanted something which was family friendly, which would appeal to the younger kids something spooky, but not too scary, he said. We want to create more festivals and events, but we also want to promote the creative people we have in Limerick too. This will be inclusive, but most of all allowing people to have a bit of fun at Halloween, the mayor added. All festival events are free, but donations will be very welcome. For more information, call 087-2240182 or visit www.facebook.com/Samhain- Limericks-Halloween-Festival Iconic animals (Image credit: NPS) The great American West has many symbolic icons, ranging from endless horizons and spectacular sunsets, to the lonely cowboy riding his horse through immeasurable miles of sagebrush and the stately saguaro cactus silhouetted in the light of dusk against the western sky. Yet, arguably another remarkable icon native to North America could be added to this emblematic list that is the three species of bighorn sheep. From history (Image credit: NPS) Zoologists believe that the ancestors of the modern bighorn sheep crossed into North America from Siberia using the Bering Land Bridge, shown here, during the Pleistocene epoch some 750,000 years ago. At the time, the Bering Land Bridge was some 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) wide, north to south, and people, flora and fauna, including bighorn sheep, freely moved across it. The bighorn sheep was one of 22 species of mammals, some of which were the musk ox (Ovibos moschatus), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), moose (Alces alces) and woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), that migrated into the Americas from Eurasia. Family ties (Image credit: NPS) Three distinct species of wild mountain sheep came into North America during this time the Siberian snow sheep (Ovis nivicola), the Dall sheep (Ovis dalli) and the largest of the wild sheep known as the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis). Through the centuries, the Rocky Mountain bighorn spread southward along the mountain ranges into Baja California and the northwestern edge of modern-day Mexico. Zoologists now recognize seven subspecies of bighorn sheep in North America. Strong and nimble (Image credit: NPS) Male Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep can grow to weigh over 300 pounds (136 kilograms) and stand over 3 feet (1 meter) tall at their shoulders. Females tend to be only half the size of the males. These gregarious animals are most at home in the alpine meadows and grassy mountain slopes, but they never stray far from the protective rocky, rugged cliffs and bluffs. During the warm summer months, they graze at elevations ranging from 6,000 to 8,500 feet (1,829 to 2,591 m), but they frequent elevations between 2,500 and 5,000 feet (762 and 1,524 m) during the cold and snowy winter months. Family life (Image credit: BLM) Rutting season for the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep lasts from mid-autumn through early winter. Females breed once a year and have a gestation period of between five and six months. Females will find an isolated area to give birth to no more than two lambs. The young lambs quickly learn to walk and follow their mothers along the rocky terrains in which they must learn to successfully navigate. Mothers will nurse their lambs for four to five months. Male bighorn sheep play no role in raising the lambs. Shows of power (Image credit: NPS) Most unique to bighorn males is the vicious head-to-head combat for breeding dominance that occurs during the rutting season. The horn size of the bighorn rams is a symbol of power and breeding privilege. Dominant males carry horns that weigh upwards of 30 pounds (14 kg). A large male can smash into his opponent at speeds up to 20 mph (32 km/h) with some battles for dominance lasting up to 25 hours. Males do not defend territory and only engage in head butting for mating rights to an estrous female. Made for the battle (Image credit: NPS) Bighorn sheep have double-layered skulls that help protect the brain from the blows of rutting combat. They also have a series of massive tendons that attach the skull to the backbone and allow the head to recoil as it absorbs the blow from another battling ram. Younger males usually do not rise to mating status until at least 7 years of age. Quick growth (Image credit: NPS) Within a few weeks of birth, young bighorn sheep form a herd of their own. They seek out their mothers only to suckle; even so they remain nearby their mothers for protection from potential predators. Since bighorn sheep can quickly scale steep mountains with perilous ledges as small as only 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide, they can usually escape the coyotes, mountain lions, golden eagles and bears with which they share their mountain environment. Adapting to environment (Image credit: NPS) A subspecies of the bighorn sheep family is the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni). These bighorn sheep have adapted to the arid desert mountain environment and range from the Mojave Desert of Nevada and California, eastward through the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and continue to be found in the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas and northern Mexico. Desert bighorn sheep tend to have slightly smaller bodies, longer legs and lighter coats than their larger Rocky Mountain bighorn cousins; but the male's massive horns can be just as spectacular. Evolving to survive (Image credit: NPS) Like all desert animals, the desert bighorn sheep have adapted to their environments lack of free-standing water. They have evolved a nine-stage digestive process that allows for the maximum absorption of both nutrients and moisture from the grasses and other vegetation that they eat. Even with this extremely efficient digestive process, desert bighorn sheep must seek out standing water to drink every two to three days. Revered creatures (Image credit: NPS) Throughout history, bighorn sheep have played a prominent role in the indigenous cultures of North America. Their ability to survive in some of the West's most inhospitable environments earned them an honorable place in the mythology of Native Americans. Because many native cultures saw the bighorn sheep as a food source, the animals were considered sacred. They were associated with the sky and were often viewed as guardian spirits. They are commonly depicted across the American West on panels of Native American petroglyphs. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India's election to the Council was all but certain. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. (Photo: File) United Nations/ New Delhi: India was elected to the United Nations' top human rights body for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates. The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections for new members to the UN Human Rights Council. The 18 new members were elected by absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council. India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India's election to the Council was all but certain. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin told PTI that India's win reflects the country's standing in the international community. Following the election, Akbaruddin tweeted "Voting for a Happy Outcome. Thanks to the support of all our friends @UN , India wins seat to Human Rights Council with highest votes among all candidates." The new members will serve a term of three years beginning January 1, 2019. India had previously been elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 term. Its last tenure had ended on December 31, 2017 and in accordance with the rules, it was not eligible for immediate re-election since it had already served two consecutive terms. Created by the Assembly in March 2006 as the principal United Nations body dealing with human rights, the Human Rights Council comprises 47 elected Member States. On the basis of equitable geographical distribution, Council seats are allocated to the five regional groups as follows: African States, 13 seats; Asia-Pacific States, 13 seats; Eastern European States, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean States, 8 seats; and Western European and other States, 7 seats. All five of the General Assembly's regional groups had submitted competition-free slates, meaning that all candidates, regardless of their rights records, were virtually assured seats on the council. On the eve of the elections, rights group Human Rights Watch had said UN member countries should oppose the candidacies of the Philippines and Eritrea for the Human Rights Council because of their "egregious human rights records". Serious rights violations in Bahrain and Cameroon also raise significant concerns, it said. Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet assumed the role of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September this year, succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who had in June this year released a first ever report on Kashmir that was rejected by India. A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier has been arrested for stealing a debit card while delivering mail, according to Laredo police. Jose Luis Diaz, 29, was served with an arrest warrant Thursday. He was charged with credit or debit card abuse. He remained behind bars as of Friday afternoon at the Webb County Jail, custody records show. His status with the postal service is listed as non-duty. On Sept. 1, a woman reported to police that her TXU Energy Mastercard debit card was shipped to her, but she never got it. She then found out that the card was used for fraudulent purchases at a local grocery store, according to police. Crimes against property investigators recovered a copy of a surveillance video that showed the transaction. Police described the suspect as a Hispanic man with light complexion. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans while making the purchase with the stolen debit card, according to police. LPD disseminated images of the incident through their Facebook page. Then, police said they received multiple anonymous tips. "These tips indicated that the suspect caught on camera was employed at the local post office. After further investigation it was confirmed that the suspect caught on the surveillance cameras conducting an unauthorized purchase with the stolen debit card was a U.S. Postal (Service) mail carrier, police said in a statement. Diaz allegedly admitted to investigators that he took the card while delivering mail. A Mexican national who operated a stash house in Laredo has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison, the maximum he could get for his role in an immigrant smuggling venture that ended with the deaths of 10 people in 2017. Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra said he would have given Pedro Silva Segura, 47, a sentence of 30 to 40 years in prison if he had been found guilty at trial. But since he entered a plea bargain, the judges hands were tied. Basically, what this defendant did is he traded in the lives of these individuals for cash, the judge said at the sentencing. Silva dropped off five immigrants in Laredo who were later loaded into a tractor-trailer containing dozens of other people who were transported north by trucker James Matthew Bradley Jr., 62. In late July 2017, Bradley pulled the tractor-trailer over at a South Side Walmart, where San Antonio police found 39 immigrants inside or near the unair-conditioned trailer suffering from dehydration or worse. Of the 39, eight were dead on scene, and two more were pronounced dead at area hospitals. The remaining 19 remained hospitalized for several days, including two that Silva had dropped off to be loaded into the trailer. They helped Homeland Security Investigations agents identify Silva, according to Silvas lawyer, Adriana Arce-Flores. At Wednesdays sentencing, Ezra said the victims were locked in the sweltering trailer without water to the point where they literally cooked alive. Ezra said he believed the feds could have charged Silva with something else that could have brought a higher sentence, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Playton said Silva pleaded guilty to the highest count in his indictment. Well, it isnt high enough, Ezra said. People died a horrible death. Arce-Flores said her client did not know the cooling unit on the trailer was not working because he dropped off his five immigrants where someone else picked them up and delivered them to the trailer. Im very regretful for what happened, Silva told Ezra. If it had been within my (control), I would not have let those people suffer like they did. Silva pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants resulting in death, the same charge as Bradley. But unlike Bradley, Silvas recommended sentencing guideline range was far lower because of legalities in federal law and Silvas role was different from Bradleys. Bradley scored a recommended sentence of life in prison, and Ezra sentenced him to that in April. Silvas guideline range was seven years, three months to nine years in prison. Silva will serve his sentence and then be deported. Silva also forfeited $2,000 that investigators seized from him. A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal crash that occurred Thursday during an apparent human smuggling attempt in west Laredo, authorities said. Jose Antonio Martinez Saucedo, 20, was served with three warrants late Thursday. He was charged with three counts of accident involving injury or death. Martinez Saucedo, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, claimed to be a member of the criminal gang Paisas and a former associate of the Zetas drug cartel, according to booking records. LPD said it has also identified a second suspect as Jose Angel Cisneros, 22. He is wanted on the same charges as Martinez Saucedo. His last known address was in the 400 block of Morales Street in El Cenizo. To reports his whereabouts, call police at 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Calls through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. At about 10:50 a.m., Martinez Saucedo and Cisneros were traveling in a Dodge Ram when it crashed into a Kia Soul near Santa Maria Avenue and Pace Street. Ana Lee Soto, 25, an occupant in the Kia, was pronounced dead after she was taken to Laredo Medical Center. Her mother, Lydia Garcia Velarde, 58, was taken to a San Antonio hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, police said Friday. A man who was in the bed of the Dodge was taken to Doctors Hospital for treatment, authorities said. LPD had said the Dodge may have been transporting undocumented immigrants at the time of the crash. Several people ran from the scene following the crash, police said. An investigation continues. Dassault negotiated for years with Indias state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the order, with the jets being jointly built in India. Paris: Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of the government in the 2016 deal to buy Rafale fighter jets from France, which critics say unfairly profited a key backer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at a briefing in Paris, Ms Sitharaman reiterated the governments claim that it had no idea the jets builder, Dassault Aviation, would team up with Reliance Group, run by Anil Ambani. We are very clear: With the government of France, we agreed to purchase 36 Rafale aircraft in flyaway condition, Ms Sitharaman said. And in an intergovernmental agreement, there are no mentions of any individual firms, she said. The offset obligation maybe mandatory, but the names of the company are not mandatory, she said ahead of a visit to Dassault factory where Rafale fighter jets are being manufactured for India. Dismissing Congress allegations that she has gone to France on a cover-up exercise, the minister insisted that the government had no part in the selection of Reliance Defence as a joint venture partner in the Rafale deal. Several reports say Dassault was forced to choose Reliance by Mr Modi, despite its having almost no experience in the aviation sector. On the eve of Ms Sitharamans visit French investigative website Mediapart quoted the notes of a meeting between Dassault management and workers representatives which described the choice of Reliance as imperative and compulsory. Pressed on whether India would go ahead with the deal amid a chorus of crony capitalism claims and complaints filed by Indian anti-corruption groups, Ms Sitharaman adopted a more combative tone. It is more for the companies which have chosen A, B or C as their partners to answer questions if there are any, she said. Dassault on Wednesday contested the Mediapart report, saying it had freely chosen to form a joint venture with Reliance. But that stance was contradicted recently by former French President Francois Hollande, under whose watch the Rafale deal was signed. Mr Hollande said last month that France had no choice but to join with Reliance after it was pushed by the Indian government - comments which were seized upon by the Opposition Congress. The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the 36-aircraft deal, saying the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over `1,670 crore as against `526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating the deal. Under Indian defence procurement rules, foreign companies winning contracts must offset or reinvest half the total value in this case around eight billion euros - in joint ventures or purchases with Indian firms. Dassault Aviations CEO Eric Trappier told AFP that a joint factory with Reliance in Nagpur represented around 10 per cent of the roughly four billion euros of offset investments. Were in talks with about 100 Indian firms, including around 30 with which weve already confirmed partnerships, he said. Dassault negotiated for years with Indias state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the order, with the jets being jointly built in India. But those talks were cancelled after Mr Modi took office, when he decided to purchase the jets directly from France. A former member of the Bandidos in San Antonio was sentenced to five years probation Friday for his role in the clubs racketeering conspiracy, including helping plan a murder 16 years ago. This may be, and I think it is, the first time that I ever awarded a probated sentence to someone engaged in activity leading up to a murder, U.S. District Judge David Ezra said after he sentenced Andrew Gomez, 52. Gomez pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering for his role in the death of Robert Lara, who was lured to a rest area in January 2002 south of San Antonio, where other Bandidos shot him over the killing of Bandido Javier Negrete at a San Antonio pool hall in late 2001. Gomez faced a maximum of 10 years in prison, but prosecutors filed a motion asking Ezra for leniency. RELATED: Body of missing driver recovered in Hill Country flooding It was that recommendation that helped persuade Ezra to impose the lesser sentence. He said he also was swayed because Gomez wasnt the shooter and hes turning his life around. I had to get over some of my own views in order to come to the conclusion that it was the right thing to do, the judge said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs said Gomez was important in solving the cold case and gave investigators a first-hand account of the drug-dealing and other crimes involving the Bandidos, including the extortion of ex-members like Gomez, who was violently kicked out of the club in 2005. After he was kicked out, Gomez said, he and his family were subjected to shooting attempts and assaults. At one point, one of the Bandidos held a gun to his sons head. Fuchs said Gomez was approached by the government more than 10 years after he had been kicked out and was no longer involved in criminal activity. RELATED: Shocking verdict in S.A. case involving toddlers with STD We approached him and he pretty quickly agreed to cooperate and gave us confirmation of what we thought what happened, and helped us with other pieces of the puzzle, Fuchs said. It really gave us the ability to charge those who had pulled the trigger and those who gave the orders. Gomez is the last ex-Bandido from San Antonio to be sentenced after testifying in this springs three-month trial of the Bandidos two former top leaders, national president Jeffrey Fay Pike, 63, of Conroe, and John Xavier Portillo, 59, of San Antonio. Ezra sentenced the pair two weeks ago to life in prison without parole. Gomezs lawyer, Mike McCrum, said Gomez turned his life around and demonstrated in the last 10 years that his chances of recidivism are frankly, zero. Gomez, who was vice president of the Southwest San Antonio chapter under Portillo in 2002 and went by the nickname Corky, apologized to his family. He also apologized for his role in taking Laras life. He said he questioned the Bandidos tactics during his membership and was beaten severely during a motorcycle run in New Mexico when he was kicked out. I confronted Mr. Portillo because I disagreed on his methods...in organized crime and how they did things, Gomez told the judge. They had been given orders to assassinate me. They did not succeed, but I was hospitalized in New Mexico. They tried to assassinate me at my place of business. Even now, Gomez said, he has to be aware of my surroundings because of my fear of being assassinated. Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland The Tennessee Supreme Court modified a defendants sentence after ruling that the State did not provide proper pre-trial notice that it intended to use his prior convictions to obtain an enhanced sentence. The defendant, Jimmy Williams, was convicted in Shelby County of aggravated assault for an incident that occurred in 2008. The State filed a notice that it intended to seek enhanced punishment and that the defendant qualified as a career offender, but the notice was filed after the case had been submitted to the jury. The defendant argued that he did not receive proper notice of the sentence enhancement, but the trial court disagreed. The trial court ruled that a sentence enhancement notice filed by the State in a different case against the defendant, filed years before the present case, met the notice requirements for the present case. Subsequently, the trial court sentenced the defendant as a career offender. On appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial court. The Supreme Court determined that the defendant did not receive proper notice pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-35-202(a). The Supreme Court reiterated that the State must file a notice of enhanced sentencing before trial, and it held, as a matter of first impression, that the notice must be filed in the same case in which the State plans to seek enhanced punishment. The Supreme Court concluded that because the State did not file proper notice prior to trial in the present case, the trial court should have sentenced the defendant as a standard offender, rather than a career offender. The Supreme Court then modified the defendants sentence to six years, the maximum that he could receive for the Class C felony aggravated assault conviction as a standard offender. The Supreme Court also held that the evidence was sufficient to support the defendants aggravated assault conviction. To read the unanimous opinion in State v. Williams, authored by Justice Roger A. Page, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov. Associations must close the programs within 60 days; they can re-register after six months. ActionAid supports at least 1.4 million poor people in Pakistan, 130,000 students are studying in its schools. Islamabad (AsiaNews) - The NGO ActionAid, together with other humanitarian organizations operating in Pakistan, will have to leave the country within 60 years, confirms Adriano Campolina, general secretary of ActionAid International, shares with AsiaNews. Last week the Islamabad government decided to suspend the activities of at least 18 associations and set a 60-day term to leave the country. He said "The immediate victims will be the thousands of ordinary Pakistani families who ActionAid has been supporting to claim their rights and build a better life". The activist reports that the NGO has followed all the procedures imposed by the Ministry of the Interior. "We have presented an appeal - he continues - but it was rejected. They only replied that we can submit the application again in six months ". ActionAid is a humanitarian organization that operates in 23 districts across the country: it implements development programs, education projects, support for women, relief assistance during earthquakes, and fights child marriages. The general secretary is worried: "If the government does not review its decision, in fact we will be forced to leave within two months. Meanwhile, the only ones at risk are the poor we have been helping for over 20 years. In our schools 130,000 students study, our projects involve 1.4 million people in all ". Campolina says that the decision to suspend the activities of foreign associations dates back to the beginning of the year. Then last week the government ordered to close the operations. "With our partners on the territory - he adds - we are trying to understand what is the best way to continue to get our support and not stop aid for those who really need it". Adjunct professors at Macomb Community College will be protesting with an informational picket Friday, Oct. 19 if they dont reach a contract agreement with the school by that time. The professors, working without a contract since mid-August, offered MCC a soft deadline of Wednesday, Oct. 10 to reach an agreement before mobilizing on Oct. 19, the date planned for an annual fundraiser with major donors. The professors are represented by the Association of Adjunct Faculty ?of Macomb Community College Local 6533. The AAFMCC local has about 1,000 members, with 605 teaching this semester. At issue are wage increases and respect by the institution, according to AAFMCC spokesperson Nicolas Zastrow. Adjunct professors are generally described as part-time, non-tenure track faculty members. Normally, the educational institution is not the primary employer. The professors are seeking a three-year contract, with 75 percent of what full-time professors earn. They are seeking comparable wages with other adjunct professors in the state, who average $981 per credit hour. The MCC local is seeking $1,000 per credit hour. They are also seeking changes to the way professors are chosen for classes based upon seniority. Top step adjunct professors are currently earning $792.46 per credit hour, while first step professors are earning $635.80. That means a top step adjunct professor earns $2,377.38 for a typical three-credit, one semester class. A proposal by MCC offers a three-year contract, starting with a top step of $816.24 per credit hour for 2018-19, a three percent raise, and $635.80 for first step, a 1.5 percent raise. By the end of the proposed three-year contract, top step pay would be $840.91 per credit hour and $655.02 for first step. The raises would range from $28.62 over three years for first step professors to $48.45 for top step employees. Its about respect. Adjunct professors have the same degrees and the same training, but colleges always seem to disrespect the adjuncts, Zastrow said. They seem to think the adjunct professors have nothing to do with the college besides teaching and leaving. They dont want them involved in any decision making whatsoever. The two sides have come to an agreement about how many credit hours adjunct professors will be able to teach each semester. MCC agreed to bump the teaching credits to 12 credits per semester. The previous allowance was 11.5 credits per semester. Zastrow said the change was significant, since it means adjunct professors can now teach up to four, three-credit classes per semester or three, four-credit classes per semester. Among the other items listed as negotiating points on the AAFMCC website are adding benefits, giving Engineering and Advanced Technology (EAT) adjuncts more than three days notice for assignments. Denise Williams, vice president, Human Resources, Macomb Community College, responded in an email that the college will continue good faith bargaining. We are committed to bargaining in good faith with the adjunct faculty union, and our next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 18, she said. Because negotiations are ongoing, discussing specific aspects of the process would be disrespectful of the traditional framework of confidentiality that defines a good-faith negotiation process. Macomb Community College is committed to fair and equitable contracts for all of our employees, balanced with fiscal responsibility to ensure that the college can continue delivering the high-quality, relevant programs and services that our students and community rely on to connect them to opportunity. BOSTON - Classical music soloists often dominate the spotlight. Read most concert reviews or profiles and they regularly focus primarily on star pianists, violinists or conductors. That's probably why many orchestras regularly start their season with concerts featuring these well-known superstars. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is usually no exception. In 2015, its opening night concert featured pianist Evgeny Kissin. In 2016, Lang Lang helped the BSO kick start its season. That's why it was so refreshing Thursday to see this season's opening night BSO concert feature the real stars of most BSO concerts - the orchestra itself. There's a reason why the BSO attracts many of the best soloists and conductors from around the world. And it's partly because of the world-class BSO musicians who play week in and week out, year after year. You can have the greatest conductor at the podium or the best prize-winning cellist or violinist on stage. But if the musicians behind them don't pull their weight, none of it really matters. On Thursday, the entire orchestra was the featured soloist in three, outstanding pieces by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Bartok. The BSO will perform the same program tonight at 8 p.m. at Boston's Symphony Hall. I especially enjoyed the Tchaikovsky piece, "Serenade For Strings." Not only were there no soloists, there was no conductor on stage with the BSO. Instead, many members of the string section stood in a semicircle, watching each other like hawks as they flawlessly performed this ravishing work best known as music for George Balanchine's ballet, "Serenade." The other two pieces on the program featured Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, who was making his BSO conducting debut. Lintu did a great job. He has a precise yet sinuous presence on the podium. But to be honest, I was frankly more focused on the orchestra members who often don't receive enough recognition for their tremendous hard work. Fans of Tanglewood, the summer home of the BSO, know very well just how phenomenal and versatile this orchestra can be on a regular basis. On most weekends, the orchestra performs three entirely different programs on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. And just last month, the orchestra had to completely change its entire program at the last minute while on tour in Europe due to a travel delay between Paris and Amsterdam, the final stop on their tour. The weekly Boston schedule is little less demanding - and hopefully a lot less stressful - but not by much. Each week, the orchestra regularly performs an entirely new program three times each week. And if you regularly listen the BSO, you're probably well aware of the wide range of music they perform from one week to the next. Last season and this past summer, that often meant the BSO regularly performed a variety of different pieces of Leonard Bernstein in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth. On Thursday night, the opening piece on the program could not have been more different that Bernstein's often jubilant, upbeat music. Thursday's performance began with Stravinsky's "Symphonies of Wind Instruments." Requiring only a small portion of the entire orchestra, this muted, understated piece often sounded like a more subdued version of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." There was also a sense of calm and stillness that permeated throughout the work. And like many pieces performed by the BSO in Symphony Hall, the music had a rich, warm tone thanks to the concert hall's pitch-perfect acoustics. After a moving rendition of the Tchaikovsky piece and a brief intermission, the BSO and Lintu performed Bartok's "Concerto For Orchestra." This five-part work begins on a ominous note and gradually builds in intensity. Bartok's music often has a jagged, angular quality and this piece is no exception. But there are also many lush passages, where the music seems to wash over the audience like the tide gently rolling in. The eerie yet slightly haunting third movement in particular has this quality and reminded me Debussy's "La Mer" seasoned with a dash of Hitchcockian music straight out of "Vertigo." The drama of Bartok's music continued to build in the fourth and fifth movements. And as I listened to the piece, I kept wondering what's the difference between a symphony and a concerto for orchestra. Sounds like fancy way of trying to dress up a symphony and make the piece seem more exotic. But the more you listen to the BSO, the more you realize just how great they sound - whether they're playing a symphony, a concerto or practically anything else on their music stand in Boston, the Berkshires or beyond. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs music by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Bartok tonight at 8 p.m. at Boston's Symphony Hall. The BSO's 2018-2019 Boston season continues through May 4. At 22, from the deck of a cargo freighter, a merchant mariner watched men dangle and plummet to their deaths in Arctic seas. Later, as he stood in his torpedoed ship in warmer Pacific waters, the same young man feared a similar fate for himself. In the memoir, "Liberty's War," readers board two Liberty ships as seen through the eyes of the son of a Texas cotton farmer, Herman E. Melton, who trained at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, New York, before being hurriedly shipped out on the "Murmansk Run" into frozen Arctic waters to supply Russian troops with supplies and later as a junior engineering officer in the southwest Pacific where his ship was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese bomber aircraft. During World War II, Liberty Ships carried Allied cargo and troops through dangerous seas. The U.S. Maritime Commission oversaw 2,700 of the cargo ships, which Franklin D. Roosevelt nicknamed "Ugly Ducklings." "My father didn't feel his years in the war were of interest, but I was sure that they were," says Melton's son, Will Melton, who edited his father's memoir. "He said, 'I was no hero. I was just a kid. Other men gave their all.' But, to me, he was a hero." In 2009, Will Melton, a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon who lives in South Hadley, encouraged his father to record his experience as a cadet-midshipman during fierce battles with both the Germans and the Japanese. "I wanted his story to be told because there are no accounts that I have found of an engineering officer's story of the war aboard a Liberty ship," he says. "And there are almost no first-hand accounts specifically of the southwest Pacific convoys." When Will Melton made the video recordings, his father was 89. "He was a remarkable storyteller," Will Melton says, recalling his father's tales in his childhood home. "He would hold forth after dinner over tales of life in the Dust Bowl and the panhandle of Texas. My friends loved to come over to our house and just listen to him tell stories." Those video-recordings grew into his father's memoir. "Over the next 18 months, he got the story down," Will Melton says. He then helped his father with research, finding and connecting him with former shipmates. His father, however, died before the book was published. "We had a last conversation about it, and I told him this is going to happen," the son shares. Will Melton, formerly vice president of Scripps Research Institute, Rhode Island School of Design and Middlebury College and more recently chief development officer for the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, retired, dedicating his time to finishing his father's book. "I wanted my children to have his first-hand account," Melton says of the four children he raised with his wife, Eliza. "So I got on it and worked for two years to get it done." In 1942, six weeks after arriving at the Merchant Marine Academy, the elder Melton boarded the Cornelius Harnett on Murmansk Run, which Winston Churchill called "the worst journey in the world." Melton was just a cadet being sent into combat. "They were scared to death," his son says. "They were going to Russia." The ship traveled above the Arctic Circle in January -"You can imagine how bitterly cold it was"- and hooked around German-occupied Norway to drop off supplies in the Soviet Union's port city of Murmansk. While there, Herman Melton watched a German dive bomber attack a merchant ship, El Oriente. Standing on a hill above the harbor, he heard "the frightening whine of a Stuka dive bomber screaming down toward the pier," Melton wrote. The plane dropped a bomb on the ship's deck. "The Stuka pulled out of its dive just as its bomb struck the stern deckhouse, killing four men," Melton wrote. "I shivered," he continued. "El Oriente was standing at the same dock as the Harnett." After leaving the harbor, they had calm seas. "Look!" Melton recalled someone yelling. "There's a couple of porpoises!" Melton saw what he thought were porpoises, too, until he heard a second scream: "Porpoises hell! Those are torpedoes." Again, Melton watched the attack. The German submarine torpedoes missed the Harnett and struck another ship in the convoy, setting "in motion a catastrophic failure as panic engulfed the crew," Meltonwrote. He saw one lifeboat break loose and hang vertically "as men were hurled into the icy sea. ... I saw one or two men in the craft crushed between the dangling boat and the ship's hull." After returning from the Murmansk Run, Melton graduated from the academy in 1944 and shipped out to the Pacific, where his ship, the SS Antoine Saugrain, carrying a top-secret cargo, would be torpedoed and sunk. Melton's ship was assigned to a convoy supplying allied forces in the Philippines. At the end of one of his watches, Melton showered and then headed to mess to eat "a mouth-watering plate of beef with mashed potatoes and gravy," when the alarms sounded. "I heard someone yell, 'Torpedo!'" "I prayed and hoped the torpedo would miss," he wrote. "The blast was the most violent of my life ... At that instant I sensed that the Saugrain was dead in the water and would have to be abandoned." Some men threw life buoys into the water and prepared to leap over the rails. Melton, who witnessed a similar tragedy unfold in the Norwegian Sea, recognized the danger. A captain did, too, shouting over a megaphone, "This ship is not sinking yet. Nobody leaves this ship until I say so, and I'll shoot the first son of bitch that tries to jump." Eventually, US Navy frigates came and took the men off the ship. "But the Japanese really wanted this ship," Will Melton explains. His father came to believe that it was because the Saugrain was carrying advance radar. "And the next day the Japanese came back and sacked the ship. So it's down fathoms below," Will Melton said. "We may never know whether the most sophisticated radar was on board." His father stayed on in the Pacific, volunteering to repair and salvage two Liberty ships that were attacked by Kamikazes, before returning. "They sailed back to America and landed in San Francisco," Will Melton said. He went to work in the shipyard there and then taught merchant engineers. "And while he was there the war came to an end." During this time, Melton married his girlfriend, Helen Dunn, and his memoir also details their romance through this historical moment. Their son says their story - and so many stories like theirs - need to be recorded. "I can't say enough about how important it is for us to listen to the stories of elders and write them down," Will Melton says, "because once these people are gone, they are gone forever." Melton will talk about his father's memoir, Liberty's War, An Engineer's Memoir of the Merchant Marine, 1942-45, at Holyoke Public Library on Monday Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. Family members of newlywed Joshua Byrne, of Hudson, are spreading the message that he has gone missing while on a honeymoon in Costa Rica. WCVB reports that Byrne, 30, was married to his wife Bianca Merritt in New Hampshire last week. Family say the two were reportedly honeymooning in the Playa Dominical area of western Costa Rica this week when a flash flood trapped them on a bridge. According to WCVB, Bianca swam to shore, but Byrne was swept away in the flood. The missing man's family is now heading to the Central American country to try to search for him. WCVB reports the family has offered a $5,000 reward for Byrne's return, and that they are seeking support from Massachusetts political leaders in their search. SPRINGFIELD - Homicide detectives are investigating after a 26-year-old man was shot to death in Springfield's Bay neighborhood Friday night. The shooting was discovered after police rushed to the 100 block of Cambridge Street around 9:05 p.m. to investigate a ShotSpotter activation. The victim was found in the driver's seat of a car and was pronounced dead at the scene, said Ryan Walsh, spokesman for the Springfield Police Department. Walsh further commented that the department's Homicide Unit is investigating and that so far two firearms have been recovered in connection with the shooting. The identity of the victim has not been made public. No further information has been released at this time. This post will be updated when more information becomes available. They had escaped from a detention center in Thailand after opening a gap in the wall and using blankets to lower themselves to the ground. Malaysia was only a temporary transit point, before clarifying their status as refugees with the UN High Commissioner (UNHRC) and reaching the Uyghur community in Turkey. Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Defying China, the Malaysian government has freed 11 Uyghurs, who escaped from a Thai prison last year. Against the will of Beijing, which called for their return to custody, Kuala Lumpur dropped accusations of illegal immigration and allowed former prisoners to reach Turkey to seek asylum. According to observers, the move will further test relations with China, tense since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad came to power last May. Following what was promised during the election campaign, Mahathir has canceled more than 20 billion US dollars of projects assigned to Chinese companies. Welcoming their lawyer's appeal, the judges of the Court of Kuala Lumpur have acquitted the 11 Uyghurs for "humanitarian reasons": they were fleeing the oppression of the Beijing government against the Islamic minority from Xinjiang. For them, Malaysia was only a temporary transit point, before clarifying the status of refugees with the UN High Commissioner (UNHRC) and reaching the Uyghur community of Turkey. They had been fleeing since November 2017, when they escaped from a Thai detention center along with nine other inmates, after opening a gap in the wall and using blankets to lower themselves to the ground. When they arrived in Malaysia, they were arrested in February. Responding to the extradition requests made by Beijing, the then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had declared his intention to seek a diplomatic solution with Thailand. Some Western delegations tried to dissuade Kuala Lumpur from extraditing the 11 to China. Mahathir's designated successor as prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has recently called for formal talks with China regarding the repression against the Muslim minority. Anwar said the government raised the issue with Beijing, which sees the Uyghurs as an internal issue. He also criticized the governments of Muslim countries that are silent on the treatment that China reserves for Uyghurs. "They are afraid. Nobody wants to say anything, "he said. Springfield police are investigating a shooting that left one man with serious gunshot wounds. Springfield Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the 9:05 p.m. shooting was discovered when officers investigated a ShotSpotter activation in the 100 block of Cambridge Street. First responders said they found the victim in a car. Detectives are investigating the incident. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday announced it had approved the transfer of Vermont Yankee's operating license to Northstar Group Services, a private demolition and decommissioning firm based in New York. The 600-megawatt nuclear power plant, located on the Connecticut River just north of the Massachusetts border, ceased operations in late 2014, and is currently owned by Entergy Corp. of Louisiana. Entergy wants to sell the shuttered plant to Northstar, which plans an expedited cleanup. Northstar proposes a cleanup of the site that could be finished by 2030, as opposed to a 60-year mothballing process known as SAFSTOR that Entergy would have done. The license transfer OK represents a major milestone in the sale process. Still, the Vermont Public Utility Commission must give its approval before the deal goes through. Entergy in 2016 said it wanted to sell the plant to Northstar. The NRC said it reviewed NorthStar's qualifications; the adequacy of Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust funds; and plans to manage the on-site storage of spent nuclear fuel. The federal agency concluded that NorthStar is "financially and technically qualified to own Vermont Yankee and to engage in the proposed maintenance and decommissioning activities at the site." In a statement, the NRC said it did have concerns about the adequacy of decommissioning trust funds. The companies estimated it would cost $495 million to decommission the plant, and that $513 million would be available in 2019. However, other projections showed potential shortfalls. In response, Entergy and NorthStar agreed to put $30 million into escrow. The NRC's approval of the license transfer is conditioned on the successful purchase of the plant by Northstar.The transaction, if it goes through, would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Controversy remains over the final resting place of the nation's high-level nuclear waste. Over the summer, Entergy completed a major task by moving all spent fuel rods from the reactor to "dry cask storage" on concrete pads. The plant, which went online in 1972, once provided a full third of Vermont's power needs. Two police officers opened fire on a 23-year-old Pittsfield man when he allegedly pointed a handgun at them as they tried to execute a search warrant. No one was injured in the gunfire. District Attorney Paul Caccaviello said members of the Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force went to 39 West Housatonic St. at about 9:50 a.m. Friday as part of a drug investigation, when they were confronted by a suspect pointing a handgun at them. Caccaviello said the suspect, Marcel H. Teixeira-Ingram Jr., was fired upon by two officers before he was disarmed and taken into custody. Teixeira-Ingram is being held at the Berkshire County Jail on charges of armed assault with intent to commit murder, illegal possession of a firearm, being a career felon in possession of a firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon. He will be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court Monday. State police detectives attached to the Berkshire district attorney's office, as well as the state police Crime Scene Services and Ballistics sections are investigating the incident. CHICOPEE - A teenager charged with an armed robbery outside a popular Chicopee restaurant has been indicted by a Hampden County grand jury, according to court documents. Abdulkadir Mohamed, 18, of Springfield, allegedly pointed a gun at a man outside the Country Trading Post on Burnett Road around 9 p.m. on June 21. Mohamed allegedly walked up to a car outside the restaurant and demanded money from the driver. Explaining that he had no money, the driver instead handed over lottery tickets he had just purchased in the store, according to police. Mohamed had been hanging around outside the restaurant with three other people, including a woman pushing a baby in a carriage. He took off after the robbery, running toward Chicopee State Park, police said. As police searched for Mohamed, they spotted a male drinking a beer and a female pushing a baby in a stroller along Burnett Road. While questioning the couple, police found a BB gun and stolen lottery tickets underneath the baby's seat in the stroller, police said. The male, Jordan Collins, 23, of Springfield, was combative and was charged with disorderly conduct, two counts of resisting arrest and an open container violation, said Michael Wilk, Chicopee police public information officer. Mohamed was arrested later that night and charged him with armed robbery. He pleaded not guilty the next day in Chicopee District Court and was released on personal recognizance, with orders to stay away from the store while the case was pending. He was due back in court for a pretrial hearing Wednesday, but the session was cancelled after Assistant District Attorney James Roux told Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega that the defendant had been indicted. The indictment transferred the case to Hampen Superior Court, where defendants face potentially longer sentences if convicted. Additional information on Collins' case was not available. SPRINGFIELD -- Specialized crews are removing asbestos from the former Peter Pan Springfield Bus Terminal. Meanwhile, the head of Way Finders says construction of the housing agency's new headquarters should begin at the site in the middle of November. Demolition should take four weeks once the toxic asbestos is removed and disposed of, said Peter A. Gagliardi, president and CEO of Way Finders. Way Finders is the new name for what was once HAP Housing. The new 23,338-square-foot headquarters is expected to be completed in January 2020. Construction will cost $9 million to $9.5 million, Gagliardi said. But the cost of the site, engineering, design, cleanup and demolition will push the total price tag to $16 million. Associated Building Wreckers is doing the demolition. Western Builders will build the new structure. Gagliardi said he expects $2 million in state economic development bond money. MassDevelopment, the state's economic development financing agency, has approved up to $8 million in borrowing for Way Finders, and PeopelsBank has agreed to buy that bond from MassDevelopment. Way Finders will also use its own funds and raise money to complete the project. Way Finders in 2017 sold its current offices at 322 Main St. in the South End to Balise Motor Sales for $1 million. The agency bought the former bus station at 1776 Main St. back in April for $2.75 million after Peter Pan moved operations to Union Station. Way Finders will use the new headquarters for offices and to run its programs for first-time home buyers, financial counseling, landlord education, apartment hunting, homelessness prevention and job searches. Gagliardi said he hopes Way Finders' project helps to transform the neighborhood. Perhaps today he will meet President Donald Trump. The judges sentenced the pastor to three years in prison, in reality already discounted during the trial. In his last defense, Brunson said, "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey ". A recovery of US-Turkey relations is expected. Izmir (AsiaNews) - US pastor Andrew Brunson, held in Turkey for two years, is expected today in the US after a court ruled his release. President Donald Trump celebrated the news and is waiting to greet him in Washington today. Issuing its verdict yesterday on charges related to terrorism, Aliaga's court ordered sentenced the pastor to three years, one month and 15 days. But taking into account the time already spent in prison and his good conduct during the trial, he was removed from house arrest and the ban on traveling abroad. Brunson, 50, has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, serving the small Presbyterian church of the Resurrection in Izmir. He was arrested in October 2016 on charges of having ties with the PKK, the Kurdish outlaw party, outlawed because terrorist, and with the movement of Feithullah Guelen, responsible - according to Ankara - of the failed coup d'etat of 2016. He risked at 30 years in prison. Brunson has always declared himself innocent. In his last defense he said: "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey ". Observers believe that the arrest of Brunson and dozens of Americans is an attempt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to force the US to hand over Guelen, currently in exile in Pennsylvania. But US economic pressures - sanctions, tariffs and the threat of much more - have rocked the Turkish economy, causing the Turkish lira to plummet a whopping 40%, sparking a major economic crisis. Perhaps Brunson's release will foster a resumption of Turkey-US relations The pastor's liberation was also achieved thanks to pressure from the American Christian conservatives, an important electoral base for President Trump. , Mediapool.bg, , - . - , . 18:00 . by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, October 12, 2018 The Federal Communications Commission is asking an appellate court to uphold the agency's decision to revoke a set of net neutrality rules that were passed during the Obama era. In papers filed late Thursday, the FCC argues that it has the discretion to reverse its prior rulings, as long as it provides reasons for doing so. The agency adds that that the repeal need not show better reasons for the new policy than the old one. The repeal order embodies the Commissions considered judgment that restoring the prior, longstanding light-touch framework for broadband regulation reflects the best reading of the Communications Act, the agency argues. The Obama-era net neutrality order, passed by the Federal Communications Commission in 2015, classified broadband as a telecommunications service, subject to the same common carrier rules as other utilities. At the time, the agency imposed several common carrier rules on broadband providers -- including bans on blocking or throttling online traffic and on charging companies higher fees for prioritized delivery. Those regulations marked a culmination of prior FCC broadband policy directives dating back to 2005. advertisement advertisement Last December, the FCC voted 3-2 to revoke the net neutrality rules and reclassify broadband as an information service. That order replaced the prior regulations with a "transparency" rule that requires Internet service providers to disclose their traffic management practices. The December order also attempted to ban states from passing or enforcing their own net neutrality rules. Current FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who shepherded the repeal, says the Obama-era rules were heavy handed and depressed investment. But advocacy groups and Silicon Valley companies argue that the rules were necessary to prevent broadband providers from limiting consumers' ability to access streaming video, search engines and other online services and content. A large coalition of tech companies, consumer advocacy groups and state attorneys general recently asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the December order and reinstate the 2015 rules. They say the agency lacked a good reason to repeal the 2015 rules, and that the repeal runs counter to directives that date to 2005, when the FCC first issued open internet policy principles. The FCC counters that its decision to classify broadband as an information service is supported by the Communications Act and The nature of broadband service, both as perceived by consumers and as offered by providers. The agency adds that it is entitled to reverse its prior decision to characterize broadband as a utility, arguing that Supreme Court precedent allows agencies to revise their approach. An agency is free to change its interpretation of an ambiguous statute so long as it 'adequately explains the reasons for a reversal of policy,' the FCC argues, quoting from a 2005 Supreme Court case about broadband. The Supreme Court said in that case that the Communications Act was ambiguous about whether cable broadband is a telecommunications service. The agency also is asking the appellate court to uphold a ban on state net neutrality laws -- like the one passed last month in California. Broadband is a predominantly interstate service and should therefore be governed by uniform federal regulation rather than a patchwork of separate state and local requirements, the FCC contends. Broadband providers are expected to file separate arguments with the appellate court by next week. by Ray Schultz , October 12, 2018 Facebooks recent data breach exposed email addresses and other data on fewer users than originally reported. In a Friday afternoon blog post, vice president, product management Guy Rosen writes, we now know that fewer people were impacted than we originally thought. Of the 50 million people whose access tokens we believed were affected, about 30 million actually had their tokens stolen. That reduction may not sway EU regulators now investigating the breach, nor stop class-action lawsuits. In an effort to be transparent, however, Rosen describes the breach as follows: For 15 million people, attackers accessed two sets of information name and contact details (phone number, email, or both, depending on what people had on their profiles). He continues: For 14 million people, the attackers accessed the same two sets of information, as well as other details people had on their profiles. This included username, gender, locale/language, relationship status, religion, hometown, self-reported current city, birthdate, device types used to access Facebook, education, work, the last 10 places they checked into or were tagged in, website, people or Pages they follow, and the 15 most recent searches. advertisement advertisement Rosen concludes: For 1 million people, the attackers did not access any information. The company has not ruled out the possibility of smaller-scale attacks, according to Rosen. He reports Facebook saw an unusual spike of activity that began on September 14, 2018, and we started an investigation. On September 25, we determined this was actually an attack and identified the vulnerability. Within two days, we closed the vulnerability, stopped the attack, and secured peoples accounts by resetting the access tokens for people who were potentially exposed. Irelands Data Protection Commission, reportedly Facebooks lead privacy regulator in Europe, announced last week it will probe whether Facebook is in compliance with GDPR. The potential penalties could cost Facebook up to $1.63 billiion, according to The European Sting. In addition, the firm has been hit with a class-action lawsuit filed by Carla Echavarria and Derrick Walker, charging that despite numerous lapses in their approach to data security, Facebook still lacks the safeguards and protections for users PII, and that information remains at risk today. Rosen states Facebook will send customized messages to the 30 million people affected to explain what information the attackers might have accessed, as well as steps they can take to help protect themselves, including from suspicious emails, text messages or calls. What if youre not a shiny new object, but merely old and reliable? Thats the message behind pointed new commercials from dependable -- and yes, old -- FileMaker, the cross-platform database app that started one month before America Online did, way back in 1985 -- and still has millions of clients using it in 15 languages around the world. Were not a flashy start-up, says Ann Monroe, the vice president for marketing and customer services. New commercials emphasize that FileMaker, an Apple subsidiary, has changed with the times but is still as reliable as ever. In the commercials, an executive at an office meeting tries to tell her colleagues that the FileMaker is what the company needs to get going. We need to innovate faster. The FileMaker platform cuts administrative work so we can free our minds, she begins -- but soon shes cut off by the caw-caw sound of an exotic bird. advertisement advertisement That sound is actually coming from the man-bun-wearing corporate guru type spouting platitudes, deep in a forest that has magically appeared on one side of the conference room. The campaign is titled "Innovation Without the Hype." Innovation cant happen in an office, he says in an evangelical/TED talk tone while clutching a clump of dirt. This is how well shift our paradigm. Soon the entire board -- all except the FileMaker proponent -- is making bird sounds. In another spot, Man-Bun advises the company to mimic the wisdom of whales to solve their communications gap. In another, bouncing on a yoga ball, he advises, Learn to balance your bodies and the budgets will balance themselves. Retorts the harried FileMaker advocate, Not accurate! The commercials, the first in a planned series created by the MediaMonks agency, are showing up on YouTube and, smartly, on LinkedIn, where FileMaker is likely to run into the people who use it. In fact, Monroe says part of the promotional effort is to get word-of-mouth mentions so clients who have used FileMaker for years (and years) recognize theres a cadre of kindred souls. Were a platform people always relied on. Weve really stayed true to what were all about, Monroe says. Not many can say that. A new study uncovers a worrying association: people who have any form of diabetes are more likely to die by suicide, causes related to alcohol consumption, or due to an accident. Share on Pinterest Mental health problems linked with diabetes may lead to a higher risk of death by suicide in people with this condition. Researchers at the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere, and from Helsinki University Hospital all in Finland conducted a large population study investigating the relationship between diabetes and the risk of death due to factors such as alcohol, suicide, and accidents. Both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes place people at a heightened risk of cardiovascular events , such as heart attack and stroke, as well as cancer and kidney disease . All of these related health conditions can lead to premature death. However, other factors may also shorten the lifespan of people with a diabetes diagnosis. One study published in the Journal of Medicine and Life in 2016, for instance, discovered that the occurrence of depression in people with diabetes is two to three times higher than in other individuals. People with diabetes have spoken out about the toll that this disease takes on their mental health. For example, one even declared in an interview that diabetes and depression are like bad twins. In the new study paper, Prof. Leo Niskanen and colleagues suggest that the mental health issues that may come to accompany a diagnosis of diabetes may also be the culprits behind the higher risk of death due to suicide, alcohol, or accidents. The researchers findings appear in the European Journal of Endocrinology. HURON COUNTY Michigan could become the 10th state in the country to legalize recreational marijuana. Its a decision voters will make when they cast their ballots Nov. 6. A yes vote for Proposal 1 would support legalizing recreational use and possession of marijuana for those 21 years of age and older. A no vote would oppose the legalization. If voters pass the proposal, those of age will be permitted to grow up to 12 marijuana plants in their residences and the measure would create a sales tax of 10 percent. The proposal would impose a 10-ounce limit for marijuana kept at residences and would require amounts over 2.5 ounces to be locked in containers. Huron Countys prosecutor and sheriff referred to states like Colorado and Washington which have legalized recreational marijuana as a model for what Michigan could look like. Prosecutor Timothy J. Rutkowski and Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson said legalization would have negative impacts on both of their departments. One of their concerns is how legalization will affect the youth. The studies have shown that kids who use marijuana will lose a certain percentage of their IQ, Rutkowski told the Tribune. According to a New Zealand study, Colorado teens use marijuana at a rate 50 percent higher than the national average. Since the state legalized marijuana, its seen a rise in regular use among children between 12-17. If were going to have more people using marijuana especially younger people that's going to draw down the IQ level, Rutkowski said. Companies arent going to want to come here. Hanson said health issues could arise, such as children being exposed to second-hand smoke. A study by the Wall Street Journal shows Michigan is second in the nation behind Colorado for losing highly educated people. However, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML) disagreed with the prosecutor and sheriff. "We can state with some confidence that, even in states that have enacted marijuana liberalization policies, marijuana use among adolescents is not currently increasing, Paul Armentano, deputy director for NORML, told the Tribune. In fact, there is rather compelling evidence that adolescent marijuana use has steadily declined." Legalization did not noticeably impact marijuana use rates among adolescents or young adults in Colorado, according to a 2017 study by the International Journal of Mental Health Addiction. The study says past-30-day use among adolescents remained steady for more than 10 years, pre- and post-legalization. Studies by the Colorado and Washington State health departments, in 2017, have conclusively shown teen use has remained flat since those states passed full marijuana legalization. While marijuana is the most common drug law enforcement encounters in Huron County, the county ranks 79th in the state for prosecuting marijuana cases. We have found ourselves dealing with meth or heroin a lot more, Rutkowski said. Its not that marijuana isnt important. We just dont see the marijuana cases being investigated because were too busy trying to address the opioids. Hanson agreed and said his department has witnessed an uptick in cocaine use. State Rep. Edward Canfield, a Sebewaing Republican who also is a physician, said one of the pros if the proposal passes would be because people are prosecuted all too frequently for possession of marijuana. We spend a lot of resources incarcerating, which causes people to have records that impede their ability to get jobs and function, Canfield recently told the Tribune. The sheriff said out of the 63 inmates in the Huron County Jail, around 90 percent of them use, or have used, marijuana at some point in life. You take a heroin user, Hanson began to explain. Ive never seen where a heroin user didnt say that they didnt smoke marijuana or once smoke marijuana." Now that doesnt mean that every person that smokes marijuana is going to end up a heroin addict. Im not saying that at all, he added. But Im saying thats a factor to led them to or was part of their addiction. Everyone (in the Huron County Jail) thats used a harder drug, has started with using marijuana, Rutkowski said. But, not every person who uses marijuana goes to the harder drugs. There are people who do use marijuana and havent gone to the harder stuff. Hanson said the sheriffs office has seen an increase in drugged driving arrests in the last few years including 10 to 15 arrests in 2017. Theres projections that we will be dealing with more driving offenses attributed to marijuana, he said. We never made those arrests before because it was so hard to recognize that a person was under the influence of marijuana or drugs. The only way you can really prove that for sure is through a blood test. Deputies have gone through training to help them recognize someone operating under the influence of drugs, Hanson added. Rutkowski said charges for those who do get caught operating under the influence could cause some confusion for his office. If a driver is stopped for a cracked taillight and seems to be stoned, thats not going to be a reason to ticket them for operating under the influence of drugs, he explained. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, this year, found the similar trajectory of traffic fatalities in Washington and Colorado relative to their synthetic control counterparts yield little evidence that the total rate of traffic fatalities has increased significantly as a consequence of recreational marijuana legalization." The following is a breakdown of deaths, and the substance that caused the death, in 2017, from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Alcohol-related deaths: An average of 88,000 per year since 2006. Synthetic opioids other than methadone: 29,406. Heroin: 15,958 Cocaine: 14,556. Methamphetamine: 10,721. Marijuana (all time): 0. A poll, released by the Pew Research Center this week, shows 62 percent of Americans support legalizing recreational marijuana. Tribune Staff Writer Seth Stapleton contributed to this report A father and son out of California pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to defraud Affordable Care Act programs out of more than $27 million in at least 12 states, the Department of Justice said. Jeffrey White, 60, and Nicholas White, 33, of Twin Peaks, Calif., appeared in Hartford federal court Friday. The two were health care professionals, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian C. Turner. The ACA was not enacted to fill the coffers of greedy health care professionals, Turner said. U.S. Attorney John H. Durham of the District of Connecticut said this case is believed to be the first of its kind to hit a nationwide scale. In pleading guilty, the Whites admitted that their scheme led to more than $27 million in losses to ACA also known as Obamacare plans across the country, including plans in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. The investigation into the fraud is ongoing, the DOJ said. Health care fraud on ACA plans results in higher insurance premiums for residents in the affected state who are seeking health insurance, Durham said. We greatly appreciate the outstanding work by the federal law enforcement agencies in identifying and investigating this fraud scheme that cost insurers more than $27 million. Court documents showed that Jeffrey White and Nicholas White conspired to defraud health care plans that operate under the ACA in Connecticut and at least 11 other states by fraudulently enrolling people in plans in states where they did not live. The Whites created fake residential leases using fake landlords in various states to further their conspiracy, including Danbury, Farmington, Hartford and Norwalk, court documents showed. There were also fake addresses and cell phone numbers given to the ACA plans. If anyone at the ACA plan called the false local number, the call would ring through to a phone controlled by the Whites, the DOJ said. After fraudulently enrolling the people in the ACA plans, the father and son indicated that the individuals had to be flown to California to be put into expensive residential substance abuse treatment programs. Court documents showed that they billed the plans thousands of dollars of treatment every week. The treatment programs paid the Whites thousands of dollars for each referral, and some programs arranged for the Whites to receive a percentage of the money the treatment programs received from the ACA health insurance plans, the DOJ said. The agency said the duo enrolled people in plans in states that paid the highest amount of substance abuse treatment in order to maximize their profits from the scheme. Jeffrey White and Nicholas White each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The offense carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison. The two were released on bail pending sentencing, the DOJ said. Theyll face sentencing on Jan. 4, 2019. The number of Connecticut high school students who used vaping products, such as e-cigarettes, doubled from 2015 to 2017, according to a new study released by the state Department of Public Health. Overall, 14.7 percent of high school students reported currently vaping in 2017, compared to 7.2 percent in 2015. In contrast, 3.5 percent of high schoolers reported currently smoking traditional cigarettes in 2017. DPH compiled the 2017 report using data collected from March to June 2017. The state defines current use as having used a product at least once in 30 days. These results are especially troubling because youth are generally unaware of the presence and level of nicotine in their devices and can become addicted with only a few puffs, said DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino in a statement. Although the cigarette smoking rate continues to decline among this age group, vaping continues to increase. Based on misleading claims about e-cigarettes, many teens believe they are trying a safe product. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently labeled youth e-cigarette use an epidemic and put the manufacturers on notice about potential actions they may take in order to reduce youth access and use. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a September statement that e-cigarettes have become an almost ubiquitous and dangerous trend among teens. The disturbing and accelerating trajectory of use were seeing in youth, and the resulting path to addiction, must end, he said. Its simply not tolerable. Although some preliminary studies have indicated that e-cigarettes may be safer than combustible cigarettes, the Surgeon General has concluded that nicotine poses a danger to youth, and its use in any form by youth is unsafe, according to the DPH study. The issue with e-cigs, because they have exploded on the market over the last five or so years, compared to regular cigarettes which have decades of evidence-based data, we have been limited until very recently in knowing what the right approach should be, said Dr. Mehul Dalal, chronic disease director at DPH. Dalal said that many national groups, including the Institute of Medicine and the American Medical Association, have supported raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. State public health officials are actively discussing that recommendation, with the next legislative session about three months away. A bill to raise the age made it through the Public Health Committee, but was never voted on, during the last session, which ended in May. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has recommended educating parents and school officials about the risks of vaping and nicotine to help curtail use. Dalal said state officials plan to follow that recommendation. One popular brand of e-cigarettes, JUUL, contains the same amount of nicotine in one pod as a pack of cigarettes, and many teens report that they use one pod each day. These devices are shaped like a USB drive and are easily concealed, and teachers have reported use in the classroom while class is in session, according to DPH. According to the DPH study, those who vaped said they started because a friend or family did. The most popular flavors were fruit, mint, and menthol. More than half of the youth also reported that they used their electronic devices for other substances, such such as marijuana, THC or hash oil, or THC wax. Preventing the initiation of tobacco use altogether, educating children and young adults on the dangers of (e-cigarettes), and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and aerosol are all very important for protecting childrens health, Pino said. HADDAM One man is dead and a woman seriously injured after a head-on crash on Route 81 Thursday evening. The accident happened just before 5 p.m., according to state police, near Hubbard Road and Soobitsky Drive. The driver killed in the crash was Andrew Douglas Hamilton, 41, of Norwich. The other motorist, who was seriously injured, was a 40-year-old woman who lives on State Street in North Haven, police said. Hamilton was driving a 2004 Dodge Neon, and the North Haven woman a 2004 Chrysler Sebring. Both vehicles had front airbags deployed and were towed from the scene, according to the accident report. Upon arrival, Haddam Volunteer Co. firefighters encountered two patients with serious injuries pinned inside their vehicles. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and air bags were deployed, according to fire officials. Each vehicle sustained severe damage with more than a foot of intrusion into the drivers compartments. Hamilton was heading south on Route 81, also known as Killingworth Road, at the time of the accident, police said. After removing the drivers side doors, center pillar and dash, crews were able to rapidly extricate the patient. Life Star, Hartford Hospitals critical care helicopter, was requested, but was unable to respond due to poor weather, officials said. Hamilton, who was pending traumatic arrest, was sent to Hartford Hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said. The North Haven womans legs were trapped under the brake pedal, fire officials said. Firefighters used rescue tools to remove the drivers side door and roof, attempted to cut the pedal, but were ultimately unsuccessful due to a limited work area. Crews lifted, or rolled, the dash to free the patients legs, fire officials said. She was taken to Hartford Hospital by Hunters Ambulance, the release said. The road remained closed for several hours following the incident. Connecticut State Police are investigating. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information pertaining to it is asked to contact Haddam Resident State Trooper Joseph DeAngelo at Troop F in Westbrook at 860-399-2100. NEW HAVEN U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., visited Sound School Friday for a roundtable discussion with environmental advocates, business leaders, scientists and municipal officials about efforts to protect Long Island Sound, in the wake of Congress passing the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act earlier this week. Murphy began by emphasizing the importance of Long Island Sound to tourism and the state economy, but warned that part of tourism means better infrastructure to get people here, which may conflict in some cases with environmental efforts. On that note, he learned from a Bridgeport official that that city is soon going out to bid for a terminal for a high-speed ferry, although there is no plan yet for the ferries themselves. Our entire economy in this state and entirety of the state budget relies on a healthy Long Island Sound, Murphy told a couple of dozen gathered, with students listening in. He said Long Island Sound brings people to Connecticut and stewardship of the Sound is the right approach. With protections, the Sound has noticeably improved in terms of flora and fauna, the return of shellfish and fewer closures due to high bacteria levels, he said. Milford Economic Development Director Julie Nash was among those at the table, as the citys 17.5 miles of shoreline are considered among its greatest assets when it comes to marketing and tourism. The city also has a thriving shellfish industry. More for you Water quality improving in Long Island Sound, report says I thought it was a really fruitful conversation in regard to our shoreline vibrancy along with the intersection of all the related disciplines like tourism, environmental conservation, transit and marine related business as well as the interdependence of each, Nash said, following the roundtable talk. The shellfish industry, marine related business and tourism are extremely important to Milfords economic viability, so its encouraging to see so many people working so hard with such passion to make Connecticut better than it already is. Murphy said after several Republicans blocked the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, Congress passed it earlier this week as part of a larger bipartisan bill. He also introduced the Living Shorelines Act, which funds nature-based coastal resiliency projects. A spokesperson for his office said as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murphys work led to a tripling of the federal investment in the Long Island Sound Geographic Program. He said the state once received $4 million in federal funds for Long Island Sound per year and now gets $12 million. He said the other good news in the federal act is the ability for shell fishermen to access the farm bill. But Murphy warned, You cant have a tourism economy if you cant get people to your state. He said it takes longer to get to Connecticut from New York and Boston than it did 10 years ago and that means infrastructure such as highways need to improve. The goal is to address that matter in 2019, he said. It involves construction, he said, noting that activity can conflict with environmental efforts, as structures will no doubt will be near shore and wetlands. Murphy found out about the beginnings of the high-speed ferry plan in Bridgeport from a Bridgeport official after another person at the roundtable asked about that mode of transportation for getting people to Connecticut. The official said Bridgeport is hoping to find an operator for the terminal. About 600 military families face long waits to return to housing destroyed by Hurricane Michael at Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, the commander of the National Guard said Friday. Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told defense reporters that "100 percent of the housing on that base is uninhabitable" after the eye of Michael passed over Tyndall as a Category 4 storm. The families were safely evacuated before the storm hit, and the service will have to find other accommodations for them until repairs can be made, he said, adding he had no idea on a timeline for restoration of base operations or repairs for the demolished housing. He noted that Tyndall is the main base for training on the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's most advanced fighter, and also serves as a center for training on battle management. "As far as figuring out a timeline" for repairs to housing and a return to operations, "I'm not informed at this point," Lengyel said. The base near Panama City, Florida, "took a beating" from the hurricane, but 50 F-22 Raptors stationed there had been flown out to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Texas Fort Worth Alliance airport before the storm hit, Col. Brian Laidlaw, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing, said in a Facebook post. However, the Air Force said it anticipates that some F-22s that had been left hangared at the base were damaged in the storm. Officials have not publicly said how many of the aircraft might be damaged. Laidlaw said the 3,600 airmen and family members stationed at the base won't be allowed to return until their safety can be ensured. "I know that you are eager to return. I ask you to be patient and try to focus on taking care of your families and each other. We can rebuild our base, but we can't rebuild any of you," Laidlaw wrote. At a Defense Writers Group session at George Washington University, Lengyel said a total of 3,583 Guard soldiers and airmen had been activated in the response to the hurricane. Most of them -- 2,932 -- were from Florida, he said, and 625 were called up in Georgia. He added that another 133 from the Guard were still activated in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, but they are expected to be released soon. A total of more than 10,000 Guard soldiers and airmen were on standby for possible call-up in the response to Hurricane Michael, Lengyel said, but he expected that they would not be needed. Lengyel said that most of the Guard's response is still in search-and rescue-mode and efforts at debris clearance. He also said that that Guard had set up 11 distribution points to supply food, water and other assistance to stranded residents. The Army reported that "serious communications problems in the Panhandle" caused by storm damage are limiting operations. In the effort to restore power, the Army's Corps of Engineers is ready to install 55 generators when requested by state authorities and has another 30 generators en route to the area, officials said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. A U.S. Coast Guard crew seized $87 million worth of cocaine in a 50-day counterdrug mission before returning to its homeport in Washington state on Friday, according to reports. The 75-member crew of the cutter Active -- commissioned more than a half-century ago -- intercepted three suspected smuggling vessels, which disrupted the movement of nearly 5,794 pounds of illicit drugs, Fox 12 Oregon reported. The cutter conducted multiple law enforcement boardings across international waters off the coasts of Central America and South America. The Active, along with several other U.S. Coast Guard cutters, incepted eight smuggling vessels that carried a total of 11 tons of cocaine, KING 5 Seattle reported. "I have been continuously impressed with the drive, skill, pride and camaraderie that exists aboard Active," Capt. Stephen V. Burdian, Active's commanding officer, told the station. The Active, a medium-endurance cutter stationed in Port Angeles, Washington was commissioned in 1966, the report said. This week, U.S. Army leaders revealed a much clearer picture of the service's plan to replace its M249 squad automatic weapon and M4A1 carbine with weapons that share an advanced 6.8mm round. For more than a year, modernization officials have offered few details about the Next Generation Squad Weapon program. But over the past three months, the service has taken tangible steps to advance the effort from concept to prototype. The Army released a vague Oct. 4 draft solicitation describing its plans to award future deals to companies to build prototypes of the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Rifle, or NGSW-R, and the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Automatic Rifle, or NGSW-AR, chambered for a newly designed, "government-provided" 6.8mm cartridge. The solicitation followed an announcement in July that the Army had awarded five contracts to gun makers to develop prototypes of only the auto rifle. Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, explained how the solicitations work together at the 2018 Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exhibition. The prototypes from the contracts awarded in July are scheduled to be delivered to the Army next June for evaluation, he said. Added lethality The release of the Oct. 4 solicitation is designed to get feedback from the defense industry about making adjustments to the Army-developed 6.8mm round so it works efficiently in both the rifle and auto rifle versions of the NGSW, Potts explained. "The rationale for doing that is we truly want to get to a common cartridge," he said. "You want the engineers that are developing these weapons to be able to optimize both concurrently. If you put the AR out first, then they are going to optimize that round for the AR; [if] you put out the rifle first, then they are going to optimize it for the rifle. The round might be too heavy and too big for the rifle, and one might get you a round that's not quite enough for an automatic rifle." The Army's interest in developing an advanced 6.8mm round to make the squad more lethal emerged out of a 2017 Small Arms Ammunition Configuration Study, said Brig. Gen. David Hodne, director of the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team. "One of the foundations of that was probability of incapacitation," he said. "Previously, it was good enough to hit something; probability of hit drove a lot of our requirements. We are now looking at energy and range ... critical factors that drive the direction of the Next Generation Squad Weapon in both the automatic rifle and the rifle." Setting ambitious goals for creating a "leap-ahead" weapon system that features an integrated fire-control system and specialized ammunition is nothing new for the Army. The Punisher and other attempts Army engineers worked with industry in the mid-1990s to develop the Objective Individual Combat Weapon, or OICW, a dual weapon system that feature a 20mm airburst weapon mounted overtop a 5.56mm carbine. A high-tech fire-control system allowed soldiers to program 20mm rounds to explode over top of enemy behind cover. The OICW, weighing 18 pounds, proved too heavy and bulky for the battlefield, so the Army attempted to develop the airburst weapon separately. The XM25 featured a 25mm round for increased lethality. The weapon was sent to Afghanistan for operational testing, and combat troops nicknamed it the Punisher, Army officials said. Problems with the program started in February 2013 when the XM25 malfunctioned during its second round of operational testing in Afghanistan, inflicting minor injuries on a soldier. A month later, elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment refused to take the XM25 with them for a raid on a fortified enemy compound in Afghanistan because they were concerned its limited basic load of 25mm rounds was not enough to justify taking an M4A1 carbine out of the mission, sources familiar with the incident said. Last year, the Army canceled its agreement with Orbital ATK Inc., which led to the end of the XM25 program. There have been other slow-burn efforts, such as the Lightweight Small Arms Technology, a program the Army has invested in during the past decade to develop weapons that fire special case-telescoped ammunition. Last year, Textron Systems officials showed off their latest offshoot of the LSAT, the Intermediate Case-Telescoped Carbine, chambered for 6.5mm on the AUSA exhibition floor. The 6.5mm case-telescoped ammunition weighs 35 percent less and offers 30 percent more lethality than 7.62mm x 51mm brass ammunition, Textron officials said. The company chose to use the 6.5mm CT round while the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, was developing the actual projectile, Textron officials said. A new, long-range caliber Now the Army is touting a new 6.8mm round that has an "accurate range far in excess of any existing, known military rifle today," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said at AUSA on Monday. Military.com asked the Army to clarify information on the extended range of the new 6.8mm, but Hodne would say only that it "will go beyond 300" meters, the maximum range for M4/M4A1 qualification. One aspect of the new NGSW program is different from past programs such as the OICW or the XM25. It's the first time Milley, who was sitting beside Army Secretary Mark Esper, said that the service is "committed to a new rifle and a new squad automatic weapon." Another difference: Army officials plan to issue these new weapons only to soldiers in infantry and other close-combat units, instead of trying to convince Congress to buy enough to equip more than one million active-duty, National Guard and Reserve soldiers. Despite the energy behind the effort, the future of the NGSW is still uncertain. Congress did not grant approval for the Army to start the program in fiscal 2019, Potts said. "We did not get approval to ... start a combat rifle program, next gen squad automatic rifle program in 2019," he said, adding that the Army hopes to officially start the program in 2020. "Perhaps Congress reconsiders allowing us to start this year. If not, we start next year and that will drive the timelines," Potts said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead PEORIA, Ill. - Junior Haley Ritsema paced the Western Michigan cross country squad Friday, Oct. 12 at the Bradley Pink Classic, hosted by Bradley University. The 6K race featured 40 schools with over 250 student-athletes. FLINT, MI -- As balloons released from the hands of family and friends, the wails from her mother filled the air. More than 100 Flint residents gathered for a candlelight vigil Friday, Oct. 12 to celebrate the life of 7-year-old Zaniyah Dashay Burns, who was shot in the head on Oct. 9 in the 200 block of West Austin Avenue, between Chestnut Street and Martin Luther King Avenue on the city's north side. Relatives spoke about Burns' personality and resounded that her life was cut short while praying. Flint Police took several suspects into custody on Thursday in the shooting death. The city's Major Crime Unit, a collaboration between the Flint Police and the Michigan State Police, conducted a series of operations Wednesday in relation to the investigation. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Retired electrician and small-business owner Jerry Sias is a self-professed blue-collar candidate challenging state Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Park Township, for the 89th District of the House of Representatives. The 89th District covers the cities of Ferrysburg and Grand Haven, and townships of Blendon, Crockery, Grand Haven, Olive, Park, Port Sheldon, Robinson and Spring Lake. 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. Both Sias, a Democrat, and Lilly consider the state's infrastructure and education among highest priorities but have different goals and routes to get there. "I believe the single greatest thing we can do in our educational system in Michigan is to ensure that parents have all the information they need to make the best decisions about where to send their kids to school," Lily said. "We can use data to show which schools are adopting innovative solutions to improve outcomes for their students and which schools are failing to do which puts the students who attend them at a disadvantage to students in other schools within the district." Lilly also said the state should look to provide more opportunities for students who would rather learn a trade than attend college. Sias called for smaller class sizes and better vocational training. He also said charter schools should not receive public funding. "We need more teachers to decrease class sizes, this ensures every student gets quality time. To fill the needs of the future we need to rebuild our vocational training programs in public high schools. Then we need to deny taxpayer money to charter schools and shift that money back where it belongs, in the public system." Lilly said that investment in the state's infrastructure is a priority. He said he has voted to increase road funding without raising taxes or debt. Sias said the costs for improved infrastructure should be borne by corporations and trucking companies. The middle class is already squeezed, he said. Here are some of the answers provided by the candidates in the online voters guide: What policies do you support to increase jobs and help Michigan residents improve their economic positions? Lily "I am supportive of the policies that Republicans have put in place over the last eight years that have helped to create over 500,000 private sector jobs here in Michigan. Our states unemployment rate is at all-time lows and we lead that comeback here in West Michigan with the lowest employment rate across the state. Skilled trades training is paramount here too. We must ensure an alternative path for students exists in our high schools so when our states kids want the opportunity to learn a trade rather then go to college, that path exists for them." Sias "Michigan has to be on the forefront of green energy, from development to installation. To accomplish that we must offer tax incentives, grants for development, and a well-trained, well-paid workforce." What actions or policies do you support to protect Michigan's water, air and land for current and future generations, while meeting the state's energy needs? Explain how those actions or policies would affect the future of Enbridge Line 5. Sias "We need to produce more energy through wind, solar, and natural gas. Then we need to offer incentives to homeowners for installing solar systems, energy efficient appliances, and windows. Water is Michigan's most precious natural resource and it must be protected. We need to ensure the usage of phosphorous fertilizers is banned on all lake property. Also, we need to protect our waterways by keeping tight guidelines on ballast release water from ships. Lastly, we need to eliminate any pipeline that threatens our water including but not limited to Enbridge Line 5." Lily "I've been a proponent of maintaining our state's current energy plan which provides for safe and reliable power for Michigan's residents. While I am supportive of new generation technologies, we must incorporate these new generation opportunities into the grid over time as we retire old assets so we keep can keep energy affordable for Michigan residents. With respect to Line 5, I am supportive of the governor's agreement with Enbridge that brings more transparency to pipeline operations and looks to find a long term solution for the line that provides a great deal more safeguards for our state's environment." All responses in the 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 in the online voter guide. 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. MIDDLEVILLE, MI -- A deluge of public comment has prompted state regulators to hold an information session next month about plumes of toxic chemicals discharging into the Thornapple River. The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 7 at the Thornapple Kellogg High School Auditorium, 3885 Bender Road in Middleville. It starts at 6:30 p.m., but Michigan Department of Environmental Quality staff will be available beforehand for "one-on-one discussions" at 6 p.m. Earlier this month Bradford White Corporation, a water-heater manufacturer in Middleville, pulled its request to establish a contamination "mixing zone" in the river in response to public concerns. Even though the request was dropped, the DEQ says plumes contaminated with chlorinated solvents continue to discharge into the Thornapple River through polluted groundwater. Bradford White's decision came two weeks after MLive published a story about the plan and how the public could weigh-in. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality received more than 100 emails and 30 letters about Bradford White's request to allow the discharge so long as dilution is taken into account. The DEQ was going to extend the public comment deadline by a month before the company changed its mind. Presently, toxicant concentration in the Middleville groundwater are above the state's Part 201 environmental cleanup criteria. Bradford White was asking the DEQ to allow a "mixing zone" in the river that would consider dilution of the contamination once that groundwater had discharged into the river. Under a mixing zone designation, discharges would be acceptable so long as concentrations of chlorinated solvents in the river don't exceed acceptable state surface water thresholds, said Dave Wierzbicki with the DEQ remediation division in Grand Rapids. He said DEQ gave Bradford White figures that show the current discharge into the river is likely being diluted enough to be in compliance with state surface water thresholds. Even though the company pulled its dilution plan, the company still can ask DEQ to approve a compliance plan or a "no further action" request with a mixing zone using that data, he said. The company's mixing zone application stated the discharge wouldn't degrade the river because it's already happening. According to the application, the "majority" of polluted groundwater is already being captured by a trench and treated by an air stripper system. The volatile organic compounds entering the river are vinyl chloride, trichlorethylene (TCE) and ethylene dichloride. The Environmental Protection Agency considers vinyl chloride and trichlorethylene to be carcinogens, and ethylene dichloride a probable carcinogen. Based on modeling, Wierzbicki said, the plumes have not affected the village water supply. Middleville water has not been tested for chlorinated solvents. Bradford White has tried to remediate the plumes by pumping and treating contaminated water and using bacteria, Wierzbicki said. Pockets of contaminated groundwater remain that are above acceptable levels. Jon Bylsma, an attorney with Varnum Law representing Bradford White, previously said the company "has significantly remediated this issue on-site." The groundwater plumes began underneath the plant and eventually spread west toward the river and south to residential areas of Middleville. At the area where groundwater enters the river, vinyl chloride was detected this year at 62 parts per billion (ppb). Ethylene dichloride was detected at 1,510-ppb and TCE was detected at 830-ppb. Those concentrations are above the state's criteria for contamination at the groundwater-surface water interface (GSI). Wierzbicki said levels of chlorinated solvents in the groundwater have and will continue to decrease with existing cleanup efforts. LANSING, MI -- Think quickly! Michigan's candidates for governor are professional talkers and in-depth explainers, but gave some speedy answers to a few quick questions at MLive's recent citizen roundtable. The MLive citizen roundtable was part of MLive's Michigan Beyond project, which has focused reporting on three issues key to Michigan's future: the economy, education and infrastructure. Five Michigan residents sat down with gubernatorial candidates recently, interviewing them about their ideas to drive Michigan forward. In a super-quick lightning round, they got answers on things like whether candidates would shut down Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac and whether they'd keep the state's Medicaid expansion in place. Watch the video above. In longer interviews, candidates expanded on their visions for Michigan's roads, economy and education system. Watch those interviews at these links: Michigan fighting 'economic civil war,' Schuette says at MLive citizen roundtable The citizens on the panel were Nicole Chen, a certified public accountant and business owner; Amber Keathley, a second-grade teacher; John Wu, president and CEO of Global Strategic Connections, LLC, a global supply chain business; Susan Lynn, a paramedic re-tooling her career by pursuing a nursing degree at Lansing Community College; Ken Oscarson, a retired civil engineer; and Nicole Chen, a certified public accountant and business owner. More information about the Nov. 6 midterm elections: Polls will be open in Michigan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6. Check Michigan's Secretary of State website to see whether you are registered and to preview your ballot. MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to Michigan readers. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. For specific information about the gubernatorial candidates and other Michigan races, visit Vote411.org. Read more of MLive's election coverage here. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Republican challenger John James will face off in two debates Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, their only planned joint appearances ahead of the Nov. 6 general election. The first debate will be hosted at the WGVU Public Media Television Studio Sunday, Oct. 14 at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids. The debate is not open to the public, but will air on Michigan PBS stations at 6 p.m. Oct. 14. The second debate is hosted by the Detroit Economic Club and will take place Monday, Oct. 15 at the Motor City Casino Hotel in Detroit. The program is expected to begin at 12:35 and end at 1:30, and the event is sold out. Follow along with MLive for coverage of both U.S. Senate debates. The candidates: - Incumbent U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. She has previously served in the U.S. House and both houses of the Michigan state legislature. While in the Senate, she has played a role in crafting farm bill legislation on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry and has also prioritized health care issues and Great Lakes preservation. - Republican challenger John James is a former Army captain and West Point graduate and currently serves as president of James Group International, a logistics and supply chain management firm founded by his father. During his campaign, he's said he would prioritize improving the climate for Michigan-owned businesses and work on getting veterans the assistance and care they need. More information about the Nov. 6 midterm elections: Polls will be open in Michigan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6. Check Michigan's Secretary of State website to see whether you are registered and to preview your ballot. MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund to provide candidate information and other voting resources to Michigan readers. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. For specific information about the U.S. Senate candidates and other Michigan races, visit Vote411.org. Read more MLive election coverage here. Dantonio with a call that's going to be questioned plenty if MSU loses: instead of kicking a 40-yard game-tying field goal, he calls the fake and Raequan Williams (!) can't haul in a pass over the middle Kyle Austin South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday mourned the death of apartheid-era foreign minister Pik Botha who he said "would be remembered for his support for South Africa's transition to democracy." Botha, 86, passed away in Pretoria early Friday morning after an illness, his family confirmed. Former South African leader Nelson Mandela, right, greets the Government delegation (L-R) unidentified presidential aide, President F. W. de klerk and Foreign Minister Pik Botha on Saturday, May 16, 1992 in Johannesburg at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa. [Photo: AP] Expressing his condolences at the passing away of Botha, Ramaphosa said his thoughts are with the family, friends and former colleagues of Botha who served as Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs for two years under the leadership of President Nelson Mandela. Prior to 1994 when apartheid was brought to an end, Botha had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for a period of 17 years, which still stands as a world record in the diplomatic community. "Mr Botha would be remembered for his support for South Africa's transition to democracy and for his service in the first democratic administration," said Ramaphosa. Botha is remembered as a far-sighted politician who foresaw the end of apartheid long before the rest of the National Party government did. Although Botha spent the bulk of his career defending the apartheid system of racial segregation against foreign criticism, he was considered a liberal -- at least in comparison to others in the then ruling National Party and among the Afrikaner community. In his last years as foreign minister, Botha played a major role in South Africa's transition to democracy. (Image: Reuters) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Mylan on Friday said it has prevailed in the patent infringement litigation against Teva in US Appellate Court over the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone 40mg/mL patent. "The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed the District of Delaware's decision that Teva's Copaxone 40 mg/mL dosing patents are invalid as obvious," Mylan said in a statement. The US court's decision is expected to bring cheer to Mylan's partner Natco Pharma. The Federal Circuit also affirmed the final written decisions issued by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in three inter partes reviews filed by Mylan related to the same patents. Mylan was defending the last remaining patent infringement cases in the US relating to Glatiramer Acetate Injection 40mg/mL. The invalidated patents are U.S. Patent Numbers 8,232,250; 8,399,413; 8,969,302; and 9,155,776, which are owned by Yeda Research & Development Co., Ltd. and licensed to Teva. "Today's decisions are important milestones as we continue to focus our efforts on meeting the needs of multiple sclerosis patients in the U.S. with Mylan's more affordable treatment option," Mylan said in a statement. Natco impact Natco has teamed up with US generic major Mylan for the two dosage versions of Copaxone generically known as glatiramer acetate injection. As per the agreement Natco will supply the drug, while Mylan markets it in the US. Natco's partner Mylan went ahead and launched Copaxone 40 mg at-risk in US in October last year even as the patent litigation is still on. Any setbacks in the patent litigation could have led to significant damages among other remedies for both the companies. Copaxone is the most prescribed MS treatment for relapsing forms of Multiple sclerosis in the United States with brand sales for the 20 mg/mL dose of approximately $527 million and for the 40 mg/mL dose of approximately $2.86 billion for the 12 months ending August, 2018, according to IQVIA. Mylan-Natco has share of around 15-20 percent for generic Copaxone 40 mg, but they have been slashing prices to undercut Teva's domination for this drug. Approximately 400,000 individuals in the US have MS and relapsing MS accounts for 85 percent of initial MS diagnoses. Representative Image India on Saturday provided Sri Lanka with additional assistance to build another 1,200 houses through 50 model villages. With this, India's collaboration with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Housing and Construction under the Model Villages Housing Programme now covers 2,400 houses in 100 model villages. A MoU was signed to build 1,200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of $3.5 million, the Indian High Commission here said. The 1,200 houses in the 50 model villages are in addition to the earlier 1,200 homes under construction in collaboration with the housing ministry. The houses will be constructed using the successful owner-driven model with Indian grant assistance. As per the new MoU, 600 houses each will be constructed in the Southern and Northern Provinces, the Indian mission said. The project will target low-income, landless and homeless beneficiaries. A cash grant of 500,000 Sri Lankan rupees will be provided to each beneficiary in instalments, linked to the stages of construction of the houses. These projects are in continuation of the Indian government's commitment to assist Sri Lanka in the development of housing infrastructure. India's overall commitment is for building nearly 63,000 houses in Sri Lanka. Indian financial commitment, under grant, for housing in Sri Lanka currently stands at around $50 million, the mission said. The overall development portfolio of the Indian government in Sri Lanka is close to $3 billion. Of this, around $50 million is pure grant assistance and the rest is concessional credit. India's development cooperation projects are not limited to specific regions or sectors. India partners with Sri Lanka according to the island nation's needs and the development projects are being executed all across the country. Selling in midcap segment was seen in Aarti Industries, Adani Gas, Apollo Tyres, Emami, Exide Industries, Jubilant Foodworks, Mahanagar Gas, Syngene International and Tata Consumer Products, Dolat Capital added. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More September 2018 was one of the worst months investors witnessed as benchmark indices fell more than 6 percent and broader markets corrected 12-16 percent. The brutal sell-off started immediately after the frontline indices hit record highs on August 28 and since then both Sensex and Nifty plunged more than 12 percent. The sharp fall in Indian rupee along with emerging markets currencies, upmove move in crude oil prices, trade war tensions, crack in NBFCs and financials on IL&FS-led liquidity fears and surprise RBI repo rate pause are among key reasons for bears to take charge on Dalal Street. FIIs turned net sellers in September to the tune of Rs 9,600 crore, taking their total outflow to Rs 29,000 crore since August. But this panic selling turned into the opportunity for many investors who believe in India's fundamentals and improving corporate earnings. Among them were domestic institutional investors, including mutual funds who have been net buyers since August 2016 in equity markets. MF inflows into equity oriented funds, which raised a bit of worries in July-August due to downtrend, doubled in September to Rs 14,100 crore from Rs 6,800 crore in previous month. In fact, the flow was at three-month high, though the equity asset under management (AUM) declined marginally during the month to Rs 10.16 lakh crore due to fall in equity markets. Even the flow from systematic investment plan (SIP) into equity, which has been strong for past many months, increased to Rs 7,727 crore in September. "MF industry assets de-grew to Rs 22 lakh crore, on the back of volatile markets in September and large outflows from liquid funds," ICICI Securities said. Equity-oriented funds constitute 46 percent, debt funds constitute 33 percent and liquid funds 18 percent of the total assets. Debt and liquid funds predominantly have institutional investors, while equity oriented funds predominantly have individual investors. Among largecaps, mutual funds made highest buying in Vedanta, NMDC, Adani Ports, Asian Paints and Ashok Leyland during September, ICICI Securities said, adding stocks which saw highest selling by AMCs were Shriram Transport Finance, Wipro, ICICI Lombard, United Breweries and L&T Finance Holdings. The research house further said, "In midcaps, stocks like Adani Enterprises, Syngene International, LIC Housing, Prestige Estate and Alkem Laboratories witnessed highest buying while highest selling was seen in Dewan Housing, PC Jeweller, HDFC AMC, Reliance Capital and Tata Communication during September." If we see the year-to-date performance, the BSE Midcap index cracked 22 percent and Smallcap lost 28 percent while the 30-share Sensex was flat. Stocks in both midcap and largecap corrected between 10 percent and 70 percent YTD. Some of them even hit new 52-week lows in the current brutal sell-off. "Mid & Smallcaps are now trading at 25-40 percent discount to the frontline counters, hence catching the bottom cycle is difficult and now if the investor has at least 1-2 years plus investment horizon, can start adding into mid & smallcap space gradually at every levels to generate extra alpha in the portfolio," Prashanth Tapse, AVP Research at Mehta Equities told Moneycontrol. In smallcap segment, AMCs made highest buying in Gujarat Fluoro KPIT Technologies and IFGL Refractories while Monsanto India Infibeam Avenues and Kaveri Seed saw largest selling in September, ICICI Securities said. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ob October 12 visited a production facility of French aerospace major Dassault Aviation near Paris where the Rafale jets to be supplied to India are being manufactured, official sources said. They said during her visit to the plant in Argenteuil, Sitharaman spoke to officials of the Dassault Aviation, the makers of Rafale, and took stock of progress in the production of the fighter jets whose delivery to India will begin in September next year. Sitharaman arrived in Paris on October 18 on a three-day visit in the midst of a massive controversy over the procurement of 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 58,000 crore government-to-government deal between India and France. Last evening, Sitharaman held wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to deepen the strategic and defence cooperation between the two countries. Read SC asks govt to furnish details of Rafale decision-making process The talks were held under the framework of the annual Indo-French defence ministerial dialogue which was agreed to during the summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in March. The two defence ministers comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of the bilateral defence cooperation, which is a key pillar of the India-France strategic partnership, an official statement said. They also exchanged views on contemporary regional and international developments of mutual interest. Both sides discussed ways to deepen defence related official as well as operational level interactions. It was agreed to expand the scope and complexity of the regular joint exercises (SHAKTI, VARUNA and GARUDA) in the future, the statement said. Recognising that India-France partnership in the Indian Ocean Region is important for preserving and promoting the common strategic and security interests, the two leaders noted the continuing implementation of the "Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region. It was not immediately known whether the Rafale deal figured in the talks. She also called on French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. In her interaction with the top leaders of the French defence industry, Sitharaman urged them to undertake and expand their defence manufacturing in India under the Make in India initiative as well as promote defence technology and R&D cooperation with Indian stakeholders such as Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited, Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited etc. Sitharaman's visit to France came in the backdrop of a fierce political backlash between the ruling BJP and Congress over the procurement of the jets. In a report Wednesday, French publication Mediapart said Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, had to choose Ambani's firm Reliance Defence as its offsets partner in India as a trade-off for getting the deal. When asked about the allegations, Sitharaman said that offset obligations for the deal are mandatory but not the names of the companies. In a statement, Dassault Aviation said it has "freely chosen to make a partnership with Reliance Group, as it rejected the report by French publication Mediapart". The latest report followed former French president Francois Hollande's comments last month that France was given "no choice" on selection of the Indian partner for Dassault and the Indian government proposed the name of the Indian company. Hollande was the French president when the Rafale deal was sealed. The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the deal, saying the government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the UPA government when it was negotiating the deal. The Congress has also been targeting the government over the selection of Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Dassault. The government has vehemently rejected the allegations and asserted that it did not have any role in the selection of Reliance Defence. The Supreme Court on October 12 issued a notice to the West Bengal government for granting Rs 28 crore to over 28,000 Durga Puja committees across the state. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta passed the order while hearing an urgent petition filed by advocate Sourav Dutta challenging the Calcutta High Courts decision to not interfere in the case. What is the case? On September 10, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had declared that Rs 10,000 would be given to each of the 28,000 puja committees across the state, costing the government a total of Rs 28 crore. Describing it as a gift and a move aimed at community development, Banerjee said the cost will be borne by different departments of the state government such as consumer affairs and tourism. Banerjee said she had also directed Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) to increase the discount offered to community puja organisers from 20 to 23 per cent. "I will also ask the Kolkata MC, Urban Development and Fire Departments not to levy any licence fee," she added. A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by advocate Sourav Dutta, claiming that it was a dole to puja committees and had no public purpose. However, the Calcutta High Court on October 10 refused to interfere with the state governments decision. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta and Justice Sampa Sarkar ruled that the legislature is the appropriate forum to decide on expenditure by the state. What is the governments argument? Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state government of West Bengal, submitted before the high court bench that the funds are to be used for assisting the police under its traffic safety campaign, for sanitation and public safety. He also added that a taxpayer cannot question the modus operandi of expenditure, claiming that this is the prerogative of the legislature. Senior counsel Saktinath Mukherjee, also appearing for the West Bengal government, submitted that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) or the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) can scrutinize the expenditure of the government, adding that the courts have no role to play at this stage. What is the petitioner saying? The petitioner, Sourav Dutta, challenged the Calcutta High Courts decision in the apex court, claiming that providing funds to puja committees is a clear violation of the secular structure of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court accepted his plea. Pressing that there are no guidelines on how the money is to be tendered and expended, the petitioners also demanded that the plea be rendered infructuous, since Durga Puja festivities begin tomorrow. Can a state government donate funds for religious activities? Technically, no. Using state funds, which comprise the taxes of bonafide citizens, offends the spirit of secularism under Article 27 of the Constitution of India. This Article mandates that no citizen would be compelled by the state to pay any taxes for promotion or maintenance of particular religion or religious institutions. Besides, it also violates Article 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution. A similar precedent may be cited to buttress this notion. Last year, the Bombay High Court had ordered that municipal corporations should ensure that their funds are not used for religious ceremonies. The court said it was not the municipal corporations duty to provide amenities and facilities, at its own cost, to celebrate religious and other festivals. The high court, however, added that it was the duty of the municipal corporation to make arrangements for collection, removal, treatment and disposal of sewage and garbage generated by such festivals, The Indian Express has reported. Could this be a political move? Mamatas move is widely being perceived by the Opposition the BJP and the CPI(M) as an attempt to dispose the allegations that she is partisan towards the minorities in the state. Dilip Ghosh, BJP state president, accused Banerjee of making it up to the Hindu voters for last years debacle. Ghosh was referring to the incident where the Banerjee-led administration imposed restrictions on immersion of Durga idols because the festival coincided with Muharram processions. Similarly, CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb described the move as competitive communalism, saying she is competing with the BJP ahead of the election year. Languages (Source: Wikimedia Commons) About two years ago, Subrata Bhowmick landed in Kolkata, and hailed a cab from a popular taxi hailing app. A couple of days later, he got a promotional message from the company in spoken Bengali, except that the script was English. This, in a lot of ways, sums up the language problem in India, a country of 22 major languages, 13 different scripts and over 720 dialects. Popular Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali once said in a 2013 interview- What fascinates me about India, or rather northern India, is that every 20 kilometres, the language, dialect, music, food, clothes... everything changes. While Ali is a person of the creative arts, engineers have faced the same conundrum while developing local language capabilities for their technology offerings, tailor-made for the Indian market. With the evolution of the digital ecosystem in the country, the adoption of Indic-language scripts has acquired greater importance, both as a matter of convenience for customers as well as a means of expanding the reach and scope for businesses. Until now, several companies have taken to what the aforementioned cab aggregator did - type your native language in English script. Some years ago, the government embarked on a research project under the then Department of Electronics and Information Technology, called the Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL). Over the years, interdisciplinary research resulted in the fragmentation of the extant branches of study, creating a discipline between linguistics and computer science which is concerned with the computational aspects of the human language faculty. Research in the field of computational linguistics has gone a long way in developing a standard for Indian languages. In 2014, the then information technology secretary Ram Sewak Sharma was working on formalising a platform called e-Bhasha to make online content available for Indian citizens in their own language. The platform was launched as a mission mode project (MMP) in 2015. Other initiatives were subsequently undertaken to make digital interactions in local languages a possibility for most Indians. One among these was a dedicated global group led by a language technology expert who would help Indians access web addresses in their local scripts. The work on this project is almost nearing completion, and is one part of the huge technology piece around the complex problem of Indian languages. Global developments In 2016, the annual Internet Trends report by venture capitalist and technology analyst Mary Meeker, said that if India was excluded, the global Internet growth rate dipped to 7 percent for the year, marking the country as one with a high growth potential. Last year, her report said the number of internet users in India grew more than 28 percent in 2016, in spite of the fact that only one in four Indians has access to the Indians. In 2017, internet penetration in India stood at 27 percent. A study commissioned last year by the Universal Acceptance Steering Group, which is working to ensure all web addresses in different languages are compatible with each other, found a potential $9.8 billion growth opportunity in online revenue. The study, carried out by Analysys Mason looked at Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Indic language groups, which said that online spending from these users could start at $6.2 billion per year. This strengthens the case for building technology and systems in the native language of non-English speakers. In 2016, Google Translate made the news for translating Japanese with uncanny precision. Google's translation service, which uses machine learning, managed to recognise and automatically translate complex characters in the Japanese script. As this piece in the New York Times Magazine explained, Google has expedited its quest to fine tune its algorithms so that it attains something like human flexiblity vis-a-vis learning from real-world situations. Google Brain, a new department in the Alphabet stable, has been at work to develop artificial neural networks to acquaint themselves with the world via travel and error, much in the same way as toddlers pick up the rudiments of life, such as language. The crack team that works at creating a seamless experience for users of Google's Assistant and Translate products leverage the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to gradually refine the underlying programs to pick up individual quirks and idiosyncrasies such as accent and intonation of speakers to deliver the best possible results in minimal time. Essentially, Google taught machines to learn language like humans. And that was a breakthrough for the most consumer-facing translation product in the world- it was translating 500 million monthly users and 140 billion words per day in a different language in 2016. Other big tech companies too, were intensifying efforts to build local language capability- Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook being among the major players with fingers in the pie. The turning point It was around 2013-14 that e-commerce became the rage in urban India. From books to clothes, shoes to perfumes, everything was now available online. Even grocery shopping could be conducted at the touch of a button, marking an inflection point in the way Indians procured their basic necessities. However, this boom catered to a largely English-speaking population. Major e-commerce firms were quick to gauge the scope of Indian market. The Indian hinterland presented a largely untapped market for e-tailers, who soon realised that the next wave of growth for them would come from the non-English speaking audience in tier-2 and tier- 3 cities. Snapdeal dabbled in some local language content in 2015 when it introduced Hindi and Telugu translations on its mobile website in 2015. The same year in January, Google introduced lane guidance in Google Maps in Hindi. By August, it intensified efforts to get people to create more content in Hindi and also advertise more aggressively through its AdSense platform. But why does Hindi matter? If you have a large user base in India; or youre looking to grow in this strategic emerging market; catering your content to Hindi speakers is key, it said in a blogpost at the time. Last year, Bangalore-based Reverie Language Technologies, which provides localization services for Indic languages and has an Indic keyboard app called Swalekh, released a report about local language content usage perspective in India. It found that Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu and Bengali represent over 75 percent of all Indian language words typed in by users between January and June 2017. A recent Google study also showed a 61 percent growth in Indian language e-commerce searches in 2017. The same report also said that 45 percent of shopping queries came from non-metro cities compared to 36 percent in 2016. The highest search volume came from Lucknow, Jaipur and Indore. In August this year, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) & Kantar IMRB, in a joint report said a potential 205 million internet non-users are likely to go digital if essential services on the internet are provided in a language of their choice. The business imperative is thus becoming clear- the English-speaking market is saturated, and the next wave of growth and revenue for online businesses will come from small towns where the native language, like what Imtiaz Ali said, changes every 20 kilometers. Why is it still work in progress? One reason why language technology is still very much an evolving field in India is because of the lack of a unifying platform for all stakeholders to set a common agenda. Google Translate, perhaps the most commonly used resource for translations and transliteration on the Internet, learnt different languages as far back as 2010,from transcripts of United Nations and European Parliament meetings, which were translated by humans into six languages. India, unfortunately does not have similar texts that can be used to train machines to learn Indian languages. Understandably, creating these even now would require large amounts of time and money to be invested, thereby dulling the profit motive for private players. Machine translation algorithms are often trained using parallel corpora created by human translators in order to achieve high-quality output. If such parallel corpora in Indian language pairs (Tamil to Marathi, for example) are made available by the government under open source licenses, it could spawn the growth of translation technology companies, said Venkatesh Hariharan, a former Google India Policy head and currently Director - FinTech at the software think tank iSPIRT. Several small firms in India have language capabilities in different areas. These include translation services company Process9, Reverie Language Technologies, and IndusOs, an Android-based operating system that uses Indian languages. There are also independent, volunteer-led initiatives like the non-profit Indic Project, which creates Indian language applications and solutions for the majority of India that does not speak English, and supports all 22 Indian languages. The government has historically thought it will build language technology on their own, but most of it has not been available to most people While the government has been looking to build language technology, it has never considered civil society or language community as stakeholders, said Anivar Aravind, executive director of the Indic Project. Another issue is that the monetisation of non-English content online has still not happened. While the progress in languages is welcome, monetisation from language sites has to be in par with English. I must say monetisation from Indic has come a long way. For language to become monetisable, creatives also need to be in the local language. Many local language sites still have ads in English, said BG Mahesh, founder and managing director at Oneindia.com, a popular Indian language portal. When Mahesh set up the portal, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the focus was a lot more on non- resident Indians, who accounted for 80-85 percent on their traffic. With time, the Internet has become accessible and affordable for most Indians, literacy has improved and portal like his now see India users as well. What still needs to be addressed is having an end-to-end flow- right from searching for a product or thing, navigating option and the entire payment cycle- in the local language of the customers. In August this year, at its annual event for India, Google announced a slew of initiatives and product upgrades targeted specifically at the different local languages spoken in India. A few days later, Amazon launched its e-commerce platform in Hindi. Facebook has allowed users to post in 12 Indian languages , beginning with eight languages as far back as 2012. The social network does not have a specific product around regional languages like Google or Amazon do, but allows users across its offerings- stories, videos etc to use the 12 Indian languages . This is mainly content generation, as opposed to driving commerce, though it does have a Marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to connect directly through the social network. Tech giants patronising Indian languages only validates how huge the Indian language space is. They have seen the traction that Hindi evolved for them. After Hindi they are focusing on all other Indian languages, said Mahesh. Challenges ahead Working and developing in Indian languages is not as simple as mere translation. The important thing is to think of not just the technology part, but also the experience part of it, said co-founder and chief executive of Reverie LanguageTechnologies. As an example, Pani said, the image of a shopping cart on an e-commerce website that an urban customer understands well, may not make much sense for a tier-2 or tier-3 market customer, because they haven't seen a shopping cart the way the English-speaking market recognizes it. Similarly, the microphone icon on most websites does not mean much to that market and they often confuse it for a "shivling," a common symbol of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. On e-commerce websites, email registration is a barrier. Cash-on-delivery not being the default mode also becomes a barrier to the growth of e-commerce in tier-2 and tier-3 markets. In our experience, 80 percent customers drop out of the shopping cart for such reasons, added Pani. Big tech firms entering the Indian language space is certainly a positive, but they will have to address the challenge of localising content for different geographies, and maybe even work alongside some of these smaller but more experienced players who understand the market and its challenges better. Congress president Rahul Gandhi described Hindustan Aeronautical Limited as a "strategic asset" in aerospace, saying the country owed a debt to it, as he stepped up his campaign against the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal. Reaching out to present and former employees of the defence PSU at an interaction with them here, Gandhi said work done by HAL for the country was tremendous and the country owed debt to it for "protecting us" and creating a scientific vision. "....HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company," Gandhi said at the event organised at Minsk Square near the HAL headquarters. He said he was interacting with the employees to understand how to make "this strategic asset" (HAL) more effective "so that when we come to power, we will do it more aggressively." Gandhi's interaction is part of his onslaught against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in which he alleges HAL had been overlooked in the offsets contracts with French aerospace company Dassault Aviation preferring Anil Ambani's company. The Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting the Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected in place of Reliance Defence it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters after holding talks with then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. American pastor Andrew Brunson, freed by a Turkish court after two years in detention, has flown out of Turkey and is set to be received by President Donald Trump at the White House. Brunson, whose detention caused a crisis in ties with Washington, flew out of Adnan Menderes airport in the Aegean city of Izmir on an American military plane bound for the US Ramstein airbase in Germany on October 12, his lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP, adding he would then continue to the United States. Trump, who had applied intense pressure on Turkey to release the pastor, said he would receive Brunson shortly after he arrives in the United States. "Good news, Pastor Brunson is in the air," Trump told reporters as he arrived in Cincinnati for election campaigning. "He is coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday." The Trump administration imposed tariffs on Turkey and sanctioned two senior ministers to free Brunson, whose case has become a cause celebre for the president's conservative Christian base. Trump denied a report by NBC News that he had agreed to ease pressure on Turkey in return for Brunson's release. "We spoke to Turkey and went through a system," Trump said. "There was no deal at all. There was no deal." Media were not allowed to accompany Brunson into the airport lounge but saw him arriving earlier at the airport arm-in-arm with his wife Norine, waving at reporters while surrounded by security. State-run Anadolu news agency confirmed Brunson had taken off, saying he was expected to stop in Germany before heading home. Answer: Donald Trump. US President Donald Trump has said that his administration has taken the "toughest-ever action" to crack down on China's unfair trade practices. Trump has been steadily hiking tariffs on Chinese exports to the US since June, asking Beijing to bring down the billions of dollars of trade deficit. He has taken an unprecedented tough measure against the alleged unfair trade practices of China. The US has a nearly $500 billion trade deficit with China per annum, which Trump says is unsustainable for the US. "We have taken the toughest-ever action to crack down on China's unfair trade actions and trade abuses," Trump told his cheering supporters at an election rally in Ohio on Friday. Among the steps being taken by the US include imposing additional 25 per cent tariff on import of Chinese products worth $250 billion, announcing new curbs of nuclear technology trade with China and taking steps to stop China from allegedly stealing intellectual property from the US. Trump patted on his back with regard to his China policy as he listed out the achievements of his administration and the steps that has strengthened the American economy and creating jobs. "Thanks to our tariff and especially on steel that's been dumped all over this country, the Ohio steel industry and the US steel industry is roaring back to life and soon will be hitting its most successful years ever," he said. Last week, he announced the replacement of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) "with the incredible, brand-new" US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the USMCA, Trump said. "It's opening up Canada, opening up Mexico for our farmers, everybody," he said. Trump said that at his direction, the Pentagon is now working to create the sixth branch of the American armed forces called the Space Force. "That's very important. Hate to say it, but very soon, that's where it's going to be at. It's going to be space, everything, defence, offense, everything," he said. Referring to his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump said that this was one-sided. "I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal and look what happened to Iran," he said. "When I took office, Iran was all over the place. They were taking over Syria. They were taking over Yemen. They were taking over everything. I actually said, this is going to be a problem and we've got to do something. The US envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on October 12 as President Donald Trump's administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that American officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives. The Journal said it was not clear what the two sides discussed. Khalilzad, who is trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, is currently on his first trip as the special representative. His 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The State Department declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. "We can't confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations," said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan," the spokesperson added. Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what were described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced "very positive signals." A US-led coalition forced the Taliban from power in 2001 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 al Qaeda attacks on Washington and New York. Taliban officials want the withdrawal of American forces and a government in Kabul that reflects the group's view of Islam. Foreign policy | 57 percent The US will consider undertaking 'appropriate measures' against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives, a top State Department official has said, expressing concern over the 'troubling actions' taken by outgoing President Abdullah Yameen. Pro-China incumbent Yameen was trounced by opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the parliamentary elections held in the Maldives last month. Solih is widely regarded as a pro-India leader. Yameen's party has filed a legal petition challenging his landslide election defeat despite major international pressure for him to step down. The important statement by America comes days after Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells met President-elect Solih. "The US is concerned by troubling actions by outgoing President Yameen that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people, and will consider appropriate measures against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives," State Department Spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a video twitter message. The Maldivian people turned out in record numbers during the recent elections to decisively choose Solih as their next president, Palladino said. The election commission of the Maldives has certified the results of the presidential elections, he said. Paladino said the US is concerned by troubling actions by outgoing President Yameen that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people after he approached the Supreme Court contesting the election results. There have been reports of serious threats against members of the election commission. "The United States and the international community would view with great concern any attempt that undermines the democratic process including any delay in the inauguration scheduled for November 17. "The United States will consider appropriate measures against anyone who undermines democracy, rule of law or free and fair electoral process of the Maldives," Paladino said. During her meeting with Solih, Wells emphasised that the US is willing to extend cooperation to his government and to assist the Maldives in its return to the democratic path. "The United States urges all parties to respect the will of the Maldivian people and to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition," Paladino added. China's economic system is not compatible with the norms of the WTO, the Trump administration has said, asserting that the international trade body is not equipped to deal with Beijing and its industrial policies. The Trump administration is also seeking to redefine the term 'developing nations' as countries like China, despite being the world's second largest economy, are being considered as developing, that gives them certain benefits under the World Trade Organization (WTO). "Too many countries at the WTO self-designate as developing countries. And as a developing country at the WTO, you enjoy additional flexibilities and exemptions from the rules," Dennis Shea, Deputy US Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the WTO, told a Washington audience on Friday. "If you look at who some of these countries are, though, it's pretty amazing that they're claiming to be developing countries at the WTO," he said. For example, 10 of the G-20 members claim developing country status at the WTO. China, which is the second largest economy in the world, claims developing country status at the WTO, Shea said. Five of the six countries with the largest GDP per capita claim developing country status at the WTO, he said during his appearance before the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think-tank. US Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer, Shea said, raised that issue at the ministerial conference in Buenos Aries in December and has a real conversation going on at the WTO about whether there should be more differentiation among developing countries. In July, he said, the US offered a paper on China's economic model and the point of the paper was the economic model is essentially inconstant with the WTO norms. "And I had a big back-and-forth with my Chinese counterpart. In fact, people said it was the most exciting time they've ever seen at a General Council meeting at the WTO. And my reaction was, 'Well, if this is the most exciting time this place must be pretty boring'," Shea said. Indicating tightening of the US approach against China, Shea said that the middle-of-the-road approach on some of the issues, particularly around China, is no longer viable. "We really need to recognise that the economic system of China is not compatible with the WTO norms," he said, asserting that other countries need to speak up on this. The WTO, as currently constituted, is not equipped to handle the China issue. "One of my jobs is to help educate the membership about the ramifications of China's non-market economy, not just for the US, but for the WTO membership at large," Shea said. That is the reason why, he observed, the US submitted that paper on the Chinese economic model at the last general council meeting in July. The US, Japan and the EU are now engaged in the trilateral process, in which they are looking at ways to share information. "They're looking at a number of areas. One on industrial subsidies and state-owned enterprises; another on the issue of forced technology transfer; and, the third issue on, you know, defining: what are the elements of a market economy? Can we have a common understanding of what a market economy is?" the top US trade official said. "Part of this effort involves the development of new rules. So the US and the EU and Japan are engaged in discussions, at a technical staff level, about the development of new rules around industrial subsidies and SOEs -- that's the furthest along -- and potentially new rules around forced technology transfer," Shea said. Responding to a question, Shea said that in China, there is no independent judiciary, which can resolve disputes among stakeholders in China in an impartial manner. "Should China be kicked out of the WTO if the US loses?" he was asked. "You know, yes," he answered. "We are committed to the trilateral process. We're working, hopefully, we'll develop a common understanding of what new rules would look like with the EU and Japan, and then branch out from there. Passavant Area Hospital continues to expand its offerings in the community, adding a new health initiative and renovating a wing at the hospital. Those are among the highlights shared by the hospitals chief executive officer during its annual board meeting this week. The initiative for 2019 is called Healthy Jacksonville, which Passavant President and CEO Harry Schmidt said is meant to engage with the community in an intentional, data-driven approach to connect people to the community, social and health care programs to meet their needs. In 2008, Schmidt said that Dr. Don Berwick of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement introduced the Triple Aim, which was designed to improve the patient experience of care (quality and satisfaction), improve the health of populations and reduce the per capita cost of health care. Arguably, todays health care system is designed to deliver illness care, Schmidt said. We want to change that by proactively improving health. Our community health needs assessment tells us we need to increase access to care and to affect health behaviors. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Morgan County 77 out of 102 Illinois counties for overall health status, Schmidt said. The study shows that only 20 percent of health is determined by access to health care. Ten percent is determined by the environment clean air, water and appropriate housing. Forty percent is determined by socio-economic factors and the remaining 30 percent by health behaviors. Achieving Magnet recognition for Passavant also was part of Schmidts comments, which he made at the annual meeting of the hospitals Board of Governors Thursday at Hamiltons. The purpose of the Magnet program is to recognize organizations that align and enable their nursing teams to improve patient outcomes, Schmidt said. Only about 8 percent of U.S. hospitals ever achieve Magnet designation, and only about 2 percent earn that recognition three times, according to Schmidt. We recently completed the site visit for our third Magnet recognition, he said. This site visit gave us an opportunity to showcase our nursing staff and the excellent work they are doing to continue providing the quality care that leads to great patient outcomes. We anxiously wait for the call in the coming months recognizing our efforts. The renovation of the 2 South nursing unit also was a highlight of Schmidts report. This major renovation project will involve 20 patient rooms and is scheduled to be completed in January 2020. The new patient rooms on 2 South will be the same as the recently completed renovation of rooms on 3 South. Building a regional presence also was a topic of Schmidts comments. As a hospital in a rural area, we are a strong resource for patients from Morgan and the surrounding counties, Schmidt said. This year, in partnership with SIU Medicine, Passavant opened its new Womens Health Center on campus. We will continue to develop partnerships and make connections with SIU and Springfield Clinic to expand services for individuals in our service area, he said. And just last week, we opened the partial hospitalization program. Partial hospitalization is a component in the behavioral health continuum of care. This program provides an option for more intensive daytime treatment for patients under the supervision of our behavioral health services team. The work of the Passavant Area Hospital Foundation and the Passavant Auxiliary were acknowledged by Schmidt. Both organizations have been instrumental in funding new medical equipment, initiatives and scholarships for Passavant employees, Schmidt said. Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg. Peoria wasnt always a company town. It was a distillery town, a farm implement town and a river town before the Caterpillar Tractor Co. set up shop. A bond developed between company and town that became a mutually beneficial relationship. Caterpillar rose to international prominence on the strength of rugged, reliable earth-moving machines while the Peoria area gained jobs not only in bustling factories but at the headquarters of a Fortune 100 company, a rare distinction for a city of a population of 100,000. But in 2017, that symbiotic relationship underwent a dramatic change. Caterpillar announced two things that reverberated across central Illinois: one, the company ditched plans for an expansive office project in downtown Peoria that Caterpillar had promised with great fanfare just two years earlier, and, two, the corporate headquarters would move to the Chicago area. Peoria would remain Caterpillars home, the company stated, emphasizing that 12,000 employees would remain in central Illinois while some 300 executives and staff would work out of corporate offices in Deerfield. Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis expressed appreciation for the employees that stayed behind but called the news a punch in the gut. State Sen. Dave Koehler said, Its something that everyone feared, but had hoped would never happen. The city now has fears of future announcements from Caterpillar management, headed by new CEO Jim Umpleby and board chairman Dave Calhoun, who heads the Blackstone Investment Group, that more jobs might be sent out of town. While Peoria was jolted by Caterpillars actions last year, its no secret that the U.S. manufacturing scene has changed mightily since 30,000 people were employed at central Illinois Caterpillar plants in the early 1970s. That was a time when most of Caterpillars machines were assembled in Illinois in plants at Joliet, Aurora and Decatur as well as across the Peoria area. Now Caterpillar has more factories overseas 76 than it does in the United States where 62 plants operate. Caterpillar maintains 25 plants in China alone. When it comes to opening plants in this country, Caterpillar follows the trend of big manufacturers that set up shop in the Sun Belt. U.S. plants opened by Caterpillar in recent years have been in Georgia and Texas while the company recently moved its mining division from Milwaukee to Tucson, Ariz. Caterpillar Inc., the name the company adopted in 1986, has expanded beyond bulldozers. Along with making a major commitment to mining, Caterpillar is now heavily involved with equipment used for oil and gas exploration, electric power generation and marine engines. But it wasnt always that way. By the time the Caterpillar name was a registered trademark in 1910, the Holt Caterpillar Co. had established a plant in East Peoria in a building that previously housed the Colean Manufacturing Co., a firm that made steam-powered tractors before the company went bankrupt. Benjamin Holts family business started in the mid-1880s in California. Holt Caterpillar started up a division in the Midwest, moving to central Illinois with just 12 employees. Fifteen years later, the Holt firm merged with rival C.L. Best Gas Tractor Co., another California-based company, to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co. in central Illinois. After the 1925 merger, C.L. Best became Caterpillars first CEO, a position he held until his death in 1951. Clarence Leo Best no one called him Clarence. His friends called him Leo. At work, he was C.L., said Lee Fosburgh, Caterpillars archives director. Fosburgh pointed out that it was Best who got Caterpillar off on the right foot. The Best Tracklayer Sixty became the Caterpillar Sixty, said Fosburgh, referring to the workhorse tractor that helped establish Caterpillar in the earth-moving marketplace. Best helped lead the push towards the companys adoption of the diesel engine. He came up with concepts and ideas right up until his death at age 71, said Fosburgh. Former CEO and Chairman Doug Oberhelman, in remarks made at the 2016 opening of the an exhibit on Best at the Caterpillar Visitors Center in Peoria, said Bests business acumen was one of the big reasons for the companys success. Oberhelman noted that Best went to Wall Street for Caterpillars initial public stock offering on Dec. 2, 1929 just weeks after the devastating stock market crash that precipitated the Great Depression. After presiding over the companys greatest sales year ever in 2012 when Caterpillar topped $65 billion in sales (an occasion celebrated in Fortune magazine with the headline, Caterpillar crushes it), Oberhelman went all-in on mining. In 2010, Caterpillar made the largest acquisition in its history, buying Bucyrus International, a Milwaukee-based maker of large mining equipment, for $8.8 billion. No sooner was the deal completed when mining around the globe went into a tailspin. As a result, Oberhelman presided over something else: the closing and consolidation of 20 plants worldwide and a dramatic reduction in the companys workforce. Between 2012 and 2015, Caterpillar laid off 31,000 people. As a company that sold 34 pipe-laying machines to China in 1975, Caterpillar had a strategy for China in 2010: Were going to play offense and were going to win, said Oberhelman at the time. By 2014, Caterpillar had 25 plants in China. But the Chinese market, once so hot, went cool. But like the heavy-duty equipment it produces, Caterpillar has shown an ability to weather storms, whether inflicted by markets or strong winds. Caterpillar was already bouncing back from the malaise in the mining industry in 2017 while in April of this year, Caterpillar posted the highest first-quarter profit in the companys 93-year history with a 31 percent increase in company revenues. There were many great days in Caterpillar-Peoria history. During World War II, 191 Peorians, including 158 Caterpillar employees, shipped out as a group to the jungles of Burma, forming Caterpillars own 497th Engineer Heavy Shop Co. The companys task? To circumvent a portion of the Burma Road that had been captured by the Japanese. This was vital to restore lines of communication between China and Burma, and help liberate Burma from Japanese forces. In a magazine ad that Caterpillar ran during the war, the 497th was depicted with their sign proudly displayed on a palm tree by the groups tent city: Little Peoria. That ad was among other print advertisements that Caterpillar ran in major magazines at the time in the 1940s and 1950s from the collection of Caterpillar retiree Mark Johnson at a 2014 display at the Peoria Public Library. Building a road in jungle conditions with tigers, snakes and malaria to worry about was not easy, said Johnson, who retired in 2009 after 37 years at Caterpillar. After World War II, Caterpillar moved into high gear with company sales going from $128 million in 1946 to $742 million in 1959, he said. Ads from the 1950s in Johnsons collection illustrate the emphasis that Caterpillar placed on rebuilding the nations infrastructure after the war. When you think of better roads, think of the big yellow machines that make them possible, Caterpillar noted in a 1950s ad. Caterpillar equipment didnt just build American highways but were in use around the world. As the global economy got bigger, Caterpillar grew with it. New markets provided Caterpillar with opportunity. Not only did Caterpillar start building factories overseas, it opened new plants across the United States usually in right-to-work states like Texas or Georgia. While a hub for Caterpillar operations, central Illinois became a battleground between Cat labor and management in the 1990s marked by two lengthy strikes. The United Auto Workers, which waged such a spirited campaign against Caterpillar in the 1990s has seen its influence and numbers decline in recent years. There were 9,500 UAW members who voted on a six-year contract at 11 Caterpillar facilities in Illinois and Pennsylvania in 2011. By the time of the next contract, approved in April 2017, only 5,000 UAW members voted. Today things are changing in downtown Peoria. Property that had been set aside for Caterpillars new headquarters, is slated to be home to OSF HealthCare. OSF plans to place between 700 and 750 employees at the site at a cost between $80 million and $100 million. I did not get the real ... Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority View Photos Sonora, CA There are two seats coming open on the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority Board of Directors. In total, the board has seven seats, three are at-large, two are members of the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors and two are from the Sonora City Council. Jim Gianelli is vacating the final two years of his seat as he will soon be moving out the county. In addition, the four-year term of Dave Thoeny is expiring. Thoeny has the opportunity to reapply for the seat if he so chooses. The other at-large member is Barry Hillman, the Tuolumne County representatives are John Gray and Sherri Brennan, and the City of Sonora representatives are Jim Garaventa and Matt Hawkins. TCEDA Executive Director Larry Cope says the requested attributes for at-large members include having a track record of community activities, ability to attend regular monthly meetings, business experience, and having a vision for the future of the county. You can find more information about applying by clicking here. Applications will be accepted through 4pm on November 1st. The Board of Directors will likely review the applications for the two seats at the November 9 board meeting. Tuolumne County, CA Officials have determined what ignited a 27-acre fire off Highway 108 near Tulloch Road. While very limited details have been released, CAL Fire reports that it was caused by someone who was doing some shooting with a gun. The fire ignited during the noon hour yesterday and it was fully contained during the three oclock hour. The fires name was in reference to its close location to Wildcat Creek. CAL officials report that yesterdays incident proves that there remains a high risk for wildfires in the region, and October has traditionally been one of the more historically challenging months for firefighters. While the temperatures are cooling, the winds often pick up this time of year, and there has been only minimal rainfall on the very dry vegetation. Higher winds and low humidity are projected across California over the next several days. Chinese Immigrant Contributions Recognized In Yosemite View Photos Yosemite, CA Assemblyman Frank Bigelow was at the Yosemite Gateway Partners meeting this week to present a resolution noting the contributions of Chinese Americans to both Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada. He authored the resolution this past legislative session at the request of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and the National Parks Conservation Association. It is designed to showcase a more complete and diverse history of the individuals that helped shape the park and region. A presentation was given during the Yosemite Gateway Partners meeting held at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. Besides Bigelow, others on hand included Jack Shu, Co-founder of the Sing Peak Pilgrimage, which is helping to preserve the history of Chinese Americans in the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite Superintendent Michael Reynolds, and Ron Sundergill with the National Parks Conservation Association. You can read the resolution below: WHEREAS, In the mid-1800s, thousands of Chinese immigrants came to the West Coast of America in search of gold and economic opportunities; and WHEREAS, Despite anti-immigrant sentiments and racism, Chinese immigrants became an indispensable workforce by taking on jobs that were not desired by others and performing tasks so well that today their accomplishments illustrate the highest levels of human achievement; and WHEREAS, During the winter of 1874 to 1875, Chinese road builders constructed 23 miles of the Wawona Road in four and one-half months, making the magnificent natural environment of Yosemite Valley accessible from the southern part of the park; and WHEREAS, From 1882 to 1883, Chinese road builders completed 56 miles of the Great Sierra Wagon Road, most of which is now known as Tioga Road, using blasting powder to break rocks while working close to 10,000 feet above sea level; and WHEREAS, The Great Sierra Wagon Road, one of the few passages over the Great Western Divide, enabled access to Tuolumne Meadows; and WHEREAS, In Yosemites early years, hundreds of Chinese Americans worked in the many hotels providing guest services and growing fresh vegetables for thousands of park visitors; and WHEREAS, For decades, numerous noted Chinese American chefs enhanced park visitors experiences with extraordinary meals, providing another reason for people to come to Yosemites hotels; and WHEREAS, Tie Sing, a backcountry chef for the United States Geological Survey, served as the chef for the 1915 Mather Mountain Party, which was influential in forming the National Park Service, was a noted asset to the groups experience in the Sierra Nevada, and has a mountain peak named after him on the southeastern border of Yosemite National Park; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the legacy of Californias pioneer Chinese Americans and honors their contributions and the important role they played in the history of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. Plainview police responded to the 700 block of Beech St. on Sept. 25 for a call about criminal mischief just after 1:30 a.m. Damage to property was reported. Police responded to a call about a deceased person at the 2000 block of Independence on Sept. 25 at 6:16 a.m. Officers arrested an 18-year-old woman at the 1600 block of W. 11th St. on Sept. 25 around 11:30 p.m. The woman was charged with assault Class C Contact/threat Police responded to a theft of a firearm at the 1600 block of W. 21st St. on Sept. 25 around 12:21 p.m. Office responded to the 1500 block of N. Interstate 27 on Sept. 25 just after 11 p.m. in response to an assault. David Eugene Willoughby, 21, was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Plainview police responded to a minor traffic accident that caused vehicle damage at the 1500 block of N. Columbia on Sept. 25 at 10:21 a.m. Officers were called to the 2400 block of W. 16th St. on Sept. 26 around 11:15 p.m. in response to electronic harassment. A 39-year-old man was arrested on Sept. 26 after police responded to a call about shoplifting around 11:50 a.m. at the 2400 block of N. Columbia. Police were called to the 1900 block of W. 20th St. just after 3 a.m. on Sept. 26 in response to an assault on a family member. Officers arrested a 31-year-old woman on Sept. 26 around 8:15 a.m. for driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution. Plainview police responded to a burglary at the 100 block of SW Eighth St. around 1:20 p.m. on Sept. 26. Law enforcement officials responded to a report of a bomb threat at 1500 Yonkers on Sept. 27 just after 7 a.m. Officers arrested Stephon William Hodge on Sept. 27 for possession of marijuana and driving with no drivers license. Hodge was arrested at the 700 block of Joliet around 10:45 a.m. Officers confiscated 0.075 ounces of marijuana. A man was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing on Sept. 27 at the 1500 block of Yonkers just after 8 a.m. Officers were called to the 3300 block of Quincy on Sept. 27 just after 10 p.m. in response to damaged property. The reporting party reported damage to vehicles. A man was arrested for disorderly conduct at the 800 block of Houston on Sept. 27 at 12:35 p.m. A man was arrested on a warrant at the 500 block of N. Columbia on Sept. 27 just after 10 p.m. Plainview police responded to a call about fraud at the 1200 block of Lexington on Sept. 28 just after noon. A man was arrested for a warrant on sept. 28 at 1:20 a.m. at the 100 block of S. Joliet. Police responded to a report of shoplifting at Tractor Supply at the 1000 block of N. Interstate 27 on Sept. 28 just after 9 a.m. Shoplifted items included a clip on holster and bottle, doe urine and a hunter quarter bag. Officers arrested Lourdes Perez at the 900 block of W. Fifth St. on Sept. 28 just after 9:30 a.m. on a charge of possession of a dangerous drug, prohibited substance/item in a correctional facility and a warrant. Responding officers found hydrocodone and 0.18 grams of meth. Sergio Hernandez Alonzo was arrested on Sept. 28 just before noon on five different charges including possession of a controlled substance, displaying a fictitious motor vehicle registration and three different warrants. Officers seized 0.28 grams of methamphetamine during the arrest. Victoria Anna Griego was arrested on Sept. 28 just after 1 p.m. for three different charges including theft of property valued at less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions, possession of a dangerous drug and manufacture or deliver a controlled substance. Responding officers seized hydrocodone, 3.16 grams of methamphetamine, numerous baggies and a cell phone during the arrest. Plainview police arrested a man for a warrant on Sept. 28 just after 10 p.m. at the 2800 block of Houston. Police arrested a man on Sept. 28 around 9:20 a.m. for a charge of assault causing bodily injury family violence and terroristic threat of a family or household. Officers arrested Raymond Eugene Arguello on Sept. 29 around 7:15 p.m. at the 1300 block of W. 24th St. for warrant for an out-of-county felony. A man was arrested on a charge of evading arrest/detention and driving without a driver's license on Sept. 29 around 7:40 a.m. at the 1600 block of Kokomo. A man was arrested at the 800 block of Lexington on Sept. 29 just after 10 p.m. The individual was arrested for a warrant and for resisting arrest search or transport. Officers responded to a call about an assault at the 900 block of Travis on Sept. 30 around 11:50 p.m. Officers responded to a call about theft from a vehicle at the 900 block of E. Fourth on Sept. 30 around 3:45 p.m. Police were called to the 600 block of 11th St. on Sept. 30 around 8:15 p.m. for an assault. Reyes Ramos was arrested on Sept. 30 around 10:15 p.m. at the 1200 block of Joliet on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia. Responding officers seized 0.76 grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe during the arrest. A man was arrested for a warrant on Sept. 30 around 4:45 a.m. at the 4100 block of Villa Drive. Police responded to a report of damaged property at the 1300 block of Vernon on Sept. 30 just after 3:30 a.m. Responding officers found damage to a vehicle. Plainview police arrested Alfonso Telles at the 200 block of E. Second St. on Sept. 30 around 9:40 a.m. on four charges. Telles was charged with evading arrest or detention with a previous conviction, possession of a controlled substance, possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication. Responding officers found 2.31 grams of meth. Officers arrested a man at the 1200 block of Milwaukee on Oct. 1 around 5:50 a.m. for joy riding. The individual was charged with driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial responsibility and a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle. Officers responded to the 3400 block of Olton Road on Oct. 1 around 3:40 p.m. for a warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers responded to the 900 block of W. 28th St. around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 for a call about fraud. An individual was arrested and charged with public intoxication on Oct. 1 just before 11 a.m. at the 2400 block of N. Columbia. Officers responded to a call about an aggravated assault at the 100 block of Ash on Oct. 1 just before 2 p.m. Officers arrested a 38-year-old individual for a charge of driving with an invalid license and unauthorized use of a vehicle on Oct. 1 around 5:50 a.m. at the 1200 block of Milwaukee. Officers arrested a 62-year-old man at the 4000 block of Olton Road on Oct. 1 for public intoxication and consumption of an alcoholic beverage on a premises licensed for off-premises licensed for off-premises consumption. Plainview police were called to the 1100 block of N. Columbia on Oct. 2 around 4:40 p.m. in response to a theft. Police arrested a 23-year-old woman on Oct. 2 at the 3200 block of Olton Road just before 9 p.m. on a warrant for possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia. Plainview police arrested 31-year-old woman for possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia on Oct. 2 around 10 a.m. at the 1000 block of W. Fifth St. Officers responded to a call about a fight at the 1700 block of Yonkers on Oct. 2 just after noon. Plainview police responded to the 700 block of Fresno around 10:40 p.m. for theft and theft of a firearm on Oct. 3. Officers responded to a traffic accident with vehicle damage at the 2400 block of N. Columbia on Oct. 3 around 3:20 p.m. Police responded to a call about an assault at the 1000 block of Houston on Oct. 3 just after 7 p.m. Plainview officers arrested a 31-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman at the 2200 block of W. 20th St. for a City of Plainview warrant and a Hale County warrant. Officers responded to a call about criminal mischief at the 4100 block of W. 16th St. on Oct. 3 just after 7:30 a.m. Plainview police responded to a call about theft from at the 100 block of SE Eighth St. around 2:35 p.m. Oct. 3. Officers responded to a call about a theft at the 500 block of W. Fifth St. just after 7 p.m. on Oct. 3. Police arrested 52-year-old Robert Todd Coleman on Oct. 3 at the 1400 block of E. Fifth St. The call was reported at 7:31 a.m. and Coleman was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing bodily injury family violence. Plainview police responded to an assault at the 1500 block of Quincy on Oct. 3 around 11:40 a.m. Police arrested 37-year-old Corina Perez Flores for an out of county felony at the 1000 block of N. Interstate 27 around 5:50 p.m. Officers responded to a theft at the 2100 block of Independence on Oct. 3 just before 4 p.m. A 52-year-old man was arrested for driving while intoxicated third or more offense at the 2900 block of Olton Road on Oct. 3 just after 5 p.m. Police responded to a burglary at the 1100 block of Houston on Oct. 3 just after 5 p.m. Billing software startup Chargify is adding a new feature to its product and looking to hire more employees. Chargify, based at Scaleworks on Houston Street in downtown San Antonio, handles recurring billing needs for companies. The new tool they introduced this week, called WhoPays, enables customers to determine who pays for subscriptions and consolidate those subscriptions into a single invoice that can be paid in one transaction, CEO Tom Rotem explained in a blog post. Recently, weve seen a new frontier of billing challenges centered around payment responsibilities, he wrote. We realized there were no elegant out-of-the-box solutions that put businesses in full control of deciding who pays for what subscriptions. The addition was prompted by feedback from customers, who are increasingly looking for more flexibility and personalization around billing, Rotem said in a recent interview. Its intended to reflect customer relationships and remove some of the restrictions companies encounter with billing. Chargify is looking to hire for many of its teams, Rotem added. They currently have around 65 employees and openings for developers, marketing specialists, a product manager and leader and other positions. Were growing fast, he said. The startup is one of seven in technology investment firm Scaleworks portfolio. In the last 19 months Chargify has doubled its revenue and number of employees, managing 23 million subscriptions to date and processing $2.9 billion in revenue. Rotem was hired as CEO last month and previously served as the senior vice president for strategic partnerships at Yotpo. He was a Chargify customer while at Yotpo, which sells marketing software. In a blog post last month, Rotem said that one of the challenges Chargify faces is personalizing clients billing interactions. Customer relationships change over time as customers have unique needs, grow or shrink dramatically or have variable product usage, Rotem said. Eventually, personalized deals will be required to fulfill their needs and subsequently, personalized billing ... We continue to innovate our product with that challenge in mind. madison.iszler@express-news.net | Twitter: @madisoniszler Love it or hate it, the San Antonio River Walk is home to some of the city's best restaurants. The popular tourist destination welcomes millions of visitors each year, which means a variety of dining options are easily accessible in the heart of the Alamo City. But which places do locals actually like to visit? Contributed Photo / Ansonia Police Department / Contributed Photo ANSONIA Meet some of the officers who patrol and protect the city this Monday at the most recent Coffee with a Cop event. The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday at the Starbucks in Target at 20 West Main St. STAMFORD Anyone whos wondered how the city manages parking might be glad to know that so did the traffic chief, hired last year. A few months after James Travers took the job, he contracted a company to assess parking operations. Now he wants to follow up with an audit to pinpoint deficiencies before taking steps to modernize management of parking in city garages and lots and along the curbs. We have to move the department into the 21st century, Travers recently told members of the Board of Finance. Were behind and we need to catch up. The $22,000 assessment by Dixon Resources Unlimited examined 2017 and concluded the city needs stricter procedures for handling $3 million in annual parking revenue: Meter money is collected openly on the streets. There is too much opportunity for money to be stolen, with little chance of detection. Access to the coin room at City Hall, where meter money is counted, is too free. Money is stored openly. No bags or other containers should be allowed in the coin room and employees should not enter with personal money on them. They should wear lab coats without pockets. Dueling computer systems make it difficult to verify revenue collection amounts. In 70 percent of cases in which parking tickets are voided, the reason is officer request, which is too vague and out of line with industry standards. The assessment concluded that meters, pay stations and other equipment is old and should be replaced, and practices should be overhauled. The department has six full-time traffic violation officers, two special officers who are sworn police officers, and one parking foreman, according to the study. There are three technicians who repair meters, collect the money and deliver it to the coin room. Technicians do not keep logs, assessors reported, and were observed using scraps of paper to record the collection date, meter number and zone before transporting canisters to the coin room. Soggy silver In the coin room, officers count money on rotating shifts, taking them away from enforcement. Payroll data shows traffic officers on average earn about $54,000 a year in base pay plus about $20,000 in overtime. Counting is time-consuming, made worse by the condition of the rusted canisters, which are often wet inside and cause the aged coin sorter to malfunction, assessors wrote. That caught the attention of the finance boards Audit Committee, which received a summary of the assessment. We have traffic violation officers who are probably paid $70,000 a year, and then on top of that have full benefits and pension, and we have them counting wet quarters thats how theyre spending their time? board Chairman Richard Freedman said during a committee meeting. I am dismayed, frankly, to see that thats how this office is managed. Freedman also questioned the citys agreement with the Stamford Town Center mall, which operates its garage and collects parking fees. The city tickets violators and collects fines, but returns most of that money to the mall. The citys share is the late fees from motorists who fail to pay meter fines on time. The whole mall parking arrangement sounds like its less than optimal, Freedman said. OT aplenty That makes a finding in the study worse, he said. Assessors wrote that officers enforce parking in the big mall garage on foot, which requires regular overtime shifts on weekday evenings and all day Saturday. We have built-in overtime to check parking compliance at the mall ... I checked the budget and theres $115,000 in overtime every year, Freedman said. Assessors recommend the city convert pay stations to identify vehicles by license-plate number instead of parking-space number. Officers can then drive through with an electronic license-plate reader and monitor the mall garage within an hour. Since the assessment, the department purchased two license-plate readers, Travers said. It previously had one. No one is sure how many meters there are because the city does not keep an inventory, according to the study. It estimates there are 57 digital pay stations, not including the mall, and 600 to 700 individual coin meters. The rusted pay stations do not work properly, and the coin meters are so old the city has trouble finding parts to repair them, assessors reported. Slow towing Traffic officers are efficient in using a license-plate reader to identify parking scofflaws but completely inefficient when they must order a tow, the study showed. Only the two special officers can authorize tows, so traffic officers must wait for them. If neither special officer is working, nothing gets towed. If the violator returns while officers await a tow, the special officer drives the person to City Hall to pay the fines and then to the tow yard. Assessors recommended that the city use self-releasing smart boots instead. The city has since contracted a vendor and will start using the devices in the coming weeks. Other problems include management of delinquency notices for parking scofflaws, which are issued inconsistently, and sometimes not at all. The Springdale and Glenbrook rail station lots have waiting lists of three to four years, yet they are often half-empty. Stamford should consider increasing parking fees and fines citywide, assessors wrote. Last week, Mayor David Martin proposed a number of increases, which the Board of Representatives will take up this month. The assessment offered good news the citys collection rate on the 78,000 parking tickets issued annually is 80 percent, better than the industry average of 72 percent. About 5 percent of tickets are appealed, which is in line with the industry average. But Stamford scores high on number of appealed tickets that are voided. The 59 percent, which is near the top of the industry range of 30 to 60 percent. The city should set standards for appeal decisions, which appear subjective and can pose liability if violators who previously paid their citations without appeal learn that other citations have been voided as a courtesy, assessors wrote. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296. HADDAM A North Haven woman who was injured in a fatal head-on crash in Haddam on Thursday is reported to be in good condition at Hartford Hospital. The injured woman, Victoria Foxx, 40, was trapped in her car and could not immediately be treated by an emergency crew until she was extricated from the vehicle, according to State Troop F. Fire officials said that Foxxs legs were trapped under the brake pedal after the impact of the crash pushed the hood panel more than a foot into the front seat area of the car. Firefighters had to remove the drivers door, the car roof and finally lift the dash board away from from the cars interior before they were able free Foxx and begin treatment. The accident happened near Hubbard Road and Soobitsky Drive, police said. The driver killed in the crash was Andrew Douglas Hamilton, 41, of Norwich. Hamilton was heading south on Route 81, also known as Killingworth Road, at the time of the accident, police said. Rescue crews also had to extricate Hamilton from his car. They removed the drivers side doors, center pillar and dash. Life Star was called to transport Hamilton to Hartford Hospital, but the weather kept the chopper grounded, reports note. He was instead taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was pronounced dead Haddam Resident State Trooper Joseph DeAngelo at Troop F in Westbrook asked that any witnesses to the crash call him at 860-399-2100. Lumberton, N.C. At the flood-ruined home of a retired schoolteacher, Shirley King, a group of volunteers spent Thursday morning pulling out floors wrecked by Hurricane Florence. The volunteers had been here a couple years earlier, helping to rebuild King's home after Hurricane Matthew. As noon approached, a hard rain picked up. Tropical Storm Michael had arrived. They are getting all too good at this in the Carolinas. Generators. Rain boots. Power losses in the thousands. Detours to avoid tree-blocked roads. Canned goods, bottled water, batteries After a ferocious wallop of the Florida Panhandle, the tropical storm that was once Hurricane Michael slogged through the Carolinas Thursday, states that have had a lifetime's worth of bad weather in the past few years. Disastrous floods swamped South Carolina in 2015, then Matthew hit in 2016, then Florence in September, now this. "I know that North Carolinians have been through a tough time," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news conference. "But we'll get through this, and tomorrow when the skies clear and the winds die down, we can get back to the job of rebuilding and recovery in our state." Michael took a very different track through the Carolinas; it headed up through the west-central parts of the states, drenching midstate cities and mountain towns while largely sparing the eastern stretches that were inundated a month ago. Officials in places like Wilmington, N.C., which lost power for days after Florence, are using terms like "inconvenience" to describe the potential effects of Michael. Officials in the Appalachian counties are bracing for problems they had expected but largely dodged during Florence. A man in western North Carolina died Thursday when a tree fell on his car just before 1 p.m., officials said. Nearly 400,000 people were without power by Thursday afternoon, Cooper said, and the number of roads closed by Matthew had overtaken the number of roads still closed by Florence. There had been dozens of rescues and evacuations, the governor said. In the tiny central North Carolina town of Lobelia, Michelle Gagnon, and her boyfriend have had to improvise on living arrangements in the weeks since Florence. Their home was among dozens flooded and now have so much mold, residents are forced to live on their front porches amid swarms of mosquitoes. Gagnon, 29, a server at a burrito chain, blamed climate change for the destructive storms of the recent years. "The county and state can sweep it under the rug," she said. "But it's only going to get worse. This is going to continue. And I think you just don't realize what it's like when it doesn't happen to you." Hurricanes have different personalities. Where Florence was a slow, suffocating steamroller, leisurely drowning small towns and midsize cities with days of torrential rain, Michael is a hit-and-run storm, puffing hard and moving quickly. Rivers in the Carolinas are expected to mostly stay within their banks, or to overflow into areas known to be flood prone. The absence of punishing rainfall is an advantage, but a drenching followed by wind is not an ideal sequence. "When you get water like we did, the tree roots system is weakened," said Rev. Ron Taylor, a pastor in Dillon County, South Carolina, whose teams of chain-saw volunteers had just spent the past three weeks clearing downed trees and were hoping for a break. "The next time you get a big wind, that may be when the tree goes over that didn't go over in the initial storm." Among the concerns were listing trees and dangling branches, especially around power lines. Strong winds are also a worry in places where piles of ruined debris line the streets, the innards of houses flooded by Florence. In a bad wind, a pile can quickly become an arsenal or at least clog storm drains. So far, though, the brunt of the storm has missed the areas with the most flood debris. Still, recovery efforts will be slow, officials said, as some flood-prone areas that had begun to rebuild now have to wait for waters to recede again. "There's people who had their homes damaged during Florence and now there's going to be some winds that could further damage their homes and property," said Mike Sprayberry, director of the North Carolina Emergency Management agency, describing how a 50-mph gust could rip the tarp off a house that was in the midst of repairs, sending rain pouring back inside. Federal disaster recovery centers set up in the Carolinas after Florence were closed Thursday because of Michael. Schools in many parts of North Carolina have yet to reopen after Florence. As Michael came into the state, there were more than 575 people still in shelters from the last storm and many others who would have likely needed them but are living in hotel rooms paid for with temporary disaster aid. Four years after it arrived on the remote U.S. territory of Saipan, Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. is faltering in its effort to turn the obscure island into a gambling hub to rival Macau. In August the Hong Kong-based company, which attracted attention across the gaming industry for the vast volumes of bets recorded in its Saipan operations, reported a 51 percent decline in first-half revenue that sent earnings tumbling by more than 90 percent. At the end of June it had almost 8 billion Hong Kong dollars ($1.02 billion) in uncollected debts from gamblers -- more than Macau casinos that cater to the highest of high rollers. Imperial Pacific faced problems that required it to delay paying some Saipan workers in August, according to local media and an internal memorandum seen by Bloomberg News. Saipan's regulators last month approved four junket operators that can work with Imperial to bring high-stakes players to the casino, which caters to Chinese high-stakes players. The operator also received a two-and-a-half year extension to complete the 340-room hotel that it committed to building atop the gambling facility, saying that a shortage of workers was slowing progress. The setbacks for Imperial Pacific may threaten one of the most unusual, and controversial, resort projects in recent gambling history. Saipan, the main landmass of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is located more than 5,000 miles from the U.S. mainland, and was captured by American troops in one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War's Pacific campaign. After the local garment manufacturing industry collapsed in the early 2000s, the island was left with virtually no economic base -- until Imperial Pacific's casino, which opened in 2015, began posting betting volumes that shocked industry veterans, some of whom said there was no way to generate them legitimately. Imperial Pacific has always disputed the assertion, countering that it complies with all relevant regulations and has anti-money-laundering procedures in place. Imperial Pacific declined to comment for this article. The casino operator, controlled by Chinese businesswoman Cui Lijie, has become by far the largest outside investor in Saipan's history and a significant force in local politics. The company has acquired long-term land leases on the island. Among others, it's entered into financial transactions worth millions of dollars with relatives of the territory's governor, Ralph Torres, a staunch supporter of the project. Both Imperial Pacific and Torres, who is campaigning for a second term in November's general election, have denied that there is anything improper in their relationship. Imperial Pacific's construction efforts have slowed ever since U.S. prosecutors, acting on arrests by the FBI, said that many Chinese workers on the site employed by the company's contractors had arrived posing as tourists, and were working illegally. Separately, federal inspectors said conditions on the casino site were unsafe. Imperial Pacific has blamed those alleged violations on its contractors, and said it had no knowledge of any illegally employed workers, or of substandard construction practices. Now, the financial viability of the facility is unclear. As Imperial Pacific began posting per-table betting volumes that outstripped the grandest Macau casinos, "what was largely unknown at the time was the amount of uncollected debt that was rapidly accruing," said Andrew Klebanow, a senior partner at Global Market Advisors, a gaming industry consultancy. A comparison with Wynn Macau, which also caters to so-called VIP players, illustrates the depth of the issue. The Macau operator posted first half casino revenue of HK$16.5 billion -- almost eight times more than that of Imperial Pacific -- yet Wynn's uncollected debts from gamblers were less than one-tenth of Imperial's. Imperial Pacific also "may have underestimated the challenges of building a resort on an island in the middle of the Pacific," said Klebanow. In asking island regulators for more time to complete the project, the casino operator cited a "drastic reduction and non-availability" of skilled labor in Saipan, which has a population of just 50,000. According to local regulators, delays resulted in part from a substantial work stoppage that followed the FBI's actions. In subsequent months, the number of workers on the site fell to as low as 200, compared with at least 1,500 staff that Imperial said it needed to complete the project, according to the license extension document. The extension of the resort completion date, to February 2021, was the latest of several instances in which Saipan's government has eased the conditions of the company's license agreement. As consideration for the extension, Imperial Pacific agreed to donate $500,000 to the island's cash-strapped hospital, according to a stock exchange filing. Investors have reacted negatively to Imperial Pacific's recent setbacks. The company's Hong Kong shares have declined almost 52 percent since mid-2017, reducing its market value to about $1.13 billion. Inventive Star Ltd., a holding company controlled by Cui, has steadily increased its stake at the same time, and currently owns almost two-thirds of Imperial Pacific. The gaming operator has also experienced high-level executive departures. Marco Teng, a former human-resources manager who was serving as chairman of the Saipan operation, resigned in August, as did Cai Lingli, a senior executive and board director. Cai had a broad range of responsibilities and signed off on the company's various agreements, including land deals with relatives of Torres. Teng resigned to pursue other interests while Cai stepped down to spend time with her family, according to company statements. Imperial Pacific's setbacks in Saipan present local citizens with a dilemma. The building of a mega-casino is a divisive issue on the island, and opposition politicians have consistently called for Torres to be less accommodating toward the company and to force it to contribute more to local coffers. Unlike most casinos elsewhere, Imperial Pacific pays no gambling-specific taxes. On the other hand, Saipan has few prospects for economic development or large-scale employment, and losing the casino project would be a significant blow for the island's economy. With Imperial Pacific's ability to deliver unclear, Saipan may need to consider granting a license to a second casino operator even though the company was granted the sole license, said Ed Propst, an opposition lawmaker. "We have the right to do so, because they haven't lived up to their agreements," Propst said. When first created in 1980, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra founders dreamed of a day when orchestra performers would include members who proudly called Laredo home. That dream day has arrived. With the start of the 2018 season, 17 members are Texas A&M International University faculty or students. An additional eight are local music educators, many educated at TAMIU. Combined, they create the largest home- grown corps of professional-quality musicians in the LPOs history. The opening concert of the 39th Concert Season takes place Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. in TAMIUs Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall Recital Hall. Brendan Townsend, a TAMIU faculty member who is concurrently the music director of the Laredo Philharmonic, said this season the Laredo Phil will present four orchestral concerts. Featured in this seasons orchestra will be six of TAMIUs full-time faculty, four adjunct faculty and seven students. He said he believes the Universitys relationship to the Laredo Phil has been integral to its growth and success. This is a source of tremendous excitement for us as we perform before our audiences, knowing that our Orchestra includes more TAMIU faculty members, students or graduates, and other gifted local music educators helping us deliver our seasons of sound, Townsend said. TAMIU President Pablo Arenaz concurred, noting the historic collaboration that has made the relationship possible. We are very proud of our association with the Laredo Philharmonic. In 2002 an innovative Memorandum of Understanding brought the Laredo Phil into a powerful collaboration with Laredo College (LC) and TAMIU all designed to ensure that our quality young musicians and LC and TAMIU faculty would always have a professional outlet for their talents. To see that cherished dream come true reminds us of the importance of dreaming big and, as we say here at TAMIU, Going Beyond, Arenaz said. Every year, we see the standard of students from LC and TAMIU rising to the professional level, and so we naturally want to include them in the orchestra, Townsend agreed. One orchestra member said this record high local composition should be a badge of pride for the City of Laredo. Laredo should be proud of the quality of orchestra that we support in this community, said John Reimund, faculty member at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts, as well as an adjunct faculty member at both LC and TAMIU. Reimund is also the Laredo Philharmonic Board of Directors treasurer. For some longtime Laredo music educators, the realization of this dream is especially sweet, and personal. Music educators and Laredo Phil musicians Nick and Bea Balli say that the orchestra has impacted their lives measurably. We came to Laredo over 30 years ago because of the opportunity to join this wonderful orchestra. We have seen our former students, and our children who are now professional educators themselves - all flow through this great ensemble, said Nick Balli. The Laredo corps of musicians is supplemented by freelance musicians from San Antonio, Austin and Houston. For tickets and more information about the Laredo Phil and its concert season visit www.laredophil.com or call 956.326.3042. WASHINGTON - The alleged killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is putting pressure on Saudi Arabia's formidable lobbying corps in Washington, with at least one firm dropping its representation of the country and others warily monitoring the crisis. The Harbour Group - which had received $80,000 a month to give Saudi Arabia communications, foreign policy and government relations advice - said it had severed its ties to the kingdom. "We are terminating our relationship," Richard Mintz, managing director of the Harbour Group, said in an interview Friday. The Saudis plowed $27 million into lobbying in Washington last year, making them one of the largest-spending foreign countries seeking to influence U.S. policy, according to public records. Ben Freeman, director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy, a nonprofit advocacy group, called the nearly three dozen Washington lobbying and law firms funded by the kingdom a "Saudi machine." So far, many of the firms on the country's payroll - including the BGR Group, the Glover Park Group, Hogan Lovells and Hill+Knowlton - have remained silent amid growing public outrage over reports that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month. Saudi officials have denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, who had written critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying he left the consulate shortly after entering. The Turkish government has told U.S. officials that it has audio and video recordings that show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate, then killed him and dismembered his body, The Washington Post reported earlier this week. Privately, several lobbyists retained by the Saudis said they were waiting for more information to emerge before making a decision about whether to continue to participate in advocacy and public relations activities for the kingdom. One lobbyist, who requested anonymity to describe private conversations, said his firm was contemplating announcing that it would donate to charity fees received from the Saudi Arabian government. CARO There has been a flurry of meetings this week regarding the new state hospital to be built in Caro. A location has been selected and blueprints completed for it. The only remaining issue is providing municipal water to the facility. So far, there has only been lip service that an agreement will be worked out for water service. Caro City and Indianfields Township officials keep saying an agreement is forthcoming. The state announced 16 months ago in June 2017 that the new hospital would be built in Caro rather than being relocated elsewhere. Caro City and Indianfields Township officials attended Tuscola County Commissioners Thursdays meeting, as did state Rep. Edward Canfield, a Sebewaing Republican. Canfield was looking for assurances water service would be provided to the center. Caro City Manager Mike Silverman, pointed to the attendance of Mayor Joe Greene, Trustee Mike Henry, and Indianfields Township Supervisor Ray Rendon as proof that an agreement for water will be worked out. This (the city and township officials attending the meeting) shows the high level of interest in moving forward, said Silverman, noting an agreement is in the works and a completed plan is expected in a few weeks. The state wants municipal water provided to the hospital, but the city of Caro, Indianfields Township and Tuscola County officials have not reached an agreement as to who will be responsible for running a water line 1.9 miles to the center at a cost of $2.4 million. Indianfields Township gave a letter to commissioners that stated: Indianfields Township is not interested in being involved with the city of Caro Water project for the Caro Center; however, Indianfields Township would like to be included in the following: (1) A franchise agreement. (2) Inclusion with the city of Caro on a reasonable universal Act 425 agreement. (3) Participate in meetings with the city of Caro and Tuscola County Concerning the project. Rendon said he didnt see any hold up in working out a reasonable 425 agreement, and there is no one else lined up for future expansion near the hospital. Act 425 provides a way for two local units of government to share tax revenues from new or expanding development in their jurisdiction. Because cities in Michigan have a limited ability to annex adjacent property, development outside of city limits would generally deprive the city of added revenue. In those cases where the affected township receives its supply of water from the city, the city is given a degree of leverage to negotiate with the township by Act 425. The degree of leverage and possible requirements attached to it is what concerns the township. Indianfields lost property tax revenue back when annexation was done when the village of Caro became a city in 2009. Later in the meeting after reading the townships letter, Commissioner Matt Bierlein said he felt that the agreement presented wasnt much of an agreement. Township officials are concerned about the possibility of property tax revenue loss if more land was annexed to the city. And, city officials are concerned about additional development along the line would burden the water system, even though the hospitals use of 26,000 gallons a day would only be a 2 percent usage increase. Mike Carpenter with Rowe Engineering previously stated the citys water system has more than enough room for additional expansion, and that the city has two wells now near the hospital, and the hospital also has three wells of its own and a water tower that could be rehabilitated for use. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon wants assurances water service is on track to happen, according to Canfield. "We need a concrete answer or other options that is will happen, and soon," said Canfield. Once again, city and township officials said they would work on the issue. The Caro Center is the countys second largest employer. The center currently has 349 employees; and when the hospital is completed in the spring of 2021, about 150 more will be hired. In the meantime the clock is ticking to the projects start. There will be a ground breaking ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 19, at the site of the 200-bed, 222,000-square foot hospital near the intersection of Chambers and Wells roads. Gov. Rick Snyder, Lyon, Canfield, and other state officials are expected to attend the event. Vatican City Pope Francis Friday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, a moment many victims of clerical abuse had hoped would demonstrate his commitment to holding bishops accountable for mismanaging cases of sexual misconduct. But instead of making an example of Wuerl, who was named in a recent Pennsylvania grand jury report that accused church leaders of covering up abuse, Francis held him up as a model for the future unity of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope cited Wuerl's "nobility" in volunteering to resign and announced that the 77-year-old prelate would stay on as the archdiocese's caretaker until the appointment of a successor. In an interview, Wuerl said he would continue to live in Washington and that he expected to keep his position in Vatican offices that exert great influence, including one that advises the pope on the appointment of bishops. For some Catholics, Friday's decision was a deep disappointment on an issue that has shadowed Francis's papacy and threatened his legacy. After he became pope in 2013, Francis appointed a commission to advise him on safeguarding children from abuse, agreed to create a tribunal to try negligent bishops and spoke of "zero tolerance" for offending priests. But critics say Francis has been more talk than action. By making it clear he thought Wuerl had served the church well, they said, Francis sent yet another mixed message on a topic that has shaken faith in the church's leadership around the world. "It doesn't sound like the pope has gone far enough at all," said Mary Pat Fox, president of Voice of the Faithful, a national group that advocates for abuse victims and church accountability. "They're removing him from this situation where people feel betrayed, but he's still got all the power pretty much that he ever had." Until a few months ago, Wuerl was seen as a reformer and a leader in the church's response to sexual abuse. Then, in August, a grand jury in Pennsylvania detailed clerical abuse over many decades, including accounts of Wuerl's poor handling of accusations against priests when he was the bishop of Pittsburgh. The report, which mentioned Wuerl's name more than 200 times, said he had relied on the advice of psychologists to permit priests accused of sexually abusing children to remain in the ministry. Still, the Archdiocese of Washington Friday released a letter from Francis, saying Wuerl had sufficient evidence to "justify" his actions as a bishop and to "distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes." "However," Francis' letter added, "your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you." The erosion of Wuerl's standing was compounded by his association with his predecessor as archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick. He recently stepped down from the College of Cardinals over accusations that he had molested an altar boy decades ago and coerced seminary students to share his bed. In an extraordinary letter released in August, the Vatican's former ambassador to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, accused Francis of covering up inappropriate behavior by McCarrick and called on the pope to resign. In the weeks since, Francis has alluded to Vigano's letter, to which he has said he will not respond, by speaking of the devil's role in trying to divide the church. He seemed to do so again in Friday's letter, warning against the "sterile division sown by the father of lies who, trying to hurt the shepherd, wants nothing more than that the sheep be dispersed." Francis saw Wuerl as that shepherd, a force for unity. The cardinal's Sept. 21 request that the pontiff accept his resignation reflected his dedication to "procure the good of the people entrusted to your care," Francis wrote. Wuerl called the pope's letter a "very, very beautiful" recognition of his effort to put his flock before himself, but added that the pope, in choosing his replacement, would select a bishop who began serving after the American church adopted new guidelines in 2002 to prevent and punish abuse. He said he was "stepping aside to allow for new leadership that doesn't have this baggage." In accepting his resignation, Francis asked that Wuerl remain as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese. Wuerl, who is considered a moderate and a supporter of Francis' style of papacy, spoke in the interview about the constructive role he hoped to play at the annual meeting of American bishops in November. And as a member of the Congregation for Bishops, Wuerl will still shape the American church for decades to come by helping to pick its bishops. Edward McFadden, a spokesman for Wuerl, said that during the cardinal's 12 years in Washington, "not a single priest of the Archdiocese of Washington has faced a credible claim, and there is not today a single priest in ministry in Washington who has faced a credible claim." Nighttime Adult Education classes for High School Equivalency Certificate (formerly called the GED) started Sept. 4. Night classes will be from 5-8 p.m. Monday and Tuesdays at the Plainview Adult Learning Center, 1407 W. Fifth St. in the South Plains Community Action Office. Subjects covered include math, reading/language arts, science and social studies. It's a self-paced program. Daytime classes are offered 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Call Sue at 806-296-5459 for more information. Doing some spring cleaning? Unger Memorial Library accepts donations of books and magazines all year. Bring your items to the library at 825 Austin St., Monday through Friday. For more information call 296-1148. Hale County farmers and landowners that need areas sprayed by the Noxious Weed Control District should either visit the board's website at halecountynoxiousweeds.com or contact Lewis Senter, board supervisor, at 806-292-4750 Show your patriotism by having a U.S. flag displayed outside your home or business on eight holidays throughout the year with the Kiwanis Club's flag program! The club works with PHS Band Boosters, PHS Jr. Navy ROTC, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Elks Lodge. Proceeds benefit local scholarships. Cost is $30. Make checks payable to the Plainview Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 684, Plainview, Texas 79073. The South Plains AA Group meets at 803 S. Columbia in Plainview. A Big Book Study (open meeting) is held from 6-7 p.m. Monday. Closed meetings are held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, 6 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Friends of Music, C.K. Bryan Instrument Loaner Program for middle school band students is accepting donations of instruments as well as funds for repairs of instruments. Contact Wayland School of Music at 806-291-1076 for information. Office hours for the Hale County Veterans Service Office, staffed by Karla Glowicki, is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The office is at 111 W. Sixth, in the northwest corner of the Courthouse Annex. Call 806-291-5301 or email kglowicki@halecounty.org. Fitness for Life, a program of Paragon Healthcare, offers a fitness class for senior adults at Covenant Hospital every Wednesday from 10-10:45 a.m. in the Max Gabriel Room. The class is free of charge and is open to all ability levels, including those with walkers and wheelchairs. Free ESL classes are held Monday through Thursday at The Hale County Literacy Council. Contact 806-293-6186 for more information. Plainview Habitat for Humanity is a Christian, nonprofit housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by building homes, communities and hope. It is currently accepting applications. Visit www.plainviewhabitat.org for application criteria and information. To contact its team, email plainview_habitat@yahoo.com or write Plainview Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 1125, Plainview, TX 79073. Covenant Health Plainview hosts the cancer survivors prayer support group "We Fight to Live" from 7-8 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month in Room B. The sessions will consist of a monthly topic and presenter, and a structured segment, allowing time for group sharing. The support group is open to those with a cancer diagnosis and anyone affected by their diagnosis. The group is led by Andrea Ingram, a cancer survivor, as well as Sherry Wall, hospital mission services. There is no charge for the group. For more information contact Andrea Ingram at 806-293-7614 or Sherry Wall at 806-291-3364. The next meeting of the Literary Lunch Bunch will be November 6 at 12:00 noon at WBU, Education Building, Room 104. Selections are "The Kings of Big Spring"--Mealer; "Their Eyes were Watching God"--Hurston; "Barbara Bush: a Memoir--Bush; "And then there were None"--Christie. Holdovers are "Killers of the Blood Moon"--Grann and "Jefferson's Daughters"--Kerrison. The Salvation Army of Plainview is serves hot meals and offers hot showers Monday through Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Center of Hope, The Salvation Army community center. The center is located at 201 Ash. There are no cost, income, family size or age restrictions. Those interested in helping The Salvation Army of Plainview can email michelle.rutherford@uss.salvationarmy.org or call (806) 296-6375. The YMCA will start hosting noon lap swim Mondays through Fridays from 6-7:30 a.m. and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon-1:30 p.m. The new schedule will start Wednesday at noon. Wayland Baptist University will host a Focus on Your Health seminar every second Monday of the month through May. Each event will be from 6-7 p.m. at the Pete & Nelda Laney Center in room 208. The talks are free to attend. Here is a list of dates and topics: Oct. 8: Vaccinations & Immunizations for Adults: Who, What, Where, When, Why? Nov. 12: American Diabetes Awareness Month, Get the Facts! (free glucose screening with a simple finger stick) Dec. 10: Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements: What to take...or NOT! Jan. 14: Signs, Symptoms & Treatment for Depression: When to take action! Feb. 11: Getting to the HEART of the matter: The ABC's of Heart Disease? (free blood pressure check) March 11: Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: How to go about getting tested. April 8: Polypharmacy, What's in YOUR medicine cabinet? May 13: Protecting yourself from Mosquito Bites: A message from the CDC. Free Bible Study classes at First Christian Church are open to anyone interested. The study will be led by Pastor Richard Dye at 7 p.m. Tuesdays starting Oct. 9. This is a six-week study, on Tuesday nights. Materials will be provided free of charge. Study topic is Old Testament texts regarding the Advent season leading to Christmas. Go into the north door of the fellowship hall or call 293-2521 for info. The next performance in the 74th series of Plainview Community Concerts is set for Oct. 21. A news release from the Plainview Community Concerts describes the productions as follows: --"Derik Nelson and Family" Oct. 21 bluesy/jazzy/velvety three-part siblings harmonies --"Vocal Trash" Jan. 18 Glee meets Stomp --"Five Sax" Feb. 21 international band of saxophone players --"Master Illusionist Brad Ross" March 14 believe in magic again Each concert will be at Harral Auditorium at the Wayland Baptist University campus at Seventh St. and Utica. Season tickets are still available and is good for all Plainview shows and free admission at Community Concert shows in Pampa and Borger, according to a news release from Plainview Community Concerts. Prices for season tickets are $45 for an individual pass, $10 for students, $100 for a family pass and $55 for single-parent families. There will be special pricing for single-show tickets, which will be offered based on availability. For additional information, call 292-8088 or email liveinplainview@gmail.com. A Buddy Walk hosted by The Radar Foundation Inc. and the National Down Syndrome Society is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m. The walk will be at Sixth St. and Broadway and should end at noon. Registration is now open. For additional information, visit www.radarfoundationsinc.org or email contact@radarfoundationinc.org. Anyone interested in participating as a vendor for the Plainview Downtown Association's 2nd Saturday Fall Festival to be held on October 13, 2018 should contact Ranada Jack @ 296-5254 or Diane Book @ 774-4938. Plainview Junior Service League will host a Trick or TRUCK event on Oct. 27 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Kidsville. The cost to attend is $5 per person or $20 per family to climb, honk and explore vehicles. Proceeds will benefit Dress A Live Doll, a project that provides clothes to local children at Christmas. The Texas Tech Museum is hosting a "The Red That Colored the World" exhibition through Jan. 17. According to a news release from Tech, the exhibition "combines new research and original scholarship to explore the history and widespread use of art in cochineal, an insect-based dye source for the color red." A bereavement support group will be offered beginning Oct. 10 at First United Methodist- Church, 1001 West 7th Street. Enter the "Office" door under the covered portico on the south. There will be six sessions with sessions running from 5-6 p.m. each Wednesday. There is no charge, and all are welcome. For more information call Carole Bell at 292-0134. The annual Punkin Days festival is set for the second Saturday in October in downtown Floydada. The event will feature arts and crafts booths, food booths, games, races and other activities. Celebrations will run all day. The Plainview Downtown Association is looking for vendors for the 2nd Saturday Out On The Downtown Fall Festival, which is Oct. 13. Visit wndsaturdayplainview.com for information and to register or call Phyllis Wall at (806) 296-6669. The Cattle Baron's Ball is set for Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at Farmer's Co-op Compress. Friends of the Unger Memorial Library will host a Fall Fiction Sale on Oct. 6 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The sale will be in the meeting room of the library, located at 825 N. Austin St. For additional information, call (806) 296-1148. The 44th Annual Running Water Draw Arts and Crafts Festival is set for Oct. 19-21. Activities will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Price of admission is $2 for adults and $1 for kids. The event, which is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Plainview, will be at the Ollie Liner Center. First Presbyterian Church will host a community pet blessing on Oct. 13 at 2101 Utica St. All pets are welcome to receive blessings at the come-and-go event happening from 10 a.m.-noon. Animals must be on a leash or carrier. Clean-up aids and water will be available. Thunder III, the baby buffalo mascot of West Texas A&M University will be at the event to receive a blessing. AgTexas Farm Credit is now accepting nominations for its annual AgYouth Scholarship program. The deadline to nominate someone is Oct. 12. Recipients will be honored at a banquet. Our Lady of Guadalupe will host its annual Turkey Dinner & Tamales Sale on Nov. 2 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The cost is $9 per plate or $10 for a dozen tamales. Food can be picked up at 211 W. Seventh St. Call (806) 292-5789 to place an order for delivery of at least five plates or more. The dinner is open to the community. Hale Center Pioneer Club will host its annual Southwest Pile On Fundraiser banquet on Oct. 27. The event will be at 6 p.m. at the Hale Center Senior Citizens Building at 416 W. Second St. an auction will follow the dinner. Tickets to attend are $10. The event will benefit the Hale Center Public Library. First Methodist Church will have its annual Coat Giveaway on Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-noon. Men's, women's and children's sizes will be available with a limit of one coat per person while supplies last. First Methodist Church is located at 1001 W. Seventh St. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 260 will be sending Christmas boxes to the troops. If you have someone in your family or know of someone who is currently serving in the military and stationed overseas, please contact Theta Vaughan at (806) 296-9485 with complete name and address by Nov. 20. To submit This and That items: phnews@hearstnp.com Washington President Donald Trump declared Friday the U.S. will uncover the truth about what happened to journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, whose possible murder at Saudi hands after disappearing in Istanbul has captured worldwide attention. Trump promised to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about "the terrible situation in Turkey." "We're going to find out what happened," Trump pledged when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a rally. Khashoggi, a forceful critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there. U.S. officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions. The Saudis have called accusations that they are responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance "baseless." Widely broadcast video shows the 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor entering the consulate last Tuesday, but there is none showing him leaving. Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month. Mnuchin said earlier Friday he still planned to attend. Washington The disappearance of journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi after visiting a Saudi consulate in Turkey has thrown the large number of diplomatic vacancies under President Donald Trump into the spotlight notably in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It's a gap the administration says it has been trying to fix but with limited success. Khashoggi's case and the fact that there are no American ambassadors in Ankara or Riyadh have prompted concerns about dozens of unfilled senior State Department. And, those concerns have sparked an increasingly bitter battle with Congress over who is to blame. Aside from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Trump has yet to nominate candidates for ambassadorial posts in 20 nations, including Australia, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Singapore and Sweden. At the same time, 46 ambassadorial nominees are still awaiting Senate confirmation, prompting angry complaints from the administration and pushback from Democrats. A number of ambassador positions to international organizations also remain unfilled as do 13 senior positions at the State Department headquarters. The difference between having an ambassador in country or having a charge d'affaires running an embassy is a matter of degree but can be substantial, according to Ronald Neumann, American Academy of Diplomacy president. Non-ambassadors can have trouble getting access to senior officials and may not be viewed as the legitimate voice of the president or his administration. "... An ambassador is the personal representative of the president. A charge is the representative of the State Department," he said. "There are real, direct impacts of not having these people confirmed," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this month, making the case for the Senate to act quickly. Those remarks set off a war of words with Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "I want every single American to know that what Sen. Menendez and members of the Senate are doing to hold back American diplomacy rests squarely on their shoulders," Pompeo said. Menendez fired back, accusing Pompeo of politicizing the process and blaming confirmation delays on the unsuitability of candidates for certain posts and the Republican leadership for not calling votes on the others. He also slammed the administration for failing to nominate candidates for critical posts. "We cannot confirm nominees who have not been nominated," he noted, adding that some nominees had been or are being blocked by Republicans. NEW HAVEN When a mural is painted by committee, sometimes small things translate a bit differently on the wall, but artist Kwadwo Adae said he likes it better that way. Adae, who unveiled a mural of 17 women each holding a torch like the Statue of Liberty this week on the side of the Tri Con Construction Services building at 400 Goodrich St. near the Hamden line, enlisted about 140 volunteers over a five-month period for his project. Public art can be the art of the people and be the voice of the people in the community, Adae said. Its important to have public art be a forum. Adae applied for a grant to paint the mural in January 2017 and learned he received a mix of public-private funding in February of this year. He shared plans for his mural at a meeting in May. He said the political climate rife with anti-immigrant sentiment and misogyny made him feel strongly about portraying women as leaders and beacons of liberty within the community. I think it speaks to the importance of intersectionality in regards to how we are able, as a community, to fight through oppression, he said. Its a mural meant to empower all types of women across (the) racial spectrum, the nationality spectrum and the age spectrum. A number of the 17 women in the mural are inspired by real women in New Haven and throughout Adaes life and travels in Ecuador, India and Guatemala, although he invented three children for the mural so as to preserve the anonymity of young people. Adae said the process involved speaking to people passing by on the Farmington Canal Trail and handing them paintbrushes, although he did a lot of community outreach for volunteers, as well. He said volunteers were considered no matter their level of visual fluency. One goal was to beautify the canal, and give people an incentive to get out of their cars and onto the trail, he said. There was also a political purpose, to use the trail to be a unifying force for the community. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Retired Senior District Judge Wayne Patrick Pat Priest, whose decision to call for new trials led to the exoneration of the San Antonio Four, died unexpectedly early Friday after a brief illness. Priest, 77, presided over many high-profile regional, state and national cases. In 2010, he presided over the politically charged criminal trial of former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, at one time the House majority leader, who was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy. The convictions were later overturned. In 2016, Priest recommended new trials for Elizabeth Ramirez, Anna Vasquez, Kristie Mayhugh and Cassandra Rivera, known as the San Antonio Four, who were convicted of sexually assaulting two girls in the 1990s. Priest stopped short of declaring them innocent, but said the case needed another look. Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood said at the time he did not believe pursuing the cases anew would be in the interest of justice, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals exonerated them, asserting in plain but forceful language that they did not sexually assault two young girls in 1994, for which they had spent years in prison. News of Priests death Friday from septic shock with multiple organ failure saddened many who looked up to him in the Bexar County justice center. It feels like the end of an era, said Melissa Barlow Fischer, general administrative counsel for the Bexar County Criminal District Court Administration. She described Priest as an old-school judge who was respected by all in Bexar Countys halls of justice, regardless of age. He taught so many of us here to try cases, young and old, Fischer said. Priest earned a bachelors degree from Tulane University and his law degree from St. Marys University School of Law. According to his website, he married his wife, Nancy, in 1961. they had four children and three grandchildren. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1968 and became board-certified in criminal law in 1975. He was elected state district judge in 1980 and presided over the 187th state District Court until 1994. In 1995, he became a visiting judge and presided over cases by assignment. Priest stopped sitting as a visiting judge last year when his health began to deteriorate, Fischer said. Besides presiding over cases, Priest taught criminal law, criminal procedure and trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at St. Mary's University School of Law. He even wrote a book, she said, Texas Courtroom Criminal Evidence, published in 1998. He was so much more than all that, Fischer said, calling him the dean of the Bexar County judiciary. She said she knows of some judges who have told her when they have a question or a difficult situation, they would call Priest, or simply ask themselves, What would Pat Priest do? Calling Priest a mentor, friend and confidant, Visiting Judge Philip A. Kazen said Priests passing was a huge loss, personally and professionally. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of law, Kazen said. He was a judges judge, and always the smartest lawyer in the courtroom. Fischer recalled Priest was the best friend of her father, former prosecutor and retired state District Court Judge James Barlow, who served one term in the Texas House of Representatives in 1960, and as Bexar County district attorney from 1963 to 1969. Barlow died in 2010. He (Priest) and my dad started the Romeo Breakfast Club, which stood for retired old men eating out, Fischer said. Judge Barlow and Judge Priest were thick as thieves, Kazen said, adding that their camaraderie was admired by many. Services for Priest are pending. Elizabeth Zavala is a courts and crime reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Old friends from The Washington Post in the 1970s write to me, agonizing over where journalism is headed. There is no shortage of news or need for news, but there is a desperate need to find new platforms to carry it forward. There are three existential crises facing the news trade: How to finance newspapers. How to deal with the power of the technological behemoths, like Google. How to keep a flow of talent into the business while it sorts itself out. Journalism has always been financed through a kind of subsidy provided by advertising. It has worked well enough, and sometimes enormously well. No one saw a day when the advertising would flee to a cheaper delivery system: the internet. But it did. There were intimations of the vulnerability of the setup. Originally, afternoon newspapers were dominant: Go off to work, go home and read the paper before bed. H.L. Mencken warned that morning newspapers, like his Baltimore Sun, would perish. Instead of Menckens prophecy, the playing field tipped the other way; morning newspapers survived and, one by one, the afternoons failed across the country and the world. Television was the culprit. In magazines, the television slaughter was more terrible and more complete. Great institutions, keepers of the culture, were swept away: Life, Look, Colliers and, saddest of all, The Saturday Evening Post. What had been citadels of power and wealth were toppled, not just in America but worldwide: Picture Post in Britain and Outspan in South Africa. All gone. Newspapers and magazines are embracing the electronic future by becoming electronic platforms, old dogs doing new tricks. Also, the consumer is carrying much more of the cost of production. Newspapers selling for over two dollars? Unheard of a short while ago. I was part of discussions in The Washington Post, where we turned down a cover price increase of a nickel, to 15 cents. The publics right to know, it was reasoned, outplayed our financial gain. We were, so to speak, rich enough and could not see that changing. Still there is no clear way ahead as to how to finance the new reality for newspapers. Some the big ones will prosper behind paywalls, but most are still looking for a solution. There is talk of subsidies, and there are pure web platforms that seek contributions: journalism as charity case. There are hints as to the future here with paywalls and reader contributions, but these alone do not suggest a robust new business model. The second existential threat is the new delivery systems. If Facebook and Google are to censure content say, hate speech they have moved the whole journalist enterprise to a new and dangerous place: The global behemoths deciding what should and should not be read. Do you want a faceless algorithm deciding what you can read? To me this is the greatest threat to journalism and the democracies it protects. Other ways exist, and new ones could be developed, such as libel laws and penalties for criminal mischief. The great internet companies should remain what they are in reality: common carriers. If they become censors, freedom of the media is at stake. Virtuous censorship is still censorship and that is, by definition, without virtue. Finally wages in journalism, except for a few employed by the television networks (themselves seeing the beginning of the end of the monopolies), are at a low point. Freelancing is worse off. If improvements do not occur, the best minds coming out of the colleges will not go into journalism, they will go elsewhere, often law. Going forward, journalism will not solve its problems without a decent flow of talent, and the public will not be served, either. I can speak to this. In the last six years I was a publisher of commercial newsletters in Washington. My paid interns, gifted people, began to tell me that they loved reporting, and though they had studied it, they would go into law. They did not fancy a life of poverty. Their gain, our serious loss. Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of White House Chronicle on PBS. His email is llewellynking1@gmail.com. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Im workshopping a new American motto. Not only is it catchy it also perfectly captures the contemporary spirit of our country. Ready? Here it is: Dont even try. Consider the alternatives. The home of the brave? Rather just stay home. Out of many, one? Unity in a time of bitter partisanship is hard. Give me your tired, your poor, your Its too exhausting to even finish. Dont even try may feel a little weird or even un-American at first, but it comes naturally once you embrace it, as our wise ruling party has. Time after time when faced with complex problems that require decisive action, Republicans in Washington who control all three branches of government decisively sit on their hands. Take the war zone that America has become. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has seen close to 10,000 gun deaths in 2018. Some of this is preventable: Bipartisan research from the University of Pennsylvania found that more closely regulating access to guns decreases firearm mortality. Maybe thats why two-thirds of Americans favor stricter laws around gun sales, according to Gallup. Yet shortly after 17 kids and staffers were shot dead in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Republican Sen. Marco Rubio stood on the Senate floor and explained why doing nothing was the best option: Theres a black market for assault weapons, he sighed, so its pointless to make it harder for bad actors to obtain them legally. Background checks are easy to get around, he shrugged, so expanding them couldnt possibly help. Even though Pew found that more than half of American teenagers and their parents worry a shooting will happen at their school, Rubio and his colleagues are tackling this problem the All-American way: by not tackling it at all. This indomitable cant-do American spirit leaves a mark on everything around us. Sea levels are rising, coastlines are shrinking, and hurricanes and droughts are gaining in intensity. That might explain why most American adults, including about two-thirds of Republicans, believe in human-caused climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gases, per recent research from the University of Colorado Boulder. But despite this observable threat and popular support for doing something about it, President Donald Trump has demonstrated a strong commitment to inaction, defunding programs that fight global warming, withdrawing from the Paris agreement and letting climate change skeptics run the Environmental Protection Agency. As if thats not enough, our leaders are spreading dont even try beyond our borders. Americas leaders used to preach that everyone everywhere deserves a shot at a better life if theyre willing to work hard enough for it. But while the Trump administrations notorious family separation policy at the border was a miserable failure in terms of public relations (not to mention human rights), it successfully sent the message that the journey to the greatest country on Earth is a waste of blood, sweat and traumatic sacrifice. Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, told NPR that taking children into custody would be a tough deterrent for asylum-seekers. In other words, the administrations stated goal was to convince people who are trying to escape persecution and/or death threats in their home country to just, uh, dont do that. Of course, not everyone sees this visionary approach for what it is. Those in opposition might argue that people like Rubio, Trump and Kelly have taken deliberate, decisive action to promote policies that make our children less safe, our natural resources less plentiful and our country less welcoming to refugees who enter legally. But lets give our leaders the benefit of the doubt: Theyre simply pioneering a boldly passive strategy as an alternative not a roadblock to bipartisanship and compromise. Faced with this glorious inaction, you could contact your representatives and urge them to take meaningful steps on gun safety, climate change or immigration policy. Heck, you could even vote this November for someone who doesnt need urging. Or you could follow the example of Republican leadership and stand up in support of our new American motto: Dont even try. If not, thats OK, too taking a stand is a lot of effort. Ryan Newberry is a former San Antonio resident and current Masters of Public Administration candidate at New York Universitys Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. The fire unions proposed changes to the city of San Antonios charter will be found toward the end of the ballot, but they are of the highest importance and arguably carry the greatest local impact for voters. We strongly recommend voters reject all three proposals, which are masked as populist local governance but are really tools for the fire union to have its way with the city in a prolonged contract dispute. Thats not just our take. Chris Steele, the fire unions president, has said this in a recently released recording. These proposals are all about the unions contract not about whats best for the public. Collectively, the proposed charter changes risk the citys Triple-A bond rating, could make it much more difficult for the city to attract the best and brightest talent, and could open the door for small interest groups to hijack city governance. To support these proposed changes is an act of self-sabotage. A vote for these changes is a vote to make San Antonio a less competitive, more volatile city. Its a vote to either raise local taxes and fees or slash services. Proposition A would reduce the signature threshold for referendums from 75,000 to 20,000 and allow for referendums on appropriations, taxes, utility rates, zoning and other concerns. Proposition B would limit the terms of future city managers to eight years and cap compensation to 10 times the lowest paid city employee. Proposition C would give the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association the sole right to declare an impasse in negotiations with the city, sending the matter to arbitration. On the surface, each of these propositions has a certain appeal, but a deeper reading reveals serious flaws. Lowering the signature threshold to 20,000 is not a pathway for the citys residents to have a greater voice in local governance, as some have argued. Its really a pathway for special interests to undercut the public by placing items on the ballot without demonstrating some amount of broad community support or interest. It would essentially make decisions by the City Council, big or small, open to repeal by special interest. This would create incredible financial uncertainty because any tax or utility rate could be unwound by citizen initiative. This is why the ratings agencies have warned voters about a possible downgrade. It also undercuts elected officials. The reality is that voters already have a direct say in local governance by choosing the mayor and City Council representatives. If voters dont like whats happening at City Hall, they can vote out incumbents. Proposition B likely sounds appealing to many voters, especially anyone who is upset about City Manager Sheryl Sculleys base compensation of $475,000. But this proposition does not affect her compensation. It is for future city managers. While we understand why some voters have concerns about a public official earning so much, a salary cap only limits the applicant pool of future city managers. Why would we do that? An aside, while Sculleys compensation is a frequent point of community strife, she has saved taxpayers millions of dollars through the citys Triple-A bond rating, which is a reflection of her financial prowess. Term limits would effectively turn future city managers into lame ducks when they reach their sixth year of service. Again, how does the community benefit from something so arbitrary? If a city manager is dynamic, it would be in the publics interest to retain that person longer than eight years. If that person is not hitting the mark, the mayor and council can make a switch. Proposition C is a giveaway to the fire union. It would not apply to other unions and is designed simply to give the fire union leverage over the city. Bear in mind, in four years, the fire union has never negotiated with the city over a new contract. Not once. Proposition C would codify this, allowing the union to never negotiate with city management. For comparison, the San Antonio Police Officers Association negotiated a very favorable contract with the city that included a 3 percent lump sum bonus, a wage increase of 14 percent over four years and minor, but necessary, cost shifts on health care. For those who have grievances with the priorities at City Hall, or believe Sculley makes too much money and has held her post for too long, or simply want to show support for the fire union, there are better ways to address those concerns. These propositions are reckless and could do long-term harm to city government. Voters would be wise to reject all three. A black student from a Texas public high school was expelled for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. She was protesting that while the pledge ends with the promise of liberty and justice for all, that promise remains unrealized for many ethnic minorities. The principal proved the black students point by expelling her and taking away her constitutional right to freedom of speech. That principal also deprived the student of justice by using cruel and unusual punishment to retaliate against her peaceful protest. I taught at a Texas public school for 40 years. Expulsion was extremely rare and almost always resulted from a student committing a felony offense, such as possessing a weapon, assault, sexual assault, drug trafficking or use, robbery or arson. Even if the pretext of insubordination is applied, it would still be an abuse of power to expel a student for sitting silently during the pledge. Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined the lawsuit over this expulsion, not as an advocate to protect the students constitutional right to free speech, but as a defender of the school districts expulsion for an event that does not even justify a punishment of 15 minutes detention after school. Republicans have made the pledge all about honoring service members. But many service members from ethnic minorities even now frequently experience the injustice of prejudice and discrimination. Our country can no longer be limited to the binary choice of America! Love it or leave it! We need to choose a third option: America! Make it better! And, after we say the pledge, we need to practice what we preach as we work toward the time when our country truly fulfills the pledges promise of liberty and justice for all. Charles R. Allen And so it begins Re: City may limit where guns sold, Front Page, Oct. 6: Pro-gun advocates need to be aware there is a reason for this article being on the front page. It is giving you fair warning the city is going after conservatives. This is the first salvo of the new left-leaning City Council to infringe upon your constitutional rights. The article does not cite one way this ban will prevent gun violence. Is there gun violence around gun shops that prompted this proposed rule? When was the last time someone was shot near a gun store? Cant buy a gun here, but just drive two blocks down to a commercial zone and get one? Makes no sense. This ban is nothing but an attempt to limit where you can purchase a gun. This will only be the beginning. Next, it all gun buyers must have a permit; then therell be a limit on the number of guns a person can own; then all guns must be registered with law enforcement. This is only the beginning. A city that will infringe on one right will infringe on all your rights. Gun control is not the solution to gun violence. Don Ripley, Floresville Dems myopic Re: One-issue party, Your Turn, Oct. 5: Ron Lowe asserts the GOP is a one-issue party, presumably that being abortion. Welcome back from your vacation to the parallel universe sir. Sadly, you missed what has gone on during your absence. Especially the most recent events in the Brett Kavanaugh battle. Its not the GOP running around in the silly pink hats, screaming at senators in elevators and ambushing them in restaurants while they dine with their families. Clearly the resistance is about the loss of power, but abortion is its most visible and energizing component. The Democratic Party offers no substantive platform other than resist, impeach and destroy, spiced up with ludicrous unaffordable giveaways to placate ravenous followers. Meanwhile, the GOP has addressed and actually acted on all manner of foreign policy, trade, tax, immigration, governmental regulation and defense issues. Above all else, it has presided over a vibrant economic resurgence. Im sure you do not like a lot of what has been done. However, to assert it is a one-issue party flaunts reality and is exactly why your side keeps losing elections extreme myopia. John Fedor, Fair Oaks Ranch and go low It should be obvious to any intelligent person that the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee werent looking for justice and were anything but objective toward Judge Brett Kavanaugh. They collectively did everything in their power to delay the nomination process to spite President Donald Trump. The Democrats wanted an FBI investigation, and prior to the vote to send the nomination to the Senate floor, GOP Sen. Jeff Flake from Arizona asked for a limited FBI investigation. Now that the FBIs investigation did not turn up any new evidence against Kavanaugh the Democrats are again calling foul. They say the FBI didnt interview everyone even though Mark Judge was the only one they had questions about during the hearing. They have even gone to the point of almost calling collusion on the part of Trump to imply that he told the FBI who to interview. All this is unbelievable and downright disgusting. It is really too bad that those Democrats who caused all the delays cant be removed from office. How anyone could possibly vote for these individuals is beyond me. John D. Shicora Waking the GOP Many thanks to Sens. Charles Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and the rest of the Democratic senators for their super out-of-bounds opposition to the ultimate confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. These folks have contributed much to helping wake a sleeping giant, the Republican electorate, to vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Lawrence McMahan Bad response Re: Love it or leave, because teaching not about money, by Ruben Navarrette, Other Views, Oct. 6: After reading Navarrettes column, his answer to the struggles teachers face in public education is, let them eat cake. A famously poor response. Peter Bella MDC Alliance deputy national chairperson Mr Tendai Biti has been caught lying after alleging that the State was behind the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old man during a dispute over parking in Harare on Wednesday. The man was shot in the head by a 24-year-old motorist following an altercation over parking space at the corner of Angwa Street and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue just next to QV Pharmacy in Harare. Mr Bitis attempts to whip up emotions against the Government hit a brick wall when his lies were exposed by witnesses to the shooting incident, who dismissed his claims as shameless falsehoods. Posting on his Twitter timeline on Wednesday, Mr Biti wrote: The junta has shot down two people in Harares CBD this morning. The blatant fascism of this murderous regime is totally unacceptable. Surely the citizens cant live in perpetual fear of State hooliganism. Human life needs to be respected. There is no cause or reason which justifies the taking away of a life by the State. Not even capital punishment. How ironic is it that they are murdering people on the International Day Against Capital Punishment. Even self-exiled former Cabinet Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, in a rare moment of reason, having lately devoted most of his time to attacks on the Government, questioned the truth behind Mr Bitis claims before posting a police statement on the incident. A Twitter user @mapfumon said Mr Biti was offside and exaggerating things. You are offside Biti. Was there myself. It was some touts vs a civilian who was armed. Please we dont want such extents of exaggeration and misinformation please, said the user. Another user @xandatoto responded: This is grossly irresponsible. A national leader shamelessly spreading falsehoods. Munasvoda. Adding to the criticism, @tpericson hit out at Mr Biti posting: Remorselessly lying this Tendai Biti, I was there and a civilian shot another over a raw deal. No wonder our country is in a mess right now. Focus on having peoples lives better not lying so that some day you assume power, such selfishness, shame. Should it not be people first? Not a stranger to controversy, Mr Biti is facing charges of contravening Section 66A (1) of the Electoral Amendment Act Chapter 2:13, which prohibits the unofficial or false declaration of election results. He is alleged to have unlawfully declared MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa as winner of the presidential elections held on July 30. Chronicle Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News FOUR people were critically injured following a nine-vehicle pile-up in Victoria Falls yesterday, blocking a busy road in the resort town for almost an hour. The accident, which resulted in injuries to several more people, occurred at around 5pm along Livingstone Way next to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority offices. The vehicles included a truck carrying a tractor, a Rav 4, two Toyota Wish, two Honda Fit, a Toyota Voxy and another car. All the vehicles were going in the same direction towards the Central Business District. Witnesses said the driver of the truck lost control after trying to apply breaks following a front tyre burst. The truck swerved to the right resulting in the tractor falling off the trailer and landing on a Honda Fit with people inside resulting in the pile up. The truck, tractor and the Rav 4 were unregistered as they had just been imported, driven from Walvis Bay via Kazungula Border post while the Voxy had Botswana registration. The other vehicles were allegedly pirating. I just heard a loud bang from the back of the car and I immediately lost control and hit a Wish which was in front of me. Thereafter I didnt even see what happened, said Mr Lenin Tadzirepi, the driver of a Honda Fit which was extensively damaged. Mr Tadzirepi who operates between Hwange and Victoria Falls, escaped with minor injuries while all his passengers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries. After his car was hit from the back, Mr Tadzirepi lost control of the vehicle which hit the one in front. Three of the cars landed on the left side of the road. It looks like the truck had problems with its breaks and the owner hired a local mechanic to fix it. It is the mechanic who was driving when the accident occurred, said a witness. When a Chronicle news crew arrived at the scene, scores of people had gathered while police were trying to put together the puzzle to understand how the accident occurred. A visibly shaken woman who claimed to be the owner of the truck and tractor was moving from one end of the road to the other and making endless phone calls updating some people about the accident. She however refused to comment and instructed the mechanic who had been driving the truck not to talk to anyone besides the police about the accident. Police spokesperson for Matabeleland North province Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese could not be reached for comment. Chronicle Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News PUBLIC Service minister Sekai Nzenza on Thursday told Senate that payment of civil servants bonuses this year was uncertain as she was yet to negotiate the issue with Finance minister Mthuli Ncube. Civil servants traditionally receive bonuses from November, but in the last few years, the gratuities for the 250 000-strong workforce have been staggered to the following year due to a financial squeeze. The issue was raised by senator Chief Zama Nthua Mkwananzi Ngungumbane, who demanded that Nzenza must clarify the issue of bonuses since the year was coming to an end. At this stage, we are reviewing our pension funds and the wage bill, which also includes the bonuses, Nzenza said. Given the current economic turmoil, we would also take that into consideration and if you can bear with me for a while, we will be able to get back to you with the correct information. I am not able to answer your question at this stage. That question can only be answered in consultation with the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and all the other ministers involved. In July, just a few days before the elections, the cash-strapped government dangled a 17,5% special civil service allowance with other incentives like cash in-lieu of leave (CIL) for teachers who had accrued more than 123 days vacation leave, from reduction and alignment of rentals at institutional accommodation to housing allowances paid to various grades of civil servants. The civil service wage bill has been chocking government and the economy as it gobbles 91% of the national budget. In 2017, government proposed to cut the wage bill from 91% to 50% by 2019. Harare Metropolitan senator Elias Mudzuri (MDC Alliance) said government should also accept that civil servants salaries were designated to dollars. They should continue to earn dollars rather than change their accounts to bond notes or RTGS, Mudzuri said. But Nzenza said everything would be determined by Treasury when Ncube returned as he was currently outside the country. Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general, Raymond Majongwe said civil servants would not accept anything less from President Emmerson Mnangagwas government. Former President Robert Mugabe used to give us our bonuses. If Mnangagwa claims to be a better leader than Mugabe, then he is supposed to do better. We want our bonuses in US dollars and nothing less. We are not taking a compromise on this, Majongwe said. Currently, civil servants earn between $400 and $600 monthly in bond currency, and if this was converted into the Unites States dollar, it will be way below $150 and far below the poverty datum line at $575. The World Bank in 2016 released new poverty datum lines which stated that extreme poverty was living on less than $1,90 per day. Former Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa once attempted to stop paying civil servants bonuses, but Mugabe reversed the move. Public Service Commission chairperson, Vincent Hungwe this week told journalists during an induction workshop for permanent secretaries that the government had no choice but to tackle problem areas in Zimbabwes civil service. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Several senior police officers have been moved from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)s traffic section to other units within the force. The transfers are part of efforts by the law enforcement agency to root out corruption within the traffic unit. On Thursday, the police top brass redeployed 819 officers mostly from the traffic section to other departments, among them patrol and investigations. Among the redeployed senior officers were a superintendent V Ndlovu from national traffic who was moved to police general headquarters (PGHQ) national chaplaincy as superintendent chaplaincy. A chief superintendent S Bizeki was transferred from national traffic to PGHQ as staff officer administration, while chief superintendent K Nyaumwe was moved from the same section to PGHQ operations as staff officer national highway patrol. Superintendent C Maramwidze from national traffic PGHQ was also affected by the movement. He now heads the police staff college as head of traffic training. The changes were announced in a radio transcript gleaned by the Daily News. Read the transcript: The following transfers have been approved and should be implemented immediately. The movements follow the recent redeployment of close to 2 000 junior police officers from the national traffic to patrol and investigations police units as the ZRP reinvents its operations. Before the appointment of new brooms at the ZRP late last year, corrupt traffic police officers were making a killing from establishing unsanctioned roadblocks and getting motorists to pay them bribes in order to avoid arrests or stiff penalties. The Daily News understands that over 20 senior police officers from the rank of superintendent and above have since the beginning of the month been served with retirement letters. The retirement letters, signed by police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga read Retirement from the Zimbabwe Republic Police in Terms of Section 22(3) of the Police Act Chapter 11:10. This letter serves to advise you of your retirement from the Zimbabwe Republic Police in terms of section 22 subsection (3) of the Police Act Chapter 11:10, reads one of the letters. The commissioner-general of Police avails himself this opportunity to sincerely thank you for having diligently served the organisation and the people of Zimbabwe. According to the Police Act Chapter 11:10 the retirement age is 50 and once a police officer reaches that age they have to renew their contract. Earlier in the year, government retired 10 members of the police service namely commissioners Grace Nomsa Ndebele and Mekia Tanyanyiwa; senior assistant commissioners Godfrey Munyonga, Justice Chifunye Chengeta, Robert Tendero Masukusa, Erasmus Makodza, Prudence Chakanyuka, Eve Mlilo, Grace Maenzanise and Munyori Taedzerwa. The police have also been undertaking widespread promotions as part of improving the effectiveness in law enforcement. The promotion procedures are conducted as a regular exercise in the service and are a motivating tool aimed at rewarding officers who are hardworking, the police said. In July this year, the ZRP promoted close to 500 senior police officers to various ranks as well as 2 000 junior police officers to various ranks. DailyNews Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News The European Union (EU) has come under fire for trying to discredit the widely hailed July 30 harmonised elections in its final report released on Wednesday. Observer missions including the African Union and Sadc endorsed the elections won by Zanu-PF and President Mnangagwa as free, fair,credible and a reflection of the peoples will. The EU report regurgitated MDC-Alliances unfounded claims. Political and legal analyst Mr Tinomudaishe Chinyoka said it was unfortunate that the EU trashed the polls because its preferred candidate Mr Nelson Chamisa and the MDC-Alliance lost. Sometimes when people have an agenda, it is hard to persuade them to see a different point of view as long as the facts on the ground do not fit their narrative, he said. Our courts had an opportunity to rule on the elections, and they did. Mr Goodwine Mureriwa said it was clear that the EU was a child of the US. Realism is about pursuit of national interests, he said. The elections in Zimbabwe were prejudged by US renewal of sanctions and the so-called international community. The Europeans are following that trend. Mr Mureriwa said President Mnangagwas foreign policy that opens Zimbabwe for investment and re-engagement must not be viewed as desperation. We will survive, for as long as the land and vast mineral resources are in our hands, he said. We fought for it. It is our birthright. Investors from outside should respect that sacrosanct principle. The land is the economy and Zimbabwe. Mr Mureriwa said the peoples revolution would never be sacrificed to please oppressors. Renowned lawyer and analyst Tendai Toto criticised the EU for bias. He said some of the material findings by the EU Observer Mission on the electoral processes in Zimbabwe conflicted those by other observer missions like the AU, Sadc and Comesa. It remains a fact to me and many that the EU, among other things, want to make impositions on how electoral processes must be conducted in African States in order to achieve an outcome that it cordially prefers, the ultimate realisation of the regime change agenda that its member states propagate, he said. This is not only unique to Zimbabwe, but across Africa. In particular, the deposition of the revolutionary political parties from political power, control and influence is the EUs objective and preference. Presenting the EU Election Observer Mission final report on Wednesday, deputy chief observer Mr Mark Stevens acknowledged the campaign was largely peaceful, with freedoms of movement, assembly and expression respected, and both the main presidential election candidates held numerous rallies across the country. He regurgitated the MDC-Alliance claims that the design of the presidential ballot favoured Zanu-PF. The MDC Alliance also alleged irregularities in the printing and distribution of ballots, State media bias and lack of transparency in the conduct of postal voting. Herald Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News - PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged other presidential aspirants in his party to support him - Atiku promised to reward the aspirants if they unite and work towards his success in 2019 The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has promised to reward other presidential aspirants who lost during the party's primaries if they unite to work for his success in the 2019 general elections. Vanguard reports that Atiku made this statement in Abuja at a meeting with members of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT. He urged the 11 aspirants and other leaders of the party to rally behind him in his quest to take over power from President Buhari in 2019. READ ALSO: Governor Amosun reportedly dumps APC for Accord Party He said: I can assure you that I am prepared to work with and reward all of you if we unite together to achieve success. "I must commend the sense of patriotism displayed by my fellow contestants. From the very day I delivered my acceptance speech, we have been working together. "I believe it is our duty to provide that sense of unity and leadership to the rest of party members." PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Atiku said that he would continue with the legacies of his former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo if he wins. Atiku said this during the reconciliation meeting with Obasanjo on Thursday, October 11. Atiku was Obasanjos vice president from 1999- 2007. The PDP presidential candidate, who described the visit as historic for himself, Obasanjo and the country, said he could not have been what he was today without the wise counsel of his former boss and the opportunity he offered him to be the vice-president. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng News - Sunday Karimi claimed no senatorial primary election took place in Kogi - The lawmaker called on Dino Melaye to drop the PDP ticket - He also accused Senator Bukola Saraki of dabbling in the state affair The senatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi state is facing crisis as the member representing Yagba federal constituency, Sunday Karimi, said he has approached a court over the Kogi West senatorial district seat. Nigerian Tribune reports that Karimi also warned the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, from dabbling in the state politics. He alleged that no primary election was conducted and insisted that the right thing has to be done. He insisted Dino Melayes emergence was a fraud and insisted that he approached the court so the right steps should be taken. READ ALSO: 2019: Ribadu steps down for Dankwambo Karimi said: No amount of kneeling down and begging by Dino Melaye will appease the people. The mandate was stolen from Yagba Federal Constituency. When you cheat and corrupt the system to pick something crudely you must be ready to face the consequences. My disqualification along with others was crude, uncivilised, tyrannical and a political coup that cannot be imagined in this century, not with all that I did in plenary session as well as to attracting projects to my constituency and in defending PDP, only to be rewarded with this kind of shabby treatment. It is a shame. Karimi said he was invited to a meeting with Saraki for settlement but he refused and called on Melaye to drop the PDP Senate ticket that he stole. He urged Melaye to drop the stolen PDP ticket or face the electoral consequences, adding that he (Karimi) has been invited to a meeting along with other aspirants to see the Senate President for discussion and settlement he refused to attend. I turned down the offer, I dont need his settlement, let he the Senate President leave us alone in Kogi and limit his overbearing activities to Kwara state," he added. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Meanwhile, Senator Dino Melaye has raised serious allegation against the Kogi state government claiming it tried to assassinate him in his country home. The senator representing Kogi West district in a tweet on Friday, October 12, claimed two mobile policemen, members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and three full load of policemen illegally arranged by ADC to Kogi state governor besieged his hometown home in Aiyetoro Gbede. Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit Nigeria - Comrade Timi Frank, has commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for making peace with his former vice, Atiku Abubakar - Comrade Frank also defended the presence of some religious leaders at the peace meeting in Abeokuta - He stated that leaders of note across the country have now accepted the candidacy of Atiku Former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for making peace with his former vice and the presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Comrade Frank, who also defended the presence of some religious leaders at the peace meeting in Abeokuta, said all the leaders of note across the country, irrespective of political and religious affiliation, have now accepted the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar as a consensus president to be. In a statement sent to journalists on Friday, October 12, the former APC spokesman said history will never forget those leaders who came together to rescue the nation from the current incompetent handlers. READ ALSO: Governor Amosun reportedly dumps APC for Accord Party He said the present administration's nepotism, abuse of rule of law and incompetence has given credibility to Atiku's candidacy as the only viable option for Nigerians capable to right the wrong. This yearning is premised on Atikus antecedents both in his private and public life, he added. While reacting to the comment made by the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organization describing Atiku's endorsement s a 'non-event', Frank said: Buhari and his team should not worry about Nigerian voters because they know what they want and I want to assure you that come 2019, President Buhari will lose even at Presidential Villa polling unit. He continued: If it is a non-event for Buhari and his APC government, it is a historic event for Nigerians. APC cannot fool Nigerians anymore because we know the truth. He also urged the APC to rather campaign on issues if the party has anything to offer, instead of attacking Atiku, his supporters or whoever endorses him. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Atiku has picked former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi as his running mate for the 2019 presidential elections. Obi arrived at Abubakars residence in Asokoro neighborhood this afternoon and both had undisclosed talks. Atiku settled for the 57-year old former banking guru after intense talks that lasted for hours. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made moves to secure entry visa to the United States for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. A statement signed by Yekini Nabena, APC acting national publicity secretary and made available to Legit.ng, the ruling party said Obasanjo is lobbying US authorities to withdraw the ban reportedly placed on Atiku after a $500,000 bribery scandal in 2005 that involved Atiku's fourth wife, Jennifer and former United States Congressman, William Jefferson. The party further noted in the statement that Obasanjos intervention in Atikus ban from the United States of America is evidence of his self-serving interest in national affairs. READ ALSO: 2019: Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate for presidential election Read the statement below: "We have come across credible reports that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made moves to secure United States entry visa for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Atiku Abubakar, whose candidacy he endorsed on Thursday. It is learnt that that the former president who during and after leaving office insisted on Atikus unsuitability to govern Nigeria based on his knowledge of the latters extensive corrupt practices while he served as vice president, is lobbying US authorities to withdraw the ban reportedly placed on Atiku from entering the United States following a 2005 $500,000 bribery scandal that involved Atiku, his fourth wife, Jennifer and former United States Congressman, William Jefferson. Recall that the former president while in office had deployed enormous resources of the country on a global dragnet coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in getting Atiku prosecuted for corrupt enrichment and money laundering. A report by the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Senator Carl Levin reported that Atiku used offshore companies to siphon millions of dollars to his fourth wife in the United States, Jennifer while still the vice president of Nigeria between 2000 and 2008. The report further stated that then President Bush had on the strength of his report, barred Atiku and other corrupt politically exposed persons from being issued visa to the United States, a reason for which he has been unable to travel to the United States till date. Former President Olusegun Obasanjos intervention in Alh.Abubakar Atikus ban from the United States of America is evidence of Obasanjos legendary hypocrisy and self-serving interest in national affairs." PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar may have gotten the nod of his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, October 11, as he seeks to be Nigeria's president in 2019. Atiku arrived Obasanjos home at about 1:12 p.m Thursday afternoon, accompanied by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the director general of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Also present in the meeting was a top chieftain of the main opposition party, Chief Olabode George, and Afenifere leaders led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - APC, UK chapter has said the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Peter Obi will be rejected nationally by Nigerians in 2019 - Leader of the chapter, Ade Omole, said Obi failed as a governor and was rejected by his people - Omole added that the PDP presidential campaign is dead on arrival The United Kingdom chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the choice of Peter Obi, former Anambra governor as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for 2019 presidential election, will take the party nowhere. Ade Omole, leader of the chapter told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, October 12, in Abuja, that the choice of the former Anambra governor would not in anyway guarantee votes for the PDP in the southeast. This, he said was especially so because Obi failed as a governor and could not deliver democracy dividends to the people of the state. READ ALSO: 2019: Buhari, Atiku should accept results of the election - US don The paddy paddy anointing of Mr Peter Obi to the gasping ticket of Atiku Abubakar as running mate, confirms our earlier assertion that the PDP presidential campaign is dead on arrival. As you are aware, Peter Obi failed woefully in the last Anambra gubernatorial election by failing to deliver the state to his ailing party, a state he mismanaged for eight years. Peter Obi was rejected by his people, his ward, his state and come 2019, both the PDP presidential candidate and his running mate will be rejected nationally by Nigerians," Omole said. He described the combination of Obi and Atiku as a classic case of corruption working hand in glove with mismanagement, stressing that surely, the tag could only take Nigeria back to Egypt or even a worse situation. "I wish both candidates best of luck as they embark on the journey to failure," Omole said. NAN reports that the former Anambra governor emerged the preferred choice of both the party and Atiku after series of consultations by the partys stakeholders. READ ALSO: APC newspaper predicts results of 2019 election state by state Atiku who was a former vice president announced Obi as his running mate for the presidential election slated for February 2019 in a statement issued by his campaign office. Gbenga Daniel, also a former governor of Ogun and the director-general Atiku Campaign Organisation, said in the statement that Obi was the ultimate choice of the PDP and its stakeholders for the election. Born on July, 19 1961, Obi attended Christ the King College, Onitsha and later went to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He is also a graduate of several international and national institutions such as the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, Institute of Management, Switzerland, Kellogg Graduate School, Oxford University and Cambridge University. In public service, Obi was member, Presidential Economic Management Team, vice-chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, and chairman, South-East Governors Forum. He was the chairman, Board of Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), former chairman, Fidelity Bank PLC, former chairman, Guardian Express Mortgage Bank,and former chairman, Future Views Securities. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app He was also former chairman, Paymaster Nigeria, former Chairman, Next International Nigeria, former Director, Guardian Express Bank PLC, former Director, Chams Nigeria PLC, former director, Emerging Capital and former director, Card Centre PLC. The former Anambra governor was a member of the British Institute of Directors (IOD), Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers and Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). Legit.ng had reported that the People Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra chapter, described the choice of Chief Peter Obi as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a great honour to one of its founding father, late Dr Alex Ekwueme. Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, chairman of PDP in Anambra said this while reacting to the announcement of Obi as Atikus running mate. Nwobu said the nomination was a round peg in a round hole as Obi possessed all the requisite quality to occupy the position having been a successful governor and a seasoned technocrat. Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate On Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - An aspirant of the PDP in Benue state has alleged that her opponent in the concluded primaries sent some thugs to attack her - Aida-Nath Ogwuche said she is disappointed with the entire electioneering process, most especially, the conduct of the primaries - According to her, some of her supporters could not find their names on the delegates' list A female aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the just concluded primaries, Barr. Aida-Nath Ogwuche, has explained her ordeal in the hands of some hoodlums, suspected to be working for her opponent. Ogwuche contested for State House of Assembly, Ogbadibo constituency, but lost out to the only challenger, Peter Enemari with 75 votes against 51. Addressing journalists at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja on Friday, October 12, the young UK trained lawyer expressed disappointment with the entire electioneering process, most especially, the conduct of the primaries, which she alleged was marred with irregularities. According to her, the build-up to the primaries witnessed a lot of intimidation and harassment of supporters and delegates that should have voted for her, after attempts to force her to step down for her opponent failed, adding that some of her supporters could not find their names on the delegate list. READ ALSO: Complete profile of Atiku's running mate Peter Obi Ogwuche said: "Before we went into the stadium, my agent, my Coordinators and some key persons in my campaign had been threatened." Aida-Nath Ogwuche alleged that her opponent in the concluded primaries sent some thugs to attack her. Photo credit: Chris Oko Source: Facebook "Some thugs were looking for my agent (Adolowu Lawani) and some other boys walked straight to the vice chairman of my ward and the women leader and told them that they would chop off their fingers if they voted for me. They were threatened right there outside the stadium when they were on queue. "One of the boys came to someone I was standing by and didn't know I was the aspirant, and mentioned a name (which I will withhold for now) as the leader of their group, and said that, he sent him to give a resounding warning to my Coordinator, and I began to fear for my life and everything. "When we went inside, we discovered that the delegate list has been changed. The list that was used was not the original list sent from Abuja which they used for the governorship. "Also when it was going to be the turn of Ogbadibo to vote, I heard the leader of the party in the local government, Chris Adabba Abba, saying he was going to stand as the agent of my opponent and that everyone should not vote by themselves but hand the ballot for him to write on behalf of all. I sensed the process had been hijacked, because, as our leader, he has undue influence on the delegates. READ ALSO: PDP will only win 4 states - APC newspaper predicts results of 2019 election state by state (see breakdown) "To make good his plans, he (Abba) stood as agent of his cousin and was snatching ballot papers from delegates to write the name of his cousin who was my opponent. And when my agent raised observation and confronted him, he threatened to slap my agent and it turned to chaos and the electoral officers threatened to suspend the process," Ogwuche narrated. Ogwuche said she was disappointed with the entire electioneering process, most especially, the conduct of the primaries. Photo credit: Chris Oko Source: Facebook She decried the inhumane nature she was handled by the thugs whom she alleged were working for her opponent and the leader of the party (Abba), stressing that, such treatment was an affront on the sensitivity of the female folk. "I saw multitudes gathered on my agent and I was trying to get closer to see what was happening, them I saw the boys hitting my agent, before I knew it, they pounced on me, beat me up mercilessly, tore all my clothe and stripped me naked in the public right there in the stadium. They punched my eyes and pulled my hair. "This was what I faced. All these bullying, harassment and intimidation, just because some people feel more entitled to hold this position than myself. This is unacceptable. I'm calling on all authorities out there and good Nigerians to look into this situation. This cannot continue to go on, the ill treatments against female folk must stop and this is where it stops," she added with tears. Though Ogwuche said she had reported the matter to the security agencies and had filed an appeal at the PDP panel, she reiterated calls to the Nigerian security and the government to come to her aide, saying her life had remain under threat since she left the hospital. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has picked former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, as his running mate for the 2019 presidential elections. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Obi arrived at Abubakars residence in Asokoro neighborhood this afternoon and both had undisclosed talks. The former Anambra governor is widely speculated as the running mate to Atiku for the 2019 general elections. Several options have been suggested in the public domain, with the candidate being widely expected to choose from either the southeast or southwest. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The chairman of the APC electoral panel in Kaduna, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, claims Senator Shehu Sani offered him N10 million bribe - The Nation reports that Iduoriyekemwen alleged the N10 million bribe from the senator was for him to skew the results of the primaries in his favour - According to the chairman, though the senator made efforts to get him to accept the offer, he rejected the money Senator Shehu Sani has been accused of offering a N10 million bribe to the chairman of the APC electoral panel which presided over the partys recent primaries in Kaduna state, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, to get an affirmation for his controversial automatic ticket. Iduoriyekemwen disclosed this while responding to questions over allegations that the committee was bribed to skew the primary election results in favour of some aspirants of the APC in the state. The electoral panel chairman said: The only person in Kaduna state who offered me money was Senator Shehu Sani through one of my comittee members, to inform me that N10m gift was set aside for the committee chairman, and I said we didnt need the money, asking them what the money was for. Even after the primaries, before the announcement of results, Senator Shehu and his men put pressure on us to come and take the money. He called me several times but we made it clear to him that we didnt need cash inducement at all. READ ALSO: 2019: Atiku, Peter Obi will be rejected nationally by Nigerians - APC UK According to him, Senator Sani made last-minute efforts to get him to accept the offer to no avail. Iduoriyekemwen said he was ready to forward the telephone number of his committee member through whom the pledge of N10 million offer was announced to the leadership of the panel. He described the election as peaceful, orderly and rancour-free as he expressed satisfaction over how it was conducted. Corroborating Iduoriyekemwens claim, a member of the APC electoral committee, Akeem Okedara, also denied the allegation that the committee was bribed to skew the primary election results in favour of some aspirants of the APC in the state. There was nothing like that. It was Shehu Sani who wanted to give us something but we turned it down, he said. In a swift reaction, Senator Sani denied the allegation, describing it as laughable. He added that he had no reasons whatsoever to bribe the committee. Speaking through his media aide, Abdulsamad Chima Amadi, Senator Sani said: Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous and frivolous news making the rounds that the chairman of the Kaduna APC electoral panel purportedly claimed he was offered financial inducements by Senator Shehu Sani. READ ALSO: 2019: Buhari, Atiku should accept results of the election - US don The committee chairman probably had a dream to that effect. It is laughable for him to claim an aspirant who was the sole candidate cleared in Kaduna central offered him financial inducements. First of all, Senator Shehu Sani virtually had no rival in the primaries. He was the only person cleared. So what does he need to bribe the committee for? Secondly, when the committee and the state government connived to stage a fake senatorial primaries in Kaduna State, Senator Shehu Sani made it cristal clear that he was not going to participate in the so called primaries because it was an illegality. Senator Shehu Sani is a distinguished and law abiding citizen who has over the years earned a good name for himself through his uncompromising stance against corruption. It is obvious that some desperate politicians who have become synonymous with failure are behind these baseless and frivolous accusations. Just like all their attempts to malign, frame up, intimidate and harm Senator Shehu in the past failed, this one too has failed on arrival." Amadi added that no amount of blackmail will deter or destract Senator Sani. Senator Sani and the governor of Kaduna state have been at loggerheads. In an earlier report by Legit.ng, the presidency distanced itself from 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 at no time did President Buhari as claimed in the letter authorise anyone, not even a governor to "deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani." PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The presidential aide said Buhari is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member. Read more: has reacted to the circulation of a letter , 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. Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal On Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The chieftain of the Coalition of Nigeria (CNM), Akin Osuntokun, says God chose Atiku Abubakar as the instrument to rescue Nigeria - Osuntokun described Olusegun Obasanjos endorsement of Atiku for president as a move to save the country - The spokesman said Obasanjos move was premised on the need to put personal differences aside for the greater good Akin Osuntokun, the spokesman for the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, has identified the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, as an instrument chosen by God to rescue Nigeria from the dark and dangerous route President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the country, The Punch reports. Legit.ng gathered that Osuntokun, the CNMs director of strategic communications, in a statement on Friday, October 12, described former President Olusegun Obasanjos endorsement of Atiku for president as a move to save the country. Osuntokun said Obasanjos move was premised on the need to put personal differences aside for the greater good, adding that such considerations underlie the reconciliation between the former President and his deputy. READ ALSO: Peter Obi as Atiku's running mate is a great honour to Alex Ekwueme - Anambra PDP Osuntokun, a former aide of Obasanjo said: To put it mildly, these are desperate times in Nigeria and desperate problems readily provoke desperate measures. Confronted with the present danger and calamity that the presidency of Buhari poses to Nigeria, the choice and course of action open to any responsible Nigerian statesman is clear and that is the subordination of all personal differences to the task of rescuing Nigeria from the fast pace of downward spiral towards the political abyss. And God, in his inimitable ways, has seen fit to choose Atiku Abubakar as the instrument of rescuing Nigeria from the dark and dangerous turn that the incumbent driver has taken the country. It is perhaps for the task of the unprecedented challenge of this moment that God has been preparing Atiku who like all mortals, is not without his share of human imperfections. To err is human; to forgive, divine. Osuntokun also identified the need to put personal differences aside for the greater good as the reason why Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political group, was now on the same page with Obasanjo. The political differences between Afenifere and Obasanjo are an open secret but in deference to the same logic, it has not been difficult for the two parties to subsume their differences, close ranks and find equal purpose in halting and reversing the Buhari trend that endangers all, he said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar may have gotten the nod of his former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, October 11, as he seeks to be Nigeria's president in 2019. Atiku arrived Obasanjos home at about 1:12 p.m Thursday afternoon, accompanied by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the director general of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Also present in the meeting was a top chieftain of the main opposition party, Chief Olabode George, and Afenifere leaders led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo. Atiku's acceptance speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Afenifere has reacted to the choice of Peter Obi as Atiku Abubakars running mate in the 2019 presidential election - Afeniferes national publicity secretary, Yinka Odumakin, urged both Atiku and Obi to remain steadfast in restructuring the country Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere has reacted to the choice of former Anambra governor, Peter Obi as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Yinka Odumakin, Afeniferes national publicity secretary, speaking on Atikus decision, in a short statement urged both the former vice president and Obi to remain steadfast in restructuring the country. The statement read: All we concerned about at this stage is there were commitments by Atiku about the restructuring of Nigeria. READ ALSO: Complete profile of Atiku's running mate Peter Obi If it is true that he has picked Peter Obi as his running mate, he should join him to work out clear cut programme on restructuring and ensure that ensure that he remains steadfast on that because that is the main issue that will determine the next election. Legit.ng previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has picked former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi in Abuja, as his running mate for the 2019 presidential elections. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Obi arrived at Abubakars residence in Asokoro neighborhood on Friday, October 12 and both had undisclosed talks. The former Anambra governor was widely speculated as the running mate to Atiku for the 2019 general elections. Is Atiku the Right Man to Defeat President Buhari? 2019 Election - Nigeria Street Gist On Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated for change in the funding of INEC - The governor said the move will make the electoral body truly independent - He made the statement at the All Nigeria Editor's Conference (ANEC) in Asaba Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has advocated for change in the funding of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the commission is truly independent. The governor made the call on Friday, October 12 at the executive session of Day 3 of the 14th All Nigeria Editor's Conference (ANEC) which had as its theme, Credible Elections, Sustainable Democracy and the Role of the Media, in Asaba. READ ALSO: Afenifere reacts as Atiku picks Peter Obi as running mate According to the governor, INEC is supposed to be an unbiased body, so, how can they truly be unbiased? How will they get their source of funding? How will they work on their process of appointments? These and more questions are what we are supposed to address. We can give them enough power, make them truly independent in such a manner that they do not walk cap in hand to the executive to ask for funding, because when you know that somebody controls the funds, you will definitely not be in a position to be truly independent. It will be hard to say, no when such individuals in charge of the funds make certain request, and I believe that INEC is gradually moving, I still believe that there is a lot to be done which means that our legislations must be in such a manner that will truly make INEC independent and if they are going to be answerable to anybody at all, they should be answerable to the legislature and not any other arm of government which will be better. Governor Okowa used the occasion to disclose why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s special convention planning committee which he was the chairman was able to organise a free, credible and acceptable presidential primary election of the PDP. His words: We did our best to conduct the primaries that one can truly say that we did things, the way they ought to be, because we had to extract from our national executive that we would be allowed to do what is right otherwise, we will not accept the nominations to conduct the primaries and I thank God that they allowed us do what is right and once we do things right, it becomes easier for one to move forward and the press is very important in trying to turn things around for our country. If all of us work together and that means that the press must be able to report appropriately, they must be in the position to advise us the politicians appropriately and they must be in a position to fully inform the people and beyond the information, they must put us, politicians, under pressure and it is very important that we must realise that not just the Guild of Editors but, the entire press need to play the role it ought to play if we are able to do things better that will gradually improve the situation, so that we can conduct elections that are credible. The governor who used the occasion to reel out his achievements in Delta state, emphasised, generally, in our country, I do believe that the need for voters' education, the need to ensure that we take our people out of the poverty level are motivations that will help us to improve on the electoral process because, as long as our people continue to remain in the poverty bracket, there will be no integrity. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app On Thursday, October 11, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Okowa had urged the media to retain its credibility as an unbiased umpire as Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general elections. They made the call at the opening ceremony of ANEC which commenced Thursday in Asaba, the Delta state capital. Nigeria Latest News: Not Too Young to Run Pay a Visit to APC and PDP | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Governor Yari says he and his supporters are unhappy with the refusal of the APC's national leadership to accept results of the primaries held in the state - Yari says he is now under immense pressure to leave the APC - The governor however says he would not leave the APC but stay in the party to fight injustice Zamfara state governor Abdulaziz Yari has revealed that he is under strong pressure to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with his supporters. Vanguard reports that Yari, who is the chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, made the statement on Friday even as he met President Buhari same day to hand over the results of the state primaries he held. According to reports, Yari was unwilling to talk to State House correspondents after meeting Buhari but later said that his supporters were unhappy aggrieved over the refusal of the partys leadership to acknowledge that primaries were conducted last week in the state. READ ALSO: What Enugu indigenes said about Atiku's nomination of Peter Obi as running mate The Governor however said that despite the pressure from his people to dump the APC, he would remain in the party to fight against any injustice. Governor Yari also denied any alleged romance with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. He said: I dont know whether that is a joke or otherwise. But for me, if you check my history since 1998, APP, and 2002 when Buhari joined ANPP, and 2015 APC, no time that I shifted from one party to another. That is not in my culture. So, the issue of leaving the party is not true. But some other people are sending rumour through the social media. I have seen my picture with the PDP and other parties. Yes, I cannot deny pressure from the people that we should leave APC but what I told them is that what we are looking for is just justice. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app We conducted electon and we want to see what the result is going to look. But I think for any body to come under the national secretariat and say he is going to nominate a candidate, I think, it is a very huge joke. Recall Legit.ng reported that President Buhari on Friday, October 12 met behind closed door with Governor Yari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Yari, who was visiting the presidential villa for the second time since the conduct of the controversial All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Zamfara, was accompanied by Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state. We reported that Yari would use the opportunity of the meeting to update President Buhari on the political happenings in Zamfara before, during and after the `failed APC primaries in the state. APC Is The Worst Party in Nigeria, I Regret Being a Member - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit The mandatory one year service to fatherland Nigeria by Nigerian graduates has brought out the best and the worst in some of the participants. For this trending corps member, it borught out the best in him. A serving youth corps member who is a graduate of Niger Delta has become an internet sensation as he is trending after he erected a sculptural masterpiece of River state governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike, in the state. The prestige statue is said to be located very close to the market place at Eleme local government area of the state. Youth corps member erects statue of Governor Wike in Rivers state. Source: Mangrove Photography Source: Instagram PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria The youth corps member who is identified as Timinipre Isaac Indiamaowei, has state code number: RV/17B/2605. He secured the cooperation of students in the community to get his dream sculptural piece of the number one citizen of the state for his community development service (CDS). Rivers state youth corps member erects statue of Governor Wike. Source: Mangrove Photography Source: Instagram After achieving the success of a beautiful piece, Indiamaowei alongside his helping hands, who are children of the community, gathered in front of the sculpture to take memorable photos. He also posed with his fellow corps members. Youth corps member erects statue of Governor Wike. Source: Mangrove Photography Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Davidos girlfriend Chioma accused of hating on Alex, she responds (video) Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has come under severe criticism for erecting a statue in honour of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa in Owerri, Imo state capital. The governor unveiled the statue in the presence of the South African president and other dignitaries in a ceremony. It was alleged that the statue costs N520 million to construct although this has not been verified or confirmed by the state government. Okorocha erects gigantic statue to honour Ekwueme on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit.ng The presidency has announced the placement of 50 high-profile Nigerians on travelling ban. The identities of the individuals were not disclosed. But according to a statement from the presidency, those on watch list include Nigerians with assets valued at N50million and above are subject of corruption investigation and litigation. The statement was signed by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu The statement is below: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS IMPLEMENTATION OF EO 6 IN FULL FORCE Following the instant judicial affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of the Executive Order 6 (EO6), President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to implement the Order in full force. To this end, a number of enforcement procedures are currently in place by which the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies have placed no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly affected by EO6 on watch-list and restricted them from leaving the county pending the determination of their cases. Also, the financial transactions of these persons of interest are being monitored by the relevant agencies to ensure that the assets are not dissipated and such persons do not interfere with, nor howsoever corrupt the investigation and litigation processes. READ ALSO: APC accuses Obasanjo of trying to get Atiku into US It is instructive to note that EO6 was specifically directed to relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50 million or equivalent, subject to investigation or litigation are protected from dissipation by employing all available lawful means, pending the final determination of any corruption-related matter. The Buhari administration reassures all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the general principles of the Rule of Law. Accordingly, this administration will uphold the rule of law in all its actions and the right of citizens would be protected as guaranteed by the Constitution. We, therefore, enjoin all Nigerians to cooperate with the law enforcement authorities towards ensuring a successful implementation of the Executive Order 6 which is a paradigm-changing policy of the Federal Government in the fight against corruption. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President Legit.ng recently reported that the validity of the Presidential Executive Order (PEO) 6 of 2018 which provides for the interim seizure of assets linked to ongoing criminal trials and investigations has been upheld by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, October 11. Two lawyers, Ikenga Ugochinyere and Keneth Udeze, had instituted a suit before the court to challenge its validity. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu delivering judgment dismissed the suit for lacking in merit and affirmed that the president has the constitutional powers to issue the PEO as long as it does not encroach into the principles of separation of powers. UPDATE: The senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Sunday, October 14, said that the order was legal and constitutional. The presidential aide noted that the cases in question were originated by previous administrations, adding that most suspects involved in the cases hire lawyers to slow down the pace of their trial. Is Atiku the Right Man to Defeat President Buhari? 2019 Election - Nigeria Street Gist - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit Nigeria - Former president Obasanjo says incumbent president Buhari is weak for not signing the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA) - Obasanjo says PDP president candidate Atiku would sign it when he wins election - Obasanjo said this before his public while speaking at an IMF/World Bank event in Bali, Indonesia Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has again attacked President Muhammadu Buhari for what he perceives as weakness in the incumbent leader's economic policies. Daily Trust reports that Obasanjo knocked President Buhari for choosing not to sign the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACfTA). READ ALSO: President Buhari bans 50 high-profile Nigerians from travelling Obasanjo sees this decision by Buhari as a sign of weakness and notes that presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party Atiku Abubakar would sign the Agreement once he emerges as the next Nigerian president. He fired the shot at Buhari all the way from Bali, Indonesia while speaking at the Babacar Ndaiye Lecture by the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on the sideline of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/ World bank meeting. He said: We will have a president who will be able to sign the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, not the one whose hands is too weak to sign PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The former president was speaking on the importance of intra-Africa trade as a way of mitigating against trade tensions The Babacar Ndiaye lecture series seeks to honour Dr. Ndiaye, who was president of the African development bank from 1985 to 1995 and was credited with fostering the emergence of many young entertainers. Meanwhile, Obasanjo has denied allegations by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he was reportedly working to help PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar lift his US entry ban. Legit.ng reported earlier that Obasanjos spokesman Kehinde Akinyemi said the former Nigerian ruler was not interested in joining words with the APC on what he described as 'frivolous allegations' Is Atiku the Right Man to Defeat President Buhari? 2019 Election - Nigeria Street Gist - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - A young man was reported killed when APC and PDP supporters clashed in Sokoto state - The 22-year-old man Imrana Ahmad Alkanchi was hit by stray bullet and confirmed dead by his cousin Zayyanu Shehu The incident occurred after APC loyalists tried to block Governor Tambuwal's convoy and his supporters from passing through an area At least one person was feared killed when supporters of the two largest parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP, clashed in Sokoto on Saturday, October 13. Daily Trust reports that a 22-year old boy identified as Imrana Ahmad Alkanchi was said to have been hit by a stray bullet fired at the scene of the clash. Alkanchi's cousin, an Information officer of the Sokoto state university, Zayyanu Shehu confirmed his death. READ ALSO: Obasanjo chides Buhari for not signing African trade agreement The young man was waiting to board a commercial motorcycle Okada on his return from Gawon Nama market when the bullet hit him. According to the report, some alleged political thugs loyal to the APC, had attempted to block Governor Aminu Tambuwal s convoy from passing through Gawon Nama area, but clashed with his supporters. Gawon Nama is where the house of APC leader and former governor of the state AlIyu Magatakarda Wamakko is located. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Tambuwal was received by hordes of supporters who thronged Sultan Abubakar III International Airport as early as 10am to welcome him as he returned to Sokoto for the first time since he losing at the PDP national convention. Sokoto state police Command spokesman DSP Cordelia Nwewe said the matter is under investigation. Legit.ng reported recently that Tambuwal said before the convention that he dropped his second term as a governor under the All Progressives Congress (APC) due to his commitment to the unity and development of Nigeria. Tambuwal said this in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, during his campaign to the southwest geopolitical zone where he vowed to provide purposeful and visionary leadership that will foster unity in the nation. Nigeria Latest News: Here's What Saraki and Tambuwal's Defection Means for the APC - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - After all the drama, Big Brother Naija Double Wahala edition couple Nina and Miracle seems to have made up - The BBNaija winner and his housemate lover met in Ghana and made a video revealing all is now well between them - Nina who had stopped following Miracle has now started following him again It seems the storm is over between Big Brother Naija 2018 couple, Nina and Miracle. Weeks after publicly calling her just a friend, Nina and Miracle met in Ghana and the two made a video where they talked about the fact that they are friends again. While Miracle in the video was trying to say there was no fight between them, Nina said there was but that Miracle had apologised and that they are friends again. She revealed further that he has even apologised to all that felt offended by his action. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria Not done, Nina who had once unfollowed Miracle on social media has now started following him to show that they are back as one again. Legit.ng had reported that there was trouble in the paradise of former BBNaija housemates, who were also lovers during the show, Miracle and Nina, as their young relationship suffered a setback. It all started when BBNaija winner, Miracle, took to his Instagram page to state that the relationship between him and Nina was just platonic. Nina openly showed her love for Miracle, and she even ended the relationship with her former boyfriend, Collins, whom she was dating before the show. However, Miracle seems not to have reciprocated the love, and it has led to several of Ninas fan calling him out. One of such fan is Toyin Lawani, who also doubles as Ninas benefactor after the show. In a video that she posted on Instagram, she revealed that she warned Nina to stay away from Miracle because he did not seem to show her off publicly just like Teddy A used to do for BamBam, also former housemates. READ ALSO: Davido visits Atiku Abubakar with girlfriend Chioma (photo) Nina's new found bestie and benefactor, Toyin Lawani, reacted to the breakup. The fashion entrepreneur took to her Insta Story to air her opinion on the issue. She accused Miracle of leading Nina on and dumping her when it was convenient for him. She stated that Miracle was always paying Nina private visits and was never open to acknowledging her in public. Going further, she revealed that she had warned Nina about how things would turn out but the reality star was too in love to listen. According to Toyin, Nina believed Miracle loved her just as much as she did him too. Top 5 Big Brother Naija Scandals (BBNaija) | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 481 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser and what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, funding more meetups and travel. Life-sized plastic whale to raise ocean pollution awareness PhysOrg No way! Lake Superior spits back Duluth mans long-lost canoe MPR (Chuck L) Hurricane Michael flattens beach town like mother of all bombs BBC You Just Realize Its All Gone: Hurricane Michaels Heavy Toll Wall Street Journal. A vivid description of the carnage and loss. Warm Gulf waters spawned Hurricane Michaels intensity: scientists Reuters. EM: More interesting than the somewhat humdrum headline suggests. Climate Change Sea Level Rise Will Be Worse Than Imagined Rolling Stone (chuck419) Video: Watch Humanoid Robot Atlas Do Parkour Geek (Kevin W) Hologram of Amy Winehouse set for 2019 worldwide tour Guardian (Kevin W) Applying physics modeling to voting of SCOTUS Super Court ScienceBlog (Dr. Kevin) Tech suffers from lack of humanities, says Mozilla head Guardian. Synchronicity! Confirming a comment we made yesterday on the post on what to do about student debt. Ecologists suggest it is time to rethink the modern lawn PhysOrg (Chuck L). Lambert agrees. China? Malaysia to Repeal Death Penalty and Sedition Law New York Times (Kevin W) Brexit. A big dose, and some of this from a couple of days back for the benefit of US readers. We are in what Lambert calls an overly dynamic situation. Why the Bavarian election matters for Merkel DW The rise and rise of Bavarias Greens Politico Syraqistan New Cold War Big Brother is Watching You Watch Trump Transition The US State Department withdrew Hillary Clintons security clearance and those of several former Clinton aides Business Insider (Kevin W) Whos Behaving Like A 2020 Presidential Candidate FiveThirtyEight (UserFriendly) Building a Global Democratic Movement to Counter Authoritarianism Bernie Sanders, YouTube. Much better than youd think given the title. A Critique of Sam Harris Benjamin Studebaker (UserFriendly) Kill Me Now Ive found the Democratic candidate who can defeat Trump in 2020 Fox (JTM). Over the dead bodies of millennials. Black Injustice Tipping Point Retired firefighter found guilty for shooting at lost black teen on doorstep NBC Crisis Watch Does using models really make economics a science? Lars P. Syll (UserFriendly) Elon Musk Wants Tesla Gigafactory Employees to Live on Site in Mobile Homes TheDrive (Kevin W) The Worlds Most Dangerous Black Markets YaleGlobal (J-LS) Exxon Now Advocates for Carbon Tax? Hmmm Wolf Street (EM) Guillotine Watch Twitter and Salesforce CEOs bicker over who is helping the homeless more Guardian. Twitter put a major office (not sure if HQ but very important office) in a so-so part of San Francisco. Twitterati sent the rents in one of the few semi-affordable parts of SF through the roof because a lot of them rented apartments nearby, many of which were crash pads in addition to their main residences. Goldman Sachs seedy underbelly exposed in shocking tapes New York Post (J-LS) UWO says bankers wife spent $21 million at Harrods FCPA Blog (J-LS). Saw this a few days ago on teh BBC< but this will have more informed commentary. From Jen and John of Pleasant Lake, via Lawrence R: On the newly exposed lake bottom Greater Yellowlegs in a Red Maple reflection at the edge of Turtle Cove. And a bonus antidote (forgive me for not being able to figure out who sent this to me; I update the post if you pipe up in comments) anyway heres the most carefree deer in the world prancing along the beach at dawn pic.twitter.com/MIKtsOtDYb Ian Laking (@IHLaking) October 8, 2018 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 478 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser and what weve accomplished in the last year, and our current goal, funding more meetups and travel. Yves here. Get a cup of coffee. This is a meaty piece. By Scott Ferguson Associate Professor at the University of South Florida. He is a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, co-founder of the Modern Money Network: Humanities Division (@moneyontheleft; https://www.facebook.com/moneyontheleft/) and co-host of the Money on the Left podcast. Originally published at Arcade Titled Declarations of Dependence: Money, Aesthetics, and the Politics of Care (University of Nebraska Press, July 2018) my recent book develops the insights of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) for critical theory and aesthetics. While the modern Liberal imagination treats money as a finite, private and decentralized exchange instrument that seems incapable of serving all, MMTs state or chartalist approach to political economy insists that money is an inalienable public utility that can always be mobilized to meet social and ecological needs. In Declarations, I trace the historical repression of chartalist ideas to the rise of modern Western metaphysics through the negation of the medieval Scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas. I uncover the impoverished social topology upon which both Liberal modernity and critical aesthetics have historically relied. Ultimately, I labor to redeem critical theory and aesthetics by recovering a more capacious social topology from the Thomist theology that modern Western philosophy supplanted. Here, I would like to extend this project by complicating the Westphalian model of sovereignty, which MMTs state theory of money presumes. My contention is not that international finance, supply chains, and NGOs somehow render the modern-nation state powerless or passe, as theorists of globalization regularly claim. Rather, I contend that the metaphysical suppositions behind modern Westphalian sovereignty obscure globalizations interdependent legal architecture, while simultaneously naturalizing a politics of irresponsibility. In response, I argue, MMT would do well to return to a Thomistic topology of law and politics, which figures law as the center of global interdependence and governance as unavoidably answerable to all worldly forms. That MMT sounds foreign to contemporary ears owes to the fact that it unwittingly conjures a whole topological and causal background, which modern Western metaphysics long ago rejected. During Europes High Middle Ages, however, a similar social topology became legible in the scholastic theology centered around the Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas. Writing during the great political and economic expansion of the High Middle Ages, Thomas argued that Being takes the shape of a centralizing, inalienable, and inescapably interdependent cascade. While no doubt reliant upon the contiguous comings and goings of individual creatures and things, this cascade realizes the broad labor of Creation all at once via its entire mediating infrastructure. Emblematized by the miraculously inexhaustible transubstantiation of the Eucharist on disparate altars, Thomass metaphysics sought to make sense of the mystery of the late medieval periods ballooning political economy and converging heterogenous cultures. What is more, his topology served as the basis for legal conceptions of the fiscal apparatus or treasury, what contemporary jurists from Bracton to Accursius referred to as the most holy fisc. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, however, Franciscan theologians such as Duns Scotus and William of Ockham and humanists from Petrarch to Erasmus challenged the Thomistic synthesis with a new metaphysics and a recognizably modern social topology. This metaphysical topos decentered Thomisms boundless cascade, reconstituting the Christian God as an absolute and immediate willing power in a definitively contiguous world. In so doing, the Franciscans and humanists variously contracted Creations wide causal breadth into a contiguous and alienable thisness, which Scotus famously dubbed haecceity. As a consequence, this new topology reduced causality to a series of proximate relations and deemed anything like concurrent mediation at a distance either unnecessary, artificial, or impossible. Over time, the topos of haecceity became the unquestioned metaphysical backdrop for an ascendant Westphalian modernity. It enabled influential Franciscans and humanists to reject Thomist visions of an incorruptible sacred fisc and to re-envision money as an alienable medium of exchange well before the likes of John Locke. It also gave rise to Reformation conceptions of the Almighty as an immediately willing God which, in turn, perpetuated destructive wars of religion and the rise of a Westphalian system of fiscally-strapped sovereign states. The problem with modernitys contracted haecceity metaphysics is that it grounds human relationality upon a primary unboundedness or non-relationality, which externalizes the question of relationality from the start. Beginning from this lethal premise, modern metaphysics thereby envisions the central challenge of collective belonging not as governing an always-already interdependent and bounded reality, but as finding means to unify ontologically disaggregated beings into some kind of coherent and legitimate whole. Far from natural, this seemingly primordial difficulty is metaphysically spurious, thoroughly modern, and exceedingly political. Liberal money is the most salient expression of this fantasmatic non-relationality, and money appears non-relational because the modern metaphysics of haecceity has inscribed estrangement into the heart of law and politics. To put a finer point on it, this originary alienation weaves itself into how Western modernity figures the topological relation between law and politics. In the eyes of Westphalian modernity, or if one prefers, Jean Bodin or Thomas Hobbes, sovereignty is exclusive and primary, and law is an extension of sovereign power. Should law spill over sovereigntys jurisdiction, it is characterized either as geopolitical domination, a compact between sovereign wills, or wishful thinking. On my reading, such a topology turns the relationship between law and politics disastrously inside-out and the modern Liberal money form is the result. This modern view of law and politics casts money as a decentered global exchange relation for which no governing body is ultimately responsible. It exculpates modern governance from perpetual legal entanglements in what are characterized as external social and ecological problems. I would like to recast this inside-out relation between law and politics from the vantage of the Thomist metaphysics that modern thought has rejected. Thomass understanding of law and politics is most discernable in his philosophy of natural law. In Thomism, natural law is mostly empty of positive precepts and commandments. Instead, natural law marks the ineludible riddle of social and material interdependence from the widest to the smallest scales. This riddle knows no outside. It assumes a tiered, heterogenous, and overlapping structure. But it traces no external bounds. Natural law, according to Thomas, is the basis for the various positive laws that organize a given social order. Yet, for Thomas, just like the natural law it realizes, positive law forever mediates the many from one, ex uno plura, rather than tenuously forging one from many, e pluribus unum. Having predicated law in an ineluctable dependence, Thomas then characterizes the rapport between human governance and law via the scholastic method of analogy. He begins with the broader relation between God and what he calls eternal law, a kind of cosmic or supranatural interdependence that forms the mysterious basis of all order in the universe. Articulating this relationship, Thomas once again proves perplexing since, for him, God is both an infinite font of Creation and a legally bounded subject of His own created order. On Thomass reasoning, that is, God is the boundless and omnipresent center of Beings continual Creation, not the absolute power or unbounded will characteristic of post-Reformation divinity. Yet at the same time, Gods infinitude is ineluctably restricted by eternal laws own sublime interdependence. As a result, law appears simultaneously to proceed from Gods boundless creativity and to hold sway over Creation in ways that no divine agent can instantly dismantle. Therefore, God is nothing like an absolute will or power, Thomas concludes, precisely because the Divine remains forever indebted to the order to which divinity gives rise. We discover a similarly paradoxical topology in Thomass theorization of the rapport between human governance and law. A governing institution is a site and source of social provisioning which, as every MMTer knows, must remain indebted to a particular society in the long run if that society is to continue to reproduce itself. To do so, a governing institution wields laws infinite capacities to organize a certain scale of social and material creation. Yet Thomas argues that law as such always traces wider, narrower, and overlapping scales of interdependence than any particular governing institution can possibly oversee. Demarcated by neither territory nor sovereign will, these many scales of interdependence meet at Creations widest circumference and encircle each particular governing institution on all sides. It is therefore impossible for any governing institution to operate either before or outside law. Governing institutions can contest, suspend, or overturn specific instances of positive law. They may collapse in revolution or war. But, for Thomas, even states of exception and political chaos never fully circumvent the abiding quandary of social and material interdependence. Today, I think it can equally be said that nothing escapes laws interdependent causal horizon and charge. Laws purview weds the present-day nation-state to cities, unemployed persons, and territorial resources as well as to other polities, stateless peoples, and the challenges of global climate change. Thomist legal and political philosophy makes these elementary connections freshly perceptible by folding the relationship between governance and law radically outside-in. At the same time, Thomass insistence that this legal relationality leans on a boundless center lifts the fiscal ceiling that presently prevents governing institutions from meeting social and ecological needs. In this way, Thomism appears to both buttress MMTs political economy and to problematize its still-unreflected attachments to the language of modern sovereignty. The resulting MMT-inspired approach to law and politics would neither subordinate jurisprudence to the problem of sovereignty nor pit universal beneficence against the evils of political and economic power. Instead, a Thomistic MMT would re-imagine the originary shape of law and turn the terms of political contestation irreversibly outside-in. This essay is based on an oral presentation delivered at Law in Global Political Economy: Heterodoxy Now, a conference organized by the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard University, June 23, 2018. Moderator: Thank you. Welcome this afternoon, very good to see you here. We will have some brief statements from the Secretary General and then from General Scaparrotti. Secretary General, please? Jens Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General]: Good afternoon. It is really a great pleasure and honour to be on board the USS Harry S. Truman. This is an impressive carrier, with an even more impressive crew. From these decks, the USS Truman projects power to keep us all safe. It delivers deterrence every day. It helps keep our sea lines of communication open and it has been critical in the fight against terrorism, against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. So, I want to thank the crew of this carrier for their service and dedication to duty. This ship is named after the US president who was in office when NATO was established back in 1949. President Truman described our founding treaty, the NATO founding treaty, as "a shield against aggression and the fear of aggression". Today, the men and women of our Allied navies are a vital part of that shield, protecting almost one billion people, and defending their freedom. Our navies are working more closely than ever together. So, this afternoon, I visited the Danish ship, Esbern Snare, the flagship of one of NATOs multinational naval groups. NATOs maritime presence is an essential part of our strengthened deterrence and defence. Over the coming days, this ship will continue its journey towards Norway, the first time a US carrier group has been in Norwegian waters since 1987. It will be joined by around 60 other ships from across the Alliance taking part in the exercise Trident Juncture, NATOs biggest exercise in years, with around 50,000 personnel from all NATO countries, as well as Finland and Sweden. Trident Juncture will test NATOs collective response to an armed attack against one Ally. To keep our nations safe in an unpredictable world, we need to keep our Alliance strong. We do need to have the training and we need to train together in all domains; at sea, in air, on land and in cyberspace. The exercise will test our high readiness forces, to ensure they meet the demanding standards we set for them. And Trident Juncture will send a clear message of Allied solidarity, that we are ready to protect all Allies against any threat. The Atlantic Ocean is of fundamental value to our Atlantic Alliance. It is not a barrier between Europe and North America it is a bridge between the two continents and we need to protect that vital link. So, we are stepping up our efforts. We are setting up a new Joint Force Command for the Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia, the Trumans home port, to ensure we have the right forces, in the right place, at the right time. So, thank you once again, Captain Dienna and the crew of the USS Truman, for hosting us all today. This ship embodies the naval power of the United States and its presence here demonstrates the strong commitment of the United States to our transatlantic bond. Thank you. Moderator: Okay. Now General Scaparrotti, please? General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: Thank you. Good afternoon and thanks for joining us on this great ship here today. It's an honour to be at sea with the officers, the chief petty officers and the sailors of the USS Harry S. Truman, who are serving their nation and the NATO Alliance. Today, we also had the opportunity to visit the flagship for NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Group 1, the Royal Danish Navy's Esbern Snare. Standing Naval Maritime Group 1's continuous presence in the Baltic Sea and Atlantic provides important situational awareness for our joint forces. While conducting their routine schedule, the Group is also well placed to respond to operational climates that may arise. The air defence exercise conducted today was a good example of the regular training NATO Maritime Groups undergo to ensure interoperability, readiness and agility of our Allied navies. Today, NATO has ships from Denmark, Portugal and Norway exercising with US ships and aircraft in the North Sea. Earlier this week, the Group conducted air and surface exercises with the French Navy and a week prior with the Royal Navy as well. The USS Harry S. Truman brings a tremendous array of power to the security of the Alliance, as demonstrated today. As Secretary General Stoltenberg just mentioned, Harry S. Truman was the US President during the establishment of NATO, over 70 years ago. President Truman famously said, and I quote, "we are not only seeking to establish freedom from aggression and from the use of force in the North Atlantic community, but were also actively striving to promote and preserve peace throughout the world". Now, these are words that well reflect NATO's goals today. For example, the Alliance's surface and subsurface platforms, together with our maritime patrol aircraft, are protecting the global commons and freedom of navigation on behalf of all nations. Keeping the world free from aggression also means ensuring the Alliance's postured and ready forces focused on honing those capabilities that will improve our collective defence and our ability to deter adversaries. The upcoming exercise, Trident Juncture 2018, ensures NATO forces can work together in time of crisis. It will be an important test and, as youve seen today, a demonstration of our collective capabilities. With all 29 nations, as well as Finland and Sweden participating across air, land and sea, this talented this Trident Juncture exercise is a prime example of NATO Allies and partners working together. Trident Juncture 18 will demonstrate that, in an unpredictable world, NATO remains an anchor of stability. Thanks again to Rear Admiral Black, Commodore and Captain Dienna, along with their crews, their magnificent crews here, for hosting us today. I can't tell you how extremely impressed I was; the crews that we saw here, the sailors that we saw, their skill, their perseverance, and in trying conditions as well. So, it's been a great day, thank you. Moderator: Okay, thank you. We have time for a couple of questions. Who wants to ask the first question? Question [Sky News]: Thank you. I'm Deborah Haynes. I used to work for The Times and, as of the last four weeks, I work for Sky News. Question for the Secretary General first and then for the General. We've heard a lot about increased Russian activity in the Atlantic. How will Trident Juncture, you know, deter that kind of aggressive Russian activity? And then a question for the General: we've seen Russia conduct chemical warfare on the streets of Britain, we've had Britain, the United States and other Allies call out GRU cyber operations across the world. Is NATO ready for Putin, if he were to conduct some kind of test of Article 5, some kind of incursion into NATO territory? How prepared and ready is NATO to respond to that? Thank you. Jens Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General]: Trident Juncture is a very important exercise. It is the biggest exercise in many years in NATO. It shows that we can work together, 29 Allies, two partners - Sweden and Finland - with land forces, air forces and maritime forces. And just the fact that we are able to deploy that many naval forces in the Atlantic, in the Norwegian Sea, in the way we will do during the Trident Juncture, show how NATO is able to deliver and also actually how NATO has been able to adapt to a more demanding, to a more challenging security environment. Because this is the first time since the 1980s that we have an aircraft carrier like this, a US aircraft carrier, in Norwegian waters, as we have then later on during the exercise, and also the first time we bring together so many different forces in one big exercise. But NATO is a defensive Alliance. Our deterrence and our defence, it's not there to provoke a conflict, it is there to prevent a conflict. And we strongly believe that the best way to prevent conflict is to show the unity and the strength of the Alliance, as we do through the Trident Juncture exercise, with all these excellent capabilities. Then let me also highlight the following, and that is that NATO has adapted to be able to manage a more difficult security environment, and one of the important reasons we have exercises like this, and one of the reasons why I really welcome the presence of this aircraft carrier, the USS Truman, is that it shows the transatlantic bond. It shows that North America stands together with Europe, and the US security commitments to Europe are rock solid, and thats something we express through this exercise. General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: To your question about the security environment; the Secretary General just noted the changing environment and the challenging environment we're in. The examples you gave on Russia's part illegal activity, activity below the level of warfare, cyber etc., is an example of how this environment's changed. And it is also one of the reasons that we have to change. So, to the question are we ready, yes we're ready. It's demonstrated here in the exercise that were doing. Are we adapting? Yes, were adapting, because our environment's changing and also because the character of warfare is changing. So, in exercises like this, in Trident Juncture, we're working hard to include the cyber domain, space, those kinds of activities that we have to practice and train on, as a multinational force, multi-domain. The challenge of doing that across 29 nations makes this complex, but you can see the proficiency here today. I was just aboard a Danish flagship connected with ships from the United States, Portugal, Norway, sharing a common picture, working on common operating procedures, tactics and procedures, and doing quite well. So again, were ready and were getting stronger every day. Moderator: Okay, next question, NTB. Question [NTB]: Johan Falnes, the Norwegian news agency. So, this aircraft projects military strengths in a big way. And when you come to Trident Juncture, and this is for both for the General and for the Secretary General, when you come to Trident Juncture, what will you do to try to balance it out, so as not to send an overly aggressive signal, especially towards Russia? Thank you. Jens Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General]: So, General Scaparrotti can perhaps reflect on some of the operational parts of the exercise, because I will just say the following, is that NATO is a defensive Alliance. But to deliver credible deterrence, we need to show the strength of the Alliance and we need to show the bond between North America and Europe. And thats exactly what we do with this exercise, and with the fact that we have so many nations working together. This exercise is partly about deterrence, but it is also about training our forces, making sure they're able to work together, and it's also about certifying our high readiness forces, the NATO Response Force. It is a very transparent exercise. It has been a long time planned and a long time announced. We have invited all the OSCE countries, the countries who are a member of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, including Russia, to the exercise. They will be there observing the exercise. So, defensive Alliance, transparent exercise, with Russian observers, there is no provocation in that. It is that all Allies, all nations have the right to exercise their forces, and we do that in a very transparent and predictable way. General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: So, I would just add that the exercise scenario, for instance, we are a defensive Alliance, it's a defensive scenario, Article 5. It is operational tactical. It is conventional. The location that we do it, our posture of our forces, all those things are factors that tells an experienced force like Russia that this isnt aggressive and it's not offensive. It is basically an Alliance practicing what we need to practice to defend the Euro-Atlantic. I would add to what the Secretary General said, this was initially announced five years ago, this exercise, and the location it would take place. We have had multiple press conferences on it. Norway and NATO has briefed Russia on it, for instance. We have invited OSCE observers, Russia included. All of those are things that signal that are transparent, but also signal the purpose of this exercise, and it's not one that is threatening to them and I think, through all of those messages, that should be clear. Question [Belga News Agency]: Yes, Gerard Gaudin, Belga News Agency. I would like to ask you, when was the decision taken to add the Truman and the carrier group to the exercise? Is that a recent one or is that a very old decision? General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: We in terms of this exercise, we did not make the final decision until they had sorted actually, we knew that it was an option. But we wanted to keep that option open, given the environment, and what we thought was the best use for both deterrence and for training, for this carrier strike group. So, it has been fairly recent in its final decision. Moderator: Any other questions? No? Okay, thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: Thank you very much. Jens Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General]: Thank you so much, and let me also thank Admiral Black and Captain Dienna for hosting us here today, because this has been a very good visit with an excellent service and very interesting for all of us who have participated, so many thanks to you. General Curtis Scaparrotti [NATO SACEUR]: Excellent. Scientists and other experts from NATO and Hungary discussed future projects of cooperation at the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme Information Day held in Budapest on 11 October 2018. Maj Gen Laszlo Domjan, Ministry of Defence of Hungary, welcomes the participants of the Information Day. Hungary is currently leading an SPS project in the area of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence. The multi-year initiative aims to develop a cutting-edge sensor to detect bio-toxins, including in water and food. A number of young scientists, including from Ukraine, are contributing to the research effort, also helping them to kick-start their career. The country also helped build capacity in NATO partner countries Iraq and Jordan in countering improvised explosive devices through the provision of training and equipment to their armed forces. Dr Antonio Missiroli, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, addresses the audience at the SPS Information Day in Budapest. At the SPS Information Day, Hungary and NATO exchanged ideas for potential future research and capacity-building cooperation on security-related topics, such as cyber defence, counter-terrorism, border security, as well as on environmental issues. The ever-increasing number of challenges faced by the Alliance requires closer cooperation with partner countries, said Dr Peter Sztaray, State Secretary for Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, at the event. Hopefully, thanks to the Information Day, Hungarian researchers and experts will be involved in more research projects in the future, which will strengthen our region's security, he added. Dr Antonio Missiroli, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, concluded in stating, The SPS Programme is one of NATOs most valuable partnership tools. Science, after all, is not just about experiments. It is about collaboration and partnership. The SPS Information Day was organised in cooperation with the Hungarian Delegation to NATO, the National University of Public Service in Budapest and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Two disaster relief tools, namely a multinational telemedicine facility and the Next-Generation Incident Command System, were tested during a civil preparedness exercise in Serbia from 8 to 11 October 2018. These tools were developed in the framework of NATOs Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme. Around 2,000 personnel from about 40 countries trained together in Serbia in a large-scale emergency response exercise based on an earthquake scenario. The exercise provided the opportunity to practise international cooperation and strengthen the ability of teams from different nations to work effectively together to save lives in an emergency situation. The lessons we learn this week will help us to save more lives in the years to come, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who attended the inauguration of the exercise together with President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. Increasing the connectivity between first responders During the event, the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS) was tested. This modern communication tool provides situational awareness for widely dispersed first responders and facilitates collaboration among them. It can be used on mobile devices and allows for an easy transfer of information, for example through shared maps. This technology is being implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1 complementing and connecting existing emergency response systems. SPS staff present NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic the SPS-funded telemedicine project. Developing a telemedicine system for emergency situations Furthermore experts demonstrated the added value of NATOs multinational telemedicine capability. This project contributes to increased survival rates and is applicable both in the military and the civilian context, explained Dr Eyup Turmus, SPS Advisor and Programme Manager. In order to save lives in emergency situations, swift access to specialised expertise is essential. This project puts first responders, through modern communication technologies, in direct contact with medical specialists who can assess patients and provide real-time recommendations. The uniqueness of this project lies in its ability to interconnect various national telemedicine capabilities and cultivate an international network of medical specialists. Working with partners Srbija 2018 is the biggest exercise organised by NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), and the first to be hosted by Serbia, a NATO partner. It offers a platform to test technologies such as those developed under the SPS Programme, which aims to promote dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO member and partner nations based on scientific research, technological innovation and knowledge exchange. (Natural News) Animal cloning is a highly controversial topic that has been the subject of heated debate between experts for quite some time now. Should it be done by humans? Do its cons really outweigh the benefits that it offers? Regardless of the current mainstream view on it, its something thats being done by animals themselves. Indeed, some animals can clone themselves and reproduce without the need for a partner. However, its a rare occurrence and is usually not seen as something common for all animal species. Which is why scientists and other experts have been so surprised to find that a certain kind of crayfish has this ability now when it didnt 25 years ago. Something has changed and now it has started to become a real problem, according to one report. A report on the marbled crayfish that is normally found in Europe states that a new mutation, which was present in the species 25 years ago, has now caused it to multiply at an exponential rate. And whats more, its current method of reproduction doesnt require a partner, meaning that it is effectively cloning itself and consequently giving birth to fertile offspring which then perform the process all over again. The marbled crayfish, also referred to as marmorkrebs, reportedly became popular first with aquarium owners due to their size and their ability to lay copious amounts of eggs, seemingly without mating. This eventually lead to owners becoming confused over what was happening, and the phenomenon caught the attention of scientists shortly thereafter. According to the report from the New York Times, the fact that the marmorkrebs possessed the ability to give birth to clones showed many benefits. There are a lot of clear advantages to being a clone, the report stated. Marbled crayfish produce nothing but fertile offspring, allowing their populations to explode. Normally, this wouldnt be a problem. But marmorkrebs are currently banned in the two states of Missouri and Tennessee. And the European Union (EU) has also banned the species from being produced, distributed, or even released out in the wild. It is now being viewed as a serious problem that affects the local ecosystem, and could potentially affect the entire world. If left alone, the kind of reproductive pattern shown by the marmorkrebs could lead to a serious problem for the environment. As it is, the marmorkrebs population is growing far too quickly to be kept under control. As the report from the New York Times states, people that start one with only one of them end up having 200 after just one entire year. They are invariably going to take away resources from other animal species living in the water, and natural predators arent going to be able to consume them fast enough at the rate that they are multiplying. There are some who view the existence of these sea creatures as a potential source of breakthroughs in the field of cloning, as their cells could be studied in order to find out exactly what caused their mutation to occur in the first place. However, there are also those who maintain that cloning is a bad thing, and it would be best if scientists and other researchers instead focused on how to fix the marmorkrebs overpopulation problem. Find more interesting news about aquatic species at Discoveries.news. Sources include: UK.BusinessInsider.com NYTimes.com (Natural News) The idea that cannabis (marijuana) is a dangerous drug with no therapeutic value is one of the biggest lies ever promulgated on the masses. Truth be told, the human body was made for cannabis, as evidenced by the countless cannabis receptors that exist throughout the cellular system. In a powerful video uploaded to Brighteon.com by the Infectious McSkin channel, youll get a full rundown of the many health benefits associated with cannabis consumption, especially when the plant is consumed in fresh and raw form. Did you know that you have cannabis receptors in your body, in your cells, in your DNA? Chalk that up to one more thing your government never wanted you to know, the narrator explains. Not only is cannabis friendly to your metabolism, but THC, the most biologically-potent component of cannabis is actually manufactured by your own body, and your cannabinoid receptors are stimulated by a lot of other foods as well. So if cannabis plants are bad for you, so are things like carrots, broccoli, citrus fruit, mustard, and chocolate. Be sure to watch the full video below: Our bodies NEED cannabis What many people dont realize is that cannabis doesnt have to be smoked to partake of its many health benefits. Like other forms of natural produce, cannabis is loaded with vital nutrients that help it to thrive. Cannabis, when used properly, is as boring as any other vegetable, and just as necessary to your health, the video explains. Cannabis is packed with essential nutrients and healing properties when it is fresh and not heated, dried, or aged. When cannabis is fresh, from the plant, it is not a narcotic. It does not make you high. As also explained in the video, the presence of cannabis receptors in our cellular system means four things: our body recognizes cannabis, uses it, needs it, and our health is better when we get it, otherwise those receptors would not be there. Big Pharma weaponized the government to ban its biggest competition: cannabis and other healing plants Cannabis isnt just beneficial; its actually one of the most beneficial things you can put inside your body. Its a nutrient one of the best that you can put in your body. Cannabis is one of the most powerful nutrients and healers on the face of the planet, and you were not supposed to find that out, the video explains, pointing to research showing that cannabis provides an astonishing number of medical benefits, so much so that you might not be in peak health unless you consume some of it from time to time. We have been seriously lied to, and that lie has caused major damage to millions of people for two or three generations now, the video reveals. The demonization of cannabis correlates with the early promotion of pharmaceutical industries, where wealthy investors in drug companies needed legislation to discourage competition from inexpensive, natural therapies. The sad reality is that too many people today are being deprived of cannabis because of unjust laws, all the while being forced to take toxic pharmaceutical alternatives that are killing them. If they had not put cannabis out of our reach, we would be curing ourselves without their toxic drugs, their overpriced healthcare programs, and their legal harassment of absolutely harmless use of an amazing plant, the video proclaims. Your corrupt government even went to the trouble to classify cannabis as a dangerous substance with no therapeutic value when they knew it was one of the most vital and powerful nutrients available to mankind. Its a fact that cannabis is a powerful weapon against cancer. It also helps to stop seizures, rebuild the immune system, and restore health to all of the 120 different varieties of cells that exist within our bodies. Cannabis performs multiple healing functions at the cellular level, which is where everything that matters in your body takes place, the video adds. Eating or juicing a few ounces of raw, fresh cannabis every day will do more for your general health than any drug or vitamin pill that money can buy. Cannabis is a major threat to the prescription drug industry which, by the way, kills 100,000 people in the USA every year with side effects, overdoses, and toxic reactions caused by those prescription medications. Cannabis kills no one, even when it is used as a recreational drug.' Be sure to watch the full video at Brighteon.com. For more cannabis news, check out MarijuanaToday.news. Sources for this article include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris said they did not sign off on three White House nominees for open California seats on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and will oppose the confirmations, according to a report. President Donald Trump announced he had nominated Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Patrick Bumatay, Los Angeles appellate attorney Daniel Collins and Los Angeles litigator Kenneth Kiyul Lee for the vacancies. The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit is the nation's largest federal appeals court and hears cases from nine Western states. It holds 29 judicial positions and there are six vacancies. Republicans have accused the court of having a liberal slant and moved to break it up an effort supported by Trump. The court has ruled against Trump's travel ban involving several Muslim-majority nations and his executive order threatening to cut funding for sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with immigration officials. Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she and the administration were still trying to reach a consensus on nominees when the White House abruptly announced the three nominations, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. "I repeatedly told the White House I wanted to reach an agreement on a package of 9th Circuit nominees, but last night the White House moved forward without consulting me," Feinstein said in a statement. Lily Adams, a spokeswoman for Harris, another Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, said the White House continues to "try to pack the courts with partisan judges who will blindly support the president's agenda, instead of acting as an independent check on this administration." A letter sent to Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, by the White House said it made a good faith effort to work with California's senators. "We have made more attempts to consult and devoted more time to that state than any other in the country," White House Counsel Donald McGahn wrote. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate voted 51-44 on Thursday to confirm another Trump nominee, Idaho attorney Ryan Douglas Nelson, to the 9th Circuit. He takes over a seat vacated by N. Randy Smith, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush. Only one Democrat, Doug Jones of Alabama, voted in favor of Nelson. The Leadership Conference, a coalition of civil and human rights groups, accused Nelson of being a conservative ideologue who had a troubling record on the environment. Idaho's two Republican senators, Mike Crapo and James Risch, supported Nelson's nomination. "He understands that a judge is responsible for interpreting and applying the Constitution and laws of the land as they are written, and not to be a maker of laws from the bench," Crapo said in a statement. Among the nominees in California, Bumatay works as a counselor to the U.S. attorney general's office on various criminal issues, including opioid abuse and transnational organized crime. Feinstein's office said his name was not among those initially proposed by the White House. Collins is an appellate attorney and partner with the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. He previously was an associate deputy attorney general. Lee is an appellate attorney and a partner in the Los Angeles office of Jenner & Block LLP. He was previously an associate White House counsel for President George W. Bush. A Bay Area man says he shouldn't have his car towed and sold simply because he can't afford to pay parking tickets. And this week, a judge agreed and ordered San Francisco to give him his car back. Now, many are asking if the decision could spark a wave of new problems. Sean Kayode's lawyer says seizing a homeless person's car because they can't pay for the parking tickets violates the 4th Amendment, protecting against unreasonable search and seizure. "I got a car to better my life," Kayode said. "I've been homeless for a long time." Kayode racked up 30 parking citations and more than $11,000 in fines as he tried to make ends meet delivering food. His attorneys argue he cannot reasonably pay the fees. Many others said they are in the same boat. "We pursued this case because we heard time and time again that people were losing their property, their only asset, their vehicles, for unpaid parking tickets," said Jude Pond, a staff attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights San Francisco. "For homeless people, and for poor people in San Francisco, this is a huge loss." NBC Bay Area's Sam Brock has more in the video report above. What to Know Sister Roma, one of San Francisco's most celebrated drag queens, was invited to take part in Outward Bound's annual fundraiser "Over the Edge" asks participants to raise $1800 each for a chance to rappel down a tall building in San Francisco The money goes to scholarships for at-risk young people to have outdoor adventures Sister Roma is no stranger to risk-taking. "The most dangerous thing I've ever done was march in the very first Fresno gay pride parade, with the KKK on the sidelines," said the drag queen known as the most photographed nun in the world on Friday. Still, this was a new sort of risk for Sister Roma: strapping into a climbing harness and rappelling from the 46th story of the San Francisco Hilton Union Square on a sunny day in October, with fans cheering from the windows and the bustle of the city down below all while clad in a fabulous feathered headdress and full makeup.[[497438371, C]] "Is your harness comfortable?" asked an Outward Bound California volunteer. "I'm a drag queen. We're used to pain," Roma, whose name is Michael Williams, replied. The harrowing experience was a fitting fundraiser for Outward Bound California, a nonprofit that sends young people on outdoor adventures designed to open their minds and challenge their notions of what they can and can't do. "They push past perceived limits, and they go over the edge and they do this thing that is so big," said Maggie Lyons Weller, Outward Bound's Bay Area program director. Each participant in fundraiser was asked to raise $1800 for the privilege of attempting a feat that, while terrifying, is actually quite safe, an instructor told the group. Shes known as the Most Photographed Nun in the World. Youve seen her at Pride and the Folsom Street Fair. Now, check out what it takes to become Sister Roma. "In fact, statistically, it's more dangerous getting here," he said, referring to the snarled downtown traffic far below. Sister Roma, a 20-year member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, was a pioneer among activists to educate the LGBT community on practices of safe sex and how to stop the spread of AIDS. Today, the Sisters continue to speak out and take action on issues of intolerance, all while wearing religious robes with elaborate jewelry and makeup. Outward Bound, Roma said, "is perfect for what the Sisters do. We support people, we work for charity, we put ourselves out there every day. Everything we do is sort of risky just by being who we are." Watch the video above to see Sister Roma's terrifying journey over the edge. Sister Roma discusses the wide range of reactions she gets in public walking in one block. Dozens of striking hotel workers in San Francisco have been arrested after sitting down in the street and blocking downtown traffic. The rally and march started on Friday at the Yerba Buena Plaza on Market Street, between 3rd and 4th streets. Organizers said workers demonstrated in response to contract negotiations. "Theyve been automating things and they have been eliminating jobs," said Marriott Marquis employee Danel Burns. "Room service was one of those jobs that was one of those jobs to go a few years ago." Union members said they love working for Marriott but they need better pay and some job security. "Theyre really really, and incredibly profitable company, and its a beautiful thing to work for them and we would really like to be counted and treated like were valued," said Marriott Marquis employee Jessica Etheridge. About 40 hotel union workers who demonstrated by sitting in front of the Marriott Marquis on 4th Street were detained. Police said they were charged with failure to obey a traffic officer, a misdemeanor. Several streets in the area were also shut down and affected traffic in the city's South of Market District during the demonstration. They're among nearly 8,000 workers that have walked off jobs at Marriotts from Boston to Honolulu. Marriott is the world's largest hotel operator. As the demonstration drags on, both sides of the labor dispute don't seem to be backing down. However, some people who live in the neighborhood are getting tired of the noise. "I get what theyre trying to do, I just dont know if this is the right way, just frustrating when you live here and work here," said SOMA resident Ashley Carrillo. Several San Francisco hotels are affected. At the St. Regis Hotel, they've installed sound deadening panels on the windows of the second floor. However, that doesn't help Sue and Dick Wollack who live in the hotel and have windows facing the street. "Im behind them with, they cant get enough money for one job, I believe in that, but theyve carried it way too far with all the noise," Sue said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. A man broke the front of East Bay Flowers in San Leandro and stole multiple teddy bears and flowers. Surveillance footage shows he circled the store several times, shot the windows with a bb gun and went off with about 10 bears. The owners daughter Vanessa Sanchez said she believes the thiefs motive could have been that he wanted to please his girlfriend. "If you're already a thief, and you're in the doghouse with your woman, then you're going to rob a flower shop. You know? That's the conclusion we came to," Sanchez said. "That he was in trouble, it was her birthday, anniversary, something, andd that's what he had to do." The shop said that in all, the teddy bear thief made off with about $1,500 worth of bears and flowers. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced four new human cases of West Nile Virus in the state on Friday, bringing the 2018 total to 42 human cases. According to the DPH, the cases include a woman in her 50s from Middlesex County, two men in their 60s from Middlesex County and a woman in her 60s from Plymouth County. All four of the victims were hospitalized. A horse from Franklin County also died from West Nile, according to health officials. In September, the DPH announced 10 new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of cases up to 24 in 2018. Massachusetts set a record this year with 42 human cases recorded in the state, the highest ever. The previous record was set in 2012 with 33 human cases. "Mosquito season is winding down but mosquitoes will still be active on warmer and more humid days," said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. She added that the mosquitoes that are still alive are older and therefore more likely to carry the virus. Bharel recommends wearing long sleeves and pants and mosquito repellent on warm and humid days. West Nile is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Anyone can get the virus, but people over 50 are at a higher risk for severe disease. According to the DHP, most people who are infected show no symptoms. If there are symptoms, they tend to include fever and flu-like illnesses. In rare cases, more severe illness can occur. To learn more about how to protect yourself from the illness, visit www.mass.gov/dph/mosquito or call the DPH Epidemiology Program at 617-983-6800. Two of the three former Massachusetts State Police lieutenants who were indicted in overtime abuse pleaded not guilty on Friday. John Giulino, 68, and David Keefe, 52, appeared in Suffolk Superior Court for their arraignment in the ongoing state investigation. The third lieutenant, 57-year-old David Wilson, will be arraigned on Oct. 19. The trio is accused of being paid thousands of dollars in overtime hours that they did not work. They each were charged with larceny over $250 by single scheme, procurement fraud and public employee standards of conduct violation. In 2016, Wilson earned $103,447 in overtime pay while Keefe received an additional $55,960 for overtime and Giulino earned more than $53,000 in overtime pay. The defendants were supervisors in Troop E and were in charge of overseeing traffic enforcement on the Mass Turnpike. Prosecutors say the troopers entered overtime pay for shifts they either left early from or did not work at all. Timothy Burke, the attorney representing Giulino and Keefe, criticized the evidence used to build the case and said it wont be enough to prove his clients broke the law. "Theyre going to have to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that each and every one of those allegations is supported by credible evidence," Burke told reporters. "I can tell you right now that as someone who has tried hundreds of these cases, I have every confidence theyll be acquitted." The retired lieutenants have a lot at stake: If they are convicted of the crimes, their pension benefits could be stripped. According to figures provided by the state retirement board, Wilson is collecting an annual pension of $105,492, Keefe receives $103,261, and Giulino has retirement payments of $89,582. Wilson is scheduled to be arraigned in the states case next week. He is already facing federal charges in a separate investigation by the U.S. Attorneys Office. An Evanston man has pleaded guilty to trying to illegally export guns to Haiti, federal prosecutors announced Friday. Patrick Germain, 45, admitted to trying to export 16 handguns, five shotguns, a rifle and ammunition from Evanston to Haiti through Miami, Florida, according the U.S. Attorneys Office. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled for next year on Jan. 29. Germain built a plywood container, filled it with the guns and ammunition he bought in June 2016 and hid the box in a cargo van, prosecutors said. The van delivered the box to a shipping company in Miami, but it was seized by law enforcement officials before it could be shipped to the Caribbean country. Thousands are expected to take over Grant Park Saturday, primarily calling on women, to unite in an effort to March to the Polls for early voting in Illinois. The purpose of Womens March Chicago is to get individuals in the area fired up about the midterm elections and increase voter turnout, especially for those first-time voters. From Grant Park, the march will head west on Jackson Boulevard to Dearborn Street and north on Dearborn to Federal Plaza. Women, Young Voters in Chicago 'March to the Polls' Participants can enter the rally area either on Congress Parkway or Balbo Drive on Columbus Drive. The Voter Village opens at 9 a.m.; the rally, which includes a lineup of speakers and performances is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.; and the March to Federal Plaza will officially begin at 12:30 p.m. Those interested in voting will have an opportunity to split off to early voting sites until 5 p.m. for Chicago (175 W. Washington St.) and Cook County (69 W. Washington St.) Photos: The Women's March in Chicago Commuters should be on the lookout as the following streets/roads will be closed until 6 p.m. Saturday: Columbus Drive from Monroe Street to Balbo Drive; Jackson Boulevard from Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Avenue; and Congress Parkway from Columbus to Michigan. Once the march commences, Michigan Avenue will be closed from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway. Additional closures in effect now: Jackson Dr/Blvd-Between Lake Shore Drive and Clark Street Clark Street- Between Jackson Blvd and Adams Street #ChicagoPoliceWomensMarch Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) October 13, 2018 According to organizers, the event is a follow-up to the march held in January. As the assault on both womens rights and democracy continues in this country, women and allies are more united than ever in their focus on the 2018 elections." [NATL] PHOTOS: 2018 Women's Marches Across the World Israeli forces shot dead six Palestinians Friday, four of them in a single incident, in one of the deadliest days in months of mass protests along the security fence separating Gaza and Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The ministry said four were killed in one location, where the Israeli military said it opened fire on a crowed of Palestinians who breached the fence and approached an army post. No Israeli troops were harmed, the army added. Two other Palestinians were killed in other protest locations, the ministry said, adding that at least 140 Palestinians were wounded by live bullets. The Israeli military said 14,000 Palestinians thronged the border fence areas, burning tires and throwing rocks, firebombs and grenades at soldiers stationed atop earth mounds on the other side of the barrier. Since March, Hamas has orchestrated near-weekly protests along the fence, pressing for an end to a stifling Israel-Egyptian blockade imposed since the militant group wrested control of Gaza in 2007. Hamas' chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who attended a protest in east Gaza City, said that "the determination of the Palestinian people will break the siege." More than 150 Palestinians participating in or present at the marches have been killed since they began. In May, about 60 protesters were killed in a single day, making it one of the deadliest since a 2014 war between the two sides. The blockade has restricted Hamas' ability to govern and plagued most of Gaza's 2 million residents. Electricity is supplied for roughly four hours a day, unemployment stands at more than 50 percent and tap water is unpotable. Repeated attempts to reconcile Hamas and the West Bank-based administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have all but faltered, increasing the desperation that has in large part fueled the demonstrations. This week, the United Nations began supervising deliveries of Qatari-donated diesel fuel meant to restart Gaza's only power plant to increase electricity supplies and mitigate the crisis. The station has yet to operate. Hamas seeks a cease-fire with Israel securing an easing of the blockade but accuses its rivals in the West Bank of thwarting the effort. In recent weeks, it has stepped up its campaign, holding nighttime protests and adding new locations such as along the beach. Hamas says the escalation of protests is a response to the unresolved cease-fire talks. About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials. The N.C. Department of Agriculture issued the livestock mortality totals Tuesday, as major flooding is continuing after the slow-moving storm's drenching rains. Sixteen North Carolina rivers were at major flood stage Tuesday, with an additional three forecasted to peak by Thursday. The Department of Environmental Quality said the earthen dam at one hog lagoon in Duplin County had breached, spilling its contents. Another 25 of the pits containing animal feces and urine have either suffered structural damage, had wastewater levels go over their tops from heavy rains or had been swamped by floodwaters. Large mounds of manure are also typically stored at poultry farms. North Carolina is among the top states in the nation in producing pork and poultry, with about 9 million hogs at any given time and 819 million chickens and 34 million turkeys raised each year. The N.C. Pork Council, an industry trade group, said the livestock losses from the storm should be taken in context. "Our farmers took extraordinary measures in advance of this storm, including moving thousands of animals out of harm's way as the hurricane approached," the group said in a statement issued Tuesday. "We believe deeply in our commitment to provide care for our animals amid these incredibly challenging circumstances." The industry lost about 2,800 hogs during flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Sanderson Farms, a major poultry producer in the state, said it lost about 1.7 million chickens after flooding at more than 60 of the independent farms that supply its poultry processing plants. The company said its facilities suffered no major damage, but supply disruptions and flooded roadways had caused shutdowns at some plants. In addition, about 30 farms near Lumberton have been isolated by flood waters, hampering the delivery of feed to animals. The lack of food could cause additional birds to die if access isn't restored quickly, the company said. Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer, said its plants also suffered no significant damage and are operating at limited capacity. The company said it would ramp up production as roads become passable. An environmental threat is also posed by human waste as low-lying municipal sewage plants flood. On Sunday, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority reported that more than 5 million gallons of partially treated sewage had spilled into the Cape Fear River after power failed at its treatment plant. The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that 16 community water treatment facilities in North Carolina are unable to supply drinking water and that seven publicly owned sewage treatment works are non-operational due to the flooding. Duke Energy is continuing cleanup operations Tuesday following a weekend breach at a coal ash landfill at its L.V. Sutton Power Station near Wilmington. Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said a full assessment of how much ash escaped from the waterlogged landfill is ongoing. The company initially estimated Saturday that about 2,000 cubic yards (1,530 cubic meters) of ash were displaced, enough to fill about 180 dump trucks. The coal-fired Sutton plant was retired in 2013 and replaced with a new facility that burns natural gas. The company has been excavating millions of tons of leftover ash from old pits there and removing the waste to a new lined landfill constructed on the property. The gray ash left behind when coal is burned contains toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead and mercury. Photos from the site provided to AP by Cape Fear River Watch, an environmental advocacy group, show cascades of gray-colored water spilling from at least two breaches at the landfill and flowing toward Sutton Lake, the plant's former cooling pond which is now used for public recreation, including fishing and boating. Sutton Lake drains into the Cape Fear River. Sheehan said Duke's assessment is that there was minimal chance any contaminants from the spill had reached the river. At a different power plant near Goldsboro, three old coal ash dumps capped with soil were inundated by the Neuse River. Duke said they had no indication those dumps at the H.F. Lee Power Plant were leaking ash into the river. Duke's handling of ash waste has faced intense scrutiny since a drainage pipe collapsed under a waste pit at an old plant in Eden in 2014, triggering a massive spill that coated 70 miles (110 kilometers) of the Dan River in gray sludge. The utility later agreed to plead guilty to nine Clean Water Act violations and pay $102 million in fines and restitution for illegally discharging pollution from ash dumps at five North Carolina power plants. It plans to close all its ash dumps by 2029. In South Carolina, workers with electricity provider Santee Cooper erected a temporary dike in hopes of preventing flooding of an old coal ash dump at the demolished Grainger Generating Station near Conway. The dump is adjacent to the Waccamaw River, which is expected to crest at nearly 20 feet (6 meters) this weekend. That's nine feet above flood stage and would set a new record height. Saturdays early showers will lead to a gradual clearing trend Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. The clear skies Saturday night, along with cool high pressure will allow for temperatures to drop into the 30s. The National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory for most of the state on Saturday as temperatures drop into the middle to upper 30s. The frost advisories for northern Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, northern New Haven, northern New London and Tolland counties are in effect overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. Southern Connecticut, closer to the coast, will stay warmer with temps near 40 degrees, thanks to the warming influence of Long Island Sound. After a chilly start on Sunday morning, sunshine mixing with clouds will allow temperatures to rebound into the middle and upper 50s for the afternoon. Get updates on the forecast anytime online here. A Norwalk doctor has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison on drug distribution and health care fraud charges after what authorities have called the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force in the country. Dr. Bharat Patel, 71, of Milford, Connecticut, was convicted of running a pill mill and selling prescriptions for drugs, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, to addicts and drug dealers, who would then sell the drugs on the streets. He was sentenced to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the Connecticut U.S Attorney's office. The charges were connected to a nationwide opioid and healthcare fraud crackdown. Hundreds of defendants were charged across the country, including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving over $1 billion in false billings. The local investigation began after allegations that two doctors might be writing prescriptions outside the scope of legitimate medical practice. Patel and a partner, Dr. Ramil Mansourov, operated out of Family Health Urgent Care, at 235 Main Street in Norwalk. Some of those addicts they are accused of selling to referred to the defendants medical practice as The Candy Shop, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Authorities said Patel regularly provided prescriptions for narcotics, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, to patients he knew were addicted or had been arrested for distributing or possessing controlled substances. On several occasions, he sold the prescriptions to patients under the table for $100, including to some who used a state Medicaid card, then distributed the drugs, officials said. In 2014 alone, more than $50,000 in cash was deposited into Patel and his wifes bank accounts and some of that money went to buy the house Patel currently lives in, according to federal authorities. Mansourov was also charged and pleaded guilty to health care fraud and money laundering offenses earlier this year. He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 5. Search-and-rescue teams found at least one body in Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael, an official said Friday as the scale of the storm's fury became ever clearer. The death toll across the South stood at 14 including the victim discovered in Mexico Beach. Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, leader of a search-and-rescue unit that went into the flattened town, said: "We have one confirmed deceased and are working to determine if there are others." Zahralban said searchers were trying to determine if that person had been alone or was part of a family. Zahralban spoke as his team which included a dog was winding down its two-day search of Mexico Beach, the town of about 1,000 people that was nearly wiped off the map when Michael blew ashore there Wednesday with devastating 155 mph (249 kph) winds. Blocks and blocks of homes were demolished, reduced to splintered lumber or mere concrete slabs by the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in nearly 50 years. As the catastrophic damage across the Florida Panhandle came into view 48 hours after the hurricane struck, there was little doubt the death toll would rise. How high it might go was unclear. But authorities scrapped plans to set up a temporary morgue, suggesting they had yet to see mass casualties. State officials said that by one count, 285 people in Mexico Beach defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Some of them successfully rode out the storm. It was unclear how many of the others might have gotten out at the last minute. Emergency officials said they have received thousands of calls asking about missing people. But with cellphone service out across vast swaths of the Florida Panhandle, officials said it is possible that some of those unaccounted for are safe and just haven't been able to contact friends or family. Across the ravaged region, meanwhile, authorities set up distribution centers to hand out food and water to victims. Some supplies were brought in by trucks, while others had to be delivered by helicopter because of debris still blocking roads. The deaths were spread throughout the storm's vast path, from Florida to Virginia, where at least five people drowned in flooding caused by Michael's rainy remnants. In North Carolina, a man and woman died after their car hit a large tree that had fallen across a road. Another man died when a tree fell on his car, Gov. Roy Cooper said. Residents began to come to grips with the destruction and face up to the uncertainty that lies ahead. "I didn't recognize nothing. Everything's gone. I didn't even know our road was our road," said 25-year-old Tiffany Marie Plushnik, an evacuee who returned to find her home in Sandy Creek too damaged to live in. When she went back to the hotel where she took shelter from the storm, she found out she could no longer stay there either because of mold. "We've got to figure something out. We're starting from scratch, all of us," Plushnik said. President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Florida and hard-hit Georgia early next week but didn't say what day he would arrive. "We are with you!" he tweeted. Shell-shocked survivors who barely escaped with their lives told of terrifying winds, surging floodwaters and homes cracking apart. Emergency officials said they had completed an initial "hasty search" of the stricken area, looking for the living or the dead, and had begun more careful inspections of thousands of ruined buildings. They said nearly 200 people had been rescued. Gov. Rick Scott said state officials still "do not know enough" about the fate of those who stayed behind in the region. "We are not completely done. We are still getting down there," the governor added. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said he expects to see the death toll rise. "We still haven't gotten into the hardest-hit areas," he said, adding with frustration: "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson." Long expressed worry that people have suffered "hurricane amnesia." "When state and local officials tell you to get out, dang it, do it. Get out," he said. On the Panhandle, Tyndall Air Force Base "took a beating," so much so that Col. Brian Laidlaw told the 3,600 men and women stationed on the base not to come back. Many of the 600 families who live there had followed orders to pack what they could in a single suitcase as they were evacuated ahead of the storm. The hurricane's eyewall passed directly overhead, severely damaging nearly every building and leaving many a complete loss. The elementary school, the flight line, the marina and the runways were devastated. "I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I can't tell you how long that will take, but I'm on it," Laidlaw wrote. "We need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings." ___ One way to help people affected by Hurricane Michael is by donating to the Red Cross. Find more information on how to donate here. Associated Press writers Jay Reevs, Tamara Lush, Gary Fineout, Terry Spencer, Jennifer Kay, Freida Frisaro, Jonathan Drew, Darlene Superville and Seth Borenstein contributed to this story. Travel remained dangerous Saturday in southeastern North Carolina, where the governor warned of "treacherous" floodwaters more than a week after Hurricane Florence made landfall, and urged residents to stay alert for flood warnings and evacuation orders. Gov. Roy Cooper said nine of the state's river gauges are at major flood stage and four others are at moderate stage, while parts of Interstates 95 and 40 will remain underwater for another week or more. Emergency management officials said residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed will begin moving into hotel rooms next week. "Hurricane Florence has deeply wounded our state, wounds that will not fade soon as the flood waters finally recede," Cooper said. South Carolina also has ordered more evacuations as rivers continue to rise in the aftermath of a storm that has claimed at least 43 lives since slamming into the coast more than a week ago. The small farming community of Nichols, South Carolina, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the coast, was completely inundated by water, Mayor Lawson Batter said Saturday. He called the situation "worse than Matthew," the 2016 hurricane that destroyed almost 90 percent of the town's 261 homes. Battle said flooding from Florence has wiped out the 150 or so homes rebuilt afterward. "It's just a mess," said Battle, who was awaiting a visit from Gov. Henry McMaster. "We will try everything we can to come back ... but we need to have federal and state help." Benetta White and David Lloyd were among 100 people rescued with helicopters, boats and high-wheeled military vehicles during a six-hour operation in southeastern North Carolina's Bladen County that lasted into Friday morning their second evacuation in a week. White and Lloyd, who live in the North Carolina town of Kelly, were given little time Thursday night to evacuate when the Cape Fear River came rushing onto their property. By the time they loaded their van, they had to slog through waist-high, foul-smelling water to get to a neighbor's pickup. From there, they went to the town's fire department and were taken by an Army truck to a shelter at a Bladen County high school. "We had to evacuate again, all over again, and got trapped in a bunch of water and almost lost our lives," said White. In Wilmington, where Hurricane Florence made landfall and which had been cut off by floodwaters, officials said they'd identified three safe routes into town. They encouraged people to avoid travel in areas where the risk of flooding remains. North Carolina Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry said Saturday that eastern counties continue to see major flooding, including areas along the Black, Lumber, Neuse and Cape Fear rivers. The Cape Fear river is expected to crest Sunday and remain at flood stage through early next week. He said residents who register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency can begin moving into hotels Monday. The program initially will be open to residents in nine counties, then will be expanded. A FEMA coordinator said about 69,000 people from North Carolina already have registered for assistance. North Carolina environmental officials said they're closely monitoring two sites where Florence's floodwaters have inundated coal ash sites . The state is using drones to get photos and video of a dam breach at the L.V. Sutton Power Station in Wilmington, where gray muck has been seen flowing into the Cape Fear River, and at the H.F. Lee Power Plant near Goldsboro, said Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. He said Saturday that the video and photos show sand and "potential coal ash" leaving the Sutton site, and the DEQ will put people on the ground when it is safe. He said that DEQ staff has seen that coal ash left the basin and entered flood waters at the H.F. Lee plant, and is trying to determine "how much of that, if any" has entered into the Neuse River. In Conway, South Carolina, water from the Waccamaw river began flowing into a Santee Cooper ash pond. The company said in a statement that the overtopping occurred Saturday morning, but no significant environmental impact was expected because nearly all of the ash had been excavated from the pond. The National Weather Service confirmed Saturday that 10 tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Florence touched down Monday in Virginia, the strongest of which leveled a flooring company in Chesterfied and killed one worker. An economic research firm estimated that Hurricane Florence has caused around $44 billion in damage and lost output, which would make it one of the top 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes. The top disaster, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, cost $192.2 billion in today's dollars, while last year's Hurricane Harvey cost $133.5 billion Moody's Analytics estimates Florence has caused $40 billion in damage and $4 billion in lost economic output, though the company stressed that the estimate is preliminary and could go higher or lower. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has estimated damage from the flood in his state at $1.2 billion. He asked congressional leaders to hurry federal aid. Also contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins, Dee-Ann Durbin, Chevel Johnson, Meg Kinnard, Denise Lavoie, Jay Reeves, Michael Biesecker and Tammy Webber. S Band Radar & Maps | Forecast | Weather Alerts Traffic | Send Us a Photo/Video | Live Cams Live radar will appear in the player above. A Flood Warning remains in effect for parts of North Texas. Widespread light to moderate rain will continue on and off through Friday, however rainfall rates are unlikely to be heavy enough to cause flash flooding. This wet and chilly weather pattern will continue for the next few days. While the rain may not be as heavy or widespread as it has been, you will still need to keep the rain gear handy. Widespread totals of an additional 1 to 2 inches can be expected. Isolated amounts in excess of 3 inches will also be possible. While it won't rain all day, waves of rain will occasionally roll through the area. See the latest forecast below. Watch the latest forecast update below. The latest video forecast from NBC DFW's team of Weather Experts will appear in the player above. Keep up with the latest changes to the weather by downloading the NBC DFW smartphone App for iOS and Android! Since the ground is saturated, if you encounter flooded roadways, remember to "Turn Around, Don't Drown." When Will the Rain End? It is officially the wettest fall on record. We are also only half way through the month of October and it is already the second wettest on record. A persistent weather pattern has caused rain every day since last Friday. The big question is, when does it end? Meteorologist Samantha Davies has that answer. Continuing Coverage Interactive Radar Cold Front Brings Record Low, Rainfall Monday A record low temperature of 41 degrees was recorded Monday morning at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, breaking the 1914 record of 42 degrees. Temperatures will stay in the 40s all day long with wind chill values down in the upper 30s. Monday also marks the earliest 40-degree day of the season, with the previous earliest 40-degree day being Oct. 30. A new daily record for rainfall was set Monday morning, breaking the 2007 record of 1.93 inches. Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said 5.68 inches of rain has fallen at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport since Saturday. As of Wednesday, more than 10 inches of rain has been recorded at DFW Airport in October. This is the wettest fall on record, the second wettest October on record and the 10th wettest year on record with more than 43 inches of rain recorded at DFW Airport since Jan. 1. SkyCams Above: A view of Fort Worth from The Stayton at Museum Way. Below, Dallas from Lake Cliff Tower. After being nearly defeated on the battlefields of its would-be caliphate, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular conquests in 2014, analysts say a shadowy insurgent network that targets civilian populations with guerrilla-style attacks and exploits state weaknesses to incite sectarian strife. In Iraq and Syria, hardly a week goes by without the group staging an attack on a town or village, keeping its opponents on edge even as it fights U.S.-backed forces advancing on the last remaining slice of territory under its control near the countries' shared border. Hisham al-Hashimi, an ISIS expert who advises the Iraqi government, said the group now operates like it did in 2010, before its rise in Iraq, which culminated four years later with the militants seizing one of Iraq's biggest cities, Mosul, claiming the city of Raqqa in Syria and declaring an Islamic caliphate across large areas of both countries. Al-Hashimi said the world's most dangerous insurgent group is trying to prove that despite losing its territorial hold, "it still has long arms to strike." While it fends off attacks on its remaining pockets in Syria, a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance on the international news agenda. The main figures behind the group's once sleek propaganda machine have mostly been killed. Raqqa fell a year ago this month, and the group has lost all but 2 percent of the territory it held in Iraq and Syria. There are concerns, however, that while ISIS may never be able to recreate the kind of territorial hold it once had, it is trying to latch on to new territory. One of the group's deadliest attacks since the collapse of the supposed caliphate came in late July, when dozens of masked ISIS fighters stormed the southern city of Sweida and nearby villages inhabited by members of Syria's Druze minority, gunning down more than 200 people and kidnapping about 30, mostly women and children. The ambush shook the community, which had stayed on the sidelines of Syria's seven-year civil war and took many by surprise, raising fears that as the militants are on the retreat, they will try to regroup in remote pockets of territory like this once quiet corner of the country. Last month, ISIS fighters stormed the northern Iraqi village of Gharib, killing three villagers and wounding nine after residents refused to collaborate with them and give them supplies such as food and ammunition. Last week, ISIS attacked the village of Saadiyeh, south of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing three and abducting one. The group regularly stages attacks in villages in the provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk and elsewhere, targeting local officials or police because they work for the state. Iraqi military spokesman Big. Gen. Yahya Rasoul said this week that security forces have begun a broad operation in the western province of Anbar that borders Syria to take out ISIS sleeper cells. Analysts warn that this could be the beginning of a new resurgence of the group similar to the one that preceded their rise in 2010, after many thought the group's predecessor, the Islamic State in Iraq, had been defeated during the U.S. surge there in 2007. Hassan Hassan, senior research fellow at George Washington University's Program on Extremism, wrote in a recent article that ISIS has been able to undergo an orderly transition from caliphate to insurgency without fracturing. Last month, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces began a final push to retake Hajin, the last pocket held by ISIS on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River near the Iraq border. They have had to advance slowly as the extremists rely on mines, snipers fire and suicide attacks in defending their positions. Clashes this week in the Syrian village of Sousah left more than two dozen fighters on both sides dead as ISIS fighters took advantage of a sandstorm and bad visibility to attack SDF positions. It's not clear how many militants are still fighting with ISIS. A United Nations report released in August said ISIS has up to 30,000 members distributed roughly equally between Syria and Iraq, and said its global network increasingly poses a threat. The U.N. report said that despite the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and most of Syria, it is likely that a reduced "covert version" of the militant group's "core" will survive in both countries, with significant affiliated supporters in Afghanistan, Libya, Southeast Asia and West Africa. "Make no mistake about it, as [ISIS] has collapsed inward, in their own way, they have reinforced a center as they've been forced into what is now less than 2 percent of their original territory," U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in Paris earlier this month. Many are concerned that while the United States, working with local allies, was able to destroy the physical caliphate relatively quickly, it did not fix governing problems that originally created the opportunity for ISIS to emerge, including frustrations among the Sunni populations of both countries. "ISIS is waging an effective campaign to re-establish durable support zones while raising funds and rebuilding command-and-control over its remnant forces," said a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War. "ISIS could regain sufficient strength to mount a renewed insurgency that once again threatens to overmatch local security forces in both Iraq and Syria." In August, following months of conflicting reports on whether he was alive, ISIS released a new audio message, purportedly of its shadowy leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the first such recording to emerge in almost a year. The speaker urged followers to "persevere" and continue fighting the group's enemies. He also urged supporters in the West to carry out more attacks, adding that each "operation in your land equals a thousand" in the Middle East. The group appears overly eager to claim responsibility for attacks in the West and regularly claims responsibility through its Aamaq news agency for attacks in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt and countries as far as Nigeria and France. In August, shortly after news broke out of a man killing two people in France, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. It later became clear that the man was mentally disturbed and had family disputes. Last month, ISIS claimed responsibility an attack in Iran's Ahvaz region, but initially made factually incorrect claims about it. Later, ISIS released footage of several men that Iran ultimately identified as attackers, though the men in the footage are not known to have pledged allegiance to the extremist group. Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef and Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report. Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The new claim published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case, puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Also Saturday, Ankara's top diplomat reiterated a call to Saudi Arabia to open up its consulate, from where Khashoggi disappeared, for Turkish authorities to search. The writer, who has written critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished after he walked into the consulate on Oct. 2. The kingdom has maintained the allegations against it are "baseless," though an official early on Saturday on Khashoggi's 60th birthday acknowledged for the first time that some believe the writer was killed by the kingdom. The disappearance has put pressure on President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed close relations with the Saudis since entering office. On Saturday, Trump expressed concern about Khashoggi's fate and lack of answers, so many days after the journalist disappeared. "Our first hope was that he was not killed but maybe that's not looking too good from what we hear but there's a lot to learn, there really is," Trump said at the White House while welcoming back American pastor Andrew Brunson, freed after nearly two years of detention in Turkey. He later said he anticipated speaking to the Saudi ruler Saturday or Sunday. Turkish authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiancee before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Khashoggi's PIN on the watch, then later using the journalist's finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. The newspaper did not address that in its report. An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection if it is close by. The newspaper's account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Khashoggi's iCloud account. Turkish officials have not answered queries from The Associated Press about Khashoggi's Apple Watch. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad" killed Khashoggi at the consulate. They've also alleged that they have video of the slaying, but not explained how they have it. Turkey may be trying to protect its intelligence sources through leaking this way, analysts say. But Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security who formerly worked on intelligence matters for the U.S. government, wrote recently that "the Turkish government may need to reveal sources it does not want to reveal if the Saudi Arabian government continues to deny involvement despite evidence Turkey has in its possession." Saudi Arabia has said it had nothing to do with Khashoggi's disappearance, without explaining or offering evidence of how the writer left the consulate and disappeared into Istanbul with his fiancee waiting outside. A Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as "tourists," without providing evidence to support the claim. It echoes how Russia has described the men who allegedly carried out the Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury, England, in March. Early on Saturday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying the kingdom's involvement. This time, however, it acknowledged for the first time that Saudi Arabia was accused of killing Khashoggi. "What has been circulating in terms of supposed orders to kill Jamal (Khashoggi) are outright lies and baseless allegations against the Kingdom's government, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions," Prince Abdulaziz said. Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, said that Khashoggi's disappearance will be "investigated strongly." A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of a joint investigation into the writer's disappearance. "Such an act is an attack on all the values of the democratic world. It's an act that will never be forgiven or covered up," he said. "This is not an act that Turkey would ever consider legitimate. If there are people who committed this, it will have heavy consequences." However, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia had not yet cooperated with Turkey on the search for Khashoggi. He said Turkish "prosecutors and technical friends must enter" the consulate "and Saudi Arabia must cooperate with us on this." Earlier in the week, Saudi Arabia had said it would open the consulate for a search but that is yet to happen. Cavusoglu said Turkey would share information with Saudi Arabia in the "joint working group" but stressed the Turkish investigation would continue separately. Trump also said Saturday that "we would be punishing ourselves" by canceling arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The sale is a "tremendous order for our companies," he said, and if the kingdom doesn't buy its weaponry from the United States, they will buy it from Russia or China. Trump said that he would meet with Khashoggi's family. Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who had accompanied him to the Saudi consulate. The State Department released no details of the conversation. In an interview Friday with the AP, Cengiz said Khashoggi was not nervous when he entered the consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. "He said, 'See you later my darling,' and went in," she told the AP. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially "still missing." She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. On Saturday, Cengiz tweeted about a surprise party she had planned for Khashoggi's birthday, "invited all his close friends to a restaurant on the #TheBosporus to celebrate his birthday but," she said, adding the hashtags "WhereIsJamal" and "mydreamwaskilled." Global business leaders also are reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has shown little tolerance for criticism. As a contributor to the Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of 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. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Darlene Superville and Suzan Fraser contributed to this report. A Southern California teacher has been suspended after claiming that President Trump's senior policy adviser -- one of her former students -- ate glue as a third-grader. Nikki Fiske, 72, told The Hollywood Reporter that when Stephen Miller was a student in her classroom back in 1993, he was a loner with a messy desk who played with glue, calling him "a strange dude." Miller grew up to be a senior adviser at the White House. The article is brief, written in first-person as told to The Hollywood Reporter. On Thursday, Los Angeles Times reported that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District placed Fiske on "home assignment" while it decides what to do, if anything, about the disclosures. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said it's concerned about the public release of student information. Fiske could not be reached for comment. Your drive home from Las Vegas might go a bit smoother now. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has moved one of its inspection stations along the 15 freeway in an effort to alleviate traffic backups. The station has moved from just east of Barstow to about 7 miles south of Primm Nevada. The move is part of a statewide plan to streamline the inspection stations and locate them near California Highway Patrol facilities. This is the 2nd Border Protection station to be updated. The other is on interstate 80, north of Lake Tahoe in Truckee. Drivers heading toward Los Angeles from Nevada will notice that trucks and cars are separated as they approach the inspection station, with trucks going through their own inspection lanes before moving on to a weigh station. The previous inspection station near Yermo, often caused traffic backups as cars and trucks would share 2 lanes until just before arriving at the station. It also was avoidable by using local roads. State officials were very concerned about big rigs using local roads to avoid traffic delays. The new station doesn't eliminate all backups on that part of Interstate 15. The freeway does go from 3 lanes to 2 when it reaches Primm, but opens up to 3 lanes well before the station, with up to 6 lanes available for drivers to pass through. Once drivers have been given permission to continue, there is a 3rd lane for trucks and slow-moving traffic help ease congestion up the hill toward Nipton Rd. Other benefits of this move are the elimination of the previous station, which allows traffic to flow through the Calico area before reaching Barstow where the road widens to more than 2 lanes, as well as giving drivers an option of stopping at Primm to eat, shop or gamble should traffic back up from the station. There are 16 Border Protection Stations in California. They are used to prevent invasive species of plants, insects and animals from being brought into California, which could threaten our enormous agricultural economy. For more information about the CDFA and its stations look here. What to Know Typhus can cause high fever, chills, headache and rash in humans and, if not treated with antibiotics, and can also lead to hospitalization. Infected fleas are most often spread by rats, cats and opossums, which do not show symptoms of the typhus infection. Total cases in LA County: 63. Usually, it's one to five cases. The outbreak of flea-borne typhus cases in Los Angeles County is continuing to spread, with health officials announcing Friday they are investigating four new cases in the Willowbrook area. The Willowbrook cases bring the total number of patients in the county so far this year to 63. Health officials told the county Board of Supervisors earlier this week that there were a total of 67 cases for the entirety of 2017. Health officials noted that the typhus issue has worsened in recent years, with the average annual number of cases in the county doubling to nearly 60. That figure does not include Pasadena and Long Beach, which operate their own health departments and compile their own statistics. Pasadena has also reported a spike in typhus cases this year, confirming 20 cases of typhus to date in 2018, compared with a history of one to five cases annually. Long Beach has had double its historical rate of cases, with a total of 12 reported to date, officials said. At least nine of the Los Angeles County cases occurred in downtown Los Angeles, all among homeless people. The county Department of Public Health urged people to protect themselves from flea bites that can spread the disease. "Typhus infection can be prevented through flea control measures on pets, using insect repellent to avoid flea bites and clearing areas that can attract wild or stray animals like cats, rats and opossums,'' said Dr. Muntu Davis, the county's health officer. Infected fleas are most often spread by rats, cats and opossums, which do not show symptoms of the typhus infection. However, typhus can cause high fever, chills, headache and rash in humans and, if not treated with antibiotics, can also lead to hospitalization and, in rare cases, death. The disease is not transmitted person-to-person, according to county health officials. In addition to avoiding contact and keeping fleas off house pets, residents should keep garbage cans tightly covered to discourage wild and stray animals. Health officials also urged people not to leave pet food outdoors, clear years of debris, trim overgrown plants and bushes and block crawl spaces or openings under homes where rats and stray animals can hide. Here are five things to know: 1. Typhus is not typhoid. Typhus is a disease spread to humans by fleas from dogs, cats and rats. Typhoid is a food-borne illness transmitted through contaminated food and water. 2. A typhus outbreak in LA includes people living on the streets and also workers and business people. 3. Typhus symptoms include high fever, rash, abdominal and muscle pain. 4. Typhus is rarely fatal and can be treated with antibiotics. 5. You can prevent getting typhus by using flea products on your pets and keeping away from wild animals like feral cats and rodents. Editor's Note: The voting results of each proposition will be updated below. There were ballot measures that could change the way you eat, how much you pay for gas, and even change the time of day in California in Tuesday's statewide election. Scroll down for results updates. Prop 1: Veterans' Home Loans With 23,622 of 24,312 precincts reporting (97 percent) Yes, 3,651,760 - 54 percent No, 3,095,915 - 46 percent This proposal allows the state to sell general obligation bonds for $4 billion to finance affordable housing for low-income people, including war veterans. Its financial impact in California is an increase in state costs to reimburse the average amount of these bonds of about $170 million per year over the next 35 years. Those for the measure say the best part is it finds a solution, while not raising taxes. Those against the measure say there are better ways to fix California's housing crisis. They also argue it would waste taxpayer money on interest payments. Proposition 1 would allow the state to sell general obligation bonds for $4 billion to finance affordable housing for low-income people, including war veterans. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 2: Homelessness Prevention With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) x-Yes, 4,136,994 - 61 percent No, 2,629,166 - 39 percent This proposal would allow the state to use funds from county mental health programs to fund housing for the homeless with mental issues. The approval of this proposal would not increase state taxes and makes the existing legislation that establishes the program official. Homeless advocates, social workers, doctors and emergency responders urge voters to say yes to Prop 2. Those against it however, say it makes no sense to take money away from mental health services to build homes with that money. Proposition 2 would authorize the state to use revenue from Proposition 63 (2004) a 1 percent tax on income above $1 million for mental health services on $2 billion in revenue bonds for homelessness prevention housing for persons in need of mental health services. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 3: Water and Environmental Projects With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) Yes, 3,187,440 - 48 percent No, 3,501,515 - 52 percent The proposition authorizes the use of $8.877 billion in general obligation state bonds to finance aquifer and environmental projects. The fiscal impact for the state would be the increase in costs to pay bonds of $430 million as an annual average for more than 40 years. However, the state government could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually in water-related projects in the coming decades. Proponents say it is a measure that will guarantee safe drinking water and drought protection. But those against it say it hands money over to a lot of different organizations, but doesn't provide a new way of getting clean water. They also say "interest payments on the bonds will double the amount that has to be repaid." They say it does nothing to solve our water shortage problems. Proposition 3 would authorize $8.877 billion in general obligation bonds for water infrastructure, groundwater supplies and storage, surface water storage and dam repairs, watershed and fisheries improvements, and habitat protection and restoration. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 4: Children's Hospitals With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) x-Yes, 4,098,796 - 61 percent No, 2,666,599 - 39 percent It would allow the state to sell $1.5 billion in general obligation bonds to finance the construction, expansion, renovation and equipping of children's hospitals. The fiscal impact for the state would be the increase in costs to reimburse bonds of $80 million per year over the next 35 years. Those for the measure argue the hospital systems are like cellphones -- think of how much they've increased in technology over the last 10 years. They argue the demand for specialized pediatric care has only gone up, and hospitals are needed to meet that demand. Those against say the proposition really only benefits the hospitals backing the measure, and that the money could be spent in a better way. Proposition 4 authorizes $1.5 billion in bonds for the construction, expansion, renovation, and equipping of children's hospitals in California. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 5: Home-buyers' Taxes With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) Yes, 2,815,851 - 42 percent x-No, 3,909,288 - 58 percent The approval of this prop would allow all homeowners over 55 years of age, of any property contaminated or affected by a natural disaster, and severely disabled owners, to be eligible for property tax savings should they move to another home. The fiscal impact would be for schools and local governments, which would lose more than $100 million per year in property taxes. It essentially the "moving penalty." Those against it say it cuts "$1 billion in local revenue from public schools, fire, police, health care and other services" but doesn't build any new housing. They say it's going to make it harder for cities to pay for schools while giving a nice tax break to the wealthy. Proposition 5 would amend Proposition 13 (1978) to allow homebuyers who are 55 or older or severely disabled to transfer their tax assessments, with a possible adjustment, from their prior home to their new home, no matter (a) the new home's market value; the new home's location in the state; or the buyer's number of moves. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 6: Gas Tax With 24,312 of 24,312 precincts reported (100 percent) Yes, 3,141,881 - 45 percent x-No, 3,857,819 - 55 percent Prop 6 would have repealed a 12-cent gas tax and an increase in vehicle registration that was approved last year to fund road fixes and better transit programs. The aim was to pay for $5 billion a year in improvements, and raise $52 billion over a decade for road repairs. The gas tax took effect last November. Construction industry and firefighter unions opposed repealing the measure. Former Republican councilman Carl DeMaio proposed it, saying the cost of living in California is outrageous enough as it is. "Everything in California is so much more expensive and the question is why," he once said. Voting no keeps the tax right where it is. Opponents say since cars are becoming more energy efficient and using less gas, there won't be enough funds to support the program. 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. Approval of Prop 6 would repeal the gas and diesel tax increases and vehicle fees that were enacted in 2017 and require voter approval for fuel tax and vehicle fee increases in the future. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 7: Daylight Saving Time With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) x-Yes, 4,014,400 - 60 percent No, 2,694,858 - 40 percent Daylight saving time may not seem that big of a deal to most Californians, but its a divided issue. If Californians vote yes, theyd be asking to end daylight saving time, meaning no "spring forward" nor "fall back." But voting yes wouldnt make it a done deal -- the measure would still need to clear the hurdle in the federal government. The measure would need a two-thirds vote from the Legislature. Basically, the time wouldnt change twice a year, like in other states that dont follow Daylight Saving Time: Hawaii and Arizona (except for in Arizonas Navajo Nation). Voting no would mean that everything would stay how it is you lose an hour in spring, and gain an hour in fall. Some proponents say the idea is very outdated. It all started during WWI as an energy saving program. They argue that studies have shown that daylight saving time may actually increase electricity use in the summertime. They also argue that daylight saving time would cause more pedestrian crashes because the sun sometimes doesnt rise until 8 a.m. in winter. Those who are against the measure say its too much change, and Californians are used to switching their clocks back and forth. Proposition 7 would allow the California State Legislature to (1) change the dates and times of the daylight saving time (DST) period, as consistent with federal law, by a two-thirds vote and (2) establish permanent, year-round DST in California by a two-thirds vote if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST. NBC4s Conan Nolan explains. Prop 8: Dialysis Clinics Refunds With 24,312 of 24,312 precincts reporting (100 percent) Yes, 2,660,633 - 38 percent x-No, 4,260,758 - 62 percent Proposition 8, while at first glance is not as controversial as the gas tax or daylight savings props, actually is a source of heated debate. If passed, it would cap profits at kidney dialysis clinics by using a formula. Proponents of 8 say big dialysis companies are netting monster profits without putting enough money back into sanitation and patient care. Those in support, like the Democratic Party and veterans, say the proposition would stop the companies from overcharging, and would help provide quality care for patients. But those against the prop which includes nurses, doctors and physicians say many clinics would be forced to close if the prop passes. Many people without functioning kidneys depend on the clinics, and those against the prop say it would increase costs for tax payers, and reduce access to care because clinics would have to close. A "yes" vote on Proposition 8 supports requiring dialysis clinics to issue refunds to patients or patients' payers for revenue above 115 percent of the costs of direct patient care and healthcare improvements. A "no" vote would oppose that requirement. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 10: Regulating Rent With 24,312 of 24,312 precincts reporting (100 percent) Yes, 2,675,378 - 38 percent x-No, 4,310,298 - 62 percent This was set to be a big source of debate in November. Voting yes would have meant state law would not limit rent control laws in cities and counties. What that means is it would establish rent control authority in communities, in hopes to keep people in their homes and reduce the homeless population. But those opposing the measure say that if state law is not allowed to continue overseeing rent control, it would actually make the housing crisis worse. They argue Prop 10 is bad for homeowners because it allows the regulation of single family homes and would allow more fees on top of rent. Those against it say it will hurt homeowners because it will lower real estate values. They also say it would limit new construction and cut the already-choked housing supply in California. Opponents also say landlords who managed smaller properties would struggle or be pushed out. Prop 10 repeals Costa-Hawkins Housing Act, and it is one of the most expensive propositions on the ballot. According to the state, renters in California already spend more than half their income on rent. Those in favor say Prop 10 would help people getting pushed out of their homes, because it would control how much landlords increase rent per year as well as regulate how much they are asking of new renters. A yes vote on Proposition 10 supports allowing local governments to adopt rent control on any type of rental housing, thus repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 11: On Call Ambulances With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) x-Yes, 4,019,252 - 59 percent No, 2,744,992 - 41 percent With Prop 11, ambulance workers would have to stay on call during their paid lunchbreaks so they could respond to 911 calls. It would also give them more training. Proponents argue it's a proposition that would save lives. Voting no means EMT's and paramedics would have to remain unreachable while on a paid break, and cannot provide care, even if they are the closest ambulance available. State Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez argues however that the proposition is not what it seems. Rodriguez says it would allow private companies to get out of paying millions in wages. If Proposition 11 passes, ambulance workers would have to stay on call during their paid lunchbreaks so they could respond to 911 calls. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. Prop 12: Ban Selling Meat From Confined Animals With 23,258 of 24,312 precincts reporting (96 percent) x-Yes, 4,126,366 - 61 percent No, 2,635,545 - 39 percent A yes vote requires farmers to provide more space to caged animals used for meat or food, like egg-laying hens, pigs, and calves. It would ban the sale of meat and eggs from animals in cages that do not meet specific measurements. If it sounds familiar, it's because in 2008, Prop 2 was passed preventing caged animals from being raised in confinements so small they couldnt move. But its back in the form of Prop 12, because out-of-state farmers arent subjected to the same requirements. Also, there were no specific measurements in Prop 2. Hens would also have to be totally cage free by 2022. Starting in 2020, a calf would have to be given at least 43 square feet of floor space. Pigs would need 24 square feet starting in 2022. In 2020, egg-laying hens, would need 1 square foot of floor space each the cages would be totally gone by 2022. Costs would probably rise for the foods produced by using meat and eggs from these animals, the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office found. The Association of California Egg Farmers says it could cause a shortage of eggs for sale because farmers would have to make a lot of unforeseen changes to structures. Proposition 12 would prohibit the confinement of calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in areas below a specific number of square feet, rather than restrictions based on animal behavior and movement. NBC4's Conan Nolan explains. The candidates for Floridas hotly-contested 27th Congressional U.S. House seat squared off in their first televised debate hosted by Telemundo 51, clashing on everything from immigration and the economy to South Florida's climate change and traffic congestion issues. The exclusive debate will air at 1 p.m. Saturday in Spanish on Telemundo 51 and online on Telemundo51.com, and in English on NBC6.com. The one-hour debate was recorded at WSCVs studios and moderated by Telemundo 51s senior political reporter Marilys Llanos. Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, broadcast journalist Maria Elvira Salazar, and immigration attorney Mayra Joli are running to replace Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who announced her intention to retire after almost 30 years in Congress. Throughout the debate, the Democrat Shala stressed the importance of her experience in Washington, while the Republican Salazar focused on her years of covering issues impacting the community. Joli, who is running as an independent, said she isn't beholden to any political party or special interests. The first question the candidates were asked about was Obamacare, a key issue affecting District 27, which has the highest number of people enrolled in Obamacare in the nation. Salazar said she believes parts of Obamacare are good but it's still flawed, and argued that instead of a healthcare monopoly there should be competition to improve the service. Shalala said Obamacare is an excellent program that has helped working people afford comprehensive health care, but admitted that it needs some fixing. Joli said she'd like to eliminate Obamacare. One of the more heated exchanges came when Salazar criticized Shalala's leadership at the University of Miami. Shalala said she built "a world-class university" that created jobs in the community. All three candidates agreed that steps need to be taken to deal with environmental issues in South Florida, including sea level rise and water quality issues. They also agreed that steps must be taken to deal with local traffic issues, though they didn't necessarily agree with what exact steps should be taken. Salazar and Shalala disagreed over the state of the economy and jobs. Salazar said the economy has been improving under Republican leadership and said South Florida needs to utilize federal programs to assist people with low incomes. Shalala disagreed about the economy, saying many people are working long hours and need more fair wages and benefits. Joli said Miami needs to bring back the aviation industry and factories, and needs to do a better job of promoting small businesses. The most recent Mason-Dixon poll showed Salazar and Shalala nearly neck-and-neck in the district among 625 registered voters polled, with Salazar leading 44 to 42 percent. Joli had 1 percent and another 13 percent were undecided. In the wake of Hurricane Michaels devastation, local organizations like Feeding South Florida and volunteers are stepping up to help those in need. 2,000 boxes are leaving the Feeding South Florida food bank in Pembroke Park and heading to Panama City to feed suffering families in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Over 100 employee-volunteers teamed up, assembly line style, to get food boxes ready and distributed as quickly as possible. It feels good, said Jason of BBX Capital about giving back. Living in South Florida, I understand hurricanes. The company started the group volunteer effort after Irma. It all started with one employee wanting to help, said the president of BBX Capital. The group reached their goal of packing 30,000 meals. Feeding South Florida doesnt just help people in natural disasters. They also help feed people in South Florida every day and are in constant need of donations. They accept pop top cans and shelf stable items. To donate to Feeding South Florida, click here. Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found dead in a Walmart parking lot in Coconut Creek early Friday morning. The man was found dead around 3 a.m. outside the store in the 5500 block of Hillsboro Boulevard. He was identified as 56-year-old Michael Robin Griffin of Coconut Creek, police said. A coworker told NBC 6 the man had just returned from a work trip in Germany Thursday night. The man reportedly told friends he wasn't feeling well so he went to the pharmacy for medicine. Police said the man's body was found next to his orange Camaro. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, police said. A man was in custody Friday night after ramming his truck into a Miami-Dade police unit and leading officers on a chase. The incident began at around 8 p.m. in the 14000 block of SW 90th Terrace when the man tried to leave his parent's house against their will, according to Miami-Dade Police Department spokesman Lee Cowart. The man rammed his pickup truck into the rear of a responding officer's unit while the officer was sitting inside the vehicle, according to Cowart. A pursuit ensued but quickly ended when officers were able to stop the man in the southbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike north of SW 184th Street. A stun gun was deployed, but it's unclear if the subject was struck, police said. The man was taken into custody and was hospitalized for observation. The officer who was in the unit when it was struck was also hospitalized, but his condition was unknown. No other injuries were reported. Charges are pending for the man, according to police. This is a developing story. Check back with NBC 6 for updates. Rescuers intensified efforts Saturday to find survivors who might be trapped amid the ruins of a small Florida Panhandle community nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael, where one body has already been recovered, tempers are flaring, and power could be out for weeks. Crews with dogs went door-to-door in Mexico Beach, pushing aside debris to get inside badly damage structures in a second wave of searches following what they described as an initial, "hasty" search of the area. About 1,700 search and rescue personnel have checked 25,000 homes, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said. Authorities say there is little doubt the death toll will rise from the storm, which made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds (249 kph) and heavy storm surge. The tally of lives lost stood at 19, across the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. "Everything is time-consuming," said Capt. Ignatius Carroll, of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue task force. "You don't want to put a rush on a thorough rescue." More roads were passable along the storm-ravaged coast as crews cleared downed trees and power lines, but traffic lights remained out and long lines heightened tensions at one of the area's few open gas stations. "I want you to get back in your vehicle and stop!" one woman shouted at a man accosting her as she tried to squeeze her car between two idling vehicles at a Panama City service station running two fuel pumps on a generator. "You're an idiot!" the man shouted back. About 4,000 members of Florida's national guard have been called up to deal with the storm, including 500 added on Saturday. Nearly 2,000 law-enforcement officials have been sent into the Panhandle. Schools will stay closed indefinitely, a hospital halted operations and sent 200 patients to hospitals elsewhere in Florida and in Alabama, and more than 253,000 customers in the Panhandle remain without power. "Everybody just needs to help each other right now," Scott said after meeting with emergency responders in the Panama City area. "You feel sorry for people," Scott said. "They might have lost their house. They worry about their kids getting into school. You know, people don't sit and have a whole bunch of extra money in the bank just waiting for a disaster." Some residents were packing up and getting as far away as they could. Jeff and Katrina Pearsey, with a ruined rental home in the Panama City area and no indication of when they could again earn a living, said they were heading to Bangor, Maine, where Katrina once worked as a nurse. Several trees came down on their property, including one that smashed through the roof. "We're getting our stuff and we're going," said Jeff Pearsey, 48. "We're probably done with Panama City." Michael was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the U.S. While most residents fled ahead of the storm's arrival, others stayed to face the hurricane. Some barely escaped with their lives as homes were pushed off their foundations and whole neighborhoods became submerged. Hector Morales, a 57-year-old restaurant cook, never even thought of evacuating. His mobile home wasn't on the beach but when it suddenly began floating during the hurricane, he jumped out and swam to a fishing boat and clambered aboard. "I lost everything," Morales said. "But I made it." How many others were not so fortunate was still not clear. By one count, state officials said, 285 people in Mexico Beach defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. It's unclear how many people stayed behind in nearby communities. One who did, Albert Blackwell, was preparing on Saturday to cover holes in the roof of his apartment and take a chainsaw to trees that fell and broke his windows just outside Panama City. "I'm the idiot that rode it out here in this place," said Blackwell, 65, sweat dripping from his face. He doesn't plan to leave; he wants to protect his home from looters. Emergency officials said they've received thousands of calls asking about missing people, but with cellphone service out across a wide area, they found it impossible to know who among those unaccounted for were safe but just unable to dial out to friends or family. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said he expected the death toll to rise. Searchers were trying to determine if the person found dead in Mexico Beach had been alone or was part of a family. Authorities have set up distribution centers to dole out food and water to victims. They've also set up a triage tent to treat residents stepping on nails and cutting themselves on debris. President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Florida and hard-hit Georgia early next week but didn't say what day he would arrive. On Saturday he approved federal disaster aid relief for four Alabama counties affected by the storm. "We are with you!" he tweeted. Contributors include Associated Press writers Russ Bynum, Brendan Farrington, and Gary Fineout. One way to help people affected by Hurricane Michael is by donating to the Red Cross. Find more information on how to donate here. Three people were arrested in New York City following violent clashes after a speech by the founder of a far-right group, and police said Saturday they were reviewing video of the clashes and could make additional arrests. The violence Friday night followed a speech by Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, at the Metropolitan Republican Club on the Upper East Side. The male-only Proud Boys describe themselves as "western chauvinists." Videos posted on YouTube show clashes between the Proud Boys and groups that were protesting McInnes' speech. No serious injuries were reported. The three arrested face assault charges and were released on recognizance after an arraignment Saturday in Manhattan criminal court. Police spokesman J. Peter Donald said the department was reviewing video and would make other arrests as warranted. Some elected officials expressed outrage over the violence and blamed the Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. "I am disturbed and disgusted by the videos I've seen of members of the neo-fascist, white supremacist Proud Boys group engaging in hate-fueled mob violence on the streets of New York City," said Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat who is running for state attorney general. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said hate would not be tolerated in New York. "Here's a message from a Queens boy to the so-called 'proud boys' - New York has zero tolerance for your BS," Cuomo said. On Sunday, he asked the FBI to launch an investigation into the violence. "Why did this club invite the Proud Boys, a hate group with a history of inciting violence?" he asked in a statement. "These vile acts of racism, division and discrimination are repugnant to American values, and have no place in our state." City Councilman Rory Lancman, also a Democrat, said video shows police officers were at the scene of an assault by Proud Boys members but did not arrest anyone from the group. "It is revolting to see white supremacists commit a hate crime on the streets of New York City - in full view of the NYPD - and for none of them to be arrested or prosecuted," Lancman said. City Council President Corey Johnson said the Proud Boys and their loathsome brand of intolerance represent the opposite of everything we stand for in New York City. The Republican club was vandalized ahead of Friday's speech by McInnes, who is also a co-founder of Vice Media. Statewide Republican officials said the damage included smashed windows, a spray-painted door and a keypad lock covered in glue. A note left at the scene claimed that the damage was "just the beginning." Police are asking anyone with information or video to call 1-800-577-TIPS. What to Know A woman called 911 on a 9-year-old boy, claiming she was "sexually assaulted" by him inside a Brooklyn deli Surveillance video shows the boy never touched her, and the woman may have been brushed by his backpack The woman, who claims to be a police officer, apologized after watching the video, but neighbors in the community remain outraged UPDATE: Fallout Continues in Brooklyn Over "Cornerstore Caroline" as Community Rallies A white woman set off a firestorm in a Brooklyn community and on social media after she called 911 on a black boy at a bodega, claiming he grabbed her butt -- only for surveillance video to show that he never touched her. The woman, identified by the New York Post as Teresa Klein, was buying cat litter inside Sahari Deli Market in Flatbush Wednesday when the boy, wearing a school uniform and backpack, walked past her with his mother and younger sister, witnesses say and video shows. His backpack appeared to brush against Klein's backside. Klein whips her head around and begins shouting in the direction of the exiting family, surveillance video shows. She makes crude gestures at them, and the mother is seen walking back and arguing with her. Joni Torian, a customer who witnessed the dispute, told the Post, "The mother was right behind him when she says he grabbed her very flat behind. Ain't no mama gonna let her child sexually assault a woman. [Klein] started yelling, 'Miss, you need to watch your son, he just grabbed my ass.' It was kind of funny at first, but then she was saying, 'I will call the cops.'" The fight is then taken outside the store, where witnesses began recording the confrontation. In one video posted to Facebook, Klein is seen getting on her phone and saying, "I'm going to call the cops right now" -- which sends the boy and his little sister into tears. "Mommy!" the little girl bursts out wailing as she clings to her mother's leg. Klein is heard saying sarcastically into the phone, as incredulous bystanders watch, "White woman calling the cops on a black lady, I get it." "The son grabbed my a--, and she's decided to yell at me," she tells 911 on the phone. The man filming the encounter shouts at Klein, "Cornerstore Caroline!" -- a reference to the meme mocking white women who call 911 to report what they consider suspicious activity by black people ("Barbecue Becky," "Permit Patty"). "That's Cornerstore Caroline! We got a new one!" the man filming proclaims. Another passerby shouts at Klein, "Who would want to touch your flat a--? Nobody wants to touch your flat a--!" Klein continues speaking into the phone, saying, "I've been sexually assaulted by a child." She tells the 911 operator that she'll be going home to meet officers to file a report -- she gives a Prospect Park address -- and after she hangs up, she waves at the man filming and tells him, "Now why don't you upload that to World Star?" Another woman confronts her and asks her if she "seriously called the police on a child." "Go away," that other woman tells Klein. Klein, who tells the other woman she's a police officer, replies, "No, white lady, I will not." She adds, sarcastically, "One white girl to another, yeah, make the point to the entire audience," gesturing at the bystanders, who happen to be black. The cellphone video posted to Facebook Wednesday had nearly 5 million views by Friday, and more than 24,000 comments from outraged viewers. "Calling 911 for 'her' emergency, glad she didn't die from him 'grabbing' her a--," wrote one person. Many were upset to see the boy and girl in distress: "My heart hurt for those kids, especially the boy," another wrote. Klein returned to the deli Friday night amid the backlash to watch the surveillance video alongside local media and outraged neighbors in the community. "The child accidentally brushed against me," she admitted after watching the video. "Young man, I don't know your name, but I'm sorry," she said. But the apology didn't appease angry customers gathered to watch her reaction: "It's always 'sorry,'" one man shouted. "'Sorry' don't f---ing change anything. What's 'sorry' gonna do for the kid?" It seemed to touch off even more emotional backlash among other black men inside the store. "Apology don't solve people's problems, man," one man said. "If it was me, I would have been incarcerated by now." What to Know An international traveler with measles may have exposed people at several New York and New Jersey locations to the disease The traveler returning from Israel visited several venues in the two states between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, health officials said Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease should contact their healthcare provider or local clinic before they seek treatment An international traveler with measles may have exposed people at several New York and New Jersey locations to the disease, health officials say. The traveler returning from Israel visited several venues in the two states between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, the New York State Department of Health said on Saturday. Anyone who was at the following venues at the times specified could have been exposed to measles, the department said: Congregation Bais Elazer, on Voyager Court in Monsey, New York, on Oct. 4 between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mias Reflexology on South Main Street in New City, New York, on Oct. 4 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Lifetime Gym on Van Riper Road in Montvale, New Jersey on Oct. 5 between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Wesley Kosher on Route 306 in Monsey, New York on Oct. 5 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Congregation Borov on Parker Road in Monsey, New York on Oct. 5 between 6:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., and on Oct. 6 between 9 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Costco on Overlook Boulevard, in Nanuet, New York, on Oct. 7 between 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Care 365, on Main Street in Monsey, New York, on Oct. 8 between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. Westchester Medical Center Emergency Room on Woods Road in Valhalla, New York on Oct. 11 between 3:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m People with measles first develop a fever, then may have a cough, runny nose and watery eyes, followed by appearance of a rash, the health department said. Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease should contact their healthcare provide or a local clinic or hospital before they seek care, to keep others from being exposed, the department added. From a museum dedicated to pizza to an Insta-worthy haunted house, you dont have to travel far to get out of the busy streets of New York City with three pop-ups this weekend. Nightmare Machine Say goodbye to everything you once thought about haunted houses. Nightmare Machine in Brooklyn puts an end to your opinions of old-school traditional haunted houses and presents a new version without the worry of someone chasing you with a chainsaw. The pop-up was formerly named Dream Machine and recently got a creepy facelift for the month of October. Wade through nine rooms of spooky fun while you pose for the cutest, creepiest pictures. The pop-up is open all through the month of October and costs $38. The Museum of Pizza Pizza fanatics, rejoice! Now you can enjoy everything you love about pizza while educating yourself at the same time. Museum goers can expect to be treated to one slice of pizza while marvelling at unique installations throughout the exhibit. Pizza is celebrated in every medium at the new location in Brooklyn. Mad Hatter Ever wanted to go down the rabbit hole with Alice and friends? This pop-up lets you do just that on top of a vintage London double-decker bus in Williamsburg. The Mad Hatter Bus treats guests to a 2-hour experience hosted by the Mad Hatter himself. Guests will be able to make three versions of their own cocktails all inspired by the iconic movie until the end of October. What to Know A small plane crashed in the waters off the coast of the Hamptons, the Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration said The plane went down in the waters off of Quogue around 11:40 a.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said The body of Raj Persaud, a 41-year-old Connecticut resident, was recovered from the water on Saturday, state police said A man from Connecticut died when a small plane crashed Saturday in the water off the coast of the Hamptons, officials said. The twin-engine Piper PA-34 plane carrying three people went down in the waters off of Quogue around 11:40 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said. A surfer witnessed the crash. Rescuers recovered the body of Raj Persaud, 41, of Waterbury, Connecticut, from the water hours later, New York State Police said. As of Sunday morning, search crews were using sonar to map the sea floor in an effort to locate the two missing people, Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said. The plane originally departed from the Waterbury-Oxford Airport, then went to Danbury, Connecticut, the Connecticut Airport Authority said. The plane took off from Danbury and then crashed near the Hamptons. The plane was headed for Charleston, South Carolina, the FAA said. The site of the crash is three miles southeast of the Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach when it crashed, the FAA said. Emergency personnel were responding to the site of the crash, which was one or two nautical miles south of the beach,. Debris could be seen in the water from Suffolk County. It was a rainy morning as a weak weather disturbance moved through the area. It wasn't immediately clear whether rain was a factor in the crash. A new virtual reality simulation is helping hospice workers and medical students see what it's like to die. An end-of-life simulation by Embodied Labs is now educating staff and students at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine. It's also a required experience for medical students at the University of New England. Grant money awarded to UNE paid for the simulation technology. "It was amazing," said Hospice of Southern Maine CEO Daryl Cady. "I was pretty skeptical in the beginning. It's very unique and very emotional as it's happening." The simulation lasts about 30 minutes and follows a cancer patient named Clay. The participant sees how Clay is struggling to have conversations with his family, suffers a fall and ends up in the E.R., and eventually transitions into hospice care. The experience shows how his skin changes and senses dull. "His eye sight gets really dim as the end of life process is coming to a close," said hospice nurse Kate Henderson. "That was a little bit surreal." Second-year UNE medical student Victoria Nguyen thought the simulation was very moving. "Just seeing the family hit hard," she said. "It's definitely really emotional." She now wants to study old age with gerontology and thinks she may want to work in the hospice field. "Everyone dies," she said. "I think making it easier is what is going to help the most." Cady said the module will help staff empathize with their patients, and provide emotional support for their family members. When they build a new facility, Hospice of Southern Maine plans to have a simulation center where more staff and members of the community can experience the virtual reality. "It's difficult to have conversations about end of life," Cady said. "This is an opportunity to learn about it before they really need us." Millennial activists are hitting the streets like never before to advocate not only for themselves, but for something else that impacts a lot of Latinos immigration policies. From DACA, to TPS to family separations, Latinos are facing a host of ever-changing issues across our borders. We need to do something drastic and we need to standup, said Julio Calderon of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and FLIC Votes. Calderon is fired up. He cant hide his passion to be a voice for Latino immigrants, as hes been in their shoes himself. We had to cross the border as an unaccompanied minor, said Calderon. At the age of 16, Calderon said he made the tough decision to leave the horrors going on in his homeland of Honduras. His mother was already living in the U.S., but could not petition for her kids to come. Calderon and his siblings spent 30 days by themselves crossing the Mexican border into the United States. There were a couple of instances where we had to walk a lot in the middle of the night where we had nothing to eat but just a little bit of tortilla and cheese, said Calderon. Since his arrival as an unaccompanied youth, Calderon has hit the ground running with his activism for immigration reform. Hes been working with the Florida Immigrant Coalition helping others like himself navigate recent changes in policies, as well as the emotional turmoil of the possibility of being sent back to an unstable situation in their native countries. For me, every change in policy hits home. Whether its TPS because my parents have TPS, whether its DACA, because my little brother has DACA, whether it is to the undocumented community because I am undocumented or those who need to vote because my sister is a U.S. citizen. We have a family of six and have four different statuses so that says a lot about the broken system we have in the U.S., said Calderon. Around 300,000 Salvadorans and Nicaraguans are in limbo as the Trump administration decided not to extend their temporary protected status. Hondurans were given a waiting period of six months. The uncertainty of DACA legislation is also affecting undocumented students searching for a brighter future in the U.S. Through his activism, Calderon is still fighting these battles to make sure immigrants are protected on the federal and state level. It is an urgency and we need to be able to fix this problem for more than 1,000,000 undocumented youth who are in limbo, who can be facing deportation, said Calderon. When it comes to activism, Calderon isnt the only millennial taking charge trying to change the narrative surrounding immigration issues affecting Latinos. Dr. Michael Lenaghan, a professor of social sciences at Miami-Dade College, has witnessed the civic engagement of his young students who have recently arrived in the United States. In America, anybody can make a difference. You just have to get organized and these newly arrived millennials got it quickly. I would describe them as an interesting combination of essentially self-motivated people who come not looking for something but looking to create value where they feel that value might be protected, said Dr. Lenaghan. Various conflicts across Latin America sparked South Floridas diverse and young population. Young people of varying circumstances, not just rich people displaced by dictators or folks displaced by civil war, but other pressures like gang difficulties, said Dr. Lenaghan. As for Calderon, he has a message for other youth activists out there. I think that if we really want to build the future that we want to see as millennials, we need to be in the spaces where we can represent ourselves and change policy the way we want to see it, said Calderon. Congress is heading toward a postelection showdown over President Donald Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as GOP leaders signal they're willing to engage in hardball tactics that could spark a partial government shutdown and the president revs up midterm crowds for the wall, a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign and a top White House priority. Trump is promising voters at rallies across the country that Republicans will bring tougher border security in campaign speeches that echo those that propelled him to office two years ago. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., promised a "big fight" over the border wall money and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not ruled out a mini-shutdown as GOP leaders look to help Trump "get what he's looking for" on the wall. "Democrats want to abolish America's borders and allow drugs and gangs to pour into our country," Trump said without evidence Wednesday during a swing through Erie, Pa. "Right after the election we're doing something very strong on the wall," Trump added Thursday in an interview on "Fox & Friends." Republicans steered clear of shutdown politics ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm election. They know voters have soured on government dysfunction, hold low views of Congress and are unlikely to reward Republicans as the party in control of Congress and the White House if post offices, national parks and other services are shuttered. GOP leaders struck a deal with Democrats earlier this year to fund most of the government into next year. They presented their case to Trump in a White House meeting in September complete with photos of the border wall under construction. Trump, who previously warned he would not sign another big budget bill into law without his border funds, quietly signed the legislation before the start of the new budget year Oct. 1. Left undone, however, is the portion of the government that funds the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the border, and a few other agencies. They're now running on stopgap funds set to expire Dec. 7. The deadline sets the stage for a new round of budget brawls. "We intend on having a full-fledged discussion about how to complete this mission of securing our border and we will have a big fight about it," Ryan said in a speech at the National Press Club. Asked if he made a commitment to Trump for a shutdown over wall funds, Ryan said blame would fall to Democrats, who are in the minority in Congress and largely oppose increased funding for the wall. Trump promised during the campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall a claim Mexico rejects and Republicans routinely ignore. "We have a commitment to go fight for securing the border and getting these policy objectives achieved," Ryan said. House Republicans approved $5 billion for Trump's wall, including physical barriers and technology along the U.S. southern border, in a key committee, although it comes without Democratic support. A bipartisan bill being considered in the Senate allocates $1.6 billion for the wall, far short of the $5 billion the White House is seeking as part of a $25 billion, five-year plan to complete the project. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., upped the stakes Friday by introducing legislation for the full $25 billion in border funds as he bids for Ryan's job as the speaker retires. McCarthy's toured the southern border this week to make the case for the wall as he seeks to shore up support from conservatives skeptical of his possible leadership promotion. McConnell predicted a "lively" lame-duck session and didn't close the door on the possibility of a mini-shutdown. "We've got a lot of work left to do," he said in an AP Newsmakers interview. "That episode, if it occurs, would be in that portion of the government that we haven't funded." Asked how much money Congress would try to secure for the border wall, McConnell said, "We're going to try to help (Trump) get what he's looking for." The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Senate Republicans are willing to fight for more than the $1.6 billion currently being considered, but stopped short of predicting how much money Congress would approve. "I think it's going to be a big fight always because of the different views," Shelby said. The midterm results will play a key role in how the fight over wall funding is resolved. If Republicans lose the House majority, as some analysts predict, they will lose leverage, although the GOP would still be able to force House passage of a wall-funding package in the lame-duck session. Prospects are murkier in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to break a filibuster. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said "Democrats believe in strong border security," but would not commit to a specific spending figure. "We're going to keep fighting for the strongest, toughest border security," he said. A key factor in deciding the outcome of Montana's high-profile Senate race will be whether independent women who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 will stick with the president and Republicans again this year, political observers said. Hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots were mailed Friday in Montana, where U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is fighting to keep his seat. Tester is one of 10 Democratic senators up for re-election in states won by Trump in 2016. The Montana race has tightened in recent weeks after a half-dozen rallies by the president, his eldest son and Vice President Mike Pence in support of the Republican candidate, Matt Rosendale. Women in particular seem to be highly motivated to vote this year, and volunteerism among women for both parties appears to be up compared to past midterm elections, according to recent Associated Press interviews with candidates, party leaders, advocacy groups and political scientists. Election Day will cap a period that has seen a record number of women run for office, renewed activism over Trump's administration and the advent of the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. In Montana, an estimated 10,000 people filled Helena's streets for the 2017 women's march and former state legislator Kathleen Williams defeated two better-funded male candidates to win the Democratic U.S. House primary. Williams, who is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte in November's election, said in a recent interview that she believes many women who voted for Trump in 2016 dislike the lack of civility coming from the White House and now regret their role in giving the president a 20-point win over Hillary Clinton in Montana. "I think a lot of the Trump vote was a default vote," Williams said. "They just couldn't quite get themselves to vote for Hillary. So if we give them the right candidate, I'm not sure we would have seen those 20 points." Women also are concerned about how the Trump administration's policies will affect health care, affordable childcare and education, and the potential threat that Justice Brett Kavanaugh's addition to the Supreme Court poses for abortion rights, said Ella Smith, program director for the group Montana Women Vote. "I think that there are a lot of policies and rhetoric that are coming out of the administration that are very dangerous to women," Smith said. "What they really care about is being able to afford to feed the family. I think at the end of the day, that's what's really going to be the motivating factor." But if women who already leaned to the political left seem eager to vote this year, that enthusiasm appears to have been matched by conservative women in the wake of the accusations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, said David Parker, a political science professor at Montana State University. "The Kavanaugh decision is probably going to motivate some among the Republican base to, No. 1: Show up when many of them weren't going to originally, and then secondly, go all in for Rosendale," Parker said. Shirley Herrin, the president of the Lewis and Clark Republican Women, said enthusiasm by Republican women has increased, not waned, since 2016 and that her 86-member group has grown this election cycle by 17. Women see plainly that this is a crucial election, that the Kavanaugh misconduct allegations were uncorroborated and that Trump still fights for the forgotten man and woman, she said. "There will be a wave, there will be a red wave in this election such as we've never seen before," she said. Parker said with both Republican and Democrats locked into their candidates, independent female voters, many of whom voted for Trump in 2016, will be critical in determining the outcome of the Senate race. "The most important demographic here in the state is how independent and independent women in particular are seeing Kavanaugh and Trump," he said. "I think that demographic is critical." Tester could benefit if enough women saw Kavanaugh's angry denial of sexual misconduct allegations and concluded that he doesn't have the right temperament for the Supreme Court, he said. Rosendale's campaign did not respond to two requests for an interview. But when approached at a recent rally in Billings, the state auditor said he believes the Kavanaugh misconduct allegations may help his candidacy because of women disgusted with the Senate hearings. "I have had a lot of women call up and support me exclusively because of this," he said. Tester said he's not targeting women who voted for Trump, but that he'll earn those votes based on his record. "I think we'll get some Republican votes, we'll get some Trump votes, we'll get votes from all across the political spectrum because of that strong record fighting for women," he said. Jury selection is complete in the trial of four Delaware inmates charged with murder, kidnapping and other crimes following a fatal prison riot. With the process of picking jurors completed Thursday, opening statements and initial testimony are slated for Oct. 22. The four defendants are among 18 inmates charged in the riot. One inmate has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others, who will be tried in five separate groups. Inmates at the state's maximum-security rioted on Feb. 1 last year, killing prison guard Steven Floyd and taking three other staffers hostage. Two other prison guards were released by inmates after being beaten and tormented. A female counselor was held hostage for almost 20 hours before tactical teams burst through a wall with a backhoe and rescued her. A man was arrested at a Northern Virginia grocery store after he was seen pulling down his pants and rubbing produce items on his buttocks, police say. The suspect then put the items back on the shelves, a loss prevention employee at the store told authorities, according to Manassas City Police. Officers responded to the Giant grocery store at 10100 Dumfries Road in Manassas shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Officers arrested Manassas resident Michael Dwayne Johnson, 27, at the store. The store had to destroy several pallets of produce after the incident, police said. Johnson is facing charges of indecent exposure and destruction of property. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. A police spokesperson did not have information on what type of produce Johnson allegedly defiled, although she said a police report mentioned it was fruit. A Giant store manager said he was unable to speak about the incident. Jewelry with the toxic metal cadmium is showing up on the shelves of national retailers including Ross, Nordstrom Rack and Papaya, according to newly released test results. Analysis done for the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health revealed some jewelry sold with women's dresses and shirts was nearly pure cadmium, which can cause cancer and reproductive harm after prolonged exposure. Consumer advocates were hopeful cadmium had disappeared from the U.S. jewelry market following changes prompted by a 2010 Associated Press investigation that found Chinese manufacturers were using the metal to make kids' jewelry. States including California outlawed cadmium in children's jewelry, and testing by the center found the chemical had virtually disappeared from jewelry by 2012. No laws address cadmium in adult jewelry, however, and last year the center decided to check those products. Lab testing found 31 adult jewelry items purchased from retail stores were at least 40 percent cadmium, and most were more than 90 percent, according to results shared exclusively with the AP. California's law allows no more than 0.03 percent cadmium in children's jewelry. The precise health risk from the tested jewelry is unclear because researchers did not assess whether small amounts shed when the jewelry is handled and worn. Over time, cadmium accumulates in the body and can damage the kidneys and bones. Most exposure happens by ingesting small amounts or by breathing it, most commonly through tobacco, which can contain cadmium. Researchers also have documented some absorption through skin contact, though the phenomenon is not well-studied. Michael Harbut, a practicing doctor who as a university professor has researched cadmium's cancer-causing properties, noted that contact can trigger skin rashes including psoriasis. "Cadmium is bad," said Harbut, who teaches at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. "Given a choice between wearing something with cadmium in it, or wearing something without cadmium in it, I would take the product without cadmium." The Oakland-based nonprofit bought all the test samples in the San Francisco Bay Area this year or last. The extent to which contaminated jewelry is in stores elsewhere isn't clear, though a national retailer would not typically limit a product to just one region. The center said the problem should not be underestimated because of the limited market sampling. "If you're the person that buys and is wearing that jewelry, you don't really care whether it's a common problem or a rare problem," said Caroline Cox, senior scientist at the center. "You have a problem." Brent Cleaveland, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association, said he does not believe the test results suggest a larger problem. Most major retailers have a stringent system for testing and analyzing what they sell, he said. Most of the tainted items were sold at Ross, which operates more than 1,400 stores in 38 states. One pendant from a necklace chain was 100 percent cadmium, according to the testing. In a written statement, Ross said it is committed to protecting its customers and has "addressed this issue with our supplier." The retailer would not say whether it pulled suspect jewelry from stores. The brands found with high cadmium levels in Ross stores include Tacera and Vibe Sportswear. Xinwei Xie, chief executive officer at Trend Textile Inc., which owns Tacera, declined to comment when reached by phone. The Skate Group Inc., which owns Vibe Sportswear, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Papaya said it considers cadmium in its products a serious problem. It operates more than 100 retail locations nationwide. Steven Kim, an attorney representing Papaya, said the company has recalled the products where contamination was found and stopped buying from the manufacturer in China. "Our manufacturers are required to represent and warrant that their products are in legal compliance," Kim said. "Papaya is very strict and stops doing business with any manufacturer which fails to comply." Nordstrom spokeswoman Emily Sterken said the company is "reaching out to these vendors to make them aware of the situation and get more information on these items." The Center for Environmental Health has long used California law to force companies to reduce levels of harmful materials in consumer products, including cadmium and lead in jewelry. Under the state's Proposition 65, businesses must inform consumers about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or other reproductive harm. The nonprofit has settled Proposition 65 claims against 36 companies, including Gap Inc. and Target Corp., which agreed to not sell jewelry with more than 0.03 percent cadmium. That limit for children's jewelry took effect after the AP reported in 2010 that some Chinese jewelry manufacturers were substituting cadmium for lead, the use of which Congress clamped down on following a string of imported-product safety scandals. The jewelry industry helped write voluntary U.S. standards following the AP investigation, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission did not mandate any cadmium limits. Associated Press writer Justin Pritchard contributed to this report. A report shows more than 675,000 offenses haven't been entered into Virginia's main criminal record database because of missing fingerprints. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the Virginia State Crime Commission report released Thursday says defendants were found guilty in about 58 percent of the cases. It found sizable gaps in criminal records used by law enforcement and others. The Central Criminal Records Exchange requires fingerprints be included with the final court outcome in order for an offense to be applied to someone's official criminal record. The database includes cases where the defendant was found guilty and cases where charges were dropped. The report identified systemic flaws that seem to be contributing to the lack of fingerprints, including manpower and technology issues. Crime commission staff recommended regular reporting on incomplete records and other changes to tighten fingerprinting procedures. What to Know The Washington Post, for which Jamal Khashoggi was a columnist, said it spoke to anonymous officials Those officials, according to the Post, say Turkey has audio and video that prove Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate President Donald Trump said he would speak to the Saudi leader about Khashoggi's case President Donald Trump declared the U.S. will uncover the truth about what happened to journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, whose possible murder at Saudi hands after disappearing in Istanbul has captured worldwide attention. Trump promised to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about "the terrible situation in Turkey." "We're going to find out what happened," Trump pledged Friday when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a political rally. And in excerpts of an interview with CBS released Saturday morning, Trump said there would be severe punishment for Saudi Arabia if it was determined to have killed Khashoggi. He called the journalist's case really terrible and disgusting. Its being investigated, its being looked at very, very strongly," Trump said. "And we would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it, and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes. Khashoggi, a forceful critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there. U.S. officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions. The Saudis have called accusations that they are responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance "baseless." Widely broadcast video shows the 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor entering the consulate on Tuesday of last week, but there is none showing him leaving. Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the Saudi consulate, the State Department said Friday. No details of the conversation were released. In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Cengiz said Khashoggi was not nervous when he entered the consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. "He said, 'See you later my darling,' and went in," she told the AP. Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported Friday that Turkey's government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered. The AP has not been able to confirm that report. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially "still missing." She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi left the consulate. He hasn't been seen since, though his fiancee was waiting outside. Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are important U.S. allies in the region. Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month. Mnuchin had indicated earlier Friday he still planned to attend. On Thursday, Trump had said U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia were "excellent" and he was reluctant to scuttle highly lucrative U.S. weapons deals with Riyadh. A number of members of Congress have pressed the Trump administration to impose sanctions on the country in response to the Khashoggi affair. A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of an investigation into the writer's disappearance. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudis welcomed the joint effort and said the kingdom was keen "to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be." Cengiz said she and the journalist would have been married this week and had planned a life together split between Istanbul and the United States, where Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile since last year. She had appealed for help to Trump, who earlier this week said he would invite her to the White House. Cengiz didn't respond to a question about that, but earlier on Friday she urged Trump on Twitter to use his clout to find out what happened. "What about Jamal Khashoggi?" she wrote in response to a tweet by Trump in which he said he said he had been "working very hard" to free an American evangelical pastor who has been held for two years in Turkey. Andrew Brunson was released late Friday. Amid growing concern over Khashoggi's fate, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country wanted to know "the whole truth" about the writer's disappearance, calling the early details about the case "very worrying." Macron said "I'm waiting for the truth and complete clarity to be made" since the matter is "very serious." He spoke Friday in Yerevan, Armenia, to French broadcasters RFI and France 24. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Berlin was also "very concerned" about the writer's disappearance and called on Saudi Arabia to "participate fully" in clearing up reports that he had been killed. Global business leaders began reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but has shown little tolerance for criticism. As a contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of 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. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. The problem came two minutes into the flight: The rocket carrying an American and a Russian to the International Space Station failed Thursday, triggering an emergency that sent their capsule into a steep, harrowing fall back to Earth. The crew landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan, but the aborted mission dealt another blow to the troubled Russian space program that currently serves as the only way to deliver astronauts to the orbiting outpost. It also was the first such accident for Russia's manned program in over three decades. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin had a brief period of weightlessness when the capsule separated from the malfunctioning Soyuz rocket at an altitude of about 50 kilometers (31 miles), then endured gravitational forces of 6-7 times more than is felt on Earth as they came down at a sharper-than-normal angle. About a half-hour later, the capsule parachuted onto a barren area about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of the city of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. "Thank God the crew is alive," said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin. All Russian manned launches were suspended pending an investigation into the failure, said Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov. New NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who watched the launch at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome with his Russian counterpart, said Hague and Ovchinin were in good condition. He added that a "thorough investigation" will be conducted. Hague, 43, and Ovchinin, 47, lifted off at 2:40 p.m. (0840 GMT; 4:40 a.m. EDT). The astronauts were to dock at the space station six hours later and join an American, a Russian and a German on board. But the three-stage Soyuz rocket suffered an unspecified failure of its second stage two minutes after launch. Russian news reports indicated that one of its four first-stage engines might have failed to jettison in sync with others, resulting in the second stage's shutdown and activating the automatic emergency rescue system. For the crew in the capsule, events would have happened very quickly, NASA's deputy chief astronaut Reid Wiseman told reporters at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. An emergency light would have come on and, an instant later, the abort motors would fire to pull the capsule away from the rocket. Wiseman said the only thing that went through his mind was "I hope they get down safe." Search and rescue teams scrambled to recover the crew, and paratroopers were dropped to the site. Dzhezkazgan is about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of Baikonur, and spacecraft returning from the space station normally land in that area. Back at Baikonur, Bridenstine acknowledged in a NASA TV interview that "for a period of time, we didn't know what the situation was." Hague's wife and parents anxiously awaited word at Baikonur, accompanied the whole time by a NASA astronaut who was in the same class as Hague. They all behaved admirably, according to Bridenstine, adding that Hague's wife, Catie, is an Air Force officer like her husband and also a public affairs officer. "It was a tough day, no doubt, but at the end of the day, the training paid off for everybody," he said. Still, Bridenstine said: "We are thrilled that even though it was a launch failure, all of the safety systems worked." The astronauts were returned to Baikonur for medical checks and to see their families. They were spending the night there before heading to Star City, Russia's training center outside Moscow. It was to be the first space mission for Hague, who joined NASA's astronaut corps in 2013 and might have to wait awhile for another shot. Ovchinin spent six months on the orbiting outpost in 2016. Oleg Orlov, the head of Russia's main space medicine center, said the crew was trained to endure higher-than-usual gravity loads and were tightly strapped into their custom-made seats to help withstand the pressure. Flight controllers kept the three space station residents informed, assuring them, "The boys have landed." "Glad our friends are fine," space station commander Alexander Gerst, a European Space Agency astronaut from Germany, tweeted from orbit. "Spaceflight is hard. And we must keep trying for the benefit of humankind." There was no immediate word on whether the space station crew might need to extend its own six-month mission. Two spacewalks planned for later this month were off indefinitely. Hague was supposed to be one of the spacewalkers. NASA said it's dusting off its plans for operating the space station without a crew, just in case the Russian investigation drags into next year. Kenny Todd, a space station manager, said from Houston that the space station crew can stay on board until January. That's just a month beyond their expected mid-December return. Their Soyuz capsule is good for about 200 days in orbit. If the Russian rockets remain grounded until it's time for the crew to come home, flight controllers could operate the station without anyone on board, Todd said. It could operate like that for a long time, barring a major equipment failure, he added. But it will need to be staffed before SpaceX or Boeing launches its crew capsules next year, Todd said. Given that the space station is a $100 billion asset, Todd says it needs to have someone on board for the arrival of the commercial demo missions, for safety reasons. While the Russian program has been dogged by a string of problems with other kinds of launches in recent years, Thursday's incident marked its first manned launch failure since September 1983, when a Soyuz exploded on the launch pad. Borisov said Russia will fully share all relevant information with the U.S., which pays up to $82 million per ride to the space station. "I hope that the American side will treat it with understanding," he said. NASA's Bridenstine emphasized that collaboration with Roscosmos remains important. Relations between Moscow and Washington have sunk to post-Cold War lows over conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential vote, but they have kept cooperating in space. The Russian Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only vehicle for ferrying crews to the space station following the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet. Russia stands to lose that monopoly with the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner crew capsules. In August, the space station crew found a hole in a Soyuz capsule docked to the orbiting outpost that caused a brief loss of air pressure before being patched. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin raised wide concern by saying the leak was a drill hole that was made intentionally during manufacturing or in orbit. He didn't say if he suspected any of the station's crew. In the 1983 launch failure, cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Gennady Strekalov jettisoned and landed safely near the launch pad after the Soyuz explosion. "It's an unpleasant situation," Titov told the Tass news agency Thursday. "We went through it, and it was very bad." He added that it will take about a week for the crew to fully recover. In 1975, the failure of a Soyuz upper stage sent Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Makarov into a fiery fall to Earth from an altitude of 190 kilometers, subjecting them to enormous G-forces that caused them to black out and temporarily lose sight. They landed on a snowy mountain slope and spent two nights in the cold before rescue crews reached them. Russia has continued to rely on Soviet-designed rockets for commercial satellites, as well as crews and cargo to the space station. While Russian rockets earned a reputation for reliability in the past, the recent launch failures have cast doubt on Russia's ability to maintain its high standards. Glitches found in Russia's Proton and Soyuz rockets in 2016 were traced to manufacturing flaws. Roscosmos sent more than 70 rocket engines back to production lines to replace faulty components, a move that resulted in a yearlong break in Proton launches and badly dented Russia's niche in the global market for commercial launches. A man who bought a stolen male French mastiff puppy helped bring him home Wednesday to be reunited with his owners and dog parents. Mesquite police are still investigating after two men were captured on surveillance video this week taking "Chipper" from behind the fence of a breeder's home. Bryan Vazquez said a man, who he is certain is the same person shown in the video, sold him the dog for $300 at the tire shop he works at in east Dallas. He said he suspected the dog was stolen and that's why he decided to buy it. If I dont get it, who knows what happen with it," he told NBC 5 he was thinking. "Let me go ahead and buy it from him and then Ill figure it out afterward. Vazquez said he had no idea a search was underway for the dog until his wife saw the surveillance video posted online. Video of the snatching was widely distributed and picked up by news outlets. The dog's owner, Ivy Bordeaux, posted the video on social media, which shows two men approaching the fence. A man in a dark-colored shirt calls the puppy over, grabs it by the neck and lifts it up over the gate. The two men then drive off in a dark-colored SUV. Vazquez says he didn't hesitate to return "Chipper" when he learned the puppy was stolen. "It feels good to have returned the dog and to have everything for the dog to be back where it belongs," Vazquez said. On Wednesday night, Vazquez returned the dog to the breeder's home where it was stolen. The puppy was adopted Thursday to a family from Dripping Springs. Striking Marriott hotel workers protested Friday afternoon in downtown Boston, city police said. The protest took place at Tremont and Boylston Streets beginning at 5 p.m. Boston police shut down Tremont and Stuart streets to manage traffic for the event, police said. Unite Here Local 26 President Brian Lang says the housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, doormen and other employees on strike are calling for increased wages and a salary that allows them to be able to live in Boston. "It's just quite simple," Lang said. "The hotel industry has had the five most profitable years in the history of Boston. The largest hotel company in the world dominates this market, and we're saying to them, 'Our job should be enough for a hotel worker to live in the city that they work in, to raise their family and to retire with dignity." He says Marriott has not budged on this issue and that the workers on strike will not return to work until the company does so. The strike began on Oct. 3 when an estimated 1,500 Marriott Hotel workers walked out demanding a living wage. The workers walked out at seven Marriott-operated hotels, including the Aloft Boston Seaport District, the Element Boston Seaport District, the Ritz-Carlton Boston, the Sheraton Boston, the W Hotel Boston, the Westin Boston Waterfront and the Westin Copley Place. "Marriott is a multi-billion dollar corporation and our wages haven't kept up with the rising costs," Toula Savvidis, a Sheraton Hotel bartender, said. "I've put my time in through the years working for this company. I should be at a place where I feel comfortable enough to retire." Courtney Leonard is another worker who is demanding fair wages and healthcare. "I'm from South Boston. I was born and raised here. Now I live in New Bedford so I drive over 100 miles a day just to get to work because I can't afford to live anywhere near here," Leonard said. Leonard said she doesn't want to inconvenience guests nor give up her paycheck but says some things are worth the sacrifice. "The money is there, especially in Boston, corporations are moving and we are being left behind as workers and we need to stand together," said Leonard. Workers at the Marriott Hotel, which is the citys largest hotel employer, say that one job should be enough. "I want people to know the job is not easy," Mei Leung, a housekeeper at Sheraton Boston, said. "I want them to know we need a good contract." The union that represents the protesting hospitality workers, Unite Here Local 26, urges the public not to cross the picket line. The strike comes after the hotel and workers failed to agree on wages after months of negotiations. "Hotel industry is an industry that is thriving here," Unite Here Local 26 President Brian Lang said. "It's thriving primarily because of the great work that the members of Local 26 do and were simply saying one job should be enough. Let us share a wealth we create for these companies." Now, the hotel chain faces other walkouts in Honolulu, Detroit, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Oakland and San Jose. Marriott International expressed in a statement its disappointment in Unite Here's strike. "Marriott's current economic proposal matches the economic terms in the parties' last contract, which included the largest increases in the parties' bargaining history," the hotel giant said. "We have not proposed any changes to our associates' health, welfare or retirement benefits. 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." One person has died following a shooting in Boston Friday night - making this the city's 46th homicide of 2018 and the seventh in the city this week alone. According to police, the victim, who was in his 30s, was shot at about 9:31 p.m. while in his car at 107 Columbia Road, near Geneva Avenue, in Dorchester. The driver's side window was shot out. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Police say the suspect took off after the shooting and remains at large. No further information was immediately available. The shooting occurred on the same day that Mayor Marty Walsh and Police Commissioner William Gross held a press conference after six fatal shootings in one week. Anyone with information is urged to contact Boston Police homicide detectives at 617.343.4470. The New Milford Senior Center will offer the Aging Mastery Program for residents age 55 and older Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 15 through Dec. 18. The wellness program was developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and is coordinated in Connecticut by Connecticut Community Care and sponsored in part by the Connecticut Community Foundation. The Steep Rock Association will offer a short hike to the top of a hayfield for morning yoga Oct. 19 at Macricostas Preserve in New Preston. Interested individuals should meet at the preserves main parking lot area at 124 Christian St. at 9 a.m. Sorry! This content is not available in your region (CNN) U.S. President Donald Trump wants a deal with China just not anytime soon. After announcing a revamped trade agreement with Canada and Mexico last week, Trump reeled off a list of other countries that he said had given in to U.S. demands to hold talks or make a deal: South Korea, Japan, the European Union. He scoffed at those "babies out there" who worried about the effects of tariffs, suggesting that "we wouldn't be talking about a deal" with Canada and Mexico without his confrontational approach. "That's going to embolden him to impose more tariffs and threaten more in the hopes of getting a better deal out of China," said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Trump's no-holds-barred strategy on China is likely take center stage this week at a summit of global finance chiefs and central bankers in Bali, Indonesia. And it'll be up to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the president's top economic envoy, to argue the US case as warnings intensify about the damage a protracted trade war could do to global economic growth. "The stakes are high," Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said last week. "We need to work together to de-escalate and resolve the current trade disputes." 'Coalition of the willing' If the Trump administration can get the European Union and Japan on side following the recent trade deals with South Korea, Canada and Mexico, that's likely to strengthen the U.S. negotiating position with Beijing, top administration officials argue. "We are talking to the European Union again, we are talking to Japan again, and we are moving to what I have characterized as a trade coalition of the willing to confront China," Larry Kudlow, Trump's chief economic adviser, said last week. But talks with Europe and Japan are still in the early stages. And French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that Europe shouldn't sign trade deals with any country that doesn't comply with the Paris Agreement on climate change, a clear reference to the United States. The Trump administration's approach to building a coalition against Beijing is a break from the old playbook of working collaboratively with allies to address mutual concerns. Other big economies like the European Union and Japan share some of the main U.S. grievances with China, including intellectual property theft and pressure on foreign companies to hand over technology to Chinese partners. But Trump slapped tariffs on key allies at the same time as stepping up his campaign against China, which some analysts suggest has weakened any potential united front. Souring relationship Trump has made clear he's in no rush to restart talks with Beijing anytime soon. Instead, he has threatened to impose an even bigger wave of tariffs on another $267 billion of Chinese products. That would mean the U.S. measures effectively cover all the goods China sells to the United States each year. "I'm using them to negotiate," Trump said of the tariffs. "And hopefully, we can make a great deal with China a fair deal and a reciprocal deal." Details of the revised pact with Canada and Mexico, which is set to replace NAFTA, show that the US government is also trying other ways to amplify the pressure on China. Tucked in the new agreement is a requirement that each country inform the others if it wants to start free trade negotiations with a "non-market economy," a clear reference to China. The other countries would also be able to review any potential free trade deal with China. That move has upset Beijing, further souring the relationship between the two economic superpowers. In a frank exchange of views in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the United States should immediately stop its "wrong remarks and actions," including the trade war. Pompeo responded that the two countries have a "fundamental disagreement" and that the United States has "great concerns about actions that China has taken." 'How much pain are they willing to endure?' Neither side is showing signs of backing down. The United States, whose economy relies less on exports than China's, is faring better so far. China's economy had already started slowing down this year and its stock markets and currency have slumped as the trade conflict has escalated. "The question is: How much pain are they willing to endure?" said Thomas Bernes, a distinguished fellow for the Centre for International Governance Innovation. "They will be looking to the midterm elections to see if there is going to be a rejection of Trumpism or whether they he gains strength and remains in power." For its part, the Trump administration appears willing to maintain the pressure for as long as it can. "We have changed the paradigm," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said last month. "We have tariffs in place, and the president is not going to let this go along when you have forced transfer of intellectual property." Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires at the end of November. But with Beijing unwilling to give ground on U.S. demands that it change fundamental parts of its economic policy, the prospects of reaching a deal anytime soon appear slim. "It is still hard to see how a further escalation of the trade conflict with China will be avoided," Andrew Hunter, U.S. economist at research firm Capital Economics said in a note to clients last week. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Trump rips up the trade playbook to take on China." New Delhi: The prices of petrol and diesel continued to spiral on Saturday, negating the marginal excise cut of Rs 2.50 per litre announced by the government on October 5. In national capital Delhi, the prices of petrol and diesel stood at Rs 82.66 per litre, an increase by Rs 0.18 and Rs 75.19, with a hike of Rs 0.29, respectively. The skyrocketing fuel prices continued to burn a hole in people's pocket in the financial capital Mumbai as well. On Saturday, the prices of two key fuel products petrol and diesel increased by Rs 0.18 and Rs 0.31, respectively. In Mumbai, petrol was being sold at Rs 88.12 per litre, the highest in the country. The price of diesel in the city stood at Rs 78.82 per litre. Also Read | GoAir goes international; launches maiden Delhi-Phuket flight Despite no VAT cut, the prices of petrol were at cheapest among the all the metro cities and state capitals. On the other hand, the prices of the two fuel products remained highest in Mumbai even after reducing VAT. On Thursday, a finance ministry spokesperson had said that the central government had asked the state-run oil units to subsidise petrol and diesel prices by Re 1 per litre. The official, however, added that it was a one-time thing and the government will not ask them to do it again. Read More | NN Exclusive: Taslima Nasreen reveals her #MeToo moment, accuses THIS famous poet For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Yesterday, we had noted in Naughty schoolboy Tim Miller skips beginning of own forum to see & be seen at governor's debate that state representative Miller and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson had campaigned the next morning at the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton. Shuttered in 2010 by Corrections Corporation of America, the publicly traded corporation recently rebranded as CoreCivic after waves of bad publicity, the prison has been on the state's political radar for the last few sessions. Now Johnson is touting re-opening the facility as a safety measure for correctional guards. He tweeted: Pizza Ranch in Marshall, Grinder Coffee in Granite Falls, and a visit to the Prairie Correctional facility - a private prison that's been abandoned since 2010. This facility could be part of the solution of creating a safer environment for our brave corrections officers.#MNgov pic.twitter.com/VW67u4P3qO Jeff Johnson (@MNJeffJohnson) October 11, 2018 It's curious that Johnson says "This facility could be part of the solution of creating a safer environment for our brave corrections officers," since those officers and their union have been adamant about not re-opening the facility. In 2017, AFSCME Council 5 posted in Corrections Fights on Against Privately Owned Prisons: A bill that would make the state do business with private prisons is back again at the Minnesota Capitol. House File 1510 would require the Department of Corrections to lease or buy a private prison in Appleton owned by CoreCivic (what the Corrections Corporation of America is now calling itself). Correctional officers and community members testified Tuesday before the House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee. They asked lawmakers to stop CoreCivic from gaining a foothold in Minnesota. The House committee voted down an amendment by Rep. Debra Hilstrom Tuesday to ban private prisons. All 10 Republicans voted against the ban, and all 6 DFLers voted for it. HF 1510 was laid over for possible inclusion in the House omnibus bill, even though the Department of Corrections has repeatedly said it doesnt want or need the Appleton prison, and Gov. Dayton has vowed to veto it. AFSCME is working to stop the bill in the state Senate. . . . But Neyssen said leasing or buying a CCA prison isnt the answer. Once a lease runs out, CoreCivic is likely to raise the price or try to run the prison. GOP lawmakers are moving forward without knowing how much buying or leasing the prison would cost, according to Rep. Miller himself and the Fiscal Note, which examines the cost of a bill. (You can check out the incredibly hefty amounts CCA has donated to lawmakers to keep the idea alive here.) CoreCivic is claiming the vacant prison is worth $99 million, but its only assessed at $14 million. The highest assessed value Bluestem Prairie could find while the prison was open and running, not sitting empty was just $42.9 million, and CCA worked to lower that. The prison is also bigger than the states needs, Rep. Hilstrom pointed out. It holds 1,600 people, and there are currently only about 260 inmates overflowing into county jails, according to the Fiscal Note. Thats down from 500 last year. We do not currently have a need for it, and we do not want to be in business with a company like CCA, Hilstrom said. The real need is to make our prisons safer. Thats why AFSCME is asking legislators to support Governor Daytons bonding proposal, which includes $19 million for a new intake unit at St. Cloud, $5 million to add 60 medical beds at Lino Lakes, and to expand the Challenge Incarceration Program at Togo. And what do the guards want following the death of two of their ranks? The St. Paul Pioneer Press's Mary Divine reported in After prison guard's death, Minnesota prison unions call for more staff, longer segregation terms for inmates: Unions representing workers in Minnesota state prisons on Tuesday, Sept. 25, called for increased staffing and harsher penalties for inmates who assault staff members. The call followed an assault on a corrections officer at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights around noon on Monday. Corrections officer Joe Parise, 37, a four-year veteran of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, died of a medical emergency after responding to the attack. "You don't go to work to die," said Tim Henderson, associate director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5. "I can confidently say that there is a correctional officer shortage in every one of our facilities. We are not at 100 percent." Union leaders also asked for immediate implementation of the DOC's proposed increased penalty for assaults on staff to 270 to 360 days in segregation; some offenders who have assaulted staff have served only 90 days, according to the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents caseworkers, therapists and others in Minnesota's correctional facilities. Henderson said the union will be working to get a "robust" staffing bill approved by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2019 session. "We don't expect any legislative game-playing or any politics to be involved with that," he said. "It's quite obvious we have concerns and safety and security issues going on. The department had recruitment and retention problems. That needs to be addressed. We are dealing with that. Nobody is sitting on their hands; everyone is working to make these facilities safe and secure." He said he hopes more Minnesotans apply to be corrections officers. " These are good jobs," he said. "There's a lot of pride in the work that these corrections officers and staff do. ... We need brave men and women to step up and take on these responsibilities." Monday's attack came just two months after a Stillwater prison inmate allegedly used a prison-issued hammer and two improvised knives to kill a corrections officer. On July 18, inmate Edward Muhammad Johnson allegedly bludgeoned officer Joseph Gomm. "There have been numerous attacks on corrections officers at state prisons this year, and employee safety and security must be the number one priority of the Department of Corrections," MAPE president Chet Jorgenson said in a prepared statement. A DOC spokeswoman said the agency shares the safety concerns raised by corrections officers and other employees, "who have lost two of their colleagues this year." The department requested funding for 187 additional corrections officer positions to increase staffing and improve safety, but the Legislature approved only 15 of those positions, DOC spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald said. "The department is committed to doing everything possible to improve safety for everyone in our prisons," she said. Henderson said union members and officers must be part of the decision-making process in developing new staffing policies and procedures. Little appears to have changed for the union. We contacted AFSCME Council 5 Legislative Director Julie Bleyhl, who sent the following statement: AFSCME Council 5 continues to work with members who are correctional officers, seeking safety and adequate staffing. We oppose leasing or purchase of the private prison in Appleton, and correctional officers have testified to legislative committees about their concerns with plans to reopen the prison. We have supported House and Senate bills to ban private prisons in Minnesota. Should Jeff Johnson wish to learn about our thoughts about securing the safety of correctional officers, we direct him to our public statements issued after the untimely and tragic deaths of correctional officers this year. But Jeff Johnson knows better than the union and the officers--or so it would appear from the campaign visit to the empty prison. Cost of lease/purchase As we noted earlier this week, there's a price tag for the state to pick up the property: While Miller calls leasing or buying the facility a no-brainer, MPR reported in January Leasing private Appleton prison would be costly: The report by Klein McCarthy Architects says leasing the Appleton facility would cost almost $100 dollars a day per inmate. It would cost the state nearly $200 million to buy and fix the prison, spreading the repair bill over 15 years, according to the report. Staffing would also cost more at Appleton, about $82 a day per inmate, compared to $66 at the comparably sized Stillwater prison. Tom Cherveny had more for the Forum News Service in Study breaks down cost scenarios for states use of shuttered private prison: There are now price tags for the state of Minnesota to either purchase, upgrade and operate the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, or to lease it. A newly released architectural assessment of the facility in far west-central Minnesota for the state Legislature determined the total project cost for the state to purchase and upgrade the prison to meet state needs would total $139 million, representing $86,875 per bed for the 1,600-inmate facility. After 15 years, the total invested by the state including its purchase, construction upgrades and all associated costs would total $196.5 million, according to the report. . . . Competition for beds with ICE? But there's more: CoreCivic continues to market the facility across levels of government. In May, Adam Geller reported for the Associated Press in Companies Propose Immigration Detention Centers for Midwest: Companies and local governments have proposed building new immigration detention centers in Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, responding to a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials stepping up arrests in the center of the country. The proposals, most by for-profit corrections contractors, were submitted to ICE after it put out a request in October for detention sites near Chicago, Detroit, Salt Lake City and St. Paul, Minnesota. ICE disclosed the proposals in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the National Immigrant Justice Center, which provided the information to The Associated Press. The proposals, all preliminary, include one to build a 640-bed detention center in Pine Island, Minnesota, not far from Rochester, submitted by Management & Training Corp. and another by GEO Group for an 800-bed facility in rural Newton County, Indiana, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Chicago. CoreCivic Inc. proposed reopening the vacant Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota, to supply ICE with up to 600 beds, and expanding a detention center in Pahrump, Nevada, to add space for 604 immigrant detainees. In August, Pine Island ended up just saying no to the notion. After reading our post that mentioned the campaign visit, Erik Hatlestad, a member of the New London City Council, sent word that he had asked state legislators visiting the council on October 3 about the status of the corporation's proposal to ICE. State Senator Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, speculated that a deal with ICE was nigh. As we were unable to obtain a copy of audio of the meeting, we reached out to Lang's office for more information. Via his legislative aide, Lang said that while he had raised this point during the local meeting, he had talked since to others and learned that the situation was much less settled than he believed. Responding to a voicemail message, CoreCivic communications director Amanda Gilchrist wrote in an email to Bluestem: Thank you for reaching out. We have and continue to market Prairie Correctional Facility as a solution to various prospective government partners, including a lease/purchase option. We have no announcements on an agreement at this time and will continue to market the facility. Was the campaign stop part of that marketing effort? Photo: Correctional guards at a 2017 Minnesota House hearing for a bill that would have re-opened the Appleton prison. Via AFSCME Council 5. If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button. Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient. Coimbatore: The union ministry of commerce and industry is in the process of forming a national trade portal to lower logistics cost and link all stakeholders in domestic and import trade, joint secretary to the ministry Keshawva Chandra has said. At a workshop on Indian textile sector-competitive analysis and way forward for free trade agreements (FTAs), held here Friday, he said the portal would include online certificate system since there were 88 government entities delaying the process of certification. Also, he discussed about the problems the textile industry was facing. Also Read | Sessions judges wife, son shot at by guard in Gurugram, incident caught on camera In her address, trade advisor to the union ministry of textiles Aditi Rout said the FTAs were not a panacea to boost exports 63 per cent of which were going to markets without the FTA. Earlier, an expert on international trade and advisor to the Indian Texpreneurs Federation Sudhakar Kature said the way forward was to seek better market access during the ongoing negotiations on FTA the ministry initiated with European Union, Russia, Canada and other countries. Another important aspect was to arrive at mutually recognised agreements with major export markets to combat the impact of non-tariff barriers which were imposed on account of quality, human protection and labelling, he said. The workshop was organised by the Indian Texpreneurs Federation. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Guwahati: Assam government on Saturday said medicine firm Sun Pharma will invest an additional Rs 200 crore at its plant in the state to augment operations. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday inaugurated a new production line at Sun Pharmas facility in Palashbari. The company has already invested Rs 700 crore in this manufacturing facility in the state and another Rs 200 crore is going to be invested, an official release from Chief Ministers Office said. The company has invested Rs 120 crore to set up this new production line, which will boost the capacity to manufacture liquid vials, injectables, eye drops and tablets among others, the release said. Also Read | Powerful avalanche hits Nepal peak, five Korean climbers among nine killed The company is providing employment to 595 people and 62 per cent of this workforce is from the state, it added. Speaking on the occasion, Sun Pharma managing director Dilip Shanghvi said that this plant is expected to become one of the largest facilities in the next few years in the companys network to manufacture sterile products. The facility is equipped with automated machines for granulation, tablet compression, capsule filling, eye drops, vial and ampule filling, coating and packing. Read More | #MeToo Movement: After Akshay Kumars ultimatum, Nana Patekar quits Housefull 4 Sun Pharma claims that the unit operates under Zero Discharge norms, meaning the treated effluent is 100 per cent recycled within the site for gardening, cooling tower and toilet flushing system. As part of its CSR commitment to improve the health of rural communities, Sun Pharma will shortly start a Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) in Guwahati to provide free medicines, health check-ups and counselling to around 40,000 people across 24 villages. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Los Angeles: Veteran action star Liam Neeson and actor Kate Walsh are set to star in independent action-thriller Honest Thief. Ozark co-creator Mark Williams will direct the film from a script by Steve Allrich, reported Variety. Neeson will portray a bank robber who tries to turn himself in because he is falling in love with a woman, played by Walsh, who works at a storage facility where he is stashed his loot. Complications come when his case is turned over to a corrupt FBI agent. Also Read | Hologram of Amy Winehouse set for 2019 worldwide tour Williams is also producing along with Craig Chapman, Tai Duncan, and Myles Nestel of Solution Entertainment Group, which is fully financing. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: As many as 55 people have been tested positive for the Zika virus in Jaipur even as a team from the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) collected fresh mosquito samples from various parts of the Rajasthan capital. Sources at the Union Health Ministry said of the total patients, 11 are pregnant women. They added that after Shastri Nagar area, three students residing at Rajput hostel in neighbouring Sindhi Camp have tested positive. So far, number of positive cases of Zika Virus in Jaipur district is 50 and as per the guidelines of the Centre, we are combing the entire area especially, Shastri Nagar. We've surveyed about 60,000 households and a vector surveillance is being done, V Gupta, additional chief secretary medical and health, said. Also Read | Sessions judges wife, son shot at by guard in Gurugram, incident caught on camera The Zika virus has already been found in some mosquitoes taken as samples from Sindhi Camp while few mosquitoes collected from densely populated Shastri Nagar had already been found to be carriers of the virus leading to suspicion they are behind the spread of the infection.It was on September 22, the first case had surfaced when an 85-year-old woman with no travel history tested positive for the disease. On Friday, the health department held a review meeting and issued an advisory for pregnant women staying outside Shastri Nagar to not visit the area. Also Read | #MeToo: Farhad Samji to direct 'Housefull 4' after Sajid Khan's departure The number of monitoring teams in Jaipur has been increased from 55 to 170 and a special isolation ward created at the Hira Bagh Training Centre to treat Zika virus-affected patients. The Rajasthan government has been provided information, education and communication (IEC) material prepared to create awareness about the Zika virus and prevention strategies. What is Zika virus? # The virus is transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito. It causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. # It is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children. # In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district in July that year. # Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management, the ministry had said earlier.The disease continues to be under surveillance of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under WHO notification since November 18, 2016. (With agency inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In the midst of a massive controversy over Rafale flghter jet deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday paid visit to the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru. During his visit, the Gandhi scion interacted with some working and retired employees of the aerospace company in the context of not getting offset contract from the Rafale deal. The Congress has been allowed to conduct the meeting for about 90 minutes from 3:30 pm. The interaction is going on in the Square circle where a replica of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, built by HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF), is on display for the public. Earlier, the Congress president said there was a need to "defend the dignity of India's defenders" as he accused the Narendra Modi government of "snatching" the Rafale offset contract from HAL and "gifting" it to Anil Ambani's company. "HAL is India's strategic asset. The future of India's aerospace industry has been destroyed by snatching #Rafale from HAL & gifting it to Anil Ambani," the Congress president tweeted. "Come defend the dignity of India's defenders. I am in Bengaluru to stand with HAL's employees. Join me outside HAL HQ, at 3 PM," he added. Itas been a quite long time now that the Congress chief has been attacking the Modi government over the Rs 58000 crore Rafale fighter jet deal alleging corruption and favouritism. Here are the Highlights: The Congress has a long history of nurturing HAL into an institution that builds world-class aircraft. We will continue to support this important institution. #RahulGandhiWithHAL pic.twitter.com/oc0Ik7W2tQ a Congress (@INCIndia) October 13, 2018 17:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I want to commit to you that Public Sector is the backbone of the country and its Defence Forces: Rahul Gandhi 17:57 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I apologize to HAL, on behalf of Govt of India as I know they will not do anything to rectify the situation: Congress President I apologize to HAL, on behalf of Govt of India as I know they will not do anything to rectify the situation: Congress President @RahulGandhi #RahulGandhiWithHAL Congress (@INCIndia) October 13, 2018 17:57 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Defence Minister says HAL does not have the capability. What capability does the private individual have? I can see the 70+ years of progress made by HAL, says Rahul Gandhi 17:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Public Sectors are the temples of modern India. We cannot allow them to be destroyed. If somebody thinks they can build their future on your graves, that cannot be allowed. We are going to fight for your future: Congress President 17:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In HAL is Pride of Karnataka. Our identity is taken away by Govt of India. We will not allow this. Today's Rafale issue is not just a corruption issue, but also of PSU which is the backbone of India: Mr. Umesh, Trade Union Activist 17:56 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In 2015, a Kamov 220 Helicopter manufacturing agreement was signed, but there are no funds allocated by the govt to commence the project: Shivlingaiah, HAL Employee 17:08 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In During the Cold War, HAL was the only company that had an opportunity to work with Russian technologies. It is the best organisation in Asia: Babu T Raghav, former Engineer of IAF LIVE: Thousands of citizens join Mr. @RahulGandhi in Bengaluru in his quest to reveal the truth about the #RafaleScam #RahulGandhiWithHAL https://t.co/OIBJBfOvdJ Congress (@INCIndia) October 13, 2018 16:50 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Whenever HAL representatives visited our squadrons, we knew there are new hopes and new technologies. HAL and IAF are like two wings of one flight: Babu T Raghav, former Engineer of IAF 16:50 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Defence production cannot be given to private individuals. It is a strategic asset: Mahadevan, former HAL employee 16:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Bengaluru was the Public Sector Capital of India. Protecting our employment is the most important thing. In the new Rafale agreement, there is no transfer of technology: Mr. Mahadevan, former HAL employee 16:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In For the first time in my life, I have seen the govt issuing a directive advising employees against attending an event: Mr. Sirajuddin, Retd HAL Employee 16:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In HAL is leading the aviation industry in South East Asia. Do you want to kill this industry? It is an insult and injury. We will not tolerate this: Mr. Sirajuddin, Retd HAL Employee 16:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I have come here to listen to you how this strategic asset can be made more effective and the type of difficulties you are facing, the Congress chief said 16:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In When Mr. Obama says there are only 2 countries that challenge USA are India and China, you(HAL) are an important part of it, says Gandhi 16:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In HAL, for me, is not just a company. It is an institution. When we got our independence, India built strategic assets to enter aerospace sectors. The work you have done is tremendous & the country owes a huge debt to you: Rahul Gandhi 16:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In When Mr. Obama says there are only 2 countries that challenge USA are India and China, you(HAL) are an important part of it, says Congress President Rahul Gandhi 16:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I have come here to listen to you how this strategic asset can be made more effective and the type of difficulties you are facing, says Rahul Gandhi 16:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We have been insulted and let down. A company of 70 years of experience is thrown out of the Rafale agreement. I do not understand. A large and experienced company that should have been improved. You are killing us, says Mr. Sirajuddin, Retd HAL Employee 16:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "HAL is not just a company, when India got independence, India built some strategic assets to enter specific areas, HAL is a strategic asset to take India into aerospace. The work you have done for this country is tremendous and the country owes a debt to you," says Rahul Gandhi in Bengaluru. 15:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ahead of the interaction with HAL employees, Congress President Rahul Gandhi meets Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru #Karnataka: Congress President Rahul Gandhi meets Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/GyKR40lHoO ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 15:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Rahul Gandhi will attend a public meeting in Bengaluru on the Rafale scam. Why did Modi favour Reliance over HAL? Come join us & hear Shri @RahulGandhi speak about the #RafaleScam in Bengaluru at 3.30pm at Minsk square pic.twitter.com/Rfzhi96fyI Congress (@INCIndia) October 13, 2018 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Days after Hindustan Times' political affairs editor Prashant Jha stepped down as the bureau chief over a sexual harassment charge, The Times of Indias Hyderabad resident editor KR Sreenivas has resigned over similar allegations. Jaideep Bose, the ToIs editorial director, confirmed the resignation to The News Minute. Sreenivas, who was first accused of sexual harassment by journalist Sandhya Menon in a Twitter thread last week, reportedly said in his resignation letter that he was resigning as he was being targetted. Sandhya has accused Sreenivas of inappropriately touching her when he was dropping her home one night in 2008. She asked Sreenivas to take his hand off her thigh and immediately left the spot in disgust and anger. Sandhya has claimed that the next day she had registered a complaint against Sreenivas misconduct with the Human Resources department, but no action was taken against him. Sandhya then went to the committee for sexual harassment at Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd (BCCL) to seek justice but the woman who headed BCCL at that point in time had said that she had known him for a long time and it was unlikely that he would act in that way. Soon after Sandyas tweets, at least seven women alleged that they were harassed by Sreenivas, and wrote a petition to the Times of India seeking action against him. India's #MeToo movement, which started with Tanushree Dutta alleging that actor Nana Patekar harassed her during a film shoot in 2008, has escalated sharply with increasing numbers of women coming forward with their complaints. The movement has sent shock waves across industries such as film, music and the media. On Monday, Journalist Prashant Jha stepped down as the chief of bureau and political editor of the Hindustan Times following an allegation of sexual misconduct against him. Actor Alok Nath, directors Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan and Luv Ranjan, author Kiran Nagarkar and Chetan Bhagat, Union minister and former journalist MJ Akbar are among the famous personalities who have been accused of sexual harassments. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pakistan on Saturday warned India that it will hit back with 10 more surgical strikes if India dares to launch a strike across the border, in the latest war of words between the two estranged nuclear-armed neighbours. If India dares to launch a surgical strike inside Pakistan, it will face 10 surgical strikes in response, Radio Pakistan quoted Pakistani Director General Inter Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor as saying. Also Read | #MeToo: Times of Indias resident editor KR Sreenivas resigns after sexual harassment allegations Ghafoor was interacting with the Pakistani abroad media in London. Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also accompanied Ghafoor on his visit. Interacted with Pakistani media at Pakistan High Commission, London. Candid discussion on various national security issues. Pakistani media abroad has a national responsibility to project positive narrative of Pakistan. Thanks to them for doing their bit. pic.twitter.com/cTCmY0XOvo Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) October 13, 2018 Ghafoor also said those who think of any misadventure against us should have no doubt in their minds on Pakistans capabilities. The Pakistan military spokesman claimed that the July general election is the most transparent in the history of the country and rubbished the allegations of rigging using the armed forces. Read More | Malaika Arora is a ballerina in this black tulle dress If anyone has evidence of rigging then it should be brought forward, Ghafoor remarked. Ghafoor also rejected reports of restriction on the media and said there was complete freedom of expression in the country. Slamming the international media on spreading negativity image of the country, Ghafoor said there were more good developments in Pakistan than bad and that the international media should also highlight the good things. Meanwhile, the military spokesman said the Pakistan Army was the custodian of the $50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and that the mega project will strengthen the economy of the country. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : The Income Tax Department (ITD) has recovered Rs 35 lakh in cash and papers of Benami properties during recent raids at multiple locations linked to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, according to ANI. On Wednesday, the ITD sleuths had conducted raids at multiple locations linked to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot in connection with a tax evasion case. A team of over 60 ITD and police officials raided at least 16 premises linked to Gahlot in the Delhi and Gurgaon (Gurugram). Also Read | AAP only alternative in Delhi, every vote to Congress means strengthening BJP: Kejriwal The raids, that continued till Friday, were conducted in connection with a tax evasion case against two firms Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd and Corporate International Financial Services Limited operated and owned by the family members of Gahlot. According to the IT Department officials, the firms had allegedly made multiple transactions and under-reported their profit, following which, a tax evasion probe was initiated against the promoters and owners of the two firms. Also Read | Delhi: AAP government to give Rs 1 crore each to kin of 14 martyrs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: At least nine climbers, including five South Korean nationals, died after a massive storm struck their base camp on Nepals Mount Gurja, a mountain of 7,913 metres, the expedition organiser said on Saturday. Five South Korean climbers, including team leader Kim Chang-ho from Koreanway Gurja Himal Expedition 2018, were killed along with their four Nepali support staff in the incident, said Wangchu Sherpa, the Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal. The unexpected violent snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepals Myagdi district on Friday evening, said Sherpa. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi to be assassinated in November 2018? Delhi police receives threat mail from Northeast Other deceased South Koreans have been identified as Lee Jaehun, Rim Il-jin, Yoo Youngjik, and Jeong Joon-mo, the Nepal media reported. A mountain expedition of five South Korean nationals and four foreigners were swept off by strong winds at the base camp during their climb to Mount Gurja. (They) fell off a cliff and died," the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement. According to reports, the organisers raised an alarm after the group (climbers) were out of contact for nearly 24 hours. The bodies of eight climbers, including four Korean nationals, were spotted by a rescue team on Saturday morning, however icy conditions and powerful storms hamperered the search operations. Read More | Watch ~ Koffee with Karan 6 promo is out: Wedding bells ahead for Alia and Ranbir Kapoor? Everything is gone, all the tents are blown apart. The conditions were too icy to continue the search," pilot Siddartha Gurung, who among the first reached at the wreckage told reporters. According to official, they (climbers) had gone to scale the mountain from Gurja Village on October 7. A heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres when the climbers were awaiting for a fair weather to move towards higher camps, they said. The Mount Gurja storm is the deadliest mountaineering incident to hit the Himalayan nation since 2015 Mount Everests avalanche triggered by a powerful earthquake, killing at least 18 people. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kabul: A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said on Saturday, the first time either side has officially confirmed talks. The direct negotiationsa longstanding Taliban demandwere held as Khalilzad seeks to coordinate efforts with regional countries, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to convince Afghanistans largest militant group to engage in talks. The meeting with Khalilzad and other American officials took place in Doha on Friday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement sent to journalists. Also Read | Assam: Bomb blast jolts Guwahati ahead of Durga Puja, 4 injured; ULFA claims responsibility Taliban and US negotiators discussed a peaceful end to the invasion in Afghanistan, Mujahid said, referring to the US-led intervention in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime. But the group made clear that the presence of foreign forces in the country was a big obstacle to peace. Both sides agreed to continue such meetings, he added, without providing further details. A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the Talibans statement. In July, the Taliban reportedly met with US officials, including Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Departments Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Neither side would go on the record to confirm that meeting, but there has been speculation since then that more talks were planned. Read More | #MeTooIndia: Tanushree Dutta files fresh complaint against Nana Patekar; seeks Narco analysis The reported July meeting followed an unprecedented ceasefire involving Afghan security forces and the Taliban in June, which fuelled hopes that fighting could be brought to an end after 17 years. But a wave of attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months has poured cold water on the nascent optimism for peace. The Talibans decision to issue a statement on the meeting suggests it sees the talks with Khalilzad as a propaganda win, analysts said. The group has long called for bilateral talks with the United States, but Washington has repeatedly refused, insisting the process must be Afghan-led. But under pressure to break the impasse with the group, Washington appeared to change tack in June when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his country was prepared to participate in talks. The meeting is a success for (the) Taliban. They were demanding to directly meet with the US for a long time and they finally got it, said Afghan political analyst Atta Noori. Read More | England win rain-hit ODI against Sri Lanka under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system Although they have not agreed on anything... they could bypass the Afghan government. The Taliban statement was issued as Khalilzad returned to Kabul after a regional trip that began with his first visit to Afghanistan since his appointment last month as US envoy. On Monday, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior leaders in Kabul. On the same day, the Taliban issued a statement vowing to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, which the United States is helping to finance. Afghan-born Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, is known as a blunt negotiator with hawkish foreign policy views. Fluent in Pashto and Dari, Khalilzads experience as a foreign policy operative in the country dates back to the 1980s, when he served as an adviser to the Reagan administration. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter for Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send Sol Prendido or HEARST an email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. SHERMAN The work to stabilize a steep bank near Quaker Brook along Route 37 is several weeks overdue and residents are getting frustrated waiting for the road to reopen. We have been cut in half, said Terri Hahn, president of Timber Trails, a 1,000-acre community surrounding the project. Hahn said three mufflers have been destroyed on the detour and some of her older residents have been unable to go to doctor appointments. She also said Shermans economy has suffered because the southern part of the community cant get into town. The section of Route 37 just north of Big Trail near the New Fairfield town line was closed Sept. 6 to repair the washed out road from all of the rain this summer. It was expected to reopen by the end of September, but delays have pushed it back to rush hour on Oct. 19. One lane of traffic will be open on Oct. 22 and 23 so the crew can replace the guide rail. It turned out to be bigger than we anticipated, said David Neelands, the project engineer with the state Department of Transportation. The project was delayed because a utility pole had to be moved and the crew had to rent an extra long excavator to reach 40 feet down to the bottom of the slope. Rain also slowed work. The biggest challenge has been the slope itself, which has an incline of about 45 degrees, Neelands said. Getting anything to stay in a slope like that is very difficult, he said. But residents have concerns about how the project is being handled. Tim Beatty, a Sherman contractor who has been building and paving roads for 34 years, said the amount of work completed could have been done in a week and in the rain. He contends the road didnt have to be closed and the work could have been completed with one lane open. He said he feels those overseeing the project dont have a sense of urgency. When I see what happened there, it makes my blood boil, Beatty said. Someone should be held accountable. He said the states reimbursement practice is flawed and doesnt encourage the work to end early or on time. As an emergency project, the state selects a company equipped to handle the work rather than going out to bid. Waters Construction Company, which has offices in Bridgeport and New Milford, was selected because they have the expertise and equipment to handle this type of work, Neelands said. Though the project isnt bid, workers are reimbursed the same way with the crew paid for their work and equipment. Neelands said the crews are following regulations. The project is still within the $245,000 budget. Sherman First Selectman Don Lowe also questioned the delays. Ive been somewhat alarmed at the pace of the work, he said. This came to my office as an emergency and I began to feel that the project wasnt being treated with the proper emphasis. He acknowledged the rain but hoped crews would work overtime. Neelands said the crew is working this Saturday to meet the new deadline. I had hoped, since Route 37 is a major artery for not only Sherman residents but for the entire region, that longer work days and weekends would have been put in place, Lowe said. About 3,000 cars travel that section of Route 37 daily, according to the DOT. Many of those cars are still attempting to travel it, even with road closure signs posted and the closure marked in Google maps. Residents have posted their own signs stating no outlet and even one that said No b.s. the road is really closed. The state signs, though marking decreasing mileage to the closure, dont specify the direction, which has caused trucks and cars to get stuck on the dirt roads and dead ends in the area, Beatty and Hahn said. As Hahn was observing the work Friday, two cars had to turn around and Hahn had to offer a New York driver directions on how to get around. Neelands said the problems arise because drivers are ignoring the signs or dont believe them. He said he followed a tractor trailer recently that stopped at the detour sign and still drove down Route 37 instead of Route 39 as directed. This happens all day long, he said. He said the road is closed because it was unsafe to have one lane for the 400 to 500 foot stretch thats closed. It also would have required installing a traffic signal, which would have increased the projects cost, or people would have gotten stuck in the middle with lines of traffic backed up in both directions. Closing only one lane instead of the whole road could have also lengthened the project. Im sorry it works out this way, Neelands said. He added that state projects have more regulations than private ones and so a private contractor might not know the whole extent of the work and why a project is being done a certain way. An example is the approval they needed from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for adding stone to the water below the slope. The emergency declaration gives us some leniency but its not a free ticket, he said. BRIDGEPORT Democrat Ernie Newton, whose long political career seemingly ended in 2005 with a corruption conviction while he was a state senator, has been on a winning streak for the last couple of years. First, he was hired by local nonprofit Career Resources to help ex-offenders like himself find employment. Then, in November, voters returned Newton to the Bridgeport City Council, where he served in the 1980s before spending many years in the state Legislature. Still, Newton has had a giant legal asterisk attached to his recent success. More specifically, a January 2015 conviction for campaign financing fraud and a related six-month prison sentence. On Friday, Newton got another break, this time from the state Supreme Court. He has, for nearly four years, been allowed to remain free while appealing that 2015 case, and the justices, in a unanimous decision released Friday, ordered a new trial for Newton. Im just grateful, man, Newton said afterward. Ive been through a lot. Almost five years Ive been going through this. Keeping the faith He thanked his attorneys, his family, and his constituents, who believed in me and allowed me to serve again on Bridgeports legislative body despite his criminal past and pending legal issues. And Newton thanked God. If it hadnt been for my faith, I dont know I could have done this. I dont, Newton said. But because of that, I was able to sustain. But he will need to keep that faith a little while longer. Newton, 62, still faces a possible retrial. Newtons current legal troubles originated with his failed attempt in 2012 to return to the state Legislature. Newtons campaign at that time was collecting the small contributions needed for him to qualify for $80,550 from Connecticuts so-called clean elections public campaign grants program. He was accused of submitting five contribution cards of $100 a piece to meet the grant programs threshold that were signed by five people who had not actually given that money. As explained in Fridays Supreme Court ruling, faced in 2012 with a $490 shortfall, Newtons campaign suddenly received $500 and either on his own or through the assistance of another, (Newton) had approached the five signors and instructed them to sign the ($100 contribution) cards (and) assured them that they would not be required to donate money to the campaign. Successful appeal Newton, following a state investigation, was charged with five counts of illegal practices in campaign financing, two counts of first-degree larceny and one count of witness tampering. On Jan. 16, 2015, a jury found Newton guilty of three of the charges and acquitted him of witness tampering. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the remaining charges. Newtons attorneys appealed to the Supreme Court and argued, according to the justices ruling, that the trial court improperly failed to instruct the jury that, in order to find him guilty of an illegal campaign financing practice, it must find that he (Newton) acted with the specific intent to violate campaign financing laws by making a payment to a campaign in another persons name. The Supreme Court concluded, it was reasonably possible that the jury was misled ... and the defendant was entitled to a new trial. But will the state prosecute Newton all over again? His public defender, Mark Rademacher, said Friday, This case is so old. Are they going to go back, present the case and hope for a better result? That sounds foolish and a waste of time and money, Rademacher said. They had one good shot and didnt convict him of all those felonies. Ralph Ford, a prominent Democratic leader in Bridgeport and in the East End that Newton represents on council, reiterated the complaint Newton and his supporters have made for years that the campaign financing case should have been civil, not criminal. The fact that the judge allowed Newton to go free rather than appeal his conviction from jail speaks volumes about this case, Rademacher said in a 2017 interview. And I think they targeted him specifically because of Newton s prior corruption conviction while a state senator, Ford said Friday. If the state wants to waste more time and money trying to convict him, I think the results will be the same," Ford said of a retrial. It cannot hurt Newton that he has been acting the model citizen with his new job and political and community activities. Ernies one of my favorite clients because hes such a never-give-up optimist, Rademacher said. Hes one of the (most) law-abiding clients Ive ever had, and just a super nice guy. ALIAGA, Turkey - American pastor Andrew Brunson flew out of Turkey late Friday after a Turkish court convicted him of aiding terrorism but sentenced him only to time served. His release came one day after U.S. officials said a deal had been reached with Turkey's government to secure his freedom. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed Brunson's departure, saying he was due to arrive at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington at noon Saturday after a stop in Germany, according to a pool report. The case of the evangelical Christian preacher caught up in Turkey's post-coup security sweep had garnered attention at the highest levels of the U.S. government and became a sore point in the two countries' relationship. Brunson, 50, had been detained for two years on terrorism- and espionage-related charges that the pastor and U.S. officials said were false. "We're very honored to have him back with us. He suffered greatly," President Donald Trump told reporters, saying Brunson would visit the White House perhaps as soon as Saturday. "There was no deal at all," Trump added. "No deal." In Turkey, Brunson's attorney, Ismail Cem Halavurt, acknowledged that his client was returning to the United States but added, "I hope he is able to come back." "He is someone who absolutely loves Turkey," he said. After announcing Brunson's conviction, the judge presiding over his trial in a court in western Turkey reduced his three-year-plus sentence to time served on grounds of good behavior. The pastor, who led a small evangelical congregation in the city of Izmir, had been moved to house arrest in July for health reasons, but that arrangement was also ended so he could leave the country. U.S. officials said Thursday that the two governments had negotiated an agreement that would see Brunson released in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions on two senior Turkish cabinet ministers - penalties imposed to gain leverage in the Brunson case. The deal was reached on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last month, the officials said. In recent months, the Trump administration made the pastor's release a priority. Vice President Mike Pence took a particular interest, helping mobilize Trump's evangelical political base in support of the cause. Brunson's release also came as Turkey was investigating the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who Turkish investigators believe was killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week. Turkey has briefed U.S. officials on the investigation and is seeking the Trump administration's support in pressing Saudi Arabia to provide information about Khashoggi's fate. At the same time, Turkey is trying to avoid a total rupture in relations with the Saudis, analysts said. In a statement after the Brunson verdict Friday, the office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it had been monitoring "with great regret" what it called U.S. efforts to pressure Turkey's independent judicial system. "The President has repeatedly stressed that Turkey would not bow to those threats," the statement from communications director Fahrettin Altun said. The ruling, Altun said, "reaffirmed that Turkey is a democratic country with the rule of law." Brunson's trial had helped deepen a rift between Turkey and the United States, which were already at odds over the latter's support for Kurdish-led fighters battling the Islamic State group in Syria. Prosecutors accused Brunson of being linked to Kurdish separatists in Turkey and their allies in Syria, as well as to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based Muslim cleric who Turkish authorities say orchestrated a coup attempt in July 2016 and whose extradition Turkey has long sought. U.S. officials have said Turkey has never provided evidence of Gulen's involvement that would stand up in court. While the release of Brunson removes a major irritant in U.S.-Turkish relations, those underlying issues remain, along with several others. Turkey is moving ahead over U.S. objections to purchase the sophisticated Russian S-400 air defense missile system, and the United States has threatened to cancel Turkey's purchase of U.S. F-35 fighter jets. Turkey also wants the release of a Turkish banker convicted in the United States after an investigation of alleged violations of oil sanctions against Iran by a Turkish bank. Turkey buys almost half its oil from Iran, and Washington has been pressuring Ankara to stop the purchases when Iran sanctions related to the nuclear deal are snapped back next month. And in August, Trump doubled tariffs on imports of Turkish steel and aluminum, which sent the Turkish lira to a record low against the U.S. dollar. Still, Friday's development should allow Trump and Erdogan to "reset" relations, one analyst said. "The differences in bilateral ties remain," said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "But what matters is that this takes the charge out of the relationship." It will also calm anti-Turkish sentiment in Congress as well, he said. "Brunson's indictment in the U.S. Congress was portrayed as the case of a Christian pastor being persecuted by Muslims," he said. "And built a sentiment in Congress that there should be no favors given to Turkey until the pastor is released." Brunson, who is from North Carolina, wept and embraced his wife, Norine, as they waited for the judge's ruling Friday. He was first detained in October 2016, swept up in the wave of arrests that followed the botched military coup three months earlier and targeted tens of thousands of people, including artists, intellectuals and ordinary Turks. Prosecutors formally arrested Brunson two months later and issued an indictment in March this year. The hearing Friday was Brunson's fourth in the trial held at the Aliaga court complex, 40 miles from his longtime home in the city of Izmir. Turkish prosecutors had sought a 35-year sentence for Brunson, whom they accused of spying and supporting terrorists under the cover of humanitarian aid and interfaith dialogue. That request was later reduced to 10 years at the trial. At the hearing Friday, a string of witnesses for the prosecution, including one who appeared via video conference, gave scattered and at times contradictory testimony. One witness, Levent Kalkan, said investigators misunderstood his original testimony, which had implicated Brunson in the harboring of coup suspects and Kurdish militants in 2016. The man that Kalkan has said witnessed the protection of the fugitives appeared in court Friday to say he had seen no such thing. "I never told Levent that," the witness, Yilmaz Demircan, said. Brunson, who sat alone in front of a panel of judges and the state prosecutor, was allowed to speak after each witness's testimony. "I never met any PKK fighters," he told the judges in Turkish. In his final statement to the court just before the verdict was issued, Brunson said: "I'm an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love this country." - - - The Washingtonn Post's Carol Morello in Washington and Kareem Fahim in Istanbul contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: On Oct. 12, a Turkish court ordered the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was accused of associating with plotters of a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.(Allie Caren/The Washington Post) Embed code: The most surprising aspect to the reaction to the possible abduction and killing of Saudi critic and Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey is the notion among some U.S. foreign policy elites that Saudi Arabia, prizing its longtime alliance with Washington, would never involve itself in such an atrocity. Not through my eyes. The House of Saud, rulers of that desert kingdom, is not a government. It's a gang that survives by bullying its neighbors and jerking around its so-called Western allies by weaponizing the vast oil reserves upon which it perches. The family offers a face of religious piety. But Saudi Arabia is among the most bigoted, misogynistic, human rights violators on the face of the earth. Silencing critics is a Saudi art form. This outburst isn't coming to you from an armchair pundit writing from Cliffs Notes. Before joining The Post nearly 30 years ago, I was with the U.S. Treasury Department, where I saw Saudis throwing their weight around, threatening to hold up millions of dollars in assistance to poor countries if the Palestinian Liberation Organization didn't get a seat at annual World Bank meetings. Further insight was gained as a commercial banker with a portfolio that included Saudi financial interests. I have been on the streets of Riyadh and Jiddah and in business meetings at Saudi financial institutions. In a country where alcohol is banned, the best Scotch I ever tasted was in the Riyadh home of a Saudi acquaintance once based in Washington. Ally? They stuck it to us with their oil embargo in 1973. They thumbed their noses at President George W. Bush in 2008 when he appealed to them to bring down prices. They brazenly pumped up oil production in 2015 to make prices fall, keep market share and undermine U.S. shale-oil development. Our good buddy? There is nothing to suggest that to Saudi Arabia the United States is anything more than a good international customer and useful bodyguard against aggression by its archrival, Iran. Yes, the United States is now an oil exporter. But Saudi Arabia is still second only to Canada as a top source of petroleum products to the United States. We imported $18 billion in fuels from the kingdom last year. In all, the United States imported $18.9 billion in Saudi goods, up 11.6 percent from 2016 when President Donald Trump was elected. To Saudi Arabia, America is the soul-stirring sound of ka-ching. In the feud between the two Islamic nations, the Saudi monarchy has managed to firmly enlist the United States on the Sunni side of a Muslim divide that takes in that country and other small Gulf kingdoms. Their greatest fear is a theocratic Iran leading the Shiite Muslim world in a struggle to dominate Islam. The ruthless Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his family need Trump to stifle Iran at every turn. Toward that end, we delivered the goods, loading up the Saudis with firepower galore. They then used those weapons with abandon in neighboring Yemen. Today, Yemen's shell-stricken capital, Sanaa, is not the city I saw in the 1980s during my call on financial institutions. The sad fact is that the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen's civil war couldn't have taken out markets, weddings and a school bus carrying kids without the help of U.S.-made bombs. The Saudis aren't worried about a cutoff of U.S. aid. The 33-year-old crown prince and his 82-year-old pop, King Salman, play Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, like a drum. Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia helped do the trick. The royal court recognizes that Trump is an emotionally needy narcissist. So it blared the trumpets, boomed the cannons and flew fighter jets trailed by red, white and blue over Trump's head after he disembarked onto Saudi soil. The Saudis couldn't remain where they are on the world stage, however, without rhetorical cover from the Trump administration. I reread the July speech of Vice President Mike Pence, the Trump administration's point man on religious freedom, before the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom conference in Washington. Positioning America as a "nation of faith" that stands for religious freedom, Pence called out by name North Korea, Russia, Iran and the Islamic State as depraved persecutors of religion. Pence, however, uttered not a word about Saudi Arabia. Pence knows that Saudi-financed religious schools operate freely in the United States. He also knows there is not one church or synagogue in the kingdom, and that criticizing Islam or the royal family there may be the last thing you do. Ah, but Pence and Trump avert their gaze. For big bucks, they will kiss Saudi backsides. "What good does that do us?" Trump said Thursday, when asked if he would consider blocking billions in U.S. arms sales to the Saudis over Khashoggi's disappearance. "That would not be acceptable to me." Jamal Khashoggi is to be publicly weeped and wailed about. But in the Saudi-Trump grand view, our courageous colleague is just an annoying and complicating blip on the screen. In 2017, a Rwandan cookstove company revealed this week that it has raised more money in the past six months than the entire cookstove sector has raised in any single year. Inyenyeri, a Rwandan company that provides cookstoves to households at no cost in exchange for customers buying their wood fuel pellets, announced at the Clean Cooking Forum in New Delhi, India, that it has raised more than $20 million in loans, grants, and the sale of carbon credits. In Feb 2018, Inyenyeri was now serving 2,500 homes with top level stoves, while using renewable, made-in-Rwanda fuels. Inyenyeri will use a 3 million Euro IKEA Foundation grant toward their goal of providing this solution to 150,000 households in Rwanda by 2020. When used with its wood fuel pellets, Inyenyeri cookstoves reduce emissions by 98 to 99 percent compared to wood or charcoal stoves, the company says, making their stoves Tier 4, the highest performing tier for indoor emissions as defined by the World Health Organization. Inyenyeri follows the razorblade model, a business model in which one item is sold at a low price, or even at a loss, because the profits come from the complementary products. An entire sector exists to get the 3 billion people who cook over open fires or with traditional cookstoves to use cleaner methods of cooking. This includes the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership hosting its annual forum in India this week as part of its work to get 100 million households to make the switch to clean cookstoves by 2020. Most improved or efficient cookstoves do not meet the WHO standards for reducing the indoor air pollution that kills 4 million people per year more than malaria, HIV/AIDs, and tuberculosis combined. While these cookstoves may save women time, spare trees that would otherwise become fuel, and reduce levels of smoke to the point where it cannot be seen or smelled, they can actually increase health hazards by producing smaller indoor particulate matter that enters lungs and bloodstreams more easily. The sector has developed a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering. But another key problem in the past has been NGOs handing out stoves for free that people will not use, either because they dont work as well in the field as they did in the lab, break and are not easily repairable, or because women dont want to change their cooking methods. When people get a free stove given to them, they sign a poster that says they will use the stove and wont sell it, and when the auditor comes, people get the stove out that they were using as a chair and they use it that day, Reynolds said. As a consensus emerges that free cookstoves do not work, there is a further debate among stovers. A significant problem in the past was the NGO practice of giving cookstoves away for free. That method is now seen as ineffective. From villages to slums to refugee camps in East Africa, people are selling cookstoves they got for free for a couple of dollars worth of cornmeal, trading in a product they do not want for something they will use for dinner that night. The good intention of distributing cookstoves can lead to challenging environments for social enterprises working to develop products people will pay for. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations made a $10 million contribution to an NIH study on the impact of LPG cookstoves on health in four countries the largest single grant in the history of the sector. People are just too poor to use LPG even if suddenly it was rolled out at scale in Africa. While refugees and other low-income populations can benefit from donated products, there are also large populations who will pay for those products, especially with the right consumer financing models. The global development community should treat the clean cooking sector as a legitimate consumer goods sector. Burn Stoves Since late 2013, Burn Stoves has sold over 478,279 stoves. These stoves have changed the lives of 2.5M people, saving them over $132 million. Burn Stoves will partner with Intellectual Ventures Global Good to co-develop a clean burning, affordable and fuel-efficient biomass cookstove for households in sub-Saharan Africa. This new Tier 4 stove will also draw on the research of Global Good collaborators, the University of Washington Clean Cookstoves Lab and Aprovecho Research Center, the design capabilities of BURN Design Lab, and with catalytic initial support from the Osprey Foundation to build BURNs manufacturing facility in Kenya. The biomass cookstoves research and development is being funded by Bill and Melinda Gates through Global Good. Through the redesigned stove, we aim to dramatically cut harmful household emissions, minimize fuel use and reduce cooking time, thus supporting BURNs vision of a world where cooking saves lives and forests. We would like to see every household in sub-Saharan Africa switch to renewable and zero-residue fuels. While natural gas and ethanol hold great promise, the reality is that, by 2050, 1.6 billion people will still rely on solid biomass for cooking on the continent, says Peter Scott, BURN Manufacturings chief executive officer. To mitigate this looming social, economic and ecological catastrophe, we must make wood-burning biomass stoves cleaner and more efficient. We are delighted to be part of the team tackling this important global challenge. MIDDLETOWN U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro got an up-close look at the damage done to the crumbling seawall at Harbor Park Thursday afternoon on board a fire boat. The massive, 200-year-old retaining wall, comprising brownstone slabs of various sizes, is at risk of sliding farther into the Connecticut River. The damage became apparent in the aftermath of severe thunderstorms in mid-July. As a light rain fell, the lawmaker, who represents the congressional 3rd District, was accompanied by Mayor Dan Drew and his Chief of Staff Sara Mendillo on the tour. The city alerted the Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Coast Guard and state Department of Transportation. The Army Corps has jurisdictional responsibility over every navigable waterway in Connecticut. Originally, the affected land looked like a fault line from above, officials said. Weve probably got 60 to 80 feet thats now eroding, up from the original 30 to 40 feet, said Chris Holden, deputy director of public works. Just in the last few days, other portions have tumbled into the water, officials said. A police officer on routine patrol at the park discovered the bulkhead had slid into the water and alerted city leaders, who met to discuss the worsening issue. They are operating on the assumption the big rainstorm July 17 may have exacerbated the problem. Public works crews immediately cordoned off the area with orange safety webbing. The congresswoman hadnt realized the extent of the damage and how rapidly it has progressed, she said. This is really a revelation to me. You cannot let something like this just go, DeLauro said. . She urged officials to send the Army Corps, which has access to federal funding, a package labeled urgent, containing city engineers preliminary findings, photographs taken over the full course of deterioration, drone footage from several angles, and other documentation. The mayors office also will be asking the Middlesex County Historical Society to prepare a report on the significance of the wall. It seemed like it was very sturdy. There was no indication of it, Holden said. The city will eventually chip in to pay for 25 percent of the repair work. They need to see this. Lets anticipate what it is theyre going to ask us about, DeLauro said. This is a serious issue. The river is 20 feet to 25 feet deep at the edge, so all of the fallen stones are sitting well below the river bed. Over time, high water and what have you has eroded underneath the blocks, so they dont have a platform to stand on anymore, Holden said. The newer section of the sea wall, the rocks of which most likely came from the Portland quarries, is comprised of steel sheeting, which replaced some of the brownstone about 30 years ago, he added. The damaged area, which extends up to the railroad bridge located south of the Arrigoni Bridge, is between 70 feet and 75 feet from Route 9. We dont have any immediate concern, Holden said. I had no idea of the history of all of this, DeLauro said. It will be a significant expense to remediate the situation, Director of Public Works William Russo has said. Its not going to be cheap. We dont know if it happened because of the log jam over the winter if that started the process. The January ice pile-up, which stretched from Middletown to East Haddam, forced giant chunks of frozen water to plane onto one another. Because Middletown is situated on the bend of the river, the coastline is under constant pressure from the current, which contributes to erosion, Holden said. When the city was a thriving seaport centered around the West Indies trade, around the time of the American Revolution, more than a dozen wooden wharfs jutted out into the river from the North End area all along the riverfront, Middlesex County Historical Society Executive Director Deborah Shapiro has said. Green, Washington and College streets, as well as other roadways, reached all the way to the water at the time. There is a possibility the city could donate the salvageable blocks of brownstone to the historical society and/or place them in city parks. Earlier in the day, DeLauro visited several downtown businesses, including Public Market at 480 Main St., where DeLauro picked up anchovies and Parmesan cheese, and family-run Middletown Music Academy at 440 Main St. Its really an extraordinary business, (including) their sound-proof booths. You think of the ingenuity of the folks who are there, she said. The congresswoman also stopped into Perk on Main, now found in Main Street Market at 386 Main St.; and Amatos Toy and Hobby at 395 Main St. I wanted to listen to (the business owners). They love the way Main Street has developed, she said. Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day@hearst mediact.com or Twitter @cassandrasdis. EAST HAVEN When you walk through the Haunted Isle, be afraid. For its 9th year, the Halloween attraction at the Shoreline Trolley Museum is back to give visitors a fright, promising new scares and more screams. Ian and Patty Robertson, who have run the Haunted Isle for the last five years, call themselves Halloween lunatics. They used to run a haunted house in their backyard and were even married on Halloween. Now, every year they bring new elements to the Isle. They have recreated scenes from movies such as Halloween, and used themes that included pirate ships, hospitals and clowns to make nightmarish experiences for visitors who walk through. The attraction uses flashing strobe lights, loud noises, fog machines, small places, dark places and costumed actors that jump out at visitors to create a thrilling experience. If they want to mess with your mind, they will, museum CEO John Proto said. They took fright to the next level. Theyve been very innovative with things. To experience the Haunted Isle, visitors take a short trolley ride to the end of the line where the trolleys are stored, then walk up to the gates of a castle where they enter the Haunted Isle. Then, its a 45-minute trail walk through the woods where visitors subject themselves to the scariest scenes the Robertsons can dream up. This year, 22 different scenes have been built and more than 100 volunteers, some as young as 5 , work every Friday and Saturday night until Oct. 31. Many have been dressing up in costume to scare people at the Isle for years. One 6-year-old plays a clown named Cupcake, which Ian Robertson said is the scariest character of them all. Its a lot of hard work, and in some ways I dread opening the first night but I love it when I hear those first screams of people going through, Ian Robertson said. And on the last night, hell put on a zombie costume and join the act, because I cant let them have all the fun, he said. Things people wouldnt expect are included throughout the trail, but Proto said a visitor should expect anything. The Haunted Isle is now one of the biggest haunted attractions in Connecticut. It just gets bigger and bigger every year, and crazier, Ian Robertson said, adding, that the opening weekend this year was the busiest it has ever been. Volunteers are preparing all year round for a new season and as early as March, they will start cleaning up the area and start building new sets. Its an amazing place to have a haunted attraction, Patty Robertson said, and so much fun. This year a variety of local food trucks will be serving meals and beverages on site. The attraction originally began 20 years ago as a haunted trolley ride, but then museum volunteers decided to expand it, Proto said, adding, the Robertsons have ramped the attraction up to a new level. Theyve added so much and really pushed the limit, he said. The Shore Line Trolley Museum has a collection of nearly a hundred vintage vehicles as well as artifacts and documents from the trolley era. The museum, its collection of street railway vehicles and the existing mile and a half long segment of the Branford Electric Railway are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Proto said. The railway is the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the U.S., Proto said. The Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. For more information on events, call 203-467-6927. mdignan@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., visited Sound School Friday for a roundtable discussion with environmental advocates, business leaders, scientists and municipal officials about efforts to protect Long Island Sound, in the wake of Congress passing the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act earlier this week. Murphy began by emphasizing the importance of Long Island Sound to tourism and the state economy, but warned that part of tourism means better infrastructure to get people here, which may conflict in some cases with environmental efforts. On that note, he learned from a Bridgeport official that that city is soon going out to bid for a terminal for a high-speed ferry, although there is no plan yet for the ferries themselves. Our entire economy in this state and entirety of the state budget relies on a healthy Long Island Sound, Murphy told a couple of dozen gathered, with students listening in. He said Long Island Sound brings people to Connecticut and stewardship of the Sound is the right approach. With protections, the Sound has noticeably improved in terms of flora and fauna, the return of shellfish and fewer closures due to high bacteria levels, he said. Milford Economic Development Director Julie Nash was among those at the table, as the citys 17.5 miles of shoreline are considered among its greatest assets when it comes to marketing and tourism. The city also has a thriving shellfish industry. More News Water quality improving in Long Island Sound, report says I thought it was a really fruitful conversation in regard to our shoreline vibrancy along with the intersection of all the related disciplines like tourism, environmental conservation, transit and marine related business as well as the interdependence of each, Nash said, following the roundtable talk. The shellfish industry, marine related business and tourism are extremely important to Milfords economic viability, so its encouraging to see so many people working so hard with such passion to make Connecticut better than it already is. Murphy said after several Republicans blocked the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, Congress passed it earlier this week as part of a larger bipartisan bill. He also introduced the Living Shorelines Act, which funds nature-based coastal resiliency projects. A spokesperson for his office said as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murphys work led to a tripling of the federal investment in the Long Island Sound Geographic Program. He said the state once received $4 million in federal funds for Long Island Sound per year and now gets $12 million. He said the other good news in the federal act is the ability for shell fishermen to access the farm bill. But Murphy warned, You cant have a tourism economy if you cant get people to your state. He said it takes longer to get to Connecticut from New York and Boston than it did 10 years ago and that means infrastructure such as highways need to improve. The goal is to address that matter in 2019, he said. It involves construction, he said, noting that activity can conflict with environmental efforts, as structures will no doubt will be near shore and wetlands. Murphy found out about the beginnings of the high-speed ferry plan in Bridgeport from a Bridgeport official after another person at the roundtable asked about that mode of transportation for getting people to Connecticut. The official said Bridgeport is hoping to find an operator for the terminal. Camden Police officers shot and killed two pit bulls that attacked and bit a man and child Friday night at a playground. The pair, who were not identified by police, were at a playground near the intersection of 9th and Morgan Streets around 7 p.m. when they were attacked, Camden County Spokesman Dan Keashen said. When the officers arrived, they tried to "snare" the dogs and when that did not work, they tried to "use a taser to disable" them, but that also failed, Keashen said. The officers then shot and killed the dogs. The man and the child were treated on the scene for bite wounds and were not taken to the hospital, Keashen said. Keashen said police know who owns the dogs, but he did not release the owner's name Friday night. He also said he did not what the relationship was between the man and the child. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Look at this video, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you say their wedding's complete? Kyrsten Green and Chris Rowe were married on September 29 in Avalon, and the happy couple had a very Disney surprise at the celebration. Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid," came out to sing "Part of Your World" during the reception. Video of the song is unsurprisingly going viral, with more than 7 million views since it was posted a week ago. The Little Mermaid Appears On Land at a Jersey Shore Wedding It's a special wedding when Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, is a surprise guest at the reception. CONGRATS Chris Rowe & Krysten Green! Bel Momento Weddings Gandee Photography ICONA Avalon Carlisle Videography The Uptown Band #disney #thelittlemermaid #weddingsinger Posted by Carlisle Films on Friday, October 5, 2018 The video was provided by Carlisle Videography. Benson said that it was the first time that she had ever sung at a wedding that wasn't involving her family. Green was asked at the beginning of the video what her favorite Disney movie was, and she quickly responded, "The Little Mermaid," and her reaction to the surprise is priceless. The only thing more priceless is at the end of the video, which shows a picture of Green as a child wearing a Little Mermaid shirt. The song and surprise wasn't the only Disney aspect of the wedding. Green loves Disney so much that the man that introduced Benson was wearing white puffy Mickey Mouse gloves. While "The Little Mermaid" came out in 1989, Disney announced in 2016 that it was in the process of making a live-action adaption of the film. Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook. JERSEY CITY Leaning upon everything he has overcome, a star of NBC's "The Blacklist" urged a group of Jersey City students not to let anything hold them back from their goals. Clark Middleton, who plays Glen Carter in NBC's "The Blacklist," visited The Ethical Community Charter School located at 95 Broadway in Jersey City on Friday as part of the semester's FSA Performing Arts Program's fall movie project. Middleton spoke to the students about working as a professional actor with a disability. "My father taught me about living in a world with people who are different from me," said Middleton." If you open yourself up to the world you're going to have a great life because it is limitless what you can experience." Middleton has lived with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which causes joint swelling, pain, stiffness and loss of motion in children --- for over 50 years. Yet he's still captured many turns on the big screen." Recently debuting on Broadway, Middleton also came with a roles in major movies such as Alejandro Inarritu's Academy award-winning "Birdman," Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City" and Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 2." He has also appeared on hit-series "Law & Order," "Fringe" and "CSI: Las Vegas." Through the hour-long talk, the actor shared with the students that despite 10 joint replacements, he didn't let his disability define him. "If you close yourself off to people who are different," Middleton said. "You are closing yourself off to the world." JERSEY CITY Changes to a redevelopment zone near Berry Lane Park were approved by the City Council on Wednesday over the objections of people who said the changes would bring a building that is too tall for the neighborhood. The changes, approved 7-1-1, with one member voting no and one abstaining, include raising height limits from four to eight stories and increasing maximum density by allowing up to 170 units. In exchange, the city is requiring the developers provide affordable units equaling 21 percent of the total number of units (50 percent must be build on-site). The project that will benefit from the change is a building planned for the foot of Woodward Street. The street is in a residential zone comprising two-story homes that face the park. The developer is Brooklyn-based Wallabout Holdings. Council members Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera, Denise Ridley, Mira Prinz-Arey, James Solomon and Jermaine Robinson voted in favor. Michael Yun voted no. Rolando Lavarro abstained, defending the project from some of its critics but saying he could not vote on them because of a conflict of interest. Lavarro did not explain the conflict during Wednesday's meeting, did not respond to a text asking what the conflict is and did not return a phone call from The Jersey Journal on Friday. The council's approval of the redevelopment zone changes came after a two-hour public hearing that saw 26 speakers. Joel Maffei, of Bramhall Avenue, supports the project, telling the council that more new units means less displacement of longtime residents and more customers for local businesses and more city services for the area. "A lot of people in the neighborhood have been waiting for projects like this to come to the area," Maffei said. Alika Muhammad, of Pacific Avenue, said she would have been fine with a four-story building but objects to eight stories "in the middle of these little bitty homes." "You have these homes that are two stories and now you're going to jump to eight?" she said. The public hearing included some emotional voices, including from Robinson when Muhammad accused him of not "standing up" for her community. Robinson represents the area on the council. "I am standing up for my community," Robinson said. "I was born and raised in this area, I've been here my whole life and you're not going to sit here and talk to me about that ... I watched that land sit there for 35 years vacant." Robinson later apologized for getting angry with her, but added that criticism of him is "a lot of talk, a lot of mouth coming from people who don't know anything." The council on Wednesday also approved $14.5 million in borrowing to pay for retirement costs the city has called unexpected. The council approved that measure 6-3 with Watterman, Yun and Solomon voting no. Solomon and Watterman noted the city officials told the council in May the city would not have to borrow for retirement costs this year. Solomon said the city should pay for these costs via budget funds not by "kicking the can down the road." "If we don't put policies in place, we'll keep facing this, to be perfectly honest," Watterman said. An earlier version of this story should have said Councilman Lavarro defended the Berry Lane project from critics, not that he supported the changes the council approved. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. A worker at a Harrison construction site fell four stories Friday morning and was impaled on a steel bar, Harrison police said. A condition on the 23-year-old was not immediately available because he was still in surgery at University Hospital in Newark at 5 p.m., Lt. David Doyle said. Police responded at 11:30 at 700 Frank E. Rodgers Blvd., a Heller Urban Renewal property, on the report of a construction accident, Doyle said. They found the 23-year-old impaled on a piece of rebar that was protruding from the concrete, and the rebar had pierced the man's hip from front to back, Doyle said. Rebar is short for reinforcing bar, a steel bar used to reinforce concrete in new construction. Firefighters from Harrison and Kearny cut the rebar from the ground to release the worker. The cause of the accident is under investigation by Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Doyle said. Jurors returned a split and possibly contradictory verdict yesterday in the trial of two Jersey City men charged with gunning down a man who was shot as many at 19 times on a front stoop in 2016. Aaron Enix and Davon Cooper, both 25, were accused of murdering 24-year-old Rashay Washington on Claremont Avenue near Clerk Street at 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2016. Yesterday afternoon, the jury found Aaron Enix guilty of murder, not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and guilty of both unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. Cooper was found not guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was found guilty of both of the weapons charges. Since he was acquitted of the two homicide charges, some wondered what the unlawful purpose was regarding the firearm. Neither man displayed any emotion upon hearing the verdict in the courtroom guarded by more than a dozen sheriff's officers and filled with numerous supporters of the defendants, as well as assistant prosecutors and others anxious to learn the trial's outcome. Enix's lawyer, Patrick Patel, said he was not happy with the verdict, but he thanked the jury for their service. Cooper's attorney, Mark Bailey, was not immediately available for comment. Arriving officers said they found the victim lying in a pool of his own blood. They testified that he identified Enix and Cooper by name as the shooters and said he pointed in the direction in which they ran away on Clerk Street. The pair were quickly arrested two blocks away on Wilkinson Avenue and two guns were recovered on Clerk Street, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Adam Salzer told the jury during the trial. The shooting was captured on security video and Salzer told jurors that when the pair was arrested, they were wearing the same clothes and shoes as seen on the video. Washington died about two weeks later at a hospital after undergoing a number of surgeries. When sentenced on Jan. 4 Enix will face 30 years to life for murder and Cooper will likely face five to 10 years for the weapons offense. During their opening statements, the defense lawyers questioned the reliability of Washington's statement made while lying in a puddle of his own blood after being shot. An ex-Brick employee and daughter of a former disgraced township mayor was released Wednesday after she served only 10 months of a 5-year sentence for stealing nearly $1 million from the township's health insurance program to help chiropractor brother's failing practice. Kim Bogan, 52, of Brick, was released early through the state's Intensive Supervision Program, her attorney, Steven Secare, said Friday. Kim Bogan, 53, of Brick (New Jersey Department of Corrections) "Certain people are eligible for the program," Secare said. "You can't be in for a violent crime and there can't be a parole disqualifier. The program is designed for people like her." Bogan was sentenced in January after pleading guilty in October to a single count of theft by deception, officials have said. She admitted that between 2011 and 2017 she tried to help her New York-based chiropractor brother, Glenn Scarpelli, by helping him submit false claims to her employee health insurance program totaling $941,354, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said. "The defendant allowed the practitioner to submit claims in her name for services never rendered, and endorsed the insurance checks when they were mailed to her, knowing the money was stolen," former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a release earlier this year. As the scheme unraveled, Scarpelli and his wife, Patricia Colant, leapt to their deaths from a Madison Avenue building in New York, where Scarpelli ran his practice. The New York Post reported that the couple was deeply in debt and left behind suicide notes where they said "cannot live with" their "financial reality." Scarpelli and Bogan's father, former Brick Mayor Joseph Scarpelli, received an 18-month federal prison sentence in 2007 for taking bribes in exchange for helping a developer obtain approval for construction projects. He served as Brick's mayor for nearly 13 years before he resigned in December 2006, one month before he pleaded guilty. As part of her plea agreement, Bogan was ordered to pay the $941,354 she stole back to the town. Under the Intensive Supervision Program, Bogan will have to wear a monitoring device and must be "gainfully employed" within a certain time period to help pay back her debt to Brick, Secare said. "If you violate the terms, you can be sent back to state prison," he said. "It's not an easy program because you have someone watching over you." Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Bradley Billhimer has spent nearly two decades as a criminal defense attorney representing defendants. Now, he's moving to the other side of the courtroom, as county prosecutor - the chief law enforcement officer in Ocean County. Billhimer, 48, was officially sworn in Friday as the prosecutor during a ceremony at the Ocean County Superior Courthouse in Toms River. "We have the ability with the power of the office, which is immense, to effect change for a lot of people," he said, speaking to a standing-only courtroom full of state and county officials, chief law enforcement officers and the county's judges. "It's my intention that we as an office do this together," he said. In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy said Billhimer is "an accomplished attorney with deep roots in Ocean County." "I am confident that Prosecutor Billhimer will be a strong leader for the people of Ocean County -- one who will ensure that law enforcement works closely with the community for the safety and benefit of all," Murphy said. Billhimer takes the spot as prosecutor from Joseph Coronato, who was appointed in 2013 by former Gov. Chris Christie. Ocean County has been one of the hardest hit counties in New Jersey by the opioid epidemic sweeping the state and the nation. Coronato made it a priority to combat the epidemic with a number of countywide programs. He was one of the first county prosecutors to equip his first-responders with Narcan, an antidote that reverses the deadly effects of an overdose. Narcan is now widely used in the state and is deployed thousands of times each year. Billhimer said he plans to continue that fight. "I come to this office prepared to fight the battle against the opioid epidemic that is gripping our county, our state and our country," he said, adding that he lost three clients to heroin overdoses during a three day period around Thanksgiving in 2016. "There's no one individual that's going to conquer the heroin and opioid epidemic, it takes a team effort," Billhimer said. "... It's not going to be easy, but we're going to do it. We're only going to be successful if we work together." Billhimer ran a private practice, Mohel & Billhimer, for 17 years in Toms River. He has been serving as a co-chair of the Ocean County Bar Association Municipal Court Committee and as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character. Billhimer is also a member of the board of trustees of The People's Pantry, a nonprofit food bank in Toms River, and is also a trustee for the Community Medical Center Foundation. He has a bachelor's degree from Richard Stockton College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Widener University School of Law. After graduation, he started his law career as a clerk for Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano. Billhimer lives in Ocean County with his wife, Alyn, and his two young daughters, Mackenzi and Riley. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, speaking at the ceremony, said that he's known Billhimer for a short period of time but he can already tell Billhimer "gets this job is about justice." "We're not in a numbers business," he said. "It is not about the number of convictions we rack up, about the number of people we put in jail at the end of the day. It's about have we done justice in each and every case. And you get that." 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 The New Jersey Transit audit confirmed everyone's worst fears in granular detail, laid out in 166 pages that read like an epic of neglect and abuse. Mostly, it reminded everyone that the wheels came off during the Christie Administration: The nation's third largest commuter railroad was essentially starved of resources and had massive technology gaps, funding mechanisms that remain "inadequate, uncertain, and unsustainable," the managerial integrity of a banana republic, and no planning strategies. If Gov. Murphy aims to reverse this death spiral and end a decade of inertia, the planning must start now. It can only start with a new design to properly fund the NJT and give 910,000 customers the service they deserve, and this cannot happen without taking a hard look around the state and finding the cost reductions that frees up the cash for transit. This is where the fiscal crisis rubber meets the road. The 4 percent increase in its operations budget was clearly not enough. It's just an extension of the seat-of-the-pants funding strategy that has put NJT in long-term jeopardy. If you thought Murphy sent the cavalry to the rescue in this year's budget, it amounted to a $98 million bump. The audit noted that NJT can no longer survive by shifting capital funds to operations or by filching the Clean Energy Fund - which the governor agrees is a lousy idea, yet he perpetuated it. This is untenable, and as the audit noted, the agency is "facing the unintended long-term consequences of these actions, which have only increased over time as subsidies continued to erode: a deterioration of its assets, continued schedule and safety problems, and a disillusioned ridership." Someone put that in a frame and hang it over the governor's desk, because he has yet to explore a long-term funding solution. The Legislature has no appetite for tax hikes. So this can only come in conjunction with spending cuts, but so far, Murphy has not proposed a plan for that. The only serious proposal has come from the Fiscal Policy Workgroup formed by Senate President Steve Sweeney, which addressed the Rubik's Cube of pension liability, rising property taxes, school mergers, shared services, and tax structure. Everything on the governor's wish list - NJ Transit, education, social programs - will remain a pipe dream until he takes the same deep dive. We hope he is in earnest when he says, "I'm open-minded as to how we get there" with funding. It's true that this metaphorical train wreck was inherited from a predecessor who packed the agency with cohorts of rapacious incompetence. At the time of the Hoboken Terminal crash -- which was barely 2 years ago -- NJ Transit had been without an executive director for a year, its board was hiding for four months, it faced a $45 million operating deficit, the feds had just slapped it with a series of fines for safety violations, and Chris Christie had decided that Positive Train Control would be the next guy's problem. Fixing NJT will test the limits of Murphy's fiscal imagination. The architect of our transit system, Martin Robins, put it this way: "We need a clear statement that he will not only act on this audit, but address funding by establishing a group that will advise him on specific strategies." Our lawmakers must commit to making these investments, and then develop a plan to pay for them over the long haul. Do nothing, and we will encounter problems that make a rush-hour derailment look like a milk run. There is no blueprint for this. But if the governor wants this to be his legacy issue, he better get to work devising one. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the week's events, with prompts from Tom Moran, editorial page editor of The Star-Ledger. Q. Polls on the race between Sen. Robert Menendez and Bob Hugin are all over the place, but some show a tight race. Do you think Democrats are regretting rallying to Menendez after a hung jury failed to convict him on corruption charges, but he was censured by the Senate? Roginsky: I don't, no matter how many times you ask me. Menendez has been a champion for New Jersey, from ensuring that its residents have access to affordable health care to standing up for women and against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, who is sure to work to overturn Roe v. Wade and other settled law. I will be thrilled to watch him get sworn in to another term next January. DuHaime: Typically, in a midterm election with a GOP president, the U.S. Senate race wouldn't be this close for Republicans. It is close for two reasons. Sen. Menendez went through a difficult trial but then smartly and quickly rallied the Democrats behind him. That has given Republicans an opportunity. The second reason is Bob Hugin. A more typical Republican would have less money and be less aggressive, so therefore not stand a realistic chance. But Hugin's willingness to spend money and campaign in places that are typically hostile to Republicans are making this race close. Q. The United Nations warned last week that a climate catastrophe is arriving faster than anyone thought a few years ago, just as Florida is hit with the worst storm in its history. What will it take for Washington to wake up to this threat, a hammer blow to the head? Roginsky: Sadly, nothing. We will just keep spending more and more money on ever-increasing natural disasters, without politicians in Washington ever acknowledging that something needs to be done. DuHaime: I think most people acknowledge climate change and that humans contribute to it. We also know the Earth has had warming and cooling trends over millions of years, long before human beings had cars. The debate is generally about what to do to make sure we take a reasonable approach that does the right thing for the environment without putting our country at too distinct a competitive disadvantage versus those countries who do nothing and bear no expense. In the United States and in New Jersey, as we move toward more natural gas and renewables and away from burning coal and oil for electricity, we will continue to make progress in ways that we can. Q. A senior official in Gov. Phil Murphy's administration, Al Alvarez, resigned recently, and several sources told Politico it was related to accusations of sexual misconduct during the campaign. No charges were filed, but Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, responded by saying, "Allegations of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously and properly reviewed." What's the danger here for Murphy? Roginsky: It's early days on this, but the danger is that people close to the governor were aware of this allegation and did nothing to investigate it. I know Murphy well and believe strongly that he will do whatever he can to get to the bottom of this. DuHaime: Murphy spent the last two years criticizing the previous governor for not being aware of the actions of the 60,000 staff people at every single department of state government. Obviously a campaign is much, much smaller, where the candidate and senior staff know just about everybody. I have no idea about the facts, but we will see just how sincerely Democratic leaders hold their own party members accountable when serious allegations are made. And we will see how the media cover it as well. Let me be clear. I do not wish to see Murphy or his administration go through some crazy partisan fishing expedition that hurts him or anyone else. Republicans will just want to see this administration held to the same standards as the previous one. Q. New Jersey has seen a spike in voter registration this year, five times the number that registered before the last midterm, and with 70 percent registering as Democrats. Is Jersey getting more blue, and will it affect our state politics as well? Roginsky: I suspect it is getting more blue because of President Donald Trump, but realistically, New Jersey has been a blue state for a long time. I keep saying that Republicans win on the state level in New Jersey only when Democrats really screw up, not because of any conservative attributes that appeal to New Jersey voters. Duhaime: New Jersey has been getting bluer since 1992 or so. We have to deal with it and fight through it by winning over independent voters and conservative Democrats who want an alternative to the high tax policies we keep seeing year after year from the Democrats in this state. Q. Finally, let's talk about Wednesday night's debate on NJTV between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Assemblyman Jay Webber, candidates for Congress in the 11th Congressional District. Webber embraced Trump with enthusiasm, unlike Rep. Leonard Lance in the 7th, who is straining to create distance. These districts were just 2 points apart in the 2016 presidential election. So, which Republican has the smarter Trump strategy? Roginsky: I haven't seen any internal polling on the president in either race, so I would be remiss in making an uneducated guess. But despite what Congressman Lance is saying now, he has voted with Donald Trump nearly 90 percent of the time, so voters in his district should know that he will continue to be another enabler for this president if he wins re-election. DuHaime: I don't think it is strategic as much as each is being true to himself and honest with the voters. Lance and Webber are both good Republicans, but their voting records and ideologies aren't exactly the same, and I think the campaigns reflect those differences, which are healthy within a party. Our party doesn't have a litmus test on the percentage of times you have to agree or disagree with this or any president, unlike the Democrats who seem to demand that their candidates be in 100 percent opposition to President Trump and 100 percent support for Nancy Pelosi. Roginsky: Really? Every time I see a Republican ad, it ties the Democratic nominee to Nancy Pelosi. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. UPDATE: Woman accusing Murphy staffer of rape says she 'received no justice' This spring, the woman who accused a senior staffer in Gov. Phil Murphy's administration of sexual assault was assured by a Murphy campaign attorney that her alleged attacker would soon be out of his job, a source with direct knowledge of the woman's account told NJ Advance Media. About four months later, however, that accused official, Albert J. Alvarez, was still employed as chief of staff for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. He did not resign until Oct. 2. Alvarez, 44, of Wood-Ridge, has not been charged with a crime. He has declined numerous requests from NJ Advance Media this week to comment on the allegations. Murphy has yet to issue a statement about the accusations confronting his administration since they were published by various media outlets, including NJ Advance Media, on Wednesday and Thursday. His office had no comment Friday. The attorney contacted the woman -- a supporter of Murphy's campaign for governor last year -- after she sent an email to Murphy and his wife, Tammy, this spring asking for a meeting to discuss a "sensitive matter" that occurred during the campaign, according to three sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. The governor replied by copying aides on the email for follow-up, but there was never a meeting with the governor, the sources said. Instead, the matter was referred to the campaign attorney, who assured her Alvarez would be "winding down" in his job, according to two sources with knowledge of the state's involvement. This was the third time the woman had approached the Murphy camp to tell her story. The first time was during the transition period before Murphy took office in January, when Alvarez, a fellow Democrat, served as deputy director of personnel. Alvarez wasn't then tapped for the $140,000-a-year job with the schools authority. Two sources said background checks found Alvarez had no criminal charges or arrests. The woman contacted the Murphy administration twice again in the spring, the sources said. Sources said the woman contacted the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, the county in which the alleged sexual assault occurred, in the spring of 2017. The prosecutor's office decided not to bring charges, sources said. Sharon Lauchaire, a spokeswoman with the state Attorney General's Office, said in a statement issued Thursday that the governor's office "conveyed information" to the Attorney General's Office about Alvarez this spring. "Beyond that, we cannot comment on the specifics of the information," Lauchaire said. Two of the sources with knowledge of the state's involvement said a senior Murphy administration official reached out to the Attorney General's Office after the accuser contacted them in March. The sources said a deputy to the administration official remained in contact with the accuser during the spring. Later in the spring, the alleged victim wrote to the Murphys directly. Murphy was asked about Alvarez's resignation on Tuesday, before the published reports of the allegations of sexual assault. "I know that Al has resigned, and beyond that I have no more color to offer," the governor said, replying to a reporter's question at an unrelated press conference in Metuchen. On Friday, Republicans renewed calls for legislative hearings into Alvarez's hiring and the handling of the unidentified woman's allegations. All 26 Republicans in the 80-member state Assembly wrote a letter to Murphy seeking answers to questions about the matter. "A volunteer on your campaign had the courage and conviction to make her circumstances known, and she was greeted with a disappointing lack of action," the lawmakers wrote. "It seems that there is a bias of what is acceptable and what is not." "Your reluctance to offer 'more color' on the matter, and undertake a thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct, leaves more questions each and every day that your administration fails to provide answers," the added. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney on Friday said lawmakers are reviewing the matter as they consider hearings. He said they are waiting to review "hard documents" on the accusations. "We take these allegations seriously," Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told NJ Advance Media. "We take them very seriously. And as information comes in, we'll make a decision." Alvarez previously served as a deputy chief of staff under then-Gov. Jon Corzine and as an attorney for the state Democratic Committee. He worked as director of Latino community outreach during Murphy's gubernatorial campaign. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. North Baptist Church has joined a newly formed coalition of South Jersey churches that plans to provide 500 Thanksgiving baskets with all of the trimmings to needy local families. Led by the Rev. Mark N. Simmons, church members are collecting donations to fulfill a pledge by the church to contribute at least 50 baskets to the Thanksgiving drive. The church's Food Bank ministry, which provide year-round emergency food assistance, is spearheading the mission. "We are fulfilling our commitment as our brother's keeper," said Simmons. "We have been blessed and we want to give back to our community, our neighbors, friends and families who may be in need." The Thanksgiving drive is the first initiative sponsored by the Coalition of Community Churches. The group includes Bethlehem Baptist Church, Woodbury; Macedonia Baptist Church, Westville; Victory in Christ, Deptford; Blessed Hope Community Church, Westville, and Gateway to Grace,Westville. Donations will be accepted at North Baptist Church, 1020 N. Evergreen Ave., Woodbury. Call Jackie Robinson at 856-879-4798 or Rose Harris at 856-573-4695 to arrange a drop-off time. The Thanksgiving baskets will be distributed on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Deptford Mall parking lot in a drive-thru procession manned by church volunteers. Each basket will include a frozen turkey, stuffing, corn, string beans, gravy, cranberry sauce, a box of corn bread and a boxed cake. It seems like a dream job. The opportunity to earn six figures, have a good union job with benefits and get some fresh air. Yet NJ Transit is struggling to hire locomotive engineers, as employees leave for more lucrative, better paying positions at other commuter railroads and others retire. The shortage of engineers has been blamed for recent rashes of canceled trains because the ranks are too thin to cover for an unexcused absence or when engineers are assigned to other duties. To become an engineer, candidates must pass a rigorous 20-month training course, where at least half the candidates drop out mid-way. NJ Transit pays a locomotive engineer trainee $53,000. Base pay for an engineer ranges from $67,184 to $76,814, depending on the amount of hours they work, said Nancy Snyder, an agency spokeswoman. But overtime and other payouts can push total pay deep into the six-figure range, according to NJ Transit salary records. Last year, roughly 260 engineers out of a total of 335 made more than $100,000, according to NJ Transit salary records for 2017. Of NJ Transit's top 20 earners who made over $200,000 in 2017, the list includes four engineers, nine police officers, four conductors and a power systems operator. The highest paid engineer took home a total salary of $227,515, according to calendar year 2017 salary records obtained through an Open Public Records Request. Improving employee hiring and keeping them is of five key recommendations from a $1.3 million audit of NJ Transit released Tuesday. Officials said the agency has been working on hiring before the audit was released. NJ Transit officials said there is some light at the end of the tunnel. NJ Transit currently is conducting four engineer training courses, where a year ago, they had one class, said Kevin Corbett, executive director. The first class is expected to graduate in May, he said. The downside is training engineers takes 20 months to teach them railroad rules and to certify them to operate a train on NJ Transit's various rail lines. The agency is trying to change that. "We are working with a consultant to reduce the 20-month training period," Corbett said. NJ Transit also is offering a bonus to experienced conductors to train to become an engineer, which also cuts eight months out of the training time because conductors already know railroad operating rules, he said. "We have 20 conductors that have signed up," Corbett said. "They can be operating by next summer." NJ Transit also is working with state and community colleges through the Department of Higher Education to offer training courses that would give the needed class room time to would-be engineers and shorten the training process. About half of the applicants dropped-out midway through the course in the past, officials said. Why so many drop-outs? One reason is the non-traditional work hours. Engineers work all hours and because new engineers are low on the seniority list, they're not going to get the best assignments. That means working late nights, weekends and holidays, officials said. That can turn-off some trainees. Another hurdle to be cleared is to offer salaries to be competitive with neighboring commuter railroads which have poached experienced engineers from NJ Transit with the lure of higher pay, officials said. That topic will be addressed when new union contracts are negotiated next year, officials said. Until last month, New Jersey residency requirements complicated hiring. Potential engineers who live in Pennsylvania or New York state, where NJ Transit has train yards, have had to apply for a waiver from the requirement to live in New Jersey. In August, Gov. Phil Murphy called on the state Employee Residency Review Committee to grant a pre-emptive exemption to the residency requirement for engineers, conductors, and train dispatchers. Track and signal maintainers and bus drivers were also included in the exemption, which was granted last month. A bipartisan bill in the legislature would permanently lift the residency requirement for key NJ Transit employees. It is still before a committee in the state senate. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Mountainside is asking a judge to throw out an explosive sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the borough by five male police officers and a female dispatcher, partly on the grounds that alleged misconduct in the department -- including repeated displays of a large dildo -- was directed at both men and women. The two attorneys for the plaintiffs are firing back, accusing Mountainside in their opposition brief of "presenting a frivolous argument that breaks new ground for absurd employment law defenses." From left: Lt. Thomas Murphy, Chief Allan Attanasio, Detective Sgt. Andrew Huber (Mountainside police Facebook page) Superior Court Judge Camille M. Kenny will hear arguments on both sides Monday at the Union County courthouse in Elizabeth. The lawsuit against Mountainside was filed in May and has roiled the small municipality, whose police department has under two dozen officers. It detailed alleged misconduct dating to 1998 that, in addition to the recurring displays of a dildo nicknamed "Big Blue" -- including one incident caught on video -- also purportedly included a laundry list of pranks involving nudity, homophobic games and racial slurs. In seeking dismissal of the lawsuit, Mountainside attorney Christine A. Amalfe argued in a court filing that the suing officers didn't back up their claims of a hostile work environment due to sexual harassment and retaliation. For example, the harassment couldn't be targeted toward the woman who sued, Amalfe said in the written statement, because the offensive officers targeted both men and women in the department. "Taken as true for purposes of this motion only, the allegations establish that certain male officers were equally crude and vulgar to all employees, regardless of their sex," she wrote. She also argued that only one of the six plaintiffs complained, some years ago, and that the plaintiffs failed to show that any were punished or otherwise retaliated against. "The allegations in the complaint are troubling and scandalous and dismissal for failure to state a claim may be an unpopular outcome, especially given the eye-popping headlines and current climate concerning sexual harassment in the workplace," Amalfe wrote. "However, the headlines and climate cannot direct the result in this case and the salaciousness of plaintiffs' allegations does not relieve them of their obligation to plead the legally-required factual bases to support the claims they have asserted," she concluded. The plaintiffs' attorneys, Charles J. Sciarra and Matthew R. Curran, countered in their response that Mountainside's argument merely showed the offending officers were "equal opportunity or bisexual" harassers. The attorneys charged that the borough's argument ran counter to a 1993 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling defining the parameters of a hostile work environment. "Stated differently, Mountainside proposes that as long as (the offending officers) sexually harassed both men and women, plaintiffs have no rights," they wrote. The lawsuit preceded the retirement in July of Police Chief Allan Attanasio, who was accused of not intervening, and led to the suspensions of two longtime officers linked to the reported misconduct. Detective Sgt. Andrew Huber retired in July while Lt. Thomas Murphy was hit with disciplinary charges and remains suspended without pay. The six plaintiffs -- Officers Jeffrey Stinner, Christopher Feighner, Richard Latargia, Thomas Norton and James Urban, and part-time dispatcher Amy Colineri -- are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, among other remedies. It is unclear if the judge will issue a decision at Monday's 9:30 a.m. hearing, or hold off on making a ruling. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 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. (CNN) Almost 30 million Facebook users' phone numbers and email addresses were accessed by hackers in the biggest security breach in the company's history, Facebook said Friday. The attackers accessed even more details on 14 million of those users, including the area where they live, their relationship status, their religion, and part of their search history. The FBI is "actively investigating" the breach, Guy Rosen, a Facebook vice-president, told reporters on a call Friday. He said the FBI has asked the company"not to discuss who may be behind this attack" or to share other details that could compromise its investigation. The company said that it may still not know the full extent of the attack and wasn't ruling out the possibility of other "smaller-scale attacks" linked to the breach. The company said it will continue to investigate "other ways the people behind this attack used Facebook." The new details come two weeks after Facebook first announced that attackers had access to 50 million users' accounts -- meaning they could have logged in as those users. Facebook said on Friday that, "We now know that fewer people were impacted than we originally thought," and said that 30 million people had been impacted. For the 14 million worst hit by the breach, the attackers were able to access the following information, Facebook said: "username, gender, locale/language, relationship status, religion, hometown, self-reported current city, birthdate, device types used to access Facebook, education, work, the last 10 places they checked into or were tagged in, website, people or Pages they follow, and the 15 most recent searches." Facebook said it will send a message to the 30 million users affected in the coming days and will be posting information to its help center. Facebook is regulated by Irish authorities in Europe as its European headquarters is located there. A spokesperson for the Irish data regulator said of Friday's announcement, "The update from Facebook today is significant now that Facebook has confirmed that the personal data of millions of users was taken by the perpetrators of the attack." The attack prompted Facebook to take the unprecedented step of logging out the 50 million users whose accounts were exposed and logged out another 40 million users as a precautionary measure. The attackers exploited a series of bugs on Facebook's platform. The vulnerability, Facebook said, had existed since July 2017. It wasn't patched until last month, after the company's engineers noticed some unusual activity that turned out to be the attack. Despite Friday's announcement, there are still many details about the hack that have not been made public, including who was behind it and if the attackers were targeting particular users or countries. Was I hacked? To find out if you are among the 30 million people whose information was accessed, you can click go to the Facebook help center. You need to be logged into Facebook. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find details about your account in a blue box titled, "Is my Facebook account impacted by this security issue?" This story was first published on CNN.com, "Hackers accessed personal information of 30 million Facebook users." On Saturday, the Brooklyn Museum is opening an exhibition of art and artifacts from Syria meant to recount the countrys refugee history. Days later, the Guggenheim will host a conversation with a Palestinian artist, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art will hold a seminar on how museums curate art from the Middle East. These programs along with similar ones at the Museum of Modern Art, Asia Society and other New York institutions are part of a coordinated effort to display artwork from the Middle East and build greater understanding between the United States and the Arab world. They also happen to be coordinated by organizations closely tied to or generously funded by the Saudi government, which is now accused of the gruesome killing of a dissident journalist. For years, nonprofits from museums to major universities have been strengthening ties with the oil kingdoms of the Middle East as a way to broaden their offerings, foster cross-cultural dialogue and obtain access to those countries considerable riches. Now they are having to answer the same question as the one confronting the American government: whether the possible murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a reason to shun Saudi Arabia, or if the country is simply too wealthy and important to walk away from. A white woman who called the police after claiming that a young black boy touched her behind in a Brooklyn deli drew a storm of ridicule and criticism on social media, and late on Friday she made a public apology to the child. Critics characterized the incident as the latest example of a hypersensitive white person calling the police to report black people for dubious reasons. Many detractors imputed racist motives to the woman, Teresa Klein. She was quickly labeled Cornerstore Caroline by Jason Littlejohn, 37, a lifelong Flatbush resident who recorded the commotion on Wednesday outside of the Sahara Deli Market on Albemarle Road. Mr. Littlejohns Facebook recording of the incident had been viewed 4 million times by Friday evening. Michael Kelly, the legendary journalist who died covering the invasion of Iraq in 2003, once wrote that the animating impulse of modern liberalism was to marginalize itself and then enjoy its own company. And to make itself as unattractive to as many as possible. If it were a person, he added, it would pierce its tongue. I thought of that line while reading a tweet from Nate Cohn, The Timess polling guru: Take everything together, and, on balance, its been a good 10 days of state/cd polling for the GOP in a lot of important battlegrounds. The cd refers to congressional districts, where Republicans now have at least a fighting chance of holding on to a majority despite the widely anticipated blue wave. Even better are Republican chances of holding the Senate. On Sept. 30, RealClearPolitics gave the G.O.P. a lock on 47 seats, with 9 tossups. Now its 50 and 6, with races in Tennessee, Texas, and North Dakota increasingly leaning right. Donald Trumps approval rating is also up from a month ago. This wasnt supposed to happen. Not during a midterm when the opposition party almost always gains seats. Not after 21 months of Trumpian chaos. Not after a year of #MeToo. Not after Christine Blasey Fords emotional testimony and Brett Kavanaughs angry retort. In his letter on Friday accepting the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Catholic archbishop of Washington, Pope Francis praised the departing prelate for his nobility in not trying to defend mistakes in his handling of sexual-abuse allegations. The pope misses the point. The archbishop may not be as culpable as other bishops who more systematically covered up sexual predation, and in at least one case he took action that was initially thwarted by the Vatican. But a devastatingly detailed grand jury report on widespread child sex abuse in Pennsylvania churches showed that Cardinal Wuerl, as bishop of Pittsburgh , was immersed in a clerical culture that hid pedophilic crimes behind euphemisms, conducted unprofessional investigations and evaluations of accused priests, kept acknowledged cases of sex abuse secret from parish communities and avoided reporting the abuse to police. In an anguished letter to his archdiocese, Cardinal Wuerl accepted responsibility for actions described in the grand jury report. I wish that I could redo some decisions I have made in my three decades as a bishop and each time get it right, he wrote. SAN FRANCISCO On the same day Facebook announced that it had carried out its biggest purge yet of American accounts peddling disinformation, the company quietly made another revelation: It had removed 66 accounts, pages and apps linked to Russian firms that build facial recognition software for the Russian government. Facebook said Thursday that it had removed any accounts associated with SocialDataHub and its sister firm, Fubutech, because the companies violated its policies by scraping data from the social network. Facebook has reason to believe your work for the government has included matching photos from individuals personal social media accounts in order to identify them, the company said in a cease-and-desist letter to SocialDataHub that was dated Tuesday and viewed by The New York Times. Facebook gave the companies until Friday to detail what data they had taken and then delete it all. The case illustrates a new reality for Facebook. SocialDataHub and Fubutech have been around for at least four years, relying in part on Facebook data to build products that might alarm some civil-liberty advocates. The best path to justice may not be the smoothest one. Even Elder Alden Hearst is starting to get antsy, and hes long been a calm, dependable intermediary between his African-American community and the white power structure of the Southern city where he lives. I have spent my entire civic life building political capital, a frustrated Hearst eventually tells the mayor, Ainsley Gillette. When do I get to spend it? This is one among many similar questions in Travisville, the playwriting debut by William Jackson Harper, best known for portraying the philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye on the series The Good Place. This earnest, oddly flat show takes place in 1964, but its preoccupations have an obvious contemporary resonance: What is the best way to carry out change? When does negotiation turn into collaboration, especially compared to disruptive activism? Mr. Harpers play, which just opened at Ensemble Studio Theater, revolves around the citys plan to build a new indoor/outdoor concept shopping district in other words, a mall. Unfortunately for everybody involved, there is already something in the preferred location: a black neighborhood whose residents will need to be relocated, to use a popular euphemism for kicked out of their homes in exchange for a modest sum. Speaking in front of an American flag held aloft by two Caterpillar backhoes at the Warren County Fairgrounds, he returned to the sort of programming that has become a fixture of these campaign rallies. By channeling his own popularity among core party supporters, he hopes to help candidates who need that kind of base to succeed in the midterm elections. He regaled the crowd with a list of his accomplishments: the confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court; the release of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, from a Turkish prison; and newly renegotiated trade deals. We are now the hottest country anywhere in the world, Mr. Trump proclaimed. He assured attendees that, if Republicans maintained control of Congress, more success would follow: the creation of a sixth military branch, the space force; additional jobs; and completion of a border wall. (The wall has yet to be fully funded.) Blessings were bestowed by Mr. Trump and a few state candidates on the country, the people in Florida and Georgia who have been affected by Hurricane Michael, and Kanye West. (What he did yesterday, Mr. Trump said in reference to Mr. Wests Oval Office visit, was pretty amazing.) Vitriol was flung at the news media as Mr. Trump reminisced about his presidential victory and complained about unfair coverage. And admiration was showered upon, among others, law enforcement, Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Clarence Thomas, who similarly faced a bitter confirmation process after being accused of sexual harassment. He slung barbs at some of his favorite Democratic opponents: Senators Richard Blumenthal and Cory Booker; Hillary Clinton, his rival in the 2016 presidential election; and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who drew chants of Lock her up from the crowd as Mr. Trump criticized her for what he views as a crucial role in Justice Kavanaughs bruising confirmation battle. Its not rule of the law, its rule of the mob, Mr. Trump said, again using the opposition to the justice as a reason that his supporters should ensure that the Democrats not obtain control of either chamber. But Mr. Trump also deflected questions about the kingdoms human rights record. Asked if it had been overlooked for too long, the president directed attention to other countries. I think a lot of records are overlooked, he said. If you look at Iran, if you look at some of the other countries, if you take a look at Syria, if you take a look at a lot of countries, a lot of countries records have been overlooked. But this is a very serious thing and were looking at it in a very serious manner. Turkish officials have dribbled out a series of lurid leaks describing an assassination scheme so complex that it could have been directed only from a senior level of the Saudi royal court: a team of 15 agents, including a top Saudi doctor of forensics, flying into Turkey on two private planes the day of Mr. Khashoggis appointment at the consulate expressly to kill him and dispose of the mess. In statements, however, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stopped short of directly accusing the Saudis. Turkish officials have said their president has held his fire in part because he hopes that Washington will help push Saudi Arabia to acknowledge what happened to Mr. Khashoggi. But such faith in Washington is hard for almost any Turkish politician to espouse publicly these days because of a tide of anti-Americanism that has swept the country since Mr. Trump raised tariffs on several categories of Turkish imports, punishing the countrys struggling economy. Intervention by Trump is the highest form of mockery, Resul Tosun, a columnist for the pro-government Star newspaper wrote on Friday, arguing that any American help with the investigation would portray Turkey as a banana republic. Ronnie Marmo didnt set out to make a political play when he wrote and starred in Im Not a Comedian Im Lenny Bruce. Instead, the actor wanted to depict the complicated style of the counterculture comedian and satirist, who died over 50 years ago. But many have read Mr. Marmos performance as a commentary on the Trump era. Indeed, Mr. Bruce, whose acerbic and profane observations about society inspired generations of comedians who wanted to do more than just tell jokes, is having a pop culture resurgence. In addition to appearing in works for the stage, Mr. Bruce is also a recurring character in Amazons Emmy winning TV comedy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. And over the summer, an exhibit about Mr. Bruce opened at The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y. After Mr. Marmos play debuted in Los Angeles last year, its original six weeks stretched to a sold-out 15-month run. Audience members cheered when Mr. Marmo, onstage as Mr. Bruce, hollered about free speech and recounted the comics frequent arrests on obscenity charges in the early 1960s. The Off Broadway play begins previews in New York this month at the Cutting Room, a nightclub in Murray Hill. (It opens Nov. 4.) Mr. Marmo sees similarities to his subjects era: Free speech is once again under attack, Americans are divided over race and religion and protesters crowd city streets and the halls of Congress. New York City Ballet, which forced out three male stars this year after a nude-photo-sharing scandal, is replenishing its ranks: The company announced Saturday that it was promoting seven dancers, including Joseph Gordon, who was named a principal dancer. The promotions were announced by Jonathan Stafford, the leader of City Ballets interim artistic team, on Saturday afternoon at the David H. Koch Theater, between the matinee and the evening performances. They signaled that the company was moving forward and continuing to develop its dancers, even during of one of the most difficult years in its history. In addition to making Mr. Gordon a principal, the company promoted six members of its corps de ballet to the rank of soloist: Daniel Applebaum, Harrison Coll, Claire Kretzschmar, Aaron Sanz, Sebastian Villarini-Velez and Peter Walker. [Read our story about a week in the life of a corps member, Ms. Kretzschmar, dancing in seven performances, sometimes in two roles a night.] Love and leaves are in the air in Under the Autumn Moon, and Haunting of Hill House brings horror to Netflix. Whats on TV LOVE AND HATE CRIME: A MURDER IN MISSISSIPPI 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. The second installment of this BBC documentary series delves into the 2011 murder of James Craig Anderson, who was robbed, beaten and run over in Jackson, Miss., by a group of white teenagers. Through interviews with officials, with Andersons family, and with the family of a teenager who was a passenger in the vehicle used in the attack, the documentary examines modern-day hate and intolerance. UNDER THE AUTUMN MOON 9 p.m. on Hallmark. Hallmark once again seems to delivers what it does best blending the feeling and sentiments of a holiday or season with the trials and tribulations of love. And this film does not seem to stray from the tried and true concoction: Alex (Lindy Booth) is up for a promotion at the outdoor adventure company she works for and finds herself visiting a dude ranch that might be a possible acquisition. While there, she falls in love with ranchs owner (Wes Brown) as she rediscovers herself and her connection to the outdoors. The White House last year championed a sweeping revision of the nations tax laws that expanded many of the benefits enjoyed by real estate investors, allowing them to reap even larger deductions. The Trump administration was in a position to clean up the tax code and promised to get rid of some of the complexity that certain taxpayers use to their advantage, said Victor Fleischer, a tax law professor at the University of California, Irvine. Instead, they doubled down on those provisions, particularly the ones they have familiarity with to benefit themselves. The documents, which The Times reviewed in their entirety, were created with Mr. Kushners cooperation as part of a review of his finances by an institution that was considering lending him money. Totaling more than 40 pages, they describe his business dealings, earnings, expenses and borrowing from 2009 to 2016. They contain information that was taken from Mr. Kushners federal tax filings, as well as other data provided by his advisers. The documents, mostly created last year, were shared with The Times by a person who has had financial dealings with Mr. Kushner and his family. Thirteen tax accountants and lawyers, including J. Richard Harvey Jr., a tax official in the Reagan, George W. Bush and Obama administrations, reviewed the documents for The Times. Mr. Harvey said that, assuming the documents accurately reflect information from his tax returns, Mr. Kushner appeared to have paid little or no federal income taxes during at least five of the past eight years. The other experts agreed and said Mr. Kushner probably didnt pay much in the three other years, either. Peter Mirijanian, a spokesman for Mr. Kushners lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said he would not respond to assumptions derived from documents that provide an incomplete picture and were obtained in violation of the law and standard business confidentiality agreements. However, always following the advice of numerous attorneys and accountants, Mr. Kushner properly filed and paid all taxes due under the law and regulations. Mr. Mirijanian added that, with regard to the tax legislation, Mr. Kushner has avoided work that would pose any conflict of interest. Representatives of the White House and Mr. Kushners firm, Kushner Companies, didnt respond to requests for comment. Where has carbon pricing been successful? Where has it failed? We learned with the European Union that once you go beyond the simple, idealized version of carbon prices and into implementation, its a very different thing. One of the things we found out: One of the problems with cap and trade [a system in which governments place a cap on countries carbon-dioxide pollution and companies then pay for, and trade, credits that permit them to pollute] is that it is dependent on predicting what future emissions will be. But if those projections are wrong, the system fails. With the E.U., their projected carbon emissions were high, but the actual carbon emissions were low, and the carbon price fell drastically, from $30 to $40 per ton down to single digits. So the price was so low it did not have an effect in lowering emissions. It was flawed design. If the models had predicted too few emissions, and the price had gone to $1,000 per ton. we would have had a different problem. The carbon tax has different problems, but not this one. The price of carbon is independent of the amount of emissions. When I talk to people about how to design a carbon price, I think the model is British Columbia. You raise electricity prices by $100 a year, but then the government gives back a dividend that lowers internet prices by $100 year. In real terms, youre raising the price of carbon goods but lowering the prices of non-carbon-intensive goods. Thats the model of how something like this might work. It would have the right economic effects but politically not be so toxic. The one in British Columbia is not only well designed but has been politically successful. What went wrong when President Obama tried to implement a carbon price in 2009? I did not talk to Obama about this directly, but I spoke with many of his advisers over the years. SCHOHARIE, N.Y. It was supposed to be a surprise. Axel Steenburg had been planning a birthday party for his wife, Amy, for a while. But the ever excitable Mr. Steenburg was notoriously bad at keeping secrets and, somehow, she found out. He would try to hide it from you and then you would see him biting his cheek. It was so obvious, his mother, Janet Steenburg, said. And then he would say, Youre not going to believe what I have for you. Mr. Steenburg coordinated a passel of friends through a group chat, arranging for a tour and tasting at a popular upstate brewery and renting a party bus to make sure that anyone drinking would not be driving. He even set aside two spare bedrooms in his home in Amsterdam, N.Y., a small city northwest of Albany, in case someone was not sober enough to drive home. But the bus broke down before picking them up, so he booked whatever he could find at the last-minute: a white stretch limousine. It fit 18. They were 17. That would do. Behind the wheel of the 2001 limousine was a husband holding down a part-time job as a driver for a company whose vehicles made him worry for his safety. Gino L. Giorgini III, a lawyer, once wrote to a judge: THIS IS LA LA LAND ON STEROIDS.... I CAN NOT COMPREHEND THE #%*%#$^%* THAT IS THIS DECISION. Years later, an affidavit of his about a judgment made in a different case read: Nice Joke. DISGUSTING. For these explosive remarks and others, Mr. Giorgini received a three-month suspension from practicing law in New York. A state appeals court found that Mr. Giorgini, who has been practicing law since as early as 1991 and has an office on Long Island, repeatedly made derogatory, undignified and inexcusable comments about judges that showed flagrant disrespect for the judiciary. In its opinion, issued last month, the court cited his oft-capitalized and heavily punctuated writing in the decision. Here are some of the choice remarks that Mr. Giorgini, who declined to be interviewed, shared with state judges. Jamal and I had many dreams, but the most important one was to build a home together. Sometimes he would talk about his friends in the United States and speak about how he would want me to meet them after our marriage. Almost every day he said he would wish to wake up in the morning knowing he was not alone. Despite dealing with such intense emotions, Jamal never bothered others with his problems. He always tried to remain as strong as a mountain. He was cheerful the morning we were going to the Saudi consulate to get a document certifying his divorce. I decided not to go to my university that day, and we traveled there together. He had no foreboding of what was to come. The consular official, who had informed him that the paperwork had come through, had told him to be at the Saudi consulate at 1 p.m. On our way there, we made plans for the rest of the day. We were going to browse appliances for our new home and meet with our friends and family members over dinner. When we arrived at the consulate, he went right in. He told me to alert the Turkish authorities if I did not hear from him soon. Had I known it would be the last time I would see Jamal, I would have rather entered the Saudi consulate myself. The rest is history: He never walked out of that building. And with him, I also got lost there. Since then, I have been thinking that Jamal and I are no longer in the same world. I keep asking the same questions to myself: Where is he? Is he alive? If he is alive, how is he? Today is Jamals birthday. I had planned a party, inviting his closest friends to surround him with the love and warmth that he had missed. We would have been married now. Twelve days have passed. I have been waking up every morning hoping to hear from him. The speculations about his fate have not been confirmed by the authorities, but the silence of Saudi Arabia fills me with dread. That haunting question doesnt leave me for a single moment: Is it true? Have they assassinated Jamal? Her case and many others like it failed to end the rising tide of segregation in the 1880s, but Wells and thousands of other black Southerners continued to contest segregation. The protests of people like Wells led to collective dissent, first against the segregation of Southern railroads and later at the movements high point, when streetcar boycotts occurred in 25 different Southern cities. One of the most robust boycotts began in May 1904 in Richmond, Va., in response to new laws segregating the cars and allowing the white conductors to enforce the separation. The movement against segregation in the city was led by two politically minded business leaders and journalists, Maggie Lena Walker and John Mitchell Jr. One of the most iconic moments of the protest came in the late spring of 1904 when the 3,000-plus members of the Colored Baptist Sunday-School Union took to the hilly streets to march in the hot sun to the site of their monthly meeting in protest, even as the pastors of their churches were silent on the question of segregation and a signal that when official leadership failed, the people would lead themselves. But in the end, these turn-of-the-20th-century African-American activists could not stop Jim Crows advance. Their suits, sit-ins, letter-writing campaigns, boycotts, marches and impassioned pleas to lawmakers failed to make a difference when legislators were determined to segregate no matter the costs. Segregation or exclusion became the law of the land in the American South, and remained so for many years, separating black and white Southerners not only on trains and streetcars but also in schools, neighborhoods, libraries, parks and pools. Progressives, liberals and sexual assault survivors and all those who desire a more just and decent America and who feel they lost when Kavanaugh was confirmed despite their protest should remember Mitchell, Plessy, Walker and Wells, along with Elizabeth Jennings, James Pennington, Lola Houck, Louis A. Martinet, Rodolphe Desdunes, P.B.S. Pinchback, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary Church Terrell, J. Max Barber and many others, including those whose names we do not know . All of these men and women were on the side of justice and lost. None of these people, who fought for full and equal public access as free citizens on trains and streetcars, stopped fighting. None abandoned what they knew was right. They all tried again. Most would not live to see things made right , but they continued. Those who see Justice Kavanaughs confirmation as a lost battle in the larger war for gender equality and dignity for women and sexual assault survivors, specifically should emulate the activists of generations past. They should keep organizing, connect with like-minded people, volunteer for organizations that advocate for survivors, consider running for office, and work on the campaigns of those they believe in. A week after his confirmation, a reminder is in order: Movements are about more than moments; they are about thoughtful networks of dissent built over time . My scholarship has taught me that activism requires a certain resilience, and the willingness to be long-suffering in pursuit of the cause. I hope people remember this. I hope they keep going. Blair L.M. Kelley is an associate professor of history at North Carolina State University and the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African-American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson. Donald Nawi Scarsdale, N.Y. To the Editor: The Kavanaugh debacle resulted more from the Supreme Courts institutional design than from the confirmation process. Reform should be directed to the way the top court is organized. Today the court is composed of nine justices who sit together to decide the 80 or so cases accepted for review each year. This arrangement makes filling vacancies when the ideological direction of the court is at stake even more controversial. Double or even triple the number of justices and randomly select panels of nine justices to hear cases. Such a proposal would not require a constitutional amendment. Congress has adjusted the number of Supreme Court justices before. And the federal judiciary already has experience working with randomly selected panels in the appeals courts. Randomly drawn panels would naturally produce variation in the combinations of justices nominated by Republican and Democratic presidents, and an enlarged court would increase diversity. There may be other welcome consequences over time, such as increasing the number of cases accepted for review, lowering the political stakes in filling each new vacancy, creating incentives for presidents to nominate more moderate justices and reducing the influence of a swing justice. Michael C. Tolley Dedham, Mass. The writer is a professor of political science at Northeastern University. To the Editor: The lesson learned from Brett Kavanaughs recent, divisive and ugly confirmation hearings is that this process is now hyperpartisan. The only way to improve it is to decouple it from politics. Nominations should no longer be made by the president. The Constitution should be amended so that the nominee is chosen by a bipartisan (equal members from both parties) special committee of legislators. They would have to find common ground in a nominee who could appeal to both sides, someone who is qualified by a record of objective and balanced jurisprudence. Daphne Case Norwalk, Conn. To the Editor: One simple but concrete step would be restoration of the filibuster, thereby encouraging nomination of more moderate judicial candidates by both parties. (I painfully recall that, when the Democrats resorted to the so-called nuclear option in 2013 for all nominees except for the Supreme Court, Republican senators angrily warned that this decision would ultimately come back to haunt them.) Unfortunately, in the current toxic political environment, its doubtful that either party will willingly concede any advantage, however transient. Recently, while watching the film RBG , I was struck by the fact that only 25 years ago Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was confirmed by a vote of 96 to 3. Her confirmation was accompanied by gracious comments from her philosophical opposites, such as Orrin Hatch. Sadly, its difficult to even imagine such a scenario today. Hollywoods latest space film, First Man, stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in an intense battle between earthly priorities and the sublime possibilities of the Apollo mission, much like his nation. Naturally, its most glorious scene is the moon landing: the moment he takes that final, hesitant leap and we see his white boot press into the fine lunar soil before we gently pan over Earth, suspended in the vast blackness of space. As majestic cinematography brings the feat back to life, frame by frame, a sense of nostalgia is almost unavoidable, even for viewers who werent on Earth when it happened. We tend to collectively look back at that moment, that era, as the height of success not only for NASA but for all of humanity. That was when we did great things. That was when we took risks. That is when America was at its boldest and best. But thats not entirely true. The romance associated with the Apollo program, and Apollo 11 in particular, is warranted. For one evening in July 1969 everyone paused and watched a human leave the confines of a ship and set foot on not a distant shore but an alien world. Line cooks flicked off their stoves and turned on the radio, families and friends gathered in front of TVs, and the faint sounds of Mr. Armstrongs disembodied voice danced through the corridors of buildings around the world. Going back to the moon or landing humans on Mars, some think, is the only way to surpass that pinnacle. However, there is so much more to the success of the space program than having boots on extraterrestrial ground. But it felt to me that our only real job was to decrease callers average wait time. It seemed the theory was that parents and students would be so comforted by the opportunity to speak to a real person that the process of taking on tens of thousands of dollars of debt would feel almost worry free. Armed with our pleasant tone and can do attitude, we stood between students and their economic and emotional desperation. And we failed them every day. Thank you for calling the University Helpline. How may I help you? Based on your taxes from two years ago, we have determined that your Expected Family Contribution is $5,827.13. Unfortunately, you no longer fall under the critical $5,486 E.F.C. cutoff for your need-based MASSGrant. It looks like you have found ways to borrow thousands of dollars in loans already; may I assist you in worsening this potentially lifelong burden? We so do appreciate your customer loyalty. We hated the job, but we had our own bills to worry about. We kept answering the phones. Thank you for calling the University Helpline. How may I help you? I am sorry that you think the university prioritized the construction of a $50 million dining hall complex over the cost of your education. Too bad you wont be around to try the No. 1 campus dining in the nation. It shouldnt have to be this way. Access to truly affordable education is not a radical idea. In 1862, the Morrill Act financed the establishment of colleges specializing in agriculture and the mechanic arts with land grants. The University of Massachusetts , then called Massachusetts Agricultural College, was one of them. Tuition was $36. Even 30 years ago, you could pay for college by working summers on a Western Massachusetts tobacco farm. This feels like ancient history now . Its true that as the cost of college continues to rise, fewer families pay the sticker price. And yet determining what is actually owed takes time, energy and a lot of anxiety. It also often involves taking on debt. And for some of us, that debt can remain crippling well into adulthood. The least colleges can do is be more considerate of the dreams that slip through the bureaucratic cracks. Students deserve patient and reliable guidance tailored to their financial needs, not a disjointed network of administrative offices that seem most concerned with collecting money. Ethnocentric views of Asian pride can be seductive for those who have historically felt disempowered. To acknowledge our collective anger and pain, how we are both targeted by racism from whites and perpetuators of racism against blacks and Latinos, may feel vulnerable and dangerous. My familys story is far from being the only kind of Asian-American story, though its the one that has largely been told, particularly in mainstream media. Thats partly because of who has access to that media and partly because its a story white Americans feel more comfortable with, because it still puts them at the center. There are pitfalls to hearing or investing in only one type of story. Though the Asian-American population increased by 72 percent from 2000 to 2015 and is continuing to rise, on track to become the largest immigrant group in the United States by 2055, weve been here since the 18th century. We have been driven from towns, banned and interned; and we continue to be incarcerated, profiled, murdered and deported at alarming rates. The touted success of the model minority has not resulted in true political or cultural power. Asian-Americans remain scapegoats for economic anxieties, from the immigrants blamed for taking away good-paying jobs from white Americans to the Asian students blamed for taking college acceptance spots away from white students. Asian-American, a political identity formed in the 1960s and consisting of Americans with roots in more than 20 countries, is a label that can be both empowering and exclusionary. Asian- America ns arent just East Asian, heterosexual and middle class. Theyre queer and working class and poor and undocumented;South Asian and Southeast Asian and Filipino and Central Asian. A narrow definition of Asian-American does a disservice to all of us. Asian America is changing. While new immigrants continue to expand our communities, so do the grandchildren of post-1965 immigrants, born to parents who were also born in the United States. Will these third-generation Asian-Americans be less concerned with the white gaze with the guidance counselors and college admissions officers who refuse to see them fully than previous generations have been? Mari Matsuda wrote in 1996 about how important it is for Asian-Americans to resist becoming what she calls the racial bourgeoisie. We can choose, falsely, to believe that if we try hard enough, well be accepted by whiteness and gain its privileges, at the expense of other people of color the myth of exceptionalism. Or we can work to be in solidarity across racial, ethnic and class differences, to refuse to be used to uphold white supremacy. By looking more closely at our history, at what we have gained and at what and whose expense, we can better inform our futures. Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley may be prominent Asian-American Republicans, but our political histories are shaped by activists like Larry Itliong, Grace Lee Boggs, Yuri Kochiyama and Pauline Park. Our Asian-American future is also informed by our present: all-Asian suburbias; multiethnic Chinatowns; success thats less defined by Hollywood representation and the breaking of the corporate ceiling and more by pushing for equity for all Americans, not only a select few . As America moves away from whiteness as its norm, its crucial to imagine, and fulfill, our own radical futures. The reports about Jamal Khashoggi, the missing Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor, whom Ive known for more than 15 years, grow steadily more sickening. Turkey claims to have audiotape of Saudi interrogators torturing Jamal and killing him in the Saudi Consulate. None of this is confirmed, and we still dont know exactly what happened; we all pray that Jamal will still reappear. But increasingly it seems that the crown prince, better known as M.B.S., orchestrated the torture, assassination and dismemberment of an American-based journalist using diplomatic premises in a NATO country. That is monstrous, and its compounded by the tepid response from Washington. President Trump is already rejecting the idea of responding to such a murder by cutting off weapons sales. Trump sounds as if he believes that the consequence of such an assassination should be a hiccup and then business as usual. Frankly, its a disgrace that Trump administration officials and American business tycoons enabled and applauded M.B.S. as he imprisoned business executives, kidnapped Lebanons prime minister, rashly created a crisis with Qatar, and went to war in Yemen to create what the United Nations calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis there. Some eight million Yemenis on the edge of starvation there dont share this bizarre view that M.B.S. is a magnificent reformer. By this I mean that spiritual conversations, once a natural part of each day for me, suddenly became a struggle. Whether I spoke to a stranger or a friend, the exchange flowed freely so long as I stuck to small talk. But conversations stalled out the moment the subject turned spiritual. Before relocating, I worked as a part-time minister at a suburban congregation outside of Atlanta. Before that, I had attended a Christian college and seminary. All my life, I used religious language daily in my home and community, rarely pausing to think about the meaning of my words. But I was not in Georgia anymore. Whenever I used religious terms I considered common like gospel and saved my conversation partner often stopped me mid-thought to ask for a definition, please. Id try to rephrase those words in ordinary vernacular, but I couldnt seem to articulate their meanings. Some words, like sin, now felt so negative that they lodged in my throat. Others, like grace, Id spoken so often that I no longer knew what they meant. In New York as in much of America, increasingly religious fluency is not assumed. Work often takes precedence over worship , social lives are prioritized over spiritual disciplines and most people save their Sunday-best clothing for Monday through Friday. In pluralistic contexts, our neighbors dont read from the same script or draw from a common spiritual vocabulary. According to my survey, a range of internal conflicts is driving Americans from God-talk. Some said these types of conversations create tension or arguments (28 percent); others feel put off by how religion has been politicized (17 percent); others still report not wanting to appear religious (7 percent), sound weird (6 percent) or seem extremist (5 percent). Whatever the reason, for most of us in this majority-Christian nation, our conversations almost never address the spirituality we claim is important. A deeper look reveals that the decline in sacred speech is not a recent trend, though we are only now becoming fully aware of it. By searching the Google Ngram corpus a collection of millions of books, newspapers, webpages and speeches published between 1500 and 2008 we can now determine the frequency of word usage over the centuries. This data shows that most religious and spiritual words have been declining in the English-speaking world since the early 20th century. One might expect a meaty theological term like salvation to fade, but basic moral and religious words are also falling out of use. A study in The Journal of Positive Psychology analyzed 50 terms associated with moral virtue. Language about the virtues Christians call the fruit of the spirit words like love, patience, gentleness and faithfulness has become much rarer. Humility words, like modesty, fell by 52 percent. Compassion words, like kindness, dropped by 56 percent. Gratitude words, like thankfulness, declined by 49 percent. But at the same time, labels do sometimes need to shift with political realities. The neoconservatives of the 1970s, former liberals who became Nixon or Reagan backers, eventually accepted the neocon description instead of calling themselves The Real New Deal Democrats forever. And for an important part of the NeverTrump movement a similar shift may happen, so that within a few years figures like Rubin will just identify as centrist Democrats or left-libertarians or neo-neoliberals or some other term thats yet to be invented. This expectation doesnt apply to many NeverTrumpers. It doesnt fit Reaganite Trump-skeptics who hate the president's temperament but have been pleasantly surprised by his judicial appointments and tax cuts, or younger, heterodox conservatives who regard Trump himself as a bigot but consider his populist campaign a possible road map for the future. But an important group of NeverTrumpers identified with the right on a very specific set of issues support for the 1990s-era free trade consensus, Wilsonian hawkishness, democracy promotion that are unlikely to animate conservatism again any time soon no matter how the Trump presidency ends. These intellectuals and strategists arent particularly culturally conservative, theyre allergic to populism, they dont have any reason to identify with a conservatism thats wary of nation-building and globalization and soon enough, they wont. Along with Rubin I'm thinking here of Max Boot, her fellow Post columnist and the author of a new book denouncing the Trump-era right, who self-defined as a conservative mostly because he favored a democratic imperialism of the kind that George W. Bush unsuccessfully promoted. I'm thinking of Evan McMullin, the third-party presidential candidate turned full-time anti-Trump activist, and certain Republican strategists from the Bush-McCain-Romney party, whose Twitter feeds suggest that they never much cared for the voters who supported their candidates anyway. A recent Atlantic essay from the Navy War College professor Tom Nichols, explaining his departure from the G.O.P., is a more idiosyncratic but still useful example of the type. People in this camp will remain interesting, as converts and apostates often are. But observers trying to imagine what a decent right might look like after Trump should look elsewhere to thinkers and writers who basically accept the populist turn, and whose goal is to supply coherence and intellectual ballast, to purge populism of its bigotries and inject good policy instead. Q: My domestic partner and I live in a rent-stabilized apartment in a West Village building that converted to a co-op years ago under a noneviction plan. In February, my landlord sold my apartment to a new owner who has been harassing us for the past six months. He says he is not going to renew our lease when it expires at the end of October because he wants to take possession of it. My partner and I are both over 62 and one of us is disabled. I feel the landlord has no grounds to remove us, but what should we do? It doesnt seem right that we should have to hire an attorney when the law seems so clear. A: Under some circumstances, a landlord can attempt to reclaim a rent-stabilized apartment for personal use. But your case is not one of those circumstances, and his threats could amount to harassment. You are protected on more than one front, and your landlord should know this. First, you live in a co-op with a noneviction plan, so by the very nature of your lease, a landlord could not evict you to take possession of the apartment. Even if you lived in a typical rent-stabilized apartment, hed still have a difficult time making his case because of the age and disabilities of the tenants. The landlords position is utter nonsense, said Lucas A. Ferrara, a Manhattan real estate attorney and adjunct professor at New York Law School. It was Saturday night of New York Fashion Week, and everywhere Emmanuel Perrotin turned, hands were being thrust at him. Ronnie Fieg, the founder of Kith, the cool-kid street wear brand, congratulated him. Johan Lindberg, the Swedish fashion designer and party fixture, paid his respects. Next up were Alexandre Arnault, the 26-year-old son of Bernard Arnault, and his younger brother Frederic, who seemed to take in the festive atmosphere with an appraisers eye. Also swirling around Mr. Perrotin in the crush of street-style poseurs were beau monde bohos like Kaws, Alexandre de Betak, Andre Saraiva and Jefferson Hack. From the sidewalk, outside the old Beckenstein Home Fabrics building on Orchard Street, it looked like yet another A-list party on the fashion circuit. But inside, as everyone in attendance knew, this was the latest art opening orchestrated by Mr. Perrotin, 50, the highly sociable gallery owner from Paris, who has emerged as one of the savviest showmen on the global commercial art scene. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa President Trump was energized. Fresh from the fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, he was firing up thousands of supporters at a rally by complaining about how Democrats had treated his nominee and how they may yet try to remove Justice Kavanaugh from the bench. Theyre saying, Well impeach him! Mr. Trump practically bellowed into the microphone here last week, his voice brimming with incredulity and righteous outrage. Impeach him for what? For what? The crowd booed on cue. Besides that, Mr. Trump then added slyly, I have to go first, right? The crowd laughed. Perhaps only in the Trump era would the prospect of being impeached become a punch line for the president of the United States. But after almost two years of living under the cloud of a possible impeachment, it may soon cease to be a laughing matter. While Democrats are largely ducking the topic on the campaign trail, few in Washington doubt that impeachment will be on the table if they win the House on Nov. 6. If that happens, anyone who thought the battle over Justice Kavanaughs confirmation was ugly and divisive should buckle up, because history suggests it would provide only a small taste of what lies ahead. The impeachment drives against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton tore at the nations fabric, but an effort to remove Mr. Trump could lead to an even more incendiary conflict, thanks to the advent of social media and Mr. Trumps brand of blowtorch politics. The decomposing remains of 11 infants were found on Friday after Michigan authorities received an anonymous tip that sent them to a shuttered funeral home in eastern Detroit. The bodies were found in a box and a coffin that were hidden in a drop ceiling between the first and second floors of the Cantrell Funeral Home, Lt. Brian Bowser of the Detroit Police Department told reporters on Friday night. It was unclear how long the remains had been there. He said the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs received a letter about the remains on Friday afternoon and went to the funeral home. Agency officials then called the police. Lieutenant Bowser said officers discovered 11 remains of infants, stillborns. The state department shut down the funeral home in April because of deplorable, unsanitary conditions and other violations, it said in a statement at the time. Were one of the largest dirt-road counties in the entire state of Florida, said Eric Hall, a county commissioner, of the challenges of getting around after the storm. On Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna, a corner law firms entire facade was blown out, exposing two floors of desks and filing cabinets inside. A well-liked restaurant looked like a box missing the front and top. In nearby Gadsden County, where officials said at least two tornadoes touched down on Wednesday, Steve Sweet died in his wifes arms after a tree fell on their home, his wife told reporters on Thursday. Gayle Sweet said she waited outside and refused to go to a hospital for treatment herself until his body had been taken away. On Friday, she said in a phone interview that she was still too heartbroken to talk about her loss. Its been a nightmare, she said through tears. He was so wonderful. In Quincy, a line dozens of cars deep stretched into the road Friday morning from a parking lot in a prison next to a National Guard armory, where service members offered families cases of water, boxes of ready-to-eat meals and roof tarps. Shortly after the trucks pulled in, word had spread around town in spite of the lack of power and cellphone service that some help had arrived. Theres no shower. We cant use the toilet, said Halina Ciucci, whose home relies on well water powered by an electric pump. Were hoping we can find an open A.T.M. to get cash because no one is taking credit cards. I do not think its a turning point, unfortunately. The climate in America is toxic. Oftentimes they feel threatened, although in most cases we are unarmed and are not a threat to anyone. Time and again the officers behavior is deemed justified. It is my opinion, if they are generally so afraid of us, perhaps another line of employment would be advisable. Beverly Macon I certainly hope that this is a turning point but I sincerely doubt it. Racism runs deep in this country and it isnt going away. I think it will take at least 50 years for things to change. I thank God every night that my son is white. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the mothers of black boys. Lynn Godmilow As a former state prosecutor and an old white man, I think the verdict was completely justified. The shooting was an outrage under the circumstances. Van Dyke deserves a very long prison sentence. He is an unapologetic killer. Richard Altman The verdict is just an aberration. It took four years and an extraordinary amount of public pressure and a video just to get this verdict. The law enforcement community will double down, correct their mistakes in Van Dykes defense and reinforce the blue wall of silence and complicity that permeates the criminal justice system from top to bottom. Barry Thompson Even as the inspector generals report was issued, on Sept. 27, doctors and patients and members of Congress were expressing concern about some practices of Medicare Advantage plans. Patients may be encountering barriers to timely access to care that are caused by onerous and often unnecessary prior authorization requirements, said a letter sent to the Trump administration this past week by a bipartisan group of more than 100 lawmakers. Insurers defend the requirements. They protect patients from unnecessary and inappropriate care and help reduce costs, said Matt Eyles, the president and chief executive of Americas Health Insurance Plans. The growth of Medicare Advantage is driven not only by consumer choice, but also by policies set in Washington. Several factors have contributed to a favorable environment for Medicare Advantage plans, allowing them to reduce premiums or add benefits: The Trump administration approved a big increase in payments to private plans for 2019, saying it was committed to unleashing and strengthening the Medicare Advantage program. In addition to the general business tax cuts enacted last year, Congress provided additional tax relief to health insurers for 2019, suspending a fee imposed on them by the Affordable Care Act. Medicare Advantage plans will be able to offer extra benefits, which could include transportation to the doctors office, home delivery of hot meals and safety features in the home like wheelchair ramps and bathroom grab bars. Such benefits, which are generally not available in the traditional Medicare program, may be attractive to older Americans who want to combine social and medical services. One in two American seniors will be in Medicare Advantage by 2021, given the industry-friendly rate and tax policies of the Trump administration, said Ana Gupte, a health care analyst at Leerink Partners in New York. Kavanaugh Is One of Only 114 to Join the Exclusive Club of Justices. Heres How He Fits In. The country received a dire climate warning as another hurricane hit the Southeast A landmark report from the United Nations released Monday said the consequences of climate change could be far more dire and arrive sooner than anticipated: food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040. Yet it appears that Mr. Trump and his administration will continue to remain isolated from an otherwise global effort to attempt to address the problem. [Read the story] He said he would most likely visit next week parts of the Southeast ravaged by Hurricane Michael. Residents in Florida, Georgia and other states are struggling to find resources in the aftermath of the storm. [Read the story] Additional Reading New U.N. Climate Report Says Put a High Price on Carbon As Storms Keep Coming, FEMA Spends Billions in Cycle of Damage and Repair E.P.A. to Disband a Key Scientific Review Panel on Air Pollution In other midterm news: Beto ORourke, attack ads and a look toward 2020 Beto ORourke, the Democratic candidate looking to unseat Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, on Friday unveiled a historic level of fund-raising in the last three months. But the announcement also revealed tensions about what Democrats think he should contribute to races other than his own. [Read the story] A Democratic challenger in Kentucky, Amy McGrath, has promised not to run any attack ads during her campaign. It will serve as a test of whether negative ads, which are generally disliked at face value by voters, are effective. [Read the story] Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. levied some of his harshest criticism on Friday against Mr. Trump, in an apparent test of what could be a campaign to defeat the presidents re-election. [Read the story] Mr. Brunsons case had become a cause celebre among religious conservatives, and Mr. Trump eagerly embraced it. He credited the pressure he had put on Turkey for Mr. Brunsons release, but said he had agreed to no deal. The only deal, if you could call it a deal, is a psychological one, he said. We feel much different about Turkey today than we did yesterday. That may be exactly what Turkey wanted, given the clash over Mr. Khashoggi, but Mr. Trump made clear once again that he had no immediate or specific plans to take action against Saudi Arabia. He again rejected the idea of canceling or postponing arms sales on the grounds that it would cost American businesses money and jobs, and he made no move to cancel Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchins coming trip to Saudi Arabia for an investment conference, even though several American businesses are pulling out. In an interview with 60 Minutes to be aired on CBS on Sunday, Mr. Trump said there will be severe punishment if Saudi Arabia is found to have ordered the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, but neither in the interview nor in his comments to reporters on Saturday did he suggest what such punishment would look like. Instead, he extolled the virtues of an arms sales deal he cut with Saudi Arabia during a visit last year. I worked very hard to get the order for the military, he said. If they dont buy it from us, theyre going to buy it from Russia or theyre going to buy it from China or theyre going to buy it from other countries. Canceling the sales, he said, I actually think we would be punishing ourselves if we did that. Mr. Trump said that he had received a letter from Mr. Khashoggis fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and that he had invited her to meet with him. He said that he planned to call King Salman of Saudi Arabia later on Saturday or Sunday to ask him about Mr. Khashoggis disappearance. Ever since the cornerstone of the nations first public university building was laid in 1793, the legacy of slavery has been inextricable from the history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At an event celebrating the universitys 225th birthday on Friday, Chancellor Carol L. Folt apologized for that history. I offer our universitys deepest apology for the profound injustices of slavery, our full acknowledgment of the strength of enslaved peoples in the face of their suffering, and our respect and indebtedness to them, Dr. Folt said in a speech for the University Day celebration at Memorial Hall. She said that U.N.C. had a unique place in history as the nations oldest public university, adding that our apology must lead to purposeful action and it has to build upon the great efforts and sacrifices of so many across the years who fought so hard for much of what we value about Carolina today. The departure of the FARC was at first a boon for activists and community organizers a chance to push for infrastructure projects needed for decades, like roads, aqueducts and services in the countryside. But the government has yet to take control of many of the areas the rebels left. In their place, a mix of drug traffickers, paramilitary groups and breakaway rebel factions that rejected the peace agreement have taken over. These groups now see the activists development projects as a threat, bringing unwanted attention and potentially interfering with their illegal activities, residents say. And that has put activists at the mercy of criminal groups. In these areas the FARC left, the state never arrived, said Carlos Guevara, of the Somos Defensores, a research group that monitors attacks against activists. In just one bloody two-day period this summer, 10 activists were killed in eight different provinces, including a left-wing political organizer, a village leader and two representatives of an indigenous group shot dead on a country road the night of July 6. That same week, Martha Milena Becerra received a call that her mother, a community organizer outside of the western city of Quibdo, had also been shot dead, only moments after the two had talked by phone. She would say, Why would anyone come after me if I havent hurt anyone? recalled Ms. Becerra, who soon packed her belongings and fled the city with her sister. Later, amid official reports warning the results were insufficient, Mr. Xi reassigned Chen Quanguo, 62, the hard-line party chief in neighboring Tibet, to act as the chief enforcer of the crackdown in Xinjiang. Mr. Chen was also promoted to the 25-member Politburo, the party leadership council that governs China. What is happening in Xinjiang is the leading edge of a new, more coercive ethnic policy under Xi Jinpings new era of Chinese power, said James Leibold, an expert on Xinjiang at La Trobe University in Australia who has monitored the campaign. The Trump administration is weighing sanctions against Chinese officials and companies involved in the indoctrination camps, a move that would extend the friction between Washington and Beijing over trade and military disputes to human rights. A bipartisan commission has singled out Mr. Chen and six other officials as potential targets. Last week, apparently stung by the international criticism, the Xinjiang government issued revised rules on deradicalization that for the first time clearly authorized the indoctrination camps. Worried about Muslim extremism and ethnic nationalism, Beijing has long maintained tight control of Xinjiang, where nearly half the population of 24 million are Uighurs. In the decade up to 2014, the security forces struggled with a series of violent antigovernment attacks for which they blamed Uighur separatists. Mr. Xi made his first and only visit as national leader to Xinjiang in April 2014. Hours after his four-day visit ended, assailants used bombs and knives to kill three people and wound nearly 80 others near a train station in Urumqi, the regional capital. The attack was seen as a rebuff to Mr. Xi, who had just left the city and vowed to wield an iron fist against Uighurs who oppose Chinese rule. MANILA The Philippines has won another term on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a move condemned by international groups and officials as unconscionable but praised by Philippine officials as a vindication for a nation maligned around the world for President Rodrigo Dutertes brutal drug war. The country won a three-year term on Friday at the United Nations General Assembly, becoming one of 18 member states to join the 47-seat council through 2021. The vote was 192 to 165, the Philippine foreign secretary, Alan Peter Cayetano, said. Human Rights Watch accused the Philippine president of overseeing a killing frenzy and said the vote for the country to retain its seat on the council risked undermining the bodys credibility and effectiveness. The Philippines has been undergoing a human rights crisis that could amount to crimes against humanity, said Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watchs director at the United Nations. KABUL, Afghanistan Seeking to inject new energy into the long-stalled Afghan peace process, the top American diplomat charged with helping find a way to end the war has met with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, according to officials and a Taliban statement on Saturday. The meeting on Friday between the American diplomat, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban was the second that senior American officials have had with Taliban representatives in Qatar since the White House ordered direct talks this summer in the hopes of jump-starting the peace process. On Saturday, Mr. Khalilzad flew to Kabul to meet with the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani. The Taliban have long demanded that they meet with Americans directly instead of the Afghan government, which has made Afghan leaders wary of being sidelined. Western diplomats have described the Americans direct contact with the Taliban as talks before talks that could then grow into negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The Taliban, in a statement issued through their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said six of their representatives met with Mr. Khalilzad. ATHENS The Greek authorities recovered the charred remains of 11 people believed to be migrants after the vehicle they were traveling in collided with a truck in northern Greece and both vehicles exploded early Saturday morning, the police said. The crash occurred about 5:30 a.m. near the town of Kavala, and both vehicles burst into flames, a regional police official said. All 11 people in the car were killed, while the driver of the truck, a 39-year-old Greek man, escaped before the explosion and was hospitalized with minor injuries. The victims were trapped in the car and couldnt get out, the police said. They were believed to have been migrants because the car they were traveling in was linked to a human-trafficking operation, the authorities said. The driver of their vehicle had ignored a police signal to stop for a routine inspection earlier in the morning, the police said, adding that the authorities did not pursue the car. It is likely that the migrants had crossed into Greece from Turkey and had been heading to Thessaloniki to apply for asylum, the police said. Video footage on state television showed two blazing wrecks: the car crushed beyond recognition and the truck gutted by flames. DNA tests are planned for the remains of the victims to identify their ethnic origin, the police said. The crash occurred a few days after the authorities found the bodies of three women near the Turkish border with their throats cut. The three were also believed to have been migrants, though the police have not released information about their origin. The Greek news media have speculated that smugglers had killed the women to make an example of them after they failed to pay for their transfer. In recent months there has been an increased influx of migrants from Greeces land border with Turkey. According to Greeces migration minister, Dimitris Vitsas, about 12,000 migrants have crossed into Greece so far this year, up from 3,300 in 2016 and 5,500 in 2017. The increased flow has prompted the authorities to build extensions to the facilities in northern Greece to host the new arrivals, and new venues are expected to open soon. The transfer of hundreds of migrants from overcrowded state camps in the Aegean Islands is also increasing pressure on facilities on the mainland. The European migration commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, is to arrive in Ankara, the Turkish capital, on Monday for talks with officials about a deal between the European Union and Turkey to curb migration across the Aegean Sea. An increased influx of migrants this year, though far short of the crisis in late 2015 and early 2016, is further straining island camps, where rights workers are warning of a mental health emergency. Pope Francis will canonize Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the Salvadoran champion of poor people who was assassinated as he said Mass in 1980, in a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday. The archbishop was one of the most prominent church leaders in Latin America when he was killed at the age of 62. He condemned injustice and spoke out against political repression amid an intensifying war between leftist rebels and government and right-wing forces in El Salvador. Archbishop Romero had received several threats before a sniper fired a single shot, killing him on March 24, 1980. His funeral, which was attended by huge crowds, also came under attack by snipers. As many as 40 people were killed. The previous month, Archbishop Romero had angered government supporters by asking President Jimmy Carter to halt military aid to the country. (When Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, he quickly increased such aid.) And in his Sunday sermons, Archbishop Romero insisted on nonviolence as he warned that El Salvador faced full-scale civil war without profound societal changes. ROME Pope Francis on Saturday expelled from the priesthood two retired Chilean bishops accused of abusing minors, and made it clear they had no possibility of appeal. The decision was adopted by the pope last Thursday, Oct. 11, the Vatican said in a statement, as a consequence of overt acts of abuse against minors. The decision does not allow for recourse, the statement added. One of the bishops, Francisco Cox, 84, is the archbishop emeritus of the city of La Serena and is in poor health. He has a record of sexually abusing children dating to before his arrival as the bishop of the Chilean diocese of Chillan in 1974. The other is Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez, 53, and he has not been seen publicly for years. The popes sentence, the harshest available in church canon law, comes amid a sprawling sexual abuse scandal and growing doubts about whether Francis will hold bishops accountable for covering up abuse. BARKAN, West Bank An Israeli-run factory in the West Bank asks its Jewish employees on military reserve duty not to drop by in uniform so the Palestinian workers wont feel occupied, according to one Israeli manager. In the Barkan Industrial Park, one of several Israeli-run commercial zones near Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that Israel and its supporters have long held up as models of coexistence, factory owners pay Israeli and Palestinian workers equally. They avoid any visible security or weapons. And they organize company barbecues to try to keep tensions tamped down. But those efforts suffered a blow last weekend when a 23-year-old Palestinian electrician, identified by the Israeli authorities as Ashraf Naalwa, ran up to the second floor of the factory where he had been working. Armed with a submachine gun, he bound the hands of a secretary, Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, a 28-year-old mother of an infant, before fatally shooting her, authorities said. He then killed 35-year-old Ziv Hagbi, an accountant and father of three. He also shot and wounded a 54-year-old employee, Sarah Vettori, before fleeing. Given expectations, our poll is a good result for Republicans. Its just one poll, though. Can a Republican moderate hold a majority Hispanic district in Texas? We made 38789 calls, and 488 people spoke to us. This survey was conducted by The New York Times Upshot and Siena College. Hey, Im Alex Burns, a politics correspondent for The Times. Ill give you the latest reporting and intel on the midterms and take your questions from the campaign trail. Its generally best to look at a single poll in the context of other polls: On paper, this is a classic battleground district. But the Cook Political Report rates it as lean Republican, in part because Mr. Hurd has distinguished himself from the national party. The district also reflects a broader pattern of Democrats struggles to match their presidential-year tallies in majority Hispanic areas. Mr. Hurd wrote a New York Times op-ed in July asserting that the president had been manipulated by Russian intelligence. (We polled this district from Sept. 10-11. Mr. Hurd had a modest lead in that poll.) This majority Hispanic border district stretches along the Rio Grande to the suburbs of San Antonio. Historically, it has some of the lowest turnout in the country. is the current representative, a member of the House intelligence committee and a former C.I.A. officer. He voted against the Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. 58% favorable rating; 26% unfavorable; 16% dont know is a former Air Force intelligence officer who worked as a director in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 37% favorable rating; 41% unfavorable; 22% dont know Each dot shows one of the 38789 calls we made. But sampling error is not the only type of error in a poll. One reason were doing these surveys live is so you can see the uncertainty for yourself. As we reach more people, our poll will become more stable and the margin of sampling error will shrink. The changes in the timeline below reflect that sampling error, not real changes in the race. Our turnout model 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. 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. Assumptions about who is going to vote may be particularly important in this race. Our poll under different turnout scenarios Who will vote? Est. turnout Our poll result The types of people who voted in 2014 120k Hurd +22 People whose voting history suggests they will vote, regardless of what they say 158k Hurd +16 Our estimate 159k Hurd +15 People who say they will vote, adjusted for past levels of truthfulness 174k Hurd +13 The types of people who voted in 2016 212k Hurd +13 People who say they are almost certain to vote, and no one else 229k Hurd +6 Every active registered voter 393k Hurd +4 In these scenarios, higher turnout tends to be better for Democrats. Just because one candidate leads in all of these different turnout scenarios doesnt mean much by itself. They dont represent the full range of possible turnout scenarios, let alone the full range of possible election results. 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 3 1 8 3 2 2 1 in 145 5% 9% 30 to 64 1 7 7 3 1 2 8 3 1 in 63 58% 58% 65 and older 6 1 4 8 1 8 3 1 in 34 38% 33% Male 1 1 9 1 7 2 4 3 1 in 49 50% 47% Female 1 5 1 4 8 2 4 5 1 in 62 50% 53% White 1 1 0 7 8 2 7 1 1 in 41 56% 45% Nonwhite 1 4 7 5 2 1 9 4 1 in 76 40% 50% Cell 1 9 9 6 4 3 1 5 1 in 63 65% Landline 7 1 0 1 1 7 3 1 in 41 35% Pollsters compensate by giving more weight to respondents from under-represented groups. Here, were weighting by age, primary vote, gender, likelihood of voting, race, education 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. Here are other common ways to weight a poll: Our poll under different weighting schemes Our poll result Dont weight by primary vote, like most public polls Hurd +14 Dont weight by education, like many polls in 2016 Hurd +15 Our estimate Hurd +15 Weight using census data instead of voting records, like most public polls Hurd +16 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. Vernon, N.Y. Rome Memorial Hospitals Senior Behavioral Health Units (SBHU) 15th annual mental health symposium will take place Friday, Oct. 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel Conference Center, Vernon. Registration is open to all area healthcare providers, mental health professionals and the general public. According to event coordinator Greg Jones, admissions and marketing coordinator of the SBHU, the conferences keynote speaker, Bryan Adams, a US Army infantry veteran, will speak on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Bryan will speak candidly on his military service in Iraq, being wounded, as well as his struggles with depression and anxiety and alcohol abuse upon returning to civilian life he said. His unique story includes messages of inspiration and hope for anyone struggling with PTSD. Other speakers at the event include: Deborah Cabral, who will speak about specific techniques to improve decision making and critical thinking skills in the healthcare and mental health fields. Her second session will focus on improving customer service skills with patients and co-workers which will improve workplace performance; and Dr. Marcellus Cephas, medical director of the SBHU, will discuss NICHE approaches to fall reduction and stability improvement in the elderly. The cost of the conference is $125 per person. Facilities or organizations sending three or more persons are eligible for a group rate of $110 per person. The fee includes the seminar, course materials, continental breakfast and lunch, a certificate of attendance and CEU credits (licensed social workers). Fees are non-refundable. Advance payment and registration can be made by contacting Greg Jones at 338-7171 or gjones@romehospital.org. Registration can also be made the day of the event. Checks, made payable to Rome Memorial Hospital, may be mailed to: Greg Jones, Rome Memorial Hospital Senior Behavioral Health Unit, 1500 N. James St., Rome, NY, 13440. Located on the hospitals second floor, the 12-bed Senior Behavioral Health Unit is a secure therapeutic environment that provides health care for older adults (ages 55 and older) who have depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Treatment includes prescribed medications, psychotherapy, and other activities to help the seniors regain their well-being. The Senior Behavioral Health Unit can take admissions seven days a week, 24 hours a day to meet the needs of seniors in crisis. For more information, call 338-7399. Over 40 per cent of inmates in Guwahati jail test COVID-19 positive Assam: 4 injured in explosion in Guwahati, ULFA-I claims responsibility Guwahati oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Guwahati, Oct 13: ULFA-I claimed responsibility for the blast in which four people were injured in Guwahati on Saturday. Police has cordoned off the blast site Shukleshwar Ghat and the probe is underway. "Around 11:45 am, an explosion occurred at the riverfront. Preliminary investigation rules out any sabotage activity. Bomb disposal squad is present at the spot, further investigation is underway, " news agency ANI quoted Joint CP Diganta Borah as saying. Assam DGP Kuladhar Saikia, said, "Security in Guwahati city will be heightened immediately: Assam DGP on explosion near Shukleshwar Ghat today." Guwahati: Police present at the spot where an explosion occurred near Shukleshwar Ghat today, 4 people were injured. #Assam pic.twitter.com/9uHffEauWO ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2018 Assam Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal condemned the incident. He tweeted, " I strongly condemn the untoward incident at MG Road (Riverside), Panbazar Police Station area in Guwahati. We are ensuring that all injured are duly taken care of. @assampolice has been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter." Aryan's drugs case: Seizure not conducted by authorized officer, court says while giving bail to woman accused Hardik Pandya clarifies watch was worth Rs 1.5 cr, not Rs 5 cr, voluntarily declared items brought by me Alok Nath files defamation case against Vinta Nanda India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Mumbai, Oct 13: Actor Alok Nath filed a defamation case on Saturday against writer-producer Vinta Nanda, who had accused him of rape. Alok Nath's advocate Ashok Saraogi told a private TV channel that his client has filed a written complaint in the Amboli police station through his wife. Also, he has approached a local court to initiate proceedings against the persons who have allegedly defamed him. #MeToo effect: After Sajid Khan, Nana Patekar steps out of Housefull 4 Earlier this week, Vinta Nanda, the creator of 90s show Tara, shared a shattering account of rape, which happened nearly two decades ago. The alleged rapist was a 'sanskaari' actor, she wrote in her lengthy Facebook post, whom social media has identified as Alok Nath. Television and film actor Alok Nath who was accused of rape after writer Vinta Nanda shared her harrowing story on Facebook, several women who have worked with the 'sanskari baap' have alleged about his behaviour in public. Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA escapes unhurt in attack, 2 party workers injured Two other women have also come forward with their alleged #MeToo experiences with Mr Nath - actress Sandhya Mridul and a woman who worked on the crew of Hum Saath Saath Hai. Assembly elections: How Mizoram voted in 2013 India oi-Deepika S Aizawl, Oct 13: The stakes are high for Congress and BJP in Mizoram, the last battleground the rivals to prove themselves as it goes to the polls on November 28. While Congress will fight for survival in its last stronghold in the North-Eastern states ,the BJP sees the polls as an opportunity to accomplish its agenda of a 'Congress-Mukt Northeast'. Power has changed hands between Congress and Mizo National Front (MNF) in the six elections Mizoram has had since its formation in 1987. While MNF won the first election in 1987, largely owing to its role in the creation of the state, Congress won the next two elections in 1989 and 1993. After a decade of Congress rule, anti-incumbency swept the state and made way for MNF's return.It retained power for 10 years, ceding to Congress in 2008. In the 2013 assembly poll, the Congress had won 34 seats and made Lal Thanhawala the chief minister, while the BJP has no MLA at present. Election in Mizoram is important as it would decide whether the Congress manages to hold its lone fort in the northeast or not. Increasing Vote Share Congress has increased its vote share from 38.89% in 2008 to 44.63% in 2018. Similarly, MNF's vote share has fallen from 30.65% in 2008 to 28.65% in 2013. Here's a look at the party-wise perfomance in 2013 Mizoram Assembly Elections For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 14:19 [IST] Benevolent BJP towards Shivpal and Mulayam joining him at dais to cause confusion among ranks India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 13: The kind of politics being played in Uttar Pradesh is unlikely to keep opposition votes as one block, some kind of electoral arrangement could be made but bringing voters of the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties on one platform seems elusive at least the king of politics happening in the state at the moment. Some kind of Mahagathbandhan is being discussed in the state with the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal joining hands. But Congress and BJP failed to come to terms in neighbouring state Madhya Pradesh where elections have been announced. Samajwadi Party too is going alone in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. So where is the meeting ground? Have Congress-NCP sealed a 50:50 deal for LS polls But it is argued that things will be on the track in Uttar Pradesh at the time of Lok Sabha elections but contradictions in the state are even bigger. The Uttar Pradesh government has allotted Shivpal Singh Yadav, uncle and chief of Samajwadi Secular Morcha, the splinter group pf Samajwadi Party led by former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. His father Mulayam Singh joins his brother in a programme of Samajwadi Secular Morcha in Lucknow while he missed the programme at SP headquarters on the occasion of Ram Manohar Lohia birth anniversary. So what message Akhilesh has for his shrinking base of party workers. Similar confusion is about another Dalit icon emerging in the block as Chandrashekhar and another former chief minister Mayawati is not easy with him as he is more aggressive and tech-savvy which has more appeal among Dalit youth and they are even more aggressive. Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore, independent MLA supported by the Congress Jignesh Mevani and Hardik Patel supporting him is giving the clear message of them being more close to the Congress. So there is a confusion at the ground level which way to go. Political analyst feel that Akhilesh Yadav is left alone in the party with the support of Azam Khan but his acceptability is not beyond Rampur and in the last Lok Sabha elections he failed to save even Rampur. With former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh giving Shivpal enough space to run his party properly and in case the opposition failing to join hands, some last minuets arrangements like Mayawati joining Shivpal cannot be ruled out. Experts also say that Mayawati is unlikely to accept Rashtriya Lok Dal in the grand alliance as the moment RLD joins it Dalit votes will go away and Mayawati won't like loosing them to Chandrashekar and finally to the Congress. Is BJP scared of Congress' 'soft-Hindutva' strategy? Akhilesh might be living with this impression that he is chief of the Samajwadi Party but the entire organisational structure has shifted with Samajwadi Secular Morcha who was looking after the organisation structure right from the time of Mulayam Singh Yadav as its chief. They are also under estimating the Congress which is gaining ground in the central UP among its traditional vote bank of Dalits and Brahmins. Lots of other fringe groups in the state too are in a position to harm these political parties and any division is going to benefit the BJP. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 12:52 [IST] Blessings of 130 cr people with you: PM Modi celebrates Diwali with soldiers in J&Ks Nowshera With 2 more arrests NIA steps up heat on terrorists targeting civilians in J&K Bloody day in J&K amidst third phase of ULB polls India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Oct 13: It has been a bloody day in Jammu and Kashmir so far even as the state is polling for the third phase of the urban local body elections. While in one incident, a top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was shot dead, in another a police man was martyred. Security forces gun down militant in Pulwama, gunfight underway The Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Babgund area of the south Kashmir district during the night after inputs of the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militant fired upon the forces who then retaliated. In the ensuing gunfight, the militant was killed in the morning, the official said. He said the slain militant has been identified as Sabir Ahmad Dar who belonged to HM outfit. Some arms and ammunition have been recovered from the encounter site, the official said, adding the operation has been called off. Policeman martyred: Terrorists shot dead a policeman in his house in Sopore township of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. Phase 3: Voting underway in Jammu and Kashmir ULB polls Unidentified militants barged inside the house of Javid Ahmad Lone at Warpora in the outskirts of the town in north Kashmir district late Friday night and fired upon him, a police official said. He said Lone suffered critical injuries and later died. He was working as a follower in the police department, the official said, adding a case was registered. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 13:30 [IST] Charges against MJ Akbar to be examined: Amit Shah India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 13: In the wake of #Me Too allegations against MJ Akbar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has said the numerous charges of sexual harassment against union minister will be probed. "We will definitely look into the issue. We have to see whether these allegations are true or false. We haven't heard anything from his side, so it is really difficult to comment anything on that at the moment," he said. Shah, however, added that "People can put anything against anyone on any website, so we have to probe the charges and see whether it is true or not and whether this incident ever happened or not. Even you can say anything against me on a website, so we'll evaluate and then we will decide our next step," he said according to a Times of India report. MeToo: PM Modi should take a call on MJ Akbar, says Subramanian Swamy The party chief's reaction came a few days after MJ Akbar's name was brought up by two journalists in the #MeToo campaign following which the government faced flak from opposition parties and demanded the junior External Affairs Minister's removal. Earlier, Maneka Gandhi indirectly said that they wanted a probe into those allegations against Akbar. But Shah directly commented on the issue indicating that his party is taking the issue seriously. #MeToo allegations on MJ Akbar: Female journalists not so innocent, says MP BJP's women wing chief The BJP women leaders Uma Bharti, Meenakshi Lekhi also supported the movement and called on women to speak up on the issue. The recent allegations on MJ Akbar have also become problematic for his continuation as the junior foreign minister. The pressure on the government seems to have increased as another case of sexual harassment against Akbar surfaced on Friday. This time, from a US journalist while she was an intern at The Asian Age way back in the year 2007. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 10:01 [IST] BSP to fight solo in UP, Uttarakhand, no tie-up with Owaisi's AIMIM, says Mayawati 'Should not be misled': Mayawati reaches out to Brahmins before UP polls Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: Mayawati trains gun at BJP over Ram temple issue India oi-Deepika S Bilaspur, Oct 13: Ahead of assembly polls, BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday flagged off the election campaign for the Ajit-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and BSP combine in Bilaspur. The BSP chief targeted BJP questioning the frenzy around the Ram Mandir at Ayodhaya. "As the elections are approaching, efforts to build the Ram Mandir is gaining momentum. But BJP can make as many Ram Mandirs in UP and elsewhere but it won't give ensure political gains for either BJP or RSS," she said at a rally in Bilaspur. Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Blow to Congress as its MLA Ram Dayal Uike joins BJP "I want to assure Ajit Jogi ji that the respect he never got in the Congress party, he would get with BSP," she said. The former UP CM had previously slammed Congress as an arrogant party - much like BJP, she had said - and even said that some of its leaders were not interested in any alliance with BSP. Mayawati said people of the state and rest of India are fed-up of BJP government at the centre. She attacked the Congress for showing utter disrespect to Aji Jogi and assured that the JCC-BSP combine will ge get the due respect. Assembly elections: BJP likely to lose Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan, predicts survey The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said all-out effort should be made by JCC-BSP workers to ensure clear majority. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has forged an alliance with the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) for the upcoming Chhattisgarh state assembly elections. JCC president Ajit Jogi has been nominated as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Congress and BJP trying to win over old guards in a tough electoral battle in Chhattisgarh Out of the 90 seats in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, the BSP will contest on 35, while the JCC will contest on the remaining 55 seats. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 15:34 [IST] Congress and BJP trying to win over old guards in a tough electoral battle in Chhattisgarh India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 13: With the announcement of Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh along with some other states, leaders from different political parties are looking for space from where they can contest elections and win. Political parties are also looking for leaders who have the chances of wining election so even long-time forgotten leaders are being called. The situation in the Congress is even critical which does not only lack leadership but also workers in the ground. So they are are trying win back their old forgotten leaders. Political parties are trying to woo their old leaders. So a senior tribal leader of the Congress and former Lok Sabha member Arvind Netam has joined the Congress after a very long gap. He has been appointed as member of election coordination committee. Some other leaders in the state too have joined the Congress like Vinod Tiwari, Vani Rao and Mahendra Bahadur Singh. There is a long list of other Congress leaders coming back to the party fold. Congress to adopt same methodology for ticket distribution as done in Gujarat and Karnataka Some of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are also coming back to party fold with a party rebel and former minister Ganesh Ram Bhagat, who has been working for reconversion (Ghar Wapsi), has come back to the BJP fold. BJP joint-national organising secretary Saudan Singh met with Bhagat. Some other leaders are also in the line of coming back to their original party both in the Congress and the BJP. Vijay Baghel, nephew of state Congress chief Piyush Baghel, may also return to the Congress fold who is with the BJP at the moment. He defeated Piyush in the state assembly election in 2008. Vijay is an old Congressmen and due to wrong distribution of ticket he had quit the party. Gondwana Ganatantra Party likely to contest Chhattisgarh polls alone too But the Congress in Chhattisgarh in shreds with two splits since the state came into existence. In the year 2002, the old Congressman Vidya Charan Shukla parted ways from the Congress and took along huge number of Congressmen. He had joined the BJP in 2004 but came back to party later. The second split was done by former chief minister of state Ajit Jogi and he formed a regional party and will be contesting 2018 Assembly elections in alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party. The Congress is fearful about Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) joining hands with BSP as Jogi has some influence in the tribal area and along with the BSP, he may damage the chances of the Congress. The alliance is likely to neutralise the anti-incumbency in the state. Congress trying to use missed out chance as an opportunity to woo upper caste India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 13: If people think that the Congress will let go the chance of alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) just like that they are mistaken at least this is what the Congress is of the opinion. The Congress is working on the new formula and strategy of dealing with the strategy to capitalise on for not having any tract with the party. Sources in the Congress said that the party leaders are having meetings with upper caste leaders in the state. They are focusing on the upper caste voters that has turned into anti-Shiv Raj vote bank. The perception that is already created and the Congress leadership is now meeting with them to consolidate it in the state. Congress to adopt same methodology for ticket distribution as done in Gujarat and Karnataka Leaders belonging to the upper caste know the Congress leaders and vice verse. They know party president Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Digvijaya Singh and former Union minister Suresh Pachauri. They all are meeting upper caste leaders with the help of smaller upper caste leaders in the Congress. The fact of the matter is that neither the Congress nor the BJP has to offer to them only a good bonding is being established and the community could be benefited only once the Congress government is formed so these leaders are helped and benefits percolates down to other community members. It is like personal works of these leaders will be done by the Congress and that is the maximum any political party can do to the community. The community is happy with the fact that no one was coming to them but at least the Congress leaders are visiting them. The Congress is trying to give message message to upper caste from inside that not aligning with the BSP was a well thought out decision. But every thing will depend on the 2.5 per cent vote swing and the party managing to get it in its favour will succeed in forming the government. Congress to field its senior leaders to contest elections on tough seats in Madhya Pradesh As per a rough estimate, there is around 13 per cent upper caste population and a rough break up is like 5.7 per cent Brahmins, 5.3 per cent Rajputs and 2 per cent Baishya while around 42 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 14 per cent Scheduled Castes and 22 per cent Scheduled Tribes. So there is a dominance of upper castes in Vindhya Pradesh where one could find among the highest concentrations of Brahmins with about 14 per cent and Madhya Bharat where proportion of Rajputs is about 9 per cent. These are the places where the BJP will be in trouble and fate of the Congress will be sealed. So the upper caste resurgence might cause trouble for the BJP and if they finally decide not to waste their votes in NOTA and decide to go for the Congress, the BJP will be in the trouble as there is a baggage of 15 years' anti-incumbency behind it. Delhi, Dhaka, Colombo: Pakistans High Commissions of terror India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 15: Pakistan using its high commission offices to undertake terror related activities is nothing new. Its offices in Colombo and Dhaka have been favourite destinations to plan, plot and execute attacks in India. Pakistan has been undertaking such operations so openly that recently the Bangladesh government refused to accept the new Pakistan envoy stating that Islamabad was using diplomacy as a cover for ISI related activities. The Bangladesh government said that it believed that the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka had emerged as a centre for anti government activities. The latest warning: The subject becomes important to discuss in the wake of a fresh input suggesting that an official in the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka had met with a few members of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh to discuss a terror strike in India. Drunk on stage at awards show, Pakistan envoy recalled As per the report, the discussion was on staging a major strike in the northeastern states and use the Assam NRC as a focal point. The plot according to the report is being hatched to strike just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The NRC would be a major issue during the elections and now there are fresh demands to undertake a similar exercise in other northeastern states as well. High Commissions of terror: Using an envoy to undertake terror related activities provides a perfect cover for the ISI. The envoy enjoys diplomatic immunity as a result of which he cannot be held on the land that he is serving in. In November 2016, investigations revealed a major plot being hatched in the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. The ISI officer posted as an envoy admitted that he along with four others were on the verge of carrying out subversive activities in India. The officer, Mehmood Akthar, who had served in the Pakistan army's Baloch regiment was detained by the crime branch of the Delhi police. He said that he was only following instructions of the ISI. He was however deported as he could not be held in India owing to diplomatic immunity. Unrest in Kashmir: How Pakistan High Commission planned it in Delhi A similar case was reported from the high commission in Colombo. This was a larger plot that was being hatched by the ISI to further its activities in South India. The scanner was on a top Pakistan diplomat, Amir Zubair Siddiqui who was tasked with setting up southern modules. The entire plot came to light following the arrest of Zaheed Hussain, a resident of Kandy in Sri-Lanka. He said that a module was being set up at the best of Siddiqui in Chennai and other states in the south of India. The intent was to set up a module and then strike at the American and Israeli consulates in South India. The ISI decided to use its high commission office in Sri Lanka as it would be easier to monitor operations down south. For this purpose Siddiqui had even identified a Malaysian to raise funds for the module. Facilitating terrorists: Apart from setting up modules and plotting attacks, the Pakistan High Commission has also been notorious for facilitating the entry of terrorists into India. Take the case of two Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists of Pakistan origin who were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir in the month of February. Both of them told the police that they were issued visas by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. This is however not the first instance when the police had found that visas for terrorists were being issued by the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that when the infiltrations become difficult, the High Commission facilitates the entry of terrorists through a legal route. On their arrival at India they get in touch with a tanzeem in the Valley, following which they blend in with the rest of the terrorists. Six Pakistani High Commission officials leave India The High Commission also has been accused of providing support to the separatists of Kashmir. The National Investigation Agency during its probe had learnt that the separatists were in touch with the officials of the High Commission, who in turn were providing tactical support. The High Commission has also been found guilty of channelising funds for both separatists and terrorists. IB officials say that the High Commission has been the best bet for the ISI as the officials in it always get away thanks to diplomatic immunity. Rahul uses HAL visit to attack Centre, apologises on behalf of govt India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Oct 13: Congress President Rahul Gandhi struck the right chord with former HAL employees on Saturday while defending the public sector unit left out of politically sensitive Rafale fighter jet deal with France. Rahul Gandhi apologizes to HAL on behalf of Govt of India while interacted with retired employees in Bengaluru. During his interaction, he said, "Public Sectors are the temples of modern India. We cannot allow them to be destroyed. If somebody thinks they can build their future on your graves, that cannot be allowed. We are going to fight for your future." At the outset, Rahul Gandhi said, "HAL, for me, is not just a company. It is an institution. When we got our independence, India built strategic assets to enter aerospace sectors. The work you have done is tremendous and the country owes a huge debt to you.' Maharashtra: BJP MLA who met Rahul Gandhi over Rafale quits party "When Mr. Obama says there are only 2 countries that challenge the USA are India and China, you (HAL) are an important part of it, " Rahul Gandhi said. "I have come here to listen to you how this strategic asset can be made more effective and the type of difficulties you are facing, " said Rahul Gandhi to the former employees and party workers. Mr Sirajuddin Retd, HAL Employee, said, "We have been insulted and let down. A company of 70 years of experience is thrown out of the Rafale agreement. I do not understand. A large and experienced company that should have been improved. You are killing us." "HAL is leading the aviation industry in South East Asia. Do you want to kill this industry? It is an insult and injury. We will not tolerate this For the first time in my life, I have seen the govt issuing a directive advising employees against attending an event, " said. Nirmala Sitharaman in France: DM visits Dassault Aviation Another retired HAL employee Mahadevan, said, " Bengaluru was the Public Sector Capital of India. Protecting our employment is the most important thing. In the new Rafale agreement, there is no transfer of technology. Defence production cannot be given to private individuals. It is a strategic asset." Babu T Raghav, former Engineer of IAF, said, " Whenever HAL representatives visited our squadrons, we knew there are new hopes and new technologies. HAL and IAF are like two wings of one flight. During the Cold War, HAL was the only company that had an opportunity to work with Russian technologies. It is the best organisation in Asia." How illegal immigrants have ruined 39 per cent of Indias forest cover India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 15: A delegation of students have demanded that the Assam like update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be undertaken in all the other north eastern states as well. A delegation of North East Students' Organisation, a forum of student bodies from Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh met with Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh and demanded that the NRC be implemented in the rest of Northeast as well. Police nabs 16 illegal Bangladesh immigrants in Mathura The forum said that Northeast cannot be a dumping ground for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and hence NRC must be updated in other states as well as it would help detect foreigners, delete their names from the voters lists and deport them by signing a repatriation treaty with Bangladesh. Why all of Northeast needs an NRC: As pointed out rightly by the students' forum, Northeast has over the years indeed become a dumping ground for illegal immigrants. While they have been protected over the years due to vote bank politics, they also harm the economy a great deal, rob locals of opportunities and not to mention pose a high security risk. The figures where the illegal immigrants are concerned is startling. In Assam alone 40 lakh have been left out of the draft. The entire country has over 2 crore illegal immigrants, with most of them settled in the Northeastern states and West Bengal. Northeast over the years has become a safe landing and settling point for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The reasons are multi-fold. For starters the large scale migration from Bangladesh to India has been possible to the Porus Indo-Bangladesh border of 4,096 kilometres. There have been major complaints that the fencing is not complete as yet. Many decided to leave Bangladesh owing to pressure on land and increasing unemployment. The rise in population has also been cited as one of the major reasons for this big influx into India. While in India, the illegal immigrants were aided thanks to competitive politics and the patronage extended to them by political parties. Further exercises to control the problem were always blocked by a powerful Bangladesh lobby in India, which has successfully over the years blocked correct information about the gravity of the problem. Rohingyas living near Army installations: IB, MI say concern level is extreme The burden on India: The social implications on India thanks to such a large influx of illegal immigrants is immense. Right from the degradation of forests to communal tensions to terror recruitments, the illegal immigrants pose a problem in almost every field. The first major impact was on the forests. With land becoming an absolute necessity, several political parties over the years looked the other way when forests were being cut to facilitate land for the illegal immigrants. The impact was such that that at least 39 per cent of forest land was lost due to this problem. The forests were cleared to make way for the illegal immigrants. Over the years, they build houses which gradually turned into colonies. Further large tracts of land were used for cultivation. The locals were however the worst hit. The illegal immigrants were employed owing to cheap labour. Over the years they became the preferred lot as labour came cheap as a result of which the locals lost out. This also had an overall impact on the daily wage structure. The increase in the population led to the decrease in daily wage as a result of which the local was hit once again. The financial burden on the state governments too was felt in a large way. The states had to increase the spend on both education and healthcare for the sake of the illegal immigrants. Another major problem has been relating to communal tensions and terrorism. The illegal immigrants became an issue which the locals would raise as a result of which it led to communal tensions. Further they became easy targets for terror groups both in the Northeast as well Bangladesh. Rohingyas: The southern sojourn and how a Kerala govt scheme is giving them cover The other major issue that India has noticed over the years is that the illegal immigrants have been rapidly spreading to other parts of the country. With land filling up in the Northeastern states and also West Bengal, their influx was steadily seen in states as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra. In numbers: Among all the states, Assam has borne the brunt of this problem the most. Between 1951 to 2011, the population growth in Assam was at 288.21 per cent as opposed to the 235.1 per cent for all of India. Their numbers have grown so rapidly that they are able to influence the result of an election in nearly 32 per cent of the constituencies in Assam. The problem is similar in the other Northeastern states as well. In West Bengal, a state which refuses to accept the problem the situation over there is calamitous. Former former special secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing Amar Bhushan tells OneIndia that the numbers are staggering. The information that I have suggests that between 1971 and 1996 the number of illegal immigrants in India grew by 266 per cent. In the year 2004, the then minister of state for home, Sriprakash Jaiswal had said that there were 12 million such people living in 17 different states as on December 31 2001. He also said that Assam accounted fro 50 lakh, while the number of illegal immigrants in West Bengal stood at 57 lakh. However he went on to withdraw his reply. In 2006, the Rajya Sabha was told that there are 20 million illegal immigrants living in India. The increasing numbers should also be seen in the context of an evil design being hatched by Pakistan. The idea is to steadily increase the numbers and cause as much instability as possible, so that a Greater East Pakistan can be declared. India to go ahead with its plans on security measure; to acknowledge only UN sanctions India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 13: India is ready to withstand the warning issued by the United States in view of Russia supplying S-400 missile system to India and even import of oil from Iran. The US is actually assessing the situation in the case India continuing with its decision of importing oil from Iran and defence deal with Russia. Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev recently categorically stated that defence cooperation with India would go on and Russia won't be under pressure by the threats of US sanctions while finalizing military hardware deals with India. They included contracts for four frigates and production of Kalashnikov assault rifles. While US President in his threatening tone already said that India would very soon understand what the US takes decision on countries defying US bans. Actually, after the US has withdrawn itself from the multilateral dialogue in 2015 that US is trying to bring oil import from Iraq at zero. Under these deals Iran was given relief from sanctions to stop its dubious nuclear programme and dangerous activities. The US was expressing its opinion on the India's decision on purchase from Iran even after November 4. [India-Russia may work together on resource rich Northern Sea Route] Amid all this decision of India continuing to buy oil from Iran, special representative of the US Brian Hook reached India. He is the special representative of the trump administration on the issue of Iran. See India not only needs arms and ammunition on urgent but unhindered oil supply due to the kind of situation it is facing. So strategic expert and an expert on Russian issue Indrani Talukdar told Oneindia, "India is concerned for its security issues and it is doing what any country is supposed to do in such a situation where security is at stake. There is noting new in it as 60-70 per cent of defence software used by Indian military are from Russia." [India-Russia trade turnover to triple by 2025, says Russian minister] Talukdar said that India and Russia enjoy 'special privileged strategic partnership' status. Moreover, the dynamics of the world order is also changing. Russia could be of a great help for India in its Make in India programme , specially in the defence sector. Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Shashank said that none of the western countries were ready to help India under McCarthyism principals that those who were not with the west they were with the Communist Left ideology. They were ready to help India in agriculture sector and animal husbandry not for industries even today the US is not helping the way Russia is ready to help. He further said that situation is getting more and more complex with Russia and US that even Trump wants to have friendship with Russia. There is a domestic incriminating debates about President Donald Trump and former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev being equated. On the issue of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India's defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that India will not acknowledge sanctions other than those adopted by the UN Security Council. India plans to acquire four more Krivak/Talwar-class frigates from Russia and begin licenced production of Kalashnikov assault rifles to fully utilise the capacity of ordinance factories and boost its Make in India programme. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 23:01 [IST] JNUSU president told to appear before proctorial committee for breaching varsity order India oi-PTI New Delhi, Oct 13: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union President N. Sai Balaji Friday received a notice to appear before a proctorial committee for the alleged violation of varsity's order. On September 17, the administration had banned protests, rallies and processions in the varsity till further notice following alleged violence between members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and the Left wing members. JNUSU election 2018: Celebrations at JNU as United Left sweeps all four posts In a letter sent to Balaji, it has been said that he led a procession on October 10 "with outsiders", which was in violation of the notice issued by the varsity's registrar. He has been asked to present himself before a proctorial committee on October 22. "The JNU administration has sent me a proctor notice for marching with contract workers celebrating "One Work One Pay" court judgement. The administration has lost it. First they cut salaries and harass workers and now they are wanting to punish students who are fighting with them for their rights," Balaji said. JNU students' president squares up against Nirmala Sitharaman; Demands answers Sai Balaji, who is a part of United Left Alliance Group, was elected as Union President of JNUSU on September 15. He has been told to appear before Proctorial Committee after he was a part of protest which allegedly violated the order of varsity administration. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 16:16 [IST] Aryan's drugs case: Seizure not conducted by authorized officer, court says while giving bail to woman accused Hardik Pandya clarifies watch was worth Rs 1.5 cr, not Rs 5 cr, voluntarily declared items brought by me Legendary Hindustani Classical musician Annapurna Devi dies at 91 India oi-PTI Mumbai, Oct 13: Legendary musician Annapurna Devi died at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai Saturday, hospital officials said. She was 91. She passed away at 3.51 am. She was suffering from age-related issues for the past few years, hospital officials said. Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA escapes unhurt in attack, 2 party workers injured Annapurna Devi was an Indian surbahar player of Hindustani classical music and she was the daughter and disciple of Allauddin Khan. She was given the name 'Annapurna' by former Maharaja Brijnath Singh of former Mehar Estate (M.P.), and it was by this name that she was popularly known. Maharashtra: BJP MLA who met Rahul Gandhi over Rafale quits party She was married to sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Ravi Shankar divorced her and went to USA in 1962. After her divorce, she never performed again in public. She moved to Mumbai, became a recluse[clarification needed] and started teaching. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 10:10 [IST] Maharashtra woman held captive for 16 months, raped and forced to bear child by couple Maharashtra: BJP MLA who met Rahul Gandhi over Rafale quits party India oi-PTI Mumbai, Oct 13: Dissident BJP leader Ashish Deshmukh, who resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly last week, a day after meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi, has also quit the primary membership of the party. He quit from the Maharashtra Assembly citing alleged corruption in the Rafale deal as the reason. He alleged that policies of the BJP-led state government had created a "paralysis". 'Clear cut case of corruption': Rahul attacks PM over new Rafale report Mr Deshmukh, who represented Katol Assembly constituency in Vidarbha region, sent his resignation letter to BJP president Amit Shah Thursday. Rafale row: Rahul Gandhi demands probe, BJP hits back He cited the BJP-led government's "failure" to address issues such as unemployment and the plight of farmers, Dalits and minorities in Maharashtra, particularly in Vidarbha, as the reason for leaving the party. "I have given up the primary membership of the BJP in order to attract your attention to the issues emerging out of the paralysis caused by the policies of Maharashtra government," Mr Deshmukh said in the letter. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8:59 [IST] Me too: No proof to prosecute Nana Patekar in Tanushree Dutta molestation case, say cops #MeToo effect: After Sajid Khan, Nana Patekar steps out of Housefull 4 India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Oct 13: Bollywood actor Nana Patekar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by Tanushree Dutta, has 'distanced' himself from the upcoming film 'Housefull 4', to avoid causing further inconvenience to the cast and crew. Speaking to news agency ANI, the veteran actor's son Malhar said Mr Patekar quitting the project is the 'appropriate' step. " Nana sahib thought of the convenience of everybody as he wishes the best for the producer and the crew and hence felt that stepping out of the project would be an appropriate thing to do at this point of time," read the statement. Tanushree Dutta harassment: FIR registered against Nana Patekar, three others in Mumbai The statement about Nana Patekar's exit from the project arrived hours after Sajid Khan - who was directing Housefull 4 - signed his resignation from the project on Twitter after being accused of sexual harassment by three women in individual #MeToo accounts. The 'Welcome Back' star has been accused by Tanushree Dutta of harassing her on the sets of 'Horn Ok Pleasss'. Earlier this week, a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Patekar at the Oshiwara Police Station over the sexual harassment allegations made by Tanushree. Charges against MJ Akbar to be examined: Amit Shah Meanwhile, on Friday, Akshay Kumar, who stars in Housefull 4, took to Twitter to announce that he "will not work with any proven offenders". Riteish Deshmukh seconded Akshay's stand and said that he was deeply disturbed by the accounts of the women who had to go through sexual harassment and assault. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 10:36 [IST] MJ Akbar grabbed me and shoved his 55-yr-old tongue down my 18-yr-old throat: CNN journalist India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 13: Amid serious allegations of sexual harassment that have been levelled against MJ Akbar, One more journalist has accused the union minister of sexually harassing her while she was an intern at The Asian Age newspaper in 2007. The woman was 18 at the time of the alleged incident. CNN scribe Majlie de Puy Kamp took to the Twitter to share her #MeToo story when she was interning under MJ Akbar when he was Editor of The Asian Age newspaper. The incident happened on the last day of her internship when she went to Akbar to thank him for the opportunity. She said that as she extended her hand for gratitude Akbar "grabbed her right under [her] shoulders, on [her] arms. [He] pulled me in and kissed me on my mouth and forced his tongue into my mouth, and I just stood there, she said. M J Akbar won't cut short foreign visit, say govt sources Sharing the incident on Twitter as well, Kamp wrote: "I extended my hand to him in gratitude, he shoved his 55-year-old tongue down my 18-year-old throat." "What he did was disgusting, he violated my boundaries, betrayed my trust and that of my parents," Kamp told HuffPost India in an e-mail. She had met Akbar through her parents who were foreign correspondents in India in the 1990s. Charges against MJ Akbar to be examined: Amit Shah At least eight journalists have accused Akbar of sexually harassing them when he was a newspaper editor. Akbar, who is travelling outside India, so far has not commented on the allegations. Akbar, a senior journalist, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of 2014 general elections and was elected to the Rajya Sabha a year later. He was made the Minister of State for External Affairs in 2016. In October last year, when the #MeToo campaign peaked in Hollywood, journalist Priya Ramani had written an article for Vogue India, titled, "To the Harvey Weinstein of the world" and narrated her ordeal about the gut-wrenching incident of sexual misconduct she faced during a job interview with a renowned journalist who had "transformed Indian journalism". #MeToo allegations on MJ Akbar: Female journalists not so innocent, says MP BJP's women wing chief Ramani, recently on Twitter, claimed that the journalist she was referring to was MJ Akbar. Another journalist, Shutapa Paul, recalling a 2011 incident, tweeted on Wednesday, "As I tried to dash out the door, #MJAkbar gave me a hard hug, I ducked whatever else could have followed and fled. He seemed amused at my ducking." Paul added that later, when he went to Kolkata, he wanted to meet her late night at his hotel room but she excused out. "The next morning, I woke up to cryptic text messages from #MJAkbar. Paraphrasing them: 'You should know what's important to you. Your career or other things'," claimed Paul. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah has said that the party will have to verify the authenticity of the allegations against Akbar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 15:59 [IST] MJ Akbar to return today: Will he be shown the door? India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Oct 13: Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by at least nine women, is set return to India from his foreign trip on Sunday and it remains to be seen what is in store for him. While the Congress has demanded that Akbar be removed from the post of minister, the BJP's response has been measured. The junior foreign minister, who has been on an official trip abroad, has so far not responded to the charges. A PTI report quoted party sources as saying the charges against him are serious, and his continuance as a minister is no longer guaranteed. A final call will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said. There is also a view within the party that there is no legal case against him, and allegations pertain to a time long before he became a minister. Multiple women in the last few days have offered their accounts of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar as the #MeToo movement swept social media, bringing to fore sordid tales of sexual harassment by influential men in different walks of lives. [Rahul terms #MeToo as 'very big issue', says will speak on it in detail later] While the BJP has kept mum, some woman ministers have lent their support to the #MeToo movement without taking a stand on the charges against Akbar. Party leaders have said it is for Akbar to respond to the charges first. Here's what other ministers/ BJP leaders have said so far about MJ Akbar: Union Textile Smriti Irani Smriti Irani on Thursday said that the 'gentlemen concerned would be in a better position to speak on this issue'. "The gentlemen concerned would be better positioned to speak on this issue. I appreciate that the media is accosting his female colleagues... But I think it is for the gentlemen concerned to issues a statement and not for me as I was personally not present there..Anybody who is speaking out should in no way be shamed, should in no way be victimised or mocked," Irani said. [Sena, TDP demand MJ Akbar's resignation] Union Minister Maneka Gandhi Union Minister For Women And Child Development Maneka Gandhi was the first minister to react on MJ Akbar's issue. Gandhi had on Tuesday said: "There should be an investigation. Men in position of power often do this. This applies to media, politics and seniors working in companies. Now that women have started speaking out, we should take it seriously." BJP president Amit Shah In the wake of #Me Too allegations against MJ Akbar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has said the numerous charges of sexual harassment against union minister will be probed. "We will definitely look into the issue. We have to see whether these allegations are true or false. We haven't heard anything from his side, so it is really difficult to comment anything on that at the moment," he said. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale "We should listen to his statement. Presently he is out of India. Investigation should happen and if he is found guilty, then he should step down. The complaints by the women are serious, but I feel it is necessary to listen once to MJ Akbar. Police should conduct an investigation and if he is found guilty, then he should resign," Athawale had told news agency ANI. OneIndia News with PTI inputs Aryan's drugs case: Seizure not conducted by authorized officer, court says while giving bail to woman accused Hardik Pandya clarifies watch was worth Rs 1.5 cr, not Rs 5 cr, voluntarily declared items brought by me Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA escapes unhurt in attack, 2 party workers injured India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Mumbai, Oct 13: Shiv Sena MLA Tukaram Ramkrishna Kate escaped unhurt in an attack by unidentified miscreants with a sword in Mumbai on Friday. His bodyguard and two party workers were injured in the attack. The attack took place at midnight near Metro-3 area of Mankhurd, a suburb in eastern Mumbai. The injured have been admitted to the hospital for treatment. Tukaram Kate represents the Anushakti Nagar Constituency, Mumbai. Ahead of 2019 lok sabha polls, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to visit Ayodhya It may be recalled that Tukaram Kate was one of the five legislators from Maharashtra who escaped a terror attack in Kashmir, during a study tour organised by the state legislature in the Valley. Sena, TDP demand MJ Akbar's resignation They were accompanied by their families. While none of the MLAs suffered injuries, 10 local residents were hurt. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8:10 [IST] Naidu demands Rs 1200 crore as interim flood relief for Andhra Pradesh India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 13: Politics on flood relief is expected to intensify once again in the country as Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu has sent a missive to Prime Minister Narendra Modi informing him that damage to the tune of Rs 2800 crore has occurred in the state and has demanded an interim relief to the tune of Rs 1200 crore. The CM writes, "The Centre must help the state liberally and expeditiously by sanctioning the relief to minimize misery to the people of the state." It was the financial assistance matters that has forced the TDP government to go out of National Democratic Alliance of the Centre. Cyclonic storm 'Titli' weakens, claims 7 lives in Andhra Pradesh, one in Odisha The CM writes, "The severe cyclonic storm Titli has hit Srikakulam and Viziangaram District districts in the early hours of Octover 11, 2018 with a wind speed up to 165 km per hour couples with high velocity winds and heavy rainfall ranging from 10 cm to 43 cm in different parts in these districts. The missive says, "Cyclone Titli has devastated these district and left huge damage of properties, agriculture, horticulture crops, houses and infrastructure resulting into deep distress and misery to the people of these districts." The CM has provided detail about the losses in his letter to the PM that included loss to the electricity Rs 500 crore, roads and buildings Rs 100 crore, panchayat raj Rs 100 crore, agriculture Rs 800 crore, horticulture Rs 1000 crore, animal husbandry Rs 50 crore, fisheries Rs 50 crore, RWS Rs 100 crore and irrigation Rs 100. The state government immediate assistance from the Centre. Cyclone called Titli (Butterfly)! Who named it? Naidu said, "In view of severe damage occurred to the life, property and infrastructure in these districts, I request the government to expedite the process of sanctioning money so people could be saved from misery." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 14:10 [IST] Raids on Falah-e-Insaniyat office: Rs 18 lakh cash recovered India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 13: The National Investigation Agency conducted searches in connection with a terror funding case involving the Falah-e-Insaniyat, the financial wing of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. The searches were conducted in the offices and premises of one Hilal Ahmed at Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. Ahmed is a resident of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The lavish life of naxals: SUVs, flats and how ill-gotten money is being invested in land The searches led to the recovery of Rs 18 lakh, 6 mobiles along with SIM cards and other incriminating documents. During the probe it emerged that one Mohammad Salman a resident of Nizamuddin, New Delhi was in regular tough with one Dubai based Pakistani national, who is the deputy chief of the FeF. The accused person has been receiving funds, being sent by FIF operators and his associates, through Hawala operators to further their nefarious activities and create unrest in India and carry out the terrorist activities. Four get life term for smuggling fake currency Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation is a Lahore, Pakistan based organization established by Jamat-ud-Dawa. It is a front-end organisation of Lashkar, a terror organisation proscribed under UAPA. Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation was also designated as a Terrorist entity by USA in 2010. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 9:48 [IST] Uttar Pradesh opinion poll: Who will win next elections? ABP-CVoter survey results are here UP BJP chief to workers: Have tea with Dalits, make them understand votes are cast on nationalism, not caste Sharad Pawar predicts BJP, Shiv Sena alliance for LS polls, but not in Maharashtra India oi-PTI Mumbai, Oct 13: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has predicted that the BJP and the Shiv Sena may come together for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but not for the Assembly polls in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters here Friday night, Pawar also ruled out the possibility of the two elections being held simultaneously, saying the "situation has changed". The Centre has been toying with the idea of holding simultaneous elections for quite sometime now. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for "widespread" debate on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies saying it would result in financial savings. "The BJP and the Shiv Sena may join hands for the Lok Sabha elections, but may not come together for the state Assembly polls," Pawar said. Have Congress-NCP sealed a 50:50 deal for LS polls The BJP and the Shiv Sena, have been in a strained relationship despite sharing power at the Centre and the state. The Shiv Sena has already announced that it would go solo for the polls. The BJP, on the other hand, is eyeing to forge an alliance with the Sena for the upcoming elections. Questioning the credibility of EVMs, the NCP supremo called for the use of ballot papers in the polls. He said the opposition parties may meet within 15 days to discuss the issue. Pawar reiterated his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged Rafale scam. He recalled how the BJP, while in the opposition in the 1980s, had demanded a JPC to probe into the alleged Bofors scam. "That demand was fulfilled then," he said adding, "Therefore, the demand for a JPC to probe into the Rafale issue cannot be ignored now." PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 17:56 [IST] 'There is no India without Kashmir': Columnist gets Sitharaman's praise for speech at US Congress State of freedom, peace, human rights in India India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Oct 13: India has won a seat in United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) Friday. India has been appointed for a period of three years from 2019 to 2022. India reportedly got highest number of votes among all the other candidate nations. MEA Sushma Swaraj expressed happiness and Opposition Congress stated that India's election to the UN Human Rights Council for the fifth time shows continuing faith by the global community in our commitment to uphold human rights for not just citizens, but also human beings all over the world. Elections to UNHRC apart, take a look at how global think-tanks have observed state of freedom, peace and human rights in India. Human Freedom Index 2018: The Cato Institute's 2017 Human Freedoms Index, a comprehensive report on 159 countries' respect for rule of law, civil liberties, access to trade, and legal and property rights. Alarming level of reprisals against human rights defenders, UN names India, China The Human Freedom Index (HFI) presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. Out of 159 countries, India ranked 102, in fact, freedom rank improved by three positions. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents more freedom, India scored 6.55. India fared better in the Economic Freedom index with 6.63 points and in personal freedom 6.46 scored less by 0.17 points. The overall ranking is better than China (130) and Pakistan (144). Human Rights Watch Report 2018: Though Human Freedom Index 2018 looked positive for India, Human Rights Watch Report made a scathing analysis of present human rights scenario in the country. On the foreign policy front, HRW report stated that India continued to abstain, and even played a negative role, in country-specific resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and General Assembly. During PM Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in June 2017, there was not even a token mention of pressing human rights issues in India, including limits on free speech and attacks on religious minorities. The same year, at India's Universal Periodic Review at the UNHRC, countries raised numerous human rights issues and reminded India to fulfil its past commitments to ratify human rights conventions, including the Convention against Torture. The report especially mentioned Vigilante violence aimed at religious minorities, marginalized communities, and critics of the government have become an increasing threat in India in 2017. The report squarely put the blame on the government for its failure to promptly or credibly investigate the attacks, while many senior BJP leaders publicly promoted Hindu supremacy and ultra-nationalism, which encouraged further violence. Dissent was labelled anti-national, and activists, journalists, and academics were targeted for their views. Attacks on migrants: Gujarat DGP, Chief Secretary get notice Global Peace Index 2018: In the Global Peace Index produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) India gone up four places to the 137th rank among 163 countries. India has moved up four positions in the overall ranking from 141st to 137th. "This has largely been due to a reduction in the level of violent crime, driven by increased law enforcement. Meanwhile, unrest in Kashmir raised tensions between India and Pakistan, with the number of deaths from external conflict increasing in both countries," said the report published by the Sydney-based Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). However, in the South Asia region, India ranked 5th only above Pakistan and Afghanistan. China has been ranked 116th out of 163 countries/territories in terms of peacefulness, moving up four spots since 2016. China fared worst in Societal Safety and Security, scoring a 2.5 out of 5 (1 being the most peaceful and 5 the least), a 2 in Militarization, and a 1.9 in Domestic and International Conflict, bringing its final score to 2.24. Of the 23 indicators, it scored a full 5 marks on nuclear and heavy weapons, a 4 on both perceptions of criminality and political terror, and a 3.6 on terrorism impact. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 16:42 [IST] Telangana elections: KCR has a new challenger in Gaddar India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Hyderabad, Oct 13: K Chandrashekhar Rao may have a challenger in the Telangana assembly elections 2018. Telugu balladeer Gummadi Vittal alias Gaddar is ready to take on KCR in the upcoming elections. However Gaddar said that to take on KCR at the Gajewal Assembly constituency, all parties and the people should request him. If they do then I will fight as an independent candidate against KCR, he also said. Congress to adopt same methodology for ticket distribution as done in Gujarat and Karnataka Gaddar, along with his wife, Vimala and son Surya Kiran had met with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday at the invitation of AICC secretary and former MP, Madhu Yashki Goud. Gaddar was asked to join the party, but he refused. He said that he would not join any political party, but would act as a bridge between the secular and political parties. In a media briefing he said that he met with Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Protect the Constitution movement. He further accused KCR of not fulfilling a single promise he had made back in 2014. He had assured the people of one job per family, making a Dalit the Chief Minister and also distributing land to Dalits. Telangana Congress leader's wife joins BJP, returns within 10 hours My aim would be to end the new feudalism in Telangana. If all parties request me, I will contest as an independent candidate, he also said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 9:38 [IST] Stubble burning contribute only 4-10%, not the main cause of Delhi pollution, Centre tells SC Thousands protest Sabarimala order, devotees threaten suicide in Kerala India oi-PTI Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13: Ahead of the Sabarimala Temple opening next week for a monthly ritual, Shiv Sena's Kerala unit on Saturday warned that its women activists will commit suicide if any young woman tries to enter the shrine while thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees marched in Kochi to protest the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the temple. A member of the Shiv Sena Kerala unit, Peringammala Aji told ANI that their women squad will gather near the Pamba River on October 17 and 18 as part of their so-called suicide group. "Our women activists will gather near the Pamba River on October 17 and 18 as part of a suicide group. When any young woman tries to enter Sabarimala, our activists will commit suicide," Aji said. 'No special arrangements or toilets for women pilgrims in Sabarimala' The Shiv Sena is not the only headache for the ruling Left Front government. Gender equality Activist Trupti Desai on Saturday announced that she plans to visit the hill shrine soon. She had campaigned and the brigade have campaigned to get entry for women to religious places like Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah the Shani Shingapur temple in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district. The state government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting here to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening. SC throws open doors of Sabarimala Temple to women Though the government has not reacted to Desai's planned trip to the temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine. Padalam royal family member, Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any "provocative' move. He also asked the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai, the 'Bhumata Brigade' leader, said in Mumbai that she along with a group of women would visit the temple "shortly" to offer prayers. "We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal the agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine," she told Malayalam TV channels. "I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this," Desai said. In Kochi, protesters holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting his hymns marched through the city's roads on Saturday after launching the stir from the famed Shiva temple there. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. The Sabarimala temple, located in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, is dedicated to the Hindu deity Ayyappan. The temple management considers the deity to be eternal celibate which debarred women from entering the temple. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 16:41 [IST] Two technologies key to ISRO's ambitious Gaganyan mission India oi-Vikas SV Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is tirelessly working towards the Gaganyan mission, India's first crewed spaceflight program, now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a deadline for it. Modi on August 15 this year announced that an Indian astronaut would go into space by 2022. ISRO may have undertaken a number of space programmes with great success rate, but sending a human being to space is a different ball game altogether. It is far more complicated than even Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. A manned space mission is very different from all other missions that ISRO has so far completed. For a manned mission, the key distinguishing capabilities that ISRO has to develop include the ability to bring the spacecraft back to Earth after the flight, and to build a spacecraft in which astronauts can live in Earth-like conditions in space. All the missions so far, including the Mars and the Moon missions, did not involve bringing back the spacecraft into earth's atmosphere. Here, not does the module needs to be brought, it has to be brought back safely as there would be humans in it. [Gaganyan will take Indian astronaut to space by 2022: PM] Other than these, ISRO also cannot rely on its workhorse PSLV. PSLV can carry payloads upto 2 tonnes, but a spacecraft carrying human beings is likely to weigh in excess of 5 to 6 tonnes. For this, ISRO has developed GSLV Mk-III which is a launch vehicle capable of carrying heavier payloads much further into the space. There are a number of new technologies that ISRO has to develop to successfully carry out Gaganyan. In fact, ISRO has been testing these technologies quietly without making noise. Our focus here is to discuss two extremely important technologies that are important to any mission which involves sending humans into space. Reentry and recovery technology: All the ISRO missions so far involved sending satellites/orbiters out of the earth's atmosphere. But, when humans are being sent to space, then they have to be brought back, and that is a big technological challenge. When a spacecraft re-enters earth's atmosphere, it would have to withstand high temperatures, thousands of degrees, due to friction with the air. Even when a meteorite enters the earth, the earth's gravity speeds up its descent and this causes friction with the air. This friction increases the temperature so much that most of the meteorites just vapourise before reaching the earth's surface. This is the reason we see shooting stars. [ISRO displays space suits and space capsule of 'gaganyaan 2022' in Bengaluru] The spacecraft's re-entry into the atmosphere also has to be very precise both in terms of speed and angle, and even the slightest deviation could end in disaster. For this, a heat shield that can withstand thousands of degrees needs to be developed. After, re-entry, the spacecraft would land at a precise spot in the sea from where Navy or Coast Guard would bring it back to the mainland. So that is why speed and angle are important, the re-entry vehicle has to return in a pre-planned path in an accurate manner. The good news is that ISRO has already tested this technology, but many more tests are needed. Launch escape system or Crew Escape Mechanism: If something goes wrong at any point during the launch, then there has to be way for the crew to escape so that lives can be saved. The mechanism ensures the crew module gets an advance warning of anything going wrong with the rocket, and pulls it away to a safe distance, after which it can be landed either on sea or on land with the help of attached parachutes. The system is typically controlled by a combination of automatic rocket failure detection, and a manual backup for the crew commander's use. Even this has been tested by ISRO, but is not perfect yet. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 5:00 [IST] Imran Khan vows to make Pakistan 'cleaner than Europe' International pti-PTI Islamabad, Oct 13: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday vowed to make Pakistan "cleaner than Europe" as he formally launched a campaign aimed at improving sanitary conditions in the country. Khan planted a sapling and participated in the 'Clean and Green Pakistan' drive at the Model College for Girls in Islamabad, according to Radio Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister urged the students and youth to lead the campaign as it is connected with the future of the country. Khan vowed to make the country "cleaner than Europe" in five years. "For this to happen, we will also have to bring a change in our mindset," he said. [Imran Khan promises new law to reward whistle blowers] He pointed out that "plantation is imperative to protect the environment and check global warming". He said Pakistan is the seventh most vulnerable country to global warming. He mentioned that Lahore is among the cities where the pollution level is very high. Khan claimed his party's government had planted a billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. [Subramanian Swamy calls Imran Khan a 'chaprasi' and says Islamabad is run by terrorists] He said his government has now set a target of planting 10 billion trees across the country which he said will change the weather pattern. Khan said under the cleanliness drive, sewerage and sanitation systems will be improved not only in cities but also in slums and villages. He said as part of integrated solution, dumping sites would be identified from village to tehsil level for disposal of solid waste. Khan said the country requires efforts from students to make Pakistan clean and green. PTI In our better interest: Taliban on NSA level meet on Afghanistan convened by India US envoy for Afghan peace meets Taliban representatives in Doha: Report International oi-Shubham Ghosh Doha, Oct 13: The American envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met Taliban representatives here on Friday as the Donald Trump Administration looked to find a way out to end the war in Afghanistan which will complete its 17th year in 2018, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Citing a source having knowledge about the gathering, the WSJ said US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met the Taliban officials in Doha. It was the second time in four months that the US officials had face-to-face talks with the Taliban. Peace and development in Syria and Afghanistan equally important for India and Russia The WSJ, however, said it was not clear what the two sides discussed. Khalilzad, it can be noted, is trying to reach a negotiation with the Taliban. He is currently on his first trip in the capacity of the special representative. In a 11-day trip, Khalilzad will visit Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia besides Afghanistan, the report added. The US State Department, however, refused to acknowledge whether the meeting took place in Doha. "We can't confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations," a State Department spokesperson said on the condition of anonymity. "Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan." Peace in the region seems elusive unless there is a strong civilian government in Pakistan State State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells met Taliban representatives in July for what was called talks about talks. A member of the Taliban team which was present at the meeting lauded the meeting saying it produced "very positive signals", the report added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, October 13, 2018, 16:24 [IST] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) Kris Aquino is a fighter. After sharing her battle with an autoimmune disease, the celebrity and entrepreneur disclosed that she had filed a qualified theft complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Quezon City Friday morning. "Naghain din po para sa 'kin ang Fortun Narvasa ng parehong demanda (Fortun Narvasa also filed the same complaint in my behalf) in 6 other cities namely, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, and Manila," Aquino said in an Instagram post. The Revised Penal Code defines qualified theft as a crime "committed by a domestic servant, or with grave abuse of confidence." Aquino said the accused, whom she still refused to name, "failed to even meet us halfway and instead chose to spread malicious lies and falsehoods." "Kilala niyo na po ako -- hindi ako ang nagsisimula ng away, pero hindi po ako pinalaki para urungan ang pakikipaglaban para sa katotohanan (You all know me I don't start a fight, but I was not raised to run away from the fight for truth.)," she told her millions of followers on social media. Her Instagram post contained a video containing quotes on betrayal with Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" as background music. The media mogul went to Singapore in September to seek medical treatment as she revealed severe weight loss after "quietly" suffering "financial abuse and betrayal." She said it was done "by someone I had complete trust and faith in" and who earned millions of pesos from her company, Kris Cojuangco Aquino Productions, and from negotiating her endorsements. Aquino, daughter of former President Cory Aquino and dubbed as the "Queen of All Media," later said she was diagnosed with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria, resulting in allergy-like symptoms on her skin. An autoimmune disease, it's the result of the body's immune system attacking healthy cells. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Beverage Refrigeration Market For Consumer Goods Industry 2018 Top Players are Electrolux, GE, Whirlpool Corporation, Dover Corporation, Haier. Beverage Refrigeration Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2111 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2111 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/beverage-refrigeration-market https://www.gminsights.com/ Beverage Refrigeration Market to reach USD 4.5 billion by 2024. Escalating demand for refrigerators to store and serve drinks for social gathering and private events, is a key factor driving beverage refrigeration market growth. Ongoing technological advances to reduce the overall cooling time and consumer demand for distinctive features such as bottom freezer drawer and powerful filtered water will boost beverage refrigeration market.North America Beverage Refrigeration Market is anticipated to surpass USD 1 billion by 2024. This can be credited to escalating consumption of refreshment drinks and technological improvements in refrigeration systems. In addition, government encouraging utilization of energy-efficient and eco-friendly technologies in refrigerators.Sample copy of this Report @Increasing consumer preference for packaged drinks which are convenient to consume at home will support the product demand. According to recent statistics, the global consumption of packaged drinks was estimated more than 1.05 trillion liters in 2016 and Chinese consumption amounted to about 178.6 billion liters.Manufacturers are anticipated to invest in new product development to comply with new energy standards implemented by the regulatory bodies. Further, increasing penetration of refrigerators that employ specific features such as modifiable shelves to accommodate bottles and cans will boost product sales.Beverage Refrigeration Market, By Producto Under counter beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing Dooro Countertop beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing dooro Storage beverage refrigeratoro Milk coolersMake an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Under counter beverage refrigerator was valued at over USD 1 billion in 2016. Product offering such as stainless-steel body or custom panel-ready fronts are stimulating the demand. In addition, better shelving and temperature control will support segment penetration over the forecast period.Rising demand to preserve milk in dairy shops will propel coolers demand over the projected timeframe. Diary companies are upgrading their existing capacities, and setting up cold storages along with the processing plant. This will generate the overall revenue over the forecast period.Browse Report Summery @Asia Pacific market holds over 20% of overall industry share in 2016. According to industry estimates, the region is anticipated to account for more than two-thirds of the global beverages consumption by 2020. The region accounts for 60% of the world population and increasing consumption will provide lucrative opportunities for manufacturers.Global Beverage Refrigeration Market is fragmented in nature. Key industry players are Electrolux, Daikin Industries, Avanti, Dover Corporation, KingsBottle, Whirlpool Corporation, Edgestar, Haier, Ford and General Electrics. Other Industry participants are Koolatron, Coca-Cola, Danfoss, Gamko, Liebherr, Marvel, Kegco, Danby, Johnson Controls, U-line, HABCO, Allavino, Kenmore, Marvel, United Technologies Corporation and Illinois Tool Works.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: By Technology 2018 Companies are Google, Mercedes-Benz USA, BMW, Nissan, General Motors, Tesla, Ford, Honda Motor, Toyota) in Autonomous Car Market. Global Market Insights, Inc https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/1224 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1224 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/autonomous-car-market www.gminsights.com/ Autonomous Car Market driven by rising human errors that cause automobile accidents. Pedestrian safety and driver assistance are the secondary benefits, which support the autonomous car market growth over the forecast timeline. The autonomous car market is segmented based on its components such as radar sensors, LiDARs, video cameras, central computing systems, ultrasound sensors, and GPS navigation systems.Request For Table Of Content @Increasing technological developments in ensuring better transportation system have attracted investments to make this technology efficient and safe at the same time. Moreover, vendors are showing a keen interest in driverless vehicle development by investing heavily in R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization of robotic vehicles. For instance, in May 2016, Volkswagen announced USD 300 million investment in Israeli startup Gett, serving taxis, and black cars in 60 cities.Driverless transportation systems are expected to reduce the energy consumption in multiple ways. For instance, a widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles can have benefits such as vehicle communications and information exchange regarding direction changes. Furthermore, vehicle interaction with road infrastructure also reduces the traffic congestion leading to a smother traffic flow.Increased adoption of driverless transportation will result in enhanced societal and economic benefits of automotive manufacturers and other players in the value chain. Suppliers of autonomous car electronics will benefit from growing autonomous car market demand by innovating newer technologies in satisfying OEM requirements.Computer algorithms ensure safe vehicle driving by obeying the traffic rules but it cannot predict or control other vehicles driving behavior. Equipping cars with transponders is a potential solution, which is also known as V2V communications. This solution can communicate speed, position, and direction to other vehicles. This technology can be a potential growth opportunity for the autonomous car market as it can be effective when a large number of vehicles on road have transponders embedded in them.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @The autonomous car market adoption among consumers is challenging as the mobility group is still not confident enough to give full control of their cars in the robots hands. For instance, according to AAA survey in the U.S., three out of four drivers are afraid to travel in an autonomous car. About 54% drivers feel unsafe in sharing the road with autonomous cars. Nearly two-thirds of drivers report the adoption of semi-autonomous technologies such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, or self-parking technology. This consumer perception of the technology poses a potential challenge to manufacturers to penetrate in this autonomous car market.Within a complex and diversified transportation industry landscape, competitors are being forced to compete on multiple fronts providing new services potentially. Autonomous car market participants focus on partnerships, collaborations, and mergers & acquisitions to acquire a considerable market share in the industry while new market entrants initially target economically attractive segments.Browse Report Summery @Industry participants of autonomous car market include Google, Alpha, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan, General Motors, Tesla, Ford, Volvo, Honda Motor Corporation, Toyota, and Uber.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb: Walnut Milk Market Forecast 2017-2024 Leading Players - Elmhurst Harvest, Yili Group, Chengde Lulu, Panpan Food, Sanyuan Group and China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited Walnut Milk Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/1697 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1697 https://www.gminsights.com http://algosonline.com/news Upsurge in health concerns among consumers related to obesity, early aging and hair loss issues are some of key reasons spurring the growth of walnut milk market. Owing to it contain vitamin B7 which is used as a supplement in order to prevent the hair loss and helps in minimizing cholesterol level in order to control fatness as it is a lactose free component. Other health benefits include as it improves mental health by providing essential fatty acids (omega 3) and fats, controls high blood pressure and symptoms of arthritis problem. The product contains amino acid tryptophan which helps in development of enteric nervous system which supports to better digestion function are some major factors will uplift the product market demand during forecast period.Walnut Milk Market is driven by rising awareness regarding the health benefits of walnut milk among consumers. Increasing demand for healthy and nutritious food is likely to propel the walnut milk market in future due to its excellent properties which helps in reducing body weight and provide omega 3 fatty acid.Request Table of Content of this Report @Increasing demand in personal care industry is likely to fuel the walnut milk market in upcoming years. As the product is used in wrinkle free creams which is highly demanded in European nations due to the large presence of ageing population in this region. High usage of the product for the prevention of heart disease as it contains the antioxidant and it minimizes the diabetes risk. It also slows down the aging rate among humans and contains melatonin which prevent the insomnia disorder. These all are the significant factors for product market growth.Currently, cancer disease creates threats to human life, which will also propel the walnut milk market demand owing to it is used for curing breast cancer. Product is widely used for preventing pancreatic disorders and reduces stress, are some driving factors for product market growth in future. Walnut is a seed of drupe fruits and belongs from jugladaceae family and rich source of protein. Walnut milk and oil assistances to fight stress as well, these useful properties of walnut milk will drive the product demand to a greater extent.Rising demand in food & beverage industry is foreseen the significant growth of walnut milk market, owing to the high consumption of the product. Based on flavor, walnut milk market is segmented which includes vanilla, chocolate and unsweetened based product. As per the demand of flavor based product, vanilla one leads the market after original flavor based high protein milk in this segment. The product is supplied and distributed through online stores, hypermarkets and convenience stores, which will support the product market demand. Attractive packaging and allergies from other dairy products has also uplift the walnut milk market due to its lactose free quality.North America holds the largest market share of walnut milk owing to largest consumer of the product and the U.S. is the major exporter of walnut.Inquiry before buying @Asia pacific, led by India and China is expected to drive the product growth as largest production is done in this region owing to availability of raw material like walnuts, cheap labor, craze over healthy plant protein drink and low cost product. Europe is the major consumer of the product as omega 3 deficiency is pervasive in U.K peoples.The prominent leaders in walnut milk market includes Elmhurst Harvest, Yili Group, Chengde Lulu, Panpan Food, Sanyuan Group and China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited. Some other key players include WhiteWave Foods, Mengniu, Wahaha Products and Diamond foods. For an instance, In March 2010, Diamond foods closed its acquisition of kettle foods groups as under the agreement the company acquired the all operational units of kettle foods.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Explore Our Blog @ Newborn Screening Market to Set Phenomenal Growth with Technical Advancement by Top Key Companies like: Covidien PLC, PerkinElmer Inc., Trivitron Healthcare, Masimo Corporation, AB Sciex LLC 2018 - 2023 Newborn Screening Market https://globalmarketforecasts.com/request-for-sample/44 https://globalmarketforecasts.com/inquire-before-buying/44 Newborn Screening is basically a test or the series of tests that helps in identifying any harmful or potentially fatal disorders which can have an effect on a childs long-term health and survival. Early detection and appropriate standards of diagnosis and treatment can prevent death and promote the healthy development of an infant.According to this research report, Newborn Screening Market size was valued at USD 783.5 million in 2018 and is expected grow at a CAGR of 10.6% during the forecast period.Growing neonatal population base, rising cases of congenital diseases in newborns, favorable government programs & legislations, and technological advancements are anticipated to serve as vital drivers of the Newborn Screening Market. Due to advanced technologies and laboratory sciences along with the support of some initiative to change the perception of the parent, the market is foreseen to attain a rapid growth in the subsequent years. Rising in government grants and funding for these screening tests has led North America and Europe to be a leader in the market. Also the Middle East and Africa are projected to show a lethargic success in the market.Get Exclusive Sample Copy @Newborn Screening Market research study assists the industry experts, analysts and business decision makers to isolate the current market scenario, opportunities, upcoming market trends and pricing analysis. The market report provides crucial information about the market, including opinions from Industry experts, and the recent progressions and developments of the industry.Newborn Screening Market report separated into distinct key regions with the help of supply, import, export, consumption, and production in these regions. The report envelops details about major manufacturers such as company profile, product images and specifications, supply chain relationship, price, revenue, gross margin details of market, contact details and upcoming development trend in terms of product type and application.Top Key Players in Newborn Screening Market:Covidien PLC, PerkinElmer Inc., Trivitron Healthcare, Masimo Corporation, AB Sciex LLCAsk to Experts @Newborn Screening Market research study includes the key strategic developments of the market, comprising R&D, new product launch, M&A, agreements, collaborations, partnerships, joint ventures, and regional growth of the leading competitors operating in the market. The report is a helpful documentation and provides significant insights to customers, providers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers, investors, and individuals who are interested in this market.Key Questions Answered in Newborn Screening Market research report:- What will the market size be in 2023?- What are the key factors driving the market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key players in market?- What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?Table of Content:Chapter 1: Introduction of Newborn Screening MarketChapter 2: Executive SummaryChapter 3: Market Dynamics: cChapter 4: Global Strategic UAV Market Regions:Chapter 5: Global Strategic UAV Market By ApplicationChapter 6: Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7: Manufacturing Cost AnalysisTOC Continued.!About Us:Global Market Forecasts is a global business intelligence and consulting firm aimed at assisting our clients to make critical business decisions and achieve exponential growth in their business. We focus on emerging markets and technologies, and insights on niche markets. Our reports include information on recent trends and innovations. Our pool of more than 300 off-shelf reports in each industry and customized reports based on the clients requirement aids our client in making faster business decisions.Contact Us:Office No. 102 - Kumar Primus,Hadapsar Industrial Area,Pune 411028.Mob: +44-33-0606-0991 / +1-201-564-4683Email: sales@globalmarketforecasts.com Mobile Pos Terminals Market 2018: Exploration on Eminent Players | Verifone Systems Inc., PAX Technology Limited, Oracle Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, NEC Corporation, and Oracle Corporation Mobile Pos Terminals Market https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-pos-terminals-market/request-for-free-sample https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-pos-terminals-market/ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-pos-terminals-market/inquire-before-buying www.polarismarketresearch.com According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the worldwide Mobile POS Terminals market is anticipated to reach over USD 81.3 billion by 2026. In 2017, the hardware component 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.Get Free Sample Copy of this Report @The rising number of cashless transactions and growing need for digital payments primarily drive the growth of this market. Mobile POS solutions enable users to conduct financial transactions at remote locations with increased convenience and ease. Growing proliferation of mobile devices, increasing internet penetration, and technological advancement boosts the adoption of mobile POS terminals. Mobile POS terminals are also capable of accepting payments through EMV chip-enabled cards, contact-less cards, and NFC enabled cards.Mobile POS terminals are used by business to enable faster and easier checkouts. These terminals provide quicker checkouts during high volume transactions, thereby increasing customer experience. Mobile POS terminals are integrated with mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, which offer benefits such as reduced serving time, higher workforce efficiency, while improve customer experience. These terminals are connected to inventory management systems, to further improve efficiency. Mobile POS terminals allow users to send digital receipts to consumers for better organization, and ease of use. Small businesses are increasingly adopting mobile POS terminals for increased profitability. Mobile POS terminals offer enhanced security as transactions are encrypted and not stored on devices. The declining prices of mobile devices, increasing demand for portable & wearable devices, rising NFC-based transactions, and technological advancements further supplement the growth of mobile POS terminals. The rising adoption of cloud-based and Android POS devices also boosts market growth. Integration of mobile wallet payments with mobile POS terminals to offer additional payment options to users is expected to create numerous growth opportunities in the coming years.North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The growing adoption of advanced NFC and EMV-enabled devices with the aim to minimize frauds and security breaches related to payments are driving growth in this region. Increasing penetration of mobile devices, affordable mobile POS terminals, and growing acceptance by small and medium-sized businesses further supports market growth in this region. The use of POS terminals in varied industries such as healthcare, retail, and hospitality among others accelerates its adoption.Browse Full Research Report with in-depth TOC @On the basis of components, the global mobile POS terminals market is segmented into hardware components, and software components. The hardware components include mobile devices, bar code scanner, and magnetic strip reader. The hardware is used across various industries with software varying according to industry specific requirements. The software segment is expected to grow significantly in the coming years owing to additional features offered such as customer loyalty programs, employee management, and business process monitoring. Growing adoption of cloud-based mobile POS solutions would also supplement market growth.The various end-users of mobile POS terminals include retail, restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, and others. The retail sector is expected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period owing to high demand from large supermarkets and hypermarkets, grocery and departmental stores, and specialty retail stores among others. The retail sector is turning to mobile POS solutions to cater to the high volume of fast checkouts. Use of POS terminals in the retail sector ensures faster service, provides data related to past transactions, offers customer loyalty solutions, and reduces human errors.The well-known companies profiled in the report include-VeriFone Systems, Oracle Corporation, Ingenico S.A., Pax technology Limited, Squirrel Systems, Toshiba Corporation, Posiflex Tachnology, Panasonic Corporation, NEC Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard Company. 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.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @About Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. 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. 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.Contact usMr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: neel@polarismarketresearch.comWeb: Asia-Pacific Mobile Security Market Analysis by Various Segments and Forecast For 2020| Key Players- IBM Corporation, Mobile Iron Symantec, Corporation, Kaspersky Lab, VMware Inc. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/mobile-security-asia-pacific-market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1149 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1149 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Authentication solution is expected to continue dominating the Asia-Pacific mobile security market over the forecast period and account for around 38% share by 2020, owing to the wide scale adoption of this security solution in various mobile devices for enhanced security.Mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops are more susceptible to security threats. Authentication solution proves to be useful in case when these mobile devices are misplaced and fall into the hands of unauthorized person. According to types of mobile security, the market is bifurcated into E-mail and Anti-virus security. E-mail security constituted 52% share of the overall market revenue in 2014, and is expected to dominate the overall Asia-Pacific mobile security market during the forecast period.Access Full Summary Report:Android was the largest revenue-generating operating system segment of mobile security market, which accounted for nearly 57% of the total Asia-Pacific market revenue in 2014. This segment is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the analysis period due to the massive growth in the number and usage of Android devices.Based on end users, the enterprise segment occupies major market share. This segment is anticipated to generate a revenue of $6.4 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of nearly 43% during 2015 - 2020. The increasing trend of BYOD in various enterprises and the need to secure confidential corporate data are the prime factors boosting the growth of mobile security market.Geographically, China is the highest revenue generating country in the APAC mobile security market, followed by Japan and Singapore. The growth in China is supplemented by factors such as higher rate of adoption of mobile devices as it is one of the largest smartphone markets, worldwide. In addition, India would exhibit the fastest growth during the forecast period.Download Request Sample:The leading players have adopted competitive strategies such as product launch, innovation, mergers and acquisitions and partnerships in an effort to consolidate their market presence.Key Findings of Asia-Pacific Mobile Security Market: Asia-Pacific mobile security market would grow at a promising rate across countries like China, India and Japan during the forecast period (2015 - 2020)Authentication solution is estimated to be the largest revenue-generating segment in mobile security market Android operating system segment would continue to dominate the APAC mobile security market throughout the forecast periodFor Purchase Enquiry:About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:Sona Padman5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Wind Power Market in India to Witness Huge Growth: Demand, Trend & Key Players - Suzlon Energy Ltd., The Tata Power Company Ltd., NEPC India Ltd., ABB Ltd. https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1304259-wind-power-market-in-india-2013 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1304259-wind-power-market-in-india-2013 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1304259-wind-power-market-in-india-2013 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1304259 https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author HTF Market Intelligence released a new research report of 87 pages on title 'Wind Power Market in India' with detailed analysis, forecast and strategies. The study covers key regions and important players such as Suzlon Energy Ltd., The Tata Power Company Ltd., NEPC India Ltd., ABB Ltd.Request a sample report @SummaryWind power generation has long been acknowledged as the fastest growing renewable energy sector in the country. Historically, the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat have been the leaders in terms of total wind installations due to logistical and geographical advantage.The report begins with an introduction into the energy scenario in India. Installed capacity, demand supply gap of power prevailing in India and hence the need for renewable sources of energy is showcased. The market overview section provides an insight into the wind power market which includes the historical and forecasted growth and size of wind installations in India. Expected wind energy generation over the next four years is also shown along with value chain prevailing in the wind power industry. It gives a clear overview of the procedure & cost component of wind power generation. Export and Import figures for wind mills & turbines and wind powered generating sets are also shown for the last four fiscal years.An analysis of the drivers explains the factors for growth of the industry which includes the huge untapped wind power potential in the country, energy deficiency condition in India, rising CO2 emissions, volatile global prices of oil and depleting coal reserves. However few challenges plague the wind power sector in India which includes withdrawal of GBI and AD schemes, wind power evacuation issues, land acquisition problems and issues of grid integration.Key trends in this sector like potential of off-shore capacity, vertical integration in wind power business, hybrid generators, and major investments in the wind sector are shown.Special initiatives are taken by the regulatory bodies like the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET). Their description and the role played by them in the growth of renewable energy sector are given. Policy and regulatory incentives given by the central & various state governments are also tabulated. State wise comparison of feed-in-tariff policy for wind power by the top five states is shown. State specific issues of the top five wind power generating states are also mentioned briefly.The competitive landscape section begins with the Porter's Five Force analysis of the sector, illustrating the competitive rivalry, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers and threat of new entrants and substitutes. It outlays the competitive landscape of the wind market in India briefing about the domestic players existing in the market. This section provides a three dimensional analysis of domestic key players' revenues, profits and market capitalization. The report also features brief profiles of major domestic players in the market and a snapshot of their corporations, financial performance along with the key financial ratios, business highlights and their product portfolio providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario. Individual SWOT analysis of each player is also highlighted.The report concludes with a section on strategic recommendations which comprises an analysis of the growth strategies for the wind power market in India.Companies Mentioned in the ReportPublic Companies1. Suzlon Energy Ltd.2. The Tata Power Company Ltd.3. NEPC India Ltd.4. ABB Ltd.Private Companies1. GE India Industrial Private Ltd.2. Vestas Wind Technology India Private Ltd.3. Kenersys India Private Ltd.4. Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Ltd.5. Wind World (India) Ltd.6. RRB Energy Ltd.7. Global Wind Power Private Ltd.Get Customization in the Report, Enquire Now @Slide 1: Executive SummaryIntroductionSlide 2: India - Energy ScenarioSlide 3: Renewable Energy ScenarioMarket OverviewSlide 4: Market OverviewSlide 5: Wind Power - Value Chain & Generation ForecastSlide 6: Wind Power - Generation Procedure & Cost ComponentSlide 7: Export of Wind Mills & Turbines (Value-Wise)Slide 8: Import of Wind Mills & Turbines (Value-Wise)Slide 9: Export of Wind Powered Generating Sets (Value-Wise)Slide 10: Import of Wind Powered Generating Sets (Value-Wise)Drivers & ChallengesSlide 11: Drivers & Challenges - SummarySlide 12-17: DriversSlide 18-20: ChallengesTrendsSlide....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.Buy this report @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA 08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at Carrier Wi-Fi Market - Business Opportunities with Top Players like Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Aruba Networks, ADTRAN, BelAir Networks, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions, Ruckus Wireless https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/2903 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2903 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/carrier-wi-fi-market https://www.openpr.com/news/1300004/Pressure-sensor-market-2017-2024-By-Top-Players-ABB-Ltd-Denso-Corporation-Honeywell-International-General-Electric-Freescale-Semiconductor-OMRON-Corporation-Measurement-Specialties-Robert-Bosch-GmbH-The-Emerson-Electric-Company-and-STMicroelect.html https://www.gminsights.com http://solutionrocket.com The carrier Wi-Fi market solutions are adopted in various application verticals including BFSI, IT & telecom, healthcare, energy, government, education, and transportation. The market is witnessing a huge adoption rate from the IT & telecom and financial service sectors due to a growth in the SIM-based Wi-Fi access points that provide a closer integration between the mobile network and Wi-Fi.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Companies operating in these industries are also innovating advanced solutions to deliver an enhanced customer experience and gain a competitive edge in the market. For instance, in October 2017, Nokia introduced a new carrier Wi-Fi for in-home solutions. This new solution will provide gigabyte coverage to the entire home, eliminating the interfaces and dead zones.Carrier Wi-Fi Market size is growing at a fast rate due to the increasing adoption of IoT and 5G applications along with the rising advent of smart cities. Carrier Wi-Fi provides a better user experience to the end users by delivering an easy access to Wi-Fi with enhanced service quality. It also enables service providers to manage a large network of access points, supporting thousands of nodes. There is an increase in the amount of data generated from various electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, and laptops in numerous developed and developing countries. The amount of mobile data generated in 2014 was around 2 exabytes and reached around 8 exabytes by 2017. Hence, the deployment of carrier Wi-Fi solutions assists operators to cope with the growing data by enabling them to offload traffic onto the fixed networks in high-traffic areas such as city areas or at major events. This method permits the operators to move the data transmission to a Wi-Fi-based network, reducing the traffic and increasing the efficiency.Carrier Wi-Fi technology is also being used by the operators worldwide to enable cloud-based applications and meet the high bandwidth requirements driving the market growth. It delivers various features such as scalability, wide area mobility, network management, carrier-grade security, and fewer service interruptions, driving its adoption in the market. It is also considered as a cost-effective solution in deploying public hotspots in various restaurants, public places, and university campuses, accelerating the internet penetration rate in developing nations.The emergence of LTE and 5G has resulted in the carrier Wi-Fi becoming an integral part of the network architecture. The industry is witnessing a huge shift in network planning and strategy with innovations in fiber-optics, IP-based core networks, and self-organizing & heterogeneous networks, driving the market demand. Various companies also anticipated to increase their carrier Wi-Fi investments by 2020, in terms of 5G network development, driving the market growth. Furthermore, security has always been a concern for the open Wi-Fi networks as unprotected Wi-Fis can hamper the user and organizational data, leading to huge loses. Carrier Wi-Fi delivers enhanced security by hardening the Wi-Fi network and in turn protecting it from security threats such as spam, spoofing, and viruses, motivating the demand for the carrier Wi-Fi market.Despite the strong inclination of the operators toward the carrier Wi-Fi market, there are still certain issues, which may limit their growth. There are a set of crucial technologies such as enhanced tools for managing Wi-Fi hotspots that are considered as a key requirement for the high-volume deployments of this solutions. A shortage of these tools acts as a critical parameter, hampering the market growth.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @The carrier Wi-Fi market has penetration into software such as network management, network monitoring & intrusion prevention, and network performance analytics. The network management software is projected to hold the highest market share as it offers various benefits to the mobile operators such as reduced power usage, service flexibility, and enhanced service environment including location-based & data analytics services, accelerating the market demand.Asia Pacific is considered the strongest region of growth in the carrier Wi-Fi market due to an increase in the number of mobile subscriptions in countries including India and China. There is also a rise in the demand for smartphones in this region, paving new growth opportunities for the telecom operators. The rate of requests for proposals from various mobile operators is increasing with countries including China, Indonesia, and India, driving the growth.Furthermore, the government has also taken strategic steps such as digitalization and smart cities initiative, which has a positive effect on the market growth. The U.S. is also projected to grow at a fast rate due to the growth in data and the fluctuating network traffic in this region.Browse Full Report @The carrier Wi-Fi market is fragmented with the existence of a substantial number of players. Some of the major players present in the market are Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Aruba Networks, ADTRAN, BelAir Networks, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions, and Ruckus Wireless. These players are making huge investments in R&D and bringing about strategic business collaborations to expand their presence in the competitive carrier Wi-Fi market.Market share calculation in this report is not done based on companies covered in it. The calculation of carrier Wi-Fi market share is done based on a regional approach and countries covered. On request, additional companies can be covered as well as regional data for particular country / countries can be provided.Browse Related Reports:Pressure Sensor Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Germany, UK, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Application Development Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) Market By Key Vendors: Globalstar, Singtel, Iridium Communications, EchoStar, Telstra, Inmarsat plc, ORBCOMM, ViaSat, INTELSAT https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/2901 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2901 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/mobile-satellite-services-mss-market https://www.openpr.com/news/1284712/Humanoid-Robot-Market-2018-Top-Manufacturers-DST-Robot-Engineered-Arts-Hajime-Research-Institute-Hanson-Robotics-Honda-Kawada-Qihan-Technology-Robotis-Softbank-Robotics-Toshiba-Trossen-Robotics-Ubtech-Robotics-Inc-Willow-Garage.html https://www.gminsights.com http://solutionrocket.com North America is projected to dominate the mobile satellite services market size due to the advanced technological infrastructure and the improved network connectivity. The government agencies have also taken significant efforts to introduce new satellite and navigation systems, which have further triggered the growth of the satcom industry. For instance, in June 2018, the U.S. Air Force awarded a contract of USD 130 million to SpaceX for the launch of Air Force Space Command Satellite (AFSPC)-52 satellites in the late FY2020.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) Market size is driven by the increasing demand for mobility and advancements in digital technologies, leading to the introduction of new capabilities by the existing MSS that include improved data and multimedia access. Mobile satellite services refer to the network that provides two-way voice and data communication to users located in any remote location. The satellite communication systems are becoming an integral part of telecommunication networks as these systems also offer several advantages to users, including a wide network coverage and uniform performance, irrespective of the location and useful in disaster response systems. The satellite systems ability to deliver communication capabilities independent of terrestrial assets makes it a key component of connectivity in emergency situations. The advancement in satellite technologies with the introduction of high accuracy GNSS receivers, GPS systems, and sensors is expected to boost the growth of the MSS market.Another factor that has fueled the mobile satellite services market growth includes the rapid adoption of mobile satellite and cellular services in emergency and disaster situations. As the deployment of wireless communications is one of the first priorities in emergency response, satellite communication systems are the only communications infrastructure that is not susceptible to damage from disasters. Also, MSS are also used in many countries to provide seismic data to government agencies to enable early warnings before the occurrence of disasters.The marine & defense sector is expected to witness a higher adoption of MSS during the forecast timeline due to the introduction of many satellite and cellular service systems. For instance, in March 2018, COMSAT teamed up with Iridium to provide secure global communications to government & military users. Under the partnership, the COMSAT leveraged the benefits of Iridium network, including on-the-move connectivity, providing services that meet the communications security requirements for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) such as personnel tracking, and real-time environmental assessment. In January 2015, the U.S. Navy launched military communications satellite to improve its tactical communications capabilities.Asia Pacific is estimated to show a faster adoption rate toward the mobile satellite and cellular services due to the advancements in digital infrastructure and the increased efforts taken by the government regarding the implementation of the 5G technology. The proliferation of IoT platforms and smartphones will also lead to an increase in the demand for space-based communication systems. To unleash the potential of IoT, the demand for satellite-based solutions will increase as these systems can easily handle widespread connectivity challenges.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Some of the leading players in the mobile satellite services market are Globalstar, Singtel, Iridium Communications, EchoStar, Telstra, Inmarsat plc, ORBCOMM, ViaSat, and INTELSAT. The leading players are focusing on strategic agreements to cater to the needs of their business customers. For instance, in January 2017, Inmarsat plc through its distribution partner Global Beam Telecom entered into a multi-year agreement with Tecbuy and Virgin Megastores in the UAE to sell the companys GSPS IsatPhone Satellite phones and IsatHub terminals to customers in the UAE. The mobile satellite system allows customers to stay connected using one device and one SIM.The agreement helped to foster Inmarsats commitment to providing reliable connectivity coupled with the latest advancements in the satellite technology.In April 2016, Globalstar Europe and Manx Telecom partnered to launch the integrated mobile satellite and cellular services to help disaster response teams. The new system, Extended Mobile Network (EMX), maintains connectivity through switching between cellular and satellite and also makes use of Smart SIM technology to use alternative connections from other cellular providers if cut-off from the primary operator.Browse Full Report @Market share calculation in this report is not done based on companies covered in it. The calculation of mobile satellite services market share is done based on a regional approach and countries covered. On request, additional companies can be covered as well as regional data for particular country / countries can be provided.Browse Related Report:Humanoid Robot Market Size By Product (Wheel Drive, Biped), By Application (Retail, Hospitality, Education & Scientific Research, Healthcare, Residential, Military & Defense, Construction, Underwater Systems), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market Estimation with Key Players like Orange Electronic, Shenzhen Autotech, Steelmate during the Forecast Period 2018-2025. Tyre Pressure Monitoring System https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/10251 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/10251 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/buy/tyre-pressure-monitoring-system--market www.upmarketresearch.com Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Industry research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period.Get FREE Sample Report Before Buying @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market Analysis and Forecast 2018-2023 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 103 pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Industry research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Industry global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018 2023.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.The generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Tyre Pressure Monitoring System market analysis & forecast 2018-2023 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region-wise Analysis Global Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: Schrader (Sensata) Continental ZF TRW Pacific Industrial Sate Auto Electronic Huf Group Lear Denso NIRA Dynamics ACDelco Bendix CUB Elecparts Orange Electronic Shenzhen Autotech Steelmate Baolong Automotive Shenzhen Hangshen Nanjing Top SunFor More Information, Please VisitGlobal Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market: Product Segment Analysis: Indirect TPMS Direct TPMSGlobal Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market: Application Segment Analysis: Passenger Vehicle Light Commercial Vehicle Heavy Commercial VehicleThe Report covers in-depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Study Coverage Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Size by Manufacturers Chapter 4 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (CAS 8000-27-9) Production by Regions Chapter 5 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (CAS 8000-27-9) Consumption by Regions Chapter 6 Market Size by Type Chapter 7 Market Size by Application Chapter 8 Manufacturers Profiles Chapter 9 Production Forecasts Chapter 10 Consumption Forecast Chapter 11 Upstream, Industry Chain and Downstream Customers Analysis Chapter 12 Opportunities & Challenges, Threat and Affecting Factors Chapter 13 Key Findings Chapter 14 AppendixBuy Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market analysis & forecast 2018-2023 Report along with complete TOC @Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Market Analysis and Forecast 2018-2023 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market-driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real-time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real-time scenario.Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Tyre Pressure Monitoring System Industry and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Tyre Pressure Monitoring System market analysis and forecast 2018-2023.Customization of the Report:UpMarketResearch provides free customization of reports as per your need. This report can be personalized to meet your requirements. Get in touch with our sales team, who will guarantee you to get a report that suits your necessities.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013-2023 Top 20 Countries Data Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-China Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-India Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System-United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () is a leading distributor of market research report with more than 800+ global clients. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Contact Info:Name: Alex MathewsEmail: Alex@upmarketresearch.comOrganization: UpMarketResearchAddress: 500, East E Street, Ontario, CA 91764, United States. Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) Market Report Competition by Manufacturers, Type & Application, Growth & Opportunities 2023 Artificial Intelligence as a Service Market https://www.researchbeam.com/artificial-intelligence-as-a-service-aiaas-market/request-sample?utm_source=Anil&utm_medium=OPR https://www.researchbeam.com/artificial-intelligence-as-a-service-aiaas-market/purchase-enquiry?utm_source=Anil&utm_medium=OPR https://www.researchbeam.com/artificial-intelligence-as-a-service-aiaas-market?utm_source=Anil&utm_medium=OPR Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) Market by Technology (Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, and Others), Organization Size (Small & Medium Enterprise and Large Enterprise), and Industry Vertical (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Retail, Manufacturing, Public Sector, Energy & Utility, Healthcare, and Others) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2025The global artificial intelligence as a service market size (AIaaS Market size) is expected to reach $77,047.7 million in 2025, from $2,397.2 million in 2017 growing at a CAGR of 56.7% from 2018 to 2025. AIaaS incorporates a range of services that offer AI tools through cloud computing services. Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Apple Inc. are some of the leading players of the global AIaaS market.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Increased penetration of cloud-based solutions and growth associated with the artificial intelligence and cognitive computing market are the major factors that boost the growth of the AIaaS market. In addition, growth in IT expenditure in emerging nations and technological advancement for workflow optimization fuel the demand for advanced analytical systems driving the artificial intelligence as a service market. However, limited availability of trained professionals is expected to impede the market growth. Furthermore, increase in application areas and growth of IoT are the factors expected to create lucrative growth opportunities for the artificial intelligence as a service market.The global AIaaS market is segmented by technology, organization size, industry vertical, and region. Based on technology, the market is classified into machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and others. In 2017, the machine learning segment dominated the market, in terms of revenue, and is expected to maintain this trend in the coming years, owing to increase in demand for the artificial intelligence industry solutions. Based on organization size, the market is categorized into small & medium enterprise and large enterprise. By industry vertical, the market is classified into BFSI, retail, telecom & IT, healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, energy & utilities, and others (agriculture, law, media & advertising, educational institutions). The IT & telecom segment is anticipated to dominate the global artificial intelligence as a service market throughout the forecast period. Based on region, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. In 2017, North America contributed the highest share in the artificial intelligence as a service market and is anticipated to secure the leading position during the forecast period, owing to the presence of key market players and huge investment.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at: @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Alphabet Inc. (Google Inc.), Apple Inc., Amazon Inc., IBM Corporation, CognitiveScale, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Intel, Inc., SAP SE, Salesforce, Inc., Fair Isaac CorporationKEY MARKET SEGMENTSBY TECHNOLOGY Machine Learning (ML) Computer Vision Natural Language Processing (NLP) OthersBY ORGANIZATION SIZE Small & Medium Enterprise Large EnterpriseBY INDUSTRY VERTICAL BFSI IT & Telecom Retail Manufacturing Public Sector Energy & Utility Healthcare OthersMore Report At:Market Segment by Table of Contents:Chapter 1: Introduction1.1. Report description1.2. Key benefits for stakeholders1.3. Key market segments1.4. Research methodology1.4.1. Secondary research1.4.2. Primary research1.4.3. Analyst tools & modelsChapter 2: Executive summary2.1. CXO perspectiveChapter 3: MARKET OVERVIEW3.1. Market definition and scope3.2. Key findings3.2.1. Top investment pockets3.2.2. Top winning strategies3.3. Porter's five forces analysis3.4. Key player positioning, 20183.5. Market dynamics3.5.1. Drivers3.5.1.1. Increased market for cloud computing3.5.1.2. Growth associated with artificial intelligence and cognitive computing3.5.2. Restraints3.5.2.1. Dearth of trained professionals3.5.3. Opportunity3.5.3.1. Increased adoption of analytical solutions3.5.3.2. Increased application areasAbout Us:Research Beam is a high end and wide online market for market research reports that contain detailed and rational market research. Research Beam is a one stop report destination that offers clients well drafted and accurately analyzed report with insightful data.Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United States+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com Report: Mobile Analytics Market Expected High Growth by 2023 www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/787 www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/787 www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout/221033 www.alliedmarketresearch.com Mobile analytics helps one measure both application revenue and usage. Furthermore, the tool enables business owners to keep a track of the recent trends and make smart data-driven decisions, thereby increasing customer engagement as well as monetization for an app.Get Sample Report@On the other hand, emergence of mobile analytics has helped in increasing brand awareness among customers. In addition, the tool further empowers enterprises to conduct quality measurement. Besides enabling brands optimize their mobile campaigns, mobile analytics plays a key role in performing adhoc investigation of complete mobile activity.The mobile analytics market today has been influenced by several market drivers, restraints and opportunities. Undoubtedly, the market penetration of smartphones and growing demand to receive new and actionable insight on the buyers preferences have accelerated the need for mobile analytics worldwide. Additionally, the upsurge in mobile advertising and advent of data analytics and big data have further pushed the mobile analytics market on growth trajectory. However, lack of awareness on the benefits of mobile analytics and growing privacy concerns have restricted the market growth for mobile analytics. On the other hand, with many enterprises entering the market and providing advance solutions would create greater opportunities in the coming years.Purchase Inquiry@The mobile analytics market is segmented in terms of type, deployment, industry and geography. In terms of type the market is segmented mobile advertisement, application performance analytics and others. In addition, the industries served by the market consists of education, BFSI, hospitality and travel, manufacturing, retail, information technology and many others. The two popular deployment methods in the industry are on premise and cloud based deployment model. Likewise, the regions experiencing tremendous growth in the mobile analytics market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and LAMEA.Key market leaders are also covered in the market research report.Companies discussed in the report includesGoogleMixPanelFlurry andLocalytics among others.MOBILE ANALYTICS MARKET KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS:The report provides a comprehensive analysis of current & future market trends and emerging avenues for the growth of the market across the globe.The report offers insights on the competitive landscape, new technological developments, untapped segments.Value chain analysis of technology suppliers, original equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and key operators is offered in the report.This report entails the detailed quantitative analysis of the current market and estimations through 20142020, which assists in identifying the prevailing market opportunities.The report offers a strategic analysis of the financial status of key market players and highlights market share of key vendors.Pre- Order@ 10% Discount-About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:Shriram Dighe5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Drug Screening Market Expected to Reach $9,447 Million by 2023 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1070 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/get-discount/1070 www.alliedmarketresearch.com According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Drug Screening Market by Products & Services, Sample Type, and End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023," the global drug screening market was valued at $5,214 million in 2016, and is projected to reach $9,447 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2017 to 2023. North America held the largest market share with more than fifty percent share in 2016.Download Now! Sample PDF Brochure @Drug screening is carried out to detect the presence of any illegal drug in the different biological samples such as blood or urine. Biological samples derived from the subject are tested under drug screening devices to diagnose the nature and amount of drug in the system. Drug screening manufacturers provide a wide range of high-tech equipment which is used by organizations and law enforcement agencies to check the presence of any illegal drug in the body. Drug screening devices have helped government officials, employers and schools to maintain a drug free and healthy environment for individuals.Major factors driving the drug screening market are increase in drug consumption among youth, upsurge in consumption of alcohol and misuse of prescribed or illicit drugs by individuals. In addition, rise in awareness among the population in developing countries regarding adverse effects of drugs will help to boost the market growth. Further, governments of many developed and developing nations are raising funds to deal with increasing drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking, which will help to fuel the market growth.Laboratory services are currently dominating the products and services segment and is expected dominate the market during the forecast period. It occupies more than three-fifths of the total market share because of need to hire trained professionals capable of performing drug tests.In the sample type segment urine sample is currently holding maximum amount of market share at six-sevenths of the total market with a CAGR of 8.6% from 2017-2023. Hair sample is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 12.6% from 2017-2023.The end user segment is dominated by work place and school with over two-thirds of the market. Employees and students under drug influence result in reduced productivity and absenteeism. Increasing awareness among public has led to surge in personal drug screening devices usage and this segment is forecast to exhibit highest CAGR over the forecast period.Key Findings of the Drug Screening Market: Under products & services equipment segment the rapid testing devices segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 9.6% from 2017-2023 over the forecast period. Hair sample segment is poised to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Workplace and schools generated the highest revenue in 2016, and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. North America dominated the global drug screening market over the analysis period, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2017-2023. Asia-Pacific drug screening market is an upcoming market and expected to generate new opportunities for market players.In 2016, North America held five-ninths of the market share in global drug screening market, and is expected to continue this trend due its large amount of drug abuse and adoption of drug screening devices in the region. U.S. federal government is raising funds against illegal drug trafficking and driving the market in North America region. Asia-Pacific region is growing at a fastest CAGR in the forecast period due to increase in awareness regarding effects of drug abuse among developing countries. In addition, increase in investments in R&D by public and private sectors is also expected to boost the market growth.The major companies in drug screening market include Alere, Inc., Drgerwerk AG & Co. KGAA, Abbott Laboratories, Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Biorad Laboratories, Inc., Siemens AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and Express Diagnostics International Inc.Check offers and discount on this report @About Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1?855?550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: The Portland Trail Blazers finish the exhibition season Friday night at the Moda Center. But they will do so without Moe Harkless, who has been ruled out with left knee soreness. He's missed the entire exhibition season. Joe Freeman The state ethics commission is investigating allegations that the chairman of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners used his position to benefit his wife, a county manager, and failed to disclose a conflict of interest when considering her pay, her agency's budget and possible discipline against her. Jim Bernard, chairman of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, is the subject of a state ethics investigation. The inquiry will focus on whether Jim Bernard broke state nepotism laws. Bernard is married to Danielle Cowan, the executive director of Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Shari Anderson, the county treasurer, filed the complaint against Bernard in August with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. She alleges that Bernard "commented on" the budget of Cowan's agency during budget hearings and approved her cost of living adjustments while failing to disclose a conflict of interest. Cowan's annual salary is about $151,000, according to county records. Bernard's salary is $102,960. Bernard also didn't disclose a conflict of interest when he took part in an executive session discussion "regarding the hiring, firing and discipline" of Cowan, Anderson said in the complaint. Details of that discussion was not included in the public records released by the ethics commission. Cowan at one point threatened to sue the county "alleging that false and defamatory statements" had been made about her during an executive session last year, according to the ethics commission's preliminary review. Cowan sought a recording of that meeting, according to Anderson's complaint. In limited circumstances, Oregon law allows public bodies to meet and deliberate in executive sessions that are closed to the public. Bernard, according to Anderson's complaint, recommended that the county release the recording to his wife. Bernard didn't immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. Cowan also didn't respond to an email. Hayley Weedn, an investigator for the government ethics commission, recommended that the agency proceed with an ethics investigation, according to documents released by the commission this week. The commission met in late September to discuss the complaint in executive session. Though such meetings are closed to the public, the ethics commission posted the audio on its website. It becomes public after the commission decides how to handle a particular case. During that meeting, Bernard spoke on his own behalf, saying his wife answers to the county administrator, not the Board of Commissioners. He said the board has "nothing to do with salary increases, reviews or anything else." "Certainly if there was an opportunity to review Danielle, I would not have participated in it," Bernard said. He added that the Board of Commissioners has "very little say" in the tourism agency's budget. Bernard speculated that Anderson "may have an issue not necessarily with me but with Danielle," prompting the treasurer to file the complaint. His lawyer, Steven Berman, said the complaint appears to stem from "internal personality-related conflicts." Anderson on Friday rejected those characterizations of her motives. "It's very unfortunate," she said. "It's not something I wanted to do. It was not frivolous. It's something I thought long and hard about." She said she has had professional dealings with Cowan and Barnard. "I guess the biggest thing to me is if I expect someone to come forward and file a complaint about something going on, I expect them to be brave and I need to set that example," said Anderson, county treasurer for 20 years. "It was nothing personal against Jim." Bernard's lawyer urged the ethics commission to drop the complaint. "We do want the commission to be conscious of the repercussions of even voting this to an investigation, how that is perceived, how that affects an elected official, a public official," Berman said. During the meeting, Kamala Shugar, a member of the ethics commission, said she'd heard "enough information" about the allegations to warrant an investigation. "I do find personally in my review of these records and in listening to the presentation today that there's a substantial objective basis to investigate to determine whether Commissioner Bernard engaged in any of this conduct," said Shugar, who is also special counsel to the Oregon attorney general. -- Noelle Crombie 503-276-7184 @noellecrombie An employee of Self Enhancement Inc., a nonprofit that helps African-American students from elementary through high school, has accused staff and supervisors of creating a sexualized atmosphere that extends to relationships with students. Fyndi Jermany said in a Multnomah County Circuit Court lawsuit filed Thursday that she was sexually harassed by supervisors and coworkers during her time at Self Enhancement. She also said she witnessed several conversations among colleagues who talked about dating students and situations where staff inappropriately touched students or shared explicit photos of students. Jermany has asked for more than $886,000 to compensate for overtime pay she never received, a promotion she was denied in retaliation, and physiological damages. Jermany was hired by Self Enhancement in March 2016 and assigned to Jefferson High School, where she worked with at-risk youth. The nonprofit has a successful track record of helping African-American students graduate high school and go to college at rates well above their peers who are not in the program. Jermany was one of several school coordinators who work with students inside Portland Public School buildings, but most of the programming happens at Self Enhancement's headquarters in North Portland. She was hired as a salaried employee for $35,000 and expected to work around the clock, she said in the suit. Almost a year later, she was switched to hourly for about the same annual income but told she would not be paid overtime -- yet she said she still was expected to work the same hours. She was a single mother, according to the lawsuit, and needed the job. She was praised at work for two years and -- while her supervisors ignored her promise of performance reviews -- was told she was excelling, she said. The lawsuit says that changed when she began to complain to her bosses that the Self Enhancement work environment was toxic. According to the lawsuit, Self Enhancement President Tony Hopkins Sr. kissed Jermany on the cheek in front of staff. She said that at another time, he looked her over and told her she looked nice in a sexually suggestive tone, the lawsuit says. Jermany also experienced unwanted touches and sexual comments from a coworker, the lawsuit says. She said she also was silenced by a supervisor who said he had an affair with an underage student and showed staff photos of the girl's breasts. When she complained to that supervisor about the sexualized work environment, she was told to "quiet down," Jermany said in the suit. She then took her complaints about her own sexual harassment and the treatment of students to human resources and the chief operating officer, both of whom dismissed her concerns. The lawsuit alleges that, instead of acting, they retaliated against Jermany by denying her a promotion and attempting to make her look like a bad employee. Jermany took medical leave at the beginning of 2018. The stress caused Jermany's health issues, she said, including anxiety, weight and hair loss, and sleeplessness. "Fyndi Jermany is not just advocating for herself, she's trying to stop the victimization of children and other staff at the hands of (Self Enhancement Inc)," said one of her attorneys Kim Sordyl. Self Enhancement leaders declined to comment on the lawsuit because it is ongoing and concerns a current employee. -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com 503-294-5923 @MollyHarbarger An 89-year-old man has been identified as the person seriously injured in a grass fire on his property Thursday in unincorporated Multnomah County. Alfred C. Bothum was flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment after the fire in the 12800 block of Northwest Springville Road, according to Sgt. Brent Laizure, a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman. A hospital spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday on Bothum's condition. Flames from a burn pile spread onto the property, burning Bothum, said Lydia Woodman, a Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue spokeswoman. A male neighbor, who suffered minor injuries, was dragging Bothum away from the flames when firefighters arrived. The fire was about 100 feet by 50 feet and later extinguished. The neighbor declined to be taken to a hospital. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Two firearms dealers have agreed to make changes aimed at preventing straw gun purchases stemming from an Oregon court case hailed as the first to hold dealers liable for guns sold online. The two businesses and a third party will pay more than $750,000 to the family of a woman killed in Oregon with a pistol they sold. The landmark settlement announced this week stems from a lawsuit filed against the dealers by the family of retired California auditor Kirsten Englund, 57. Englund was driving north up the Oregon coast in April 2013 to visit her son, a sophomore at the University of Oregon, when she stopped at a scenic overlook along U.S. 101 in Douglas County to see a lighthouse. She encountered Jeffrey Boyce, a stranger, who shot her six times, poured gasoline on her, lit her on fire and shot her again. He committed suicide in his California jail cell that June. The handgun Boyce used was one of two semi-automatic pistols Boyce's mother helped buy for her mentally disturbed son, the lawsuit says. World Pawn Exchange of North Bend and J&G Sales Inc., an online firearms dealer based in Arizona will adopt more stringent measures to deter sales of guns to people who then hand them over to someone else. The suit claimed World Pawn Exchange and J&G. "knew or reasonably should have known" Diane Boyce was a straw buyer for her son and "should have refused to sell or transfer" guns to her. J&G sold the gun to Jeffrey Boyce via the Internet. J&G then transferred the gun to World Pawn Exchange, which gave it to Diane Boyce. Diane Boyce signed papers that she was the actual buyer. "I hope this case encourages better business practices by gun dealers,'' said Nick Wiegardt, 25, of Castro Valley, California, one of Englund's two sons. He was the one his mother was going to visit and recalled wondering what had happened to her when she didn't show up to the UO campus. "There's a lot of common sense and better business practices that can be done to prevent unnecessary gun deaths,'' he said. Under the settlement, World Pawn Exchange agreed to no longer transfer guns that have been ordered from online sellers. The exception is if someone has ordered the gun online through World Pawn Exchange. It also agreed to take specific steps to prevent straw purchases. For example, it will ask prospective buyers how they intend to use the gun and if they're buying it for someone else. World Pawn Exchange posted this message on its Facebook page, a part of the settlement's requirements: "World Pawn recognizes that, as a federally-licensed firearms dealer, it has an important role to play in preventing dangerous people from obtaining firearms, and keeping its community safe. World Pawn recommends and encourages that all gun dealers, including online sellers, go beyond the legal minimum to implement the safest business practices to prevent firearms from being obtained by criminals, straw purchasers, and other persons who pose a danger to themselves or others when in possession of a firearm.'' J&G agreed to add to all its invoices for online gun orders: "Transfer firearm only to (purchaser's name).'' It also will delay any sales if the name of the gun buyer doesn't match the name on the credit or debit card used for the purchase. The online purchase order also will ask buyers to check a box that affirms they're the actual buyer or if they're buying the gun for themselves or as a gift as permitted by law for someone who's allowed to have a gun. "If it were not so easy for a dangerously mentally troubled killer to obtain a gun on the Internet, Kirsten Englund would be alive today, with her two sons and loving family,'' said Jonathan Lowy, a lawyer for Englund's estate. He also is vice president of litigation at the nonprofit coalition The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. According to court records, Diane Boyce picked up three guns from the North Bend pawn store on behalf of her son: -- An AK-47 assault rifle in December 2011 that her son ordered online from Minnesota-based Grant County Guns. -- A Makarov 9mm semi-automatic pistol in January 2012 that her son ordered online from J&G. -- A Rock Island pistol in February 2012 that her son ordered online from J&G. Jeffrey Bryce used his mother's credit card for each of the J&G purchases. "I think this case is the recognition that it's just too easy for straw purchasers to get guns on the Internet,'' Lowry said. "I expect these reforms will serve as a model for legislators that want to codify these practices." Diane Boyce earlier agreed to pay $400,000 to Englund's family and provide documents, information and testimony in the family's suit against the gun dealers. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian A seismic shift in political power, or something closer to the status quo, is brewing in Washington County, where voters are being asked to choose who will helm the board of commissioners. Bob Terry already serves on the five-person panel, but he's giving up his District 4 seat to run against three-term Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington for the at-large county chair position. The stakes, as reflected in the spending for the nonpartisan position, are unquestionably high. A Harrington victory could upend the board's nearly three-decade-long conservative tilt. "Washington County is Oregon's economic engine," said Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University. "Whoever wins this race will have a lot to say about the future direction the county takes." Harrington, 58, was the top vote-getter among four candidates in May's primary election. But she failed to win 50 percent of the vote, setting up the Nov. 6 runoff with Terry, 72. The winner will succeed Andy Duyck, who in April 2017 announced he would not seek re-election after eight years as board chair and 24 years as a commissioner. Duyck, who was elected chair in 2010, has been a key part of a 3-2 coalition that has leaned consistently toward pro-business positions. The board will have at least two new faces come January: Pam Treece, who upset two-term Commissioner Greg Malinowski in the primary 58.3 percent to 41.3 percent; and former Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey, who beat Kimberly Culbertson 55.1 percent to 44.5 percent in May to avoid a runoff. Dick Schouten and Roy Rogers fill out the rest of the board. Harrington, a former tech executive in the county, said she supports a number of policies that will aid area businesses, which include such employment giants as Nike, Intel and Columbia Sportswear. Yet she is clear that the political direction of the county will change under her watch. "Residents know and expect government to do more than just work with the business community," she said. "Specifically, they want to ensure that government is also helping them have a better quality of life." Terry, a former nursery owner, cited the county's low unemployment and other positive economic metrics as reasons why voters should elect him. He responded to Harrington's calls for change with a line right out of the playbook of the late Vic Atiyeh during his successful run for governor in 1981. "Why do you want to fix something that isn't broken?" Terry said. One particular disagreement between the two a Metro bond measure that would raise $652 million to build affordable housing is emblematic of their larger political disagreements. Harrington supports Measure 26-199, which would provide Washington County with more than $180 million. The money is needed, she said, to help augment housing that's not being addressed in the private market. "Folks throughout our region have told us that they know there's a housing crisis taking place," Harrington said. "The county can't do this on its own, which is why a regional solution makes sense." Terry, who opposes the measure, disagrees, saying the county's current strategy of pursuing public-private partnerships is far more likely to pay off. "Those partnerships mean we don't have to assume the role of property manager," he said. "Private industry does that for us. Why would we want to take on another 300 or so houses and pay for all that maintenance and upkeep? It makes zero sense." The candidates also part ways on transportation planning. While both agree that congestion throughout the county leaves most major roads and highways at gridlock during rush hour, their approaches for alleviating it is diametrically opposed. Terry is a big supporter of the county's Intelligent Traffic Signaling effort, which is scheduled to roll out soon. It's intended to enhance traffic flow through countywide traffic-signal coordination. But he also holds out hope that at least the northern vestige of the long-planned Westside Bypass can be built. He envisions construction of a major thoroughfare that goes north down to Oregon U.S. 30 along the Willamette River before crossing into Washington near Vancouver. "There are only four ways in and out of Washington County," Terry said. "And until you put new roads in, that won't change." Harrington, by contrast, urges the adoption of a regional approach to transportation planning, one that includes pedestrians, bicycles, cars, buses and trains. Focusing solely on automobiles, she said, highlights the shortsightedness of Terry's approach. "We have over $15 billion in capital needs over the next 20 years when it comes to needed transportation investments," she said. "And that's not including any pie-in-the-sky new highway projects like this Northwest arterial Bob and others talk about. "One thing that distinguishes me from my opponent is that it's not enough to just have plans. We need to go to the public and say, if you want improvements, it'll cost us all more. I have the track record to do that." The race is considered one of the most competitive in the state, and campaign spending reflects that. Harrington, bolstered by $100,000 in loans to her own campaign, has raised $289,000, according to Oregon Secretary of State records. Terry's campaign has raised nearly $210,000 with three weeks to go before election day. If there's an edge to be found, it could belong to Harrington in the form of voter registration. Although the position of board chair is nonpartisan, Democratic registration in the county is nearly 132,000, versus just over 83,000 Republican voters. However, a voter-registration figure not lost on either campaign is that of non-affiliated voters. They now number nearly 119,000 more than enough to sway the election's outcome. Both candidates are mindful of the wild-card role that non-affiliated voters will play. "When I knock on doors, people ask me what I am," Terry said. "I just tell them that my goal is to keep going the way we are." Said Harrington, "Yes, electoral demographics have changed a lot in Washington County. But I've served nearly 12 years in a non-partisan office at Metro. We'll see what the voters decide." There's a number of municipal and regional contests throughout the county, including: Tualatin, where two sitting councilors -- Frank Bubenik and Paul Morrison -- are vying to succeed longtime Mayor Lou Ogden. Two council races, one uncontested, are also on the ballot. Tigard, where there's a four-way race to replace Mayor John L. Cook. The ballot includes Councilor Marc Woodard; Council President Jason Snider; Linda S. Monahan; and Marland Henderson. Hillsboro, where six candidates are vying for three city council seats. Beach Pace and Eric Muehter are battling to replace outgoing Council President Darell Lumaco in Ward 1; Kyle Allen, the incumbent, is trying to fend off challenges from William Joseph Fields and John Shepherd in Ward 2. Olivia Alcaire is unopposed in Ward 3. Forest Grove, where three of the six council seats are up for grabs. Council President Tom "TJ" Johnston, Councilor Malynda Wenzl and Councilor Ron Thompson seek re-election amid challenges from Devon Downeysmith, Karen Reynolds and Solomon Clapshaw, a senior at Forest Grove High School. Mayor Peter Truax is running unopposed. Wilsonville, where John Budiao, David Davis, Charlotte Lehan and Ben West are battling for two at-large positions. Lehan, who was last elected in 2014, also served on the council from 1991 to 2008, and was mayor for three of those terms. West was one of the plaintiffs behind the 2014 lawsuit that led the Oregon Supreme Court to Cornelius, where John Colgan, Andrew E. Dudley and Luis Hernandez are running for two open seats. Incumbent Mayor Jeffrey C. Dalin is running unopposed. For a full recap of all Washington County races, check out the Voters' Pamphlet. Dana Tims * Linda S. Monahan and Marland Henderson were inadvertently omitted as Tigard mayoral candidates an earlier version of this report. Update: A spokeswoman for Mayor Ted Wheeler said Saturday that the mayor did meet with leaders in mental health and addiction services, but that he did not mean to say he would definitely include Wapato in any proposal. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler met Friday afternoon with social service providers to discuss how the city can help provide mental health and addiction services -- an idea he linked to a possible use for Wapato Jail, the North Portland boondoggle that can't stay out of the news. Wheeler seemed to float the idea of using it as a facility to help people with mental illness or addiction. He said in a Friday morning news conference that he has been told Wapato is likely not the right place for that kind of center, but he wants to have the conversation anyway. Schnitzer, the prominent developer behind Harsch Investment Properties, bought Wapato for $5 million. It was built for $58 million by Multnomah County decades ago and has never been used. Wheeler acknowledged the long track record of people who tried to find a use for the taxpayer-funded facility. As Multnomah County chair a decade ago, he pitched the Oregon Department of Corrections on using the 155,400-square-foot building built to house 500 minimum-security inmates as a center recently released prisoners could use to access housing, job training, drug and alcohol treatment, and other services. The state didn't bite. Now Wheeler could try again. Multnomah County oversees social services in the Portland area, including mental health and addiction services. However, Wheeler said he feels compelled to act as well. "As the mayor of this community, it's become very clear to me that people expect me to take a leadership role on helping to fill the gaps around mental health services and addiction services," Wheeler said. Wheeler called Schnitzer two weeks ago after Schnitzer said he would demolish the building and build a warehouse in its place if no one comes up with a proposal to use the building as a public service. Schnitzer said he has asked engineers to draw up plans for demolition, but the process to actually do so will likely take months. In the meantime, he is open to any viable, funded idea. The funding is the crucial point for most people. Developer Homer Williams and his nonprofit Harbor of Hope floated the idea of a homeless shelter in the facility before Multnomah County sold it, but have not been able to line up the money to submit a formal proposal to Schnitzer. The head of the Portland police union, Daryl Turner, has spoken to a couple of neighborhood groups about using Wapato for a homeless shelter. Portland City Council candidate Loretta Smith has used it as a rallying cry. However, no one has ever put together a plan. -- Molly Harbarger mharbarger@oregonian.com 503-294-5923 @MollyHarbarger An Oregon foster care rule that appears to treat intimate partner abuse less seriously than spousal abuse may have allowed a violent Gresham man to gain custody of -- and allegedly abuse -- his young son. Oregon criminal law, on the other hand, does not differentiate between domestic violence that occurs in married or unmarried couples. Robert A. Lamb of Gresham was convicted in 2008 of assaulting and strangling a former girlfriend. Yet last fall, case workers approved Lamb to care for his 7-year-old son. The boy told his principal six months later that his dad slapped, punched and kicked him. Lamb was charged with six felonies. Workers at the Oregon Department of Human Services had the power to recommend where the boy would live because his mother lost custody. An Oregon child welfare rule says the state can't place children with adults who have ever been convicted of "spousal abuse." It's an automatic disqualification. The Oregon Department of Human Services would not say -- although it was asked four times in writing -- whether the agency equates abuse of an intimate partner to abuse of a spouse. An agency spokeswoman said the agency never places children with a caregiver without first running a background check. That suggests the agency found Lamb's assault and strangulation of his girlfriend but determined it did not disqualify him from caring for the boy. Lamb was estranged from the boy's mother and had had no relationship with the boy prior to DHS workers placing him in the man's home. Robert A. Lamb Lamb was charged in March with three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and three counts of third-degree assault, all felonies. Lamb, who could not be located after he failed to show up for a court hearing in May, was arrested Thursday by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. He remained in jail Friday. The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported about the case last month, when Lamb was on the lam. Portland detectives who investigate child abuse asked U.S. Marshals to help find him, said Sgt. Chris Burley, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. The federal task force targets people with extensive criminal histories and suspects wanted on charges linked to weapons or violence. Department of Human Resources spokeswoman Christine Stone said in an email that before case workers place children with a parent, they "thoroughly assess" a parent's criminal history and any past interactions they have had with the child welfare system. Case workers might consider the recency and "type" of criminal activity, as well as how a caregiver's past impacts their "current parental functioning," she wrote. She could not say how often background checks rule out prospective caretakers. The department doesn't track such statistics, she wrote. Whether the agency in fact conducted a thorough review of Lamb's background is not known. Stone said the agency could not comment on specific cases. She provided a copy of the rules that outline the process, including a list of convictions that automatically disqualify a foster caregiver. Among the disqualifiers: "spousal abuse." Convictions for abusing or neglecting a child are also automatic outs. "The Department of Human Services must determine if behavior revealed by criminal history of a noncustodial parent is inconsistent with providing care to children or having access to children," Stone said. Had case workers dug deeply into Lamb's past they might have found that in addition to his 2008 conviction for abusing his girlfriend, he had been the subject of at least three restraining orders. The most recent restraining order, in 2016, temporarily barred him from contacting two of his sons, both younger than the 7-year-old, and their mother. A lawsuit filed on behalf of the 7-year-old, who does not share Lamb's last name, alleges case workers never should have approved Lamb. As his legal guardian, the state failed to keep the boy safe, the lawsuit contends. A judge ordered the boy's father to appear in court next month for a criminal trial hearing. -- Molly Young myoung@oregonian.com The Portland Police Department has been under intense scrutiny lately for the way law enforcement in Oregon's largest city handled an Oct. 6 protest where a motorist pushed through a crowd of demonstrators. But the agency, which employs eight officers, didn't have anything to do with police response to the event, the local CBS affiliate reports. That was the job of the Portland Police Bureau, which counts about 1,000 in its ranks. Portland, Michigan, has a population of just under 4,000 and city officials there say they've been inundated with direct messages on Facebook since the Oct. 6 protest more than 2,000 miles away. The difference between the two communities is night and day. One encompasses 149 square miles, an hour's drive from a mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. The other doesn't even cover a full three square miles and the closest beach sits on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 2016, nearly 80 percent of Portland, Oregon's voters cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton, according to the New York Times' election map. In the city's Midwest cousin? Donald Trump won with 49 percent of the vote to Clinton's 42 percent. Yet police and city officials in Portland, Michigan, are being accused of letting mobs run wild on the streets, a narrative pushed by Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and right-wing websites like Breitbart and The Daily Caller. The flood of complaints prompted the Portland, Michigan city manager to publish a public service announcement clearing up any confusion. He also added the state to the local police department's Facebook title in an effort to clear things up. But to no avail. "PSA: We're not Portland, Oregon," the Facebook post reads. PSA: Were not Portland, Oregon. Since I authorized the creation of the Portland Police Department Facebook page in... Posted by City of Portland, Michigan on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 Folks have even filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records concerning Portland police response to protests, city officials told WOOD TV. It sounds like a headache. But at least one commenter on the city's Facebook PSA may have pinpointed the source of the problem. --Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344 ecampuzano@oregonian.com American cheese will never die. It has too many preservatives. But it's melting away. One by one, America's food outlets are abandoning the century-old American staple, with many replacing it with fancier cheeses. Wendy's is offering asiago. A&W's Canada locations switched to real cheddar. McDonald's is selling the Big Mac's soft, orange square of American cheese with a version that doesn't contain artificial preservatives. Panera Bread ditched its old-fashioned grilled cheese made with American and replaced it with a four-cheese combo of fontina, cheddar, monteau and smoked gouda. The result: higher sales. American cheese is "an ingredient we're looking to less and less in our pantry," said Sara Burnett, the chain's director of wellness and food policy. American (cheese) culture is at a crossroads. The product, made famous by the greatest generation, devoured by boomers on the go, touted as the basis for macaroni and cheese, and the well-documented love object of Gen X, has met its match with millennials demanding nourishment from ingredients that are both recognizable and pronounceable. Don't rely on anecdotal evidence. The data show it, too. U.S. sales of processed cheese, including brands like Kraft Singles and Velveeta, a mainstay of delicacies such as ballpark nachos, are projected to drop 1.6 percent this year, the fourth straight year of declines, according to Euromonitor International. The end of the affair is also evident at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where 500-pound barrels of cheddar used to make American cheese are selling at a record discount to 40-pound cheddar blocks, the cheddar that shows up on party platters. That's because demand for the cheese in the barrels has been dwindling for years, according to Alyssa Badger, director of operations at Chicago-based HighGround Dairy. American cheese isn't the point of a lot of the barrel production, Badger said. It's for the byproduct whey, a staple of pricey protein shakes. Decline is also evident when looking at the manufacturing landscape. The number of U.S. cheese factories increased 40 percent between 2000 and 2017, but the growth is from small, specialty cheesemakers, said Matt Gould, editor at Dairy & Food Market Analyst Inc. Prices at the grocery store for processed American cheese have been slipping, too, dipping below $4 a pound for the first time since 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gayle Voss, owner of Gayle V's Best Ever Grilled Cheese in Chicago, takes two slices of fresh-baked sourdough and fills them with not American cheese but Wisconsin-made butterkase cheese. Made in small batches by farmers who know the names of their cows, it's melty and slightly stretchy, and yes, buttery. It's what people want these days, she said. "I could buy preservative-filled cheese and butter," Voss said. "But I'm all-out on supporting small businesses and offering a good, quality product, and the minute people bite into it, they know -- because it's so good." Pause here to imagine taking a bite of crunchy bread and melted cheese that forms a string as mouth and sandwich separate. "People want to know where their food is coming from," she said, "and my sales reflect that." Voss said her husband will use Kraft Singles to whip up a quick sandwich for himself at home, something that cheeses her off. But it's what he grew up with, she said. Most Americans did. American cheese was born at a time when utility reigned. James and Norman Kraft invented processed cheese in 1916 and sold it in tins to the U.S. military during World War I. Soldiers kept eating it when they returned home and its popularity soared. It wasn't until 1950 that Kraft perfected the slicing. Soon after came a machine that could individually wrap the slices, and in 1965, Kraft Singles were born. Like Wonder Bread, society marveled at the uniformity of the product, the neatness of the slices, the long shelf life and its ability to stay moist even in the desert, in the middle of the summer, at noon. Ingredients include substances that sound like a chemistry set: sodium citrate, calcium phosphate, natamycin, modified food starch. And, of course, milk. Though 40 percent of U.S. households buy Kraft Singles, overall sales are flat, according to Peter Cotter, general manager of cheese and dairy for Kraft Heinz Co. Kraft has a 30-person research-and-development team working on ways to get American cheese into more homes, he said, offering qualities that healthier, more natural cheeses can't. For instance, "the melt." "Honestly, you can't get that in a natural cheese," Cotter said. "It's a very unique product. The creamy smooth texture and melt of the cheese. The natural cheeses, they just don't melt that way." The backlash to the backlash remains robust, with about $2.77 billion in retail sales this year, according to Euromonitor. Some trendy restaurants are going retro on their menus, hearkening back to somebody's idea of what a classic America might've been like before fancy cheeses ruined the youth. After all, Homer Simpson pulled an all-nighter eating 64 slices of American cheese -- not gouda, provolone or even butterkase, which, after all, just means butter cheese in German. Burger joint Mini Mott opened this summer in Chicago's trendy Logan Square neighborhood, and when diners order a cheeseburger they'll get American cheese and nothing else. Chef Scott Sax said he buys it in five-pound bricks from a supplier in Minnesota. "There's nothing pure or organic about it," Sax said. "The ingredients are very American." -- Bloomberg An arbitrator denied the city of West Linn's appeal of his ruling ordering the city to pay lost wages to a police officer fired last year for racist posts on Facebook. The city was ordered in July to pay at least $100,000 in back pay to former officer Tom Newberry. The arbitrator, Portland-based attorney Eric Lindauer, concluded that Newberry's firing in February 2017 was justified. But he also ruled that the city should bear some financial burden because Newberry's social media use was common knowledge in the police department. The then-police chief and several other high-ranking officers did nothing to address the behavior until it was reported by the media in July 2016. The inaction violated the city's own policies, Lindauer determined in his initial ruling. The city appealed his decision in August. Lindauer upheld his ruling in an Oct. 1 memo and said the payment shouldn't include Newberry's retirement contributions and other benefits. Newberry, 65, earned an annual salary of $82,480 when he was fired, according to the city. He was ordered to receive back pay from February 2017 to July 2018. At 17 months, that works out to Newberry being owed nearly $116,850 in salary alone. West Linn City Manager Eileen Stein said Friday the city is still trying to get clarification from the Public Employees Retirement System and hoped to know more next week. "At this point, we are still trying to understand what the decision means for the city of West Linn," she said. The city could appeal the latest ruling to the Oregon Employment Relations Board and then up to the Court of Appeals. It was not clear Friday if the city plans to appeal again. In its August motion for reconsideration, the city of West Linn claimed the arbitrator didn't have the authority to award back wages because the parties hadn't agreed to the possibility of an award if Newberry's firing was found to be justified. In the October memo, Lindauer said past cases have established that an arbitrator has discretion to impose a wide range of remedies in cases. "This is particularly true when, as in this case, the city failed to take appropriate disciplinary action when it was clearly aware of (Newberry's) misconduct," Lindauer wrote. He said he could have used that as a basis to order the city to reinstate Newberry, but didn't think it would be appropriate. Lindauer did side with the city's stance that it shouldn't have to provide retirement contributions and other fringe benefits. The city contended that Newberry wasn't entitled to benefits because he wasn't a West Linn officer at the time. "Awarding benefits as part of back-pay is a make-whole remedy, and there is no precedent or rationale for making whole an employee like Mr. Newberry who was terminated for just cause," the city's motion for reconsideration said. The Clackamas County Peace Officers' Association, the police union that filed a grievance over Newberry's firing in March 2017, said Newberry's award should include PERS contributions and other benefits because those funds are typically understood to be part of back pay awards. Lindauer wrote that while employees who are reinstated would earn benefits accrued on leave, Newberry was fired, and his termination was upheld. Lindauer also denied a union request to be reimbursed for attorney fees, saying the city had a legitimate basis to file its appeal. Before making his July ruling, the arbitrator reviewed 131 Facebook posts made by Newberry while on and off duty from February to July 2016. Lindauer found that some posts showed racial bias against African Americans and hostility toward the Black Lives Matter movement, and reinforced public perception that police officers are biased against black people. Some of the posts included references to African Americans and Black Lives Matter supporters as "ghetto rats," "cockroaches," "morons," and other insults. Newberry once commented that he considered it a "badge of honor" to be called a racist by someone "in the hood." Lindauer wrote. On the day before being placed on leave in July 2016, Newberry posted a story about a potential Black Lives Matter protest and wrote, "So day of target practice?" Newberry, who is white, admitted that he posted the content and denied to investigators that he is racist. The postings violated the police department's social media policy, which banned speech or expression that damaged the agency's reputation, Lindauer wrote in July. The police department's rules required Newberry to remove the comments from his Facebook page. But the arbitrator found that Newberry's immediate supervisor, Sgt. Dave Kempas, expressed approval of some of Newberry's posts and didn't tell him to delete them. Then-Chief Terry Timeus, Capt. Neil Hennelly and Sgt. Mike Francis "liked" or replied to some of the posts. Timeus, Hennelly and Kempas have all since retired from the West Linn Police Department. Francis now works as an officer with the Portland Police Bureau. Newberry was hired by West Linn police in November 2008. He was there for eight years before he was fired after a seven-month internal investigation that reviewed the same Facebook posts as the arbitrator that upheld his firing. [Read the arbitrator's decision] -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Midland certainly has had an influential musical history over the years. Here is a sample of scenes from various concerts and of musicians over the years. The earliest photos we have published include scenes from an August 1969 concert. Three local law enforcement and fire department officials, along with one long-serving family, were honored Tuesday night for their dedication to the community as the 2018 Carl and Esther Gerstacker Police and Firefighters of the Year. Midland County Deputy Ann Gaydos, the Bailey family of the Jerome Township Fire Department, Midland Police Officer John DuBois and Midland Fire Department Firefighter Jim Daveluy were all honored at the Midland Country Club. Ann Gaydos "A bright light in a dark situation," werer words used to describe Gaydos. "Her chipper and positive personality is refreshing in a job that can at times be stressful and draining. She is always enjoyable to work with no matter what the circumstances," said fellow Midland County Jail employees Sgt. Ben Hinson and Corrections Deputy Cora Zinnbauer in a letter of nomination. Since 1996, Gaydos has served the Midland County Sheriff's Office and Midland community. Her radiant personality has been observed at both the Law Enforcement Center and Midland County Jail. She now serves as jail visitation clerk. "Ann has a passion for helping others by her kindness to someone visiting an inmate or in her daily life. Many inmates when released come back to thank her for being so kind to their mothers when they came to visit," wrote Sally Schmidt. Midland County Jail Administrator Capt. Jeff Durocher summed up Gaydos value to the sheriff's office, "By the nature of Ann's role in the sheriff's office, she does not have the opportunity to solve high profile cases or save the life of a civilian out on the streets. In her role, however, she does have extensive public contact. This, is where she shines. What she does, she does better than anyone else. No one does more to give the sheriff's office and Midland County a favorable public opinion than Ann." The Bailey Family Four generations and 140 combined years of service: the impact the Bailey family has provided to the Jerome Fire Department. "The Bailey family has a long history of community dedication and selfless service, not only to Jerome Township, but to Midland County as well," wrote Laura Lee. The tradition began with Lorin (deceased) who served the township for 28 years and was around at the purchase of the township's first fire truck. Continuing the tradition of service, Lorin's sons, Jim and Bob Bailey, have a combined 97 years of assistance. Bobby Bailey (son of Bob and grandson of Lorin) is an EMT and has volunteered for 12 years. He recently moved to Pennsylvania, but still maintains a residence in Sanford. Paul is the fourth generation of Baileys. The son of Bobby, grandson of Bob and great-grandson of Lorin, has volunteered for three years and recently began attending nursing school. John DuBois Integrity, professionalism, and service to the community. Three attributes that Midland Police officers hold dear. Those characteristics have been captured in the 23-year career of DuBois. "Officer DuBois, through his actions as co-piloting the department's police canine program, and through his duties as a canine handler, clearly holds these core values proudly. This trickles into his personal life as well by being a respected citizen of the community," wrote Midland Police Sgt. Christopher G. Komara. DuBois has served with the Midland Police Department since Dec. 12,1994. In addition to road patrol duties, DuBois has served as a K9 Handler, SWAT team officer, field training officer (for newly hired officers), and as president for the Midland Police officers Association. Jim Daveluy Described as a family man, Daveluy has served the citizens of Midland since 2014. "Not only does Jim Daveluy excel in his job as a firefighter and give back to the community, but he is a family man. Firefighter Jim Daveluy is an exceptional example of what a public servant should be," wrote Kyle Smith, fire truck operator. The word "family" also extends to his fellow employees. "Above his relationship with his own family, Jim is also always working to build relationships within his second family, the fire department," stated Tyler Alden, 2015 FFOY winner. "As firefighters, we spend so much time as part of each other's lives." Daveluy currently serves as a fire truck operator, hazmat technician, paramedic, and on the technical rescue team for the Midland Fire Department. "In a group of individuals committed to serving the community, Jim stands out as one of the best. His willingness to learn, teach, listen and help makes him an ideal candidate for this award," Alden added. The Gerstacker recognition program began in 1966 to recognize the honorees, who are nominated by their peers for achieving excellence in the line of duty and off the job. The awards are funded through and awarded by the Midland Area Community Foundation. The Midland Exchange Club coordinates the selection process and congratulatory ceremony. Disability Network of Mid-Michigan will gather donations in its front parking lot during the "Give Change For Change" event to benefit United Way of Midland County. DNMM will collect donations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15 at its office building, 1705 S. Saginaw Road. "There is no greater example of what is meant by 'community' than the United Way," DNMM Executive Director Steven Locke said. "The United Way directly supports a multitude of area non-profits, as well as hundreds of community members; our friends, our families, and our neighbors. We're happy to encourage our employees, our supporters, and our community to 'Give Change For Change.'" Having two driveways, the DNMM parking lot offers easy-in/easy-out access. All donors will receive snacks for the road and will have a chance to win other prizes. "This is a fun and simple way for our staff and our supporters to say thank you to United Way," Locke said. "And, of course, we're happy to accept the change that jingles, but we love the change that folds." United Way of Midland County advances the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. Its focus is on education, health and self-sufficiency -- the building blocks for a good life. It invests in 62 community impact programs with 24 local non-profit agencies, which are dedicated to community level goals and changing the lives of every individual that it serves. Disability Network is just one of the many organizations supported by United Way. The organization is giving change to give back to United Way as a way of saying "Thank You" for all it does for so many in the community. For more information, call 989-835-4041. In its 55th year, the Northwood University International Auto Show will feature more than 600 vehicles on display this weekend from more than 65 manufacturers. The entire Northwood campus will center around the completely student-run event Saturday and Sunday. North Americas largest outdoor new car show is expected to attract over 50,000 visitors from across the country. Financed through the support of alumni, corporations and foundations, the event is free with no admission or parking fees. The outdoor auto show began Friday and continues from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is at Northwood's adult degree program lot near H.H. Dow High School with a free shuttle to the show. Hospitality students will be running concession stands at the show with an extensive menu from Woodside Grill. What were doing this year is a lot more to further where we are in the automotive industry, said Ali Nasrallah, a senior at Northwood and the shows general chair. A new addition to this years event is kids day from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Children will be given a passport they can show to different booths to get a stamp or sicker and try to collect them all to win a prize. We wanted to pull in all demographics and age groups to make sure everyone is equally entertained, Nasrallah said. The classic car show will take place on Saturday again this year in the Hach/Bennet parking lot on campus. A wide variety of vehicles will be on display, from high-end luxury brands to heavy-duty semi-trucks. New brands include: Tesla, Alfa Romeo, Lotus & Morgan and Infiniti along with many others. A pre-production Acura NSX, a pre-release Jaguar I-Pace, and a Detroit-Built Porsche 917 are among the many vehicles that will be displayed. Nasrallah is excited for the new software that will be integrated into this years show. Every manufacturing team of students will have a virtual showroom at their disposal, he said. Provided by MaxDigital, students will have the ability to show attendees extensive facts about car models on the digital platform and send it to people via text message. Im really excited to see all the new features we have this year, Nasrallah said. Were really changing it up, going in a new direction. The experience Nasrallah has gotten from his involvement with the auto show is unmatched, he said. The dual-major student is studying automotive marketing and management; and finance. Nasrallah said hes been able to save a lot of money in the show this year by bringing in experience from a recent internship he completed. On the flip side, the auto show has meant him and the rest of the executive board of students have had to coordinate with city officials, and different outlets and organizations to pull the show together. It really helps, being able to take real-world experience and apply it to your job later on, Nasrallah said. Even students who are not working toward a degree in the automotive industry have found benefits in working on the auto show. Both the captain, Julia Franke; and co-captain, Samantha Paul, who are leading team Honda at the auto show are non-auto majors. "Neither of us are automotive, we didn't go (to Northwood) for this," Franke said. "But we found our majors within the auto show." Franke is a junior studying management and finance. Being around so many automotive students at Northwood has made her more interested in the show, she said. "My favorite part is bringing in people, and just the excitement of getting nice cars this year," Franke said. Paul, who is studying marketing said she has gained a lot of experience just working with corporate marketing people at car dealerships. "Communication is huge with the auto show," Franke said. "Students had no help from higher-ups, we actually have to reach out to these dealerships." The executive board this year and general chair did a good job of keeping captains in the loop, Paul said. "The team captains are what help make this show great. It helps to have a really good executive board that understands you have to talk to everybody involved with the show," Paul said. This years students have helped lay the ground work by partnering with tech companies to hopefully bring technology like autonomous cars to next years auto show. Were moving more toward the future, Nasrallah said. We want to start going more where the auto industry is going. Directions to Northwoods campus and other information about the show can be found at www.northwood.edu/autoshow. To the editor: I am writing to urge people to vote for Joe Weir for the Michigan State Senate. My husband, Fred, and I have known Joe for many years from the time Fred and Joe worked together at The Dow Chemical Co. We know Joe to be thoughtful, ethical and articulate. While many of you may believe his opponent to be a nice guy, that is not what this election is about. Joe Weir will fully support our public schools and will vote to keep public money for public schools. Joe is concerned about the safety of our children and supports sensible gun legislation while standing by the Second Amendment. Joe has been traveling the district listening to the concerns of residents. Joe will continue to listen and take action for the greater good as our state senator. Changes in Michigan campaign finance law (supported by Gov. Rick Snyder and Sen. Jim Stamas) allow candidates to solicit money for PACs. While individual donations are limited by law, this change allows a candidate to encourage individuals to make donations beyond those limits to particular political action committees that will, in turn, support the candidate. Individuals and organizations that donate tens of thousands of dollars to political PACs do so expecting to get something in return. You can be confident that Joe Weir will work for what is best for the citizens of Michigan. That is why were for Weir. PAMELA BUCHHOLZ Midland 8:30 p.m. update: Photo: Contributed - RCMP The subject of a police manhunt in southern British Columbia after an exchange of gunfire in the tiny village of Slocan last week is dead and there is no longer any danger to the community, RCMP said late Monday. Police said they discovered Peter DeGroot, 45, Monday afternoon in the vicinity of the village in the West Kootenay region, but they refused to disclose whether further shots were fired. Chief Superintendent Frank Smart said at 1:20 p.m., two members of the RCMP's emergency response team were near a gravel pit conducting a search of a cabin when they found the man. "Upon entering the cabin there was an interaction between the subject of the ongoing search and the two ERT members," Smart said in a statement at the RCMP's regional headquarters Monday night. "We can confirm the suspect is now deceased." Residents, who had endured a village-wide lockdown after the initial incident, reported earlier Monday the town's mood had relaxed and guests had arrived from out of town to celebrate Thanksgiving. Upon learning of the outcome, they once again felt the severity of the situation. "I'm shocked beyond belief," said Antonia Crossley, owner of the Harold Street Cafe. "I feel for the family. It's really, really sad, regardless of what happened. A loss is a loss. "I was hoping that if they ever find him that he would come in peacefully. Somebody always belongs to somebody." A woman who answered the phone at the local market gasped and simply said "that's amazing" when she heard the news. B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, has been called to the scene, as it is any time someone is killed or severely injured as a result of police involvement. Few details of the events leading to DeGroot's death could be released to avoid compromising the watchdog's investigation, Smart said. Police were removing all roadblocks and other restrictions to the community, and residents were no longer in danger, he added. Police were helping members of DeGroot's family, as well as the two officers involved in Monday's incident, Smart said. The manhunt was launched on Thursday after police were called over a dispute between two people. They say they were shot at with a rifle, and there was an exchange of gunfire. DeGroot fled into the woods, triggering an influx of dozens of officers, including helicopters and search dogs. Police initially urged residents to stay indoors, while police escorted children from a local school to their parents. Over the weekend, Mounties used a news release and Twitter to make a direct appeal to DeGroot to contact them, while residents said messages were also delivered over loudspeakers. "Peter, come in, so we can talk," RCMP tweeted on Sunday. Neighbours reported DeGroot had fallen on hard times and was scared about being evicted from his modest property. They said he kept to himself, and was usually only seen tending a rag-tag bunch of farm animals. Resident Mimi Gillis was queried by police in their search, and said she mostly felt they were doing a good job. "But we didn't need armoured tanks trucks like a Brink's truck, only more beefed up," she said. "It was overkill. It was good to have all the undercover cops, the helicopters and the tracking dogs and the infrared and men up the mountain, going through the mountain like (with) a fine-tooth comb." Tom Knott, who owns the Slocan Village Market, said earlier Monday that the community viewed DeGroot as "a worried individual." "He's not a bad man, he comes in mostly to buy feed for his animals," Knott said in an interview before police announced DeGroot was dead. He added that DeGroot often used his store's telephone, refusing to get a phone card or debit card because he said he didn't want to be "tracked." 6:36 p.m. story: Southeast District RCMP announced Monday that 45-year-old Peter DeGroot, who has been the subject of a manhunt since Thursday, is dead. Supt. Frank Smart says there was an "interaction" between 45-year-old Peter DeGroot and two members of the RCMP's emergency response team. He says the province's police watchdog has been called in, as it automatically is when someone is killed or severely injured as a result of police involvement. Unconfirmed reports say DeGroot was killed in a shootout with police, after he was discovered in a cabin. Police say DeGroot exchanged gunfire with officers on Thursday following a dispute the suspect had with another man. Police say DeGroot fled into the woods, prompting a search that has involved dozens of officers. With files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Contributed The Young Parent Program, currently in its second year of operation by the YMCA of Okanagan, has received a $12,000 funding boost. I would not have graduated from high school without the Young Parents Program, says a teenage mom from the program. Knowing my child was well cared for in a licensed, quality day care with the YMCA I was able to focus on my education instead of dropping out. With the help and support I received, I am able to move towards my dream of going to college and securing sustainable employment to care for my child and myself in the future. The YMCA Young Parents Program, located next to Kelowna Senior Secondary, provides parents under the age of 20 with the fundamental tools they need to continue their education and care for their young ones, including quality child care, parenting education, life skills training, connections to critical resources and a supportive community. I am grateful to be able to make a difference in the lives of young mothers and families in our community, said Joan Spence, YMCA Family Support Facilitator. Many of them face significant challenges, which are often difficult to overcome without the support of community resources and positive role models. Ultimately, the most rewarding part is seeing young parents succeed, even beyond their own expectations. Its so amazing that it brings tears to my eyes. The YMCA Young Parents Program is funded in part through donors, providing basics many teenage families would not be able to afford such as nutritious daily meals, diapers, formula, and clothing for their child. Jay Leno is best known as a late night television show host and comedian. It's no secret, he's also an avid car collector. On Friday, Leno made a pit stop at the Antique Automobile Club of America Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey where he browsed cars and posed for photos with fans. The show runs through Oct. 13 and attracts collectors from around the world. Considered one of the largest antique auto shows in the United States, the meet has called Hershey home since 1955. Leno was in central Pennsylvania for an appearance Friday night at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster titled an "Evening with Jay Leno." Obviously, he wasn't going to pass up a chance to scope out the cars in Hershey. As the host of "Jay Leno's Garage," Leno shares his love of collecting prized and pricey cars on the web television series. According to MSN, his collection tops off at 181 cars and 160 motorcycles. "I never set out to collect cars. I just bought what I liked," Leno told MSN. "The general rule of car collecting is if you're reasonably astute and you understand how things work, if you like it, chances are other people will like it, too." Leno was likely in his element at the meet. The show, which packs the grounds near Hersheypark, offers visitors a flea market with 9,000 vendor spaces and 1,000 antique cars for sale in a Car Corral. Meet spokeswoman Lisa Maloy said she heard Leno was in the flea market and corral areas but doesn't know how long he visited or if he made any purchases. This was not the first time Leno was in Hershey. In 2015 he was the headliner for a Congressional Republican retreat held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Search and rescue teams have found a body in the Florida Panhandle town nearly wiped out by Hurricane Michael, and authorities said there is little doubt the death toll will rise further. Traffic lights remained out Saturday, with police directing traffic at intersections, and lines at the few gas stations that were open were five to six cars deep. The tally of lives lost across the South stood at 14, including the victim found in the rubble of Mexico Beach. Authorities said there is little doubt that number will rise further. Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, leader of a search-and-rescue unit that entered the devastated community, said: "We have one confirmed deceased and are working to determine if there are others." Zahralban said searchers, who were using a trained dog, were trying to determine if that person had been alone or was part of a family. He spoke Friday as his team was winding down its two-day search of Mexico Beach, the town of about 1,000 people that was nearly obliterated by Michael's storm surge and devastating 155 mph (249 kph) winds when the Category 4 hurricane made landfall Wednesday. Michael was one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the U.S., and this Gulf Coast community of about 1,000 people was in its bullseye. While most residents fled ahead of the storm's arrival, others stayed to face the hurricane. Some barely escaped with their lives as homes were pushed off their foundations and whole neighborhoods became submerged. Hector Morales, a 57-year-old restaurant cook, never even thought of evacuating. His mobile home wasn't on the beach but when it suddenly began floating during the hurricane, he jumped out and swam to a fishing boat and clambered aboard. "I lost everything," Morales said. "But I made it." How many others were not so fortunate was still not clear. State officials said that by one count, 285 people in Mexico Beach defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Emergency officials said they had completed an initial "hasty search" of the devastation, looking for the living or the dead, and had begun more careful inspections of thousands of ruined buildings. They hope to complete those inspections later Saturday. They've received thousands of calls asking about missing people, but with cellphone service out across a wide area, they found it impossible to know who among those unaccounted for were safe but just unable to dial out to friends or family. Meanwhile, Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said he expects the death toll will rise. "We still haven't gotten into the hardest-hit areas," he said, adding with frustration: "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson." Albert Blackwell, 65, was preparing Saturday to cover holes in the roof of his apartment and take a chainsaw to trees that fell and broke his windows just outside Panama City. "I'm the idiot that rode it out here in this place," he said, sweat dripping from his face. A team of firefighters came through Saturday to check on Blackwell and his neighbors, as well as the structural stability of their damaged homes. "They're doing a good job," Blackwell said. "The fire chief was here earlier. The police department has come." He figured rebuilding his home will take months. But for now he doesn't plan to leave. "The immediate day after (landfall), I stopped looters from coming in here," he said. "We're staying to protect our place." People look at the St. Andrew United Methodist Church in the wake of Hurricane Michael, Oct. 13, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Authorities have set up distribution centers to dole out food and water to victims, who just were coming to grips with the brutal realities of their situation. "I didn't recognize nothing. Everything's gone. I didn't even know our road was our road," said 25-year-old Tiffany Marie Plushnik, an evacuee who returned to a home in Sandy Creek too damaged to live in. Elsewhere, President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Florida and hard-hit Georgia early next week but didn't say what day he would arrive. People have no idea how hard Hurricane Michael has hit the great state of Georgia. I will be visiting both Florida and Georgia early next week. We are working very hard on every area and every state that was hit - we are with you! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2018 On the Panhandle, Tyndall Air Force Base "took a beating," so much so that Col. Brian Laidlaw told the 3,600 men and women stationed on the base not to come back. Many of the 600 families who live there had followed orders to pack what they could in a single suitcase as they were evacuated before the storm. The hurricane's eyewall passed directly overhead, severely damaging nearly every building and leaving many a complete loss. The elementary school, the flight line, the marina and the runways were devastated. "I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety. At this time I can't tell you how long that will take, but I'm on it," Laidlaw wrote. "We need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings." -- By Russ Bynum and Brendan Farrington (c) 2018 Julie Zauzmer For over a year since the #MeToo movement began, women have turned to social media with stories of sexual harassment and calls for reform that have powerfully reshaped our society. In recent weeks, women have flooded Facebook and Twitter and Instagram with pleas to #BelieveWomen, as Brett Kavanaugh gained a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court amid turmoil over accusations of sexual assault. And with just weeks to go before the Nov. 6 midterms, women are sure to make their presence known online in an election largely centered on female candidates' surging campaigns and female voters' intensifying anger. At this time, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an unusual demand: Women, get off social media. Russell Nelson, the 94-year-old who became president of the church in January, proclaimed Saturday that all Mormon women should try a 10-day "fast" from social media. His call for a fast has nothing to do with politics, many Mormons say. Still, the timing is a cause of consternation to some. "I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind," Nelson said as he addressed the women-only session at the church's General Conference on Saturday. "Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted just a little?" Many women who find that their priorities do call for them to be on social media right now - whether for activism, for communication with family or for their careers - are grappling with how to heed Nelson's call while still pursuing their goals. "I panicked," Salt Lake County Council candidate Michelle Quist told the Salt Lake Tribune. "What am I going to do? Social media is such a big part of campaigns, especially local campaigns for candidates who don't have a lot of money. So obviously I want to follow my church leader's directions or request, but I don't want to hurt my campaign." READ MORE: Black women join The Many to learn about those on the other side of political lines Quist decided to fast from personal social media but keep up her campaign postings, an approach that at least one other female candidate told the newspaper she shares. Another female candidate told the newspaper that she would limit her social media use to 30 minutes a day. Others said they would postpone their 10-day fasts until after the elections are over next month - but they worried that their female voters will be offline for 10 days, robbing the candidates of valuable opportunities to motivate them. Thirteen members of the U.S. Congress identify themselves as Mormon, according to the Pew Research Center, but only one of them is female and, thus, subject to Nelson's request. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, is running for reelection, and campaign employee Dana Goff said Love had decided not to participate in the social media fast at any point, either before or after the election. Since Nelson called for the fast on Saturday, Love has not tweeted from her congressional account. She has tweeted once from her campaign account, on Tuesday: "Wrapping up the day after reviewing legislation and attending an event to discuss tax reform with my constituents. I love representing Utah's 4th district." Sharlee Mullins Glenn, a founder of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, a group that is engaged in political activism leading up to the midterm elections, said she thinks Nelson did not intend to disrupt the campaign season. "I see absolutely no insidious ulterior motives in President Nelson's invitation to women of the Church to participate in a ten-day 'fast' from social media. I agree that the timing is unfortunate and could look suspicious to those predisposed to cynicism, but the truth is that these General Conference talks are prepared weeks and sometimes months in advance," Glenn said in an email to The Post. Glenn said she would do her own fast after the midterms, over the Thanksgiving holiday. And while some members of her activist group started the 10-day fast right when Nelson announced it, they're still registering voters in person. "Much as the detractors would like to insinuate otherwise, I am convinced that the intent here is not to silence women," Glenn said. Nelson said in his 16-minute speech to the women-only meeting at the General Conference that he has nine daughters and one son, and that he thinks women play a unique role. "No one else can do what a righteous woman can do," he said. "Women see things differently than men do, and, oh, how we need your perspective." READ MORE: A new group forms for women to discuss Pa. politics ahead of the November election But he did not explain why his social media directive - which was the first of four items he described as "invitations" and as a "prophetic plea," including reading the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, going to a Mormon temple more often, and participating in the Relief Society, the church's arm for women's communal endeavors - was delivered only to women. In June, Nelson issued the same call for a 10-day social media fast to youth members of the church. When he spoke to the full gathering of men and women at the General Conference over the weekend, he focused on other topics, including the name of the church, which has been a point of focus for Nelson since August. He wants people to drop the short terms "Mormon" and "LDS" for church members and instead to use the full name, "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Using the word "Mormon" as a substitute, Nelson said, is "a major victory for Satan." As president, Nelson is believed by church members to be the recipient of direct revelations from God. Still, many have shrugged at his comments about the name, saying they don't mind the term Mormon. Many church members continue to use it, inadvertently or not, in their own speeches. A church spokesman said he would let Nelson's speeches speak for themselves and did not respond to questions about why Nelson's call to get off social media was directed only to women, not all church members. Kathleen Flake, a professor of Mormon studies at the University of Virginia, said she does not think Nelson meant to rebuke the #MeToo movement or subdue women's political activism. She pointed to signs that the church has supported women's concerns about sexual harassment, including an unusually strongly worded editorial in the church-owned Deseret News newspaper that called upon Donald Trump to drop out of the 2016 presidential election because of his comments about assaulting women captured on the "Access Hollywood" video. "What oozes from this audio is evil," the editors wrote. "I don't think this is telling Mormon women not to be political on sexual virtue. I think that would be the last thing you would hear from these guys," Flake said. "I don't think he's talking about politics. I don't think he's talking about sex. I think he's talking about focus - recalibrate your priorities; know what matters; and just detox." For her own part, Flake said, she has decided as a church member to avoid email for most of the day during these 10 days. She has been so upset about Kavanaugh's confirmation, and what she views as "misogyny" that led him to be confirmed to the high court, that reading the news before work in the morning had been making her blood boil anyway. SUNBURY - A Northumberland County judge has upheld the wiretap charges against a volunteer firefighter, who recorded a conversation using a helmet cam, and his father, who is accused of disseminating the audio. Judge Charles H. Saylor ruled Thursday the prosecution has established prima facie case on the wiretap charges against Carmen David Scicchitano, 56, and Don Phillipo Scicchitano, 29, both of Mount Carmel. The two had challenged a district judge's decision to hold the charges for court. The recording took place April 19 in Anthracite Steam Fire Co. In Mount Carmel which, Saylor noted, had adopted rules prohibiting the use of helmet cameras while training, responding or participating in emergencies. The recording was of a private conversation between Don Scicchitano and fire Capt. Jim Williams Sr. while the company was on standby for a fire in another community. The charges allege Scicchitano gave a recording to his father, who sent an email complaint to the governor's office about Williams that contained a clip of the conversation. Williams is employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as a highway equipment and facility manager. The recorded conversation included Williams telling Scicchitano if he did not return a signed copy of the standard rules the company adopted Feb. 22 he no longer would be permitted to respond to calls. Saylor found Scicchitano violated those rules because although the conversation took place in the station while the company was on standby to respond. He ruled Williams had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his conversation. It is illegal in Pennsylvania to record someone without permission. Don Scicchitano contended Williams should have known he was being recorded because lights were flashing on the camera attached to his helmet that was on the front bumper of an engine. By Jim Hertzler As fair minded citizens of both parties and no party have been shaken to their core by the seemingly endless tribalism, the brazen us-versus-them politics of division that is ravaging our nation, it is time for all good men and women of character and conscience to stand up and be counted. Cumberland County Commissioner Jim Hertzler (PennLive file) On Nov. 6, with this crucial midterm election, it is time to begin to reclaim our nation's moral compass, and for the voices of fairness, civility and compassion, and yes, compromise to be heard. We have got to pull our country back together. We have got to restore honest and constructive dialogue and reach for common ground, or we may wake up one morning to discover that what our founders created no longer exists. Democracy won't keep itself; we need to keep it. Along these lines, it is my privilege to offer my personal endorsement of George Scott for Congress from central Pennsylvania's 10th district. A magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Iraq, and a Lutheran pastor, I was impressed by George Scott the first time I met him well over a year ago and I've become even more impressed ever since. Committed to becoming a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus when he gets to DC, I believe him when he says he will work across party lines to get things done. Now more than ever, George Scott is exactly the kind of Congressman we need. I would also like to offer my personal, public support for some fresh new faces and voices in the state General Assembly from Cumberland County. These extremely well-qualified and talented candidates are: Sean Quinlan (87th District); Jean Foschi (88th District); Sherwood McGinnis (199th District); Matthew Nelson (193rd District); Shanna Danielson (92nd District); Karen Anderson (86th District); and Emily Best (30th Senatorial District). I recommend these good people for an assortment of good reasons; not the least of which is that I've come to conclude that if we expect to see real change from the status quo in Harrisburg, we need to change our representatives. Polls consistently show that the vast majority of our citizens, roughly 70 percent, support efforts to end the self-serving, conflict-of-interest "gerrymandering" of legislative and congressional districts by politicians in Harrisburg; and yet, almost to a person, our incumbent representatives from Cumberland County have turned a deaf ear to this critically needed reform. Never mind the more than 270 county and municipal governments in Pennsylvania, including Cumberland County and many of our local municipalities, that have unanimously passed resolutions calling for reform. In fact, not one of our county's incumbent House members has even bothered to respond to the issue questionnaire sent out by the grassroots, non-partisan, government reform advocacy organization known as Fair Districts PA. On the other hand, change agents Quinlan, Foschi, McGinnis, Nelson, Danielson, Anderson, and Best all responded. And they've all voiced support for empowering a non-partisan independent citizens' commission with the job of fairly drawing compact and contiguous districts of near equal population without regard to politics or partisanship. But don't take my word for it; check out the Fair Districts "Know Before You Vote" webpage at fairdistrictspa.com. As one of the worst gerrymandered states in the nation, it is long past time to end the practice where politicians literally pick their voters instead of the voters choosing their representatives. In an editorial June 28 ("An Irresponsible House GOP leaves reform in lurch"), The PennLive/Patriot-News Editorial Board noted that "the November election isn't that far away" as House members left redistricting reform undone, missed a constitutional deadline to get it done the most effective way, and went on an extended summer break. Now, more than three months later, that election is upon us and it's time to remember those who put status quo politics ahead of good government. Because, no matter what the political pundits say, no matter what those who hold political power may think, Pennsylvania's people will have their say. As embedded in our state Constitution since the birth of our nation 242 years ago, Article 1, Section 2 proclaims for all to remember that "all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their (the people's) authority and instituted for their (the people's) peace, safety and happiness. For the advancement of these ends, they (the people) have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their (the people's) government in such a manner as they (the people) may think proper." To be clear, when it comes to the overarching need to end political gerrymandering, government of, by and for the people is very much on the ballot Nov. 6. Jim Hertzler, a Democrat, is an elected Cumberland County Commissioner. He writes from Carlisle. By Joshua Henne Scott Wagner needs cash and he needs it now. That's at least what his most recent email to supporters laid out. Wagner - who likes to portray himself as a tough guy and always in command - pleaded, "With more than $10 million of my own money already invested in this race, I am tapped out." What Wagner conveniently fails to mention is how he recently blew over $2 million investing campaign money into the stock market...and lost. This is far from standard practice. And it's pretty pathetic for a candidate who revolved his entire campaign the notion that he'd be running the state like he runs his business. Wagner's desperate financial appeal comes on the heels of bellyaching about the recent gubernatorial debate. He's begging for more chances to make his pitch to the public. As if Wagner hasn't had ample opportunity since announcing his campaign 21 long months ago on the floor of Penn Waste - the politically connected trash-hauling behemoth he owns. However, Wagner couldn't possibly have enjoyed a more receptive audience and forum than the one he already participated in, as incredulously, Penn Waste was the sponsor of last week's Chamber debate. This is simply the latest example in a long litany of Wagner inappropriately and cunningly using his political campaign to benefit his personal bottom line. For example, he's continuously featured Penn Waste in his political ads and stump speeches. Some of Wagner's abusive business tactics are already well-documented. Infamously, he sued an 84-year old Springettsbury woman who didn't use Penn Waste's trash services. In fact, the story was originally pushed-out by the GOP. However, this incident is just the top of the pile when it comes to Penn Waste treating customers like the garbage they haul and dragging them through the courts. For years, the occasions of Wagner suing customers has been pegged by the press at a mere "hundreds of people that Penn Waste has sued for nonpayment of trash bills." However, the real number of lawsuits against customers stands at a whopping 6,979 individuals from January 2012 to May 2018 alone, filing over 10,000 total lawsuits. The public deserves to know the true scope of Wagner's litigious nature at the expense of working families. So, we put up a website at www,PennWasterAlert.com, as well as some billboards laying out the real numbers Many Penn Waste lawsuits were filed against people who don't have the means to defend themselves. In some cases, they've been hammered for being late on one lousy bill.Wagner is a model intimidator who sues those without the ability to fight back. His actions compound financial problems for working families. Moreover, Wagner's heavy-handed practices are predatory, with pressure going beyond the norm of other garbage removal companies in the operating area. Penn Waste even goes so far as sending sheriffs to customers' homes to harass them. Once, Wagner dispatched a member of the York County Sheriff's office to the home of a family struggling with medical bills...over a paltry $160 bill. With court costs and fees, the bill came to $650 - more 4 times the original cost. Wagner even tried convincing towns to give Penn Waste the power - or as Wagner called it, "the teeth" - to place municipal liens on customers' homes. This would have led to sheriff sales of entire properties. So when Wagner says he'll run government like he runs his business, take a beat to think about what that means. If you take Wagner at his word and examine the way he runs Penn Waste, every single Keystone State resident should wisely watch-out. You should also watch your wallet. Pennsylvanians from all across the political spectrum have become hip to how Wagner really only cares about one thing: Wagner. His Republican primary opponent, Paul Mango excoriated him, saying "Wagner has a lengthy history as a greedy bully who preys on those in our society who can't fight back. He does this simply to ensure that his personal wealth continues to grow. It should be clear to all that Scott Wagner is not trustworthy and will never put the needs of Pennsylvanians first." Even though Wagner claims he's "far from an insider," the truth is that, for far too long, Wagner's used his political perch to enrich himself and his business. Wagner has pocketed millions off municipal contracts and used his time in the state Senate to push legislation aimed at plumping his own piggybank - all at the expense of taxpayers. Even though Wagner's personal wealth is directly tied to Penn Waste's ability to garner municipal contracts, he refuses to put his business interests in a blind trust. This is obscene, since local governments constitute Penn Waste's current -- and potentially future -- clients. Moreover, Wagner steadfastly rejects releasing his tax returns. The trash tycoon explained it's because he didn't want Penn Waste workers knowing the full extent of how much he makes off their sweat and toil, lest they'd decide to organize a union to fight for their rights. Yet, time and again Wagner has no problem using working people as props. Like at the debate when he praised the workers at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center for flawless serving 1,700 meals. Yet, this lip service to union members stands in contrast to his efforts to castigate them at every turn. For nearly three years, every American has bore witness to the bluster, bullying and brazen abuse emanating from the White House by a self-centered businessman ill-equipped to lead government. Much like President Trump, Wagner measures every step against how it will personally benefit both his ambition and bottom line. In fact, Wagner embraces the comparison, once going so far as to proclaim "Donald Trump is actually a mini-Scott Wagner." Both men have a history of mistreating and intimidating customers. And both clearly relish frivolously suing vulnerable people who don't have the resources to fight back. We already have a hot mess down in D.C. with this archetype. Pennsylvanians simply can't afford the same story to play out in Harrisburg, with Wagner taking not just a page, but chapter and verse from Trump's grotesque playbook. Joshua Henne is an advisor to Pennsylvania Spotlight, a left-leaning 501(c)(4) advocacy group, which took out the billboard featured in Wagner's Facebook video. HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania will start imposing criminal penalties on people who use drones to spy on other people. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Friday, and it takes effect in 60 days. Under it, the state imposes a fine of up to $300 on someone who uses a drone to invade someone else's privacy or puts someone in fear of being physically harmed. The law imposes a more serious penalty for someone who uses a drone to ferry contraband to an inmate in a prison. That's a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000. Signing this bill protects the personal privacy of Pennsylvanians," Wolf said. "With the rise in popularity of drones with video cameras, this is a commonsense step to prevent the use of drones to invade someone's privacy. Drones should not be a tool to spy on someone in their yard or through their window." The law prohibits municipalities from regulating drones. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jeff Pyle of Armstrong County, says he developed the bill's wording with the Federal Aviation Administration. The legislation makes using an unmanned aircraft to intentionally or knowingly conduct surveillance of another person in a private place or to place another person in reasonable fear of bodily injury a summary offense. Using an unmanned aircraft to deliver, provide, transmit or furnish contraband to a person in a prison or in a mental hospital is a felony of the second degree. There are exceptions for law enforcement officials, first responders and utility company employees and some government employees for using unmanned aircraft in their official duties. Guest commentary: How to be an advocate for your public library opinion Photo: Nicholas Johansen Members of the RESTOR group pose with Kelowna firefighters. For the third time since 2014, a Kelowna group will travel to Northern Ethiopia to provide free surgeries for children who have been badly burned. Non-profit RESTOR International's 14-person team, consisting of two plastic surgeons, an anesthesiologist, a pediatrician, and three nurses, among others, will leave next month, funded by the Rotary Club of Kelowna. Surgical care co-ordinator Kim East says because open burning is so prevalent in Third World countries, the rate of severe burns is much higher. You're never going to teach grandma not to cook with open fire, because that's what she's grown up with. In addition to the surgical team, Gayanne Pacholzuk, fire prevention officer with the Kelowna Fire Department, will be joining, to teach fire prevention skills to Ethiopian firefighters and basic fire safety to school children. Pacholzuk will also be bringing posters showing how to stop, drop and roll and how to apply water to a burn. East played a large roll in starting the RESTOR trips, after first going to the country in 2009 with Rotary International to provide cleft palate surgeries. You do the surgeries and you go away, and you think, 'Jesus, what the hell's going to happen to these people, who's going to look after them if they run into complications?' she said, a thought that led to bringing an educational element to her subsequent trips. In addition to providing surgeries to burn victims, RESTOR focuses on training local medical personnel so they can go on to provide care themselves. Gerri Weagraff is back entertaining by playing the role of the Dowager Empress in the Broadway touring production of Anastasia, which will take over the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia Nov. 23-28. In his testimony to Congress former vice president Al Gore said that the global warming deniers are like Bernie Madoff, they lied to the people who trusted them in order to make money. He also said that the deniers have committed a massive fraud larger than Madoffs. Here is the video courtesy of Think Progress: Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) tried to dismiss the global warming science and Gore responded by saying, Thank you. I believe it is important to look at the sources of the science that we rely on. With all due respect, I believe that you have relied on people you have trusted who have given you bad information. I do not blame the investors who trusted Bernie Madoff, but he gave them bad information. Barton then backed off and said that he believes CO2 emissions are going up, but that the consequences of the increase are open to debate. Gore replied by reiterating that Barton has been misled, Like Bernie Madoff, and they lied about it in order to make money. And they themselves profited. The CEO of the largest got a onetime payment of $400 million. Now, again, those who have trusted them and believed them are due an apology. These corporations ought to apologize to the American people for conducting a massive fraud for the last 14 years. The polluters have tried to mislead America, but I dont think Barton has been misled. He knows exactly what he is doing. He represents a state that depends on non green energy industries. Plus, he is ideologically against anything that will cost corporate America money. He is discrediting the science because the action required goes against his political ideology. Gores Madoff comparison doesnt belong attached to the polluters, but to the Republicans who have denied the science to make money and stay in power. 1.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Looking for an alternative explanation for Trumps bizarre positioning on Russia, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said this morning on MSNBC that, Either the Russians have something on Trump or that there are financial ties that require Trump to behave in this way or perhaps that the Russians helped him in the election and this is some sort of quid quo pro. Watch courtesy of MSNBC: .@ChrisMurphyCT is on the hunt for an alternative explanation for Trumps bizarre positioning on Russia https://t.co/1IuYj7iqg9 Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) February 15, 2017 The reason for his appearance this morning was that last night, as Trumps Russia scandal mushroomed as a result of revelations by The New York Times that Trumps team had been in constant contact with Russian officials during the election, Murphy had tweeted Your nightly reminder that at the center of this strengthening hurricane are the tax returns. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 15, 2017 Murphy believes Trumps tax returns can help explain this bizarre positioning and legislation establishing a special senate committee could get the power to force the disclosure of Trumps tax returns. Is it likely? No. Not while Republicans control Congress and remain determined to protect Trump at whatever cost. The fact remains that Trump did not release his tax returns and that there is, for Trump at least, a very good reason to have kept them hidden. At the very least, for the rest of us, his tax returns could put to rest suspicions about Russian manipulation of the president. That would still leave him in violation of the Emoluments Clause but that is a far less serious offense than treason, and to be preferred to a president manipulated by a foreign power for reasons unknown. The question now is whether Republicans can be shamed into making the correct choice between country and tax cuts for the rich. Oligarchs rule Russia, so depending on the extent of Russian involvement, the choice may not be all that easy for greedy Republicans. Either way, Chris Murphy is right: the American people must know the truth. 159 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Jessica DiNapoli and Mike Spector (Reuters) Sears Holdings Corp is planning to close up to 150 of its department and discount stores and keep at least another 300 open as part of a plan to restructure under U.S. bankruptcy protection, people familiar with the matter said Friday. The plans, which remained in flux on Friday afternoon, would leave the fate of Sears remaining roughly 250 stores uncertain, the sources said. The future of the stores could hinge on Sears negotiations with landlords over their leases. In total, Sears has about 700 stores and roughly 90,000 employees. The beleaguered 125-year-old retailer, once the largest in the United States, hopes to sell stores and other assets, including its Kenmore appliances brand and home services business, in court-supervised auctions while under bankruptcy protection, the sources said. Sears Chief Executive Eddie Lampert, also the companys largest shareholder and creditor, is exploring bidding on the assets as a so-called stalking horse, setting a floor with offers that other possible buyers could then attempt to top, the sources said. Reuters first reported on Thursday that Lampert was exploring bidding for some Sears assets. Such a plan could potentially keep a slimmer Sears alive as a going concern, the sources said. Sears was making progress in its negotiations with banks on Friday for financing to keep it afloat through the holiday season while in bankruptcy court, with lenders expected to provide several hundred million dollars, the sources said. The bankruptcy loan amount is unlikely to significantly exceed $400 million, though it could end up being less, the sources said. A key unresolved aspect of Sears negotiations with lenders involves setting deadlines for Sears to achieve specific business goals while under bankruptcy protections, the sources said. Sears is planning to seek bankruptcy protection in New York as soon as Sunday night, though a court filing could slip into Monday, the sources added, asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Sears did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sears shares were trading up 20 percent at 41 cents on Friday, giving the company a market capitalization of $40 million. Lampert could help finance his bids for the assets by forgiving some of the money Sears owes him, as opposed to putting in more cash, Reuters reported on Thursday. At its peak in the 1960s, Sears sold everything from toys to auto parts to mail-order homes, and was a key tenant in almost every big mall across the United States. But it has struggled to reinvent itself in the face of competition from companies such as Amazon.com Inc, as well as other brick-and-mortar retailers, including Walmart Inc. (Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli and Mike Spector in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski) 584 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Joseph Ax (Reuters) U.S. voting rights advocacy groups on Thursday sued Georgias top election official, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, accusing him of putting more than 50,000 voter registration applications on hold to boost his gubernatorial campaign. Kemp is the Republican nominee for governor in one of this years highest-profile state races, in which Democrat Stacey Abrams is seeking to become the states first black governor. The lawsuit brought by a coalition of state civil rights groups accused Kemp of attempting to depress minority turnout to improve his chances of victory. It was the latest legal development this week involving voting rights that could influence the Nov. 6 elections in states, including North Dakota, Arkansas and Ohio. In addition to governors races, control of Congress hangs in the balance in next months elections, when Democrats hope to claw back enough seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate to regain some power in Washington. Backers of voter ID laws say they are intended to combat voter fraud. But voter rights advocates say the number of documented cases of voter fraud in the United States is extremely small and that restrictions disproportionately affect poor and minority voters. A lot of states laws are solutions in search of a problem, Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Unions Voting Rights Project, said in a telephone interview. Georgia is among several states with an exact match law requiring personal information on voter applications including names, drivers license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers to match state databases. A missed hyphen or skipped middle name can be enough to get a voter placed on a pending list. Under state law, those on the list have 26 months to correct any discrepancy, and voters who provide a state-issued ID on Election Day that verifies their information are allowed to cast ballots. Critics say the law may leave some people confused as to whether they can vote. A Reuters analysis of people on the pending list between August 2013 and February 2018 found more than two-thirds were black. The Georgia Coalition of the Peoples Agenda, the local NAACP and other civil rights groups filed the lawsuit, which seeks to halt enforcement of the exact match rule. The Abrams campaign called on Kemp to step down from his role overseeing state elections. Brian Kemp is maliciously wielding the power of his office to suppress the vote for political gain and silence the voices of thousands of eligible voters, said Abrams spokeswoman Abigail Collazo. In response, the Kemp campaign blamed Abrams shady voter registration effort for many of the applications on hold. Stacey Abrams is using fear to fundraise and faking outrage over a situation she created, said Kemp spokesman Cody Hall. In Arkansas, where Democrats aim to flip a Republican-held House seat around Little Rock, the state high court on Thursday upheld a law requiring residents to show photo identification when voting. That measure allows voters to cast provisional ballots without an ID if they sign a sworn affidavit. In Ohio on Wednesday, a judge upheld the states system of notifying voters who are purged from its rolls after failing to cast ballots for years. The state features high-profile races for the U.S. Senate and governor, as well as a few key House contests. The U.S. Supreme Court declined this week to block a North Dakota law requiring voters to have identification showing their current residential addresses. Voter rights advocates have argued the law will harm voters without proper identification, especially Native Americans who live on reservations, where residential addresses often do not exist. Democratic U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, facing a tough re-election fight with Republican U.S. Representative Kevin Cramer, has enjoyed broad support among Native American voters in the past. (Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; editing by Scott Malone and Dan Grebler) 264 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Matt Spetalnick, Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) Major U.S. defense contractors have expressed concern to the Trump administration that lawmakers angered by the disappearance of a Saudi journalist in Turkey will block further arms deals with Saudi Arabia, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Friday. Turkish reports that journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a vocal critic of Riyadh, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and removed have hardened resistance in the U.S. Congress to selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, already a sore point for many lawmakers concerned about the Saudi role in Yemens civil war. Saudi Arabia rejects the allegations in Turkey as baseless. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was wary of halting arms sales to Riyadh because of Khashoggi as it would just shift its weapons purchases to Russia and China. Saudi Arabia, where Trump last year announced a $110 billion arms package, has been a centerpiece of his overhaul of weapons export policy in which he has gone further than any of his predecessors in acting as a weapons salesman. However, critics say the new approach gives too much weight to business interests versus human rights concerns. The senior U.S. official declined to identify the companies that had contacted the administration over their Saudi arms deals. Defense contractors did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co have been the most active U.S. defense companies with potential sales to Saudi Arabia since Trump announced the package as part of his Buy American agenda to create jobs at home. In Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike are alarmed by the disappearance of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post. He entered the consulate on Oct. 2 to collect documents for his planned marriage. Saudi officials say Khashoggi left the building shortly afterwards, but his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said he never re-appeared. Even before Khashoggis unexplained disappearance, Democratic lawmakers had holds for months on at least four military equipment deals, largely because of Saudi attacks that killed Yemeni civilians. This makes it more likely theyll expand holds to include systems that arent necessarily controversial by themselves. Its a major concern, the senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. About $19 billion in deals have been officially notified to Congress, according to government records, making it unlikely that they can be halted. These include training packages for Saudi troops and pilots and the THAAD anti-missile system that could cost as much as $15 billion. One lobbyist for a defense company who spoke on condition of anonymity said worries about a potential across-the-board blockage of Saudi sales by Congress had surfaced in recent days, a development that would hurt a range of contractors. A second U.S. official said there were also current holds in place on training sales for the Saudi government. Under U.S. law, major foreign military sales can be blocked by Congress. Democratic Senator Patrick Murphy, an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia, threatened on Thursday to introduce a resolution of disapproval for any Saudi military deal that came up. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters on Thursday he recently told a defense contractor not to push for a deal with the Saudis, even before the Khashoggi case. With this, I can assure it wont happen for a while, Corker said. While details of all the previously blocked Saudi deals were not immediately available, one was the planned sale of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of high-tech munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Since 2015, Gulf Arab states have fought to restore a government in Yemen driven out by the Houthis, Shiite Muslim fighters Yemens neighbors view as agents of Iran. The war has killed more than 10,000 people and created the worlds most urgent humanitarian emergency. Senator Robert Menendez, the top Foreign Relations Committee Democrat, said the Trump administration had not satisfied concerns he first raised in June about the sale to members of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen of Raytheons precision-guided munitions. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick, Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; editing by Bill Rigby and Grant McCool) Photo: Contributed Ibrahim Ali The mother of a 13-year-old girl found murdered in a park in Burnaby has requested a Mandarin translator so she can understand court proceedings, and a judge has recommended the province fund that request. The mother's lawyer, Esther Kornfeld, told court her client's friend translated proceedings last month after a man accused of the crime made his first appearance. Ibrahim Ali, 28, was back in court Friday, but Marrisa Shen's mother wasn't in the gallery that was packed with people supporting the family of the girl who was found dead in a wooded area of Central Park on July 19, 2017. Provincial court Judge Harbans Dhillon told Kornfeld she didn't know if she could "bind the hands of the minister" who could consider providing funding for a court-certified translator. The Attorney General's Ministry did not immediately respond with a request for comment. Kornfeld said Shen's mother, who does not want her name publicized, has a restraining order against her ex-husband, her daughter's father, and would like her privacy respected in court by having sheriffs alerted to his presence. Dhillon said she would not entertain the request. Ali, a Syrian national who stood inside a glassed-off area as an Arabic translator interpreted the proceedings, is scheduled to return to court Nov. 23 to allow the prosecution time to put together disclosure material. Crown counsel Daniel Porte said 10,000 pages of material has been compiled. Ali was arrested on Sept. 7, two weeks after the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said it became aware of him as a suspect. He is facing a first-degree murder charge. Police have said Ali came to Canada as a refugee about three months before Shen was killed and that he is a permanent resident with a job and family in the country. Outside court, supporters of Shen's family lined the street calling for justice as they held signs reading "No bail, no more victims" and "Comprehensive security screening now." 6.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Republican message to minority voters: You dont count, we will make sure of it. In addition to the voter registrations from predominantly African American voters that Republican Brian Kemp, who is running against an African American Stacey Abrams, is engaging in an effort to game the election for himself and other Republicans, theres another scam in town. This one is called reject the mail-in ballot in the majority minority county of Gwinnett, where 62% of the residents are not white. Gwinnett County, Georgia is responsible for 40% of mail-in ballot rejections statewide, and rejection rates for Asians and African-Americans are much higher than whites. In an exclusive by Who What Why, they found a high rate of absentee ballot rejection in Gwinnett county, Georgia which they say reeks of voter suppression. Gwinnett leads in rejecting mail-in ballots, they report, with 398 turned away as of Thursday, according to numbers reported by the secretary of states office. Despite having only 12 percent of the states overall mail-in ballots, the county is responsible for 40 percent of statewide rejections so far. Why are the ballots rejected? Oh, someone decides your signature doesnt match your voters registration card and boom. Your vote is tossed. Ballots are rejected for small errors. For example, people often put the current date rather than their date of birth, as requested on the absentee envelope. And ballots are also rejected for subjective reasons: In hundreds of cases, a ballot is rejected because an election official thinks a signature does not match the one on the voters registration card. The rejections show a pattern: Asian or Pacific Islander voters are rejected at four times the rate of white voters, while black voters are rejected at nearly three times the rate of white voters. This man, Brian Kemp, running for Governor and purging minority voters throughout the state, is the person who decides what criteria to use to toss out mail-in ballots. But, his office doesnt supervise or review ballot rejections at the county level. Which means that people are not being notified that their mail-in ballot was rejected. Accountable for deciding criteria for tossing people, but not accountable for supervising tossed ballots. Isnt that fun. Pearlie Williams, an elderly black woman who lives in Gwinnett, Georgia, had no idea her mail-in ballot had been rejected. She told Who What Why, Theres been so many problems for so long, its like, why vote? Theyre going to do whatever they want to do anyway. And now youre here telling me my ballot was rejected? Yes, that is exactly the reaction Republicans are going for. This reaction is another piece of the puzzle regarding how attacks on voting rights work to whittle down turnout and engagement, both of which are wins for Republicans. The less people paying attention, the better. The less people voting, the better it is for Republicans. Brian Kemp knows exactly what hes doing with his statewide purge of minority voters, according to expert Kristen Clarke. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has been a driving force behind multiple voter suppression efforts throughout the years in Georgia, said Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. If there is one person in Georgia who knows that the Exact Match scheme has a discriminatory impact on minority voters, its Brian Kemp because we successfully sued him over a mirror policy in 2016. Stacey Abrams demanded that Kemp resign after he used his job as Secretary of State to game the election in his favor, an abuse of power if ever there were one. Michael McDonald of Elect Project flagged this story, pointing out a piece of good news. A bit of good news. The number of rejected ballots in Gwinnett County declined from 398 yesterday to 387 today. Election officials may be working to fix errors that caused some rejected ballots. Still, the rejection rate is a troublesome 9.9%, with clear racial disparities pic.twitter.com/AS3Ui75ar9 Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) October 13, 2018 A frequent logged reason for a ballot rejection is a problem with birth year on the return envelope. This suggests to me a language issue or poorly designed return envelope. I've spoken with lawyers who will inspect the envelopes to understand this better https://t.co/YNelcy0QJ1 Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) October 13, 2018 No matter what Republicans tell you about how we dont need the Voting Rights Act, their actions say otherwise. All of these tricks add up to a stolen election. That is why they go to the effort to do these things. I spent a year registering voters in Georgia, and often, that is with regularity, witnessed African-American voters being intimidated by law enforcement and others not to even register. I also witnessed law enforcement showing up to the polls, which has the effect of intimidating some voters. Whats going on is Georgia is un-American and despicable. Anyone who cant win a campaign without stealing rights from citizens doesnt deserve to even run for office. Republicans are engaging in these tactics for the same reason Donald Trump asked the Russians for help in 2016 to hack Hillary Clinton. They are afraid they cant win on the issues or if you pay attention to what theyre doing or not doing for you. The Voting Rights Act needs to be restored completely and actually strengthened so that all of our citizens can engage in the most American right of voting. Follow Sarah on Facebook and Twitter. 350 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Rod Nickel MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) Search and rescue volunteers have located hundreds of people reported missing in the U.S. Southeast after Hurricane Michael tore through their Florida Panhandle communities, but the death toll of at least 18 was expected to rise. Rescue crews heard cries for help and cut into a mobile home crumpled by the storm in Panama City, freeing survivors who had been trapped inside for two days, Matthew Marchetti, co-founder of the Houston-based CrowdSource Rescue, said on Saturday. In door-to-door searches, teams consisting mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters have found more than 520 of the 2,100 people reported missing since Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach, Florida, on Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history. We expect that number to go up dramatically today, Marchetti said, adding hopes were raised by an influx of volunteers on the weekend and the restoration of power in some areas. Volunteers are working side-by-side with first responders. They are cutting holes in roofs. They try to take a picture so we can call the family and tell them we made contact, he said. But as roads were cleared to allow wider searches, the death toll was expected to mount. As of early Saturday, authorities were reporting at least 18 deaths in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Rescue teams, hampered by power and telephone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for people in the rubble. In Callaway, Florida, an especially hard-hit town, Catholic Christians barbecued hamburgers and Scientologists handed out water. Im homeless, said nursing assistant Carla Covington, 45, who is caring for her mother and two children after their house was destroyed by falling trees. She said it felt good to receive comfort, but was also hard. Im used to helping people and not asking for help, she said, her voice breaking with emotion. The tropical storm, which grew in less than two days into a Category 4 hurricane, tore apart entire neighborhoods. More than 1,700 search and rescue workers were deployed, including seven swift-water rescue teams and nearly 300 ambulances, Florida Governor Rick Scotts office said. Power and phone service were being slowly restored, with about 236,000 homes and businesses still without power in North Carolina, down from a peak of more than 600,000, said spokesman Keith Acree of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. It could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida. (Reporting by Rod Nickel; Additional reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in Port St. Joe, Florida, Barbara Goldberg in New York, and Brendan OBrien in Milwaukee; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Daniel Wallis) 411 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Saeed Azhar, Lawrence White and Dmitry Zhdannikov DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Wall Street bankers will show up at an elite Saudi investment conference this month despite a growing exodus of top media companies and business leaders after the disappearance of a Saudi journalist. Mnuchins plan to attend the high-profile Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh follows U.S. President Donald Trumps comments that he saw no reason to block Saudi Arabian investments in the United States despite concern over the welfare of Jamal Khashoggi. I am planning on going at this point. If more information comes out and changes, we can look at that, but I am planning on going, Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC on Friday. In a letter to Trump, the leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said Mnuchin should cancel plans to attend the conference unless Saudi Arabia fully discloses what it knows about Khashoggis disappearance. We urge you to use all pressure necessary to encourage greater Saudi cooperation in the investigation into this incident, said the committees chairman, Republican Ed Royce, and its top Democrat, Eliot Engel. Pressure has mounted on U.S. ally Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi policies, went missing. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate. Riyadh has said the claims are baseless. CNN, the Financial Times, the New York Times, CNBC and Bloomberg, as well as reporters and editors from the Economist, said they were no longer participating in the conference, which relies heavily on journalists to moderate top sessions. CNBC and Bloomberg, along with Fox Business Network, were among media partners with a big role at the event, which begins on Oct. 23. Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi, U.S. mass media conglomerate Viacom Inc CEO Bob Bakish and billionaire Steve Case, one of the founders of AOL, said they were no longer going. Entrepreneur Arianna Huffington will also not participate and has resigned from the conference advisory board, her company Thrive Global PR said. The absence of media and technology executives is likely to cast a shadow over the three-day conference, known as Davos in the desert, which has become the biggest show for investors to promote Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans reform vision. It has attracted some of the worlds business elite, including Wall Streets top bosses and executives from multinational media, technology and financial services companies. On Friday, conference organizers removed all the names of attendees from its website as the number of cancellations grew. Whilst it is disappointing that some speakers and partners have pulled out, we are looking forward to welcoming thousands of speakers, moderators and guests from all over the world to Riyadh, a Future Investment Initiative spokesperson said. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, listed as a speaker, will not go to Riyadh due to a scheduling conflict, a World Bank official said on Friday. Asked about business leaders doubts about the conference, a Saudi diplomatic source said late on Thursday that he hoped a joint Turkish-Saudi investigation into the affair could reach a conclusion before the event began. However, the fallout over Khashoggis welfare shows signs of extending beyond conference participation. British billionaire Richard Branson said his Virgin Group would suspend discussions with Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund over a planned $1 billion investment in the groups space ventures. On Wednesday, former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said he had suspended his role on the board of Saudi Arabias planned mega business zone NEOM another of Prince Mohammeds large projects until more is known about what happened to Khashoggi. TOP GUNS While many media and technology executives have abandoned the conference, the financial industry showed no signs of doing so. None of the financial firms whose senior executives were scheduled to speak said they had made any changes to those plans when contacted by Reuters. Europes biggest bank, HSBC, declined to comment on whether CEO John Flint is still attending. HSBC is a strategic partner of the event, along with Credit Suisse, whose CEO Tidjane Thiam is still planning to attend, according to a source familiar with the matter. Bill Winters, CEO of Asia, Africa and Middle East-focused bank Standard Chartered is likewise still planning to go, a spokeswoman at the lender told Reuters. JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon was scheduled to speak, as was Mastercard Inc CEO Ajay Banga. Representatives for those companies, as well as Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley did not respond to requests for comment. Siemens AG said CEO Joe Kaeser still planned to attend. High-profile investors also steered clear of announcing plans to abandon the conference. BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager, said it was closely monitoring the situation. Private equity company Blackstone did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether CEO Stephen Schwarzman would still speak at the event. A spokesman for the London Stock Exchange, whose CEO David Schwimmer is also a speaker, declined to comment. The exchange has been working for years to attract the listing of Saudi state oil major Aramco. The City of London, Britains financial district and one of the main lobbyists for the countrys finance sector, said it is urgently seeking more information on Khashoggi. Its leader Catherine McGuinness is due to attend the conference. (Additional reporting by Clara Denina, Simon Jessop, Huw Jones and Oliver Hirt in London, and Doina Chiacu, Patricia Zengerle and Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Susan Thomas and James Dalgleish) 462 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Officials in Turkey have in their possession an Apple Watch audio recording of the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a report from the Associated Press. Khashoggi was reportedly wearing the Apple Watch when he entered the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul over a week ago. AP said the story was first reported Saturday by a Turkish newspaper, Sabah. This is the pro-government newspaper that Turkish security officials have been using to leak information to the public about the Khashoggi case. The new claim published by Sabah did not, however, explain how Turkish officials also reportedly in their possession a video of Khashoggis alleged killing. AP said that this new information will greatly increase the pressure on Saudi Arabia to provide an explanation about what happened to Khashoggi, who was a journalist. He had written stories that were highly critical about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi has not been since since he walked into the Saudi consulate on October 2nd. The Saudi Arabian government has claimed that the charges against it are baseless. Apparently, however, it was acknowledged for the first time Saturday morning that some people believe Khashoggi was killed by the Saudi Arabian government. An Apple Watch is able to record audio and then is able to sync the audio recording with an iPhone using a Bluetooth connection. Authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggis iPhone and his iCloud account on the internet, AP said. The journalist gave his iPhone to his fiancee before entering the consulate but was wearing his Apple Watch. Sabahs account did not explain how the Apple Watch synced the recordings to both the phone and Khashoggis iCloud account. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Khashoggis PIN on the watch, and then later using the journalists finger. Apple Watches, however, cannot be unlocked with a fingerprint ID, which is possible with iPhones. According to AP they have requested further information from Turkish officials about Khashoggis Apple Watch but there has been no response. Turkish officials did say that they believe a 15-member Saudi assassination squad killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. They also claim that they have a video recording of Khashoggis slaying, but have given no explanation about how they came into possession of the video. So far Turkey has not released to the public any of the evidence of Khashoggis alleged murder. They have released, however, a surveillance video from around the consulate. This video shows a several vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the consulate approximately two hours after Khashoggis arrival there. Saudi Arabia still maintains it had nothing to do with Khashoggis disappearance. They have given no explanation why the journalist was seen entering the consulate on foot, but was never seen leaving. His fiancee was waiting for him outside but according to the Saudis he simply disappeared into Istanbul without a trace. A Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-member Saudi assassination squad team as tourists, without providing evidence. On Saturday the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying his governments involvement in the Khashoggi case. The statement did acknowledge, however, that Saudi Arabia was being accused of killing Khashoggi. What has been circulating about orders to kill (Khashoggi) are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions, Prince Abdulaziz said. Khashoggis disappearance has put pressure on President Donald Trump, who has a close relationship with the Saudis. Trump promised to personally call Saudi Arabias King Salman soon about the terrible situation in Turkey. Were going to find out what happened, Trump said Friday when asked by reporters in Cincinnati where he was holding a political rally. On Thursday Trump said he saw no reason to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia because of the disappearance of Khashoggi despite pressure from Congress. On Friday several U.S. defense contractors expressed concern to the Trump administration that members of Congress angered by the Khashoggi killing will block further arms deals with Saudi Arabia. This new information concerning the government of Turkey having recordings of Khashoggis alleged slaying will increase pressure on both Trump and Congress to respond in ways that may harm their long-cultivated relationship with Saudi Arabia. 272 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) Turkeys investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has revealed recordings made on his Apple Watch purportedly indicating he was tortured and killed, a Turkish newspaper reported on Saturday. The report in the pro-government Sabah daily, which could not immediately be verified, emerged after a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey for a joint investigation into his disappearance. The moments when Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and murdered were recorded in the Apple Watchs memory, the paper said, adding that the watch had synched with his iPhone, which his fiancee was carrying outside the consulate. Two senior Turkish officials previously told Reuters that Khashoggi had been wearing a black Apple watch when he entered the consulate and that it was connected to a mobile phone he left outside. However, it was not clear whether data from Khashoggis watch could have been transmitted to his phone outside, or how investigators could have retrieved it without obtaining the watch themselves. Technology experts say it is highly unlikely the watch could have recorded actions inside the embassy and uploaded them to an iCloud account. Most models of the watch require that it be within 30 to 50 feet (9-15 meters) of the iPhone that it is paired with to upload data to Apples iCloud, they said. Even newer models that can communicate with the cloud directly via wireless require either connection to a nearby WiFi network or a type of cellular connection that is not available in Turkey, the experts say. RECORDINGS Sabah, which cited reliable sources in a special intelligence department for its report, said Khashoggi was believed to have turned on the recording feature on the watch before entering the consulate. The paper said Saudi intelligence agents had realized after he died that the watch was recording and they used his finger print to unlock it, deleting some files, but not all of them. The recordings were subsequently found on his phone, it said. On Thursday, Turkey said it and Saudi Arabia had agreed to form a joint working group at Riyadhs initiative to investigate the case. A Saudi source said a senior royal, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, had visited Turkey that day. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but Turkish officials and his fiancee, who was waiting outside, said he never came out. Turkish sources have told Reuters the initial assessment of the police was that Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, had been deliberately killed inside the consulate. Riyadh has dismissed the claims. SPA said on Friday that Saudi Arabias interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, condemned the lies and baseless allegations against the kingdom, although he praised the joint investigation with Turkey. The Saudi delegation, which arrived in Turkey on Thursday, is meeting a Turkish prosecutor investigating the case as well as representatives from the Justice Ministry, Interior Ministry, police and the national intelligence agency, one source said. On Tuesday, the Turkish foreign ministry said the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would be searched as part of the investigation. (Additional reporting by Jonathan Weber in Singapore; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Gareth Jones) On October 9, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) discussed restoring Russias voting rights in the body, which were revoked in 2014 following Moscows annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Ukraines PACE delegation proposed an amendment to the rules covering sanctions on PACE delegations, with the intention of barring a vote to restore Russias voting rights. Ultimately, voting on the issue was postponed. Olga Skabeyeva, co-host of the program 60 Minutes on the Russian state-owned TV channel Rossiya-1, attempted to interview the Ukrainian delegation outside the assembly hall. Rather than seriously answer her questions, the Ukrainian delegates responded with the Ukrainian slogan Glory to Ukraine! and then began singing the national anthem. This was not how Skabeyeva reported the incident on her program, however. Instead, she portrayed the Ukrainians as bullied who threatened her, saying that they shouted Death to Russia! and Death to you! Yet in her own video clip, it is clear the delegates are not saying that. One delegate, Boryslav Bereza, at one point did use the less-popular nationalist slogan Glory to the Nation! Death to the enemy! Later, Bereza clearly says Shame on the Russian Federation! Berezas slogans and mannerisms, which later included a mic drop with the reporters microphone after she hands it to him. It looked as if he might have been deliberately mocking the Russian reporter. The response to Skabeyeva is similar to the one her 60 Minutes co-host and husband Evgeny Popov received from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko two weeks earlier at the United Nations General Assembly. Poroshenko categorically refused to give him an interview and accused Russian state media of spreading disinformation. Russian Disinformation Directed at Ukraine Since the Maidan revolution of 2014, Russian state media have flooded the information space both inside and outside of Ukraine with negative propaganda, including completely fabricated stories. An analysis by the Ukrainian volunteer organization StopFake found that from March 2014 to June 2017, there were 919 fake or misleading narratives about Ukraine w published or broadcast. Most of these were produced by Russian state media outlets like Rossiya 24 (Rossiya 1s sister channel), RT, TV Zvezda and Channel 1. Channel 1 in particular produced one of the most infamous stories to come out of the war in eastern Ukraine, in which a woman claiming to be a refugee from the town of Slovyansk claimed to have watched Ukrainian soldiers crucify a young boy on a billboard before dragging her mother behind a tank until she was dead. StopFake later found that the same woman appeared in subsequent stories, with a completely different persona, leading some to refer to her as an actress. 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. Hannah Alani is a reporter at The Post and Courier covering race, immigration and rural life across the Palmetto State. Before graduating from Indiana University and moving to Charleston in 2017, her byline appeared in The New York Times. Adam Parker has covered many beats and topics for The Post and Courier, including race and history, religion, and the arts. He is the author of "Outside Agitator: The Civil Rights Struggle of Cleveland Sellers Jr.," published by Hub City Press. Photo: Contributed Several Tolko employees met with students, Okanagan College and School District 22 representatives to learn more about the Youth Trades Sampler program. Nemo Des Mazes prefers working with her hands and building things rather than sitting in a classroom. So when the chance came for the 16 year old to take part in the Youth Trades Explorer Sampler at Okanagan College, she eagerly signed up. The program gives high school students an opportunity to discover trades as a career with hands-on technical training in six fields including plumbing, carpentry and electrical. The program, a partnership between School District 22 and the college, is not only attracting students, its also garnered the interest and support of a local employer. Tolko Industries has donated $11,000, plus in-kind support, toward the training at Okanagan College. We are passionate about youth and this fits with our long-term strategy to build our workforce and our communities, said Tanya Wick, Tolkos vice-president, people and services. This program is helping young people gain the skills and experience that can help set them up for success. While this years student cohort is only in their second week of trades training, theyve already progressed from building a deck chair to picnic tables. The lumber for their projects was also donated from Tolkos Armstrong mill. Its always very meaningful for us at the College to see an employer in the region invest in the training of our students, says Teresa Kisilevich, Okanagan Colleges Associate Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship. Students see that local businesses want them to succeed. Both School District 22 and Okanagan College are interested in elevating trades training as a career choice for students earlier on in their education. Joe Rogers, superintendent of School District 22, said the program can be a game changer for students who arent always successful in academics by empowering them to dive and explore a variety of trades at a full-time level for 10 weeks. This gives kids an opportunity to go towards their passion. If you put a kid where they are happy they will do good work, said Rogers. Its also a win-win for our community as there is a shortage of trades workers. In addition to lumber, Tolko is exploring how else it can support the Youth Trades Sampler program, including having the students take a tour of their Armstrong mill. The students are working in Okanagan Colleges new Trades Training Centre, which opened in August. The $6.2-million, 1,250 square-metre facility can accommodate approximately 150 students per year and features a dedicated welding shop and multi-use spaces in which the College can deliver training in carpentry, electrical, and plumbing and pipefitting, along with specialized training like the Youth Trades Sampler Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine. Sullivan's Island Town Council soon will consider a compromise to cut down some vegetation in a 100-foot "transition zone," an area of maritime forest between private homes and the beach. But it could leave the community more vulnerable to sea level rise. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication. Political Reporter Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work. 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. iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- American pastor Mark Brunson is expected to visit the White House Saturday after being released from almost two years of detention in Turkey. Brunson landed at Joint Base Andrews around noon with his wife, Norine. Tony Perkins, who was traveling with Brunson as part of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, told ABC News he was "thrilled" upon landing on U.S. soil. President Trump announced on Twitter that he will meet with the pastor, who was detained in Turkey on suspicions of espionage and plotting to overthrow the government, in the Oval Office. Pastor Andrew Brunson, released by Turkey, will be with me in the Oval Office at 2:30 P.M. (this afternoon). It will be wonderful to see and meet him. He is a great Christian who has been through such a tough experience. I would like to thank President @RT_Erdogan for his help! Trump tweeted. After his release, Brunson was flown to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany and was greeted by U.S. Ambassador Richard Grennell, who presented him with an American flag. Grennell says Brunson "immediately" lowered his head to kiss the flag. Brunsons detainment has been a flashpoint in American-Turkish relations, and his release is a major victory for the Trump administration. The president issued sanctions against the Turkish government in retaliation for not releasing the pastor and to add economic pressure to the cause. In his tweet about their White House meeting, Trump specifically thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan, for his assistance in freeing Brunson. The two leaders tangled over Brunson, but Trump said over the summer he would not allow for any concessions in exchange for Brunsons release. On Saturday, Trump pushed back on recent reports that the United States and Turkey struck a deal that included the softening of sanctions. There was NO DEAL made with Turkey for the release and return of Pastor Andrew Brunson. I dont make deals for hostages, Trump said. There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey! The pastors release frees up diplomatic bandwidth to focus on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a consulate in Istanbul. A Turkish court sentenced Brunson, an evangelical Christian pastor, to more than three years in prison on terrorism charges but then set him free. He has denied the allegations against him. Im proud to report that earlier today we secured the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey, Trump said at a campaign rally in Ohio on Friday. I think hes going to be in great shape. And then hes coming to Washington, D.C., tomorrow and well say hello to him. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders thanked a bipartisan group of members of Congress who worked on Brunsons release. The lawmakers include: Senators Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire; and Thom Tillis, R-NC; and Representatives Patrick McHenry, R-NC; Mark Walker, R-NC; and David Price, D-NC. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday began preparations for a two-month review of the local source code, the human-readable instructions that would run the vote counting machines in the 2019 elections. The poll body hopes the review would allay some groups' doubts in the integrity of the automated polls. "Gusto natin mapakita natin sa publiko na mapagkakatiwalaan natin ang sistema (We want to show the public that are system can be trusted)," Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said. The review runs from Oct. 17 to Dec. 14, but Jimenez said they invited the participants to watch the preparations on Saturday. IT experts, election watchdogs and representatives of political parties and candidates are participating in the review. They will look into the codes of the vote counting machines, the election management system that controls the database, and the canvassing and consolidation system to be used by the Board of Canvassers. Some experts said there have been some improvements in the source code audit process since the first time it was done in 2013 amid questions on the credibility of the presidential polls. But experts said this is not enough. "Mahirap ang proseso (The process is difficult). It's a controlled review eh. There is still a feeling of security by obscurity," said National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) volunteer Jay-R Contreras, an IT expert. Comelec said it has also improved the system's security features for the May 13, 2019 polls. Venezuelan company Smartmatic has been supplying automated machines to the government since the 2010 elections. The government continues to use its services despite allegations that it altered the source code of vote counting machines in the 2013 national elections, and fed a suspicious new script or computer command to the Comelec's transparency server during the transmission and counting of election returns in 2016. These are claims the company has denied, while the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has started a manual vote recount due to a poll protest filed by former Senator Bongbong Marcos questioning Vice President Leni Robredo's win in 2016. CNN Philippines' Makoi Popioco contributed to this report. Does anybody else want to throw up after reading about Canadas justice system, once again, failing someone? I was not born in Canada, and Im definitely not familiar with the laws of sentencing, etc. But Im not an idiot. I know right from wrong. I know that killing someone is wrong, I know that selling drugs is wrong. I also know that one of these things has a much bigger effect than the other. Reading the story about Waylon Jackson's murder churned my stomach and boiled my blood. It is absolutely despicable that the killer will receive no further punishment. Oh, probation? You mean where he gets to sit at home and be with his family? And Waylon? Whats his family doing? Children shouldnt grow up with murdered parents knowing the killer is living it up at home with no punishment. I am very against drugs, but why send a 20 year old to prison for years for having cocaine in his car, when the grandpa who raped his four-year-old granddaughter gets only two years in prison? If you take someones life, whether youre drunk, high, depressed, or angry, it doesnt matter. You have destroyed a family. You have taken a parent, a brother, a sister, a daughter or son from someone for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to all the families that have been victims of this laughable justice system. I can only hope you find peace within each other and can forgive this countrys faults. Sarah Borten The list of longest airline flights in the world just got longer. Singapore Airlines, either No. 1 in this category or close to it for years, is claiming the title this week by launching a 9,500-mile-plus, 19-hour nonstop flight between Singapore and Newark Liberty Airport, which serves the New York market. Singapore Airlines pushed the boundary following the delivery of its first Airbus A-350-900ULR, a more fuel-efficient craft than its previous long-distance plane, the Airbus A340-500, which has been retired. More and more long-distance flights have become the norm for many of the worlds airlines in recent years because of the increase in the numbers and types of aircraft being developed by the prime manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus. Prior to the Singapore flight to Newark, the longest flight was one operated by Qatar Airlines between Auckland and Doha, a 9,026-mile flight. Next was Qantas service between Perth and London, covering 9,009 miles, and after that was Emirates Airline service between Dubai and Auckland, covering 8,819 miles. (The miles used here are statute miles; some news reports and airlines refer to the distance of flights in nautical miles, a different unit of measurement.) Prior to the Singapore-Newark run, the longest flight involving a U.S. destination was United Airlines service between Los Angeles and Singapore, covering a distance of 8,758 miles. As far as can be ascertained, virtually all of the flights mentioned involve aircraft that contain the majority of first-class or business-class or economy-plus seating. Orlando sets record Even though Hurricane Irma forced the closure of its theme parks and airports and filled its hotels with displaced evacuees, a record-setting 72 million tourists still flowed to the Orlando area in 2017, tourism officials have announced. The 5 percent year-over-year increase in visitors was powered by domestic travelers, while visits from international travelers remained soft. With those numbers, Orlando held onto its title as the most visited destination in the United States. Tourism in Orlando, and other parts of Florida, shut down last September for almost a week during the preparations for and aftermath of Hurricane Irma on the peninsula. The areas theme parks closed for two days and planes stopped flights out of central Florida airports. Millions of coastal residents were ordered to evacuate, sending many of them to other locations. One person is dead and two others were rushed to Naval Hospital following a serious car crash late Saturday night. Guam Police Department spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao said southern precinct command officers and Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a vehicle that ran off the roadway near Manneggon Road off Route 4. The black Toyota Corolla was traveling east on Route 4 when the driver lost control and ran off the roadway, he said. The crash occurred around 11:07 p.m. Saturday. One occupant was lifeless and was taken to the Guam Memorial Hospital. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. "Another occupant was unconscious and unresponsive. Guam Fire Department medics had to perform CPR en route to Naval Hospital. A third occupant was listed as conscious and responsive but was taken to Naval Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash," Tapao stated. GPD's Highway Patrol traffic investigators were activated to look into the fatality and they had yet to determine if speed and/or alcohol were factors in the crash. investigators were seen looking through the mangled Corolla looking for any clues to help them determine what happened. The names of those involved in the crash have not been released. Photo: The Canadian Press A security guard speaks with colleagues at the entrance of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. A senior Turkish official says Turkey and Saudi Arabia will form a "joint working group" to look into the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The new claim published by the Sabah newspaper, through which Turkish security officials have leaked much information about the case, puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi. The writer, who has written critically about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared after he walked into the consulate Oct. 2. The kingdom has maintained the allegations against it are "baseless," though an official early Saturday on Khashoggi's 60th birthday acknowledged for the first time some believe the writer was killed by the kingdom. Authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiancee before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleged Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Khashoggi's PIN on the watch, then later using the journalist's finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. The newspaper did not address that in its report. An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection if it is close by. The newspaper's account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Khashoggi's iCloud account. Turkish officials have not answered queries from The Associated Press about Khashoggi's Apple Watch. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad" killed Khashoggi at the consulate. They've also alleged that they have video of the slaying, but not explained how they have it. Turkey may be trying to protect its intelligence sources through leaking this way, analysts say. "Under normal circumstances, intelligence services would want to protect their sources, whether human or technical," Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, wrote recently. She formerly worked on intelligence matters for the U.S. government. She added: "The Turkish government may need to reveal sources it does not want to reveal if the Saudi Arabian government continues to deny involvement despite evidence Turkey has in its possession." Saudi Arabia has said it had nothing to do with Khashoggi's disappearance, without explaining or offering evidence of how the writer left the consulate and disappeared into Istanbul with his fiancee waiting outside. A Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as "tourists," without providing evidence to support the claim. It echoes how Russia has described the men who allegedly carried out the Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury, England, in March. Early on Saturday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying the kingdom's involvement. This time, however, it acknowledged for the first time that Saudi Arabia was accused of killing Khashoggi. "What has been circulating about orders to kill (Khashoggi) are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions," Prince Abdulaziz said. Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, said that Khashoggi's disappearance will be "investigated strongly." A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of a joint investigation into the writer's disappearance. "Such an act is an attack on all the values of the democratic world. It's an act that will never be forgiven or covered up," he said. "This is not an act that Turkey would ever consider legitimate. If there are people who committed this, it will have heavy consequences." Khashoggi's disappearance has put pressure on President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed close relations with the Saudis since entering office. Trump has promised to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about "the terrible situation in Turkey." Speaking to CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview to be aired Sunday, Trump said of the Saudis: "They deny it. They deny it every way you can imagine." However, Trump also said: "Could it be them? Yes." Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the Saudi consulate, the State Department said Friday. No details of the conversation were released. In an interview Friday with the AP, Cengiz said Khashoggi was not nervous when he entered the consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. "He said, 'See you later my darling,' and went in," she told the AP. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially "still missing." She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. I will vote for keeping most of them in elected office I will vote to replace most of them I will vote to replace some of them I will vote for just a few, if any I will not vote Vote View Results The words duty to consult and to accommodate do not appear in the Constitution of 1982. Rather, Section 35 of our Constitution simply recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights. Those were existing rights as of April,1982... not 1990 or 2004, or 2018. By 2004, the Supreme Court took it on themselves to create this duty to accommodate and consult. Remember, these are not elected officials, but judges, who created this new requirement of the NEB, companies and governments who are trying to get projects built and create jobs. Further, this year, somehow these unelected judges have decided they can overturn the will of the federal government, which approved the Trans Mountain pipeline, and 16 previous court rulings. This is essentially three unelected people overturning the will of the people of Canada. This is why we need the notwithstanding clause, and it needs to be invoked when the elected representatives of Canada are being vetoed by the unelected. Judges and the Supreme Court were never meant to govern or create or interpret government policy, and never meant to veto the decisions of our elected officials. In overturning our federal government on the Trans Mountain pipeline approval, we are seeing the power of three people imposed on the will of the people. This is not right. Neil Stephenson, Kelowna Louisiana Senator (Dr.) Bill Cassidy seized on a teachable moment that made the rounds on Twitter yesterday, where I found it with John OSullivans comment: Please, please, please keep showing this. It makes a better case for putting Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court than any of his supporters managed to dowith the possible exception of Senator Linds[e]y Graham. Protester demands that GOP Senator @BillCassidy "apologize to my children for ruining their futures. Cassidy looks at the kids: Guess what? Your parents are using you as tools. In the future if somebody makes an allegation against you & theres no proof for it, you'll be OK." pic.twitter.com/y6WKtPhpYO Benny (@bennyjohnson) October 12, 2018 Last week Senator Cassidy filed his own video statement supporting the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh here. Arizonas Democratic senatorial candidate is a flake of the far-left leftist variety by the name of Kyrsten Sinema. She represents Arizonas Ninth District in Congress. She thinks she deserves a promotion. Her back pages, however, should pose a problem of some kind in a contested election. Taken together Ed Driscoll collects them here, Michelle Moon collects them here Quotations From Kyrsten might form the nucleus of a new Little Red Book. I think my favorite of the Quotations might be this one: Sinema appeared on a radio show in February 2003 hosted by Ernest Hancock, a libertarian activist who presented The Valley of the Sun program on a local Arizona radio station. During the interview, Sinema told the host that she didnt object to individuals going abroad and fighting for groups hostile to the U.S. Sinema told the host that she didnt object to individuals going abroad and fighting for groups hostile to the U.S. As an individual, if I want to go fight in the Taliban army, I go over there, and Im fighting for the Taliban, Im saying thats a personal decision, Hancock told Sinema, who was then a Green Party activist. Fine. I dont care if you go and do that, go ahead, she replied, according to the audio recording obtained by Fox News. What a phony. Who might be the opposite of Kyrsten Sinema not just her opposite number? As fortune would have it, I think Martha McSally may be she. Rep. McSally is the Air Force combat veteran and Republican nominee challenging Sinema. She represents Arizonas Second District in Congress. She is of the part of the post 9/11 generation that answered the call to serve. We need more of her like in Congress. We do not need the likes of Kyrsten Sinema. On the contrary, as the old Hermans Hermits song has it, shes a must to avoid. Please consider supporting Martha McSallys campaign with a contribution here. Yet another missive from Robert Kuttner of the lefty American Prospect that will warm the cockles, and many other things beside: Depart, I Say, and Let Us Have Done with You. Thats what Oliver Cromwell said to the Long Parliament in 1653. In May 1940, the British Conservative M.P. Leo Amery flung the same words at Neville Chamberlain, demanding that Hitlers appeaser step down as British prime minister. The words came back to me as I read about the paid speaking tour just announced by Bill and Hillary Clinton. The 13-city tour, billed as An Evening with the Clintons, begins two weeks after the midterm elections. And billed is right. Ticket prices range from $120.50 to $370.50. They are not selling a book on this tour, just having a good time and bringing in the bucks. Isnt that grand? Since the cities include Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., it doesnt exactly seem to be a political tour on behalf of Democratic candidates, either. Nor is it clear that such a mission would be a plus. In the Age of Trump, its all about celebrity. Jesus wept. So get your seats, and we can all relive the great Clinton moments: The Blue Dress! How Bill spoiled it for Al Gore because he couldnt resist sex with an intern. NAFTA! How Bill set the Democrats up for one of the worst midterm blowouts ever, in 1994. Bankers going bonkers! How he turned over the deregulation of Wall Street to Bob Rubin, setting up the financial collapse of 2008. And, of course, how Hillary bungled her way into giving the nation Donald Trump. I seldom agree with Orrin Hatch, but the Republican senator from Utah put it well. The Clintons dont know when to shut up. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. ~ ROBERT KUTTNER The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has discovered N9.8 billion belonging to the Federal Government. The ICPC said the money discovered was hidden in Aso Savings and Loans Plc. According to a statement by its spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, ICPC said the money, which was realised from the sale of government assets, was deposited in Aso Savings and Loans Plc instead of the federal treasury. ICPC in the statement said the Managing Director of the bank, Kunle Adedigba, had been invited and interrogated. According to ICPC in the statement, Aso Savings and Loans Plc claimed it did not have enough funds to make refunds and was willing to hand over some of its properties to the Federal Government. In 2005, the Federal Government set up a committee, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Sale of Federal Government Houses, to sell some of its properties in the Federal Capital Territory. The ICPC received a petition on the work of the committee and commenced investigation, in the course of which it unearthed the fact that the sum of N9.8bn realised by the committee between 2010 and 2014 from the sale of government properties which was deposited in Aso Savings and Loans Plc., was not remitted to the federal treasury by the financial institution rather, it was used. Amongst the several officials invited for investigation, the current Managing Director of Aso Savings and Loans, revealed that the bank is currently experiencing paucity of funds, therefore, it is willing to swap some of its properties located in Abuja and Lagos in exchange for the unremitted funds. Meanwhile ICPC also in the statement said it was committed to the recovery of the full value of the unremitted N9.8 billion by taking the properties offered in lieu for the government, subject to satisfactory valuation by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. ICPC then added that upon the conclusion of the investigation, anyone found in breach of the law would be brought to book accordingly. Similarly, in a related development, further investigation of the ad hoc committees work also uncovered that some persons who were allocated government properties made only part payments. This fact led the ICPC to recover the sum of N20, 662,250 from the affected persons in bank drafts which it handed over to the chairman of the ad hoc committee between December 2017 and May 2018, the statement added. Kachikwu. A three-syllable endearing, fascinating noun, at least for many Nigerians. But for SATIRE SATURDAY, beginning Thursday night when it finally metamorphosed, that word has become a verb. To be sure, before now, it functioned prominently as the name of a serving Nigerian minister, regarded as one of the most refined minds in this administration. But effective Thursday evening, it now functions as a verb: Ka-chi-kwuto shamelessly manipulate and distort facts in a way so brazen and audacious that it murders, and violently so, every element of logic and decency. Earlier on Thursday, PREMIUM TIMES published a fact-check which clinically showed how Mr Kachikwu, on several platforms, lied about his class of degreeboth at the University of Nigeria and at the Nigeria Law School. Aside details of his Wikipedia page, the newspaper provided graphic, incontrovertible video evidences, and thats in addition to details of the ministers profile on the website of the ministry he heads. But by evening on Thursday, Mr Kachikwus Petroleum Ministry had murdered logic and decency. Idang Alibi, director of press at the ministry, supplied the most unimaginative alibi (pun unintended!) I have ever read: the minister only claimed that he had a first class performance and not a First Class Degree. (Watch video here and be the judge) Apparently banking on the support of this governments alleluia crowd on the internet, Mr Alibi said the minister did not lie about his class of degreedespite the naked video evidences staring everyone in the face. Ah, what an imaginative ALIBI (again, pun unintended)! Now frankly, Mr Kachikwus assault on semantics and the fact that he seems to be getting away with it remind this writer of the Amukun phenomenon in Yoruba pragmatics. And at the centre of this sad development lies the bane of this nation. Lets digress. First, Kachikwu and his strategists, SATIRE SATURDAY opines, replied Premium Times Thursday night when they knew Nigerians were fixated on former President Olusegun Obasanjos endorsement of Atiku Abubakar and would pay little or no attention to the details of his own ordeals. And the strategy worked; or so it seems. One cannot read through his cringe-worthy response to the report detailing his dubious First Class claims and not be in pains, ala Fayose. Kachikwu is brilliant and has achieved so much for himself and so his dubious claim was needless, frankly. Class of degree is not the ultimate measure of brilliance. Many of the most brilliant, most imaginative folks around do not parade first class certificates. So, as many have wondered, why would the minister serially tell such a barefaced lie? Here is the big deal: Mr Kachikwu earned a PhD and must have been trained in the fundamentals of Rigour and Optics. He surely understands semantics and as a lawyer, can educate many on the legal concept of Passing-Off, too. So he is not daft. The deal is Kachikwu knows the Nigerian crowd and he knows what the optics of such dubious, even if unimaginative, manipulation of semantics could do to perception. And in Nigerias chaos-ridden field of politics where the dead could be so appointed into juicy positions, perception is everything and this was much evident in the reception that trailed his comment at the COZA programme. Perception could determine how far you would go in this chaotic space where people pay little or no attention to details beyond the buzz. Frankly, perception is largely why a Tunde Fashola, banking on accolades garnered from cash-fueled reviews in the media when he held sway in Lagos, would, in what many has rightly adjugded a clear assault on logic, be so entrusted with three strategic ministries! But if you feel bad about the COZA reception, you obviously have not been following the reactions that trailed the ministers rebuttal on Twitter and elsewhere. Hes been hailed as a decent Nigerian official for promptly responding to the nonsensical blackmail and, expectedly, a few have chosen to attack the platform that exposed him. So in essence, even if the serial liar (who incidentally is also a lawyer) knows in his heart of hearts that he LIED and evaded all evidences (including graphic evidences on the website of the oil ministry that he heads,), some Nigerians largely BMC new recruits undergoing internship before confirmation ahead of 2019 elections who saw all of these evidences have said that the medium is the overzealous. You need look no further for the genesis of our woes as a nation. I am presently reading a book on development and something struck me in the book a few days ago. The author, while dissecting the numerous challenges facing his local environment, averred that if a society cannot clearly define and label as evil what we so carelessly describe as small-small misdeeds, such society may never fix other big challenges. It is difficult to disagree with him. Yoruba people have a little lesson in this context, precisely in what I call the Amukun phenomenon. At the heart of Yoruba peoples often hilarious yet didactic phraseology is the Amukun phenomenon. The original saying goes thus: Amukun eru e wo, (o ni) oke le n woe o wo isale. Yoruba loses its flavor when translated but here is a contextual meaning: A distorted state of affairs can often be traced to an equally distorted foundation (on which the affairs are being conducted). To situate it in the Nigerian context, one would need to picture the foolhardy act of expecting a public servant who so shamelessly lies about basic, verifiable things like his class of degree not to lie about opaque and largely difficult-to-verify concerns like contract terms and payments. In other words, at the base of Nigerias unquantifiable woespoor road network, no water, no power etcis our failure to pay attention to tiny details that serve as the fabrics of most functional societies. And because our leaders understand this, they exploit this to the full even if they dare not do same in societies they travel to for education and relaxation. Maybe until we realise these tiny details are so fundamental to building a sane society, we may not get it right. Maybe. But in the meantime, Minister Kachikwu has shown every young Nigerian hoping to climb the success ladder (especially in politics where, if you blow not your trumpet, no one would do it for you) how to Kachikwu their way to the top: embellish your paper qualification to garner favourable reviews and, who knows, appointments but be quick to feign ignorance if eventually busted. And, finally, in case they need to reference the original source of this ingenious idea, he remains Dr Ibe Kachikwuan otherwise brilliant and hugely accomplished lawyer. Despite some gains, Nigeria still has a long way to go in the implementation of family planning measures, a health official said on Thursday. Kayode Afolabi, Director/Head-RH, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), speaking at a one-day health dialogue held in Abuja, said in spite Nigerias commitment and investment, the country still has a long way to go in achieving a commendable level of FP implementation. The dialogue was organised by development Research and Project Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the health ministry and other civil society organisations. Mr Afolabi, who also represented the minister of health, Isaac Adewole, at the event said the government is keen on improving FP performance because it is a very important tool for reducing maternal and child mortality. He said the current rate of live birth in Nigeria is 560 per 1,000 birth. Mr Afolabi said this is not too good because the country can do better and FP can be used to reduce this and reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies in the country. In his presentation, Mr Afolabi said though funding for FP in Nigeria is very low and often augmented by international donors, the government would fulfill the commitment it made to the global agency. He said FP is very necessary to save the lives of the women, allow them to live their lives to the fullest, and also take care of the family. We need to promote availability of new contraceptive model in line with the global trend. We are trying to review the roadmap we are using in FP policies. We are also happy that the media is here because we have over 300 PHCs in the country and most of the women are not accessing it. Mr Afolabi, who is also an obstetrician and gynecologist, said 25 percent of maternal mortality can be prevented by contraceptives. Mr Afolabi, however, said there has been a gradual increase in the financing of FP in the country as government and stakeholders have decided to improve family planning investment. He said the minister this year made a pledge of $4 million to FP and has promised that the government would pay it in bulk. Mr Afolabi said the country has not been fulfilling most of its pledges adding that it recently pledged $3 million for the basket funding for FP yearly for four years. This was meant to total to $12 million. Unfortunately, the fund released was only $7 million in total, he said. He said Nigeria would not be able to pay the backlog in the funding because the source of money generation has dried up, adding that the source then was the excess crude oil fund. Unfortunately, that era is over, he said. Mr Afolabi said the USAID has been consistent in mopping up the gaps in FP funding in Nigeria. He also said the government is now looking inwards to raise money to sustain the FP funds. According to him, although the budgetary allocation to health is also very low (only 4 percent of the whole budget) the allocation to FP is increasing and this shows commitment on the path of the government. He said there are also efforts to improve domestic funding to FP and this has started with advocacy visit to the budgetary office, and this is why there has been an increase. Another participant from Lagos State, Oreoluwa Fennih, in her remarks said the state has been doing a lot of advocacy in FP implementation. She said most of the free FP injectibles and consumables used in the states are in the public primary health care centres. She, however, said the state has not been able to implement free consumables in private hospitals. Another Lagos State representative, Okanlawon Idowu, called for the need to work with the private sector. The Taraba State representative, Titi Saleh, said there is need for more training for personnel because some of our staff are retired and some do not know about FP. We have new partners in the states but we need more partners to help us in our state so that we can retrain our staff and so that the providers can be able to service the rural areas. Over the years FP programmes and purchasing of consumables for the country have been sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, USAID and other international donors. Nigeria only recently started contributing to the FP basket fund into which development partners contribute for the procurement of FP commodities. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Evelyn Okakwu, the young and inspiring Frederick Adetiba, lead pastor of The Finishing Church, shares his vision of inspiring Nigerian youth towards accomplishing their goals in life and his one year experience of being a cleric. He tells this newspaper about his first year as leader of the Finishing Church, the current political realities in Nigeria and his belief that a younger person than the current president, Muhammdu Buhari, would emerge leader of Nigeria in 2019. Excerpts: PT: How would you describe your first year as leader of The Finishing Church? Fred: The experience has been awesome, I must say. Its been an excitingly challenging period, and most importantly, a learning and building process for me. Theres also the part of being responsible for every member of the church. This is particularly challenging because the focus is not merely on their spiritual development, but the development of the total man. In The Finishing Church, we focus on every aspect of human life: relationships, career, family, marriage, sustenance, as well as impacting the larger society positively etc. God has been faithful though. I am understanding that this is not about me or my personal capacity. What God needs are willing vessels to work with and work through. He is the one virtually doing everything. I only make myself available, and in the process, I am also becoming a better person and increasingly becoming like Christ. The transformational process makes the entire thing more exciting. PT: You are a graduate of sociology from the University of Jos, as well as a masters degree holder from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa. How did you arrive at becoming a pastor? Fred: Everybody has a calling and a ministry ordained by God even before we were born. In my case, I did not plan to become a pastor. If it were my decision, I would definitely be doing something else. But Gods plan is always the best for us. I gave my life to Christ in 2000, and since then I have been active in church. After I gave my life to Christ, I knew I had a calling, particularly to young people. And I have been doing this since then, while providing support for the different pastors God has used to shape my life. Initially, I had thought playing a background role in church and mentoring young people alongside would suffice. I was actually fine with the idea until 2015 when God showed up and said it was time for what He had been preparing me for all these years. I had a bit of back and forth with God on this and I eventually yielded. The blueprint was thereafter received. There was an ordination and commissioning in June 2017 after which The Finishing Church started. The interesting thing, however, is that my background in Sociology has greatly shaped my person, which is helping me make sense of my pastoral responsibilities. Sociology is the science of man and the society. It provides different perspectives that help us understand how society works as well as how to make it better for the benefit of man. As a pastor, one of my responsibilities is to train and equip people to be functional human beings who would in turn make positive impact in the society. I now get to make contribution to the development of my society as a pastor and as a sociologist, in addition to being a strategy management consultant and a writer. PT: What motivated the writing of your book on Faith and Governance? Fred: My discipline, Sociology and my faith, Christianity, influenced the focus of my writing. When I started my column on PREMIUM TIMES, it was mainly on faith. However, as time went by, I couldnt resist writing on governance, particularly after realising how we have not been making a significant difference in our society as Christians. We were designed to succeed where others are failing morally. To summarise my response, I am a faith person, a Kingdom believer, who is deeply passionate about good governance for the benefit of the people. PT: How would you describe the role of the church in Nigerias current democracy? Fred: The Church is essentially an institution for the production of value-driven and highly functional humans. The Bible is full of teachings that are designed to build lives; raise people of integrity, competence, excellence, transparent honesty etc., which are all attributes of Jesus Christ. Therefore, true Christians are meant to make a difference in any sector of the society they function in, thereby contributing immensely to the development of our democracy and the country at large. PT: Do you think the church has a primary responsibility to ensure that Christians participate in elections? Fred: Absolutely! We have a responsibility to pursue and contribute to the development of our country, which is not possible without ensuring we have the right people making decisions for us and running the affairs of our country. The church therefore has a responsibility to encourage her members to participate in the electoral process through which leaders emerge. When God sent the Children of Israel to exile in Jeremiah 29, He told them to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country He was sending them to, because their well-being is dependent on the well-being of that country. Christians have the same obligation to participate in elections as everyone else. We have to register to vote as well as seek for elective offices. If we dont work to make Nigeria better, we will all feel the negative impact of a troubled country. PT: Do you think the church should take financial donations from political leaders facing corruption charges? Fred: I know some people would argue that they are mere allegations because most of those politicians have not been convicted. However, it is not difficult to spot politicians who are clearly living above their means, most of whom dont have clear and legitimate private sources of income aside being in politics. These same politicians are directly and indirectly responsible for the deplorable state of our people. So No! The church should not collect donations from corrupt politicians. The challenge is that these thieving politicians think they are absolved of their sins of looting our common wealth when they bring huge donations to the church. That is not the case and the church should not encourage them. Again, the church in some instances may not be able to stop them from giving like every other person. Soliciting donation from and celebrating known corrupt politicians is over the line for me. It is unfortunate that in Nigeria today, some pastors and churches celebrate the return of unrepentant ex-convicts jailed for stealing from the people. PT: There has been a lot of complains by mostly Christian leaders about lopsided political appointments in the countrys current political system. How would you react to this? Fred: Personally, I dont view events in my society through religious lens and I dont think its mostly Christian leaders that have been complaining about the lopsidedness of political appointments under President Buhari. It is evident to every reasonable mind that there is no fairness in the appointments of President Buhari. Nigeria is a country of about 180 million people. I believe every region of the country has competent and credible men and women who can be appointed to help run this government. It is however unfortunate that the president feels its only the people known to him that can get the job done. With the state of affairs in the country presently, it is evident that that is not the case. Security is one of the major challenges we are faced with and heads of most of our intelligence and security outfits are of Northern extraction. Aside the escalation of the problem, we have witnessed poor coordination and inter-agency rivalry between these agencies headed by his kinsmen. PT: Do you think Nigerian youth are doing enough to be considered active participants in Nigerias democracy? Fred: Nigerian youth are doing amazing things in different forms to strengthen our democracy making them active participants in our democratic process. Their participation has increased tremendously, particularly from 2011 elections. We see young people managing and running election campaigns for political parties; they are involved in election monitoring and observation, they serve as ad hoc staff during elections, they run NGOs that call for credible electoral process. These and many more are the different ways they have been participating actively in deepening Nigerias democracy. What is now needed is an open political space that would enable young people to run for elective offices. It is not enough for young people to remain at the fringes any more. I believe they should be actively involved in the decision making process. PT: What role do you believe youth should primarily play in the fight against corruption? Fred: When it comes to corruption, its not about age or gender. It is a general societal problem. There are old people who are corrupt and there are young people who are waiting for the opportunity to start stealing and engaging in other forms of corruption. I am concerned that significant number of the young people we are clamouring should be given opportunity to run for office are not significantly better than those who are there right now in terms of strength of character. They may have new ideas and energy, but that is not enough; character is equally important. Apart from the plethora of laws that are designed to discourage people from engaging in corrupt practices, most of which are not effective as a result of human factors, there are no institutions dedicated to shaping and building character in our society anymore. The family, from where the foundation of moral character is expected to be laid, is largely failing in its responsibility. Our educational system is also is also not fairing any better. The other institution that is poised to help build moral character is the church. Unfortunately, it doesnt look like the number of churches and Christians we have in Nigeria has any effect on the state of our country; which begs the question, what are we teaching our people? It is to this effect that we are starting a new conversation on the role of the church in nation-building. The first major discussion on this was heard at the first year anniversary event of The Finishing Church that held on the 18th and 19th of August 2018 here in Abuja. Some of the topical issues we discussed include Christianity and corruption, Christianity and Political leadership in Nigeria, among others. We are hoping that this conversation would help us begin to see where the gaps are in the primary responsibility of the church in building people with moral character that would in turn impact our country positively. Do you believe that a youth can emerge the president of Nigeria in 2019? It would be difficult for a youth to emerge president of Nigeria come 2019. What I want and believe is possible is a younger person than the present President. John Awodi is a Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) and the immunisation officer at Tungan Maje Primary Healthcare Centre in Gwagwalada Area Council of Nigerias Federal Capital Territory. His duty involves ensuring vaccines are kept in potent condition and are available for use on immunisation days at his centre. This was a tough task because of irregular power supply and inadequate storage facilities, until an international health partner working in Nigeria donated a solar-powered refrigerator to the centre. Before then, Mr Awodi had to go to the Township Primary Health Centre kilometres away in Gwagwalada, the area council headquarters, to collect the vaccines needed at his PHC and then to return unused ones after each day of the three times a week immunisation exercise. The refrigerator has not only reduced stress for him and the other staff, it has also reduced the time women and children spend at the PHC for immunisation, he said. Immunisation challenges in Nigeria Nigeria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the world. This is one of the factors responsible for the country having one of the highest rates of child killer diseases in the world, experts say. Most of these killer diseases can be prevented through vaccination before, during and after birth. Child killer diseases such as pneumonia, polio, neonatal tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, chicken pox, tuberculosis are vaccine-preventable. Preventing the diseases, however, is a major challenge in Nigeria because most children under the age of five do not have access to vaccines while some cannot complete the required doses due to insufficient vaccines. To bridge the gap in vaccines supply and help the country along the path to achieving health millennium development goals, a former minister of health, Mohammed Pate, in 2013 launched a transformation project, which aimed to strengthen the vaccine cold chain in the country. Cold chain is the ability to sustain a vaccine in a temperature-controlled supply chain from time of manufacturing to vaccination. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage and distribution activities along with associated equipment and logistics, which maintains a desired low temperature. According to the World Health Organisation, vaccines are to be stored within WHO recommended temperature range to maintain product quality until the point of use. With the rising cost of vaccines and the greater storage capacity now required at every level of the cold chain, countries must maintain lower stock levels, reduce wastage, accurately forecast vaccine requirements, and prevent equipment break-downs, WHO stated. This requires a consistently high standard of supply chain management, which can only be achieved if all the links in the supply chain comply with current standards for storage and distribution. An efficient cold chain has been identified as important to improving immunisation in Nigeria. Though considerable progress has been made in the direction, much still has to be done, especially as the country plans to graduate from the GAVI programme, under which it sources most of the funds for vaccines used in the country. Cold chain store at Sushi area council Kuje Area council cold chain store. WHO had earlier called on the FCT Administration and its six area councils to improve on vaccination activities by providing more cold chain storage facilities to ensure quality vaccines are given to children for immunisation. WHO State Coordinator in the FCT, Fureratu Zakari, lamented the poor and inadequate refrigerating facilities in the territory. She appealed to the councils to work hard to support, provide and persuade the FCTA to offer a cold chain storage system for effective and efficient immunisation activities in the territory. Cold Chain Stores In Abuja To assess cold chain storage facilities, Premium Times reporters visited three area councils in the Federal Capital Territory. Unfortunately, the stores in the three local government areas reflect needs of refurbishment, to cater effectively for the immunisation needs of the people in the areas. At Tungan Maje Primary Healthcare Centre in Gwagwalada Area Council, though, Mr Awodi said he now spends more time on immunisation campaign and community outreach since the centre got a solar-powered refrigerator. I do not need to go to the Township Centre (in Gwagwalada) anymore to get vaccines every immunisation day, he told PREMIUM TIMES. The refrigerator has not only reduced his stress of the other staff, it has also reduced the time women spent at his PHC for immunisation, he said. Mr Awodi said he now has more time for immunisation campaign and community outreach. I do not need to go to Township Centre anymore to get vaccines for every immunisation day; instead I focus more on outstation posts. This has improved our immunisation activities as I can now set out early, cover more ground and come back on time, he said. Mr Awodi said the solar refrigerator at his centre sometimes supports the Township PHC and other PHCs close to Tungan Maje. We helped the Township immunisation centre keep vaccines here when their solar panel and refrigerator had fault and they had problem with storage of vaccines. Tungan Maje has become a mini backup facility where we assist to give vaccines to smaller PHCs not far from here, he said. We sometimes help other locations such as Zuba, Anaagada, Shegwegwu, Kpakuru store vaccines. All these towns are under Gwagwalada Area Council. The centre carries out immunisation service three times a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays for children; and Wednesdays, which is the ante-natal day. Now, our immunisation days are fantastic, people patronise us well and the services are okay, though we still have minor challenges. We now collect vaccines that can serve us for a month from Gwagwalada, he added. Although Tungan Maje PHC is connected to the national grid, it does not enjoy regular power supply. So, the centre depends on its solar-powered refrigerator for vaccine preservation and production of ice packs. Other success stories Abaji Central Primary Healthcare does not have a refrigerator to store vaccines. But the health workers are happy nevertheless, because they do not have to go far for vaccines on immunisation days. Hassana Mohammed, one of the health workers, said a cold chain store is located about 500 metres to the PHC. We do not have a problem with vaccine collection and returning, Mrs Mohammed said. This is because the cold chain store is not far. All we need to do is take our cooler on immunisation days to the cold chain store and they give us vaccines and ice packs to preserve them. We return the unused ones at the end of the day. It only costs us N100 to and fro, she said. Cold Chain Stores For Mr Awodi and Mrs Mohammed, the improvement in immunisation exercise was made possible by the proximity of cold chain stores to their PHCs. The Township Centre, Gwagwalada serves all PHCs under the Gwagwalada Area Council, including Tungan Maje. On a visit to the store, the reporter, however, noticed that it needs more equipment to serve the area better. The store relies on solar power panels and refrigerators because though it is on the national grid, power supply is not stable. This affects production of ice packs for vaccine distribution. Cold chain store at Sushi area council Cold chain store at Sushi area council An official at the cold chain store who asked not to be named said vaccine storage was a problem because their solar refrigerator was bad. We are using contingency plans to store vaccines in other PHCs. This mean we are not operating at full capacity the way we should. If we were operating at full capacity, all the vaccines for Gwagwalada Area Council should be preserved here, we should be the distributing centre, giving to the smaller PHCs and vaccine officers during routine immunisation and also providing ice packs to assist them carry the vaccines to the field and back, he said. The solar panels at the vaccine centre were bad at the time of the reporters visit and the centre was using deep freezers and relying on other centres like Tungan Maje to store its vaccines. Government needs to provide more cold store equipment, staff and a more reliable source of power supply for vaccine preservation. This will go a long way in helping immunisation campaign in Nigeria, the health worker said. Abaji Township Centre cold chain store uses both solar-powered refrigerators and deep freezers to preserve vaccines. Though it is connected to the national grid, the centre relies more on generator and solar panels for power supply. The officials, however, said the solar panels are often not efficient during the rainy season. The store supplies 10 wards in Abaji Area Council. With an estimated population of 169, 896, the area has targeted under one population of 6,796; under five population of 33,979 and about 8,495 pregnant women. Idris Nuhu, the immunisation officer at the centre said they only keep vaccines for children under one. It is during campaign for routine immunisation that we stock vaccines for (ages) zero to five. We used to provide ice packs but our solar fridge cannot produce those ice packs. We service 28 facilities and they come weekly for their vaccines every immunisation day. These days vary according to the facilities. They come in the morning to collect the vaccines and return unused ones at the end of the day, he said. Mr Nuhu said the process has been effective and they were able to monitor the potency of the vaccines through a vaccine indicator which warns if the cold chain temperature drops. He argued that solar fridge is more effective for storage of vaccines as there is rarely a temperature drop or hitches unless the fridge has technical fault. With the solar fridge we have less challenges of power supply, though we cannot use it to produce ice packs. It reduces the challenge of fund to power the generator. We also need to have satellite cold chain stores where vaccines can be stored apart from here. But, unfortunately, most of them are broken down, that is why it seems we are overworked here, he added. Mr Nuhu, however, said for the government to achieve optimal result in immunisation in the area, it needs to provide additional solar-powered refrigerators, and supply diesel to power the freezers in order to provide ice packs for vaccine distribution. At Kuje Council Area, however, most of the equipment at the cold chain store were not working at the time of the reporters visit. The store is meant to serve the entire area council. But it has only one solar metal fridge to preserve vaccines and one deep freezer which served as the cold line for production of ice packs. And the freezer was mainly generator-powered. The area council has 10 political wards with a population of 283,044. The population of children under five is 56,609, under one population is 11,322 and pregnant women were put at 14,152. The cold chain officer, Saliu Dauda, said the centre was managing what it has but has not been very efficient because he cannot keep all the needed vaccines in the local government area. He said he thus collects a small quantity from the central cold chain store at Apo and shares them to the 10 other PHCS in the area council because they all have solar fridges to store them. He explained, however, that he could not monitor the potency of the vaccines and the way they were being administered, as he ought to. Aside the fact that the roof of the office leaks when it rains, there were three deep freezers in the store in need of repairs. The office is small and hot and relies on a small generator for electric power. The officer said he usually bought fuel for the generator from his salary as there is no allowance is provided for running of the office. Kuje Area council cold chain store. Kuje Area council cold chain store. Kuje Area council cold chain store. For a cold chain store to work efficiently, there must be cooling equipment to safeguard the potency of the vaccines and a good cold line to make ice packs for transportation of the vaccines. We are not working up to the standard which we should. We have 10 political wards and I can only keep some vaccines here. We need more cooling equipment, we have complained to the government but they keep saying it is in the pipeline, he said. Mr Dauda also said Nigeria needs to provide more solar fridges for vaccine storage because they have proven to be more effective in preservation of the potency of vaccines, as they have to worry less on erratic power supply. FCT PHC Board reacts The executive secretary of FCT PHC Board, Rilwanu Mohammed, said the board was aware that most of the cold chain stores in the territory are in dire need of facilities. But he said the board is incapacitated because the Act establishing it is yet to be passed by the National Assembly. The PHCs in Abuja are still under the local governments (area councils) and as such it is the local government that is in charge of funding them, though we have been contributing our best. Kuje has been complaining, we are planning to get facilities for them, he said. We also received same report from Gwagwalada. Mr Mohammed said the board was looking to get more solar-powered storage facilities for vaccine preservation as this reduces the challenge of unsteady power supply. We intend to improve immunsiation programme in FCT, we have been monitoring routine immunisation activities and also plan to reposition all our primary health clinics, he said. Solar fridge used for cold storage in Tungan Maje Solar fridge used for cold storage in Tungan Maje Solar fridge used for cold storage in Tungan Maje Solar fridge used for cold storage in Tungan Maje He said the board distributed 10 metal fridges to all the local government areas. We dont need electricity because it is also solar. It is a special type of metal plate that can work in any condition. We have two for each area council and we send to areas that we think need them. Now, we want to procure some cold chain facilities and we are going to buy this metal fridge, its a very special one and the best fridge for now. It can work when there is no light or sun. It will continue working as long as it got some light. We have serious gaps in Kuje and Gwagwalada and this is where we have problems, he said. A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Kabiru Marafa, has declared his support for the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the APC does not have candidates in the state for the 2019 general election. PREMIUM TIMES reported how INEC declared the APC ineligible to field candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections. This, the electoral commission said, is because the party failed to meet the October 7 deadline for conducting primaries to elect candidates for the elections. In its response, the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said the party will present its candidates for all elective positions in Zamfara State in the 2019 general elections despite contrary directive by the electoral commission. Mr Oshiomhole claimed that the party adopted consensus candidates in Zamfara, which he said was a valid way of selecting candidates. Mr Marafa, however, faulted that claim. Mr Marafa had on Thursday told journalists that the electoral commission was right to declare the party ineligible as he said there was no election in the state. I read the letter from INEC where they quoted sections of the law that influenced their position. I also read the response made by the APC National Chairman (Adams Oshiomhole). I want to believe the chairman has been misled by the APCs electoral committee that went to Zamfara. But as a stakeholder who was present and witnessed the whole process that happened, there was no election in Zamfara on Saturday, October 7, 2018. Also, there was no consensus from anybody or by anybody. So, the election committee reported in the contrary. I think that was absolutely wrong. I always stand by the side of the truth. I want to say the truth even if it is against me. If you force any consensus or you claim there was one, there is going to be a revolt that there was no consensus, and anybody and some have the right to go to court. But if under the law, the APC has the right to field candidates, they can go ahead to do it without recourse to either election or consensus. Let us get one thing clear and correct. That there was no election, no consensus, he said. Former Gov. Abdulazizi-Yari of Zamfara State. On Friday, however, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara met with President Muhammadu Buhari after which he said primaries held in the state. Mr Yari and Mr Marafa are political adversaries despite being in the same party. The governors insistence on having his way in the primaries is believed to be what led to violence and eventually put a halt to the initial primaries that commenced in the state. The APC headquarters had to appoint two different election panels as well as caution the state executives of the party and Mr Yari. In a statement on Friday, Mr Marafa reiterated his stance that there was no primary election in the state and also warned the party against illegalities. The lawmaker also distanced himself from a report that Mr Oshiomhole met with all aspirants of the party. He said he was not aware of the meeting. My attention has been drawn to an online publication headlined: Oshiomhole meets Zamfara Guber aspirants, as party considers Lawal. APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole Photo: Oriental Times I want to state emphatically that nobody invited me to any meeting after the failed attempt to conduct primaries/consensus as at 12am Sunday 7th Oct 2018. I want to restate further (for emphasis) that there was neither election nor consensus reached among APC aspirants in Zamfara state, he said. The lawmaker, who represents the Zamfara Central Senatorial District at the Senate, said he would not be party of any move to trade with the APC governorship ticket of Zamfara, insisting that due process and rule of law must be religiously adhered to. I will not be a party to any attempt by anybody to sell the tickets of APC to any desperate politician(s) by anybody. I will resist any attempt by anybody to do so. May Allah guide us to the straight path and give us the ability to act justly and fairly, he added. Mr Marafa had in June, declared his intention to vie for the governorship slot. He said he joined the race due to numerous calls from members of the party in the 14 local government areas of the state. The lawmaker had pledged to fight corruption, injustice and provide the much needed leadership to stimulate the growth and development of the state. He also pledged to provide security as well as look at the states legal system to make it conform with the true teachings of Islam for the benefit of all. The state has been affected by violence in recent months with armed bandits killing scores of people and destroying several houses. The lawmaker has continuously blamed the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, for the high rate of insecurity and poverty in the state. The senators representing Nigerias ruling party, APC, have dropped plans to remove Bukola Saraki as president of the Senate. Mr Saraki defected to the opposition PDP whose presidential ticket he sought but lost. Many other senators and members of the House of Representatives also defected from the APC. Since Mr Sarakis defection, the APC leadership and some of its senators called on Mr Saraki to resign as senate president or be removed from office. APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, was particularly vociferous in his threat to ensure Mr Saraki is removed if he does not resign. Mr Saraki, however, vowed to remain in office saying he enjoys the support of majority of senators. Indication that the APC senators had backtracked on the plot to remove Mr Saraki first surfaced on Tuesday when the Senate resumed from a 10 weeks recess. The lawmakers went into a closed-door session where it was reportedly agreed that the Senate should avoid any controversy at this time. The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe), however, made a formal announcement on Friday after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House. Former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole Photo: DailyPost We definitely have to bury our hatchets for us to work for Nigeria and Nigerians. Perhaps that might have informed the disappointment of many people that there will be crisis in the National Assembly, Mr Lawan told State House journalists. Mr Lawan said all the senators across party lines have agreed to work in national interest. I dont know what informed your view to anticipate crisis but let me tell you that National Assembly will continue to remain focus on national issues, we must be patriotic, nationalistic, he said. The senator then suggested the he and his APC colleagues had put national interest above party interest by abandoning the plot to remove Mr Saraki. We must put national interest above individual, parochial or partisan interest. Let me also say that disagreements are usual. In fact, there are very practical components of any parliament, when you have two to three parties or even within parties, you will have views that may differ. It is traditional, it is usual for us to disagree. Maybe these disagreements may crop up and some other issues. But for now, our focus is on national interest, he said. When specifically asked if he and his APC colleagues had dropped the plan to remove Mr Saraki, the Senate Leader simply said national interest overrides any other interest for now. The National Assembly is a Nigerian parliament and therefore the best thing to do is to ensure that Nigerians gets a good deal and for now the good deal is for Nigeria to have all those pending request of Mr President approved by the National Assembly. Senator Ahmed Lawan I think the national interest for now overrides any other interest. Our intention is to ensure that Mr President doesnt lack from inactivity of the National Assembly. That whatever he requests, the fundamental aspects especially will be attended to. This is our determination both as APC senators. In fact as Senate and National Assembly. PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported how it would have been impossible for the APC to legally remove Mr Saraki. The ruling party has less than two-thirds senators, the number required to remove a senate president. It will thus require the support of some PDP senators to achieve such task, something it is unlikely to get. Also, Mr Saraki still enjoys the loyalty of many APC senators. Photo: UBCO Panelists participate in a discussion about entrepreneurship at this Innovation UBC Kelowna Hub opening Thursday. Up-and-coming entrepreneurs showcased some creative ideas at the opening of the Innovation UBC Kelowna Hub, Thursday. From wearable technology that monitors physical activity to an online rental platform, UBC students made the most of the facility that provides a space for the UBC community to interact with the regions innovation network. For more than a century, UBCs discoveries and spin-off companies have played key roles in advancing technology, natural resources and life sciences sectors, said Gail Murphy, UBC's vice-president of research and innovation. The Innovation UBC network will further support entrepreneurial learning and collaboration with industry and the broader community to generate local, national and global impact. The goal of the hubs, located in downtown Vancouver and Kelowna, is to combine research findings and entrepreneurial spirit to develop innovative new products, policies and practices that will improve lives around the world. Phil Barker, vice-principal of research and innovation at UBC Okanagan, said with the help of mentors, program partners and sponsors, the Kelowna Hub will support research partnerships, commercialization, knowledge exchange and entrepreneurship activities. The enthusiasm and support of the community has been incredibly strong, said Barker. We can already see how the bold thinking of our entrepreneurs, researchers and partners is having a positive social and economic impact. UBCs partnership with Accelerate Okanagan provides entrepreneurial training and support to researchers and students to create new ventures and bring their innovations to market. "UBC has been a long-time supporter of the Okanagan tech community and a partner of Accelerate Okanagan since the beginning. This new hub at the Innovation Centre is another great example of our community-building collaboration in action. We know that success stories like Happipad and Trellis are just the beginning and we are excited to see our partnership continue to grow and strengthen the innovation ecosystem and tech sector here," said Raghwa Gopal, CEO of Accelerate Okanagan. Our hope is that the hub will open up new pathways to innovation in the region and beyond, adds Barker. We are excited to contribute to the entrepreneurial landscape. Prominent Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has explained why he accompanied former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate to a reconciliation meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. According to him, he was invited because he was an apolitical scholar. Mr Gumi said part of the criteria the conveners of the meeting looked at was the fact that he speaks his minds and criticises any political party in government when it does wrong to Nigerians. The scholar did not mention who invited him to the meeting. He also said he accepted to attend the gathering because it has to do with reconciliation between two aggrieved persons which Islam encourages. The scholar told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview on Saturday that he was happy he took part in the reconciliation meeting. When a Muslim hears of anything that will lead to reconciliation between people, it is good for someone to attend if invited. Whoever does that Allah will reward him. Most especially if leaders are said to reconcile, if we fail to attend, we have betrayed the religion, he said. They invited us to the meeting because they said they needed scholars and clergymen who are apolitical, meaning they support no particular political party. The Peoples Democratic Party members knew that when they were in power and they made mistakes, I criticised them and same with the other party (APC), I criticise them when they err. So this was part of the reasons I was selected because they said they need people that have no political interests and can tell them the truth. Im neither an APC or PDP sympathiser which was why they wanted us to witness the reconciliation, he said. Mr Gumi and two Christian clerics were among those who facilitated the reconciliatory meeting. The Christian clerics are Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Church and David Oyedepo of Covenant Christian Centre. Asked what the clerics told the two leaders during the meeting, Mr Gumi said they advised them (Atiku and Obasanjo) to forgive, forget so as to face the future. What we told them there was to learn to forgive, forget and to face the future. This was just the message and what we told them. We also said that since we witnessed the reconciliation they need to forge ahead, he said. The Islamic scholar also frowned at how some politicians in Northern Nigeria could not agree to work together for the interest of their states and country. Its shame what is happening here with our politicians, where you hear them fighting each other. Look at what is happening in Kano, Zamfara and other states for example. But these people (Atiku and Obasanjo) saw the window for peace and grabbed it and decided to reconcile their differences. This is what we need in this country. It is something that others should learn from. Reconciliation is good and the Prophet kicked against whoever is against peaceful reconciliation because such a person has no religion. Only genuine reconciliation between people can lead to development of this country. The pictures of the meeting showing Messr Gumi, Kukah, Obasanjo and Abubakar holding hands has been circulating on social media since Thursday. PREMIUM TIMES reported on Thursday how the religious leaders and others accompanied Mr Abubakar to meet his former boss, who he earlier had political conflict with. Mr Obasanjo had in the heat of the crisis vowed never to support Mr Abubakars aspirations to be president. After the meeting, Mr Obasanjo forgave Mr Abubakar and endorsed him for president. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed an allegation by Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress that he had been mounting pressure on American authorities to expunge an alleged corruption case against opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The APC said Mr Abubakar is wanted in the United States for fraud, claiming Mr Obasanjo was scheming to have the alleged charges dropped in order to clear the path for Mr Abubakars entry into that country. Mr Abubakar has not been able to enter the U.S. since at least 2007 when he completed his two-term as vice-president, serving under Mr Obasanjo the entire eight years. Mr Obasanjo and Mr Abubakar had been fiercely antagonistic of one another for several years, with the former president insisting he would never support his ex-vice-presidents political ambition. The crisis was, however, resolved earlier this week when Mr Abubakar and a host of political and religious leaders visited him at home in Abeokuta and pleaded with him for forgiveness. Mr Obasanjo acquiesced, and promptly endorsed Mr Abubakar, who had a week ago emerged the presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party. The APC said Mr Obasanjos purported intervention betrayed his legendary hypocrisy and self-serving interest in national affairs. The ruling party did not accompany its claim with any evidence, and Mr Obasanjos spokesperson took its leaders to task in an interaction with PREMIUM TIMES Saturday afternoon. Baba cannot be responding to frivolous allegations by a vicious political party, Mr Obasanjos spokesperson, Kehinde Akinyemi told PREMIUM TIMES. Let them bring any shred of evidence to back their false claim. It is unfortunate that they are trying to distract the attention of Nigerians in the lead up to a general election rather than focus on campaigning on serious issues to lift the country out of its current state, Mr Akinyemi added. Mr Abubakar was named in a broadband contract scandal while in office by American and Nigerian authorities, but he was never charged to court, much less found guilty, of the charges. Still, his inability to travel to the U.S. for over a decade has made him vulnerable to corruption accusations, amidst broadening insinuations that corruption was responsible. The presidential candidate has relentlessly pushed back against the allegations, and publicly said on several occasions that he applied for the U.S. visa but was declined more than once. U.S. Embassy in Nigeria and the State Department in Washington have declined to clarify issues around Mr Abubakars visa, despite numerous media enquiries. Reached for comments by PREMIUM TIMES Saturday, Yekini Nabena, a spokesperson for the APC who signed the statement accusing Mr Obasanjo, indicated he could not immediately present evidence to corroborate the allegations The presidency has just circulated the statement below announcing the placement of 50 high-profile Nigerians on travelling restrictions. The individuals, whose identities were not disclosed, include those whose assets, valued at N50million and above, are subject of corruption investigation and litigation. The statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the measure is part of the implementation of Executive Order Number 6 which seeks to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50 million or equivalent, subject to investigation or litigation are protected from dissipation by employing all available lawful means, pending the final determination of any corruption-related matter. Mr Shehu added that the financial transactions of these persons of interest are also being monitored by relevant agencies to ensure the assets are not dissipated and that such persons do not interfere with,investigation and litigation processes. READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS IMPLEMENTATION OF EO 6 IN FULL FORCE Following the instant judicial affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of the Executive Order 6 (EO6), President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to implement the Order in full force. To this end, a number of enforcement procedures are currently in place by which the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies have placed no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly affected by EO6 on watch-list and restricted them from leaving the county pending the determination of their cases. Also, the financial transactions of these persons of interest are being monitored by the relevant agencies to ensure that the assets are not dissipated and such persons do not interfere with, nor howsoever corrupt the investigation and litigation processes. It is instructive to note that EO6 was specifically directed to relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50 million or equivalent, subject to investigation or litigation are protected from dissipation by employing all available lawful means, pending the final determination of any corruption-related matter. The Buhari administration reassures all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the general principles of the Rule of Law. Accordingly, this administration will uphold the rule of law in all its actions and the right of citizens would be protected as guaranteed by the Constitution. We, therefore, enjoin all Nigerians to cooperate with the law enforcement authorities towards ensuring a successful implementation of the Executive Order 6 which is a paradigm-changing policy of the Federal Government in the fight against corruption. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) October 13, 2018 Journalists, media owners and media support groups across West Africa, on Friday gathered to discuss the various challenges bedevilling the profession in the region. The deliberation is part of events at the ongoing West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) in Accra, Ghana, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The draft report on challenges, opportunities and priorities for media development in West Africa was presented by Gilbert Tietaah, a Ghanaian professor. Mr Tietaah said the interim report was drafted after four different consultations and meetings which cut across the Anglophone and Francophone countries. At the end of the meetings, he said, media stakeholders in these countries identified seven common challenges to include: policy and legal framework, media sustainability, professional capacity and media ownership. Others are media in good governance, new media and implications and safety of journalists. In the deliberations that followed, journalists, media owners and media support groups opined that the media may crash if innovative ways are not devised to fund them. Lets find new ways to reach the unreachable in society. The media environment is changing, we cant expect results by doing the same old things. We need to think differently to be sustainable, Sulemana Braimah, the Executrive Director of MFWA said in his contribution. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diamond Publications, Nigeria, Lanre Idowu, enjoined journalists in the region to localise their contents so as to drive impact. News stories must be tailored to suit communities which is in the spirit of proximity and its only then that we can contribute to society as media practitioners, he said. He charged media practitioners to have a change of mindset, strengthen content to appeal to audience, invest in training of staff so they can imbibe new things, provide news that is usable i.e. news that is relevant to the community being reached. The Senegal Country Director of Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) said the inability of media outfits to adapt to new developments in the environment constitutes itself a key challenge. After the deliberations, the media practitioners unanimously adopted the interim paper subject to modifications. The programme continues on Saturday with an award night. Eighteen journalists, consisting of seven Nigerians, six Ghanaians, two Burkinabes, and one each from Senagal, Benin and Liberia, will contest the seven-category award. Nigerian women miners are setting their gaze at leadership roles in the countrys neglected mining and minerals sector currently worth N8 trillion annually according to government records. Drawing experts from leading mining nations in the sub-region, the women in mining group is organising a conference on unlocking the potentials of women in mining at the NAF conference Centre in Abuja on Monday. A statement by the group says the conference will appraise strategies adopted by successful mining jurisdictions around the world which focus on gender and host communities issues in how to enhance economic wellbeing and sustainability. The conference is also expected to examine the extent to which mining legislation influences women participation and explains what scope is there to support women in the sector through gender budgeting and good governance. The current participation of women in the sector and the governance framework of the industry with a view to attracting more participation in the sector will also be a major focus of the conference, according to Janet Adeyemi, President of the association and the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Lehmann, whose country is a major sponsor of the event. Major participants at the event will include Minister of Mines and steel Development, Abubakar Bwari; Australian Deputy High Commissioner, Cleo Wilson; President of the Women in Mining in Cote Dviore, Christine Logbo-Kossi; and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Remi Tinubu. The long forgotten minerals and mining sector is now thought to be the new frontier of salvation, with its potential, according to government records, to generate N8 trillion naira annually. Nigerias federal officials estimate that the current commercial value of of seven of the countrys solid minerals [Iron ore, Coal, Lead/Zinc, Bitumen, Gold, Limestone and Barite] runs into hundreds of trillions of dollars. Indeed, Nigerias office of export promotions claims that the country loses about $40 billion annually in unexploited gold alone [168.29% of Nigerias 2017 budget of N7.28 trillion; higher than oil revenue in 2015 ($37billion), and far higher than the 2016 oil revenue of $26billion.] A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Bauchi, Joseph Adebayo, who went on a picnic to celebrate the end of his service year on Thursday drowned in Gubi river in the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis. The Bauchi State Police Commands Public Relations Officer, Kamal Datti, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, said the deceased, along with two of his colleagues, had boarded a faulty canoe, which capsized with them. The spokesman said two of the corps members were rescued by villagers while Adebayo drowned, adding that his floating corpse was recovered on Friday. On Thursday at about 8.30 pm the command received a report from one Mahadi Sada, a zonal inspector of NYSC, that on the same day at about 5 pm, some corps members attached to Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue went on picnic at Gubi dam to celebrate the end of their service year. Three of the corps members boarded a canoe but unfortunately, the canoe was faulty, and so water drifted into it, resulting in the canoe capsizing. However, two of the corps members were rescued by villagers fishing in the Dam while one Joseph Adebayo, 26, who hails from Ogun state, got drowned and eventually died, he said. Mr Datti said the corpse of the deceased was recovered on Friday at about 8 am and deposited at the mortuary of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for medical examination, adding that investigation on the matter had commenced. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday cautioned religious and traditional leaders against partisan politics, saying they risk losing their public esteem if they keep taking sides. Having witnessed the roles our religious leaders have been playing so far, I appeal to them to eschew partisan politics and appeal to their respective members to read the manifestos of each political party, discuss and pray for Gods guidance before casting their votes, Mr Buhari said during an interfaith conference. Religious leaders should not be seen to involve themselves in partisan politics or political controversies. Otherwise they risk losing their status and public respect, he added. Mr Buhari met with religious leaders at an interfaith seminar in Abuja. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury in England, was present at the event and delivered a keynote. John Onaiyekan, leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, and Saad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, were also present, according to a dispatch from the State House Saturday afternoon. He also extended the warning to traditional rulers, admonishing them to encourage people in their community to be critical of political party messages and reach an informed position before voting for candidates. On their part, traditional rulers are also requested to enlighten their subjects, encourage them to ask questions and seek clarifications before going out to vote. As your President, I will request that you encourage your subjects to come out and exercise their voting rights as responsible citizens. To all of us politicians, I ask that we discharge our political responsibilities with integrity, bearing in mind that we will one day give an account to God, the Almighty, the president said. The advice comes two days after some religious leaders helped settle a long-standing animosity between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar. Mr Abubakar emerged presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, last Sunday. Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto, David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, and Abubakar Gumi, an Islamic scholar and cleric, were present during the historic truce at Mr Obasanjos residence in Abeokuta. Whether Mr Buharis condemnation of religious leaders involvement in politics had anything to do with the role played by the religious leaders in settling the dispute between Messrs Obasanjo and Abubakar was not immediately apparent in his comments, but the presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress have strongly criticised the reconciliation. Some of the presidents supporters have also attacked the religious leaders for playing a key role in the reconciliation, which many saw as constituting a major boost to Mr Abubakars campaign. Mr Gumi pushed back against such insinuations on Saturday, telling PREMIUM TIMES his intervention was purely on the basis of his faith as a true Muslim. Nigeria is joining about 160 other countries to showcase technological innovations at this years edition of Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) holding in Dubai. The event opens Sunday and is expected to last for five days. The annual Information and Communication Technology trade show is an avenue for corporations and upcoming IT geeks to display new additions to the area. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) leads Nigerian government agencies and entrepreneurs to the event as part of its mandate of fostering the growth of the technology ecosystem. The country will be presenting six IT start-up ideas at the global event, with the hope of securing buy-in of investors and major players. This years event, scheduled to hold from 14th to 18th October 2018, aims at showcasing the global technological advancements and innovations in the domain of consumer electronics. The event provides a platform for accelerating investment-ready start-ups, expose them to international investors, networking opportunities, partnerships, and access to witness emerging technologies that are changing the world. A statement by NITDAs head of corporate affairs and external relations, Hadiza Umar, said previous attendance had recorded several successes with Nigerian start-ups coming tops in pitching sessions and winning cash prizes as well as acceleration opportunities. NITDAs subsidiary, the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), coordinates start-ups participation at the event. NITDA said over 500 submissions were received after a call for participation for start-ups was issued in July. The rigorous selection was carried out in three stages with judges drawn from Government MDAs, Technology Hubs, academia, investors, professional associations and the ICT industry. In the first stage, idea stage startups were disqualified, resulting into the shortlisting of 143 start-ups with technology products or technology-enabled enterprisers for the second stage. The second stage of the selection was a critical review of the successful stage one pitch decks based on criteria such as innovativeness, the startup is solving a real life problem, business model, traction, competitive advantage, and team structure. In the third and final stage, online pitching was conducted for two (2) startups from each region and the best six (6) startups emerged and represent the 6 geopolitical regions, the agency said. The final six ideas to be tabled at the GITEXs Future Stars exhibition Arone, a technology, transport, and logistics company which aims to solve the problem of lack of accessibility to medical supplies. The second project, Beepower, allows the use of one single source to power up multiple devices with different power requirements. Another startup billed for the event is Domenium, a solution designed to help police obtain evidence for crimes. Also on display from Nigeria is Max, a technology, transport, and logistics company that makes moto-taxis safe, efficient, and accessible to users in West Africa. The fifth project from Nigeria is Off-k.com, an online platform that helps students conveniently locate and securely pay for accommodation off campus. Another new technology for exhibition by Nigeria is Wattlinq, a power technology with a website which provides services that monitor and manages energy availability and usage in homes. The selected start-ups had undergone a one-week boot camp with seasoned resource persons in the ecosystem to equip them with state of the art skills to get the best of GITEX. Also, 10 of the runner-up start-ups from the GITEX submission were selected to participate in Start-up Friday, Abuja, which will take place on 30th October 2018. Twenty (20) more were selected for eNigeria, scheduled for 5-7thNovember, 2018. In addition to NITDA, other agencies setting up stands at the Nigerian pavilion at the exhibition include the National Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone, Petroleum Equalisation Fund and the Automotive Council of Nigeria. Nigerians have reacted to the selection of Peter Obi as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar. Mr Abubakar is the People Democratic Partys presidential candidate for the 2019 general election. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the choice of the two-term Anambra State governor was announced on Friday evening. According to the director-general of the presidential campaign organisation, Gbenga Daniel, Mr Obis choice was largely influenced by his youthfulness, vast knowledge of global and local economics as well as being a financial expert, all the experience which Nigeria is in great need of at this point in time. Following the congratulatory messages posted by PDP members and loyalists like a senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, and publisher, Dele Momodu, on Friday, some social media users also endorsed the candidacy of Mr Obi. Victor Fatanmi @victorfatanmi, a Twitter user, saw the decision as a strategic move. Atikus selection of Peter Obi is 1. The most strategic decision I have witnessed in Nigerias politics. 2. The most widely-embraced announcement in the current election season. Still skeptical of Atiku. I tend to the alt candidate side of things but Peter Obi is just right. Some tagged the decision a move to enhance unity amongst Nigerians because Mr. Obi hails from the South-east while Mr Atiku is from the North-east part of the country. Adeyanju Deji @adeyanjudeji tweeted; We can now all say we are One nation under God where no one is marginalised on the basis of their tribe or ethnicity. Peter Obis emergence as running mate is not about the Igbos just as Atikus is not about the Fulanis this is about Nigeria becoming a Nation, about reclaiming the Buhari-tainted reputation of Fulanis and shutting down some anti-Nigeria threat to Nationhood, Mr Demola Olarewaju @demolaRewaju retweeted. However, some said the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) may want to witch-hunt Mr Obi, whose integrity in public service had been commended. As a serving governor in 2006, Mr Obi was removed but was eventually reinstalled on February 9, 2007, after he took the matter to court and won. He served till May 29 that year. Now that its very clear that @atiku & Peter Obi are both teaming up for d position of President & Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, we are patiently waiting for @APCNigeria To start digging and uploading Peter Obi scandals better still send @officialEFCC. Bakare Oluwaseun @Papabaks tweeted sarcastically. Meanwhile, some criticised the choice made by Mr Abubakar. Jack Obiyan @JackObiyan said the PDP Vice presidential candidate should have been from the South-west because of the voting strength of the region. Peter Obi is Atikus running mate, adds no value, he hails from a PDP customary strongholdIf you want to be Nigerias President, you need NW & SWAtiku undermines SW, he loses POTENTIALLY. Peter Obi wont make PDP win more votes in any region except the SE their normal stronghold, Adebayo Bankole @Adebanqie posted Even if Atiku Abubakar appoints VPs from every states in SS and SE. He cannot get more than 3-4 million votes from both regions. Muhammadu Buhari may even half the the votes if care is not taken. 2019 election will be decided by NW and SW, Eddiong @ Eddiong said in his tweet. Amid the allegations of human rights violations against India in Kashmir, the country on Friday has secured the seat of influential Human Rights Council with the highest number of votes. This is the fifth times when India elected to Geneva-based UN body. India got 188 votes and this is the highest number of votes in comparison to 18 countries elected in the voting. The body is tasked with promoting and monitoring human rights. The victory of India came after the previous UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein asked the body to do an international commission of inquiry into allegations of human rights violation in Kashmir. This was also supported by his successor Michelle Bachelet and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. But no other country except for Pakistan supported Zeids call for the inquiry. Indias neighbor country Bangladesh which is dealing with Rohingya issue, was also got elected to the Council with 178 votes to the Council. Bangladesh filled one of the five vacancies for three year terms from the South Asian countries. There five countries which have been endorsed by the regional group. Bahrain, Fiji and the Philippines were other regional candidates. Thirteen other countries which are representing the other four regions were go elected to the Council. India will be with China, Nepal, and Pakistan which were elected to the 47-member Council last years for the three-year terms. Showcasing its position as the worlds largest democracy and Indias secular polity, India nominated itself for the council. The Nigerian Army announced on Saturday that troops successfully beat back an attack by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State. The attack came at about 5:00 p.m. on Friday night in an outpost manned by troops of 118 Battalion in Arege, Mobbar Local Government Area, the Army said in a post on Twitter early Saturday. The Army said troops seized at least one gun truck and two others owned by the insurgents, and were in pursuit of the terrorists who withdrew in disarray due to superior firepower as of 5:30 a.m. The success capped another turbulent week for the Nigerian troops on the front lines. On Monday, at least 18 soldiers were killed and 157 feared missing after Boko Haram invaded a military base, also in Borno State. Dozens of attacks have been carried out against Nigerian military formations since July, amidst fear of a resurgent sect. The military has denied that the insurgents regrouped, pointing to its recorded gains of pushing them back into the fringes of three states of the North-east, as against several states they were said to be holding before 2015. Asides being confined to a fewer states along the Nigerian border with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, the sect has also been denied plots to carry out attacks on major Nigerian cities like Kano, Abuja and Kaduna, where it was believed to have detonated several explosives in the past, including the bombing of United Nations office in Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari is currently meeting with select members of the House of Representatives. The meeting is holding inside the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting is holding a day after Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan told journalists that APC senators were no longer working to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki from office. Mr Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara defected to the opposition PDP from the governing APC. It is, however, not clear if Mr Dogaras position is one of the matters being discussed today. Details later President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerians to vote for him again in order to continue his work towards a better Nigeria. Mr Buhari spoke during a meeting with religious leaders at an interfaith seminar in Abuja. I am proud to say that our country has moved on, the era of free money, lack of transparency and accountability is over. We deserve continuity; we deserve a better future for the coming generations, Mr Buhari said. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury in England, was present at the event and delivered a keynote. John Onaiyekan, leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, and Saad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, were also present, according to a dispatch from the State House Saturday afternoon. Mr Buhari urged the leaders to continue to preach peace and unity, saying his government is working relentlessly to resolve all crises. He also promised a seamless election in 2019, and urged all those who lost in the primaries to seek judicial redress or use internal resolution mechanisms of their respective political parties. I sincerely hope 2019 will move us closer to these goals and so I look forward to a peaceful, fair and credible elections come 2019, Mr Buhari said. The chief medical director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yola, Mohammed Auwal, a professor, has lauded Aisha Buhari Foundation, popularly known Future Assured, for constructing a maternity complex in Yola. Mr Auwal made the commendation while conducting a delegation from the foundation round ongoing work at the complex at FMC, Yola. The professor said when completed, the complex would go a long way in providing easy and quality maternity services to the people of Adamawa, neighbouring states, and part of Cameroon Republic, who patronize the hospital. On behalf of the staff, management, and people of Adamawa, I want to express our gratitude for this gargantuan project. The project, when completed, would not only service Adamawa and neighbouring states but also patients from Cameroon who have confidence in the services of this hospital, Mr Auwal said. Responding, the team Leader of the Aisha Buhari Foundation, Mohammed Kamal, said they were in Yola to inspect work on the project which has reached 60 percent stage of completion. Mr Kamal said the project was part of Mrs Buharis effort in collaborating with other partners and stakeholders to improve healthcare services, particularly to women and children nationwide. He said when completed, the complex would have ante natal Ward, clinic, consultant room, ultrasound room, family planning Centre among others. He explained that already, a 50-bed capacity maternity complex had been completed and equipped by the foundation in Daura, adding that similar gesture would soon be extended to other zones. The principal investigator, Centre of Excellence on Development Communication, Rasheeda Liman, has described Borno Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as hotspots for crimes against girls and women, who depend on people for food to survive. She said the girls and women are, most times, sexually exploited and harassed in return for food and aid materials. Ms Liman made this statement during a one-day Girls Summit, themed: See the Need, Meet the Need organised by the Women Connect Initiative (WCI) in Zaria, Kaduna State, to commemorate the International Day of the Girl-Child. Violence against them, especially rape, adds to the need for urgent intervention. Girls as young as nine years old are also subjected to forced prostitution within these camps, said Ms Liman, who is also the Head of Department, Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Borno IDPs are hotspots for crimes against girls and women who depend on charity for survival, she said. Ms Liman said psychological trauma from loss of families, friends and properties, displaced girls and women are faced with security challenges. She said the inadequacy of security at the IDP camps open them to attacks from rapists, armed robbers, security personnel and hooligans. The issue of security and protection of, particularly women and children within these camps should be a question of utmost priority for both government and non-governmental organizations. This should be done in conjunction with independent security experts, both national and international, she said. In her remarks, Murjanatu Suleiman-Shika, convener of the Girls Summit and director, Women Connect Initiative, stated that the rights of girls and women in Northern Nigeria has not been given the attention it deserves. This, according to her, was due to opportunities unavailable to the girl-child, compared to their male counterpart. She said the space available to the girl-child in Northern Nigeria is still very limited because Girls do not have the same opportunities as males. Girls from Northern Nigeria do not have the early exposure that male children have. The early exposure male children have helped them to explore a lot of things which later help them in life. The girls here are secondary school girls from rural and urban communities and we have skills acquisition programmes which we run for them at no cost. This programme is put in place to facilitate girls on the need to acquiring skills early in life that will make self-sufficient and financially independent whilst contributing to enterprise development, she said. On her part, Binta Abdulkarim, director, Gender Policy Unit, A.B.U Zaria stated that the problems faced by the girl-child can be solved by putting good policies in place. Giving out hand-outs is not enough to address issues girls and women faced. There are policies but they are not working, due to certain practices. But we believe that this can be changed by responsible government and people, she said. A former federal lawmaker has denied receiving N400 million from the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. Wale Oshun, a leader of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), said this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Ambode recently lost his bid to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a second term in office. He lost and conceded defeat at the primaries to Babajide Sanwo-Olu who had the support of major APC leaders in Lagos including Bola Tinubu. Mr Oshun, whose ARG champions the call for restructuring Nigeria into a truly federal State, said the alleged statement is false in its entirety, that I am not and neither do I have any company in any business relationship since the advent of Governor Ambode with Lagos State. Read Mr Oshuns full statement below. By my nature, I seek to take all issues in my stride, and hence my earlier decision to ignore the murderous and senseless social media allegation that His Excellency the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode paid me amongst some other Lagos state leaders the sum of four hundred million Naira in furtherance of his pursuit of his re-election process. Issuing this disclaimer however, arose from the question of my fourteen year old grandson who lives outside the shores of Nigeria if indeed the allegation was true. I was shocked to my marrows as to the potential for the misuse of the power of the social media and the consequences this raise for members of my family. I had earlier alluded to the allegation being murderous because of its consequence in a Nigeria in which kidnapping and sundry other extortion crimes have taken a life of their own. I therefore state categorically that the alleged statement is false in its entirety, that I am not and neither do I have any company in any business relationship since the advent of Governor Ambode with Lagos State that could even warrant such huge fees and or payment, and that as an individual, I NEVER received any such payment from anyone, institution including Lagos State and or Governor Ambode. Finally, let me add that the mere fact that serious enquiries emanated from even some of my friends of long standing as to the veracity of the story underscores the base to which our country has sunk, that anyone could believe that a humongous sum of four hundred million Naira could be paid from government coffers to individuals in the society who have had no business transactions with the Payer. It is certainly in the interest of Nigerians that the e-fraud unit of our security agencies unravel those who posted this material and get them to account for their murderous intent. Hon. Olawale Oshun The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has named the members of the team that went on a rampage on Friday attacking residents at the Ilasamaja, Isolo, area of the state. The agency, formerly known as the Kick Against Indiscipline task force, is a state government unit that enforces environmental laws in the state. A video which was widely circulated on social media showed members of the Corps attacking residents with different weapons including machetes. The agency in a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Rahmat Alabi, described the officers action as an embarrassment to the state government. She promised that those identified in the video, either injured or not, would be made to face severe punishment in accordance with public service laws. LAGESC also ordered that all injured officers be taken to the hospital and treated so they can also face the full wrath of the law, and appealed to members of the public to desist from taking laws into their hands by attacking LAGESC officers. Read the LAGESC full statement below: It has come to the knowledge of the Agency the viral report of some Corps Officers engaged in unruly activities with members of public yesterday during their operation at Ilasamaja, Isolo area of Lagos State. The State has considered it rather unfortunate that some officers by this singular act had seriously embarrassed the Agency and the State Government at large. In order to quickly correct this, the Agency will make sure that appropriate disciplinary action is quickly sanctioned against any officer found culprit in accordance with Public service rules number 040501(xxviii and xxix) Battery and Assault. Meanwhile as a measure to ensure adequate disciplinary action is meted out to the erring officers without delay, the Agency has directed the head of operations to forward the list of all officers in that particular operation and also directed that those officers that were injured during the fracas be taken to hospital for immediate treatment. The Executive Secretary, Mrs Idowu Mohammed on behalf of the Corps Marshal ASP Daniel Isiofia (rtd) uses this medium to appeal to the members of the public and those who were directly affected not to take law into their hands and that the State Government would look into the matter holistically and bring any one found culprit into book without fear or favour. It said the officers alleged to be a part of the attack were from the team E and F of the Corps with majority of them identified to have been involved in the attack. The names are listed as: Team F Bature Muhammed Law Enforcement (Environmental Sanitation) Supt. GL: 07, Whosu Clement, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation), Assist.1 GL: 05, Shofolahun Ibrahim,Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist.1 GL: 05, Adeyanju Ibrahim, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Qudus Alao, Law Enforcement (Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Ojo Tosin, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05 (Injured), Sulaimon Kazeem, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Adeleke Omikunle, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation), Assist. 1 GL: 05, Team E Koleosho Ayinla, Law Enforcement (Environmental Sanitation) Supt. GL: 07 ( Injured), Seun Ige, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL 05, Yusuf Tunde, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Dibia Vincent, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Lawal Fatai, Law Enforcement (Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Musibau Adebayo, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Odunlami Samuel, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05 (Injured), Shokoya Adegbuyi, Law Enforcement ( Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05, Obagbenro Yinka, Law Enforcement (Environmental Sanitation) Assist. 1 GL: 05 ( Injured). Several thousand supporters of anti-blasphemy party Tehreek-e-Labaik held protest across Pakistans big cities on Friday as the Supreme Court is set to deliver a verdict in the blasphemy case. The case is related to a Christian mother who has been awarded death sentence in a blasphemy case since 2010. The protest held in several cities of Pakistan including Karachi and Rawalpindi. The hardliners demanded the execution of Asia Bibi should be accomplished. It is happening days after Pakistans Supreme Court heard her final appeal. The court reached a judgment on Monday while hearing but refused to announce it immediately for reasons to be recorded later. The court also told media that they could not publish comments on the inflammatory case. Bibi, who is a Christian laborer, was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed in 2009. She was accused by Muslim women who she was working with in a field. According to the legislation, the blasphemy is a punishable charge by death. However, the rights groups say that the law has been used frequently to settler personal scores. After the conviction of Bibi, a successive plea has been filed. If the Supreme Court upholds it, she will have only one option of mercy petition to the president. The blasphemy has been under criticism as it is against the freedom of expression. The hardliners always blindly supported the law. There were international calls for Bibis release in 2010. In 2015, her daughter met with Pope Francis. Also read: Maharashtra: BJP spokesperson Avadhut Wagh compares PM Modi with Lord; says he is 11th incarnation of Lord Vishnu 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. HELSINKI, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide trade of lumber inched up again in early 2018, hinting that this may be another record year. Six of the ten largest lumber-exporting countries in the world have increased their shipments in 2018, with exports from Russia, Germany, Ukraine and Austria increasing the most year-over-year. Global Softwood Lumber Trade Worldwide trade of lumber inched up again in early 2018, hinting that this may be another record year. Six of the ten largest lumber-exporting countries in the world have increased their shipments in 2018, with exports from Russia, Germany, Ukraine and Austria increasing the most year-over-year. The biggest decline in exports y-o-y has been from Canada, with shipments in 2018 on pace to be the lowest in five years. Canadian shipments to China and the US during the 1H/18 were down 19% and 6% respectively, as compared to the same period in 2017. Lumber markets North America Lumber prices in the US have been on a roller coaster ride the past year, with sharp increases during the 2H/17 and early 2018 followed by plunging prices during the summer months of 2018. The dramatic price fluctuations are mostly a reflection of changes in the strength of the US housing market. US lumber production was up 5.5% in the first four months of 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. The biggest increase came in the US West (+10%), while the rise in the US South was more modest (+2.1%). Canadian lumber production was down 1.2% for the first four months, with British Columbia's sawmills running 4.3% below last year's production levels. Lumber markets Northern Europe From 2016 to 2017, lumber exports from Finland increased 8.7%. However, export volumes were 3.5% lower in the first four months of 2018 than in the same period in 2017. So far this year, Saudi Arabia (-49%), China (-25%) and the United Kingdom (-6.7%) have seen the biggest declines in volumes shipped. The annual export volume of softwood lumber from Sweden in 2017 was 13 million m3, practically unchanged from 2016, and the pattern held true in early 2018 (year-over-year). The biggest changes in exports from 2017 and 2018 have been declines in shipments to Egypt and Japan and increased exports to European customers. Lumber markets China Russia supplied China with record volumes of softwood lumber in the 2Q/18, while imports from the US and Europe were down from the 1Q/18. Lumber producers in Siberia and Russia Far East have continuously increased their market share of total lumber imports to China over the past few years, increasing from about 36% in 2011 to 56% in 2018. The rise in shipments of softwood lumber from Russia to China in the past seven years has come at the expense of log exports. Import prices for lumber plateaued in the 2Q/18 after steadily increasing since early 2016. Lumber market Japan Softwood lumber import volumes to Japan were up 6.7% q-o-q, reaching almost 1.6 million m3 in the 2Q/18. This was the second highest quarterly import volume in four years. During the 1H/18 there have been only minor changes in the sourcing of lumber. Prices (in Yen terms) for both domestic and imported softwood lumber have remained practically unchanged in Japan in 2018, but with the weakening domestic currency, costs for lumber in US dollar terms have fallen. Global lumber, sawlog and pulpwood market reporting is included in the 56-page quarterly publication Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The report, which was established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries, tracks sawlog, pulpwood, wood chip, lumber and pellet prices, trade and market developments in most key regions around the world. To subscribe to the WRQ, please go to www.WoodPrices.com CONTACT: Wood Resources International LLC Hakan Ekstrom [email protected] www.woodprices.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/exports-of-softwood-lumber-from-russia--germany-and-the-nordic-countries-have-increased-due-to-high-,c2643696 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/1902/2643696/925917.pdf Exports of softwood lumber from Russia, Germany and the Nordic countries have increased due to high demand for wood in Asia and Europe in early 2018 SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC Related Links http://www.woodprices.com/ NEW YORK and HONG KONG, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Group Inc. today announced that Serge Dumont, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) and Chairman, Omnicom Asia Pacific, is leaving the company to increase his focus on philanthropic and investment activities. Mr. Dumont joined Omnicom Group in 2006 as Senior Vice President and President Asia Pacific and was appointed to his current position in June 2011. Often referred to as the 'founder of the public relations industry in China,' he has made unique and pioneering contributions to the industry and is widely recognized as an authority on strategic communications, M&A activities and Chinese Global expansion. In making the announcement, Omnicom Group Chairman and CEO John Wren said, "During his tenure, Omnicom experienced a period of significant growth in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, his deep knowledge of China has contributed to our success there. Through his expertise, he has made a major contribution to building our agencies' capabilities and reach." Mr. Dumont said that it had been immensely satisfying to have been operating at the inflection point of increased international interest in Asia and outward investment from China. "I am leaving Omnicom after a full 12-year cycle, knowing that the firm is in a much better position to compete and win in Asia and with Asian clients globally. With its ability to service all marketing communications sectors, the leadership team is positioned to take on the challenges of an increasingly Asia-centric world. I can now focus on my core interest of impactful philanthropy and investment." Dumont has been involved in philanthropic activities in the areas of public health and education including being a United Nations Special Representative for UNAIDS. His contributions to society have been recognized through honors and awards from a number of national governments and international organizations. Dumont added, "I commend Omnicom for its commitment to training and education: since 2006, the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing hosts an Omnicom Building and since 2007, Omnicom University has been welcoming the company's employees from Asia to a yearly session at CEIBS in Shanghai. I have also been privileged to be involved with Omnicom's diversity and inclusion initiatives such as Omniwomen and Open Pride, as Global Executive sponsor. Both initiatives have generated a significant amount of enthusiasm and passion in Asia and around the world." "We thank Serge for his contributions to laying out a solid foundation on which we will build our next phase of growth and wish him well in his future endeavors," Wren concluded. About Omnicom Group Inc. Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. Twitter: @Omnicom | Instagram: @Omnicom SOURCE Omnicom Group Related Links http://www.omnicomgroup.com ANNVILLE, Pa., Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) helicopter crews along with Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (PA-HART) members from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently returned from South Carolina where they spent more than two weeks assisting the South Carolina National Guard and local emergency responders with flood relief efforts after Hurricane Florence. "The Pennsylvania National Guard combined with the Fish and Boat Commission rescue teams once again to provide critical support to our neighbors in other states during yet another record storm in Hurricane Florence," said Maj. Gen. Tony Carrelli, Pennsylvania's adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "We were very proud to combine forces with other National Guard units and community agencies to help save and protect South Carolina residents." The crews flew two CH-47 Chinook helicopters and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters completing 22 missions as assigned by local authorities. A total of 28 PNG and eight PA-HART members supported the missions. The Pennsylvania teams were some of the first to arrive in South Carolina and participated in early rescue operations to assist evacuations of local citizens to safe areas where medical attention could be provided. The crews were also called on to identify damaged infrastructure; ensure flooded roadways were barricaded; determine areas prone to future flooding; transport emergency supplies; and fly life-saving and communications equipment to various locations throughout South Carolina. "This has been a particularly busy summer for the PNG supporting numerous commonwealth and national flood operations," said Carrelli. "We have tremendous professionals in our Guard who continue to answer the call to help others in our own communities and throughout the United States." MEDIA CONTACT: Joseph Butera, DMVA, 717-861-2178 SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Related Links http://www.dmva.state.pa.us NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com), a world leader in engineered bearings and power transmission products, will release its third-quarter 2018 financial results on Monday, Oct. 29, after the closing of the New York Stock Exchange. The company will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Oct. 30 to discuss its financial results with investors and securities analysts. The release and related materials will be available online at http://investors.timken.com. Conference Call: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time Live Dial-In: 800-239-9838 or 323-794-2551 (Call in 10 minutes prior to be included.) Conference ID: Timken's 3Q Earnings Call Conference Call Replay: Replay Dial-In available through Nov. 13, 2018: 888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820 Replay Passcode: 7829565 Live Webcast: http://investors.timken.com About The Timken Company The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) engineers, manufactures and markets bearings, gear drives, automated lubrication systems, belts, chain, couplings and linear motion products, and offers a spectrum of powertrain rebuild and repair services. The leading authority on tapered roller bearings, Timken today applies its deep knowledge of metallurgy, tribology and power transmission across a variety of bearings and related systems to improve the reliability and efficiency of machinery and equipment all around the world. The company's growing product and services portfolio features many strong industrial brands including Timken, Fafnir, Philadelphia Gear, Groeneveld, Rollon and Cone Drive. Known for its quality products and collaborative technical sales model, Timken posted $3 billion in sales in 2017. With more than 17,000 employees operating from 33 countries, Timken makes the world more productive and keeps industry in motion. Media Relations: 234.262.3514 [email protected] Investor Relations: Jason Hershiser 234.262.7101 [email protected] SOURCE The Timken Company Related Links http://www.timken.com FORT DODGE, Iowa, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chris R. Friesth is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the field of Non-Profit in recognition of her role as a ReStore Volunteer at Twin Rivers Habitat For Humanity. Chris R. Friesth A global non-profit housing organization that has helped millions worldwide, Twin Rivers Habitat for Humanity operates on "Christian principles that seeks to put God's love into action by building homes, communities and hope." Lending a compassionate approach to those in need, Twin Rivers hope to decimate "substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions." Habitat for Humanity proceeds are used to assist individuals in building a sense of hope across the world. An unyielding advocate in having a equal and open door policy with their clients, Twin Rivers Habitat for Humanity believes "everyone needs a decent, affordable place to live are welcome to help with the work, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, political views or any of the other distinctions that too often divide people." Respected for her work in the non-profit field, Friesth currently serves as a ReStore Volunteer at Twin Rivers Habitat for Humanity, which specializes in nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers, of which the proceeds are used to build homes, community and hope. Throughout her illustrious career, Friesth has attained extensive experience within the areas of accounting, general ledger, payroll and accounts payable & receivable. Benevolent to various organizations and based in Fort Dodge, Friesth is committed to helping first responders. SOS works to express its thanks to the various public safety agencies in multiple ways. These responders include the police, sheriff and fire departments. These efforts extend to local troops that are set to deploy in the near future. In an effort to further advance her professional development, Friesth is a distinguished fellow of several elite organizations including the National Association of Professional Women, the YWCA Board of Directors, and the Habitat For Humanity Executive Board of Directors. Additionally, Friesth is a local member of Serving our Servants SoS group. When she is not working, Friesth enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. Friesth dedicates this recognition to the loving memory of her late son, Casey Friesth, to her daughter, Natasha Friesth, and to her parents, Doris and Keith Friesth, for their continued inspiration and forever lasting and non-ending support. For more information, visit www.twinrivershabitat.org & www.facebook.com/YWCA-of-Fort-Dodge-311340435664748/ Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy tonight provided additional information about power restoration for Florida customers impacted by Hurricane Michael. Damage assessment and repairs to the electric system are continuing in all areas that crews are able to access. The hurricane damaged numerous electric transmission and distribution facilities, including substations, utility poles, power lines and other key system components all of which will need to be repaired or replaced before power can be restored to individual customers. Below are power restoration details by geographical zone. Zone 1 Taylor, Madison, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie and Gilchrist counties. Individual power restoration times are available at https://www.duke-energy.com/outages Zone 2 Jefferson and Leon counties. Estimated power restoration time is 11:59 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13. Individual power restoration times will be updated as they become available. Visit https://www.duke-energy.com/outages for details. Zone 3 This zone (described below) experienced significant, widespread damage. Duke Energy crews are assessing damage and making repairs as conditions allow. Some areas are difficult to access or totally inaccessible due to road damage, downed trees and large amounts of debris. Wakulla County : The majority of customers that can receive power will have their service restored no later than 11:59 p.m. , Sunday, Oct. 14 . Individual power restoration times will be updated as they become available. Visit https://www.duke-energy.com/outages for details. The majority of customers that can receive power will have their service restored no later than , . Individual power restoration times will be updated as they become available. Visit https://www.duke-energy.com/outages for details. Franklin County communities of Carabelle, Lanark Village and Panacea : The majority of customers that can receive power will have their service restored no later than 11:59 p.m. , Monday, Oct. 15 . Individual power restoration times will be updated as they become available. Visit https://www.duke-energy.com/outages for details. The majority of customers that can receive power will have their service restored no later than , . Individual power restoration times will be updated as they become available. Visit https://www.duke-energy.com/outages for details. Franklin County communities of Dog Island , St. George Island , Eastpoint , Apalachicola and Alligator Point : Estimated power restoration times for these areas will be available on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. Zone 4 Bay and Gulf counties. This zone is where the center of the hurricane made landfall, causing massive destruction. Many parts of this zone are difficult to access or totally inaccessible. Some areas will require extensive reconstruction of the electric system. Duke Energy currently is unable to provide an estimated power restoration time for this zone. The company is working hard to determine this information as soon as possible. Duke Energy's transmission system in this zone experienced extensive damage. Many roads are impassable because they have been either washed away or covered with downed trees and storm debris making it difficult to access many sections of the zone. More information In all counties, estimated times indicate when power will be restored to the majority of customers whose properties did not experience damage or flooding that would prevent electrical service restoration. Many customers will be restored sooner. Power restoration times in isolated areas might be extended, depending on damage severity. Damaged or flooded properties first might require repairs by a licensed electrician and/or an electrical inspection by local officials before electric service can be restored. This includes properties whose electric meter boxes were damaged. An estimated total of 31,000 Duke Energy Florida customers lost power due to the hurricane. Latest outage numbers can be found here. For storm or power restoration updates, visit https://www.dukeenergyupdates.com/michael/florida or follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy). https://www.dukeenergyupdates.com/michael/florida or follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy). Latest damage photos https://news.duke-energy.com/multimedia-gallery/photos/hurricane-michael-florida How to report a power outage Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device. Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply). Power line safety Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all power lines as well as trees, limbs and anything else in contact with power lines energized and dangerous. Report power line hazards by calling 800.228.8485. If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground. Click here for a video about power line safety. High-water safety People who live along lakes and rivers, and in other low-lying areas or areas prone to flooding, should pay close attention to local emergency management officials, the National Weather Service and local media for information about changing weather conditions and rising lake and river levels. High water conditions can create navigational hazards. The public should use caution and adhere to the advice of local emergency management officials before going on area lakes or rivers. Members of the public who have electrical service to facilities (piers, outside lighting on seawalls, etc.) on or near water, should have this service de-energized to avoid injuries and equipment damage. (NYSE: DUK) Contact: 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy Related Links https://www.duke-energy.com APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz., Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- John Arthur Bigler, DDS is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional Member in the field of Healthcare in recognition of his role as a General Dentist at Canyon Vista Dental Care. Devoted to offering their patients quality health services, Canyon Vista Dental Care provides a comprehensive range of general and cosmetic dental solutions to patients of all ages including sedation dentistry, the fitting of crowns and bridges, root canal therapy, endodontic work tooth extraction, teeth whitening and the application of traditional and Invisalign braces to name a few. Comprised of a team of experienced and friendly healthcare professionals, Canyon Vista is steadfast in their efforts of creating a safe and relaxing environment for their clients in an effort to address their dental concerns. To better serve their clients and accommodate their financial needs, the dental office offers a variety of financial billing options. Utilizing the latest advancements in technology within the dental industry, the team at Canyon Vista ensures that their patients receive a thorough visit every time. Having gathered over twenty-three years of experience in the field of Dentistry, Dr. John Arthur Bigler is a renowned expert within the field. Throughout his career, Dr. Bigler has specialized in dental sleep medicine, the effective treatment of sleep apnea and other various dental healthcare services to better serve his clients. He attributes his success to his access to continuing education courses and having great mentors throughout his journey. When asked his advice for newcomers within the field, Dr. Bigler believes that, "Graduation is the opening of a door. Get as much continuing education as possible." Early in his career, Dr. Bigler graduated from the University of Colorado Hospital located in Denver, Colorado. In recognition of his professional achievements, Dr. Bigler was the recipient of the 2017 Top Doctor Award. In addition to receiving the 2017 Top Doctor Award, Dr. Bigler is part of multiple professional memberships: American Dental Association, Member Academy of General Dentistry, Member Arizona Dental Association, Member Central Arizona Dental Association, Member American Orthodontic Society, Member American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine, Member SPEAR Faculty Club Member Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation, Member When he is not working, Dr. Bigler enjoys indulging in outdoor activities including hunting and fishing. In addition to his enjoyment of reading non-fiction, self-help, and business books, Dr. Bigler enjoys spending quality time with his children. Dr. Bigler would like to dedicate this recognition to Elwynn Caffall, DDS, Frank Spear, DDS, and Chris Neibauer for their excellent mentorship over the years. For more information, please visit http://cvdentalcare.com/. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com Washington, Oct 13 : President Donald Trump welcomed on Friday's decision by a Turkish court to release US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was arrested two years ago on terrorism charges. "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!," the president wrote on Twitter after learning of the ruling. A court in Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, convicted Brunson of aiding terrorism and sentenced him to three years, but ordered him freed based on the time he has already spent in custody, Efe reported. Brunson, 50, is now free to leave Turkey, a country he has called home for more than two decades. Arrested in December 2016, the Protestant missionary was initially charged with having links to Fethullah GAlen, an Islamist preacher living in exile in the United States who is accused by the Turkish government of being behind a failed coup in the summer of 2016. In July, a "secret witness" described alleged links between the pastor and the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla group that is an enemy of both GAlen's organization and the Turkish government. On Friday, prosecutors withdrew the charges of espionage and belonging to terrorist organizations, for which they were demanding a 35-year sentence, saying that Brunson should be charged with "collaborating with a terrorist organization without being a member," for which they requested a sentence of 5-10 years. Brunson, who has proclaimed his innocence from the start, was shifted from jail to house arrest a few months ago amid concerns about his health. Brunson's case elevated tensions between Ankara and Washington, a relationship that has soured since the failed coup in 2016, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed on GAlen. Erdogan hinted at the possibility of trading the American pastor for GAlen, who is the subject of an extradition request. Washington has declined to extradite GAlen on the basis of the evidence submitted by Turkey. Riyadh, Oct 13 : Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday Turkey's announcement of approving the Saudi request to form a joint team to investigate the Saudi national Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance in Istanbul, Turkey. The expert-level joint action team of representatives from both countries would investigate the disappearance of the Saudi journalist since October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Xinhua reported. A Saudi official source welcomed in a statement on Saudi Press Agency the decision and expressed appreciation for such a positive move, reaffirming full confidence of the joint action team, through close cooperation among its members to carry out with their set assignments. The disappearance case attracted the world attention with the allegations that Khashoggi might had been killed or arrested inside the Saudi consulate, in which all those claims had been dismissed by Saudi Arabia. Washington, Oct 13 : US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to speak with Saudi Arabia's King Salman about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. "I will be calling at some point King Salman," Trump said in a statement to reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Efe reported. "A lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation," the president added with reference to the journalist's possible murder. Trump promised to get to the bottom of what happened and said that "right now, nobody knows anything about it," though people are beginning to form ideas. As for his friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, and especially those of his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, he said, "Well I don't know if it's any closer than other relationships that people have. We have a lot of very close relationships with a lot of countries." Trump has said that he is concerned about the disappearance of Khashoggi, who lives in the US and writes a column for The Washington Post, but also shows an unwillingness to consider sanctioning Saudi Arabia for the matter. The President said on Thursday that it "would not be acceptable" to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia if Washington determined that Khashoggi, who had been critical of Riyadh, was slain inside the consulate, as his friends and colleagues have claimed. According to The Washington Post, the Turkish government would have informed US authorities that they had video and audio recordings showing that the journalist was murdered in the consulate. Srinagar, Oct 13 : A militant was killed on Saturday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. Upon receiving information about the presence of militants, the security forces including troops of Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police, surrounded Babgund village. "The holed-up militants were challenged after which an encounter started. One militant identified as Shabir Ahmad Dar has been killed. Arms and ammunit on have also been recovered," the police said. As a precautionary measure authorities have imposed curfew in Pulwama town. Ankara, Oct 13 : Missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own death as he turned on the recording function of his Apple Watch before walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, a Turkish daily reported on Saturday. The moments of his "interrogation, torture and killing were audio recorded and sent to both his phone and to iCloud", CNN quoted the privately-owned Sabah daily as saying. It said conversations of the men involved in the reported assassination were recorded. Security forces leading the investigation found the audio file inside the phone Khasshoggi left with his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, according to the daily. Upon noticing the watch, Khashoggi's assailants tried to unlock the Apple Watch with multiple password attempts, ultimately using the journalist's fingerprint to unlock the smart watch. They were successful in deleting only some of the files, Sabah reported. However, on its website, Apple does not list fingerprint verification as one of the Apple Watch's capabilities. A representative from the company confirmed to CNN the watches do not have the feature. It was not immediately clear whether it would have been technically feasible for Khashoggi's Apple phone to transfer audio to his phone, which he had given to his fiancee before entering the consulate. Saudi and Turkish officials have not yet commented on the Sabah report. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance and says he left the consulate that afternoon. Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence that he left the consulate, as they claim, CNN reported. Saudi Arabia Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz said reports that the Saudi government ordered the killing of Khashoggi were "lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom", according to a statement in the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published on Saturday morning. Abdulaziz also said "some media" have circulated "false accusations" regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. On Friday, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that showed Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there had been an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. Turkish security units analysed how Khashoggi's reported killing unfolded with the use of a translator, according to Sabah. Sabah also reported that investigation units were currently examining all cell phone and landline records from the consulate and the consul general's residence on October 2. Efforts to locate Khashoggi's body are ongoing, Sabah reported. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went into the consulate to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. Washington, Oct 13 : Most of the news outlets that had agreed to sponsor a high-profile business conference in Saudi Arabia have now pulled out following the unexplained disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bloomberg is the latest media organization to withdraw, CNN reported on Saturday. "Bloomberg will no longer serve as a media partner for the Future Investment Initiative," a spokesperson said. "As we do with every major event in the region, we plan to cover any news from our regional news bureau." CNN, CNBC and the Financial Times said on Friday that they would not sponsor the conference, which is known as "Davos in the desert". Hosted by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud and scheduled to begin on October 23, the event is designed to showcase his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's dependence on oil. But some media partners have pulled out as concerns mount over the fate of the prominent Saudi journalist, contributor to the Washington Post and critic of the Saudi regime. Khashoggi has been missing since October 2 after going to the Saudi consulate general in Istanbul to obtain wedding papers. Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that shows Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance. CNN said in a statement on Friday that it has "withdrawn its participation" in the conference. CNBC said on Twitter that it was pulling out due to "continuing questions" over the journalist's disappearance. Finola McDonnell, chief communications and marketing officer at the Financial Times, said on Twitter that the UK newspaper would not partner with the conference while Khashoggi's disappearance "remains unexplained". Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13 : Amidst strong sentiments against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women in the 10-50 age group into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, gender equality activist Trupti Desai said on Saturday that she was still determined to visit it. "We will announce a date very soon to visit the Sabarimala Temple as the apex court has upheld the fundamental rights of women... There should be no attempt to stop us because we now have equal rights," Desai said while speaking to a Malayalam TV channel in Mumbai. She has played a major role in opening up to women shrines like Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah that were hitherto closed to them. Reacting sharply to the remarks of the activist who is also the founder of the Pune-based Bhumata Brigade, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President P.S.Sreedharan Pillai said that Desai should not challenge the emotions and feelings of the devotees of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. "In the best interest of all, she should not venture out to challenge the feelings of thousands of devotees who have taken the apex court ruling as a shock...," Pillai, who is leading a march in protest against the September 28 ruling to the state capital from Alappuzha, told the media on Saturday. Rahul Eashwar, a member of the Sabarimala tantric family requested Desai to desist from coming to the temple. "We will be staging a protest in true Gandhian style if there is any attempt to break the traditions and culture of the temple. We request her to pray in other Ayyappa temples in the state and not at the Sabarimala temple," Eashwar told the media. The temple doors will open on October 18 for its routine monthly pujas Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government and the Travancore Devasom Board - the custodian of the temple -- have ruled out filing a review petition against the apex court's order, saying that they would abide by the ruling. The Left Democratic Front, led by the CPI-M, has also decided to launch counter-political rallies across the state, against the stand of the Congress-led opposition, the BJP and other Hindu organisations who are demanding an ordinance to be floated to counter the apex court ruling. The women's wing of the BJP, Mahila Morcha, will also stage a special prayer protest session starting on October 17 at the various entry points of the Sabarimala Temple. Lathika Subash, President of the Kerala Mahila Congress, on Saturday pleaded with all those are trying to break the traditions of the Sabarimala, not to attempt to visit the temple. "The Congress party has always kept out religion from politics and hence we request nothing should be done to affect the feelings of the devotees," said Subash. Meanwhile, the Sabarimala tantri family has filed a review petition against the apex court order, requesting that there should be no dilution of the traditions of the temple. The apex court will hear the petition on October 28. -- With inputs from IANS San Francisco, Oct 13 : An April Fool's Day prank may soon see the light of day as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that a Tesla-branded tequila, called "Teslaquila", is "coming soon". Teslaquila first featured in an April Fool's joke in which Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Twitter that he had been found "passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by 'Teslaquila' bottles" as he joked about his electric car company going bankrupt. The tweet, it now turns out, was a teaser for Teslaquila, as according to a report in CNBC on Friday Tesla had filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Teslaquila". The trademark is for "distilled agave liquor" and "distilled blue agave liquor", the report said. Besides sharing a link to the CNBC report on Twitter with the message "Teslaquila coming soon A", Musk also later shared a photo of a "Teslaquila" label in a tweet. Tesla might have initially applied for this trademark in Jamaica back in April, the report said. New Delhi, Oct 13 : Aiming to become more eco-friendly, Indian Railways has decided replace wooden sleepers with composite sleepers that are not only lighter but also stronger. "The Railways has decided to use the composite sleepers in a limited way. It is being used mainly on girder bridges," a senior Railway Ministry official told IANS, Composite sleepers were first used by the Railways in the Muradabad division in 2003. They have an edge compared with the strength of wooden and channel sleepers. The official said that no complaint has been received till date about the use of these sleepers, which were deployed on a bigger scale from 2016 in over 10 zones. The official also pointed out that composite sleepers, comprising a mixture of steel and fibre plastic, costs more as compared to the other sleepers. "The cost of a composite sleeper is about Rs 25,000, whereas a channel sleeper costs about Rs 7,000," he said, adding that cost is the big factor. He said the Railways preferred them over wooden sleepers because of environmental issues that cropped up over the cutting of trees. "This decision has been taken in the wake of a Supreme Court order imposing restrictions on cutting trees. If successful, all wooden sleepers will be replaced with composite sleepers." In June 2016, the Railway Board Executive Director (Track), in a letter to all the zonal offices, said that the Research, Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) was planning to replace wooden sleepers with those made of composite material. It would initially be tried on bridges. The primary function of a sleeper is to grip the rail to the gauge and to distribute the rail load to ballast with acceptable induced pressure. Pavwan Droliaa, Managing Director of Asterix Reinforced Limited, which deals in manufacturing of composite materials, said that fibre-reinforced foamed urethane (FFU) composite sleepers are made of rigid polyurethane reinforced with glass fibre. "As a lightweight, high-strength, environment-friendly product, FFU composite is a cost-effective alternative to timber or concrete," he said. Droliaa said that synthetic sleepers are currently widely used on different types of rail transport systems, particularly on switches, turnouts, bridges or viaduct and other projects in high-speed railway and metro railway construction across the globe. "I think, initially, the green and sustainable element is what attracts people, but people now realise its durability is beneficial because there's no maintenance with this product once it's installed," he said. "It doesn't have to be repainted, re-oiled, re-sanded... and it will last between two and three times longer than timber. "Generally it is a much lower cost over that period of time; that is what appeals to councils and park authorities." (Anand K. Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in ) Nusa Dua (Indonesia), Oct 13 : International Monetary Fund Director-General Christine Lagarde on Saturday said that she was "horrified" by reports about the fate of missing Saudi journalist but still plans to attend a business forum in Riyadh this month as she has "to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world". Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared last week from his country's consulate in Istanbul where he went for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancAe. Turkish intelligence officials say they have audio and visual evidence that shows he was killed inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia, however, firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance. Lagarde, who was addressing reporters at the closing press conference of the IMF World Bank annual meeting in Bali, said: "At this point in time, my intention is to not change my plan and to be very attentive to the information that is coming up in the next few days." She said despite being "horrified" by the reports she has "to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world", Efe news reported. In the last few hours, several sponsors and guests have announced their withdrawal from the Future Investment Initiative, also known as "Davos in the Desert", scheduled to take place between October 23-25. Among them was World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who already informed Saudi authorities that he would skip the conference, without giving a reason, reports said. US television channel CNBA tweeted that it would not be attending the forum in Riyadh "due to the continuing questions surrounding the disappearance of Khashoggi". CNN on Friday said it had "withdrawn its participation" while Andrew Ross Sorkin, a columnist for The New York Times, also announced skipping the conference. CNBC, the Financial Times and Bloomberg too cancelled their participation. Hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, the event is designed to showcase his Vision 2030 plan to break the country's dependence on oil. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was also in Bali for the IMF meetings, said he still intended to go the event. The Turkish government has not officially responded to claims by friends and colleagues, who fear the 59-year-old Saudi national was murdered inside the consulate. Khashoggi has had long-standing ties to the Saudi royal family, but has written critically of the current government and the Saudi Crown Prince. Saudi Arabia's Minister of the Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud Naif bin Abdulaziz, has condemned and dismissed reports that the journalist was murdered as "lies and baseless allegations", the state-run Saudi Press Agency said on Friday. Agartala/Silchar, Oct 13 : Armed with sophisticated weapons and electronic gadgets, a record number of security personnel would be deployed in Tripura and southern Assam for the five-day Durga Puja festivities beginning on October 15, police said on Saturday. The festivities will begin on October 15 with 'Maha Sasthi' or 'Bodhan'- the welcoming of the Durga idols. "Besides deployment of higher number of around 9,900 Tripura police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel, the troopers of central para-military forces have been asked to maintain a close watch on the situation to foil any untoward incident during this period," Director General of Tripura Police Akhil Kumar Shukla told the media. He said that several meetings were held with the senior officials of police, TSR, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Assam Rifles and central intelligence agencies to make the security arrangements foolproof. "BSF troopers would maintain a close vigil along the India-Bangladesh border to ensure that the festival is free of any untoward incident." The police chief said that quick reaction teams and bomb and dog squads would be ready to deal with any eventuality and around 100 watch towers, 230 CCTVs and 150 police assistance booths would be set up to maintain law and order. With a small increase over last year, at least 2,527 community Durga Pujas including 1,570 in rural areas were being organised in Tripura. Security was also tightened in southern Assam's four districts dominated by Bengalis -- Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Dima Hasao. "Besides strengthening of normal security, movement of trains will also be monitored in southern Assam," a police officer told reporters at Silchar. According to the police official, around 1,500 Durga Pujas were being organised across the four districts, adjoining Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. Writer and social activist Uttam Kumar Saha said that despite the unenthusiastic atmosphere after the exclusion of the names of a large number of people from the final draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, the puja spirit had not dampened in Assam's southern region. "Puja committees are working round-the-clock to make their preparations foolproof and to provide an exciting time to the pandal hoppers. Different themes, significant archaeological sites and historic memorials are being showcased in the decoration of the puja pandals," Saha told IANS over phone from Silchar. New Delhi, Oct 13 : Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah has said that he was not in a position to comment on M.J. Akbar, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, as the claims against the Union Minister needed to be "looked into". "It's difficult to comment on something that comes on a website. One can put anything on a website. So, this needs to be checked. If that is true or false, whether such an incident happened or not," Shah said in an interview ETV late Friday. "It will have to be seen if it is the same person who is levelling allegations or someone else has put it up (on social media). All these things will have to be seen. And once we do it, we will certainly think over it (the action against Akbar)," he added. More than half a dozen women journalists have accused Akbar of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour at various stages of his journalistic career, during which he launched and edited several newspapers. Akbar, the Minister of State for External Affairs, is currently on an official tour abroad. He is yet to make a statement on the allegations against him. On Friday, US-based journalist Majlie de Puy Kamp told online news portal HuffPost India that Akbar forcibly kissed her on the last day of her internship at The Asian Age office in 2007. Earlier this week, FORCE magazine Executive Editor Ghazala Wahab, in an article on a news portal, wrote an account of her "harrowing experience" with Akbar. Former Mint Lounge Editor Priya Ramani, who wrote about a predatory "celebrity editor" without naming anyone in a piece last year, on Monday publicly identified Akbar as the central character of her piece. "I began this piece with my M.J. Akbar story. Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator -- maybe they'll share," she said. Journalist Shutapa Paul recalled in a series of tweets on Wednesday that as the India Today editor, whenever Akbar came to Kolkata, he would invite her to his hotel, usually after 8 p.m. He would then drink alcohol and ask her to also do so. Other female journalists who have levelled allegations against Akbar include Prerna Singh Bindra, Sujata Anandan, Shuma Raha, Harinder Baweja and Anju Bharti. Kabul, Oct 13 : At least 12 people were killed after a blast ripped through an election campaign rally in Afghanistan's Takhar province on Saturday, officials said. The motorcycle bomb was detonated in the afternoon targeting the campaign rally of Nazifa Beg Yusufi, a candidate from Rustaq district of Takhar, TOLO News reported. "Female parliamentary candidate Nazifa Big Yusufi was busy in the election campaign when a blast occurred among her supporters at around 1.30 p.m, killing 12 persons on the spot and injuring 32 others," said provincial police spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hajari . Two security force members were among the dead in the explosion, the police said, adding that an investigation was initiated into the incident. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. This was the third strike against the election campaign process this month. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 20. Earlier this week, an attack at a campaign office in Helmand province killed eight people, including election candidate Saleh Mohammad Achakzai. Before that, 14 people were killed on October 3 in an explosion on an election rally in Nangarhar. London, Oct 13 : People with diabetes are more at risk of deaths from alcohol-related factors, accidents or suicide, than non-diabetics, a study has found. The increased risk of death from these causes may be related to the mental health of patients, which may be adversely affected by the psychological burden of living with and self-treating this debilitating disease, with potentially serious complications. "We know that living with diabetes can lead to a mental-health strain. Having to monitor their glucose levels and injecting themselves daily with insulin has a huge impact on daily life; simply eating, moving and sleeping all affect blood glucose levels," said Leo Niskanen, Professor at the University of Helsinki in Finland. "This strain combined with the anxiety of developing serious complications like heart or kidney disease may also take their toll on psychological well-being," he added. Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes are highly prevalent global diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. However, more recently diabetes has been linked to an increased risk of depression, but how poor mental health may affect patients with diabetes has not been fully investigated. For the study, published in the journal European Journal of Endocrinology, the team assessed suicides, alcohol-related, or accidental causes of deaths on over four lakh people with or without diabetes. "The study highlighted a need for effective psychological support for people with diabetes. If they feel like they are under a heavy mental burden or consider that their use of alcohol is excessive, they should not hesitate to discuss these issues with their primary care physician," Niskanen said. Bengaluru, Oct 13 : Taking the Rafale battle to the doors of HAL, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the Modi government has "insulted, hurt and destroyed" the future of the public sector undertaking by depriving it of the offset contract with the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault. In an hour-long interaction with about 100 former and present employees of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), who were directed by the management to keep away from it, he also questioned the credibility and the experience of the private company that got the Rs 30,000 crore offset contract. Gandhi said firms such as HAL, ISRO and DRDO were the "temples of modern India" which were being "destroyed" by the Modi government that was indulging in corruption. "A very senior person in the government has raised questions over the 'capacity' of HAL. I ask them as to what is the capacity of Anil Ambani's company that has got the contract? What exactly is the experience this person has (in aeronautics)? The HAL's capabilities are all in front of us. You (HAL) have built HF-24, MiGs, Sukhoi and Tejas. The public sector is the backbone of the country and the defence sector," Gandhi said. He said it was "completely ridiculous" to say that HAL does not have any experience. The person who got the contract has zero experience. "Does HAL have debt? No. But the person who got the contract has Rs 45,000 crore debt," he added. Rahul said "You are the only company with the requisite experience to build that aircraft (Rafale). You are the people who built Tejas, MiG, Sukhoi. How can anybody say that you are not experienced? The forces trying to take away your future are quite powerful, quite connected," he said, adding that concerted efforts would be needed to save HAL and other public sector companies. "I have come to give a message that we are going to protect your future. We are going to fight for your rights. Rafale is your right. The decision (to give offset contract) should be done only on merit. Nobody in the world who thinks objectively and takes decisions on merit can take away the offset contract from HAL." He said when the Congress comes to power at the Centre its government would ensure that HAL got more orders to make aircraft. "We will not allow this government or anyone to destroy HAL or take away orders from it. Referring to the circular directing employees to keep away from the interaction with him, Gandhi said the management must have been under "pressure" from the government but "we are fighting for you too". He said the HAL fraternity has been insulted and hurt. "Their hard work of the last 78 years, their patriotism, has been insulted and questioned by the government through the Defence Ministry. The gentleman who has got the contract has worked only for 12 days. The temples of modern India are being destroyed," the Congress President said. Taking a jibe at the media, he said: "You (HAL employees) called me here because you feel the media is not listening to your voice. But media does not listen even to us these days. The media bosses don't want these types of conversations." Gandhi said he was 100 per cent with the employees of the defence public sector undertakings and told them they were free to call him anytime 24/7 to voice their grievances. Replying to questions by reporters on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying that the government of India had no role in deciding the offset partner, the Congress chief said the defence minister was "lying". "The former president of France (Francois Hollande) has said that the Government of India told him to give the contract to Ambani. Documentation has also come out that Dassault has said this." Before interacting with the employees, Gandhi said "We are in opposition but if there is something we can do to help you we would like to do it. When we come to government we would like to do even more aggressively." Mirajuddin, a former trade union leader of HAL, said the company was capable of manufacturing Rafale in India and they were agitated over the offset contract going to a private company. "We felt let down...we were not only surprised but felt insulted. We are not begging. We are demanding that our rights based on merit should be protected," he said. New Delhi, Oct 13 : Describing the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi as "most corrupt", the BJP on Saturday demanded dismissal of its cabinet Minister Kailash Gahlot over the alleged tax evasion of Rs 120 crore. "Kejriwal government is the most corrupt government in the history of Delhi," Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Manoj Tiwari said at a press conference here. He said the failure of Kejriwal to take action in the case of corruption by his ministers Gahlot, Satyendar Jain and former minister Asim Ahmad indicates his involvement in corruption and "proves that the Chief Minister completely lacks morality". "BJP demands that Kejriwal should immediately dismiss corrupt ministers, Gahlot and Jain," he said. Tiwari said, "It has been learnt that tax evasion of Rs 120 crore by Gahlot has come to light and in addition there was information of undeclared investment in shares in Dubai in addition to Benami property". His remarks came after the Income Tax department officials on Saturday claimed they have found documents that show the Delhi Minister had evaded tax worth Rs 120 crore. The I-T department has carried out searches at over 16 residential and business premises of Gahlot and his family members on Wednesday and Thursday. Gahlot holds the portfolios of transport, law, revenue, information technology and administrative reforms in the Delhi Cabinet. Tiwari said the network of Gahlot's "unaccounted trade" is too wide. "But at close examination, we get to understand that the modus operandi of tax evasion is similar to what we saw in Jain's case," he said. He said like in the matter of Jain, the names of office staff have been used for bungling, forgery in share transfer deals and bogus property wills. Citing the I-T and CBI cases against Jain, the BJP leader, who also represents the northeast Delhi parliamentary constituency, said, "It has become clear that he was involved in hawala trade, but Kejriwal has not taken any action against him." Mumbai, Oct 13 : Around 120 leading artists from South Korea and more than 70 from Maharashtra are participating in a first-ever joint six-day-long exhibition "Beyond The Frames" which opened here on Saturday, an official said. The first edition of the Mumbai-South Korea Biennial, the expo was described as "a life-affirming event for the contemporary art scene of the two countries," by Vishwanath Sabale, Dean of the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Arts (SJJSA), which is hosting the event on its campus in south Mumbai. The event has been jointly organised and produced by SJJSA and South Korea's K-Art International Exchange Association (K-AIEA), in association with Chennai's Inko Centre. Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawade inaugurated the function at a function on the SJJSA campus. The artists from South Korea and Mumbai are showcasing an array of works creating on different concepts concerning their inner perceptions, cultural identity, cultural exchange, freedom of expression and social cohesion, besides strengthening cultural relations, he said. "It also brings together key speakers, world-renowned artists, art historians, gallerists, curators, museum heads, critics, collectors and arts students to discuss a diverse range of art-related topics. We expect the six-day event to be a visual delight for all the stakeholders," Sabale added. The exhibition displays different styles of paintings, print-making and abstracts, all ranging from 'clearly striking' to 'utterly remarkable' by the South Korean artists and the SJJSA students and faculty. The Mumbai-South Korea Biennial has been conceptualised and curated by K-AIEA Chairperson and Curator Heo Sook, Sabale, Inko Centre Director Rathi Jafar and event coordinator Smita Kinkale. Some of the prominent artists who have arrived here from South Korea for the exhibition are Kim Youngwoon, Choi Sungwon, Ju Mihyang, Kim Oksuk, Kim Sunam, Lee Sunhee, among others. Joining them are well-known contemporary artists from Maharashtra including Uttam Pacharne, Tanuja Rane, Deepak Shinde, Ganpat Majgaonkar, Yashwant Deshmukh, Vilas Shinde, Minal Damani, Kishor Thakur, Ratnadeep Adivarekar, Nilesh Kinkale, Sanjay Sawant, Anand Prabhudesai, R. B. Holle, Rajesh Pullarwar and Pandurang Tathe. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13 : The Kerala unit of Shiv Sena on Saturday threatened to stage mass suicides if women in 10-50 age group are allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. P. Aji, a senior Shiv Sena leader, told IANS here that their "suicide squads" comprising men and women above 50 are ready for the supreme sacrifice. "Our members will be stationed at various places in and around the (Sabarimala) temple and if any woman not supposed to enter the temple is granted get access, then their suicide squad members will take their lives," warned Aji. The Shiv Sena's threat comes hours after gender equality activist Trupti Desai on Saturday said that she is determined to visit the temple shortly. "We want the temple tradition and culture to be protected and that's our only demand. Hundreds of our activists will reach the temple town on October 17 and guard all entry points to the famed temple," added Aji. Given the aggressive posturing of the Shiv Sena members, now all eyes will be on the way the Kerala government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- who has announced that the state government will ensure adherence to the apex court verdict -- handles the situation when the temple doors open on October 18 for its routine monthly pujas. On September 28, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict against the age-old tradition that banned the entry of women of menstruating age between 10 and 50 years into the Sabarimala temple. In a related development, the police in Kollam district on Saturday registered a case against actor Kollam Thulasi for his statement at a public meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA campaign against the apex court ruling. He said: "Women coming to Sabarimala temple should be ripped in half," and one half should be thrown to Delhi and the other half to the Office of Chief Minister Vijayan. But sensing that his statement had crossed limits of decency, he quickly apologised that he never meant to hurt anyone. New Delhi, Oct 13 : Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has not received a mail carrying a life threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an officer said on Saturday. "Reports that mention that Commissioner received a mail carrying a threat to kill Prime Minister are completely baseless and false," a senior police officer said, reacting to the reports. Vatican City, Oct 13 : Pope Francis on Saturday defrocked former Chilean bishops Jose Francisco Cox and Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez who have been accused of sexual abuse. The Vatican said in a statement that Cox, 85, and Ordenes, 54, were "dismissed from the clerical state" by the Pope after having been subject to an investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Efe news reported. The two former bishops will not be able to appeal the decision. This comes after the defrocking of two other Chilean priests, Fernando Karadima FariAa and Cristian Prech, in the last few weeks. "The decision was taken by Pope Francis on October 11 and may not be appealed," the Vatican said, adding that Cox and Fernandez were informed of the verdict. Cox, who has been accused of committing sexual abuse against minors in Chile, retired in 2002 and has been living in the German town of Vallendar. Recently, Cox was once again accused of committing sexual abuse in Germany. After the first accusations against Cox were revealed in Chile, he was sent to live a life of "silence, prayer and penitence" in a German monetary in 2002. In the case of Fernandez, Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation as bishop of Iquique in 2012, after he was accused of sexually abusing a boy. Fernandez then retired and has been living in Peru. Earlier this year, a Chilean court dismissed the sexual abuse case against Fernandez, though this did not change the verdict of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "The verdict continues Pope Francis's 'determination' to act against sexual abuse in the church," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said. Kochi, Oct 13 : The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), led by super star Mohanlal, came under fire on Saturday from the Women's Collective in Cinema (WCC) over the way the kidanpping case of an actress is being handled. The WCC was formed last year by women drawn from various sectors of the film industry to fight for their cause, after they found that AMMA was not protecting their interests. Senior actor Dileep is an accused in a kidnapping case that took place last year. The actor was in jail for 85 days and is now out on bail. The WCC alleges that AMMA has not supported the victim, whereas Dileep has got all the backing. Leading actress Revathy on Saturday said that many like her were shocked to hear Mohanlal address them as mere actresses. "It really hurt us very much... he could have mentioned us by our name. We have now realized that AMMA's executive committee is taking us for a ride and is not serious about the victim getting justice in the kidnapping case," said Revathy, adding AMMA should be handled by responsible people. Trouble stared soon after Mohanlal took over as AMMA President in June. He took back into the AMMA fold actor Dileep, prompting leading actresses, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambisan and Geetu Mohandas quitting the AMMA in protest. Another 14 members announced their decision to quit, citing lack of fairness. At Saturday's press meet, Revathy, Padmapriya, Parvathy and the three actresses who quit AMMA and a few others were also present. The decision on Dileep's status has been left to the next general body meeting of AMMA. "They (AMMA) use by-laws when they find it useful for their requirements and when it comes to our needs, they cling on by-laws," said Parvathy. Revathy said things are not clean in the Malayalam film industry, adding she was shocked to see a 17-year-old young girl knocking at her door and complaining about the way she was exploited. "I will not name her, but things are bad in the industry," said Revathy. She said that none should take the actresses lightly, and that they would continue to expose the goings-on in the industry. Beena Paul, who is vice-chairman of the state-run Kerala State Chalachitra Acadmey, said their intention is not to shame the industry. "There are so many stories of victimization... slowly these will come out," said Paul. Hong Kong, Oct 13 : Sixth-seeded Wang Qiang of China rallied on Saturday to pull off a big upset against fourth-seeded GarbiAe Muguruza of Spain 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Hong Kong Open final against Dayana Yastremska of the Ukraine. Despite Muguruza's 5-4 advantage in the decider, Wang won the last three games to seal her first career win against the Spaniard in two hours and 40 minutes, reports Efe. Muguruza paid for her lack of consistency on serve, with her bid for a third final this season undermined as she conceded her delivery seven times. Earlier Saturday, Wang had knocked out top-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-4 in a quarterfinal match that was paused Friday due to rain, with Wang leading 6-2, 6-5. When play resumed, the Chinese powerhouse needed just nine minutes to seal the biggest win of her career and advance to the semifinal against Muguruza. The final will see Wang, world No. 24, pitted against 18-year-old Yastremska, who beat China's Shuai Zhang 7-5, 6-4. New Delhi, Oct 13 : To address operational and administrative issues in the Indian Army, the Army commanders' conference on Saturday deliberated four major studies to be implemented "progressively in a phased manner". A statement released by the Ministry of Defence said: "The focus of the studies is holistic integration thereby enhancing the operational and functional efficiency, optimise budget expenditure, facilitate force modernization and address aspirations." "The current operational, administrative and human resource challenges facing the Indian Army have been reviewed in detail and future course of actions has been deliberated," it said. The Army commanders' conference, which began on Tuesday, is an apex level biannual event which formulates important policy decisions through collegiate deliberations. It will go on till October 15. "The first study, based on re-organisation and rightsizing of the Indian Army is focused on the operational structures to make the Army efficient and future-ready by taking into account the operational situation on western and northern borders," the statement said. The second study, it said, is based on the "Reorganisation of the Army Headquarters", and aims at integration and redundancies. The 'Cadre Review of Officers' study, on the other hand, is aimed to incorporate the proposed "reorganization, restructuring and endeavours balanced cadre" to meet the aspirations of the officers' cadre, the Ministry said. The collegium further deliberated on a longer tenure of flag ranks with a view to "ensuring better continuity, achievements of objectives and aspirations." The last study on 'Review of Terms of Engagement of Rank and File' is aimed to harness "higher life expectancy, ensure younger profile and ensure due motivation" in the Indian Army. On the fifth day of the conference, the collegium concluded that the above studies will be implemented progressively in a phased manner. "The phases will comprise requisite refinements of the studies making them pragmatic for implementation," Defence Ministry said in a statement. The collegium further deliberated on "enhancing linguistic skill in the Indian Army". Union Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre addressed the Army Commanders' Conference and lauded the Army's efforts in contributing to nation-building and assured the government's commitment to facilitating the desired capability development. New Delhi : A mother of a 14-year-old girl has filed an application in the supreme court seeking an intervention in the review petition filed by the Nair service society (NSS) against the top courts recent verdict allowing women of all ages entry into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. The application filed by T P Sindhu alleges that the NSSs review petition, which contends that women aged between 10 and 50 should not allowed inside Sabarimala temple since the presiding deity Lord Ayyappa is a naishtika brahmachari (perpetual bachelor), is an insult to Ayyappa as well as anti-women. The contention that a ten year old girls presence will affect the celibacy of the Lord Ayyappa is a derogatory and offensive remark not only against Lord Ayyappa but more so on children of such tender age, the application says. Portraying a girl aged 10 as someone capable of negating the celibacy of Lord Ayyappa was tantamount to insulting and defaming the deity, the applicant argues. The applicant contends that being an Ayyappa devotee herself, this contention of the NSS was unacceptable to her. Terming the contentions in NSSs review petition as an insult to lakhs of Ayyappa devotees, the application contends that such claims on Ayyappas celibacy were of dubious provenance and not founded in the Hindu religion. Such portrayals of women as sexual objects are in conflict with the basic tenets of the constitution, the plea against NSSs review petition states. A five-judge constitution bench of the supreme court in a majority judgement had held recently that women of all ages enjoyed the liberty to offer worship in place of their choice, paving the way for entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala hill shrine. In its review petition against the apex court verdict, the NSS contended only women below the age of 10 and above the age of 50 were eligible to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple since the presiding deity is a naishtika brahmachari. New Delhi/Mumbai, Oct 13 : Even as an official investigation into the Air India Express' Trichy take-off incident has commenced, the aviation fraternity has cited the pilots' decision as "dubious" and "dangerous" to carry on with the flight even after traffic controllers advised him otherwise. The Air India Express' aircraft scheduled to fly between Trichy and Dubai early Friday struck the instrument landing system's (ILS) localiser antenna and then grazed the airport's perimeter wall before flying off. The flight carried 130 passengers and six crew members. It was subsequently diverted and it landed in Mumbai at 5.40 a.m. -- four hours after it took off from Tiruchirappalli (Trichy). Its undercarriage suffered a deep gash. Experts recall an incident on April 26, 1993, in which 55 people were killed on board an Indian Airlines plane in Aurangabad in Maharashtra when it crashed on take-off after apparently hitting a truck carrying cotton bales. On Friday's incident, air safety expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan told IANS: "The senior pilot's decision to continue his flight onwards is dubious. The decision led to the loss of two hours of crucial on-board voice recording data (this instrument keeps such data only for two hours)." "The in-cockpit conversation between the senior commander and the co-pilot at the time of the incident would have been stored in the voice recorder. However, as they landed in Mumbai after four hours of flying, the initial two-hour recording would have been lost," said Ranganathan. Apart from hitting the ILS antenna and scraping the perimeter wall at Trichy airport, the pilots' biggest mistake was the decision to carry on with their flight. "You can not risk flying over the sea with that type of damage to the aircraft's structure. He should have either listened to the ATC or have informed the company via ACARS (aircraft communications addressing and reporting system). The latter, he couldn't do as ACARS antenna was damaged at Trichy." The ACARS is used to transmit and receive messages from ground stations. A few retired and serving pilots told IANS that in their experience, such an incident would have surely come to the notice of the flight's commander and that his decision to fly on defies logic. "At the 'VR' speed, when the aircraft is taking off at nearly 175 knots (300 km per hour), an incident like this would have been immediately noticed by the senior pilot," a senior commander currently operating a Boeing aircraft told IANS. "The rotating angle of take-off might have been completely altered by the first impact between the aircraft and the antenna, which might have brought a nose-down altitude, thus hitting perimeter wall, which is about 300 metres from the runway's end, generally, and the aircraft should have attained a height of at least 35 to 50 feet above that point. This would not have escaped any pilot's notice." "This is a clear case where the standard operating procedure has been violated. The SOP mandates the pilot to exhaust the fuel and land back safely. It does not imply to carry out the entire flight schedule. The pilot's decision defies logic." However, industry insiders familiar with Boeing 737-800 aircraft pointed out that the damaged underbelly area was a pressurised and non-heated zone. "Any penetration in the area could not have been detected by the aircraft's instruments, but a deep leak in the strcuture could have led to loss of pressurisation and could have been fatal especially over the sea," another pilot with an airline told IANS. "Nonetheless, the damage would have increased the drag slightly. Now the question is: how much fuel consumption did this drag increase? Nowadays, when we are at a tight spot in terms of fuel usage, pilots notice even small changes in consumption trends." Notwithstanding the lucky escape at the time of the impact, flying all the way to Dubai could have also led to a disaster. As the aircraft would have consumed more fuel, leaving the plane with less-than-anticipated fuel, thus forcing it to divert to any nearby airport. In addition to SOP lapses, questions have also been raised over the load factor status of the aircraft. An overload condition would not have allowed the aircraft to gain sufficient speed or power. Also in question is the aircraft engines generating sufficient power to touch the required speed to take off and gain the needed height in the given circumstances. On the investigation front, an Air India statement on Friday said officers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have reached Trichy and so had Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau officers. Pending investigation, the airline has derostered both Captain D. Ganesh Babu and co-pilot and First Officer Captain Anurag. New Delhi, Oct 13 : A day after robbers gunned down a bank cashier and looted over Rs 3 lakh from a bank in the national capital, the Delhi Police on Saturday arrested two out of the six criminals from Haryana's Sonipat, a senior police officer said. "The accused have been identified as Sachin, 21, and Parvesh, 19. They were arrested from Haryana's Sonipat, and the police are trying to arrest the other four," Deputy Commissioner of Police Anto Alphonse said. The robbery took place at around 3.45 p.m on Friday in a bank located in Dwarka's Chhawla area in west Delhi. "The robbers had come on two motorcycles and had their faces masked. They barged into the bank and snatched the security guard's rifle before threatening the bank employees with dire consequences if they moved from their place," Alphonse said. As the criminals were snatching cash from deceased cashier Santosh Kumar in the bank, he resisted their attempt. He was fired at twice and got killed, according to the officer. "The robbers escaped with over Rs 3 lakh," he said, adding that "the entire crime has been captured in CCTV and efforts are on to nab the remaining accused". Chennai, Oct 13 : The entrepreneurial success stories should not be restricted to English language alone, said K. Pandiarajan, Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, Tamil Nadu. Launching a book, "Dream Chasers - Women Entrepreneurs from The South of The Vindhyas", by journalist Shobha Warrier here on Saturday, Pandiarajan said: "Books on entrepreneurial success stories should be available in different languages so as to give confidence to people on a large scale." The book profiles 14 women social/ business entrepreneurs who have made their mark in their field of activity overcoming the numerous odds. Speaking about the book, Pandiarajan noted that the women entrepreneurs profiled in the book openly acknowledged the contribution of others in their success. He said the women entrepreneurs have also talked about the sustainability of their organisations after them. "To let it go comes naturally for the women," he said. Warrier said after her earlier book on entrepreneurs south of Vindhyas was published, she was asked why not many women entrepreneurs were profiled. She said the question bothered here and hence her second book focused on women social/ business entrepreneurs. Bluon Energy, creator of Bluon TdX 20 (R-458A) the only complete solution for upgrading existing HVAC-R systems running R-22 announced today that Peter Capuciati, Bluons Founder and Chairman, will be assuming the CEO role effective immediately. Douglas Reinke who had been President & CEO of Bluon for the past three years will be departing to pursue new opportunities. This seamless transition of leadership comes at a time when the refrigerant known as R-22, which remains the lifeblood of over 60% of existing HVAC systems in the U.S. and worldwide, is fast becoming obsolete and unavailable due to a global phase-out and related federal regulations. As CEO, Mr. Capuciati is broadening his prior role as the companys Executive Chairman where he has been the architect behind Bluons unique business strategy which focuses on providing a complete solution to the R-22 phase out and the enormous challenge it is about to place on the $1 trillion worth of existing HVAC infrastructure that depends on R-22 in the U.S. alone. I am excited to expand my role and lead Bluon Energy through this exciting time of change in the refrigerant industry, said Mr. Capuciati. Bluon is ideally positioned to help contractors and end-users navigate this challenging time by providing them a solution that not only solves the problem but adds substantial value to all parties while doing so. This includes our newly-launched mobile app that gives technicians in the field, for the first time, a comprehensive guide to solving this challenge. Bluon Energy has evolved into a comprehensive solution provider, combining its revolutionary refrigerant TdX 20 (R-458A) with a full suite of world class installation tools and technology-enabled resources for the technicians in the field and turnkey installation services for end-users allowing them to optimize their existing HVAC systems. Unlike other R-22 replacements, Bluons proprietary TdX 20 (R-458A) is the only replacement that actually increases the efficiency and performance of existing HVAC equipment. In addition to its product offering, Bluon is leading the way in with its comprehensive training and tech-based solutions for technicians in the field such as the industry-first Bluon mobile app and online contractor accreditation program. # # # About Bluon Energy Bluon Energy was founded in 2011 and is the only complete R-22 Replacement Solution. Bluons R-22 replacement, TdX 20 (R-458A) increases energy efficiency by up to 25% while having virtually identical capacity to R-22. In addition to creating a truly exceptional R-22 replacement, Bluon offers a complete services solution and ecosystem designed to help HVAC-R contractors, suppliers, and end users thrive in the R-22 replacement world. Bluon is the only replacement refrigerant to offer comprehensive support for technicians through its industry-first mobile app with over 15,000 specific unit conversion guides, tools and calculators, and live veteran technician support. Bluon also works with supply houses to drive sales through its next-generation marketing techniques while handling the burden of contractor support. Corporate clients have access to turn-key installations creating substantial cost savings as well as significant reductions in their carbon footprint. Because of the R-22 phaseout and imminent supply shortages, end users, technicians and suppliers are faced with a choice, and Bluon is the smart choice, revolutionizing the HVAC industry with the only complete R-22 solution. For more information, please visit http://www.bluonenergy.com. Peter S. Seibert, new Executive Director/CEO of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West The Center of the West is truly a national treasure. As he's set to launch his tenure at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, new Executive Director/CEO, Peter S. Seibert, says that "the Center is truly a national treasure. It has superb collections, world-class staff, and an abiding commitment to telling the story of the American West. For these reasons, and many more, I am thrilled to become the Centers next Executive Director. Joining Seibert in the move to Cody is his wife, Kim, and their 10-year-old daughter, Mary, a fifth grader who enjoys science and math and swears she will never be a historian, Seibert says. Daughter Jane, age 19, is a sophomore history/art major at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. In the coming months, our family is looking forward to becoming part of the Cody community, Seibert adds. Were anxious to meet folks and participate in the life of the town. SEARCH PROCESS: Seibert was chosen after a lengthy, comprehensive, and far-reaching nationwide search. He replaces the retiring Bruce Eldredge who has served as the Centers executive director since January 2008. I am so pleased with the hard work of the Centers Selection Committee, explains Barron Collier II, the Centers Chairman of the Board of Trustees. We are in a time of transition, and we look forward to exciting growth under Peters leadership. During the interview process, I was truly impressed by the commitment of the Board, staff, and community to the museum, Seibert continues. Their leadership is so important to me as we plan for the future of the Center of the West. Seiberts career has been dedicated to public history, museums, and education with more than 30 years-experience in those organizationsholding diverse positions from executive director, educator, and curator to faculty member, author, archivist, and board member. I believe it is vital to blend passion for what you do with great content knowledge, Seibert observes. You must also have the ability to not only manage, but to be a visionary for an organization. CAREER: Seibert says his museum career actually began in junior high school as a costumed interpreter at the Fort Hunter Mansion, a historic house museum located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, his hometown. In addition to his current position at Colonial Williamsburg, Seibert also served as the organizations Director of the Department of Historic Trades and Skills. Prior to his tenure in Virginia, Seibert directed the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, New Mexico, which houses a large collection of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo-American art, with a specific emphasis on northern New Mexico and Taos, works. Moreover, Seiberts career includes posts directing the National Council for History Education, and the Heritage Center of Lancaster County and the Historical Society of Dauphin Countyboth in Pennsylvania. Early in his professional work, he was Associate Curator for Photography at Fort Hunter Mansion, and then Curator with the Cumberland County Historical Society (PA). Hes also served as an adjunct professor teaching folklore and popular culture classes for the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design and is part of numerous boards and organizations, both in his career and in his community. Seibert holds both a bachelors degree and a masters degree in American Studies from Penn State University and has authored two books: "How We Lived" (2001), which focuses on everyday interiors from 1880 to 1950, and "Fraternally Yours" (2012), which tells the story of fraternal societies in America through their regalia. A prolific writer and speaker, Seibert has tackled many diverse topics in the fields of material culture, folklore, and popular culture. GOALS: Seibert arrives in Cody in late November just in time for the Centers annual Holiday Open House on December 1. My immediate goals at the Center of the West include finishing projects already in process, working with leadership to continue understanding the interests of our visitors, and positioning the museum as a thought leader in the study of the American West, Seibert concludes, and I cant wait to get started! Since 1917, the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has devoted itself to sharing the story of the authentic American West. The Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now in its fall schedule, open daily, 8 a.m. 5 p.m. For additional information, visit the Center's website or its pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The web has become the default go-to channel for home buyers and renters, but the quality of online listings in Thailand (as well as in many other regions around the world) is often very poor. For many people, finding a home online can be a very frustrating and time-consuming experience. Often, up to 90% of online listings across numerous property search portals are inaccurate, unavailable, or simply fake. The result is that buyers waste a lot of time investigating the wrong properties or properties that do not even exist. Moreover, since hundreds of thousands property listings are advertised at prices that are no longer valid, it is very difficult for both buyers and sellers to establish a fair market price. This lack of transparency creates friction, which deters buyers and sellers from making a mutually beneficial agreement. This, in turn, severely affects market liquidity. To bring trust to online property searches, to combat inaccurate information, and to provide greater reassurance to property seekers, Hipflat today launched its new verified listing feature, which highlights listings that have been independently validated by Hipflat members who have already contacted the advertiser or visited the property. Hipflat members will also be able to report inaccurate listings. As more information is collectively sourced and verified by Hipflat members, Hipflat will achieve its goal of having 100% of its listings verified. The verified listings feature is the first real-world use case and a proof of concept of the Domus Protocol, which is blockchain-enabled software being developed by Hipflat. Domus will use a blockchain to collect crowd-sourced property information, to reward members who contribute high-quality property data, and to prevent malicious data entries. Looking further into the future, Hipflat envisions Domus as the foundation of a network that will unite online real estate marketplaces all over the world. People everywhere will have access to high-quality property listings. It will become a global marketing platform, helping sellers to find a buyer for their property faster and cheaper. About Hipflat Launched in 2013, Hipflat (http://www.hipflat.co.th) is registered in Singapore with operational headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Hipflat operates one of Thailands leading online real estate marketplaces, connecting property buyers/tenants (residential, commercial, and industrial) with sellers/landlords; i.e., individuals, brokers, and developers. Hipflat currently features 340,000 listings from 40,000 agents, owners, landlords, and property managers, with 55% of them being rentals and 45% homes for sale. Over the past 12 months, home buyers and renters collectively spent more than one million hours browsing property listings on Hipflat and viewed 3.7 million web-pages monthly. The company is backed by well-known international VCs and business angels, including 500 Startups and Japanese companies OPT and Aucfan. About the Domus Protocol The Domus Protocol is blockchain-enabled software that is being developed by Hipflat. The goal is to bring transparency and trust to the online property search experience. Visit http://domus.network for further information. For further inquiries please contact: Denis Nemtsev, Founder & CEO of Hipflat: denis@hipflat.com Gautam Sashittal, CEO, DMCC - MFTL Mumbai Setting up a company in Dubai is an important step if you want to grow your business, and DMCCs roadshows provide an ideal platform to learn more about doing business in our free zone, and unlock further opportunities for trade DMCC, the worlds flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, concluded the latest edition of its Made for Trade Live Roadshow in India today. Both EmiratesNBD and Dubai Tourism (DTCM) joined DMCC to showcase the best Dubai has to offer. The flagship event allows DMCC to travel the globe and communicate the commercial appeal of Dubai and the opportunities it offers for growth in the region and beyond. Nearly 400 business leaders and industry experts attended the event in Mumbai and Hyderabad, where they gained valuable insights on the ease of doing business in Dubai and the power of partnering with DMCC for business growth. The event was inaugurated by Gautam Sashittal, CEO, DMCC, followed by speeches by Vikash Mittersain, Founder & President, India Business Group; and Sharad Agarwal, CEO, Emirates NBD Mumbai India. A panel discussion focused on Expanding business in Dubai and beyond where Sanjeev Dutta, Executive Director Commodities, DMCC, Shankar Chatterjee, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, S Cube Trans Continental Logistics, Captain BVJK Sharma, Joint Managing Director and CEO of JSW Infrastructure Ltd, S.Sittarasu, CEO Jawaharal Nehru Port Trust, and Rajnickant Patel, former MD & CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange, shared their views and experiences. By 2020, it is expected that bilateral trade between the UAE and India will reach $100 billion, almost ten-fold the value it was in the 1970s. Setting up a company in Dubai is an important step if you want to grow your business, and DMCCs roadshows provide an ideal platform to learn more about doing business in our free zone, and unlock further opportunities for trade said Gautam Sashittal, Chief Executive Officer, DMCC. EmiratesNBD is delighted to work with DMCC to meet the Indian business community as part of its roadshow outreach, helping to showcase Dubai and the opportunity presented with doing business from the worlds leading free zone said Sharad Agarwal, CEO, Emirates NBD Mumbai India. DMCC offers a unique business and regulatory environment for companies wishing to establish themselves in Dubai. It is home to over 15,000 companies and a community of 100,000 people who live and work in the free zone. Today, more than 2,500 Indian businesses have chosen to set up in DMCC and almost 21,000 Indian nationals work in DMCC, equivalent to 30% of the workforce. Lt. Gen. J.S. Ahluwalia, PVSM (retd.) President, Institute of Directors: Our relationship with Dubai, and DMCC, is one that goes back many years. Together, we have strengthened the ties between our business communities, boosted trade and enhanced connectivity. We will continue to work together to foster more growth and more opportunities while promoting innovation and sustainability. For its part, the UAE is home to 3.3 million Indian expatriates and the 10th largest foreign investor in India. The UAE is the third largest foreign trade partner to India after China and the USA. In 2017, trade relations between the UAE and India reached USD53 billion, of which $35 billion was non-oil trade. A market-maker for global trade and enterprise with a mandate to facilitate trade through Dubai and to connect new markets and more established markets, DMCC provides all of the products, services, physical and financial infrastructure business makers need to trade with confidence. For further information, visit http://www.dmcc.ae and http://www.ga-advisory.com. ROMA Boots is a socially conscious enterprise that specializes in Giving Poverty the Boot by donating a pair of boots to a child in need with every purchase made. ROMA teamed up with Sadie Robertson, known for A&Es Duck Dynasty and her stint on ABCs Dancing With The Stars, for a third time to create a new Chelsea boot to add to her existing line, Live Original, which first launched in 2015. The theme for the new Chelsea boot is Wholehearted Warrior, which highlights Sadies mission to spread love, as well as to ROMAs mission to fight poverty. The Chelsea Warrior boot is matte black with silver details and lettering: the perfect boot for all year round. However, its October launch is perfect for cooler temperatures and getting a jump on holiday shopping. Sadie and her team flew back to Guatemala with ROMA on a boot drop August 17th-20th, donating almost 500 pairs of boots to children in a small village outside Guatemala City. This was the second trip to Guatemala for Sadie and her team; the first was in 2016 after the launch of her second Live Original line. Samuel Bistrian founded ROMA Boots in 2010 after being inspired to give back to children in need in his home country of Romania. What differentiates ROMA from other give-back companies is that Samuel is trying to eradicate the level of poverty he lived through as a child. To date, ROMA Boots has donated hundreds of thousands of boots to children in 26 countries and five continents. The Chelsea Warrior boot can be purchased on romaboots.com. Deal of the Week Will Smith Book to Penguin In whats rumored to be a seven-figure acquisition, Scott Moyers at Penguin Press took North American rights to a currently untitled book by Will Smith, who was represented by CAA. (Moyers, following PRH policy, declined to comment on the advance.) The book, which Smith is writing with Mark Manson (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck), will, according to PRH and CAA, chronicle Smiths journey from childhood to stardom, explaining how his true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success and then evolve to a place of deeper peace. In England, Century took U.K. and Commonwealth rights. Knopf Lands New Paolini Michelle Frey at Knopf Books for Young Readers took North American rights to a collection of short stories by Christopher Paolini titled The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. Paolini, author of the blockbuster Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance), was represented by Simon Lipskar at Writers House. Fork, jointly acquired by PRH UK, is set for release in December in the U.S. and in January 2019 in the U.K. Knopf is planning a 500,000-copy first printing. Tisdel Takes Debut for High Six With a high-six-figure preempt, Laura Tisdel at Viking bought Elizabeth Ames Staudt's debut novel, The Others Gold. Lisa Grubka at Fletcher & Company, who represented the author, said the novel follows four friends from their wild college years through the feral days of new motherhood and is structured around the biggest mistake each of them makes. The author, who is 37, has an MFA from the University of Michigan. The book had, at press time, sold to Mondadori in Italy. Dorman Gets Authentic with Pooley In a rumored high-six-figure deal, Pamela Dorman bought Clare Pooleys debut novel, The Authenticity Project, for her eponymous imprint at Penguin Random House. The two-book deal, for North American rights, was struck with Hayley Steed at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. Dorman described the novel as The Rosie Project meets Love, Actually, noting it focuses on a notebook which brings together a group of completely different people. Pooley, whos British, is the author of the memoir The Sober Diaries. Welsh Authors YA Thriller to Penguin Kathy Dawson, who has an eponymous imprint at Penguin Young Readers, won North American rights at auction, for six figures, to Kat Elliss YA horror thriller Harrow Lake in a two-book deal. Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency, who reps Ellis, confirmed that the book was also preempted in a two-book deal in the U.K., just days after submission. The novel follows the daughter of a horror director, who, Hawn said, gets swept up in real-life terror after she winds up in the sinister small town where her fathers most iconic movie was filmed. Ellis lives in North Wales. Miller Gets Awakened at S&G Columbia professor and bestselling author Lisa Miller (The Spiritual Child) sold North American rights to The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Well-Being to Julie Grau at Spiegel & Grau. The book was acquired at auction in a rumored high-six-figure deal. Doug Abrams at Idea Architects, who represented Miller, said Awakened lays out how humans possess two different conscious modes for experiencing life and offers an entirely new way of understanding our world... detailing what leads to success and well-being. The book is set for fall 2020. Riddle to Recorded for Seven Figures In a seven-figure deal for audio rights, Recorded Books bought five titles by A.G. Riddle. A self-publishing phenomenon, Riddle has, according to Recorded, sold more than three million copies of his past six books. (Riddle publishes his books in print through his own company.) The first book in this deal, Winter World, was described by Recorded as The Martian meets Interstellar. Danny Baror at Baror International represented Riddle in the deal. LB Invests in French Bestseller Little, Brown v-p and executive editor Asya Muchnick bought North American rights to French bestseller The Reunion by Guillaume Musso. Musso's French publisher, Calmann-Levy, sold the book, which was also acquired in the U.K. by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. (All three houses are owned by Hachette Livre.) The Reunion has, per LB, sold more than 500,000 copies in France since its release earlier this year. Set on the French Riviera circa 1992, the book is set, LB said, during a high school reunion, as dark secrets and past crimes are revealed. LBs edition is slated for July 2019. Behind the Deal What does it take to land a movie deal via Wattpad? For Sam Marsden, whose SF novel Under Glass was just optioned by Stampede, it was 350,000 reads. Now repped by New Leaf Literary & Media, Marsden began publishing Under Glass, two chapters at a time, in October 2017. The book, described by New Leaf as a modern-day Logans Run for the Brexit era, was removed from the site in early 2018 after Marsden signed with her agency. Now, after extensive revisions, the title is being shopped to publishers. Among other tweaks, the book jumped from 58,000 words to 82,000. And the goal of the edits? Marsden said it was to make her story work as a novel. Behind the Deal A debut that Doubledays Lee Boudreaux won at auction back in January was a hot commodity at this years Frankfurt Book Fair. Trident Media Groups Claire Roberts, who is selling foreign rights to Claire Lombardos The Most Fun We Ever Had, a multigenerational novel that follows four daughters in a Chicago family, said a calculated decision was made to put off shopping the book abroad until it had been edited by Boudreaux. The approach worked. At press time, Trident said auctions for the title were underway in France and Italy, with deals closed in Germany and the U.K. International Deals U.K. publisher Trapeze won world rights, after a four-way auction, to a book by Paul and Phil Hartnoll, aka electronic dance duo Orbital. Da Capo preempted the book in the U.S. [The Bookseller] Bestselling Korean novel Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo emerged as a buzz book at last week's Frankfurt Book Fair. The Grayhawk Agency's Gray Tan, who reps the title on behalf of South Korean publisher Minumsa, said offers are in from publishers in France and Italy. The novel, which Tan noted has sold more than one million copies in South Korea, follows a 30-something woman who begins speaking in the voices of other women. Movie Deals Lou Berneys November Road (HarperCollins, Nov.) has been optioned by screenwriter/director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill). [press release] Ridley Scotts production company, Scott Free, optioned Australian author Tim Wintons 1995 Booker Prize finalist, The Riders. [Deadline] Stampede, the company recently launched by former Warner Bros. prez Greg Silverman, optioned Sam Marsdens Wattpad novel Under Glass. [press release] Peter Ackroyds series the History of England (St. Martins) has been optioned by Pulse Films (XY Chelsea). [Deadline] For more childrens and YA book deals, see our latest Rights Report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) The vote to give the Philippines a seat in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was not without critics from the United Nations (UN) itself. The Philippines was granted another three-year term, from 2019 to 2021, in the council after 165 of the 192 member-states voted for it. READ: PH wins UN Human Rights Council seat This did not sit well with the UN Representatives from international human rights organizations. "In ridiculous vote devoid of competition, UN General Assembly elected #Philippines, #Eritrea, #Bahrain & #Cameroon to be among new members of @UN #HumanRights Council in 2019-2021. Such votes make mockery of word "election"," said Louis Charbonneau, United Nations Director of the Human Rights Watch, in a tweet. Charbonneau added that the UNHRC should not be used by rights-abusing member states to shield themselves. "#HRC member states should seek to neutralize any attempts by its worst members to shield themselves and other serial rights abusers & keep doing good work on #Yemen, #Myanmar, #Syria, #Burundi & other crises," Charbonneau said. Amnesty International UN Representative Sherine Tadros called the elections that gave the Philippines a seat a "mockery", since there was exactly the same number of open seats as the number of candidates. "Moments ago the UN General Assembly "elected" -amongst others -Bahrain,Philippines and Eritrea to serve on the Human Rights Council in a process that makes a mockery of the word elections (number of candidates matched the number of seats - there was no competition) #HRCelections," Tadros said in a tweet. Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, on the other hand, said the election meant that the UN had acknowledged President Rodrigo Duterte's violent anti-drug campaign as essential. "With the county's re-election, the President's campaign against illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality has, in effect, been acknowledged by the international community as essential to the protection of the right to life, liberty and property of every peace-loving and law-abiding citizen of our State," Panelo said. He went as far as saying that the anti-drug campaign was the Philippines' brand of human rights advocacy. "We thank and commend the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the States that supported our country's bid, for affirming the Philippines' brand of human rights advocacy under the Duterte administration as truly responsive to our people's needs and aspirations for a better and more dignified life," Panelo said. Duterte has made no secret of his disdain for human rights groups in several of his speeches, often launching tirades against personalities like UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard and more recently former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein. Fools Rush In Two nearly surefire ways to get onto the bestseller list: be a viral video sensation or a Fox News commentator. Battling it out for regional supremacy this week are the #1 and #2 book in the country, which together sold more print copies than the next five books combined. The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley, a 2010 picture book, surged in popularity after a video of a Scottish grandmother reading it to her four-month-old grandson went viral. In Ship of Fools, the eponymous host of Foxs Tucker Carlson Tonight takes aim at what he sees as an American elite out of touch with the average voter. (See all of this week's bestselling books.) Mad Props Rebecca Traister debuts at #11 in hardcover nonfiction with Good and Mad, a trenchant analysis, our starred review said, of what the author calls the nexus of womens anger and American politics. First-week print units sales eclipsed those of her two previous books: 2010s Big Girls Dont Cry, about how, in the words of the subtitle, the 2008 presidential election changed everything for American women, and 2016s All the Single Ladies, which looks at the massive social change engendered when woman have options beyond early marriage. New & Notable A Spark of Light Jodi Picoult #1 Hardcover Fiction, #6 overall Drama abounds in Picoults latest issue-driven novel, our review said, in which a hostage crisis in a womens health center/abortion clinic provides a look at a volatile subject. The Fifth Risk Michael Lewis #5 Hardcover Nonfiction, #8 overall Journalist Lewis (The Big Short) examines a significant danger posed by the Trump administrations approach to governance, our starred review said, and persuasively documents the dangers that result from placing people without the necessary skills in charge of vital government agencies. A Map of Days Ransom Riggs #2 Childrens Frontlist Fiction The fourth book in the Miss Peregrines series is the first to feature color images. The peculiar children travel through 20th-century America, Riggs told PW, which I associate with loud, kitschy, square-format Kodachrome color. Top 10 Overall Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 The Wonky Donkey Smith/Cowley Scholastic 95,132 2 Ship of Fools Tucker Carlson Free Press 82,220 3 Fear Bob Woodward Simon & Schuster 42,319 4 Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis Nelson 39,875 5 Lord of the Fleas (Dog Man #5) Dav Pilkey Graphix 31,309 6 A Spark of Light Jodi Picoult Ballantine 26,750 7 Whiskey in a Teacup Reese Witherspoon Touchstone 25,491 8 The Fifth Risk Michael Lewis Norton 23,766 9 Just Jessie Jessie James Decker Dey Street 23,670 10 Instant Loss Cookbook Brittany Williams Harmony 20,158 All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted. Stay up to date on all the latest news about New York Comic Con 2018 with Publishers Weeklydaily updates, podcasts and more. We'll have exclusive interviews, photos and all the rest of the action here. Selling Graphic Novels In a Changing American Marketplace Over the last five years, the North American graphic novel market has welcomed a wave of new readers. At NYCC 2018, a group of comics professionals focused on identifying some of the consumer and cultural trends driving this growth. More To Come 342: New York Comic Con 2018 Recap This week the MTC cohosts recap the news and events at New York Comic Con 2018, including record attendance, the revamped Harvey Awards, the debut of Anime Fest @ NYCC, panels, book and comics news, interviews from the show floor, parties and much more. A Record 250,000 Fans Mob New York Comic Con 2018 More than 250,000 fans purchased tickets to attend New York Comic Con, held October 4-7 at the Javits Convention Center, marking another year of impressive growth for the show. NYCC reported about 200,000 fans in attendance a year ago. Asian-Pop Makes Big Showing at New York Comic Con 2018 Japanese and Asian pop culture had a big presence in the exhibit hall floor at New York Comic Con at the Javits Center; while uptown at Pier 94 ReedPop launched a new anime and manga festival to mixed reviews from fans and exhibitors. Telgemeier Unveils Two Books, and More Kids' News from New York Comic Con On October 5 at New York Comic Con, Scholastic pulled back the curtain on Guts, a new graphic memoir that will be released in September 2019 with a first printing of one million copies. Guts has a similar cover to Smile and Sisters, Telgemeiers previous autobiographical works, and it looks like it will have a similar vibe as well. Instead of dental drama or sibling rivalry, though, Guts will weave issues of anxiety and food intolerance into a slice-of-life middle-school story. Scholastic also announced another Telgemeier book, a how-to journal titled Share Your Smile: Rainas Guide to Telling Your Own Story, which is due out next April. The first printing will be 500,000 copies. Photo Mania: New York Comic Con 2018 New York Comic Con 2018, held October 4-7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center and at nearby venues, attracted throngs of fans to a weekend of comics, graphic novels and pop culture of all kinds. PW was on hand to capture images of artists, editors, publishers and fans at the biggest pop culture event on the East coast. Monstress Named Book of the Year at 2018 Harvey Awards Monstress by writer Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda, an epic fantasy work about a teenage girl with a monstrous demonic power, was named Book of the Year at the 30th annual Harvey Awards, held October 5 at New York Comic Con Black Crown Unveils New Punks Not Dead at New York Comic Con Black Crown, Shelly Bonds newly launched comics imprint at IDW, plans to unveil London Calling, a new installment of its Punks Not Dead series, at the IDW Panel at New York Comic con. New York Comic Con 2018 Opens at Javits Throngs of fans surged through the Javits Convention Center on Thursday at the opening of New York Comic Con 2018, which will run from October 4-7. But this years New York Comic Con is missing an event that focuses on the business side of pop culture: Milton Griepp, CEO of ICv2, a pop culture trade news site, will not deliver his annual White Paper on the size and biggest trends of the North American graphic novel market place. ReedPop's Anime Fest at NYCC Faces Controversy In mid-July, a few weeks after Anime Expo 2018, a major Japanese pop culture show held in Los Angeles, New York Comic Con announced a new addition to its fall pop culture lineup: Anime Fest @ NYCC x Anime Expo, a newly organized anime- and manga-focused event to be held in conjunction with NYCC at Pier 94, an exhibition space about 20 blocks north of the Javits Center. New York Comic Con Adds Space for Content Creators: New York Comic Con Preview This years New York Comic Con, an annual pop culture convention unfolding October 47 at the Jacob Javits Center and surrounding venues, will kick off with its usual selection of celebrity creators, major and indie publishers, a new Artist Alley, a newly relocated awards presentation, and a return to the New York Public Library. Theres also likely to be a bit of controversy around anime and manga at this years show. More To Come 341: New York Comic Con 2018 Interviews Pt 4 This week More to Come features interviews recorded at New York Comic Con 2018. In this fourth episode Calvin Reid interviews Spanish comics artist Ana Miralles, co-creator of 'In Search of the Unicorn' (Europe Comics) and 'Djinn' (Insight Comics); and Kate Fitzsimons offers short interviews with comics creators Art Baltazar, Terry Doddson, Adriana Mello, David Petersen and Greg Pak. More To Come 340: New York Comic Con 2018 Interviews Pt 3 This week More to Come features interviews recorded at New York Comic Con 2018. In this third episode Calvin Reid interviews comics creator Carolyn Nowak about her career and her works, including her new graphic novel 'Girl Town' (Top Shelf). Heidi interviews Man of Action founder and comics legend Joe Casey and artist Benjamin Marra about their upcoming graphic novel 'Jesus Freak', an irreverent take on the lost years of the historical Jesus, from Image Comics. More To Come 339: New York Comic Con 2018 Interviews Pt 2 This week More to Come features interviews recorded at New York Comic Con 2018. In this second episode Calvin interviews Berger Books editor Karen Berger and co-writer Joel Rose about 'Hungry Ghosts,' a new collection of food ghost and horror stories created with the late chef Anthony Bourdain. Then, Heidi talks with Polish comics artist Joanna Karpowicz, creator of 'Sour Apple' and Luke Pearson, creator of the 'Hilda' series of graphic novels which inspired the new Netflix series of the same name More To Come 338: New York Comic Con 2018 Interviews Pt 1 This week More to Come features interviews recorded at New York Comic Con 2018. In this episode Calvin interviews Milton Griepp, CEO of pop culture news site ICv2.com, about the current state of the comics and graphic novels market and and why he isnt delivering his annual White Paper at the show. Then, Calvin talks with Gina Gagliano, publishing director of Random House Graphic, a newly launched kids and YA graphic novel imprint at Random House Childrens Books, about her new job and new acquisitions. More To Come 337: New York Comic Con 2018 Preview This week the More to Come crewCalvin Reid, Heidi 'The Beat' MacDonald and Kate Fitzsimonspreview the upcoming New York Comic Con; update other convention news like the new Keystone Comic Con, discuss Petit Paul, a disturbing erotic comic by Bastien Vives; and new comics lines at Abrams ComicArts and Workman. Plus a new episode of Star Gazing with graphic novel reviews editor Meg Lemke. Lion Forges Caracal Imprint to Publish The Underfoot in 2019 In an announcement from New York Comic Con 2018, comics publisher Lion Forge unveiled plans to publish The Underfoot!, an epic anthropomorphic sci-fi series co-written by Ben Fisher and Emily S. Whitten with art by Michelle Nguyen. Humanoids Taps Cassaday; Plus New York Comic Con News Continuing efforts to expand its editorial catalog, French-owned, Los Angeles based Humanoids has named Eisner Award-winning comics artist John Cassaday its first chief creative officer. An advance copy caught the eyes of our staff when it came through the PW newsroom this yeara rare occurrence considering the volume of incoming books for review. That ARC, for Najmieh Batmanglijs Cooking in Iran, was a huge hardcover. But it was no finished book with a for review/not for sale sticker slapped on it. It was a proper galley. When reached for comment about the galley's remarkable quality, Mohammad Batmanglij, the publisher of Mage Publishers in Washington, D.C., and husband to Najmieh, said that such galleys were fairly simple to produce these days, and that his small house only printed a few ARCs for each book it published, to send exclusively to trade publications that ask for them months before the books publication. Theyre a little expensive, but they do leave the impression that its something to look at, he said, before gently asking, But how did you like what was inside the book? What is inside the bookwhich received a starred review in a recent issue of PWis an exhaustive guide to regional styles of cooking across Iran, a country that remains much misunderstood and maligned in the West. Cooking in Iran, which Mage will publish in November in a roughly 4,000-copy first printing, is the product of five years of research and thousands of miles of traveling in a country from which the Batmanglijs were forced to flee following the end of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. When the Batmanglijs first left Iran, they settled in France. It was a nostalgic thing for my wife, to go into cooking as a way of staying connected with Iran, Mohammad said. As Iranians are wont to do, she would invite neighbors over to eat, and one of them suggested that she do a book: It would be usefulthe French would like it. That book, Najmiehs first, was La Cuisine DIran, published by Jacques Grancher in 1984. It was, to the Batmanglijs knowledge, the first Iranian cookbook published in France. The Batmanglijs decided to leave France soon after, realizing that they would never be treated as French. The couple had caught the publishing bug but found it difficult to publish in France at the time: They were not particularly receptive to letting outsiders in, Mohammad explained. So they visited Washington, where his brother was living, and met with publisher and Georgetown professor Don Herdeck, who ran Three Continents Press, which published the work of Naguib Mahfouz in English for years before he won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Batmanglijs moved to the capital, where Herdeck helped the couple acquire a small office, and they began doing business. Mages first title in the U.S. was a cookbook, Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies, also by Najmieh, now considered the definitive English-language volume on Persian and Iranian cuisine. (PW reviewed the book upon its release in 1986; a 25th-anniversary edition was published in 2011.) The book was a hit, and Mage branched out with childrens books based on Iranian myths, but the titles found no traction in the market. So, along with more cookbooks by Najmieh, now considered an authority on her national cuisine in America, Mage tried a different tack: Iranian histories and translations of Persian classics. It began selling paperback licenses to Penguin Classics, including the Shah Na Meh, or Persian Book of Kings, and the poetry of Hafez, such as Faces of Love, while publishing the books in hardcover and distributing through Ingram Publisher Services and Amazon. The history books were typically sold to colleges as course material, and, as publishing technology got better, Mage began printing those titles on demand to help keep overhead low. The publisher releases roughly five books per year, with seven in the works for 2019, and has about 60 titles on its backlist. Mage is a small house; Mohammad is its publisher, and he and Najmieh are its only full-time employees. Other staffersincluding copy editors, typesetters, and the likework part-time. The publishers print runs fluctuate: Najmiehs cookbooks often receive runs of 4,0005,000 copies, depending on the size of the books, whereas other books receive more modest print runs of approximately 2,500 copies. The publishers writing stable is also compact: Najmieh, historian Willem Floor, and poet and translator Dick Davis are Mages primary authors. Challenges in growing the business, Mohammad explained, stem from either lack of interest in the Middle East or from politics. Iranian culture and literature... Theres demand, but politics has been against itits an uphill battle to present good things about Iran. There is a Eurocentrism to our culture that we still havent overcome. It will be gradual, and publishing houses are a help to that. The impact of politics, however, is hard to avoid. Although Najmieh has been back to Iran once since the revolutionto research her latest bookMohammad has never returned, as travel is harder to get approved, and, even if it is, Iranian-Americans are viewed with significant suspicion. That suspicion exists in the U.S. as well, where anti-immigrant rhetoric abounds. But Mohammad and Najmiehboth American citizensdidnt doubt their decision to move here in the 1980s, and still do not regret it. We had two boys, and we thought that, in America, they would be Americans, Mohammad said. And indeed, they are. And of note: their elder son, Zal, is the cocreator and director of the Netflix series The OA, while their younger son, Rostam, was a founding member of the indie-pop band Vampire Weekend. Despite the climate, Mohammad remains hopefulboth for Iranian culture and for immigrants. The darkest before the dawn... Demographics are going to fix it, I imagine, he said. He added that, in spite of nativist sentiments, there is another side to the coin: There is a receptiveness, of people in our neighborhood, for example. Theyre more conscious of the idea that someones come from somewhere else. The unconsciousness of that, when I was a student here, had its own charm. But the fact that now, people are more considerate of wanting to know where youre from... That also has its own elements. It goes both ways. The 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair concluded Sunday, October 14, with fair officials reporting a 2.7% gain in the number of exhibitors over 2017s fair. In all, the fair featured 7,503 exhibitors from 109 countries (up from 102 last year). And though final attendance figures for the trade wont be out until this week, they are expected to be stable for a fourth-straight yeara sign that the fair has found solid footing again after attendance declines in the recession-challenged years following the 2009 event. Despite lingering political uncertainty across Europe, the U.K., and in the U.S., a sense of calm has also returned to the fair. The general feeling has been a mixture of bullish confidence and strange unease, said Michael Bhaskar, publishing director of U.K.-based Canelo. Transworld publisher Bill Scott Kerr pointed to another important factor contributing to the mood of the show: the weather. It was uncharacteristically sunny and warm all week, to the delight of fairgoers. The weather makes a massive difference, Kerr said. There are loads of people out enjoying the sun in the courtyard, which can contribute to the feeling that, within the halls, the fair is a bit quieter. In his opening keynote at the Markets on October 10, HarperCollins UK CEO Charlie Redmayne neatly captured the state of the book business. Clearly, the physical book never did go away, nor was it ever going to, he said. But equally important, Im not seeing any great resurgence across the market in terms of physical books. In fact, I think the truth is that we have arrested decline. Redmayne acknowledged that challenges remain, including a squeeze on space for books in retail channels and continued pressure from online platforms. But in a noticeable change of tone from Frankfurt keynotes of years past, Redmayne sounded confident that the book business can compete in a digital, multimedia world. We should not be afraid of people consuming other forms of media," Redmayne said. "For us, this is a positive. Ultimately it drives people back to the book. And consumers have demonstrated that they are willing to pay for content as long as it is the content they want, at the quality they expect, easily accessible on the platform they want to consume it on, and, just as importantly, at the right price. In the LitAg (agents center), rights dealing was steady, although there were no blockbuster deals or hot titles rippling through the fair. The agents center is very busy, Tridents Robert Gottlieb reported. Foreign publishers are here in large numbers and buying American authors. Literary and upmarket in fiction is hot, and womens fiction in general is highly sought after. Another American agent, Rebecca Gardner of the Gernert Company, had a slightly different take. She termed the mood at the LitAg mellow and observed that though it is encouraging to hear about novels from a range of diverse voices, the more frequent comment in the center was about how little there was on the fiction front. We have had a very busy fair for childrens fiction, with a lot of interest, said Jane Harris, manager of childrens trade at Bonnier. There is money in the market for the right things. But the fair in general seems a bit quieter, and there are not many Americans. Johanna Ingalls, managing editor of Akashic Books, agreed. There seem to be less people around, but thats not a bad thing. Its less frantic. Its quieter, which is somehow more welcoming. Which is not to say there wasnt drama in the LitAgspecifically over the fairs plan to move the center next year from Hall 6.0 to the nearby Festhalle to accommodate renovations. The LitAg has moved several times in the past decade to accommodate growth; this year, it had 538 tables, up from some 500 in 2017. But the pending move has nevertheless generated significant pushback from agents and publishers, including a petition circulating in the LitAg asking the fair to reconsider the decision to move. Once again, politics loomed large at the fair. At the annual CEO panel, Macmillan CEO John Sargent recalled his run-in with the Trump administration, which sought to block publication of Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Sargent said the decision to fight the Trump administrations cease-and-desist order wasnt about politics so much as right vs. wrong. The function that we serve is not only a commercial function, but also a function to help democracy, he added. The threat by the Trump administration to stop publication of the book, he noted, was unacceptable to us, and it should be unacceptable to everyone in America, no matter which way they vote. At the fairs opening press conference, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spoke of the need for more diverse voices in literature, and for more boldness in storytelling in these uncertain political times. Art can illuminate politics, she told a standing-room-only audience of journalists in the new Frankfurt Pavilion. It is important to have a wide diversity of voices not because we want to be politically correct, but because we want to be accurate. We cannot understand the world if we continue to pretend that a small fraction of the world is representative of the whole world. Adichie also spoke of the need for more womens voices to he heard. For so many people in the world today, theres an inability to feel empathy for women, because the stories of women are not yet seen as universal, she said. This to me is why we seem to live in a world where many people believe that large numbers of women can simply wake up one day and make up stories about having been assaulted. I know many women who want to be famous. I dont know one single woman who wants to be famous for having been assaulted. To believe this is to think very lowly of women. Editor's Note: The Frankfurt Book Fair has now released the show's final attendance figures; at press time this number was not available. Show organizers reported trade attendance was down 1.8% from 2017 and that a total of 285,024 visitors attended the event, marking a 0.5% decrease from 2017. In a letter, she accused the former first couple of turning deaf ears "all this years as if you are unaware of the injustice you people have done to me." "The poor has no justice in any part of the world. But even in my poor state, I will fight till I die Just wait for what will unfold soon She added. But after speculations that she has had a thing with the ex-president, the actress cum musician denied the charge. She told Kasapa FM: "Ive never dated ex President Mahama. Ive met him only once when I and my then colleague HIV/AIDS Ambassadors had gathered for a programme. "I think at the time he was then sitting Vice President, I never went close to him and has never spoken to him so how can I be dating him. I dont have his telephone number, so why should people even think of those issues. It is her first time writing to Mahama? In 2016, she wrote a letter to then president Mahama to demanding compensation after her contract with the Ghana AIDS Commission was terminated. She revealed being contracted by the commission to become an AIDS ambassador in a bid to eliminate the stigma HIV/AIDS patients face. READ MORE: Former AIDS Ambassador Invited By Police CID She wrote that the termination of the contract had left her homeless. What's her HIV status? She has given conflicting claims about her status. But the AIDS commission insists she tested positive for HIV. READ MORE: 13 types of Kenyan couples we all know She had never been to Ghana until her appointment as Vodafone Ghana CEO, she revealed in August. Im currently going out, he is a Ghanaian, she responded to a question from Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday. She said her boyfriend is not intimidated by her position. "No way, he is not at all, responded to a question posed to her by Bola Ray. Yolanda joined Vodacom Group in November 2014 as Strategy and New Business Director. She previously worked as Executive Director, Strategy & Business Support at South African Breweries Limited (SAB) and as Group CEO of the publicly listed Mvelaphanda Group. Yolanda was also selected as one of the Young Global Leaders in 2008, an initiative by the World Economic Forum and named as one of the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa by Forbes Magazine in 2011. READ MORE: 5 mobile phone rules every couple should follow She is South African and has degrees in Statistics and Accounting from the Universities of Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal. She is also an alumnus of INSEAD International Executive Programme. The company flagged the report as "fake" and urged its worried customers to ignore it. The report comes on the heels of a law suit filed by Menzgold against the Bank of Ghana and the Security and Exchange Commission. Menzgold is demanding an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the first and second defendant it offices, servants and agents from interfering with the plaintif business activities or further acts of disobedience and non-compliance with law by publishing any such derogatory notices. The writ was issued on Thursday (September 27, 2018). The gold firm owned by Nana Appiah Mensah has been in the news lately for what the Bank of Ghana cautioned the general public not to deposit money at the firm. This caused a media war between the regulator and authorities of Menzgold. Menzgold responded that they were not taking deposits and called on the general public to disregard the news. The SEC later decided to investigate Menzgold and subsequently issued a statement for Menzgold to shut down with immediate effect in the trading of gold until further notice. In a letter dated September 7, 2018, which was signed by the Deputy Director General of SEC, Paul Ababio said that the SEC hereby directs Menzgold Company Ltd to shut down immediately the business of trading in gold collectibles with guaranteed returns to clients which constitutes, in essence, dealing in securities with neither the necessary license nor disclosure authorised by the SEC. READ MORE: PURC urges public not to panic over impending tariff review Even though Menzgold accused the SEC of exercising bad faith, they shut down operations and promised to resume on September 28, 2018. However, Menzgold has sued the two regulators on September 27, 2018. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts reportedly issued a fiery statement against former Homeland Security John Kelly, following the revelation of an email in which Kelly described the lawmaker as "an impolite arrogant woman." In the February 2017 emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, Kelly mentioned he had the "absolutely most insulting conversation" with the Democratic lawmaker regarding President Donald Trump's executive order blocking refugees and travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries. "She immediately began insulting our people accusing them of not following the court order, insulting and abusive behavior towards those covered by the pause, blah, blah, blah," Kelly wrote of his phone call with Warren, and in reference to a temporary restraining order on Trump's travel ban. Warren, who took part in a demonstration at the Logan Airport among her constituents, personally reached out to Kelly and demanded answers about the situation, according to an anonymous congressional source in BuzzFeed News's report. Kelly reportedly did not respond to Warren for a week, and later denied she had tried to make to contact with him. Warren appeared to be aware of Kelly's emails and confirmed the background details from the congressional source. In an emailed statement to author David Dayen, Warren wrote that she and her staff "tried to get answers from the Department of Homeland Security," but that "there was only one problem." "Trump's new Director of Homeland Security John Kelly wouldn't return our calls and emails," she said in the email. "My staff emailed back and forth with his staff, but we couldn't get them to set up a call or answer our questions." Warren went on to claim that when she finally made contact with Kelly, he "brushed me off" and instead of providing her with a phone number for his office, directed her "to the main line listed on the Department of Homeland Security's website (really)." Warren alleged Kelly "bizarrely" believed she was fabricating her story and "insisted I'd made the whole thing up." "I happened to be looking at all the emails between his staff and my staff when he said this, so I started reading them to him," Warren said in the statement. "He accused me again of making it all up. " "My policy staffers were in the room," Warren added. "And to this day, I've never seen so many jaws drop in unison. It was one of the first times we saw 'alternative facts' so up close and personal." Warren wrote that she continued to press Kelly for a direct line to his office and eventually obtained something more personal. "So what happened next? You guessed it I persisted," Warren wrote. "I asked again for his number. He hemmed and hawwed, and he again tried to give me the Department's main line. Let's just say that's when the conversation really started getting awkward and that I persisted longer than he did. Eventually, he didn't just give me his office number he gave me his cell number." Warren continued scolding Kelly by disparaging his current role as Trump's chief of staff, a position he took on after Reince Priebus was ousted in July 2018. "He can't even get Donald Trump off Twitter, and as far as I can tell, that was his main job description when he took on the role of White House chief of staff," Warren wrote. "'Blah blah blah.' That's all he had to say when he was called out for breaking the law and destroying lives," Warren added in her email. "And I don't know about John Kelly but there are some men who can only hear 'blah blah blah' whenever a woman's talking." President Donald Trump spoke out Friday to support his daughter Ivanka as a potential successor to Nikki Haley as US Ambassador to the United Nations, but said the move would prompt "chants of Nepotism." In a tweet, Trump said "everyone wants Ivanka Trump to be the new United Nations Ambassador," and that "she would be incredible, but I can already hear the chants of Nepotism!" So nice, everyone wants Iva... @ Donald J. Trump Ivanka, who is currently a senior White House adviser, became a prominent candidate after Haley announced her resignation earlier this week. Trump said hours after the announcement the first daughter "would be dynamite" in the role, but Ivanka shot down the rumors in a tweet. The president has previously prompted concerns of nepotism with Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who both joined the administration as senior advisers with no prior career government experience. In her resignation announcement, Haley sparked interest when she glowingly praised the couple. "I can't say enough good things about Jared and Ivanka," who she said "do a lot of things behind the scenes that I wish more people knew about." Scores of Twitter users noted a bot that showed Ivanka had started following several defense-related Twitter accounts the day before. Related content Trump told reporters after Haley's resignation that he would announce a replacement in the next two weeks. From the State Houses of Assembly through the National Assembly to the Presidency. One thing appears likely though the number of elected women would be short of feminists expectation, at least short of the often mouthed 35 per cent affirmative action. The United Nations Affirmative Action basically requires that some 35 per cent of all posts should go to women. It is not an open cheque though, that is, it is not automatic. It requires that women put their best foot forward to fill up any reserved position, not an all comers affair as many would desire. Do or die In this connection the allegation of Chima Anyaso presumed winner of the PDP primary election for Bende federal constituency, Abia State that the party was being pressurized to concede the ticket to his female competitor all in the name of affirmative action is unfortunate. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje the present occupant of the seat was gunning for a fourth term, having spent some 12 years in the House of Representatives. ece-auto-gen If we accuse men of perpetrating a sit-tight syndrome, we (women) should be able to show a better example, to show that politics for us women is not a do or die affair and that our motto is live and let live, to subjugate our self interest for the greater good. Having been in the National Assembly for 12 years Elendu-Ukeje should have bowed out when the ovation was loudest and allowed other zones in her federal constituency to also have a chance of going to Abuja. At best she and her supporters should have been readying a worthy female successor to take over from her if they were really that fixated about the much bandied affirmative action. After having initially accepted defeat, Elendu-Ukeje recanted, reportedly saying that she was threatened with a gun to conceed. Whatever it is, Nnenna should honourably let go rather than entering into a roforofo fight with her opponents which is dishonourable for a woman. Kitchen Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of the President is not a professional politician but surrounded by politicians, she cannot help being interested and be engaged in the politicking around her by way of voicing her candid opinions. In this she seemingly cannot be gagged, not even by her husband, President Buhari , in a seemingly patriarchal society as ours, where women are to be seen, not heard. ece-auto-gen Remember her outburst sometime ago that many of those being appointed by Mr. President were those who were not with them on the tough campaign train. She then threatened that she may not campaign for her husband in 2019 if things did not change. This led to the famous quote from the president to the effect that he does not know her wife to be a politician and that all he knows is that his wife belongs to the kitchen and the other room. Lampooing Buhari Now Mrs. Buhari has thrown another bombshell, accusing her husbands ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party of impunity. This came barely a day after her husband had been confirmed as the partys presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections Given that her husband is the partys leader, does it follow logically, that she is also accusing Mr. President of impunity? This is what the First Lady said in black and white: It is disheartening to note that some aspirants used their hard earned money to purchase nomination forms, got screened, cleared and campaigned vigorously yet found their names omitted on Election Day, these forms were bought at exorbitant prices. Many others contested and yet had their result delayed, fully knowing that automatic tickets have been given to other people. All Progressives Congress being a party whose cardinal principle is change and headed by a comrade/activist whose main concern is for the common man, yet such impunity could take place under its watch. Given this development one will not hesitate than dissociate from such unfairness, be neutral and speak for the voiceless. It is important for the populace to rise against impunity and for voters to demand from aspirants to be committed to the provision of basic amenities. Let us vote wisely!!!! The last sentence is telling. Is Madam First Lady implying that all candidates of her husbands party should not be voted for automatically, that voters should reject some APC candidates? I thought all party supporters including Madam Buhari who is President Buharis second half, are expected to line up behind APC candidates. It is called party loyalty is it not? Is to do otherwise not to betray your party? ece-auto-gen Some are attributing Mrs. Buharis outbursts to the concern that her brother did not win the Adamawa State APC governorship ticket. Whatever it is, Madam First Lady did not act in a honourable, edifying womanly way in publicly lampooning her party, the ruling party of which her husband is the leader. She could have lobbied and convinced her husband, Mr. President behind closed doors at home on her concerns and for whatever she wants politically. Zero Nasarawa State House of Assembly is still waiting for its first female member ever, since its creation. One had thought that Hajia Dongoyaro, former special adviser contesting for the Nasarawa-Toto constituency would make it, especially as she posed in a photograph with the governor, displaying her nomination form, giving the impression that he supported her aspiration. One thought that Governor Tanko Al-makura would thus use his influence to get Hajia through just as he did it for his anointed governorship candidate Abdullahi Audu Sule. The highest-ranked female politician in Nasarawa State is Senator Patricia Akwashiki who took over from Labaran Maku as information minister under the Jonathan administration. She campaigned for the gubernatorial ticket under the PDP. But on the day of the PDP primary election as I gathered, she was bamboozled by elders, traditional chiefs et al from her local government area of Nasarawa Eggon to step down for another famous eggon man, Solomon Ewuga. They reportedly said that they cannot bow down to a woman as governor. Interestingly, the much-hyped Ewuga lost the primaries to another Eggon person, a younger person, David Umbugadu who is now PDPs standard bearer for the governorship race in Nasarawa State. Short-changed Lagos State which had always had a woman as deputy governor is about to have a male as running mate to APC candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the person of Hamzat the man who stepped down for him during the primary election against incumbent Akinwummi Ambode thereby jettisoning the practice and leaving the women politicians coming short. Written by Ngozi Ikeano. The global rap act was spotted enjoying the African sound in an Instagram video showing he is in Africa. It was a moment of instant head bobbing for the American rapper while listening to the song in company of music executive, Bankuli who shared a video via Instagram. Bakuli, whose location read Uganda, was able to capture Ye in his time of discovering Mystro's dope jam. The former Vice President was elected the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) at the party's national convention in Port Harcourt on Sunday, October 7, 2018, beating Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to the ticket. While his victory has led to the expected brickbat between him and the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the former Vice President has been enjoying a lot of goodwill and momentum ahead of the 2019 presidential election. The highlight of his week came on Thursday, October 11, when he was publicly endorsed by his former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had previously been one of the most vocal opponents of his long-standing presidential ambition. Obasanjo is now backing Atiku to boot Buhari out of the Presidential Villa next year and believes he can do a better job. Atiku got even more political boost when he announced the selection of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as his running mate for the election on Friday, October 12. Anti-climatic National Assembly resumption After 11 weeks of legislative recess, lawmakers finally resumed for plenary sessions at the National Assembly this week. The 11 weeks of recess had been filled with a lot of mudslinging between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who had vowed to impeach Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the man who repeatedly called their bluff. Many were expecting the fireworks to go off when lawmakers resumed on Tuesday, October 9, but it turns out APC lawmakers have put down their war drums and will not be taking any action against the leader of the National Assembly who dumped the ruling party for the PDP in August. With impeachment drama settled, the Senate finally got around to approving the budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)to conduct the 2019 general elections. The calamity of Zamfara APC INEC wrote a letter to the national leadership of the APC to inform the party that its Zamfara State chapter will be barred from fielding candidates to contest in the 2019 general elections after failing to conduct primary elections. The commission had set October 7 as the deadline for parties to conclude their primary elections to elect candidates, but divisions within the state chapter of the APC prevented an INEC-supervised election from taking place for the governorship and legislative positions. In a strongly-worded reply, the party's national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, disclosed that the party had resolved the crisis internally and had decided on consensus candidates that it'll soon present to contest in the general elections. In other news... A report revealed that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, had been lying about his university degree when he claimed he graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Despite video evidence of him making the claim, the minister has responded that he was misunderstood. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this week that the Federal Government has proposed to review the national minmum wage for Nigerian workers from N18,000 to N24,000. Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, went to war with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)when he filed a lawsuit against the anti-graft agency for its alleged unconstitutional witch-hunt against him which he claims has brought him public ridicule. An aircraft parked inside Overland Air hangar at the domestic wing of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos burst into flames on Friday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that Buhari was represented by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar. You must subordinate yourself to civil authority and protect our growing democracy. Also, you should be vigilant and guard your utterances and conducts at all times. You should always remember that good civil-military relations is key to addressing some of our national security challenges. You must therefore guard against over zealousness and resist the temptation to brutalize the civil populace. Your duty is to protect all Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic background or religious inclination, Buhari said. He cautioned the cadets against succumbing to any inducement or acts that would cause disaffection among members of the Armed Forces. You must protect the Nigerian Constitution while remaining absolutely loyal to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he added. Buhari commended the leadership of NAF for providing specialised training to the cadets, the first time in recent past. The commander-in-chief therefore charged the cadets to display professionalism, discipline, loyalty and hard work in the course of their service. He stressed that being in the military is much more than just securing a job, especially at this crucial point in our national life where we are battling with the challenges of insecurity. You must be aware that you are expected to secure lives and property by ensuring that every Nigerian lives in peace and is free to pursue his or her legitimate aspiration. Such a noble service demands extraordinary courage, commitment and patriotism and Nigeria will continue to count on you and indeed, demand such qualities from you. You are graduating at a time when our dear country is grappling with security challenges especially those posed by Boko Haram and militancy in the Niger Delta. Also, there are other emerging national security threats such as herders/farmers clashes and banditry which the Government is dealing with decisively. Buhari assured all Nigerians that the government is taking all necessary measures to safeguard lives and properties and stem out all forms of criminality across the country. NAF and indeed, the Armed Forces is currently at the forefront of the government efforts to rid the nation of these criminal elements and restore normalcy. I therefore, urge all of you to be prepared to play your part diligently in defending the territorial integrity and the values as well as aspirations of our great country. Buhari said in line with the current realities, the NAF has re-ordered its priorities in optimal use of resources, and expressed satisfaction for measures it took to engender transparency and accountability as well as maximize utilization of equipment and resources. The President also called on religious faithfuls to pray and seek Gods guidance before casting their votes in 2019. Buhari said this on Saturday, October 13, 2018, while speaking at a conference organised by the Interfaith Initiative for Peace, with the theme: Religious Harmony in Nigeria: Towards the 2019 General Election. He said Our Primary Elections are over, it is my hope that all who feel aggrieved would put the stability of our country first before their political ambitions and accept the decision of their political parties or seek resolution through party reconciliation mechanisms or the law courts. Very soon, political campaigns will commence leading to Elections in February next year. It is my hope and prayer that we will even perform better at the polling stations and see to a peaceful completion of the entire process without resorting to negative use of religion and ethnicity. Having witnessed the roles our religious leaders have been playing so far, I appeal to them to eschew partisan politics and appeal to their respective members to read the manifestos of each political party, discuss and pray for Gods guidance before casting their votes. Religious leaders should not be seen to involve themselves in partisan politics or political controversies. Otherwise they risk losing their status and public respect. No more free money According to the President, Nigeria has moved on from the era where free money is shared to people without accountability. I am proud to say that our country has moved on, the era of free money, lack of transparency and accountability is over! We deserve continuity; we deserve a better future for the coming generations. I sincerely hope 2019 will move us closer to these goals and so I look forward to a peaceful, fair and credible elections come 2019, he said. Buhari also urged traditional leaders to enlighten their subjects, saying On their part, traditional rulers are also requested to enlighten their subjects, encourage them to ask questions and seek clarifications before going out to vote. As your President, I will request that you encourage your subjects to come out and exercise their voting rights as responsible citizens. To all of us politicians, I ask that we discharge our political responsibilities with integrity, bearing in mind that we will one day give an account to God, the Almighty. Presence of religious leaders at Atikus endorsement by OBJ On Thursday, October 11, 2018, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar met with his former boss and ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo and Atiku have both washed each others dirty linen since their government ended in 2007. However, after the meeting, Obasanjo promised to work towards Atikus success in 2019. ALSO READ:5 Things Obasanjo told Atiku in Ota Some religious leaders who accompanied the PDP presidential candidate are: Sheikh Gumi, Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel and Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah. Some political observers say it is an indication that the Church in Nigeria is favourable to Atiku's candidacy. Karlsen said this on Friday in Abuja at a joint news conference by the European Commission in Nigeria and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). This is even as Director General NEMA, Mr Mustapha Maihaja, disclosed that the Federal Government had released N3 billion for flood victims across the country. Karlsen said the funding was to provide shelter, medicine and other basic items for an estimated 60,000 people in Anambra, Kogi and Delta states. We have responded decisively to the calls of Nigerian government to seek help from the international partners in a situation where the ongoing flooding in the country has affected around two million people. The European Union has mobilised one million Euros (N400 million) in support of the ongoing efforts. This funding aims at helping the victims in the most affected states, to help provide shelter, medicine and basic items for an estimated, he said. He also disclosed that EU has provided technical expertise and detail satellite maps to aid management services. He however said Nigerian government must acknowledge the fact that the adverse effect of climate change is having a critical impact on its people. He therefore strongly encourages government to redouble efforts to proactively prepare for future occurrence. He said the EU support was not limited to humanitarian aid but also included efforts to mitigate the effect of flooding through early preparation. The envoy assured that the Commission would follow up on a clear supervision and monitoring to ensure that the materials are being delivered as urgently as possible to the affected people. He also disclosed that the European Civil and Humanitarian Aid Organisation (ECHO) has provided 48 million euros this year to support the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East. Maihaja in his remarks said flooding had displaced over two million people, 199 lost their lives and 307,554 hectares of farmland destroyed. Maihaja said, the assessment of the farmlands could not be completed as many pieces of the farmland were still under water. The director general said that the number of affected people keeps increasing as the water is creating more havoc as it flows down. While lauding the EU for the support and assured that funding would be judiciously used added that the agency had put mechanism in place to monitor distribution of relief material. We carry out direct distribution to the people. Our officials go to the remotest parts Nigeria to distribute the relief items, he said. This was made known in a statement issued to newsmen by Innosons spokesman, Cornel Osigwe. Osigwe also called on the anti-graft agency to follow the due process of the law in prosecuting Innoson boss, Innocent Chukwuma. The groups spokesman, in the statement, wondered why the EFCC wants to tarnish Chukwumas image. He said It has become necessary to address the modus operandi being used by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in prosecuting the alleged trumped up fraud charge against the Chairman of Innoson Group at the Lagos State High Court. Are some EFCC officers hell bent or sent to destroy Chief Innocent Chukwuma? Are these agents acting alone or are they being influenced by Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) in other to destroy Nigeria foremost industrialist? This question has become necessary after closely monitoring the activities or interest of EFCC in a clearly business dispute between Innoson Nigeria Ltd and Guaranty Trust Bank. The Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu often times have appeared as one who does his work based on objective principles and therefore should look into the activities of some of his officers who have taken the side of subjectivity. Arrest GTB MD Osigwe also urged the EFCC to arrest and prosecute Guaranty Trus Bank (GTBs) Managing Director, Mr Segun Agbaje, alleging that the from Innosons account. Instead of EFCC arresting and prosecuting GTB and its Managing Director, Mr Segun Agbaje since its investigations show that GTB stole money from Innosons account, EFCC is busy twisting the facts and wanting to destroy Innosons chain of businesses because he is an Igbo man. It is on record that GTB's indebtedness to innoson as at today is over N22billion- arising from two separate judgment debts in suit numbers Fhc/L/cs/603/2006 and Fhc/AWK/CS/139/2013. One of these judgments against GTB is as a result of the money it stole from Innoson's account with it. Both judgments were delivered by Federal High Court, Ibadan and Awka Divisions respectively. EFCC/GTB's aim in sponsoring and championing this campaign is to force Innoson to stop forgo this huge judgment debt. Recall that GTB had in affidavits it filed at the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division and the Supreme Court and deposed that if it pays the judgment debt it will collapse. EFCC is a Federal Government Agency, created by Law to fight against financial crimes and provide law and order in the business environment based on objective principles. Therefore, it should stand as an unbiased umpire in the case of Innoson Motors Nigeria Limited and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) and should not be manipulated by GTB to do its bidding at will, he added. Speaking on the alleged double standard of EFCC, Osigwe said the anti-graft agency ignored and abandoned a prosecution by the Attorney General of Federation at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi in charge number FHC/L/565C/2015 against Innoson Nigeria Limited And Others, which was instigated by GTB and rushed to the Lagos State High Court Ikeja to file a fresh charge in respect of the subject matter, issues, parties and transaction same as the one being prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation at the Federal High Court Ikoyi. There is nowhere in this world this is done as this is clearly an abuse of court process. Some EFCC officers in doing the bidding of GTB allowed themselves to engage in double standard in a matter they should stand as the unbiased umpire. Court strikes out EFCC's case The striking out of the trumped up fraud charge filled by the EFCC at the Lagos State High Court on Wednesday October 10 2018 by Hon Justice Williams was not because Chief Innocent Chukwuma failed to appear before the court but because EFCC failed to convince the court that it properly served Chief Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman Innosson Motors Nigeria Ltd, the court papers (the charge) before seeking for an order for bench warrant/ declaration of wanted. The Judge while striking the case out, advised EFCC to get its acts together before coming to court. It is also interesting to state that the charge and now the allegation for which EFCC is vowing to arrest Innoson is a trumped up and a charade is supported by Justice Olushola Williams' statement when in striking out the charge, Her lordship stated that the court cannot continue to waste precious time calling a case that is going nowhere, Innosons spokesman said. Osigwe also wondered why the EFCC issued a statement in the media vowing to prosecute Chukwuma, after the court struck out the caseit filed against the entrepreneur. He said Why the rush to the media by EFCC to publicly announce the arrest of Innoson after it has its trumped up case struck out by the court? EFCC should learn to follow due process of law in handling its prosecution. It is on record that EFCC never served Innoson any court papers nor extended any Letter of Invitation to him; Therefore why the campaign of calumny in the media suggesting that Innoson has been evading arrest. Again, EFCC should understand that there is no such charge by it against Innoson in any court in Nigeria, the previous one having been struck out. Again, Innoson having appealed on 11th October 2018 to the Court of Appeal against the order striking out on the ground that it should be dismissal for being an abuse of court process that the charge is only pending at the court of appeal. And since the court of Appeal is not a court of original jurisdiction and there won't be any trial there, arresting Innoson on grounds of that is not justifiable in law; also to commence a new charge while the appeal is pending as well as the one at the federal high court- suit no. fhc/L/565c/2015 Will amount to a gross abuse of court process and disrespect for rule of law. ALSO READ:Court strikes out fraud charge against Innoson It seems that there are some officers of EFCC who are conniving with GTB in its campaign of calumny with the motive of constantly destroying the image and reputation of Chief Innocent Chukwuma using the media. It appears GTB has failed to learn from many of its blunders and mistakes in its jankara style of trying to damage the reputation of Chief Innocent Chukwuma but we advise them to tread with caution because the power of truth never declines. Force and violence may be effective in the short term, but in the long run, it is truth that will finally prevail. The presidency, on Saturday, October 13, 2018, announced that the Federal Government has moved to implement Executive Order Number 6 in full. It also said that as a result of the full implementation of the Executive Order, 50 high profile Nigerians have been placed on a travel ban. Buhari targeting opposition members In its reaction, the PDP said the travel ban is targeted at members of the opposition and perceived enemies of the government. Speaking further, the partys spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan said the Executive Order is a clampdown on the countrys democratic order. Tribune reports that Ologbondiyan also said this draconian step is clearly targeted at members of the opposition parties, perceived political enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari, well-meaning Nigerians, including members of the business community, religious leaders, former political leaders and traditional rulers, who are perceived to be averse to President Buharis re-election bid. We hope this is not a ploy to harm certain eminent Nigerians on the claims of resisting travel restrictions. The whole world can now see how fascism is fast taking over our democracy and judicial system and how the Buhari administration, by fiat, has directly ordered that citizens be secretly trailed, their movements and financial transactions restricted by government agencies, without recourse to due process of the law. Buhari in panic mode The PDP spokesman also said that the clampdown on the partys supporters will not be accepted, adding that the Buhari Presidency has gone into panic mode since the popular emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as PDP Presidential candidate and the spontaneous jubilation his emergence has evoked across the country. Many Nigerians on social media reacted to the news and some felt it will make no impact on Atikus chances of winning the 2019 presidential election. Others however hailed the move, calling it a sensible decision. Here are various reactions from some Twitter users. Peter Obi shades Buhari Peter Obi has taken a swipe at President Buhari barely 24-hours after he was announced as Atikus running mate. Obi, in a Tweet, said that the administration of Atiku Abubakar will be far away from anything called 'lifeless'. According to Premium Times, Simon Ebegbulem, an aide of the APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole confirmed the appointment. Issa-Onilu will replace Yekeen Nabena, who has been in acting capacity. Nabena will now go back to his former position as the APC deputy national publicity secretary. Issa-Onilus brief background - Issa-Onilu has 15 years experience working as a media executive and a journalist. -He is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. -He holds a Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University, Virginia, U.S.A. -Issa-Onilu is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Public Relations Society of New York, the International Communications Conference (ICC) at the Baruch College, State University of New York, the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). According to Premium Times, he joined former Comet Newspapers in as a News Editor, then moved over to Thisday Newspapers as an Assistant Editor. He resigned as the Group Politics Editor of Thisday Newspapers. Lanre Issa-Onilu has many academic papers to his credit. He hails from Kwara state. The Ebonyi Governor also hinted that the nomination of Obi as Atikus running mate might be rejected by South-East leaders. He said the move goes against an agreement made earlier that the PDP presidential candidates running mate will be chosen unanimously, if someone from the South-East is considered. Obi, a former Governor of Anambra state, was selectedas Atikus running mate on Friday, October 13, 2018. According to The Cable, Umahi said South-East leaders should have been consulted before picking anybody from the region. The Ebonyi state Governor also said that a decision on the matter will be made known after a meeting of Igbo leaders. Umahi, who said he has nothing against former Governor Obi, insists that the PDP has to do things right. South East Govs, Ohanaeze meet Also, Daily Post reports that a meeting between South-East Governors and members of Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo have scheduled to meet on Peter Obis nomination. A source said that some Governors and leaders in the region might endorse President Buhari because they feel Atiku disregarded them. The source also accused the PDP presidential candidate of breaking his promise to the South-East PDP leaders. Meanwhile, The Cable reports that the South-West is on standby to present a candidate if the South-East leaders reject Peter Obi. Buharis aide mocks Peter Obi Lauretta Onochie, Buharis new media aide has mocked the choice of Peter Obi as Atikus running mate. The governor made his position known on Friday after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja. Yari, who is the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), said he preferred to remain with the ruling party and fight all forms of injustice than defecting to another party. He stated that his supporters were aggrieved over the position of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on the conduct of the partys primaries in the state. The APC National Working Committee panel sent to Zamfara for the conduct of the APC primaries had failed to organise the exercise, citing security challenges. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said the APC would not be allowed to field candidates for National Assembly, governorship and state assembly in the 2019 general elections. The INEC letter, which was signed by its acting Secretary, Okechukwu Ndeche, explained that its decision was hinged on the fact that the party had failed to conduct primaries for National Assembly, governorship and state assembly before the expiration of its Oct. 7 deadline. It said that the party had run foul of the provisions of sections 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010. But, Oshiomhole faulted the electoral commission, saying the APC had conducted primaries in Zamfara, as such has candidates for all elective positions during the 2019 general elections. Yari explained that this development had caused frustration among his supporters, adding that he had handed over the results of the primaries conducted in the state to the President at this meeting. The governor also warned the national leadership of the party not to present any list that did not emanate from the primaries conducted before the expiration of the deadline for the primaries in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state and his counterpart from Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun also met with President Buhari at the State House, on Friday. Amosun, who was also rumoured to dump APC over the outcome of the partys primaries in Ogun, however, declined comment on the outcome of his meeting with the president. We have come across credible reports that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made moves to secure United States entry visa for the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, he said. The APC spokesman added that the former president was also lobbying the U.S authorities to withdraw the ban reportedly placed on Atiku from entering the U.S. He recalled that the entry ban was placed on Atiku following a $500,000 bribery scandal in 2005 that involved Atiku, his fourth wife, Jennifer, and former United States Congressman, William Jefferson. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obasanjo, had on Thursday, endorsed the candidacy of Atiku who was the Vice President when he was in office. Nabena, however, stressed that former Obasanjos intervention in Atikus ban from the United States of America was evidence of his legendary hypocrisy and self-serving interest in national affairs. He noted that Obasanjo during and after leaving office, had always insisted on Atikus unsuitability to govern Nigeria based on his knowledge of his extensive corrupt practices while he served as Vice President. Recall that the former president while in office had deployed enormous resources of the country on a global dragnet coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in getting Atiku prosecuted for corrupt enrichment and money laundering. A report by the U.S Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Senator Carl Levin reported that Atiku used offshore companies to siphon millions of dollars to his fourth wife in the United States, Jennifer, Nabena said. This, he said, happened while Atiku was still the Vice President of Nigeria between 2000 and 2008. He added that it was on the strength of the report, that President George Bush barred Atiku and other corrupt politically exposed persons from being issued visa to the United States. Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, Chairman of PDP in Anambra said this while reacting to the announcement of Obi as Atikus running mate in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Wednesday. Nwobu said the nomination was a round peg in a round hole as Obi possessed all the requisite quality to occupy the position having been a successful governor and a seasoned technocrat. He said the state chapter was happy that the PDP hearkened to its call that Anambra be given the slot as it had plethora of individuals who could partner with any president to chart a new course for Nigeria. It is a welcome development, the choice of Obi is that of a round peg in a round hole, a governor he set Anambra on a pedestal for economic growth and left huge dune of money for future generation. During the campaigns, we told the aspirants that they should consider Anambra strongly for the slot of Vice President as a sign of appreciation to Late Dr Ekwueme who for his great work as a founding father of PDP. For the chapter here in Anambra, we are happy that Obi was picked and we are fully of confidence that the Atiku/Obi ticket is the magic wand Nigeria needs in all sectors especially economy, he said. Nwobu said the PDP through its primary had shown that it was the custodian of Nigerian democracy and had set great example which other political parties could learn from. Also reacting, Mr Oseloka Obaze, Anambra governorship aspirant of the PDP in 2017 congratulated Atiku on picking Obi, saying he made the right choice. Obaze, a diplomat, said it was a hard headed decision which was best in the interest of the country at this point in time. His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar has made the right choice in picking Peter Obi as his running make. Atiku has just the exhibited the ability to make hard-headed decision required of purposeful leaders. Atiku who was a former Vice President announced Obi as his running mate for the presidential election slated for February 2019 in a statement issued by his campaign office. Mr Gbenga Daniel, also a former Governor of Ogun and the Director-General Atiku Champaign Organisation, said in the statement that Obi was the ultimate choice of the PDP and its stakeholders for the election. Born on July, 19 1961, Obi attended Christ the King College, Onitsha and later went to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He is also a graduate of several international and national institutions such as the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, Institute of Management, Switzerland, Kellogg Graduate School, Oxford University and Cambridge University. In public service, Obi was Member, Presidential Economic Management Team, Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, and Chairman, South-East Governors Forum. He was the Chairman, Board of Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), former Chairman, Fidelity Bank PLC, former Chairman, Guardian Express Mortgage Bank,and former Chairman, Future Views Securities. He was also former Chairman, Paymaster Nigeria, former Chairman, Next International Nigeria, former Director, Guardian Express Bank PLC, former Director, Chams Nigeria PLC, former Director, Emerging Capital and former Director, Card Centre PLC. I have had the privilege of listening to and meeting Obi at two separate events where he was a keynote speaker and I was wowed by his depth, his understanding of Nigerias complex challenges, his grasp of the economy and private sector challenges and his values which revolve around frugality, prudence, humility, parsimony and wise management of resourcesvalues that should be imbibed by every Nigerian at this time. ece-auto-gen Obi brings a reputation for having business acumen and integrity. He is a very good addition to the ticket. This makes for a very interesting race now, says Bismarck Rewane, Chief Executive of Lagos-based consultancy, Financial Derivatives. I couldnt agree less. I have followed Obis career for a while in the private and public sectors. He is a doer. With a voice so faint, frail and shrill, 57-year-old Obi still manages to pass his message and values across at every opportunity where young Nigerians are assembled. He once shared the story of how he had to order his staff at Anambra government house to shut down the petrol dump in the facility because it was draining the states meager resources. Obi hated sirens and outriders as Governor of Anambra State and famously told his son that his dads money isnt the same as his own money. ece-auto-gen At a policy dialogue in Lagos, Obi said: As Governor, my convoy wasnt more than four vehicles. I didnt understand why I had all those cars following me. So one day, I put an end to all of that. You have all these vehicles running around and creating confusion! There was a fuel dump in government house. And I asked them, what is the fuel dump for? And they said the fuel dump is a contingency plan for when there is petrol scarcity. Shut it down, I ordered. If there is petrol crisis, well join the queues like everyone else. They also told me that they were going to buy bulletproof cars. Bulletproof cars for what? Anyone who wants to kill you, if you alight from that car, hell still kill you. And then you have all these motorbikes riding ahead of the convoy. If we dont have the outriders ahead of the convoy, wont the convoy get to its destination? he asked rhetorically and visibly irritated. ece-auto-gen A friend once shared the story of how Obi was seen carrying his own luggage at the airport as Anambra Governor, and how he went on to fly Economy because Anambra just couldnt afford to fly Business class. As Anambra Governor, Obi often travelled light and alone. Not for him the many aides jostling for the masters attention during trips. Public affairs analyst, Feyi Fawehinmi (@DoubleEph on Twitter) says Atikus choice of running mate is a solid solid, solid, solid pick. Its only been 5 days but, so far, Atiku hasnt put a foot wrong yet. There are those who say Atiku should have picked a running mate from the Southwest instead, to give the APC a run for its money in its base. I dont necessarily agree with this line of argument. The Southwest is pretty cosmopolitan and diverse and an Obi ticket would fly in Anambra as it would in Lagos, at the best of times. ece-auto-gen In any case, you dont take the war to the enemy in his stronghold. What you do is consolidate your own base while seeking to steal as many casualties as possible from the enemys base. Obi has lived all his life in the Southwest State of Lagos and appeals to the private sector in Nigerias commercial capital. By picking Obi, Atiku is showing that he wants to do things differently and that he is serious about turning around Nigerias moribund economy should he get elected. "With climate change, the shocks and hazards are multiplying," Elhadj As Sy, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told AFP in an interview. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Geneva on the impact of climate change on humanitarian situations around the globe, he cautioned that such "shocks" were "getting more frequent and more severe." Friday's conference was aimed at unpacking the humanitarian implications of the findings in a landmark UN climate report this week, which warned drastic action was needed to prevent Earth from hurtling towards an unbearable rise in temperature. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) said the globe's surface has already 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. 'Pressure cooker' Gernot Laganda, who heads the World Food Programme's climate and disaster risk reduction division, pointed out that climate shocks are already "significant drivers of displacement", forcing 22.5 million people to leave their homes each year. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, he also decried the "increasingly distractive interplay between conflict and climate disasters." He pointed out that the world's 10 most conflict-affected countries, including Syria, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are also impacted by extreme weather events, creating a so-called "pressure-cooker" effect. Laganda pointed to projections that if the planet warms just 2C, 189 million more people than today will become food insecure. "And if it is a four-degree warmer world ... we're looking beyond one billion more," he said, adding that this "is a very, very strong argument for early and decisive climate action." Sy meanwhile said humanitarians had already seen a dramatic increase in climate and weather-related crises. "In the 1970s, we used to be dealing with 80 to 100 severe weather-related shocks and hazards" each year, he said, contrasting that to last year, when the number was around 400 -- "four times more." While acknowledging that climate-related shocks would likely keep climbing, Sy emphasised that it was not inevitable that such shocks and hazards should "become a disaster." "We need to be better prepared with early warning and with early alert," he said, also stressing the importance for IFRC of continuously having volunteers on the ground in affected communities to help them to adapt to climate change. Francis finally accepted his resignation on Friday in a letter in which he praised Wuerl's "nobility" and said the cardinal would stay on until his successor is appointed. Wuerl said in a statement that he was "deeply touched" by the pope's letter and that his replacement would "allow all of the faithful, clergy, religious and lay, to focus on healing and the future". He also apologised for "any past errors in judgement". A sweeping US grand jury report released in August revealed credible allegations against more than 300 predator priests and identified over 1,000 victims of child sex abuse covered up for decades by the Catholic Church in the state of Pennsylvania. Cover-up claims The report is thought to be the most comprehensive to date into abuse in the US church, but while prosecutors have filed charges against two priests, the vast majority of crimes happened too long ago to prosecute under current laws. In the report, Wuerl, who was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006, is repeatedly cited as one of the church leaders who helped cover up the scandal. Despite facing numerous calls for his resignation, including from his own clergy, Wuerl said at the time the report confirmed he had acted with "diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse". The Catholic Church in the United States had already been shaken by the resignation of former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick in July. The case triggered a storm in August when Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, accused the pope of ignoring allegations that McCarrick had abused a teenager decades ago. Both were stripped of their priesthood "as a consequence of overt acts of abuse against minors", it said. The announcement came a day after the pope accepted the resignation of Washington DC archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests. Saturday's defrocking was "an extremely unusual, if not unprecedented" move, wrote Ines San Martin, a Vatican expert working for specialist Catholic website Crux. Defrocking is considered the Church's harshest penalty for priests, barring the offender from exercising any clerical duties at all, even in private. Scores of new cases involving the abuse of minors by priests have come to light in Chile, deepening a crisis in the Roman Catholic Church that has also embroiled Pope Francis. On Saturday, Francis met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the Vatican for talks on the "difficult situation" in Chile. They discussed "the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment", the Vatican said. The leaders "shared the hope that the church could live a true rebirth," Pinera said in a statement. A total of 167 bishops, priests and lay members of the church in Chile are now under investigation for sexual crimes committed since 1960. Years of allegations Fernandez became a bishop in 2006, at the age of 42, but resigned just six years later, allegedly for health reasons. It later transpired he had been accused of sexual abuse, sparking both a church and a civil investigation. "The civil investigation is still ongoing because he's never responded to a court subpoena to give testimony," Vatican expert San Martin said. Last seen in public in 2013, Fernandez has reportedly been living a life of penitence and prayer in Peru, she wrote. The allegations of abuse against Cox date back to the 1970s. The Vatican said he would remain part of the Schoenstatt Fathers institute in Germany. Now 85 and reportedly in precarious health, the prelate has lived at the institute since 2002, San Martin said. In a statement, the Schoenstatt Fathers reaffirmed its "willingness to collaborate" with anything that the judicial authorities required. It pledged to "ask for a medical evaluation to determine whether it is possible for Francisco Jose Cox to return to Chile". Legal proceedings were initiated in Germany against Cox over the alleged abuse of a child in care in 2004, Deutsche Welle radio reported. A church failure Francis has already apologised repeatedly to Chileans over the scandal, admitting the church failed "to listen and react" to the allegations, but has vowed to "restore justice". In May, the Argentine pontiff accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops following allegations of abuse and related coverups. jpegMpeg4-1280x720Francis himself became mired in the scandal when, during a trip to Chile in January, he defended 61-year-old bishop Juan Barros, who was accused of covering up abuse by paedophile priest Fernando Karadima in the 1980s and 1990s. Karadima was suspended for life by the Vatican over allegations of child molestation. For the first time since the council was created in 2006, each voting region agreed in advance on 18 candidates to be in the running for 18 seats -- removing any competition. New members Bahrain, Cameroon, the Philippines, Somalia, Bangladesh and Eritrea were elected with between 160 and 178 votes -- and immediately drew criticism from campaigners in Europe and North America dismissing them as "unqualified" due to their human rights records. "By putting forward serious rights violators and presenting only as many candidates as seats available, the regional groups risk undermining the council's credibility and effectiveness," said New York-based Human Rights Watch. Louis Charbonneau, the group's UN director, called the vote "ridiculous" and said on Twitter it "makes mockery of (the) word 'election.'" At the start of the voting session, the General Assembly's president, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, noted that every member state is allowed to apply for a seat. Her spokesman later declined to directly address the criticism, but instead noted: "It's clear that the world expects that members of international bodies will abide to a certain set of standards of behavior consistent with the bodies they have been elected to." Five of the new members were from Africa, five from Asia, two from eastern Europe, three from Latin America and the Caribbean, and three from western Europe. The United States pulled out of the council in June, calling the organization a "hypocritical" body that "makes a mockery of human rights," in particular in regard to its stance on Israel. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Former first lady Mrs. Laura W. Bush and her daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, will speak at Purdue University on Oct. 18. Women in the White House and Beyond: A Conversation with Mrs. Laura W. Bush, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager is presented by the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of History as part of the Sears Lecture Series. Ticket availability will be announced by the beginning of fall semester 2018. Event information is available online. Laura Bush, former first lady of the United States, is an advocate for literacy, education and womens rights. After leaving the White House, president and Mrs. Bush founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. The center is home to the Bush Presidential Museum and Library and the George W. Bush Institute, a public policy center established to solve todays most pressing challenges by developing leaders, advancing policy and taking action. Jenna Hager is a contributing correspondent on NBC's Today show and an editor-at-large for Southern Living magazine. She is also the author of The New York Times best seller Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope, which she wrote after traveling to Latin America in 2006 as an intern with UNICEF. Ana's Story is based on the life of a 17-year-old single mother with HIV who struggles to shield her child from the life she had of abuse and neglect. Hager remains involved with UNICEF and is currently the chair of its Next Generation initiative, which is dedicated to reducing childhood deaths around the world. Barbara Bush is CEO and co-founder of Global Health Corps, which mobilizes a global community of young leaders to build the movement for health equity. GHC was founded in 2009 by six twenty-somethings who were challenged by Peter Piot at the aids2031 Young Leaders Summit to engage their generation in solving the worlds biggest health challenges. Bush and her co-founders were united by the belief that health is a human right and that their generation must build the world where this is realized. Since that time, GHC has placed more than 700 young leaders on the front lines of health equity in Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia and the United States, developing a cadre of creative, effective, and compassionate change makers. The Sears Lecture Series was established by Louis Martin Sears. He established the series to present public lectures free of charge. Sears was a faculty member in the then-joint Department of History and Political Science from 1920 until his retirement in 1956. Sears specialized in diplomatic history and biography and was the author of numerous books. Purdue's history and political science departments present the series bearing his name. Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu Kati Pratt, director of marketing and communication in the College of Liberal Arts, 765-496-7276, pratt46@purdue.edu New Zealands red meat sector has welcomed the Governments plan to improve water quality by 2020. Earlier this week, the Government released its plan to give itself until 2020 to create new rules to stop the "degradation of fresh water", promising a noticeable improvement in water quality within five years. The reality is Beef + Lamb is already on the bus in relation to water quality, said Andrew Morrison, Beef + Lamb NZ chair. Cleaning up New Zealand's streams, rivers and lakes was a major issue during Labours election campaign - and all current Government partners promised to implement a tax on water bottlers. The work programme intends to target and invest in at-risk catchments, including accelerating the implementation of Good Farming Practice Principles. Beef + Lamb NZ hopes to get all farms set up with a farm environment plan by 2021, which Mr Morrison says is about 40 percent complete. Its the farm environment plans that actually are the solutions, and its just getting everyone to understand it as opposed to centrally-based regulation. Mr Morrison says farm plans help identify best practices for farms depending on the land type, and provide key insights that are unique to every property. The Governments plan will also deliver a new National Environmental Standard for Freshwater Management by 2020, to regulate activities that put water quality at risk such as intensive winter grazing, hill country cropping and feedlots. Listen to the full interview with Andrew Morrison above. Rural Exchange with Hamish McKay, Sarah Perriam and Richard Loe, 5-7am Saturday and Sunday on RadioLIVE with Carters Tyre Service. Click here for all the ways to watch and listen. RadioLIVE. While it's no Melbourne Cup people do take bets on who might win a Nobel Prize. Graeme and physicist Shaun Hendy look at the 2018 science Nobel prizes. Whether it be those who win at the start of their career or at the end, it's time to look at who won prizes. Australia: The NSW government has awarded Macquarie Group a A$3786m contract to develop Martin Place station on the southern section of the future Sydney metro. Lendlease will act as design and construction subcontractor. The state will receive A$355m from Macquarie Group for the air rights. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available This article originally appeared in RECOIL Issue 39 Photos by Dave Merrill Not terribly long ago, night vision was the stuff of action movies. While it did, in fact, exist somewhere in the real world, nobody of even remotely average means was ever going to touch, see, or experience night vision short of a few hazy green cutaways in a flick full of roundhouse kicks and amazing one-liners. Fortunately for the rest of us, advances in technology typically come with the added benefit of making existing technology more affordable and more accessible. Once coveted by guys with bushy beards who storm airplanes, green-eye goggles are now more available at a more reasonable price to the commercial consumer. Notice how we said reasonable price and not cheap. While its possible to find night vision devices for $250, those pieces arent of a quality wed recommend for anything more than showing off to your friends in your backyard. Any NV device thatll be integrated with the use of firearms needs to be of a quality guaranteed to save your life if and when necessary. Enter TNVC Tactical Night Vision Company. (Hey, at least the name leaves no doubt as to their product offerings.) TNVC produces all manner of night vision devices, primarily under military contract or agency purchase order. But theyve also made earnest strides in recent years to reach further into the consumer marketplace. As part of this effort, theyre not only selling the equipment itself, but also offer training courses for end users. TNVCs Night Fighter course comes in two flavors: Night Fighter Level 1 and Night Fighter Armed Professional. The former is open to civilians, while the latter is restricted to Mil/LE end users. We recently had the opportunity to attend one of the Armed Professional courses, offered at Alliance Training Center in Ohio. While the Armed Professional course is restricted attendance, it covers all the same material as the open-enrollment Level 1, with the addition of a Team CQB portion. Weve always been a fan of seeking out the best subject-matter experts in a given field we want to talk about. Who better to teach us about the use of night vision than law enforcement and military veterans whove not only used NVGs in the real world, but now work for a company that manufactures and sells night vision as well. While this author, and most of the RECOIL staff, used night vision at one point or another in their previous lives, nobodys too badass for the basics, and the TNVC Night Fighter course brought back a couple long-forgotten lessons that we now pass on to any of you who may consider making night vision a part of your hunts, personal protection plan, or even just your next night at the range. Know Where You Are Regardless of whether youre running single- or dual-tube NVGs, your field of view through the tubes is only about 17 degrees. Whats that mean for you as a shooter? It means youll quickly learn just how much you take peripheral vision for granted. Our instructors continually reinforced the importance of deliberately scanning your environment. The old axiom of keeping your head on a swivel becomes quite literal under NVGs since, essentially, you must be looking directly at something to see it. In the shoot house portion of the class, our cadre made this point through the inconvenient placement of furniture in and around entryways. The author, three months later, still has a scar on his shin from inadvertently trying to punt a coffee table while button-hooking through a doorway. Why? Because he didnt properly scan his surroundings on the move. In addition to the reduced field of view, night vision also severely limits depth perception. The use of multiple lenses in the physical construction of the tubes, as well as the monochrome green (or white) display, distorts how your eyes perceive distance. Bumping into doorframes and car doors is a pretty common occurrence for first-time night vision users, but the brain can be trained to compensate for this. One exercise suggested by TNVC staff is to play catch while wearing NVGs. Rebuilding the hand-eye coordination required to catch an object mid-air will translate directly to other, more important tasks like reaching out to open or close doors, execute a magazine change, or clear a malfunction. There are few things more embarrassing, and potentially dangerous, than stabbing a full magazine blindly into the air because you cant find your magwell. Another technique to help navigate is to manipulate your environment from large to small. It was explained to us this way: When you approach a door to make entry, first reach out and touch the door. Then, use the door to find the doorframe. Then, use the doorframe to find the knob. While it may not be necessary to perform this process by the numbers every single time, its an excellent index method that can help when youre either still readjusting that spatial awareness or entering an unfamiliar environment. Know Where Your Gear Is The process of integrating night vision into your shooting, regardless of the context, needs to start long before you drop those tubes down over your eyes. In fact, it might begin before you even purchase your night vision at all. Since your field of view will be greatly restricted, youll not be able to see what youre shooting at and also see your gun or any gear you may be wearing. Whether its a plate carrier or a fanny pack, any place you may be storing extra ammo or equipment will have to be accessible instinctually. The TNVC instructors put on a rather in-depth block on instruction on how to configure both your weapons and your personal kit for night vision operations. While the examples used in class were geared toward tactical operations, including things like chem lights to mark cleared rooms and flex cuffs for securing detainees, the principles are universally applicable. The key for gear on your person is consistency and ease of access. Do you always put your car keys in your left front pocket? Do you always put your wallet in your back right pocket? Those items you can likely retrieve upside down in the dark. But what about your first aid gear? Or your spare mags? If you catch yourself looking down at those items to retrieve them during daytime practice, you may wind up groping around for them in the dark. Theres no one magic spot to put stuff that works for everybody. Take whatever vest, pack, or plate carrier you may use and practice reaching every single pouch or pocket in a dark room or blindfolded. If you cant unzip, unsnap, or unbuckle a pouch without seeing it, it might be time to sub out some kit. The same principle applies to your weapon itself. This was primarily a carbine class, and the weapon setup portion was focused on this. For example, if you run both a light and laser on your carbine, are you running two separate tape switches? Can you remember which one is which without seeing them, and can you actuate them instantly every time you take up a firing grip/stance? This is where hand stops and vertical foregrips can offer a real advantage they essentially force you to place your support hand in exactly the same spot every time you pick up your carbine. If you set a stop or grip where its most comfortable for you, then build your light/laser placement around that forward index point; itll be much easier to use your illumination devices quickly and only as needed. Know Your Limitations Night Vision technology is not the be-all-end-all of making darkness into light. There are physical and technological limitations to be considered. One of the biggest ones is the use of sights and optics. Shooting an iron-sighted pistol through NVGs is just about impossible. During our time in the Night Fighter course, we saw a lot of red dotequipped pistols. Since we were running irons on our sidearm, it gave us the opportunity to try both on the range. The benefits of optics-equipped handguns become abundantly clear within a few rounds. There are a couple of IR laser options for pistols, but the proliferation of slide-mounted optics has even eclipsed these for the most part. When referring to carbines, there are a couple of configurations that can get the job done. The military community has long been running rail-mounted IR lasers. This is probably the most user-friendly solution, if not the most expensive for the consumer. As an example, we used a B.E. Meyers MAWL C-1+. The MAWL is awesome. But the MAWL is also $2,500 rifle not included. You can also use an NV-capable optic, such as an Aimpoint or EOTech, both of which have dedicated IR settings. But trying to get a cheek weld with NVGs hanging off your face is challenging, to say the least. Itll also severely limit your effective engagement range. This can be mitigated with the use of an IR weapon light, but the cheek weld problem remains. It also narrows your selection of optics. If you normally run a red dot, its zero impact. But with more and more shooters using low-power variable optics, it could cramp your style. Lastly, as a warning against the dreaded Mr. Murphy, if you do decide to run night vision in whatever application suits you best, be sure to have a white light backup if and when the $3 batteries in your $3,000 NVGs take a sh*t at the most inopportune of times. Several high-quality weapon lights on the market today have dual-mode operation. For the class, we used an Inforce WMLx IR, which has a manual toggle to switch back and forth between white light and IR. Regardless of how you skin this cat, remember that having a white light option will give you a redundancy thatll probably come in handy just when you dont think youll need it. Night Fever As night optics technology continues to advance, currently available models of night vision will only continue to proliferate. In addition to their intended role as a force multiplier on the battlefield, theyve become an excellent tool for hunters who prefer nocturnal prey particularly across western Texas where night-dwelling hogs are a varmint that damage crops and livestock. Aside from all of this, shooting under night vision is just plain fun. For most of us, the zeroes in our bank accounts would have to line up just right to make a quality night-shooting setup truly feasible. If this is the case for you, make sure you set aside a few duckets for quality instruction from somebody who has experience working under NVGs. Then take the time to set up your gear and practice with it. After that, put fresh batteries in your NVGs, light a cigar, and wait for sundown. Night Fighter Loadout Being properly equipped for night vision shooting goes well beyond goggles and a gun. We had the chance to run a bunch of really good gear at the TNVC class. Heres the lowdown on the kit you see here > Glock 19 modified by TMT Tactical and Johnnys Custom Glocks > Sionics Weapon Systems Patrol III XL > Inforce WMLx IR > B.E. Meyers MAWL C1+ > Hard Headed Veterans Level IIIA ATE helmet > TNVC white phosphorous Sentinel goggles > TYR Tactical Basic Plate Carrier > Spartan Armor Systems Lightweight Level III+ plates > Lancer Systems AWM Magazines > Patriot Cases hard sided rifle case (not shown) People enjoy visiting more than 40 local business booths Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 at Trade show and Taste of Porterville at the 2018 Business Expo at the Porterville Fairgrounds. Porterville, CA (93257) Today Areas of fog early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 65F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here The campus and city news desks have compiled a list of events going on throughout the upcoming week that are open to Athenians and University As midterm season winds down, students still have a lot to consider in regards to their cour An Al-Qaeda-linked militant group is using Iran as its main transit point for illegal charcoal exports from Somalia, enabling the group to earn millions of dollars in profits, a report to the UN Security Council seen by media says. According to a report cited by AFP and Reuters on October 12, since March, the main destination for the illegal shipments has been ports in Iran, where the charcoal is packaged into white bags labelled "Product of Iran." The United Nations has banned Somali charcoal imports since 2012 to cut sources of revenue for Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate that generates revenues for its Islamist insurgency by levying taxes on charcoal production in the regions it controls. The UN estimates that, despite UN sanctions banning such exports, Somalia produced some 3.6 million bags of charcoal in 2017 for export, generating some $7.5 million in revenue for Al-Shabaab. The report called Iran a "weak link" in implementing the UN's charcoal ban, and also cast blame on countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast for allowing charcoal traffickers to "exploit weaknesses" in their certification processes. The illegal shipments that arrive in Iran usually carry certificates that falsely state that the Somali charcoal originated in Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, or Ghana, the unpublished UN report says. The document identifies Iranian ports in the Kish and Qeshm free zones as the main destinations of the Somali charcoal shipments since March 2018. From there, the charcoal is sent on "Iran-flagged dhows" to ports in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Dubai, and elsewhere, where it is mainly used for cooking and smoking shisha water pipes, the report says. The Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The report says Iran became a transit point for the illegal Somali shipments after Oman tightened its customs procedures. The report provided to the UN council was drafted by a UN group of experts tasked with monitoring sanctions on the Somali militants. Al-Shabaab militants have vowed to overthrow the Somali government, which is backed by the UN and a 20,000-strong force from the African Union stationed in the country. While Al-Shabaab was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 and lost many of other bastions, they still control vast rural areas in the country. In addition to earnings millions from charcoal sales, Al-Shabaab is making millions annually by imposing tolls on vehicles in areas where they have checkpoints and through taxes on businesses, agriculture, and livestock, the report says. All this "generates more than enough revenue to sustain its insurgency," it says. With reporting by AFP and Reuters An American evangelical pastor held for two years in Turkey has arrived in the United States, a day after a Turkish court ordered his release despite sentencing him to three years in prison on terrorism-related charges. Andrew Brunson landed at a military base outside Washington and then traveled to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump. The U.S. leader told him "we've been negotiating long and hard" for his release and that "we do not pay ransom in this country." "From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, that's not bad," Trump said. Brunson told Trump that "you really fought for us." Earlier, Trump thanked Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had resisted the demands of Trump and other high-level U.S. officials for Brunson's release. Erdogan responded to Trump on Twitter, saying that "as I've always emphasized, the Turkish judiciary made its decision independently. I hope the U.S. and Turkey will continue its cooperation as it befits two allies." On October 12, a court in western Turkey convicted Brunson on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to three years in prison. But the court ordered his release after taking into account time he had already served while awaiting trial and his good conduct. Brunson's detention since October 2016 caused a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Ankara -- leading the United States in August to impose sanctions on its NATO ally, double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports, and withhold delivery of 100 F-35 fighter jets. He was charged with links to Kurdish militants and the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed by Ankara for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson, who had lived in Turkey for more than two decades, rejects the charges. Washington says he was unjustly held as part of a wide-scale crackdown on political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that followed the failed coup. With reporting by AP, Reuters. and AFP Afghan officials say at least four civilians have been killed at a wedding party when a bomb exploded in the midst of the late-night festivities in Logar province. Provincial police chief spokesman Shah Poor Ahmadzai told RFE/RL that seven other people were wounded by the October 12 blast shortly before midnight in the province's Mohammad Agha district, just south of Kabul. Ahmadzai said neither the bride nor the groom were hurt. He said the authorities on October 13 were interviewing witnesses at the house where the celebration was taking place as part of an ongoing investigation. Police have determined that the bomb was planted near the house before the wedding party had begun, he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Afghan officials say at least 22 people have been killed -- including civilians and members of the Afghan security forces -- by a bomb that exploded at an election campaign rally for a woman who is running for parliament in the northeast of the country. Ahmad Jawad Hijri, a spokesman for the governor of Takhar Province, said 36 people were wounded in the attack in Rustaq district. He earlier told RFE/RL that the death toll could rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition. Khalil Aser, a spokesman for the provincial police chief, said at least 32 people were wounded by the blast. Aser said an explosives-laden motorcycle had been parked near the rally and was detonated before Nazefa Yousufi Beg arrived to speak to voters ahead of Afghanistan's October 20 elections. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Taliban militants are active in the area and have claimed previous attacks in Takhar. Bek is one of 417 women contesting seats across the country, more than ever before. Takhar, a province bordering Tajikistan, has long been a hotbed of the Taliban insurgency. In the western province of Herat, gunmen attacked the election campaign office of a candidate, killing a security guard and a child, said Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for the Herat governor. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attacks in a statement, saying that the enemies of Afghans cannot weaken the will of the nation. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass condemned the violence, and called on the Taliban to do the same. "If the group [the Taliban] is serious about the peace process it will do the same and punish those responsible," he said in a tweet. With reporting by Reuters Security forces in Russias Daghestan region say they killed two suspected militants on October 13 during an counterterrorism operation focusing on the village of Endirei in the northern district of Khasavyurt. Three security officers were injured in the exchange of fire that erupted after they stormed a home where the militants had barricaded themselves, the Interfax news agency reported. Reports said the security operation lasted several hours and included a sweep of the village of Endirei. Authorities said the gunmen were thought to be militants from a group operating in the Khasavyurt and Kizilyurt districts of Daghestan. The operation was one of several launched in northern Daghestan since mid-September when officials began declaring a series of counterterrorist-operation legal regimes in the area, allowing authorities to carry out security sweeps in search of armed militants. On September 28, police killed a 26-year-old man from Endirei whom they identified as a long-wanted militant from the "Endirei grouping." Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax Pakistan has fired a senior judge who accused the country's powerful spy agency of manipulating elections in July. Justice Shaukat Siddiqi was removed as judge of a high court in the capital, Islamabad, through an order issued overnight by the president of Pakistan, the Law Ministry announced on October 12. The Supreme Judicial Council, a body that oversees complaints against judges, had recommended Siddiqi's removal after a secret trial for "defaming a state institution," the ministry said. Siddiqi had accused the Pakistani Army's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of manipulating the elections that brought Prime Minister Imran Khan to power in July -- an accusation that was also made by Khan's opponents. The judge's accusation, just days ahead of the polls, added to questions about the legitimacy of the elections that were raised by the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which lost power in the elections. Siddiqi said the decision to remove him was not unexpected. It is widely believed that Pakistan's military, which has ruled the country for almost half of its history, did not want Sharif to seek another term. Sharif, who was once Pakistan's most popular politician and an advocate for civilian supremacy, was removed by the Supreme Court as prime minister on corruption charges emanating from a leak of financial data in 2016 known as the Panama Papers. He was later arrested just days ahead of the elections, a move that is thought to have spoiled his party's quest for the victory. The dismissed judge claimed that the ISI was involved in Sharif's arrest and had told the court not to release Sharif and his daughter, Maryam, until after the elections. They were released on bail last month. Pakistan's military denies interfering in politics and judicial affairs. Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters The Russian Orthodox Church says a decision about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church made by the synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate has forced the Moscow Patriarchate to end its unity with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Metropolitan Ilarion, the head of the church's external relations, made the remarks in a program aired by the Rossia-24 television channel on October 13. The broadcast came two days after Ukraine won approval from the synod, led by Bartholomew, to establish an autocephalous -- or independent -- church. Ilarion said Bartholomew had "recognized the leaders of the schism" within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, "thus legitimatizing the schism that has existed for more than a quarter of a century." That, Ilarion said, "has made it impossible for us to stay united with the Constantinople Patriarchate." Ilarion's statement came just hours after President Vladimir Putin held a late-night October 12 meeting with the Russian Security Council to discuss the situation regarding the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Kremlin on October 12 also issued a fresh warning about Kyiv's quest for an independent church, saying Russia would protect the interests of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine if the historic split led to illegal action or violence. The Russian Orthodox Church vowed on October 13 to respond firmly to the decision by Bartholomew. Aleksandr Volkov, a spokesman for Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, said the Holy Synod of the Church would "express its position," without elaborating on what measures it might take. "The synod, which will convene in Minsk (on Monday), will give its final assessment," Volkov told reporters on October 13. "At any rate, the response will be in kind and tough," he added. Arriving in Minsk on October 13, Kirill told reporters, "I hope the Orthodox Church will find the strength to overcome hardships...to stay united." The synod's October 11 decision is a blow to Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church, whose branch in Ukraine had long been accepted by Constantinople Patriarchate as the legitimate church there. Russian politicians and church officials have repeatedly said they fear a Ukrainian church would seek to take over property controlled by the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Christian Church in Ukraine. "Russia's secular authorities surely cannot interfere" in church matters, but Putin's government is paying close attention to the situation and will take "exclusively political and diplomatic" measures to protect people against violence or illegal actions, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on October 12. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 12 that the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision was a "provocation" backed by Washington. The historic move toward an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has added to tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, already high since Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv's government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Russian officials have sought to justify Moscow's interference in Ukraine by citing what they said was the need to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers. WATCH: In one Ukrainian village, a schism has already been playing out with a fight over the only local church. In the October 11 announcement that it would "proceed to the granting of autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine," the Ecumenical Patriarchate appealed to the rival churches in Ukraine to "avoid appropriation" of monasteries, houses of worship, and other property "as well as every other act of violence and retaliation so that the peace and love of Christ may prevail." Patriarch Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which is leading the independence drive, said in June that two major monasteries belonging to the Moscow-controlled church should change hands after autocephaly is secured. On October 11, Patriarch Filaret said that "Moscow wants a conflict but we, Ukrainians, do not." In a statement on October 12, Metropolitan Antony, the administrator of the Moscow-affiliated church in Ukraine, accused Bartholomew of "choosing the path of schism" and rejected the synod's decision. Antony also told clergy and believers that it "is prohibited to co-serve or pray" with the two rival churches seeking independence, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, speaking on October 11, described the synod's decision as "something that we have dreamed of, waited for a long time, and fought for all the time." With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Interfax, and TASS A: My philosophy with food is that food is like the window into any culture. If you want people to understand what your culture is like, one of the first things you have to do is whet their appetite. If people like the food, they may be more curious about the culture. For me, and usually the way we are in Africa, food is one of those things that's not a big deal. Everybody gives everybody food. So that's the idea behind it. It's the idea of being hospitable to people and never letting someone around you go hungry if they can't afford. That's pretty much behind the idea. KABUL -- The U.S. envoy on an Afghanistan peace initiative has met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, a day after he held talks in Qatar with Taliban leaders. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born U.S. adviser and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, briefed Ghani and Abdullah on October 13 about his meetings with senior ministers and top diplomats in four countries as part of a diplomatic mission aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. Since Khalilzad last visited Kabul on October 4, his tour has taken him to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. A statement sent to journalists on October 13 by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Khalilzad met Taliban representatives on October 12 in Qatar's capital, Doha, to discuss ending the Afghan conflict. Mujahid said the Taliban representatives told Khalilzad that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan was a "big obstacle" to peace and that both sides "agreed to continue such meetings." Another senior Taliban member said the U.S. envoy had asked the Taliban leadership to declare a cease-fire in Afghanistan for six months, in time for the planned October 20 parliamentary elections. "Both sides discussed prospects for peace and the U.S presence in Afghanistan," another Taliban official said. The Taliban in exchange are seeking the release of their fighters from Afghan jails and the removal of foreign troops currently aiding Afghan security forces. "Neither side agreed to accept the other's demands immediately, but they agreed to meet again and find a solution to the conflict," said a Taliban official who asked not to be identified. A statement about Khalilzad's diplomatic tour released by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul did not confirm his meeting with the Taliban. "The United States shares the aspirations of all Afghans for a peaceful Afghanistan where all Afghans see themselves included. All citizens of Afghanistan must be a part of this reconciliation process," Khalilzad said, according to the embassy statement at the end of his four-nation tour. Khalilzad was appointed in September as President Donald Trump's special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation as part of renewed efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. A statement from the Afghan president's office on October 13 said Khalilzad told Ghani and Abdullah that the United States was "ready to do anything to help with the peace process," but insisted the process should be led by the Afghan government. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and The Wall Street Journal The striving of many Ukrainian Orthodox believers to gain independence for their national church from the Russian Orthodox Church has been simmering since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in many ways, the decision by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to recognize the independence, or autocephaly, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church marks just the beginning of a process that could take many more years to unfold. Rather than settling the contentious matter, the one-page document issued on October 11 raises new questions and creates the potential for even greater conflict. Prospects For Unity Currently there are three Orthodox churches in Ukraine: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC+MP), which recognizes the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church; and two breakaway churches -- the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC+KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). The Moscow-loyal church controls some 12,000 parishes, while the Kyiv Patriarchate boasts about 5,000 and the UAOC nearly 1,000. According to a poll released in mid-September, of those polled who named themselves as Orthodox, 45.2 percent claimed allegiance to the Kyiv Patriarchate, while only 16.9 percent to the Moscow Patriarchate; 2.1 percent were for the UAOC and 33.9 percent were "just Orthodox," without a specific congregation. Following the October 11 decision, Ukrainian Patriarch Filaret said an inclusive process aimed at unifying Orthodox believers in Ukraine would be launched to form a united, local autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church. "We've waited patiently for a long time, and we can wait a bit more," Filaret said in Kyiv on October 11. "But the unification will only be voluntary. Those who want it will take part in the Unification Council. Those who don't want it, won't be a part of the unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church." The Kyiv Patriarchate called on leaders of the other two Ukrainian Orthodox churches to join the process and contribute to the planning of the Unification Council. Given the Moscow Patriarchate's uncompromising opposition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision -- one spokesman for the Russian church called it "catastrophic," while another described it as an "attempt to distort history for political reasons" -- it is unlikely that representatives of the Moscow-loyal Ukrainian church would participate in any unification process. A spokesman for the Moscow-loyal church told the Russian state TASS news agency on October 12 that it would not participate in any council organized by the Kyiv Patriarchate, which it said "is not a legitimate church organization." And if a united Ukrainian Orthodox Church is eventually given a "Tomos," or document of autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a large number of individual churches in Ukraine could still continue to pledge loyalty to the Russian Orthodox Church. Politicians in Ukraine have already drafted legislation that would rename the Moscow-loyal church as "the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine," a move that the church itself opposes and the Kyiv Patriarchate supports. At the same time, even if the Moscow-loyal Ukrainian church refuses to join an autocephalous Ukrainian church, individual parishes would likely attempt to switch. More than 70 Moscow-loyal parishes have already joined the Kyiv Patriarchate since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in 2014. A spokesman for the Kyiv Patriarchate told Current Time TV, which is a joint project of RFE/RL and VOA, "If it takes half a year or a year or three years or five, it doesn't matter." Politics And Religion On October 12, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reasserted Moscow's intention to "protect the interests" not only of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine but of Orthodox believers as well, adding that it would do so only through "political and diplomatic" means. Peskov also said that "Russia's secular authorities cannot intervene in inter-church dialogue." "They have never done so, and they never will," Peskov said. This is disingenuous, many Ukrainians say, arguing that the Russian Orthodox Church has been integrally intertwined with the Russian government for centuries. Many priests of the Moscow-loyal Orthodox Church in Ukraine have refused to hold funerals for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, a war that the International Criminal Court ruled in 2016 was "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation." Moscow-loyal priests have also justified Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. "This is an issue of our independence," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on October 11. "This is an issue of national security. This is an issue of our statehood. This is an issue of global geopolitics. This is the collapse of Moscow's centuries-old claims for global domination as the Third Rome." "The independence of our church is part of our pro-European and pro-Ukrainian policies that we've been consistently pursuing over the last four years," he added. National Security Poroshenko's assertion that the seemingly religious issue is a matter of "national security" touches on the perception in Ukraine that the Moscow-loyal church has been part of a hybrid war waged by Russia against Ukraine since 2014. According to Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, hybrid war is characterized by "long-distance, contactless actions against the enemy...throughout the entire depth of his territory." It aims "to create a permanently operating front through the entire territory of the enemy state." Its tools are "the broad use of political, economic, informational, humanitarian, and other nonmilitary measures -- applied in coordination with the protest potential of the [local] population." Ukrainian lawmaker Dmytro Tymchuk said in June, when the issue of a Tomos for a Ukrainian church seemed nearly settled, that "in the administration of the Russian president,... it was decided to activate preparations for carrying out further destructive actions." "Using this opportunity, the Russian special services...and the fifth column in Ukraine plan to activate centrifugal forces and to generate and inflame internal conflict situation in this process," Tymchuk told Current Time. Who Gets The Monasteries? Besides the spiritual and patriotic, there is also a decidedly earthly dimension to the issue: Who will get the property? The October 11 statement from the Ecumenical Patriarchate specifically ended with an appeal to "all involved parties that they avoid the appropriation of churches, monasteries, and other properties, as well as every other act of violence and retaliation." Attention has immediately been focused on Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and Pochayiv Lavra, two ancient monasteries that are prominent Orthodox shrines. Kyiv Patriarch Filaret has said "they are Ukrainian shrines and they cannot belong to a Russian church." Both monasteries are legally the property of the Ukrainian government. However, pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych turned them over to the Moscow-loyal Ukrainian church under a free, 50-year lease. Legal experts say the government could revisit those agreements. WATCH: In one Ukrainian village, a schism has already been playing out with a fight over the only local church. Property issues will come to the fore across the country. Under Ukrainian law, property belongs to individual parishes and they have the right to choose whom to follow and take the property with them. "Losing property is never taken calmly," Moscow-based religious scholar Andrei Desnitsky told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. "Imagine a village church.... If a new [national church] is created, some people will say, 'Let's switch,' and others will say, 'No, we are staying [with the Moscow church].' It is obvious that the side that loses this dispute -- either in court or by force -- will say that the other side 'seized' the property." "When a divorce is started and both sides are accusing one another, it is impossible to share property in a peaceful way," he added. "Most likely there will be many cases that will be called 'property seizures.'" Violence Ahead? Although the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian government have said this process can be carried out gradually and peacefully, there are genuine concerns that there could be violence. "One of the points of [the October 11 decision] calls for the peaceful resolution of all problems...," Ukrainian religious scholar and lawmaker Viktor Yelenskyy said. "This, of course, is not in the plans of the Moscow Patriarchate. They are constantly talking about clashes and blood and so on. In this way, they reveal the scenario of their future actions. We know they are very talented at stirring up interethnic...and inter-church disputes." Moscow Metropolitan Ilarion, head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, said on October 11, "Of course, Orthodox believers will defend their holy places, and there could be bloodshed." Ivan Varchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, told RFE/RL that law enforcement had already been speaking to officials in the Moscow-loyal church to warn them about the serious penalties for incitement to violence. Russia's Kuban Cossack community wrote an open letter to the Ecumenical Council declaring its "unanimous support" for the Moscow patriarch and its readiness "to step up to the defense of the unity and integrity of our Fatherland and our Mother-Church." Asked whether there could be violence in Ukraine over the autocephaly issue, Moscow-based political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin was unequivocal. "I think not only could there be, but there will be," he said. "But it will be done so that it can't be proven that it was initiated by Moscow. They will support any extremist force -- it doesn't matter if they are far right or far left." Ukrainian analyst Volodymyr Fesenko agreed. "Provocations will come from various Ukrainian organizations, but they will be prodded by the Russian secret services," he said. Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian and Russian services and Current Time TV The Recreation board will recommend additional safety measures for the bike path. The group specifically discussed a traffic notification signal for oncoming vehicles when a cyclist is about to or has crossed Mumford Road from the path. This was the third local event of its kind. The first Womens March unexpectedly drew a quarter-million women and supporters in January 2017, following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Then organizers estimated an even higher attendance of roughly 300,000 participants at the second Womens March in January of this year, amid the #MeToo and Times Up movements against sexual harassment and assault. Meanwhile, lawyers for activist groups including Black Lives Matter Chicago filed a comment stretching some 80 pages that seeks, among other things, protections and services for victims of police misconduct and the families of people killed by police. The activist groups want the consent decree to order police to allow families access to their dead loved ones after shootings and ensure that bodies are removed from scenes promptly. The groups also want the city to provide trauma-informed psycho-social support services for survivors of police violence and the families of both victims and survivors of police violence. 11 military soldiers arrested in Cancun Hotel Zone for disorderly behavior Cancun, Q.R. Only days after arriving to Cancun, 11 military soldiers have been arrested by police for drunk and disorderly behavior. Tourist police in the Cancun Hotel Zone arrested 11 elements of the military police Thursday night after they were found disturbing orderly peace and urinating in public. The situation was brought to the attention of Cancun police around 11:30 p.m. in the hotel zone after several complaints. Preliminary reports say that citizens made the call regarding the drunk group of men who were disruptive and urinating along the public streets. When responding to the call, members of the tourist police were reportedly assaulted by the intoxicated military men who tried to pass themselves off as ministerial police. The group of military men were apparently drinking in the Mandala nightclub. Municipal authorities were called in to assist with the detention of the drunk men. The military officers were arrested and transferred to a holding cell. There was no statement issued by heads of the newly set up military barracks, however residents in Cancun have expressed their concern over the actions of the officers who they say were brought to the city to help with security, not make it worse. Colombian man arrested in Cancun murder Cancun, Q.R. Police in Cancun have arrested a man they say is allegedly responsible for murder. During a search and seizure operation, members of the municipal police in Cancun arrested a Colombian man that is being held on murder charges. The accused has been identified as 35-year-old L.A.G.R. According to a statement by Agentes de la Secretaria de Seguridad Publica Municipal if Benito Juarez, the arrest took place at noon Friday shortly after the shooting death of an adult male in the El Crucero area of Cancun. Man looses his life Friday in Cancun shooting At approximately 11:40 a.m., a man was shot several times while walking down the street with a 10-year-old child. The adult man died. The child was reported injured and transferred to hospital. The Colombian man was positively identified by witnesses who saw the Friday shooting. He is reported to be part of a Venezuelans and Colombians group. During the trial last spring, the woman, now 27, testified that she met Herrera several months before the assault and that the two communicated over social media before deciding to meet up and go to a few clubs in Chicago. Later that night, she said she agreed to let him sleep on the floor of her room at Foster-Walker residence hall on campus. They had gone to scale the mountain from Gurja Village on 7 October and were noted missing Friday when officials couldnt contact them. A rescue crew aboard a helicopter then spotted eight bodies but couldnt land due to bad weather. The climbers had been waiting for a window of good weather so they could reach the summit, when the storm hit Friday. The base camp, which is at least one-days trek from the nearest village, is at 3,500m (11,483ft), on the 7,193m-high mountain. The camp was completely destroyed. The violent snowstorm buried the climbers. It was a difficult expedition with an ambitious goal. The rarely-climbed Mount Gurja sits in Nepals Annapurna region, next to avalanche-prone Dhaulagiri, the worlds seventh highest mountain. Gurja was first summited in 1969 by a Japanese team. According to the Himalayan Database, no-one has stood on Gurjas summit since 1996 and only 30 people have successfully climbed to its peak compared with more the than 8,000 people who have reached the Everest.This was one of the deadliest mountaineering accidents to hit the Himalayan region in recent years. Rescue officials tried to send a second helicopter to the site Saturday afternoon but it was unable to fly due to strong winds. 'Iron Fist' PTI, Mumbai (13th Oct'18): Marvel's Iron Fist has been cancelled by Netflix after two seasons. The series featured Finn Jones as the titular superhero character, a martial arts expert with the ability to call upon a mystical power known as the "Iron Fist". In a joint statement, obtained by Variety, the streaming giant and Marvel Television confirmed that the show is ending. "Marvel's 'Iron Fist' will not return for a third season on Netflix. Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is proud of the series and grateful for all of the hard work from our incredible cast, crew and showrunners," read the statement. Netflix Advertisement "We're thankful to the fans who have watched these two seasons, and for the partnership we've shared on this series. While the series on Netflix has ended, the immortal 'Iron Fist' will live on," it added. The first season of the show premiered on Netflix in 2017. It was panned by the critics upon its debut. The second season, which premiered recently, received favourable reviews but it was not enough to save the show. It is unclear whether the series will be revived for Disney's own streaming service, which is expected to arrive in 2019. State Bank of India Spokesman News Service, Chandigarh (13th Oct'18): The State Bank of India has released the cash credit limit (CCL) for KMS 2018-19 of Rs. 29,695.40 crore as authorised by Reserve Bank of India and would start transfer of amount to accounts of arhtias/farmers from Monday onwards, informed a spokesperson of Food and Civil Supplies Department, Punjab The spokesperson further informed that payment advices of Rs. 570.41 crore has been generated till date and would be transferred to the accounts of farmers/arhtias on Monday against the purchase of paddy from farmers/arhtias. It is pertinent to mention that the Government agencies and private millers have procured 691781 metric tonnes of Paddy in Punjab till October 12. Out of the total procurement so far from various procurement centres in the State, the Government agencies procured 665607 MT of paddy while 26174 MT has been procured by the millers. Giving the purchase details agency-wise, the spokesperson said that PUNGRAIN has procured 207263 MT, MARKFED procured 170426 MT, PUNSUP procured 139962 MT and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation and Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation procured 63450 MT and76212 MT paddy respectively. The Centre government agency FCI has procured 8294 MT paddy. Stubble burning PTI, Chandigarh (13th Oct'18): Scores of farmers Saturday held a demonstration at Punjab's Barnala district, asking the government to come out with a viable solution for stubble burning. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), farmers including women gathered at Barnala's grain market, protesting against the state and central government for allegedly harassing paddy growers in Punjab. They demanded the government give farmers Rs 200 per quintal as bonus for the management of crop residue if it failed to propose a viable solution for stubble burning problem. "The government should come out with a proper solution for stubble burning problem or else give us Rs 200 per quintal as bonus for the management of crop residue," said BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokrikalan. They sad by using farm machinery, only 9 per cent of the stubble which comes around 20 lakh tonne out of 220 lakh tonne can be managed, said Khokrikalan. He said farmers were being unnecessarily defamed over stubble burning issue. "Stubble burning causes only 8 per cent of air pollution and only paddy growers are being blamed for causing environment pollution. Advertisement But nobody speaks about those who causes 92 per cent of pollution," he further said. Farmers also accused private farm equipment companies of making profit by hiking the cost of machinery. "Farmers do not want that they should burn the stubble as it causes environment pollution. But they have to do so in the absence of any workable solution to the problem," he said. Punjab and Haryana annually generate 220 and 65 lakh tonne of paddy stubble, respectively. DGP Punjab Suresh Arora presiding over a high-level joint meeting with the Special Task Force Spokesman News Service, Chandigarh (13th Oct'18): Raising the pitch on its war against drugs on the directives of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Punjab Police has decided to launch a drive against Proclaimed Offenders (POs) of drug cases, including those who had fled the country. The decision was taken on Saturday at a high-level joint meeting of the Special Task Force (STF), Intelligence Wing and Bureau of Investigation (BoI), held under the chairmanship of DGP Suresh Arora, at the Intelligence Bhawan, SAS Nagar. Intelligence Wing & BoI at the Intelligence Bhawan, SAS Nagar Advertisement DGP STF Mohd. Mustafa, DGP Intelligence Dinkar Gupta, along with officers from Intelligence Wing, STF and BoI attended the meeting that had been convened to review the action against drugs and discuss the strategy to further strengthen the battle to eliminate the drug menace from the state. The meeting, which focused on synergising the efforts of district Police, Intelligence Wing and STF, proposed a series of other initiatives to intensify the efforts against drugs. The meeting discussed preventive detention of traffickers from whom heavy recoveries have been effected. The lists of such traffickers are in the process of being prepared, the meeting was informed. Directions were given in the meeting to expedite the cases of seizing/freezing of property acquired through illegal means by drug smugglers, an official spokesperson disclosed. It was further proposed to hold a joint meeting of the District Police, Intelligence Wing and Special Task Force on a weekly basis in various districts to review action against drugs, to share information and to devise future strategy. The meeting also underlined the need to undertake media campaigns for spreading awareness against drugs and to give a further push to the DAPO and Buddy programmes of the State Government. At least two of the three men were walking when a black Jeep Grand Cherokee drove by and someone inside the Jeep fired a gun, police said; a 27-year-old was shot in the arm and a 19-year-old grazed in the hand. The 27-year-old was stabilized at Stroger Hospital, while the younger man declined medical treatment, police said. The Trump administration believes it is on solid legal ground, according to two officials, in part because U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who ordered the government to reunite separated families in June, approved the binary-choice approach in one of his rulings. But a Congressional Research Service report last month said "practical and legal barriers" remain to using that approach in the future and said releasing families together in the United States is "the only clearly viable option under current law." During the 2016 campaign, the most potent political sentiment held that people like me were not getting ahead because of people like them. In the primary race, support for Trump among white Americans was weakly associated with whether people were worried about losing their jobs but strongly associated with whether people believed that employers were giving jobs to minorities instead of whites. In the general election, the belief that split Trump and Clinton supporters was not whether average Americans have gotten less than they deserve. Majorities of both groups agreed. Instead, the dividing line was whether they thought blacks have gotten less than they deserve: Fifty-seven percent of Clinton supporters agreed, but only 12 percent of Trump supporters did. An increasingly bitter contest in the East Bays Assembly District 15 pits a first-time candidate who has the backing of Democratic Party heavyweights against a political firebrand who has been in local government for years. The outcome will reveal which brand of progressive politics can persuade voters in this bright blue district, which stretches from North Oakland through Berkeley and Richmond to Hercules. Buffy Wicks and Jovanka Beckles were the top finishers to emerge from a crowded June primary to replace two-term Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, now running for state superintendent of public instruction. Their differences in approach are many, but on most major policies, the distance between them is thin. They both, for instance, want to implement a single-payer health care system in California and agree that housing and homelessness are the most pressing issues for the district. While Wicks had the largest share of the votes in the primary nearly a third overall and twice the number that Beckles received the November contest could still be competitive. The third- and fourth-place finishers, Oakland City Councilman Dan Kalb and Berkeley school board member Judy Appel, have thrown their weight behind Beckles. Beckles, 55, is a Contra Costa County youth mental health counselor and Richmond City Council member. In making her case to voters, she points to her anti-Chevron-refinery bona fides and support from Californias most powerful labor unions. She holds true to the same policies promoted by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his favored candidates around the country. Photos by Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle Wicks, 41, spent her recent years helping to elect other politicians, notably Barack Obama in 2008, and shepherding the passage of the Affordable Care Act while working in the White House. She has national stars in the Democratic Party, including Obama, lined up behind her campaign thats featured some 200 house parties listening sessions in peoples living rooms. The former California director of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign was inspired to run after President Trump won the White House. A seat in the Assembly would be her first public office. I see it as the Berniecrat side versus the more traditional, liberal Democratic base, said Maureen Erwin, a Bay Area political consultant who is not working for either campaign. The two hold different positions on a handful of issues. On housing, Beckles supports Proposition 10, the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Act, which would allow cities to adopt rent control. Wicks would rather see the law reformed and fears a repeal would stymie construction of new units. Wicks says cities need to build more housing attainable for all income levels; Beckles says there are too many luxury homes under construction. On education, Beckles wants a moratorium on charter schools. Wicks does not. If the race comes down to the wire, then Wicks ground game unusually active for an Assembly campaign could be decisive, especially if her house parties are organized strategically and yield a network of volunteers, Erwin said. Beckles, with less than half of Wicks campaign contributions, lamented the level of spending in the race and the number of celebrity folks who are inserting themselves into the election. Those Democratic Party folks have never stepped foot in Richmond, she said. This race is about putting people and planet over the profit of the billionaire class. This race is about taking back our government and getting dirty money big money out of it and putting it back into the hands of the people. Beckles, who was born in Panama and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, noted that without Thurmond, if she loses, the Bay Area will no longer have an African American representative in the state Legislature. We deserve to have the most diverse, progressive candidate, Beckles said. I say the most diverse because in addition to being a black woman, Im Latin American. Im an immigrant. Im a queer woman. Im a union member. Robert Smith, a professor emeritus of political science at San Francisco State University, who closely watches East Bay politics, said that Beckles identity probably wont help her. I dont think voters in Richmond or Berkeley vote very much on racial or ethnic lines, Smith said. I think its always been more about ideology, and of course the district is majority white so I wouldnt expect her to make a big deal of it. Wicks, too, has sought to highlight her background. Raised in the tiny Placer County town of Foresthill in a trailer, her first foray into politics was leading local protests against the Iraq War, then organizing workers against Walmarts labor practices. She said that her upbringing gives her fluency in conservative communities and that she is prepared to work with lawmakers across the political spectrum. The thing that I hear a lot of in the house parties is people feeling like our political discourse is broken, Wicks said. I think people want someone who is honest, who has integrity, whos going to work really hard, who has progressive values and whos going to work in broad coalition to get stuff done for them. Wicks was part of the old guard of Obamas first presidential run the 32nd person hired in his campaign. She has lived on and off in the Bay Area since 2001, including during the 2008 election, and permanently settled in Oakland in 2016 a fact that has led Beckles and her supporters to cast Wicks as something of a carpetbagger. 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. Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, who frequently clashes with Beckles and her bloc of the City Council the Richmond Progressive Alliance said he endorsed Wicks because of Beckles track record as a legislator. Theres no evidence that she thinks for herself or does her homework or spends time researching policy issues, Butt said. The Richmond Progressive Alliance is a very tight-knit group ... Anyone who strays from the party line is severely criticized. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who endorsed Beckles, said she isnt a typical politician. Shes someone who comes to politics from social movements and has been a progressive activist, he said. I think she sees her role as a public official as someone whos organizing communities in Richmond, giving voice to some of the most under-represented communities and being a change agent whos standing up to businesses and the status quo. As the election nears, the race has been marked by several combative flareups. The Beckles campaign accused Wicks of dirty tricks for allegedly planting former Richmond City Councilman Vinay Pimple at a forum on disability issues last month and encouraging him to create a disruption. Pimple has said that Beckles once mocked him for being blind. Wicks campaign staffers then alleged that after another candidate forum, a Beckles supporter harassed one of their high school volunteer interns. The yelling, obscenities and lies brought the girl to tears, they said. Arreguin said it was unfortunate that the contest has become so divisive. He said, despite supporting Beckles, he would be happy to work with Wicks. Things have gotten so polarized, Arreguin said. I dont think there are so many differences between me and Buffy or progressives and Buffy. Im not anti-Buffy. Im pro-Jovanka. Erwin, the political consultant, said it will be interesting to see which of the two messages resonates with voters in the district. I see it as mostly a stylistic difference, she said. On core policies, they are pretty similar. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov President Trump is totally and completely devoted to campaigning every hour of every day and in every location where there is a political contest. And hes just as committed to insulting any of his opponents, which he seems to find in California with startling regularity. First it was House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Then it was Rep. Maxine Waters. At some point he fixated on Gavin Newsom, probably because someone duped him into endorsing the multistate-traveled Republican candidate John Cox for California governor and now Trump is worried about losing face in November. Lately, Trump has zeroed in on Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose name hes unwilling or unable to pronounce correctly. Trump all but accuses Feinstein of leaking Christine Blasey Fords letter outlining her attempted-rape allegation against Brett Kavanaugh. Its an absurd charge if you know Feinstein thats just not how she operates but Trump, as weve all learned, couldnt care less about the truth. And that lock her up chant that Trumps Iowa fans cut loose with the other night when he mocked her? Maybe people laugh it off now because its become so commonplace at Trump rallies, first about Hillary Clinton and now Feinstein. It should not be laughed away. Of all the many profoundly anti-American features of the Trump presidency, the notion of imprisoning ones political opponents might be the most disturbing of all. The challenge: A month ago, South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham was considered a Trump skeptic. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona was a voice of sanity, if perhaps not a vote for sanity. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was viewed as a standup appreciator of humankind. When it counted, however, they all fell in line with the Republican battle strategy as laid out by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Give them nothing. Take over the courts at every level, give Republicans and their kind a tax break, wipe out regulatory structures for consumers and the environment, then sit back and enjoy 30 years of control. And it will happen unless we work like hell to get the speakership back for Nancy Pelosi, who then will have the awesome responsibility of saving the nation. In the words of the late Raiders boss Al Davis, Just win, baby! Salesforced: The San Francisco political scene got a bit more complicated when tech giant Marc Benioff decided to get directly involved in the issue of homelessness. Hes pouring a couple of million of his and his companys dollars into passing Proposition C, which would tax big companies to raise $300 million a year for homeless programs in the city. Whenever nonelected types who report to no one but themselves decide to get in the middle of campaigns, disaster is possible. Mayor London Breed has made it clear that the $300 million that the city already spends on homelessness is enough the problem is that no one has been able to figure out how to spend it in the right places. At times, the city hasnt been sure where the money is even going. So is the answer to dump another $300 million into the pot? It would be smarter to figure out first whats working and what isnt. Lack of government funding has never been the problem when it comes to homelessness in San Francisco. Spending whats there efficiently has been the challenge. London has been in office for all of three months or so. To paraphrase John Lennon, all I am saying is give Breed a chance. 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. Movie time: The Sisters Brothers. An old-fashioned Western filmed in old-fashioned style. Its a thought-provoking movie, not a shoot-em-up. Well worth checking out, but be warned: This is not a barn burner. Monsters and Men. It tries to tell the story of African Americans troubles with police, but its both hard to follow and unenlightening. There were two other people in the theater for the show I caught. Clearly we were the only three people who didnt get the word, Dont waste your money. Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com Chatbots that dont disclose that theyre not human will be illegal in California starting in July, under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last month. State Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, introduced the bill, SB1001, after seeing news reports about Russians spreading misinformation online in attempts to interfere with U.S. elections and bots flooding social media after the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Its really a concept of fraud, Hertzberg said. Where somebody goes out and gives a false impression of being a human being when theyre really a bot. The law makes it illegal for a person to use a bot to communicate or interact with someone in California to sell a product or service, or influence a vote in an election without disclosing the existence of the bot. Its limited to commercial and voting issues, and Hertzberg said he hopes the law will serve as a precedent for other states. The bill was introduced with support from the group Common Sense Kids Action, and CEO Jim Steyer called it a step in the right direction to bring transparency to social media. But Tiffany Olson Kleemann, CEO of Distil Networks, which protects websites against web scraping and bot traffic, said while the law is necessary, it could be hard to enforce, especially because the people behind some bots are bad actors who may be outside of California. Theyre not going to be raising their hands saying, Hey Im a bad bot and Im trying to launch a credential attack or steal your identity, Olson Kleemann said. The law could also unfairly penalize businesses, when it is those bad actors who are behind the violation, she said. She commended the law for being the first piece of legislation that addressed bots outside of ticket sellers. New York, the United Kingdom and Canada have passed laws designed to prevent bots from buying up tickets and reselling them in the underground market. People who violate the law would face the same penalties as they would for committing fraud, Hertzberg said. That could include a fine and jail time. Businesses could also be liable if they are aware of violations on their website and dont prevent them as the laws definition of a person includes companies and government entities. Tech companies have already been taking action, Hertzberg said, pointing to Twitter purging millions of fake accounts this year. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Bots are certainly proliferating. Google drew scrutiny in May, when it introduced a test feature, Google Duplex, which can perform tasks like making calls with realistic voice features. The company quickly clarified that its bot would disclose itself as nonhuman. Google declined to comment. Hertzberg said the law isnt intended to infringe on free speech or the ability to be anonymous online, but to prevent the spread of misleading information. Users can say what they want, as long as they disclose that they are a bot, Hertzberg said. Hertzberg said he will look at how to address automated spam telephone calls next year. Its really about keeping up with technology and seeing how technology is abused, he said. Sophia Kunthara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophia.kunthara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophiaKunthara Michael Macor / The Chronicle A San Francisco judge on Friday turned down a request by startup Lime to block the citys e-scooter pilot program, which is scheduled to start Monday with 1,250 scooters from two rival companies, Scoot and Skip. San Franciscos Lime was one of a dozen companies that vied for up to five permits to operate e-scooters here. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency created the permit process after Lime, Bird and Spin flooded city streets with scooters in the spring, drawing complaints about them blocking sidewalks and disturbing pedestrians. Lime and other companies were dinged in the selection process over past bad behavior, causing it to cry foul. Most of San Francisco magazines small editorial staff gave notice or quit their jobs this week. The monthly publication won a prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence this year. It is owned by Modern Luxury of Atlanta, which publishes more than 30 other city magazines including one in Silicon Valley. The company also publishes wedding and interior design titles. Earlier this month, staffers in San Francisco were told there would be unspecified budget cuts and that the magazine would begin sharing content with other Modern Luxury titles. We hadnt done that before, said Lindsey Smith, the magazines associate editor. Smith said she gave notice Thursday and is leaving at the end of next week to pursue a freelance career. Senior editor Scott Lucas said on Twitter Thursday that he will be leaving when the December issue is finished. Erin Feher, style and design editor, posted on Facebook Friday, I QUIT MY JOB. Like box-up-my-desk-and-bounce-kinda quit. Jodi Nakatsuka, photo director, said she resigned Friday. Articles editor Ian Stewart confirmed that he also gave notice. Former staffers believe only two full-time editors will remain, including Jason Sheeler, who started this week as editor in chief. There are a handful of part-time editorial staffers, but some are independent contractors, not employees. The exodus did not affect the magazines advertising staff. The slick magazine is still stuffed with ads; its September issue weighed in at 156 pages. Publisher Paul Reulbach did not return phone calls. Modern Luxury Editorial Director Stephanie Davis Smith did not return an email seeking comment. Jon Steinberg, the magazines editor in chief until mid-July, said, Since I left, there have been whispers and then rampant discussion of them laying off most of the staff anyway. Employees see the writing on the wall and are quitting. While employees are being paid, Steinberg said the parent company has been been egregiously delinquent in paying freelancers for about a year now. Every single day, I was being bombarded by frustrated freelancers I had hired who were supposed to be paid within 45 days of publication and had been waiting up to 180 days. We had copy editors who were full-time freelancers, who hadnt been paid in two, three, four months. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes San Francisco freelance writer Laura Fraser said she started an all-out campaign after payment for a story she did on mountain lions was 120 days late. She wrote to Modern Luxurys chief executive and chief financial officer and copied the letter to 120 colleagues at the San Francisco Writers Grotto, a co-working group. She also posted about her travails on social media. She said she finally got paid Sept. 5, more than five months after she sent an invoice. Steinberg said that in mid-2017, Modern Luxury acquired its biggest competitor, Greengale Publishing. They almost doubled in size overnight. Ever since then, they took on so much overhead and new expenses that they hadnt planned for. Fraser said San Francisco magazine pursued serious journalism under its previous editors, making it an outlier in the Modern Luxury stable. Its other publications focus on interior design, the best doctors and other subjects that pull in a lot of ads. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender San Francisco police said they arrested 41 adults Friday for blocking streets and refusing to cooperate with police outside the Marriott Marquis during a union worker rally. The rally drew hundreds of striking Marriott hotel workers to the area of 4th and Mission streets late Friday afternoon. The workers took to the streets after more than a week of striking to demand higher wages, workplace safety and job security. Contract negotiations are still underway, said Ted Waechter, a spokesman for the Bay Area hotel workers union Unite Here Local 2. Stepping off of the sidewalk and onto the roadway in front of the Marriott Marquis was an act of mass peaceful civil disobedience, according to union representatives, who claimed that 60 people were arrested. After the act of disobedience, hotel workers and their supporters returned to the sidewalk, where they remained past 6 p.m. Friday. Candida Kevorkian, a housekeeper for the Marriott Westin St. Francis, was one of the people arrested, union representatives said. I took arrest for the same reason Ive been on strike for nine days - one job should be enough for hotel workers like me, Kevorkian said. My job at Marriott is not enough to pay the rent. Three generations of my family have to share one apartment. San Francisco police officers blocked the road to normal traffic for a portion of the evening while detaining individuals, placing their hands in wrist restraints while officers searched their bodies and belongings. Protesters cheered on their colleagues as they were getting detained and searched by officers. Anand Singh, the president of the Unite Here Local 2, said negotiations are not close to a resolution. 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. Were going to strike until Marriott hotel workers no longer have to work two or three jobs even while working for the richest hotel company on Earth, Singh said. Nearly 2,500 workers walked off their jobs last week from seven Marriott hotels in downtown San Francisco as part of the mass strikes. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor Id never been to the Wah Ying Chinese Social Club on Clay Street, so entering the narrow doorway and climbing a steep staircase was like ascending to a little-known plane. There were banners on the wall, images of dragons and Golden Eagles (the English translation of the club name). But for this particular evening, those furnishings didnt define the site. This was a celebration of baking. Friend and bake-aholic Dianne Boate had organized a book party for The Cake Bible author Rose Levy Beranbaum, whose new work is Roses Baking Basics. The Chronicle food sections Sarah Fritsche will be writing more about the author and her book, so consider this item a finger dipped in frosting. Hector Wong was born in Peru, and after he moved to the United States, his aunt gave him a copy of The Cake Bible, which he used as a way to learn English. Fascinated, he watched Beranbaum on Charlie Rose on PBS and on YouTube, he said. And his English became perfect. In 1989, he moved to Hawaii where, working in computer tech, he added to his credentials as a Beranbaum groupie. He baked almost every cake in The Cake Bible, and wrote his own cheesecake cookbook. He put avocado in my Chocolate Oblivion instead of butter, said an awestruck Beranbaum. His imagination is incredible. Idol and fan met on the internet in 2006, and then for the first time face-to-face in 2013, when, in response to his many comments on her blog, she surprised him with a visit to Hawaii. He returned the surprise at the Chinatown event, which took place, he said, a day after he completed the feat of paddling a canoe from Molokai to Oahu. He was wearing a white satin jacket shed given him, embroidered in pink with Rose on the front and The Cake Bible on the back. If these facts baking, paddling, avocados and language skills seem disjointed, consider the process of baking, where disparate ingredients thrown into a bowl create a cake. And in that spirit, its irresistible to add that Barenbaum said shed grown up in Far Rockaway, N.Y., where her father, a cabinetmaker, had the monopoly on bagel peels (wooden paddles used to move the bagels in the oven) in the New York metropolitan area. Working with the San Francisco World War I Armistice Centennial Committee planning Nov. 11 centenary rites for Armistice Day, history buff Ken Maley came across sepia photos of uniformed men. At the time, 1917 and 1918, many new enlistees posed for pictures they had taken in commercial studios, said Maley. These were then printed on card stock and turned into postcards, mailed home from soldiers who had been sent abroad. Maley calls these the original Instagrams ... sent from around the U.S. and Europe even into 1919 and 1920. The notes are from young men, such as this one, meant to be tucked into an envelope. Theres no addressee. As just a lonely soldier boy I send my love to you. Hoping you may treasure it for I trust my love is true. For all day long when at my drills my thoughts are all of you. And I trust this finds you happiness when I send my love to you, Jesse. The postcards are part of an exhibition (to be up into 2019) in the lobby of the War Memorial Veterans Building on Van Ness Avenue. Maley, whose formal title is project director for centennial events and exhibits, says this exhibit is among those in 100 cities designated as commemorators by the congressional commission devoted to the anniversary. At Top Dog in Berkeley, Susan Aberg overheard a conversation between cook and customer: Do you have an M.A. or Ph.D degree? the cook asked the customer. Nope, said the customer, a B.A. Because, said the cook, I have a theory that someone who orders just one bockwurst is highly educated, orders only one, no chips, and just water. Granted, its only a theory. To which the customer replied, May I have chips with that? Reader C.O. suggests that women enraged by recent events express their feelings by taking a knee when the national anthem is played. But unless theyre athletes on the field, the gesture would be hard to see. Should they sit? Raise fists? Ideas, sisters? PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING Im on my way to Target to de-escalate my emotional status. Man on cell phone, overheard in downtown Berkeley by Steven Horowitz Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik Even as a Bay Area professors accusation against a U.S. Supreme Court candidate invigorated the movement against sexual abuse, it intensified a backlash that casts men as the real victims of #MeToo a reaction that traces its recent roots to college campuses and has found a vocal backer in the nations leader. President Trump not only mocked Christine Blasey Ford for her testimony that Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens, but the president who himself faces allegations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen women sought to redefine the era as a very scary time for young men in America. His son, Donald Trump Jr., said hes more worried about his three sons than his two daughters. The reaction against women who report being harassed or assaulted gained a hashtag of its own, #HimToo; was cheered by many in Trumps base; and won support from like-minded lawmakers like Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who called #MeToo a movement toward victimization. Even before she testified Sept. 27, Ford received death threats and had to move out of her Palo Alto home. Those studying these movements see many forces behind the tension, including the human tendency to push back on calls for change and, in the case of Kavanaugh, the partisan divide over his confirmation. But social scientists have long been familiar with a boomerang effect: Author Susan Faludi exposed anti-feminist retaliation throughout society when she published Backlash in 1991. What became clear last week was that, in the age of social media, there is also a backlash to the backlash. A song lampooning the #HimToo effort by Texas artist Mercedes Lynz had racked up 277,000 likes on Twitter by Friday, four days after she posted it. I cant walk to my car late at night while on the phone / I cant open up the windows when Im home alone / I cant go to the bar without a chaperone, Lynz sings. But sure is a scary time for boys / yeah, gentlemen, band together make some noise / Its really tough when your reputations on the line / If any woman youve assaulted could turn up anytime. Backlashes tend to be amplified online. As researchers Benoit Monin and Takuya Sawaoka of Stanford University discovered in studies of 3,377 people in six experiments, a switch flips on social media when comments against offensive behavior pile up. Suddenly, people start to sympathize with the offender. We see outrage at the outrage, Monin, a psychology professor, said of the recently released study, The Paradox of Viral Outrage. The researchers found that while moral disapproval helped societies weed out deviant behavior, the exponential dynamics of Internet postings make this expression of legitimate individual outrage appear excessive and unjust. The same individual outrage that would be praised in isolation is more likely to be viewed as bullying when echoed online. This dynamic got a new twist after an Oklahoma woman posted a tweet on Oct. 6 stating, This is MY son. He graduated #1 in boot camp. He was awarded the USO award. He was #1 in A school. He is a gentleman who respects women. He wont go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. She signed off: I VOTE. #HimToo. Enter the backlash against the backlash. Not only was the message parodied across social media, but the womans son, Pieter Hanson of Florida, felt compelled to correct the record, tweeting, Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it. Lets turn this around. I respect and #BelieveWomen. I never have and never will support #HimToo. The male-as-victim movement, sans hashtag, gained strength roughly five years ago in response to a national uprising of college women who made clear they no longer would tolerate their campuses ignoring their complaints of sexual assault and harassment. At UC Berkeley, nine women filed state and federal complaints against the campus in 2013. A group of mothers took notice. These were not the parents of accusers, but of the accused. Families Advocating for Campus Equality was founded in 2013 by three mothers of sons who had been falsely accused of sexual misconduct at their respective colleges, says the groups website, which describes the group as an unbiased, gender-neutral resource for families going through the sexual misconduct disciplinary process on campus. Another group more firmly in the mens rights camp is Save Our Sons, which sends out a weekly blast of stories and legal cases about college men and now schoolboys said to have been acquitted of sexual misconduct charges or to have suffered unjustly at the hands of accusers. MeToo Plague comes to Junor (sic) HS Innocent 8th Grade Boy is accused/arrested, read a message last week. It linked to a blog describing a Colorado boy being summoned by a vice principal who purportedly grilled him for over two hours alone in her office about sexual assault accusations from four girls. The blog post included no interview with the vice principal. There is an ugly, frightening feminist attack being executed upon our young boys, wrote Save Our Sons founder Alice True in her introduction to the blog, which said the boy was arrested and handcuffed. We must stop being mesmerized by the wayward MeToo movement. We need to stand up for the presumption of innocence, and for due process. A Justice Department report said more than 323,000 people in the U.S. reported being raped or sexually assaulted in 2016, and experts agree that sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center in Pennsylvania said false reports of sexual assault are rare, occurring in 2 to 10 percent of cases, according to leading studies. The center cautioned that the estimates may be inflated due to broad definitions of what constitutes a false allegation. So why the backlash against a movement that seeks to end sexual assault? People believe things theyre motivated to believe, said Robb Willner, a Stanford sociologist, noting that winning control of the Supreme Court is a powerful motivation to see the world through a particular lens. This isnt about whether rape is OK. Its about standing for your team, said Catherine Fisk, a UC Berkeley School of Law professor who is co-teaching MeToo: Women and Work, Law and Policy this semester. Nobody thinks attempted rape is OK when it happens to their wife, their daughter, their sister. Yet another motivation for reacting skeptically to the #MeToo movement is cognitive dissonance, said Catherine Albiston, who teaches employment discrimination law at UC Berkeley School of Law. Thats when we cant imagine something is true, even if evidence indicates it is. Albiston said people often choose the side that feels most comfortable, whether its accurate or not. It is very upsetting to believe that there is as much sexual assault and sexual harassment out there as the research suggests, she said. People dont want to believe its that prevalent, or that its being committed by people we otherwise admire. Maria Bevacqua, a professor of gender studies at Minnesota State University Mankato and the author of Rape on the Public Agenda: Feminism and the Politics of Sexual Assault, said #MeToo has threatened fundamental notions of how men have treated women, fueling a backlash with no basis in fact. Were seeing panic, she said. Were seeing a crisis of masculinity. Bevacqua noted that in the three days after Fords testimony on Sept. 27, the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 338 percent increase in traffic. The idea of a large number of men being falsely accused and prosecuted, she said, doesnt really measure up to the severity and intensity of sexual assault being revealed through the #MeToo movement. Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, who escaped a Nazi labor camp in Lithuania as a boy and later rose through the ranks of the U.S. Army, eventually leading its forces in Berlin at the end of the Cold War, died Sept. 27 in Pinehurst, N.C. He was 83. His daughter, LeeAnne Meister, confirmed the death, at a hospital near his horse farms in Southern Pines. He had Parkinsons disease, atrial fibrillation and polycythemia vera, a blood cancer, she said. His path to becoming a major general began in Kaunas, also known as Kovno, a major city in south-central Lithuania, where he was born Schaja Shachnowski on Nov. 23, 1934, to Leon and Rose (Schuster) Shachnowski. His father was an engineer; his mother, a homemaker and seamstress. The Shachnowskis were relatively prosperous Jews. But their lives were altered dramatically when they were uprooted from their home and herded into shoddy housing in a nearby ghetto that had been sealed off by the Germans. They became forced laborers for their occupiers. The ghetto was a de facto concentration camp, Shachnow recalled many years later. Though it had no gas chambers or crematories, he said, nearly everybody there died. Our camp did things the old-fashioned way, he said in a speech at Elon University, in North Carolina, in 2014. Several bulldozers would dig a ditch; people would be asked to move to the edge of the ditch. In most cases they were naked. Automatic weapons would kill them. They would fall into the ditch, some wounded and not dead, and if you were lying on the ledge, an individual would throw you into the ditch. After three years of escalating brutality (in one instance a guard beat him with a shovel), his family devised an improbable but successful escape plan for him. Leaving behind his weeping parents one morning before dawn, 9-year-old Schaja hid under his Uncle Willies long coat as the uncle, with Schaja moving in rhythm with him, walked through the gates, passing guards and a work detail that was often sent outside the ghetto. Shortly afterward, children at the camp were liquidated. When he and his uncle reached the streets beyond the gates of the ghetto, he said, his uncle gave him a prearranged signal to emerge from under the coat and find his contact, a woman wearing a red kerchief. Following the route he had been given, Schaja found her and followed her to temporary safety in a storage room of a building with a table, chairs and a toilet. She locked the door, and he wondered, he later recalled, if he had traded one imprisonment for another. I had escaped from hell! Shachnow wrote in his autobiography, Hope and Honor (2004), written with Jan Robbins. Or had I? Afterward he was taken in by a Roman Catholic family and lived with them for several months. He was then reunited with his mother, who had escaped from the camp, and his younger brother, Mula, who had been smuggled to safety disguised as a girl. For a while they lived in the familys house in Kaunas with Soviet officers; the Red Army had by then had taken control of Lithuania. But fearing that the communists would seal the countrys borders after the war, Schaja left with his mother and brother on a 2,000-mile trek by foot, wagon and train through Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary before settling in Furth, Germany, near Nuremberg, in fall 1945. His father, who had been fighting the Germans with partisans, rejoined them, and they charted a path to the United States. In 1950 the family left Germany on a Navy transport ship and arrived in Boston. Schaja, his parents and brother settled in Salem, Mass., where relatives had preceded them. As they sought to assimilate he did not speak English at first Schaja became known as Sidney and his brother as Stanley. Sidney attended high school but dropped out in 1955 and joined the Army. He married Arlene Armstrong a Jewish-Catholic union that his parents opposed Join the new world, he recalled telling his parents. America, the melting pot. Have you even taken a step into this world? You both live in the past! Starting as an infantry private, he rose to captain in the Special Forces, or Green Berets, in 1962 and fought in Vietnam, twice receiving the Silver Star for valor. Transferred to West Berlin in 1970, he was given command of Detachment (A), an elite Special Forces unit that conducted clandestine intelligence missions in Eastern Europe. He led it for four years. They served on the front lines of the Cold War and never fired a shot in anger, Shachnow told Task & Purpose, a national security news website, last year. No force of its size in history has contributed more to peace, stability and freedom. After other postings, including as director of the U.S. Special Operations Command in Washington, he returned to West Berlin as the Armys commanding officer in 1989, when events were unfolding that would lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. As a German-speaking combat veteran, Shachnow was well suited to serve in Berlin. But as a Holocaust survivor, he was confronted with what he felt was delicious irony: His headquarters had been those of the powerful Nazi official Hermann Goring, and his residence had once belonged to Fritz Reinhardt, a finance minister under Hitler. Here it is, the very capital of fascism and the Third Reich, Shachnow once told the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina. The very buildings and streets where they were goose-stepping and Heil-Hitlering, and the very system that put me in the camp and killed many people. After leaving Berlin, he was appointed commander of the Special Forces and commanding general of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C. While in the service he received a bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska and a masters degree in public administration from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University) in Pennsylvania. He retired from the Army in 1994. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Shachnow helped organize an endorsement of Donald Trump by 88 retired military leaders. They said they believed Trump would make a long overdue course correction in our national security posture. In addition to his wife and his daughter, LeeAnne, he is survived by three other daughters, Sheree Gillette, Michelle Batiste and Denise Smith; 14 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and his brother. Shachnow said that flexibility, tenacity and assertiveness were among the qualities that had helped him survive the Holocaust. Unavoidable suffering can give you meaning in life, he said in the Elon University speech. For me, my military experience, my experience in a concentration camp and my relationship with my wife gave me meaning. Richard Sandomir is a New York Times writer. Sen. Kamala Harris will travel to Iowa this month, increasing the buzz around her possible run for president in 2020. The California Democrat is scheduled to spend Oct. 22 and 23 in the state, whose caucuses are set to be the first-in-the-nation votes during the next presidential cycle. Traveling to early voting states allows presidential hopefuls to make connections with local party leaders, donors and activists and lay the groundwork for any future campaign. We are all very excited, Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democrats, said of Harris trip, which will take place two weeks before the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Harris is scheduled to speak to Democratic activists and early voters in downtown Des Moines the night of Oct. 22 at an event put on by the local organization, Bagniewski said. She will be introduced onstage by Deidre DeJear, a candidate for Iowa secretary of state whom Harris has endorsed. DeJear is the first black candidate in Iowa to run for a statewide office with a major political party. Harris, who gained attention and plaudits among progressives for her pointed questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, is also scheduled to swing through eastern Iowa and Cedar Rapids on Oct. 23. The trip was originally supposed to take place the next week but was moved up when the Senate adjourned earlier than expected, Bagniewski said. Harris last high-profile stop in Iowa was in 2008, when she was San Franciscos district attorney and campaigning for Barack Obama. Along with Harris, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have been the most requested guests, Bagniewski said. Another 2020 hopeful, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, may return to the state later this month. Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov Officers on the scene shooed away two civilian witnesses to the shooting Jose and Xavier Torres. A third civilian witness, Alma Benitez, has alleged in a lawsuit that police took her to a station house and pressured her to change her account and say that McDonald had lunged at police, even going so far as to tell her they had video to support that version of events. Sorry to disappoint the factions on the left who are relishing revenge and the alarmists on the right who are warning of socialist apocalypse if Democrats regain control of the House in the midterms, but Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, is thinking about neither the i-word (impeachment) nor the o-word (obstruction) when she returns to the speakership. And let there be no doubt: She wants that speakers gavel back in January, and is willing to say so out loud. Instead, the House minority leader was talking the b-word (bipartisanship) in her meeting on Wednesday with our editorial board. Its not the lowest common denominator, she said of bipartisanship. Its the boldest common denominator. This is not exactly what the Democratic base wants to hear or what the Republican base purports to fear. But for as much as red-state Republicans like to cast Pelosi as the unwitting running mate of their Democratic opponent, the San Francisco Democrat has shown herself to be a pragmatist in working with a Republican president, including the one she opposed totally, completely, a million percent on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Pelosi noted that she found common ground with President George W. Bush on consequential matters such as the largest energy bill in the nations history, international HIV/AIDS relief and the stimulus package after the 2008 economic crisis. But is it really plausible to expect that Pelosi could similarly develop a working relationship with President Trump, who routinely mocks her at rallies, and House and Senate Republicans whose contempt for compromise across the aisle goes back into the Obama years? So when we win, said Pelosi, thumping the wood conference table five times for emphasis. It will be open and transparent, she said of the Democratic-controlled House. It will be fair. It will be accountable to the public, and it will try to seek solutions that are unifying. This is because it is what we believe, but also because it is what we owe our founders. She added, after a pointed reference to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells infamous 2010 pledge that the GOPs No. 1 priority was to deny President Barack Obama a second term: One of the reasons we should win is we are not like them. Were not going to be like them. So what does bipartisanship look like in a divided government if the Democrats regain control of the House, Republicans maintain control of the Senate as expected and Trump is sitting there in the Oval Office with the power to sign and veto bills? Areas of potential common ground between Democrats and Republicans Infrastructure Problem: The nation's roads and bridges are in terrible shape. Stalemate: President Trump's rollout of a $250 billion investment was overshadowed by former FBI Director James Comey's testimony that week, and stalled by GOP infighting over the size and financing of the package. Opportunity: Lawmakers of both parties want to get something done. Gun violence Problem: The mass shootings in Parkland, Fla., Las Vegas, Orlando and too many other American cities have called attention to gaps and omissions in gun laws. Stalemate: The GOP-led Congress has done nothing about it. Opportunity: Polls show overwhelming support for background checks on all gun purchases as well as new restrictions on assault weapons. 'Dreamers' Problem: Undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents at a young age are caught in legal limbo after the Trump administration moved to withdraw their protected status. Stalemate: Trump and certain GOP congressional leaders have insisted that a border wall must be part of any deal. Opportunity: Even the president has expressed empathy for the Dreamers' plight. It will be harder for him and other GOPers to play hardball-for-the-wall if Dems take the House. Prescription drugs Problem: Medicare has its hands tied in negotiating prescription drug prices. Stalemate: Trump claims to support a more aggressive government approach to Big Pharma, but has taken only modest steps to leverage lower prices. Opportunity: This is one of those issues of strong bipartisan consensus that keeps getting derailed in polarized Washington. See More Collapse I asked Pelosi which issues might be fertile for consensus. She named four: infrastructure investment, gun violence prevention, legal protection for the Dreamers and authority for the secretary of Health and Human Services to use the federal purchasing power to negotiate lower drug prices. Its a good start. Each of those positions has widespread appeal outside and inside the Capitol. That none has become law is testament to the sorry state of gridlock in the nations capital. One of the disturbing consequences of the devolution of civility and aversion to compromise in modern politic is that both sides both sides seem to think that denying the other an accomplishment is better than achieving something through a process of give and take. Bipartisan movement on the four issues cited by Pelosi would be most welcome. They are about American values, public health and safety and fulfilling one of federal governments most basic responsibilities of building and maintaining its highways, bridges and other systems that are essential to getting people and the economy where they need to go. However, it was noteworthy what was not mentioned: two issues that are of paramount importance to the well being of future generations climate change and Social Security. In each case, one party is serious about addresss the issue, the other is recalcitrant in its resistance. It is unconscionable that any politician who feigns concern for the children would fail to act on the coming calamity of a warming planet. A new report by the United Nations scientific panel on climate change observed that the effects are coming to fruition faster than anticipated and that adverting a global disaster would require an economic transfortation at a speed and scale of no documented historic precedent. Minus drastic action, the scientists projected that everything from coral reef die offs to worsening food shortages would arrive as early as 2040. Yet the U.S. has a president who scoffs at the science, wants to increase the extraction of coal when the world should be phasing it out, and intends to withdraw from the Paris accord. And the ruling Republicans in the House and Senate are equally neglectful to the climate crisis. Democrats have their own object of obliviousness in Social Security. The Social Security Board of Trustees has calculated that the system would begin paying out more in benefits that it receives in annual revenue by 2022. By 2034 it is on track to have exhausted its $3 trillion in reserves. These numbers are ominous for millennials, and help explain why polls show that a significant number of them doubt that they will ever receive any benefits in their golden years. In reality, the outlook is not quite that dire, but the prospect is very real that they will be paying higher taxes to support retired Baby Boomers, or will face reduced benefits in their own golden years. Yet any Republican attempt to assure the sustainability of Social Security such as raising the age for full retirement benefits or adjust the cost-of-living formula encounters instant demagoguery from too many Democrats. The reflexive Democratic counterproposal is to significantly raise or even eliminate the cap on income subject to the 6.2 percent payroll tax, a nonstarter for most conservatives. That limit is $128,400 this year. So no matter what happens in the midterms, it is unlikely that either of these enormous issues will be addressed. Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking on each. The best Americans can hope for is that a Democratic majority in the House, and in a longer shot the Senate, can put a check on the Trump administration policies that are sending the nation in the wrong direction on climate and deficits. Pelosis advice to Democratic candidates: Dont campaign on impeachment or against Donald Trump the bully and misogynist. Dont even talk about him, she said. He is self evidently what he is. To the candidates and to the members I say: You just connect with the voters in ways that talk about their financial stability. John Diaz is The Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron In San Francisco, there's now a way to go whale watching on land as well as at sea ... sort of. A life-sized blue whale sculpture is being unveiled at Crissy Field Saturday. The massive cetacean was constructed from discarded single-use plastic items by local artists Joel Deal Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova. When Elon Musk, embattled CEO of Tesla, needed help getting hundreds of Model 3 cars to customers in the Pacific Northwest, he turned to someone hed never met: Matt Moreno. Moreno, a 45-year-old Microsoft engineer and avowed Tesla fanboy, was one of around a dozen Tesla owners who volunteered to help employees deliver cars to customers at the companys Bellevue, Wash., delivery and service center during the companys frantic, end-of-quarter delivery push late last month. Over the course of several intense days, Moreno and his fellow volunteers spent hours helping new buyers familiarize themselves with a car that, with its screen-based control system that receives regular updates, can feel more like a smartphone, or a spaceship, than an automobile. The unusual effort, duplicated at Tesla delivery centers in other parts of the county, was part of a last-minute effort by the beleaguered Musk to meet ambitious third-quarter delivery goals for the make-or-break Model 3, despite months of production delays, regulatory problems and egregious, often self-inflicted public-relations damage. For Musks many critics, the Model 3s problems are simply more evidence that Musk and his controversial, unconventional company are on the verge of failure. But for a Tesla true believer like Moreno (he and his wife, Laura, both drive them), such difficulties are an unavoidable part of Musks plan to disrupt and utterly remake personal transportation. So when the chance arose to join the fight, Moreno said, it felt like answering the call of duty. We are just right on the cusp of a revolution right now, Moreno said, with audible passion, about Musks ambition. I have no problem sacrificing a weekend for that. For Teslas fans and critics alike, this is a watershed moment for the company. The long-awaited Model 3 is Teslas most affordable offering. The price, currently $49,000 and set to fall to $35,000, according to Musk, is designed to make high-end electric cars attractive to mainstream, middle-class buyers. That, in turn, would give Tesla the volume it needs to become a low-cost producer and gain long-awaited financial stability. But from the start, skeptics have questioned Musks ability to execute such a bold strategy. Doubters have been particularly scornful of what Musk himself has dubbed delivery logistics hell that is, problems resulting from trying to move tens of thousands of cars to customers with a minimalist distribution system that often seems to be developed on the fly. Indeed, when Tesla began making end-of-quarter deliveries over the summer, staging thousands of cars in parking lots, garages and other open areas around the country, skeptics loudly claimed Musks unconventional distribution model was in trouble. Musk has long contended that such criticism is intended mainly to drive down Teslas share price, to the benefit of short-sellers. Worse, in the midst of the end-of-quarter push, Musk was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for making ill-considered tweets about private backers and Teslas future financial strategy. He was forced to step down as chairman of Teslas board of directors, though he remains its CEO and in the wake of that fight the companys shares fell 14 percent. On Sept. 21, amid the delivery crunch, came a ray of hope: a tweet from industry journalist Ryan McCaffrey, an unabashed Tesla fanboy, offering to help Musk make his targets. McCaffreys idea: free labor. A lot of Tesla owners, including myself, would be DELIGHTED to volunteer, for free, to help with deliveries in times like this, McCaffrey tweeted. We cant do their paperwork but we CAN do orientations. Its fun to educate new owners & see their joy & enthusiasm! Musk himself gratefully replied: Wow, thanks for offering to help! The coming week is incredibly intense. If any current Tesla owners whod like to help educate new owners could head to Tesla delivery centers during midday on Sat/Sun & morning/evening on weekdays, that would be super appreciated! Within 24 hours, many Tesla delivery centers began reaching out to the companys fan base through a national network of local Tesla owners clubs. Among them was the 200-member Tesla Owners Club of the Pacific Northwest, based in Bellevue. According to Jay Turney, club vice president, it immediately began coordinating volunteer efforts, which got under way on the morning of Sept. 26 and ran through Sept. 30. At the Bellevue delivery and service center, a routine was quickly established: Tesla employees would handle payments and paperwork, while volunteers would then get buyers sufficiently comfortable with their new cars to drive away. Some people had never been in an electric vehicle, much less a Tesla, said Turney, 56, a retired engineering manager. Those folks, we spent as much time as they needed to get comfortable driving off. Teslas volunteer army is a perfect example of Teslas willingness to flout long-established business practices. Where most automakers rely on dealer networks and multimillion-dollar ad campaigns, Tesla has looked to word-of-mouth and media coverage to promote the product and stir demand, conserving its strained financial resources. Its a risky approach, in part because it depends on a degree of customer loyalty unheard of in the auto business something akin to the devotion that Apple enjoys, but for a much more expensive product. Teslas bet on customer zeal has paid off thus far. Its a tribute, some would say, to the strangely intense chemistry between the cars and the tech enthusiasts who have been attracted to them. Many are early adopters people, like Moreno, who are willing not only to endure the frustrations of early models, but also to become evangelists to the unconverted. Or, at the very least, to come in on a fine autumn weekend and help convert them. No other car company could get their customers to come back in and volunteer their time, said Moreno, proudly. This would never have happened for Dodge or GM or Chrysler or VW. Turney estimated that he put in around 45 hours across five days. Others went as many as 60 hours. Some actually took time off from their real jobs in order to come in and volunteer. The effectiveness of Teslas volunteer army is hard to gauge precisely. Overall, analysts say, Tesla delivered 83,500 vehicles during the third quarter. That was four times what it had delivered in the first two quarters and well ahead of Wall Street expectations, according to CNBC. How much of that was driven by volunteers like Turney and Moreno is hard to know. Officials at the Tesla delivery center declined to comment, and an email to Teslas corporate headquarters went unanswered. Volunteers were reluctant to estimate, at least publicly, how many cars theyd moved for fear that any numbers would be used by skeptics as evidence of Teslas delivery problems. But anecdotally, the volunteer-led effort appears to have been a success. One volunteer said privately, the Bellevue delivery center had delivered cars to nearly every customer on its current customer list. Volunteers were even able to do some recruiting of their own. One Tesla customer who spent Saturday picking up his car was so impressed by the volunteers that he came in Sunday and helped with deliveries. That kind of shows you the level of enthusiasm that Tesla owners have, said Lori Howe, president of the area Tesla owners club, and a Tesla fan since 2010. We know this is the future and we want to be part it. Paul Roberts is a Seattle Times writer. PHOTOS How to save yourself from buying fake products on the internet According to the Global Brand Counterfeiting, global sales on counterfeit items reached $1.8 trillion by the end of 2020. An increasing number of people are shopping online every year and more fake products are being sold to consumers every day. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau and the U.S. Government Office of Accountability, here is how to avoid buying these counterfeit goods when shopping online. (Noah McGee, The Active Times) Our main mission is POW (Prisoners of War) and MIA (Missing in Action) awareness, said Dennis LT Reiter, a Vietnam vet and member of Rolling Thunder. We have a vet here who was killed in action and the public must realize there are soldiers out there since WWII who are still unaccounted for. There are millions of people out there who have no closure. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife hit a milestone in its ongoing efforts to control the state's nutria infestation on Friday morning when they successfully trapped Nutria number 300 at a pond in Merced County. "We had been trapping around that pond for two weeks unsuccessfully," Greg Gerstenberg, operations chief for the nutria eradication project in California told SFGATE. "It was our last day and luckily the last trap we checked had a nutria in it." Nutria are destructive rat-like mammals that are typically two-and-a-half feet long and weigh 20 pounds. In the spring, the Department of Fish and Wildlife began to warn the public about the dangers of the animal, which devastate agricultural infrastructure by burrowing into levees, roadbeds and canal beds. The nutria taken Friday morning was a 13-pound male, which is about average size for a male adult. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is not taking time to celebrate however. The department is currently expanding its operations in San Joaquin County, and is concerned by several reports of nutria on the doorstep of the SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta, a critical region for California's agricultural infrastructure. So far, 12 nutria have been taken from San Joaquin County, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife is unsure if a breeding population has established a foothold in the delta. "We're trapping and making assessments of what's going on there, just trying to see how extensive that breeding population is," Gerstenberg said. "It's right at the doorstep of what's classified as the delta, but we're not sure if they have reproductive populations in the delta yet. But we're definitely concerned." Gerstenberg said the presence of nutria in the delta would pose three unique threats to the state. "It's a three-fold issue we're dealing with here," he said. "Fish and Wildlife's primary emphasis is wildlife and wildlife habitat, and the potential impact to wetlands in areas where nutria are established is high." According to Gerstenberg, nutria are destructive enough to turn wetlands into areas of open water, which could be potentially devastating to other species. Additionally, nutria pose a threat to the state's levee system, and could potentially trigger flooding by burrowing deep into levees and causing failure. And finally, nutria threaten the state's agricultural interests in more ways than one. "There are agricultural impacts, if Nutria can impact levees impacts or canals," Gerstenberg said. "This would hurt irrigation systems which would impact farmers." Nutria also pose a direct threat to the crops themselves. In September, a bean farm is San Joaquin County had a good portion of the field eaten by ravenous nutria. "If nutria establish themselves in the delta, there's a higher chance the agricultural industry notices an impact on their crops," Gerstenberg said. Currently, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is fighting the war against nutria on two fronts: A northern front in San Joaquin County, and a southern front in Merced County. There are two teams active in San Joaquin County, and one team active in Merced County. "We have enough crews to where we can focus on more than one area," Gerstenberg said. "We're trapping trapping at both locations, we've got two work areas we're focusing on at this time." The Department of Fish and Wildlife will soon receive reinforcements from the Department of Food Agriculture. "Food and Agriculture will send new employees to get trained, and will go up into the Delta to work on waterways to determine if there are Nutria in the delta itself," Gerstenberg said. "We will have three crews [in San Joaquin County] in three weeks." Even with these reinforcements however, the nutria eradication project is still in its infant stages. "This project is not a fully-funded dedicated project," Gerstenberg said. "We see potential for impact, we know there are a lot of future concerns, and if nutria become established in Delta, the impacts will be very significant. We're trying to do this with whatever we have." One of the challenges the Department of Fish and Wildife has faced is getting access to private lands, where many of the 300 nutria caught so far have come form. Gerstenberg has been very happy so far with the level of cooperation from local landowners. "We have been quite pleased with landowner support so far, with private landowners granting us access to their land," he said. "Without private land owners this is not going to happen." Gerstenberg estimates we'll know very soon if nutria have indeed gained a foothold in the delta. Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. We believe that discussion will occur following the completion of the studies at the end of 2019, he said. Before we can fully discuss joining the RTA, we need to know much more about the project such as where the last stop of the extension will be and the total cost of the capital project. The California Highway Patrol is reporting alcohol may have been a factor in a fatal collision Thursday in unincorporated Monterey County that left one person dead and two others injured. Zenon Sanchez Cruz, 23, of Watsonville suffered fatal injuries when his Mitsubishi Galant collided with another vehicle on Salinas Road, south of Trafton Road, according to the CHP. Officers responded at 6:55 p.m. to the collision involving two vehicles on southbound Salinas Road. The Mitsubishi made an unsafe turning movement, crossed a dirt median into the southbound lanes and collided with a Dodge Journey, according to the CHP. The Dodge was struck in the front end, and the Mitsubishi was hit along the driver's side door. A passenger in the Mitsubishi suffered major injuries in the collision, and the driver of the Dodge suffered moderate injuries. Both were taken to a hospital. The CHP is still investigating the collision. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. By Bay City New Service A deputy at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has filed a complaint with the state alleging distressing work conditions while she was pregnant in April, the Deputy Sheriff's Association of Santa Clara County said today. Deputy Aleksandra Ridgeway, who has since returned to full duty in the sheriff's office, said she faced retaliation and discriminatory behavior during a high-risk pregnancy at the age of 37 after suffering one miscarriage. "Pregnancy should be one of the most fulfilling and joyous times of a woman's life but this department made me feel that it was frowned upon and an inconvenience to them," Ridgeway said in a complaint to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The complaint says she was forced to commute to the Santa Clara County Superior Court for a "light-duty" assignment instead of a courthouse in Morgan Hill, forcing her to drive two hours daily. She said she then had to work with inmates who exhibited symptoms of flu, tuberculosis, MRSA and AIDS. Ridgeway, a 13-year veteran of the department, is receiving support from the Deputy Sheriff's Association, a non-profit that represents sheriff's office employees. She has worked in patrol, as a community resource deputy and received a Thin Blue Line award in 2010 for saving a man from on oncoming drunk driver. "My treatment has caused me to make a very difficult personal decision - that I cannot endure another pregnancy while still employed by the Sheriff's Office," she said in the complaint. Sheriff's office spokesman Richard Glennon said the office cannot comment on a personnel matter. Sheriff Laurie Smith offered a general statement touting her career-long mission to advance women in the workplace. Smith's statement included testimonials from two other deputies who said their needs were accommodated during their pregnancies. "As a mother myself, I appreciate the balance of managing this career with having children," Smith said in a statement. "At the Sheriff's Office, we make all practicable accommodations for expectant mothers, and I would not stand for anything less." 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 50 striking Marriott hotel workers are risking arrest this evening as they sit on Fourth Street in San Francisco to demand higher wages, union officials said. As of 5:20 p.m., the workers were sitting on the street outside the Marriott Marquis hotel, according to officials with Unite Here Local 2, which represents at least some of the workers. The officials said Unite Here Local 2850 president Wei-Ling Huber has been arrested. The workers are striking to try to force Marriott and other hotels to pay a wage high enough that workers don't have to work more than one job. OAKLAND (BCN) Laney College in Oakland has received a $125,000 grant to increase services for undocumented and mixed-status students and their families, the school announced today. The grant from the California Campus Catalyst Fund will allow Laney College to create a three-year plan to broaden services such as career and college counseling, legal services and access to health and wellness programs. Laney was one of 32 schools to receive the grant. "Undocumented young people and their families are integral to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of California, and as such, support for them needs to be woven into our state's higher education system," Victor Garcia of Immigrants Rising, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that is administering the fund, said in a statement. "At Laney we truly strive to educate, support, and inspire students to excel in an inclusive and diverse learning environment rooted in social justice," college president Tammeil Gilkerson said in a statement. "We are grateful for the vision of the Catalyst Fund and their support." 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. OAKLAND (BCN) Longtime litigation attorney Maria Bee has been appointed as Oakland's Chief Assistant City Attorney, Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker announced Friday. Bee, with 25 years of practicing law, will oversee all litigation matters for the city. Before her appointment took effect Oct. 2, she previously supervised the city attorney's Affirmative Litigation, Innovation and Enforcement Division. "Maria's work in our office has been exemplary in every position she has held," Parker said in a statement. "She has consistently demonstrated her management and supervisory skills, her litigation and advisory expertise and acumen, her calm demeanor under pressure and her incisive judgment." Bee first worked in the Oakland city attorney's office from 2000 to 2006 as a deputy city attorney prosecuting civil hate crimes lawsuits and more. In 2006, then San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris recruited Bee to serve as chief of the Victim Services Division where she served until returning to the Oakland city attorney's office in 2014 as a supervising attorney in the Litigation Division. 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. STANFORD (BCN) Inspired by protests last year in Berkeley and Charlottesville, Virginia, research published by a Stanford University professor this week found that protesters who become violent can end up increasing support for the people they're protesting against. The paper by Stanford sociologist Robb Willer with co-authors Brent Simpson from the University of South Carolina and Matthew Feinberg of the University of Toronto was published Thursday in "Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World." The researchers surveyed 800 people who were recruited online and read news reports based on the August 2017 protests in Berkeley and Charlottesville, with elements of the articles fabricated for experimental control. When the article was about the anti-racist group alone being violent, participants found them to be less reasonable and often increased their support for the white nationalists the protesters were violent against. On the other hand, when the article was about white nationalists being violent, it did not lead to overall increased support for the anti-racist movement. Willer said in a statement that the research showed "an interesting asymmetry in the likely consequences of violent protest" since the white nationalists were already widely despised and known for violence so they have little to lose if they draw aggression from the anti-racist protesters. He said he hoped the findings help activists understand the value of ensuring that protests remain peaceful. "It is important to acknowledge limitations of our work," Willer said. "Violence cannot always be avoided, such as when it is used in self-defense. But our results do fit well with other work suggesting that violent activism typically turns people off, including potential supporters, and that it builds opposition to those who use it." 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. Union officials said 41 Marriott hotel workers were arrested in San Francisco as they rallied for changes from their employer such as higher wages so they can work just one job. The arrests were made Friday evening. At about 5:30 p.m. workers were sitting on Fourth Street outside the Marriott Marquis hotel to call attention to their demands, according to officials with Unite Here Local 2, which represents at least some of the workers. Almost 3,000 Bay Area Marriott employees went on strike last week to demand better pay, better worker safety and job security. Some workers took to Twitter Friday, "My job @Marriott is not enough to pay the rent," Candida Kevorkian, a housekeeper at the Westin St. Francis, said. "I share my apartment with three generations of my family. I took arrest for the same reason I went on strike--#1job should be enough for hotel workers like me." San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the arrest numbers. A half-hour lockdown at Futures Elementary School in East Oakland was lifted after two robbery suspects were believed to have run onto campus while fleeing police. The lockdown was lifted early Friday afternoon. One "unauthorized person" was discovered hiding in a bathroom, an Oakland Unified School District spokesman said. The lockdown was called about 12:15 p.m. and children were released to their parents. Schools police and Oakland police assisted Oakland Housing Authority police to perform a sweep of the school and found the adult in a bathroom at the school, located at 6701 International Blvd., said district spokesman John Sasaki. Sasaki could not confirm if the person was indeed one of the robbery suspects. Wind made it challenging to extinguish a four-alarm grass fire in unincorporated Solano County west of Dixon, Dixon Fire Chief Greg Lewis said. The fire started Friday morning. The fire was out at about 1 p.m. after it sparked between the cities of Winters and Vacaville. Lewis said it burned 160 acres of grass and some fence posts. No one was injured and no structures were damaged. "With the winds we had some trouble getting it under control," Lewis said. That could be a problem this weekend in other areas. National Weather Service officials have issued a fire weather watch for this weekend for the North Bay mountains and East Bay Hills because of the possibility of dry Diablo winds. A deputy at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has filed a complaint with the state alleging distressing work conditions while she was pregnant in April, the Deputy Sheriff's Association of Santa Clara County said. The announcement was made Friday. Deputy Aleksandra Ridgeway, who has since returned to full duty in the sheriff's office, said she faced retaliation and discriminatory behavior during a high-risk pregnancy at the age of 37 after suffering one miscarriage. "Pregnancy should be one of the most fulfilling and joyous times of a woman's life but this department made me feel that it was frowned upon and an inconvenience to them," Ridgeway said in a complaint to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The complaint says she was forced to commute to the Santa Clara County Superior Court for a "light-duty" assignment instead of a courthouse in Morgan Hill, forcing her to drive two hours daily. She said she then had to work with inmates who exhibited symptoms of flu, tuberculosis, MRSA and AIDS. Two people were arrested in Sunnyvale for allegedly installing card skimmers at a gas station, public safety officials said. The arrests were made Thursday night. The suspects attempted to install the machines at World Gasoline at 117 W. Maude Ave., according to public safety officials. Officers arrived and detained the suspects at about midnight. Artashes Gasparyan, 27, of Glendale, and Richard Hernandez, 32, of Rialto were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, possession of burglary tools, unauthorized computer access and possession of a skimming device. Public safety officials located the suspects' vehicle near the gas station and will include their findings in an ongoing investigation. Contra Costa County first responders will be at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord all next week for live fire training exercises including a plane fire simulation, county officials said. Crews with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, the Sheriff's Office, the county's Office of Emergency Services, the airport and other mutual aid agencies will participate in the drills Monday through Friday. The drills will take place on the west side of the airport near Marsh Drive. Buchanan Field would be a Federal Emergency Management Agency logistics staging ground for any major catastrophic events like earthquakes or fires in the region, and the cross-training exercises will help to prepare for a possible disaster, county officials said. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Union officials said 41 Marriott hotel workers were arrested this evening in San Francisco as they rallied for changes from their employer such as higher wages so they can work just one job. At about 5:30 p.m. workers were sitting on Fourth Street outside the Marriott Marquis hotel to call attention to their demands, according to officials with Unite Here Local 2, which represents at least some of the workers. Almost 3,000 Bay Area Marriott employees went on strike last week to demand better pay, better worker safety and job security. Some workers took to Twitter today, "My job @Marriott is not enough to pay the rent," Candida Kevorkian, a housekeeper at the Westin St. Francis, said. "I share my apartment with three generations of my family. I took arrest for the same reason I went on strike--#1job should be enough for hotel workers like me." San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the arrest numbers. More than 1,000 hotel workers took to the streets of San Francisco this afternoon ahead of the civil disobedience. Union officials said Unite Here Local 2 president Anand Singh and Unite Here Local 2850 president Wei-Ling Huber were among the people arrested. They and the 39 others were arrested when they refused to move so traffic could pass. In a statement, Singh said, "Months of bargaining with Marriott got us nowhere close to a livable income, safe workloads, or job security, and we're not backing down." Singh said workers are going to strike until they need to work only one job "while working for the richest hotel company on Earth." Hotel workers are striking at seven San Francisco Marriott hotels, including some that do not have Marriott in their name. Marriott officials were not immediately available to comment. 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. A vehicle with four occupants was struck by gunfire, and one woman and two men were wounded. A fourth man was uninjured, police said, adding that the injured occupants were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. We have so many issues and challenges that need to be addressed, to allow us to maintain rural charm and address incoming development , he said. This is my home. I believe in where we live, that s why Im running to give back to the community. ORACLE, Ariz. They lived for two years and 20 minutes under the glass of a miniature Earth, complete with an ocean, rain forest, desert, grasslands and mangroves. Their air and water were recycled, and they grew the sweet potatoes, rice and other food they needed to survive. About 1,500 people were invited and some 200 journalists were on hand as the eight original inhabitants of Biosphere 2 left their glass terrarium a quarter-century ago last month in two groups that no longer talked to each other amid the stress of sharing a small space and disputes over how the project should be run. Detractors called the $150 million experiment a failure because additional oxygen was pumped into what was supposed to be a self-sustaining system. A power struggle in subsequent months led the financial backer, Texas billionaire Edward Bass, to hire investment banker Stephen Bannon, who was later President Trumps chief strategist, to bring the project back from financial disarray. Today, Biosphere 2 is a different kind of place, a University of Arizona site where researchers from around the world can study everything from the effects of the oceans acidification on coral to ways of ensuring food security. It started out as a great, big kind of societal experiment and was transformed by pure ingenuity into something else that has proved useful, said Jeffrey Dukes, director of the Perdue Climate Change Research Center. Its also a really cool facility to tour. Joaquin Ruiz, a geologist who directs the project in the Sonoran Desert about 30 miles northeast of Tucson, said Biosphere 2s controlled environments allow researchers to conduct experiments they wont try outside because you dont want to have unintended circumstances. That means researchers from the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada dont have to worry about harming the environment while studying how plants in the tiny rain forest adjust their water consumption. The miniature ocean is being renovated so researchers from places including the University of Hawaii can continue experiments on a tiny reef without hurting reefs in the Pacific. A $550,000 grant from Johns Hopkins University is helping scientists test theories about water movement on three artificial hillslopes known as the Landscape Evolution Observatory, a gigantic Earth science laboratory. The university assumed management of Biosphere 2 in mid-2007 and in June 2011 announced full acquisition of the glass-enclosed area of just over 3 acres that reaches as tall as 75 feet in some places, and the buildings and grounds around it. Like Dukes, independent ecologist Christopher Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, said Biosphere 2 has proved useful for science in its current iteration. You have to separate it from what it was originally to see its worth today, said Field, adding that controlled environment facilities like Biosphere 2 are a powerful way to help us understand the way the world works. It is an important piece in our portfolio for understanding climate change, he said. Biologist John Adams, Biosphere 2s deputy director, has been with the project since 1995, when he was a new University of Arizona graduate. Its always been an audacious, ambitious project, he said. Adams said 55 people now work at the site, including 30 researchers. Bass donated $30 million to Biosphere 2 last year and sits on its advisory board. They have been doing a really great job, laying some strong foundations for their science, Jane Poynter, one of the eight original Biosphere 2 inhabitants, said of the current research. Twenty-five years after we came out its still very forward-looking. Poynter said that since she and the other Biospherians emerged from the greenhouse, much of the original animosity has faded away. Anita Snow is an Associated Press writer. Congratulations, new iPhone, Apple Watch, and whatever-else-gadget-that-Apple-just-released owner! By now, youre probably done ogling at the beauty and enhanced features of your freshly-procured devices. But while all Apple products are enough all on their own, it wouldnt hurt to complement them with accessories to upgrade your experience. Check out our top picks below: M2 Cube USB-C Expansion for Apple USB-C Power Adapter 25% off For such a powerful block, its a shame that the Apple USB-C power adapter can only charge one device. The M2 Cube transforms it into a versatile charger capable of juicing up to four gadgets. It adds USB-C PD, QC3.0, and two USB charging ports, so you charge more devices and reduce cable clutter. M2 Cube USB-C Expansion for Apple USB-C Power Adapter $32.99 See Deal Earhoox 2.0 for Apple EarPods & AirPods: 2-Pack 24% off Keep your EarPods and AirPods from falling out of your ears with these silicone attachments by Earhoox. They help create a more snug fit in your ears so they will stand pat no matter how fast you run or how much you bob your head to your favorite tunes. There are two sizes included in the pack to ensure that you get the right fit. Earhoox 2.0 for Apple EarPods & AirPods: 2-Pack $14.99 See Deal Nomad Ultra Rugged Charging Cables As Apple upgrades the features of their products, their charging cables remain lackadaisical and flimsy. Spare yourself from Lightning-cable related heartbreak by procuring sturdier ones. Constructed with braided ballistic military-grade nylon, double thick protective PVC jacket, extra thick wire gauge, and a robust kevlar core, this MFI-certified charging wire by Nomad is built to take a bulletliterally. Its also armed with RF shield for fast data sync and 20AWG for lightning speed charging. Whats more, its Liquid Silicone Rubber build keeps it from tangling. Nomad Ultra Rugged Charging Cables $29.95 See Deal 6-in-1 USB-C Hub for MacBook Pro 74% off If youve invested in a newer MacBook Pro and find that its lack of ports an extreme inconvenience, snag this hub for a collection of widely-used ports. It has built-in two USB-C and two USB-A 3.0 ports, along with an SD and microSD readers. 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ProBASE HD USB-C Laptop & Monitor Stand $154.99 See Deal iPM Silicone iPhone X Series Case (iPhone XS Max/Black) 62% off A case that wont break your phone and the bank, this one combines a sturdy silicone surface with a flannelette interior to offer your $1200 device solid protection while avoiding the unnecessary bulk that other cases have. And unlike other covers, this one provides easy access to ports and buttons. iPM Silicone iPhone X Series Case (iPhone XS Max/Black) $14.99 See Deal The Insider Deals team writes about stuff we think youll like. Hearst Newspapers, our parent company, has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase. KABUL A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated at an election rally in northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 14 people including civilians and security forces, officials said. Khalil Aser, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Takhar province, said 32 others were wounded when the explosives-laden bike parked near the rally in Rustaq district blew up. There are a number of wounded people in critical condition, he said. The attack took place at about noon before Nazefa Yusoufi Beg, a female candidate running for a seat in parliament in the Oct. 20 elections, arrived at the rally, Aser said. Jawad Hajri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Rustaq is a remote district and the candidates supporters had gathered for the rally confident they would be safe. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Taliban insurgents are active in the province and have claimed previous attacks there. Meanwhile, in a separate attack Saturday that targeted the office of a candidate in western Herat province, at least two people including a security guard and a child were killed, said Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor. He said one other person was wounded after two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire at the campaign office of parliamentary candidate Sayed Azem Kabrzani in the Injil district. The candidate himself was not in the office when the attack happened and he is safe, said Farhad. These were not the first attacks targeting political campaigns this year. On Tuesday, eight people including candidate Saleh Mohammad Achekzai were killed when a suicide bomber struck Achekzais home in Helmand province. He was holding a meeting at the time of the attack in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. On Oct. 2, just days after official campaigning began, a suicide bomber struck an election rally in eastern Nangarhar province, killing at least 14 people and wounding around 40. Taliban insurgents recently issued a statement condemning the elections and warning candidates and Afghan Security Forces that they would be targets if they participate. The Taliban called the polls a U.S.-manipulated event to further their hold on the country. Rahim Faiez is an Associated Press writer. Agus Salim / AFP / Getty Images JAKARTA, Indonesia Torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 27 people, including a dozen children at a school, officials said Saturday. A flash flood with mud and debris from landslides struck Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra province and smashed an Islamic school in Muara Saladi village, where 29 children were swept away on Friday, said local police chief Irsan Sinuhaji. He said rescuers retrieved the bodies of 11 children from mud and rubble hours later. BEIRUT After being nearly defeated on the battlefields of its would-be caliphate, the Islamic State group has reverted to what it was before its spectacular conquests in 2014, analysts say a shadowy insurgent network that targets civilian populations with guerrilla-style attacks and exploits state weaknesses to incite sectarian strife. In Iraq and Syria, hardly a week goes by without the group staging an attack on a town or village, keeping its opponents on edge even as it fights U.S.-backed forces advancing on the last remaining slice of territory under its control near the countries shared border. Hisham al-Hashimi, an Islamic State expert who advises the Iraqi government, said the group now operates as it did in 2010, before its rise in Iraq, which culminated four years later with the militants seizing one of Iraqs biggest cities, Mosul, and also claiming the city of Raqqa in Syria and declaring an Islamic caliphate across large areas of both countries. Al-Hashimi said the worlds most dangerous insurgent group is trying to prove that despite losing its territorial hold, it still has long arms to strike. While it fends off attacks on its remaining pockets in Syria, a recent surge in false claims of responsibility for attacks also signals that the group is struggling to stay relevant after losing its proto-state and its dominance on the international news agenda. The main figures behind the groups once sleek propaganda machine have mostly been killed. Raqqa fell a year ago this month, and the group has lost all but 2 percent of the territory it held in Iraq and Syria. One of the groups deadliest attacks since the collapse of the supposed caliphate came in late July, when dozens of masked fighters stormed the southern city of Sweida and nearby villages inhabited by members of Syrias Druze minority, gunning down more than 200 people and kidnapping about 30, mostly women and children. The ambush shook the community, which had stayed on the sidelines of Syrias seven-year civil war and took many by surprise, raising fears that as the militants are on the retreat, they will try to regroup in remote pockets of territory like this once quiet corner of the country. On Friday night, militants stormed a settlement for displaced people in the countrys east and kidnapped as many as 130 families, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The area in Deir el-Zour province has been witnessing days of intense clashes between Islamic State and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters. Its not clear how many militants are still fighting with Islamic State. A U.N. report released in August said the group has up to 30,000 members distributed roughly equally between Syria and Iraq. Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer. KABUL The Taliban held talks with the U.S. special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistans protracted and increasingly bloody war, a Taliban official said Saturday. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad was held Friday in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Taliban political chief Abbas Stanikzai led the five-member delegation that discussed with Khalilzad ways of finding a peaceful end to the occupation of Afghanistan, the statement said. It went on to say that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan was the biggest concern of the Taliban. Mujahid said the two sides discussed finding a good way for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said only that Khalilzad was in the Afghan capital Saturday meeting with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul from Qatar. When he was appointed earlier this month, the U.S. State Department said Khalilzads job was to find a peaceful end to a war that began more than 17 years ago and that has cost Washington about $900 billion, according to a report earlier this year from a congressional watchdog. Of that $900 billion, John Sopko, the special inspector general on Afghan reconstruction, said $720 billion was spent on U.S. military operations. During this time, the human cost of the struggle against Afghan insurgents and terrorist groups has led to more than 2,400 American military fatalities, about 1,100 among other members of the NATO-led Coalition, and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths, Sopko said in a statement earlier this year. President Trump bemoaned the extraordinary cost of the war in Afghanistan while campaigning for president, when he advocated an end to U.S. involvement in the conflict. Kathy Gannon is an Associated Press writer. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Only one person walked out of Room 114 in the Ramada Inn in Willowbrook between 8:54 a.m. and about 10 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2016, a prosecutor told jurors Friday. And that person, the defendant Michael Sykes, left behind unspeakable carnage the prone bodies of his girlfriend and her three little daughters, who lay bloodied and dying or near death, Assistant District Attorney Lisa Davis said in her closing argument at Sykes murder retrial. These were vicious, brutal, senseless murders,'' said Davis. "Murders born out of rage. Sykes, 27, was incensed his girlfriend, Rebecca Cutler, was having an affair, and slew her and two of her children in a vengeful rampage, she said. He was jealous; He was obsessed with her, said Davis, who is prosecuting the case along with Assistant District Attorney Michael Tannousis. He was fuming when he found out she was cheating on him. That was why he killed Rebecca. That is why he killed those babies. Because those babies were part of Rebecca. Defense lawyer Mario F. Gallucci conceded Sykes killed Cutler, 26. But in an impassioned 95-minute summation, he vehemently denied his client murdered the children, one of whom was Sykes daughter. Sykes was a doting, loving father to his daughter, Maliyah Sykes, 4 months, as well as to Cutlers two other children, Miracle Cutler, then 2, and Ziana Cutler, 1, he told jurors. Rebecca Cutler had slain the little girls, and Sykes, overcome with anger, killed her in return, he said. Its a horrible case, Gallucci said. We have two dead children, one child almost killed and a dead mother. Thats horrible. But he didnt do it. As hard as it may be for you to believe this, Rebecca killed those children. And he killed Rebecca. Gallucci said there was no eyewitness to the crime, Sykes had steadfastly denied killing the girls to police, and prosecutors circumstantial evidence was riddled with reasonable doubt. They give you nothing and expect you to come back here and convict him of murder in the first degree, said Gallucci. He implored jurors to keep their emotions in check. Youre going to get upset, but I dont want you to go back there and say we have to hold him responsible, said the lawyer. Who doesnt feel bad for dead children? Who doesnt feel bad for Rebecca? You have to stop yourself. You cant get caught up in your emotions. Sykes is being retried on first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of Ziana Cutler and Maliyah Sykes and the stabbing of Miracle Cutler. In November, a jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, convicted Sykes, a Brooklyn resident, of second-degree murder in Rebecca Cutlers death. But the panel deadlocked on first-degree murder charges with respect to the deaths of Ziana and Maliyah. The jury also failed to reach a unanimous decision on attempted first-degree murder charges regarding Miracle, the lone survivor. Maliyah was Michael Sykes and Rebecca Cutlers daughter. The other two girls were Cutlers children with another man. Sykes, who did not take the stand at the current trial, testified at his first trial that Cutler attacked the children because he said he was leaving her. The defendant faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder. He is currently serving a sentence of 26 and one-third years to life for killing Rebecca Cutler and stealing her cell phone on the day before he slew her. The jury has not been told of the original verdict. The summations signal the final stages of the trial, which started three weeks ago with opening arguments in state Supreme Court, St. George. Justice Mario F. Mattei will charge jurors on the law on Monday before they begin deliberations. About three-dozen prosecution witnesses have testified, and scores of documents have been entered into evidence. Prosecutors contend all the evidence points to Sykes. The murder weapon, a bloody steak knife, was found outside the hotel. Sykes called his mother after leaving the hotel, told her he had killed his girlfriend and was going to kill himself. He then went on the lam for three days, never once calling 911 to report the girls injuries, said Davis. Sykes had also searched the Internet on a friends phone for information about the stabbing, attempted murder and bleaching out blood stains, Davis said in her tightly-focused 57-minute summation. And the wife of a friend whose house Sykes had stayed at the night before the killings said she later discovered one of her four steak knives was missing. She testified the murder weapon matched her set. He had the motive. He had the means. He had the opportunity, said Davis, the prosecutor. Heres the $64,000 question: What was Rebeccas motive? Because of him? He wasnt working (and) she had somebody else. According to surveillance videotape of the hotel hallway, Sykes was in Cutlers room for just under three minutes before leaving the hotel around 8:54 a.m. Prior to that, he had been walking up and down the hallway carrying Maliyah for about a half-hour, the tape showed. But Gallucci, the defense lawyer, maintained there was no way, Sykes, in that less-than-three-minute timeframe, could have stabbed the victims a total of 96 times. Gallucci contended Rebecca Cutler killed Ziana and severely wounded Miracle while Sykes walked in the hallway with Maliyah. When Sykes entered the room, he put Maliyah in the crib, said the lawyer. Cutler then stabbed Maliyah so hard that one of the knife thrusts went through her body and pierced the mattress before the two adults struggled, said Gallucci. Sykes managed to wrest the knife away and then attacked Cutler, Gallucci said. He said that scenario was born out by the DNA evidence on the knife. A prosecution DNA expert testified blood found on the knife contained a DNA mixture from at least two people. Rebecca Cutler was a major contributor, while Sykes was deemed to be a possible contributor. The children were excluded as contributors. In addition, Gallucci questioned why detectives, for comparative purposes, never took the three remaining steak knives from the set from which the murder weapon was allegedly removed. Davis dismissed the defense theory of Cutler killing the girls as absurd. She said a hotel worker testified he had walked past the opened door to Cutlers room at 8:48 a.m., three minutes before Sykes entered, and saw the older girls inside watching TV and playing. Sykes, she said, entered the room at 8:51 a.m., argued with Cutler and stabbed her, initially incapacitating her. He then stabbed the children before returning to finish off his girlfriend with 60 stabs to her back, buttocks and legs, said Davis. Moreover, there was no evidence linking Cutler to the childrens deaths, Davis maintained. Four blood stains were found on Cutlers sweatshirt, all of which were hers, the DNA expert had testified. Davis said youd expect to find some of the girls blood on Cutlers clothing if she killed them. All roads lead to that table and that man, she said, pointing to Sykes who sat silently at the defense table. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City firefighters (FDNY) and the U.S. Coast Guard secured a 479-foot asphalt tanker that suffered a fire in its engine room while traveling in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard along with FDNYs special operations command firefighters and rescue paramedics conducted a joint safety examination of a disabled tanker on Monday, according a Coast Guard press release The Feng Huang AO tanker from Hong Kong had 21 crew members aboard -- none of whom suffered injuries as a result of the fire, the report says. However, the ships electrical generators and main engine were disabled by the fire, according to the Coast Guard. This was a significant engine room fire that damaged a number of vessel systems, and we are fortunate there were no injuries, said Capt. Jason Tama, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York. "Responding to this case required close coordination between numerous partner agencies and stakeholders to ensure the safety of the ship and the port, and to protect the environment. The assistance and expertise provided by FDNY marine firefighters was essential to the safe resolution of this case. Said John Esposito, FDNY Chief of Special Operations: "The Port Security Grant Program has funded many training evolutions for the FDNY, which has translated into the successful multi-agency execution during this live event...The collaboration during this incident exemplifies the importance of strong relationships between the FDNY and the Coast Guard. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A West Brighton man, who authorities said played a role in the melees outside the Staten Island Courthouse that preceded the fatal plowing of a minivan into a man on a nearby street three months ago, pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal contempt. Naquan Young, 21, punched the unnamed driver of the van in the face on Hyatt Street across from the courthouse in St. George, at about 11:45 a.m. on July 10, said a criminal complaint. The van, containing the driver and three other males, had arrived at the building after an earlier fight outside it, authorities said. The four occupants exited the vehicle, and Young, who was on the street, hit the driver, said the complaint. Authorities said the three passengers jumped back into the van, along with two other men, one of whom was Prince Edmonds, 19, of New Brighton. Edmonds got behind the wheel, said authorities. The van made its way to Fort Place, where Edmonds, driving at a high rate of speed, turned the vehicle toward Robert Craigwell, 26, who was standing in the street near the corner of Montgomery Avenue, said another criminal complaint. Edmonds steered "directly" at Craigwell, "intentionally" hitting him and pinning him between the vehicle and the building, the complaint said. Craigwell was pronounced dead at the site. Edmonds has been charged with second-degree murder. His case is pending in state Supreme Court, St. George. The criminal contempt charge to which Young pleaded guilty accuses him of disturbing a court proceeding. As the events unfolded, court officers put the courthouse on lockdown and raced into the street. Court matters stopped during that time. In exchange for his top-count plea, a misdemeanor, Young was sentenced to a year in jail. The sentence will run concurrently to a similar jail term he also received on Friday for criminal firearm possession, a felony. Young had previously pleaded guilty to that charge with respect to an incident on May 1, 2016, in which he was accused of discharging a firearm on the 900 block of Post Avenue, Port Richmond. No one was hurt. Defense lawyer Thomas Reilly declined comment on the cases. Noce came back to Naperville this weekend to be present for the dedication of the David Caruso Ceremonial Crossover Bridge, an event attended by scouts from Troop 505 and the U.S. Marines. The bridge likely will be used by local scout troops when Webelos (Cub Scouts in fifth grade) cross over to become Boy Scouts. As Brett Kavanaugh begins his tenure on the Supreme Court, riding a wave of conservative support, a new poll shows a majority of self-identified Republicans would still vote for a candidate even if they were accused of sexual harassment. Those polled said they were willing to overlook such allegations as long as the candidate agreed with their political views. Supporters say it's more important to elect officials who will advocate for your policies. Others argue we should elect leaders with character. What do you think? PERSPECTIVES NBC News breaks down the poll, explaining the results are split dramatically along party lines. Many Democrats in Minnesota are currently facing this very issue. Keith Ellison, a longtime Democratic politician and party player, is running for Minnesota Attorney General. Ellison was recently accused of domestic abuse by a former girlfriend. Some supporters claim other issues, including racism and Islamophobia, are stoking the allegations against Ellison. However, many voters are still wondering whether to cast their vote for Ellison in the contentious primary. Per The Huffington Post: Many voters, specifically women, are unbothered by these types of allegations. Per The Guardian: Per Newsweek, political issues tend to supersede any potential concerns about sexual misconduct: The Atlantic lists 25 candidates who would have been running for election in 2018 who have withdrawn from their races or resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct became public. The candidates were on both sides of the political spectrum, but all left office after public outcry. 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. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The girlfriend of the Port Richmond man who cops subdued with a stun gun claims officers never asked her about their argument before storming the diminutive mans apartment, according to her lawyer. Lissette Torres, 19, was walking out the building when she saw about eight to 10 cops run by her on their way to her 4-foot-8 boyfriend William Colons home, said defense attorney Lou Gelormino Saturday. They didnt stop to talk to her, he said. She didnt call the police. Gelormino said Torres and Colon got into an argument, but it never got physical. The police were responding to a domestic violence complaint at Colons Cottage Avenue residence at around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. A video released by the Legal Aid Society Tuesday shows police using a stun gun and repeatedly punching Colon, who suffers from several medical conditions. The video shows police forcing their way into Colons home. Once inside, one of the NYPD officers -- identified by the Legal Aid Society as Vincenzo Trabolse -- forces himself on top of the 4-foot, 8-inch, 85-pound Colon, and proceeds to attempt to handcuff him. As the officers struggle to take Colon into custody, Trabolse punches, and uses a stun gun once on the man, whose limp body is eventually taken away in handcuffs. Colons brother, Jazz, who recorded the video, can be heard multiple times in the video telling officers about his brothers medical conditions. Trabolse is also named in a lawsuit from June 2016 that alleges he assaulted a disabled man for resisting arrest. It was disturbing, Gelormino said about the video. An 80-pound young man doesnt need to be arrested like that. The lawyer said Colon and his brother opened the door for the cops. But when the officers asked them to step outside, the brothers refused, Gelormino said. Colon and his brother were shown on video repeatedly cursing at the officer. After Colon was arrested, the lawyer said police took Torres to the 121st Precinct and threatened to charge her if she didnt sign a complaint that Colon had assaulted her. Fearing arrest, Torres signed the document. They told her theyd let her go if she would make a statement, Gelormino said. They tricked and coerced her. Torres is not cooperating in the case against Colon, he added. A criminal complaint alleges Colon punched Torres in the face, causing bruising, and swelling. Charges against Colon include third-degree assault, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and harassment. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. A spokesman for the District Attorney Michael E. McMahons office could not immediately be reached. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Two Staten Island community schools are striving to help ensure that students are prepared for the future. The Advance recently visited designated community schools PS 57, Clifton, and Curtis High School, St. George. Curtis received the designation in 2014, and PS 57 was designated in 2017. Community schools receive help with everything from attendance improvement to school counseling for students and families through community-based partnerships with non-profits and other neighborhood-based organizations. PS 57 and the YMCA of Greater New York have developed a partnership to bring several after-school programs to students, including dance, art, STEM classes, health and wellness, ELA and Math support, robotics and coding. Early morning care programs include ballet and a running club. The school is so in-sync [with the YMCA], said Joyce Strype, the community school director. We say, What can we do to make this child successful? What can we bring into this school to make them feel motivated? What can we do to help these children?" A main initiative of the school is the Positivity Project, which is a social-emotional learning program that aims to educate students to treat others with respect. Principal Karyn Lind said teachers receive lesson plans each week, in which they spend five to 10 minutes a day teaching students topics like positivity, open-mindedness, teamwork and bravery. Were just trying to infuse [positivity] throughout the day in all our messages, so when we do morning announcements, we have a student announcer that does the announcements with me and every day he says, Remember other people matter,'" said Lind. We also use our community school motto, Every student, every day,' and thats just our mantra in the building. You are important as yourself but everyone around you is important, as well. Lind said the partnership with the YMCA and working with Strype has allowed Lind to focus on instruction, and Strype to focus on programs to help students. In my vision for what I want for these students to be successful with, [Strype] is able to go out and look for those resources that help support that and its so helpful and tremendous in our school, a high-needs school and high poverty school, a low-functioning school," Lind said. Because unfortunately our students arent coming to school with all of their needs being me, and we need to be able to give them as much as we can give them. Our partnership is critical. CURTIS HIGH SCHOOL At Curtis High School, after-school programs are primarily focused on freshmen and sophomores. Tom Hepworth, community school director, said the support students receive earlier will continue throughout their high school career. After-school programs include cooking, a PRIDE club, photography, dance, newsletter and a Muslim Student Association. The community school program also works to build peer leadership and community service opportunities for students. We do have many clubs that we try to work together with all staff and all moderators and the community school, as well, so if theres not a club that is offered for ninth-graders when they come in and its something theyre interested in, well try to see if theres interest in that," said Principal Gregory Jaenicke. Hepworth said the clubs are important because they can become incentive for students to attend school. It starts building attendance, it starts building a connection to the school, it starts building friendships with students," Hepworth said. "Kids are all about relationships so when they have some friends that theyre going to stuff, theyre going to start going to stuff. Its a big school, its a big city, its easy for someone whos having an issue right now to feel disconnected and feel like theyre alone. We try to not make that happen. We dont want to be the ones that miss the worst day they ever had. The schools health center has also provided ways to address the physical and mental health of students. The center has registered nurses, social workers and counselors to speak with students, and services are free of charge. COMMUNITY SCHOOLS The idea behind the community school initiative is to support social, emotional, physical and academic needs of students to support learning. Including Curtis and PS 57, there are six community schools on Staten Island: PS 46, South Beach; Dreyfus Intermediate School (I.S. 49), PS 78, Stapleton, and Port Richmond High School. When selecting schools, the Office of Community Schools works with district superintendents to look at both needs and capacities of schools. They identify gaps in expanded learning programs and social and emotional supports at schools, and look at who has the capacity to implement the community school strategy. The city then submits proposals of selected schools to the state education department to receive funding through the states community school grant. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. 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! A 59-year-old Norrige man was charged Oct. 4 with domestic battery. John Shuler, of North Ottawa Avenue, is due in court Oct. 22. Police met with two women outside a residence. A woman told police she and Shuler were drinking throughout the day. She told police they got into an argument, at which point he ripped her shirt and cut her cheek. Police observed a cut on the right side of her cheek, which ran about two inches long. She could not recall what was used to cut her cheek. She said after receiving the cut, she called police. Shuler told police he attempted to prevent her from getting in her car by taking her keys. He told police he didnt know how the cut occurred and said he did not rip her shirt. "The government will meet its 2030 target through our scalable policies, and will do so without compromising the economy," Melissa Price, the environment minister, said. The goal of reducing 2005-level emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 "is responsible, achievable and comparable to other developed countries" 'Whole world must act' Even if total emissions were the issue, Kiwis would have more excuse than Australians for doing nothing. Their share of global greenhouse gases is less than 0.2 per cent, or about a eighth of Australia's. James Shaw, New Zealand's Climate Change Minister, says even small nations must do their part. Credit:Ross Giblin Still, on a per-capita basis, both nations have among the highest emissions in the world, Mr Shaw said. Tally up the 90-odd nations contributing less than 1 per cent of emissions and you reach almost a third of the global total larger than China or the US, he says. "An issue like this is something the whole world has to grapple with," Todd Muller, Mr Shaw's counterpart from the National Party, says. In government, the National Party signed up to the Paris climate accord and introduced an emissions trading scheme. To remove the politics from the negotiations, all sides agreed to take advice on New Zealand's targets from an independent climate commission. (Australia has a Climate Change Authority but all the original board members have been replaced since it was set up by the Gillard government and its role as an advocate for action has largely disappeared.) "If you have essentially your best and your brightest informed by science ... its an easier place to have a conversation with your community than just playing partisan politics with them," Mr Muller said. Todd Muller, the National Party's climate spokesman says all nations must act to tackle global warming. Credit:Grant Matthew Mr Shaw said the Opposition could have exploited a potentially divisive policy agriculture contributes half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions but didn't. "They are playing an absolute straight bat," he said. "Theres a genuine best effort to get a consensus outcome." New Zealanders, like Australians, have endured an increasing spate of extreme weather events, which the government attributes in part to climate change. These include a record hot year in 2016, droughts and a major forest fire last year. "We've definitely had a lot more extreme rainfall events," Nava Fedaeff, a climate scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), said. These include damaging ex-tropical cyclones hitting the nation, with the average jumping from less than one a year to three over the last summer season. Loading Farmers, who have in the past objected fiercely to taxes on methane, appear more ready to accept the need to act. DairyNZ, for instance, has welcomed the prospect of emissions targets enshrined in legislation to give the sector "much needed certainty". Trish Rankin, a dairy farmer managing 440 cows for a Maori-owned co-operative near Hawera in the Taranaki region of the North Island, said climate action "needs to be apolitical it needs to be able to last over time". Ms Rankin said New Zealand farmers realise their social licence depends on them being good custodians of the land, and the principle extends to curbing emissions. Open consultations with experts have also helped. "If you know they are listening to you, you're more likely to listen to them," she said. Convergence ahead? Bill Hare, director of Climate Analytics, notes New Zealand's existing climate policies are insufficient, but the nation appears to be "moving to a much better space". Steps already taken include the ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration, and in prospect are five-year interim emissions targets and a more ambitious emissions trading scheme. Whether NZ stands for New Zealand and Net Zero emissions will hinge largely on what happens in its agriculture sector. Credit:AP Mr Hare is optimistic that because Australian levels of public support for climate action including renewable energy are not so dissimilar to New Zealand's, policies will eventually converge. Even the visionary Walt Disney probably could not have imagined this one. The Walt Disney Company is just months away from generating enough renewable solar energy to fully power two of its four parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in the United States. Before the end of 2018, Disney will flip the switch on a sprawling 50-megawatt solar power facility composed of more than a half-million solar panels, just outside Disney's Animal Kingdom. The move is aimed, in part, at helping Disney achieve its larger plan to reduce its net greenhouse-gas emissions 50 per cent worldwide by 2020, compared to 2012. A solar facility near Walt Disney World, that was opened in 2016. Disney is turning to solar power for its theme parks. Credit:Walt Disney Word via The New York Times "At our sites around the world, we're investing in hidden magic to continually reduce our environmental footprint," said Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney parks, experiences and consumer products. Jenny was different. Born with a rare disease, she was larger in size than other kids at school and a little bit slower. She also has a mild facial abnormality which I will not mention here as I dont want her to be identified, which is why I have also changed her name. Jenny has suffered enough. Relationships Australia says 25 per cent of school students in Australia experience bullying at some stage during their schooling. Credit:Angela Wylie Jenny was 14, that precarious period between child and adult when self-consciousness and insecurity are rampant, when a guy at school contacted her on social media and told her he liked her. She was surprised yet delighted. This boy was popular at school and had all but ignored her in the past. Now, anyone reading this may guess what was behind this gesture but, sadly, Jenny didnt. The messages kept coming. The boy said she was pretty. He asked her if she would be his girlfriend. She said yes. Then things started to get sexual and she naively complied, making out she was experienced in such matters when she wasnt at all. She even texted him a picture of herself fondling her breasts upon request. Jennys parents were called to the school days later. Their daughter was in a toilet stall and wouldnt come out. She was hysterical and they needed to collect her pronto. It was only after Jenny was taken to her doctor and sedated that her parents thought to look at her phone. And there they were, dozens of repulsive social media comments in response to her reposted messages to her supposed admirer, calling her an ugly freak, a spastic and a slut from other kids at her school. Business owners and cyclists say they are stunned by the absence of cycle lanes in plans for the upcoming Barton Highway duplication, warning the NSW government economic and health benefits will be lost without the lanes. The highway will be duplicated from the ACT border towards Murrumbateman as part of the first of four stages of safety improvements, with work expected to begin in the second half of 2019. Fitability tandem cyclists Peter Granleese and Glenn Cocking on the Barton Highway. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos While the duplication of the notorious stretch of road has been widely welcomed, the lack of cycle lanes in the plans is a sore point for many who see it as a missed opportunity. Wendy O'Dea, the president of local business group Makers of Murrumbateman, said the number of visitors to the village had increased in the past 10 years as Canberra's northern suburbs expanded. Canberrans could have been forgiven for thinking we are rapidly heading into winter and not summer after the weather the capital has experienced this week. However despite the cool temperatures and rainfall, Canberra is still on track to experience a hotter and drier than usual summer. Darius, 7, Yasmin, 5 and Aaliyah Nanva, 9, and Elizabeth Parton, 5, take part in creating a paper chain at the Blundell's Cottage Gala Day. Credit:Elesa Kurtz The mercury will peak at 18 degrees on Sunday with a 60 per cent chance of rainfall throughout the day. Although if it does rain we're only expected to receive one to three millimetres. The drizzling rain held off long enough on Saturday for people to get out and enjoy the Blundell's Cottage gala day. It served as the unveiling for recent conservation works done at the cottage and offered lots of fun family activities. The ACT's victims of crime commissioner, director of public prosecutions and chief magistrate are backing moves to reduce the trauma for sexually abused children giving evidence in court. The government is considering introducing a witness intermediary scheme, a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The move is also backed by the Domestic Violence Prevention Council, which released a report on Friday in which one of the key findings was to introduce a trial of the scheme. Intermediaries for child witnesses of sexual abuse may be introduced in the ACT. Credit:John Donegan A forum will be held in Canberra on Thursday with NSW and Victorian experts. The states are piloting similar schemes. The pilot in NSW involves child witnesses of sexual abuse. In Victoria it also includes people with cognitive impairment or communication difficulties. If you've endured the difficult scenario of having a child admitted to hospital in Canberra in the past 20 years, there's a good chance you've come across Graham Reynolds and his signature bright red bow tie. Professor Reynolds is retiring as director of paediatrics and neonatology after 23 years of treating Canberra's sick children and more than 40 years in the field. Retiring director of paediatrics and neonatology at the Canberra Hospital Professor Graham Reynolds has seen the treatment of infants and children change dramatically since he arrived in Canberra in 1995. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong Specialising for many years in neonatology, Professor Reynolds has spent much of his career at the forefront of an emerging medical discipline. When he arrived in Canberra in 1995 he was part of a fledgling team of two neonatologists and one paediatrician who oversaw a handful of beds. In the following 23 years he helped oversee the growth of paediatrics in Canberra to what it is now at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. The future of Luna Park seems to have been secured after the state government said it would amend planning laws to make it easier for operators to install new rides and amusements. The operators of the historic Milsons Point amusement park had warned the business may not survive, after a Land and Environment Court decision that determined they must lodge a development application each time they moved or replaced a ride. But state authorities have proposed planning changes that would allow the operators to make adjustments to rides using streamlined processes that do not require development applications. A spokesman said Luna Park has been under a cloud following the NSW Land and Environment Courts decision in July. Credit:Jessica Hromas The changes should mean that Luna Park can add more rides ahead of the Christmas holidays. This is a classic example of the inefficient negative consequences of privatisation. In the same way, we're undermining education in Australia; we encourage the wealthy to leave the public system by publicly funding their private schools. David McMaster, Cremorne Advert-free Opera House sends a message Thank you, Peter FitzSimons, for expressing so well what is in my heart ("Horses for courses", October 7). The only addition I could make is to say that when I arrived in this country in 1938 it was a cultural desert. Think coffee with chicory and a lemon slice, and spaghetti on toast. I had thought that we had made some progress but, thanks to the unelected Alan Jones and his ilk now running the country, our culture and much else is doomed. Edith Sorum, Batehaven On Sunday, Fitzy penned an exemplary defence of keeping the Opera House advert-free. His passion and strong feeling were well presented and even his language faultless. Well done Peter. There are many who stand at your side. Brian Jessep, St Ives Alan Jones is a bigoted, self-interested bully who should be put out to grass with his horses. Graham Watson, Point Piper I don't recall FitzSimons' protests when the Wallabies were displayed on the Opera House! David Woods, St Ives FitzSimons could be a great premier or prime minister except for two serious drawbacks: his honesty and his integrity. Tony Lyons, Lithgow FitzSimons was remarkably brave in publishing his view of the bullying of our Premier and her submission to that bullying tactic from shock jock Alan Jones. Neville Smith, Elderslie If Utzon and Hall were both alive today we may have had the first meaningful application of the Copyright Act's moral right provisions ("Son of House architect appalled by advertising", October 7). Part of these, available only while alive, grant the right "not to have their work subjected to derogatory treatment which is prejudicial to their honour or reputation". Any other architects involved, please stand up. Cathy Hoyle, Bondi It's not the lockouts it's the drunks Your article states that Newtown venue operators are seeking ways "to curb the increased violence brought to the area by the lockout laws" ("Newtown cracks down on 'party buses' as support slips for lockout laws", October 7). Fact check: the lockouts aren't responsible for the violence in Newtown it's due to out-of-control drunks. That's why lockouts were introduced in Kings Cross, to protect the public from this violence, and it's worked. If operators in Newton want to reduce violence maybe they need their own restrictions in place, but don't dismantle the lockouts and push the violence back to Kings Cross, we've seen enough thanks. Your article is the best reason yet to keep the lockouts. Carole Ferrier, Kings Cross Don't blame the lockouts for drunken violence in Newtown blame the drunk violent idiots themselves. Lockouts in the CBD and Kings Cross protect us from that, so maybe Newtown should consider adopting lockouts for its own venues. Patrick McGrath, Potts Point Phil's train journey a great feat Congratulations to Phil Matthews of Padstow on his feat on the trains last week (Letters, October 7). We've done the extensive lines for day trips, but never tried all city lines in one day. Great feat! Braun has decried Donnellys vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, his support of the Affordable Care Act and his support of the Iran nuclear deal. Braun has said Donnelly is not looking out for Hoosiers best interests but towing the line of the Democratic leadership. An evening visit to a western Sydney McDonald's outlet soured on Friday, when a teenage girl allegedly stabbed a 23-year-old man in the lower back. The 15-year-old girl was arrested and charged over the stabbing incident, which took place at the fast-food restaurant on Richmond Road, Woodcroft, near Blacktown. Police will allege the teenage girl and the man were among a group of four people, who are known to each other, when an altercation broke out, just after 9.30pm. The girl then allegedly stabbed the man before both fled the McDonald's with the rest of the group. The injured man, who had been stabbed with a small edged weapon ventured back to a house on Munmorah Circuit, Woodcroft, where emergency services were called about two hours later. A man has been injured after a stolen car, allegedly filled with a group of children, rammed through the front of his home overnight. The 64-year-old recieved minor injuries when a Holden Statesmen crashed into his Cooloongup house on Carnegie Loop around 2.50am Saturday morning. A man was injured after the group crashed the car into his home. Credit:Cathryn Tremain Two others residing in the house at the time were uninjured. A police spokeswoman said the people in the car, believed to be all juveniles, fled the scene. Attorney-General Christian Porter has urged state and territory governments to update their laws to comply with the federal government's push to abolish exemptions permitting religious schools to expel students on the basis of their sexuality. The Morrison government announced its opposition to loopholes in the Sex Discrimination Act on Saturday in a bid to end the confusion and anger triggered this week by Fairfax Media's publication of recommendations contained in former attorney-general Philip Ruddock's religious freedom review. Seizing the opportunity to change laws nationwide, LGBTI advocates are concerned to ensure all sexuality groups are explicitly protected, all forms of discrimination at school not just expulsion are outlawed, and protections are enshrined in all states and territories. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen While the constitution holds that commonwealth law overrides state law in the case of a conflict, Fairfax Media understands the federal government is working through how its changes will interact with the rules in most states, including NSW and Victoria, which also allow schools to discriminate against LGBTI people. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is planning a funding boost for technical education in an election pitch that aims to reverse a slump in training for essential trade skills. The pledge will be part of a pitch to Australians at the next election to revive Technical and Further Education after years of decline, with Mr Shorten promising hard money to help the sector under a Labor government. It will also be backed by a vow to cut the 1.6 million temporary visitors to Australia who have the right to work, warning the program is sprawling out of control and needs higher visa charges or other action. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten addresses the media on Saturday. Credit:AAP Mr Shorten told Fairfax Media he believed TAFE was the education institute of the second chance because it gave workers the skills they needed to start new careers. Kabul: Several people were injured on Saturday in an explosion at an election rally in northeast Afghanistan ahead of parliamentary polls this month, officials said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Khalil Asir, a police spokesman in the province of Takhar, said explosives were placed in a motorcycle near the rally, which was to have been addressed by a woman candidate, Nazifa Yousufi Bek. A crowd had gathered to listen to the candidate, but police said she was not at the rally at the time of the blast. The province bordering Tajikistan has long been a hot bed of the Taliban insurgency. Afghanistan's parliamentary polls are set for October 20. October surprise is an American political term used to describe something perhaps a natural disaster or a strategically timed data leak that emerges in the run up to an election. Its something that is likely to impact on polls and possibly even the vote count. Will protests by Democrats be enough? Credit:AP If you spent 2016 dreading a Trump victory, by early October that year you got a surprise of the calibre that felt like all of the nails in all of the coffins: the Access Hollywood tape. There was candidate Trump confessing either his actual sex offences or merely the ones playing out in his fantasies. On video. With audio. Those of us who were assuming a Clinton victory but whod got a case of the yips when the polls looked close, felt that in that tape wed found our smoking gun. Here was the one thing that would ensure a liberal victory and spare us from seeing a reality TV star in Americas Top Job. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to fly in space. His flight, on April 12, 1961, lasted 108 minutes as he circled the Earth for a little more than one orbit in the Soviet Union's Vostok spacecraft. Following the flight, Gagarin became a cultural hero in the Soviet Union. Even today, more than six decades after the historic flight, Gagarin is widely celebrated in Russian space museums, with numerous artifacts, busts and statues displayed in his honor. His remains are buried at the Kremlin in Moscow, and part of his spacecraft is on display at the RKK Energiya museum. Gagarin's flight came at a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were competing for technological supremacy in space. The Soviet Union had already sent the first artificial satellite, called Sputnik, into space in October 1957. Before Gagarin's mission, the Soviets sent a test flight into space using a prototype of the Vostok spacecraft. During this flight, they sent a life-size dummy called Ivan Ivanovich and a dog named Zvezdochka into space. After the test flight, the Soviet's considered the vessel fit to take a human into space. [Infographic: How the First Human Spaceflight Worked] Becoming a legendary astronaut The third of four children, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in a small village a hundred miles from Moscow. As a teenager, Gagarin witnessed a Russian Yak fighter plane make an emergency landing near his home. When offered a chance years later to join a flying club, he eagerly accepted, making his first solo flight in 1955. Only a few years later, he submitted his request to be considered as a cosmonaut. [Photos: Yuri Gagarin & 50 Years of Human Spaceflight] More than 200 Russian Air Force fighter pilots were selected as cosmonaut candidates. Such pilots were considered optimal because they had exposure to the forces of acceleration and the ejection process, as well as experience with high-stress situations. Gagarin, a 27-year-old senior lieutenant at the time, was among the pilots selected. On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 a.m. Moscow time, the Vostok 1 spacecraft blasted off from the Soviets' launch site. Because no one was certain how weightlessness would affect a pilot, the spherical capsule had little in the way of onboard controls; the work was done either automatically or from the ground. If an emergency arose, Gagarin was supposed to receive an override code that would allow him to take manual control, but Sergei Korolev, chief designer of the Soviet space program, disregarded protocol and gave the code to the pilot prior to the flight. Over the course of 108 minutes, Vostok 1 traveled around the Earth once, reaching a maximum height of 203 miles (327 kilometers). The spacecraft carried 10 days' worth of provisions in case the engines failed and Gagarin was required to wait for the orbit to naturally decay. But the supplies were unnecessary. Gagarin re-entered Earth's atmosphere, managing to maintain consciousness as he experienced forces up to eight times the pull of gravity during his descent. Vostok 1 had no engines to slow its re-entry and no way to land safely. About 4 miles (7 km) up, Gagarin ejected from the spacecraft and parachuted to Earth. In order for the mission to be counted as an official spaceflight, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the governing body for aerospace records, had determined that the pilot must land with the spacecraft. Soviet leaders indicated that Gagarin had touched down with the Vostok 1, and they did not reveal that he had ejected until 1971. Regardless, Gagarin still set the record as the first person to leave Earth's orbit and travel into space. [Milestones in Human Spaceflight: Pictures] Gagarin's legacy Upon his return to Earth, Gagarin was an international hero. A cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands of people greeted him in Red Square, a public plaza in Moscow. A national treasure, Gagarin traveled around the world to celebrate the historic Soviet achievement. When he returned home, Gagarin became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union) and was appointed commander of the Cosmonauts' Detachment. Because the Soviets did not want to risk losing such an important public figure, they were hesitant about allowing Gagarin to return to space. He continued to make test flights for the Air Force, however. On March 27, 1968, Gagarin was killed (along with another pilot) while test-piloting a MiG-15, a jet fighter aircraft. He was survived by his wife, Valentina Ivanovna Goryacheva, and two daughters. NASA's Apollo 11, the first mission to put people on the moon, landed in July 1969, and the crew left behind a commemorative medallion bearing Gagarin's name. They also left medallions for other astronauts who lost their lives in space or while preparing for spaceflight. Over time, the U.S. and the Soviet Union began working together in their spaceflight endeavors. The first joint U.S.-Soviet spaceflight was in 1975, called Apollo-Soyuz. Following that, NASA sent several space shuttle astronauts to Soviet/Russian space station Mir after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The shuttle-Mir collaboration paved the way for NASA and the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) to become major partners in the International Space Station program, which first launched modules in 1998 and continues research today. Gagarin's importance in the Russian space program continues. Crews using the Soyuz spacecraft participate in a number of prelaunch traditions prior to climbing on to the spacecraft such as urinating on the launch bus tires to follow in the footsteps of Gagarin's historic flight. Beyond that, Gagarin is often held up as an example of character and heroism to younger children in Russia. The 60th anniversary of Gagarin's flight will be in 2021. The space community also commemorates Gagarin's achievement every year with Yuri's Night, a celebration that takes place on his launch date of April 12. Yuri's Night was founded in 2001 and attracts thousands of celebrants each year. This article was updated on Oct. 12, 2018 by Space.com Contributor, Elizabeth Howell. Editor's Note: This article was updated on Oct. 15, 2018 at 10:08 a.m. EDT to reflect a correction. The 60th anniversary of Gagarin's flight will be in 2021. BERLIN A shoebox-sized European space robot turned up a few surprises when it hopped around on an asteroid last week. In newly released images, the surface of the asteroid Ryugu is "even crazier" than expected, said Ralf Jaumann of the German Aerospace Center's (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, the scientific director of the MASCOT mission. "Everything is covered in rough blocks and strewn with boulders," he added in an image release. With a diameter of about 3,000 feet (900 meters), Ryugu is one of 17,000 known near-Earth asteroids, and it's made up of some of the most primordial material in the solar system. Studying the space rock's properties and composition could help scientists understand the building blocks of planet formation. [These Asteroid Ryugu Photos from the MASCOT Landing are Amazing] While researchers will be poring over the new data from the DLR-made MASCOT lander in the coming weeks and months, they're already starting to piece together a clearer picture of the asteroid. MASCOT's first view of asteroid Ryugu's south pole. (Image credit: JAXA/U Tokyo/Kochi U/Rikkyo U/Nagoya U/Chiba Inst Tech/Meiji U/U Aizu/AIST) Sticking the landing In the early hours of Oct. 3, about 185 million miles (300 million kilometers) from Earth, MASCOT was deployed from Hayabusa2, the mother ship made by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). [Japan's Hayabusa2 Asteroid Ryugu Sample-Return Mission in Pictures] "There was a possibility that MASCOT might get stuck in its holding cavity [on Hayabusa2]," Tra-Mi Ho, MASCOT project manager from the DLR, told Space.com during a meeting with reporters in Berlin on Friday (Oct. 12). "When we got the signal that it separated, we were very happy." MASCOT then made a 6-minute free fall from a height of 167 feet (51 m) to the asteroid's southern hemisphere. After analyzing data from the descent, mission researchers think the robot hit a large boulder and bounced several times before eventually landing on its back like a turtle with its camera pointed at the sky not an ideal position for collecting data. MASCOT has no wheels or propulsion system, but thanks to its swinging arm, the lander was able to right itself with a little push. "We also were very surprised that the area of bouncing was much more constrained than it was, based on our simulations," Ho said. The gravity on Ryugu is one-66,500th of Earth's, so even a tiny push off the surface is enough to send the lander hopping (or potentially floating away from the asteroid). MASCOT points east while descending toward asteroid Ryugu. (Image credit: JAXA/U Tokyo/Kochi U/Rikkyo U/Nagoya U/Chiba Inst Tech/Meiji U/U Aizu/AIST) The view from 'Wonderland' MASCOT's battery life lasted a little longer than expected, allowing the robot to collect data over 17 hours and 7 minutes, or more than two asteroid days, at the landing site dubbed "Alice's Wonderland." The lander was carrying four experiments: the MASCAM camera and a radiometer, both made by the DLR; a magnetometer built by the Technical University of Braunschweig; and an infrared spectrometer made by the French space agency, CNES. MASCAM produced about 66 images with useful scientific content, Nicole Schmitz, a DLR researcher with MASCAM, told Space.com. Pointing to boulders in some of the images, she said, "It's very remarkable how big some of them are." "The appearance of the surface is extremely surprising, because we have seen on other bodies in the solar system that there is also lots of dust and smooth parts of the surface," Schmitz added. "We don't really see any smooth parts on the asteroid so far. We will still have to put together what it all means." Another view from MASCOT as it descended toward asteroid Ryugu. (Image credit: JAXA/U Tokyo/Kochi U/Rikkyo U/Nagoya U/Chiba Inst Tech/Meiji U/U Aizu/AIST) While the surface of the asteroid appears to be a ghostly gray in the images released by the DLR, its actual color is quite dark. "The asteroid is extremely dark, close to black," Schmitz said. "When you see these images, we enhanced the illumination, because otherwise you would see nothing." Hans-Ulrich Auster, a researcher at TU-Braunschweig, said magnetometer measurements indicated that the asteroid has a weak magnetic field and MASCOT's landing behavior offered clues about the stiffness of the asteroid. "We saw here that 90 percent of the energy was lost [during landing] so that might be an indication that the surface is not as hard as stone," Auster said. "On the other hand, we can see it's not as soft as a comet." Auster noted that the European Space Agency's Philae lander encountered a surface like cigarette ash when it was deployed to the surface of a comet in 2014. But that wasn't the case on Ryugu. [Japan's Hayabusa2 Asteroid Ryugu Sample-Return Mission in Pictures] The MASCOT lander's view when it first touched down on asteroid Ryugu. (Image credit: JAXA/U Tokyo/Kochi U/Rikkyo U/Nagoya U/Chiba Inst Tech/Meiji U/U Aizu/AIST) Most populous asteroid The landing came less than two weeks after Hayabusa2 deployed two other tiny hopping rovers, the Japanese-built MINERVA-II1A and MINERVA-II1B. "With MINERVA and MASCOT, you have three landers for the first time landing on an asteroid and even jumping across the surface performing several kinds of experiments on quite distant regions, which gives you a more global context for the characteristics of the asteroid," Ho said. "Definitely, it's the most populated asteroid in space history." The $150 million Hayabusa2 mission launched into space in December 2014. The spacecraft is carrying yet another small rover, MINERVA-II2, which is scheduled to be deployed to Ryugu's surface next year. Hayabusa2 is also slated to collect a sample of Ryugu rock and send it back to Earth at the end of 2020 so that the pristine cosmic material can be analyzed by scientists directly. Follow Megan Gannon @meganigannon. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com. When director Rory Kennedy set out to make a documentary about NASA's first 60 years of space exploration, she did not expect that her focus would ultimately turn back toward Earth. Kennedy, the niece of President of John F. Kennedy, has delivered in "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow" an informative and engaging look at how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has not only reached out into our solar system (and, as the title suggests, beyond) since 1958, but has also revealed the changing state of our home planet. "I very much wanted to make a film that celebrated NASA and all of its many accomplishments," said Kennedy in an interview with collectSPACE.com. "I grew up in the aftermath of the Apollo program and with the excitement of sending somebody to the moon, what the implications of that was, and the thrill of that effort. And so I was excited to look back and make a film that hopefully reminds people today of all NASA has done and continues to do." [Happy Birthday, NASA! At 60, Agency Continues to Inspire] Poster art for director Rory Kennedy's documentary, "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow." (Image credit: Discovery Channel) "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow" debuts on Saturday (Oct. 13) at 9 p.m. EDT on Discovery Channel and Science Channel. collectSPACE.com spoke with Kennedy about the film, her personal connections to NASA's history and what she has come to see as the space agency's next "moonshot." collectSPACE (cS): You have an obvious family connection to NASA's history, but what are your earliest memories of the space program? How closely did you follow NASA's activities while growing up? Rory Kennedy (Kennedy): I was aware from a very young age of NASA and Jack's [JFK's] vision to get us to the moon, and that was certainly a very proud moment for our family. I grew up in a house where we had great admiration for astronauts. John Glenn was good friends with my parents and would come to the house often. He did campaigning for my father, Robert Kennedy, and was somebody who was kind of, excuse the phrasing, in our orbit. And we would watch films about astronauts and celebrate astronauts as they were heroes. It was mostly in that that I felt most connected to NASA. I wasn't a space geek. I wasn't obsessed with space, but I have always had an admiration for NASA and for the astronauts and for the people who go to space for what's to be learned by going. cS: It was said that you spoke with 45 scientists, engineers, astronauts and other NASA personnel and officials to put together this documentary. Was there one more person from across NASA's 60-year history that you wanted to interview but could not, as a result of him or her being dead or otherwise was not available? Kennedy: John Glenn. He unfortunately died during the early phases of the making of this film. I was hoping to interview him and was sorry I wasn't able to do that. But we were able to interview a lot of astronauts who work at NASA now and people like Jim Lovell who was on the Apollo missions. Also, obviously, Neil Armstrong would have been nice to interview, but that wasn't possible. Director Rory Kennedy, niece of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, also produced and narrates "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow." (Image credit: Discovery Channel) cS: But you do include Armstrong in the film through the use of an audio clip at one point. Kennedy: Yes, because I wanted his voice in the film and I thought it was nice in that moment where we do a montage and have people looking back at Earth. He's such an icon and hero of the space race and the first man to walk on the moon, so it would have been nice to include him, but we represent his story. [Photos: Neil Armstrong, American Icon] cS: You did speak with a number of other astronauts, including Scott Kelly and Peggy Whitson, and they comment in the film about seeing Earth from space. Is that how "Above and Beyond" came to be as much a story about Earth as it is a retrospective on NASA's 60 years? Kennedy: All of the astronauts talked about that moment of going up into space, looking back at Earth and feeling this connection to our planet, the preciousness of our planet and seeing that thin atmosphere that protects us from the vacuum of space. And then, from talking with the scientists who are focused on the Earth science missions came the understanding that we were doing a good amount of damage to Earth through the human release of carbons. And that science was methodical and ironclad and factual and very concerning. And so, with a deeper understanding of that, the film kind of drew that in as a natural narrative arc. cS: There is a quote from Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders that you do not include in the film, but that you cited in your recent editorial for The New York Times: "We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." From what you learned making "Above and Beyond" and from your understanding of space history, do you think we would be as aware of our changing environment today had we not gone to the moon? Kennedy: I don't think we would. I don't think we would have the understanding of what was happening on Earth if we hadn't gone to the moon. It is having that perspective, of having a little distance from our planet, which helps us understand how precious our planet is. And that's important. And then, on the very practical level, it is because the moonshot was such a huge part of the direction our country was going at that time it was 5 percent of the overall budget and we invested a huge amount in the infrastructure of NASA, that we have been able to make use of that ever since, even though we haven't invested at that same level since. As a result, I think is has been easier to continue exploring and applying that same infrastructure to the study of Earth. [Lunar Legacy: 45 Apollo Moon Mission Photos] cS: Looking ahead at the next 60 years, NASA is currently working on a return to the moon and then plans to continue on to Mars. Given how the Apollo missions changed our perspective about Earth, do you see that happening again as we go back to the moon? Or do you think NASA's should be focused on Earth from the start? Kennedy: With this recent IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report that came out and the understanding I now have, having been with NASA these last couple of years, the priority really has to be about the climate change on this planet and what to do about it, because there's such an urgency. We have such a small window to deal with it, which is really just the next 12 years and then it's going to be too late. So it's either now or never, and I feel like we need to focus on getting ourselves in a much healthier place on planet Earth. A still from director Rory Kennedy's "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow" shows NASA's Earth science missions in orbit around the planet. (Image credit: Discovery Channel) cS: That United Nations' report described the effort that will be needed over the next 12 years a little more than a decade as having "no documented historical precedent." Do you think there are lessons that can be applied from your uncle's "within this decade" moonshot goal? Kennedy: For me, part of the experience of going back through NASA's history is appreciating the importance of leadership. You see it at that moment [in 1961] when Jack is giving that speech at Rice University and he talks about getting to the moon within the decade. That we're going to do it. We don't know what benefits await us and we're going to do it anyway because it's just our natural curiosity and we're going to go out into the stars and we're going to learn things that we didn't even know we didn't know. And that is aspirational. It is pulling us. It is tapping into the best in all of us. And it's saying there is going to be great risk. And there is going to be loss. And we're still going do it. It's that charge, it's that leadership, it's that we're going into battle now to do something that's more important than us as individuals. I'm not seeing that leadership today. I'm ready to go to battle. I'm ready to go fight that fight. But it's very hard to do it without leadership. So there's an opportunity, a fantastic opportunity, for somebody to step into that role. And I am hopeful that somebody will. cS: So do you hope, in addition to celebrating NASA's 60th and being entertaining, that "Above and Beyond" can serve as a rallying call to save the planet? Kennedy: There is no political agenda in this film. It is a film that only presents the facts. There is nothing sensationalist about it. There are no words used to ignite fear in some untethered way. There are only the facts. The facts about what's happening to Earth are conveyed in the film, along with the facts of what we're learning about our solar system and what Hubble is doing and all sorts of exciting, aspirational ventures that NASA is embarking on. It is within that context that this information is conveyed. Watch the trailer for Rory Kennedy's "Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow" at collectSPACE. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. When a Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday at 4:47 a.m. EDT (0847 GMT), everything seemed fine but just in case it wasn't, search-and-rescue crews were stationed across the region, ready to jump into action. And that's just what they did when, a couple minutes after the Oct. 11 launch, something went wrong with the rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to the International Space Station. The launch was automatically aborted, sending the two crewmembers into an emergency ballistic re-entry. "As you would expect, everyone was calm and worked through the emergencies as best they could, and that was good to see," former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao told Space.com. "It all seemed to flow pretty smoothly." [In Photos: Space Station Crew's Harrowing Abort Landing After Soyuz Launch Failure] Search-and-rescue teams, including helicopters, are deployed at targeted and emergency landing zones as a routine measure during every crewed launch and landing, including the Oct. 4, 2018, space station crew return. (Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA) Chiao flew on three space shuttle missions, then rode a Soyuz capsule to the space station for a six-month stay on the orbiting laboratory. His launches and landings all went smoothly, but he knows what it's like when something goes very wrong: on his last flight, his Soyuz experienced an anomaly about 650 feet (200 meters) away from the space station and began to speed up instead of slowing down. "We almost reflexively just kind of jumped into it and started working on the problem," he said. He and his two crewmates had their emergency manuals out as well as the instructions that detailed standard procedure, and they were ready to handle the crisis. "Once you're safe, that's when you kind of take a deep breath, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up," he said. That's thanks to the rigorous training that all astronauts undergo before launch. "You spend most of your time on emergency and malfunction procedures, and that's because those are the things that are going to bite you," Chiao said. "You want to be able to almost reflexively execute them." So Hague and Ovchinin reflexively did what they needed to do, triggering the ballistic re-entry mode that would rapidly pull them away from the troubled booster and all the fuel it carried. Once they began the landing process, it took a little over half an hour for them to touch down. But search-and-rescue crews were already prepared to track them down and help them out of their capsule long before the rocket even took off. For launches from Baikonur, preparing teams around those areas is primarily the responsibility of Russian space agency Roscosmos, NASA confirmed. "The SAR [search and rescue] procedures are handled primarily by the Roscosmos team, but of course the appropriate international partners participate in the team and are there to support their agency's crew members," NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries wrote in an email to Space.com, although he declined to provide additional information about the process. Astronaut Nick Hague and his wife, Catie Hague, greet each other after his tumultuous launch. (Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA) Because any launch is carefully designed, it's possible to calculate where crewmembers might land depending on where they have to pull the trigger and separate from the rocket. For a landing crew, mission personnel draw up a circle about 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) across in which the crew should land if they deploy the parachutes as scheduled, depending on wind strength and direction. Predicting that area is more complicated for ballistic re-entries during launches and landings, of course. [Soyuz Landing Photos: Expedition 49 Returns to Earth] "That circle's going to be bigger first of all," Chiao said, pointing to a 2003 landing that plopped astronauts about 275 miles (440 km) off course. But it's still possible to do. "They're going to stage a rescue crew out there with helicopters ready to start looking for these guys if they had to go ballistic." That means mission staff can deploy crews across the targeted landing area and areas where a ballistic re-entry would deposit the crew. When he landed on a Soyuz in 2005, Chiao said that the team that met him and his colleagues was likely about 50 people, including medical personnel, helicopter pilots and people to help the astronauts out of the capsule. See more A tweet posted by astronaut Alexander Gerst, currently aboard the space station, thanked the search-and-rescue crew for their work picking up Hague and Ovchinin, saying that more than 1,000 people were on hand across the region. Chiao said that number sounds plausible, since there are several different teams posted in different locations. And after the anomaly, he said Hague and Ovchinin's landing went pretty smoothly. NASA has said that search-and-rescue crews were able to meet them on landing, and that the astronauts were quickly taken out of the capsule to check their condition. That isn't always the case. "Historically in the Russian experience they've had some pretty spectacular search and rescue events," Chiao said. "The rescue forces have done some incredible things over the years." That doesn't just refer to the landing that touched down hundreds of miles off course. One capsule didn't just land in an unexpected place, it crashed through a forest, tumbled down a mountain, and only a parachute snagged on a tree kept it from falling off a cliff. The astronauts had to spend the night in the forest, then ski out. It's on account of the wolves they heard howling overnight that Soyuz capsules are stocked with a pistol. On another occasion, a capsule broke through a frozen lake and tipped upside down, leaving the astronauts on board hanging from straps for hours. Rescue crews tracked them down and lifted the capsule out of the water, but it was so heavy they kept bumping along the ice's surface. Rescuers expected the astronauts couldn't have survived the experience but they had. And as to whether the incident shook his faith in the safety of space travel, Chiao said he isn't concerned. "This business is not without risk, and never will be any time you're sitting on all that fuel and high-speed turbo pumps and fire," Chiao said. And he predicted the next launch would be even safer than usual. "You can bet that everybody involved is going to be extra cautious on the next launch because of this incident." Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com. (CNN) Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that shows journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul just over a week ago, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN. The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there had been an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. The foreign intelligence service found the nature of the evidence, which was provided in a briefing from Turkish officials, to be "shocking and disgusting," the source told CNN. Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, walked into the consulate in Istanbul on October 2 intending to get paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in his disappearance and says he left the consulate that afternoon. His fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence that he left the consulate, as they claim. The Washington Post reported late Thursday that the Turkish government had told U.S. officials that it was in possession of audio and video recordings proving that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, citing unnamed U.S. and Turkish sources. The audio recording in particular provided "persuasive and gruesome evidence" that a Saudi team dispatched to Istanbul was responsible for Khashoggi's death, the Post reported. "You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic," one person with knowledge of the recording told the Post. "You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered." International pressure has mounted on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi, a former Saudi royal insider who became a critic of the regime and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The business world has also signaled its disquiet, with British tycoon Richard Branson saying he's pulling back from two tourism projects in Saudi Arabia and has suspended discussions with Riyadh about a $1 billion investment in Virgin's space companies. Business leaders have also started pulling out of a key conference hosted by MBS in late October. CNN confirmed Friday that it too would no longer participate in the Saudi Future Investment Initiative conference, known as "Davos in the desert." CNN was a media partner for the event. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told broadcaster CNBC he still planned to attend the Riyadh summit despite concerns about Khashoggi's status. Focus on 15 men Turkish authorities believe 15 Saudi men who arrived in Istanbul on October 2 were connected to Khashoggi's disappearance and possible killing. At least some of them appear to have high-level connections in the Saudi government. On Thursday, a U.S. official familiar with the intelligence told CNN that the U.S. had intercepts of Saudi officials discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him. Washington's "working assumption" is that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate in Istanbul, according to a U.S. official familiar with the latest intelligence. "We are pretty clear eyed it is likely to have happened and it didn't end well," the official said. The source did caution that this was the latest assessment and no conclusions had been made. A source who knows Khashoggi told CNN that Saudi authorities made several attempts to reach out to Khashoggi in 2017, including proposing he lead a think tank funded by the state. The source says that Khashoggi rejected the ideas and over the following months his much sharper criticism of the government, in its domestic policy and relating to the crisis with Qatar, ended any dialogue. The source, who maintains high-level contact inside the kingdom, says that senior figures in the Royal Court in Riyadh were especially infuriated by Khashoggi's criticism of the decision by the Saudi authorities to classify in September 2017 the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi as terrorists. At the same time, the source says, Khashoggi became more wary of returning to the kingdom. Three days before his disappearance, Khashoggi -- speaking to a BBC journalist in an off-air conversation after a radio interview -- said he did not think he would ever be able to return to Saudi Arabia. Asked when he might be able to go home again, Khashoggi says: "I don't think I'll be able to." The BBC several days ago said it decided to publish the off-air conversation "in light of the current circumstances." "When I hear of an arrest of a friend who did nothing... makes me feel I shouldn't go," Khashoggi is heard saying. "That friend of mine... maybe he was talking critically over something at a dinner party. That's what we are becoming in Saudi Arabia, we are not used to that, we never experienced [this]," he added. A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey for the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday. Trump rules out immediate action on arms sales U.S. President Donald Trump has said his administration was being "very tough" with Saudi Arabia as it investigates Khashoggi's case. But Trump said Thursday that he was reluctant to take action, particularly on the issue of arms sales. "There are other things we can do," he told reporters at the White House. "I don't like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States because you know what they're going to do, they're going to take that money and spend it in Russia or China," Trump said, referring to a U.S. arms deal with Saudi Arabia. "If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling the situation." The U.S. signed a nearly $110 billion defense deal with Saudi Arabia in May 2017, when Trump made Saudi Arabia a stop on his first foreign trip as president. The stop was seen, in part, as an endorsement of the strong relationship between Trump, Jared Kushner -- his son-in-law and senior adviser -- and bin Salman. France's Foreign Ministry said it had demanded that Saudi Arabia provide a "complete and detailed response" with regard to the reported killing of Khashoggi, whose disappearance "raises serious questions about his fate." "France demands that the facts are clearly established," the ministry said. Gulf Arab states came out in support of Saudi Arabia, however, in the first wave of official reactions from its neighbors. In a tweet Thursday, the United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister, Anwar Gargash, called media reports on the matter "a fierce campaign" run in coordination with "inciting parties." "The repercussions of political targeting of Saudi Arabia will be dire on those who inflame it," he said. Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Khalid bin Ahmad, said that "Saudi Arabia is the target, not the search for truth." Turkish investigation Saudi officials had agreed to allow Ankara to inspect the consulate as part of Turkey's investigation into the missing journalist. But it was not clear Friday whether this inspection had taken place. A senior Turkish official speaking on the condition of anonymity had previously told CNN that "the Saudis are not cooperating fully with the investigation. They are not open to cooperating." On Friday, a Saudi official said that he "welcomed" an announcement by the Turkish President to form a joint team of experts from both countries to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance and that he was "fully confident of the team's ability to accomplish the mission," according to a statement from the Center for International Communication at the Saudi Information Ministry. He said the "Kingdom attached utmost priority to its citizens' safety and security, irrespective of their location." Sabah, a pro-government private newspaper in Turkey, on Tuesday listed 15 names alongside photographs of men who authorities believe were flown into Istanbul from Riyadh. The state-run Anadolu news agency later published similar details on eight of the individuals. One of the Saudi men was identified by Turkey's official Anadolu Agency and Sabah as Salah Muhammed al-Tubaiqi. He is listed on an official Saudi health website as the head of the forensic medicine department at the interior ministry. Another member of the group identified by Turkish official media, Muhammad Saad al-Zahrani, has appeared on Saudi state TV alongside MBS. Turkish officials are investigating whether Khashoggi's Apple Watch reveals clues as to what happened to him inside the Saudi consulate, examining whether data from the smartwatch could have been transmitted to a cloud, or his personal phone, which was with Cengiz outside, Reuters reported, citing two senior Turkish officials. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Turkey has 'shocking' audio and visual evidence of Saudi journalist's killing." A story of a German writer about his organ transplantation and ensuing dwelling on the meaning of life met with a Chinese one here in Berlin, as a dialogue between the German writer and a famed Chinese anchorwoman took place on Thursday evening. The dialogue took place in the form of a book reading held in a Berlin chain bookstore, Thalia. The book reading was organized by the People's Literature Publishing House, which is here in Germany for signing contracts on the Multilanguage copyrights of the book "Readers". The licenses for the book were sold to publishers from several countries including Germany. The book "Readers" is a collection of book excerpts by famous Chinese authors, and the TV program under the same name where celebrities as well as common viewers read those excerpts has been a success in China. At the book reading, German writer David Wagner read excerpts from his autobiographical novel "Life". The book, based on his own experiences of a life-saving liver transplantation, has been translated into 17 languages, including Chinese. "The fact that I am still able to be here, and even see the Chinese version of my novel published is a miracle, a miracle of modern medicine, as well as a miracle of people. It is because of one person or his families' donation that I survived," Wagner told the audience, saying he kept wondering what this person is like. Dong Qing, renowned Chinese anchorwoman, the producer of the program "Readers" as well as the chief editor of the book "Readers", told Wagner and the audience a story of a father of a Chinese organ donator, a father among the many "Readers" invited to the program. The father said he can't help thinking about how the five receptors of his 13-year-old daughter's organs are doing. With the help of the program, the father heard the edited voices of two receptors, one of them a college student who said she managed to continue with study thanks all to the donated cornea. The father, according to Dong Qing, burst into tears upon hearing the voices. Then the father, on the stage of "Readers", read an excerpt from "A Daughter Forever", an essay of a Chinese writer Zhou Guoping which was written to his deceased daughter. "You made me a father, but for too short a while......" The story touched Wagner too. He kept nodding his head while Dong Qing narrated the story. Wagner said though he has never written a letter of gratitude to the donor, his book is the letter of gratitude to the gift of life. Dong Qing said many literary works were created with stories of life and death, and the very inquisition into the meaning of the being can bring our lives to a higher level, therefore ditching literature or book readings would be such a shame. In a smart phone era where many are only engaged in the so-called fragmented reading, literature still purifies our souls, Dong said, explaining her motivation to be a champion of reading. Dong Qing told Xinhua that literature is truly marvelous as it instantly erases gaps, distances and prejudices. She hoped that the multi-language version of "Readers" can bring foreign readers closer by shedding light on Chinese people's spiritual world, and by allowing foreign readers to learn China's historical changes and modern lives. New York (United Nations), October 13, 2018 (SPS) The Representative of the POLISARIO Front to the United Nations, Dr. Sidi M. Omar, has accentuated that Moroccos occupation and illegal annexation of parts of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara remains the chief obstacle to the decolonisation of the Territory, in a statement before the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee. Moroccos occupation and illegal annexation of parts of the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara remains the chief obstacle to the decolonisation of the Territory, said on Friday the Representative of the POLISARIO Front before the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, adding that, its flagrant attempts to appropriate sovereignty over a Non-Self-Governing Territory on the agenda of this Committee and without a due and valid decolonisation process is the root cause of the long-lasting conflict in Western Sahara. The Representative of the POLISARIO Front recalled, the responsibility of the United Nations towards the people of Western Sahara, which is reaffirmed every year in the General Assembly resolutions on the matter, demanding that it, should be assumed without further delay. The Sahrawi official emphasized that the continuous consideration by this Committee of the situation in Western Sahara, at the request of the General Assembly, is a testament to the unfinished decolonisation of the Territory. It is also a testament to our peoples right to self-determination and independencea right that is inalienable and can never be overtaken by the current colonial realities created by Morocco in the Territory through its prolonged occupation and intensified settlement and repressive policies, he added. He evoked that the deplorable Moroccan occupation and annexation of parts of our land continues to date, with dire consequences for our people, both in terms of well-documented gross human rights violations in the occupied Territories and with respect to the massive plunder of our natural resources, among other things. In a related context, the Sahrawi diplomat affirmed that the POLISARIO Front has officially accepted the invitation of the UN Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy, Mr Horst Kohler, to an initial roundtable meeting planned to take place in Geneva in early December 2018, and the POLISARIO Front stands ready to engage in direct negotiations with Morocco in line with Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. (SPS) 062/SPS S aturday, October 13 marks the first ever National Album Day. The inaugural event has been launched on the 70th anniversary of the album format to "celebrate all aspects of the UK's love of the album", according to organisers. What is National Album Day? National Album Day has been created to pay tribute to the album, with the format facing stiff competition from music streaming. Bosses say the celebration will allow fans to show their respect for "truly iconic albums," as well as opening up a discussion on how the format can evolve "in response to changes in technology and music consumption". The event marks the culmination of a week-long series of gigs, programmes, events, artist appearances and interviews and online listening parties held around the country. The social media campaign #NationalAlbumDay invites people to nominate and share the album that has most inspired them. At 3.33pm on Saturday, October 13 fans, stores, radio stations and public spaces will be invited to play their favourite album in full. Paloma Faith, one of its first artist ambassadors, said: I vividly remember being excited by so many classic albums as I was growing up, like Marvin Gayes Whats Going On, Dylans Freewheelin, and Erykah Badus Mamas Gun, although, if I had to pick one, the album that most inspired me was Tracy Chapmans self-titled debut. "It featured the incredibly powerful Why? - a song that has become a real anthem for me not least as it was the first to bring home the emotional power of lyrics. The way we engage with music may be changing, but for me the album remains the ultimate expression of the songwriters craft. Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, Country Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane of Mumford and Sons perform at Toners, Dublin / Getty Images for Guinness Columbia records created history 70 years ago when they launched the LP record, a 33 1/3 vinyl record that would go on to become the industry standard format. Since then, countless albums have been produced, some to greater acclaim than others. While the format is still loved by most, some have begun to question whether it is now on the decline, having been replaced by streaming. Phil Barton, owner of legendary Soho record shop Sister Ray, told the BBC his business "wouldn't exist" without the album, and called on the artists themselves to protect the format. "If you deconstructed certain albums coming out now, I'm pretty sure you'd just get a collection of songs that happen to be on an album," he said. "I might be being harsh but I think the album needs protecting by artists. You shouldn't be dashing off a load of tracks, you should be writing an album." It is estimated that around 5 billion albums have been sold in the UK since 1948. T he family of musician Prince have asked President Donald Trump to stop playing his music at campaign rallies. The late rock stars track Purple Rain has been frequently played at Mr Trumps rallies including one last week in Southaven, Mississippi. A statement from Princes half-brother has expressed opposition to the use of any of his music by Mr Trump. It said: The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or the White House to use Princes songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately. The rock star was 57 when he was found dead in an elevator at his home in Paisley Park on April 21 2016. An autopsy revealed he died of an accidental dose of fentanyl, which is a drug 50 times more powerful than heroin. There is a long list of musicians who have banned Mr Trump from using their tracks at presidential rallies. Adele, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and REM have all banned the use of their music. B RITAINS favourite witchy actress has been considering the hex that Brexit is casting on the country. She has to. Eva Green is an adoptive Londoner of 13 years standing. But, despite that Anglo-sounding surname and a career-launching role as a cut-glass-accented HM Treasury official in Casino Royale, Daniel Craigs first outing as James Bond shes French. For me as a French resident, Im thinking, whats going to happen? ponders Maida Vale-based Green. Are they going to kick me out? Do I need to get a British passport? Should I marry an Englishman? No, I wont go that far, she jokes. Does she feel rejected as a European expat living here? No, because everybody is against it in London. But Im quite scared, waiting for the tsunami to come. Some people have left already. Still, its hard to imagine this redoubtable 38-year-old upping sticks for home. For one thing, the Paris-born daughter of a French actress mother and Swedish dentist father has forged a career acting in Anglo-American projects in her second language. Oui, in her next two films she plays Frenchwomen: a single-mother astronaut headed for the International Space Station in Proxima, and a trapeze artist in Dumbo, the live action reimagining of the Disney classic directed by Tim Burton (her third film with the London-based American). But broadly: Bond girl Vesper Lynd, flying sorceress Serafina Pekkala in The Golden Compass, Morgana in TV series Camelot, the titular headmistress in Burtons Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, the witch who curses Johnny Depp in Burtons Dark Shadows, and the demon-battling Vanessa Ives in Sky Atlantics Penny Dreadful are all English-language characters. Not to mention all parts with something of the night about them. Green who is considerably more fun in person than her gothic roles would suggest feels at home here. Having come to London to study at South Kensingtons Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art when she was 17, shes been based here almost her entire career. I love the fact that London is so green. There are so many trees. There are no trees in Paris; well, not many. Its weird. When I go there I get frustrated. That Anglophilia is probably one reason Green has been chosen to star in a short film for classic British car marque: Jaguar. Jaguar is such a legend, for a French person anyway, Green tells me when we meet in a studio near Hanger Lane, the base for the Jaguar shoot. When you imagine Jaguar you imagine them in old movies, something beautiful and classy. This felt very special and British special as well. With a career as long and varied as Greens, its sadly inevitable that she has worked with assorted men who have subsequently been caught up in #MeToo claims. Her first Vogue cover was by Patrick Demarchelier, the veteran French fashion photographer whos been accused of sexual harassment by multiple models (which he denies). Her first film, The Dreamers in 2003, was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The Italian auteur recently declared that Ridley Scott should be ashamed for cutting Kevin Spacey from All the Money in the World. She expresses surprise at the Demarchelier report, while her experience of working with Bertolucci on The Dreamers which featured full-frontal nudity and graphic sex scenes was wholly respectful. There was never anything off or voyeur[istic] He was paternal, a nice man. I dont really know why hes saying this at the moment. More challengingly, she clashed with Lars von Trier. She met the Danish director who denies that he sexually harassed Bjork while directing her in Dancer in the Dark to discuss Green taking the lead role in his sexually explicit horror film Antichrist. I mean, I like to take risks, she begins, adding that shes kind of a masochist but this was The role, eventually taken by Charlotte Gainsbourg, involved scenes of sadomasochism. Green, not unreasonably, had very practical sexual questions, like [about] the masturbation But he freaked out. I think it got lost in translation, and he was like, nobody questions my work. It was so strange. Shes also worked with Roman Polanski, on last years Based on a True Story. Its not a good film, Green tuts. But did she have to think hard about accepting that job? No, she replies firmly. In France hes much better perceived than in America or England. Hes a god. In the [French] movie industry its always like, you have to work with Polanski. And hes a nice man. I think its a bit different now that I know him, and I know his wife, she says of the actress Emmanuelle Seigner, her co-star in the film, and they have a different version [of the original story] And it is a long thing and I dont want to take sides. But people are complicated. You get the opportunity to work with a great artist... I dont know, its a hard one. You sell your soul, I guess, Green concedes. Eva Green with her mother Marlene Jobert / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images And then theres Harvey Weinstein. Last year, in an interview with a French radio station, Greens mother Marlene Jobert alleged that the disgraced mogul tried to physically assault her daughter in a Parisian hotel suite. She managed to escape, but he threatened to destroy her professionally, said Jobert. Talking publicly about the incident for the first time, Green admits to feeling heavily intimidated at the meeting, which was for a project that didnt exist and was sold to her on the basis of how he could change my career. Hes very pushy. But he gets turned on by fear, thats for sure. Hes not quite right here, she says, tapping her temple. Its about power Ive seen him in restaurants Also, lots of people in this business knew about it, not mentioning names. And Im still angry with them they knew what happened to me and they never did anything. They preferred to remain blind because he was God. But Im a strong girl, she states matter-of-factly. I just saw him as someone who was not mentally right. He had just had a baby! But hes obsessed the more you push him away, the more he She shudders. He looks at you like a piece of meat. Marlene Jobert with twin daughters Eva and Joy / Sygma via Getty Images She adds that her mother, who is famous in France, did warn her of the seedier side of the film industry. She has always pictured it as something quite dark. I dont know if its worse now; I think its always been difficult. But, yeah, she shrugs, its the jungle. But I am more impatient now, with directors or producers who use their power to play that game. Im a bit saturated with this. With age Ive become more fragile! I cant deal with it. More fragile, or more discerning. Next month she starts filming the BBCs adaptation of Eleanor Cattons New Zealand-set, Man Booker-winning novel The Luminaries. A literary period drama: it feels very Green. Shes equally careful regarding her private life. She says shes currently single and rebuts online rumours that shes dating Tim Burton. My sister even asked me. I love Tim but no, no, no. I dont go public with relationships. Its not right. Theres no mystery any more. Similarly, social media is another addiction. I look at peoples Instagram, but I wouldnt want to have it. It kills the mystery. You look stupid as an actor if you do it. We dont want to know about you picking your nose, Green says witheringly. My biggest worry is to be narcissistic. Or being drunk and posting I would so do that, I do drunk texting already. It is, then, about being true to herself whatever and wherever that is. I dont really know where I belong, Green cheerfully allows. But I truly belong to the moon, I think. Well, its one way of coping with Brexit. S ignature dishes are what chef Anna Hansen describes as "odd." "You do get attached to things, and sometimes you feel proud of something, says the the New Zealand chef who this summer celebrated the tenth anniversary of her London restaurant, The Modern Pantry. But it does also happen that you really love something youve made and nobody else does. People dont buy it or like it. So its a funny one. For a dish to end up on her menu, Hansen says there are several things that need to come together. Generally Ill do a first take on an idea, and sometimes its flukey and it just works," she exaplains. "More often than not you work on something, and then realise you should add something. But it doesnt always all happen at once - for example, our sugar cured prawn omelette was almost so many different things. But you also have to try not to overwork it because you get bored and also you can change it and ruin it. "The best things to me are the ones that happen quite quickly and naturally. If you have to try and fix something too many times it also makes it incredibly hard to replicate and obviously thats what youre trying to do in a restaurant kitchen. Once shes tested a recipe, shell pass it to one of her chefs to make it. And then if its good, then its good, she adds. Here, she explains the background behind six of her favourite dishes from ten years worth of menus at The Modern Pantry. (The Modern Pantry ) / The Modern Pantry 1. Tamarind miso marinated onglet, lemongrass braised cherry tomatoes, cassava chips "This was on there from day one. Before opening, I ran a contract catering job in the city and used it to develop my ideas. I was trying to do a take on the black miso cod, using steak, as I thought its offaly rich flavour would be nice with the miso. Im also a massive fan of tamarind so all together I wanted to go for a sweet and sour effect, and it was so delicious. We use the same marinade in so many things - from lamb to aubergine. The lemongrass cherry tomatoes are a classic and delicious Modern Pantry side dish, which works so well that we tend to keep it on there." 2. Sugar cured New Caledonian prawn omelette, smoked chilli sambal "This has basically been on the menu for the longest, and is considered the signature dish of the Modern Pantry. I had this idea to cure prawns before the restaurant opened. I tried curing them with flavours like lemongrass, ginger, sugar and salt, and initially I thought Id be able to eat them straight away - like gravadlax. But they were disgusting! Then my brother and I were looking through a book by the Australian chef Kylie Kwong and found her recipe for deep fried eggs, so we decided to do that with the prawns. We chucked them in the wok and they were really delicious. It wasnt until we opened the doors of the Modern Pantry that I decided to have it as an omelette, and adding the smoked chilli sambal." 3. Singapore wok crab "This is super iconic and was inspired our first regular customer, Eric Tan, who has his offices in the square and has been coming here since day one. He was so in love with the prawn omelette that he began to come every day. The sambal is apparently very similar to one in Singapore, where they might spread it on bread or toast. So this crab dish was a tribute to Eric, and it tends to be on the menu around the spring when the crabs are available. We steam and clean the crab then make a paste using shallots, Szechuan peppercorns, chilli and garlic. We make a rich base sauce with our tomato chilli sauce and chuck the whole lot in the oven, and then into a wok with some stock we make using the prawn shells leftover from the omelette. You end up with a thick, juicy, luscious, earthy, umami-ish dish that we normally serve straight or with rice or bread. People love it, but its tricky to serve as they take so long to eat it!" 4. Chorizo scotched quail egg, tomato relish "Another early dish that came about because I used to be utterly obsessed by chorizo and would eat it at any opportunity. I also went through a phase of Scotching eggs and this one was the winner. We make it with Brindisas spicy cooking chorizo and some pork mince and add in fennel seed, black onion seed, shallots and curry leaves. We serve it with tomato relish or green pepper relish, which are two staple chutneys. Its a pain to make but its such a delicious crowd pleaser and itll be back on the menu again soon." 5. Chocolate liquorice delice, candied pink grapefruit, whipped cream "We used to go and eat loads of amazing rye bread and pastries when we stayed with my aunt in Copenhagen, as my mums family are Danish. But on the flip side you get these Haribo liquorice sweets out there which have a hard candy on the outside. One day after a frenzy of eating these and lots of chocolate, I thought it was something I wanted to recreate. The delice is like a custard that if you put enough chocolate in will set and you can make a quenelle. We make a wafer to go with it, made with cocoa, glucose, paprika, lots of salt and chilli so that you end up with this amazing almost meaty chocolate wafer - like highly addictive gourmet cocoa pops! We also add some fresh pink grapefruit and some candied peel, as the fruit is quite aniseedy and heightens that character of the dish. We add whipped cream because every Danish person has cream with everything!" 6. Ricotta pancakes, gooseberry & vanilla compote "This was inspired by the Australian chef Bill Granger who Ive admired for years. I went to his restaurant many years before the Modern Pantry opened and had something involving honey and butter. Then because I love brunch I thought Id do something in our restaurant. Its a thick pancake that you have to bake for 10 minutes, and it has ricotta crumbled all the way through it. We serve it with one of a variety of compotes, sometimes berry and liquorice, or more recently one with gooseberry, turmeric and lemongrass." A young man has been gunned down in the street in north-east London. Scotland Yard believe the victim, aged in his 20s, was shot by two people on a moped. Police and paramedics were scrambled to Amhurst Road in Hackney at about 9.30pm on Friday. The man was rushed to hospital for treatment where he remained overnight. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, police said. A crime scene remains in place in the street as officers continue to investigate. There have been no arrests. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: At this early stage it is believed the man was shot by two people on a moped. A crime scene remains in place. Officers from the Central East Command Unit investigate. The National Human Geography of China, a series of books re-discovering Chinese cities, was launched at the British Library Friday. The series, published by SinoMaps Press, is an encyclopedic series of human geography of Chinese cites, portraying in detail the historical context, geographical environment, human resources, and socio-economic development of the cities. Each book in the series features one Chinese city with elaborate compilation of authoritative and comprehensive texts, pictures, maps and infographics, which are arranged from historical aspect and on geographic basis. Wang Baomin, CEO of SinoMaps Press, said a total of 30 books about cities including the capital Beijing were unveiled in the book launch event. He presented 11 books from the series to the British Library. Hamish Todd, head of the East Asia Collections of the British Library, told Xinhua that the books introducing Chinese city landscape and traditional culture are "absolutely brilliant", and he is happy to add the books to the library's huge collection of more than 100,000 Chinese books. Xiang Xiaowei, minister counselor from the Chinese Embassy in UK, said in the speech that cultural exchanges are an important part in the "golden era" of Sino-British relationship. "I believe that the National Human Geography of China series, an encyclopedia of Chinese people's cultural geography, will not only become a key way for British readers to interpret the Chinese cultural genetic code, but also serves as a bridge between China and UK," he said, adding that "I am hoping it can produce wonderful chemical reaction to the way of thinking and lifestyle of people in two countries." Frances Wood, former curator of British library, famous sinologist and historian, said with the books on Chinese cities as a starting point, British readers will have the opportunity to get to know China more comprehensively and concretely. In the city promotion session of the event, representatives from two Chinese cities, Huzhou and Yichun, respectively displayed their cities and shared the ways and experiences of urban development. The National Human Geography of China series have been displayed in more than 40 major cities around the world and sold on Amazon. T wo teenage girls have been sentenced after a sick Tube hoax in which one of them screamed: Shes got a bomb! The two girls, a 14-year-old from Brent and a 14-year-old from Lambeth, were travelling on a packed Victoria line train between Green Park and Victoria. Girl A shouted multiple times: Shes got a bomb! Passengers began to panic, crouching down in anticipation of an explosion. Other passengers attempted to move to different areas of the train and change carriages. At Victoria station, passengers pulled the emergency cord and the emergency services were called. Realising then that the claims were a hoax, other passengers challenged the girls. A woman then grabbed the sleeve of Girl B to prevent her from leaving. The teen became verbally abusive to the woman and spat in her eye. Girl A appeared before Willesden Magistrates Court and was found guilty of communicating false information. She was handed a 12-month Youth Rehabilitation Order. Girl B appeared before South London Youth Court and was found guilty of assault by beating and criminal damage. She was handed an eight-month Youth Rehabilitation Order and ordered to pay 40 compensation. The hoax happened on October 25 last year. Insp Andy Hickling, from British Transport Police, said: I am outraged by the actions of these senseless and immature girls. Given the tragic and harrowing events during 2017, it is impossible to understand why these girls thought this was a clever idea. Siwan Hayward, Transport for Londons (TfL) director of compliance, policing and on-street, said: Everyone has the right to travel without fear or intimidation. The actions of these girls was foolish and created widespread fear amongst passengers. B oris Johnson has launched his latest assault on Theresa Mays Brexit negotiations, saying the Irish backstop deal would be the UKs greatest humiliation since the Suez Crisis. The former foreign secretary renewed last week's Tory conference call to chuck Chequers, while demanding the government scraps the Irish backstop. Otherwise, he claimed, the UK would be facing its worst humiliation since the Suez Crisis in the 1950s. The failed invasion of Egypt was seen as the end of Britains status as a global superpower, and forced the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden. Mr Johnson said it was now completely obvious that the government made a dreadful mistake in bowing to the EUs demands for a special backstop deal to avoid a hard border in Ireland after Brexit. Boris Johnson says it's time to 'chuck Chequers' Writing for the Belfast News Letter on Saturday, the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP said: The only way to put things back on the right track is to ditch the backstop and then to chuck Chequers. The fatal error was not to challenge the EUs position that the only way of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland an objective we all share is for Northern Ireland to have the same regulations for trade as Ireland and the rest of the EU. Instead, our government has accepted that argument, seemingly adding, wrongly, that to do otherwise would be a breach of the spirit of the Belfast Agreement. Boris Johnson pictured in central London on Tuesday / Will Oliver/EPA The government well understands how weak the backstop makes its future negotiating hand which is why it has proposed Chequers. If we let this go it will be the greatest national humiliation since Suez. The right answer of course is to reject the premise of the December 2017 agreement, that Ireland and UK cannot have different rules without a hard border. T heresa May faces mounting pressure from Brexiteers within her party and her Democratic Unionist Party parliamentary allies ahead of a crunch summit next week. Efforts to avoid a hard border in Ireland in particular are creating a headache for the prime minister, with DUP leader Arlene Foster telling her not to accept a "dodgy" deal which would "effectively cut Northern Ireland adrift". And leading Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg warned Mrs May that around 40 Conservative MPs were steadfast in their opposition to her overall Brexit strategy. Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg speaks at a Leave Means Rally / Getty Images At a Leave Means Leave rally in Torquay he accused the government of adopting an approach of "managing decline" for the UK rather than seizing the opportunity of Brexit. Mr Rees-Mogg said 39 of his colleagues were more "tough-minded" than him on their opposition to the government's entire Brexit strategy set out in the Chequers plan. "Those 39 will not turn, I will not turn and there are growing numbers beyond that who are determined that we should deliver on the Brexit that we promised," he said. The "future of our country is at stake, the future of our party is at stake", he said ahead of Wednesday's European Council summit in Brussels. DUP predicts 'developments' in Government's Brexit position over weekend "We must make sure that Chequers in binned, that this idea of a customs union, the sheer lunacy of paying 3.5 billion a year to subsidise the European Union for all eternity is binned," Mr Rees-Mogg said. "We are close, we are almost there, we just need to be steady for a few more weeks and if we do that the prize is there to be grasped." He accepted there could be problems in the event of a no-deal or "punishment" Brexit, including chaos at the Channel ports. But he added: "If there are queues at Dover, if the M20 becomes a car park, if there are certain difficulties for a short time because the EU decides to cut off its own nose to spite its face, if the EU is a mafia-style organisation that says 'if you want to leave we will kneecap you' then all the better for leaving." Meanwhile, the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland remains one of the last obstacles to achieving a divorce deal. In an effort to find a way to avoid a hard border, reports have suggested the UK could remain tied to Brussels' rules beyond the end of 2020 to give negotiators more time to finalise an overall trade deal. The Guardian and Daily Telegraph reported that the option of a potential extension to the transition period was being considered by negotiators in Brussels to allow extra time to draw up a plans for the future UK-EU relationship - and avoid the need to use a controversial "backstop" arrangement. The Department for Exiting the European Union said it would not comment on speculation. The European Union's version, which would see just Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels' rules, has been called unacceptable by Mrs May and is loathed by the DUP. Mrs May's counter-proposal, set out in June, was for a "temporary customs arrangement" for the whole UK, but Tory Brexiteers are suspicious this could turn into a permanent situation, restricting the freedom to strike trade deals around the world. In a strongly-worded article in the Belfast Telegraph, Arlene Foster warned against the EU's backstop proposal and also stressed that she would not accept any measure that resulted in extra checks for goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Her party has threatened to cause a political crisis by voting down Philip Hammond's Budget if Mrs May gives way to Brussels and Mrs Foster said: "The DUP's actions this week are not as some have suggested about 'flexing muscle'. "This is no game. Anyone engaging in this in a light-hearted way foolishly fails to grasp the gravity of the decisions we will make in the coming weeks." The prime minister depends on the votes of the 10 DUP MPs to prop up her administration in Westminster. S ecret plans to allow an extension of the Brexit transition period may result in Britain remaining tied to EU rules beyond 2020, according to reports. The move is said to be designed to convince DUP leader Arlene Foster that a backstop plan to avoid a hard border in Ireland will not come into force. The potential extension of the transition period, which would see the UK stay in the EU single market and customs union, is being considered ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on Wednesday. Under the current plans, if there is a Brexit deal the transition period will last until the end of 2020. During this time the UK will accept Brussels' rules without having a seat at the table. DUP predicts 'developments' in Government's Brexit position over weekend But the Guardian and Daily Telegraph that the option of a potential extension was being considered to allow extra time to drawn up a deal and avoid the need to use the controversial "backstop" arrangement. The Department for Exiting the European Union said it would not comment on speculation. The need to resolve the backstop issue is a political headache for Theresa May, who relies on support from the DUP in key votes because she does not have a majority in the Commons. The European Union's version, which would see just Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels' rules, has been called unacceptable by Mrs May and is fiercely resisted by her DUP allies. Theresa May is preparing for crunch talks with Brussels / AP Mrs May's counter-proposal, set out in June, was for a "temporary customs arrangement" for the whole UK. But Tory Brexiteers are suspicious this could turn into a permanent situation - restricting the freedom to strike trade deals around the world. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said that a provision on customs which was not "finite" would fail to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum. Dominic Raab addressing MPs in the House of Commons / AFP/Getty Images And Downing Street insisted that Mrs May would never agree a Brexit deal with the EU which "traps" the UK permanently in a customs union. The pledge came amid speculation over possible ministerial resignations if the Prime Minister gives too much ground ahead of the Brussels summit next week. Mr Raab said: "What we cannot do is see the UK locked in via the back door to a customs union arrangement which would leave us in an indefinite limbo. That would not be leaving the EU." However, the EU is mounting resistance to any specific time limit being included in the text of the UK's Withdrawal Agreement. D ramatic images show flooding devastating parts of Wales after it was battered by Storm Callum. It is thought to have caused the worst flooding in Wales for over 20 years. An amber weather warning for rain is in place in south Wales until 6pm, with further flooding and power cuts likely. Police in the area have urged members of the public to stay indoors except for essential travel, such as a medical emergency or to assist a vulnerable person. Images from Crickhowell, a town in the Brecon Beacons shows how it has been inundated with flood water after the River Usk burst its banks. A Land Rover drives through a flooded section of the A4077 through Crickhowell / PA Roads can be seen cordoned off with one image showing a car half submerged in water. While images of Crickhowell bridge show emergency services at the scene. Breconshire Police have confirmed that Crickhowell bridge remains closed as experts survey the structure. Corn Exchange, a pub on the High Street in Crickhowell wrote on Twitter: "It's been quite a day for Crickhowell. For those flooded and those still pumping out or clearing roads, it is not over. There has been courage, generosity and community spirit." A stranded vehicle sits in flood water on the A4077 at Crickhowell / PA One part of south Wales, the Brecon Beacons village of Libanus, recorded 182mm of rain in just 48 hours - way above the monthly total for the region of 169mm. While in Pontargothi, west Wales, around 100 sheep were swept away by floodwater. Police are appealing for anyone who finds "any sheep washed up anywhere" to call them. Natural Resources Wales said: "There are currently 46 Flood Alerts and 31 Flood Warnings in effect across Wales while Storm Callum continues. Arriva Trains Wales has advised passengers not to travel. It said: "Due to the severe disruption to train services, lack of available road transport caused by local road conditions, customers are advised not to travel as journey completion cannot be guaranteed." The south east has largely escaped Callum, however by Sunday afternoon there will be a "complete reversal in fortunes" with eastern and southeastern parts getting rainfall while western parts will be dry and sunny. T he devastating mental health impact on train drivers of people committing suicide on Britain's railways is openly discussed today by a worker with decades of service on the tracks. Driver Adrian Bayne said he is constantly fearful that someone could commit suicide under has train and goes to work every day wondering "is it going to be me?" The 44-year-old, who has worked on the trains since he was a teenager and who loves going to work each day, today talks openly about the issue after World Mental Health Day. He said the thought of someone harming themselves on the railways is something that is always on a drivers mind. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) driver Mr Bayne said: I think that being a train driver must be the only job where its in the back of your mind every day is it going to be me? Mr Bayne said he has been working on the railway since he was 16 / LNER/CALM Figures released by British Transport Police (BTP) this week revealed that in the year 2017/2018, the total number of people suspected to have taken their own lives on the railway was 310. The number of people who were saved from hurting themselves by staff was 1,917, though 648 more than the year before. Mr Bayne said he has come face to face with someone who tried to harm themselves and was able to speak to them. He said: I was on the nightshift and it was a cold night. I was helping the station staff and I saw a guy standing on the platform. Its hard to tell in these situations if someone is under the influence of alcohol [or if theyre at risk]. I approached him and I couldnt smell any alcohol. LNER has joined with charity CALM in a campaign / PA Wire/PA Images After exchanging words, Mr Bayne said the man let him look at his mobile phone and his messages. He had messages on it saying he was going to take his own life, Mr Bayne said. Mr Bayne made contact with the mans mother and BTP, he said, and fortunately managed to secure some more help for the man in need. He said: I had to get on with the rest of my shift [after that]. It was only when I had a break [later that night] and it hit me and I thought: God, I might have saved someones life. Its obviously a good feeling, but to this day, I think of him and hope hes in a good place. While Mr Bayne said he was able to help this person, he said he knows of colleagues who have faced the devastation of hitting somebody while driving, with some drivers horrifically facing multiple fatalities. He said: Some of the drivers are driving at 125mph and theres just nothing they can do. You just try to sound the horn, close your eyes and thats all you can do. For a driver to go through that, its horrific. The 44-year-old said he wants more people to get talking He added: It has a domino effect and touches so many peoples lives. Theres obviously the person who has chosen to take their own life, but then there is the family of the victim, the train driver and the mental health impact that it can have on them. How can you possibly go home to your family at night and say Ive taken a life? Its horrendous. Then there is the on-board staff, passengers, emergency services, cleaners and engineers at the depot. Its massive. Mr Bayne and other members of the rail industry have joined forces with charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) in a campaign to make people think about the unseen impact of suicide and spread awareness about what support is available. For drivers, Mr Bayne said they can be offered counselling, can take time off work and have support if they are involved in a fatality. He said: Some drivers may not want to return to work for weeks, others months. Some may never drive again. Everyone is different, theres no right or wrong way. Mr Bayne said he hopes though opening up about mental health, it will get others speaking. Since I was 16 on the railways, suicide has been there. Its still there, he said. I want some more openness, we do have a problem on the rail network. I think the more people talk about it, especially men who are more at risk of committing suicide, it will encourage others to so. Simon Gunning, CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), said: LNER are taking steps to support their staff, their customers and all that use their network, so were delighted to be partnering with them. Suicide affects thousands of people every year and remains the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK, and the work that LNER are doing to change this is commendable. So, whether its via something visible in a train station or in response to one of our films on social media, I believe the CALM and LNER partnership will start plenty of conversations some of which might just be lifesaving. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. For more information, visit thecalmzone.net. T he devastated father of a schoolgirl killed during Hurricane Michael has described learning of his young daughters death over the phone as hell. Sarah Radney, 11, was visiting her grandparents when the storm slammed ashore on the Florida Panhandle in the United States earlier this week. She was killed when a carport flew into their home in south-west Georgia on Wednesday. Her father, Roy Radney, was more than an hour away when he got the call from his brother saying Sarah had been struck in the head. Hurricane Michael: Storm hits Florida 1 /41 Hurricane Michael: Storm hits Florida Damaged homes are seen after hurricane Michael passed through Mexico Beach, Florida. Getty Images A resident looks for items to salvage from where her friend's home once stood Getty Images Homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael are shown from the air in Florida Getty Images Homes destroyed in Florida by Hurricane Michael Getty Images A woman checks on her vehicle as Hurricane Michael passes through AP A man works with a team to fell a storm-damaged tree in South Carolina Getty Images A tree lays on a home and car after hurricane Michael passed through the area on October Getty Images AP AFP/Getty Images REUTERS AP Hurricane Michael closed in on Florida's Gulf Coast on October 10, 2018 as an "extremely dangerous" category four storm packing powerful winds and a huge sea surge, US forecasters said AFP/Getty Images REUTERS EPA Getty Images AP AP Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP AP AP AP Getty Images AP AP REUTERS Debris is blown down a street by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida Getty Images AP AP REUTERS Boats lay sunk and damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina AP A store's windows are seen shattered as hurricane Michael passed through the downtown area of Panama City Getty Images The storm hit four hours before high tide REUTERS Palm trees are seen during Hurricane Michael in Panama City Beach REUTERS Waves take over a house as Hurricane Michael comes ashore in Alligator Point, Florida REUTERS The storm battering the beachfront Getty Images The storm surge and waves from Hurricane Michael start to overtake the roads and homes Getty Images The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible category 4 storm. Getty Images Hotel employees look at a canopy that just collapsed AP Speaking to the New York Times, the 37-year-old said he struggled through bad phone service to finally learn the news, which he described as hell. He said: I'm an hour and a quarter away, and my daughter's dying, and I can't do anything about it. I can't think of anything that is more related to hell than that. As Sarah continued to suffer the storm worsened and Mr Radneys phone reception became spottier as he tried to keep in touch with his brother and father. Hurricane Michael leaves trail of destruction in southern US Mr Radney and his wife got through after several attempts and his father told Mr Radneys wife that Sarah had died, he told the newspaper. It took about six hours for emergency services to cut through trees to get to the home where Sarah was struck, so there was no chance of her being saved, he added. At least 13 deaths in total were blamed on the storm, the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental US in over 50 years. The storms victims were killed in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina from falling trees and other hurricane-related incidents, officials said. Sarah's grandmother was also struck during the incident. She was rushed to hospital, where she was treated for a punctured lung and a broken rib. The young girl had the week off from school and she and her 12-year-old brother had been staying at their grandparents' house near a lake in Seminole County since Monday. A t least eight climbers have died after a violent storm swept through their camp on a Himalayan peak in Nepal. Five South Korean climbers and four Nepalese guides were on Mount Gurja when the storm swept through their base camp, officials said. A rescue helicopter at the scene confirmed seeing the bodies of eight people in the ruins of the camp, but was unable to land due to bad weather conditions "Five South Korean climbers are dead, three Nepalese nationals are also dead. One Nepali guide is missing," police spokesman Sailesh Thapa told the BBC. One of the South Korean climbers has been identified by local media as Kim Chang-ho, who in 2013 became the fastest person to reach the summit of the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen. Wangchu Sherpa, of the Trekking Camp Nepal agency, said the rescue helicopter sent to look for the climbers could not land due to poor visibility. "Our rescue operation is continuing and we are trying to find details," he said. It is unlikely the weather will clear on Saturday and the base camp is at least one-day trek from the nearest village. A police team is also heading towards the base camp on foot and is likely to reach there on Sunday. G eorge Clooney hit out at Donald Trumps administration, warning the US will have "history to answer to" if it continues to be "scared" of "what made it great". The Hollywood star highlighted the "fear of Muslims, immigrants and strong women" he said has been stirred up by Mr Trump's government. Speaking at Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles on Friday, the actor introduced himself as "Amal Clooney's husband". He then said Mr Trump's administration had created a culture of fear. Donald Trump calls Democrats 'an angry left-wing mob' Clooney said: "Fear of Muslims. Fear of immigrants. Fear of minorities. Fear of strong women. And because our government needs us to be afraid, the question is, are we really scared of all the things that actually make America great? "And if the answer is yes, then we'll have history to answer to. Because these are the ideas that will define us for generations. "When you call an entire religion your enemy, you might very well make an enemy out of an entire religion. When you tell a whole race of people that you value them less, you can't be surprised when they question your values." Referring to Mr Trump appearing to joke about the woman who came forward to allege she had been sexually assaulted by his then nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, Clooney said voters could get revenge in November's midterm elections. Kanye West meets Donald Trump 1 /10 Kanye West meets Donald Trump Rapper Kanye West meets Trump in the Oval office AFP/Getty Images The rapper grins during his meeting with the president AP Kanye, or Ye as he is sometimes known, delivered an expletive-ridden rant at the meeting REUTERS The rapper wore a 'make America great again' baseball cap REUTERS Trump sits across his desk from rapper Kanye AP Kanye West delivered a ten-minute rant in the Oval office REUTERS The rapper and Trump greet each other in the oval office EPA Rapper Kanye talks during the meeting with the President REUTERS Kanye West swore has he delivered a wide ranging speech in the Oval Office AFP/Getty Images Kanye shows the President his phone AP He said: "When you tell women that coming forward to testify about their abuse is a joke, don't be shocked when they're standing on your lawn, laughing on November 7. "After all the jokes, and insults, and reality show frenzy, what will be remembered, what will stand the test of time, is holding responsible these wolves in wolves' clothing." Clooney and Mr Trump have clashed in the past. The actor laughed off the businessman's chances of making it to the White House during the early days of his presidential bid. T he death toll from Hurricane Michael has risen to 17 as rescuers continued their desperate search through rubble for victims of the catastrophic storm. Entire coastal cities across Florida were destroyed and homes and businesses were left in ruins or swamped from Georgia to Virginia as the hurricane hit. Emergency workers have said they expect the number of people killed to climb as they combed through regions razed by the Category 4 storm on Saturday. Some of the hardest-hit communities in many disaster zones have yet to report fatalities, according to reports last night as the devastation caused was laid bare. Emergency workers continued to search hurricane-hit areas as the storm weakened / AP Dramatic images showed coastal areas across Florida completely destroyed, with entire homes flattened and trees uprooted after the deadly hurricane struck. Among those killed was a firefighter and an 11-year-old girl who was struck in the head when a carport flew into her grandparents home in Georgia. The storms victims were killed in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina from falling trees and other hurricane-related incidents, officials said. Hurricane Michael leaves trail of destruction in southern US Michael, the third most powerful hurricane ever to hit US mainland, had yesterday weakened to a tropical storm but continued north packing 50mph winds. Entire homes were ruined in Florida after the catastrophic storm struck / Getty Images The dead include at least eight people in Florida, five in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia. Emergency crews have been using bulldozers to push a path through debris to allow rescuers to probe the rubble with specially trained search dogs. Sarah Radney, 11, was killed during powerful Hurricane Michael / AP Michael blew ashore near Mexico Beach on Wednesday afternoon, with winds of up to 155 miles per hour. It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding. The audience at one of the halls of Cairo Opera House were so stunned by the performance of an orchestra of about 40 blind female musicians. They couldn't help applauding, cheering and sometimes whistling after each piece played. Among the most breathtaking pieces played by the Chamber Orchestra of the Cairo-based Al-Nour Wal Amal (meaning Light and Hope in Arabic) Association were Mozart's Symphony No. 4 and Turkish March, Tchaikovsky's Chinese Dance, Khachaturian's Saber Dance, in addition to Arabian music. It is not the first time that the orchestra performed at the most prestigious house of music in Egypt since the association's music institute was established in 1961, when all the musicians were little children. "I love classic music and I adore Al-Nour Wal Amal orchestra. They are literally so excellent and they feel so much for what they play. I enjoyed every one of the many concerts I attended," said Heba Mostafa, a lady in her 30s and one of the audience at the Opera House. The performance was held before the White Cane Day that falls on Oct. 15 every year to raise world awareness on blindness and the contribution of the blind and visually impaired people to their societies. Shaimaa Yahiya, a 33-year-old visually impaired violinist, charmed the audience by playing her solo part of one of the symphonies presented by the Chamber Orchestra during the concert. "My relationship with the orchestra started 27 years ago when I joined Al-Nour Wal Amal Association as a student," the violinist told Xinhua during a rehearsal before the performance. After graduating from a language college, Yahiya has become an English teacher at Al-Nour Wal Amal and continued as a veteran member of the orchestra. "Before each concert, we feel like in a state of emergency with intensified rehearsals as if it is our first concert, although we have toured the world with our orchestra," she continued. Her friend, Shahinaz Salah, a contrabass player in her late 20s, said that she started playing contrabass 20 years ago and that the warm reception of audience everywhere was a main motivation for the orchestra's success. "The warm welcome we receive sometimes move us to tears," Salah told Xinhua the night before the performance at the Opera House. "We held performances at several countries across the world, the last of which was China, where the audience impressed us with their appreciation," said the player. Mohamed Saad Basha, the conductor leading the Chamber Orchestra, spent hours of rehearsal with the musicians the evening before the opera performance, but he said he didn't face any obstacles or challenges while dealing with them over the past six years. "The girls are very talented, devoted and punctual. They memorize Braille music notes as well as my instructions by heart," the Conservatoire professor told Xinhua, adding that they are the only orchestra of blind female musicians in the world. "They impressively played a whole opera show of two acts while dancers and actors performed on stage at grand halls in Egypt and France, which is not easy at all," Basha said. Founded in 1954, Al-Nour Wal Amal Association provides primary, preparatory and secondary education for blind girls and the association's music institute was established in 1961 in cooperation with the Higher Institute for Music, known as the Conservatoire. The orchestra has performed in 31 countries around the world, the first being Austria in 1988 and the last being China in 2017. They have made trips to the United States, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Greece, India, Japan and several Arab states, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. "We have another two concerts in the coming two months, one in the Embassy of Belgium in Cairo and another at a world youth forum in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh that will be attended by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi," said Nagat Radwan, the executive director of Al-Nour Wal Amal's music institute. The Egyptian president hailed and honored the orchestra after they performed during an event he attended in March. Following the president's praise, the orchestra has finally become well known in Egypt after years of being more popular abroad than at home, said Amal Fikry, vice president of Al-Nour Wal Amal Association. The orchestra, which started with 15 girls more than four decades ago, has now boasted over 60 musicians, with 35 in the senior orchestra that toured the world and 27 others in the junior one. "The association is generally supported by donations from businessmen, yet we still face financial challenges to buy new instruments for the orchestra to replace the old ones and take their performance to a higher level," Fikry told Xinhua. S audi Arabia has dismissed accusations that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a hit squad inside the countrys consulate in Istanbul as lies. Interior minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif condemned the "lies and baseless allegations" on Saturday. He said the kingdom "is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions", according to the official Saudi Press Agency. It comes 11 days after Mr Khashoggi, 58, was last seen entering the consulate. US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi is said to have died within two hours of entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul / REUTERS Turkish authorities believe he was murdered on orders from the highest levels of the royal court in Riyadh. Earlier this week Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah revealed the identities of a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad" that allegedly arrived in Istanbul on two private jets the day he vanished. Mr Khashoggi is said to have died within two hours of going into the building to pick up documents so he could marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. Saudi Arabia has faced a chorus of international calls to shed light on what happened to the Washington Post columnist, and business leaders have already shunned the regime. Financial Times editor Lionel Barber announced the newspaper would be pulling out of its partnership in a high-profile economic conference in Riyadh, while Sir Richard Branson has frozen several business links with the Gulf state. Security guards stand outside the consulate earlier this week / AP On Saturday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded "the truth" over the disappearance. He told the BBC at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Bali: "We need to have a strong request for the truth to be clear. "We need to know exactly what has happened and we need to know exactly who is responsible and, of course, when we see the multiplication of this kind of situation I think we need to find ways in which accountability is also demanded." Senior MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested action should be taken if the Saudi state was responsible for killing Mr Khashoggi. He told BBC Radio 4's Today: "The idea that we can treat Saudi as a normal state if it practises state-sponsored murder outside its borders is simply not true." A critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mr Khashoggi was living in self-imposed exile in the US and writing opinion pieces for the Washington Post before he vanished. Turkish officials have said he was killed on the premises and his body removed. M elania Trump has said the controversial jacket she wore on a visit a childrens detention centre was a message to the left-wing media criticising her. Addressing the fallout that followed her choice of clothing on the day, she said it was obvious she did not wear the I Dont Care jacket for the children. The first ladys remarks came during a tell-all interview with ABC, in which she was also asked about her husband Donald Trumps alleged infidelities. On the jacket, which sparked a huge backlash when photos of the trip emerged, she said: It's obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children. The first lady wore a jacket with the words emblazoned on the back / AP I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane. After the visit, I put it back on because I see how [the] media got obsessed about it. Melania Trump: I might be the most bullied person in the world In the interview, aired for the first time on Friday night, Mrs Trump added she loves her husband and has "much more important things to think about" than allegations he cheated on her. Mrs Trump, who was interviewed by the US TV network while touring Africa last week, said people are just spreading rumours about her marriage. Melania has revealed why she wore the 'I Don't Care' jacket / AFP/Getty Images "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage and circulate the gossip," she said. "But I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines. And, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today." She insisted allegations of her husbands infidelities are not a concern. Mr Trump, who during the 2016 presidential campaign was heard on tape talking about groping and trying to have sex with women, has been accused of having multiple affairs. Porn star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal have said they had sex with him years ago. Mr Trump has denied the trysts with Ms Daniels and Ms McDougal but has acknowledged reimbursing his lawyer for a 130,000 US dollar hush money payment made to Ms Daniels. Asked in the interview if she loves her husband, Mrs Trump said: "Yes, we are fine. Yes." Melania Trump agreed to a tell-all interview with ABC / REUTERS She played down a suggestion the repeated rumours of his philandering had put a strain on their marriage. "It is not a concern and focus of mine," she said. "I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do." Melania Trump ABC interview trailer But when she was asked if the repeated rumours had hurt her, she paused. Then she reiterated the "media world is speculating". "Yeah, it's not always pleasant, of course," she said. "But I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and not true." Other portions of the interview aired earlier this week featured Mrs Trump saying she could be "the most bullied person" in the world and saying women who make accusations of sexual assault need to "show the evidence". M issing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded his own interrogation, torture and killing on his Apple Watch, according to reports. A pro-government Turkish newspaper claims officials in the country have an audio recording from the watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul over a week ago. The claim, published by the Sabah newspaper, puts more pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate 11 days ago. CCTV appears to show the last sighting of Mr Khashoggi as he arrives at the consulate / REUTERS Authorities recovered the audio from Mr Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, the newspaper said. The journalist had given his phones to his fiancee before entering the consulate. The newspaper also alleges Saudi officials tried to delete the recordings first by incorrectly guessing Mr Khashoggi's PIN on the watch and then using the journalist's finger. However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. The newspaper did not address that in its report. Security guards stand outside the consulate on Tuesday / AP An Apple Watch can record audio and can sync that later with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection. The newspaper's account did not elaborate on how the Apple Watch synced that information to both the phone and Mr Khashoggi's iCloud account. Turkish officials say they believe a 15-member Saudi "assassination squad" killed Mr Khashoggi at the consulate. They have alleged that they have video of the killing but not explained how they have it. Turkey has yet to publish any evidence of him being killed, though surveillance footage around the consulate shows a convoy of vehicles with diplomatic plates leaving the Saudi consulate for the consul's home in Istanbul a little under two hours after Mr Khashoggi's arrival. Saudi Arabia has said it had nothing to do with Mr Khashoggi's disappearance. A Saudi-owned satellite news channel has begun referring to the 15-man team as "tourists". Early on Saturday, the state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud again denying the kingdom's involvement. A new exhibition on Manchu-style outfits, utensils and furnishings offers visitors a glimpse into royal life during the Qing Dynasty. A new exhibition at Beijing's Capital Museum offers visitors a glimpse into royal lifestyle during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The more than 130 antiques on show are representative of the rich aesthetics at the time. With a combination of practicality and artistry, they demonstrate the development of craftsmanship during the middle Qing period. One of the key exhibits is a yellow brocade changfu robe, emblazoned with dragons and clouds, that used to belong to Hong Taiji, one of the founders of the dynasty. It is the first time that the robe has been exhibited to the public. Changfu was a type of Manchu garment, typical of the Qing era. Emperors, empresses and concubines usually dressed in changfu for festivals, celebrations and sacrificial rites. The emperors also wore changfu to attend jingyan, lectures specifically held for them to study historical classics and improve their cultural literacy. According to Tian Xinyou, the exhibition's curator, the changfu robe on display was in the traditional costume style of Manchu and since it was used before the dynasty moved to Beijing, its design had not yet been influenced by Han culture. The cuffs of the robe have a horseshoe-shaped design. Usually, the cuffs were turned up so that it was easier for Hong Taiji, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, to move and work, as one exhibit suggests. On cold days, however, the cuffs could be turned down to cover the back of his hands to keep warm. Such a design complied with the compulsion of the Manchu to spend much of their time practicing archery and riding horses. There are also a number of portraits on display, and that love of riding is evident in one that depicts Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) on horseback. There are also a number of household utensils on display, especially those used for dinner, such as a silver hotpot decorated with gold-plated patterns of the Chinese character shou (longevity), as well as a black lacquer plate adorned with gold-outlined patterns of two Chinese landscape paintings. Space contractor makes a mark in the global arena as policies boost development The success of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC) in the global space arena during the past four decades is rich testimony to the success of China's reform and opening-up policy since late 1978. The Beijing-headquartered, State-owned space and defense giant now has more than 170,000 employees, eight large academies and a dozen listed companies. It was ranked 343rd in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2018, making it the fourth largest aerospace enterprise in the world by revenue after Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed Martin. The success of the company is also testament to China's decision in 1978 to embark on reform and opening-up. In the 11 years from the start of the reform and opening-up to the end of 1989, China conducted 16 space missions and all of them were satellite launches. During the 1990s, 39 carrier rockets were launched, and the last of them ferried the first prototype of the Shenzhou spacecraft into space, opening China's manned space age. From 2000 to November 2012, a total of 111 rockets sent hundreds of satellites, four manned spacecraft with eight Chinese astronauts as well as one space laboratory into space. Since then, 124 space launches have been carried out during the past six years, evidence of China's relentless efforts to become a space power. Almost all of the nation's space missions were fulfilled by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, China Academy of Space Technology and Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, all units of CASC. Long-held aspirations The Chinese people had long wished to realize their dream of "flying above the skies". Chinese scientists drafted a plan in the 1970s to develop a manned space program. However, they were unable to make it happen because of the nation's weak capabilities in space technology and manufacturing sector back then. In 1986, a group of top Chinese scientists suggested that the government should consider the possibility of manned space flights and submitted a roadmap, which was approved by the Party leadership in 1992. Thanks to CASC and its predecessor, China Aerospace Corp, the country moved fast toward its goals in manned space programs. In October 2003, China carried out its first manned space mission, sending Yang Liwei to a 21-hour journey around the Earth in the Shenzhou V spacecraft. Till date, six manned space flights have been conducted, totaling 68 days and circling the Earth 1,089 times. Chinese astronauts traveled more than 46 million kilometers in the space and executed over 100 scientific experiments during these missions. They have fulfilled extravehicular activities, several multiple-day missions inside the Tiangong-1 and 2 space labs, as well as a 40-minute space lecture watched by more than 60 million Chinese students from around 80,000 schools. Chinese scientists have also launched a cargo spaceship to conduct several docking and in-orbit refueling operations with Tiangong-2, verifying technologies and equipment designed for space station. These accomplishments have become a source of national pride and people's confidence in the nation's capabilities. To meet the needs from manned space programs, engineers at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology designed and built multiple new rocket models including the Long March 5 and Long March 7. As the strongest and most technologically sophisticated rocket ever made by China, Long March 5 has a liftoff weight of 869 metric tons, a maximum payload of 25 tons to a low-Earth orbit, or 14 tons to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The gigantic vehicle is tasked with transporting parts of China's future manned space station and fulfilling Mars explorations. In addition to manned space flights, CASC has also helped the country realize another traditional dream - to explore the moon, a distant silver sphere deemed by Chinese myths as some goddesses' palace. The company started sending robotic probes to the moon in 2007 and carried out several lunar missions since then. It landed the Chang'e 3 probe, which carried the first Chinese lunar rover, on the moon in December 2013. The Chang'e 3 mission marked the first soft-landing - opposite to hard impact - by a manmade spacecraft on the moon in nearly four decades. The company launched a relay satellite into space in May as the first step in the Chang'e 4 lunar mission, which will explore the far side of the moon and is scheduled to be made before the end of this year. Compass in heavens Along with the exploration and scientific endeavors, CASC has been working with Chinese space authorities to set up a vast navigation and positioning satellite network and a high-definition Earth observation satellite system to facilitate public and economic sectors. The Beidou network, mainly constructed by CASC, is one of the four space-based navigation networks along with the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and European Union's Galileo. Since 2000, when the first Beidou satellite was placed in the space, 42 satellites have been launched for the system and several in them have been retired. Beidou began providing positioning, navigation, timing and message services to civilian users in China and parts of the Asia-Pacific region in December 2012. China has planned to place 18 third-generation Beidou satellites into space before year's end. According to government plans, the network will be made up of 35 satellites before the end of 2020 - several now in orbit will be decommissioned by then - to give Beidou global coverage. CASC also cooperates with space departments in designing and establishing a space-based, high-resolution Earth observation network that has had eight satellites. 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 Member of the European Parliament Catalin Ivan on Saturday in northeastern Iasi launched a party that wishes to be a "new kind of political construction" the Alternative for National Dignity (ADN). MEP Catalin Ivan asserted that the ADN is a pro-European party, has the consensus idea and will have no Chair. "I've been asked whether I will be this party's Chair and I said definitely no, the ADN has no president. The ADN is based on a coordination team with coordinators on each important field of our daily life, the best specialists, the ones with the highest competence in the respective domain. The masters in education, health care, environment, agriculture, economics, make the decisions through consensus. They all have to agree that a solution tabled is the best solution and it observes the principles we have assumed. Never in the ADN will there speak one person about everything. Once a year, the agora of the Alliance for National Democracy is to take place," Catalin Ivan told the attendees in this eventAccording to Ivan, the ADN's political programme will be grounded on working groups, and those who will be in charge will have attached a smart contract, technologically speaking."This smart contract is covered by itself. The moment two sides agree upon two working principles, none of the two can intervene any more on this contract. It just happens. (...) Anybody with the ADN will get into a job position and will assume a public responsibility, will be conditioned upon by what we have promised in the election campaign and what they will succeed to do. The non-accomplishment of these objectives draws penalties until they lose their mandate," Catalin Ivan stressed.Ivan also announced the launching of a web application called ADN.ro, through which the users could become members of the new political platform, find information about it and take part in discussions.The Euro-Deputy has made an X-ray of the classic political parties, emphasising in this respect that they are confronted with issues, such as the lack of transparence, nepotism, the lack of competence, the dependence on a providential leader, demagogy. Ivan sustained that this is the reason why a reconfiguration of the politics is paramount."I could say that today, all paintings on all of the Romanian parties' walls have fallen down. When I entered the politics, the walls were covered in paintings of providential leaders. The idea of relating to a "almighty dad", to the providential leader, to the one who pulls the party, to a locomotive is a wrong approach. Never in this world has been invented a machinery, a computer, a robot that knows everything, let alone a man.One cannot store that much information. And even if so, we wouldn't know all the time to make the best decisions. Success stays always in the team. Success will always stay where the people give their maximum of yield, where they have maximum of competence," Catalin Ivan added. The notifications in connection with the draft law for the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code (CCP) as well as for the amendment of the judicial organisation Law, lodged by the Supreme Court (High Court of Cassation and Justice, ICCJ), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and by President Klaus Iohannis were admitted on Friday by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), a release by the CCR informs. Given the object of the notifications above-mentioned, the CCR decided to connect them all. After deliberations, the CCR, in reference to the criticism of extrinsic unconstitutionality, decided to reject unanimously the criticism referring to the violation of the two-chamber principle and the right to legislative initiative, as well as the criticism regarding the Art. 1 Paragraph (5) of the Constitution corroborated with Art. 69 Paragraph (2) of the Regulation of the Chamber of Deputies.As for the criticism of intrinsic unconstitutionality, the CCR admitted also unanimously the objection and found that over 60 provisions in the law for the modification and completion of Law no. 135/2010 on the Criminal Procedure Code as well as for the modification and completion of the Law no. 304/2004 on the judicial organisation, are unconstitutional.On the other side, also unanimously the CCR repealed the objection and found that the other criticised provisions, are constitutional."The decision is final and generally mandatory and it is communicated to the President of Romania, to the heads of the two chambers of the Parliament, to the Prime minister and to the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The arguments held in motivating the solutions pronounced by the CCR plenary sitting will be displayed in the decision, that is to be published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I," the CCR release concludes. You are here: Business The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on Friday issued trial rules on depositary receipt business in the Shanghai-London stock connect program after seeking public comment for more than a month. The rules mark an important step for the program, which aims to allow stocks listed in Shanghai and London to be traded in each other's market by issuing depository receipts. The CSRC revised some items in the previous version, including the restricted redemption period for domestic companies issuing Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and the rights issue of overseas companies after their China Depositary Receipts (CDRs) offering. Effective upon release, the rules detailed procedures and requirements for the CDRs and GDRs issuances, such as the approval system, continued regulation and law enforcement. China will make active preparations for launching the Shanghai-London stock connect program and steadily push forward the opening-up in China's capital market, the CSRC said. The upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) "reaffirms commitment" from the Chinese government to its opening-up policy," Erik Bresling, CEO of Danisa told Xinhua recently in an interview. Danisa, the internationally well known brand of the traditional Danish Butter Cookies, is the crown jewel of the Danish Speciality Foods, a Danish company, led by Bresling, that has enjoyed strong growth in China. The company is one of over a dozen Danish companies that announced their participation in the first CIIE which will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, aiming to seek new business opportunities. "Danisa, like many other Danish brands, is the beneficiary of China's opening-up to the world policy," said Bresling, emphasizing that "even though Danisa is not the first company to enter China, we have been marketing and running business since early 1990s and enjoying tremendous growth." "Now, we are the market leader in butter cookies category in China. We are very grateful for the strong support from Chinese government and warm welcome from our Chinese consumers," he added. Bresling believes that in the next five years, China's huge demand to import products and services globally, "provides a historic opportunity for enterprises across the world to enter the huge Chinese market". And the CIIE event "serves as a drive for business people in the world to market their products in China and for Chinese consumers". "On top of that, we believe that through this event we will have better exposure in China and find more partners to help us distribute our products to not only tier-1/tier-2 cities, but also further into tier-3/tier-4/tier-5 cities," he added. Year 2018 is also marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Bresling believes 40 years of China's opening-up benefited other countries globally by providing "good products with reasonable prices"; meanwhile, with the huge purchasing power of Chinese consumers, "the world also enjoys exporting their products to China". "We have been witnessing China's robust growth in the past 20 years. In the meantime, we have seen Chinese government's determination of opening up to the world, plus hard-working spirits from its people during the years we are doing business in China," Bresling emphasized. Eyeing ahead, Bresling "strongly believe that China's economy will continue to grow and consumer spending will increase solidly." "Besides, Chinese consumers will embrace better and higher standard of products. So for Danisa, this is huge potential we see to increase our sales in China," he said. "As the beneficiary of China's opening-up to the world policy and market leader in butter cookies category in China, we are happy to participate in the event and will give our full support accordingly, " Bresling said. "We wish CIIE a huge success this year!" he added. Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos visited the United States on October 9 to make two proposals that would change a lot if accepted: a new Balkans military alliance and substantial expanding of US military presence in the country. The latter includes setting up three military bases in Larissa, in Volos, in Alexandroupolis on a more permanent basis. The regional defense alliance, formed to diminish Russias influence, is to comprise Greece, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Bulgaria, and later Serbia. I want to affirm that Greece considers the United States a strategic partner and allythe only one, I dare to say, he said during the meeting with US Defense Secretary James Mattis. It is very important for Greece that the United States deploy military assets in Greece on a more permanent basis, not only in Souda Bay but also in Larissa, in Volos, in Alexandropoulis, he added. In the spring of 2018, the US began operating MQ-9 Reaper drones out of Greeces Larisa Air Force Base. The American-Greek defense cooperation agenda includes the extension of the agreement for the use of the US naval base in Souda Bay, Crete, the upgrading of the Greek fleet of F-16 military jets and the plans to build a second military base in southern Crete. The United States and Greece are reportedly discussing the creation of a military base on the island of Karpathos in the South Aegean Sea, between Rhodes and Crete. According to the plans, the island will host US Patriot air defense missile systems and F-22 Raptor fighters. US F-35 will be stationed in Volos, F-16 in Andravia, while F-15 are already in Souda airbase in Crete. As the relationship with Turkey continues to deteriorate, Greece acquires a more significant military role for the United States in the Mediterranean as well as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The Wall Street Journal reported last month, the US military is in talks to expand its operations in Greece, including using more air and naval bases here, signaling a potential move toward the eastern Mediterranean amid growing tensions with Turkey. According to the source, US officials who had visited Greece not long before the publication said both the government and the opposition were receptive to strengthening military ties. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes that the geography of Greece and the opportunities here are pretty significant. A military alliance of Greek Cyprus, Israel and Greece, Eastern Mediterranean Alliance (EMA), has actually been formed. Greece and Israel have a military cooperation agreement in place since 2015. The military ties between Cyprus and Israel are also expanding. After a trilateral conference held in Larnaca in June, defense chiefs of the three countries pledged to expand cooperation on cyber-security, joint military drills and search and rescue operations in the eastern Mediterranean. The three also visited the US together in May. Last month, the United States opened its first permanent military facility in Israel. The US has recently changed its Syria policy, including the support of the Kurds that angers Turkey so much. With the tariffs and sanctions war unleashed by Washington against Ankara, it appears to have nothing to lose. The United States is considering permanent cuts to its military presence in Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, a strategic point for its military operations in Syria. This possibility is very real as several pro-government Turkish lawyers have reportedly filed charges against US Air Force officers associated with the base, alleging they are connected to those who staged the attempted coup d'etat against Turkeys government in 2016. Greece wants Alexandroupolis to become a hub for the gas being exported from Israel via Cyprus, Crete and Greece to Italy. The route will bypass Turkey, which is adamant in its desire to prevent such a scenario. It says part of the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus is under Turkish jurisdiction. A conflict is possible and the EMA partners want the US to be on their side. America needs the allies too as it strives to increase its clout in the Middle East. Libya is among the countries it wants to control, while rolling Russia back. The United States needs military support, especially bases, as it has decided to stay in Syria until Iran withdraws its forces. The growing military cooperation between the EMA alliance and the US reflects nothing else but war preparations. In summer, Greece expelled two Russian diplomats accused of attempting to instil opposition to the agreement in order to prevent Macedonias NATO membership. Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov subsequently canceled a planned visit to Athens. All these trends and events create certain background before the visit of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to Russia scheduled on Dec. 7 (it had been previously planned for Dec.12). The two countries have always been friends and close partners but the announced plans to turn Greece into a US aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean is a matter of concern and not only for Moscow. You are here: Business China Elion Resources Group signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of the Oriental Region of Morocco in Oujda to curb desertification in that region. Wang Wenbiao, chairman of Elion Group, said that Elion's ecological experience of prevention and control of desertification gained in its 30-year management of the Kubuqi Desert in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It has formed a "four-wheel driving model" of "sand control, ecology, industry and poverty alleviation," which is suitable for the climate, geography and social environment of the eastern region of Morocco. Wang added that Morocco is the first station to promote Elion's ecological model in African countries. Elion hopes to strengthen cooperation with the countries and regions along the Belt and Road in desertification control and poverty alleviation. At the signing ceremony, Abdenbi Bioui, president of the Oriental Regional Council, said that Elion Group has rich experience in the management of the Kubuqi Desert, which has brought new hopes for the prevention and control of desertification in the Oriental Region. Elion's ecological experience is meaningful to many African regions, he added. Bioui invited Elion Group to participate in the project of building a 500-kilometer green sand control belt in the Oriental Region. Elion Group has drawn wide attention with its effective management of the Kubuqi Desert. In December 2017, Wang Wenbiao was awarded by the United Nations Environment Program with the highest honor in the field of global environmental protection. The U.S. Air Force believes it has found the cause and solution for the oxygen supply problems it was having with its T-6 trainer aircraft. It turned out to be multiple causes. The most obvious ones were malfunctions with some mechanical components wearing out and failing more rapidly than anticipated. Maintenance personnel noted this when they checked the repair records for T-6s with oxygen supply issues. Another problem was the software used to control the amount of oxygen provided to the pilots. Not only did this software provide too little but sometimes too much oxygen, which can also disable or disorient pilots. In the course of a six-month study of the T-6 oxygen supply problems it was also discovered that the mental state of the pilots also had an impact, especially when the oxygen supply problems were marginal (did not disable most pilots). Finally, the cause of the T-6 problems turned out to be the key to solving similar problems with many air force and navy combat aircraft. The Air Force has embarked on a program to modify oxygen supply hardware and software as needed for each type of aircraft having the air supply problems. After each modification, there would be a period of monitoring performance to ensure the problem was fixed. In the meantime, the more serious issues will be addressed immediately with increased maintenance (checking high-risk components) and minor tweaks to software as well as providing pilots with guidelines on how to detect problems as they develop but before they become disabling. It could take up to four years to complete this effort because it wont just be applied to the T-6 but to other aircraft with similar equipment and problems. This might finally deal with oxygen supply problems that have been showing up with increasing frequency since 2002. The T-6 problems began showing up in late 2017 and the air force temporarily grounded a hundred of its T-6 trainers after at least five incidents where personnel in the T-6 (four instructors and one student) reported problems with their air supply. This happened during a two week period and in all five cases the backup oxygen supply was activated and all aircraft were able to land safely. Air Force pilot trainees spend about 90 flight hours in the two-seat T-6A and problems with the air supply does not inspire confidence. The air force is checking the primary pilot oxygen system, which uses an OBOG (OnBoard Oxygen Generating) unit. Back in the 1990s, the T-6A was selected by the U.S. Air Force as the replacement for the half century old T-37Bs (which were basically worn out). This was because the T-6A design is based on the very popular Pilatus PC-9, which already had an excellent reputation as a trainer aircraft. A single-engine prop driven aircraft, the T-6 reduces fuel costs by over 60 percent (compared to the T-37B). The three ton T-6As cost about $8 million each. Since it entered service in 2001 nearly 900 T-6s have been delivered or are on order and they are essential for providing basic flight training for all air force pilots. The U.S. Air Force began using the T-6A in 2008 but the air supply problem is rather recent and that is also being investigated. Because the T-6 oxygen supply problems continued into early 2018 there were several more groundings or limiting how high (not over 4,000 meters) the aircraft could fly. As a result of all the restrictions, the air force expects to get ten percent few pilots trained in 2018. There should be no such losses in 2019. Meanwhile the Air Force and navy are finding that similar issues are causing oxygen supply problems in other aircraft types. For example, in early May 2018 two carrier-based U.S. Navy F-18E fighters made an emergency landing in Turkey after pilots complained of air supply problems and showed symptoms of hypoxia (insufficient oxygen) All models of the F-18 have been suffering intermittent (and persistent) air supply problems and no single cause (or cure) has been found. Installing new air supply monitoring equipment and improved maintenance procedures seems to have helped but nothing has eliminated the problems. Worse, it was unclear, until the T-6 study, what was causing the persistent hypoxia incidents. In May 2017 there were similar hypoxia problems with U.S. Air Force F-35A fighters at an Arizona air base. It all began in early May and by June 8th five F-35 pilots had reported signs of hypoxia and F-35As at the base were grounded for two weeks as the aircraft were checked out. Nothing definitive could be found and training flights were resumed, with altitude restrictions (stay under 4,000 meters) in late June. Still, nothing conclusive but a new set of safety checks was developed that could catch the problem before it occurred again. At the end of August, all restrictions on F-35A operations at the Arizona airbase were lifted. There has been a lot of this sort of thing with several different types of aircraft developing mysterious problems with hypoxia. For example, earlier in 2017 there were hypoxia problems with U.S. Navy trainers and on April 5th the navy grounded all its T-45C jet trainers for three days to interview pilots and instructors about air supply problems. It turned out the problem was real and the trainers remained grounded until April 17th. But the aircraft resumed flying only after some changes were made to the pilot oxygen system to bypass the OBOG. This limited how high the aircraft could fly. The T-45s will fly at lower altitudes until the Navy can determine what was wrong with the OBOG or something else in the pilot air supply system. This restriction will prevent the T-45s from performing about a quarter of the training they normally provide but it averted a threatened pilot strike over the issue. The T-45 problems have yet to be diagnosed, understood and fixed. There have been some air supply issues with A-10s but not enough to limit operations. While the F-35 is the most recent jet fighter in American service the T-45 is a nine ton, single engine two seat aircraft that has been used since the early 1990s to train pilots who will eventually fly jet fighters. OBOG problems are not new, nor are problems in general with oxygen systems. The U.S. Navy has had numerous such problems with its F-18s. There were 64 incidents in 2002-9, resulting in two dead pilots. The Navy found that the main problem was carbon monoxide getting sucked into the aircraft air system. The Navy modified the oxygen system, eliminating most of the problems. Similar failures continued with the major difficulty finding out exactly what was going on so it could be fixed. After 2009 the Air Force looked into the Navy experience, to see if there was anything similar going on with the newly introduced F-22 stealth fighters. The air force looked into a lot of potential causes, without a lot of success. In 2012 the Air Force admitted that its rate of "pilot air supply" incidents for its 187 F-22 fighters has reached the rate of 26 per 100,000 flight hours. For most other aircraft, the rate is closer to 2-3 incidents per 100,000 hours. All aircraft have occasional problems with their air supply but nothing like what the F-22 was going through. The Air Force woes began when it appeared that the F-22 might be having a problem with its OBOG system. OBOGs have been around since the 1950s but its only since the 1980s that OBOGs have become compact, cheap, and reliable enough to replace the older compressed gases or LOX (liquid oxygen) as a source of breathable air for high flying aircrew. Or so it was thought. Each aircraft, especially the F-22 and F-35, gets an OBOG tweaked for space, weight, or other conditions specific to that warplane design. It's this custom design that was also closely studied, to find out how the toxins got in. One recent solution is to constantly monitor the air quality and enable the OBOG to adjust its operation to cope or, failing that, alert the pilot. Another common feature of modern aircraft (and many other vehicles) is a performance monitor that notes and records certain performance data. Sort of a black box, but with a longer memory. These devices have been useful in diagnosing and fixing the hypoxia problems. Another problem is that aircraft have been staying in the air longer (because of in-flight refueling) and carrying enough compressed oxygen became untenable, often making OBOGs mandatory to deal with that. Since the 1990s, most American military aircraft have replaced older oxygen systems with OBOGs. Most Western nations and Russia have followed, at least with their latest model aircraft. Most OBOG systems work by using a chemical reaction to remove carbon dioxide from the air taken into the OBOG and then sending out air with the proper amount of oxygen to the aircrew. The F-22, F-35. F-15E and many other modern aircraft were designed to fly long distances and spend long periods of time in the air. Thus an OBOG is mandatory. But OBOGs proved to be the culprit only part of the time and it has become quite a puzzle to unscramble these air supply problems that keep showing up. It seems to be an American thing because there have been far fewer hypoxia incidents in foreign (European, Russian, Chinese) made fighters. If the T-6 investigation and diagnoses turn out to be a general solution for all (or most) of the recent air supply problems it will be a major boost for pilot morale. Each year over 4000 Kiwis are diagnosed with melanoma in New Zealand, thats around 13 people every day. To support those affected and help raise awareness, Melanoma Awareness Week is proud to present Go Spotty Day. The nationwide event fittingly kicks off on Friday 19 as we head into Labour Weekend, a line in the sand that we Kiwis often use to mark the start of summer. Just like birthdays, Go Spotty Day will make the most of its time in the sun and take place for an entire week, running until Friday October 26. To get on board with the day, encourage your school, workplace or group of friends to get spotted. Wear something spotty, create a spot of art or make a donation, then post your support with the hashtag #gotspotty. Your donation will help to promote early detection and educate the public about how to stay protected. If youd prefer a more reserved approach to the day, simply get to know the skin youre in and start regularly checking for spots or signs that could lead to early detection. Blair Tuke, ambassador for Melanoma New Zealand will be putting sun safety into practice as he celebrates Go Spotty Day from the water as part of the annual Labour Weekend PIC Costal Classic. Sailors and boaties spend so many hours outdoors and on the water, its important to educate the community about melanoma, says Blair. The more we can do to get people educated about simple checks and steps to protect themselves, the more likely we are to reduce the risks. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, which can progress quickly to other parts of the body if not treated early and Go Spotty Day is a great way to get involved and remind your friends and family to spot the signs early. Medical Oncologist and Melanoma New Zealand Trustee Dr. Rosalie Stephens top tips for what to watch out for when checking your skin: Follow the Ugly Duckling rule: If one mole differs to nearby moles, it is the ugly duckling, and when in doubt, head straight to your doctor or a specialist. Melanomas can often be detected through the ABCDE system: Asymmetry Two halves of the mole are different from one another. Border Edges of the mole are poorly defined. Colour Colour is uneven with shades of black, brown and tan. (Moles may also be white, grey, red, pink or blue.) Different From other lesions. Evolving Any change in appearance, or bleeding? Even if youre not concerned about a particular spot, most New Zealanders are advised to have yearly allover skin checks. Those with a family history of melanoma, fair/red skin and hair, and large numbers of moles are at particularly high risk. To register your school or workplace or simply get more information, head to www.melanoma.org.nz/get-spotty or email admin@melanoma.org.nz. The government is considering fast-tracking work visas for foreign teachers by recognising teaching as an official skill shortage area. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said preliminary reports showed "moderate evidence" of shortages among primary, secondary and early childhood teachers and it needed strong evidence before any of the occupations could be added to its Essential Skills in Demand Lists. Inclusion on the lists would allow schools to hire teachers without first proving to the ministry that no New Zealander was available to do the job. The president of the Auckland Secondary Principals Association, Richard Dykes, said that would make a big difference to the city's schools. "I can remember back several years when teachers were still on that list and the ability of principals to get quality teachers from overseas was dramatically higher," he said. "If they just want to come for three or four years, let's get them in here. It's highly likely that once they get here they're going to stay longer." The president of the teacher union the Educational Institute, Lynda Stuart, said the nomination showed the Education Ministry recognised the severity of the shortage. But she said bringing teachers from overseas to fill the gaps was a short-term solution. "I've spoken to principals recently who've talked about bringing people in from overseas into their schools and actually they don't last and they go back to where they came from because they find that its too hard," she said. Ms Stuart said a better solution to the teacher shortage was to make changes that would make teaching a more attractive career for New Zealanders. The general manager of immigration at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Stephen Dunstan, said it needed strong evidence of a shortage before including an occupation on the lists. "Because the lists provide a fast-track into jobs in New Zealand we really have to be assured that there aren't New Zealanders to do these positions or people who can be readily trained to do them," he said. Mr Dunstan said the assessment of "moderate evidence" of a shortage was only a preliminary view, and the ministry would consult unions and employers to get a more accurate picture. He said the earliest teachers could be included on the shortage lists was March next year. The ministry's preliminary reports said there was "weak evidence" of demand for teachers because the number of jobs advertised in the year to June was lower than in the previous 12-month period. For primary teachers the number of advertised vacancies fell eight percent, for early childhood teachers seven percent, and for secondary teachers three percent, the reports said. There was strong evidence that few jobseekers were available to fill secondary vacancies and moderate evidence for primary and early childhood teachers. The reports showed the Ministry of Education and Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand nominated primary and secondary school teachers for inclusion on the Essential Skills in Demand List, and the ministry was among several organisations that nominated early childhood teachers. The Education Ministry was helping schools to hire 400 overseas teachers to work in New Zealand schools next year. The Education Ministry said teacher supply was tight in some areas like Auckland and in some subjects like technology, maths and te reo Maori. It said MBIE's vacancy data, which showed weak evidence of demand for teachers, differed from its own figures, which were based on advertisements in the Education Gazette and showed only small changes in vacancy numbers compared to last year. The ministry said it had received 245 applications for overseas relocation grants, and approved 192 since February 1. "The majority of these applications are from overseas teachers who are employed in New Zealand schools," it said. Bay of Plenty We are looking for a storeman with an OSH forklift license. You will need to be physically for as the job is about 70% forklift... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries to further promote win-win cooperation in various fields and achieve common development. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C, front) attends the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Oct. 12, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] Addressing the 17th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, he highlighted, among others, the areas of multilateral economic cooperation and trade, production capacity cooperation, and connectivity. He noted that at the landmark SCO summit held earlier this year in the Chinese city of Qingdao, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other SCO leaders reached important consensus and injected strong impetus to the SCO's future development. In order to build on the sound momentum, Li proposed advancing SCO cooperation in six areas: security, multilateral economic cooperation and trade, production capacity cooperation, connectivity, innovation, and people-to-people ties. The SCO serves as an important platform for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, Li said, adding that China is ready to further synergize the BRI with development strategies of fellow SCO members to make the SCO an example of openness, cooperation and common development. Free trade Noting the setbacks in economic globalization and backlash against the multilateral trading regime, Li said the SCO member countries are faced with new challenges in economic development. "Past experience shows that development cannot be achieved behind closed doors, and opening up is the right way forward," Li said. He called on the SCO member countries to firmly support free trade and the rules-based multilateral trading regime and further advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. SCO members, Li added, also need to take solid steps to promote multilateral trade and economic cooperation, launch feasibility studies on establishing an SCO free trade area, and develop institutional arrangements for closer regional economic cooperation. Zooming in on agriculture, Li said China hopes to expand imports of high-quality agricultural products from fellow SCO member countries and also hopes that more specialty Chinese agricultural products will be made available for customers in other SCO countries. Production capacity On production capacity cooperation, Li said China has joined hands with other SCO member countries to set up seven overseas national-level economic and trade cooperation zones, which have started to boost growth and create jobs for local communities. The stock of Chinese investment in SCO member states has now reached 84.6 billion U.S. dollars, much of which has been channeled to projects in this area, he added. The premier said that China will continue to encourage competent Chinese enterprises to invest in other SCO member countries and expand cooperation in infrastructure, processing, manufacturing, energy exploitation and agriculture. SCO members also need to make the best use of financing platforms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, the SCO Interbank Consortium and the China-Eurasia Economic Cooperation Fund, Li said, while calling for continued discussions at the expert level to explore a feasible plan for setting up an SCO development bank. Connectivity The Chinese premier also stressed that interconnectivity among the SCO member countries is not only a necessary requirement of regional development but also a focus of BRI cooperation. "Convenient and efficient transportation networks are critical to the free flow of production factors, cross-border trade and travels," he said. He noted that recent years have seen notable headway in SCO connectivity building: better railway infrastructure along the routes of the China-Europe freight train service, more sophisticated intra-region cross-border road networks, and a number of oil and gas pipelines. Li called for more efforts to enhance cooperation among railway administrations in SCO countries, improve the harmonization of policies, technologies and standards, and expand the cross-border railway networks in the region. "Efforts should also be made to set up multimodal logistics centers and equip them with up-to-date technologies to automate and simplify border, customs and sanitary procedures for goods clearance in order to create an enabling soft environment," Li said. Talking about China's economic policies, Li said China will keep to the course of reform and opening-up and roll out reform measures in all respects to maintain China's position as a magnet for foreign investment. Prime ministers and representatives attending Friday's meeting said that under the new circumstances countries in the region particularly need to strengthen solidarity, maintain stability, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and safeguard multilateralism and free trade. They agreed to implement the outcomes of the Qingdao summit, cement cooperation in trade, investment, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges, and jointly fight against terrorism and extremist forces. The leaders issued a joint communique and ratified several resolutions and cooperation documents involving trade, technology and environmental protection. RainbowYOUTHs joint initiative with HELL Pizza, which saw 3,000 t-shirts up for sale in support of LGBTQIA+ rights in Aotearoa, has raised a game-changing $75,000 and increased awareness of the issues facing one of the countrys more vulnerable communities. RainbowYOUTH communications manager and 2IC Toni Duder says HELLs involvement with the campaign has been a game-changer for the LGBTQIA+ charity. Not only does HELLs support mark a significant financial contribution for RainbowYOUTH, it also has given thousands of people the opportunity to show their support of the queer, gender diverse and intersex people in their lives, says Toni. Were so grateful to the team at HELL for their commitment to this kaupapa. They have given us the capacity to sustain the life-saving work we already do and to reach more places around the country in support of our rangatahi. Fit to a tee: For the campaign, limited-edition t-shirts bearing the slogan The Only HELL Im Going To were sold online, with all proceeds donated by HELL to RainbowYOUTH. HELL general manager Ben Cumming says the company was proud to help raise awareness of such an important issue facing Kiwi youth and wider New Zealand society. RainbowYOUTH is an inspiring organisation that does a lot for the LGBTIQA+ community, so when we were approached and asked for help, we instantly wanted to get involved and quickly came up with the idea of producing a t-shirt, says Ben. Our goal was to have as many people as possible buy the t-shirts and wear them with pride to show their support, the outcome has been extremely positive. Were really pleased to have helped RainbowYOUTH reach its fundraising target, and to have generated such a positive response from the many Kiwis who came out in support of this campaign. Ben says the campaign was a natural fit with the companys long-running activities in support of young Kiwis and families, who are going through or have been through hell. Where will the money go? Toni says the money will be used to continue RainbowYOUTHs work providing life-saving support, information and safe spaces to queer, gender diverse and intersex rangatahi. The money will bolster our regional outreach, particularly where we work with rural communities to help create peer-support groups, to produce and distribute educational resources around sexuality and gender, and run workshops to up-skill local support workers around the challenges faced by our community. Speaking about the benefits of such regional support groups, one 18-year-old outreach leader says We have created a safe and welcoming space for youth to be themselves and talk to people within their community, and to talk about things that they felt they couldnt before. I feel a sense of purpose running this group, and I feel a sense of comfort knowing that the group is helping not only myself, but many other people in their journey to accepting themselves. Bay of Plenty Ever thought of joining the civil construction industry? if so then this is your chance to get a foot in the door. We are... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 14-year-old boy is in critical condition following a shooting early this morning on the 400 block of Sterling Avenue. Police arrived at the scene regarding a shooting call at 12:47 a.m. and found the boy suffering from a gunshot wound to his "upper body," said police spokesman Sgt. Richard Helterline. The teen was taken to Upstate University Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition, police said. Police said there is no suspect information available. A resident called in that people were running away from the shots on the 300 block of Coolidge Avenue and at least one vehicle sped off after the shots were fired, according to police scanner reports. The 400 block of Sterling Avenue is right next to the 300 block of Coolidge Avenue, where a 15-year-old boy, Loindale Johnson, was shot and killed Oct. 3. Police said there is no indication at the moment that the shootings are related. The 14-year-old is the third teen shot since Oct. 3. Earlier this week, a 12-year-old boy, James Springer III, was shot and killed on the North Side earlier this week. Police have made an arrest in that case. Earlier Friday, a 20-year-old man was shot several times in a separate shooting, police said. Police said the man arrived at St. Joseph's Hospital in a personal vehicle with gunshot wounds to abdomen, legs and arm. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital for treatment. Police said his injuries are not life-threatening. Officers responded to the 200 block of Ash Street when they learned the victim had been taken to the hospital. The victim told police he was standing on his porch when he was shot, police said. There is no suspect information in that shooting, police said, which occurred about half a mile from where Springer, the 12-year-old, was shot and killed. Police said they are investigating the shootings and are asking the public for information if they have any. "These investigations are active at this time, but there is no indication that these incidents are related to any other recent shooting incidents," Helterline said. Police ask anyone with information to call the department's Criminal Investigations Division at (315)442-5222. Calls can be confidential. Tipsters can also use the "SPD Tips" app. The city of Yiwu, a marketplace for small commodities in east China's Zhejiang Province, introduced a series of new rules Friday to welcome more foreigners. The rules, issued by the city's human resources and social security bureau, include lowering standards for foreigners who want to work in the city, and a new point-based system, which could be critical for the extension of work permits. Foreign workers in China have been classified into categories A, B and C. A, as top-notch personnel; B as professional talent; and C as ordinary workers. "Around 90 percent of foreigners in Yiwu are ordinary workers on the basis of the current categories, meaning that those who are over 60 can hardly work in China," said Wu Shenlan, a bureau official. Wu said that some foreigners at the age of 60 might consider ending their business or cutting their investments in China, as they could be worried about getting a work permit. However, the problem might be solved through the new point-based system, which awards points for foreign applicants depending on their abiding law, income, tax, contribution to local employment, years working in Yiwu, insurance, education, Chinese language skills and individual social credit. "The more points you get, the longer the permit extension could be. Even those who are older than 60 can get permit extension if they have high scores," Wu said. "My family members all want to stay in Yiwu for a long time. These new rules give us a sense of security, which allows us to plan things in the long term," said Sarmi, an Ethiopian trader, who has worked and lived in Yiwu for more than 10 years. Wu said: "We are still working on rolling out more policies to benefit foreigners, and wish they can achieve their goals and realize their dreams in Yiwu." Dubbed the "world's supermarket," a growing number of foreigners have been attracted to the city. Around 15,000 foreign traders from more than 100 countries are stationed in Yiwu, and more than 400,000 foreigners come to the city to do business every year. TOWN OF ALBION, N.Y. -- Two people were arrested in the Town of Albion on Thursday after being caught with meth and meth-making materials while also having kids in their house, according to a news release from the Oswego County Drug Task Force. Tammy L. Holmes, 43, and Cybier L. Cannon, 25, were charged with: Manufacturing methamphetamine with a person younger than 16 present Criminal possession of a controlled substance Two counts of criminal use of drug paraphernalia Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child Investigators from the Oswego County Drug Task Force searched 13 Cemetery St. in the Town of Albion at 5:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, the task force said.They found a small amount of meth and meth-making materials, the task force said. Children younger than 17 years old were living in the residence, which violated several New York State building codes, the task force said. Holmes and Cannon were arraigned in Town of Albion Court, the task force said. Holmes was remanded to the Oswego County Correctional Facility, as was Cannon, the task force said. Holmes is being held on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond, the task force said. Cannon is being held on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond, the task force said. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse man accused of killing a 12-year-old boy on the corner of Park and John streets was arraigned in city court on Saturday morning. Alberto E. Pinet, 22, was held on no bail and Pinet entered a not guilty plea. Pinet will next appear in court on Thursday for his preliminary hearing. Police arrested Pinet on Friday at apartment 2 of 411 Carbon St., where he resides. A judge denied media requests for audio and visual coverage of the appearance in court. Police declined to make Pinet's mug shot available for future witness identifications of the suspect. Pinet is accused of killing James Springer III, a sixth-grader at Grant Middle School. Springer was outside of his home on John Street when Pinet shot at another person who he'd fought within two days of the shooting, Police Chief Frank Fowler said Friday. Pinet's shots hit Springer and his stepmother, Wendy Voyles, Fowler said. Voyles' injuries were non-life threatening, Fowler said. UTICA, N.Y. -- Syracuse police Chief Frank Fowler spent four often-contentious hours on the witness stand Friday defending his department's history on the use of force and discipline. Fowler was the last witness to take the stand Friday in a federal lawsuit against three of his officers and the city. Alonzo Grant Sr. claims officers violated his constitutional rights by beating him up after he called for help resolving a dispute involving his daughter in 2014. The lawsuit accuses the officers of false arrest, falsified police reports and conspiracy to deprive Grant of his constitutional rights. The suit also accuses the Syracuse Police Department of discriminatory policies and practices. Grant's attorney, Charles Bonner, argued Fowler and his department have routinely allowed officers to get away with excessive force. The lawyer raised several past claims against the department. Bonner effectively put on trial Fowler's management of the department he's run for nine years, showing how rarely he's disciplined cops for brutality. Fowler is leaving the job at the end of this year. Fowler was having none of it. He defended his department's policies and refused to accept lawyers' characterizations of those previous cases of violence between police and civilians. He didn't discipline officers in Grant's case, he said, because the officers' actions didn't violate the department's use of force policy. Alonzo Grant said he suffered a concussion, broken nose and cut lip after police responded to a 911 call at his house in June 2014. Grant, Fowler said, resisted arrest by attempting to assume a "tabletop position" on all fours while two officers tried to subdue and handcuff him. Officers had grabbed Grant from behind and tackled him to the ground after he punched a screen door while leaving his home. The officers - Damon Lockett and Paul Montalto - punched and kicked Grant, according to his attorney, leaving Grant with a concussion, broken nose and other injuries. The lawsuit also names Sgt. Brian Novitsky, who Grant claims lied in police reports to cover up the excessive force used in the arrest. Grant worked at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center for more than 30 years and has no criminal record. All charges against Grant were eventually dropped by the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office. DA William Fitzpatrick - who also testified Friday - said Grant's good character was considered when determining whether or not to bring charges. After the department received an anonymous complaint about Grant's case, it was investigated by former Cpt. Thomas Galvin, who was head of professional standards (commonly called internal affairs). Galvin issued a report saying the claims were unfounded and no discipline was recommended against the officers. Fowler reviewed and approved the report. Bonner described that report as incomplete, since Galvin didn't interview the witnesses listed on the complaint form. Fowler said Galvin tried to interview Grant's wife. When Galvin reached her, however, she said her attorney - Bonner -- had advised her not to be interviewed. Bonner later contested that timeline. During his testimony, Fowler described the internal system the police department uses to track all instances of physical force, called Blue Team. That system, he said, flags an officer if he or she has multiple physical altercations in a short period and alerts command staff. He described at least one instance in which an officer was disciplined and later resigned after an accusation of excessive force. Grant's case, he said, was processed in Blue Team. Bonner repeatedly asked Fowler whether the officers' actions during Grant's arrest constituted excessive force. Fowler stood by Galvin's report justifying the use of force. Bonner then shared with Fowler a "hypothetical" scenario that mirrored the Grant's version of the events. He described two officers -- one white, one black -- throwing a man off a stoop then hitting and kicking him, even after he was handcuffed. He asked Fowler if a reasonable officer would consider that to be excessive force. "It could be," Fowler said after a long pause. "It could be? Is that your answer?" U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd interjected. "It could be, yes sir," Fowler said. Throughout his testimony, Fowler was unwavering as Bonner described a department lacking in accountability to the citizens of Syracuse. Bonner implied Fowler and the department shirked their duties to protect Grant's 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and his right to safety and security in his own home. Bonner detailed instances in which officers used physical force against citizens and were not disciplined. He referred to Brad Hulett, a disabled man who cops Tasered then dragged off a Centro bus in 2013. He brought up Elijah Johnson, Micah Dexter, Louise Thompson and at least one other person, who all have accused officers of excessive force. Attorney John Powers, representing the city, pointed out that a jury acquitted officers in Dexter's case, even though the Citizen Review Board requested discipline. He said Bonner did not present the facts of any of the cases and one of the instances of violence occurred in 2001, long before Fowler was chief. Bonner countered that other cases were resolved in favor of victims, like Hulett's. The city paid Hulett $2 million to settle that case. Throughout his testimony Fowler often challenged Bonner's questions, asking him to be clearer or denying the accuracy attorney's statements. Fowler said he would not or could not answer some specific questions about past incidents. He earned several rebukes from Judge Hurd. At one point, as the court waited several minutes for Fowler to read through a series of documents, the judge, growing impatient, asked Fowler if his lawyers had prepared him to testify. "You knew you were going to testify today," Herd said. "Did you review these documents?" Fowler replied he had. Later, when Fowler responded to one of Bonner's questions with a question, Hurd chided him again. "You don't ask questions," Hurd said. As Bonner sought to demonstrate whether the officers violated the department's use of force policy, he described a video in which Grant asked one of the arresting officers "Why are you choking me?" An officer is only permitted to choke someone if that person is an immediate threat to an officer or to another person. Fowler would not confirm the video as evidence Grant was being choked, merely that he said he was being choked. Both Fowler and city attorneys also criticized the efficacy of the Citizen Review Board - an appointed group of citizens who listen to claims of misconduct against police and recommend action to the chief. Bonner used CRB reports to claim Fowler has ignored claims of excessive force and false arrest in years leading up to Grant's case. That board, city attorneys said, doesn't take testimony under oath, nor does it interview officers for a thorough investigation. And Fowler said he heeds their recommendations when warranted. He shared an example of a change made at the CRB's request: adding seatbelts and video cameras to the back of prisoner transport vehicles. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. District Attorney Fitzpatrick also testified Friday morning, prior to Fowler. He told the court he wrote a letter stating his office found there wasn't enough evidence to bring charges against Grant. Grant's attorney, who is based in California, had asked Fitzpatrick to specifically sign a declaration of innocence, which is a legal document in California. Fitzpatrick said there's no equivalent in New York, so he wrote the letter instead. It was an unusual move in response to an unusual request in an unusual circumstance. "I've never testified at a proceeding like this before," Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick also described a list his office keeps called a Giglio list -- named for a federal court case. The list identifies officers who have an incident of untruthfulness on their record that could be used against them if they're called to testify in court. None of the three officers involved in this case are on that list, Fitzpatrick testified. Fitzpatrick said he and Bonner have worked together before. Bonner worked on behalf of victims in the high-profile prosecution of John Jamelske, who imprisoned five women in his basement in DeWitt over a period of 15 years. Bonner helped develop an account of Jamelske's assets for a civil case on behalf of the women. James Springer III SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police have made an arrest in the killing of a 12-year-old boy on the city's North Side, Police Chief Frank Fowler said Friday. Alberto E. Pinet, 22, of 411 Carbon St., was arrested Friday morning and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Police Chief Frank Fowler said at a news conference. The boy was not the intended target, Fowler said. The intended target was a person who lives in the area and got into a fight with the suspect, Fowler said. The target also knew Springer's father, Fowler said. Springer's father and the intended target are acquaintances, he said. Springer's step mother was the 33-year-old woman shot in the abdomen, Fowler said. Her injuries are not life threatening, he said. It's unclear if more arrests will be made as police are still determining the level of involvement among other people, though Pinet was the only shooter, Fowler said. "I can attribute the quick results of this from the public's help," Fowler said. He again called for people to cooperate with police as he did after the murder of Christopher Hickey, 19. Hickey was stabbed Sunday morning on North State Street. Police made arrests in both murders within two days of each crime. Pinet has been arrested before. He was arrested for robbery in April of 2013, according to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives. At the time, he lived at 525 Burnet Ave., just a block from where Wednesday night's shooting took place. Pinet lives within a half mile of the shooting. Springer, a student at Grant Middle School, was shot near the corner of Park and John streets at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.He later died at Upstate University Hospital on Thursday morning. After being shot, witnesses said Springer ran up Park Street toward East Division Street before collapsing in the 100 block of Park Street. A woman and a man at the scene helped get Springer into a car and drive him to St. Joseph's Hospital. From there, Springer was taken to Upstate, where he later died. "Things transpired in this case that weren't reported to us and if it was reported to us we would've intervened," Fowler said. "As I said the other day, I'm not certain we would've saved this child's life, but, man, I would've loved to have had a chance to." On Thursday, Springer's family held a vigil at the corner where he was shot approximately 24 hours after he was killed. The vigil mostly dispersed after a fight broke out and people ran. The current Gender Recognition Act (GRA) was written in 2004 to enable transgender people to have their identities legally recognised through a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). At the time the Act was revolutionary, but now its fallen far behind the legislation of many other countries. This summer, the government opened a consultation about reforming the GRA: the perfect opportunity to update lots of the outdated, impractical, and disrespectful aspects of the Act. The consultation is open until 19th October. You may be aware of recent changes in our university to include more gender neutral bathrooms, dress codes and administrative options, thanks to the work of JCRs and the Why Gender Neutral? campaign, to improve the experiences of trans students. By responding to the consultation we can take that initiative and use it to help improve trans and non-binary lives outside of our Cambridge bubble. During the reformation of the Gender Recognition Act, we can ask the government for the best possible legislation. An improved GRA needs to be respectful of trans peoples lives and identities, by minimising the difficulty and distress of the process and by trusting trans people to make important decisions about their own lives. It also needs to be focussed around a clear, easy, and quick application process. The current process is incredibly complex (a guide by UK Trans Info on how to apply is 64 pages long). The application at the moment comes with a minimum 140 court fee and an income assessment process to lower or waive the price. That assessment could easily be updated and expanded to include reimbursements of any other costs (like transport fares), so that no one would be excluded from applying. Currently, the application is painfully drawn out as you must provide proof of having lived in your gender identity for two years. But before you can even start collecting this evidence, there are the years of appointments with Gender Identity Clinics with waiting lists currently up to four years long, the many tedious admin tasks related to changing your name The list goes on. Many of these delays are only tangentially related to the Act, but the further two-year wait could easily be eliminated, because anyone who applies has already made up their mind about an incredibly important decision. The Act could also be altered so that minors could apply for Certificates, with parental permission, rather than having to wait until theyre 18. The most important practical consideration is transparency. No secret checklists, no obscure criteria, no rumours of arbitrary assessments: just a simple, straightforward, application. I look forward to a Gender Recognition Act that truly respects trans people and their identities. Non-binary people people with gender identities outside the male/female binary form a significant subsection of the trans community (although not all non-binary people would describe themselves as trans). An updated GRA should provide non-binary options so that non-binary people can be recognised in the same laws about gender and equality that protect binary trans people. A reformed GRA should also recognise all trans people, whether or not they experience gender dysphoria, or how that dysphoria manifests. No medical records should be required. In 2018, we should not still be pathologising trans identities: being trans is not an illness to be fixed. The Act should give trans people ownership of their identities, rather than letting their spouses veto their application by refusing to convert their marriage, and so force a divorce. Crucially, the Act should have an accurate assessment of identity, coming from the trans person themself rather than a panel of impersonal judges who arent allowed to get to know them. We have the opportunity for life-changing reform. The UK can follow the examples of other countries such as Ireland, Malta, and India to make the law individually focussed and applicable to all trans and non-binary people. The consultation is for everyone, so now its our turn to demand the best possible Gender Recognition Act. You can respond to the consultation at https://tinyurl.com/GRAreform, open until 19th October. CUSU LGBT+ are hosting an event on 13th October to discuss reforming the GRA, and to provide an opportunity to fill out the consultation in a relaxed environment and ask questions if you need to. 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. Did you know that Microsoft doesn't back up your 365 data? Avoid data loss. Back up your company's Office 365 mailboxes, Teams, and files stored within OneDrive and Sharepoint. Get your free trial of Altaro Office 365 Backup. Strong encryption can be a threat to law enforcement and national security, the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand said in a statement issued Sunday. The increasing use and sophistication of certain encryption designs present challenges for nations in combating serious crimes and threats to national and global security, maintained the countries, which are known as the Five Eyes based on an agreement they entered to cooperate on signal intelligence. Many of the same means of encryption that are being used to protect personal, commercial and government information are also being used by criminals, including child sex offenders, terrorists and organized crime groups to frustrate investigations and avoid detection and prosecution, they added. The statement sets out three principles the nations agreed to abide by when dealing with encryption within their jurisdictions: Access to lawfully obtained data shall be a mutual responsibility of all stakeholders government, carriers, device manufacturers and over-the-top service providers. All governments should ensure that assistance requested from providers is underpinned by the rule of law and due process protections. Information and communications technology service providers should voluntarily establish lawful access solutions to their products and services. Do It or Else Whether compliance with the lawful access demands of the Five Eyes will be voluntary for long remains to be seen, especially in light of the final paragraph in the statement:Should governments continue to encounter impediments to lawful access to information necessary to aid the protection of the citizens of our countries, we may pursue technological, enforcement, legislative or other measures to achieve lawful access solutions. That language reeks of Australia, noted Nate Cardozo, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy advocacy group in San Francisco. For more than a year, Australia has been mulling over legislation aimed at regulating encryption within its borders. Australia is looking to lead the charge against security, privacy and technology, Cardozo told TechNewsWorld. It believes itself to be in a security crisis, and since it doesnt have much hope of getting tech investment, its more likely to do something to the tech sector. Good Guys With Bad Encryption Forcing companies to provide governments access to encrypted data likely will be a losing proposition, both for the governments and the people theyre trying to protect. Bad guys will just be chased to places where strong encryption is available, and good citizens wont have the opportunity to use the best possible encryption, argued Balakrishnan Dasarathy, information assurance program chair at the University of Maryland University College in Largo, Maryland. Good guys will follow the rules and not have all the best technology, he told TechNewsWorld. Although law enforcement has complained about encryption, the technology has failed to prevent it from getting what it wanted in the past. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Time and time again law enforcement gets what it needs without backdoors, EFFs Cardozo observed. Backdoors make law enforcements job easier at the cost of all our security, he continued. Encryption is a magic bullet only if you use it absolutely correctly, which literally no one does. Backdoors Unnecessary There is no way to expose data to friendly spy agencies without also risking exposure of this data to not-so-friendly entities, maintained Craig Young, a computer security researcher at Tripwire, a cybersecurity threat detection and prevention company in Portland, Oregon. The truth of the matter is that backdoors simply make the process effortless and can enable bulk data collection without individualized suspicion of wrongdoing, he told TechNewsWorld. Even without backdoors added into communication protocols, intelligence agencies and law enforcement should generally have other tools at their disposal to gain access to endpoints and thereby circumvent the need to break any encryption, said Young. Listening devices, hardware key loggers, and malware can all effectively defeat end-to-end encryption for an individual without adding risk to the general public, he explained. Encryption is either strong or it is broken, without much of any room for middle ground, Young contended. Encryption Horse Out of Barn Backdoors create great risk to the security of data, noted Young. Widespread deployment of any backdoor creates tremendous risk if a third party were ever to gain access either through legal channels or reverse engineering, he pointed out. Anything you do for the good guys will get into the hands of the bad guys also, said UMUCs Dasarathy. Its only a matter of time. Youre only kidding yourself if you think otherwise. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The Five Eyes attempt to curb the trend toward encryption may be based on an antiquated notion. The cat is very much out of the bag on strong encryption, Tripwires Young said. Anyone with an inkling of technology prowess is capable of building their own private communication scheme. Backdoor keys almost inevitably would fall into the wrong hands, Cardozo suggested. Further they wouldnt enable the good guys to get the bad guys theyre after. Applications with strong encryption would appear online, be downloaded and sideloaded onto phones, he said. It takes only the tiniest bit of technical sophistication to install an app, and thats all it will take to get around a backdoor, Cardozo noted. Whats more, any attacker who is sophisticated enough to recognize a listening device or a physical implant from the NSA is certainly not going to rely on a public communication infrastructure without strong end-to-end encryption, Young noted. Public Distrust of Government If the Five Eyes decide to make good on their threat to force the use of backdoors in encrypted products, they may find themselves at odds with a lot of their citizens. Fewer than half (41 percent) of the 3,000 consumers polled in the U.S., UK and Germany believed laws that provided government access into encrypted personal data would make them safer from terrorists. The survey was conducted last year by Salt Lake City-based Venafi, maker of a platform to protect encryption keys. Skepticsm of government was high in general, with nearly two-thirds (65 percent) suspecting their governments abused their powers to access the data of citizens. That number was even higher in the United States, where 78 percent of respondents held that belief. Giving governments access to encryption will not make us safer from terrorism in fact, the opposite is true, said Venafi CEO Jeff Hudson. Most people dont trust the government to protect data, and they dont believe the government is effective at fighting cybercrime, he added. Its ironic that we believe we would be safer if governments were given more power to access private encrypted data, because this will undermine the security of our entire digital economy. (CNN) At least 34 people were killed after mudslides and floods engulfed homes in eastern Uganda, the Uganda Red Cross Society said on Friday. Dozens of people are feared missing and remain unaccounted for after heavy rains triggered mudslides, which washed mountain slopes into houses on Thursday in at least six villages in Bududa district, located on the border with Kenya. Local news outlets are reporting at least 40 deaths. A river burst its banks in the eastern town of Bukalasi in the Bududa district and floods swept away houses in the surrounding community, URC's head of communications and public relations, Irene Nakasiita, said in a statement Friday. Search and rescue teams are doing their best to rescue people from the debris. People traveling to the affected communities should take alternative routes, the aid agency posted on Twitter. The agency said it had provided blankets and other relief materials for affected families. "The effect is very devastating and has majorly affected lives of people, livestock, plantations and human settlement. Many people have been displaced while others have had to move to neighboring villages for shelter with relatives and close friends," the Red Cross said. Communities are working with aid agencies to provide assistance and evacuate residents in affected areas, the government's Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Management Martin Owor told Nile Broadcasting Television Services on Friday. Flooding and mudslides are common during the rainy season in Uganda's mountainous regions, where the latest incident has occurred. At least 80 people were killed in Uganda after landslides swept villages around Mount Elgon in 2010. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni tweeted his condolences to those who have lost their lives saying, "The government will look at other options available to stop further occurrences of these disasters." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Uganda mudslides, floods spur deaths, destruction." You are here: China An international congress on poets has opened in southwest China's Guizhou Province. The 38th World Congress on Poets opened in Suiyang County, known as the "Hometown of Poetry in China," with more than 100 poets from more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan and Mexico, attending. During the event, there will be a series of forums, new book release conferences and poetry-readings. The congress will conclude on Oct. 16. Suiyang has a long history of poetry. There were more than 100 Chinese poets in Suiyang who have written poems from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The county currently has about 200 "farmer poets," publishing a total of more than 500 poems. Big quote: Cryptographic protections on the device don't just help prevent unauthorized access to your personal data they're a critical line of defense against a criminal who seeks to implant malware or spyware, and use the device of an unsuspecting person to gain access to a business, public utility or government agency. Apple sees itself as being forced to choose a side: stronger on-device security or aiding law enforcement. Theyve been trying to choose both, creating an international web portal for law enforcement data access requests, but also creating a USB Restricted Mode that prevents law enforcement from hacking locked iPhones. Meanwhile, governments have been pushing for them to more heavily favor law enforcement, but thus far, Apple hasnt complied. Australia took it a step further by drafting new legislation that requires tech companies like Apple to give access to devices or be fined up to AU$10 million (US$7.3 million). In response, Apple sent the Australian government a letter highlighting how device security is a key line of defense against online criminals and terrorists and challenged the idea that weakening encryption is necessary to aid law enforcement. The letter evaluated six key issues with the law called the Assistance and Access Bill and then politely demanded that they are solved. The first issue is that the bill grants the government and law enforcement extraordinarily broad and vague powers over device security implementation. While the bill currently prohibits implementing or building a systematic weakness or systematic vulnerability into a device, it doesnt define either of those terms. The Australian government insists that they dont want to weaken encryption, but Apple says that needs to be integrated into the bill in case future governments abuse its power. The second issue is the absence of judiciary oversight. In the bills current form, only the Attorney Generals permission is required to force a company to hand over access keys or fine them the AU$10 million. Apple wants a jury to decide if a warrant is appropriate or not and wants another jury to decide if Apple should pay the fine if the warrant is ignored. The third issue is that it is entirely law enforcements decision if a warrant is appropriate or not. Even if every expert, researcher, scientists or academic out there believes a warrant is unnecessary and immoral, the government can make the decision without consulting any of them. Apple wants a panel of experts appointed to review each warrant. While the bill doesnt require companies to bake-in intercept capabilities (the ability for law enforcement to remotely view messages and calls in real time), Apple claims that the exceptions swallow the rule. One such exception is a computer access warrant that is frequently given out to the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) that would grant them full intercept capabilities. Apple wants all intercepts prohibited. One of the worst issues is that if an employee at a company receives a warrant but believes it to be immoral, there is nothing they can do about it. Due to security concerns, speaking about a warrant is punishable with 5 years imprisonment they cant even consult their boss. Apple wants internal discussion to be permitted and potentially a primitive appeal process. The last issue is contradictions with foreign law. An example Apple provided is that by allowing ASIO to intercept messages, they would be susceptible to US criminal law because they store the data in America. They claim that Apple could face stiff penalties of up to 4% of its annual turnover under the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe. Personally, I find it very hard to believe that this bill is even required at all. While there have been valid complaints that law enforcement hasnt been able to access devices, Apple has complied with nearly 26,000 requests for access in Australia alone. An increasing number of polio-like illnesses have recently been recorded in 16 states across the United States. Even so, it is still considered a very rare condition that affects less than one in a million people in the country each year. Polio-Like Cases In The United States This year, there have been more and more reports of a polio-like illness in various states. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is likened to polio because of the way it weakens the arms and legs. Typically, there are relatively small incidences of AFM, but recent reports show that the numbers are increasing once again. These past weeks alone, six cases of AFM were reported in Minnesota, and nine suspected cases are reportedly being monitored by the Illinois Department of Public Health, while the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 14 cases in the state this year. In Pittsburgh, a hospital is also monitoring three suspected cases of the condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the increase in AFM cases began in August 2014, most of the affected patients being children. From the onset of the increase up to August 2018, there are a total of 362 confirmed cases of AFM, 38 of which were from 2018, 33 from 2017, 149 from 2016, 22 from 2015, and 120 from August to December 2014. However, while the 2014 increase in AFM cases was associated to a coinciding outbreak of severe respiratory illnesses associated with enterovirus D68 at the time, the specific cause of the increase in cases is still unknown. That said, the CDC notes that despite the increase, AFM continues to be a very rare condition. Acute Flaccid Myelitis Reported cases of AFM have been popping up in news reports of late, but what exactly is it? AFM is a very rare condition that primarily affects the patients nervous system, specifically the spinal cord. Some of its symptoms may include sudden weakness of the arms or legs, loss of muscle tone, and absence of reflexes. In some cases, AFM may also affect the neck and facial nerves and may cause drooping of the eyelids, facial weakness, and difficulties in swallowing, talking, and moving the eyes. As in many of the recent AFM cases, most of the affected are children, although it may also affect adults. So far, the most serious known complication related to AFM is respiratory failure as a result of the weakening of the muscles involved in breathing. That said, the CDC continues to try to understand AFM, including finding out who are more at risk as well as the long-term risks related to the illness. For instance, while some AFM patients recover quickly, some continue to have paralysis and require care. Further, while AFM may be caused by environmental toxins, genetic disorders, or even after a bout with viral infections such as polio virus or West Nile virus, in some cases, the cause of AFM is not found. Even in cases when it is linked to a virus, the way that AFM is triggered is still unknown, and so are the reasons why some develop AFM while others do not. For now, the CDC stresses the importance of disease prevention practices such as proper hand washing, having up-to-date vaccinations, and preventing mosquito bites. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung has officially unveiled its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A9, showing that the company known for the stylus on the Galaxy Note 9 may also be slightly obsessed with cameras. The Samsung Galaxy A9 is the first smartphone in the world with four rear cameras, possibly providing a hint on what users may expect from the upcoming Galaxy S10. Samsung Galaxy A9: Mid-Range Android Smartphone With 4 Rear Cameras The Samsung Galaxy A9, which will be released in November with a price tag of about $725, looks like a typical mid-range Android smartphone from the front. The device features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display, with minimal bezels but without the notch. However, things get a lot more interesting once users flip over the Galaxy A9. The device is the world's first smartphone with four cameras at the back, namely a main 24 MP camera for resolution and autofocus, a 10 MP telephoto camera with 2x zoom for close-ups and long shots, an 8 MP ultra wide camera with AI-powered scene recognition, and a 5 MP depth camera to manage depth of field and focus. There are arguments that the 5 MP depth camera should not be counted because it does not take pictures on its own. Whatever side you take, it does not change the fact that the back of the Galaxy A9 is unlike anything seen before in the smartphone industry. The Galaxy A9 follows the Galaxy A7, which is the first smartphone with a triple-lens camera at the back. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 with up 8 GB of RAM, with 128 GB of storage, microSD card slot up for additional storage up to 512 MB, and a 3,800 mAh battery. Samsung Galaxy S10 May Have 4 Rear Cameras Samsung is known to release smartphones in the fall that actually serve as tests for new features. For example, the chamfered aluminum frame in the Galaxy Alpha and the curved display in the Galaxy Note Edge of 2014 eventually found their way into the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in early 2015. There is no assurance that Samsung will bring the four-camera set-up to the Galaxy S10, but given the company's history, it may only be a matter of when before it launches a Galaxy S or Galaxy Note device with the feature. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut had to make an emergency landing after a Soyuz rocket malfunctioned shortly after takeoff. Nick Hague and Alexey Ovchinin were launched into space onboard the capsule on Thursday, Oct. 11, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They were to join three of their colleagues at the International Space Station and to deliver supplies to the orbiting outpost. The Soyuz capsule descended a couple hundred miles away from Baikonur, and its passengers were later picked up by rescuers. Both Hague and Ovchinin are safe and well. Soyuz Capsule Emergency Ballistic Landing Little information has been released, but NASA has been livestreaming the launch online on Thursday. Shortly after the capsule took off, the space agency reported a problem after the first separation. The crew was forced to make a "ballistic descent," which means that the capsule will have to descend at a sharp angle, subjecting the crew to a greater G-force. A search-and-rescue team arrived on location even before the capsule landed and recovered the passengers safely. Hague and Ovchinin were immediately transported via helicopter to a nearby city and then transferred to a plane to fly back to Baikonur, where their families were waiting. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin were also at the site to welcome the passengers. Roscosmos To Investigate Although Roscosmos is not saying much, Rogozin assured the public that the Russian space agency will investigate the incident. He said that a state commission has already been established to look into what happened. Russia Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov suspended manned launches in the meantime until they can guarantee everyone's safety. NASA has been relying on the Roscosmos, which is behind the launch of the spacecraft, to ferry astronauts to the ISS since 2011. Borisov also brushed off suggestions that the incident will harm the already-tense relationship between the United States and Russia. He explained that there is a high risk attached to the industry and assured that the agency will not conceal the details of the accident. The crew onboard the ISS are scheduled to return back to Earth in December. They said that the aborted Soyuz mission would not affect operations, as they have enough supplies to last them until the next cargo arrives. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The final scientific paper written by beloved theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has been published posthumously by colleagues from Cambridge and Harvard. Titled "Black Hole Entropy and Soft Hair," the paper discussed a concept called "the information paradox," which Professor Hawking spent decades of his life pondering. The researchers, including co-author Malcolm Perry, reportedly completed the study days before Hawking's death in March. The paper is now online via the pre-print resource arxiv.org. The Information Paradox The information paradox is a puzzle that comes from the combination of Albert Einstein's theory on general relativity and quantum mechanics. In the 1970s, Hawking proposed that black holes also have temperature and leak quantum particles. Eventually, black holes will evaporate, leaving a vacuum that is the same everywhere else. However, according to physics, information is never lost. So where exactly do all the matter that a black hole has consumed go? "The difficulty is that if you throw something into a black hole it looks like it disappears," explained Perry. "How could the information in that object ever be recovered if the black hole then disappears itself?" Hawking and his colleague made an attempt to solve the puzzle. They argued that some information from the black hole can be preserved before it completely disappears. In 2016, the scientists proposed the idea of "soft hairs," photons and gravitons that escape from a black hole's event horizon or the point at which nothing not even light could escape. The study claims that some information from the black hole might be recorded by photons. The idea relies on entropy or the measure of internal disorder. When matter gets pulled into a black hole, its temperature changes. Because entropy is affected by temperature, specifically heat, scientists can use its changes through stored information by photons. This is the third in a series of studies that discuss black hole information paradox. However, Perry said that the study does not completely answer the puzzle. "We don't know that Hawking entropy accounts for everything you could possibly throw at a black hole," he said, "so this is really a step along the way." Stephen Hawking's Death Hawking passed away on March 14 in his home in Cambridge, United Kingdom. He was known for his work on black holes and general relativity as well as his best-selling books, including A Brief History of Time. At 21, he was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease that strapped him in a wheelchair for most of his life. His ashes were buried at the Westminster Abbey alongside Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expressed concerns over the growing number of children who have not been vaccinated. In an alarming report, public health officials found that thousands of children in kindergarten have not been administered shots to protect them from diseases such as measles and mumps. The report is based on a survey conducted last year and involved children born in 2015 and 2016. Number Of Unvaccinated Children Increases The report published on Friday, Oct. 12, reveals that 1.3 percent of children born in 2015 have not received their recommended vaccines. According to estimates, that is around 100,000 children who have no protection against the 14 potentially deadly but preventable diseases. The number of unvaccinated children is also up from 0.9 percent in an earlier survey involving children born in 2011. In comparison, a 2001 survey (that used a different methodology) revealed that only 0.3 percent of children have not received shots. Overall, 70 percent of young children have been administered all recommended vaccines. Public health officials strongly recommend that young children received age-appropriate vaccines upon entry to school where they are at risk of contracting and spreading diseases to others. The CDC report does not offer a reason that explains the increase of the number of children who have not received a vaccine. Antivaccine Sentiments However, an expert interviewed by CBS News has given a few factors. One, some kids do not get vaccines because of medical reasons. Some, on the other hand, have parents who do not believe that vaccines are necessary or that vaccines have adverse side effects. Some families do not have health insurance to cover the shots needed (children without insurance can receive vaccines for free under government immunization programs). Majority of surveyed families are insured. An earlier report identified 15 metropolitan cities where more than 5 percent of children around kindergarten age are unvaccinated. The list includes Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Houston, Detroit, Kansas City, and Pittsburg. Vaccine-preventable diseases are not common in the United States because of the herd immunity, meaning majority of the people are vaccinated. As more people avoid getting their recommended shots, the risk of an outbreak in the community also increases. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. XuetangX, the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platform launched by China's prestigious Tsinghua University five years ago, has achieved sound momentum, providing more than 1,700 courses for over 14 million people by April, 2018. On May 21, 2013, Tsinghua announced its accession to edX, the MOOC provider founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institution of Technology, while on October 10, the Chinese University launched Asia's first MOOC learning platform named xuetangx.com. Speaking at a forum marking the fifth anniversary of MOOC at Tsinghua on October 10, Jiang Shengyao, deputy president of the university, said: "Five years on, MOOC has crossed over the barriers of conventional education confined to fixed times and venues, exploring and sharing high quality educational resources for learners at different ages and with different backgrounds. " George Siemens, psychology professor at the University of Texas Arlington and one of the founders of MOOC, told the forum: "The teachers in control are not focused on the students. What we wanted was a model that was more of a network rather than sort of a vertical relationship." He went on: "Students are the center of future learning and the students need to develop skills to continue to learn even if the teacher is gone. " The term of MOOC was coined in 2008 when Siemens started a course called "Connectivism and Connective Knowledge" at Athabasca University. In 2011 Stanford University rolled out three MOOC courses with enrollment reaching about 160,000. About one year later, edX emerged and became a major MOOC provider. "MOOC are not completely new by themselves, MOOC are part of a long history of universities, trying to serve society by improving the access that the individuals have to education," Professor Siemens stressed. He also reiterated that learning is a coherent and lifelong process so that the educators should scrap mundane routines and overcome the fragmented supply of knowledge, particularly in the digital era, so as to have students learning with universities not just for four years, but maybe for 40 to 60 years. While emphasizing MOOC's flexible and lifelong learning process, Long Fenjie, president of Guizhou Institute of Technology, said the online educational model was leveling the playing field for students coming from underprivileged regions. "China's rural children have obstacles in learning English and making use of new technologies," Long said. "However, our Institute, established no more than six years ago and endeavoring to serve the province's industrialization drive to lift 40 million people out of poverty, has benefited greatly from the rapid development of MOOC." The Institute has uploaded seven courses, such as "College Physics" and "the World of Materials," to enable students to learn by themselves. Yuan Si, director at the Research Center of Online Education of the Ministry of Education, said online education was a workable strategy for China's future course. With increasingly frequent exchanges between Chinese and overseas educational institutes, exemplified by the launch of "Introducing China in English" from xuetangx.com to the French MOOC platform known as "Le Fun," MOOC can always bring something unexpected to us time and again each year, he said. St. George leaders may have to wait awhile to learn whether they've gathered enough valid signatures on petitions to force a vote on incorporating a new city. They say they plan to submit the petitions on Monday to jump start the process, but Registrar Steve Raborn says his office wont be in a position to begin reviewing the petitions until the end of the year, after elections in November and December. That means St. George proponents likely will have to wait until spring or early summer of next year before finding out if their efforts will be successful this time around. We are still waiting for a response to the letter I submitted to the Attorney Generals Office, Raborn said Thursday. We wont begin any verifications until we get the Attorney Generals opinion. Raborn in May sent 29 questions to the state attorney general, most of which focused on how signatures can and should be categorized valid or invalid. With elections around the corner on Nov. 6, Raborn said, the petition verification process would have to take a backseat while his office performs its regular mandated duties. In conjunction with the groups announcement Thursday, St. George leaders also announced theyll be hosting several more sign-up drives this weekend to secure more support in their campaign to create the new city in the southeastern part of East Baton Rouge Parish. However, Andrew Murrell, an attorney and spokesman for the St. George campaign, aid the group is "on target" with the number of valid signatures they need to push forward their effort to get the measure on the ballot for a vote for the people living within the proposed boundaries for the new city. "We are well over our target with the amount we need, so why wait?" Murrell said about the decision to submit the signed petition more than a month before the 270-day deadline they had to gather signatures. The group had until Nov. 27 to collect them. The petition needs valid signatures from 25 percent of the people within St. George's proposed boundary. Raborn said previously St. George had 51,804 active registered voters when the petition drive began earlier this year. St. George organizers said in June that they had collected more than 10,000 signatures on the new petition, of about 13,000 needed. This is the groups second attempt after its 2015 petition effort fell 71 signatures short of the number necessary to place the issue before voters. Another turn at stopping St. George: Opposition group back with tax warning, other concerns Efforts to block the movement to create a new city of St. George ramped up Monday night as leaders of the opposition hosted a town hall meetin Murrell said Thursday he couldnt give specifics regarding how many signatures had been collected this time around but expressed confidence in what they have so far. We have a three-step validation process to make sure we have enough valid names, he said. The verification process took several months back in 2015 before the Registrars Office announced its failure. 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 Raborn said his office is under no mandated deadline to verify signatures once the petition is submitted. We plan to get to it as expeditiously as we can, Raborn said. We hope to begin the process before the end of the year. The registrars methods were questioned by individuals on both sides of the issue three years ago. St. George organizers filed a lawsuit arguing the registrar made substantive errors during the verification process; a state judge dismissed the lawsuit. And opponents known as Better Together released an analysis that said more than 200 signatures the Registrar's Office had accepted as valid were not, based on voter registration records. In an attempt to avoid confusion about the process, Raborn submitted the letter to the state attorney general. He said Thursday he received word the attorney generals office is working on its response and should release it soon. A state law passed in 2016 says the registrar cannot remove names from a petition more than five days after the office receives it. Better Together/Residents Against the Breakaway have joined forces with political consultant Michael Beychok, who formed the new One Baton Rouge nonprofit. Beychok said Thursday their side will host sign-up locations throughout the St. George boundaries on Oct. 20 where withdrawal forms will be available for those wanting to pull their names off the petition. The opposition groups also intend to get a copy of the signed petition which they will comb over as well. Last time we were able to inspect it and saw there were a lot people that were ineligible to sign, he said. We anticipated theyll be turning it in soon so were prepared to do our own independent verification. +9 How would St. George split from Baton Rouge? Campaigns ramp up on both sides Targeted ads are popping up on Instagram feeds. Yard signs are spicing up lawns. Accountants and academics are volleying reports back and forth. The opponents of the St. George drive have argued the breakaway would lead to a substantial increase in property taxes for the entire city-parish. And they have said residents within the proposed St. George city limits would also face major cuts to public services like police and fire protection and the proposed city would displace 3,800 students from their current schools and create immediate school capacity issues in portions of the southeast part of the parish. But St. George proponents have brushed aside the oppositions criticisms, saying many of their arguments were based on assumptions St. George would run as inefficiently as the city-parish does. According to previous reports, St. George's proposed budget says the city would spend $34 million a year, and have a surplus of $24 million. Organizers have previously suggested they could use that surplus for infrastructure projects, rather than having to repay bonded debt. And they have said St. George would save money by contracting services, rather than hiring government employees and incurring costs like health care and pensions. In a message posted to the group's Facebook page on Thursday, St. George organizers said they'll set up several sign-up locations over the next three days inside the proposed St. George limits: If chef Alfred Singleton had his Christmas wish, hed be able to fill the dining rooms across all three floors of Cafe Sbisa with festive groups and private events this holiday season. It would be the boost his French Quarter restaurant badly needs after all the losses and limitations of the Read the full story 8.30pm, SBS Volcanoes are cool. No two ways about it. And this good-looking documentary from the BBC does a great job of exploring all the different ways in which volcanoes are cool and, of course, lethal. An international team of scientists heads to Goma, near the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, to investigate Nyiragongo, one of the biggest and most dangerous live volcanoes on the planet. They leave with a heap of fascinating facts from both within the crater, and the surrounding countryside. The comings and goings of the water in Lake George have long been a source of fascination and puzzlement, as alluded to in the article "Satellite data shows a different side to Lake George" (Sunday Canberra Times, October 7, p4). To most observers, the level (or presence) of water in the lake doesn't appear to be directly related to fluctuating annual rainfall or droughts: they are "out of sync". Belle Tissott, one of the developers at Geoscience Australia that has helped to map water levels in Lake George over 30 years. Credit:Jamila Toderas Lake George was formed as a result of the headwaters of the Yass River (which once flowed through what is now Geary's Gap) being cut off by movement on a fault that is now reflected in the Lake George Escarpment. Water and sediments from the "severed head" of the Yass River slowly accumulated in the basin that was formed on the eastern side of the fault. Eventually, sufficient sediment accumulated to absorb all of the water in drier periods and form a "buried" water table. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull used his MP allowance to fund "whole of government" social media advertising and digital promotions worth up to $30,000 per week last year. Mr Turnbull charged taxpayers $246,000 for expenses billed as "e-materials" from May last year to June this year, about 15 times what the average MP spent. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Scott Morrison spent $11,354 and Bill Shorten $2,563. In the 2017-18 financial year MPs were allowed to spend up to $134,099.34 on office expenses, including targeted promotion of government policy on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. In addition they were entitled to spend $1 for every enrolled voter in their electorate, as at the end of 31 March in the previous financial year. The most recently published headcount states there were just over 102,000 enrolled voters in the Wentworth electorate in 2016. It's the opposite of paving paradise to put up a parking lot. The contentious St Kilda Triangle, a small but valuable pocket of land which has long been used as a car park, will be turned into a new green space under an election promise announced this weekend by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. There won't be a pink hotel, boutique or swinging hot spot built there, with Mr Guy promising "no commercialisation, no shopping centre" on the site after community opposition led to a previous development falling over. Local resident Darren Robinson and his son Harrison hope the St Kilda Triangle will become a park. Credit:Chris Hopkins Trees and grass rather than cars and concrete? Joni Mitchell would be proud. Violence and sexual assault in Victoria's mental health facilities is soaring - and bed shortages are being blamed. The latest snapshot of the state's mental health system shows increased safety risks for both patients and staff, despite hundreds of millions of dollars in extra government funding. The report from the Public Advocates office, based on accounts by Community Visitors which conducts unannounced spot checks around the state, outlines a litany of violence, including: The female mental health patient who was sexually abused by a male patient in a womens-only corridor. The man in the acute unit who tried to strangle a woman in urgent need of treatment. Hannah Gadsby is the most talked about comedian in the world - and she didnt even have to get called out for public masturbation. Instead shes changing the world with her Netflix special Nanette an incredible discussion of homophobia, male privilege, abuse and mental health. She is also frank about being a woman with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I remember seeing Hannah do stand up about five years ago in Melbourne where she spoke about being diagnosed with the condition late in life. To quote her highness Oprah, this was a massive light bulb moment for me. I had suspected for a decade that I had the disorder. After listening to Hannah, I made the appointment. (OK, it was a year later.) I went. I forgot the test I was supposed to bring. I was anointed an official ADHD-er. Rose Callaghan was diagnosed with ADHD at age 32. Like Hannah, I am a comedian. So I did my own comedy show about ADHD. It was called Attention Deficit...Ooh a Pony! By the time I took it to the next festival I got bored of the name and changed it. The irony is not lost on me. The DSM-5 is the book that lists all the official mental health disorders (very long, pretty dull, do not recommend) and describes ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. I describe it as being very, very bad at adulting. WA's tactical response group has raided a Byford home as the feud between rivalling outlaw motorcycle gangs in Perth intensifies. The raid allegedly unearthed guns, 45 grams of cocaine and stolen goods including a motorcycle, resulting in two men being arrested on a string of charges. Drugs and weapons were uncovered in a home in Perth as part of ongoing investigations in Perth outlaw motorcycle gangs. Credit:WA Police A police spokeswoman said the Byford property was linked to the Rebels bikies following a probe into an assault on a rival gang member in September and suspected illicit drug dealings. The review has been dogged by controversy. There was unrest over the absence of any LGBTI people on the panel. Then the government had to be shamed into publishing the submissions. Finally, Turnbull and Attorney-General Christian Porter sat on the report for three months until Turnbull was turfed out and it became Scott Morrison's problem. Remember why this report was commissioned in the first place: religious conservatives kicked up a stink over same-sex marriage, and Malcolm Turnbull kicked the can down the road through the time-honoured tactic of calling a review. Perhaps in years to come, political analysts will look back on the Ruddock review of religious freedom as a made-to-measure example of what not to do. And a problem it is, because there are very few ways for the government to win out of this in a policy sense as well as a political one. All things considered, Philip Ruddock's report is a bland document that doesn't give anyone much of what they seemed to want, but hands everyone enough rope to tie themselves in knots over the minutiae. No better example than the recommendation that garnered headlines last week: adjustments to the Sex Discrimination Act that would enshrine, but also clarify, the ability for schools to reject or expel gay students. It's a freedom religious schools have long enjoyed under federal law, because they are exempt from the usual anti-discrimination rules. However, some states deny schools this power. Regardless of the law, it's not an area schools want to get into. Catholic educators immediately made it clear they've got no desire to punt kids for being gay. Many people probably most people didn't even realise this power exists. Ruddock proposed tinkering with a religious freedom most voters didn't know about and now that they do, they probably think it should be scrapped altogether. The Ruddock report recommends the government enshrine, but also clarify, the ability for religious schools to reject or expel gay students. Credit:Louie Douvis It took a day or two, but Morrison now wants it scrapped too. It appeared untenable on Thursday when he told radio host Neil Mitchell he didn't think it was a good law but he wasn't going to get rid of it, just "fine tune" it. By Friday, Morrison remembered he is now chief-law-making-guy and vowed to kill off religious schools' right to expel students because of their sexuality. Sakran, Turkey: A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson, ending his 24-month detention and allowing him to fly home, signalling a truce of sorts in a heated diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States. Brunson, who was accused of spying and aiding terrorists, had been sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days in prison. The judge, citing time served, allowed him to leave the country immediately. Pastor Andrew Brunson, left, and his wife Norine Brunson arrive at Adnan Menderes airport for a flight to Germany after his release following his trial in Izmir, Turkey. Credit:AP Brunson's prolonged detention and trial had worsened tensions between the United States and Turkey. US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence personally raised his case several times with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The US government imposed financial sanctions. And members of Congress travelled to Turkey to attend his trial. US officials said Brunson's detention, and that of about 20 other Turkish-Americans held after a coup attempt in 2016, was an attempt by Ankara to gain leverage in its various disputes with Washington. New York: Cyber attackers stole data from 29 million Facebook accounts using an automated program that moved from one friend to the next, Facebook Inc announced on Friday, as the social media company said its largest-ever data theft hit fewer than the 50 million profiles it initially reported. The company said it would message affected users over the coming days to tell them what type of information had been accessed in the attack. Facebook hackers targeted 29 million accounts. Credit:Facebook The breach has left users more vulnerable to targeted phishing attacks and could deepen unease about posting to a service whose privacy, moderation and security practices have been called into question by a series of scandals, cybersecurity experts and financial analysts said. The attackers took profile details such as birth dates, employers, education history, religious preference, types of devices used, pages followed and recent searches and location check-ins from 14 million users. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink during the the 79th Annual Convention of Bankers in Acapulco, Mexico, on March 11, 2016. (Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images) A Handful of Corporations Control EverythingWho Controls Them? News analysis Many Americans are keenly aware of the influence of transnational conglomerates clustered under monikers like Big Oil, Big Tech, and Big Pharma. Their CEOs regularly reap praise and criticism for the companies accomplishments and transgressions. But CEOs like Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Apples Tim Cook are hardly sovereign masters of their companies. Corporations are run by boards of directors and boards get appointed by shareholders. The trick is, these shareholders are not exactly who one might imagine. Researchers from the Swiss university ETH Zurich probed 43,060 transnational corporations they were able to identify and mapped their ownership structures. The Top As it turned out, 737 corporations controlled 80 percent of the combined value of all the others. Whos on the list? As one may expect, the top names include banks, insurance companies, investment funds, and wealth managers. These hundreds of key corporations were each connected to the average of 20 other corporations, which allowed the top players to hold a control ten times bigger than what could be expected based on their wealth, the researchers stated in their 2011 paper (pdf). Who, then, owns these super-influential companies? About 3/4 of the ownership of firms in the core remains in the hands of firms of the core itself, the researchers noted. In other words, this is a tightly-knit group of corporations that cumulatively hold the majority share of each other. Yet the rabbit hole goes deeper still. The Top of the Top The researchers assumed that to control a corporation one has to hold a majority stake. In reality, many corporations are set up in such a way, that a part of its board of directors is directly appointed by the top shareholders, who usually hold nowhere near the majority staketheir share could be as low as 5 percent or even less. In addition to the direct appointments, the top shareholders hold major sway over the vote on other board members. Corporations this large often have thousands of shareholders, most of whom would own only fractions of a percent in shares. Its virtually impossible for them to organize so effectively as to block board nominations supported by the top shareholders. Who are, then, the top shareholders? With unsurprising repetitiveness, major investment funds and wealth management companies emerge at the top. And again, these corporations also have top shareholders who hold disproportionate sway over their board appointments. The Top of the Top of the Top So who are their top shareholders? With ironclad regularity, these four names pop up: State Street Corporation, Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and Fidelity Investments. The Big Invest if you will. These investment firms, often through intermediaries, control each other and also themselves. BlackRock is the worlds largest investment corporation, managing assets to the tune of nearly $6.3 trillion in 2017. For comparison, the Federal Government held less than $3.5 trillion in assets in 2017. BlackRocks biggest shareholder, with a stake of over 21 percent, is the PNC bank. Among the banks top shareholders are State Street Corporation, Vanguard Group, Fidelity Investments, and BlackRock. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is a lifelong Democrat. In 2013, he appointed Hillary Clintons confidante Cheryl Mills to the BlackRock board in a bid to secure for himself the Treasury Secretary post in the then-anticipated Clinton administration, Fox Business reported in 2014. It was also Fink whom President Barack Obama asked to design a way out of the 2008 financial crisis. With Finks advice, Obama followed the much-maligned government bailouts and saw the economy linger in recession for years. Fox reported that Fink also thought up the mortgage-backed security, the opaque investment instrument partly blamed for the 2008 housing crash. Steering the Top The top corporations are not controlled exclusively by each other. Many are steered by old money as well. Fidelity Investments, for example, is controlled by the Johnson family, just as other major players have some powerful families behind them. Other behemoths, such as the Capital Group and Wellington Management are privately owned and keep a very low profile regarding their inner workings. Why it Matters? The fact that most of the corporate wealth is controlled by a limited group of executives shuffling board positions among themselves may be putting harmful constraints on market competition, the ETH researchers noted. Previous studies have shown how even small cross-shareholding structures, at a national level, can affect market competition in sectors such as airline, automobile and steel, as well as the financial one, they wrote, noting the dearth of research into effects of power concentration at the top of the corporate ladder. Update: The article was updated to more accurately reflect the relationship between the most powerful transnational corporations and other transnational corporations. The article was also updated to more accurately reflect Barack Obamas relation to the post 2008 government bailouts. Villagers cross through receding waters in an area of flash flooding at Solai in Subukia, Nakuru County, Kenya, on May 10, 2018. (Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images) Barely Recovered From Recent Deadly Floods, Kenyans Brace For Another Rainy Season NAIROBI, KenyaPeninah Mueni, 40, has not fully recovered the losses she suffered from flash floods in Kenya early this year. Now, the businesswoman who owns a tailoring shop in Nairobis sprawling Mukuru slum, is bracing for another agonizing rainy season. Earlier this year, I lost two sewing machines and several clothing materials to flash floods, she said, while dusting off a sewing machine. But as Mueni gets the machine into shape, her mind is grappling with recent alerts about impending heavy rains. Forecasters have warned of heavy rains between October and December, according to a recent statement from Kenya Meteorological Department. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that about 800,000 people were affected by flash floods countrywide since March this year, with a death toll of close to 200. That time, the whole of this shop was submerged in water, said Mueni, a single mother of three. Whenever it rains, a significant number of residents are rendered homeless, while reports of victims being swept away by the raging waters are not uncommon. Paul Runo, area chief, a government-appointed official in charge of Mukuru slum, says floods have affected many people, especially those who build structures along the river banks. We are appealing to them to move to safer grounds, he said. According to the Kenya Red Cross, several people were swept away by raging floods caused by the killer downpour since March. Bad Year In Kenya, the floods this year came on the back of the East African countrys worst drought since 2010, with 23 of 47 counties affected, leaving 3.4 million people severely food insecure and an estimated 500,000 people without access to water. Fluctuations in agricultural production due to climate variations along with inefficient agricultural systems cause food insecurity, one of the most obvious indicators of poverty. The 2016 El Nino phenomenon crippled rain-fed agricultural production and left over 40 million people food insecure in Africa. Due to flooding, infrastructure such as roads become inaccessible, bridges get submerged in water, and school learning programs get disrupted as students are unable to attend classes. The Capital In Nairobi, several roads had previously been affected by heavy rains, with authorities advising motorists to be cautious. But in the usually congested urban informal settlements, like Mukuru slum situated in the south east of the Kenyan capital, women and children suffer the most. Another victim, Monica Akinyi, a college student, 21, says she is concerned about the poor drainage system in the city, which contributes to flooding. The authorities should improve the sewerage and drainage system to avoid further flooding, she said. Ann Keli, 45, who runs a kiosk, says she also is worried about her business. As a family, we depend solely on this small shop for our daily upkeep, said the mother of 12, whose husband is a casual laborer. She says every time it rains, her shop, which stands close to a river bank, is affected. At times, we are unable to operate, especially when flooding occurs, she added. We are now trying to unblock sewer lines, so as to avoid a disaster when it rains, said youth leader Charles Muinde, also a resident of Mukuru slum. Kenyan officials say residents living in flood-prone areas should be wary of impeding heavy rains and move to higher grounds to avert further death and destruction. Freed Pastor Brunson Leaves Turkey, Due in U.S. Saturday IZMIR, TurkeyA U.S. pastor was flown out of Turkey on Oct. 12 after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve U.S.-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankaras planned purchase of Russian military equipment. Pastor Andrew Brunson was expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington at around noon EDT (16:00 GMT) on Oct. 13 after a stop in Germany for a medical check-up. Brunson was jailed two years ago and had been under house arrest since July. He was accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkeys government for a coup attempt in 2016. The Turkish court sentenced Brunson to three years and one-and-a-half months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time and freed him. Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, denied the accusations and Washington had demanded his immediate release. President Donald Trump said Brunson would likely visit the White House Oval Office on Oct. 13. Asked if U.S. sanctions imposed on Turkey to try to win Brunsons release might be lifted, Trump said no agreement was made for the pastors freedom. There was no deal made at all. There was no deal. But were very happy to have him and have him in good shape. Trump told reporters in Cincinnati. The diplomatic fight over Brunson had accelerated a recent sell-off in Turkeys currency, worsening its financial crisis. Great Christian Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, Brunson wept as the court decision was announced, witnesses said. Before the judges ruling, he had told the court: I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey. Witnesses told the court in the western town of Aliaga that testimony against the pastor attributed to them was inaccurate. Brunsons mother told Reuters she and his father were elated at the news. We are overjoyed that God has answered the prayers of so many people around the world, she said by telephone from her home in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Trump has used the Brunson case to try to score points with evangelical Christians, a large part of his political base, ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional elections, which will determine whether Republicans keep control of Congress. He has called Brunson, a native of North Carolina, a great Christian, and Vice President Mike Pence, the White Houses top emissary to evangelicals, had urged Americans to pray for Brunson. We thank God for answered prayers and commend the efforts of @SecPompeo & @StateDept in supporting Pastor Brunson and his family during this difficult time, Pence said on Twitter. @SecondLady and I look forward to welcoming Pastor Brunson and his courageous wife Norine back to the USA! U.S. broadcaster NBC said on Oct. 11 that Washington had done a secret deal with Ankara to secure Brunsons release. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, told Reuters that active engagement by Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contributed to Brunsons release. A lot of factors played into this, Tillis said, adding the United States was trying to get back to a point of a positive relationship with Turkey. NATO Allies Relations between the two NATO allies have been under serious strain over U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, Turkeys plans to buy a Russian missile defense system, and the U.S. jailing of an executive at a Turkish state bank in an Iran sanctions-busting case. The release of Brunson could help ease tensions, but political analysts say many unresolved problems remain. This is a necessary but far from sufficient step to reverse what has been a deepening rift between the United States and Turkey, two NATO allies, said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Attention may now turn to the fate of a Turkish-U.S. national and former NASA scientist in jail in Turkey on terrorism charges, as well as three local employees of the U.S. consulate who have also been detained. Washington wants all of them released. We hope that the Turkish government will quickly release our other detained U.S. citizens and @StateDept locally employed staff, Pompeo said on Twitter. Ankara has demanded that the United States extradite Gulen to Turkey. The cleric, who was lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, denies any role in the attempted coup. By Ezgi Erkoyun and Emily Wither A still image taken from CCTV video and obtained by TRT World claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he arrives at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey Oct. 2, 2018. (Reuters TV/via Reuters) Journalists Hid Identity of Key Source While Spreading Their Khashoggi Disappearance Narrative News Analysis A story broke last week that a Saudi journalist named Jamal Khashoggi, who was working for The Washington Post, had disappeared and was presumed dead. The official story is that Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on the afternoon of Oct. 2. Immediately (and suspiciously), media stories that appeared to be coordinated appeared, pointing the finger of blame for Khashoggis disappearance at Saudi Arabia, in general, and at the countrys Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, in particular. It was claimed by anonymous sources for several days that Khashoggi had been abducted and killed at the express order of bin Salman, for being a troublesome journalist who was pursuing stories that were causing problems for the Saudi royal family. Detailed stories relating how the abduction/killing supposedly happened filled the news media. A very public pressure campaign quickly formed, with multiple prominent companies either announcing a boycott of Saudi Arabia or being pressured to join such a boycott. There were loud calls for President Donald Trump to immediatelywithout waiting for the results of any investigationcancel the historic arms deal made last year with the Saudi Kingdom. It is quite likely that calls to cancel the nuclear power deal also made between Trump and the Saudi royal family would soon have followed. The loud calls for the United States to disavow Saudi Arabia were coupled with numerous editorials that attempted to tie Trumps often hostile rhetoric about the Fake News media to acts of violence against journalists worldwideincluding the alleged violence against Khashoggi. His body still hasnt been found, so its not even known at this point if hes indeed dead. So, for a week, while this anti-Saudi hysteria built, and as some in the U.S. news media played up how Trumps Fake News media rhetoric had supposedly encouraged violence against journalists, reporters were deliberately hiding who one of their main sources wasthe individual feeding them the inside information on the alleged Saudi involvement in Khashoggis disappearance and supposed murder. Not until Oct. 12 did two of the journalists involved in the coordinated roll-out of the Khashoggi narrative suddenly reveal the identity of their confidential source, who supposedly was privy to the inner workings of the Saudi plot to grab and then eliminate the troublesome journalist. The name of one of the main sources these reporters had been using to push the anti-bin Salman/anti-Trump narrative set off an immediate alarm for many investigative journalists who recognized it: Khaled Saffuri. Patrick Poole and Jordan Schachtel, two reporters who cover national security and terrorism-related issues [Poole for PJ Media, Schachtel for Conservative Review], quickly brought their readers up to speed on Saffuris extensive background. He has purported ties to both al-Qaeda and Hamas, and is a well-known associate of Abdurahman Alamoudi, who is currently serving a 23-year sentence in a U.S. federal prison, which was later reduced to 17 years after he cooperated by agreeing to testify in a trial. Why was Alamoudi sentenced to federal prison in 2004? Because he was part of an extensive al-Qaeda/Libyan plot to assassinate then-Crown Prince Abdullah. Alamoudi was the founder of the American Muslim Council, where Saffuri worked as the organizations Director of Government Affairs for two years, from 1995 to 1997, when Alamoudi helped Saffuri launch The Islamic Free Market Institute, giving Saffuri $35,000 in start-up funds. Saffuris Islamic Free Market Institute has been investigated several times for financial ties to Hamas, as well as other terrorist groups. Given his background, hes hardly some neutral source that people should be taking at face value when hes making the claims to Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman. Let this sink in: Isikoff and Klaidmans source for their stories on bin Salmans state of mind and his various nefarious plots against journalists is a guy whos been investigated for terrorism ties, and, on top of that, has connections to an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorism financier who is currently in federal prison for participating in a plot to kill a Saudi crown prince. Can I be forgiven for being a bit, shall we say, skeptical that Saffuri has keen insight into the mind and plans of bin Salman? When it comes to journalists, or just about anything else? So, for a week, reporters breathlessly shopping this narrative about bin Salmans role in Khashoggis disappearance kept one of their main sourcesif not the main sourceunder wraps and carefully hidden from scrutiny. If Saffuris identity had been known from the beginning, we wouldnt have gotten days of media hysteria over an attempt to frame bin Salman and Saudi Arabia for Kashoggis disappearance. Isikoff and other reporters pushing this story likely knew if they told everybody Saffuri was a big source of this inside info detailing this supposed Saudi plot against Khashoggi, people would have instantly seen his rumored terrorist ties to both Hamas and al-Qaeda and the very real direct tie he has to an imprisoned terrorist plotter against the Saudi kingdom. So why did Isikoff and Klaidman suddenly decided to spill the beans about the identity of their source? I believe thats because Trump has investigators in Turkey digging into whats really going on, and they knew it was going to come out anyway. But at least they got their fun week of international media hysteria before Saffuris cover was blown. So, to sum up how we got here: Political partisans disguised as reporters found an al-Qaeda- and Hamas-connected person and used him as a source to float rumors that bin Salman had Khashoggi killed because Trumps rhetoric made bin Salman think hed get away with it. This is looking increasingly like an attempt at smearing the Saudis, bin Salman, and Trump, likely in the hope of getting the arms deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia called off. If so, it is going to backfire massively on the people who rushed to judgment. Brian Cates is a political pundit and writer based in South Texas and the author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter at @drawandstrike. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. First responders and residents walk along a main street following Hurricane Michael in MEXICO BEACH, Flo., U.S., Oct. 11, 2018. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) Rescuers Find First Body in Town Worst Hit by Michael MEXICO BEACH, Fla.Searchers on Oct. 12 found the first body in the rubble of the Florida coastal town of Mexico Beach, which was nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael, as the toll from the historic storm rose to at least 17 and was expected to rise. Rescue teams, hampered by power and phone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to search for hundreds of people unaccounted for in devastated communities across the Florida Panhandle. Ive watched on television, thinking of what others have experienced, like in the Carolinas and Texas, Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey told reporters referring to hurricanes this year and last. But its different when you walk down and see this, and your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community. No other information was available about the deceased man found in Mexico Beach, said Joseph Zahralban, Miamis fire chief and the task force leader of a search and rescue unit. He said it was unclear if the man was living alone or with a family. Three deaths were reported in Marianna, in Jackson County, Florida, Sheriff Lou Roberts told a news conference in the afternoon on Oct. 12. The dead include at least eight people in Florida, five in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia. The number of fatalities is expected to rise as rescuers go door to door and comb through the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities such as Port St. Joe and Panama City, said Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Houston-based volunteer search-and-rescue network CrowdSource Rescue said its teams were trying to find some 2,500 people who were either reported missing or were stranded and in need of help in Florida, co-founder Matthew Marchetti said. Social media websites were filled with messages from people trying to reach missing family members in Floridas Bay and Gulf Counties. Marchetti said his volunteer search teams, consisting mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters, also had rescued or accounted for 345 others previously reported to CrowdSource Rescue since Michael struck on Oct. 10. Dogs and Bulldozers FEMA crews have been using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push a path through debris to allow rescuers to probe the rubble with specially trained search dogs. More than 1,700 search and rescue workers have been deployed, Governor Rick Scotts office said in a statement, including seven swift-water rescue teams and nearly 300 ambulances. Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach on Oct. 10 afternoon as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, with winds of up to 155 moh (250 kph). It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding. The storm, which in less than two days grew from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, tore apart entire neighborhoods in the Panhandle, reducing homes to naked concrete foundations or piles of wood and siding. Except for the emergency-911 system, authorities in Bay County, the epicenter of the disaster, were virtually without telephone or internet service until late in the day on Oct. 12, making communications internally and with the public difficult. We didnt have anything, said Ruth Corley, a spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriffs Department. Weve been writing things down on pieces of paper. Were doing what we can with the minimal media that we have. She said local television stations were knocked off the air for two days, and authorities were relying on the Gulf State College radio station to broadcast public service bulletins. Search teams were going door-to-door looking for victims. Rebuild Right FEMAs Long urged communities such as Mexico Beach, where many homes were pulverized by 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 meters) of storm surge, to rebuild to withstand future storms. Its OK if you want to live on the coast or on top of a mountain that sees wildfires or whatever, but you have to build to a higher standard, he said. If were going to rebuild, do it right. By Oct. 12 morning the remnants of the storm were located about 275 miles (445 km) southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles (100 km) per hour. More than 940,000 homes and businesses on the U.S. East Coast were without power on Oct. 12 and it could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida. The number of people in emergency shelters was expected to swell to 20,000 across five states by Oct. 12, said Brad Kieserman of the American Red Cross. The Coast Guard reported rescuing 129 people. Even as rescuers searched the rubble for survivors or the deceased, some residents of Mexico Beach were nervously trickling back on Oct. 12, expressing hope the place, nicknamed the Forgotten Coast, would not change too much as it rebuilds. It was the perfect beach town. Not all of that commercialism, said Dottie Sinclair, 57, a nurse, adding a Subway fast-food restaurant was the only commercial chain. I dont think it will ever be the same, said husband Danny Sinclair, 64, who is semi-retired. People will just pack up and leave. By Rod Nickel In the months before he disappeared, Jamal Khashoggi told friends he had received calls from a senior Saudi official urging him to end his self-imposed exile and come home to Riyadh. The invitation included the promise of a safe return and even the possibility of a job with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia who Khashoggi had been so critical of in his columns for The Washington Post's Global Opinions section. Khashoggi told his friends he did not trust the offer or the official delivering it, Saud al-Qahtani, a 40-year-old adviser to Mohammed described as the mercurial prince's enforcer. In the West, Qahtani is not among the better-known members of Mohammed's stable of young aides. But in the Persian Gulf, he is the loudest and most visible Saudi official. He tweets often and in populist terms, urging his 1.33 million Twitter followers to identify critics of the kingdom to add to his blacklist. As Saudi Arabia has campaigned to isolate its small neighbor Qatar, Qahtani has been the chief promoter of the kingdom's most provocative ideas, such as digging a canal to turn Qatar into an island. He is also a powerful amplifier of fake news and social media bots that purport to show Qatari popular discontent with Qatar's royals. The New Arab, a Qatari news outlet, has dubbed him the Saudi Steve Bannon. But above all, Qahtani is known for being a fierce loyalist to the crown, having served under Saudi kings since 2003, and firm believer in Mohammed's project to modernize Saudi Arabia while enforcing the strict restrictions on free speech and movement that have ensnared dozens of Saudi activists, clerics and social media users. In Khashoggi's estimation, Qahtani is the official through whom Mohammed maintains total control over Saudi media. "Over the past 18 months, MBS's communications team within the Royal Court publicly has chastised, and worse, intimidated anyone who disagrees," Khashoggi wrote in a Post column in February, referring to Mohammed by his initials. "Saud Al-Qahtani, leader of that unit, has a blacklist and calls for Saudis to add names to it. Writers like me, whose criticism is offered respectfully, seem to be considered more dangerous than the more strident Saudi opposition based in London." But in a column in the Saudi-controlled Al Arabiya news in April, Qahtani portrayed himself as Mohammed's humble servant, awed and intimidated by his vision for modernizing Saudi Arabia. Qahtani said he was personally assigned by the crown prince to study how to overhaul and streamline Saudi bureaucracy. " 'Sky is the limit.' So said the Prince. This is who we are," Qahtani wrote. In recent days, Qahtani has taken to Twitter to mock what he described as outlandish Turkish statements blaming Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's disappearance and has denied having any role in a plot to lure the prominent journalist to a gruesome death. "Dexter of the century," he wrote sarcastically in Arabic, a reference to the American television series that featured human mutilation. "The rest say I'm Grendizer," he continued, making reference to the robot hero of a Japanese cartoon popular in the Middle East. Khashoggi's disappearance has drawn renewed attention to the crackdown on criticism in Saudi Arabia and the methods Mohammed has used to eliminate public opposition to his policies. Qahtani has been central to that effort. He cuts a flamethrowing figure on social media but is known behind the scenes as an intelligent strategist. "He probably can be described as MBS's information czar," said Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University who has known Qahtani since 2006. "He's extremely bright, well read, but I would say he's not very exposed to the West." Haykel added: "He's known for being extremely loyal, extremely nationalistic and extremely competent. If one of the royals asked him to do something, he just gets it done." With his influential family name, Qahtani rose through the ranks in the royal court quickly after studying law and criminal justice. He was well known for his newspaper columns promoting the royal family and nationalist poems he would write under the nom de plume of Dhari - many of which served as lyrics for Saudi and Arab musicians. "You would never mistake him for a true intellectual, but his writings in the early 2000s were never as inflammatory as they are now," said a Saudi media analyst who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of publicly criticizing Qahtani. Less visible to U.S. officials than Mohammed's security and diplomatic aides, Qahtani has the title of adviser to the royal court and head of the state-run Center for Studies and Information Affairs. A senior official from the Obama administration said he could not recall Qahtani in any meetings with the Saudis. But others say his low profile belies his influence, especially on the 33-year-old Mohammed, who is a fan of technology and video games. "The politics of Saudi Arabia have certainly become more populist and more aimed at the young who are the more engaged in social media," Haykel said. "I think he's modulating or changing his tone based on that demographic and that kind of politics." On his Twitter account, Qahtani frequently warns of consequences for critics of the kingdom and promotes what some call conspiracy theories claiming destructive plots by the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar. He enthusiastically retweets supportive replies from Saudi users. Marc Owen Jones, a researcher at Exeter University, has written that Qahtani's "Twitter activity has reached Trump-levels of antagonism." In comments to the New York Times in March, Khashoggi said Qahtani has leveraged his mastery of social media and technology to command "a troll army" online and project an image of Saudi power at a time when the kingdom is embroiled in regional rivalries with Iran and Qatar and a costly war in Yemen. Mohammed has enthusiastically embraced Qahtani's methods, Khashoggi told the Times. "They are creating a virtual world where Saudi Arabia is a superpower and MBS is the most popular leader," Khashoggi said. "Of course, all this has his approval." EDWARDSVILLE The states mounting debt and equitable funding for education were among the topics discussed Wednesday by four candidates taking part in the Edwardsville Area League of Women Voters first candidate forum, conducted at the Wildey Theatre. 112th District Illinois House of Representative candidates Katie Stuart and Dwight Kay and 56th District Illinois Senate candidates Rachelle And Crowe and Dr. Hal Patton all responded to audience-submitted questions at the event. Three candidates for other offices also attended the forum, but only introduced themselves and briefly described their backgrounds. Democrat Debra Ming-Mendoza is the incumbent Madison County Clerk and she spoke to the Wildey audience. She is opposed by Republican candidate Stephen Adler, who was not in attendance. Andrew Reinking is a Democrat who is the incumbent Regional Superintendent of Schools and is being challenged for that office by Republican Robert Werden. Both candidates spoke Wednesday night. The LWV has scheduled a second forum, again at the Wildey, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17. That event will feature candidates for Madison County Treasurer, Madison County Board (Districts 5 and 11) Circuit Judge and Appellate Court Judge. Two years ago, Stuart defeated Kay, who was the incumbent, in the 112th District election, meaning both candidates have experience in Springfield. Stuart, from Edwardsville, is a former high school and college math teacher. She is a Democrat. In her introduction, Stuart said state lawmakers need to be less receptive to the perks of office and more in tune with constituents. Two years ago, I went to Springfield during an unprecedented budget crisis and I made a promise that I would not accept a paycheck until we passed a budget. I held to that promise and I worked to pass a responsible budget that projects funding for our states most critical services, Stuart said. I think we need to do more to reduce perks for politicians so I rejected the legislative pension and health care benefits and I passed legislation that blocked an increase in pay for lawmakers. Kay, a Republican, is a businessman from Glen Carbon. He emphasized in his introduction that he is a conservative who is tired of the way things are being done in Springfield. Im not going to say a whole lot about myself because you know me, Ive been to Springfield in the past. Im a fiscal conservative, Kay said. We dont need to convene the house, we dont need to convene the senate because (Illinois Speaker of the House, Democrat) Mike Madigan has taken over the state and made it somewhat less than it should be. We are not where we should be, could be or need to be. Both candidates agree that more needs to be done at the state level in regard to education funding, particularly since approximately 80 percent of Edwardsville District 7s funding comes from local tax sources. Stuart has seen first-hand the impact inadequate funding can have on education. I was a teacher in the classroom, Ive been in front of those students. I know how much those dollars affect what goes on in that classroom, she said. Kay, meanwhile, said Springfield needs to live up the state constitutional mandate calling for at least 50 percent of education funding to come from state sources. Education is the most important thing that we can do for our young people, he said. The fact that we have not met the 50 percent budget requirement is pretty sad. In terms of the state budget, both candidates agreed that more needs to be done. This is the 21st year weve had an unbalanced budget in Illinois and thats not acceptable to me and it shouldnt be acceptable to you, Kay said, pointing out the long-history of state budget issues. Our two-year budget crisis almost tripled our state debt, created a billion dollars worth of interest payments on unpaid bills. We absolutely cannot afford to let that happen again, Stuart said, opting to take a more recent look at the problem. The 112th District includes all or parts of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Roxana, Caseyville and Collinsville. State Senator Bill Haine is the incumbent in the states 56th District, but is stepping down for health reasons. Crowe and Patton stepped up to place their names on the ballot. Crowe. a Democrat, is from Glen Carbon and serves as a prosecutor for Madison County States Attorneys Office. Patton is running as Downstate United candidate after being knocked off the Republican primary ballot earlier this year. He is a dentist and the mayor of Edwardsville. Both candidates have different ideas on fixing the states numerous problems, sticking to their party lines. We can do things through growth but we have to be business friendly. We have to figure out a way to attract them here, into the state of Illinois. Part of it is unemployment insurance and work comp rates. We are not competitive at all, Patton said. We need a state that doesnt over-regulate and gets out of our way. Crowe went in another direction. We need to make sure that our state has the right priorities. We need to close corporate tax loopholes that cost our taxpayers millions of dollars and give us no return, she said. Instead, we need to be making sure that we are spending money that is going to have a lasting impact on our communities. The idea of a graduated income tax has been considered and would need voter approval before it becomes a reality. Neither Crown nor Patton supports the idea per se nor do they believe taxes should be levied on retirement income. We cannot be taxing the working class any more than we already are. We cant be taking money out of the pockets of the hard-working people, Crowe said. Now, when were talking about someone who has millions of dollars and they can afford to pay for it, I think they should. Patton said the public is taxed enough. I certainly do not support a progressive income tax. That would be an absolute disaster for our state. Thats another increase, he said. How many times do we have to increase income taxes before we figure out that a lot of people are going to leave. The state currently faces a $130 billion public pension shortfall and both candidates addressed that. Crowe and Patton agree that the shortfall is not the fault of public school teachers, who account for the bulk of pension payouts. The best idea Ive seen for that is re-enterprising, meaning refinancing what is owed without adding to that debt, upholding our end of the bargain and keeping our promises to our teachers, Crowe said. Patton agreed that something needs to be done. We have to come up with solutions were going to have to continue to grow. We need to reform the system. We need to ask people for early buyouts, he said. We need to figure out ways to tackle this so we can do it in smart and economical ways. The 56th District covers parts of Madison and St. Clair counties and includes Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Bethalto, Alton, Godfrey, Collinsville and other communities. EDWARDSVILLE Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons announced murder and weapons charges in a recent Venice shooting that left one man dead. Kevin A. Campbell, 37, as charged with two counts of first degree murder (Class M), and one count unlawful possession of weapons by a felon (Class 2) in the shooting death of Tyrone Williams in an on Oct. 6 incident. Officers from the Venice Police Department were called to the parking lot of Williams Autobody after a 9-1-1 call at 12:06 a.m. early Saturday morning in response to a shooting. The victim, Tyrone Williams, was located in the parking lot. Detectives have determined that a dispute arose earlier that evening, leading to an altercation on the parking lot. During the exchange, Campell shot the victim seven times and fled the scene. The States Attorneys Violent Crimes Unit has been working alongside investigators throughout this case and are fully engaged and ready to bring justice for the victim, his loved ones, and our whole community. We will confront this senseless violence with the harshest consequences available and fight to the end to ensure Justice will be done, said Gibbons in a new release. States Attorney Gibbons also thanked the Venice Police Department, Illinois State Police, and Madison County Sheriffs Office for their collaborative efforts in investigating this case. Bond was set at $2,500,000 by Circuit Judge Kyle Napp. If convicted, the maximum penalty for first degree murder is 20-60 years in prison with a possible enhancement making the sentencing range from 45 years to a life sentence. Maximum penalty for a Class 2 felony is 3-7 years in prison. These charges, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Randy Pembrook presented his third annual State of the University Address to the campus community on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in the Morris University Center Meridian Ballroom. The address theme related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s question about our compelling responsibilities - fulfilling the tasks we are called to address. Visit siue.edu/tv to view the presentation. Pembrook noted that this was the 42nd State of the University Address, a tradition initiated by then-President Kenneth Buzz Shaw. I am proud of our institution and how it has progressed in many areas discussed in those early State of the University addresses, including academic quality, recruitment, retention and external relations, Pembrook said. Pembrook began by addressing enrollment and the introduction of new or expanded programs to meet marketplace needs and demands. He pointed to online offerings such as a masters in criminal justice policy, a masters in healthcare informatics, the School of Nursings growing RN to BS program and the medical technology specialization in biological sciences as success stories. He also noted bachelors programs in integrative studies, international studies, mechatronics and robotics, and nutrition, along with the introduction of a masters of fine arts in creative writing and a masters in pharmaceutical sciences as programs meeting student demand. We will continue to be innovative, efficient, responsible, and diverse in order to provide access to those who need us to be all of those things, Pembrook said. To compete for prospective students, SIUE added additional recruiting personnel both in Chicago and internationally, implemented a domestic tuition rate for all students, increased scholarship funding, and created a research and analysis unit within enrollment management. SIUE also has partnered with Royall and Co. to support traditional student recruitment and Academic Partnerships to aid the School of Business masters of business administration (MBA) efforts. Pembrook celebrated the successes of the 2017-18 academic year, including numerous faculty and staff honors and grants, successful community collaborative partnerships, innovation grant initiatives, student achievements, enrollment accomplishments despite the overall drop in total enrollment, academic advancements and facilities improvements. We will continue to pursue excellence regardless of circumstances, said Pembrook, who touched upon the state allocation conversation that occurred throughout the 2017-18 academic year and the change in system leadership. He also introduced the steering committee for revising the Universitys strategic plan. Among the 2018-19 goals, Pembrook focused on completing Phase II of the enrollment management plan and development of the academic strategic plan. He also is looking forward to completing the Center for Faculty and Innovation, round three of the innovation grants process and increasing salaries to the degree that enrollment and state budgets will allow. SIUEs facilities upgrades continue with the already in progress Founders Hall renovation and planning for an expansion of Alumni Hall. Other projects to anticipate are Morris University Center upgrades, a performing arts center, East St. Louis Charter High School improvements and University Park expansion. 2 hours ago Strong sales, profit from Walmart on cusp of holiday season NEW YORK (AP) Walmart topped almost all expectations in the third quarter, an encouraging sign for the upcoming holiday shopping season already beset by snarled supply chains and rising costs. The Bentonville, Arkansas, company also raised its full-year earnings guidance and shares rose before the opening bell Tuesday. Read Article Flash Senior members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Japan's ruling coalition, formed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner the Komeito party, wrapped up the eighth China-Japan ruling party talks in Tokyo on Friday. During the talks, Song Tao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Chinese delegation, urged the two sides to boost mutual trust and cooperation to jointly create a new era for bilateral ties in a keynote speech. Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Song said ruling parties of both countries should implement the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries, safeguard the political foundation of bilateral ties, stick to the right direction and create a new situation for durable peace and friendship. He also urged the two sides to expand win-win cooperation and break new ground for common development and prosperity under the Belt and Road Initiative; to take active measures to stick to free trade and construct an open world economy to show their commitment to promoting world development; and to promote bilateral exchanges and bonds between peoples of the two countries. Song also called on the ruling parties of the two countries to further bring into play their political leading role for developing bilateral ties, and to enhance strategic communications, boost political trust, create cooperation platforms and guide public opinion to jointly create a new era for bilateral ties. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the LDP and Yoshihisa Inoue, vice head of the Komeito Party, spoke highly of the important role played by the ruling party exchange mechanism in developing bilateral ties, and said that they are willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China to promote all-round improvement and faster development of bilateral ties. During the talks from Oct. 10 to Oct. 12, the two sides also had frank and in-depth talks on promoting political mutual trust and practical cooperation and approved a mutual initiative. An event was also held to introduce the international demonstration zone for China-Japan cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to step up their cooperation in security, including the fight against threats such as terrorism, drugs, and extremism. Li made the proposal while attending the 17th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in the Tajik capital Dushanbe. Li said the security issues facing regional countries are often intertwined and go beyond national borders, which requires a joint response. A vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security should be pursued, Li said. He spoke of the need to earnestly implement a cooperation program for combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, expand intelligence and information exchanges, and continue to carry out counter-terrorism exercises. Li also called for ramped-up efforts to fight drug planting, processing, and trafficking to cut off funding for terrorist organizations. He went on to say that cybersecurity cooperation should be strengthened to continue the crackdown on the spread of extremist ideology by extremists via the Internet or using information and communications technologies (ICT). He also rallied support for the work of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, calling on the SCO member states to contribute more wisdom to the political settlement of the Afghan issues. The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017. The Council of Heads of Government meets annually to discuss the organization's multilateral cooperation strategy and priorities. Flash Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo on Friday spoke over the phone following the release of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. A Turkish court decided on Friday to release Andrew Brunson, who has been detained since December 2016 and sparked a diplomatic row between the two NATO allies. Cavusoglu and Pompeo made the phone call after the release of the U.S. pastor, the Anadolu report cited an anonymous Turkish diplomatic source as saying, without giving more details of their talk. Following the Friday's hearing, the Turkish court sentenced Brunson to three years and 45 days in jail over terror charges, but freed him on time already served. The court also lifted his travel ban. Before the hearing, U.S. broadcaster NBC said Turkey and the United States had reached "a secret deal" for Brunson to be released Friday and some charges against him were dropped, in exchange for the United States easing "economic pressure" that included the measures that hit the Turkish currency in the summer. Flash Tanzania's police chief Simon Sirro said on Friday that police had intensified search for the country's billionaire who was abducted on Thursday. Mohamed Dewji, 43, was kidnapped at about 5.30 a.m. Thursday as he was about to enter a hotel gym for his routine workout in the leafy Oysterbay area in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. Speaking more than 24 hours after he was kidnapped by unknown armed people described as foreigners, Inspector General of Police Sirro said police will not leave any stone unturned in search of Dewji, dubbed as Africa's youngest billionaire. Lazaro Mambosasa, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, said the police had tightened security at all exit points including airports, roads going out of the city, the Indian Ocean shores and other border posts. "We are conducting an intensive search and investigation following Dewji's kidnap," said Mambosasa. "We are also continuing with the interrogations of all the 12 suspects who were arrested in connection with Dewji's abduction," he added. Mambosasa elaborated that until Friday there were no new clues leading to the whereabouts of the young billionaire. According to the police, the kidnappers shot into the air before bundling the tycoon into a waiting car. Soft-spoken Dewji is the chief executive and leading shareholder of the MeTL Group, a family owned Tanzanian conglomerate with operations in manufacturing, agriculture, haulage, trading and real estate. It is one of the largest industrial conglomerates in east Africa, with annual revenues hitting about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars and a workforce of more than 20,000 people. Since MeTL Group already contributes about 3.5 percent of Tanzania's gross domestic product, it is fast outgrowing national boundaries, working across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang suggested here Friday that China and Uzbekistan work together to translate their high-level political relations into more fruitful cooperation results. Li's remarks came as he met with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of Government in Tajik capital Dushanbe. Hailing the long-term friendship, increasing practical cooperation and deepening political mutual trust between China and Uzbekistan, Li noted that the two countries have carried out a series of major cooperation projects covering such areas as economy and trade, energy and connectivity. He called on both sides to continue their concerted efforts and turn their high-level political ties into more concrete results in bilateral cooperation. China, said Li, stands ready to conduct cooperation with Uzbekistan on industrial capacity that is highly efficient and environment-friendly, share its experience of development, encourage more competent Chinese enterprises to participate in Uzbekistan's industrialization process, and push for new progress in energy cooperation. China would like to tap the potential in agricultural cooperation and import high-quality agricultural produce from Uzbekistan, said the premier, calling for joint efforts to prepare for the inter-governmental mechanism meeting slated for next year. He also called for closer win-win cooperation in such areas as trade, people-to-people exchanges and local-level cooperation. Aripov said Uzbekistan is satisfied with the high level of its ties with China. Uzbekistan, he added, supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and hopes to speed up the construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. He also called for efforts to promote bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, education and tourism, and to expand it into new areas. Phuket Traffic Police warn of tailbacks for Veg Fest major processions PHUKET: Traffic Police have warned motorists to beware tailbacks and traffic delays while the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival get underway tomorrow (Oct 14). By Tavee Adam Saturday 13 October 2018, 10:30AM Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Image: Chinese Shrines Association Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Image: Chinese Shrines Association Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Image: Chinese Shrines Association Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Image: Chinese Shrines Association Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Image: Chinese Shrines Association Traffic Police are warning motorists to try to keep clear of the major street processions for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which get underway tomorrow (Oct 14). Photo: Chutharat Plerin This Sunday (Oct 14) will be the day for the street procession by devotees from Bang Liao Shrine, Lt Yuttana Rachapolsit of the Phuket City Traffic Police explained to The Phuket News. They will start on Phuket Rd at 7am and will go to Saphan Hin to perform their rituals, and then proceed through Phuket Town while heading back to Bang Liao Shrine, Lt Yuttana said. We expect the procession will conclude at about midday, he added. This procession will create big traffic problems on many roads in Phuket Town, especially as the procession continues along Phuket Rd, Lt Yuttana said. Other major roads to be affected include Thalang Rd and Yaowarat Rd, he added, Traffic Police officers have been assigned to direct traffic at key points along the procession route, Lt Yuttana noted. As for police providing escorts for the procession, that will be the duty of Tourist Police, but if they request us to help, of course Traffic Police will be happy to oblige, he said. More major street processions for the Vegetarian Festival will continue each day on Monday through Wednesday (Oct 15-17). Of note, the street procession by devotees from the Kathu Shrine the original home of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival on Tuesday (Oct 16), is expected to cause traffic delays as it passes through the busy Darasamut Intersection, and between the two main Central Festival shopping mall buildings. The procession for the Kathu Shrine will start from Makro (on Wichit Songkram Rd) at 7am and go to Saphan Hin, and then (to Makro) by about midday, Lt Yuttana said. "Of course the street processions may cause big traffic problems, but there are shortcuts around the routes that motorists can use to avoid the areas. If motorists know of these shortcuts, please use them, Lt Yuttana urged. If motorists have any questions about how to avoid the areas, they can call the Phuket City Traffic Police (Tel: 076-220919) and just ask, he added. Phuket tsunami evacuation routes under full review PHUKET: Tsunami evacuation routes for the popular tourist beaches at Patong, Kamala, Kata and Karon, and elsewhere in Phukets main coastal areas, are undergoing a full review. The move comes in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Sept 28, leaving nearly 2,000 people dead, some 5,000 believed missing and more than 74,000 homeless. tourismdisastersSafetypatong By The Phuket News Saturday 13 October 2018, 09:00AM A tsunami-evacuation sign on Bangla Rd points towards the hills at the back of Patong. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot A tsunami- evacuation sign near Bangla Rd, Patong, is held in place by being tucked into cables. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana ordered for the evacuation routes in main beach areas to be revised and new maps drawn up last Thursday (Oct 4). The moves also follows a call last Thursday by an expert who helped to create the Phukets tsunami-warning system to fully review the system (see story here). That call to review the warning system came after was revealed that one tsunami-warning buoy has been not working for six months and that some tsunami-warning towers were found to be faulty. (See story here.) An official at the National Disaster Warnig Centre (NDWC) in Bangkok on Wednesday confirmed to The Phuket News that all 19 tsunami-warning towers were now fully operational, though some could still be "improved". However, local administrations are under pressure to complete their reviews of tsunami-evacuation preparedness as quickly as possible as Gov Phakaphong is expected to call relevant officials to present him with updates on their progress next week. In handing down the order, the Governor also noted, All tsunami-evacuation signs must be checked and replaced if necessary. Many have not been replaced since they were first installed in 2005. Prapan Kanprasang, Chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), explained to The Phuket News that tsunami-evacuation routes are the responsibility of local administrations, not his office. Local administrations must inform the DDPM-Phuket of the evacuation routes and safe assembly zones but the responsibility for choosing the routes, having signs installed and making sure safe zones are maintained is the local administrations job. We can help them and provide support, but this is the local administrations responsibility, he said. While evacuation preparations in key tourist areas such as Patong, Kamala, Kata and Karon are already being revised, Mr Prapan also noted, Other areas are also being checked too. The evacuation routes in those areas may change also. PATONG Patong Deputy Mayor Boonma Aeapsap confirmed that his officers were on the streets on Wednesday (Oct 10), inspecting the existing routes and safe assembly zones in Phukets busiest tourism town. We are inspecting and collecting information on the current routes and safe zones in order to update our map as fast as possible. Most routes will remain the same, but some will change due to the construction of new buildings, he said. Paitoon Ponrop, Chief of the DDPM office at Patong Municipality, explained, As many new there are many new buildings in Patong, some routes are no longer appropriate for escaping a tsunami. We will need to revise these. Mr Paitoon also noted, All 110 evacuation signs must be replaced or relocated. Our inspection today (Oct 10) found advertising signs obscuring evacuation signs, while other signs were simply broken and others covered by cables. Plus we need to update our 13 safe zones in Patong as the number of people that these zones need to accommodate has changed. There are a lot more people in Phuket. We are looking for extra sites with the space needed, hopefully to be volunteered by some people or businesses, in case a tsunami strikes, he added. KAMALA Further north, Nopporn Karuna, Deputy Chief Executive of the Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor), admitted that he has been far too relaxed about tsunami-evacuation preparations. We havent even had a tsunami-evacuation drill for three years, he said. For Mr Nopporn, the issue of tsunami preparedness is personal. The Asian Tsunami of Dec 26, 2004 cost him 12 family members. Seeing what happened after the tsunami hit Palu brought flashbacks of the 2004 tsunami, he said. I lost my mother, sister and other family members and relatives 12 family members in all. I lost my house and everything in it on that day, Mr Nopporn recalled. This has encouraged me to push the changes through by using the OrBorTors emergency budget. I will not wait for funds to arrive, he told The Phuket News. Some routes need to be improved, including the area around the graveyard on the Kamala beachfront, he noted. The graveyard, officially called the Kamala Islamic Cemetery, features a wall nearly two meters tall and some 440 metres long along the beachfront, preventing any form of escape for beachgoers caught between the wall and sea. This may be a private area, but we will talk with the people responsible for maintaining the cemetery about the wall. I will ask them to unlock gates in the wall so people may pass through the cemetery, but only in case of a tsunami, Mr Nopporn said. Further, Mr Nopporn added, All our evacuation routes will be revised and new routes created if necessary. New bigger evacuation signs will be installed and the safe zones rechecked and new ones designated if needed all before the end of the year. And we will hold a tsunami-evacuation drill early next year, he assured. Three new big signs showing a map of the evacuation routes will be set up beside the beach, as well as at main tourist attractions in the area, and we will share the map with hotels in the area soon as it is ready, Mr Nopporn said. Once we have this information, we hope within the coming week, we will post it online so people can see it and download it from our website, he added. KATA-KARON South of Patong, at Kata and Karon beaches, efforts are also underway to review the tsunami evacuation routes and safe zones. Supachai Chanphet, head of the DDPM office at Karon Municipality, told The Phuket News on Wednesday, The current map of tsunami-evacuation routes and safe zones for Karon and Kata was fully revised and underwent a big update three years ago. Right now this map is only on a chart in our office but we will create a GIS version and share it online this week, he said. Syrian, Egyptian arrested in Patong for overstay PHUKET: Two men, one a Syrian and the other an Egyptian national, have been arrested at separate locations in Patong for overstaying in the country. immigrationcrimepolicepatong By Eakkapop Thongtub Saturday 13 October 2018, 05:42PM The two men were arrested at tourist accommodations in Patong. Photo: Patong Police The two men were arrested at tourist accommodations in Patong. Photo: Patong Police The two men were arrested at tourist accommodations in Patong. Photo: Patong Police The two men were arrested at tourist accommodations in Patong. Photo: Patong Police According to a police statement, following investigations, immigration officers accompanied by Patong Police arrested Syrian national Ahmed Al Massri, 23, at The A@M Patong hotel on Nanai Rd. He was found to be staying in Thailand illegally 1,740 days after his permit-to-stay expired. Officers also arrested Egyptian national Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Hassanein, 26, at the Cherry Apartment on Soi Saenglert off Nanai Rd. He was found to be staying in the country illegally 101 days after his permit-to-stay expired. Bot men were taken to Patong Police Station for processing. The police statement did not clarify when the two men were arrested, or what led to their arrest. The police statement did note that the arrests were carried out under Operation X-ray Out Law Foreigner, as mandated by the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police. South Dakota lawmakers subpoena Gov. Noem's labor secretary in nepotism probe Noem administration, former appraiser certification program director have not complied with some Government Operations and Audit Committee requests. If the worlds largest companies live up to the promises theyve made to slow global warming, together they could reduce emissions by an amount equal to those of Germany. The corporate pledges gained renewed attention last week after an ominous report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said that government policies alone wont ensure the unprecedented societal changes needed over the next decade to stem global warming. That puts the onus on the business sector to clean up a mess it helped create. To a greater extent than ever before, the best interests of many businesses and those of the planet are aligned. Weve gone from saying it would be nice to do, but it would cost us, to saying if we dont do it, we wont be able to grow, we wont be able to have tomorrows economy, said Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute. Business leaders, they realize that. As Feike Sijbesma, chief executive of Royal DSM, put it: We need to future proof ourselves. The report said that holding the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels set forth by the Paris climate agreement will require creating entire new industries to remove carbon from the air as well as the overhaul of the vast energy infrastructure that has been built over more than a century. Historically, corporations have been complicit in the worlds climate problem. One analysis shows that half of the globes emissions since 1988 are traceable to just 25 private and state-owned fossil fuel corporations. And many have lobbied against policies that would limit greenhouse-gas emissions. They have done so both directly and through support of groups that have cast doubt about global warming. Recently, however, theres a palpable change in the way business leaders talk about global warming. Some of my investors and banks asked me what do you want to do: Improve the world or make money? Sijbesma said I said, Well, both. With trillions of dollars at stake, corporations have forged ahead to create sustainable businesses. They are taking steps to lower their carbon footprints and overhaul their supply chains in a race against rising seas and temperatures. Others are trying to come up with the ultimate goal: how to pull carbon dioxide out of the air and use or store it. From Apple to Walmart, from Ikea to Google, dozens of firms have embraced renewable energy. UPS is shifting toward electric vehicles. Costco has installed solar systems on top of at least 100 of its warehouses, and some locations use solar power in parking lots. Google in 2017 offset all of its office and data centre electricity use by adding renewable energy to the grid. Some of the biggest changes are coming from what companies dont do. Europes largest bank, HSBC, this year stopped funding new coal power plants, oilsands development and Arctic drilling, joining a growing number of investors and lenders to shun ambitious fossil fuel projects. Making real strides will be expensive. The UN report said that hitting the 1.5 C target would cost an average of $3.5 trillion (U.S.) a year through 2050 almost $1 trillion a year more than the current pledges made by governments in Paris in 2015. The bulk of the money will have to come from the private sector. Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimate that global investment in whats called clean energy came to $138.2 billion in the first six months of 2018, down one per cent from the same period in 2017. The slippage reflected lower capital costs for photovoltaic projects, with fewer dollars spent per megawatt installed; and a cooling-off in Chinas solar boom, the firm said. Consumer demand and employee expectations are driving some of the investments. In many cases, companies are finding that their own customers and employees prefer to buy and work at firms that are responsive to climate issues. And thanks to the falling prices of renewable energy, it can be cheaper to be climate-friendly than not. Walmart, for example, has installed more than 1.5 million energy-efficient LED light fixtures across more than 6,000 stores, parking lots, distribution centres and corporate offices in 10 countries, driving down lighting costs by hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade, the company said. Walmart also exceeded its goal to double the efficiency of its trucking fleet by 2015. Working with equipment manufacturers and others, the retailing giant saved nearly $1 billion and avoided emissions of almost 650,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2015 compared to 2005. Many of the nations biggest utilities have figured out that they can make more by selling less, especially when public service commissions can guarantee them healthy rates of return. New Jersey-based PSEG, one of the U.S.s largest utilities, last month unveiled a six-year $4.1-billion climate plan, with two-thirds of the money aimed at boosting energy efficiency. An additional $300 million will go toward 40,000 new charging stations for electric vehicles. At the end of 2017, New Jersey had just 517 public charging stations. I really do believe that while we pay an appropriate amount of attention to solar and wind, where we should be focusing far more of our attention is energy efficiency, said Ralph Izzo, chief executive of PSEG. A physicist by training, Izzo said the time for action is now, since the carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere wont dissipate for centuries. We need to step up our game, he said, and thats what were intending to do. The worlds major oil companies including BP, Shell and Total have ponied up $100 million each to establish a fund called the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, which invests in small companies working on technologies that could sharply cut emissions. ExxonMobil and Chevron recently joined the group. That amount pales next to the big oil companies commitment to oil and gas: $100 million is less than two days capital spending for Royal Dutch Shell, for example. We cannot continue on this capitalist-driven carbon binge and hope voluntary actions will solve the climate crisis, said Erich Pica, head of Friends of the Earth. The fossil fuel industry cant buy their way out of this self-created problem by tossing pennies toward small projects to save their public image. Nonetheless, Pratima Rangarajan, chief executive of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, said the money is a start and a way for big companies to find useful technologies. The fund has invested in Clarke Valve, whose co-founder Kyle Daniels said that if his firms valves were installed in natural gas wells, they could capture 50 per cent of the leaked emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Larry Fromm, executive vice president of Achates Power, said that his firm has figured out how to make an internal combustion engine 30 to 50 per cent more efficient. He said Achates put one of its engines in a Ford F-150 pickup truck, the nations bestselling vehicle, and it had the same fuel efficiency as a Honda Accord. Fromm said Achates has licensed its technology to the U.S. army and to 10 automobile makers. Finding out what all of this adds up to isnt easy. But researchers are homing in on some answers. Current pledges by companies who both produce electricity and use it could lead to between 570 and 935 million tons of reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2030, according to Angel Hsu, who directs Data-Driven Yale. For comparison, the emissions of Germany, the largest emitter in Europe, were 935 million tons in 2016. But the potential is far greater. Hsu calculates that if major corporate initiatives to reduce emissions can keep enrolling major companies, there could be over a billion tons of additional gains by 2030. Not every company walks a straight line forward. Mars, the chocolate giant, says it will reduce its emissions 27 per cent by 2025 over 2015 levels, and by 67 per cent by 2050. But last year the companys greenhouse gas emissions increased slightly, a result of growth in some business areas. Even among companies that recognize global warming, uncertainty underlies many of the big questions: How much? How bad? When? These are the sort of questions the insurance industry is built on. And yet it suffered economic losses of $125 billion in Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and economic losses of $213 billion during the three big hurricanes last year. Usually insurers look to historic data and assume that the near future is the same or similar to what has happened in the past, said Ernst Rauch, chief climate scientist at the insurance giant Munich Re. With global warming this is simply not the case. In some cases, insurance becomes more expensive for businesses and homeowners near shorelines or in flood plains. But big insurers also have new opportunities to insure properties that are suddenly dealing with growing climate perils. Robert Litterman, co-founder of a hedge fund called Kepos Capital, has made his career calculating odds and building sophisticated models for investors. In the fund world, he is known as a quant. But lately Litterman has been forced out of his comfort zone. The problem? Investors keep asking about global warming. A lot of investors want to understand the implications of a low carbon economy, he said. Quantifying that is difficult. And theyre worried, he added, that a major climate transition could take place much faster than expected. If you look at this problem from a risk-management point of view, you look at that worst-case scenario, Litterman said. And the worst-case scenario is really, really bad. WRIs Steer said avoiding that outcome will require marshaling corporate and government resources. Its wonderful what (companies) are doing, he said. But we also need governments. They are two blades of a pair of scissors, so to speak. Theres no sense in having just one. Read more about: Flash The specter of China-bashing has seemingly run over Washington of late, rearing its ugly head most visibly in U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's tirade last week against the Asian country. In his Oct. 4 speech at the Hudson Institute, a think tank in Washington, Pence not only repeated such trite allegations as unfair trade and technology theft, but went as far as accusing China of being ungrateful to historical U.S. aid and meddling in U.S. elections. The address and the broader smear campaign indicate that some policy-makers in Washington are having a severe Sinophobia attack and succumbing to illusions. The accusations are so spurious and so absurd that they cannot stand any serious fact check. There are at least five major fallacies in Pence's China speech. First, the claim that the United States "rebuilt" China over the past decades is just preposterous. China's remarkable development is driven by the hard work of the over 1.3 billion Chinese people and facilitated by the country's win-win cooperation with the rest of the world. Second, the expansionism accusation is the United States calling white black. What China has been doing is a just defense of its core interests and legitimate rights, while it is the United States that has kept throwing its weight around on Taiwan, the South China Sea and many other issues in disregard of other countries' rights and interests. Third, by accusing China of engaging in unfair trade practices, Pence deliberately ignored the nature of mutual benefit of bilateral economic exchanges. While helping boost China's development, China-U.S. trade has brought U.S. businesses a massive market, the American people quality and affordable products, and the U.S. economy incentives to upgrade. Fourth, by questioning China's commitment to reform and opening-up, the U.S. leader turned a blind eye to Beijing's unremitting efforts to comprehensively deepening reform, expanding market access and lowering tariff levels. China has pledged that the changes in the external environment will not alter its own plan and pace of reform. Last but not the least, the assertion that China is projecting influence in the United States and interfering in U.S. elections is a pure illusion. Buying advertising space in U.S. newspapers is a legitimate and common practice, and major media outlets around the world have noted that Pence offered no evidence. In a country constantly preaching press freedom, the claim smells of an attempt to prevent the U.S. public from knowing more about the truth of China-U.S. trade frictions. Although Pence called for a relationship grounded in fairness, reciprocity and respect for sovereignty, his entire speech was just the opposite of it. Many have pointed out behind the United States' recent broadside against China is its reluctance to accept China's rapid development and the corresponding reshaping of the international landscape. As former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said, Washington "is busy ... thinking about China as an enemy," and "thinking too much about adversarial relations as opposed to diplomatic relations." China-U.S. ties represent one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. For China's part, it has consistently advocated the building of long-term, healthy and stable relations with the United States featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. For the United States' part, Washington is all over the map. Its increasingly harsh stance toward China has put bilateral ties at a crossroads 39 years after they established diplomatic relations. For the benefit of both sides and the entire world, the United States now needs to stop playing ripped-off almsgiver and restore sanity and responsibility to its China policy. EDMONTONKurt Burnstick, chief of the Alexander First Nation, collapsed into the arms of his family and sobbed, muttering softly, its over after being found not guilty Friday of a sexual assault alleged to have occurred in 1985. There were gasps from the gallery as Justice Donna Shelley found Burnstick not guilty of sexual assault and breaking and entering, both alleged to have occurred on the First Nation he now leads. His accuser, who cannot be named because of a publication ban, described how in the summer of 1985 she was a shy, timid 15-year-old working as a summer student putting together the communitys newsletter. Her job, she said, meant she worked largely alone in an old school building. She said Burnstick, then 19, came into the building a number of times while she was working alone, and described how his smiles turning to smirks, how he would bump into her at the photocopier. On one of these occasions, she testified he sat next to her on a sofa in the break room before pushing her up against the arm of the couch, kissing her neck and running his hands up her legs. I remember being scared, she said. It was hard for me to tell him to leave me alone. She said it happened again, with Burnstick coming into the building unannounced and climbing on top of her while she was on the couch, running his hands over her breasts. I dont know why I couldnt just leave, she said. I think it was because I was ashamed. She testified that when she heard someone else come into the building, he jumped up and left. Too scared to continue working in that building alone, she said she quit her summer job. Three weeks after she started school again, returning home from class one day, she says she went to the kitchen to start dinner, and went outside to feed and water the horses before going back downstairs to her room to relax. Thats when she heard the door open. She called for her sister, who was supposed to be home soon. She didnt answer back, she said. Suddenly, she testified, she saw Burnstick at her bedroom door. She said she tried to get up, but got pinned between her underinflated waterbed and the side of her bedframe. I remember being helpless, she testified, unable to hold back tears as her daughter watched from the front bench of the gallery. The woman described how Burnstick straddled her, leaving one foot on the floor as he kissed her face and neck, running his hands over her body. When her sister came home, she said Burnstick got up and left. She says she didnt tell anyone for seven years, and only reported what happened to the RCMP in March 2016, after hearing another member of the Alexander First Nation make a similar allegation. Justice Shelley said parts of the womans sisters testimony corroborated her story, but other elements supported Burnsticks version of events. Burnstick said the two knew each other from the community. He testified he was also a summer student working for the band in 1985. He described developing a crush on her, and said the two arranged a rendezvous in the basement of the old school, but he stopped after she became afraid someone would find them. Burnstick says she had invited him over to her house when she knew her mother would be out playing bingo. He said the two spent time together with her sister in the living room before he tossed his keys to her sister and told her to take his mothers car out for a drive. When she left, Burnstick testified the woman led him to her bedroom, as she wanted to show it to him. He could not recall whether she explicitly agreed to making out with him, but said he thought they met in the middle. Burnstick said he stopped pursuing her when she said she was attracted to another teen from the First Nation, but that the two remained friends. Justice Shelley said she could not conclude that anyone giving testimony was lying, but some of the discrepancies gave her pause. In the end, I am left with many differences, Shelley said. As these differences left the judge with reasonable doubt, Shelley said she found Burnstick not guilty on both charges against him. Burnstick has previously been acquitted of a sexual assault allegation made against him in 2015. Read more about: EDMONTONMore than four in five Albertans are concerned about pot-impaired driving, according to a new survey. Just days away from legalization, the Desjardins Group survey shows 81 per cent have concerns, with three-quarters believing impaired driving will increase and only 19 per cent feeling Canada has made progress over the last year to deal with high drivers. They just dont think theres been enough awareness. Some dont believe that theres enough tools ready for the police, like for testing roadside sobriety, Desjardins Group spokesperson John Bordignon said. Its coming quickly and because some of the aspects are regulated provincially and federally, it can be confusing for some people. Eighty per cent of Albertans polled said they dont think police have the tools and resources they need to identify marijuana-impaired drivers. Edmonton police decided last week to purchase the Draeger DrugTest 5000, a roadside oral fluid testing device that measures THC (tetrahydrocannabino, the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis), amphetamines and cocaine levels in saliva, to use on a trial basis. Read more: Technology hasnt caught up to cannabis laws, Edmonton police say Edmonton police will purchase roadside test devices for marijuana, but Calgary isnt buying in No ... you dont drive better when youre stoned, new Alberta Motor Association campaign warns Calgary police are holding off on purchasing roadside tests, which have been controversial as THC levels in relation to impairment are still debated and the devices have had issues functioning in cold climates. Police will mostly rely on standard field sobriety tests. Edmonton police will have 125 officers trained to do the field tests by legalization day, and plan to train 33 per cent of their 1,800 front-line officers over the next five years. According to Health Canada numbers, many Canadians dont take driving while high seriously only half who used pot in the past year think it affects their driving ability. Statistics Canada numbers also released Thursday show about 18 per cent of Alberta cannabis users with a drivers licence admit to driving within two hours of using the drug in the last three months. According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), the percentage of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for cannabis rose from 16 per cent to 21 per cent between 2000 and 2015. Have Your Say TIRF research associate Heather Woods-Fry said thats partly due to increased testing rates among fatally injured drivers and the increased ability for police to detect drug-impaired drivers, but also partly because of an actual increase in cannabis-impaired driving. Woods-Fry said the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. While it is impossible to predict what will happen to these numbers after legalization, it is probably not unlikely that the problem will be amplified before improvements are seen, she said in an email. She added public education campaigns will be important, focusing at first on youth and other high-risk populations, followed by broader campaigns backed up by consistent and intensive enforcement. There is no silver bullet or single recommendation to this complex problem, however, a holistic approach with a combination of different approaches is required to develop effective strategies to prevent and reduce marijuana-impaired driving, Woods-Fry said. The Alberta Motor Association launched a campaign last month to educate motorists about the dangers of driving high. Cannabis is not the only substance making Albertans edgy about road safety. According to the Desjardins survey, 75 per cent are also concerned about people driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Seventeen per cent of respondents admitted to driving at least once under the influence of prescription drugs that can cause drowsiness or other impairments. The online survey polled 3,020 Canadians in March 2018. Read more about: VANCOUVERThe British Columbia government says a new agreement between a group of Indigenous people and the provincial and federal governments is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The treaty negotiations memorandum of understanding was signed Saturday at a ceremony in the Leqa:mel community by the chiefs from the six First Nations of the Sto:lo Xwexwilmexw Treaty Association and ministers from the provincial and federal governments. The new approach recognizes that Indigenous rights are inherent and cannot be extinguished or surrendered, and shifts away from seeking a full and final settlement. A release from the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation says it builds a collaborative and predictable ongoing government-to-government relationship that can adapt to changing circumstances over time, as policies evolve or new rights are established by the courts. Constitutional relationship, self-government, land ownership and jurisdiction would be set out in a constitutionally protected core treaty developed together by the governments and the First Nation, but administrative and operational policy matters would be included in supplementary agreements. Members of the six First Nations communities are Sto:lo, meaning People of the River, with villages located in the Lower Fraser River Watershed between Vancouver and Yale, and concentrated in the Central and Upper Fraser Valley. Read more about: YEREVAN, ARMENIAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Saturday morning the incoming Quebec governments plan to raise the legal age for smoking cannabis to 21 could leave an opening for organized crime. Speaking to reporters on the last day of a trip to Armenia, Trudeau said increasing the legal age could undermine one of the federal laws key aims eliminating the black market. If we eliminate the segment of the population between 18 to 19 and 21 years, which is a population often in university, often in areas where theyll try to consume, were keeping an important segment of potential consumers for the black market, he told reporters in Yerevan. Trudeau said he hopes to discuss the matter further with Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault, whose party was elected Oct. 1. The federal law sets the minimum age at 18 but leaves it open to provinces and territories to establish their own rules. In all provinces and territories, the legal age will be 18 or 19 when cannabis becomes legal next Wednesday. But Legault has promised to raise the age to 21 from 18 in Quebec. Trudeau said he personally agrees with a legal age of 18. The prime minister said he understands that some people would like to prevent those under 25 from consuming marijuana due to the substances impact on brain development, but that doing so would maintain a black market. We believe that setting the legal age to (match) the age of alcohol consumption is a compromise that makes sense, he said. Despite their differences, Trudeau appeared reluctant to begin a quarrel with the newly elected Quebec premier. The government of the (Coalition Avenir Quebec) hasnt even established its cabinet yet, so (there are) a lot of decisions to make, he said. Well share our perspective ... and well have the necessary conversations at the right time and place. While Legault has promised to raise the legal age to 21, those changes wont be in place when cannabis becomes legal on Wednesday. Therefore, Quebecers between the ages of 18 and 20 will be able to legally consume cannabis for at least the first few weeks. The party has said it intends to begin the process of modifying the law once the legislature session begins. Read more about: As legalization looms, K9 units across the country are facing a problem: their dogs are outdated. Drug-sniffing dogs undergo training from a very young age to be able to detect a wide variety of drugs, including cannabis, which will be legal in Canada on Oct. 17. And while some have been forced into early retirement, many will remain in their jobs, raising questions for legal experts concerned that law-abiding citizens might be stopped and searched by police based on an alert for a perfectly legal substance. Some organizations said theyll be totally unaffected by legalization. Since crossing the border with cannabis will remain illegal without a permit, the Canadian Border Services Agency said all their drug-sniffing dogs will remain in the same role. Through its programs and services, the CBSA will continue to uphold laws governing the illegal cross-border movement of cannabis, while facilitating the free flow of legitimate people and goods, spokesperson Jayden Robertson said in a statement. Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Jason Doucette said the VPDs drug-sniffing dog numbers are not going down, were not reassigning anyone. Read more: Everything you need to know about cannabis legalization in Canada Canada readies itself for one of its biggest policy shifts ever with pot legalization Employers scrambling to find a way to manage weed in the workplace Even in forces that are adapting to legalization, change will come slowly. In January, the Winnipeg Police Services (WPS) K9 unit added Ivy, a 20-month-old Belgian Malinois, to its roster. Ivy got all the regular training except cannabis odour detection. But all 14 WPS canines, all of whom except Ivy are trained to detect cannabis, will continue working until the end of their careers, the WPS said instead, change will be grandfathered in as new dogs wont undergo cannabis training. Since the Calgary Police Service (CPS) said nearly all of their searches initiated by drug-sniffing dogs involve a previously obtained warrant, theyll be keeping theirs too. Drug-sniffing dogs are also used at traffic stops, the CPS said, albeit rarely. Sometime this fall, the CPS Canine Unit will employ dogs both with and without cannabis training. This will allow flexibility in a variety of investigative needs, the CPS said. The RCMP said it has prepared for legalization by training a new crop of drug-sniffing dogs over the summer who only detect illegal drugs, to be used for traffic stops and interdiction work. The current crop of 14 dogs in those roles, spread out across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, will all enjoy early retirements. But those dogs only make up 12 per cent of the RCMPs total canine force. The vast majority of general duty dogs will remain in place with their current training. There will still be offences related to cannabis, such as the unlawful sale or distribution of cannabis, including its sale or distribution to young persons, and the unlawful possession, production, importation and exportation of cannabis, the RCMP said in a statement. This is where the law could get fuzzy, experts say. Toronto cannabis lawyer Paul Lewin said it was ridiculous that police forces plan to keep their cannabis-trained dogs. Its absolutely pointless. Itd be like a tomato-detecting dog, he said. [The dogs] arent going to tell us if its illicit cannabis. The dogs arent trained that well. The dog wont know how much cannabis is there. Im baffled. When cannabis was illegal, police had reasonable grounds to search a person if a dog smelled cannabis on them. Now, Lewin said, though cannabis-related offences will still exist, the waters are muddied. Since dogs dont distinguish their alerts based on specific drugs, police wont know whether a dog is alerting them to the presence of fentanyl or a joint. Toronto cannabis lawyer Harrison Jordan said he expects to see court challenges where dogs alert their handler for the presence of a drug that turns out to be legal cannabis, and the cop finds a different illegal item, like a handgun will that charge hold up in court, since the initial search was for a legal substance? It really depends on the reasonable grounds that they have, Jordan said. For instance, most provinces will allow police to search a vehicle if they believe the driver is carrying cannabis in an open container similar to open container laws with alcohol but police generally cant just search every car at a RIDE stop checking for impaired driving, Jordan said. In any case, Lewin said he expects to see many cases where false positives are tested in court. The Charter frowns on searches for no good reason, he said. Theres really some serious rights at stake here. To make sure you stay on the right side of the law as much as possible, make sure your cannabis stays fair away from airports and border crossings, Jordan said. Dont try to take your stuff out of the country, or into the country, because thats where youre most likely to encounter a sniffer dog, he said. -With files from The Canadian Press When Prohibition ended, Ontario did not drown in whisky, gin and wine. The province drowned in the bureaucracy. The first week of government-controlled liquor was marked by queues. There was a line to get in. There was a line to get a permit, which you needed to buy anything in the shop. A line to fill out an order form. A line to pay. A line to pick up your purchases at a counter, wrapped in brown paper. Anyone who emerged from the maelstrom of the LCBO was a beacon of hope to those waiting outside. At least with the bootleggers, one man cracked, you got fast service. On Oct. 17, cannabis will be legal across Canada, and the Ontario government has a website to describe what that means for purchasers in this province. Back in 1927, when the government transitioned to legal alcohol, the clearing house for all concerns and questions was essentially one man. The first chief commissioner of the LCBO was D.B. (David Blythe) Hanna, 69, an old railway executive. He was a looming Scot with a gentle demeanour, a warm handshake and a good sense of humour, according to the press. He came out of his retirement to be the governments strong man in the liquor game, and told the Star he only agreed to be Ontarios chief bartender because he liked the challenge of a new industry. The people of Ontario evidently want some kind of liquor business to be established, he said in the winter of 1927. Perhaps it will be a public service to construct it for them on sound business principles. The countdown to opening day had been marked by worry. How would the government weed out suspicious characters? Would people who applied for liquor permits have to file affidavits? What good would that do? Hanna asked. The official stance was that all 21-year-old Ontario residents were eligible. The government wasnt assuming everybody was a crook, he said. On June 1, 1927, at 10 a.m., the province planned to open the first 18 LCBO shops in Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, London, Brockville, Kitchener, Fort William, Windsor and Toronto. Hanna wanted to avoid anything that would look like a wild celebration, the Star noted. In interviews with the press, he had asked people to dive back into alcohol with leisurely dignity. On the eve of opening day, he was still convinced there would be no wild rush. But he was wrong. Across Ontario, the stores were besieged. It was a crush in London, a splendid business in Kitchener, and in Windsor, they were so overwhelmed they had to shut down early. Long lineups at all liquor dispensaries, read the Stars front-page headline about Torontos six stores. No cattle car was ever more crowded, the coverage continued. It was a struggle for a strong man to fight his way through the sardine tin to the counter at the rear where licences were sold. One had to be a contortionist to get an arm free to write out a slip. Hanna didnt have much sympathy. He blamed the people who failed to get their permits in advance for causing the congestion. They had a whole week. They had been warned. What did they expect? He reluctantly reopened the permit office at 74 King St. E., to take the pressure of the liquor shops. He also took issue with the Stars characterization of the day as an opening of the sluice gates. What an insult to the fair name of the province! There had always been a powerful temperance lobby in Canada, and Prohibition had been enacted in Ontario in 1916. It was difficult to enforce, because unlike the U.S., Ontario hadnt outlawed the manufacture of alcohol for export, said Dan Malleck, an associate professor of health sciences at Brock University and author of Try to Control Yourself: The Regulation of Public Drinking in post-Prohibition Ontario, 1927-44. In Toronto, there were speakeasies where you could ease your dusty throat with bootlegged alcohol and home brews. Wineries were still legal because the province wanted to nurture the homegrown industry, Malleck noted. Alcohol could still be purchased for medicinal, industrial and religious reasons and the sale was regulated by the Board of License Commissioners, precursor to the LCBO. Prohibition started to officially weaken in 1923, when Premier Howard Fergusons government introduced the sale of low-alcohol beer in restaurants and beverage rooms, but the quality of the beer was widely criticized, Malleck said. There were also the veterans. Some people argued that as soon as the soldiers came back, theyre coming back to this dry country and theyre saying, What the hell? We just put our lives on the line and, we get what now? By 1927, it wasnt really surprising that Ontario decided to follow other provinces into government liquor control. The bureaucratic process was by design. The LCBO was based on a Scandinavian system of disinterested management, where sales were not encouraged, but moderation and restriction were, Malleck said. I think what they were trying to do was appease both sides by making it available, but not making it so available that there would be so much disorder that the temperance movement would try to reassert itself, he said. In the lineups, complaints abounded. Absolutely the worst system I have ever seen, said one man who was not a fan of the disinterested management style. As the week progressed, the chaos subsided but the lines were still long enough for reporters to recognize repeat customers from earlier in the week. I had a party last night, one man explained. One woman said she was so confused on the first day that she ordered beer when she meant to order whisky. She admitted however, that the beer had been pretty good and ordered another case today as well. The women in line were somewhat of a novelty, carrying away their whisky and gin with as much sang froid as the men, the Globe noted. With congestion still bad at the end of the first week, Hanna introduced a temporary measure of one alcohol purchase a week per permit. It had not been an auspicious start, the Globe noted, criticizing the disgraceful street scenes. People wrote letters to the editor decrying the drunken displays and the risks to the family. By September, Hanna warned that liquor permits could be cancelled permanently for drunkenness. By the end of 1927, the LCBO had opened 86 stores, three mail-order departments and four warehouses. Five months after opening day, a source at Queens Park told the Star sales were between $11 million and $12 million, far higher than they imagined, and it would help give the government its first surplus since 1919. The next day D.B. Hanna called those numbers absolutely foolish but a few months later confirmed that sales had actually been $17 million. He was convinced that just as much alcohol had been consumed under prohibition law and just a few years ago, the profits were pouring into the hands of the lowest element of the people in the province instead of the taxpayer. In its first report, the LCBO said there was a marked decline in the bootlegging evil, and dangerous home brews and a lessening of youthful temptations to break prohibitory laws. They praised the people of Ontario for their moderation, especially during the holidays, which had been enjoyed without excessive intemperance. Perfection had not been achieved, they noted, but it was a safe and sane system. In the bureaucratic language of the LCBO of the day, the praise didnt get much higher than that. The Bureaucracy of Buying Booze 1927: Permit books used for ordering 1957: Permit books started to be replaced by an identification-card system 1961: Ontarians were permitted to buy liquor without permits or identification cards (proof of age was still required) 1969: First self-serve store where no order had to be written down on an order form 1993: Last counter-service store where orders had to be written down on an order form Source: LCBO CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Board of License Commissioners. Community advocates are alarmed that a Toronto hotel housing hundreds of asylum seekers appears to have become the target of anti-refugee sentiment after a fire was deliberately set in a hallway. The Radisson Hotel in the citys north-east, which is the temporary home to 570-plus so-called irregular migrants from the United States, was the scene of a blaze that sent all guests out onto the streets at around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 2. Toronto police say the fire was started in the third-floor hallway after a gasoline container was allegedly set alight. Police released a photograph Friday of a woman they are seeking in connection to the blaze, which is being investigated as arson. No injuries were reported. The fire follows an online anti-refugee campaign involving postings on right-wing websites and included a video taken by trespassers showing what they claimed was vandalism by refugees staying at the hotel. It hits me as a Canadian how sad and disturbing it is. Its not what we had expected of each other, said Mario Calla, executive director of COSTI, an agency responsible for the irregular migrants. Political leaders have a great influence on public opinions. The last thing we want is to see these far-rights nationalists be emboldened by virtue of our elected officials being silent and not dealing with these kinds of issues. Ten days after the incident, elected officials responded to requests for comment from the Star, offering the first public condemnation of the attack that has rattled refugees and their advocates. I cant imagine how cruel and evil a person has to be to knowingly light a fire inside a hotel while people are sleeping. It is deeply concerning to even contemplate the possibility of this being a hate-motivated, targeted act aimed at innocent refugees, Mayor John Tory said Friday. I know the vast majority of Toronto residents and Canadians wish them absolutely no harm. Every person in Canada has a right to feel safe and should not fear for their safety. Border Security Minister Bill Blair told the Star Ottawa has remained committed to orderly migration while protecting the safety and security of Canadians. Our government firmly believes that there is no place in Canada for intolerance and hatred and we will continue to speak out against these cowardly acts, he said. There are currently 2,600 irregular migrants staying in Torontos shelter system and four hotels in the GTA are contracted to accommodate the overflow. The hotels will still be needed in the new year if the arrival of migrants continues at the same rate. The city is also planning to add 1,000 new shelter beds by the end of 2019. Between January and August, 14,125 asylum seekers arrived in Canada through unguarded border crossings. After a brief dip in arrivals in May and June, the number rose again in July and August. Although almost all irregular migrants come in through Quebec, many are destined for English-speaking Ontario. A recent Star series found a 20 to 25 per cent jump in the number of white nationalist and right-wing extremist groups operating in Canada over the last three years, estimating there are anywhere between 100 and 125 active groups from coast to coast. The growth has caused police and security agencies to reassess the threat the movement poses. The xenophobic and racist discourse that has been amplified over the past months must stop, said Debbie Douglas of OCASI, an umbrella group that represents 200 immigrant settlement agencies in Ontario. There must be a clear and unequivocal condemnation of these sentiments and actions from our political and civic leaders. Although the influx of irregular migrants from the U.S. started as early as late-2016 when Donald Trump was elected president and threatened immigration bans, the anti-refugee sentiment north of the border only began brewing this summer with concerns of irregular migrants flooding the citys shelter system. Officials had refused to disclose the location of the refugee shelters, but in June online comments began appearing on TripAdvisor, a hotel review website, with people outing the Radisson and trashing it as a refugee holding centre. The website suspended commenting on the hotel after it found some posts were unsubstantiated and not based on first-person experiences. The hotel management declined to comment when contacted by the Star. Were living in a different dark world now, said Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. We have a premier who posed with a far-right mayoral candidate and wants people to believe that this (irregular migration) is a big problem and calls it illegal migration. It stokes the fire among people who are already leaning towards hating refugees and immigrants. According to COSTIs Calla, three trespassers filmed refugees at the hotel in September and posted a degrading video showing the words free money and what they claimed was human excrement in the hallways. Three other trespassing attempts by camera-wielding strangers were reported since then, after COSTI boosted security at the hotel with around-the-clock guards at all entrances. Now our clients are frightened and anxious. They are afraid to even go to the bus stop fearing people will seek them out, said Calla, adding that refugees at the hotel have done nothing to vandalize the building as described in the video. These racist white nationalists intend to destroy our social cohesion. Canadians need to be aware of them and not tolerate these kinds of attitudes and ideology that are rooted in racism. A reminder for Toronto residents and business owners who may not be able to vote on Oct. 22 election day: Sunday is the final day to cast an advance ballot. Here are some additional details about voting: Can I vote? If you are a Canadian citizen, 18 years or older, live in the city and are not prohibited from voting under any law, you can vote. If you live elsewhere but you or your spouse own or rent property in the city, you can vote in the ward where your property is located. To vote for a school trustee, you must be an owner or tenant of a residential property in the city. Where do I vote? That depends on where you live. Ward boundarieswere recently changed by the province, so your area likely has a new ward number and name. You might now be in a ward you are unfamiliar with. The easiest way to check which ward youre in and where you can vote is by going to myvote.toronto.ca and entering your address. There are two advance polling stations per ward. Anyone can vote at city hall (100 Queen St. West) during the advance voting period. Advance polls are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Do I have to register ahead of time? No. Unlike in the U.S. where most states have a voting registration deadline, you can still vote in Toronto even if you didnt sign up before election day. If you did receive a voter card in the mail, bring it with you to the polling station along with one piece of approved identification showing your name and qualifying address. Having a voter card speeds up the process. If you lost your card, you can print one on the MyVote website. If you didnt get a voter card, the process is still pretty straightforward. Bring your identification and an elections officer at the poll will help you. Examples of acceptable identification are an Ontario drivers licence, a copy of your lease agreement, a utility bill or cable bill. What if I cant make it to an advance poll? You can vote on election day, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the citys MyVote site to find out where your poll will be on that day as it may be different from the advance polls. Alternatively, you can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. You can have a proxy certified up until 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. You can get the form by contacting election services at 416-338-1111, in person at a city clerks office or emailing voterregistration@toronto.ca More details are available on the citys website. LEBANON, OHIOU.S. President Donald Trump praised the Confederate general Robert E. Lee whilst asking African-American voters to honour us by voting for him at an Ohio rally which included an unexpected and provocative monologue on Americas Civil War history. Addressing an open-air rally of around 4,000 supporters, Trump appeared buoyant as he declared that Lee was a true great fighter and great general. He also said Abraham Lincoln once had a phobia of the Southern leader, whose support of slavery has made his legacy a heavily contested and divisive issue. The comments came during an anecdote about Ohio-born president Ulysses S. Grants alleged drinking problems. Robert E. Lee was winning battle after battle after battle. And Abraham Lincoln came home, he said, I cant beat Robert E. Lee, Trump said. They said to Lincoln, You cant use him anymore, hes an alcoholic. And Lincoln said, I dont care if hes an alcoholic, frankly, give me six or seven more just like him. He started to win. Minutes earlier, Trump had hailed African-American unemployment numbers and asked Black voters to honour us by voting Republican in November. Get away from the Democrats, he told them. Think of it: we have the best numbers in history . . . I think were going to get the African-American vote. And its true. He also celebrated hip-hop artist Kanye Wests visit to the Oval Office on Thursday, adding: What he did was pretty amazing. Trumps speech threatened to reignite a highly divisive debate over Americas racial history with just weeks to go until the mid-terms. Trump has previously defended statues commemorating Confederate leaders, tweeting last year: Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. Critics say such statues glorify historic advocates of slavery. Ulysses Grant was not the only Ohio-native whom Trump deployed as a foil in his wider cultural war. He also referenced astronaut Neil Armstrong, telling crowds: Hes the man that planted the flag on the face of the moon. . . there was no kneeling, there was no nothing, there was no games, boom in a reference to NFL athletes kneeling in protest during the national anthem. Trump was in Lebanon to boost the campaign of Rep. Steve Chabot, the incumbent whose 1st Congressional District encompasses the county and who had distanced himself from the president ahead of the event. We didnt ask him to come . . . he wasnt my first choice or my second or my third, he told one newspaper, apparently fearful Trumps divisive rhetoric could prove costly in the competitive race. On the night, however, Chabot appeared content to revel in the presidents support. God bless the president. And I never thought Id say this, but God Bless Kanye West, he said. Standing before a supersized American flag suspended between two diggers, the president listed his achievements whilst redoubling his attacks on his traditional opponents in a rally which exceeded an hour in length. He described Democrats as the party of the mob and said of the media: Weve learned how to live with them. We dont like it, but weve learned. Supporters gleefully chanted Trump Trump! Trump! Trump and Ka-va-naugh! Ka-va-naugh during the event, whilst booing in reference to the media and Democratic politicians whom he accused of trying to stymie the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Brett Kavaugh. At the outset of his speech, Trump celebrated the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest in Turkey, telling supporters at the rally: He went through a lot, but hes on his way back but sidestepping the suspected killing of a Saudi journalist amid growing pressure on the White House to address the diplomatic crisis. Im really proud to report that earlier today we secured the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey, he declared to a rapturous applause in Ohio, as a plane transporting the evangelical leader from Istanbul landed in Germany. I think hes going to be in great shape. . .We bring a lot of people back and thats good. He earlier told reporters in Cincinnati that there had been no deal to secure the pastors release. The president had been less vocal on the suspected murder of U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, although he said he would raise it with his Saudi counterpart King Salman. I will be calling at some point, he added, before pivoting to the threat posed by Iran. Trump also praised GOP gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Mike DeWine, who is seeking to replace the term-bound Trump-critic Gov. John Kasich. He faces Democrat Richard Cordray, an Obama administration official who served as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He was hurting people and I think he enjoyed it, said Trump of Cowdrays time in office. No really, I think he enjoyed it. The rally took place in Warren Country, a GOP fortress where Trump more than doubled Hillary Clintons tally in the 2016 election and which has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in over half a century. It marked Trumps fifth visit as candidate or president to greater Cincinnati, a city which has a spot in Trump lore as the place where he spent high school summers working for his fathers business. The Art of The Deal includes a chapter, The Cincinnati Kid, in which Trump claims credit for spotting investment opportunities in the city. I love it, he later said. I worked here, I was was here, I lived here. Read more about: THESSALONIKI, GREECEA speeding car carrying migrants collided with a truck in northern Greece on Saturday, killing 11 people, police said. Ten of the victims were believed to be migrants who crossed into the Greece from Turkey. The 11th person was the cars driver and a suspected migrant smuggler, police said. Police said the car in which the migrants were packed had another vehicles license plates and is suspected of having been used for migrant trafficking. The car hadnt stopped at a police checkpoint during its journey, but it wasnt immediately clear how close to the site of the crash that it happened. Police said the crash occurred just after 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) near the town of Kavala. The car, which had been heading to the main northern city of Thessaloniki, collided with a truck heading in the opposite direction and burst into flames. All of the victims have been burned beyond recognition. The truck caught fire as well. All of the people in the car were killed. The truck driver, a 39-year-old Greek man, was treated for minor injuries in a hospital in northern Greece before being discharged. Police told The Associated Press the car was travelling at high speed and had crossed over to the eastbound lane. The truck driver tried to swerve at the last moment, but couldnt avoid the collision. The car wasnt travelling on the highway connecting Thessaloniki to the Turkish border but on an older road, because there are more police roadblocks on the highway. A local firefighter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation that one of the victims was believed to have been a child and that three or four of the others were in the cars trunk. Greek authorities have been seeing an increase in people illegally crossing the Greek-Turkish border in recent months. Many are transported to Thessaloniki, where they head to police stations to be registered and apply for asylum. Read more about: Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday lauded the China-Russia bilateral relationship, which has kept high-level development momentum and made remarkable achievements in economic cooperation. Li made the remarks when meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held here. The Chinese side is willing to strengthen comprehensive strategic coordination with Russia, Li said when speaking of the successful meeting of the two countries' leaders at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in September in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok. New impetus can be injected into bilateral cooperation by expanding cooperation fields and converging interests of both countries, Li said. Under the current complex and changing international situation, China is willing to innovate cooperation ideas together with Russia to further explore potential, Li said. He added that cooperation in energy, finance, as well as science and technology, should be boosted to enhance bilateral high-quality cooperation. For his part, Medvedev said with steady and practical cooperation in all fields, positive development of energy cooperation and deepened regional exchanges, the bilateral trade is expected to exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars this year. Russia is willing to work with China to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, contributing to the world peace, stability and prosperity, said Medvedev. He also said that he expects to visit China this year for the China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting. NUSA DUA, INDONESIAU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that he was sticking with plans to attend a government-sponsored investment conference in Saudi Arabia this month despite the uproar over the disappearance of a prominent Saudi journalist, although he said he would reconsider that decision if more information comes out. Mnuchin said he was concerned about the fate of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 2 and has not been seen since. Turkish investigators say Khashoggi, a journalist who had become a critic of the powerful Saudi crown prince, was killed and his body dismembered by a Saudi security team. Saudi officials say Khashoggi left the consulate freely, but have not substantiated their claim. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said little publicly about Khashoggi for more than a week, acknowledged for the first time Saturday that the Saudi government could have ordered his killing, saying there would be severe punishment if that were confirmed. In an excerpt from an interview with CBS 60 Minutes to be aired Sunday, Trump said his administration would be very upset and angry if the Saudi government was behind Khashoggis disappearance. As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently, Trump said. Could it be them? Yes. Until now, the Trump administrations relatively muted response to Khashoggis case and its continued support for a meeting seen as a pet project of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman reflects its close economic and military ties with Saudi Arabia. Mnuchin spoke on the sidelines of a World Bank and International Monetary Fund meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Saudi Arabias Oct. 23 investment meeting has become a lightning rod since Khashoggis disappearance. Media companies including the Financial Times, CNN, Bloomberg, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times withdrew their participation. British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim have also said they wouldnt attend. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said that despite her concerns over Khashoggi, she did not intend to change her plans and would attend the summit. Horrifying things have been reported, and I am horrified, Lagarde said Saturday. But I have to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners of the world, and with many governments. At the meeting in Indonesia, which was attended by many of the worlds finance ministers and central bankers, Mnuchin also faced questions over the escalating U.S. trade war with China. He reiterated Trumps demand for free, fair and reciprocal trade and disputed the view that U.S. economic policy was moving in a protectionist direction. Mnuchin said the U.S. was still working toward negotiating free-trade agreements with the European Union and Japan. He added those moves would not amount to a coalition to pressure China. The IMF last week cut its global growth forecast for the 2019 fiscal year from 3.9 per cent to 3.7 per cent, citing uncertainties caused by protectionism. The U.S. has threatened to impose tariffs on $267 billion more worth of Chinese imports, which would place almost all of what China sells to the U.S. under restrictions. Read more about: VANCOUVERThousands of pages of evidence have been gathered in the case against Ibrahim Ali, the suspect charged with the first-degree murder of Marrisa Shen, prosecutor Daniel Porte said in provincial court Friday morning. Alis defence lawyer Veen Aldosky requested the case be delayed until Nov. 23 so she can review all the evidence provided by Crown attorneys. Ali, a 28-year-old Syrian national who has permanent residency in Canada, moved to Burnaby as a refugee 18 months ago. The charges against him have not been proven in court. Before a gallery filled with supporters of Shens family, Ali walked in to a glass enclosure, dressed in a red inmate outfit. He listened to a translator with his hands behind his back, looking at the audience. Lawyer Esther Kornfeld, representing Shens mother, told the court her client needs a court-certified Mandarin translator so she can understand court proceedings. Provincial court judge Harbans Dhillon recommended that the province fund that request. After the hearing concluded, Ali spoke out with a tone of urgency in Arabic, but the interpreter did not translate what he said. Shen was a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a wooded area inside Burnabys Central Park in July 2017. The RCMP believe the attack on Shen was random and that the girl didnt know the suspect. Read more: Man charged with 2017 killing of Burnaby teen Marrisa Shen following massive investigation Syrian community plans vigil for slain Burnaby teen Marrisa Shen following news that the suspect is from Syria Security cameras are live at Burnabys Central Park where teenager Marrisa Shen was murdered Outside the court building, family spokesperson Meena Wong said Shens mom wanted to thank everyone for being here to give her support ... Because of you, theres a lot of pressure to this case and theres a lot of attention to this case, and thats so important. Like Alis first court appearance in September, crowds gathered on the sidewalk outside the courthouse carrying banners and posters saying, Hold Trudeau accountable and Equality before the law. Wong has known Shens family for roughly two years, having met them through a mutual friend. In her encounters with Shen before her death, Wong said, she was a bright, smart, beautiful child. Its a sad loss. Read more about: VANCOUVERAfter a recent debate of Surrey mayoral candidates hosted by the CBC was met with criticism, one candidate has said that she had been invited, and then uninvited from the debate. In an open letter addressed to the producers of CBCs Surrey mayoral debate, Pauline Greaves, the mayoral candidate for Proudly Surrey and the only woman running for the position, said that she had been invited and had confirmed her attendance for the debate, until her campaign manager was informed that CBC would not be including her. It was an elitist decision, she said in an interview. Greaves pointed out in the letter that she is the only female candidate running in Surrey, as well as a woman of colour, who aims to bring together diverse communities in Surrey. In this day and age, does Canadas national broadcaster really wish to be known for excluding the only female candidate, especially one who could substantively challenge many of the falsehoods and nonsense purveyed by the debates male participants? she said in the letter. As a woman of colour one of my positions running in this election was to work to bring Surrey together where the diversity of the population would contribute to the richness of the community and the city rather than keeping them divided. In the letter, Greaves said that by excluding me from the Surrey mayoral election debate, the CBC were following neither the letter nor the spirit of their putative criteria for inclusion. Read more: Surrey RCMP find 67 fraudulent vote applications Surrey candidates object to their exclusion from CBC debate More people said to have come forward about Surrey voter fraud According to CBCs policy for debates posted on the debate website, candidates are invited to debates based on several criteria, such as being part of the incumbent party or having previously held office. Other criteria involve having an established civic role as well as support based on polls. But Greaves said that only one of the three candidates chosen for the debate, only Tom Gill running with the incumbent party, met all of the CBCs criteria. The two others, Doug McCallum and Bruce Hayne, met some select criteria, but not all, she said. She goes on to say that her community support and experience should have qualified her for any electoral debate. Inclusion in a debate should be based on factors such as a substantive and comprehensive policy platform, popular support in the community and fielding a slate of candidates of sufficient size to form government. My team, Proudly Surrey, and I clearly meet these criteria, she said in the letter. Several other candidates have expressed criticism that only three of eight people running for mayor were included in the debate, including Imtiaz Popat, running on the Progressive Sustainable Surrey platform, who said he will be filing a complaint to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Chuck Thompson, head of Public Affairs at CBC Services, said that producers did reach out to Greaves, who was only one of four candidates at the time, and asked her to save the date of the debate. Then on Oct. 2, a CBC producer informed Greavess campaign manager, Christine Theobald, where she was informed that we would not be including Ms. Greaves in the debate. We explained that we had established criteria for debates and Pauline Greaves did not qualify to participate under that criteria ... That was the last we heard from the campaign until the evening of the debate, said Thompson in an email. He also added that CBC producers spoke with another of Greaves campaign managers on the night of the debate and it was amicable in nature. On that night, Proudly Surrey staged a protest in front of the event building. Thompson also said that the CBC has provided fair and balanced coverage of the election in Surrey on the radio and online. Read more about: The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Three historic Supreme Court judgements in recent months, all expanding gender rights in our society, have challenged the primacy of Parliament as the nations pre-eminent law-making body. In its early years, the Supreme Court adopted a formalist approach in interpreting laws conservatively, whereas our Parliament adopted progressive laws. These included the provision of social security and workers rights through passage of numerous labour laws, removing social evils by reforming Hindu personal laws and allowing inter-community marriages through the Special Marriage Act, 1954, among other path-breaking legislation. However, over the years, Parliament lost its revolutionary zeal and the Supreme Court transformed itself into an activist court, re-asserting itself in the last quarter-century. Judicial activism flourished as the court expanded its jurisdiction through public interest litigationPILs are an Indian juridical innovationand citizens directly approached the court to pursue social causes and to remedy violations of fundamental rights. The Supreme Court essentially moved into the vacuum created by Parliaments failure to take on bold legislation, principally because in India most laws are introduced by the government, and our governments were more focused on staying in power rather than in enacting social change. Womens rights became an excellent example of this. In Mary Roy vs State of Kerala, the Supreme Court gave Christian women equal inheritance rights, and in Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan, the Supreme Court issued guidelines to combat sexual harassment at the workplace. (In fact, Parliament only enacted a law against sexual harassment at the workplace in 2013, 16 years after Vishaka.) Illustration: Bhaskaran In the course of just over a year, the Supreme Court has asserted the right to privacy, nullified Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalising LGBTQ sex, decriminalised adultery, and boldly reformed religious practicesde-recognising instantaneous triple talaq as a form of divorce (notably on the grounds that the practice did not give equal rights to men and women), and allowing women to enter the Sabarimala temple. In finding that the adultery law treated a woman as the property of her husband, the Court upheld the womans right to dignity and equality. By the same token it will not be long before it criminalises marital rape. Such issues are often not addressed by Parliament for fear of antagonising voters, the majority of whom are assumed to be wedded to tradition. When I introduced a private members bill to decriminalise homosexuality, the Lok Sabha defeated it twice. Even a woman minister of the present government has had to back off from her campaign against marital rape, and now says somewhat sheepishly that criminalising it would be against the mores of society. The irony is that in the past, Parliament has stood up to intense opposition from sections of orthodoxy when passing laws such as the Hindu Code Bills in 1956. Today, it is the court that argues that its duty is to apply constitutional morality, the ethos and principles of our constitution, and not societal morality. I have argued in the Lok Sabha that legislators must also have the courage to enact laws through the lens of constitutional morality. Our Parliament must regain its position as an institution of social revolution, a role it performed from the 1950s to the 1980s. The judges have shown the way. Now it is time for us parliamentarians to follow suit. editor@theweek.in The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) heavily criticised the leadership of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), at a press conference in Kochi on Saturday. Revathy, Parvathy Thiruvoth, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Beena Paul and Anjali Menon spoke on behalf of the WCC. Opening the press meet, director Anjali Menon said that despite it being a time when the entire nation is taking the voice of women seriously, it is not happening in Kerala. We need support not just in words, but also in action, she said. The WCC condemned AMMA's move to retain the membership of Dileep, accused in the actress abduction and assault case. The entire nation, across trade bodies and industries, is taking action and expelling the accused members in the MeToo storm. On the other hand, AMMA is supporting the accused and interfering in the case. In the meeting with AMMA, all their discussions were against the survivor. We are hurt, disrespected and very angry, said Parvathy. On October 7, the AMMA executive committee decided no action will be taken against Dileep. The decision came after 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. Earlier in the day, writer N.S. Madhavan had tweeted about WCC's press conference, hinting that the MeToo campaign that had shook Bollywood and Tollywood was about to hit the Malayalam film industry. "A little bird says this could be big," he tweeted. Bina Paul, however, cleared the air and said they were not here to shame the industry or do a MeToo. We want to unmask the happy family image of AMMA, the actresses said. We will keep cleansing. This is just the beginning, warned the WCC. 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. In a recent letter, we were told if the survivor and three other women actors want to rejoin the AMMA, they should send in an application and the executive committee will send it to the general body for consideration, said Revathy. AMMA is hiding behind bye-laws, the actresses said. 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. Flash Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday Turkey's announcement of approving the Saudi request to form a joint team to investigate the Saudi national Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance in Istanbul, Turkey. The expert-level joint action team of representatives from both countries would investigate the disappearance of the Saudi journalist since Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A Saudi official source welcomed in a statement on Saudi Press Agency the decision and expressed appreciation for such a positive move, reaffirming full confidence of the joint action team, through close cooperation among its members to carry out with their set assignments. The disappearance case attracted the world attention with the allegations that Khashoggi might had been killed or arrested inside the Saudi consulate, in which all those claims had been dismissed by Saudi Arabia. Congress and NCP leaders in Maharashtra met in Mumbai on Friday to continue their discussions on an alliance for next year's Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had held a discussion on an alliance in Delhi on Thursday. "Our endeavour is to ensure that a maximum number of like-minded parties come together to defeat the BJP," state Congress chief Ashok Chavan said on Friday after the meeting. "We are discussing seat-sharing (between Congress and NCP), but also want to accommodate a maximum number of like-minded parties to avoid division of votes," he said. Congress leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Manikrao Thakre are holding talks with dalit leader and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar in order to persuade him to join the alliance, Chavan said. To a question about the possibility of the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray's MNS joining the opposition alliance, Chavan said the Congress has ideological differences with these two parties. "We haven't got any proposal for taking them along. Even if there is a proposal, there is no question of accepting it," the Congress leader said. State NCP president Jayant Patil said the Congress and NCP are yet to discuss a formula for seat-sharing. "At present we are talking about individual seats and winning potential of possible candidates," he said. On NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad meeting Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, Patil said that Awhad met Thackeray to invite him for a book release, and the meeting was not political. Meanwhile, sources said that one of the Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that could be contentious in the alliance talks between the NCP and Congress could be Ahmednagar, which Congress leader Vikhe Patil wants for his son. Ahmednagar is currently in the NCP's quota. The NCP is eyeing Pune, which is currently in the Congress's quota, sources said. The Congress is expected to demand Kolhapur, currently held by NCP MP Dhananjay Mahadik. The Congress may agree to cede Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat to the NCP since the Congress does not have a good candidate there after Narayan Rane quit the party, sources added. The seat was earlier held by Rane's son Nilesh Rane. SAI BABA shed his mortal coil in Shirdi on the auspicious day of Dusshera on October 15, 1918. His life and teachings are documented in the book Sai Satcharitra by Annasaheb Dabholkar, who wrote under the pen name Hemadpant. This scripture is an interesting blend of philosophy, anecdotes and vedantic wisdom. Babas universal message of faith (shraddha) and patience (saburi) and his emphasis on Advaita (non-duality) make the book eternally relevant. His sojourn on this planet was for neutralising the divisive forces of communalism unleashed by the colonial rulers. Baba is more relevant today than ever, as communities are intolerant and lack forbearance. Dabholkar, who had retired as resident first class magistrate in Bandra in 1916, was inspired to write about his experiences with Sai Baba after he saw Baba grinding wheat in the quern and asking people to throw the flour at the border of the Shirdi village to ward off a cholera epidemic in 1911. He watched the various divine acts of Baba and listened keenly to the experiences of others. He jotted down all these, as Baba had instructed, and commenced penning the book at his residence in Bandra in 1922. He was at that time a member of the Shirdi Sansthan Management Board. After completing a few chapters in Marathi verse, he took them to Ramchandra Atmaram, alias Babasaheb Tarkhad, who was so impressed that he contributed Rs 500 and decided to serialise it in a monthly magazine from April 1923. Thus Shri Sai Leela, the Shirdi Sansthans official magazine, commenced publication. Dabholkar wrote 52 chapters and died on July 15, 1929. Balasaheb Deo completed the 53rd chapter that summarised the book and published it as a holy text in 1930. The book has 9,309 verses. It was S.N. Kharkar, who was editor of Shri Sai Leela, who persuaded Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji to undertake an English translation. It was published in 1944. The book has since been translated into a dozen other languages. Sai devotees consider it their gospel and refer to it as Pothi or Granth. There is a room in the Shirdi shrine exclusively for its ritualistic reading. During festivals such as Ram Navami, Gurupoornima and Babas Punyatithi, the Granth is reverentially taken around the town. Nayar is a senior journalist based in Navi Mumbai Mumbai, Oct 13 (PTI) Actor Alok Nath and his wife Ashu Saturday filed a complaint in a local court seeking defamation proceedings to be initiated against writer-director Vinta Nanda for accusing him of rape. In the complaint filed before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate, Nath and his wife sought a direction to the suburban Amboli police station to take cognisance of the letter sent by them in which they sought defamation proceedings against Nanda. In a social media post Monday, Nanda had alleged that the actor had raped her 19 years ago. Although she did not name Nath in her post, she referred to him as the actor who is known as the "most Sanskari person" in the field of acting. Nath is known for playing characters endorsing 'moral values' in films such as "Maine Pyaar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun!", "Hum Saath Saath Hain" and "Vivah". Nath's lawyer Ashok Sarogi, in a press conference on Thursday, had refuted the allegations and said they were baseless and devoid of any merit. The complaint filed by the couple says, "The complainants (Nath and Ashu) have on October 12 addressed a letter to the Amboli police seeking action under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 of the Indian Penal Code against Nanda." The police, however, said since the offences are non-cognisable in nature, it would be appropriate if an order is passed by the concerned court of law, it said. "We are, hence, seeking the court to pass necessary direction to the Amboli police station in-charge to take cognisance of their complaint and hold an inquiry," the complaint said. "The complainants have suffered grave and irreparable loss, harm and injury which could never be compensated in terms of money," the complaint read. It added that because of Nanda's post, which although did not name Nath but subsequently he was named by others, Ashu and Nath have been victimised unnecessarily by way of defamation of their reputation in the society. "Without commenting on anything about her (Nanda), the fact remains that all such occasions, such as the #MeToo campaign, are being encashed by way of utilising the social media for the purpose of either gaining some name and fame or for the purpose of defaming the reputation of a person," the complaint said. It added that because of the "baseless allegations", Ashu and Alok Nath were "terrorised" to even step out of their house as people are looking at them with a "different attitude". PTI SP NP DIP DIP Mumbai, Oct 13 (PTI) Actor-politician Kirron Kher Saturday called for implementation of the Vishaka guidelines in every organisation in the country to keep a check on the menace of workplace sexual harassment. Commenting on the #MeToo movement in India, the veteran actor and Chandigarh BJP MP said sexual harassment is a result of patriarchal mindset of the society which teaches men that they have an authority over women. "There are Vishaka guidelines and these should be there in every organisation. And whoever faces such things they should report immediately. If you are not following the guidelines then you are making a mistake. "This is happening because of the mindset. Why are women or children being raped... Why honour killings are happening... It is the same sense of mindset that feels power over women and disrespect for women," Kher said at a media interaction for the show "India's Got Talent". "I think you should raise your voice soon. Every institution should have Vishaka guidelines in place as there are laws against such things. If you do not enforce it then you are making a mistake. What is the point of a no movement on social media. The matters should be investigated and the Vishaka guidelines are necessary for this to happen. "What happened in case of Tarun Tejpal? The Vishaka guidelines were not implemented. So it is necessary to have these guidelines as people will know their limits," she said. Kher was also asked about cabinet minister M J Akbar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. "The government has made a committee. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has announced that committee has retired judges on board. Everywhere there are allegations and I am sure the matter will be investigated and both sides will be allowed to put their point of view across," she said. "Mr Akbar is not in India at the moment and I am sure when he comes back, you will get the answers. I am not in the cabinet and so I am not privy to what is happening. When this whole thing broke, I saw it on TV. I am sure they will look into it," she added. When quizzed about the allegations against filmmaker Sajid Khan, Kher said though she believes the four women accusers, she would refrain from commenting on it. "I have known him for many years. And nothing has happened with me so I cannot say anything on it. How much of all this is true or not that only Sajid or the women who have put allegations on him can tell," she said. "I don't think it is right for me to comment on what is put on social media about somebody as I have not seen it with my eyes or experienced it. Still the women must have a say, I respect the girls, I wish they had said it when this was happening," she added. Sajid has been accused of sexual harassment by three female actors and a journalist, and has since stepped down as the director of "Housefull 4", which also stars Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol. PTI KKP RB SHD SHD Kunduz (Afghanistan), Oct 13 (AFP) A motorcyle bomb targeting supporters of a female election candidate in northeastern Afghanistan killed at least 12 people, officials said Saturday, in the latest violence to strike a political gathering. Another 32 people were wounded in the explosion in Takhar province where parliamentary candidate Nazifa Yousefibek had been campaigning, provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hejri told AFP. (AFP) RUP RUP New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours: FGN12 NEPAL-2NDLD CLIMBERS Major avalanche hits Nepal peak; 5 South Koreans among 9 killed Kathmandu: At least nine climbers including five South Korean nationals have been killed in a massive avalanche which devastated their camp on Nepal's Mount Gurja, the expedition organiser said Saturday. Shirish B Pradhan FGN10 US-MALDIVES US warns against any effort to undermine Maldivian people's will Washington: The US will consider undertaking "appropriate measures" against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives, a top State Department official has said, expressing concern over the "troubling actions" taken by outgoing president Abdullah Yameen. By Lalit K Jha FGN9 US-DATA-RBI US wants to prohibit data localisation, top trade official says amid looming RBI directive Washington: The US wants to prohibit data localisation to ensure that there is a free flow of information across borders, a senior Trump administration official has said, amidst reports that major American IT companies are up in arms against the latest Indian directive which kicks off next week. By Lalit K Jha FGN7 FACEBOOK-HACKING Hackers accessed data of nearly 30 mn Facebook users Washington: Social media giant Facebook, which has its largest user base in India, said that a recent hacking into its system has affected about 30 million users. By Lalit K Jha. FGN4 TRUMP-SAUDI-LD JOURNALIST Trump says will call Saudi King on missing journalist Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he would call Saudi Arabia's King Salman on missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey. By Lalit K Jha FGN16 AFGHAN-ELECTION-LD BLAST At least 12 killed in bomb attack on Afghan election rally Kunduz (Afghanistan): A motorcycle carrying explosives blew up among supporters of an Afghan election candidate on Saturday, killing at least 12 people, officials said, in the latest attack on a political rally. (AFP) RUP RUP Washington, Oct 13 (AFP) US President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned Washington would inflict "severe punishment" if that is the case. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. The network said it will air the interview in full on Sunday evening. (AFP) SMJ SMJ Kabul, Oct 13 (AFP) A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said Saturday, the first time either side has officially confirmed talks. The direct negotiations -- a longstanding Taliban demand -- were held as Khalilzad seeks to coordinate efforts with regional countries, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to convince Afghanistan's largest militant group to engage in talks. The meeting with Khalilzad and other American officials took place in Doha on Friday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement sent to journalists. Taliban and US negotiators discussed a "peaceful end to the invasion in Afghanistan", Mujahid said, referring to the US-led intervention in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime. But the group made clear that the presence of foreign forces in the country was a "big obstacle" to peace. Both sides "agreed to continue such meetings", he added, without providing further details. A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the Taliban's statement. In July, the Taliban reportedly met with US officials, including Alice Wells, the senior official for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Neither side would go on the record to confirm that meeting, but there has been speculation since then that more talks were planned. The reported July meeting followed an unprecedented ceasefire involving Afghan security forces and the Taliban in June, which fuelled hopes that fighting could be brought to an end after 17 years. But a wave of attacks by the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months has poured cold water on the nascent optimism for peace. The Taliban's decision to issue a statement on the meeting suggests it sees the talks with Khalilzad as a propaganda win, analysts said. The group has long called for bilateral talks with the United States, but Washington has repeatedly refused, insisting the process must be Afghan-led. But under pressure to break the impasse with the group, Washington appeared to change tack in June when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his country was prepared to "participate" in talks. "The meeting is a success for (the) Taliban. They were demanding to directly meet with the US for a long time and they finally got it," said Afghan political analyst Atta Noori. "Although they have not agreed on anything... they could bypass the Afghan government." The Taliban statement was issued as Khalilzad returned to Kabul after a regional trip that began with his first visit to Afghanistan since his appointment last month as US envoy. On Monday, he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other senior leaders in Kabul. On the same day, the Taliban issued a statement vowing to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, which the United States is helping to finance. Afghan-born Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, is known as a blunt negotiator with hawkish foreign policy views. Fluent in Pashto and Dari, Khalilzad's experience as a foreign policy operative in the country dates back to the 1980s, when he served as an adviser to the Reagan administration. (AFP) SMJ SMJ Port Dickson, Oct 13 (AFP) Anwar Ibrahim won an overwhelming mandate in a parliamentary by-election on Saturday, setting the stage for his return to frontline Malaysian politics and sealing the once-jailed opposition figure's remarkable resurrection. Figures from the Election Commission showed he got more than 71 percent of the total votes cast in a seven-way contest that included a former aide who lodged the sodomy charges that landed Anwar in prison for a second time in 2014. AFP NSA NSA Kabul, Oct 13 (AP) The Taliban held talks with the US special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan's protracted and increasingly bloody war, a Taliban official said Saturday. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad was held Friday in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Taliban political chief Abbas Stanikzai led the five-member delegation that discussed with Khalilzad "ways of finding a peaceful end to the occupation of Afghanistan," the statement said. It went on to say that the presence of "foreign forces" in Afghanistan was the biggest concern of the Taliban. Mujahid said the two sides discussed "finding a good way for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan." The US Embassy in Kabul said only that Khalilzad was in the Afghan capital Saturday meeting with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul from Qatar, winding up his first official trip since being named special envoy. He also visited Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In a statement Saturday, Ghani said simply that Khalilzad briefed a meeting of Afghanistan's top officials on the series of meetings he has held in the region since beginning his sojourn on October 4. There was no mention of a meeting with the Taliban. When he was appointed earlier this month, the US State Department said Khalilzad's job was to find a peaceful end to a war that began more than 17 years ago and that has cost Washington in the neighbourhood of USD 900 billion, according to a report earlier this year from a US Congress appointed watchdog. Of that USD 900 billion, John Sopko, the special inspector general on Afghan reconstruction, said USD 720 billion was spent on US military operations. "During this time, the human cost of the struggle against Afghan insurgents and terrorist groups has led to more than 2,400 American military fatalities, about 1,100 among other members of the NATO-led Coalition, and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths," Sopko said in a statement earlier this year. US President Donald Trump bemoaned the extraordinary cost of the war in Afghanistan while campaigning for president, when he advocated an end to US involvement in the conflict. Since then, the US president announced an Afghan strategy that called on Pakistan to do more to push the Taliban to the negotiating table and to end safe havens for insurgents, an allegation Islamabad denies. Trump also handed greater decision-making powers to US generals on the ground in Afghanistan. But the strategy has so far failed to stop Taliban aggression and even the US- appointed watchdog says nearly 50 per cent of the countryside is either under Taliban influence or in their control. In many areas of the country, the government's writ is restricted to the cities and district centers. Relentless Taliban attacks on Afghan military outposts have killed hundreds of Afghan National Security Force personnel in recent months. The Taliban have been persistent in their demand for direct talks with the United States. In July they said they held talks with Alice Wells, the most senior US diplomat in the region at the time, also in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Washington has neither confirmed nor denied direct talks with the Taliban. (AP) RUP RUP New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours: FGN12 NEPAL-2NDLD CLIMBERS Major avalanche hits Nepal peak; 5 South Koreans among 9 killed Kathmandu: At least nine climbers including five South Korean nationals have been killed in a massive avalanche which devastated their camp on Nepal's Mount Gurja, the expedition organiser said Saturday. Shirish B Pradhan FGN10 US-MALDIVES US warns against any effort to undermine Maldivian people's will Washington: The US will consider undertaking "appropriate measures" against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in the Maldives, a top State Department official has said, expressing concern over the "troubling actions" taken by outgoing president Abdullah Yameen. By Lalit K Jha FGN9 US-DATA-RBI US wants to prohibit data localisation, top trade official says amid looming RBI directive Washington: The US wants to prohibit data localisation to ensure that there is a free flow of information across borders, a senior Trump administration official has said, amidst reports that major American IT companies are up in arms against the latest Indian directive which kicks off next week. By Lalit K Jha FGN7 FACEBOOK-HACKING Hackers accessed data of nearly 30 mn Facebook users Washington: Social media giant Facebook, which has its largest user base in India, said that a recent hacking into its system has affected about 30 million users. By Lalit K Jha. FGN4 TRUMP-SAUDI-LD JOURNALIST Trump says will call Saudi King on missing journalist Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he would call Saudi Arabia's King Salman on missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey. By Lalit K Jha FGN23 AFGHAN-TALIBAN-LD US Taliban confirm meeting with US peace envoy in Qatar Kabul: A Taliban delegation has met with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said Saturday, the first time either side has officially confirmed talks. (AFP) FGN24 MALAYSIA-ANWAR-BYELECTION Malaysia's Anwar wins parliamentary by-election: poll officials Port Dickson: Anwar Ibrahim won an overwhelming mandate in a parliamentary by-election on Saturday, setting the stage for his return to frontline Malaysian politics and sealing the once-jailed opposition figure's remarkable resurrection. (AFP) RUP RUP Washington, Oct 13 (AFP) An American pastor held for two years in Turkey on terror-related charges arrived home in the United States on Saturday, where he was to meet with US President Donald Trump, who signaled an easing in the diplomatic crisis sparked by the case. Andrew Brunson -- who has become a cause celebre for Trump's conservative Christian base -- was due at the White House to see Trump shortly after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. On Friday, a Turkish court in Aliaga convicted Brunson on charges of espionage and aiding terror groups. It sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail -- but released him based on time served and good behavior. Brunson maintained his innocence throughout the process, and Trump administration officials have said the charges were politically motivated. Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his help on the case, which caused not only a serious diplomatic row between the NATO allies but led to a crash in the lira, exposing Turkey's economic fragility. "Pastor Andrew Brunson, released by Turkey, will be with me in the Oval Office at 2:30 PM (this afternoon)," Trump tweeted. "It will be wonderful to see and meet him. He is a great Christian who has been through such a tough experience. I would like to thank President @RT_Erdogan for his help!" Erdogan however said the court's decision was "taken independently." Both Trump and Erdogan have denied reports that the two sides reached a secret deal for the 50-year-old Brunson to be released in exchange for the US easing "economic pressure" on Ankara. "There was NO DEAL made with Turkey... I don't make deals for hostages," Trump said on Twitter. "There was, however, great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!" Erdogan responded: "I hope that the United States and Turkey continue cooperation in a manner that befits two allies." Brunson is an evangelical Presbyterian clergyman who lived in Turkey for nearly half his life, initially moving there in 1993 as part of a missionary program. He was first detained in October 2016, faced up to 35 years in jail. Prosecutors then demanded a sentence of up to 10 years. The pastor steadfastly insisted he was not guilty. "I am an innocent man. I love Jesus. I love Turkey," he said in his final defense. When the verdict was read out, Brunson wept and hugged his wife Norine. After gathering his belongings, Brunson was driven to the airport in the Turkish city of Izmir, where he boarded a US military plane for Germany. Upon arrival there for a refueling stop, he kissed an American flag presented to him by Richard Grenell, the US ambassador in Berlin. While the strain in US-Turkish relations eased with Brunson's release, problems remain. AFP NSA NSA Gujarat teachers told to file affidavits under school safety policy Ahmedabad, Oct 13 (PTI) Schoolteachers in Gujarat have been asked to file affidavits declaring they do not have any case related to child abuse or violence registered against them, state government officials have said. The directive, which makes submission of affidavits mandatory, covers both government and private schoolteachers, they said. The officials said by issuing the directive they are just following the Supreme Court guidelines related to the School Safety Policy, but the opposition Congress has claimed the move would demoralise teachers. As per the education department direction, all schoolteachers need to submit individual affidavits declaring they do not have any case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) or the Juvenile Justice Act registered against them in the state. In addition, all primary, secondary and higher secondary schoolteachers have to declare if they were ever found guilty of sexual offences or for any other form of violence in the past, the officials said. They said this is being done to ensure safety of schoolchildren. "Verification of teachers is part of theSchool Safety Policy, which came into effect across the country as per the directions of the SC," said Director of Primary Education Mahesh Joshi. "This is compulsory for all the teachers as per the court's order, which came after an incident of murder in a Delhi school (in 2017). We have already received affidavits from several districts," he added. However, the Congress said all the teachers should not be made to submit such an affidavit for the misdeeds of a few. "We also support the policy for the safety of children in schools. But, all the teachers should not be made to sign such an affidavit for the misdeeds of few. "This is an attack on the self-respect of teachers," said state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi. PTI PJT PD RSY RSY Ahmedabad, Oct 13 (PTI) The authorities in Gujarat districts which saw attacks on Hindi-speaking migrant workers following the rape of a 14-month-old girl are reaching out to the affected people to persuade them to stay back. Non-Gujaratis were targeted after a native of Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping the toddler in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The attacks triggered an exodus of Hindi-speaking workers from Gujarat. Chief Secretary J N Singh directed the collectors of affected districts to reach out to Hindi-speaking migrants to instill confidence in them. In one such measure, Aravalli district collector N Nagarajan, accompanied by superintendent of police (SP) Mayur Patil, on Thursday had 'pani puri' from the stall of a migrant from Madhya Pradesh. "Tasted #Panipuri at a stall run by an entrepreneur belonging to #NorthIndia with @Arvalli_SP @DdoArvalli. He expressed full confidence in measures taken by district administration to ensure safety and security and maintain law and order," Nagarajan said in a tweet. He also shared photos of his meetings with migrants' representatives. Collectors of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and other affected districts also visited areas with large migrant populations to spend time with them and allay their concerns about safety. The collectors were accompanied by the respective SPs. Over the last few days, they also held meetings with leaders of organisations representing Hindi-speaking migrants, most of whom are employed in industrial belts of Gujarat. Ahmedabad collector Vikrant Pandey shared on Twitter measures being taken by his office to prevent migrants from leaving, including visits to the railway station and meeting workers in industrial areas. Earlier on Tuesday, Pandey told reporters, "The situation is normal and there is nothing to worry about." Police officials organised meetings of local peace committees and felicitated migrant workers for their contribution to the state. On Wednesday, Additional Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad city, Ashok Yadav felicitated around 250 families of workers from Naroda and Odhav industrial areas. He said the move was aimed at boosting their morale. The Gujarat police said they have taken action against people responsible for spreading rumours that led to attacks on migrants and to ensure social media is not misused. No fresh incidents of attack on migrants have been reported from any part of Gujarat since the last few days. PTI KA RSY DIV DIV Mumbai, Oct 13 (PTI) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Saturday blamed the Congress for the attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in his state and claimed that police and people have managed to foil the opposition party's attempts to create an unrest. Several districts in the northern part of Gujarat were rocked by violence after a labourer from Bihar was arrested on the charge of raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The violence led to the exodus of thousands of migrants from the state resulting in manpower problems at several industries there. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Patel said a caste-based outfit headed by a Gujarat Congress MLA was responsible for the violence against the migrants. The Gujarat BJP has, on several occasions, blamed Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor and his outfit Kshatriya Thakor Sena for the violence. BJP leaders have, earlier, also pointed out that several FIRs lodged by the Gujarat police in connection with the violence had mentioned Thakor's outfit. Thakor has consistently refuted the allegations claiming that cases lodged against youth from the Thakor community were false. "An atmosphere of fear was created due to which many Hindi-speaking workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar left the state (Gujarat). Our government has taken all steps to control the situation. Culprits who sent out threats on social media have been arrested. FIRs have been filed. The police and citizens have foiled the attempt of the Congress to spread unrest," Patel claimed. "Gujarat is the growth engine of India. The state has the capacity to provide jobs, create employment opportunities not just for Gujaratis but for all citizens of the country," the deputy chief minister said. Patel said Gujarat believes in national unity and almost five lakh people hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha stay in south Gujarat as do people from Maharashtra and Rajasthan in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and other cities. "Gujarat believes in national unity. However, some people associated with the Congress created such a situation for political gains. Those who had fled the state are returning as the government has acted strongly against those responsible for the violence," he asserted. "Industrial development in Gujarat is good due to the Vibrant Gujarat initiative. We provide jobs to locals as well as those from rest of the country. Gujarat is a role model in development," Patel claimed, adding agro-based industries were also flourishing in his state. He hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for claiming that the Statue of Unity, a memorial to the country's first deputy prime minister Sardar Patel, was "Made in China". Terming the 182-metre statue a tribute to the immense contribution of Sardar Patel to the nation, the Gujarat deputy chief minister alleged that the Congress was unable to digest the fact that the statue was the tallest in the world since that party had only propagated the deeds of one family. "The Congress cannot digest the fact that Sardar Patel's statue can be the largest the world since the party has propagated only one family. "They (Congress) want the world to feel that it is only because of one family that the country got Independence from the British. The Congress sidelined leaders like Patel, (Dr Bhimrao) Ambedkar, (Netaji Subhash Chandra) Bose and others," he alleged. Speaking about the statue, Patel said it was built by an Indian firm - Larsen and Toubro and engineers, labourers, steel, cement etc all came from within the country. Parrying questions on the heights of the Statue of Unity and that of Chhatrapati Shivaji being built off the coast of Mumbai, he said, "There cannot be any comparison between the two great personalities. Their contribution is incomparable." Patel said Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have been invited to attend the inauguration function of the State of Unity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Sardar Patel memorial on October 31. The statue, being built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore, is situated 3.2 km downstream the Narmada dam on the Sadhu Bet islet near Kevadiya town. The Gujarat deputy chief minister said the memorial will have a museum as well a laser show to depict the life and contribution of Sardar Patel and also a valley of flowers. It will have the capacity to cater to 15,000 tourists daily, he said. PTI MR BNM NSD NSD New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 8.30 pm SRINAGAR/JAMMU DEL14 JK-POLL-TURNOUT Srinagar/Jammu: Just 3.49 per cent of the electorate voted in the third phase of the urban local body polls in militancy-hit Kashmir Valley, while a high turnout of 82 per cent was recorded in Jammu's Samba district, officials said Saturday. SRINAGAR DEL13 JK-POLLS-SMC Srinagar: Safakadal, a ward in the city's old town, and Chanapora, in the Civil Lines, polled less than 10 votes each in the third phase of the urban local body elections in which 20 municipal wards went to polls Saturday. GURGAON DEL19 NCR-JUDGE-KIN-SHOT Gurgaon: The wife and teenage son of a judge were allegedly shot at by his personal security staff in a crowded market area in sector-49 here Saturday, police said. DEHRADUN DEL16 UKD-ENVIRONMENTALIST-CONTROVERSY Dehradun: The AIIMS in Rishikesh where environmentalist G D Agarwal died after a 110-day fast to save the Ganga has threatened to file a defamation case against the ashram with which he was associated for accusing it of being a part of a conspiracy to kill the activist. RISHIKESH DEL17 GANGA-ACTIVIST Rishikesh: Two days after Ganga activist GD Agarwal died at AIIMS here, another person fasting for conservation of the river was rushed to the premier institute early Saturday. BANDA DES7 UP-FAMILY-ABLAZE Banda: A woman killed herself allegedly after tying the hands and legs of her four children and setting them ablaze following a dispute with her husband, police said Saturday. JAIPUR DEL22 RJ-PAK HINDU MIGRANTS-LAND Jaipur: A day before the model code of conduct came into effect in poll-bound Rajasthan, the BJP-led state government relaxed its policy for allotting residential plots to Pakistani Hindu migrants. SRINAGAR DEL2 JK-COP Srinagar: Terrorists shot dead a policeman in his house in Sopore township of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Saturday. JAIPUR DES9 RJ- EIGHT KILLED Jaipur: Eight persons, including three children, were killed and three others injured Saturday when a car they were travelling in collided with a truck in Rajasthan's Udaipur district, police said. BALLIA NRG19 UP- RAJBHAR Ballia (UP): The Yogi Adityanath government's decision to allot a bungalow to Samajwadi Secular Morcha leader Shivpal Yadav has not gone down well with BJP ally SBSP with its leader Om Prakash Rajbhar Saturday said his demand for a government building for party office has been ignored for more than a year. IN THE PIPELINE Jaipur: More cases of Zika virus detected in Jaipur, taking the total number of infected people to 55. PTI ASH New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) An officer of the Assam Police has been conferred with the Kirti Chakra posthumously for displaying indomitable courage and exemplary leadership in fighting ULFA militants, Home Ministry official said. Inspector Lohit Sonowal laid down his life in Tinsukia district of Assam on April 19, 2013 in an encounter with ULFA militants in which two extremists were also killed. The police officer displayed indomitable courage, exemplary leadership dedication to duty and laid down his life for which he was conferred with the Kirti Chakra posthumously, a home ministry official said. On the fateful day, upon receiving the information that a group of suspected ULFA cadres were taking shelter in the general area of Kordoiguri village of Tinsukia district, a joint operation was launched by the police and the CRPF. During the search operation, one police team led by Sonowal noticed some unusual movements in a house and they cordoned the nearby area and waited for the first light. As the operation party approached the suspected house, a woman with two children came out of the house and on seeing police presence, she immediately warned the extremists taking shelter inside the house, the official said. Immediately, the armed extremists came out of the house and started firing indiscriminately aiming at the police party. Though the police inspector was under direct line of firing, disregarding his personal safety, he single handedly first managed to rescue the woman along with two children, who were caught in between the gunfire and quickly ducked himself behind the nearby trees for taking cover and retaliated the fire. The extremists continued firing aiming towards Sonowal and tried to escape by taking cover of the tea bushes nearby and civilians. During the exchange of fire, one hardcore ULFA militant was killed. Another extremist re-entered into the house and others fled taking advantage of thick tea bushes. The ULFA militant who re-entered the house opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed grenades towards Sonowal. During the cross fire, Sonowal sustained bullet injuries, but eliminated two extremists in direct exchange of fire. However, Sonowal succumbed to his injuries later, another official said. The Kirti Chakra is the country's military award for valour, courage action and self-sacrifice. It is second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards after the Ashoka Chakra. PTI ACB DIP DIP New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) Maldives former foreign minister Dunya Maumoon is on an unofficial visit to India "on behalf of" former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and held personal meetings. "Visiting Delhi, India for some unofficial meetings on behalf of my father Maumoon Abdul Gayoom," she wrote on Twitter. Her visit comes as the Maldives is set to witness the formation of a new government under President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Solih recently won the Maldives' presidential election, defeating strongman Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to China. India had congratulated Solih on his victory. India's ties with the Maldives came under strain after Yameen declared Emergency in the country on February 5, following an order by the country's Supreme Court to release a group of opposition leaders, who had been convicted in widely criticised trials. India had criticised the Yameen government for the imposition of the Emergency and urged it to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The Emergency was lifted 45 days later. PTI SKC SKC AQS AQS HAL regrets politicisation of its employees Bengaluru, Oct 13 (PTI):Against the backdrop of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's interaction with present and past employees of HAL on the Rafale deal, the state run aerospace company Saturday regretted 'politicisation' of its employees and termed it as a fad and regrettable development that would be detrimental to national security and the organisation. An HAL statement, which did not specifically refer to Gandhi's interaction with the employees, came after the event, where the Congress president alleged that temples of modern India were being attacked and destroyed. An official from the agency told PIT that the NADA government has extended full-fledged support (to HAL), having placed supply orders of over Rs 27,340 core during the 2014-18 period by recognising its premier position. Towards improvement and up gradation of infrastructure, including ramping up of production facilities, funding to the tune of Rs 7,800 core was sanctioned during the period, it said. The official also said HAL enjoys pride of place in the defence and aerospace industry sector and has made immense contribution to the nation-building process. "Todays attempt at politicisation of the employees is a fad and regrettable development and will be detrimental to the interest of the organisation, its employees as well as national security,"the HAL official told PTI in the statement. In the interaction with former and past employees, Gandhi had accused the Modi government of destroying the "strategic asset" state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that Rafale is their right. Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime. The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modiof snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away thecontract from HAL. Gandhi had been saying that had HAL been selected inplace of Reliance Defence, it could have generated employment to scores of unemployed youth in the state. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed allthe allegations as false. Modi had announced the procurement of 36 Rafale fightersafter holding talks with then French President FrancoisHollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris. PTI BDN APR APR APR New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating an account holder of a Cental Bank of India branch in Dwarka and committing a fraud of Rs 11 lakh, police said Saturday. Koshi Kumar, a native of Chandole village in Jharkhand's Giridih district, has been taken into police custody, they said. Based on a complaint filed on September 17, a case was registered at the Chanakya Puri police station. The complainant alleged that Rs 11.5 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account, a senior police officer said. The complainant claimed his registered mobile number was changed without his consent and the said amount was withdrawn through net banking, the officer added. During an investigation, the employees at the bank branch were questioned and the account details were obtained, Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), said. With the help of CCTV footage, two accused persons were identified. One of the accused, Kumar, was arrested in connection with the case on October 5, he said. The role of the bank employees is being probed, police said, adding they are trying to trace the co-accused involved in the case. PTI AMP GVS How far are you willing to travel for a decent meal? Bentley Motors has invited its customers 1,934 metres above sea level to enjoy fine dining at its new restaurant that's based at the top of the United Arab Emirates' tallest mountain, Jebel Jais, in Ras Al Khaimah. Called 'Peak of Luxury', it's a pop-up location styled as an Arabic tent that's open for one week serving up the British classic of Yorkshire puddings. Peak of Luxury: The pop-up restaurant at the top of the mountain is open for just a week and exclusively to Bentley Motors customers to celebrate the launch of the Continental GT (left) and Bentayga V8 in the Middle East Over the course of the seven days, the British luxury car maker says it will serve 150 diners with a specially designed menu of classic British dishes created by renowned chef, Colin Clague. The restaurant has been built at the top of the mountain to celebrate the launch of the Bentley Bentayga V8 SUV and Continental GT in the Middle East. As you might expect from Bentley, the route up to the front door is fairly epic, taking in one of the finest winding passes the country has to offer. You might have to take it a little easier going back down with a gut-full of top quality food, though. It said it wanted to 'demonstrate the sheer levels of bespoke luxury Bentley delivers through truly extraordinary experiences'. It describes the location as a 'luxury dining room' featuring contemporary furniture and spectacular panoramic views across the mountain top. The restaurant is situated 1,934 metres above sea level at the top of the United Arab Emirates' tallest mountain, Jebel Jais, in Ras Al Khaimah. The semi-permanent restaurant structued is styled to look like a traditional Arabic tent Customers only have seven days to enjoy a five-course meal cooked by an award-winning British chef Bentley owners can enjoy a five-course menu which takes inspiration from Bentley's British background. That includes Lock Fyne Scottish salmon, British beef sirloin steaks and Yorkshire puddings. Colin Clague, who took a week away from his permanent role as executive chef at Ruya in Mayfair, said: 'Working with Bentley which is a British icon - on a such an innovative project has been a very unique experience. 'Over the course of my career I've worked in many kitchens in many countries across the globe, but I've never served dinner in a completely bespoke restaurant on the highest mountain in the UAE. It's certainly a moment I will never forget.' The location offers stunning panoramic views and a dining-room style ambiance Colin Clague is the cook in charge of the restaurant. He is the executive chef at Ruya in Mayfair Say it quietly but if Prime Minister Theresa May does pull off a Brexit deal, as looks increasingly likely, there will be a dividend. And it is not the one on the side of the Boris bus. A post-referendum surprise has been that the British economy has done as well as it has. There has been no recession but growth has been subdued (well below trend rates possible) and the unemployment rate has tumbled to 4 per cent of the workforce. Surveys show that although companies have continued to invest, some big decisions have been postponed pending the outcome of EU talks. Pressure: If Prime Minister Theresa May does pull off a Brexit deal, as looks increasingly likely, there will be a dividend Some smaller firms have resisted taking advantage of the cheaper pound to supply Europe because of concerns that the costs could be too high. As a result, a British economy which started the year in a low-octane way because of bad weather and the shadow of Brexit could end the year on a higher note. It will also provide the Chancellor with extra firepower in his Budget this month. One shouldn't underestimate the obstacles that still stand in the way to Brexit. Among the most formidable are the 41trillion of open derivatives contracts which have to be rewritten before March 29, 2019. In effect, because these have to be revalidated three months ahead of deadline, ideally the issue must be sorted by the end of the year. Moving the contracts from the London Clearing House, ICE and other City-based platforms would be a costly exercise (a figure of 20billion has been mentioned), which would raise costs of hedging and hurt consumers and enterprises. It is by no means clear that the big American investment banks, the largest players in this market, want the contracts to move to European clearing or that the countries concerned want the risk. But in the context of Brussels brinkmanship, it is a useful lever. One thing is certain if no deal on the open contracts is reached the chaos and market shock in the City and on the Continent will range from pretty bad, to very bad. Passing the hat At 43.3billion the International Monetary Fund's rescue package for Argentina is the biggest in its history. Next in line is Pakistan looking for a more modest 6.1billion but the betting is there will be more to follow. Cash has been exiting many nations such as Turkey at record rates, and the Fund calculates that in 40 per cent of countries debt is now too high to be serviced by exports. A rising concern is that the Fund lacks a big enough bazooka should there be a torrent of loan requests. IMF reserves are just a small fraction of what may be required. The Fund still has sums tied up in Europe after the 2010 crisis. More worrying is that the 380million or so of new borrowing arrangements put in place after the financial crisis so the IMF is ready for anything is starting to run out. Similarly, the IMF is only in the foothills of organising a renewal of its capital known as quotas. The question hanging over all of this is Donald Trump, America first and the president's dislike of multilateralism. As the biggest shareholder in the IMF it requires, at the very least, tacit American support to mobilise other countries. Remarkably the only global institution to so far win the support of the White House over the last year is the World Bank. This was largely due to the help of first daughter Ivanka Trump and her support for its women's entrepreneurship initiative. This opened the door of the White House to World Bank president Jim Yong Kim who soon found himself in the Oval Office chatting with the president. Kim gained favoured status and, with the promise of some reforms, the US fell in behind a 9.9billion capital increase for the Bank. Pays to have friends in high places. Last frontier They used to be third world countries, then they became less developed countries, then developing nations and, finally, emerging markets. At this year's meetings in Bali we saw the beginning of something fresh the Frontier nations. These countries are smaller than China and India but also on the up, and include nations such as Albania, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Sri Lanka. Davy Crockett would be proud. Most teenagers plead penury. But not all. Last month, one lucky 18-year-old was presented with an Aston Martin for his birthday. Before the young man could drive the car, it needed insurance costing Mum and Dad a hefty 4,000 a year. The insurer was Sabre Insurance Group. The company floated on the stock market last December, the shares are 261p and should deliver both steady growth and generous dividends over the coming years. Targets: Customers range from Ferrari-driving sportsmen to 17-year-old first drivers Sabre pursues policies that other companies steer clear of expensive cars, young drivers, gritty inner-city locations all fall within its remit. Customers range from Ferrari-driving sportsmen to 17-year-old first drivers to Porsche-owning bankers with previous speeding convictions. As a result, Sabre's average annual premium is 700 compared to a 400 average for the rest of the motor market. Every week, the group sells around 40 policies costing more than 4,000 a year and some are substantially higher than that 30,000 being the largest premium in recent months. Focusing on quirky or non-standard drivers has important benefits. Most of the UK car insurance market is intensely competitive, with companies chasing new business on price comparison websites, often at the expense of profitability. Sabre is different. The group is utterly focused on making profits. Chief executive Geoff Carter does not chase business for the sake of increasing sales. Instead, he ensures that the premiums offered reflect the risks that the group is taking. Since the company insures drivers that rivals avoid however, it can afford to charge higher prices and still win business. As a result, it is more profitable than many peers and is expected to pay chunky dividends to shareholders. A trading statement last week suggested that the company is on track for a strong 2018, with Carter hinting at a special dividend too extra cash on top of the regular payout. Brokers expect profits of 63.7 million this year, rising to 67.6 million in 2019. An ordinary dividend of 14.6p has been pencilled in for 2018, putting the shares on a 5.6 per cent yield. A special dividend will add even more to the payout. Next year's dividend is forecast at 15.3p and this may well be boosted by another special payment. Sabre traces its history back to the 1980s and has been involved in the non-standard side of the motor market for decades. That has allowed the group to build an incredibly large data base, used to make accurate predictions about claims. Carter runs an extremely lean base from Sabre's headquarters in Dorking, Surrey. The office is devoid of frills and fancy and top-notch software helps to bring down costs and improve pricing decisions. Sabre also generates 70 per cent of its business from brokers so it incurs lower marketing costs than many competitors. The rest comes from divisions such as DriveSmart, which offers telematics car insurance and Go Girl, which appeals to young female drivers (traditionally much less risky than young males). Looking ahead, Sabre is expected to flourish even if the economic environment deteriorates. Motor insurance is compulsory and non-standard motorists will always need to drive. Sabre also has less than 2 per cent of the UK market so there is plenty of room for growth and Carter hopes to expand to other vehicles, such as vans and taxis. John Clifton 'Jack' Bogle is probably a name you are not familiar with, even if you love your money and see yourself as something of an accomplished investor. But 'we' investors that is have a lot to thank this American octogenarian for. This is because he is the gentleman who invented the 'passive' investment fund a low-cost way of buying exposure to the performance of a mainstream stock market such as the FTSE 100 or All Share Index. It is a fund designed to track a specific market, plain and simple, with no deviation from the market other than to account for charges. Passive investing is growing in popularity Without it, most of us would now be paying much more for having our investments managed and be less well off in the future as a result. In a nutshell, he has democratised investing. Three cheers for Bogle. There is no doubt that Bogle's smart invention sparked a revolution in retail investment. Today, millions of people, here and in the United States, now hold passive funds as a matter of course. In the UK, investors use them as the backbone of their pensions, Individual Savings Accounts and investment portfolios. They allow more of our money to be invested rather than eaten away in fund fees, giving us the opportunity to build bigger investment pots. Many financial advisers swear blind by them. Bogle came up with his investment brainwave when he set up fund management company Vanguard in 1974 from humble offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although he has long since retired, Vanguard now has assets in excess of $5 trillion (3.8 trillion), making it the world's second-largest investment house behind BlackRock. Its success has been firmly built on the rock of the index-tracking investment fund. Other investment companies the likes of BlackRock, Fidelity and Invesco have had no choice but to jump on the passive bandwagon. While Vanguard has made huge waves in the United States, it is only in the past nine years that it has ventured across the Atlantic to sell its wares in the UK. As a result, it has always been playing catch-up with other established index trackers from the likes of HSBC and Legal & General. Initially, it targeted financial advisers with lots of clients' money looking for a home. John Clifton 'Jack' Bogle is probably a name you are not familiar with But since May 2017, Vanguard has parked its tanks firmly on the lawns of both the traditional online investment platforms (the Hargreaves Lansdowns of this world) and the asset managers (such as Fidelity, JPMorgan and Schroders). It now wants to manage our money via its online based 'personal investor' service. Through the account, investors can buy into a range of Vanguard funds, most of them index-tracking. They can select funds with fixed mixes of equity and bond exposure so called 'life strategy' funds ranging from cautious (20 per cent equity exposure) through to aggressive (all equities). Alternatively, they can opt for 'targeted' retirement funds where the risk of the underlying assets lowers as the chosen retirement age approaches. Last week, the money invested through this platform broke through the 1 billion barrier. 'It is a privilege to have attracted so much money in so short a space of time,' says Nick Blake, head of personal investing at Vanguard. 'It shows that if you do the right thing as a business then you will be successful.' Vanguard says its main attraction is cost, pointing out that every pound paid in fund fees by an investor is a pound out of their future returns. An investor cannot control the stock market but they can determine what they pay to invest. Minimising cost makes an enormous difference to long term investment success. According to independent financial research company The Lang Cat, a 50,000 investment via Vanguard's online platform into one of its life strategy funds will result in a total annual charge of 185. This compares with 560 if the same investment was made via the 'average' priced platform 940 in the most expensive. 'We want to stand up for the investor and offer them a fair deal,' says Blake. 'We also want to break new ground and show investors that it does not have to be difficult to engage with financial services companies.' Attracting a younger audience Vanguard is encouraged that 43 per cent of its 30,000 Personal Investor customers are under the age of 35 while one in three are investing monthly. Also, it appears that it is attracting new investors, not just those keen to transfer existing assets. Personal Investor is not yet the finished product. For example, there is no facility to invest into a personal pension although that is likely to be corrected by the New Year or just after. It also does not offer the breadth of investment choices that is available from a rival platform such as Hargreaves Lansdown. But it has certainly shaken up the UK's fund management industry and the online platform market, shining the spotlight on the huge fees most players routinely take from investors' portfolios. Some investment companies have responded positively by reducing fund charges. Meanwhile regulators appear keen to make platform charges more transparent and transferring funds between providers easier moves that would play into the hands of a low-cost operator such as Vanguard. 'We would like to think we have done our bit to bring down charges on some rivals' index funds and to increase competition in the online platform market generally,' says Blake. 'When it comes to investment get togethers, we are often Billy No Mates but when nobody is speaking to me, I always think back to what Bogle once said: 'In investing, realise that you get what you don't pay for. Whatever future returns the markets are generous enough to deliver, few investors will succeed in capturing 100 per cent of those returns, simply because of the high costs of investing. So pare them to the bone.' 'That is our mission and it comforts me. Striving for value for money. All the time.' The Royal Bank of Scotland has paid out its first dividend since it was bailed out by the Government during the financial crisis 10 years ago. The mostly state-owned lender paid out 240million to around 190,000 shareholders today. UK Government Investments, the firm that manages the state's 62 per cent stake, pocketed 150million of that. Long wait: The Royal Bank of Scotland has paid out its first dividend since it was bailed out by the Government in the financial crisis 10 years ago The lender lifted the lid on the 2p per share interim dividend in August after reaching a 3.7billion settlement with US authorities over claims that it mis-sold mortgages in the run-up to the financial crisis. The crucial first payout comes almost 10 years to the day since the bank received the first tranche of a Government rescue package at the height of the banking crash in October 2008. Chief executive Ross McEwan described it as an 'important milestone' in the bank's turnaround. 'I'm pleased to be able to pay a dividend to our shareholders; a small return after their many years of patience and a testament to the hard work of everyone at this bank,' he said. 'This is another important milestone in our turnaround, almost 10 years to the day that RBS was rescued by the British taxpayer. We have created a smaller, safer bank that is generating more sustainable profits. 'Our capital position is above our target and we are also looking to return any excess capital as soon as possible to shareholders.' While the dividend was welcomed by the Treasury, the Government is unlikely to recoup all the cash it stumped up during the bailout, given the extent to which the bank has shrunk since the bailout. The state, which initially bought a 80 per cent stake, earlier this year sold a 7.7 per cent stake in RBS at a 2.1billion loss to the UK taxpayer. Turning point: Chief executive Ross McEwan said the payment was an 'important milestone' in the bank's turnaround The sale of around 925million shares brought the public holding in RBS down from approximately 70.1 per cent to 62.4 per cent, resulting in proceeds of just 2.5billion at 271p per share. At the time of the bail out, its share were priced at 502p each. Last November, the Government said it aimed to sell 15billion of shares by 2023, offloading 3bn per year. RBS chairman Howard Davies said last month that taxpayers are 'unlikely to recoup [the] investment in full', given the bank's languishing share price. 'The focus on survival over a decade has had a cost,' he said. Financial fallout: RBS received the first tranche of a Government rescue package at the height of the banking crash in October 2008 Loan loss provisions, acquisition costs and charges linked to misconduct and litigation over issues such as the mis-selling of payment protection insurance and sub-prime mortgages in the US, have all dragged on RBS' finances. The lender is looking at a share buyback programme that would speed up its privatisation by reducing the public holding to less than 50 per cent by the end of the current parliament. Commenting on the dividend payout, a Treasury spokesman said: 'We welcome the dividend payment, which demonstrates the continued progress RBS has made in resolving its major legacy issues and achieving its first full year of profit since the crisis. 'All money recovered from our shareholding in RBS will be used to pay down the national debt.' The tax-free nest eggs of savers would only pay for 39 weeks in a care home, well short of the average stay of two and a half years, new research reveals. A typical Isa pot holds 24,035, which would cover 30 per cent of the bill for the typical 130-week residence in a care home required by an elderly person who can no longer look after their own needs. People have to meet their own care home bills until assets are depleted to 23,250 anyway, so unless they own a home that can eventually be sold or have other sources of funding to meet the costs, many are likely to fall back on the state. Current Isa pots are far too modest to even scratch the surface of residential care home fees, according to finance firm Just Group, which researched saving levels across the country and how many weeks in a care home this money would purchase. What's the average Isa pot in your region, and how much care would it buy there? Mapped: How the typical Isa pot stacks up across Britain - and how many weeks it would fund in a care home The Government is currently preparing to launch a new consultation paper on how to address social care funding. It has postponed the task since the 2017 election when it abruptly dropped plans or a 100,000 'floor' on the amount individuals contribute for care. See the box below on why social care funding is so controversial. Over the summer, it was rumoured the Government was considering launching a 'Care Isa' which would be ringfenced from inheritance tax. But this sparked criticism that it would only benefit the small minority of wealthy people liable for inheritance tax. Just Group looked at the average sum in existing Isa pots. That means it counted what is currently held by people who save, not by the general population, some of whom will have no savings and be even less able to afford care. Meanwhile, the firm said its research showed that 53 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds haven't thought about how they would pay for care. Why is there a social care funding crisis? There is widening gap between the public funds available to pay for social care and the burgeoning needs of an aging population. While most people have saved towards pensions to provide an income for later life, few are financially prepared for the stiff costs of care in their later years. For those with prolonged care needs, the bill can become so vast that it is totally unaffordable, even for those who have a home to sell as the last resort. This is further complicated by a 'fingers crossed' mentality among a lot of people, who hope they will die either suddenly or relatively quickly before they run up a huge care bill. Some people will 'get away with it' - but plenty won't, and with dementia on the rise as people live longer, it's not a sensible bet. It highlighted regional variations in how much is saved in Isas, and how many weeks in a care home it would buy. For example, the average Isa value in the north east is 19,915, enough to pay for only 35 weeks care. However, the average Isa pot in the north west is 21,560, which could pay for 41 weeks care. Just Group said the average Isa pot in London is among the highest at 25,982, but high care costs in the capital meant the money would only last 36 weeks. Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just, said: 'Isas have been a popular way for people to save tax-efficiently for nearly 20 years but even over that timescale the average holder has not built up enough to pay for even a single year of care. 'It's difficult to imagine how a new Care Isa could suddenly spark the dramatic shift in savings that will be needed to meet these potentially huge residential care bills in the future. 'Isas will only scratch the surface of the problem of how to pay for care, compared to using the wealth tied up in property which is far larger and more widely spread. 'Only about four in 10 of the adult population has an Isa, falling to three in 10 in Northern Ireland. Fewer than one in 20 estates are taxed on death so the appeal of a tax break is limited. 'While most people have relatively modest care costs, the biggest problem is the minority who end up needing care for many years but cannot hope to save the six-figure sums to pay for it themselves.' Lowe said that in the long term the Government should establish solutions that pool risk among people to protect some from ending up with 'catastrophic' care costs that can destroy their life savings. Financial dilemma: There is widening gap between the public funds available to pay for social care and the burgeoning needs of an aging population National Savings & Investments, the Government's savings bank, is one of the country's most trusted financial brands. You could argue such an accolade is not a difficult one to achieve given the propensity of banks to mis-sell, estate agents to lie and insurance companies to play hard ball over claims. But praise where praise is due. National Savings remains much loved a national treasure that has chugged along in one guise or another for 157 long years. And it probably will do so for another 157 provided the country does not go to hell in a handcart as a result of Jeremy Corbyn being voted into Number 10 and the guy next door, John McDonnell, plunging the country back into the dark ages with his madcap spending plans. Every month, Premium Bond holders have the chance of winning a prize, anything from 25 to 1 million Even when National Savings does horrible, illogical things such as cut savings rates when everyone else is raising theirs, it seems to get off somewhat lightly (apart from in the pages of The Mail on Sunday). Even the fact that ultimately it is a tool of Government policy a way for HM Treasury to raise money does not put off customers who normally run a mile when confronted with an arm of Government (for example, those tax grabbing people at HM Revenue & Customs). It really is a financial port in a storm there for savers through rain, hail, sleet, snow and sunshine. As Charles Dickens once said of it back when it was known as the Post Office Savings Bank: 'If this doesn't make people save, nothing will.' And, of course, with its much-loved Premium Bonds a constant hit with savers, there is always the chance a hugely unlikely one that Agent Million will come knocking on your front door with news that you have just won one of two monthly 1 million prizes. Today, 25 million of us, young and old, have a bit or a lot of money tied up in this Government savings organisation. Some 157 billion, more than that saved through the country's largest building society Nationwide. Here are four reasons why National Savings should be part of your savings armoury. NS&I really is a financial port in a storm there for savers through rain, hail, sleet, snow and sunshine 1. All your money is protected Until the financial crisis of 2008 knocked the country for six, everyone assumed that money saved in a bank or building society even an Icelandic bank was nigh on 100 per cent safe. But Northern Rock's collapse triggering queues of nervous savers outside the bank's branches desperate to get their money out and that of Icesave put paid to that theory. Although some good came out of these calamitous events with a remodelling of the savings safety net the Financial Services Compensation Scheme it now means there is a clear divide between savings with banks and building societies and those with National Savings. Save with a bank or building society and a maximum 85,000 of your savings are protected. Save with National Savings and all your money is underpinned by HM Treasury. As National Savings, not frightened to blow its own trumpet, likes to remind visitors to its website: 'We're 100 per cent secure.' This absolute security is a big draw with savers. 2. You could win big with Premium Bonds Talking of draws, there is nothing quite like the Premium Bond in today's savings market although Halifax, part of the mighty Lloyds Bank, offers something vaguely similar (but much smaller in scope) with its monthly savers' prize draw. Every month, Premium Bond holders have the chance of winning a prize, anything from 25 to 1 million, if computer 'Ernie' selects one of their bond numbers. For those who like their history, Ernie was originally modelled on a computer developed by those brilliant codebreakers at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. This month alone, Ernie awarded more than three million prizes, totalling close to 90 million. That is equivalent to an average annual prize fund rate of 1.4 per cent. And yes, before you ask, the returns are tax-free (no need to let HM Revenue & Customs know). Almost everyone I meet friends, foes, relatives, financial advisers, even my normally indifferent boys (all in their 20s) loves Premium Bonds. In nearly all cases, it is all about the thrill of seeing an envelope lying on your doormat that is clearly not junk but containing a 'warrant' (don't panic, a glorified cheque) from National Savings. 25? Probably. 50? If you are lucky. But it does not really matter. You feel a winner. Anna Bowes is a director of Savings Champion. She spends her working life identifying best-rate savings accounts for clients and saving her own money in such deals. Rather ineloquently, she calls herself a 'rate tart'. But she admits to having a real soft spot for Premium Bonds. 'I love them,' she says. 'It is fun waiting to see if you have won a prize and how much it is.' Next month, Premium Bonds are 62 years old. In December, Agent Million (whose identity is kept under wraps for security and confidentiality reasons) will knock on some lucky person's door and announce they are Ernie's 400th millionaire. It could be you. You can buy the bonds online, over the phone or by post. You can even automatically reinvest any winnings. Maximum holding is 50,000 a generous amount although currently more than 500,000 people hold bonds to this amount. Premium Bonds are the jewel in National Savings' crown. 3. Income bonds beat the High Street Not every National Savings product has sex appeal. Far from it. In recent months, the organisation has done some really half-baked things. These include cutting the amount new savers can hold in its guaranteed income and growth bonds from 1 million to 10,000 an issue. It has also just cut its Direct Isa rate from one to 0.75 per cent despite the recent base rate rise. On the surface, these moves are indefensible but they reflect more the fact that the savings organisation is a victim of its own success. This is because every year HM Treasury sets National Savings a target of net money it must raise from savers (new money minus withdrawals). This year's target is 6 billion. One quarter in, it was already half way towards this target so it was inevitable it had to turn the tap off by cutting some rates and restricting inflows. Of its products currently on sale besides Premium Bonds, probably income bonds are the pick of the bunch. Despite being an arm of Government, National Savings is surprisingly modern and efficient These pay monthly income on balances up to 1 million, equivalent to 1.15 per cent gross. Far superior to anything comparable on the high street (so says Savings Champion's Anna Bowes) and attractive to wealthy people, given they can invest up to 1 million with full Government protection. The same argument applies to Direct Saver, paying one per cent, where the savings limit is 2 million. Patrick Connolly, a chartered financial planner with Chase de Vere, says Premium Bonds, Income Bonds and Direct Saver are perfect for 'older or retired clients who are more interested in the return of their capital than the return on their capital'. 4. Cutting edge appeal to younger savers Despite being an arm of Government, National Savings is surprisingly modern and efficient. Its chief executive, Ian Ackerley, is ex-Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays (don't hold that against him) and is constantly seeking to make the organisation more customer friendly. Prompted by a new 'inspire and invest' strategy, Ackerley is looking to make National Savings appeal more to younger savers through the use of apps and new products. Various strategies are being employed to get people interested in saving from an early age. All Premium Bond holders can now check whether they are a prize winner via an app and it will not be long before the same app will allow savers to buy more bonds and, in time, all National Savings products. Through adverts, parents and grandparents are also being encouraged to gift Premium Bonds to children. Soon, this will be extended to adults who want to buy premium bonds on behalf of godchildren or children of close friends. And you never know, Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, may well use his Budget in just over two weeks' time to announce a new National Savings product. He did this in November 2016 when he unveiled a new investment bond. I pressed Ackerley on the subject when I met him over green juice six days ago. Sadly, he remained tight-lipped. Conservative MPs are putting pressure on Philip Hammond to spend money to salvage the Governments flagship welfare reforms. Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of Universal Credit, has urged the Chancellor to use this months Budget to plough 2billion into the beleaguered system. Yesterday he was supported by Conservative backbenchers, who said the party should be doing more to cut the cost of living for the poorest in society. Iain Duncan Smith, above, first proposed Universal Credit at the Conservative conference in 2010. In 2013, it started to be rolled out across the country, but now he has urged the Chancellor to use this months Budget to plough 2billion into the system [File photo] But speaking in Bali yesterday, Mr Hammond poured cold water on the idea. He said he would only consider ad hoc help to benefits claimants while the Universal Credit system is bedding in. Universal Credit, which replaces a range of handouts such as housing benefit and jobseekers allowance, is designed to make work pay by ensuring recipients do not lose all their benefits if they take a job. Mr Duncan Smith resigned in 2016 after George Osborne slashed 2billion of funding from the scheme. Universal Credit replaces a range of handouts such as housing benefit and jobseekers allowance. Claimants will not lose their benefits if they take a job [File photo] Tory MP Robert Halfon said: I believe in the reform but it needs to go back to 2015 levels in terms of the allowance. 'It is supposed to be about getting people into work, but the reform is hitting single people in my constituency as they cant do a lot of extra hours. I have always supported lower taxes for lower earners. Conservative MP Robert Halfon, pictured at this month's conference, said the Universal Credit reform is hitting single people in his Harlow constituency in Essex [File photo] Fellow Tory Johnny Mercer said: Its a good policy but its got to be funded correctly. When you look at increasing the thresholds of income tax, most of that is going toward the top income earners. Sir John Major has said the way Universal Credit is being introduced could cause the Tories the same sorts of problems as the poll tax. But Mr Osborne said there was not enough money to increase spending on the scheme. 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]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 BP: 200 PS Overseas Holdings Inc., 563916 Alberta Ltd., ACP (Malaysia) Inc., AE Cedar Creek Holdings LLC, AE Goshen II Holdings LLC, AE Goshen II Wind Farm LLC, AE Power Services LLC, AE Wind PartsCo LLC, AM/PM International Inc., ARCO, ARCO British International, ARCO British Limited, ARCO Coal Australia Inc., ARCO El-Djazair Holdings Inc., ARCO Environmental Remediation L.L.C., ARCO Exploration Inc., ARCO Gaviota Company, ARCO International Investments Inc., ARCO International Services Inc., ARCO Midcon LLC, ARCO Oil Company Nigeria Unlimited, ARCO Oman Inc, ARCO Resources Limited, ARCO Trinidad Exploration and Production Company Limited, ARCO Unimar Holdings LLC, Actomat B.V., Advance Petroleum Holdings Pty Ltd, Advance Petroleum Pty Ltd, Air BP Albania SHA, Air BP Brasil Ltda., Air BP Canada LLC, Air BP Croatia d.o.o., Air BP Finland Oy, Air BP Iceland, Air BP Limited, Air BP Norway AS, Air BP Sales Romania S.R.L., Air BP Sweden AB, Air Refuel Pty Ltd, Allgreen Pty Ltd, AmProp Finance Company, American Oil Company, Amoco (Fiddich) Limited, Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Company LLC., Amoco Bolivia Petroleum Company, Amoco Bolivia Services Company Inc., Amoco Canada International Holdings B.V., Amoco Capline Pipeline Company, Amoco Chemical (Europe) S.A., Amoco Chemicals (FSC) B.V., Amoco Cypress Pipeline Company, Amoco Destin Pipeline Company, Amoco Environmental Services Company, Amoco Exploration Holdings B.V., Amoco Guatemala Petroleum Company, Amoco International Finance Corporation, Amoco International Petroleum Company, Amoco Leasing Corporation, Amoco Louisiana Fractionator Company, Amoco MB Fractionation Company, Amoco MBF Company, Amoco Main Pass Gathering Company, Amoco Marketing Environmental Services Company, Amoco Netherlands Petroleum Company, Amoco Nigeria Exploration Company Limited, Amoco Nigeria Oil Company Limited, Amoco Nigeria Petroleum Company, Amoco Nigeria Petroleum Company Limited, Amoco Norway Oil Company, Amoco Oil Holding Company, Amoco Olefins Corporation, Amoco Overseas Exploration Company, Amoco Pipeline Asset Company, Amoco Pipeline Holding Company, Amoco Properties Incorporated, Amoco Remediation Management Services Corporation, Amoco Research Operating Company, Amoco Rio Grande Pipeline Company, Amoco Somalia Petroleum Company, Amoco Sulfur Recovery Company, Amoco Tri-States NGL Pipeline Company, Amoco Trinidad Gas B.V., Amoco U.K. Petroleum Limited, Amprop Illinois I Limited, Amprop Inc., Anaconda Arizona Inc., Arabian Production And Marketing Lubricants, Aral Aktiengesellschaft, Aral Luxembourg S.A., Aral Services Luxembourg Sarl, Aral Tankstellen Services Sarl, Arco Mediterraneo Inversiones S.L., Areas Noriega S.L., Areas Singulares Reyes S.L., Aspac Lubricants (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Atlantic 2/3 UK Holdings Limited, Atlantic Richfield Company, Atlantic Richfield Companyd, Autino Holdings Limited, Autino Limited, Auwahi Wind Energy Holdings LLC, B2Mobility GmbH, BASS Management Pty Ltd, BP (Abu Dhabi) Limited, BP (Barbados) Holding SRL, BP (Barbican) Limited, BP (China) Holdings Limited, BP (China) Industrial Lubricants Limited, BP (GTA Mauritania) Finance Limited, BP (GTA Senegal) Finance Limited, BP (Gibraltar) Limited, BP (Guangzhou) Advanced Mobility Limited, BP (Hunan) Petroleum Company Limited, BP (Indian Agencies) Limited, BP (Shandong) Petroleum Co. Ltd, BP (Shanghai) Trading Limited, BP - Castrol (Thailand) Limited, BP AMI Leasing Inc., BP Absheron Limited, BP Advanced Mobility Limited, BP Africa Limited, BP Africa Oil Limited, BP Akaryakit Ortakligi, BP Alaska LNG LLC, BP Alternative Energy Holdings Limited, BP Alternative Energy Investments Limited, BP Alternative Energy North America Inc., BP Alternative Energy Trinidad and Tobago Limited, BP America Chembel Holding LLC, BP America Chemicals Company, BP America Foreign Investments Inc., BP America Inc, BP America Inc., BP America Limited, BP America Production Company, BP Amoco Chemical Company, BP Amoco Chemical Holding Company, BP Amoco Chemical Indonesia Limited, BP Amoco Chemical Malaysia Holding Company, BP Amoco Exploration (Faroes) Limited, BP Amoco Exploration (In Amenas) Limited, BP Andaman II Ltd, BP Angola (Block 18) B.V., BP Argentina Exploration Company, BP Argentina Holdings LLC, BP Aromatics Holdings Limited, BP Aromatics Limited, BP Asia Limited, BP Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BP Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BP Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, BP Australia Capital Markets Limited, BP Australia Employee Share Plan Proprietary Limited, BP Australia Group Pty Ltde, BP Australia Investments Pty Ltd, BP Australia Nominees Proprietary Limited, BP Australia Pty Ltd, BP Australia Shipping Pty Ltd, BP Australia Swaps Management Limited, BP Aviation A/S, BP Benevolent Fund Trustees Limited, BP Berau Ltd., BP Biocombustiveis S.A., BP Bioenergia Campina Verde Ltda., BP Bioenergia Ituiutaba Ltda., BP Bioenergia Itumbiara S.A., BP Bioenergia Tropical S.A., BP Biofuels Advanced Technology Inc., BP Biofuels Brazil Investments Limited, BP Biofuels Louisiana LLC, BP Biofuels North America LLC, BP Biofuels Trading Comercio Exportacao Ltda., BP Bomberai Ltd., BP Brasil Ltda., BP Brazil Tracking L.L.C., BP Bulwer Island Pty Ltd, BP Business Service Centre Asia Sdn Bhd, BP Business Service Centre KFT, BP CIV Pty Ltd, BP Canada Energy Development Company, BP Canada Energy Group ULC, BP Canada Energy Marketing Corp., BP Canada International Holdings B.V., BP Canada Investments Inc., BP Capellen Sarl, BP Capital Markets, BP Capital Markets America, BP Capital Markets America Inc., BP Capital Markets p.l.c., BP Car Fleet Limited, BP Caribbean Company, BP Castrol KK, BP Castrol Lubricants (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BP Central Pipelines LLC, BP Chembel, BP Chemicals (Korea) Limited, BP Chemicals East China Investments Limited, BP Chemicals Investments Limited, BP Chemicals Limited, BP China Exploration and Production Company, BP Comercializadora de Energia Ltda., BP Commodities Trading Limited, BP Commodity Supply B.V., BP Company North America, BP Company North America Inc., BP Containment Response Limited, BP Containment Response System Holdings LLC, BP Continental Holdings Limited, BP Corporate Holdings, BP Corporate Holdings Limited, BP Corporation North America, BP Corporation North America Inc., BP D-B Pipeline Company LLC, BP D230 Limited, BP Danmark A/S, BP Developments Australia Pty. Ltd., BP Dogal Gaz Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, BP East Kalimantan CBM Limited, BP Eastern Mediterranean Limited, BP Egypt Company, BP Egypt East Delta Marine Corporation, BP Egypt East Tanka B.V., BP Egypt Production B.V., BP Egypt Ras El Barr B.V., BP Egypt West Mediterranean (Block B) B.V., BP Energy Asia Pte. Limited, BP Energy Colombia Limited, BP Energy Company, BP Energy Europe Limited, BP Energy Solutions B.V., BP Energy do Brasil Ltda., BP Energia Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., BP Espana S.A. Unipersonal, BP Estaciones y Servicios Energeticos Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, BP Europa SE, BP Exploracion de Venezuela S.A., BP Exploration & Production Inc., BP Exploration (Absheron) Limited, BP Exploration (Alaska), BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., BP Exploration (Algeria) Limited, BP Exploration (Alpha), BP Exploration (Alpha) Limited, BP Exploration (Angola), BP Exploration (Angola) Limited, BP Exploration (Azerbaijan), BP Exploration (Azerbaijan) Limited, BP Exploration (Canada) Limited, BP Exploration (Caspian Sea), BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited, BP Exploration (D230) Limited, BP Exploration (Delta), BP Exploration (Delta) Limited, BP Exploration (El Djazair) Limited, BP Exploration (Epsilon) Limited, BP Exploration (Gambia) Limited, BP Exploration (Greenland) Limited, BP Exploration (Madagascar) Limited, BP Exploration (Morocco) Limited, BP Exploration (Namibia) Limited, BP Exploration (Nigeria Finance) Limited, BP Exploration (Nigeria) Limited, BP Exploration (Psi) Limited, BP Exploration (STP) Limited, BP Exploration (Shafag-Asiman) Limited, BP Exploration (Shah Deniz) Limited, BP Exploration (South Atlantic) Limited, BP Exploration (Xazar) Pte. Ltd., BP Exploration Angola (Kwanza Benguela) Limited, BP Exploration Argentina Limited, BP Exploration Australia Pty Ltd Level 15, BP Exploration Beta Limited, BP Exploration China Limited, BP Exploration Company (Middle East) Limited, BP Exploration Company Limited, BP Exploration Indonesia Limited, BP Exploration Libya Limited, BP Exploration Mexico Limited, BP Exploration Mexico S.A. De C.V., BP Exploration North Africa Limited, BP Exploration Operating Company, BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, BP Exploration Orinoco Limited, BP Exploration Personnel Company Limited, BP Exploration Peru Limited, BP Express Shopping Limited, BP Finance Australia Pty Ltd, BP Finance p.l.c., BP Foundation Incorporated, BP France, BP Fuels & Lubricants AS, BP Fuels Deutschland GmbH, BP GOM Logistics LLC, BP Gas & Power Investments Limited, BP Gas Europe S.A.U., BP Gas Marketing Limited, BP Gas Supply (Angola) LLC, BP Ghana Limited, BP Global Investments, BP Global Investments Limited, BP Global Investments Salalah & Co LLC, BP Global West Africa Limited, BP Greece Limited, BP Guangdong Limited, BP High Density Polyethylene - France, BP Holdings (Thailand) Limited, BP Holdings B.V., BP Holdings Canada, BP Holdings Canada Limited, BP Holdings International B.V., BP Holdings North America, BP Holdings North America Limited, BP Hong Kong Limited, BP India Private Limited, BP Indonesia Investment Limited, BP International, BP International Limited, BP International Services Company, BP Investment Management Limited, BP Investments Asia Limited, BP Iran Limited, BP Iraq N.V., BP Italia SpA, BP Japan K.K., BP Korea Limited, BP Kuwait Limited, BP LNG Shipping Limited, BP Latin America LLC, BP Latin America Upstream Services Inc., BP Lubricants KK, BP Lubricants USA Inc., BP Luxembourg S.A., BP Malaysia Holdings Sdn. Bhd., BP Management International B.V., BP Management Netherlands B.V., BP Marine Limited, BP Mariner Holding Company LLC, BP Maritime Services (Singapore) Pte. Limited, BP Marketing Egypt LLC, BP Mauritania Investments Limited, BP Mauritius Limited (in liquidation), BP Middle East Enterprises Corporation, BP Middle East LLC, BP Middle East Limited, BP Midstream Partners GP LLC, BP Midstream Partners Holdings LLC, BP Midstream Partners LP, BP Midwest Product Pipelines Holdings LLC, BP Mocambique Limitada, BP Mocambique Limited, BP Muturi Holdings B.V., BP Nederland Holdings BV, BP Netherlands Upstream B.V., BP New Ventures Middle East Limited, BP New Zealand Holdings Limited, BP New Zealand Share Scheme Limited, BP Nutrition Inc., BP Offshore Gathering Systems Inc., BP Offshore Pipelines Company LLC, BP Offshore Response Company LLC, BP Oil (Thailand) Limited, BP Oil Australia Pty Ltd, BP Oil Espana S.A., BP Oil Hellenic S.A., BP Oil International, BP Oil International Limited, BP Oil Kent Refinery Limited (in liquidation), BP Oil Llandarcy Refinery Limited, BP Oil Logistics UK Limited, BP Oil New Zealand Limited, BP Oil Pipeline Company, BP Oil Senegal S.A., BP Oil Shipping Company, BP Oil UK Limited, BP Oil Venezuela Limited, BP Oil Vietnam Limited, BP Oil Yemen Limited, BP Olex Fanal Mineralol GmbH, BP One Pipeline Company LLC, BP Pacific Investments Ltd, BP Pakistan (Badin) Inc., BP Pakistan Exploration and Production Inc., BP Pension Escrow Limited, BP Pension Trustees Limited, BP Pensions (Overseas) Limited, BP Pensions Limited, BP Petrochemicals India Investments Limited, BP Petroleo y Gas S.A., BP Petrolleri Anonim Sirketi, BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc., BP Pipelines (BTC) Limited, BP Pipelines (North America) Inc., BP Pipelines (SCP) Limited, BP Pipelines (TANAP) Limited, BP Pipelines TAP Limited, BP Polska Services Sp. z o.o. Ul., BP Portugal -Comercio de Combustiveis e Lubrificantes SA, BP Poseidon Limited, BP Products North America, BP Products North America Inc., BP Properties Limited, BP Raffinaderij Rotterdam B.V., BP Refinery (Kwinana) Proprietary Limited, BP Regional Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd, BP River Rouge Pipeline Company LLC, BP Russian Investments Limited, BP Russian Ventures Limited, BP SC Holdings LLC, BP Scale Up Factory Limited, BP Senegal Investments Limited, BP Services International Limited, BP Servicios de Combustibles S.A. de C.V., BP Servicios territoriales S.A., BP Shafag-Asiman Limited, BP Shipping Limited, BP Singapore Pte. Limited, BP Solar Energy North America LLC, BP Solar Espana S.A., BP Solar International Inc., BP Solar Pty Ltd, BP South America Holdings Ltd, BP Southern Africa Proprietary Limited, BP Southern Cone Company, BP Subsea Well Response (Brazil) Limited, BP Subsea Well Response Limited, BP Taiwan Marketing Limited, BP Technology Ventures Inc., BP Technology Ventures Limited, BP Train 2/3 Holding SRL, BP Transportation (Alaska) Inc., BP Trinidad Processing Limited, BP Trinidad and Tobago, BP Trinidad and Tobago LLC, BP Turkey Refining Limited, BP Two Pipeline Company LLC, BP UK Retained Holdings Limited, BP Venezuela Investments B.V., BP West Aru I Limited, BP West Aru II Limited, BP West Papua I Limited, BP West Papua III Limited, BP Wind Energy North America Inc., BP Wiriagar Ltd., BP World-Wide Technical Services Limited, BP Zhuhai Chemical Company Limited, BP+Amoco International Limited, BP-AIOC Exploration (TISA) LLC, BPA Investment Holding Company, BPNE International B.V., BPRY Caribbean Ventures LLC, BPX (Eagle Ford) Gathering LLC, BPX (KCS Resources) LLC, BPX (Karnes) Gathering LLC, BPX (Permian) Gathering LLC, BPX (WSF Operating) Inc., BPX Energy Inc., BPX Midstream LLC, BPX Operating Company, BPX Production Company, BPX Properties (GP) LLC, BPX Properties (LP) LLC, BPX Properties (NA) LP, BTC Pipeline Holding Company Limited, BXL Plastics Limitedv, Bahia de Bizkaia Electridad S.L., Baltimore Ennis Land Company Inc., Black Lake Pipe Line Company, Brian Jasper Nominees Pty Ltd, Britannic Energy Trading Limited, Britannic Investments Iraq Limited, Britannic Marketing Limited, Britannic Strategies Limited, Britannic Trading Limited, Britoil Limited, Burmah Castrol, Burmah Castrol Australia Pty Ltd, Burmah Castrol Holdings Inc., Burmah Castrol PLC, Burmah Castrol South Africa (Pty) Limited, Burmah Chile SpA, Butamax Advanced Biofuels, CASTROL Austria GmbHb, CH-Twenty Inc., CNAA, Cadman DBP Limited, Casitas Pipeline Company, Castrol (China) Limited, Castrol (Ireland) Limited, Castrol (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Castrol (Shenzhen) Company Limited, Castrol (Tianjin) Lubricants Co. Ltd., Castrol (U.K.) Limited, Castrol Australia Pty. Limited, Castrol B.V., Castrol BP Petco Limited Liability Company, Castrol Brasil Ltda., Castrol Caribbean & Central America Inc., Castrol Colombia Ltda., Castrol Del Peru S.A., Castrol Egypt Lubricants S.A.E., Castrol India Limited, Castrol Industrie und Service GmbH, Castrol KK, Castrol Limited, Castrol Lubricants RO S.R.L, Castrol Mexico S.A., Castrol Namibia (Pty) Limited, Castrol Offshore Limited, Castrol Pakistan (Private) Limited, Castrol Philippines Inc., Castrol Servicos Ltda., Castrol Ukraine LLC, Castrol Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, Centrel Pty Ltd, Charge Your Car Limitedc, Chargemaster, Chargemaster (Europe) GmbH, Chargemaster Limited, Charging Solutions Limited, Clarisse Holdings Pty Ltd, Coastwise Trading Company Inc., Consolidada de Energia y Lubricantes (CENERLUB) C.A., Conti Cross Keys Inn Inc., Coro Trading NZ Limited, Cuyama Pipeline Company, DHC Solvent Chemie GmbH, Dermody Developments Pty Ltd, Dermody Holdings Pty Ltd, Dermody Investments Pty Ltd, Dermody Petroleum Pty. Ltd., Dome Beaufort Petroleum Limited, Dome Wallis (1980) Limited Partnership, ECM Markets SA (Pty) Ltd, Elektromotive Limited, Elite Customer Solutions Pty Ltd, Elm Holdings Inc., Energy Global Investments (USA) Inc., Enstar LLC, Estacion de Servicio Alto Campoo S.L., Estacion de Servicio Ganzo 10 S.L., Estacion de Servicio Reocin 9 S.L., Estacion de Servicio Santillana II S.L., Estacion de Servicio Sardinero S.L., Estonian Aviation Fuelling Services, Europa Oil NZ Limited, Exomet Inc., Expandite Contract Services Limited, Exploration (Luderitz Basin) Limited, Exploration Service Company Limited, FWK (2017) Limited, FWK Holdings (2017) LTD, Finite Carbon, Flat Ridge 2 Holdings LLC, Flat Ridge Wind Energy LLC, Foseco Holding Inc., Foseco Holding International B.V., Foseco Inc., Fosroc Expandite Limited, Fotech Solutions Ltd, Fowler Ridge Holdings LLC, Fowler Ridge I Land Investments LLC, Fowler Ridge II Holdings LLC, Fowler Ridge III Wind Farm LLC, FreeBees B.V., Fuel & Retail Aviat ion Sweden AB, Fuelplane- Sociedade Abastecedora De Aeronaves Unipessoal Lda, GOAM 1 C.I S. A .S, Gardena Holdings Inc., Gelsenkirchen Raffinerie Netz GmbH, Grampian Aviation Fuelling Services Limited, Guangdong Investments Limited, Highlands Ethanol LLC, Hosteleria Noriega S.L., IGI Resources Inc., Insight Analytics Solutions Holdings Limited, Insight Analytics Solutions Limited, Insight Analytics Solutions USA Inc., International Bunker Supplies Pty Ltd, Iraq Petroleum Company Limited, Jupiter Insurance Limited, Ken-Chas Reserve Company, Kenilworth Oil Company Limited, Kingbook Inversiones Socimi S.A., Latin Energy Argentina S.A., Lebanese Aviation Technical Services S.A.L., Limited Liability Company BP Toplivnaya Kompania, Limited liability company Setra Lubricants, Lubricants UK Limited, Lytt Limited, Manormaker (Nominee No. 1) Limited, Manormaker (Nominee No. 2) Limited, Manormaker GP Limited (99.90%) 11 Black Horse Lane, Mardi Gras Transportation System Company LLC, Markoil S.A., Masana Petroleum Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Mayaro Initiative for Private Enterprise Development, Mehoopany Holdings LLC, Mes Tecnologia En Servicios Y Energia S.A., Minza Pty. Ltd., Mountain City Remediation LLC, No. 1 Riverside Quay Proprietary Limited, Nordic Lubricants A/S, Nordic Lubricants AB, North America Funding Company, OMD87 Inc., OOO BP STL, Omega Oil Company, OnSight Analytics Solutions India Private Ltd., Orion Delaware Mountain Wind Farm LP, Orion Energy Holdings LLC, Orion Energy L.L.C.b, Orion Post Land Investments LLC, Oyambre 1 S.L., PRODUITS METALLURGIE DOITTAU, PT BP Petrochemicals, PT Castrol Indonesia, PT Castrol Manufacturing Indonesia, PT Jasatama Petroindo, Pacroy (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Peaks America Inc., Pearl River Delta Investments Limited, Petrocorner Retail S.L.U., Phoenix Petroleum Services Limited, Pozuelo 4 S.L., Prospect International C.A. (In liquidation), Puente Arce 4 S.L., Remediation Management Services Company, Richfield Oil Corporation, Rio Corvo 2 S.L., Rolling Thunder I Power Partners LLC, Romax Insight Korea Ltd., Ropemaker Deansgate Limited, Ropemaker Properties Limited, Ruhr Oel GmbH, Rusdene GSS Limited, SOFAST Limited, SRHP, Saturn Insurance Inc., Sherbino I Holdings LLC, Sherbino Mesa I Land Investments LLC, Sociedade de Promocao Imobiliaria Quinta do Loureiro SA, Societe de Gestion de Depots d'Hydrocarbures - GDH, South Texas Shale LLC, Southeast Texas Biofuels LLC, Southern Ridge Pipeline Holding Company, Southern Ridge Pipeline LP LLC, Sp/f Decision3 (GreenSteam) Company, Standard Oil Company, Standard Oil Company Inc., Standard Oil of Ohio, Stryde Limited, Sunrise Oil Sands Partnership, TISA Education Complex LLC, TJKK, Taradadis Pty. Ltd., Telcom General Corporation, Terre de Grace Partnership, The Anaconda Company, The BP Share Plans Trustees Limited, The Burmah Oil Company (Pakistan Trading) Limited, The Standard Oil Company, Toledo Refinery Holding Company LLC, Torrelavega 7 S.L., Union Texas International Corporation, Vastar Pipeline LLC, Veba Oel AG Veba Oel, Verenium, Viceroy Investments Limited, Villacarriedo 8 S.L., Warrenville Development Limited, Water Way Trading and Petroleum Services LLC, Welchem Inc., West Kimberley Fuels Pty Ltd, Westlake Houston Development LLC, Whiting Clean Energy Inc., Windpark Energy Nederland B.V., and Winwell Resources L.L.C. BERNE A 31-year-old Berne man has been arrested in an ongoing investigation into child sex abuse, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said Friday. John E. McIntyre, a Level 2 sex offender, allegedly had inappropriate physical contact with a 13-year-old girl after communicating with her through text messages, Facebook and Snapchat and arranging a meeting in town. TROY The incumbents record is always the target in a hotly contested campaign, but Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel E. Abelove finds himself in an even more heated contest with challenger Mary Pat Donnelly as he continues to face legal pressures in his own case. Abelove faced criminal charges filed by the state Attorney Generals Office on his handling of a 2016 fatal police shooting of an unarmed DWI suspect in Troy. The charges were dismissed in June by acting state Supreme Court Justice Jonathan D. Nichols of Columbia County. But the attorney general is appealing that ruling and theres been an exchange of legal papers in the last few weeks. In the hard-scrabble battleground of door-to-door county politics, that means Donnelly, the Democratic candidate, and Abelove, the Republican incumbent, face questions about the case whenever they knock on a door seeking voters support. My handling of the matter was within my lawful authority as district attorney, Abelove, 49, of Rensselaer, said. Abelove said he tells voters first all investigations including the attorney general's concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the officer. Second, I make sure they are aware that Judge Nichols dismissed all charges against me. Third, I assure them that as I have said all along, I did nothing wrong and was never accused by the attorney general of violating the Governors Executive Order, Abelove said. Donnelly, 45, a former East Greenbush town justice who works in the Albany city courts as an attorney, said she finds that Abeloves legal issues are part of a broad spectrum of voters concerns regarding the district attorneys office. I have been campaigning door to door since June and I can tell you that voters want a change," Donnelly said, saying they are "unhappy with the repeated dismissals of important cases." They are concerned about the fact that the indictment against the current DA may be reinstated. I have resigned my judgeship and entered the race because I share these same concerns. I will bring competence, ethics and integrity to the district attorneys office, Donnelly said. The first round of elections came in the Sept. 13 primaries when Donnelly swept four elections, winning the Independence, Working Families, Green and Womens Equality Party contests. The most important victory was the Independence Party, whose line is considered key to winning the Nov. 6 election. Abelove, who has the Conservative and Reform lines, had the Independence line when he won in 2014 and didnt have it when he lost in 2011. The district attorneys office daily operation is a major concern in the race. Its one that Abelove raised during his 2014 campaign. Donnelly now has hammered on in this campaign. The high turnover of assistant district attorneys and speedy trial violations in which cases arent prosecuted on a timely basis as required by the law are issues. It is no secret that the Rensselaer County District Attorneys Office is in shambles. As district attorney, my first priority will be to create an environment in which attorneys want to work, Donnelly said. I do not believe the office needs massive restructuring as much as it simply needs leadership. Abelove empashized that he has saved money by improving office operations and improved his assistants' salaries, which need to continue, and which is an issue for the Capital Regions district attorney offices. He also said he has improved case monitoring and developed an alert system to prevent speedy trial dismissals, but that case backlogs are a function of court operations. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Regarding leadership, my philosophy is to lead from the front. I have personally prosecuted a number of complex, high-profile cases. I meet with attorneys regularly to discuss cases and offer assistance, Abelove said. Abeloves win in 2014 also was played out against many rural county voters opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomos SAFE Act, setting new rules for gun ownership. I have opposed the SAFE Act from its inception and can state as district attorney that I have not seen any positive effect on crime reduction as a result of this law, said Abelove, who is endorsed by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. The daughter and wife of police officers, Donnelly said, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment not only because of my personal background, but because of my appreciation for the right to defend ourselves as a cornerstone of our freedom." Rensselaer County District Attorney Rensselaer County District Attorney's Race Candidates Joel E. Abelove, Republican-Conservative-Reform incumbent, seeking second term. Mary Pat Donnelly, Democratic-Independence-Working Families-Green-Women's Equality candidate, who resigned as East Greenbush town justice to run. Voters 32,595 Democrats; 31,701 unaffiliated; 26,106 Republicans; 8,485 Independence; 4,447 Conservatives; 1,158 Working Families; 488 Green; 40 Reform; 40 Other; 38 Women's Equality. More stories For previous stories and updates on the election, see the timesunion.com's elections page See More Collapse Abelove notes he is a career prosecutor in a 23-year legal career across the district attorneys office; the National Guard, from which he retired this year as a lieutenant colonel; and state Health Department. Trial experience is critical, in my opinion, to being district attorney. It is especially important to have prosecutorial trial experience, the incumbent said. Donnelly's 21-year legal career has been in criminal courts serving as a prosecutor in Vermont, town justice and court attorney. For the district attorney, trial experience is not nearly as important as good judgment, high ethical standards and a sound commitment to doing the right thing in every case, Donnelly said. ALBANY - New regulations for stretch limousines are being proposed in the state Senate in response to the crash that killed 20 people in Schoharie last week. The legislation introduced on Friday by Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat, would require stretch limousines be taken off the road after 10 years, create new procedures if a vehicle fails a safety inspection, impose a minimum liability insurance coverage of $2 million, and display inspection results on the state Department of Transportation website. It would also mandate a "license plate" sized sticker on a passenger door indicating the date of the last successful vehicle inspection, with the sticker replaced by a sticker indicating the vehicle can't transport passengers if it fails an inspection. "While many limousine operators take the safety of their passengers and drivers seriously, there seems to be a certain population of operators that does not," reads the bill memorandum. "In an effort to cut corners, they put their passengers and drivers at risk." Prestige Limousine, the owner of the 2001 Ford Excursion that was involved in the Schoharie tragedy, was cited during previous inspections for lacking operating authority from the DOT, along with numerous safety violations, including defective brakes, inoperable emergency exits and a dangling hydraulic brake line. After each inspection, Prestige had 15 days to correct the problems. Even if the issues were addressed, Prestige still required DOT approval to offer limo services. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. According to the bill memorandum, stretch limousines are not defined by state law and operate under a "patchwork of regulations." New York has changed inspection procedures for so-called stretch vehicles, shifting those procedures to the state DOT from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Stretch vehicles that carry 10 or more people, including the driver, are now are classified as buses. Felder, who is aligned with the Senate Republicans, has come under fire in New York City for holding up legislation that would have reauthorized speed cameras around public schools in the five boroughs. SARATOGA SPRINGS - A group of eight members of the 2017 Charter Review Commission have reunited to urge voters to reject the proposed changes to the city's current charter because the revisions were devised without public input. "We strongly urge a no vote on this year's proposed changes to the Saratoga Springs' charter," the group wrote in a letter to voters. "The proposed charter was developed with little input from the public, weakens the position of mayor, and does not separate legislative responsibilities from administering laws. The citizens of Saratoga Springs deserve better government than this. The proposed charter is an inside job designed to serve the interests of city council members who wrote it at the expense of the citizens." The letter, calling the charter changes "an inside a job," was signed by the group's former chair Bob Turner and Jeff Altamari, Gordon Boyd, Ann Casey Bullock, Laura Chodos, Pat Kane, Minita Sanghvi and Beth Wurtmann. On Nov. 6, Saratogians will have a chance to weigh in on the charter again with two referendum questions. The first will ask for approval for the revisions to the current charter that were recommended by the city's four elected commissioners, their deputies and the city's attorney Vincent DeLeonardis. The second question will seek approval to add two at-large members to the City Council, expanding the governing body to seven. Question 2 will automatically fail if Question 1 is not approved. "We wanted to get the word out about the charter vote because it's not the same as last year's," Boyd said. "The (2108) charter commission operated under the radar. People were not paying full attention and it's important for them to know that it's not the same charter. It's different and worse." In addition to no public input, the group objects to many of the changes proposed by the 2018 Charter Review Commission. They include the city council members having the ability to set their own salaries, no salary limits, no financial savings, a weakening of the mayor by stripping away some appointments, the Department of Public Works' takeover of the Recreation Program and the two additional council members having no administrative powers like their counterparts. The group also is disturbed by the separation of the city attorney, the director of risk and safety, the human resources director and the information technology director from an elected commissioner. If the changes are approved, these titles will now answer to the City Council as a whole. "Having five or seven bosses means no one is responsible," the letter reads. "When decisions are needed, only dysfunction will ensue given this structure. Citizen access to these services will be limited with no elected official to turn to for help." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. DeLeonardis, who chairs the 2018 commission, said the letter was unfortunate. "Their claim that the proposed updates and amendments were 'developed with little input from the public' is false," DeLeonardis said. "To date, the commission has held twenty meetings, including two workshops and two public forums; submitted and received responses to questionnaires from former Council members and deputies, as well as designated city employees; conducted interviews with numerous individuals relevant to our review; and received extensive public comment and input at meetings, public forums, through written submissions, and in response to both an informal and formal survey, the latter of which generated responses from 250 city residents." He also said the claims that elected officials can boost their salaries unchecked is "ridiculous" and denies that various city employees, including himself, will have "no bosses." The group stands by its letter. "A yes vote is a vote for unlimited city council salaries, lack of management accountability, more patronage and self-dealing in city government," the letter reads. "Vote no." ALBANY - A special school safety unit from the state Education Department will be making a site visit to the Albany school district in the wake of a complaint last February about a lengthy sexting case in which a student had sent a pornographic text message to a classmate and subsequently hounded her and other young women throughout their high school careers. Given the serious nature of the allegations raised in this appeal I am directing my Office of Student Support Services to provide guidance and technical assistance to the district to ensure that the district appropriately investigates all incidents of harassment and bullying, Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia wrote. Her remarks were part of a decision in September to dismiss the complaint, known as an appeal. Elia stressed that the case was dismissed because the students involved have since graduated. She also offered pointed criticism about the way the school board and district administration handled the incident. There is no evidence in the record indicating that any investigation was conducted to determine who authored these texts, other than outside counsel, said Elia, referring to text messages that were offered as exhibits in the complaint. Elias decision also came as a group of parents continues to call for an inquiry by the state attorney generals office, although it earlier told the Times Union no no apparent violations of Title IX, the federal rules regarding gender discrimination were found. Were waiting for a response, said one of the community members who have continued to look into the sexting affair which critics say had initially been swept under the rug. The controversy in question dates to 2015 when a male student sent a pornographic rape fantasy text message to a female classmate. Following that at least three students in the high school began complaining that the student in question was hounding them in subtle and not-so-subtle ways including statements including some that referenced the original 2015 message. Eventually he was given a stay away order and instructed to steer clear of the students he texted, according to the complaint, in which names of the plaintiffs, respondents and others were redacted. But that was difficult since the students were in many of the same classes and participated in the same activities. Things came to a head in a May 2017 history class, where the days topic was the Equal Rights Amendment and the Monica Lewinsky affair. "In the midst of a regularly scheduled class in Albany High School, the perpetrator sent approximately 19 separate texts to male students in the class mocking and disparaging by name two female students who were also enrolled in the class and physically in the same classroom," according to the appeal. The female students learned of the text, and the plaintiffs argued that this and other incidents amounted to harassment and bullying, in violation of anti-bullying rules in the states Dignity for All Students Act. The district, with backup from a lawyer it hired to conduct an investigation, concluded that the student violated Albany Highs code of conduct but he hadnt engaged in bullying or discrimination. In her dismissal of the appeal, Elia also advised the school district to revisit its code of conduct, specifically because it didnt contemplate emotional harm as potential bullying or harassment. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. School district spokesman Ron Lesko said the code of conduct had already been updated and the state was working from an older code. It covers the point that the commissioner highlighted, said Lesko. He said the district will designate special coordinators to investigate potential violations of the Dignity for All Students Act. Elia had taken issue with gaps in who conducted the initial investigation in the high school. Elia cited the school boards failure to probe the complaints when they first surfaced. Lesko said the board will investigate any allegations going forward. During the upcoming visit, school safety experts will interview staff members and provide guidance on reporting, investigating and responding to potential harassment or bullying incidents. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU [October 12, 2018] University of San Francisco's School of Management to Host "Autonomous Vehicles and the City" Symposium on October 15 SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The School of Management at the University of San Francisco (USF) will host the "Autonomous Vehicles and the City" symposium on Monday, October 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the McLaren Conference Center on the USF campus. The day-long symposium will bring together 200 national leaders in business, policy, and academia to discuss how we can innovate cities in the new mobility future focusing on economic growth, energy and the environment, land use and design, social justice, policy and management. The event will include expert panel discussions with representatives from companies including Arup, AC Transit, Arrivo-Loop, BMW, Brigade, Cruise, Fehr & Peers, Ford, Lime, Lyft, MayMobility, Populus, Proterra, Remix, Xapix and more. "It's a revolutionary time as we think about the future of our cities and disruptive transport, thinking beyond the vehicle and considering how we can continue to innovate while promoting environmental sustainability and creating social value," stated School of Management Assistant Professor William Riggs , a global expert in the areas of autonomy and smart transportation, housing, economics and urban development. The outcome of the event will conclude with two workshops on design and management with a focus on rethinking how we design and manage streets to respond to and inform new transportation innovations. Event Details: October 15, 2018 - 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM McLaren Conference Center, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton St. RSVP online: http://rsvp.usfca.edu/events/autonomous-vehicles-and-the-city Scheduled speakers include: Alisyn Malek | COO, May Mobility William Riggs | University of San Francisco Giovanni Circella | 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program Kent Leacock | Proterra Tom Maguire | Director of Sustainable Streets, SFMTA Becky Steckler | Urbanism Next Mayra Madriz | Gehl Architects Steven Zavetoski | University of San Francisco Will Baumgarder | Arup Andrea Broaddus | Ford Mobility Tilly Chang | Director of Planning SFCTA Rebecca Lewis | University of Oregon Knut Sauer | Co-Founder Arrivo-Loop Shivani Shukla | University of San Francisco Megan Colford | Lime Andrew Savage | Lime Danie Beukman | Cruise / GM Simon Euringer | BMW Lewis Knight | Facebook Kilian von Neumann | Brose Paul Supawanich | Remix Michael Johnson | Smithgroup Ingrid Ballus Armet | Fehr & Peers Regina Clewlow | CEO & Founder, Populus.ai Debs Schrimmer | Director of Policy, Lyft Marcel Thiemann | Xapix Stephen Zoepf | Executive Director, Stanford Center for Automotive Research Matt Mahan | CEO, Brigade About the University of San Francisco: The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world's most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student's passion for social justice and a desire to "Change the World From Here." For more information, visit usfca.edu View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-of-san-franciscos-school-of-management-to-host-autonomous-vehicles-and-the-city-symposium-on-october-15-300730454.html SOURCE University of San Francisco [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 12, 2018] Valley Presbyterian Celebrates Being a Pioneer in Early Adoption of Patient-Monitoring Technology Used in Space Exploration As moviegoers prepare to watch Ryan Gosling venture out into the infinite darkness and walk on the moon's surface in the new Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, Valley Presbyterian Hospital is celebrating being a pioneer in its own right, as the first hospital to be outfitted with telemetry patient-monitoring systems - the same technology used in space. Back in 1966, Spacelabs, Inc., the innovators behind the medical technology used on some of NASA's most historic missions, introduced the technology to civilians at Valley Presbyterian Hospital. The out-of-this-world medical telemetry was developed in the early 1960s, and allowed a person's vital signs to be captured and sent to a device to display in waveform. NASA used this technology when it successfully landed Neil Armstrong on the moon on July 16, 1969. That same monitoring equipment worn by Armstrong now sits in the Smithsonian as a coveted piece of U.S. history. "The ties between space exploration and medical breaktroughs are truly fascinating," said Gus Valdespino, President and Chief Executive Officer at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys. "As a hospital that has served the community for over 60 years, we are proud to be part of such a rich history - even a part of U.S. history." Since the first civilian introduction of real-time telemetry monitoring at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, the same technology that monitored Neil Armstrong's vitals has been used in hospitals across the country. Today, Valley Presbyterian Hospital has 60 beds dedicated to patients who are often in critical condition and need constant monitoring and care. The specialized nursing teams on these units rely on this monitoring to track a patient's heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and other vitals, with the ability to monitor patients throughout the hospital. Though it seems like light-years since this technology was adopted, Valley Presbyterian, like many other hospitals, continues to rely on its role in patient care and improved well-being. ABOUT VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL Valley Presbyterian Hospital (VPH) is an independent, nonprofit and nonsectarian hospital serving the medical needs of the San Fernando Valley community for more than 50 years. VPH has grown to become one of the largest acute-care hospitals in the region and continues to provide patient-centered care for a healthy community. The 350-bed facility offers advanced technology and a full range of medical services to improve and save lives. For more information, visit valleypres.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181012005487/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Tennessee Reconnect Act establishes a last-dollar scholarship for adults to attend a community college tuition-free. With this extension of the Drive to 55, which comes at no additional cost to taxpayers, every Tennessean will have the opportunity to enter or reenter public higher education with no tuition expenses. Tennessee Reconnect Infographic (PDF format, 140KB) List of eligible institutions for Tennessee Reconnect (PDF format, 87KB) As I walked up to a London subway-station turnstile to catch a ride, I was filled with curiosity and anxiety. Would this trick that my friend told me about really work? How could it? After activating Apple Pay, I simply held my iPhone to the NFC reader on a turnstile, and the card reader flashed a green light, signaling that I'd paid my fare. And my jaw dropped at the convenience. While the Underground system didn't do a good job of promoting this option instead advertising its proprietary Oyster cards the method requires so little instruction. The previous night, a buddy had told me that Apple Pay on my iPhone (or any payment program on an NFC-enabled payment device, such as Google Pay on an Android phone) was all I needed to ride. As I used my iPhone to gain entry to trains and busses, I realized how much time it would save and how much time I'd wasted in the past. That the rest of the world had access (since 2015, at least) to a technology that seemed futuristic to me felt unfair. (Yes, start the symphony of tiny violins.) Millions deal with the constantly rising prices of the NYC subway system why are they stuck with the outdated technology of New York's flimsy MetroCards? Also, only three US transit systems let you use Apple Pay for rides (Chicago's Ventra system, Portland's TriMet and Salt Lake City's Utah Transit Authority). MORE: What is Smartphone Encryption and Why Should You Care? After I returned to New York, I reminisced about the ease of London transit, which can be found across other European cities, too. The first time I needed to take a train back home, I wasted minutes at the MetroCard kiosk, refilling my monthly card. Instead of just using NFC to hop on a train, I fumbled to extract my wallet, remove and swipe my credit card, navigate a menu system, tap in my area code, and wait for my refilled MetroCard to eject. That process isn't terriblefor a monthly task, but it can create too much friction when I'm running short on time. And for many people, the refill process happens more frequently, as the NY Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) $121 monthly card is too pricey for many riders. The one saving grace of this whole situation is that the MTA understands how outdated its current system is. In 2017, the organization announced plans to roll out tap-to-pay systems in 2019. But considering how the MTA loves to push its deadlines back (ask about the 2nd Avenue subway line), I'm not holding my breath. You can get Microsoft Office free or cheaper than you might think. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Though there are free alternatives available, for many, theres nothing quite like the familiar, comfortable workings of Microsoft Office, from Words superior spell and grammar check to the ease and sense of security of storing files locally on your own PC and not online. Before you can get Office for free, cheap or any price, you should know there are two main variants. Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) gives you constant updates but requires a monthly or annual subscription fee. Office 2019 is a fixed package of software, but you only have to pay for it once. Microsoft really wants you to use the subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, of course. The Office 2019 package is slightly different than Microsoft 365. On top of that, there are companies besides Microsoft selling Office for free (both Microsoft 365 subscriptions and Office 2019 keys) or cheaper than Microsoft. And you can even run Office apps for free online. So whats the best and cheapest way to get your productivity on? From Office for free to paying $150 or subscriptions, heres a breakdown of the best and cheapest ways to get Office (we focus on personal versions, rather than business ones). Office 2019 vs. Office Online vs. Microsoft 365 Buy Office 2019 From Microsoft Buy Office 2019 Key From a Third Party Microsoft Office Online Microsoft 365 Personal Microsoft 365 Family Microsoft 365 Education Third-Party Microsoft 365 Keys Price $149.99 ~ $45 Free $69.99/year or $6.99/month $99.99/year or $9.99/month Free Personal: $49.99/yearHome: $79.99/year Apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook; PC only: Publisher, Access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook; PC only: Publisher, Access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook; PC only: Publisher, Access Cloud Services X X OneDrive, Skype, Flow, Forms, Sway OneDrive, Skype OneDrive, Skype OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint, Sway, Forms, Stream, Flow, PowerApps, School Data Sync, Yammer OneDrive, Skype Devices 1 PC or Mac 1 PC or Mac Unlimited Unlimited: PCs/Macs, tablets, phones Unlimited: PCs/Macs, tablets, phones Unlimited: PCs/Macs, tablets, phones Unlimited: PCs/Macs, tablets, phones Free Trial X X N/A X 1 month N/A X Download Office 2019 From Microsoft: $149.99 Despite shifting focus to Microsoft 365, which used to be called Office 365, Microsoft still sells Office Home & Student 2019 for a one-time charge of $149.99. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote but lacks some solutions Microsoft 365 has. These missing solutions may or may not be relevant to you: Outlook, Publisher (PC only), Access (PC only) and the OneDrive and Skype cloud services. You can buy some pieces of the Office suite individually, but considering Word 2019 is $139.99, if you plan on using even 1 more Office app, its a better deal to buy the whole platform. No matter where you get Office 2019, it won't be updated monthly like Microsoft 365 is. That means youll never see new features added. What you buy is what you get. However, you will get security patch updates as required, Daniel Vargas, Microsoft director of product marketing, told Toms Hardware. Buying Office from Microsoft will cost you $149.99. (Image credit: Shutterstock) It's very possible that you dont care if your Office software is updated regularly. Heck, you may even be okay with an older version of Office, say Office 2016, which you can still find keys for from third-party sellers for cheaper than Office 2019. However, Office 2016 has reached end of life (EoL), meaning Microsoft no longer provides security updates for it. If you can settle for the 2016 version of Office, you can, as of this writing, get it from Kinguin for PCDestination for about $50. But customer service may be lacking (more on that later). Remember, to use Office 2019, you need to be running Windows 10. Luckily, weve already detailed how to get Windows 10 for free or cheap. If Office 2019 is your preferred choice, you can get it for significantly cheaper than the $149.99 Microsoft charges by buying it from a third-party retailer. Download Office 2019 Key From a Third-Party: ~$45 Microsoft charges $149.99 to download Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019, but you can save a lot of money if youre willing to buy it from a different store. Newegg sometimes sells the same download key for $123.99, so it's worth checking. If you can wait for a physical key, Walmart currently sells the key card for $124, Amazon occasionally has it for $125 and Kinguin has it for a shockingly low $36. But before you take out credit card, let's talk about the reasons you might want to avoid these retailers. The Downsides Saving over $100 on Office 2019 sounds like a no-brainer. However, since youre not buying from Microsoft, youll have to exert some caution. Youre probably comfortable shopping at a well-known retailer like Newegg or Amazon; however, youll want to check their return policy on software. You may be more hesitant to buy from key reseller website like Kinguin. Many question their legitimacy or morality behind such deals. To learn more about its Office 2019, we spoke with Kinguin directly. Only the original developer or publisher of a digital product can generate keys, so all of the Office 2019 keys come from this source. From there, either a seller buys them directly from the publisher or from the wholesaler, who also got them directly from a publisher, and sells them on Kinguin for a fair market price, Micha Puczynski, PR Manager at Kinguin, told Toms Hardware in September 2019. Puczynski admitted there are a few bad apples in its marketplace but said this is inevitable since there are tens of thousands of Office 2019 keys sold by thousands of sellers on Kinguin. However, he claimed that only one out of 700 postings arent legitimate, and an even smaller percentage of shoppers actually get scammed. Our fraud prevention team manages to stop nearly 100% of these attempts before they take place. When a scammer is detected through our custom fraud technology, that person is banned for a lifetime from selling on Kinguin, Puczynski explained. Kinguin also offers a $5.69 Buyer Protection, which guarantees you a refund if you get a bum key. However, even if you don't buy this protection, Kinguin is willing to work with you for a potential refund if your key doesnt work. We always put the customer first and work to find a solution for any problem the customer has encountered, which may include issuing a refund, Puczynski said. The Kinguin Buyer Protection is an optional feature designed to provide added protection while purchasing in our store, as well as additional services, but that doesnt mean the customer will get inadequate treatment without it. Kinguin does reserve its right not to accept any returns of already delivered items or game keys to protect itself from scams. Regardless, we've heard of customer complaints regarding slow customer service or the company offering refunds rather than dealing with individual complaints. We haven't been able to get in touch with Kinguin for a response. Get Microsoft Office Free: Online and Mobile Apps and More You can use Office for free through apps available on Office Online. (Image credit: Microsoft)) As its name implies, Microsoft Office Online doesnt live on your PC. Instead, you can only access these services with an internet connection. You also have to have a Microsoft account. You can get to Office Online by signing in with your Microsoft account here. Once you do so, you have access to free Office tools. The service is a good alternative to G Suite, especially if you don't like some of that platforms limitations. Your files will still be at the mercy of the web, but youll be able to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Skype, Flow, Forms and Sway without paying any money. Plus, since everything is internet-based, you can access it from any computer connected to the web. As of November, Microsoft consolidated Word, Excel and PowerPoint into a single mobile app on both Android and iOS smartphones. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Free Office Online may not be a good fit for your largest or most complex projects, since features are more limited than what's offered in Microsoft 365. It has less menu options. For example tabs like Draw and Design are missing from Word online. The free Office Online does come with 5GB of OneDrive storage, but thats actually skimpy compared to the 15GB of free storage you get with Google Drive. Similarly, there are free iOS (varies from iPhone to iPad) and Android (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, OneNote and SharePoint) versions of Office software that are also available for free but with fewer features. Note that you may also end up getting Microsoft 365 for free through a sale. For example, from now until April 18, LG is offering a 12-month subscription of Microsoft 365 Personal for free if you buy a 2021 LG Gram laptop. Buy Microsoft 365 From Microsoft: $69.99 or $99.99/year You can get Office for free by doing a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365. (Image credit: Shutterstock) On April 21, Microsoft renamed Office 365 to Microsoft 365. In addition to a new name, Microsoft 365 brings new features, including artificial intelligence, new templates and content and "cloud-powered experiences," according to Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President, Modern Life, Search & Devices at Microsoft. Microsoft 365 Personal, which is for one person across multiple devices, is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. You can use Microsoft 365 Home for free through a one-month trial. Microsoft 365 Family, for up to six people, is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Microsoft 365 is a great option if you dont mind paying for your productivity suite on an annual or monthly basis. It wont be long until youve paid more for Office 365 than you would have for Office 2019, but it does come with more apps than Office 2019. In addition to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, Office 365 includes Outlook, Publisher, OneDrive and Skype. PC users also get Publisher and Access. Perhaps the best part is you can install Microsoft 365 on an unlimited number of devices and log into your subscription on up to 5 of those devices simultaneously. Additionally, Office 365 Personal subscribers get 1TB of OneDrive storage for up to 1 user, and Office 365 Home users can share their cloud storage with 6 users. You also get 60 minutes of Skype calls to real phone numbers for 1 or 6 users, depending if you get Office 365 Home or Personal. Another advantage Microsoft 365 has over traditional Office 2019 is its monthly updates, which vary but can include new features, functionally and security updates, and often it is all of those each month, Microsofts Vargas told us in September 2019. Most importantly, Microsoft 365 is connected to the cloud, so you can access your content from any device, co-author with anyone in real-time (regardless of whether or not theyve purchased a copy of Office) and use the power of artificial intelligence to create more impactful content with less effort, he added. You can get a free trial for Office 365 Home (only), but itll last a mere month. Buy Microsoft 365 From a Third-Party: $49.99 or $79.99/year You can also buy or renew your Microsoft 365 subscription from a third-party retailer in one-year packages that are cheaper than what Microsoft charges for its one-year subscriptions. At the time of writing, Newegg has a 15-month Microsoft 365 Personal subscription for $69.99 if bought with another product or $60 for a 12-month Office 365 subscription, (note that you won't get the features of the current Microsoft 365), which will have to be delivered. Amazon has Microsoft 365 Personal for $40 but is charging the same price as Microsoft for Microsoft 365 Family. It doesn't offer the older Office 365. Note that you still get free Microsoft technical support for the duration of your subscription, even if you buy your subscription outside of Microsoft. But Microsoft wont handle subscription or billing issues, such as cancellations or refunds. This is because Microsoft has limited access and visibility over subscription purchased through a third-party retailer, according to Vargas. Get Office Free: Microsoft 365 Education for Students, Teachers If youre a student or teacher, you can actually get an Microsoft 365 subscription for free, if your school qualifies. The subscription includes SharePoint, Sway, Forms, Stream, Flow, PowerApps, School Data Sync, Yammer, which aren't included in regular Office 365 subscriptions. However, you miss out on Outlook, Publisher and Access. To see if youre eligible for free Microsoft 365 Education, head to Microsofts website. Bottom Line Microsoft Office is a productivity staple. If you insist on the traditional procurement method of buying and owning the software for life and dont need the software to be updated monthly, you should stick with Office 2019, just know that EoL will eventually come. You can also buy a legitimate key from a key reseller for as low as about $45, saving you around $105 from Microsofts pricing. If youre not doing big projects but instead just basic documents, spreadsheets, presentations etc., you may be able to get away with free Office Online or mobile apps. Just be sure you have an Internet connection. But for heavy-duty productivity, the world is moving toward subscription-based software. Microsoft 365 comes with more offerings than Office 2019, monthly updates, the ability to share among multiple devices, plus a heaping 1TB of free cloud storage. You can get it for cheaper if you buy it outside of Microsoft, for as little as $50 for a year. But make sure its a retailer you trust, in case of billing or subscription questions. If youre okay with making monthly or annual payments to continue creating and editing files, Microsoft 365 -- is tomorrows productivity suite. a detective garnered false evidence by forcing sex Chief Zeigler issues video response to lawsuit accusing KCKPD of abusing power KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- The chief of the Kansas City Kansas Police Department has offered a response to the news of a federal lawsuit that accuses members of the department of decades of systematic abuse. A worthwhilescathing charges that seem to have eroded confidence in KCK police . . . Whilst the Chief admits to working with the allegedly corrupt former detective long ago, he stresses current progress made by the department in this homespun video.More on the statement regarding allegations that. . .You decide . . . MSU student raped woman hours after she left #MeToo rally, prosecutors say Prosecutors say a Missouri State University student raped a woman hours after she attended Saturday's #MeToo rally to support survivors of sexual assault. Zachary Alperin, 22, was charged Wednesday with second-degree rape and sodomy. According to a probable cause statement, a woman met up with Alperin on Saturday after she attended the #MeToo rally at Park Central Square. I'm sure everyone is going to wait and hear his side of the story and listen to testimony from BOTH parties based on facts and corroborating evidence. Because that happens all the time . . . Sonia Warshawski, a 92-year-old great-grandmother, businesswoman and Holocaust survivor, will speak at the Dole Institute of Politics on Oct. 19, sharing her experiences and answering questions. But first, the public is invited to view the critically acclaimed documentary about her, "Big Sonia," which will be shown at 2 p.m. Kansas City End Game Crowdfunding Faith Community Against Online Creepers Northland church hosts human trafficking prevention conference A Northland church is hosting a day of training on how to prevent human trafficking in Kansas City. Cowtown Tech Hustle Conversation LaunchKC earns honors of its own, must still keep hustling, leader says Receiving the Bronze Excellence in Economic Development Award proves the real market value for programs like LaunchKC, said Drew Solomon. The win has been energizing, said Solomon, senior vice president of business and job development at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, which partners with the Downtown Council of Kansas City to make the program liftoff. Kansas City Soggy Weekend First Alert: Temps bounce back a little bit on Saturday We'll see a bit of an improvement for your Saturday. For starters, it will be drier. We'll also see more sunshine with a high near 60 degrees. But big changes t... Show-Me Lady Slice Of Life Machete-wielding Missouri woman sentenced to 18 years in prison CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- A 54-year-old woman wielding a machete pleaded guilty to assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Lizette VonHorstman was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Police said she stormed into a BP gas station and threatened the clerk with a machete in May 2018. Rock Chalk Compilations Celebrate Ancient Carbs The Secret To Kansas City's Most Popular Pita Bread Located just a few hundred feet away from The Olive Cafe restaurant in south Kansas City is an unassuming, medium-sized warehouse - the Olive Cafe's bakery. Filled with a number of strange machines, the bakery serves a singular purpose: making pita bread. First, as always, chesty links to start the weekend . . .Closer to home, these news links are worth a peek:is the song of the day this is thefor right now . . . Learn more about how safe the Model 3 is and why NHTSA doesnt quite agree with Tesla The Model 3 is fresh off receiving a 5-star rating from the NHTSA after completing the full NCAP tests earlier this year. The smallest Tesla was awarded five stars across the board, including each sub-category, and for standard safety equipment. Now, Tesla posted on their blog that the Model 3 is also the car with the lowest likelihood of injury in case of a crash out of all the cars ever tested by the NTHSA. Teslas compact Model 3 sedan is clearly one of the safest cars on the market today, receiving a perfect 5-star safety rating after being tested by the NHTSA. To add to that, Tesla has claimed that the Model 3 scored the lowest probability of injury score ever recorded by the NHTSA. Teslas Model S and Model X are stout when it comes to safety, but the Model 3 (the long-range RWD version) seems to be the safest of the lot. The new electric compact sedan was tested by the NHTSA and received a 5-star rating. Following each test, the administration gathers all the data and then adds the probability of injury up to put together the Vehicle Safety Score. All the cars tested each year have a compiled score which is then posted publicly on the NHTSAs website. Tesla took the data from NHTSAs website and now claims that their Model 3 is the safest yet when it comes to how likely it is to incur injuries following a crash aboard the car. "The agencys data shows that vehicle occupants are less likely to get seriously hurt in front, side, and rollover crashes when in a Model 3 than in any other car," said Tesla in a blog post. "NHTSAs previous tests of Model S and Model X still hold the record for the second and third lowest probabilities of injury, making Tesla vehicles the best ever rated by NHTSA. We expect similar results for other Model 3 variants, including our dual-motor vehicles, when they are rated." Tesla then went into detail talking about how the Model 3 achieved this result. "In addition to its near 50/50 weight distribution, Model 3 was also designed with an extremely low polar moment of inertia, which means that its heaviest components are located closer to the cars center of gravity. Even though Model 3 has no engine, its performance is similar to whats described as a mid-engine car due to its centered battery pack (the heaviest component of the car) and the fact that Model 3s rear motor is placed slightly in front of the rear axle rather than behind it. Not only does this architecture add to the overall agility and handling of the car, but it also improves the capability of stability control by minimizing rotational kinetic energy." The car passed with flying colors through the frontal impact tests and Tesla took the time to explain why on their blog. "In frontal crashes, Model 3s efficient front crumple zone carefully controls the deceleration of occupants, while its advanced restraint system complements this with pre-tensioners and load-limiters that keep occupants safely in place. Specially designed passenger airbags are shaped to protect an occupants head in angled or offset crashes, and active vents dynamically adjust the internal pressure of the frontal airbags to optimize protection based on the unique characteristics of the crash. Front and knee airbags and a collapsible steering column work to further reduce injury." Details of how the car copes with crashing head-on into a pole are also present, the manufacturer stating that "energy-absorbing lateral and diagonal beam structures work to mitigate the impact." Tesla also made sure that small crumple zones on the sides dont take their toll on the Model 3s side protection. "We patented our own pillar structures and side sills to absorb as much energy as possible in a very short distance. These structures work alongside the vehicles rigid body and fortified battery architecture to further reduce and prevent compartment intrusion." Then theres the event of a rollover crash which, although seemingly unlikely, accounts for some 35% of all passenger vehicle deaths over a period of 12 months. As such, Tesla made the Model 3 rigid enough so that "the body structure can withstand roof-crush loads equivalent to more than four times its own weight and with very little structural deformation. NHTSAs standards only require that cars withstand loads of three times their own weight." All of this is great news for current Model 3 owners as well as prospective customers, but Tesla's claim as "the safest car when it comes to the probability of injury" is rebuked by the NHTSA. The administration said that those scores are not a way to distinguish between cars which are only set apart by their results in the 5-star rating system. "NHTSA does not distinguish safety performance beyond that [5-star] rating, thus there is no safest vehicle among those vehicles achieving 5-star ratings." Further reading Read our full review on the 2018 Tesla Model 3. Source: Tesla Now that the Paris Motor Show is done and dusted, BMW has opened the bar again to get us drunk with the X7. The Bavarian has kicked off the teaser campaign for the mighty SUV by releasing a blurry image of the front fascia. The flagship BMW SUV will debut later this month. The Biggest SUV is here to lead the BMW pack from the front BMW Will Continue With That Big Grille No Matter What Apart from the trademark BMW headlights, we can see that the X7 will come with the larger-than-life kidney grille. No other word or picture from the automaker thus far, but we already know that the SUV is set to be unveiled sometime this month. So luckily, we dont have to get restless for long. However, spy shots of the X7 have surfaced the internet, and we know what the SUV actually looks like. If you go by the response, the SUV has received a mixed reaction for its looks. We shall reserve our opinion till the car is displayed in full glory. Inside The Luxurious Three-Row SUV On the inside, the X7 offers a dashboard with the latest digital instrument cluster, which is part of the Operating System 7.0. Its the same one that we have seen on the 8 Series as well. Another interesting bit is the center console for the rear passengers! Yes, the passengers in the back will have their own console that houses the climate settings, a pair of USB ports, a power outlet, and cup holders. Sharing Is Caring The X7 will ride on BMWs CLAR architecture. Powertrains will be familiar turbocharged units that weve seen in other BMWs. There are two engines, however, that will most likely find a place under the hood; a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V-8, and a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder diesel engine. Conclusion The SUV will be built at BMWs factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It will be exported to Europe and China from there. The X7 should be hitting dealers early next year. Also, there are rumors that BMW could offer an X7 M soon. How do you think the X7 will fare across the world? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Further reading Read our full speculative review on the 2019 BMW X7. Read our full speculative review on the 2019 BMW X7 M. Read our full review on the 2017 BMW Concept X7 iPerformance. pardeepdhull@gmail.com New Delhi, October 13 Two US senators have called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften Indias stance on data localisation, warning that measures requiring it represent key trade barriers between the two nations. In a letter to Modi dated Friday and seen by Reuters, US Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner co-chairmen of the Senates India caucus urged India to instead adopt a light touch regulatory framework that would allow data to flow freely across borders. The letter comes as relations between Washington and New Delhi are strained over multiple issues, including an Indo-Russian defence contract, Indian tariffs on electronics and other items, and Indias push to purchase oil from Iran despite upcoming US sanctions. Global tech companies, including Mastercard, Visa and American Express, have been lobbying Indias Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India to relax proposed guidelines that mandate all payment data on domestic transactions in India be stored inside the country by October 15. The letter is most likely a last-ditch effort after the RBI told officials at top payment companies this week that the central bank would implement, in full, its data localisation directive without extending the deadline or allowing data to be stored offshore as well as locally. We see this as a fundamental issue to the further development of digital trade and one that is crucial to our economic partnership, the US senators said in its letter. Prime Ministers Office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Reuters ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 13 The Centre has fixed a six-month deadline for Chandigarh to make online submission of building plans fully functional. Sources said in the recent direction, the Ministry of Urban Development has asked the administration to switch over to the new system by March 31, 2019, completely. While the administration officially launched the online building plan facility in February 2018, the Estate Office is yet to make the new system fully functional. The system is still facing many glitches. It has started only on paper as the architects and residents still have to submit many forms manually. Making the online approval of the building plan is one of the mandatory provisions under the AMRUT schemes. The Government of India is providing more than Rs 300 crore under the scheme. The ministry has been emphasising the new system to ensure transparency and to check corruption. The system will also have the provision for applicants to deposit fees online. This will also cut down human interface and ensure transparency in the system. Hundreds of people visit the building branch to get their plans approved. Punjab and Haryana have already started the online-approval system. editorial@tribune.com Naina Mishra Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 12 The wave of #MeToo has now reached the city, this time with a man joining the campaign. In a recent revelation, Sanjay Austa, an alumnus of St Stephens School, Sector 45, has accused its founder director Harold Carver of being a sexual predator whose choice was children in his personal blog. Austa stated in the blog that when Carver was accused of child abuse, he, along with other hostel mates, branded the victims liars and gave a written a statement to the police that Carver was innocent as they did not trust their mates. Austa asserted in the blog that Carver was released and promptly reinstated with honours. Austa alleged that Carver made a pass at him too, just like he did with his hostel mates. He alleged that Carver took him to a room and posed lewd questions to him. Do you touch yourself? asked Carver one day, wrote Austa, adding that he nodded. Austa claimed in the blog that Carver tried to browbeat him into the idea that making physical relations with Carver would change his life. Austa wrote: Carver urged me to envision making out with a friend and asked what I would do. I will punch him, I said. What if I tried to kiss you, he asked next. Ill do the same, I blurted. After 10 years, you will realise this opportunity I am giving you, Carver told me. Speaking to Chandigarh Tribune, Austa said, I regret not having been able to stick to my complaint against Carver when I was in Class X when he tried to make a pass at me. And I am sure that my hostel mates were also not lying when the charges were levelled against Carver. My concern is that why is he still associated with the school when he was charged with sexually abusing children. The trauma we had to go through during that time can never vanish. Austa added, It is the #MeToo campaign that triggered me to speak up now. Twenty years ago, the media was not robust, but today it is. The campaign is not only about women but also about children who are sexually abused at a tender age. Asked if he would like to proceed against Carver, Austa said, The allegations levelled against him by hostel mates were not false and they were browbeaten into dropping the case against him. The act of suggesting sexual intercourse is criminal. The onus is on the school board. They can talk to me because at some point Carver had tried to sexually abuse me but did not succeed." I won all cases I won all my cases. I havent seen the allegations and do not wish to comment on these. The accuser is making a statement. Harold Carver, founder director ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 13 A 22-year-old delivery boy was found murdered outside a park in Sector 15-C near Hotel Parkview this morning. The youth has been identified as Sanjay Yadav, a resident of EWS Colony, Dhanas. The body was found in a pool of blood with pellet-like injury marks. The police recovered his ID card issued by a Mohali-based firm. Sanjay is survived by his father Tarloki Ram, mother, sister and brother. A PCR team found the boy lying near the park and took him to the GMSH-16 at 9:25 am. The doctor declared him dead on arrival. The body was found in a pool of blood with blood coming out of the mouth, nose and chest. Multiple injuries were found on the neck, chest and back. It seems that unknown persons murdered him, reads the statement by a constable. The police collected samples from the crime scene. The SDPO Central, Krishan Kumar, said: The deceased was last seen by his relatives and friends at 12:30 am nearby his residence. His motorcycle is missing. His mobile phone was switched off when the body was recovered. It is learnt that the deceased also watched Ramlila till 10 pm and then headed back to Dhanas. Sources in the police say the younger brother of the deceased was involved in a quarrel a few days ago. Dr Satbir Singh, Medical Superintendent of GMSH-16, said: The body reached the hospital at 9:25 am and the boy was declared dead on arrival. A post-mortem examination will be conducted tomorrow. amansharma@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Rohtak, October 13 The amount received by the family of Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu as compensation for his Rohtak house that was vandalised and burnt during the Jat quota stir in February 2016 will be used to organise a mass marriage ceremony of poor girls. In a statement issued here today, Capt Abhimanyus younger brother Major Satyapal Sindhu said the ceremony would be organised on December 15, which happens to be the birth anniversary of their late father Mittersen Arya. We have received a compensation of about Rs 3 crore for the loss. We will spend the entire amount, along with the interest, on the mass marriage ceremony, Sindhu maintained, claiming that it would be the biggest such ceremony in the states history. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Rohtak, October 13 The police have registered a case of rioting, assault on public servants and obstructing them in the discharge of public duties and attempt to murder etc against 22 student-leaders by name and 200 unnamed students in connection with the yesterdays clash between the protesting students and police personnel on the campus of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here. Rohtak SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said a case had been registered after a constable had a major hand injury and a woman constable was hurt in a scuffle with the protesting students on the campus yesterday. According to police sources, the persons named in the FIR include Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) state unit president Pradeep Deswal, Sumit of SFI, besides Vishal Sheoran, Mohit Sahu, Pradeep Sharma, Ravi Redhu, Neeraj Antil, Jyoti, Geeta, Lokesh and Bhisham Dahiya, who are associated with different students organisations. Meanwhile, MDU students staged a protest demonstration on the university campus today as well, though the number of the protesting students declined compared to yesterday. The protest, which included burning of an effigy, staging a dharna and raising of slogans, remained peaceful due to the massive presence of police force on the campus. Students maintained that they would continue their protest and not let the state government hold indirect elections. Statewide protests would be staged across Haryana on October 17 when the elections are proposed to be held. The protesting students had also threw bottles and stones at the police personnel trying to stop them from moving towards the university gate on Friday, the SP maintained. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 The mortal remains of two Indian soldiers who died in Italy during World War II (1939-1945) have been identified as that of Sepoy Hari Singh and Sepoy Palu Ram, both from Haryana (formed in 1966). The remains will be buried with full military honours by the Commonwealth Graves Commission at the Florence cemetery in Italy. Post the burial, soil from the graves will be brought to India and handed over to the relatives. The duo had sacrificed their lives in 1944 in the municipality of Cantagalio during the battle of Poggio Alto, Italy. Sepoy Hari Singh was from Nogama village in Rohtak, while Sepoy Palu Ram was from Nangthala village in Hisar. The duo was in the Frontier Force Rifles of the British Indian Army. Ironically, the FF Rifles was allocated to Pakistan in the division of assets in August 1947. The two were declared Missing in Action since September 13, 1944, when the Allies (Britain was part of it) fought against the 362 infantry division of Adolf Hitler-led Germany in Italy. It was in 1996 that human bones had been found near Florence in Poggio Alto. And it was only in 2010 that investigations commenced to identify the remains. DNA test and anthropometric tests conducted in 2012 revealed that the remains were of individuals who were aged about 21 years and of non-European lineage. The Commonwealth Graves Commission provided data of the battle and its location and the list of missing persons. Records of the national archives in New Delhi were consulted and the Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army was keeping records of the FF Rifles in India to identify the two soldiers. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Dharamsala, October 13 Decks have been cleared to lay the foundation stone for the permanent campuses of the Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), as the Cabinet on Friday decided to transfer about 50 acre at Jadrangal in Dharamsala in the name of the Union Ministry for HRD. Though more than 400 acre has been earmarked in Jadrangal for the campus, at present, the government will manage to transfer just about 50 acres non-forest land. About 200 acres at Dehra have already been transferred in the name of the CUHP. However, due to politics over the location of the campus, the university administration did not want to lay the foundation stone just at Dehra. Kuldeep Agnihotri, Vice Chancellor of the CUHP, said Now that the Cabinet has decided to transfer land in the name of the Union Ministry for HRD, we can lay the foundation stone for the university campus. The stone will be laid jointly at Dehra and Jadrangal in the first week of November. Tussle over location BJP and Congress leaders have been sparring over the location of the university The previous BJP government decided that the CUHP would be located at two places. A site at Indrunag was selected for the campus at Dharamsala and near Pong Dam lake in Dehra The successive Congress government shifted the campus to Dharamsala, but the site was cancelled on the plea that it was an active sliding zone. The Congress government then decided to provide land in Jadrangal, which was also not approved by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change The present BJP government then transferred lands at both Dehra and Jadrangal for the university campus Functioning from temporary campuses The CUHP came into existence in 2010. Since then, it has been functioning from temporary campuses at Shahpur and Dharamsala. Due to non-availability of a permanent campus, the university was facing difficulty in retaining senior faculty. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Shimla, October 12 Gujarat Minister for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja today urged people of Himachal to visit his state to see the 182 m Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue, which is the tallest statue in the world, twice the size of Statue of Liberty. Addressing a press conference here, he said the Statue of Unity as it is referred to had become the pride of Gujarat. We welcome people from Himachal to visit the place to see the marvel. The memorial not only realizes the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis dream, but also propagates the ideals of modern Indian nationhood that Sardar Patel and his epochal contributions represent, he remarked. He said the Gujarat Government would provide land to any state government which was keen to set up its rest house or any kind of accommodation for people of its state there. He said the responsibility of constructing the statue has been shouldered by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Ekta Trust (SVPRET). Situated on Sadhu-Bet, an island in the river Narmada, the statue stands tall between the picturesque mountain ranges of Saputara and Vindhyachal near Kevadiya. More than 15,000 tourists are expected to visit the place on a daily basis, he stated. What makes the statue unique is that the 1, 70,000 pieces of iron farming implements have been contributed by villagers from several parts of the country for the construction, he further said. These implements would be symbolic of the cooperation and contribution of farmers from across India towards the construction of this wonder. He added that besides this marvel, there were many other attractions in the area for visitors to see. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, October 12 The BJP regime today gave a final burial to the much-hyped Rs 2,000-crore Himalayan Ski Village, as the Cabinet gave its nod for cancelling the pact signed for setting up of the FDI project in Kullu in 2006. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. It decided to cancel the MoU and Implementation Agreement signed with M/s Himalayan Ski Village Limited (HSVL) for setting up of Ski Village in Kullu. The HSVL had moved the High Court to ensure that the project sees the light of the day following the issuance of a show-cause notice by the government for cancellation of the agreement signed during the Congress regime. It was in September 2013 that John Sims, Managing Director, HSV, had requested the government to allow the project with certain modifications in view of the delay in its execution. While seeking government cooperation for the project, the promoters had also made it clear that not only was the budget of the project likely to be halved but even in terms of the land, the requirement would be reduced to half. The Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation had referred the plea of the promoters to modify the project before the Himachal Pradesh Infrastructure Board (HPIDB). The HPIDB has suggested that the matter should be referred to the Cabinet for a final decision. The jinxed project faced many roadblocks ever since it was conceived in 2004 during the Congress regime. Initially, it appeared to be a dream project with the backing of the Ford Company. However, despite the signing of the MoU with the Himacal government on December 9, 2005, the project never took off as it faced stiff resistance from the local communities for fear of vitiating their culture and age-old traditions. The project even assumed political overtones with BJP leader Maheshwar Singh opposing it vehemently. Villagers in Kullu-Manali had come out openly in protest against the project. Even the public hearing held at Kothi near Manali in the presence of senior government functionaries had turned violent. Initially, the total land requirement for the project was 93.1 hectares, which included 16.3 hectares of government land. editorial@tribune.com Ambika Sharma On the second day of the 7th edition of the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival being held in Kasauli, sharing his experiences as a television journalist, Karan Thapar threw light on the the lesser-known side of political reporting. He also talked about the incidents that inspired him to pen down Devils Advocate in an interactive session with Congress politician Mani Shankar Aiyar. Having interviewed renowned political figures like LK Advani, Narendra Modi as well as Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, he shared interesting stories with the eager audience. Classy Tharoor The day also saw Shashi Tharoor, Congress spokesman, elucidating on his book Why I am a Hindu in a session with Rajiv Mehrotra. His upcoming book on the paradoxical Prime Minister also came in for discussion. Tharoor said contrary to his belief, the major criticism for his book Why I am a Hindu came from the left wing rather than the RSS, as had been expected. Taking up the queries of the audience later, he vouched for his partys victory in the next year general elections and said, The government of the day has served the nation so badly that it doesnt deserve a second innings. Several disasters like demonetisation, irresponsibly raising fuel taxes to absurdly high levels and more, they have gone wrong. The character of the nation is being changed to a horrendous level, he lamented and added that the Rafale deal is a scam thousand times larger than Bofors. Sidhu unplugged Navjot Sidhu, Punjab Cabinet Minister, added the much-needed humour to the festival in his talk on Believe to Achieve, after a series of serious discussions on issues plaguing the government. Sindhu recalled his experience of hitting 42 sixes in a World Cup and the hard work that went into making him a cricket star. While dwelling on the highs and lows in his life, he said it was appalling to note that there was a crisis of character today and the people didnt trust politicians. He also spoke at length about his famous Sidhuisms and the criticism it drew, but said ones thoughts will become ones deeds and deeds become ones habits, while the habits define ones destiny. He said a leader doesnt make others believe in him but he makes the people believe in themselves. rchopra@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 13 A militant was killed during a gun fight in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Saturday, police said. The gun fight between militants and security forces broke at around 2 am when joint teams of security forces were carrying searches in Babgund area in Pulwama town. So far one militant has been killed, a police officer said. His identity is being established. Meanwhile, mobile internet services have been suspended in Pulwama district as a precautionary measure. The gun fight in Pulwama broke hours ahead of the third phase of the municipal polls. On Friday night, a policeman was shot dead in Sopore area. rchopra@tribunemail.com New Delhi, October 13 Actor Alok Nath has filed a defamation case against Vinta Nanda, the writer and TV producer who recently alleged that Nath sexually harassed and raped her in the 90s. This comes less than a week after Nanda narrated her ordeal on Facebook amidst the ongoing #MeToo movement. I hadnt just been raped, I was taken to my own house and had been brutalised, she had written in reference to the most sanskari person in the industry. Nanda was the writer and producer of teleserial Tara in the 90s. Nath played a lead role in the soap. In her post, Nanda alleged that Nath harassed her sexually. Bollywood actors Sandhya Mridul and Deepika Amin also accused Nath of sexual misconduct and shared their ordeals on social media. In the wake of the allegations, the Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) issued a notice to the veteran actor, seeking his stand on the rape allegations made against him. The #MeToo movement gained momentum in India after Tanushree Dutta accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of harassment. Following the revelation, similar cases have tumbled out, rattling the media industry. ANI vinaymishra188@gmail.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 The country today saw the first successful brain tumour surgery on a 60-year-old under the Ayushman Bharat health protection scheme. Ranchi-based Mohammad Zainul, 60, was operated upon in Delhis Safdarjung Hospital for butterfly glioma, a brain tumour removal procedure which would have cost him Rs 4 to 5 lakh in private prior to the launch of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna (PMJAY), of which he is a beneficiary. Dr KB Shankar, Professor and Head, Neurosurgery at Safdarjung Hospital Delhi, who led the surgery, told The Tribune that Zainul was the first Indian patient and an Ayushman Bharat beneficiary to undergo ths brain tumour removal surgery nationally. Inquiries reveal Zainuls case under PMJAY was processed in seconds. His pre authentication as a scheme beneficiary was done by the hospitals Ayushman Mitra and soon thereafter he was taken for surgery. After he came to us we called our Ayushman Mitra for pre-authentication of Zainuls Ayushman Bharat identity. The process was through in seconds on the PMJAY software and we got a go ahead from the PMJAY control room to proceed. The patients family was carrying the PMJAY card issued to him during beneficiary identification drive the Centre had conducted across gram panchayats on the eve of schemes launch. The surgery was free of cost, Dr Shankar added. amansharma@tribunemail.com Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 In what will bring about a significant operational change for the Indian Army, top-most commanders have decided to restructure the force in phases to convert it into a lean mean 21st century fighting unit. This will bring out a younger profile for commanders, make the Army 'right-sized' and cut 'flab'. The 1.3 million strong Army has undergone a change in tactics but its size is not matching with limited budgets the government can allocate. China had recast its military three years ago. The implementation will be done to include requisite refinements, the military commanders led by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat have concluded during the ongoing Commanders conference (October 9-15). It has been decided that all suggested operational aspects like having an integrated battle groups (IBG) will be validated in exercises in the field. An IBG -- each with some six battalions will have a mix of infantry, armoured and artillery - will be commanded by Major General and placed directly under the Corps. The focus of the commanders was integration to enhance operational and functional efficiency, optimize budget expenditure, facilitate force modernisation and address aspirations. Army commanders comprehensively deliberated all aspects of extant security dynamics, emerging security scenarios and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries. Some two-dozen odd recommendations were considered. The top brass was presented with four major in-house studies. The study on 'Re-organisation and Rightsising of the Indian Army' has reviewed operational structures to make them efficient, future ready by taking into account the operational situation on Western and Northern Borders. The IBG's are a part of this. The second study is on 'Re-organisation of the Army Headquarters', aimed at integration. The DG (Military Training) is to be absorbed into Army Training Command (ARTRAC). The NCC Directorate is suggested to be headed by retired army personnel and placed directly under MoD. Two Army backed think-tanks - CLAWS and CENJOWS - are to be placed under ARTRAC. Some more directorates are to be merged. A new unit called Shaping Information Environment (SIE) with resources pooled from DG Military operations and DG Military Intelligence will be formed and it shall report directly to the Chief or the Vice Chief. The third study on 'Cadre Review of Officers' is aimed to incorporate the proposed reorganisation, restructuring and it plans to have a balanced cadre to meet the aspirations of the officers. This will include longer tenures as Brigadier, Maj General and Lt General and faster promotion from Colonel to Brigadier. The fourth study on 'Review of Terms of Engagement of Rank and File' is aimed to have a younger profile of officers. The collegium further deliberated on the 'enhancing linguistic skill in the Indian Army'. The necessity and methodology to enhance expertise in Indian and international languages has been established. The Army Commanders' Conference is the apex policy making body for the Army. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 Top Army commanders, led by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, have decided to restructure the force in phases and introduce a new battle-fighting concept. A decision to form integrated battle groups (IBGs), which will be validated in field exercises, has been taken at the ongoing commanders conference (October 9-15). An IBG each with six battalions or more (about 6,000 men) will have a mix of infantry, armoured, artillery, signals and engineers will be commanded by a Major General and placed directly under the Corps. This is a novel concept as so far the Army has a few independent brigades (some 3,000 men) headed by a Brigadier. The IBG is expected to be swifter in battle. At present, there are 8-10 Brigades in a Corps. The restructuring will also bring out a younger profile for commanders and make the 1.3-million strong Army right-sized by cutting out redundant posts. If all measures under consideration of the four separate studies on restructuring of the Army are actually implemented, it is expected to reduce manpower by around 1 lakh (jawans and officers) over the next six-seven years and result in saving almost Rs 7,000 crore annually. The focus is integration of existing verticals, enhance operational and functional efficiency, optimise budget expenditure, facilitate force modernisation and address aspirations of officers. Army Commanders deliberated security dynamics, emerging security scenarios and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries. Some 24-odd recommendations were considered as the top brass was presented with four major in-house studies. The study on Re-organisation and Rightsising of the Indian Army reviewed operational structures to make them efficient and future-ready for the Western and Northern Borders. The second study Cadre Review of Officers (some 39,000 officers) is aimed at incorporating the proposed reorganisation. This will include longer tenures as Brigadier, Maj General and Lieut General, faster promotion from Colonel to Brigadier and retaining the rank of Brigadier only in staff postings. There are about 1,050 Brigadiers. The third study Reorganisation of the Army Headquarters is aimed at integration. For example, the DG (Military Training) is to be absorbed into Army Training Command (ARTRAC). The fourth study on Review of Terms of Engagement of Rank and File is aimed at having a younger profile of officers at Colonel and below. At present, an officer gets to be a Colonel by the age of 36-37 and picks the next rank of Brigadier some 10 years later. The commanders further deliberated on enhancing linguistic skills in the Army. The necessity and methodology to enhance expertise in Indian and international languages has been established. The languages would be Mandarin, Urdu, Pushto, Dari, Burmese, etc. The Army Commanders Conference is the apex policy-making body for the Army. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Mukesh Ranjan Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 With security and intelligence agencies flagging the risk involved in Rohingya Muslims living near strategic and defence installations across the country, the Centre has issued a direction to all states to prepare a comprehensive information in a set format on the illegal settlers in their respective territories. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told The Tribune that security agencies had sought details about those Rohingya Muslims living close to strategic and defence establishments across the country. Following this, they said, the MHA had sent out a directive to states and Union Territory (UT) administrations to furnish information on Rohingya Muslims living in their respective territories. According to an estimate, around 40,000 Rohingya are now living illegally in India and majority of them are staying in places like Jammu, Hyderabad, Kanpur and outskirts of Delhi. Point in case is Hyderabad where around 4,500 Rohingya are living in different parts of the city and intelligence sources indicated that many of them are flocking very close to defence installations and they pose major security risk, said a senior MHA official. Even sources in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) do not rule out the possibility of some Rohingya being brainwashed by Pakistan or Kashmir-based terror outfits to carry out strikes. Sources said the MHA has issued a proper format as per which states need to collect information on their name, surname, fathers name, occupation, mothers name and occupation, education detail, name of school, college, university, occupation before leaving Myanmar. Physical features in focus: sources The MHA has also sought from states and UTs information relating to Rohingyas physical features, including height, colour of eyes, colour of hair, distinguishing marks and any visible distinct feature, sources said vinaymishra188@gmail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 While the government and many others profess commitment to the holy Ganga keeping it aviral and nirmal as campaigners like late GD Agarwal had been demanding the government records narrate a different tale. According to documents accessed under the Right to Information (RTI) by Ropar-based activist Dinesh Chadha from the Ministry of Water resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Narendra Modi-led government released just about Rs 5,500 crore from 2013-2014 till June 30, 2018, for the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). The government has promised to spend about Rs 20,000 crore for rejuvenation of the national river. The apathy towards Ganga gets further highlighted with another piece of information accessed by Chadha. The NMCG through its website had requested companies to serve the holy river by adopting CSR projects ghat construction, cleaning of ghat, IEC activities, bio-remediation of nalas and drains Ganga gram, crematoria, river surface cleaning using trash skimmer, solid waste management and tree plantation, etc but as per the RTI, no company adopted any project, at least till July 30, 2018. The list of individual contributors to the CGF does not include any of the politicians who play politics on the name of Ganga, says Chadha. But with a contribution of Rs 1 crore, Dr Simon John, Delhi Diocese of Believers Church, is the highest contributor among the 1,523 resident Indians who together gave about Rs 2.36 crore. Meanwhile, around Rs 255 crore was collected by the CGF under the CSR till July 27, 2018. Though the document do not reveal how much of it was actually utilised, a Parliament reply in March stated that till January 31, 2018, the Rs 221.75 crore collected under the head had remained unutilised. In March, Minister of State for Water Resources Satyapal Singh told Parliament that as on date no fund has been utlised by the Namami Mission for Clean Ganga under the CGF. Gujarat contributed Rs 8.36 crore to the CGF between March 13, 2015, and March 31, 2016; 145 NRIs contributed Rs 24.92 crore and 224 private companies Rs 25.76, with Bank of America contributing the highest Rs 4 crore. rchopra@tribunemail.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 A coffee table book weighing 5 kg on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was launched at a function here on Thursday evening which was attended by dignitaries, including Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons and senior RSS ideologue Indresh Kumar, besides members of diplomatic corps of several countries. BJP national vice president Shyam Jaju; Chief Imam of All India Imam Organisation Umer Ahmed Illyasi; Founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti Acharya; Ambassador of Mongolia in India Gonchig Ganbold, among others, addressed the gathering. Also, Central Administrative Tribunal Chairman and former Patna High Court Judge, Justice L Narasimha Reddy (retired), and former Judge of Supreme Court and former Law Commission of India Chairperson Justice BS Chauhan (retired) addressed the gathering. The 672-page book titled Narendra Modi-A Charismatic and Visionary Statesman has been co-authored by President of International Council of Jurists and also President of All India Bar Association Dr Adish C Aggarwala and Sarah J Marchington. Its another salient feature is that it has been printed on Japanese Matte Art paper, printed in Bangkok and published by UK Publishers and Distributors, London. The book has a foreword, among others, by BJP president Amit Shah. It highlights Modis emergence as a leader, his characteristics and his political experience that shaped him into a leader. Speaking on the occasion Indresh Kumar described Modi as a leader imbued with clear views and goals regarding welfare of the country. He has enhanced the countrys image in the world, he said, adding that Modi is honest and sincere. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 The Congress today suffered another setback in poll-bound Chhattisgarh with partys working president Ram Dayal Uike joining the BJP. Uike is a three-term lawmaker from Pali in the state. BSP chief Mayawati recently jolted the Congress by refusing to sew a pre-poll pact with it and siding with former Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee member Ajit Jogis Janata Janhit Congress instead. At a time when the Congress is set to declare its first set of candidates for 18 Assembly segments that vote in the first phase polling on November 12, Uikes exit is a bound to demoralise cadres. The party is already on the back foot after Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel was named in a sex scandal. He was jailed and is currently on bail. Baghel today sounded unfazed by Uikes surprise decision to quit the the party and said he recently met Uike who didnt indicate any displeasure. Baghel added: Entries and exits are routine in election season. Uikes exit from the Congress came a day when BSP chief Mayawati launched her election campaign in Chhattisgarh. Congress media coordinator for the state Jaiveer Shergill chose to blame the BJP for Uikes betrayal and said: BJP chief Amit Shah has become a habitual offender when it comes to poaching leaders of the Congress ahead of elections. He does not believe in his own leaders and wants to win at any cost. It is unfortunate that Uike who sat in the Opposition for 14 years has decided to switch sides. He will again sit in the opposition because the Congress is going to win. rchopra@tribunemail.com Smita Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui has interacted with select Indian pilgrims, travel agents and ministry officials to exchange views on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The Ambassador called the yatris friendship envoys between India and China and congratulated them for realising their dream of visiting the holy place for Hindus. The Chinese government respects the freedom of religion and understands the importance of the Yatra for you, said Luo. From 1981 to October 1 this year, 480 batches of over 18,000 official yatris selected through the lottery system have visited Kailash Mansarovar. Around 1.5 lakh non-official yatris have undertaken the pilgrimage since 1995 with some 20,000 pilgrims this year alone. The Ambassador underlined that the Yatra played an important role in people-to-people interactions and the two governments were working hard to implement the Wuhan consensus reached between PM Modi and President Xi in May. India and China will also see the launch of the new people-to-people mechanism at foreign ministers level later in December. The Ambassador said the Yatra should be beyond foreign policy and politics through sustainable cooperation and deeper friendship. Brakes were applied on the yatra through the Nathu La route last year during the 73-day tense stand-off between the two armies at the Doklam trijunction with Bhutan. During the interaction, 52-year-old Anshu Agarwal from Panchkula who undertook the Yatra for the first time this year, hoped facilities like rooms, especially toilets, at Derapuk and Mansarovar could be improved. Sixty-two-year-old Retha Mittal, a yatri for the second time this year, expressed happiness that Indian kitchens and chefs were now catering locally unlike at earlier times. Bhupinder Goyal from Panchkula suggested that for private yatris who undertook the parikrama, there is no night stay facility at Mansarovar. Unlike the official yatris who had stay arrangements and undertook the parikrama in three days, private yatris were taken around in a bus in a day, he added. The travel agents present at the interaction suggested provisions of a bathing ghat and place of worship for the yatris with more focus on sanitation and clean toilets. Difficulties related to visa issues were also highlighted by those who interacted with the ambassador. Luo said the coordination between the two governments had improved with a functional hotline also now present. He hoped more Indians would undertake the yatra which is now done through four routes involving flights, motorable roads and some15 kilometres of a breathtaking trek to Mansarovar. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Patna, October 13 A police officer was killed during an encounter with criminals in Bihars Khagaria district, police said on Saturday. Pasraha Station House Office Ashish Kumar Singh was killed late Friday night in the encounter, Khagaria Superintendent of Police Minu Kumari said. Bihar Police Association president Mirtunjay Kumar has demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the victims family. IANS vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took his fight with the government over the Indo-French Rafale deal to the compounds of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and said the Defence Minister should apologise to the public sector undertaking for saying it did not have the capability to make the jet. Taking dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Gandhi described HAL as a strategic asset and told the employees of the organisation that Rafale was their right. HAL is a strategic asset in aerospace, not an ordinary or regular company, Gandhi said, in an unprecedented move by a leader of the Opposition party to engage the employees of a PSU in a fight with the government. The employees union of HAL participated in the interaction with Gandhi despite a reminder from the HAL leaders about their duties as government employees. The union said it was apolitical and had received an invitation for an interface from the Congress office. Gandhi has been accusing PM Modi of sacrificing HAL interests in helping industrialist Anil Ambani get the offset contract in the 36-jet deal with France. Addressing HAL employees on Saturday, Gandhi accused the PM of destroying and attacking the temples of modern India. Temples of modern India are being attacked and destroyed and we cannot allow this to be done. Rafale is your right. You have a history of 78 years and you have the experience needed to build the jet, Gandhi said at the event organised in Bengaluru at Minsk Square near HAL headquarters. Taking on Sitharaman, the Congress chief said her claim that HAL cannot manufacture Rafales is completely ridiculous. We understand deeply that you have been pained, he said, adding that while the Defence Minister was questioning HALs capability, she had no questions about the capability of Ambanis Reliance Defence formed 12 days before the PM signed the deal in France. HAL, meanwhile, regretted politicisation of its employees and termed it a fad and regrettable development that would be detrimental to national security and the organisation. An official from the agency said the NDA government had extended full support (to HAL), having placed supply orders of over Rs 27,340 crore during the 2014-18 period by recognising its premier position. rchopra@tribunemail.com Mumbai, October 13 Shiv Sena Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Tukaram Ramkrishna Kate escaped unhurt in an attack by miscreants with a sword. However, the MLAs bodyguard and two party workers were injured in the attack. They were rushed to hospital. The incident took place in Mankhurd, a suburb in eastern Mumbai. However, the reason of the attack is not known yet. Kate represents the Anushakti Nagar Constituency in Mumbai. ANI gspannu7@gmail.com Thiruvananthapuram, October 13 Thousands of Lord Ayyappa devotees on Saturday took to the streets in Kochi against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala temple, even as activist Trupti Desai announced plans to visit the hill shrine soon. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which decided to implement the ruling, held a meeting here to evaluate the preparations carried out for pilgrims arriving at the temple which will open for monthly poojas on October 17 evening. Though the government has not reacted to Desais planned trip to the temple yet, it has evoked sharp reactions from Ayyappa devotees and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is campaigning against the entry of women into the hill shrine. Padalam royal family member Sasikumar Varma criticised Desai and urged the social activist to refrain from making any provocative move. He also asked the Left government to take steps to prevent any law and order situation. Desai, the Bhumata Brigade leader, said in Mumbai that she along with a group of women would visit the temple shortly to offer prayers. We will visit Sabarimala shortly. The ongoing agitation by devotees is the violation of the Supreme Court verdict. I appeal the agitating devotees to welcome those women who come for worship at the hill shrine, she told Malayalam TV channels. I want to ask the Congress and the BJP whether they are against the the fundamental rights of women. The parties should also explain their stand on this, Desai said. Holding placards bearing pictures of Lord Ayyappa and chanting his hymns, the protesters marched through the busy roads of Kochi, the states commercial hub, after launching the stir from the famed Shiva temple there. The faithful, a large number of them women, urged both the Central and the state governments to intervene in the matter to protect the sanctity of the centuries old rituals and traditions of the hill shrine. Meanwhile, the Long March led by BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reached Kollam district Saturday. Party state president, P S Sreedharan Pillai, who lead the rally, said Desai was visiting Sabarimala as she perceived it to be a challenge rather than a pilgrimage. It is a dangerous approach. She should desist from visiting the shrine and should not make Sabarimala a tension zone, he said. I do not know whether she is a devotee or not. But she is coming to add fuel to the fire, Pillai added. Claiming that the NDA rally was getting tremendous support from all sections of people, the leader said the march would reach the state capital on October 15. It was because of the success of the NDA long march that the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF was forced to launch counter campaigns and family get-togethers to explain the Left governments stand on the Sabarimala issue, Pillai added. Activist Rahul Easwar, who already announced hunger strike at Sabarimala during the five-day monthly pooja period, said they would stop Trupti Desai if she attempts to visit the Lord Ayyappa Temple. Ours will be a Gandhian mode of protest. Hundreds of devotees will lay down on roads leading to Sabarimala if Trupti Desai attempts to visit the shrine, he said. Kerala has been witnessing a series of agitations by various devotee groups and Hindu outfits against the Pinarayi Vijayan governments decision to implement the apex court order without going for any review petition. Besides BJP, the opposition Congress was also against the governments decision not to go for review and extended support to the devotees stir. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. PTI amansharma@tribunemail.com Sumedha Sharma Tribune News Service Gurugram, October 13 The official gunman of Additional Sessions Judge Krishan Kant on Saturday shot at the latters wife and son in broad daylight at a busy market near South City-II in Sector 51 here. The gunman fled the scene in judges white Honda City but was cornered by the police near Gwal Pahadi village. He opened fire but was overpowered and arrested. The critically injured mother-son duo was taken to Medanta Medicity where they are undergoing treatment. The police questioned the accused, Mahipal (32), and indicated he might be mentally unstable. According to eyewitnesses, as Kants 37-year-old wife Ritu and 17-year-old son Dhruv, a Class XII student, stepped out of Arcadia market around 3.30 pm after shopping, the accused, who was accompanying them, immediately left for the parking lot to get their car. As it took him some time to return, an angry Ritu reportedly had an argument with the gunman. Dhruv intervened, objecting to Mahipals behaviour. The enraged gunman pulled out his licensed revolver and opened fire. A bullet hit Dhruv in the head. He then targeted Ritu. As she fell, Mahipal fired again and a bullet pierced her torso. He even kicked her several times as she lay on the ground, said witnesses. Turning to Dhruv again, the gunman shot him twice. He dragged Dhruv towards the car and tried to put him in the back seat. After attempting to do so twice, he abandoned Dhruv and fled in the car, even as several onlookers filmed the incident. Sources said Mahipal fired five rounds in all. Two bullets hit Ritu in the neck and torso, while Dhruv was shot once in the head and twice in the torso. It was only after the accused fled the scene that people called the police and the victims were taken to the hospital. Subsequently, police teams from crime units launched a pursuit to nab the accused. They recovered Mahipals .38 bore revolver and the car. An FIR was registered at the Sector 50 police station. The accused seems mentally unstable and has been evading questions. We are considering getting him medically examined. The interrogation is on to ascertain the motive for the crime, said Commissioner of Police KK Rao. Accused posted With judge since April 17 Mahipal (32), a resident of Bhungarka village in Mahendragarh district, had joined Haryana Police 11 years ago. He was part of Krishan Kants security ever since the judge was posted in Gurugram in April 2017. He used to drive judges family car. Mahipal, father of two daughters, had changed his religion three years ago. Some villagers had resisted the move, prompting him to shift to Gurugram. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 13 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask the British Government to tender an apology for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In a letter to Modi, partys senior vice-president Prem Singh Chandumajra said, I request you on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Punjab to write to the UK Government on this issue and build pressure to take the matter to its logical conclusion. He said a campaign had been going on for the past several years in India and the UK in this regard. It is high time the Government of India seeks a formal apology from Britain for the heinous crime, Chandumajra added. The Centre has already decided to observe the massacres centenary at the national level next year. editorial@tribune.com Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 12 After the arrest of three Kashmiri students from the CT Institute of Engineering, Management and Technology in Shahpur near Jalandhar, verification of Kashmiri students has been stepped up in the district. The police are seeking names, addresses, attendance records, essential documents and photographs from institutes. The Joint Action Committee for Punjab Unaided Colleges Association is also planning to seek details of Kashmiri students from various colleges and universities from Monday. Sources said the AIG, Intelligence, and various ACPs had instructed institutes to provide details of students from Kashmir. They said the list of students residing as paying guests had also been sought. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, Data has been sought of all students, not just those from Kashmir. Experts said 50 per cent of Kashmiri students had been sent to Punjab through the PM Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) started by the Union Government during the UPA government regime. They said the scheme was continued by the Modi government. Managing Director, CT Group of Institutions, Manbir Singh said, We are providing necessary documents of students to the police. Soon, we shall also be starting police verification of all students being admitted to the institute. Anshu Kataria, president of the Punjab Unaided Colleges Association (PUCA), said, As per the PMSSS started in 2012, as many as 5,000 J&K students are being sent to colleges across states every year. Half of these students are duly chosen after counselling by the AICTE and paid for by the Centre as per the scheme under the MHRD and the AICTE tie-up. Punjab, being a nearby state, attracts a huge number of Valley students. Ashwini Sekhri, president of the Joint Action Committee of the PUCA, said, We shall be seeking a list of all Kashmiri students at a meeting of the committee to be held on Monday. Pupil arrested from Kashmir Jalandhar: The police nabbed Sohail Ahmed Bhatt, a student of Universal College at Lalru in Dera Bassi on Friday. Arrested by the J&K Police at Avantipura, the student, a native of Pulwama, was brought to Jalandhar on Friday. He has been arrested for links with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), an outfit, which the police claimed the other three students arrested on Wednesday were a part of. Sohail has been sent to 10 days police custody. Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, Sohail was also linked to the AGH and was influenced by Zakir Musa. We are investigating. The police also rounded up four Kashmiri students for questioning from a house at Virdi Colony here due to their proximity with Mohammed Idriss Shah, who was arrested on Wednesday. TNS vinaymishra188@gmail.com Vishav Bharti Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 13 The Punjab Government has bestowed fiscal benefits on controversial president of the Punjab Medical Council (PMC) Dr AS Sekhon who will be paid an honorarium of Rs 30,000 per month, Rs 6,000 as refreshment allowance, travel allowance and Rs 2,000 as fee for every meeting that he attends. The Medical Council of India (MCI) had struck off Dr Sekhon's name from its register for three years banning him from medical practice and teaching during the period for furnishing wrong information. The state government has not only allowed him to continue in the post but also sanctioned him honorarium, which is seen as an unprecedented move. In its history of over 100 years, none of the presidents have been paid an honorarium. There is no such provision in law, pointed out Dr GS Grewal, a former president of the Punjab Medical Council. Disagreeing, Satish Chandra, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education, claimed that honorariums had been paid to past presidents of the medical council too but "the amount may vary. On Dr Sekhon holding the post "illegally", he said he was still awaiting a response from the MCI. All attempts to contact Dr Sekhon proved futile. Significantly, one of the first decisions by Capt Amarinder Singh on becoming Chief Minister was to nominate Dr Sekhon, who is based in Patiala, to the post. However, the fact that his registration stood cancelled three months prior to his appointment in May last year, was concealed. As per The Punjab Medical Registration Act, 1916, a doctor from amongst registered practitioners alone can be nominated as president of the Punjab Medical Council. Dr Sekhon maintained that registration was done by state councils and could not be cancelled by another agency. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, October 13 Air quality over some parts of northern India has already started deteriorating, and stubble-burning is believed to be the primary culprit. But the most obvious suspects, Punjab and Haryana, may not be to blame for that, at least thus far. Observations at the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre in Ludhiana reveal far more field fires in Pakistans Punjab than in the Indian states. With the rains in Punjab continuing till late, the paddy harvest exercise is yet to take off in full steam, with only around 15 per cent of the job having been done till now. It is thus too early to judge the outcome of the efforts to prevent stubble-burning. Dr Brijendra Pateriya, Director of the Remote Sensing Centre, says, Looking at the red dots (depicting fires) in Pakistan, it is obvious incidents of stubble-burning are far more across the border. This can also be a reason behind the poor quality of air, apart from dust carried by westerly winds. But as we are not keeping a record of the fires in Pakistan, we do not have an exact figure. In view of the delayed harvest, the Indian Punjab has witnessed far fewer fires thus far this year than the last. Between September 25 and October 12, there were 509 cases of stubble-burning, while during the same period in 2016 and 2017 the figures were 2,465 and 1,195, respectively. But with the sun shining, the next two weeks can see a huge surge in stubble-burning. The highest number of cases has been reported from Amritsar, as harvest begins in Majha earlier than the Malwa region. Explaining the fire counting method of the centre, Dr Pateriya says the numbers do not represent the exact number of independent fields in the given period, but the trend. Fire in one patch, irrespective of the size, is considered one fire incident. It may comprise many farmers land. But in case of a very large fire, satellite mapping technology is used to identify the exact owners of the land. Once a fire is detected, information through SMS and e-mail is passed on to the authorities concerned, right from patwari at the village level to block development officer, agriculture officer, deputy commissioner and even the Chief Secretary. This is done around 7 pm after compiling the entire days data. Regarding the next step, Kahan Singh Pannu, Secretary Agriculture and Soil Conservation, says where possible action is taken the same evening, or followed up the next day. Committees with representation of pollution, administration, agriculture and panchayat departments have been formed at the block level to take action. The test of the entire exercise, of course, lies over the next two weeks. Remote sensing editorial@tribune.com BN Goswamy Then there are the numerous self-portraits. Rembrandt would be remembered as an extraordinary self-portraitist if he had died young at, say, 45. But he lived much longer and it is the work of his old age that one most admires: that intimate, unflinching scrutiny of his own sagging, lined and bloated features, with the light shining from the potato nose and the thick paint: the face of a master, the face of a failure and a bankrupt. Life, and his own mismanagement of life, has bashed him but no one could say it has beaten him. Robert Hughes In Rembrandts (late) great portraits we feel face to face with real people, we sense their warmth, their need for sympathy and also their loneliness and suffering. Those keen and steady eyes that we know so well from Rembrandts self-portraits must have been able to look straight into the human heart. Ernst Gombrich What I write here has nothing to do with Rembrandts self-portraits, or with the great Dutch painters masterpieces, like The Night Watch, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, The Jewish Bride: these passages I cite here simply to recall his status, the respect in which he is held as having been among the greatest painters of the western world. Shelf after shelf of books has been written on him, and on his work. And yet rarely, if ever, his connection with India, at least with works from India, is spoken of. An occasional drawing by him, based on some Mughal master-work that he had seen, might turn up in a whole book on him. But nothing more than that. Some experts on Rembrandt and his work have of course been aware of this group of his works, but for the most part the general reader interested in that remarkable painter hardly is. The veil of ignorance, one might say, has remained spread over vast spaces, from East to West. That veil is beginning to lose some of its thickness, or density, however. At the J. Paul Getty Museum, in Los Angeles, recently concluded an exhibition of Rembrandts Indian drawings and etchings with an accompanying publication which bore the title Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India. Stephanie Schrader at the Getty headed the small group of essayists who wrote for this volume: William Robinson, Yael Rice and Catherine Glynn. And it is through all of them that so much is brought within ones reach. One sees nearly all of Rembrandts Indian work in the volume of course, but one also gets somehow transported to the painters times: commissions gained and lost; failures and successes, loves and rejections, and so on. One knows that Rembrandt often ran into trouble with his debts, and once, when after a declared bankruptcy, an inventory of his household goods was made, in the list was an entry about his collection of Indian miniatures entered under the heading: An album filled with curious miniature drawings. Rembrandt lived (1606-1669) in times when, in India, Jahangir and Shah Jahan sat on the throne, but there is no mention by him of these curious drawings being Mughal in origin. He must certainly have known of these having come from Mughal India for these had, as has been rightly guessed, probably arrived in the Dutch Republic via Dutch artists who worked for the Vereinigde Ostindische Compagnie (the Dutch East India Company), which had offices both in Agra and in Surat. But what inquiries he, as a naturally curious man, might have made is not recorded. After this inventory in any case one loses track till one comes upon another record the earliest dated record of these works in the 1747 sale catalogue, as William Robinson notes, of the estate of the British portraitist Jonathan Richardson the Elder (1665-1745) in which one lot is described as A Book of Indian Drawings, by Rembrandt, 25 in number. How or when these works had entered the Richardson collection is not known. One can pursue this line of enquiry further, but all that would relate to matters of historical research, and one needs to turn to the curious miniature drawings, themselves. For not only is there great delight that resides in them, but also a different world swings into view. Four dervish-like characters sit in a circle, conversing; a young prince seems to be reading from a book for an elder; a rider is seen astride a spirited steed; an emperor sits at a window with a child by his side. There was probably no awareness on the painters part of who these people were: Sufis of different orders, favoured noblemen, Akbar or Jahangir or Shah Jahan. But Rembrandt had these miniatures and he made copies or versions of many of them. Why, one might ask? Was it simply, as has sometimes been suggested, that he wanted to acquaint himself with the Eastern types faces, groups, costumes, stances, gestures, and the like which would be useful for incorporating elements from them either parts or whole compositions while rendering biblical scenes in which persons from the East naturally figured? Through these works, was he adding to his knowledge of the world? Was he intrigued by the products of a culture that was entirely different from his own? Again, could it be that he admired the quality, the studied refinement and the precision of drawing, of these Mughal works, and was inclined to learn from them in his own manner? It is obvious that he did not reproduce Indian works in their exact form: he changed the medium and introduced perspective and shading, as has been observed. But, in the process, he gave them a life which was different from their own, deftly picking up subtleties, adding or taking details out, simplifying things, making short rapier-like movements with his brush. There is a certain joy in studying every little stroke, tracking every step of the thought-process. Clearly, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn took something from India but also gave, in return, something back to the world. editorial@tribune.com Khursheed Dinshaw Chanthaburi is a quaint city that has been an integral part of eastern Thailands trade and culture. The Chanthaboon waterfront community, which settled here almost 300 years ago, comprises Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai. It is believed that the first Vietnamese came here during the reign of King Narai. They accompanied French priests and were Catholics. The Chinese community, which migrated during the rule of King Rama III, followed Buddhism. It came to Chanthaburi for the expansion of trade and commerce. The houses have colonial facades and are made of wood, which helped to keep the residents cool in the citys tropical climate. Some of their rooftops have a peculiar shape resembling a woman from above the waist and bird from the waist below. Known locally as Kinnari or Kinnaree, these creatures can fly between the celestial and human world. Kinnaris come from Himavanta, which is a forest mentioned in Hindu mythology. The Toulaoeia Chinese Temple, dedicated to Buddha, is imposing. It has Thai Buddhist, Chinese Buddhist and Hindu influences. The Garuda at the centre depicts Hinduism while flowers on the roof and dragons on the pillars are taken from the Chinese culture. The shape of the temple is Thai, explains Wit, a local Thai guide. The Spirit House is a small house in front of the temple. A Thai tradition, the Spirit House, is built for the god of the land in exchange for using the land to build a home. The highlight of the Chanthanamit road is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which is one of the largest cathedrals of Thailand. Built in 1909, it has Gothic architecture. During the Second World War, its tall roof was taken down to make it a less visible bombing target. Inside the Chanthaboon Waterfront Community Development building, visitors can learn about traditional mat weaving. There are mat-woven handbags, slippers and baskets, which make excellent eco-friendly souvenirs. An elaborate process involving 40 steps is undertaken for weaving a single piece. Si Chan Road may be quiet during weekdays but come Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it turns into a bustling hub for gem trading as dealers come from all over Thailand. Business deals are conducted well into the night as loose gems exchange hands while electronic scales and tweezers work overtime. Some of the street food that can be eaten includes crispy fish, kluay ping and rice crispies. While crispy fish is local fish grilled on charcoal, kluay ping is grilled bananas over charcoal. While strolling around, it is common to see how the residents deftly make circular-shaped rice crispies by simply spreading sticky rice on a hot wok and brushing it with butter mixed with salt and sugar. Some street food vendors sell ho muk pla or steamed curry in a banana leaf. It is eaten with steamed rice. A variety of munchies made from bananas, mangoes and rice flour are sold alongside fried dry shrimps and clams, chicken satay, pork ribs and soups. An enterprising youngster named Kong sells egg cakes that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Made with flour, eggs and vanilla essence, these are baked in a charcoal oven for 20 minutes. Our egg cakes are quite popular. Last week, I sold almost 1,000 cakes in one day, Kong proudly tells a group of Indian visitors. Apart from durian, vendors also sell local fruits like mangosteen, rambutan, longan and salak or snake fruit. Iqbal Singh sidhu Iqbal Singh sidhu Canada will, on October 17, become the first Group of Seven (G7) member and the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to formally legalise cannabis (for recreational use). It will be a watershed moment for the country. Drugs are a taboo in any society and are often on the list of matters left undiscussed on public forums. There is a pungency attached to the issue, so much so that the issue is only evoked with reference to degeneracy that has crept into the society or it is discussed in a lewd and ostracised context. But Canada, a liberal, democratic and open society, sees the issue of drug and its abuse in a more sympathetic light. Cannabis legalisation, for example, was one of the foremost issues in the Federal Election of 2015 and both Left-leaning parties New Democratic Party and the Liberals had raised it. The Liberals formed the government and they were under pressure to legalise marijuana. It has been three years since the Liberals came into power and they have finally made good on their word. There is enthusiasm among those who have used the drug before and who will now be able to use it without any fear. I had to buy it from shady people and there was a threat of being caught by the police. Now, I will be able to smoke in peace and hopefully, the product would be better as it will be regulated by the government, said a 28-year-old Punjabi man from Brampton. The NDP is still aligned to the Liberals and their platform not only consisted of legalising marijuana but a lot more with government oversight. All in all, it wants to decriminalise drugs since the drug abuse is a disease, more than a crime. A popular example that is often cited is of Portugal which decriminalised drugs, a move which experts say has led to a significant decline in drug-related crimes. But, there is opposition to the idea as well. Opening the floodgates for all possible kinds of intoxicants to enter local communities is a haunting proposition, though the NDP might argue on it. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh propounds the idea on whatever platform he is being given the chance. He has not been able to raise the issue in Parliament as he does not have a seat in the House of Commons even after more than one year of being elected leader of a federal party. Jagmeet, while running for the NDP leadership, took a principled stand on the issue and he has maintained it to this day. Drug-related problems are more common among the vulnerable and they usually end up suffering at both ends effects of drug abuse and government crackdown. Belonging to a visible minority makes one more susceptible to the wrath of law. For example, according to the John Howard Society of Canada, a crime prevention and redressal advocacy and research group, Blacks are 50 per cent more likely to be arrested than Whites even in a multi-ethnic city such as Toronto. Visible minorities always seem to get the shorter end of the stick and there are reasonable grievances that need addressing. Baljinder (name changed), 25, from Surrey, has a criminal record for possessing cannabis, a soon-to-be-legalised drug, and yet, it will not have any impact on his record. He will face the same problems that he faces today in finding jobs, travelling domestically and internationally, and even in finding an apartment. According to a report by a Canadian TV channel, about one in every three incidents of gang violence in Greater Vancouver involves Indo-Canadian gangs. This phenomenon of violence and gangland war-waging has not quieted down with time as would be expected in an immigrant community with a positive change in socio-economic position; rather, it has become acute. Well, drugs might have something to do with it. Vishav Bharti in Chandigarh Vishav Bharti in Chandigarh The sunset over Lahore Durbar was still fresh in the memory when a shocked young deputy commissioner of Gurdaspur district, Major E Lake, wrote to his government in 1851: The practice of killing newborn girls is not just prevalent among the Rajputs, but among the Sikhs too. When the British administration started taking action to curb the practice, a delegation of Bedi Sikhs, who claimed their lineage to Guru Nanak Devs family, approached the commissioner of Jullundur Doab, John Lawrence, with a petition to allow them to bury their newborn girls alive. The rationale was that the Bedis belonged to the highest caste and could not marry off their girls into any other caste, and that they had been doing it for four centuries. Lawrence, a tough administrator and reformer, was already appalled to see not even a single girl child among the 2,000 Bedi families in his division. He warned them against the practice and reminded them that their religion did not allow it. It will be considered murder. I will hang each one of you found involved in female infanticide. This practice was prevalent among the Hindu Khatris as well. The census of 1854 confirmed Lawrences fears: The number of women was recorded at 837 for 1,000 men in Punjab. Looking at the situation, the British administration called a meeting of leaders from all religions in Amritsar on Diwali exactly 165 years ago. It was the first organised intervention to curb the murderous practice. From Lawrence to Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab and its leaders have been struggling to curb the practice. The child sex ratio (0-6 years) is worse than what it was 50 years back (see box). What makes the situation especially grim for Punjab today is that it has become a safe haven for girl killers from the neighbouring states, who throng it for getting sex determination tests done. The ultrasound centres involved in illegal activities are not just hampering Punjabs PNDT programme, but have also affected the implementation in neighbouring states. So much so that in the past three years, Haryana has conducted 31 raids inside Punjabs borders and Rajasthan has conducted six. Punjabs own record, however, remains dismal. A few years back, Punjab had hired a detective agency to conduct sting operations on the ultrasound centers involved in sex determination. But the state could manage seven such raids only and failed to pursue many of these cases in the court. On the other hand, in pursuance of its slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Haryana has been actively involved in fighting female foeticide. It has written to the Punjab authorities on several occasions complaining about its local health officials attempts at sabotaging their operations through non-cooperation. Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar had even tweeted to Punjab CM seeking his cooperation on the issue. The most recent such incident occurred last month when a team from Ambala district of Haryana wanted to raid an ultrasound centre in Jalandhar. The civil surgeon not only refused to cooperate, but asked Haryana officials to share the confidential information about the centre in question. Haryanas health department has lodged an official complaint in this case. The spate of raids has left Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra worried. He expressed his concern at a recent meeting of civil surgeons and demanded to know why the officials here are clueless whereas the neighbouring states are conducting raid after raid. However, insiders say that in almost every district, the fee for not bothering ultrasound centres with inspections has been fixed. A senior health functionary, preferring anonymity, says that when he was posted as a senior medical officer in a district near Chandigarh around five years back, they would collect Rs 10,000 per month from each of the five ultrasound centres falling in that sub-division. The money collected would be sent to the civil surgeons office, he says, adding not much has changed in the ensuing years. Dr Harshinder Kaur, associate professor, department of paediatrics, Government Medical College, Patiala, has been an active campaigner against female foeticide. She feels that while foeticide continues unabated, there has been a change in peoples attitudes. Around 25 years back, people in rural areas were so open about killing their daughters, they would not mind showing the places where foetuses were dumped. But today they are afraid of sharing the same. However, she rues not much has been done to eradicate the menace. She quotes a WHO report which claims that illegal sex determination industry has grown to Rs 1,000 crore in India. Punjab has a significant share in this, she says. That is why, even as tall claims are made about improved sex ratios, and questions loom over fudged figures, a WhatsApp message popped up in a community group of traders in a small town in Punjab last month: On the evening of September 20, another girl was born in an Aggarwal family in Rampura (Bathinda), while they already have three girls. Only Aggarwals interested in adoption may contact. The quest for boy still continues and it will, as long as patriarchy lives. When a sealed ultrasound machine was sold off Acting on a tip off, on September 16, 2016, health officials raided the premises of a private dentist in Makhu town of Punjab, who was involved in the business of sex determination. A decade back, a centre running in the same premises was sealed on the directions of the then health minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla after a woman from Tarn Taran claimed that she had got her test done there. The ultrasound machine involved in illegal act was sealed and was made a case property. As per the legal provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure, the possession of the machine should have been with civil surgeon. However, the sealed ultrasound machine was swiftly sold off by the centre. It is just like a murder weapon in police custody being sold off, says a senior health official. Two years after the incident, the health department has finally woken up and the Additional Chief Secretary, Health, has recommended action against the civil surgeon responsible for the act. The civil surgeon, however, retired more than a year back. How do they operate? Insiders say that the rate for illegal sex determination test in Punjab is anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. At least 50 per cent of this goes to the tout, who get patients through midwives, quacks and even BAMS doctors in some cases. They gather patients and then take them to the centre the same day. Interestingly, many a times the touts dont actually get sex determination done, but go for simple ultrasound done to determine the well being of the foetus. To the attendants outside, they lie about the sex of the foetus. It will either be a boy or a girl, as chances of getting it right are 50 per cent, says Dr Girdhari Lal Singal, state project coordinator for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Haryana. Even if the result is contrary to the claim made after the ultrasound, nobody complains in such cases, he adds. Jupinderjit Singh in Chandigarh Jupinderjit Singh in Chandigarh For the past 14 years, Abhilasha from Chandigarh had been fighting a losing battle against her US-based husband, who had deserted her shortly after their marriage. He had obtained an ex-parte divorce while Abhilasha attended endless hearings in courts here. Indian law does not provide for extradition of a person accused of abandoning his wife. With India yet to sign the Hague Convention on International Personal Law to handle such cases, Abhilasha looked at a dead end in her road to justice. But something changed in June this year. Five abandoned brides, who usually met at the NRI Commission, Punjab, and the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, pursuing their complaints, got together saying enough was enough. The Regional Passport Officer, Sibash Kabiraj, told them of a lesser-used provision in the Indian Passport Act, which provides for the suspension of passports of accused runaway grooms. The possibility of suspension of passport provided a glimmer of hope to these women, who formed a group called Together We Can and began helping other victims, besides pursuing their cases. Among the first to benefit was Abhilasha. Her husbands passport was suspended. Kabiraj explains the importance of the initiative, Suspension of passport means the accused cannot travel to India, and if he does, he has to face the court trial or join police investigation. When the victims approached us, we told them about this provision, which required certain legal documentations for a foolproof case for the suspension of passports. Educated girls can arrange their case but many others needed help. We have a limited staff. So we thought of making a core group of victims who can help others. The Ministry of External Affairs, headed by Sushma Swaraj, chipped in and provided them a room in the passport office. A movement in favour of the victims began to flow. The RPO, Chandigarh, has taken a lead on the issue. It is about making the best of your limited powers and jurisdiction to offer a solution to the menace. We thought of doing something at an institutional level, instead of passing the buck. Today, we receive five to seven complaints everyday. The results were immediate. We started in June this year, and have already suspended passports in 70 cases. Nearly 120 other complaints are under process. Two NRI husbands were arrested on arrival at the New Delhi airport. One of them had even dared his abandoned wife to take action when he would land in India on a specific date. Together We Can Amritpal Kaur, who, along with Nitin Dhiman, formed the initial core group. They work as volunteers. We help new complainants in file work, motivate them, explain the legal provisions, and eventually get them justice by seeking cancellation of the passport of the erring husband, she said. This is lone victory but the war against runaway grooms is long and tough, said Amritpal. She believes the girl power will make a difference. Our WhatsApp group has reached the limit. Victims from all over India have joined us. Sumaira Pathak is in Pune while Reetu Sharma, pursuing PhD in bio-chemistry in Palampur, is running the movement in Himachal Pradesh. The task of providing justice is enormous. Punjab is said to have the highest number of abandoned brides, followed by Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and some southern states. Though on their own, the Centre and respective state governments have no concrete data, they neither deny the figures quoted widely in media and research papers on the subject nor confirm the number. Not just men, but there are cases of women NRIs dumping men after marriage. We have received two such cases, she added. Disturbingly, there has been a new trend of urban and well-educated girls becoming victims. In 2003, when The Tribune had carried a series of stories on the issue, the victims were mainly from the rural background and less educated. This is not the case anymore. Rupinder Kaur is an MBA, Amritpal is MSc. Other victims include doctors, lawyers, corporate professionals and even an Assistant Sub-Inspector, as also a constable. Nitin Dhiman alias Niti, a fashion designing and hospitality management professional from Zirakpur, had read about the sordid tales of abandoned brides from Punjab. She took precautions before tying the knot to Mohit Kumar, a China-based NRI, in April 2017. He is originally from Kurukshetra. As per the governments mandatory provision introduced a few years back to check such fraudulent marriages, she even got her marriage registered with the District Magistrate a day after she got wedded. She became another in the long list of victims of fraud NRI marriages. And hers is not an isolated case. It has taken more than 15 years for the world to take note of the plight of thousands of holiday wives. The government, too, has brought in more laws and checks to prevent the frauds. However, girls like Niti continue to be added to the list. Many brides, many bruises Rupinder Kaur of Amritsar was a bride for seven days only. She married Gurpreet Singh of Canada in December 2015. Dilpeet Kaur, wife of Kulwinder Singh of Italy, suffered a similar fate. She, too, was a bride for seven days. As Amritpal Kaur puts it, In all these cases, the grooms and their families had the best time. They were treated like gods by girls families. They got dowry, gold, cash, and consummated marriage. They enjoyed their little holiday in India. Now, they say they are away from Indian laws and no one can touch them. My husband even told me he had married for money and fun. Even though the National Commission for Women, the Ministry of External Affairs, judiciary, social activists, politicians and media have pressed hard for a framework to provide them speedy justice, through new laws and formulating procedures to check fraudulent marriages, not much has happened to prevent fresh cases and give justice to old ones. Pritam Kaur has been struggling for justice for 22 years. She could not get the passport of her husband cancelled as he had become a citizen of Canada. The core group taught her the power of social media. Pritam now talks about the issue on Twitter. There are incidents of serial offenders as well. Amritpals husband had duped three other girls before he married her. He boasted to her recently that he would marry for the fifth time soon while she continues making rounds of police stations and courts. Each of the victims has a heartrending story of suffering at the hands of the NRI husbands, If Amrita Pritam was alive today, she would have written such mournful verses on the exploitation of modern-day Heers like us, said Nitin, while trying to fight back the tears. harinder@tribunemail.com Kabul, October 13 A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated at an election rally in northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday killing at least 14 persons, including civilians and security forces, officials said. Khalil Aser, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Takhar province, said 32 others were wounded when the explosives-laden motorbike parked near the rally in Rustaq district exploded. There are a number of wounded people in critical condition, he said. The attack took place at about noon before Nazefa Yusoufi Beg, a woman candidate running for a seat in parliament in October 20 elections, arrived at the rally, Aser said. It was not immediately clear if she was the target. Jawad Hajri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Rustaq is a remote district where insurgent attacks have not occurred in the past and the candidates supporters had gathered for the rally confident they would be safe. Adeb Hamra, a local resident, said in a telephone interview that the district government hospital has only four doctors and was overwhelmed with dead and wounded, most of them in critical condition. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban insurgents are active in the province and have claimed pervious attacks there. It was not the first attack on a political campaign. On Tuesday, eight people including candidate Saleh Mohammad Achekzai, were killed when a suicide bomber struck Achekzais home In Helmand province. He was holding a meeting at the time of the attack in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. On October 2, just days after official campaigning began, a suicide bomber struck an election rally in eastern Nangarhar province, killing at least 14 people and wounding around 40. Last week, Taliban insurgents issued a statement condemning the elections and warning candidates and Afghan Security Forces that they would be targets if they participate. There are 2,565 candidates vying for seats in the 249-member chamber, including 417 women candidates. AP traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com Izmir, October 13 American pastor Andrew Brunson, freed by a Turkish court after two years in detention, has flown out of Turkey and is set to be received by President Donald Trump at the White House. Brunson, whose detention caused a crisis in ties with Washington, flew out of Adnan Menderes airport in the Aegean city of Izmir on an American military plane bound for the US Ramstein airbase in Germany on Friday, his lawyer Cem Halavurt told AFP, adding he would then continue to the United States. Trump, who had applied intense pressure on Turkey to release the pastor, said he would receive Brunson shortly after he arrives in the United States. Good news, Pastor Brunson is in the air, Trump told reporters as he arrived in Cincinnati for election campaigning. He is coming to the Oval Office, most likely on Saturday. The Trump administration imposed tariffs on Turkey and sanctioned two senior ministers to free Brunson, whose case has became a cause celebre for the presidents conservative Christian base. Trump denied a report by NBC News that he had agreed to ease pressure on Turkey in return for Brunsons release. We spoke to Turkey and went through a system, Trump said. There was no deal at all. There was no deal. Media were not allowed to accompany Brunson into the airport lounge but saw him arriving earlier at the airport arm-in-arm with his wife Norine, waving at reporters while surrounded by security. State-run Anadolu news agency confirmed Brunson had taken off, saying he was expected to stop in Germany before heading home. AFP. harinder@tribunemail.com Washington, October 13 An American pastor held for two years in Turkey on terror-related charges arrived home in the US on Saturday, where he met US President Donald Trump, who signaled an easing in the diplomatic crisis sparked by the case. Andrew Brunson thanked Trump for his efforts to facilitate his release. Brunson, who has become a cause celebre for Trumps conservative Christian base, reached the White House to see Trump shortly after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. On Friday, a Turkish court in Aliaga convicted Brunson on charges of espionage and aiding terror groups. It sentenced him to three years, one month and 15 days in jail, but released him based on time served and good behaviour. Brunson maintained his innocence throughout the process, and Trump administration officials have said the charges were politically motivated. Trump thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his help in the case, which caused not only a serious diplomatic row between the NATO allies but led to a crash in the lira, exposing Turkey's economic fragility. Brunson is a great Christian who has been through such a tough experience. I would like to thank President @RT_Erdogan for his help! Trump tweeted. Erdogan, however, said the court's decision was "taken independently." Both Trump and Erdogan have denied reports that the two sides reached a secret deal for the 50-year-old Brunson to be released in exchange for the US easing economic pressure on Ankara. Brunson is an evangelical Presbyterian clergyman who lived in Turkey for nearly half his life, initially moving there in 1993 as part of a missionary programme. AFP amansharma@tribunemail.com Islamabad, October 13 Pakistan on Saturday warned of "10 surgical strikes" against India in response to a single such attack, in the latest war of words between the two estranged nuclear-armed neighbours. Major General Asif Ghafoor, spokesperson of the military's Inter Services Public Relations, stated this while talking to the media in London, where he is accompanying Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on a visit. "If India dares to launch a surgical strike inside Pakistan, it will face 10 surgical strikes in response," Ghafoor was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. He also said "those who think of any misadventure against us should have no doubt in their minds on Pakistan's capabilities". The military spokesman said the Pakistan Army was the custodian of the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and that the mega project will strengthen the economy of the country. Ghafoor said the army wanted strengthening of democracy in Pakistan, and claimed that the general election in July was the most transparent in the history of the country. "If anyone has evidence of rigging then it should be brought forward," he remarked. He also rejected reports of restriction on the media and said there was "complete freedom of expression" in the country. He said there were more good developments in Pakistan than bad and that the international media should also highlight the good things. - PTI gspannu7@gmail.com Vatican City, October 13 Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean bishops for the alleged sexual abuse of minors, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday after a meeting between the pontiff and the president of Chile. The decision to expel former archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and former bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandezthe latest heads to roll in a country hit hard by the cleric abuse scandalcould not be appealed, it said. Both were stripped of their priesthood as a consequence of overt acts of abuse against minors. Defrocking is considered the harshest penalty for priests within the Church and means the offender is forbidden from exercising any clerical duties at all, even in private. Scores of new cases of priestly sexual abuse of minors have come to light in Chile, deepening a crisis in the Roman Catholic Church that has also embroiled Pope Francis. On Saturday, Francis met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the Vatican for talks on the difficult situation in Chile. They discussed the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment, the Vatican said. The leaders shared the hope that the church could live a true rebirth, Pinera said in a statement. A total of 167 bishops, priests and lay members of the church are now under investigation for sexual crimes committed in the South American country since 1960. Pope Francis has already apologised repeatedly to Chileans over the scandal, admitting the church failed to listen and react to the allegations, but vowed to restore justice. In May, the Argentine pontiff accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops amid accusations of abuse and related cover-ups. AFP pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, October 13 South Asian communities in the US have opposed the Trump administrations proposal to change the definition of public charge, claiming that it will have a detrimental impact on new legal immigrants, particularly those from South Asia. Under the proposal moved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the definition of public charge would include an immigrant who receives one or more public benefits and whether the person is likely to receive public benefits at any time in the future. The proposed change in the definition is part of the draft public charge rule, under which immigrants may be denied green card if they have received government benefits in the past or are likely to receive one in the future. The DHS has published the draft rule in federal register early this week and has sought comments from all stakeholders within a period of 60 days. The definition also expands the types of benefits that a public charge may receive, including those that are temporary in nature. The proposed public charge rule came in the wake of the US President Donald Trumps plan to not give Green Cards or legal permanent residency to those immigrants who have taken benefits from the government in the past or are likely to take one in the future. According to a recent Pew Research Centre study, one in four immigrants in the US from Bangladesh and Nepal and one in three immigrants from Bhutan live in poverty. The new rule would put all these individuals at great risk, observers said. The South Asian Bar Association (SABA) said Friday that the changes have been proposed with the intention of deterring new immigrants and reinterpreting a fundamental concept in the immigration law. This proposal is another example of this administrations attempt to subvert legal immigration in America...Immigrants are being punished for being too young, too old, too poor or not able-bodied. They are being told, yet again, that they are unwelcome and unwanted, SABA president Sundeep Sandhu said. SABA said the proposed rule, if implemented, would make immigration to the US based predominately on ones wealth rather than ones overall potential contribution to the community. According to a 2018 Migration Policy Institute Report, 61 per cent Bangladeshi non-citizen immigrant families, 48 per cent non-citizen Pakistani families and 11 per cent non-citizen Indian families receive public benefits in the US. The proposed rule punishes immigrants who access public benefits they are entitled to, said Desis for Progress, another South Asian group in the US. The group said the proposed policy change will have a major impact on South Asian immigrant communities, as over 10 percent of all green card applicants are from South Asia. Some South Asian visa holders who are in the US on non-immigrant visas, like the H1-B programme, could be impacted. Some communities like the Bangladeshis and the Nepalis are more likely to be targeted for green card denials based on their income, the Desis for Progress said. SAALT, another South Asian community organisation, said the proposed rule would deny permanent resident status to lower income immigrants who use government services such as nutrition programmes and housing assistance. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, October 13 US President Donald Trump has said he would call Saudi Arabias King Salman on missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdoms consulate in Turkey. Trumps remarks at a campaign event came amidst mounting pressure on him from Congressmen and the media as reports coming out of Turkey suggest that Khashoggi was brutally killed by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, 59, a Washington Post contributor, had gone there to collect some papers for his marriage. I will be calling at some point King Salman. Ill be speaking to him yes, Trump said. Were going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in Turkey, having to do Saudi Arabia and the reporter. And nobody knows quite yet. Nobody has been able to put it all together. People are starting to form ideas. And as theyre formed, well let you know. But it certainly is a terrible thing, Trump said. The President declined to indicate the nature of his conversation with the King. I cant tell you but I will say that theyre looking very hard and fast and not only us, a lot of people are looking to find out because it is potentially a really, really terrible situation. So well see what happens, he said. Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel wrote to Trump urging swift action in the disappearance of Khashoggi. Mr. President, we value our relations with Saudi Arabia. Yet murder and other blatant violations of international norms and agreements cannot be done with impunity, they wrote. Royce and Engel urged the president to use all pressure necessary to encourage greater Saudi cooperation in the investigation into this incident. Unless the Saudi government fully discloses what it knows about this disappearance and likely murder, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin should cancel plans to attend the upcoming Davos in the Desert conference. Participation in this conference is not critical to our economic security and would potentially undermine efforts to show the Saudi government and others around the world that brazen attacks on civilians inside consular facilities are unacceptable, the letter said. Trump told reporters that a final determination has not been made yet. I guess a lot of people are going over to an investment conference. And he (Treasury Secretary) actually called this morning and he will make that determination. But he was partially over there anyway. Well see what happens. Maybe some wont be going. Well make that determination very soon, Trump said. Nearly two dozen influential Democratic Senators, including Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, on Friday urged the Trump administration to reassert Americas moral leadership in protecting freedom of expression. Recent cases show that some foreign governments increasingly believe that silencing critics through violence and coercion is an acceptable practice for curbing dissent, the Senators lead by Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said in a letter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. These governments, however, should recognise that the United States disagrees with their strong-arm tactics and will continue to be the loudest global voice advocating for the rights of those speaking out against corruption and repression. No one should get a free pass, said the letter. Although we lack a full understanding of the circumstances that led to his disappearance, media reports indicate that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might have played a role. According to press reports, Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and may have been murdered while inside, they said. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, thus far in 2018, 43 journalists have been killed. Since 2017, as many as 267 journalists have been arrested and detained. Last week, the Chinese Communist Party detained Interpol President Meng Hongwei under suspecious circumstances and Chinese authorities have reportedly threatened his wife and family. The Myanmar government recently convicted two Reuters journalists for reporting on the militarys role in the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a report condemning the government of Pakistan for cracking down on its press and calling for an end to the disturbing trend of impunity and attacks on journalists to shore up this faltering pillar of democracy, the Senators said. In their letter, the Senators urged Pompeo that America must retain its moral high ground and continue working to protect individual freedoms around the world. We respectfully request that you evaluate how the US government can better bring to bear its full set of tools and resources to more forcefully oppose authoritarian efforts aimed at silencing critics around the world and brief us on your findings as soon as possible, the Senators wrote. In fact, many are concerned that Americas inaction abroad, accompanied by President Trumps caustic rhetoric toward Americas own press and those who disagree with him, are creating a permissive environment for those inclined to pursue repressive behaviour, the letter said. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, October 13 US President Donald Trump has said that his administration has taken the toughest-ever action to crack down on Chinas unfair trade practices. Trump has been steadily hiking tariffs on Chinese exports to the US since June, asking Beijing to bring down the billions of dollars of trade deficit. He has taken an unprecedented tough measure against the alleged unfair trade practices of China. The US has a nearly USD 500 billion trade deficit with China per annum, which Trump says is unsustainable for the US. We have taken the toughest-ever action to crack down on Chinas unfair trade actions and trade abuses, Trump told his cheering supporters at an election rally in Ohio on Friday. Among the steps being taken by the US include imposing additional 25 per cent tariff on import of Chinese products worth USD 250 billion, announcing new curbs of nuclear technology trade with China and taking steps to stop China from allegedly stealing intellectual property from the US. Trump patted on his back with regard to his China policy as he listed out the achievements of his administration and the steps that has strengthened the American economy and creating jobs. Thanks to our tariff and especially on steel thats been dumped all over this country, the Ohio steel industry and the US steel industry is roaring back to life and soon will be hitting its most successful years ever, he said. Last week, he announced the replacement of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the incredible, brand-new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the USMCA, Trump said. Its opening up Canada, opening up Mexico for our farmers, everybody, he said. Trump said that at his direction, the Pentagon is now working to create the sixth branch of the American armed forces called the Space Force. Thats very important. Hate to say it, but very soon, thats where its going to be at. Its going to be space, everything, defence, offense, everything, he said. Referring to his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump said that this was one-sided. I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal and look what happened to Iran, he said. When I took office, Iran was all over the place. They were taking over Syria. They were taking over Yemen. They were taking over everything. I actually said, this is going to be a problem and weve got to do something. And about four months ago, we withdrew from that horrible, ridiculous deal. And you take a look whats happening to Iran. Theres riots all over the streets, all over the cities. Its a whole different ballgame. Its a whole different country. And its looking real good, Trump said. PTI traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com San Francisco, October 13 Countering a common argument that strong encryption may come in the way of well-meaning investigation of criminal activities, Apple has stressed that stronger not weaker encryption is the best way to protect against threats of cyber attacks and terrorism. In a letter to the Australian government, the Cupertino, California-headquartered tech giant asserted that encryption was in fact a benefit and public good, The Verge reported on Friday. Apple was specifically responding to a bill designed to five government easy access to the devices and data of criminals during investigations. The tech giant said it takes technology's role in protecting national security and citizens's lives extremely seriously. "Every day, over a trillion transactions occur safely over the internet as a result of encrypted communications," Apple said in its letter while responding to the Australian Parliament's Assistance and Access Bill. "Criminals and terrorists who want to infiltrate systems and disrupt sensitive networks may start their attacks by accessing just one person's smartphone. In the face of these threats, this is no time to weaken encryption." While Apple was not outright condemning the bill, it, however, attempted to make the case that "the draft legislation remains dangerously ambiguous with respect to encryption and security" The Verge report added. Apple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation engaged in a showdown in 2016 over the iPhone used by an assailant in the San Bernardino terror attack. The FBI had to seek third-party help after Apple refused to assist the investigating agency unlock the phone. IANS. 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. The Covid-19 death toll continues to rise with 12 more deaths, four of whom had no known com will give you train connections. No need to prebook. On busy days prebook a seat if there is more than one of you. 1st or 2nd class is your personal choice. No difficulty to get from airport to train. Edited: 3 years ago There's so many great trips to do from Montego Bay. I would do the Luminous Lagoon. You do go out in a larger boat but it's the only one's they do the trips from. It's not to crowded & well worth it. Rose Hall is good, not sure how much a 6 year old might like it though. Another great trip is rafting on the Martha Brae, very relaxing & good for the kids. There are the YS falls which is a good waterfall expirence to do,if you do these you can do the Black river in the same day/trip. Both worth doing. We've done all these when are kids were 6 & 8. Like any trips though you get what you put in & chose your tour company well if you aren't driving yourself. I would recommend (if you can afford it) doing the trips privately rather than in a big coach trip from your hotel. We used Clive's transport. Can't recommend them enough. We are using them again next year (will be our third holiday in Montego Bay using them) They give you a great Jamaican expirence while they show you local places (for food) on your routes. Also learn more about the country. Enjoy your trip , message me if you want any more information I like Perth but 2 weeks would be too long for me, Id want to visit somewhere else too. What attracted you to Perth in the first place? Are you travelling alone, with friends or a partner with kids? It all makes a difference to what even year old solo Scottish women dont want the same thing. There are various beaches in and around Perth or you could head south to the Margaret Rkver region and even further to Esperance. Will you hire a car for part of your trip or are you reliant on flights and public transport? Have a look here for loads of ideas. Choose the things what appeals to you. Hope you already have your ETA? There have been a lot of posts lately about Malaysians having bother getting their visa approved, so if you havent got yours already apply now and direct with the Australian government not through some agency. Hi, hubby and I are in Australia for 2 weeks soon, landing in Sydney on 17th Oct, leaving Melbourne on 1st November. We are booked into Philip Island for the MotoGP, so for the 3 days that we aren't at the track we will be pottering around PI - so that's the second week sorted and if we run out of stuff to do on PI we aren't too far from Melbourne...we have got to visit The Napier. Love a bit of Jack Irish. We are picking up a car at Sydney airport and staying at Coogee Sands for the first 2 nights so that we can head into Sydney and Bondi - we would probably be avoiding Bondi on the 19th (travelling all the way from the UK just to bump into Prince Harry & Meghan at Bondi?! arrrgh) So, 19th - 24th we have a bit of time to drive from Coogee Sands to Melbourne and we'd like to stop along the way. When we had this plan in mind, I had read about the coastal road from syd to mel and how it was a beautiful coastal drive - which sounded great, until I realised that I had actually confused that with the GOR. Having now discovered that the coastal road isn't actually THAT coastal... we would love some advice on how to MAKE it coastal, stopping at some nice spots along the way, take a few nights stopping over - I'd be really grateful for recommendations on where to stop, where to visit, basically where we stray from the road to make it a bit more interesting than just road. Weird and wonderful is always fun, not a huge fan of art galleries unless it is cultural (rather than for arts sake if you know what I mean?). We like a beer, food - we'll try anything, love the sea, not huge on trekking unless it's to get to something awesome. Love picturesque, doesn't have to be action packed, you can't beat a beautiful view. God, we sound like we are lazy, beer swilling heathens :-D Point me in the direction of beautiful scenery! Now carry me there! ha ha We WERE thinking of going to Tasmania for a few days, but it feels a bit rushed. Open to suggestion - thanks in advance Brooklyn and Queens are miles out of the way, and require a long trip through the city. The places to park in New Jersey are either Penn Station in NEWARK, NJ, to get you into NYC, or Hoboken, NJ or Newport Station in Jersey City, NJ. or Exchange Place or Grove St in Jersey City, NJ. There are many garages in Jersey City near the PATH trains. Or just park at the railroad station in New Brunswick, NJ and take the commuter train in. That's a lot easier. But the second easiest is Newport or Exchange Place or Grove St (all within 2/3 mile of each other) in Jersey City, NJ. Do not drive into NYC; it makes Montreal feel like Thunder Bay. If money is really tight (or you are not averse to an extra 3-mile train ride): Park at Liberty State Park station of the HBLR (Light Rail) Line; take that train to Newport or Exchange Place, and the PATH train right into NYC. Parking at the station is about $3.50, the HBLR is $1.85 per person, PATH is $.2.75 per person and then you are in NYC. It's a little slower because of the extra train, but it's a LOT cheaper, and not THAT much slower because it's easy to drive to: Exit 14C of the New Jersey Turnpike goes right into it. It's an outdoor lot; don't part in the reserved area, and you buy a combined parking/return ticket and then another return (we call them round-trip) ticket. Everything runs till at least 1 AM, and PATH runs 24/7. -:- 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. Hi all doing my first trip into Japan in January landing at Narita .I have read many reviews here but im not sure they cover what i require .I was hoping to stay in Akihabara but it seems a little way out requiring a train trip or two which i dont want to do when having a suitcase .Though i will visit here as i am interested in the electronic stores there . So does anyone have some other ideas were to stay as i willy only be their for 5 days and hoping to take a tour to Mt Fuji bullet train trip .And be nice to be near a train station . Thanks Gavin Re: Where to go for 40th with my wife 1. Re: Where to go for 40th with my wife Welcome to the forum Juan. Yes you fly into Nadi and then for the best experience with white sandy beaches ,clear blue water and snorkelling you do need to travel to the islands off shore. There are a number of resorts that have there own transport to the Islands and some are 24/7 so it doesn't mater what time you arrive you can be there the same day which does make sense seeing you only have 5 nights. If you arrive early enough most resorts have the ability to pick you up from a seaplane or have helicopter landing options on the island. Some of the islands that have their own transport are Serenity Island (only 30mins away by speedboat) Navini Island pick up and boat from Vuda Marina. For a helicopter service 15mins to Matamanoa is a good option too Kids free. Hello, I am working on our itinerary for a November 2019 trip to Japan, getting ready to book flights when they are released in December. (Booking with miles so I need to do it early). Our trip will mostly be a guided walking tour, 4-5 days each on the Nakasendo Trail and Kumano Kodo pilgrimage path. We meet the guide and group in Kyoto, and will fly in several days ahead to have more time here. The tour ends in Tokyo, and then we would like to visit Hiroshima before flying home. I am sure I will have more questions later, but just now I have a specific question about our last day. From my reading it appears we can take either a Nozomi or Hikaru bullet train from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka, and transfer there to the Haruka express train to the airport. Is this correct? Is there a better way? How much time should I allow for this journey on a weekday? Our return flight will depart at 5:25 pm (barring schedule changes). I have read the trip by Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka is around one hour thirty minutes, but then we have two transfer and wait for the next Haruka train. I do not know how long that takes to reach the airport. We do like to arrive at the airport with plenty of time before the flight. And is this plan, that is, traveling from Hiroshima to the airport the same day as the flight, in any way risky or ill-advised? When we travel in Europ I do not like to take a long journey to reach the airport on the same day as the overseas flight. But this does not seem very far, and the Japan rail system seems so reliable and punctual. Thank you for your help. Legendary Gikuyu musician Joseph Kamaru was finally laid to rest on Thursday, October 11, at his home in Kigumo, Muranga county in a burial ceremony that saw the attendance of thousands of Kenyans, including top government officials. Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga were among those who were present at the burial. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Uhuru, Ruto get scared by pastor's choice of Bible verse during Kamaru's burial READ ALSO: All the photos from funeral of veteran musician Joseph Kamaru While the whole burial was marred by a sombre mood, the highlight of the send-off ceremony was a sermon delivered by Bishop Harrison Ng'ang'a of the Christian Foundation Fellowship Church which left the whole country scared. As reported by TUKO.co.ke earlier, Ng'ang'a's sermon was drawn from 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which states; "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God," Uhuru, Ruto and Raila at Kamaru burial. Photo: UGC Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Top 40 hit songs that were composed by fallen benga legend Joseph Kamaru The bishop wrapped up his summon by making it clear that many people will be shocked to end up in hell as others go to heaven. "Every person who goes to their neighbours' home behind their back or takes what is not theirs will not see the Kingdom of God. I'm I the one who said this? Have I not read it from the Bible?" Bishop Ng'ang'a posed. The sermon seemed simple but left countless people worried that they might not see heaven, key among them Uhuru and Ruto who openly revealed their fear. Here is a video of the sermon: READ ALSO: Top trending Joseph Kamaru songs ''Ruto told me the sermon had him worried over the journey to heaven since it seems many people will be left behind,'' Uhuru said as he began his address during the burial. His sentiments were echoed by the DP who said; "I want to assure the bishop that we shall do everything to ensure we don't miss heaven. We shall do all the things that you have said so that we can be on the list," Well, other Kenyans too were scared by the sermon and expressed their fears through different social media platforms. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news Kenya News Today: Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani Tuko TV Source: Kenya Breaking News Today - The FORD Kenya leader said by backing Ruto, he was assured of forming the next government - Wetang'ula had earlier announced he would be on the ballot for the top seat in 2022 after falling out with Opposition leader Raila Odinga - He had said National Super Alliance which he was party to in 2017 was dead and buried and was searching for potential 2022 partners FORD Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula has shelved his ambition to vie for the presidency in 2022 and thrown his support behind Deputy President William Ruto's bid. The Bungoma Senator who fell out with National Super Alliance (NASA) 2017 presidential candidate and Opposition leader Raila Odinga after the controversial swearing in on Tuesday, January 30, had earlier announced he would be on the ballot in 2022. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Ex-National Olympics Committee official arrested, held at Muthaiga police station over graft FORD Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula said he would back William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid shelving his ambition to go for top seat. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter Source: Twitter READ ALSO: IEBC CEO Ezra Chiloba says he has been fired from electoral body by Wafula Chebukati Speaking in his Butonge, Bungoma county on Friday, October 12, where he accompanied Ruto to launch several government projects, Wetang'ula made it clear he was done with NASA which he had referred t as a moribund faction, saying he would back the DP's candidacy in 2022. The FORD Kenya leader who had earlier been quoted by TUKo.co.ke saying he was shopping for a potential partner for 2022 argued that backing Ruto was the surest way of forming the next government. "I have assured my supporters we will be in government in 2022. The sure way to do it is working with Ruto who will lead the assault for the top seat," Wetang'ula said. Moses Wetang'ula declared he would walk with DP William Ruto in the 2022 General Election after ditching National Super Alliance. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter. Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Embu student slashes lab technician's head in attempt to attack head teacher His sentiments came few days after former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama announced that he had met Wetang'ula to discuss and develop a strategy of resuscitating NASA. The coalition's bond was further dissolved after Raila mend ties with President Uhuru Kenyatta through the handshake without his co-principal's knowledge. Ruto has been making frequent tours in the larger western Kenya in what is perceived as a tactic to penetrate the region deemed to be the Opposition's stronghold and has won endorsement of some legislators from the rival coalition. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Kenya News Today: Migori Residents Demand The Release of Okoth Obado | Tuko TV Source: Tuko Kenyan comedian Walter Mongare known to many as Nyambane was on Tuesday, October 9, forced to 'flee' a live recording of Churchill Show at the Carnivore, Nairobi after the audience turned violent against him. The audience could hear or see none of the comedian after he refused to imitate retired president Daniel Moi, a role he used to play when he was an active comedian. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Comedian Jalang'o reveals his brother will inherit his social media accounts READ ALSO: TV girl Betty Kyalo suggests she is dating again after fallout with Hassan Joho It should be noted Nyambane used to play Moi during his stint in the popular comedy trio Redykyulass. Well, the comedian's quandaries at the Churchill Show began when he was invited to the stage and fans expected him to crack them just like he used to do before. READ ALSO: Kirinyaga Woman Rep wants law introduced to have sponsors genitals squeezed for exploiting young girls Nyambane refused to go down the memory lane in a move that disgusted the audience which charged at him with many booing him. The comedian tried to explain why he could not imitate Moi in vain as the crowd kept chanting ''toka kwendaa'' ( shoo off). Out of respect for the retired president, who today is not as energetic as he was nearly two decades ago, I choose not to imitate or make fun of him," he emphatically said. READ ALSO: Socialite Vera Sidika must be Luhya and her air ticket has proved so Even with his explanation, the crowd kept yelling and he was left with no choice but to quietly leave the show after about 30 minutes following the humiliation. Nyambane is currently the liaison officer for the youth in Jubilee Party. 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. Awful day to die (Animated Joke) | Tuko TV Source: Kenyan Breaking News - Washiali said Raila's move to work closely with Uhuru had subjected Kenyans to more suffering - The legislator elected on a Jubilee party ticket said Raila's move was tantamount to abdicating Opposition's role - He said if it were not for the handshake, the Financial Act 2018 imposing new and increased levies on key commodities would not be there - The MP called on Raila to apologise and reclaim his role to save Kenyans from further suffering - Washiali said Mudavadi and Wetang'ula lacked what it takes to put government to task A Jubilee MP has sensationally claimed former prime minister Raila Odinga slept with the enemy by striking a deal to work with President Uhuru Kenyatta saying the country has completely lost an Opposition front to put government to task. Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali said the handshake between Raila and Uhuru on Friday, March 9, opened a can of worms for Kenyans and challenged the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader to reclaim his Opposition role to save the citizens. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Uhuru alikuwa ananiibia soda akiwa mtoto - dadake Kamaru asema Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali said Raila Odinga had abandoned the Opposition and Kenyans by striking deal to work with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Another multi-million building in Nairobi to be demolished in 14 days for sitting on riparian land Speaking in Kakamega county on Saturday, October 13, Washiali, a fierce critic of the former prime minister, said Raila's move had paralysed the Opposition whose work was to ensure Kenyans are protected from poor decisions driven by tyranny of numbers. He cited the passing of the Financial Act of 2018 which imposed 8% fuel levy among other new taxes would not have been possible had Raila prevailed upon Opposition MPs to oppose it. "The move by Raila was tantamount to abandoning Kenyans who looked up to a strong Opposition in time of need. He needs to reconsider his step, apologise to Kenyans and reclaim his position for the sake of the ordinary citizens," Washiali said. The Jubilee MP said the Financial Act of 2018 imposing 8% fuel levy would not have been passed if Raila Odinga had not shaken hands with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo: Benjamin Washiali/Facebook. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: DP William Ruto says he is too busy for referendum debate The legislator plainly stated Kenyans were paying dearly due to Raila's absence in the Opposition saying his National Super Alliance (NASA) counterparts Musalia Mudavadi of Amani National Congress (ANC) and FORD Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula did not have what it takes to put government to task. He differed with ANC deputy party leader Ayub Savula who said Mudavadi needed to be declared the official Opposition leader because Raila and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka had moved to work with Jubilee hence could not put government in check. While ODM has 76 MPs and Kalonzo's 23 MPs, Savula argued since the two had allegedly abdicated their roles, Mudavadi was supposed to take over because ANC has 14 MPs followed by FORD Kenya's 12 legislators. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Kenya News Today: Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani Tuko TV Source: Tuko News - The assailant allegedly hurled an explosive device in a house where the teachers were which set it on fire - Boinnet revealed state agencies are on very high alert for any possible attack by the militants - Kenyan officers are monitoring militia men so as to counter any attempts by the criminals Police have identified a suspected Al-Shabaab sympathiser who mounted attack at Arabia High School in Mandera county leaving two teachers dead on Wednesday, October 10. State intelligence on Saturday, October 13, established one Hassan Hodey, a Somali national from neighboring area of Damasa as the man behind the heinous act. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Uhuru alikuwa ananiibia soda akiwa mtoto - dadake Kamaru asema The assailants are said to have thrown an explosive device in a house where the teachers were which set it on fire. Photo: Fredrick Kambona/Facebook. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Al-Shabaab militia kill two non-Muslims in Garissa for failing to recite Quran The Hassan is said to have thrown an explosive device in a house where the teachers were which set it on fire. In a press statement seen by TUKO.co.ke, the Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet confirmed police are pursuing the culprit. "Following the recent unfortunate incident in which two Kenyan teachers were murdered by suspected Al Shabaab sympathizers at Arabia High School, we have intensified our operations in the area to bring the perpetrators of the act to justice. "Our operations have established that one Hassan Hodey a Somali national from neighboring area of Damasa was behind that heinous act," stated Boinnet. READ ALSO: Al-shabaab leaders split amid acrimonious succession wrangles Boinnet also revealed state agencies are on very high alert for any possible attack by the militants targeting security installations and any other soft targets along the border between Mandera and Elwak. This follows latest development across the border for the past two weeks, in which the militants have been converging close to Kenyan border especially in areas of Hola, Dura, Jidahaley, Juma and Ilkabere. The police believe the current movement by the militants towards Kenyan border is attributed to ongoing purge on their bases in Somalia by the African Mission in Somali and allied forces. READ ALSO: Al-Shabaab terror group turn against each other after leader quits Kenyan officers are on high alert monitoring movements of the militia men so as to counter any attempts by these criminals to cross over into the country. 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. Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani - on Tuko TV Source: Tuko Kenya - Staff working at PwC told detectives Stephen Mumbo, an assistant manager, at the firm had an office on the 12th floor - The staff explained Mumbo had booked the 17th floor which is a boardroom for his work on that day and was alone in the room when he plunged to his death - Police said they could not rule out any involvement despite all factors inclining towards suicide - Mumbo did not show any signs of being disturbed according to preliminary investigations by police - The deceased was a civil engineering graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology A senior employee of international audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) who allegedly jumped to his death from the company's Delta Corner office in Nairobi had his work station on the building's 12th floor. Stephen Mumbo, the PwC assistant manager of executory and forensic investigations at the multinational was pronounced dead at Aga Khan University Hospital on Friday, October 12, a few hours after falling from the building. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Uhuru alikuwa ananiibia soda akiwa mtoto - dadake Kamaru asema Stephen Mumbo an assistant manager at PwC jumped to his death from company's Delta Corner Westlands, Nairobi office. Photo: UGC Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Kalonzo says he intends to win presidency by recruiting Jubilee, NASA MPs Detectives who immediately launched a probe into the incident which shocked many Kenyans revealed they had found out Mumbo's work station was on the building's 12th floor but he had booked the higher floor boardroom office for work. "His colleagues said his office was on the 12th floor but he booked the 17th floor for some special assignment. He reportedly arrived at work early and proceeded to the booked boardroom," a source privy to the preliminary investigations said. The matter was initially suspected to be a suicidal act because Mumbo was reported to have been in the office alone but the investigators said they could not rule out all other possibilities like being pushed off the towering building. The asistant manager was pronounced dead after being taken to Aga Khan University Hospital. He was a civil engineering graduate from JKUAT. Photo: Citizen. Source: UGC READ ALSO: President Uhuru's nod to meet central Kenya musicians at State House divides them "There are strong pointers to suicide but that is only one angle of looking at it. He was not reported to have exhibited any signs of being disturbed like individuals in many other suicide incidents. We haven't ruled out any other involvement until investigations are complete," said Kilimani OCPD Michael Muchiri. The Standard reported that Mumbo was a civil engineering graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. He had worked at Pleng Limited as a design engineer consultant between 2003 and 2005 alongside NASFAM, a Malawian agricultural firm in 2016 before moving to PwC. Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) added to the weight of many disgruntled Kenyans who accused the company of overworking their staff making it difficult to strike a work-family balance. READ ALSO: Uhuru, Ruto get scared by pastor's choice of Bible verse during Kamaru's burial Detectives said they had interviewed staff who worked on the 17th floor of the building from which Mumbo fell to his last breath. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Kenya News Today: Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani Tuko TV Source: Tuko The delegation of the State Concern Ukroboronprom, the association of Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises, arrived in the United States to discuss the expansion of defense equipment supplies to Ukraine, including defensive weapons, as well as to negotiate on joint projects in this area. We have meetings scheduled at the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State. They generally concern the US-Ukraine military and technical and industrial cooperation, Ukroboronprom Director General Pavlo Bukin said in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent on Friday. He also stressed that the Ukrainian side brought "specific projects in the areas where we can establish cooperation." "We need high-technology products of the U.S. defense industry, including in the field of radioelectronic warfare, electronic intelligence, various optical devices and, of course, defensive weapons," the Ukroboronprom Director General said. He confirmed that the expansion of supplies of those products to Ukraine would also be discussed. In addition, he noted, Ukraine needs U.S. assistance in organizing a closed cycle of ammunition production, production of special chemicals. ol In January-September 2018, Ukraine decreased natural gas imports by 24.7% compared with the corresponding period last year due to significant gas reserves in the underground storage facilities. "Since the beginning of 2018, gas imports from Europe have decreased by 24.7% compared to the same period in 2017 due to significant gas reserves in the underground storage facilities," the Operator of the Ukrainian GTS , a subsidiary of PJSC Ukrtransgaz, reports. As noted, in January-September 2018, 8.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas were delivered from EU countries, showing decrease of 2.6 billion cubic meters compared with the same period last year. The largest gas volumes were imported via the gas transmission corridor from Slovakia - 5.0 billion cubic meters (-36% compared to this date last year), Hungary - 2.5 billion cubic meters (+ 28%) and Poland 0.5 billion cubic meters (-37%). ol According to the law on national security, a civilian must hold the position of Ukraine's Defense Minister starting from January 1, 2019. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he has dismissed Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak from military service, however, the latter will continue to lead the ministry as civilian. Read alsoU.S. to give Ukraine $100 mln in aid for strengthening of defense Poltorak "According to the law on national security, the position of Ukraine's Defense Minister must be held by a civilian starting from January 1, 2019. So, Stepan Poltorak submitted a letter of resignation, and I accepted it," Poroshenko said at a ceremonial event honoring the Ukrainian military in Kyiv on October 13, according to the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda. The president says "the dismissal from military service is not a punishment or evidence of shortcomings in work." Poltorak will continue to lead the ministry as civilian. The head of state added that the law had been agreed with NATO partners and such a procedure was provided for. Thus, "the decision is fully in keeping with the spirit and letter of the law," he said. "I appreciate Poltorak's contribution to the revival of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine. I made the decision so that he will continue to lead the defense department," the president said. The head of state also presented Poltorak with First Class Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky. . A total of 600 servicemen and 150 units of equipment are taking part in the exercise. During the working visit to Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, the President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko visited the military training ground to inspect the course of complex tactical exercises on defending the coastal areas aimed to check readiness of the Ukrainian Army and other military formations to deflect possible Russian aggression from the Sea of Azov. The purpose of the exercises is to test the response to the possible landing of a hostile assault force along the Ukrainian coastline in the region. After reviewing the course of training, Petro Poroshenko noted that today, the military "earned a solid twelve" [an "A" grade]. Read alsoUkraine holds large-scale exercises in the Sea of Azov (photo) The President examined the first and second stages of the military exercises, respectively "Fight for landing" and "Maneuvering defense". Marine detachments, coastal artillery, military aircraft, and tank units of the Naval Forces of Ukraine and the Land Forces are taking part in the military exercise. In close coordination with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, units of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Service are also involved. A total of 600 servicemen and 150 units of equipment are taking part. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces also conducted an operational meeting at the headquarters of the training where he heard a report by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko and Head of the State Border Guard Service Petro Tsyhykal on the implementation of the tasks set by the NSDC decisions on countering the threats in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. He turned out to be the former head of one of the public organizations in the town of Druzhkivka. Ukrainian counterintelligence officers under the procedural guidance of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office have detained in Donetsk region a militant of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) terrorist organization. Read alsoSBU intercepts "DPR" leaders' conversations after Zakharchenko's assassination (Video) The law enforcers established that in May 2014, the head of one of the public organizations in the town of Druzhkivka joined illegal armed formations. He also took an active part in hostilities against the Anti-Terrorist Operation forces in eastern Ukraine. "The perpetrator, in particular, organized the "daily duty" at the illegal militants' checkpoints that were located in Druzhkivka. He also provided armed guards at the so-called 'polling stations' during pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territory of Donbas," the press center of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine said in a statement on October 13. It is noted that after the release of Druzhkivka by the ATO forces, the man for a long time was hiding from the Ukrainian law enforcers. The SBU employees detained the militant at his relatives' place of residence in one of the settlements in Donetsk region. The detainee is served with charge papers for committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. An investigation is under way. According to intelligence reports, two enemy troops were eliminated and another two were wounded. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 26 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA). Read alsoRussian-led forces fire on OSCE patrol near Donetsk Filtration Station JFO HQ "The enemy opened aimed fire from 100mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, cannons of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on October 13, 2018. As reported, the invaders used the weapons prohibited by the Minsk accords four times. The Russian occupation forces shelled Ukrainian positions near the towns of Svitlodarsk, Krasnohorivka, and Maryinka, as well as the villages of Zolote-4, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Novozvanivka, Troyitske, Novoluhanske, Taramchuk, Novotroyitske, Starohnanivka, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske. "The invaders resorted to 120mm mortars, 100mm artillery systems, and cannons of infantry fighting vehicles to shell our troops' strongholds near Novoluhanske, while the defenders of Troyitske and Svitlodarsk came under fire from 82mm mortars," the report said. "Since Saturday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted two attacks on the Joint Forces positions near the village of Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector, using heavy machine guns and small arms. No heavy weapons have been used. There have been no casualties among the Ukrainian troops," it said. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Joint Forces of Ukraine had retaken an uninhabited village in the "gray zone" near the town of Volnovakha, Donetsk region, where they found new evidence of the Russian military presence. Commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev made a decision to involve the Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter to destroy the target. The crew of the Mi-24 helicopter from Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has downed a Russian-made Orlan-10-type unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near the town of Lysychansk in Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. Read alsoUkraine's air defense forces spot four flights of enemy UAVs in Donbas on Aug 17 JFO spokesperson "At 08:09, an air target was detected by radio-technical facilities, previously identified as an Orlan-10-type unmanned aerial vehicle, which is in service with the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The UAV was maneuvering, performing obviously a reconnaissance flight from Lysychansk to Sievierodonetsk. The air defense forces on duty were put on alert immediately. Commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev made a decision to involve the Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter to destroy the target," the JFO press service said on October 13. As UNIAN reported earlier, an explosion thundered over Lysychansk on October 12. A part of the Osa surface-to-air missile system fell on the territory of School No.27. Children were evacuated from the school. Later, the military explained that part of the projectile had fallen near the school, as a result of the downing by Ukrainian troops of an enemy drone that threatened the safety of citizens. "Having lost two unmanned aerial vehicles over Lysychansk yesterday, the enemy does not abandon attempts to accomplish the task set by the occupying command and again sends multi-purpose unmanned aircraft complexes along the same route," the press service added. The invaders opened aimed fire from 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 11 times from 07:00 to 18:00 Kyiv time on Saturday, October 13. Read alsoRussian-led forces fire on OSCE patrol near Donetsk Filtration Station JFO HQ "The invaders opened aimed fire from 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. The militants shelled Ukrainian army positions near the villages of Krymske, Vilny, Katerynivka, Troyitske, Chermalyk, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook. Russian-led militants also fired 82mm mortars on Ukrainian strongholds near Vilne, Troyitske, and Lebedynske. There have been no casualties among Ukrainian troops from the start of the day, it said. Moscow has prioritized the program, and so the weapon is still on track to achieve initial operational capability by 2020. Russia is currently unable to find a source for the critical carbon fiber components needed to make one of its hypersonic weapons, despite President Vladimir Putin's claims that the device has already entered serial production, according to people with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report. Read alsoRussia test-fires 'hypersonic' missile, U.S. sees no change in capability A hypersonic weapon can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or about one mile per second. What's more, the U.S. is currently unable to defend against this breed of threat, CNBC reported. The Kremlin considers their current carbon fiber material unreliable and is therefore looking for another source. Yet, the people added, Moscow has prioritized the program, and so the weapon is still on track to achieve initial operational capability by 2020. The next flight test is slated for December, said one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The body of the hypersonic glide vehicle cannot withstand the heat on re-entry, and therefore the internal systems fail," this person explained to CNBC. "The Russians therefore need a better material because they have an upcoming test and they don't think the material used to construct the body provides enough thermal protection." Russia expects the carbon fiber components to be produced within 12 months of selection and still expects to meet its 2020 deadline, according to the person. "It's intriguing that they continue to run into problems, because they've been flight-testing this system for a long time," said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. "They're running into the same problems that anyone else would run into if they would do this, and it gets back to the issue, of course, how important is this for Russia?" he added, noting Moscow's ambition to develop hypersonic weapons. Some 50,000 military personnel from all 29 members of the NATO alliance, as well as from Finland and Sweden, will be involved in the war game. General Curtis Scaparrotti says the United States and its NATO allies are ready to respond to a growing threat from Russia. The top American commander in Europe was speaking as a U.S. aircraft carrier sails to the Norwegian Sea for the first time since 1987, Sky News reported. The USS Harry S Truman powering through the North Sea following a visit to Portsmouth last week is preparing to join NATO's largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. Read alsoStrengthening of Russia's military presence in the Black Sea: What will be NATO's response The ship's presence is part of a renewed focus by the alliance on the waters between Europe and the U.S. following a rise in Russian submarine and warship activity. Asked what message the 100,000-ton carrier was sending to Moscow, General Scaparrotti said: "It is a demonstration of our capabilities We are ready and we are trained and we will protect the Atlantic." The Supreme Allied Commander Europe was speaking as he toured the ship with Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, and other top officials. "Russia has set out to increase their presence and also they are modernizing their force and that is not something I would think would be unexpected but it is something we do need to pay attention to," General Scaparrotti said. "We need to continue to increase our capabilities and to train so that we remain dominant in war-fighting capabilities. Strength is how we deter conflict and our job is actually to prevent and we will do that with a strong alliance." Armed with 49 fast jets and escorted by a further nine U.S. warships, the USS Truman will play a part in Exercise Trident Juncture, which begins on October 25 in and around Norway and runs until November 7. Read alsoBritain sending 800 troops to Arctic in warning shot to Russia media Some 50,000 military personnel from all 29 members of the NATO alliance, as well as from Finland and Sweden, will be involved in the war game. They are expected to simulate a scenario in which a hostile country Russia is at the forefront of commanders' minds challenges a member of the alliance, triggering an Article 5 response. Article 5 is the founding principle of NATO's collective defense, meaning that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. Mr Stoltenberg, also speaking aboard USS Truman, said it was important for allies to be prepared. "To keep our nations safe in an unpredictable world we need to keep our alliance strong," he said, speaking to a small group of journalists. "We do need to have the training and we need to train together in all domains at sea, in air on land and in cyber space." NATO has been regrowing its ability to exercise large numbers of soldiers, sailors and airmen to counter the threat of war with a peer opponent a requirement that was allowed to decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The rethink was triggered by President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. It has been given greater urgency as evidence mounts of unconventional attacks by Russia using cyber, disinformation on social media and other measures to meddle in Europe and the United States as part of an effort to grow influence and divide the West. Military strength alone is not enough to deter hostile activities. Britain earlier this month led an unprecedented move to expose the actions of Russia's military intelligence agency the GRU. This included a botched attempted by four GRU officers to hack into the computers of the international chemical weapons watchdog. It followed the attempted assassination of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March. The British government has held Russia responsible. The Kremlin denies any involvement. (@FahadShabbir) Abu Dhabi will host the second edition of Agriscape, an international exhibition dedicated to agricultural investments abroad, at the Rosewood Hotel on 29-30 October. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Oct, 2018) Abu Dhabi will host the second edition of Agriscape, an international exhibition dedicated to agricultural investments abroad, at the Rosewood Hotel on 29-30 October. Now in its second edition, the event will take place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. This eminent gathering, which has already established a distinguished international reputation within agricultural investment, will feature leading agricultural exhibitors and hundreds of buyers from around the world. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Food Security Center Abu Dhabi (FSCAD), Agriscape is performing a vital role in coordinating policy responses in this vitally important area at both regional and international levels. FSCAD was established in 2010 to ensure the access of all citizens and residents to healthy, safe and nutritious food, even during periods of crisis. Over the past five years, the food security landscape in the UAE has significantly changed from agricultural investments towards a full-fledged food industry. Thanks to the continued support of the country's wise leadership for sustainable development, the UAE government is offering its own unique perspective on securing food and leading global efforts to seek the solutions needed. According to Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, "The UAEs leadership recognizes the importance of food security as a key component of its national agenda. Considering investment in agriculture abroad an important priority to achieve food security, the country is adopting a proactive approach by increasing agricultural efficiency, and introducing new irrigation technologies to make farms and greenhouses less water intensive." Almheiri added: "Food security is one of the biggest challenges we will face in the future, with the issue likely to become increasingly important with global prices set to rise as demand increases in the years to come. According to the Global Food Security Index issued by Economist Intelligence Unit in 2017, the UAE is considered a food secure country and ranked 33rd in food security. However, we are aiming to become one of the most food secure countries in the world by identifying the most important agricultural sector trends and highlighting the many business and investment opportunities available." Khalifa Al Ali, CEO of FSCAD, "Investing in the agriculture sector abroad is a key component of FSCADs strategy to ensure a robust food supply chain and enhance national food security. As more UAE-based companies are investing in agricultural land abroad, FSCAD seeks to work with these companies and help them overcome the challenges they face to achieve food security. To ensure uninterrupted and sustainable food supply for the country, it is imperative to explore new investment opportunities abroad that will secure supply routes, stabilize food prices and drive growth in agricultural productivity. As the entity mandated to achieve national food security for the UAE, FSCAD seeks work with its strategic partners to strengthen our food security resilience while working productively with international decision makers and investors." Rising global populations and the resultant pressure on the water-energy-food nexus has created an urgent need for sustainable solutions to the many social, economic and environmental challenges raised by the depletion of natural resources while developing policies that guarantee uninterrupted food supply under any circumstances. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently reported that for the third year in a row, there has been a rise in the number of people living in food insecurity whose number may have now reached one-eighth of the world population. Due to instability in conflict-prone regions, adverse climate events and economic distress, the FAO estimates that the number of undernourished people globally now amounts to nearly 821 million. With the total global population expected to reach 9.6 billion people by 2050, the agriculture production needs to be increased by 70 percent to keep up with the demand for food which will rise exponentially as a result of rapid population growth. The growth in agricultural production will shift patterns of resource generation and consumption, while the effects of climate change threaten to impact the geographical distribution of world population due to severe droughts, shrinking watersheds and alterations to global distributions of productive agriculture. One of the key priorities of food security in the UAE is enhancing the diversity of the countrys economy as it will improve the efficiency of related-economic sectors especially agriculture. Agriculture is of special importance to the UAE as the country seeks to boost the local food production by 40 per cent. This poses a real challenge for the UAE which imports 90 per cent of its food needs due to its arid climate, making food security a key national priority. Al Dahra, the Headline Sponsor of Agriscape 2018, is an agribusiness leader with a global profile and operations in more than 30 countries covering the entire range of cultivation, animal feed and food commodities through a sophisticated supply chain serving more than 45 markets. Khdeim Al Derhi, Deputy Chairman of Al Dahra, said: "With a particularly strong presence in Asia and the middle East, Al Dahra caters to a wide client base including leading government and commercial clients. Reflecting the critical importance of secure food supplies for national and global security, Agriscape plays a crucial role in creating and nurturing partnerships and channeling the investment needed to implement actionable food security solutions. We are proud to be associated with an event that offers an excellent forum for business leads to interact and identify the most promising investment opportunities going forward." Agriscape 2018 will also host several foreign ministers of agriculture and senior decision makers of internationally prominent companies operating in the agricultural sectors of more than 50 countries worldwide. The Brazilian presence is particularly strong this year. Blairo Maggi, Minister of Agriculture of Brazil, attending Agriscape, said: "Over the next few decades, rapid population growth in emerging economies will boost demand for agricultural commodities and urbanization will shift patterns of resource generation and consumption. In addition, the effects of climate change will magnify the problem by causing severe droughts, shrinking watersheds and altering the global distribution of productive agriculture. Given this context, Agriscape 2018 is performing an invaluable function in encouraging investment in this fundamentally important sector and stimulating the global drive to secure food and aid those facing food deprivation." Thanks to the insightful vision of its wise leadership, the UAE is seeking to race against time to proactively address the challenges it is facing in food security domain through stepping up international collaboration to protect the precious natural resources across the world. Through events such as Agriscape 2018, international policy makers and business leaders are addressing urgent food security challenges for the benefit of populations around the world. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) has continued its aid distribution programme to the needy families in the Red Sea Coast of Yemen, as part of the support provided by the UAE to address difficult humanitarian conditions as a result of actions taken by the Houthi militias loyal to Iran. TAIZ, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Oct, 2018) The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) has continued its aid distribution programme to the needy families in the Red Sea Coast of Yemen, as part of the support provided by the UAE to address difficult humanitarian conditions as a result of actions taken by the Houthi militias loyal to Iran. Recently, the ERC provided additional 1,000 food baskets in addition to basic necessities to the poor families in the areas of Al Zahari, Al Barh and Hassi Salem in the Mocha. More than 7,000 people benefited form this programme. Mohammed Al Qamzi, ERC Representative, said the gesture is part of its humanitarian responsibility towards the fraternal Yemeni people to address difficult humanitarian conditions and to normalise life in Yemen. Beneficiaries extended thanks and appreciation to the UAE and its humanitarian arm, the ERC, for providing help in the framework of the Emirati giving approach. (@rukhshanmir) Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said that as many as six million people would get numerous job opportunities through housing scheme project launched by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), government for low income group. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2018 ) :Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said that as many as six million people would get numerous job opportunities through housing scheme project launched by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), government for low income group. Prime Minister Imran Khan was concerned about the poor people and launched the housing project, he stated while talking to a private news channel. "We are inviting Chinese companies and overseas Pakistanis to invest in Pakistan, " he added. He said that a land bank would be established for providing loans to help people in construction of houses. The PTI government was focusing on attracting foreign investment to uplift the economy, he said. About Green Pakistan, he said the present government after coming into power had planted some 2,500,000 saplings to achieve the objectives of "Green Pakistan". Fawad Chaudhry said that a programme was being launched to expand the tax net. To a question he said that previous governments had left 157 billion rupees deficit in the gas sector. To another question he said the PTI government would continue the project of Orange Line and Metro Bus service in Punjab. He, however said that the PML-N's last government had spent a huge amount on Orange Line project. He said billions of rupees were plundered in the Avenfield case, being faced by Nawaz Sharif. The minister said some 100 units in textile sectors would be opened soon, where a large scale jobs would be provided to the unemployed people. About money laundering, Fawad said that nine billion Dollar money laundering had been reported during the periods of last governments. Information minister said that Ishaq Dar, the former finance minister was facing a corruption case. He said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB), was an independent institution, dealing with the corruption cases. Replying to a question on Model Town incident, he said the PTI government would provide justice to victims' families. The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief wanted to investigate the matter of Model Town Lahore. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :Senior Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan on Friday directed to form a quick response team at the DGPR's Office to present the Punjab government's version on any public related issue. He said that issue highlighted on any channel or newspaper must be followed and the DGPR should play a pivotal role in this regard. He observed this while presiding over a special session on his visit to the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) where Amajd Hussain Bhatti gave him detailed briefing. The senior minister said that public opinion had great importance in the success of any government and media officers could play an important role in this regard. Abdul Aleem Khan directed to depute focal persons for each department to respond within minimum time. He said that in the DGPR there should be 24/7 monitoring of all channels and newspapers, and action taken by the Punjab government should also be highlighted as well. Abdul Aleem Khan said that being a spokesman for the Punjab government the department could play a vital role to highlight the achievements of the Punjab chief minister and his team which were working day and night for resolving problems and difficulties left by the last regime. He said that misdeeds of the past government could not be added in the account of the present leadership which had only 50 days in power as compare to the 10 years. Later, Aleem Khan also visited different sections of the DGPR and inspected working of the department. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalized all necessary arrangements for holding bye-elections in 35 constituencies on October 14. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2018 ) :Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalized all necessary arrangements for holding bye-elections in 35 Constituencies on October 14. According to an official of ECP, the election will be held on 11 National Assembly seats and 24 seats from provincial assemblies included 11 seats for PunjabAssembly, nine for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each for Sindh and Balochistan. He said that the ballot papers for all constituencies in both the National and Provincial assemblies have been printed. The official said that as many as 122 candidates have been contesting bye-election in 11 constituencies of National Assembly. He said that 28 candidates have been contesting election from NA-131 Lahore-IX, 10 candidates from NA-124 Lahore-II, 12 candidates from NA-103 Faisalabad-III, eight candidates from NA-35 Bannu, 22 candidates from NA-243 Karachi East-II, 11 candidates from NA-69 Gujrat-II, three candidates from NA-65 Chakwal-II, five candidates from NA-63 Rawalpindi-VII, nine candidates from NA-60 Rawalpindi-IV, three candidates from NA-56 Attock-II and 11 candidates from NA-53 Islamabad-II. He said that the commission has already issued amended voters' lists to the districts concerned as the polling will be held on new electoral rolls. He said that total registered voters in the country have reached the figure of 106,000,239 with 59,243,889 male (55.89 percent) and 46,756,350 female (44.11 percent) voters. He said that out of total registered voters, 60,697,418 were from Punjab, 22,394,212 voters from Sindh, 17,839,845 voters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including FATA), 4,302,304 voters from Balochistan and 766,460 voters from Federal capital. He said that in Punjab, the male voters were 33,690,140 while female voters were 27,007,278. In Sindh, the male voters were 12,438,375 while female voters were 9,955,837. Similarly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the male voters were 10,220,103 while the female voters were 7,619,742. In Balochistan, the male voters were 2,487,470 while the female voters were 1,814,834 while in federal capital the male voters 407,801 and the female voters were 358,659. The official said that a special security plan has been chalked out to ensure foolproof security for sensitive polling station on polling day. He added the security plan will be implemented in coordination with the provincial governments and departments concerned. He said the commission has planned special security measures to ensure security of voters for having better turnout. He said that foolproof security arrangements have been planned with deployment of security personnel at polling stations to ensure smooth polling process. He said that the election campaign for by-elections will come to an end on midnight falling between October 12 and October 13. He added under section 182 of Elections Act 2017, no person shall convene, hold or attend any public meeting and no person shall promote or join any procession within the area of constituency during a period of 48 hours ending at midnight following the conclusion of the poll for an election in that constituency. He said any person who contravenes these provisions of law shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to Rs100,000 or with both. He requested the political parties and candidates to follow the provisions of law and exercise self-restraint so that the poll would be held in an orderly and peaceful manner on October 14. The official said that the ECP has issued voters pass to successful registered 7,364 I-voters for bye-elections. He added these voters passes were issued during the registration process of I-voters through their email ID. He said that all registered I-voters can cast their vote in bye-elections being held on October 14. He added only registered I-voters with having voters passes will have right of casting vote. He asked all such pass holders to exercise their right of vote during 8:00am to 5:00pm (Pakistan Standard Time) on polling day. He advised the I-voters to cast their vote as early as possible. He said that the registered I-voters will be responsible to protect the information of voter pass. He said that I-voters should avoid sharing any information about their login and voter pass with anyone for safety of such information. Governor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai inaugurated Clean and Green Pakistan campaign on Friday which started from Metropolitan Corporation and ended at GPO Chowk area of Quetta. QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :Governor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai inaugurated Clean and Green Pakistan campaign on Friday which started from Metropolitan Corporation and ended at GPO Chowk area of Quetta. A walk awareness was also organized which was led by Governor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai regarding cleansing of the Quetta City. Talking to media, he said it was not possible to maintain Quetta city clean in one day, so that awareness campaign was necessary to aware people including health and sanitation for ensuring sustainable cleansing in the respective areas of Quetta. He said in this regard media should play vital role for improving sanitary in the city. Provincial Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Sardar Saleh Bhootani , Health Minister Naseebullah Marri, Quetta Mayor Dr, Kalimullah and other official participated the Clean and Green Pakistan Campaign. Minister for Local Government Sardar Saleh Bhotani said Quetta was distributed in four zone for maintaining cleansing in the city. Quetta Mayor, Dr, Kalimullah said around 4000 people were required for Quetta proper sanitary while 1500 employees of Metropolitan Corporation are busy in removing of garbage in Quetta who could not able to maintain hygienic of the city. He said Metropolitan staffs have abilities to remove 600 ton garbage on daily bases while 1200 ton rubbish are being produced in per day in thecity. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has said the provincial government is about to enact legislations devolving all powers and authority to the lower tier of governance. PESHAWAR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has said the provincial government is about to enact legislations devolving all powers and authority to the lower tier of governance. The local government would be strengthened to undertake developmental activities, launch cleanliness drive, look after the drain , sanitation system and find out solution to the people problems. He was addressing at the clean and green Pakistan drive at District Council Hall Peshawar. Spokesman Provincial government Shaukat Yousafzai, Special Assistant to CM Kamran Bangash, MNA Haji Shaukat Ali, Senator Haji Fida Muhammad, acting District Nazim Peshawar Qasim Shah, Town Nazimeen and councils and other concerned official attended. Addressing the participants the Chief Minister said this province had a model of historic Billion Tree Tsunami which was being replicated throughout the country. He said that under the 100 days plan, the government would plan another Billion Tree within five years in the province alone, however the 100 day plan will sketch out the overall five years reforms initiatives in all departments throughout the province, he added. "All should realize their responsibilities for clean and green Pakistan as per vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan", he added. He said that the clean and green drive has been launched in Peshawar would be an overall plan for the whole of the province and the country. The Peshawar drive alone will be expanded to all towns and the periphery of Peshawar. We are committed to make Peshawar the city of flowers again and revive its past grandeur. The drive for the beautification of the whole of the province being initiated from Peshawar would be extended to the whole of the province. We have to own our province, our capital Peshawar and our other cities of the province and ensure complete cleanliness by ourselves, he added. The PTI government had successfully completed the billion tree tsunami project in its previous tenure. Our experience of the Billion Tree Tsunami has become a workable system which could be experienced at national level. We would plan another similar drive like Billion Tree Tsunami for plantation of another Billion tree in five years, he added. He assured that new act of local government would be best one and the developmental activities would be launched by the new local government system. He termed the local government system the nursery of democracy and as he himself is the product of local government system. He called upon the local government representatives to work with zeal and spirit that would be a launching pad for their political progression and would take the country to the new heights of development. Later talking to the media the Chief Minister said that clean and green Pakistan drive is a continuous process beyond the time line adding that we have to collectively contribute to the clean and green province. Responding to a question on BRT the Chief Minister assured all out efforts for early completion of BRT in order to achieve the objectives behind this project. He assured that after completion of 100 days working, he would invite the media to tell them about his government's targets, reforms and developmental strategies in different sectors and welfare activities throughout the province. On another question Mahmood Khan reaffirmed his firm commitment for a free corruption province and assured zero level tolerance to any corrupt practices in the province. He also assured to control the artificial price hike in the province. Soon after the completion of the function, the Chief Minister drove straight for a surprise visit of the under construction of Mega project of Peshawar Rapid Bus Transit. He inspected various spots of Reach-1 inspecting the quality of work, the overhead bridges and the underground lining of the BRT route. He directed for the accelerated completion of BRT adding that the delay is not only undesirable but also brings unnecessary perturbations to the people and commuters. He said that it is a unique project which should be seen as master plan for finding one solution to all traffic congestions, cleanliness, improved drainage, connectivity of all feeding routes with the main artery thus giving one solution to all the problems of Peshawar and after completion it would shape up the overall beautification of Peshawar city. It is the best project by all standards which would not be subsidized but the spurs and the support system in shape up of parking and commercial plazas, shops etc. would be a supporting pad for the durability, sustainability and overall viable operationalized transport services in Peshawar city. (@mahnoorsheikh03) The CJP demanded a written apology from NAB Lahore DG Saleem Shehzad and other officials. Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News 13th October, 2018) The Director General of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore Saleem Shehzad got emotional during the hearing of suo motu notice on handcuffing former Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran. The DG NAB Lahore appeared before Supreme Court Lahore registry on Saturday. Expressing anger over the NAB Lahore DG, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar asked, Under which law you ridiculed the teachers? When Saleem Shehzad apologised for the act, the CJP asked him to apologise to the teachers and the whole nation. The CJP also demanded a written apology from NAB Lahore DG and other officials. The CJP said, You should also be produced before the court in handcuffs. The NAB has never solved any case except ridiculing people. If you cant work, you should resign. To this, the NAB DG got into tears. The CJP was however not moved and said, Now that it has come to you, you are crying. The NAB Lahore DG contended that the former VC was handcuffed out of security concerns, adding that he has personally apologised to the teachers. The CJP then asked, You can tell if you want to work or not, adding, The people you handcuffed are those who impart knowledge to the children. The CJP said that he called NAB chairman after watching the video, and said that he expressed incognisance over the issue. The NAB chairman had assured me that the NAB Lahore DG will satisfy me, the CJP said. The NAB is being criticised for producing former Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran and other teachers before the Accountability Court in handcuffs. Dr Mujahid Kamran is accused of illegal recruitment in the university and for giving away scholarships to students who were not eligible. In addition to this, he is also accused of being involved for the unlawful appointment of his wife Shazia Qureshi as the principal of Punjab University Law College. (@mahnoorsheikh03) The PEMRA has sought a reply from Dunya News and Geo News in two days. Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News 13th October, 2018) The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued a notice to two local tv channels for airing false news against Finance Minister Asad Umar and State Minister Shehryar Afridi. The PEMRA has sought a reply from the two channels Dunya News and Geo News in two days. In a tweet on Saturday, the PEMRA shared the notices sent to the TV channels. The PEMRA demanded the channels to share a contradiction of the news relating to governments dissatisfaction over Asad Umars financial policies, and the renovation of Shehryar Afridis house. The PEMRA warned the channels that their licenses can be suspended if they dont ratify the reports. Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had on Friday demanded the PEMRA to take notice and initiate action against spread of baseless and false news against Finance Minister Asad Umar and State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi. In a statement, the minister strongly condemned creation of a negative situation by airing false news. PEMRA should investigate who spread the false news, why it was aired and whom it wanted to damage, he added. He said Asad Umar was a respectable personality of Tehreek-i-Insaf, adding the airing of a baseless news attributed to the Prime Minister was based on ill intention. He said some elements were trying to create political and economic instability. Under a specific agenda, a certain group of media was being used to defame the PTI government, Fawad added. He said the false news of renovation of house of State Interior Minister Shehryar Afridi was condemnable. The character assassination of the minister active against land occupiers and land mafia was unfortunate, he noted. The minister said PTI will not withdraw from its reform agenda by getting fearful of the media trial. (@mahnoorsheikh03) Yousaf Naseem Khokhar called on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News 13th October, 2018) Newly appointed Punjab chief secretary has donated Rs 1 billion in the dams fund. According to media reports, Punjab Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar called on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday. During the meeting, the Punjab chief secretary gave CJP the cheque of Rs 1 billion. He said that the entire country needs to contribute for the construction of dams. Earlier, the employees of the National Assembly Secretariat contributed Rs 1.912,970 million in PM and CJ fund for Diamer, Bhasha and Mohmand Dams. The employees from grade 1 to 15 have contributed their one day's salary whereas employees from grade 16 to 22 contributed their two days salary. The fund dedicated to the construction of Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dams was established by the SBP on the directions of the Supreme Court. All the commercial and micro-finance banks, and field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation have opened the Fund account to receive donations in cash, and through cheques, pay orders and demand drafts at all their branches across the country. The trend was started by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar himself who donated Rs 10 lac and then another Rs 1 lac for the construction of dams and has so far received generous donations from various individuals and groups. Endorsing the CJP's initiative, Prime Minister Imran Khan also made an impassioned appeal to all Pakistanis, particularly its overseas diaspora, to donate funds in US Dollars to help the country build dams, as it could face major droughts by the year 2025. The name of Supreme Court of Pakistan Diamer Basha and Mohmand Dam Fund was later changed to Supreme Court/Prime Minister Dam Fund. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that his government was taking concrete measures to improve firefighting capabilities of fire brigades working across the province. KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2018 ) :Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that his government was taking concrete measures to improve firefighting capabilities of fire brigades working across the province. Addressing a ceremony of handing over a snorkel and 10 fire fighters to local bodies of the province, he said there was a dire need to equip all the districts and taluka headquarters with fire tenders and such other equipments to improve firefighting capabilities of the fire brigades. "I am handing over the snorkel to Mayor Karachi is one the highest snorkels in the world with 104 meters height for high-rise buildings," he said. The Chief Minister said that Karachi was one of the biggest and beautiful city of the world with lofty structures and multi-storey buildings. It was in need of a snorkel for firefighting for high-rise buildings. It may be noted that the snorkel has a 600-LPM fire pump capacity, a 1,000 LPM foam tank, remote water monitor for firefighting from cage having capacity of 3800 LPM. It has four hydraulically powered Outriggers that provide strong stabilization system to rescue at a maximum height with accuracy and stability. It has also 360 degree rotation with telescopic booms. The snorkel has been purchased for Rs. 495 million. The chief minister also handed over 10 fire tenders to the elected representatives of local bodies of Sukkur, Hyderabad, Shaeed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Jacobabad and Qasimabad of Hyderabad and three fire tenders to Karachi. Each fire tender has been purchased for Rs19 million. Each fire tender has the the capacity of 8000 liters of water tank & 500 liters Foam tank made of polypropylene sheet having life time warranty against corrosion. It has normal & high pressure fire pump. The fire tender has also crew compartment for fire fighters equipped with all necessary tools. Murad on the occasion felicitated Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani and also lauded the efforts of former local government minister Jam Khan Shoro for inducting snorkel and fire tenders in the fleet. Accusations against Russia of preparing a hacker attack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are completely groundless and provocative, Russian Envoy to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin said Friday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2018) Accusations against Russia of preparing a hacker attack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are completely groundless and provocative, Russian Envoy to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin said Friday. "In our speech, we said these statements were completely groundless, we see this as a crude provocation aimed at pushing Russia into a corner in retaliation for its active position on preventing the further politicization of the OPCW, on deepening the split, and on assignment of irrelevant functions to the technical secretary," Shulgin said while aired by the Ruptly broadcaster. He also commented on the accusations made against specific Russians allegedly involved in the cyberattack. "We gave explanations. Indeed, in April this year, technical experts came here. The purpose of the trip was to check the security of the communication systems of our embassy. This is a completely normal thing," he said. On October 4, the United Kingdom claimed that the Russian military's Main Intelligence Directorate was "almost certainly" responsible for a series of cyberattacks targeting political institutions, media outlets and companies across the world. On the same day, the Dutch Defense Ministry claimed that its intelligence services had thwarted a cyberattack against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), headquartered in The Hague, allegedly attempted by four Russian citizens holding diplomatic passports. UK Permanent Representative to the OPCW Peter Wilson said that London and its allies would work to update the sanctions for the use of chemical weapons, aggression in cyberspace and the violation of human rights. The Russian Foreign Ministry refuted the allegations, saying that the claims were a part of yet another act of propaganda and that "anti-Russia spymania campaign" negatively affected bilateral relations. Canada and the United States later joined the allegations, accusing seven Russian military intelligence officials of targeting with cyberattacks the US electoral system, a US nuclear power company and anti-doping agencies. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Washington "poisoned" the relations between the two countries with those allegations. The Cambodian authorities will resume the program allowing the United States to search for the remains of US personnel missing in the Asian country since the Vietnam War, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday. BANGKOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) The Cambodian authorities will resume the program allowing the United States to search for the remains of US personnel missing in the Asian country since the Vietnam War, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday. The program functioning for more than 30 years was suspended by Cambodia in 2017 over the US sanctions against the state. "As we have discussed before, and at your personal request as well as that made by other US organizations, my government, in the same compassionate spirit, agrees to resume this important POW/MIA field mission, regardless of the US visa restrictions now in place," Hun Sen wrote in a Friday letter to US senators Doug Ericksen and Vincent Buys, as quoted by the Khmer Times newspaper on Saturday. The Vietnam War took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in 1955-1975. An emergency escape system for the next Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will be delivered to Baikonur Cosmodrome ahead of schedule, Sergei Rassokhin, production chief at Russian Iskra design bureau, said Saturday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) An emergency escape system for the next Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will be delivered to Baikonur Cosmodrome ahead of schedule, Sergei Rassokhin, production chief at Russian Iskra design bureau, said Saturday. "A launch was scheduled for mid-December and the emergency escape system was to be delivered to Baikonur in late November... Now we are to prepare it for installment in the near future and will have it delivered to Baikonur. The exact date is not known," he told reporters. An early speculative date was December 5-7. A source in the Russian space industry told Sputnik earlier in the day that the next ISS mission would tentatively be launched in late November or early December. "Different tentative dates are being discussed, including November 28 or early December. There is a pre-flight training cycle and everything depends on the schedule," the source said. A manned Soyuz mission to the International Space Station was aborted on Thursday over a rocket booster failure. The crew of two - a Russian cosmonaut and a NASA astronaut - made a safe emergency landing in their Soyuz capsule and were soon picked up by rescuers. The incident became the first failure of a manned space launch in modern Russian history. It is being investigated by a special commission of Russia's space agency Roscosmos. All manned launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome have been suspended until the commission finds out the causes of the failure. Gabon's ruling party won just over half of the parliamentary seats in the first round of legislative elections last week, in a vote marred by low turnout, the elections committee has said. Libreville, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :Gabon's ruling party won just over half of the parliamentary seats in the first round of legislative elections last week, in a vote marred by low turnout, the elections committee has said. Headed by President Ali Bongo, the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 74 of the 143 seats in long-delayed parliamentary elections, it said in a statement late Friday. The figures were slightly lower than an initial estimate by Bongo's spokesman last week, in which he said the party had won 80 seats, describing it as "a landslide" victory. Turnout was "relatively low," a presidential spokesman said, without giving figures. Campaigning for the second round began on Saturday with the vote to be held in 61 Constituencies on October 27. The October 6 vote, which also included municipal polls, was the first election since a presidential race two years ago which was marred by deadly violence and fraud allegations. Gabon has been ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century. By contrast, last week's elections went off peacefully, although a local town hall was set alight several hours after the voting. African Union observers described the running of the election as "satisfactory" and without irregularities, but several civil society organisations complained that there had been attempts to buy votes. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Hundreds of foreigners have been detained in Thailand amid a nationwide crackdown on illegal migrants, a Thai deputy immigration chief said Friday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2018) Hundreds of foreigners have been detained in Thailand amid a nationwide crackdown on illegal migrants, a Thai deputy immigration chief said Friday. The arrests of 528 foreign nationals on Thursday, mostly from India and Pakistan, topped last week's record, according to the Khao Sod daily. Immigrants were detained for entering the country illegally, overstaying and on petty crime charges, the publication cited Maj. Gen. Itthipol Itthisarnronchai as saying. The minister estimated that 2,801 foreign citizens had been arrested and barred from entering the country since raids began more than a year ago. (@rukhshanmir) Abidjan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Oct, 2018 ) :A man was stabbed to death in clashes between rival political groups in southern Ivory Coast during tense regional and municipal elections held Saturday, hospital sources said. More than six million Ivoirians were eligible to elect 201 mayors and 31 heads of regional councils in the polls, which come ahead of a presidential election in 2020. Tensions have overshadowed the polls as the ruling RHDP coalition has imploded due to divisions over who should be its candidate in the 2020 vote. The two parties making up the ruling coalition -- the RDR of President Alassane Ouattara and the historically dominant PDCI -- fielded rival candidates in many areas on Saturday. Oumar Djiguiba, a man in his thirties, was killed during fighting between supporters of Samy Merhy, the independent mayor of Lakota town, and those of his challenger from the ruling RHDP coalition. Scuffles and clashes took place in several localities in the area, where campaigning was carried out in a very tense atmosphere. Elsewhere the Alerte-Info agency reported two people injured in Divo, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Lakota, during similar clashes. In other incidents voting urns were smashed up torched in Bonoua, east of the commercial capital Abidjan. (@rukhshanmir) US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is set to travel to Vietnam and Singapore starting October 15, the Department of Defense said in a press release on Friday. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is set to travel to Vietnam and Singapore starting October 15, the Department of Defense said in a press release on Friday. "Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis departs Oct. 15 to visit Vietnam. He will also travel to Singapore," the release said. In Singapore, Mattis will take part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting and engage in discussions about military relations with key leaders. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is comprised of 10 countries, including China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Over 180 refugees, including 93 children, have returned to Syria from neighboring Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Refugee Reception, Distribution and Settlement said on Saturday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) Over 180 refugees, including 93 children, have returned to Syria from neighboring Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Refugee Reception, Distribution and Settlement said on Saturday. "Over the past day, in total 183 people (55 women and 93 children) left Lebanon for Syria via the Jaydet-Yabus and Zemrani CPs [checkpoints]," the center's bulletin said. Moreover, 28 internally displaced Syrians, including 10 women and 12 children, have returned to their homes in the Eastern Ghouta area of the Damascus province, the center added. Since July 18, a total of 17,761 people have returned to Syria from other countries, according to the bulletin. Meanwhile, the Syrian army continues to conduct mine clearance operations. Its engineering units have cleared nine buildings, 22 acres of land and one kilometer of roads over the past 24 hours. "They found and defused 40 explosive devices including four improvised explosive devices," the statement 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 repatriating refugees. Moscow is assisting Damascus in this, along with providing humanitarian aid to civilians and being a guarantor of the ceasefire. (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) President Donald Trump must end US support of Saudi Arabian involvement in the Yemeni conflict and reevaluate Washington's alliance with Riyadh immediately, Congressman Walter Jones said in a letter to the US leader on Friday. "I urge you to ... end American support of Saudi Arabian involvement in the Yemeni Civil War, and to reevaluate our unholy alliance with the kingdom immediately," Jones told Trump in the letter, according to a press release from his office. Jones sent his letter in response to the disappearance and suspected murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and he also called on Trump to investigate Saudi Arabia's involvement in the incident, the release added. "It is not surprising that intelligence agencies around the world strongly believe the Saudi Arabian government is complicit in Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance... Saudi Arabia has a long history of disregarding America's values and acting against the best interests of our country," Jones wrote. In his letter, the lawmaker recalled that in 2016 the House Intelligence Committee released 28 pages of the congressional joint inquiry into the 9/11 attacks on the United States, which implicated the Saudi royal family in financially supporting the hijackers. (@rukhshanmir) The United States warned Saturday that action could be taken against outgoing Maldives president Abdulla Yameen if he seeks to overturn his election defeat. Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Oct, 2018 ) :The United States warned Saturday that action could be taken against outgoing Maldives president Abdulla Yameen if he seeks to overturn his election defeat. The warning by a US State Department spokesman came on the eve of a Maldives Supreme Court hearing on a petition by Yameen to annul the result of a September 23 presidential election which he spectacularly lost. "The US is concerned by troubling actions" by Yameen "that threaten to undermine the will of the Maldivian people, and will consider appropriate measures against anyone who undermines a peaceful transfer of power in #Maldives," deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said on Twitter. The United States had previously warned of targeted sanctions if Yameen's administration attempted to rig the September vote won by opposition figure Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Yameen is due to hand over power on November 17 when his five-year term ends. He initially conceded defeat, but has since petitioned the Supreme Court to annul the result. The court's decision to accept Yameen's petition has raised the prospect of fresh upheaval in the country's turbulent politics. The Supreme Court hearing is due to start at 1:00pm (0800 GMT) in the upmarket tourist destination. The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), whose candidate won a landslide, said Yameen should respect the result. Yameen -- whose main political rivals were either in jail or in exile for the vote -- was unexpectedly beaten by Solih with 58.4 percent of the vote. In the run-up to the election, the opposition had feared it would be rigged as Solih was not allowed to campaign freely and was denied media coverage. Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Colombo-based spokesman for the MDP, said that the legal challenge was "an attempt by Yameen to create unrest". Rotterdam, The Netherlands (UroToday.com) Robert Stohrv discussed his research on HRAS mutations and bladder cancer. Bladder tumors of early-onset patients are rare and seem to exhibit unique features, both clinically and pathologically. The few available molecular studies observing a low frequency of the known alterations found in bladder cancer lead to the hypothesis of a different mutational profile between the various age groups.Recently, a study of few samples of young patients reported a higher percentage of HRAS mutations among the early-onset cohort compared to elderly samples. Due to the low sample size, the impact of these alterations of the age of onset and the frequency among young patients remain unclear and need further investigation.The aim this study was to test the distribution of HRAS mutations among the largest cohort of early-onset cases to date and to compare them with a consecutive group of bladder tumors. 141 early-onset patients aged 45 years old or younger and 144 consecutive samples were used for comparison. After microdissection, isolation of DNA and amplification the five established hotspot regions of the HRAS gene were examined by using SNaPshot approach. Chi-squared and Fishers exact test were appropriately used for comparison between the two cohorts. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was also calculated.A significantly higher number of HRAS mutations was found in tumors from the early onset cohort compared to the consecutive samples (15.6% vs. 5.6%, p=0.01). After stratifying the young samples according to the mutational HRAS status, we observed a significantly younger median age among the early-onset mutation carrier than for not mutated patients, with 32 and 40 years (p=0.01), respectively. This difference was not found among the consecutive cohort.They concluded that tumors of young patients showed a significantly higher frequency of HRAS mutations compared to the consecutive cohort. Thus, the tested mutations might play a more important role for the development of bladder cancer especially among the youngest cohort of early-onset patients. These findings strengthen the idea of a different molecular scenario between consecutive and early-onset bladder cancer tumors.Presented by: Robert Stohr, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, Erlangen, GermanWritten by: Stephen B. Williams, M.D., Associate Professor, Division of Urology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. and Ashish M. Kamat, M.D. Professor, Department of Urology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX at the 16th Annual Meeting of the International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN) October 11-13, 2018 - the Inntel Hotels Rotterdam Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands The General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops covered a large range of topics. These included the role of women, persecution and migration, reaching the nones, and spiritual mentorship. By Russell Pollitt, SJ Bishops Robert Barron from the United States and Everardus Johannes de Jong from the Netherlands told the briefing that the Synod has been a joyful experience in which there has been, so far, good open discussions. Bishop de Jong said that he felt the atmosphere was democratic. Bishop Barron said that if there was any doubt about who the protagonists of the Synod were, he assures people that it was most certainly the young people. He said that it was wonderful to see how the Church has listened. The bishop said that it was the catholicity of the Church on full display. The Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications, Dr Paolo Ruffini, gave a synopsis of what was discussed in the assembly. These included the accompaniment of young people not just for vocational discernment but all through life; Christians who are being persecuted (he mentioned Iraq specifically and an intervention made by a young participant that got applause from the assembly); the role of women; clerical abuse; the failure of the Church in communication and the education of the faithful; migration; intergenerational dialogue; the possibility of new ways of living community life which may be for a limited time but can help young people find the accompaniment they seek; and how liturgy should not be reduced to an artifact. Women Sr Mina Kwon from Korea spoke specifically about women in ministry and the need for them to be treated with the same respect as men. She said that religious women and lay people must take on the role of journeying with young people more and more. She said that sometimes, in ministry, religious women are excluded from pastoral care and are not give equal responsibility and decision-making power. Bishops Barron and de Jong said that although women cannot vote at the Synod, because it is a Synod of bishops, they both feel that women have been listened to very carefully and that what they say will find its way into the final document of the Synod. Sr Kwon said that young people are sensitive to inequality and exclusion; they want collaboration and equality. Persecution and Migration Bishop Barron said that it helped listening to people speak about the situation in Iraq where Christians are being persecuted. He said that this helped the bishops get out of first world preoccupations and realise people are dying for their faith. Bishop de Jong said that hearing about Iraq forced him to ask the question What am I doing in my diocese for the Christians of Iraq? He said that the Synod is therefore also a place where questions of global solidarity can be explored. Bishop de Jong spoke about migration, saying that often, in Europe, people complain about migrants entering their countries. He said that although western Europe does receive migrants, it puts things in perspective when you hear that single countries have received thousands more than the European collective. Dr Ruffini, in his remarks, said that was migration not only an issue between continents but also on continents; he specifically mentioned Africa Reaching the nones and spiritual mentorship Bishop Barron said that one important thing that struck him was that young people were really asking for spiritual mentorship. They want a church that is maternal and paternal. Many young people come from unstable family backgrounds and so they need to be mentored, nurtured and taught. Bishop Barron also said that close to his heart is a very challenging question: How do we reach the nones those whom the Church has no contact with, those who have no religious foundation. He said that the Church has to find ways of reaching them. This is a challenge but, he said, we also have new means, the world of social media, to help us achieve this. Humanae vitae Asked about whether or not Humanae vitae is being discussed by the Synod, Bishop Barron responded that there were no direct discussions but that it had certainly come up. He said that the canonisation of Pope Paul VI at this time was a prophetic move because if you read the document in our context today, it takes on a whole new meaning and shows that what he predicted was prophetic. He said that the assembly and small groups had spoken a lot about marriage and family life but that this was a moment to celebrate the prophetic quality of Humanae vitae. Pope Francis on Oct. 13 received in the Vatican President Sebastian Pinera Echenique of Chile. Pope Francis on Saturday received in private audience in the Vatican President Sebastian Pinera Echenique of Chile. Pinera later held a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Galagher. A Holy See Press office statement said that during the cordial discussions, satisfaction was expressed for the existing good relations between the Holy See and Chile. The two sides then went on to consider the situation of the country, with particular reference to the defence of life and the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment. The Holy See and Chile also discussed matters of common interest at international and regional level, with special reference to the reception of migrants. Binh Duong New City in Binh Duong province (Photo: VNA) Accordingly, the province will be able to boast five smart zones in Binh Duong city and four southern townships. Since 2015, Binh Duong has partnered with the Dutch city of Eindhoven to launch a socio-economic development model based on close partnership between the State, schools, and businesses. At the same time, Binh Duong will focus on speeding up comprehensive administrative reform and developing an eco-friendly transportation system. In August 2018, Binh Duong was recognised as the 106th member of the World Technopolis Association, making it easier for the province to both acquire experience in developing a smart and modern city with sustainable development, as well as popularising the locality to international partners and introduce its opportunities to attract foreign investment. In the near future, Binh Duong will concentrate on an investment attraction project for the 2016-2020 period, targeting partners with strong financial capability and major economic groups worldwide. It will also gear foreign capital into high technology with high added value, eco-friendly qualities, and requiring a limited workforce, including industrial zones and complexes. Domestic capital will be encouraged in the support industry, towards gradually joining the global value chain of multinational groups. Liem said the smart city development project was approved by the provincial Peoples Committee in November 2016. As of September 2018, Binh Duong recorded over 31.2 billion USD in foreign direct investment in more than 3,300 valid projects, ranking third in the country. Of which, over 3,000 projects worth 22.5 billion USD are in manufacturing and processing, making Binh Duong a locality with rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in the southern key economic zone. Lee is the latest of South Korea's former leaders to be jailed after leaving office. (Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-je) Lee was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement charges - becoming the latest of the country's former leaders to be jailed after leaving office. The conservative politician, who helmed Hyundai Construction before his election to the presidency, was separately ordered to pay a fine of 13 billion won (US$11.5 million) by the Seoul Central District Court. The court found that Lee, 76, was the de-facto owner of DAS - a controversial auto parts company which he claimed belonged to his brother - which he used to create a slush fund worth around 24 billion won. He was also found guilty of accepting nearly six billion won from Samsung Electronics in return for a presidential pardon for its chairman, who had received a suspended jail term for tax evasion. "Lee decided to appeal all the convictions announced in the first round of trial," Lee's lawyer Kang Hoon told Yonhap news agency Friday. South Korean presidents have a tendency to end up in prison after their time in power, usually once their political rivals have moved into the presidential Blue House. All four of South Korea's living presidents have been convicted of criminal offences. Lee's successor, Park Geun-hye, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined millions of dollars for bribery and abuse of power. She was ousted last year over a nationwide corruption scandal that prompted massive street protests. Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises exchange information at the Japan-Vietnam business meeting held on the sidelines of Metalex Vietnam on October 11.-VNS Photo Speaking at the Japan-Vietnam Business Matching held in HCM City on Thursday, Yoshiyuki Fukuda, president and CEO of the centre, said Viet Nam had been achieving one of the highest GDP growth rates among ASEAN countries. In contrast to Japan, the population in Vietnam is increasing and there are many young workers in various industries, who are faithful and diligent. We believe Vietnam is a promising market with immense potential for economic development by expanding exports. Looking at such positive economic activities in Vietnam, many Tokyo SMEs with excellent technologies and products intend to develop products in collaboration with Vietnamese companies, sell their products in the growing Vietnamese market or penetrate the Vietnamese market [like the] Japanese companies have already done in the market. According to Nguyen The Hung, deputy director of VCCI in HCM City, Japan is Vietnams leading economic partner, leading ODA partner, the second largest foreign investor, and the fourth largest trading partner. Trade between the two countries has increased strongly in recent years to reach US$33.3 billion last year. He pointed out the product structure of the two countries are complementary: Japan mainly imports seafood, textiles, leather and footwear, and processed foods from Vietnam, and exports feedstock, equipment and machinery for production. Last year Japan was Viet Nams largest foreign direct investor with a record $9.11 billion. In the first nine months of 2018 Japan invested $7 billion, accounting for nearly 28 per cent of total foreign investment in the country. Japanese firms have invested a cumulative $55.77 billion in 3,899 projects in Viet Nam. According to Fukuda the 14 Tokyo companies participating in this event and exhibiting their products at Metalex Vietnam have a big market share in Japan or whose products or technologies have already been used widely in electronic devices, four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles, engines for transportation equipment and chemical plants, and so on. All the companies in this event hope to have a win-win relationship and long-term partnership with Vietnamese companies. Hung said the expansion of Japanese investment in Vietnam would enable Vietnamese enterprises to learn, access and adopt modern techniques and technologies. This will help Vietnamese enterprises increase production and improve their performance, which will allow them to participate in the global supply chain. The event was organised by the VCCI in collaboration with the centre on the sidelines of Metalex Vietnam, which is being held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7 from October 11 to 13. British Prime Minister Theresa May wants a new trade deal with the EU by the end of December 2021 at the latest AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS But her spokeswoman declined to confirm that a fall-back plan to keep open the land border with Ireland after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019 would be "time-limited". Negotiations in Brussels have stepped up ahead of a high-stakes EU summit next week, and May briefed selected members of her cabinet late Thursday on how she intends to get an agreement. Several eurosceptic ministers are now reportedly considering resigning over plans to give ground on the so-called backstop arrangement. Britain has proposed a customs arrangement with the EU to avoid physical checks between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, until the issue can be resolved with a wider trade deal. A Downing Street spokeswoman emphasised Friday that this would be "temporary", saying: "The prime minster would never agree to a deal which could trap the UK in a backstop permanently." She repeated that Britain wanted a new trade deal by the end of December 2021 at the latest. However, she declined to say the backstop would be "time-limited", a phrase which was in the original proposal published by London in June. Brussels has insisted the backstop cannot by its very nature be time-limited. However, British eurosceptics are wary of being tied to the bloc indefinitely. THREAT TO BRING DOWN GOVERNMENT May is also facing a revolt by her Northern Irish allies over the long-term trading relationship, an outline of which London wants set out before Brexit. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has threatened to bring down the government if the deal results in new barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain. DUP MP Nigel Dodds said on Friday his party also needed any backstop to be time limited. "This is critical. If it isn't then the UK including Northen Ireland would be trapped in unacceptable arrangements unless and until the EU decide otherwise," he tweeted. A full meeting of the cabinet is due next Tuesday, the day before May heads to Brussels to discuss Brexit with the other 27 EU leaders. Both sides had originally set the Oct 18 summit as the deadline for a divorce deal, but the timetable is slipping, with another summit in November now looking likely. "There are still big issues remaining and we will continue to talk today and over the weekend if necessary," the Downing Street spokeswoman said. Finance minister Philip Hammond said there had been a "measurable change in pace" in talks in the last 10 days, but there were "some big differences left to resolve". If a deal is done, Britain could enjoy a "deal dividend" which would "deliver us an upside" for the economy, he told the BBC from a meeting of the World Bank and IMF in Bali. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP) In an interview with ABC News, excerpts of which were broadcast early on Friday, the US first lady did not deny her husband's alleged history of philandering. But Melania Trump insisted she doesn't dwell on it. "It is not a concern and focus of mine," she said in the interview. "I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do." "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage," she added. "It's not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and not true." Asked whether she loved her husband, she answered: "Yes, we are fine. It's what media speculate, and it's gossip. It's not always correct stuff." 'MOST BULLIED PERSON' ABC conducted the rare interview of the Slovenia-born 48-year-old former model and the president's third wife while she was in Africa last week. Melania Trump visits baby elephants, takes Kenya safari After living in the White House for nearly two years in the shadow of one of the most controversial and scandal-tarred presidents of modern times, she appeared confident but also controlled, keeping her answers to difficult questions short. The interview came just over three weeks before the midterm congressional elections, in which Trump's record is expected to play a big part in how voters cast their ballots. Sitting in stretch jodhpurs with a safari pith helmet at her side, Trump gave a wry smile when asked about comments about her marriage from the president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani had said in June that the first believes her husband's denials about an affair a decade ago with stripper and porn movie star Stormy Daniels, and "knows it's untrue." "I never talked to Mr Giuliani," the first lady said. ABC said the full interview will air later Friday, with Trump discussing her trip to Africa, her campaign against bullying and the controversies swirling around the president. She gave a surprise answer to why she chose to fight against cyber-bullying with her "Be Best" campaign. "I could say I'm the most bullied person in the world," she said, or "one of them, if you really see what people are saying about me." FIRST LADY TRIBULATIONS Trump has predecessor who as American first ladies suffered gossip about their husbands' alleged affairs. Hillary Clinton endured husband Bill Clinton being impeached in 1998 for lying about his extramarital sex. John F. Kennedy, president from 1961-63, was another serial cheater on wife Jackie, though his affairs were kept out of the news by a compliant media. But talk of President Trump's alleged history of sleeping with and then paying hush money to models and porn stars has been non-stop since he took office. Mysterious and impenetrable, Melania is constantly scrutinized for her reaction: Is she holding his hand? Why aren't they together much? Will she move back to New York with their son Barron? She scoffed at such talk in the ABC interview. "I am enjoying it. I really love to live in Washington and the White House," she said. Trump has not given such a long interview since arriving in the US capital. Katherine Jellison, an Ohio University historian, noted the timing of the interview coincides with intense scrutiny of men amid the #Metoo movement. "The Trump administration has been under a lot of scrutiny on gender issues," Jellison told AFP. "So maybe she thought the timing was right to assert herself as a strong, independent woman, at a time when there was much negative press about the treatment of women in Trump's America." Like past first ladies, Melania also faces criticism of her fashion choices, which lean toward well-cut, refined but not flashy clothes from Ralph Lauren and French-American designer Herve Pierre. She took heavy flack in June when she wore a US$39 Zara jacket that had "I really don't care, do u?" written on the back, as she embarked on a trip to the Mexican border to see immigrant children who had been separated from their parents under her husband's much criticized policy. It was unclear who was the target of that message. Donning a pith helmet during her Nairobi stop last week, and then an "Indiana Jones"-style Panama hat while in Egypt, Melania Trump also drew fashion maven reprimands as "insensitive" to the continent's colonial history. Reporters should "talk about my trip and not what I wear," she scolded during the journey. Germany's Alexander Zverev says some players wipe down with towels too much. AFP/WANG ZHAO There has been much discussion at the Shanghai Masters this week about the issue after Fernando Verdasco berated a ball boy at the Shenzhen Open for failing to bring his towel fast enough. Roger Federer told reporters in Shanghai earlier this week that ball boys and girls - who are unpaid volunteers - should be given as much respect as anyone else. There have been calls for towel rails to be placed at the back of courts so ball kids do not have to bring the sweaty towels to players every few minutes, when they wipe their faces and hands between points. That system will be tried out at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan next month. "There are some players - some American players, some other players - that go for the towel literally after every single point," said the 21-year-old German prodigy Zverev. "That's a bit ridiculous, in my perspective. "You serve an ace or a double fault, or your opponent serves an ace, and the poor ball kid has to keep running for the towel just because it's a superstition and it's not a use because you're sweating too much or something like that. "I mean, some players literally use it as superstition. That's not the purpose for it." In May, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal even though Iran was technically in compliance. Washington plans to impose new sanctions aimed at Irans oil sector by November 4. On this edition of the program, Patrick Clawson, Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Ahmad Majidyar, Fellow and Director of the Iran Observed Project at the Middle East Institute, discuss the reasons behind and fallout from the Trump administrations policy toward Iran with host Carol Castiel. At least 13 people were killed and 21 others wounded in an attack on an election rally in northeastern Afghanistan Saturday afternoon. Officials in Takhar province said most of the victims were civilians, except two policemen and one person from the Afghan intelligence agency NDS. Khalil Aseer, a spokesman for Takhar provincial police, said explosives attached to a motorcycle detonated while crowds gathered for the campaign of Nazefa Yosufi, a female candidate for upcoming parliamentary elections. The candidate was not hurt. More than 400 women are running in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for theOctober 20. More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats. Sixty-eight parliamentary seats are reserved for women. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Afghan Taliban has called these elections fake and a conspiracy to deceive the people and achieve the malicious interests of foreigners and have asked their followers to disrupt the process. 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, the Taliban said in a statement to its militants. This is the third attack on election-related activities in Afghanistan this month. On Tuesday, an attack on a campaign office in Helmand province killed eight people. Before that, an attack on an election rally in Nangarhar killed 14 people. Security is one of the biggest concerns, not just in the run up to the elections but on the day itself. The Afghan Ministry of Interior says more than 50,000 security personnel will be deployed to the 5,100 polling stations across the country on election day and more forces would be on standby if needed. In at least 19 districts, polling stations were facing increased security threats, according to the ministry. If history is any guide, Democrats should make gains in the midterm congressional elections on Nov. 6. The presidents party nearly always loses seats in midterm elections, with the average loss of House seats ranging between 20 and 30. Many analysts expect a Democratic takeover of the House, but the Senate appears to be different story. Kyle Kondik, managing editor of "Crystal Ball," a political newsletter produced by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, explains why. Search-and-rescue volunteers have located hundreds of people who were reported missing in the U.S. Southeast after Hurricane Michael tore through their Florida Panhandle communities, but the death toll of at least 18 was expected to rise. Crews heard cries for help and used crowbars to pry into a mobile home crumpled by the storm in Panama City, freeing a mother and daughter, both diabetics who had been trapped in a closet without insulin for two days and were on the verge of diabetic shock, rescuers said Saturday. "We had another lady who was on her last tank of oxygen. No cellphone, no power, no nothing. There are people out here on dialysis, but there is no power," said Taylor Fontenot, 29, a roofing contractor from Sugar Land, Texas, and founder of 50 Star SAR, a volunteer search-and-rescue organization. 520 people located In door-to-door searches, teams consisting mostly of off-duty police officers and firefighters have found more than 520 of the 2,100 people reported missing since Michael crashed ashore near Mexico Beach, Fla., on Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history. "We expect that number to go up dramatically today," said Matthew Marchetti, co-founder of the Houston-based CrowdSource Rescue, adding that hopes were raised by an influx of volunteers on the weekend and the restoration of power in some areas. "Volunteers are working side by side with first responders. They are cutting holes in roofs. They try to take a picture so we can call the family and tell them we made contact," he said. But as roads were cleared to allow wider searches, the death toll was expected to mount. As of Saturday, authorities were reporting at least 18 deaths in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Rescue teams, hampered by power and telephone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to hunt for people in the rubble. Fontenot, who said he alerts authorities when he finds corpses, has a cadaver dog with his group. "When we pulled into Mexico Beach, she was trying to jump out the window because she smelled so many bodies," he said. 'I'm homeless' In Callaway, Fla., an especially hard-hit town, Catholic Christians barbecued hamburgers on Saturday and Scientologists handed out water. "I'm homeless," said nursing assistant Carla Covington, 45, who is caring for her mother and two children after their house was destroyed by falling trees. Her voice breaking with emotion, she said it felt good to receive comfort, but "I'm used to helping people and not asking for help." Panama City port worker Josh Jackson, 29, had three cars damaged. The rented home he lived in with his girlfriend and son was wrecked, as were their possessions. "I lost everything, so I got to start over," he said near a tent in a parking lot where an insurance agent was taking claims. Jackson said he planned to move to a community that was not so badly hit, but was concerned that delays in processing his insurance claim might hold him up. Michael ripped most of two walls out from the red-brick St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Panama City, but parishioners spent Saturday handing out food, water and clothes to others. 'We will' recover "Our whole city was hit. There has got to be a way it can recover," said Jo Ann Sutter, 73, a volunteer who was married in the church. "We will." The tropical storm, which grew in less than two days into a Category 4 hurricane, tore apart entire neighborhoods. More than 1,700 search-and-rescue workers were deployed, including seven swift-water rescue teams and nearly 300 ambulances, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office said. Power and phone service were being slowly restored, with about 236,000 homes and businesses still without power in North Carolina, down from a peak of more than 600,000, said spokesman Keith Acree of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. It could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida. Scientists say climate change is becoming more pressing with news of melting permafrost and rising sea levels. Scientists have been urging people around the globe to reduce emissions of climate warming carbon, but the Salk Institute in San Diego is taking a different approach. There, scientists are working on developing plants that would capture more carbon than plants do now and store it away for centuries, preventing it from being released back into the atmosphere. Genia Dulot has the story. The search continued Saturday in Florida for people who may have been killed or trapped by Hurricane Michael, while survivors of the powerful storm sought food, water and other essential goods. The death toll rose to at least 17 after a body was found Friday in rubble in Mexico Beach, the town where Michael made landfall. "It's like a war zone," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said as he toured the obliterated community Friday, two days after the Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the Panhandle and churned north through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia as a tropical storm. Scott tweeted Saturday that millions of meals and gallons of water were being delivered to the affected communities. David Collier, the emergency medical technician battalion chief of Panama City, Fla., which was also devastated by Michael, told CNN on Saturday that food and water distribution stations were being set up. Emergency officials in Florida said Friday that they had completed an initial "hasty search" for missing people and had begun more thorough searches of thousands of ruined structures. They said they hoped to complete those searches later Saturday. 900,000 customers without power The Pentagon said 5,000 military personnel were assisting with relief and recovery efforts, using 100 helicopters and 1,800 high-water vehicles. Nearly 900,000 homes and businesses were still without power Saturday in seven states, officials said. Florida officials said nearly 300 people in Mexico Beach had ignored mandatory evacuation orders, but it was unclear whether they were able to get out at the last minute. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long said Friday that he expected the death toll to rise."We still haven't gotten into the hardest-hit areas," he said. "Very few people live to tell what it's like to experience storm surge, and unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson." Tyndall Air Force Base on the Florida Panhandle suffered so much damage that the 3,600 men and women stationed there, and who were evacuated, were told not to go back. "I will not recall you and your families until we can guarantee your safety," Colonel Brian Laidlaw said in a statement. He said he did not know how long recovery efforts would take because "we need to restore basic utilities, clear our roads of trees and power lines, and assess the structural integrity of our buildings." Residents and rescue workers in Florida and other southeastern U.S. states continued to dig through the devastation inflicted the hurricane, the remnants of which moved out into the Atlantic Ocean before it dissipated. U.S. President Trump has declared states of emergency in Florida and Alabama, freeing up federal assistance for disaster relief efforts. The storm was the strongest on record to hit the Florida Panhandle and the third most powerful to strike the U.S. mainland. Large areas of the coast of the Panhandle, including Mexico Beach and Panama City, were left in ruins. The area is home to a number of rural communities that are among the poorest in the state. In Mexico Beach, entire blocks of houses were razed, boats hurled into yards and the streets cluttered with downed power lines and trees. Michael made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 249 kph (155 mph), putting it just below the Category 5 status that tops the scale used to describe the strength and destructive potential of hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season began in June and ends Nov. 30. President Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is the strongest it has ever been, because of his economic and trade policies. But the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are urging the U.S. and China to de-escalate their tariff wars, saying the standoff could hurt global economic growth. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports. Editor's note: We want you to know what's happening, why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. When deportation feels like 'extra punishment' How long after an immigrant is convicted of a crime and serves time in prison can federal agents detain him/her to start removal from the country? Days? Weeks? Years? A lawsuit under way in the U.S. Supreme Court is attempting to clarify how long is too long. Turned away at the border A blistering report released by Amnesty International this week accuses the United States of blocking asylum-seekers from requesting asylum at the Mexico border a policy the watchdog says violates human rights law. Australia needs fewer immigrants, says politician Gladys Berejiklian, the daughter of Armenian migrants, is the head of Australia's most populous state. She thinks New South Wales is suffering from rampant population growth, and wants half as many immigrants to be allowed in. Market shares Recent immigrants to Minnesota gave a beloved farmers' market a much-needed boost of adrenaline and hot sauce. "I enjoy being in the market," a Nepalese-American beekeeper tells VOA. "Feels like home." No freedom to move, no deal to go home Facing violence and persecution, hundreds of thousands of Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine state fled in the last year. The country agreed to improve conditions in a June pact with U.N. agencies, in order for refugees to be repatriated. But the U.N. says that's just not possible given the lack of progress. Police in Mexico have arrested a woman suspected of running a sex trafficking operation along the U.S. border that may be linked to the disappearance of several nursing students earlier this year, authorities say. Claudia Palmira is accused of coercing a teenage girl and a young woman into performing sexual acts in exchange for money and trafficking them across state lines, according to the attorney generals office in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The case highlights the prevalence of trafficking in Mexico, where an estimated 341,000 people live in modern slavery, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index published by the human rights group Walk Free Foundation. Human trafficking in Mexico Figures from the attorney generals office show more than 4 out of 5 human trafficking cases in Mexico involve sexual exploitation. Its an increasingly serious problem, said Alfredo Limas Hernandez, co-director of the Observatory of Social and Gender Violence at Chihuahuas Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez. The region has become a space where trafficking, sexual exploitation and disappearances are a growing reality, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. According to Hernandez, many women who become victims of sex trafficking are first reported as missing and later turn up dead. Government figures show that as of April, more than 9,000 women are reported missing across Mexico. More than 2,000 men and women are missing from the border state of Chihuahua. Missing nurses Jessica Renteria, spokeswoman for the prosecutor investigating the Palmira case, said authorities discovered the suspected trafficking operation after looking into the disappearance of three nurses who lived together in the town of Perral. Mayra Mendoza Adame, 21, disappeared on May 27, while Sigrid Diaz Huerta, 21, and Oswaldo Galvan Rodriguez, 22, were kidnapped by a group of armed men who broke into their home the following day. A friend, Merari Lozano Munoz, 18, also disappeared around the same time. The investigation led authorities to suspect human trafficking and a link to Palmira, according to state Attorney General Caesar Augusto Peniche. It exposed a trafficking network which the detained person is part of and is surely the coordinator of trafficking activities in that region, he told reporters last week. Multiple charges Palmira faces charges of human trafficking in the form of sexual exploitation and prostitution. She was arrested in late September in Perral and appeared in court last week. Mexican media has reported that Palmira allegedly used online social networks to promote a catalog of women for potential clients. The prosecutors office said the authenticity of the cataloguer has not been verified but said social networks have been used in human trafficking in Chihuahua. Its a factor that makes women and girls vulnerable, she said. It makes us an easy target. A car carrying migrants collided with a truck in northern Greece Saturday, killing 11 people, police said. Ten of the victims were believed to be migrants who crossed into the Greece from Turkey. The 11th person was the driver and a suspected migrant smuggler, police said. Police said the car in which the migrants were packed had another vehicles license plates and is suspected of having been used for migrant trafficking. The car had not stopped at a police checkpoint during its journey, but it wasnt immediately clear how close to the site of the crash that it happened. Increase in migrants Police said the crash occurred just after 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) near the town of Kavala. The car, which had been heading to the main northern city of Thessaloniki, collided with a truck heading in the opposite direction and burst into flames. All of the victims have been burned beyond recognition. The truck caught fire as well. All those in the car were killed. The truck driver, a 39-year-old Greek man, was treated for minor injuries in a hospital in northern Greece before being discharged. Greek authorities have been seeing an increase in people illegally crossing the Greek-Turkish border in recent months. Many are transported to Thessaloniki, where they head to police stations to be registered and apply for asylum. Spanish rescues Elsewhere, Spains maritime rescue service says it recovered the bodies of three migrants and feared that another 17 were missing in the Mediterranean Sea. The service says that its rescue craft found the three bodies in waters near a sinking boat it intercepted east of the Strait of Gibraltar. Rescuers saved 36 men of sub-Saharan origin from the boat. The saved migrants said that another 17 men who had traveled with them were missing. In total, the service pulled 509 migrants from 15 small boats Friday. The United Nations says that 337 of the total of 1,783 migrants who have died trying to reach Europe by sea in 2018 perished in waters near Spain. Russia's top diplomat on Friday called the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision to recognize the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's independence from Moscow a Washington-backed "provocation," from which he vowed to protect "the faithful" in Ukraine if the schism sparks violence. On Thursday, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the Istanbul-based head of global Orthodox Christianity, recognized Ukrainian churches as independent from the Russian Orthodox Church, ending the Moscow Patriarchy's 332-year oversight of Ukrainian parishes. The move has immediately restored Ecumenical Patriarchate jurisdiction over all Orthodox faithful in Ukraine, granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the right to autocephaly the ecclesiastical term for self-governance. Under this decree, leaders of Ukraine's Orthodox Christian community will be able to form an independently administrated Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Calling the decision "a provocation by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, undertaken with direct public support from Washington," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the move as part of a conspiracy in violation of internationally recognized laws. "Interfering in church life is forbidden by law in Ukraine, in Russia, and, I hope, in any normal state," he said, according to a transcript of a press conference posted on the Foreign Ministry's website. The decision, which has sparked celebration in Kyiv and outrage in Moscow, is a victory in Ukraine's struggle to keep Moscow at bay since its 2014 annexation of Crimea and its continued support for separatists fighting against Kyiv in the east, where violence has claimed an estimated 10,000 lives. Theologian Sergei Chapnin recently wrote in Bloomberg News that "there's a real danger that the rift could lead to bloodshed, an outcome that all sides must act decisively to prevent." Although the Kyiv Patriarchy's formal break from Moscow has been discussed intermittently since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian aggression since 2014 has widened fissures running throughout Eastern Europe's Slavic Orthodox community, hastening the split being witnessed this week. "This step by the Kyiv Patriarchy was expected for a long time, and it is in response to many factors," said Archimandrite Cyril Hovorun, acting director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. "The Ukrainian people are divided. There are millions of Orthodox people who don't have an alternative to the Moscow Patriarchy ... and those people want to belong to an independent church that is free from Russian propaganda, free from collaboration with the Russian regime," he told VOA, calling the Moscow Patriarchy an ideological instrument of Russian aggression in Ukraine. "Because the church was intertwined with this aggressive policy of the Russian state, the response to the Russian aggression now includes also response to the ecclesial issue," he said. "So, the ecclesial issue in Ukraine the church issue in Ukraine has become a part of the political and security agenda for the state." Even then, he added, the Kyiv Patriarchy's divorce from Moscow will give the faithful more options in terms of how they choose to practice their faith. "This move is wise because it corresponds completely to the principle of freedom of consciousness, of freedom of religion," he said, explaining that all Ukraine-based parishioners will be able to choose which type of Orthodox Church they want to attend including those guided by tenets of the Russian Orthodox tradition. "And the [Ukrainian] state really stressed that in the statements by [President Petro Poroshenko] and other political officials, that they will respect that choice of the people and that communities can belong to any jurisdiction they want." In September, Patriarch Filaret, head of the Kyiv Patriarchy, told VOA's Ukrainian Service that the process of unifying Ukraine's Orthodoxy will guarantee that each parish will be free to determine its future. "Religious infighting would be a justification for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs," he said, vowing to avoid bloodshed at all costs. "We want this process to be free of violence. If they don`t want to join a Ukrainian church, they can stay with the Russian church." Kyiv's formal split from Moscow, he added, means that the Russian Orthodox Church will not only lose most of its political and ideological influence over Ukrainian faithful, but also its standing as one of the leaders of global Orthodoxy. "Currently, Moscow's Patriarchy together with the Ukrainian church is the biggest Orthodox church in the world," he told VOA, adding that Constantinople's recognition of autocephaly cuts the Moscow Patriarchy to half its current size. "It wouldn't be able to fight for leadership in the Orthodox Church," Filaret said, referring to a centuries-long geopolitical competition between Moscow and Constantinople to claim command of Orthodoxy's quarter-billion followers worldwide. Although more than two-thirds of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians, Russia is home to the largest number of Orthodox faithful, bolstering its national identity as a bastion of traditional Christian values, an image the Kremlin goes out of its way to project globally. The next step in Ukraine's split from Russia is to reunite its various strands of Orthodox faith under the new church, which includes deciding the fate of church buildings and monasteries, some of which are aligned to the Russian Orthodox Church. At the start of 2018, Ukraine was home to roughly one-third of the Russian church's parish holdings, according to Kyiv's official data. Russia's past efforts to undermine the Kyiv Patriarchy's move toward self-rule involved a cyberattack on Bartholomew's top clergy, according to the Associated Press. Last month, the State Department endorsed support for Ukraine's Orthodox religious leaders' pursuit of autocephaly, saying it "maintains unwavering support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and the Russian occupation of Crimea." An American pastor, just after being freed by Turkey following two years in detention, knelt next to the U.S. president in the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon and prayed for Donald Trump to be given "supernatural wisdom." Andrew Brunson, an evangelical Christian, also expressed his appreciation for the strong pressure by the U.S. government on Turkey to win his release. "We especially want to thank the administration," Brunson said, with his family present. "You really fought for us." "From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours. That's not bad," Trump said. Thanks to Erdogan Trump also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Brunson's freedom, saying no ransom was paid. Asked by VOA on Friday what had led to Brunson's release, Trump at Cincinnati's municipal airport replied: "We spoke to Turkey, and he went through a system and we got him out. We've been trying to get him out for a long time." The freeing of Brunson marked the end of a bitter diplomatic dispute between Washington and Ankara. Brunson was facing 35 years in jail if he had been convicted on terrorism and espionage charges, allegations Washington called baseless. Trump, in the Oval Office, said the resolution of the was a "tremendous step" in U.S.-Turkish relations. Erdogan, in a Saturday tweet addressed to Trump, said the Turkish judiciary had taken an independent decision and hoped that cooperation with the United States would continue. On Friday, during the fourth day of hearings on Brunson's case, three prosecution witnesses recanted earlier testimony. One said he didn't know who Brunson was, while others claimed the court had misunderstood their previous statements. The Turkish court then found Brunson guilty but sentenced him to only three years and one month in jail. The pastor had already served two years in pre-trial detention, so he was freed for time served. Brunson's parents were said it was a "pleasant shock" to hear about their son's release after his detention in Turkey. "When we found out it was like a huge surge of joy," Brunson's mother Pamela told VOA's Turkish service at their home in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a tweet on Friday, said the Trump administration would continue to work to bring other "wrongfully imprisoned" Americans home. The U.S. military flew Brunson to Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday for a medical evaluation before he was flown to the United States. U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell greeted Brunson at the airbase. The ambassador posted a photograph on Twitter of Brunson kissing an American flag. Trade tariffs The pastor's case had become the focal point of a crisis in Turkish-U.S. relations. Trump, partly in retaliation for Brunson's prosecution, slapped Turkey with trade tariffs in August. The action led to the collapse of Turkey's currency. Brunson had lived in Turkey since the 1990s, running an evangelical church. He belongs to the same church as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Pompeo and had become a focal point of concern for Trump's evangelical voting base. "The release of Brunson is the essence for Turkish-U.S. relations to get back on track," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. Observers said the pastor's release just before November's midterm elections also was a big win for Trump and suggested the door was now open to resolving the many issues poisoning ties between the two NATO partners. The hope is that with Brunson's release, "there will be a domino effect of positive progress in Turkish-U.S. relations," said political analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. Possible danger Some analysts suggested the resolution of the Brunson controversy would create an atmosphere more conducive to compromises. But analyst Max Hoffman of the Center for American Progress, a U.S. research group, suggested in a VOA interview there was peril in the U.S.-Turkey dynamic that resulted in Brunson's release. "The U.S. sees that the stick approach worked, that a pressure campaign worked," Hoffman said. "They say pressure got their guy out of prison, and they'll be tempted to go back to that approach." Hoffman predicted that this could lead to danger for the relationship because Erdogan will feel too much pressure, lash out and refuse to back down, leading to "an even deeper crisis. Wayne Lee and VOA's Turkish service contributed to this report. Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean former bishops for sexually abusing minors, the Vatican said Saturday, after a meeting between the pontiff and Chile's president. The decision to expel former Archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and former Bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez the latest heads to roll in a country hit hard by the clerical abuse scandal is not open to appeal. Both were stripped of their priesthood "as a consequence of overt acts of abuse against minors," the Vatican said. The announcement came a day after the pope accepted the resignation of Washington, D.C., Archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with pedophile priests. Saturday's defrocking was "an extremely unusual, if not unprecedented" move, wrote Ines San Martin, a Vatican expert working for specialist Catholic website Crux. Defrocking is considered the church's harshest penalty for priests, barring the offender from exercising any clerical duties at all, even in private. Scores of new cases involving the abuse of minors by priests have come to light in Chile, deepening a crisis in the Roman Catholic Church that has also embroiled Pope Francis. On Saturday, Francis met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the Vatican for talks on the "difficult situation" in Chile. They discussed "the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment," the Vatican said. The leaders "shared the hope that the church could live a true rebirth," Pinera said in a statement. A total of 167 bishops, priests and lay members of the church in Chile are now under investigation for sexual crimes committed since 1960. Years of allegations Fernandez became a bishop in 2006, at age 42, but resigned just six years later, allegedly for health reasons. It later transpired he had been accused of sexual abuse, sparking both a church and a civil investigation. "The civil investigation is still ongoing because he's never responded to a court subpoena to give testimony," Vatican expert San Martin said. Last seen in public in 2013, Fernandez has reportedly been living a life of penitence and prayer in Peru, she wrote. The allegations of abuse against Cox date to the 1970s. The Vatican said he would remain part of the Schoenstatt Fathers institute in Germany. Now 85 and reportedly in poor health, the prelate has lived at the institute since 2002, San Martin said. In a statement, the Schoenstatt Fathers reaffirmed its "willingness to collaborate" with anything that the judicial authorities required. It pledged to "ask for a medical evaluation to determine whether it is possible for Francisco Jose Cox to return to Chile." Legal proceedings were initiated in Germany against Cox over the alleged abuse of a child in care in 2004, Deutsche Welle radio reported. Good day for survivors Francis has already apologized repeatedly to Chileans over the scandal, admitting the church failed "to listen and react" to the allegations, but has vowed to "restore justice." In May, the Argentine pontiff accepted the resignation of five Chilean bishops following allegations of abuse and related cover-ups. Francis himself became mired in the scandal when, during a trip to Chile in January, he defended 61-year-old bishop Juan Barros, who was accused of covering up abuse by pedophile priest Fernando Karadima in the 1980s and 1990s. Karadima was suspended for life by the Vatican over allegations of child molestation. Francis eventually accepted he was wrong to defend Barros and subsequently accepted his resignation. On Saturday, Juan Carlos Cruz, one of Karadima's victims, tweeted that it was "a good day for the survivors of these monsters." "Now it's up to the Chilean justice to do something!" The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Friday as President Donald Trumps administration pushed to find a way to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal, citing a person familiar with the gathering, said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban officials in Doha, the second time in four months that American officials have held face-to-face talks with Taliban representatives. The Journal said it was not clear what the two sides discussed. Khalilzad, who is trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, is on his first trip as the special representative. His 11-day trip was to take him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. No State Department comment The State Department declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. We cant confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations, said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity. Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the spokesperson added. Earlier meeting Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what were described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced very positive signals. A U.S.-led coalition forced the Taliban from power in 2001 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 al-Qaida attacks on Washington and New York. Taliban officials want the withdrawal of American forces and a government in Kabul that reflects the groups view of Islam. U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said it was "not looking too good" for the fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, suggesting he might have been killed. Khashoggi, whose writings have been critical of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been missing since entering the country's consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2. "I think we would've known by now. That was our first hope. Our first hope was that he was not killed, but maybe that's not looking too good ... from what we're hearing," Trump told journalists at the White House. Trump also said United States would be "punishing itself" if it halted military sales to Saudi Arabia, even if it was proved that Khashoggi had been killed. In excerpts of an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that were released Saturday, Trump said, "We're going to get to the bottom of" the Khashoggi case, "and there will be severe punishment" if he has been killed. Trump said that "nobody knows yet, but we'll probably be able to find out" if bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi. Trump added that the U.S. "would be very upset and angry if that were the case." Media reports said Khashoggi might have recorded his own death on his Apple Watch. The accounts said Khashoggi turned on the sound recording capability on the device as he entered the Saudi consulate, where he went to get a document he needed for his upcoming marriage. The watch was reportedly connected to Apple's cloud computing service and the cellphone that he left with his fiancee before he entered the consulate. His fiancee said she waited for Khashoggi to come out of the consulate, but he never left. The reports said the watch recorded not only Khashoggi's interrogation and torture but also his slaying. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, has written columns for The Washington Post that have been critical of Saudi Arabia. The Post reported earlier this week that the Turkish government told U.S. officials it had video recordings that proved Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Saudi officials have denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance and said he left the consulate shortly after entering. The Saudi interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, called the reports that the government ordered Khashoggi killed "lies and baseless allegations." A group of 15 Saudi men reportedly flew to Istanbul the day that Khashoggi went to the consulate. Media reports said the men were in the consulate when Khashoggi was there. The men stayed at the consulate for a few hours and then took flights back to Saudi Arabia. Turkish officials were working to determine the identities of all the men. One member of the group, according to CNN, was identified by Turkey's official Anadolu news agency and the Sabah newspaper as Salah Muhammed al-Tubaiqi, who the media outlets said was listed on an official Saudi health website as head of the forensic medicine department at the Interior Ministry. Brazil's leading presidential candidate vowed to defend freedom of the press after his tirades against the media and reports of his supporters attacking journalists raised fears that civil liberties might suffer if he is elected. Soon after describing the media as "trash" in a Thursday tweet, far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro turned around and called journalists "friends," pledging to defend their work. "When they cover the facts, without political activism and partiality, the media fulfill the valuable role of informing people," he said on Twitter, adding "WE ARE AGAINST ANY TYPE OF SOCIAL CONTROL OF THE MEDIA AND INTERNET." Like U.S. President Donald Trump, whose 2016 campaign he has emulated, Bolsonaro has derided critical press coverage as "fake news" and connected directly with supporters on social media, where he posts video chats, retweets right-wing outlets and suggests the media is part of a corrupt system out to stop him. In a Friday interview, his presidential rival, leftist Fernando Haddad, criticized Bolsonaro's campaign for "fostering a culture of violence." Bolsonaro suspended campaign events after surviving a knife attack during a rally last month, but still rode a wave of anger over political graft, rising violence and a weak economy to win 46 percent of first-round votes on Sunday. Opinion polls show him with a double-digit lead over Haddad ahead of the Oct. 28 run-off. In Brazil's most bitterly polarized election since the end of military rule in 1985, Bolsonaro's stabbing by a mentally disturbed man has been the most prominent in a string of violent acts hanging over the race. Some incidents involve his supporters allegedly attacking or threatening journalists, along with gay people and other minorities that he has denigrated. Some of his comments have led to him facing federal charges of hate speech, which he has dismissed as politically motivated. On Thursday, a car transporting Haddad was blocked by a pick-up truck in BrasAlia, according to his communication staff. The unidentified occupants of the vehicle shouted epithets against Haddad, his aides said. Haddad said a man had been identified in connection with the incident and is being monitored by police. Climate of fear Since the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff, which Haddad's Workers Party (PT) called a media-supported "coup," crowds at leftist rallies have also been accused of intimidating camera crews from major TV stations. However, many reporters say the animosity from Bolsonaro supporters has been more intense, targeting specific journalists for social media attacks that have led to physical confrontations. "There is no doubt we've had violent episodes and a growing climate of fear," said Diego Escosteguy, former editor-in-chief of newsweekly Epoca and critic of the PT. "Journalists, blacks, women, transsexuals, gays, PT voters many are afraid," he tweeted on Friday. "That fear is not paranoia. It is the result of what Bolsonaro and his allies say and what the candidate does not say." The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) has identified more than 60 instances of physical violence or its imminent threat against journalists during the campaign and more than 70 cases of online persecution. Bolsonaro attempted to address the issue during a rare news conference in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, although his efforts were undercut by supporters in the room. "Members of the press, or maybe I should say 'friends,' ... we're going to guarantee the freedom of the press," he said. "We want for you to really be independent, and be responsible in everything that you write," he added. But when it was the turn of a female reporter from newspaper Folha de S.Paulo to ask a question, she was hissed and booed by his supporters, prompting party leader Gustavo Bebianno to remind them of their commitment to a free press. Folha broke news of police investigating a senior Bolsonaro aide this week. Regarding the aggressions allegedly carried out by his supporters, Bolsonaro said he had zero tolerance. "If by any chance it was somebody who voted for me, I reject that sort of vote. They committed a crime, they'll have to pay," he said. "My people are not disseminating hate." The United States and the Taliban held a new round of direct talks this week in Qatar, where the two sides agreed to continue the dialogue process to promote a negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman, while announcing details of Fridays meeting, the second in less than three months, said that U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad led his delegation and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who heads the Talibans political office in the Gulf state, led his six-member team in the talks. Taliban representatives told the American delegation the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan is a major obstacle to a way of finding the real peace, said Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement he sent to media, including VOA. Afghanistan is an Islamic nation, having its own Islamic values and culture. It is imperative to keep those in mind for finding a genuine and inclusive Afghan solution, he quoted Taliban chief negotiator Stanikzai as emphasizing to American interlocutors. There was no immediate U.S. reaction to Saturday's assertions by the insurgents. Washington has neither confirmed nor denied the Qatar meeting, which came amid a renewed push by U.S. President Donald Trumps administration to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table for peace talks with the Afghan government. The U.S. last month appointed Afghan-born Khalilzad as its special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. He began his official trip to the region a week ago that took him to Kabul, neighboring Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. I think any time were there on the ground were making headway, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters on Thursday when asked whether Khalilzad was making any progress in the Afghan peace talks. This is something that will be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, but supported by the U.S. government," she said. Khalilzad met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul Saturday and briefed him on his trip to the four nations, including Qatar, the presidential office said. It added that the U.S. envoy reiterated Washingtons support for Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. The U.S. embassy, in a Saturday statement, said Khalilzad returned to Kabul for follow-up meetings with the Afghan leadership and civil society representatives to hear their views and priorities on a settlement to the conflict. It did not mention anything about the U.S. envoy's meeting with the Taliban. The United States shares the aspirations of all Afghans for a peaceful Afghanistan where all Afghans see themselves included. All citizens of Afghanistan must be a part of this reconciliation process, the statement quoted Khalilzad as saying. In late July, Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha for preliminary discussions amid persistent insurgent demands for direct negotiations with Washington. Taliban spokesman Mujahid at the time had described the talks as productive and positive. The U.S. has long maintained that it is ready to facilitate and sit at the table as an observer but any peace talks with the Taliban will have to be an Afghan led and Afghan owned process for achieving a sustainable solution. The Taliban refuses to engage in direct talks with the Kabul government, dismissing it as stooges of America. The insurgent group has been calling for direct talks with the U.S., blaming Washington for starting the Afghan war. A U.S.-led international coalition ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida leaders who allegedly plotted the September 11 attacks on American cities that year. The Taliban currently controls or contest nearly half of Afghanistan and it continues to inflict heavy casualties on Afghan security forces, bringing more territory under its control. The Trump administration informed a federal judge in Chicago on Friday that it's seeking to scuttle a plan negotiated between the nation's third-largest city and the state of Illinois that envisions far-reaching reforms of Chicago's 12,000-officer police force under close federal court supervision. In a statement announcing the intervention, Attorney General Jeff Sessions blasted the roughly 200-page plan, also known as a consent decree, because of the court oversite. And he offered a full-throated defense of Chicago police, saying they must take the lead in stemming city violence. "There is a misperception that police are the problem and that their failures, their lack of training, and their abuses create crime," Sessions said. "But the truth is the police are the solution to crime, and criminals are the problem." An 11-page Justice Department statement of interest filed with Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., who must grant the proposal final approval says the reform plan, as it is, would deprive police of flexibility to do their jobs right. And it criticizes criteria in the plan meant to assess police compliance as vague. It asks Dow "to allow state and local officials and Chicago's brave front-line police officers to engage in flexible and localized efforts to advance the goal of safe, effective, and constitutional policing in Chicago." The filing and Sessions' comments came a week after jurors convicted white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder for shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014 as he walked away from police with a knife. A video of the shooting, released about a year later, sparked outage nationwide and led to an Obama administration investigation of Chicago police, which was followed months later by a damning report that found widespread police abuses. The Department of Justice on Friday simultaneously announced the creation of a "Gun Crimes Prosecution Team" at Chicago's U.S. attorney's office focused on gun crimes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will assign five violent-crime coordinators to work with federal prosecutors. Responding to the announcements, a spokesman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Matt McGrath, said the city appreciated the additional resources, "but we don't appreciate efforts ... to impede our public safety reforms or inhibit our efforts to rebuild the bonds of trust between officers and residents." Illinois Attorney Lisa Madigan without objection from Emanuel sued the city last year to ensure any police reforms would be overseen by a judge. That killed a draft plan negotiated with Trump's administration that didn't envision a court role in reforming the department and led to the ultimately successful talks to create the current plan. The reform plan now on the table foresees far stricter rules on the use of force by officers. One provision requires officers to file paperwork each time they point their weapons, even if they don't fire. Sessions again echoed President Donald Trump, who told officers at a convention in Orlando on Monday that a three-year-old agreement between Chicago and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois to curb stop-and-frisk procedures by police prevented officers from doing their jobs. "When police are restrained from using lawfully established policies ... when arrests went down, and when their work and character were disrespected, crime surged," Sessions said. "There must never be another consent decree that continues the folly of the ACLU settlement." Chicago officials and the ACLU have said those and similar claims by Trump administration officials are exaggerated, get the data on crime in Chicago wrong and misstate the underlying causes of crime. Karen Sheley, the director of the police practices project at the ACLU of Illinois, said the move Friday by the Trump administration to sink a plan in the works for over a year was "a last-minute political play at the expense of real people in our city." "The Trump Administration and Sessions' Department of Justice have never attempted to learn about the problems in Chicago or what reform is necessary," Sheley said in a Friday statement. President Donald Trump declared Friday the U.S. will uncover the truth about what happened to journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, whose possible murder at Saudi hands after disappearing in Istanbul has captured worldwide attention. Trump promised to personally call Saudi Arabia's King Salman soon about the terrible situation in Turkey. We're going to find out what happened, Trump pledged when questioned by reporters in Cincinnati where he was headlining a political rally. Khashoggi, a forceful critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there. U.S. officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions. The Saudis have called accusations that they are responsible for Khashoggis disappearance baseless. Widely broadcast video shows the 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor entering the consulate on Tuesday of last week, but there is none showing him leaving. Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, the State Department said Friday. No details of the conversation were released. In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Cengiz said Khashoggi was not nervous when he entered the Saudi consulate to obtain paperwork required for their marriage. He said, See you later my darling, and went in, she told the AP. Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported Friday that Turkeys government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered. The AP has not been able to confirm that report. In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and Khashoggi was officially still missing. She said investigators were examining his cellphones, which he had left with her. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi left the consulate. He hasnt been seen since, though his fiancee was waiting outside. Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are important U.S. allies in the region. Trump said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month. On Thursday, Trump had said U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia were excellent and he was reluctant to scuttle highly lucrative U.S. weapons deals with Riyadh. A number of members of Congress have pressed the Trump administration to impose sanctions on the country in response to the Khashoggi affair. A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey on Friday as part of an investigation into the writer's disappearance. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudis welcomed the joint effort and said the kingdom was keen to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be. Cengiz said she and the journalist would have been married this week and had planned a life together split between Istanbul and the United States, where Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile since last year. She had appealed for help to Trump, who earlier this week said he would invite her to the White House. Cengiz didnt respond to a question about that, but earlier on Friday she urged Trump on Twitter to use his clout to find out what happened. What about Jamal Khashoggi? she wrote in response to a tweet by Trump in which he said he said he had been working very hard to free an American evangelical pastor who has been held for two years in Turkey. Andrew Brunson was released late Friday. Amid growing concern over Khashoggis fate, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country wanted to know the whole truth about the writers disappearance, calling the early details about the case very worrying. Macron said Im waiting for the truth and complete clarity to be made since the matter is very serious. He spoke Friday in Yerevan, Armenia, to French broadcasters RFI and France 24. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Berlin was also very concerned about the writers disappearance and called on Saudi Arabia to participate fully in clearing up reports that he had been killed. Global business leaders began reassessing their ties with Saudi Arabia, stoking pressure on the Gulf kingdom to explain what happened to Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but has shown little tolerance for criticism. As a contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of 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. Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen. Two blasts in the Somali town of Baidoa on Saturday killed at least 15 people and injured more than 30 others. The South West State information minister, Ugas Hassan Abdi, said, "The attacks were carried out by two suicide bombers wearing explosive belts." He said officials were still assessing the casualty figures. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which controlled Baidoa between 2009 and 2012 before being driven out by Ethiopian-backed government forces, claimed responsibility for the attacks. A survivor told VOA's Somali service that a suicide bomber threw a grenade at a busy restaurant, killing at least five people and injuring several others. "A young man rushed to us and hurled a grenade at a crowded restaurant. He was shot before he detonated a suicide belt he was wearing," said Aden Nur. Minutes after the first attack, another suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into the Bilan Hotel nearby. The assaults came as the city prepares for next month's election of the head of the country's South West State. The former No. 2 leader of al-Shabab is among the candidates. The Somali government said it would block him from running for the post because he was still under U.N. sanctions. Baidoa is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Mogadishu, where residents remember last year's attack that killed hundreds of people. Memorial monument On Oct. 14, 2017, a truck loaded with explosives barreled down a busy street in Mogadishu. The explosives were detonated, killing nearly 600 people and injuring hundreds. It was the deadliest terror attack in Africa's history. A monument honoring the victims was lit up in red on Friday in preparation for a ceremony on Sunday. In a cabinet meeting, the Somali government said security would be tightened in the area to allow residents to commemorate their fallen family members and friends. The shock of the Oct. 14 attack still troubles the city's residents, Somalis across the country, and the country's diaspora communities around the world. Abdullahi Ali Mohamed and his wife had two small kiosks at the blast site. He was among the many unconscious and critically wounded survivors taken to Turkey for treatment. He lost his wife that day in the blast but did not find out until a month later. "I regained consciousness in a Turkish hospital a month later. That was when I was told that my wife died in the blast. She was vending at one corner of the junction the last time I saw her," said Mohamed. Five months after his recovery, he went back to Mogadishu. He said he tried to stay away from the site for the first few days to avoid painful memories, but he had to return to establish his kiosk business. "When I came back, I had to pay my rents, bills and debt that piled up during the months I had been away. I had to pay for the milk for my two kids and I could not get an alternative job or source of income. Therefore, I came back to the same site where I lost my wife and had a dreadful and shocking life experience," he said. "One must never despair of life." A 'dark day' of painful loss Abdi Hassan Ali, one of the business owners at the blast site, left his business hours before the blast. He lost his older sister, Faisa, who replaced him for the shift. "It was a dark day, a day that will remain fresh in my memory. The day I lost my older sister, who was my tower of strength," he said. "The fact that I did not find the remains of my sister and that I rebuilt my business location keeps troubling me." Blast survivor Issa Ali Duhulow is still running his business at the site. He said, "I am survivor. Allah saved me from the blast. I got shrapnel injuries, but I've recovered from them and I'm back to business. Life goes on." Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, who was in charge of the National Intelligence and Security Agency at the time of the attack, told VOA Somali, "It was a very painful moment in my life, and still a never-vanishing scar is somewhere in my brain. The pictures, the human remains, the blood and extent of the devastation we saw as first responders were extremely horrific." Mogadishu's mayor at the time, Taabit Abdi Mohamed, still wears a red arm band to mourn the victims. He says he will keep it on until Sunday's memorial activities end. "The painful and the ugly terror attack did not only hurt Somalis but also touched the hearts of all human beings in the world," he told VOA. The U.N. Childrens Fund reports a local militia fighting Boko Haram Islamists in northeast Nigeria has released 833 child soldiers. UNICEF says it hopes the move will be followed by further releases. The local militia that released the children is one of several vigilante groups that formed an alliance in 2013 to fight Boko Haram militants. UNICEF says last year, the alliance known as the Civilian Joint Task Force CJTF), signed an agreement to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac says the 833 child soldiers, some as young as 11, were freed in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria. He says it marks the first formal release of children since the Action plan by the CJTF was signed in September 2017. So, this is a significant milestone in ending the recruitment and use of children, but, many more children remain in the ranks of other armed groups in either combat or support roles. We call on all parties to stop recruiting children and let children be children, he said. Boulierac noted the children who have been freed are among nearly 1,500 boys and girls recruited by the vigilante militias. But, he said UNICEF believes more than 2,000 more children who have not yet been identified are enlisted by other armed groups to support their fight against Boko Haram. The Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 to topple the Nigerian government and establish an Islamist state. Over the years, the militant Islamists have killed and kidnapped thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes and become internally displaced or refugees. Since 2017, UNICEF reports it has helped reintegrate into their communities more than 8,700 children released from armed groups. It says it provides the children with psychosocial support, education and vocational training so they can earn a living and become members of society. Israel, Syria and the United Nations have agreed to open the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Friday. Haley said in a statement that the opening will allow U.N. peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring operations in a demilitarized zone established in 1974 between the Israeli-occupied Golan and the Syrian sector, but the peacekeeping mission was disrupted by Syrias civil war. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and fought Syria again on the strategic plateau in a 1973 conflict. We look to both Israel and Syria to provide U.N. peacekeepers the access they need as well as assurances of their safety. We also call on Syria to take the necessary steps so UNDOF can safely and effectively deploy and patrol without interference, Haley said. Military police from Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have been patrolling on the Syrian side of Quneitra. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the Israeli side of the crossing Sept. 27. He said then that in the past, traffic through Quneitra mainly comprised shipments into Syria of apples grown by Druze farmers on the Israeli-controlled Golan, and the entry of brides for partners on both sides of the armistice line. The United States and dozens of other countries have pledged to work together to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and treat it as a "serious and organized crime" following a two-day conference in London that ended Friday. Trade in endangered wildlife, such as elephant tusks, rhino horns and tiger bones, is worth an estimated $17 billion a year and is pushing hundreds of species to the brink of extinction. Speaking to heads of state from across the world, Britain's Prince William, a passionate conservationist, said he recognized that law enforcement resources are already stretched in many countries. "But I am asking you to see the connections, to acknowledge that the steps you take to tackle illegal wildlife crime could make it easier to halt the shipments of guns and drugs passing through your borders," the prince told delegates. Worldwide, the illegal wildlife trade is booming. Illegal ivory trade activity has more than doubled since 2007, while over 1,300 rhino were killed in 2015. Asian tigers have seen a 95 percent decline in population, as their body parts are in demand for Chinese medicines and wine. In the last year, more than 100 wildlife rangers have died trying to tackle poachers. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the conference the U.S. will give $90 million to programs that fight illegal wildlife traffickers. "Their criminal acts harm communities, degrade institutions, destabilize our environment and funnel billions of dollars to those who perpetuate evil in the world. These criminals must be and they can be stopped," Sessions said. It is not only big mammals at risk. For example, a critically endangered water frog from the remote Lake Titicaca in Peru has seen its numbers plummet in recent years, as thousands have been trapped and taken to make a juice that some believe has medicinal properties, despite no scientific evidence. Delegates at the conference applauded progress made, including China's decision at the beginning of this year to close its domestic ivory market, hailed as a major step in safeguarding the world elephant population. WATCH: US Pledges $90 Million to Fight Illegal Wildlife Trade Aron White of the Britain-based Environmental Investigation Agency says other animals need similar protection. "This market was both stimulating demand for ivory and also enabling illegal ivory to be laundered through this legal trade," White told VOA. "But that same issue still exists for big cats. You know, there's a trade in leopard bone products [for example], large-scale commercial trade." Campaigners say existing United Nations Conventions on transnational organized crime offer firepower for tackling the illegal wildlife trade, but they are not being used effectively. In the closing declaration, conference attendees pledged to work together to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and recognize it as a serious and organized crime. The real test is how quickly they will act on those words. A dozen Venezuelan doctors volunteered to join the USNS Comfort as the Navy hospital ship visits three South American countries that are struggling to cope with a flood of migrants from crisis-wracked Venezuela. The doctors all live in the United States, but they wanted to help fellow Venezuelans who have fled widespread shortages of food and medicine amid an economic collapse that has pushed millions of people into poverty. "This is like a Band-Aid" that will provide only temporary relief, said Dr. Marco Bologna, a cardiologist who now lives in Florida, where he is a member of the Venezuelan American Medical Association. "But it is the right thing to do and it helps us to do something for our country." The Comfort has been described as a threat by Venezuela's socialist government and it will not visit that country during its 11-week tour of Latin America. The ship sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday. It will spend several days at two Colombian ports, one of which is just a one-hour drive from the border with Venezuela. The ship will also dock at ports in Ecuador and Peru, two other nations that are now home to hundreds of thousands of struggling Venezuelans. It will wrap up its tour in the Central American country of Honduras. U.S. officials said the itinerary was designed with several local needs in mind, including the plight of Venezuelan migrants who are desperately seeking health care. A report published this month by a group of Venezuelan civil society groups estimated 20,000 doctors have left Venezuela since 2012. "Each of the countries that we will spot was closely consulted. We have worked closely with them to ensure that we are providing the right care, at the right time, and at the right locations," said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steven Poullin, director of operations at the U.S. Southern Command. "Obviously one of the factors that we considered was the Venezuelan crisis and the opportunity to treat Venezuelan migrants." 750 patients a day According to the United Nations, 1.9 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015. The most recent migrants have little money for transport and many have been trying to reach their destinations on foot, in perilous journeys that can take several weeks. The Venezuelan American Medical Association said it has been working with the Southern Command for several months to prepare the mission. It said more than 1,000 civilian doctors applied to serve on the ship, but there were spots for only a dozen volunteers on board the vessel, whose crew of 300 is made up mostly of Navy personnel. One of the applicants who got left out was Gabriel Pinedo, a Venezuelan doctor who now delivers mail in Orlando, Florida, because he hasn't been able to have his degree validated in the United States. Pinedo said he is currently applying for asylum in the U.S. and his lawyer told him that it would not be wise to leave the country. "It is frustrating not to be able to go," he said. "I already saw myself there." The Comfort is equipped to attend to 750 patients a day during its South American journey and doctors on the ship will be able to perform 20 surgeries a day. Sanctions on Venezuela The ship's visit to South America comes just weeks after the U.S. put financial sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife. President Donald Trump has described Maduro as a dictator and said that "all options" are on the table when it comes to restoring democracy in Venezuela, including military intervention. Venezuela's government allowed a Chinese hospital ship to visit the country in September, but it has refused humanitarian aid from Western countries, arguing that such offers are just ploys for meddling in the country's affairs. The Venezuelan doctors on the Comfort said they would like to see officials open a "humanitarian channel" that would allow medicine and food to be delivered into the country regularly. "What we are doing here has a limited scope," said Dr. Rafael Gottenger, a plastic surgeon on the mission. "But it is good to be able to help your people." Taiwans pick of a semiconductor magnate rather than a political figure as its envoy to a meeting of 21 Asian nations, including historical rival China, gives it a chance to showcase its tech prowess instead of its sticky position in geopolitics. Morris Chang, retired chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., will head the Taiwan delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit next month in Papua New Guinea. Taiwanese officials normally send political figures to the event that Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend. China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway part of its territory rather than as a country, keeping relations chilled for decades. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said she picked Chang because of his status in global industry. Hes ideal to discuss Taiwans technology with world leaders, she said Oct. 3 in announcing the appointment. Chang is expected to focus away from geopolitics or China-Taiwan ties. He qualifies as the best person to choose, because after all, these so-called (Taiwan) politicians, their level of international influence isnt high enough, said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of the think tank Polaris Research Institute in Taipei. I believe that Morris will help speak for Taiwan at an appropriate time. Message of high-tech prowess Taiwan has been a manufacturing hub since the 1980s for hardware such as PCs and, more recently, smartphones. Taiwanese firms often make those devices on contract for Apple and other major brands. Much of that hardware carries chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Now Taiwanese leaders hope to shift their technology sector, about one-fifth of GDP, more toward software, such as mobile apps, and software-hardware combinations, in line with world trends. The central government is pushing the industry to rely more on own-brand gear instead of contract work. Tsai asked Changs delegation at APEC to identify opportunities for cooperation and tell the international community about Taiwans strengths, and vision and ideas about embracing our digital future, the presidential website says. Changs company is well known offshore, Liang said. He founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in 1987 and built it into the worlds largest contract chipmaker for electronic devices. He created the company after Taiwan officials at the time called him over from Texas Instruments in the United States to help jumpstart the islands tech sector. His New York-listed company that reported 2017 profits of $11.1 billion on $31.6 billion in revenue is seen as a bellwether for global tech investments. Chang, 87, retired in June. Other world leaders can understand TSMCs strength, enabling Chang to talk to them about management, Liang said. China wont mind Chang as a skillful communicator from a nonpolitical background is unlikely to ruffle China at APEC, political scholars say. Taiwans delegates sometimes meet briefly with those from China, though they dont use the event to discuss their own issues. China forbids Taiwans participation outright in other international bodies, such as the United Nations, because it does not recognize the government in Taipei. It also asks that its 170-plus foreign allies avoid Taiwan except for trade and consular matters. Taiwanese presidents have stayed in APEC to date by sending politicians, often from outside government, whom Beijing likes. Taiwan presidents themselves cannot attend the leader summits. China and Taiwan have not talked formally since Tsai took office in 2016. Tsai disputes Beijings dialogue premise, that each side see itself as part of China. In terms of political reality, hes the one and only (who) could be accepted on the part of mainland China, so thats why Chang was sent out one more time, said Liu Yih-jiun, professor of public affairs at Fo Guang University in Taiwan. China-Taiwan relations off limits Chang probably has no mandate to discuss China-Taiwan relations, known as cross-Strait ties, said Raymond Wu, managing director of Taipei-based political risk consultancy e-telligence. I dont really expect anything substantive to come out of the APEC, Wu said. Whether Chang gets a meeting with Xi Jinping, it doesnt really matter. Thats one of the no-nos for Beijing not to publicize cross-Strait relations internationally. Taiwan and China have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when the Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists lost and fled to the island. Government opinion polls in Taiwan show most people support the islands autonomy over Chinas goal of unifying the two sides. Whatever happens in next month's midterm elections, women candidates have already made history. There are more female nominees for public office nationwide than ever before. Twenty-three women are in the running for the U.S. Senate 15 Democrats and 8 Republicans. Four of those women are running in states with open seats, which means they will not face an incumbent. There are 35 Senate contests in 33 states this year. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs; 239 women remain in the race 187 Democrats and 53 Republicans. There is no incumbent in 47 of the contests. Sixteen women are running for governor in their states. And 3,381 women are on the ballot for their state legislatures about half of whom are incumbents, while the other half are challengers. Some people are coining 2018 as the "Year of the Angry College Educated Woman," likening the current political dynamics to 1994's "Year of the Angry White Male" when Republicans unexpectedly captured control of both the House and Senate. Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers views the 2016 election of President Donald Trump as a catalyst for some women who'd already been active to get more involved. "In many cases, women in the past would say, 'We can make more of a difference from the outside,' and I think this year there is a recognition that their voices and their perspectives and their experiences need to be at those decision making tables," Dittmar says. The public seems to agree that there should be more women in decision-making roles. The presence of women in a deliberative body increases the public's view of that body's legitimacy, especially when the group decisions impact women, according to a report compiled by three political scientists. The findings suggest that both men and women favor the inclusion of women decisionmakers. Whether or not that enthusiasm translates into political victories for female candidates, women will still be vastly underrepresented in the U.S. Congress. Women currently make up about 19 percent of the House of Representatives. That number could rise to as high as 25 percent after the November elections. Dittmar chafes at the idea of dubbing 2018 as the "Year of the Angry College Educated Woman." She has hopes that the energy, enthusiasm and engagement of women will prove to be a lasting phenomenon and not an anomaly. "Part of the way it sustains itself or that we sustain it is by not calling this a 'Year of the Woman' and not talking about it as some idiosyncratic year in which all these confluence of factors allowed for women to run," Dittmar says. "I think we play a role in saying, No, this is something that can continually be done and this year can actually set the foundation for a trend in which we see more women running each year." Many of the women candidates are seasoned politicians who have been laying the groundwork for their runs for public office for years. They hardly fit the monolithic idea that all women candidates and voters are "angry." Consider Stacy Abrams, the Democrat running for governor of Georgia, who has been in state politics for more than a decade and could become the nation's first African-American female governor. Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate this year to fill a vacated seat, has already served in the Mississippi State Senate, and is likely to become the first woman elected to Congress in Mississippi. However, those women who are angry are dealing with their frustration in a different manner than before. "What is new and unique and important about this year is channeling that anger both into showing up as voters [and as candidates], although women have outvoted men in every election since 1980 so that's not entirely new, it's just that the level of enthusiasm is even higher," Dittmar says. America is turning inward, and that's making the whole world a more dangerous place. This isn't a neoconservative talking point, but, in our case writing as one conservative and one liberal, a shared concern from the left and the right. The United States, under President Trump, is abdicating an important moral obligation to all democracies by seeming to shrug off the most egregious of human rights violations from both our allies and our enemies. In a new interview with CBS, when pressed about the disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident with children living in this country, from the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Trump insisted there will be a "severe punishment" for the Saudis if they were responsible. At least for now, that punishment does not include withdrawing our official presence at Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative later this month. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin has stated he still plans on attending. But Trump's latest statement is a welcome - if vague - shift in tone from earlier in the week when Trump seemed to dismiss his possible murder as not our problem. "It's in Turkey, and it's not a citizen, as I understand it. But a thing like that shouldn't happen." The "thing" that shouldn't happen, of course, is that a journalist was possibly the victim of an extrajudicial killing on foreign soil, at the behest of one of our allied partners, Saudi Arabia, according to US officials. The President's words imply that somehow Khashoggi's fate should be less horrifying because he wasn't an American. It's admittedly naive not to acknowledge Saudi Arabia's important role in fighting terrorism in the Middle East and providing stopgap protection against Iranian threats. But that this President seems to believe Khashoggi's citizenship somehow diminishes our responsibility to strongly rebuke the kingdom is deeply disturbing. Worse, the President's cold calculation of the cost of action -- "I don't like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States," he said of our arms trade with Saudi Arabia (which thus far has only earned $14.5 billion) -- effectively puts a bounty on dissidents' heads. For $110 billion in weapons, or far less, you can allegedly kill a dissident journalist without so much as a whiff of indignation from the US President. The quantifying of Khashoggi's life is despicable. It's also signaling to the rest of the world that the United States will no longer lead when it comes to denouncing human rights violations, or holding the violators accountable, so long as the political or economic calculus favors silence or inaction. But being a shining beacon of democracy for the rest of the world should not only be the privilege but the obligation of our lifetimes. From a genocide in Syria that's claimed the lives of half a million people, to a staggering refugee crisis in Myanmar and protests and violence in Venezuela, there is a contagion of humanitarian crises sweeping the globe while the United States has receded into the background. The ripple effect is that other countries feel emboldened to act out. Whether that's in the case of Russia, which is widely believed to have extrajudicially murdered ex-spies; or in China, which abducts its own citizens -- most recently an actress and an Interpol chief -- before charging them with crimes after the fact; or in Egypt, where officials were accused of torturing, mutilating and murdering an Italian postgraduate student and dumping his body outside Cairo, to few if any repercussions. How can we credibly profess our outrage at Russia, China, Egypt or anyone else when, just one year after the death of American college student Otto Warmbier after being imprisoned by the North Korean government, President Trump welcomed Kim Jong Un with open arms -- and a commemorative coin -- to a show summit in Singapore, where he heaped upon Kim the kind of lavish praise usually denied dictators who starve their own people? Instead, brutal dictators, despots and war criminals are granted an open ear and open mind from President Trump. He extolls despots and dismisses our democratic allies as weak or unimportant. This perverse affinity for strongmen limits America's potential as well as democracy's potential around the world. A strongman rules by fear -- inherently viewing citizens as weak and governments as powerful. Democracy should be the opposite. When America pays lip service but little more to horrors like the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, instead proclaiming convenient but arbitrary loopholes in our moral obligations, we just give the world's worst bullies more ammunition and power. There are no loopholes when it comes to basic human rights. Every American, no matter his or her politics or point of view, knows our unique existential gift -- we are our aspirations. So, with the world watching, the question is, to what do we aspire? President Donald Trump vowed in a "60 Minutes" interview that the United States would get to the bottom of what happened to a missing Saudi journalist and that there would be "severe punishment" if he were found to have been killed. In an excerpt from the interview, released by CBS on Saturday morning, Trump said the case of Jamal Khashoggi was "being looked at very, very strongly" and that his administration "would be very upset and angry" if it turned out that the Saudi government had ordered his killing. "As of this moment, they deny it, and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," he said in what are his strongest comments yet on the matter. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee. He hasn't been seen in public since. On Friday, a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told CNN that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence that showed Khashoggi was killed this week inside the Saudi Consulate. The evidence, which was described to the source by a Western intelligence agency, showed there was an assault and a struggle inside the consulate. There is also evidence of the moment that Khashoggi was killed, the source said. The foreign intelligence service found the nature of the evidence, which was provided in a briefing from Turkish officials, to be "shocking and disgusting," the source told CNN. Speaking to reporters Saturday in the Oval Office, Trump was asked if he had seen or heard the evidence and said "we are going to be seeing it very soon." Trump also said the "timing is strict coincidence" between the release of Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkish custody and the situation of Khashoggi at the Turkish consulate. Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance and says he left the consulate that afternoon. But his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate, says she did not see him re-emerge. Turkey has called on Saudi officials to provide evidence he left the consulate. Trump's comments came as a growing number of global businesses withdrew from an upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia amid concerns over Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump: 'There's a lot at stake' The Khashoggi case puts the United States in a difficult position because of its close ties with Saudi Arabia, seen as an important strategic ally in the Middle East. Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have also developed personal and business relationships with the Saudis. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known colloquially as MBS, spoke by phone Tuesday with Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also spoke with the 33-year-old crown prince. Asked by CBS journalist Lesley Stahl if bin Salman had denied Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance, Trump replied: "They deny it. They deny it every way you can imagine. In the not too distant future I think we'll know an answer." Trump has faced mounting bipartisan pressure this week from members of Congress who are calling for him to impose stiff consequences on Saudi Arabia. On the question of possible sanctions, Trump restated his reluctance to jeopardize a $110 billion arms deal he brokered with Saudi Arabia that was inked on his first foreign trip as President, saying he didn't want to hurt jobs. But he added, "There are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true." He said: "There's a lot at stake. And, maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something -- you'll be surprised to hear me say that, there's something really terrible and disgusting about that if that was the case so we're going to have to see. We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment." The "60 Minutes" interview is expected to air Sunday. The US President said Friday he had not yet spoken with King Salman of Saudi Arabia -- the father of bin Salman -- in the wake of Khashoggi's reported killing, but that he planned to "pretty soon." Turkish authorities believe 15 Saudi men who arrived in Istanbul on October 2 were connected to Khashoggi's disappearance and possible killing. At least some of them appear to have high-level connections in the Saudi government. On Thursday, a US official familiar with the intelligence told CNN that the United States had intercepts of Saudi officials discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him. Washington's "working assumption" is that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate in Istanbul, according to another US official familiar with the latest intelligence. "We are pretty clear-eyed it is likely to have happened and it didn't end well," the official said. The source cautioned that was the latest assessment and no conclusions had been made. Saudi government denies ordering killing The Saudi interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, said reports that the Saudi government ordered the killing are "lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom," according to a statement the state-run Saudi Press Agency published Saturday. Abdulaziz also said "some media" have circulated "false accusations" regarding Khashoggi's disappearance. A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey for the investigation, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday. A Saudi official said that he welcomed an announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to form a joint team of experts from both countries to investigate the disappearance," according to a Saudi Information Ministry statement. But Saudi Arabia is not cooperating with Turkey's probe, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday. "We haven't seen any collaboration yet. We want to see that." He said Saudi authorities still need to permit Turkish police and forensic teams to enter the consulate where Khashoggi is believed to have been killed. "Where did he disappear? There, in the consulate. Therefore, for the sake of this investigation, in order to bring everything into open they must allow access to consulate." Fiancee demands answers Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, tweeted Saturday in English and Arabic demanding information from Saudi Arabia. "I request #SaudiArabia to officially respond to the status of my fiancee #Jkhashogji who entered the #SaudiConsulate in #Istanbul. 10 days ago and his whereabouts are still unknown to date. @JKhashoggi #whereisjamalkhashogji," the tweet in English reads. She also tweeted that before his disappearance, she'd intended to throw a surprise party for him at a restaurant for his 60th birthday, which is Saturday. Turkish newspaper Sabah reported Saturday that Khashoggi may have recorded his own death through his Apple Watch, and that security forces leading the investigation found the audio file inside the phone Khashoggi left with his fiancee. CNN could not independently verify the Sabah report and was seeking comment from both Saudi and Turkish officials. CNN intelligence and security analyst Robert Baer cast doubt on the claim, saying it was too far for a Bluetooth connection and that Khashoggi was unlikely to have anticipated transmitting a recording in advance. "I think what's happened, clearly, is the Turks have the Saudi consulate wired; they have transmitters," he said. Businesses abandon desert summit Saudi Arabia is facing growing isolation as firms pull out of a high-profile investment summit due to take place later this month in Riyadh. Most of the news outlets that had agreed to sponsor the Saudi Future Investment Initiative -- known as "Davos in the desert" -- have now withdrawn. They include Japanese media company Nikkei, CNBC, The New York Times and the Financial Times. Bloomberg said Friday it was pulling out as a media partner but added it still planned to cover news from the conference CNN, which was a media partner for the event, confirmed Friday that it too would no longer participate in the conference. Viacom CEO Bob Bakish, Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi and The Economist's editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, have also pulled out. However, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde told reporters Saturday at the IMF's annual meeting in Indonesia she still planned to go but would be paying close attention to new information. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also reaffirmed his commitment to attend the Riyadh conference, while expressing concerns about Khashoggi's status. "The conference is on for now, I am going," he told reporters in Bali. A coveted technology around the globe will soon be in Huntsville. City Council gave Uniti Fiber the go ahead to bring 5G technology to Huntsville in an agreement that allows the company to put small cells throughout the city. "These are really small. They're about 30 feet high. You know, you're really not going to notice them, but what's really important about this is what these small cells will enable the community to achieve as far as connectivity," said Harrison Diamond, the business relations officer for the City of Huntsville. The cells will be installed sometime in December. The cells will be installed sometime in December. When the technology is available, and if your phone supports 5G, you'll find zero lag time and higher speeds. 5G is technology so advanced, only one other city in the U.S. is currently using it. "Right now there's only one city that's got it turned on. Verizon is doing it in, I believe, Santa Barbara, California," said Diamond. According to Diamond, the cells give data a deeper network to work off of, which helps to get rid of the "spinning wheel of death" on your phone. This new technology isn't just helping the growing tech industry in the city. It's also influencing the housing market, he said. "One of the key things people want now when purchasing a home is 'What's going to be my access to broadband?' You know, it is a deal breaker for some people when they're selling their homes," said Diamond. WAAY 31 talked to a realtor and asked her how important new technology is to home buyers. She said that with the changing workforce, the best technology is well-desired. "A lot of them, you know, their jobs depend on that. So, you know, they have to work at home or they need that kind of technology just in their day to day living, and so they want to know what's available," said Sarah Lauren Kattos. Diamond said installation of those poles will begin sometime in December. He also said the approval of the use agreement is just the next phase of Mayor Tommy Battle's Gig City Initiative. We consider this announcement right in line with our Gig City Initiative to provide high-speed broadband across our entire community, said Mayor Tommy Battle. Birmingham attorney, Tommy James, met with Governor Ivey's legal team and Attorney General Steve Marshall Friday morning in Montgomery to represent the families of Jimmy Spencer's murder victims, and he said another meeting between them has been set up for the near future. They listened to my clients unique perspectives and how they have been completely devastated by the loss of their innocent loved ones due to a flawed system and people simply not doing their jobs," James said. According to James, his clients want to know how the system failures that led to Spencer's release and the subsequent murders of their family members could occur. He said they also want to know how the agencies that allowed his release will be held accountable to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future. James said he thinks the meeting went well and that they agreed they will talk more within the next few days after more information has been received from the Board of Pardons and Paroles. "The Governors Counsel told me that my clients loved ones deaths brought attention to obvious problems that allowed Spencer to be paroled and then remain a free man after parole to commit these murders," he said. "He said that they are looking at broader problems in the system that also need to be addressed. Governor Ivey and Steve Marshall will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, October 15 following their meeting with the Board of Pardons and Paroles at the State Capital in Montgomery. WAAY 31 will air this live on TV, at waaytv.com and on the WAAY-TV Facebook page. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster aid relief for four Alabama counties affected by Hurricane Michael. The emergency disaster declaration covers Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties, which are near the Florida panhandle where the hurricane made landfall Wednesday. Gov. Kay Ivey, in a news release, says Saturday's declaration means the counties will get funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program to help local and state governments cover costs associated with preparing and responding to Michael. Under that program, assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding for approved costs related to the storm. Ivey said she appreciated Trump's approval of the state's request for help. She says it will be a "huge benefit to the smaller communities in Alabama that have been affected." Toyota is recalling nearly 188,000 pickup trucks, SUVs and cars worldwide because the air bags may not inflate in a crash. The recall covers 2018 and 2019 Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs as well as 2019 Avalon sedans. Toyota says the air bag control computer can erroneously detect a fault when the vehicles are started. With a fault, the air bags may not deploy in a crash. The company wouldn't say whether the problem has caused any injuries. The recall is expected to begin Oct. 22. Toyota says the recall covers about 185,000 vehicles in North America and 2,600 in other markets. 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 The museums diverse board has naturally attracted a diverse audience, which West-Bey thinks is different from museums like the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection. The Phillips, he said, is based on Duncan Phillipss collection and experience as a white guy in his lifetime. That comes through in the audience that institution has gotten over the years, and theyve struggled with that over the years. West-Bey cites the Phillipss new chief diversity officer, Makeba Clay, as a step in the right direction. Wilson has said he tried to play by the rules when transferring his daughter and even told the mayor about the transfer in conversations a charge that the mayor has repeatedly denied. But the report marks the first time that Niles has spoken about the incident, and she partly backs Wilsons claim, saying she heard him mention to the mayor that his daughter was attending the high-performing Wilson High School. The chancellors daughter attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts at the beginning of the school year, which Bowser has said she knew. Heartbroken, Young-Bey recently handed custodial rights to Carters grandmother a decision that allows the teen to return to Ellington if he lives with his grandmother at her apartment in Southeast Washington. The mother hopes it will be a decision that lets the son pursue his dream of attending college and embark on a career as a professional dancer. Young-Bey said she also decided to relinquish her custodial rights because of other family circumstances. Tina Johnson was a young girl when her crying grandmother described seeing Armwood a cousin said to have an intellectual disability terrified for his life. Johnson was respectful as she listened, but I kind of just shrugged it off, Johnson said. It was one of those things, she said, something she put in the bygone category of atrocities where she also placed slavery. None of that surprised VanderWaag. He hadnt expected his classmates to have a connection to black history. A picture from his kindergarten class shows him with 14 other boys, their tiny arms locked around one another. His is one of two brown faces in the group, and not long after the photo was taken, the other boy suddenly stopped coming to school. VanderWaag asked about his friend Where did he go? What happened? but he never got answers from adults, who either couldnt or wouldnt give them. They worry that synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil could be on a deceased persons body or on the clothes of a mourner, inadvertently exposing staff members or guests at the funeral home to danger. These drugs can be lethal in amounts as small as a grain of salt when inhaled or absorbed through the skin. In Harford County, Md., a sheriffs deputy and two emergency medical workers were treated in May for exposure after responding to a reported overdose. Mr. Botha first served in South Africas Parliament as a member of the National Party in 1970 and was often seen as a future prime minister, the countrys highest political office at the time. But his comparatively moderate views were increasingly out of step with the conservatism of the partys white Afrikaner base. Some were suspicious of his cosmopolitan ways and openly speculated that he might have been a communist sympathizer or Soviet spy. The intersection is one block east of Lafayette Square, and one block north of the Treasury Department. It is not far from the White House. At certain times of the morning and afternoon it can be highly congested, with not only passenger cars but also buses and large trucks. Board travel has been a sensitive and closely watched issue at the authority, which has come under fire in the past for extravagant spending by its members. Those excesses, highlighted in a federal inspector generals report, led to strict new travel policies that required members to seek approval for trips and limited the amount they could spend on meals to the government per diem of $71 a day. Before that, there had been few rules or limits on travel. Brat won the seat four years ago after pulling off a shocking primary upset over Rep. Eric Cantor, then the House majority leader. He won reelection two years ago by 15 points, but Republicans and Democrats alike believe the seat is in play in the era of Trump, who has many fans in the districts rural areas but foes in its suburbs. Teacher suspended for remarks about Trump aide as a third-grader: A Southern California school district has suspended a teacher who recounted how a senior aide to President Trump ate glue as a third-grader. Nikki Fiske told the Hollywood Reporter that when Stephen Miller was a student in her classroom, he was a loner with a messy desk who played with glue. She calls Miller "a strange dude." The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District placed Fiske, 72, on "home assignment" while it decides what to do about the disclosures. The district says it's concerned about the public release of student information. Miller was taught by Fiske in 1993. Fire on Nigerian oil pipeline kills 16: Sixteen people were killed when a fire broke out on an oil pipeline in the southeast of Nigeria, a spokesman for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. said. The state oil company said that the fire occurred along the Osisioma axis near the Aba depot, and that emergency services had been deployed to the scene. "The incident might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept the flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba," the NNPC said in a statement. Throughout the 10-minute speech, Trump remained nearly mute and interchangeably bemused and, just possibly, terrified. Toward the end, his arms folded tightly across his chest, he nodded and said, Really very interesting. Meanwhile, serious news of enormous import loitered in the vestibule awaiting the presidents attention. Hurricane Michael had recently finished decimating the Florida Panhandle and, on the very day of this epic confab, was drenching the Carolinas, which were still foundering from Hurricane Florence. Reports were also coming in that a Post columnist who had disappeared into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul may have been tortured, murdered and dismembered on orders from Saudi Crown Prince and Jared Kushner buddy Mohammed bin Salman. Speaking of the incident Thursday evening, Trump said dismissively: Its in Turkey, and its not a citizen. Progress is far from uniform. Between the reports issued in 2016 and 2018, the numbers of inmates in solitary confinement declined in more than two dozen states, but increased in 11 other states. Colorado has all but eliminated solitary confinement; in Louisiana, nearly 20 percent of the states 14,300 male inmates were locked away in solitary cells almost round the clock. Nearly everywhere, black inmates are overrepresented among those in solitary, and whites are underrepresented. In Texas, more than 2,100 inmates have been locked away for more than three years; of those, more than 1,300 have been in solitary for more than six years. Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania also lock prisoners away for years at a time with jaw-dropping frequency. Stacy Eggers IV, a Republican appointee to the electoral board who doesnt often vote with his Democratic colleagues, joined the unanimous vote to file a court motion to quash the subpoenas. He said he was alarmed by the demand for absentee ballots, which include a number that can be traced back to a voter and to how he or she voted. Close to half the electorate in the state voted absentee in 2016, he said. Redistricting remains largely in the hands of the politicians, which means it is often an exercise of raw political power. But a third factor is at work that in the long run could have a sizable impact on the goal of producing fairer and more competitive district lines. That is the movement to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians and give it to citizens or other independent bodies. We have people that are trying to get into our country because of how well our country is doing, Trump said. You know, in the old days, when the country wasnt doing well, it was a lot easier. Now everybody wants to come in, and they come in illegally, and they use children. In many cases, the children arent theirs. They grab them, and they want to come in with the children. Weve been negotiating long and hard. We do not pay ransom in this country, at least any longer, he said in the meeting with Brunson. He said the only real deal was a psychological one: We feel much different about Turkey today than we did yesterday. . . . I think we have a chance of becoming much closer to Turkey. Well, nobody knows yet, but well probably be able to find out, Trump said in the interview with Lesley Stahl of CBSs 60 Minutes, which will air in full Sunday night. Its being investigated, its being looked at very, very strongly. And we would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it, and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes. Cipollone is expected to take over the premier legal office in the next week, pending a security clearance review. He would head up this office at a momentous and challenging time. The White House counsels team has been eviscerated by departures, having dwindled down to 25 lawyers from 35 earlier in the year. The office normally has a staff of 50 lawyers. It has also lost four of its five key deputies in recent months. Manchin, a former governor, remains a slight favorite in the race because he is doing all that he can to run on local issues and keeping national politics out of the discussion despite attacks from Trump and others that he is a loyal Democrat. They just try to identify you, what tribe do you belong to, and I tell them I belong to the American tribe and West Virginia is the best branch weve got, Manchin said in an interview a few days before he broke with Democrats to vote for Kavanaugh. The potentially encouraging news from Doha came as the latest violent attack targeted Afghan candidates for parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday. A bombing at a campaign rally in northern Takhar province killed more than 20 people. No group claimed it, but the Taliban warned that it would seek to disrupt the polls, and more than 300 people have already died in election-related attacks. The process of minting saints is an elaborate one, involving a dedicated Vatican office that vets the candidates credentials, as well as doctors and other experts who look for evidence of otherwise inexplicable miracles, often involving cured ailments and diseases. Most candidates require one miracle before beatification and another miracle for the final step of sainthood. But always, the current pope has the authority to hasten the process or lower the bar for the number of miracles. Jamaica is one of several island countries that have reached a tipping point about non-biodegradable waste and the daily threat it poses to paradise. It will not be easy. While the struggle to combat waste is not unique to these islands, their geography makes it harder for them than for large land masses, where landfill sites are plentiful and there is less shoreline, in proportion to the total area, on which garbage can wash up. The reliability of a national blood sampling program for toxic firefighting chemicals is under question, after a private test showed more than double the level of a contaminant in a mans blood compared to a government sample taken on the same day. The fresh concerns over testing methods for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals [PFAS] come after Fairfax Media independently sampled a drain near a military base last year and discovered the chemicals at levels 34 times higher than those reported by authorities. Terry Robinson, who occupies a polluted acreage near the Williamtown RAAF base, had his blood sampled twice on March 19. Terry and Jenny Robinson. Credit:Max Mason-Huber It was scanned for a range of PFAS chemicals, with the most glaring difference in the readings for the chemical perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). A maternity leave offer will remain in the federal police's workplace agreement after the industrial umpire rejected an appeal claiming it was based on a "sexist" idea that men cannot be primary caregivers. The Fair Work Commission in Brisbane has upheld its decision to allow four weeks of additional paid maternity leave in the Australian Federal Police's latest workplace agreement after hearing a case that could have forced employers to rethink paid time away for staff with newborn children. In a May decision the commission in Canberra struck down the argument made by a delegate bargaining with the AFP after he objected to the new agreement, which he said discriminated against men because they did not give birth. Christopher Budd, an employee bargaining representative, said the additional leave was "primary caregiver leave" that should apply also to fathers. The leave was meant for the primary care of newborn children but rested on a sexist premise that men could or should not be the main carer, he said. I believe this view is shared across the Parliament and we should use the next fortnight to ensure this matter is addressed, he said. To this end, I have asked the Attorney General to prepare amendments and consult with the opposition. Our government does not support expulsion of students from religious non-state schools on the basis of their sexuality. I also know that this view is widely shared by religious schools and communities across the country. The new position came after Mr Morrison appeared to back the exemption on Wednesday, saying it was the existing law, and then clarified on Thursday that he did not support the discrimination. The official policy to amend the law came after the Prime Minister consulted cabinet ministers as well as the Liberal candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, who is at risk of a backlash over the issue in the October 20 byelection. With both major parties preparing for the resumption of Parliament on Monday, the government statement was followed soon after by a letter from Mr Shorten offering to amend the law. It is not clear whether either side knew of the others plan. Mr Shorten said the public outcry over the issue made it clear that the exemptions in the current law were out of step with the beliefs of most Australians. These exemptions are anachronistic and are a denial of the dignity of children at any time, he wrote to Mr Morrison. Indeed, the response from many religious educational institutions has made clear that such exemptions are not used, and are not in line with their beliefs. It is Labors view that they should be removed. The fine print is yet to be decided. Section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act gives religious schools an exemption from the law in the provision of education so long as this is in accordance with the tenets of the religion. It does not mention students. The religious freedom review chaired by former attorney-general Philip Ruddock calls for this to be amended in a way that keeps the exemption but puts new conditions on its use including that a religious school issue a public policy and has regard to the best interests of the child in any decision. Both major parties now reject that finding and propose separate changes to the act to scale back or remove the power completely. Loading Mr Morrison has been unhappy at Fairfax Medias reports on the Ruddock review, believing that the recommendations would have strengthened the protections for students from discrimination. Fairfax Media revealed the reviews key findings on Wednesday and reported they would guarantee the right to turn away gay students. The reporting said the findings would enshrine the right to discriminate but at no point said the findings would extend or widen these powers. In his statement, Mr Morrison complained of numerous misrepresentations of the reviews conclusions and blames this for causing anxiety among parents. Mr Shorten told Fairfax Media earlier on Friday that he was amazed the government would not release the report. Im disappointed it took the current Prime Minister 48 hours to confirm that he didnt want to extend discrimination against kids who are gay, Mr Shorten said. You dont need a focus group or a cabinet meeting to work out thats a bad idea. Protesters are planning a confrontation with controversial politician Pauline Hanson at a "Fish and Chips with Pauline" event hosted by One Nation in Perth on Saturday. United Against Bigotry and Racism, which recently organised protests against right-wing speakers Lauren Southern and Nigel Farage, said they were trying to replicate the success of demonstrations against Senator Hanson during her first stint in parliament. Police and protesters outside a Pauline Hanson event in Perth, 2017. Credit:Tarquin Bateman "In the 1990s, One Nation was met with constant protests that made it difficult for One Nation to organise and promote racism," UABR organiser Nick Brown said. "We want to draw on that tradition and make it as difficult as possible when they put on events like this." The Womens Business Development Council recognized Friday the three recipients of its 2018 Woman with Impact Awards at its annual gala luncheon. Then it asked them to reflect on their careers. Moderated by CNN New Day anchor Alisyn Camerota, the panel discussion at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Greenwich focused on the building blocks of leadership principles that the awardees said could be implemented by anyone in the room. We all have that capacity for leadership, Stacy Janiak, chief client officer at professional-services firm Deloitte, told an audience of approximately 700. Part of our jobs, as leaders, is to draw that out of others and find opportunities where people arent necessarily raising hands, but you see it and know its there. Robin Imbrogno, founder, CEO and president of Seymour-based Human Resource Consulting Group LLC, cited the need to focus on collective goals. Being a leader is understanding that its bigger than you ... and being responsible for the opportunities you create, she said. Carla Harris, a 2017 Woman with Impact recipient and a Morgan Stanley executive, sat in on the panel for Hope Knight, president and CEO of the Jamaica, N.Y.-based Greater Jamaica Development Corp, this years other Woman with Impact awardee. Knight could not attend because she fell ill on the way to the event, Harris told the audience. Leadership is really honed by the challenges and opportunities that you are faced with and how you manage that, Harris said. Once you make the decision that you want to be in the leadership seat, then you have to make a decision to actually show up intentionally every day as a leader. The panelists said women need to be proactive to accomplish their career goals and rise to leadership positions. Dont sit back; dont wait for it to come to you, Imbrogno said. Go and find it, and make it happen. Janiak offered similar advice. The best advice I ever got in my career was Dont ask; dont get, she said. I would suggest you go out and ask for it, ladies. Harris emphasized the potential of leveraging professional networks. Do not try to do it on your own, she said. Theres somebody in your network that can be helpful in advancing whatever endeavor that you have. Harris also cited peers support in response to a question from Camerota about how a woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court would have fared had she conducted herself in U.S. Senate confirmation hearings in the same manner as Brett Kavanaugh. There was more than the presidents backing behind him (Kavanaugh), so if you put the same secular force behind a woman, absolutely she could have gotten away with it as well. It all depends on who is in your corner. Headquartered in Stamford, WBDC has served nearly 19,000 clients, according to organization data. WBDC reports it has helped create nearly 1,800 businesses and supported the sustainability and expansion of about 3,800 firms, creating more than 4,900 jobs. pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott WESTPORT Heather Frimmer knows something about the medical world described in her debut novel, because she is a doctor. Although I do love my job, it can be a little repetitive and doesnt exercize certain corners of my brain as much as I would like, so I wanted to do something a little more creative, Frimmer said of her foray into writing and novel Bedside Manners, available on Amazon Oct. 16. An avid reader since she was a child growing up in Albany, N.Y., Frimmer, 44, chose to go the scientific route for her career because she loved science and biology. By the time Frimmer, a Weston resident, was a senior in high school, she knew she wanted to be a doctor and went to Brandeis University to pursue her undergraduate studies, followed by medical school at Cornell Medical College in Manhattan. In medical school, Frimmer discovered a love for radiology, which allowed her to take care of all types of patients and parts of the body, and help solve the diagnosis puzzle for patients. Frimmer completed a fellowship in breast and abdominal imagery at Yale New Haven Hospital, followed by 12 years in the radiology department of Norwalk Hospital. She left this summer to work at NewYork Presbyterian Hosptial in Queens, where Frimmer does a mix of breast and emergency room radiology. On a whim in 2014, Frimmer signed up for an introductory fiction writing class at the Westport Writers Workshop taught by Westporter Sally Allen. At the end of the class, Allen told Frimmer she thought Frimmer could write a novel. I said to her, youre insane. I dont have time to write a novel. I couldnt do that, Frimmer said. When she got home, Frimmer told her husband, Coleytown Middle School theater teacher Ben Frimmer, about Allens suggestion. He said of course you could do it if you wanted to. And I said, you think I could? He said you can do whatever you want to do, so I said ok, Im going to do it. Im going to write a novel, Frimmer said. For three years, Frimmer woke up at 5:30 a.m. to write for an hour befor her two sons, 10 and 12, woke up for school. Frimmer also wrote for a few hours on her day off on Wednesday, and read between 80 to 100 books per year to study her new craft. Im kind of a driven person, definitely on the Type A side of things, Frimmer said, adding she signed up for an advanced project-based class at the Writers Workshop to help complete her novel. Centered around a mother-daughter duo stuck by the mothers breast cancer diagnosis while the daughter is finishing medical school and plannng her wedding, Bedside Manners certainly has parallels to Frimmers own life. I knew I wanted to write something about what I do because I knew I could make it authentic and realistic, and I could really put my finger on the emotions behind the experience, Frimmer said. I love the idea of seeing both sides of the coin, the doctor and the patient experience side by side, a 360-degree view instead of just seeing one side of the story. Bedside Manners grapples with the challenge of a young doctor learning to confront mortality on a daily basis and the trials of a young woman searching for balance between her identity as a doctor and as the daughter of a patient a struggle Frimmer says hits close to home. Im always either the mom or the doctor or the daughter or the sister, and its hard to switch hats quickly and know which hat youre wearing and when. Im also the go-to person for any medical questions in my family and for all my friends, and I have to sometimes say I cant bet he doctor right now, I have to be your friend, Frimmer said. The daughter in Frimmers book struggles with the differences between her fiances background and her own, but Frimmer said the pair is not modeled off her own marriage. She said she and Ben have more in common than one would guess from looking at their careers. We met on Jdate.com, which is a Jewish dating service. I have my medical career and then my writing, which is the creative side. Ben teaches theater, which is his creative side, but hes also an EMT, Frimmer said. It just so happens that my volunteer position, which is my writing, is my creative side and his volunteer position is his medical side. While Frimmer prepares for the release of her book, published by SparkPress, a hybrid self-publishing and traditional publishing company, she is also working on a second novel, which is also set in the medical world and delves into the familial and emotional challenges that arise at the cusp of the challenge for health. svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan Jim was a hard-working man who always had a smile for everyone Lillian Rose (Janysek) Bujnoch Audio Article It is with profound sadness that the family of Lillian Rose (Janysek) Bujnoch announce her passing. Lillian passed peacefully, surrounded... James John Kruse Audio Article James John Kruse of Black Hill, Texas, passed away on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, at the age of 81. James... Margaret Vega Cresap Audio Article Margaret Vega Cresap passed away in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, at the age of 76. She... In a day and age when those of us in the mainstream media are forever being accused of peddling fake news, we thought wed kick things off with a story thats 100 per cent factually True. This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In a day and age when those of us in the mainstream media are forever being accused of peddling "fake news," we thought wed kick things off with a story thats 100 per cent factually True. Jenn Strauman, right, and Mary Lou Vendivil, owners of Scientific Sweets, a two-year-old home-based cookie biz that made headlines in June when Khloe Kardashian ordered cookies, in the image of her new baby. (Photos by John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) On the second Monday in June, Jenn Strauman was checking her phone while on a break from her job as a medical laboratory technologist at Health Sciences Centre when she spotted an email carrying the subject line, "Cookies!" Her initial thought was, "Great, another order." After all, as the co-founder of Scientific Sweets, a home-based biz specializing in intricately decorated confections, the majority of the communiques she and her business partner Mary Lou Vendivil, also a lab tech at HSC, receive revolve around cookies. Except this particular inquiry was more than their standard, everyday cookie request. After coming across their Instagram page, which boasts eye-catching shots of superhero cookies, dinosaur cookies, even cookies that appear to be slices of pepperoni pizza, a person claiming to be an associate of TV reality star Khloe Kardashian wanted to place an order for a party scheduled for the following Sunday in Los Angeles to toast the California homecoming of Kardashians two-month-old daughter True. "Our first thought was this has to be a joke," says Strauman, seated next to Vendivil in a Taylor Avenue coffee shop. "But after reading it out loud to our co-workers, everybody agreed it sounded totally legit." Given free rein in terms of design, Strauman and Vendivil opted for cookies that, icing-wise, bore a striking resemblance to baby True and her mom. Hours after the gathering, none other than Kardashian herself posted photos of the talented bakers handiwork on her social media accounts along with the comment, "I have never seen cuter cookies in my life." Reality TV personality Khloe Kardashian posted this picture on Instagram after Scientific Sweets created cookies in the image of her newborn daughter, True. (Scientific Sweets / Canadian Press files) "Khloe didnt specifically tag us in her announcement ("Yeah, thanks a lot, Khloe," cracks Vendivil, winking) but it was great publicity, nonetheless," Strauman says, adding what amused them most about the entire episode were the "gazillion" people who viewed pictures of their cookies online and left catty comments along the lines of "Yum, who wouldnt want to eat their babys face?" "We were both like, Ha, this is totally awesome." Strauman (left) and Vendivil at work. You do not want to watch TV with either of us, Vendivil says. Were forever hitting pause and taking pictures of things, figuring this or that would be fun to make into a cookie one day down the road. Strauman and Vendivil met nine years ago when both worked evenings in HSCs chemistry department. Back then, neither was what youd call an accomplished baker, they agree, but that didnt stop them from showing up with a Tupperware container packed with cupcakes or muffins whenever there was a job-related birthday or holiday to celebrate. Six years ago, a few days before a co-workers baby shower, Strauman was still debating what sort of treats to bring to the get-together. At Vendivils suggestion, she searched the website Pinterest for ideas, ultimately settling on cookies shaped like animals and onesies, "because Im a Type A personality and couldnt just choose one shape," she says with a chuckle. Strauman is the first to admit her cookies looked better than they tasted. But because she enjoyed the design part of things so much, she decided not to park her piping bag, just yet. Soon, the married mother of one was spending a fair chunk of her spare time studying baking blogs, taking note of how others decorated their treats. Practice makes perfect: before long, she was fielding orders from friends and friends of friends, people whod heard about her elaborately detailed cookies and wanted a dozen or two for their birthday party table. Vendivil, a married mother of five, was on maternity leave with her fourth child in 2013 when, impressed by what her pal was turning out, decided to try her hand at ornately decorated cookies, too. A straight-A art student in high school she originally intended to study fine arts at university but opted for lab sciences after her parents told her "art school wont get you anywhere" she fashioned a slew of cartoon-inspired cookies for her son Jaxs birthday. She snapped a pic and sent it to Strauman with the message, "Hey, look what I just did!" Strauman and Vendivil spent years perfecting their colourful confections. "She got back to me right away saying something like Good job, keep it up, and everything just kind of went from there," Vendivil says. For the next three years, the two women baked and sold cookies separately. In the summer of 2016, when both were entertaining the idea of trying their luck at craft shows, they agreed to join forces. Needing a catchy tag, they dubbed themselves Scientific Sweets, aka "science nerds who bake," a name they felt summed up their dual careers perfectly. Strauman and Vendivil made their official debut as Scientific Sweets Oct. 1, 2016, at a craft show in Transcona. Not sure how many cookies to bring with them, they spent the week leading up to the event baking "a ton" of primarily "Halloween stuff, Angry Birds things we thought kids would be attracted to," Vendivil says. Let us guess: shoppers were blown away by their talent in the kitchen and couldnt scoop their cookies up fast enough, right? Wrong. "It was a total bust," they say practically in unison. At the end of the day, they had sold barely enough to cover their $50 table rental fee. Vendivil decorates a cookie. A second sale, held a few weeks later at a hotel near Polo Park, went comparatively better. Their third attempt, a Christmas pop-up market at The Forks, was more successful again. Things continued to build and by the time Kardashians associate got in touch with them in June, not only had they become a fixture at juried markets such as Third & Bird, they had also expanded from appealing primarily to the younger set, and were filling orders for everything from bachelorette parties to wedding ceremonies to university grads. (When asked what their most unique request has been to date, Strauman scratches her head before recalling a person who wanted cookies shaped like "cute hairdryers." "I still have no clue what that means," she says.) Flavour-wise, Strauman and Vendivils cookies are primarily their take on a traditional sugar cookie, though they do switch things up on occasion and offer chocolate, lemon and gingerbread as well. What sets Scientific Sweets apart from the competition most is the owners willingness to try anything once; to turn anything they see, pretty much, into a cookie. "You do NOT want to watch TV with either of us," Vendivil instructs. "Were forever hitting pause and taking pictures of things, figuring this or that would be fun to make into a cookie one day down the road." Take for example one of their latest creations, a completely edible fidget spinner, right down to the caramel "ball bearings" that allow the dual-layered cookie to rotate on its axis. "Everyday, were just trying to do something a bit better than we did yesterday," Strauman says. "Even if its not something we think would necessarily sell at a market, well still try it out anyways." Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. As for future plans, they did spend a bit of time this summer researching what theyd need to do to kick things up a notch, and get their wares into retail stores and bakeries. "Its definitely something weve thought of but then it becomes a life balance, how much time it would take us away from our families when were already working full-time at the hospital," Strauman says. "Plus, I think with it right now feeling more like a hobby than a business, it makes it more fun than if we were stuck baking cookies all day because that was our job," Vendivil chimes in, responding, "Ha, not so much," when a reporter comments her kids must count their blessings daily that they have a mom whos a cookie whiz. "They like them for sure but sometimes theyre just as happy with a bag of Oreos. Maybe its because back in the day when we werent selling out, Id forever be saying, Guys, we cant let these things go to waste, you have to eat more, and theyd be like, Cookies? Again?" david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca Whether you hold mutual funds, stocks, bonds or other vehicles in your investment accounts, you will receive regular statements (either paper or online) that provide the value of your holdings and myriad other details and arcane terms. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Whether you hold mutual funds, stocks, bonds or other vehicles in your investment accounts, you will receive regular statements (either paper or online) that provide the value of your holdings and myriad other details and arcane terms. Do you know what all those terms mean? Every week I meet someone who isnt clear on the industry jargon that is, unfortunately, still used on many of these statements. Lets try to clarify a few of those. Account type the labels used could include cash, margin, open, RRSP, RRIF, LIF, TFSA and a few others. "Cash" or "margin" means non-registered or "open," which tells you that account is not an RRSP, TFSA or other "registered" account. In cash and margin accounts, the investment income is taxable each year. On the other hand, only withdrawals are taxable from registered accounts. For a TFSA, both investment income and withdrawals are tax-free. Within all account statements, the terms "balance" or "cash" denote the amount of actual cash balance in that account at month end. The word "cash" is used again, but with a different meaning in this context. "Margin" is a certain type of non-registered investment account that has a built-in line of credit, allowing you to purchase investments (or make withdrawals) "on margin," which means with money borrowed from your investment dealer. It is convenient if you need to make a quick withdrawal, before the sale of a security "settles." Most statements start with a portfolio summary on the first page, listing the account types, account numbers and current value of cash and securities. "Securities" in this context means the holdings in which the money is invested, as opposed to the cash balance in the account. Sometimes repetition causes confusion. For example, statements often provide a summary, then repeat with more detail. The summary totals everything up, while the details repeat those same amounts, but break them down much further. Some companies refer to the investments or securities as "Positions" or "Holdings." Statements usually group investments by the asset class, which could be: cash and short term bonds or fixed income (which may include preferred shares) common stock or equities The last category may be further broken down between Canadian and foreign, and between U.S. and international. Some statements also list "mutual funds" as a separate asset category, but this is completely unhelpful. A mutual fund could be cash, fixed income, equity or other categories, as it depends on what investments are held within that fund. In the details portion, the statement names each individual security, though sometimes they use contractions. More detail is always available by looking up the trading symbol. The statement then shows the quantity (which is the number of shares or units you own of a security, or the face value of bonds) and the current market price. If you multiply the quantity by the price, you should get your current market value. Many statements also show "book value." This may be the original amount you paid for the security, although book value is often adjusted over time by things like distributions reinvested into the same security, or by return of capital on trust units. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Account activity this is the area that tells you what has happened in the month. Sometimes there is a summary first, which is an accounting of changes in your cash balance. In addition, or alternatively, some statements just show the activity details. The types of account activity include interest and dividends paid by securities into your cash balance, expenses and fees deducted, deposits, withdrawals and trading activity. This summary just scrapes the surface of all of the terms and jargon used in investing. Over the next few months, we will expand on these and some of the other terms used, with the goal of making you an expert (or at least a very well-informed amateur). When you have questions about your investments, ask your investment adviser to go through your statements with you. Remember, its your money. Dollars and Sense is meant as an introduction to this topic and should not in any way be construed as a replacement for personalized professional advice. David Christianson, BA, CFP, R.F.P., TEP, CIM is recipient of the Fellow of FPSCTM Distinction, and recently named in the Top 50 Financial Advisors in Canada. He is a portfolio manager and senior vice-president with Christianson Wealth Advisors at National Bank Financial Wealth Management, and author of the book Managing the Bull, A No-Nonsense Guide to Personal Finance. As details emerge in the aftermath of trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S., the number of pundits calling it a good deal for Canada is shrinking faster than hopes of getting one last shot of warm autumn weather. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion As details emerge in the aftermath of trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S., the number of pundits calling it a "good deal" for Canada is shrinking faster than hopes of getting one last shot of warm autumn weather. Even the name of the agreement, USMCA, departs from the notion of a North American trading partnership to put America first. At best, the Canadian negotiators contained the losses in key identifiable areas dispute settlement, autos and supply management, but the nuances around what it gave up even in agriculture are quite astonishing. Most in the agricultural community, with the exception of farmers under supply management, were relieved to see the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement announced, with several major commodity organizations, including Cereals Canada, hailing it as a victory for free and open trade. Its an interesting spin given the clause in the deal that essentially ties Canadas hands when it comes to negotiating trade deals with other sovereign nations such as China. How is it a good idea to let another country decide who you do business with, especially as it pertains to your second-largest trading partner? According to data released by the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance just last year, China has become the third-largest destination for agricultural products worldwide and is expected to become the worlds largest agricultural importer by 2020. "China will be crucial to Canadas economic future over the next 50 years. China is, and will remain, Canadas second-largest national two-way trade partner after the U.S.," the alliance said in a discussion paper promoting pursuit of a bilateral agreement between the two countries. "China is also Canadas second-largest export market, absorbing $4.7 billion of Canadian agriculture and agri-food products in 2014. Unlike many of Canadas trading partners, exports to China have been climbing steadily and did not fall during the global economic crisis." Half of all Canadian agri-food exports to China are canola and canola products, but it is also an important destination for Canadian soybeans, pulse crops, wheat, barley, beef, genetics and processed products. Under USMCA, if Canada seeks to further cement that growing trade relationship, it needs to consult with the U.S. and face the threat of punitive action. Canadas key competitors in that market, including New Zealand and Australia, face no such restrictions. With regard to supply management, much of the attention has focused on increased market access for dairy, poultry and eggs. If you factor in the effects of the concessions given under the Canada-EU and Trans Pacific partnership negotiations, it adds up to about 18 per cent of the Canadian dairy market. Less has been said about the clause that further restricts dairy farmers ability to export dairy ingredients such as skim milk powder to tightly regulated volumes. So they are gradually being squeezed out of their domestic market, yet given no ability to access global markets. Does that sound free and fair to you? This approach seriously threatens the ability of Canada to maintain a domestic dairy and processing sector, which is our second-largest food-processing sector next to meat. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The federal government is missing the mark when it suggests "compensation" is in order, because that implies protecting the status quo. Whats needed now is a major investment in adaptation. Because what became clear in the social media aftermath of the USMCA announcement is that Canadians want to consume Canadian dairy. That little blue cow logo signifying Canadian milk content became iconic overnight. Its partly because people dont want milk that has been produced from cows injected with bovine somatotrophin (BST), a hormone used to boost a cows milk which is allowed in the U.S. but not registered for use in Canada. It was rejected by Health Canada in 1999, not because of safety concerns, but because of animal-welfare issues. Everyone understands that U.S. President Donald Trumps threat of economic isolation and sanctions was real and that supply management was a containable loss. But their were few gains. Put simply, for the Trudeau government facing voters next year, a bad deal was better than no deal at all. Laura Rance is editorial director at Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at 204-792-4382 or lrance@farmmedia.com. The waterproofing that protects the Portage and Main underground concourse has completely disintegrated in areas and may mean the removal of the concrete pedestrian barricades regardless of the outcome of the Oct. 24 referendum on the future of the intersection. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The waterproofing that protects the Portage and Main underground concourse has "completely disintegrated" in areas and may mean the removal of the concrete pedestrian barricades regardless of the outcome of the Oct. 24 referendum on the future of the intersection. The Free Press has learned the 39-year-old structure may be in far worse condition than originally thought, and the added costs of removing and then reinstalling the concrete structures above ground have property owners in the area questioning whether a plebiscite thats part of the civic election is even relevant. A growing body of engineering information from private landowners at Portage and Main suggests the barriers will have to be removed to allow for the replacement of a membrane that prevents moisture from leaking into the concourse that runs beneath the intersection. The concourse is plagued by chronic leakage and flooding from above-ground precipitation. Preliminary engineering studies conducted by the owners of two properties at Portage and Main show conclusively that damage to the membrane is far more significant than first thought. The result is that the membrane cannot be repaired and must be replaced, work must be done primarily above ground, and it will involve the removal of all concrete and other structures at street level above the concourse. "We did find that the membrane had completely disintegrated and is cracked and failing," said Roseanne Hill Blaisdell, managing director of Harvard Buildings, owner of 201 Portage Avenue on the northwest corner of the intersection. "There is no reason to believe that the situation is any better with the citys portion of the concourse." The replacement of the membrane will require Harvard to remove all concrete and planters in the plaza in front of 201 Portage Ave., Hill Blaisdell said. Preliminary engineering studies conducted by the owners of two properties at Portage and Main show conclusively that damage to the membrane is far more significant than first thought. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) If the city has to do similar repairs to its portions of the concourse which run directly under the roadway then the barriers would most likely have to be removed to allow access to the concourse ceiling. "It would seem to me to be very premature to vote on the intersection until we get all the engineering information on what expenditures need to be made to the concourse," she added. That assessment was echoed by Dave Finnbogason, vice-president of corporate development for James Richardson and Sons, owner of the Richardson tower on the northeast corner of the intersection. Plans are underway to remove concrete panels from the plaza outside the tower to repair the membrane and improve street access to the concourse. The prospect that the barriers might have to be removed to facilitate these repairs does not, on its own, settle the debate about whether to reintroduce pedestrians to the intersection. Opponents are still concerned about the effect on traffic flow and pedestrian safety. However, this new information does eliminate a key point of opposition which was the expenditure of taxpayer dollars on removing the barriers. Rather than voting on the cost of removing the barriers, a "no" vote in the referendum would commit the city to spending significant money to build new pedestrian barriers once the concourse repairs are completed. That scenario runs directly contrary to the arguments made by Couns. Jeff Browaty and Janice Lukes, the co-sponsors of the referendum. In an emailed statement, Browaty described concerns about the cost of repairing the concourse as meaningless in the scope of the broader debate about the intersection. He also refuted the notion that voting "no" in the referendum would commit the city to added costs to rebuild the barriers. "If the membrane does need to be upgraded and the current safety barricades need to be removed, it would provide us an opportunity to upgrade to more aesthetically pleasing safety barricades," Browaty wrote. "In the grand scheme of things, this cost would be minimal." MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The courtyard at the Bank of Montreal corner of Portage and Main is showing its age. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) The city was certainly aware early on that the concourse repairs could dramatically affect the future of the pedestrian barriers. One year ago, city council approved an engineering study to assess the state of the concourse and estimate the work needed to be done to restore its structural integrity. However, the contract for concourse assessment was not awarded until August of this year. The winning consultant, SMS Engineering, will be paid $75,000 to determine the state of the underground concourse, the membrane and other drainage infrastructure. Part of the delay was due to uncertainty about the referendum, which council supported in a vote in early summer. However, its still not clear why the city did not proceed more expeditiously with this study given that it has a huge bearing on the debate over the intersections future. Now, as a result of those delays, there is some question about whether the study results will be available before the referendum vote. The SMS report was due to be completed on Oct. 12. Officials from the mayors office and the citys media inquiry service could not confirm if that study had been received, or whether it would be released. Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Proponents of reopening Portage and Main believe the SMS report could significantly change the tack of the referendum debate. "Based on what we know from the property owners, its hard to imagine how the city can fix the concourse without removing the asphalt and barriers," said Adam Dooley, spokesman for the Team Open campaign, which supports the re-introduction of pedestrians to the intersection. "This is just part of a long overdue rehab that is needed. Were talking about a 40-year-old structure that is wearing out." "We have said from the beginning that the previous council showed appalling judgment with this plebiscite," Dooley said. "They tried to distill a very complex issue down to an overly simplistic question. They compounded that error by failing to provide voters with the background needed to make an informed decision. Weve been saying that a no vote doesnt save money. All it means is that we get stuck with a lousy, crumbling intersection and a repair bill." dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca I get asked often: where did it all go wrong? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion I get asked often: where did it all go wrong? When did Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships go awry? How? One could point to when Christopher Columbus met the Taino people and said "they were a people very poor in everything... They should be good and intelligent servants." Or when Jacques Cartier, seeking gold and spices, mistook the word Kanata ("the village") for the place he arrived on instead of what Indigenous Peoples were trying to explain was the true value of it. These are good starting places but I think the best example is the 1763 Royal Proclamation, when British King George III looked at North America and pronounced: "Everything is mine." It didnt matter to the king who was there, what they did or how they would be impacted. To him, the land, for the most part, was "empty." All that mattered was his dominion over everything. The king also declared a few other things, like that Indigenous Peoples had certain "rights," were under his control and had to sell their land to him and move to lands "reserved" for them, but I digress. You get the point. This was not the first moment the "Crown" made a decision that deeply impacted Indigenous lives without consultation, but its arguably the biggest one. Canada made the Royal Proclamation the law of the land when it became a country in 1867 and now we have treaties, a Governor General and "God Save the Queen." The supremacy of the Crown is Canadas first law. Everything in this country came after. Speaking of today, this past Thursday the Supreme Court decided in a 7-2 decision that Canadian lawmakers do not have a duty to consult with Indigenous communities before introducing and passing laws that impact them. The trial came about when the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta took the government to court over two 2012 omnibus budget bills (introduced into law by the former Conservative federal government). Lawyers for Mikisew stated that their clients constitutionally protected hunting and fishing rights were violated because the omnibus bills removed protections for waterways and the environment. As they argued, Mikisew Cree First Nation should have been consulted and it wasnt. The rights the Mikisew Cree relied upon derive from Section 35 of Canadas 1982 Constitution, which states that the "existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed." The problem with Section 35, as I have written before, is that Canada sees Indigenous rights as an "empty box" (to be defined later) and Indigenous Peoples argue these are a "full box" (inherent). This results in an endless, time-consuming and costly march through the judicial system as Indigenous Peoples hire lawyers to fight tooth and nail for every right, all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. With every Supreme Court victory (and there are many), Indigenous rights are defined inch by inch, with Canadian taxpayers footing the bill. Over the years, the Supreme Court has mitigated this by using Section 35 to state the Crown has a "duty to consult" First Nations, and Canada is legally required to accommodate First Nations when Canadian laws and policies impact their rights. If the Miskisew Cree had been sufficiently consulted, this would not only have met the "duty to consult" legal requirement, it would have saved Canada a lot of money. Only now the Supreme Court says Canadas "duty to consult" comes into play after a bill becomes law. This means that the legislative branch (a.k.a. Parliament) doesnt have to wait or worry about what the judicial branch (a.k.a. Supreme Court) will decide on Indigenous rights, they just need to write laws and pass them. Its up to the executive branch, which administers the laws Parliament passes, to deal with consultation with Indigenous Peoples. After the law is passed. Justice Malcolm Rowe, writing in support of the decision, said it would be "highly disruptive" to apply the duty to consult to lawmakers. "It would encroach on parliamentary privilege," he wrote. The fact that Canadas legislative and executive branch are basically the same people and the Crown is ultimately both doesnt matter. The supremacy of Canada is all that matters. Things go awry in relationships when one set of people decide everything for another set and instead of considering them say sorry later. This is what went wrong before, and were back there again. Now, Canada has less of a duty to consult than in 1982, when it was recognized Indigenous lands and rights had been trampled on since 1763. While Thursdays decision said lawmakers have an obligation to maintain the "honour of the Crown," if past practices are an indication, Im not holding my breath. The decision also means First Nations which have pressing financial needs will be paying more for lawyers with money that would be better directed to problems such as tainted water, inadequate education and mouldy homes. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The worst part of this, though, is that Canada is more likely than ever now to implement laws that ignore and violate Aboriginal and treaty rights and after time-consuming marches to the Supreme Court will have legislation that will be eventually overturned. The most ironic thing is that Section 35 and the "duty to consult" clause came only after the Supreme Court made decisions in the 1970s to reprimand Canada on their treatment of Indigenous Peoples. On Thursday, the judicial branch of 2018 undid the work of their older counterparts. What a waste of time, energy and work. Why, hello 1763. I thought you left with all this talk of reconciliation. Turns out youre today. Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Melina Elliott and Erica Henderson are on a mission. Theyve quit their research jobs, and are confident their new, one-of-a-kind business, Body Measure (1086 St. Marys Rd.), will tell Winnipeggers everything theyve ever wanted to know or not know about their bodies. Its believed to be the first company in Canada to offer three high-tech tests Dexa scan for internal body composition, Fit3D exam for external body composition, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in a single location. "Its really exciting to be starting something brand new that no one has done before, and to be starting it in Winnipeg. Were very passionate about it," Henderson said, after running an overweight Free Press columnist through all three state-of-the-art tests at the St. Vital facility. Advocates say the benefit of undergoing such scientific testing is discovering whether youre at risk for obesity-related illnesses, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes or osteoporosis, a disease that weakens the bodys bones. The results contained in a detailed eight-page report also provide the motivation and information clients need to make lifestyle changes required to shed excess pounds and set goals to improve health. "The Fit3D shows you who you are on the outside," Elliott said. "The Dexa machine gives you your internal body composition, who you are on the inside. The resting metabolic rate machine shows you how your body runs and how efficiently." Their unique business plan was born during the five years Elliott, a research co-ordinator, and Henderson, an X-ray technologist, spent working together on the Canadian longitudinal study on aging in the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba. That groundbreaking research relied heavily on a pricey Dexa machine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry a scanner that provides detailed information on bone density, the percentage of body and visceral fat and lean muscle mass. The research partners found themselves swamped with requests from Manitobans eager for a chance to have their bodies scanned by such a machine, leading to a light-bulb moment. "So many people were volunteering for this test in our research that we said, We should do something with this," Henderson said. "We were sitting in Melinas office one day and I just said, Wouldnt this be a cool business? People want to know about their body composition. "Then we decided to write a letter to Manitoba Health just to make sure it was OK that we did it. About six weeks later, they got back to us and gave us the OK." In February, they started talking about opening a business and they took the plunge a few months later. Body Measure held its grand opening Sept. 28. "So, we quit our jobs and started a business," Elliott said. "I had gone to grad school to get the job I had (at the U of M); I thought I was going to be in that job forever. "When I told people that I was leaving... people thought I was insane." On a personal note, Elliott knows only too well the impact such tests can have on a persons physical and emotional health. "A year and a half ago, Erica scanned me," she said, smiling at the memory. "I didnt really want to, because I didnt really want to know. Ive been overweight my whole life, but I finally did it at her urging. She scanned me and printed off the whole report. "I knew exactly what I was looking at. I knew exactly where it was pointing me huge risk factors for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It was just this huge light-bulb moment for me to say, Whoa, woman, what do you want with your life? Do you want to head down this road where you can practically guarantee diabetes, or do you want to make a big change? "So, Ive lost 83 pounds in the last year, and Ive monitored it with the Dexa scanner. Ive been able to track my progress and see the change in my whole body composition and watch the visceral fat number drop. "Nothing else in my life had inspired me enough, motivated me enough and kept me focused. I know Im not the only one who needs scientific data to motivate themselves to take action." TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Doug Speirs in the Dexa scanner, aided by Erica Henderson at Body Measures. The DEXA scanner provides information on bone density, the percentage of body and visceral fat and lean muscle mass. When you walk through the front door, it looks and feels like a health spa. But instead of manicures and pedicures and facials, clients undergo state-of-the-art tests to get a complete picture of a bodys composition. The process starts with signing a consent form because the Dexa scanner emits a low-dose of radiation. ("You are exposed to more radiation on a one-way flight from Winnipeg to Toronto or if you spend four hours in an outside activity," Elliott said.) First up, tucked in a private room, is the Fit3D body imager, wherein the client is required to strip to their underwear and stand on a rotating pedestal while cameras embedded in a tower capture more than 400 measurements and a 3D image of the body. The $12,000 machine takes about 40 seconds to do all this and can handle clients up to seven feet tall and 600 pounds. "It scans you from head to toe, and measures all your circumferences from your neck down to your ankle," Elliott said. "It also gets a 3D image of you that we email you so you can see what you look like from any angle. "It was originally developed for the apparel industry so you could get scanned and have the best-fitting suit made. It gives you all your measurements, as well as a posture rating and a balance report." Nearby, in what feels like a meditation room, is the RMR machine, the only one of its kind in the city. For this test, the client is required to relax in a chaise lounge and breathe through a plastic tube connected to a $15,000 device, roughly the size of a toaster oven. "Youre mouth-breathing for 10 minutes with your nose plugged," Elliott instructed an apprehensive visitor. "Some people find it difficult to do. "This one will tell you exactly how many calories your body burns in a 24-hour period at rest. It will tell you how your metabolism is running low, normal or fast. It also tells you how much you should eat in a day to lose weight, gain weight or maintain your current weight. "The whole idea of our business is it eliminates the guessing about your body. What do I need to feed myself to achieve my goals? Whats going on inside my body? What is my risk for a variety of metabolic diseases?" In a third room sits the companys showpiece: the $150,000 Dexa scanner. This test involves lying down on what resembles a large tanning bed, while an armature passes above the clients body. "I call it the human photocopier," Elliott said with a giggle. "It can take between six and 12 minutes for the scan, depending on the size of the person." As a trained X-ray technician and a longtime professional trainer Henderson is the only one qualified to run this state-of-the-art machine. Body Measures Dexa is one of only five in Manitoba (there are two others at the U of M and two in local hospitals). "This shows your body fat percentage, how much visceral fat you have inside you, your bone density and your lean muscle mass," she said. "Its a snapshot of the inside of your body." The scanner will even tell if a body is symmetrical, whether it has the same amount of fat, bone and muscle in each of the limbs. Since formally opening last month, Elliott and Henderson have scanned close to 300 clients hoping to learn the inside story of their own bodies. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The pair are passionate about making their fledgling business a success and about empowering Winnipeggers to improve their overall health. "There isnt a single person who wouldnt benefit from a Dexa scan and an RMR test," Henderson insisted, as she and her partner briefed this columnist on his less-than-stellar results. "Weve had every type of person come through the door," Elliott said. "Weve had bodybuilders that have like seven per cent body fat to people that are morbidly obese, 350 pounds or more. Weve had people over 400 pounds. From one spectrum to the other, from somebody super-concerned about getting their body fat down to the absolute lowest for competition, to somebody who needs the motivation to change their life and lose the weight they want to lose." And theres been the odd overweight newspaper columnist, too. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca While he waits for the federal Justice Department to decide whether he was wrongfully convicted of three murders more than 20 years ago, a Winnipeg man has asked a Court of Queen's Bench judge to release him on bail. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. While he waits for the federal Justice Department to decide whether he was wrongfully convicted of three murders more than 20 years ago, a Winnipeg man has asked a Court of Queen's Bench judge to release him on bail. Robert Sanderson, who is serving a life sentence in British Columbia for the 1996 triple murder, will have to wait a bit longer before he finds out whether he'll be granted bail pending a ministerial review of his case. Justice Sheldon Lanchbery reserved his decision Friday and ordered a publication ban on details presented at the the bail hearing. Neither Crown attorney Mark Kantor nor defence lawyer James Lockyer requested a publication ban to cover details of the 22-year-old murder case, which resulted in convictions for Sanderson and two other men in 1997. One of those men later appealed based on new evidence, had two retrials and was ultimately acquitted. Lanchbery ordered the publication ban after Sanderson's bail hearing began Friday afternoon, saying he wanted to advise those taking notes in the public gallery of the courtroom that bail hearings have publication bans. Lockyer then told the judge the defence wouldn't normally ask for a publication ban in this case, but the judge ordered one anyway. "I think under the circumstances we should, given the nature of the crime committed in 1996 and there will be names used today of people who were involved in that particular trial. I think it's important, so on my order that's made," Lanchbery said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Crown is opposed to Sanderson's release. A new date has not been set for Lanchbery to deliver his decision on bail. The hearing was previously scheduled to happen Sept. 28, when Sanderson was brought to court in Winnipeg, but it was delayed until Friday. Sanderson's family and supporters, who were in court to see him on Friday and in late September, declined to speak to reporters. A jury convicted Sanderson of three counts of first-degree murder in the Aug. 6, 1996 stabbing and shooting deaths of Russell Krowetz, Stefan Zurstegge and James Gross. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay All three levels of government might finally co-ordinate their response to a meth crisis that is straining Winnipeg police and hospitals. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. All three levels of government might finally co-ordinate their response to a meth crisis that is straining Winnipeg police and hospitals. On Sept. 20, Winnipeg city council unanimously passed a motion calling for an intergovernmental task force on methamphetamine use "with a mandate to identify prevention and treatment strategies." Council pledged to create its own task force if the province or Ottawa dont step up by Nov. 19. However, it appears both want to collaborate with the city. Last Tuesday, Mayor Brian Bowman met with Winnipeg Liberal MPs to discuss the task force. Charleswood-area MP Doug Eyolfson said Bowman focused on the motions request that Ottawa "bolster its efforts at international border crossings." Winnipeg police believe meth is coming from Mexico, smuggled into Canadas West Coast before being shipped to other provinces. Public-health experts previously suggested the drug was being cultivated locally. Because the federal government sets border policy, Eyolfson said hell be bringing up the issue with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. "If theres something that we can do that could enhance our regular border practices, that could help address this, certainly, its something we should be looking into," Eyolfson said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Meanwhile, provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen said he and Justice Minister Cliff Cullen wrote to Bowman on Sept. 19, a day before the council meeting, "indicating we would be pleased to meet with Winnipegs mayor and council following the municipal election" to talk meth. Friesen noted the PC government has opened Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics and added six mental-health beds to Health Sciences Centre but he said more needs to be done. "Collaboration with all partners, including other levels of government, is a must if we are to address this challenge. No good idea will be ignored," he wrote. Eyolfson said thats a good sign, even if "sooner is better than later." with files from Ryan Thorpe dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca The Progressive Conservative government is promoting a little-known provision in provincial law that allows, in exceptional circumstances, for the quick eviction of tenants who commit illegal acts, such as dealing drugs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Progressive Conservative government is promoting a little-known provision in provincial law that allows, in exceptional circumstances, for the quick eviction of tenants who commit illegal acts, such as dealing drugs. Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said Friday the law allows a landlord to evict tenants with only five days notice if they pose an immediate risk to others. If the tenant disputes the action, the provincial residential tenancies branch can schedule a hearing within five days. "We want to make sure we empower the communities to help us and to help the police in terms of trying to eradicate the illicit drug (trade) here in Winnipeg," Cullen told a news conference in north Point Douglas, where activists have battled drug dealers and slum landlords. "This is a neighbourhood that has been cleaned up, and we appreciate the good work that the community has done," Cullen said. The provincial government has been under increasing pressure to come up with solutions to combat what some call the "meth crisis." Premier Brian Pallister and other senior government members have stressed that community efforts are needed as well. Cullen said one tool is to disrupt drug dealers through timely eviction. Longtime Point Douglas community activist Sel Burrows believes quick evictions can be effective in combating drug dealers. He said the police service lacks the resources to deal with the situation on its own. "We have recognized from very early on that the ability to evict hard drug dealers and serious criminals has been a key part of what weve done," Burrows told reporters, as he stood alongside Cullen on Friday. He also urged the PC government to develop preventative measures to battle the meth scourge. Point Douglas landlord Gord Sims praised the PCs and new leadership at the residential tenancies branch for their commitment to an expedited eviction process. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. At one time, it took months to get a hearing to oust a drug dealer, while the community and landlord stood by helplessly, he said. Those days are over, he added. Sims said landlords and communities should feel empowered by the governments new focus. "You have just been given an expedited eject button for criminal behaviour," he said. The province says any person can file a confidential report with the Justice Departments public safety investigations unit about properties where threatening or illegal activities regularly take place, including unlawful drug use, child exploitation or participation in a criminal organization. Following an investigation, the province can issue a warning letter to the property owner, resolve the problem out of court or apply for an order to close the property or remove the tenants involved. Since 2016, the investigations unit has responded to 435 complaints about properties with "chronic problematic behaviour," a government release said. Of those, 425 were confirmed to have had drug-related activity. Because of such investigations, 373 properties have been closed. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca A candidate for school trustee is apologizing for social media posts she made mocking Premier Brian Pallisters pain after he broke his arm hiking in the U.S., and for suggesting she was going to run down illegal protesters blocking the road. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A candidate for school trustee is apologizing for social media posts she made mocking Premier Brian Pallisters pain after he broke his arm hiking in the U.S., and for suggesting she was going to run down illegal protesters blocking the road. "Everyone has bad days," Tracey Drexler said in an email to the Free Press Friday. "Im human, Im outspoken about the issues that effect (sic) my family and my community," said Drexler, who is running for St. James-Assiniboia school division trustee in the Silver Heights-Booth ward. "Everyone makes mistakes. I am truly sorry to anyone I have offended." On the People of Winnipeg Facebook page last November, Drexler posted the Free Press story about Pallister breaking his arm while hiking in the U.S. She said one of her four children nearly died as a result of health-care cutbacks, and news of Pallisters injuries "litterally (sic) made my day. If that makes me a bad person (for) being happy he is in pain, so be it." Among the comments attached to the post, Drexler wrote "If it were up to me, Id let his bone set, rebrake (sic) it, then leave an instrument in him." Drexler said on Friday that when she wrote that post, her 18-month-old son was in the pediatric intensive care unit "fighting for his life in respiratory failure as a direct result of not receiving timely care for an asthma exacerbation at childrens hospital because of short staff." "Im sure there are many parents right now that have babies in (the St. Boniface hospital intensive care unit) that would wish Mr. Pallister to experience the negative effects of the health-care cuts," she said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Drexlers posts were sent to the Free Press by a reader who questioned their appropriateness for someone running for elected office. One of them was in response to news that protesters were blocking traffic on Portage Avenue. "Mother f---er, seriously? I have 25 minutes to make it from Balmoral Hall to Westwood to take my special needs son off the bus... With the construction on portage its nearly impossible as it is. So just a heads up if you choose to block my roadway I will NOT be stopping." Drexler said she posted that two years ago. "I was fed up with protests constantly illegally blocking roads, causing a headache for commuters, and the stress of not knowing if Id be home to get my special needs son off of the bus in time," she said in her email to the Free Press. "Its a shame you chose to focus on the negative rather than all the positive things Ive been advocating for." Her nomination information posted on the citys election website says she advocated for and worked with the school board to get a service-animal policy passed that benefits many children in St. James. Drexler said when her son and his service dog became a team five years ago, there was no service-animal policy in the division. "Over the years, Ive been a strong advocate for special education and student services at school board meetings." Five other trustees are running in the ward for three positions on the board. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca What can we glean from an election process that invites a self-described homeless person to run for mayor of Winnipeg? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion What can we glean from an election process that invites a self-described homeless person to run for mayor of Winnipeg? The correct answer is that its heartening to see wide-open inclusion, a pillar of democracy even when it means letting eccentric characters put their names on the ballot. A less correct, but truthful, answer is that such an open system is also frustrating. For example, candidate forums bog down when audiences must listen to no-hope candidates whose pronouncements only provide evidence they didnt study up on civic issues and budgetary basics that a mayor must know. Yet its vital that the democratic process be open to everyone, not just well-connected and smooth-talking professionals in nice suits. Anyone who can gather signatures of 250 eligible voters on their nomination papers can declare their candidacy for mayor of Winnipeg, and thats as it should be. The low threshold for nominations opens the door to unconventional candidates and, by the standards of polite company anywhere, some of the current candidates are exceedingly unconventional. Ed Ackerman, of no fixed address, has repeatedly used jokes to dodge serious questions at mayoral forums. He has pledged to build a $400-million "negative toll bridge" that pays people $10 per trip to visit the North End. At a forum on Thursday evening, he suggested the Panama Canal be dammed. Don Woodstock has prominently and proudly worn a medal that looks suspiciously like an Order of Canada medal. When asked about it by a reporter, he said it was an "Order of Canadians" medal, which he said is only one step below the esteemed Order of Canada honour. Thats wrong, according to the Urban Knights, which gave the medal to Woodstock. They say the medal is only a novelty and they want it back, but Woodstock refused to take it off. Venkat Machiraju, a Hindu priest, might be the first candidate ever arrested by police during a Winnipeg election campaign. He was charged on Oct. 2 for allegedly phoning someone he is prohibited from contacting. He said he had a stroke that affects control of his left hand and he unintentionally "pocket dialed" the number of the person who has a protection order against him. These sideshows might seem amusing and harmless. When Ackerman stated the only parties he supports are the ones that occur on Friday and Saturday nights, it sounded like a throwback to the wit of the Rhinoceros Party, which sometimes provided welcome chuckles during provincial and federal campaigns. But there are candidates who feel the position of mayor is seriously important, and their attempts to campaign like grown-ups can be thwarted. Ask candidate Jenny Motkaluk. She was trying to engage Woodstock at a recent forum when Woodstocks wife repeatedly yelled out from the audience, a distraction that is enough to throw any debater off her game. Motkaluk, who is the most popular candidate after incumbent Brian Bowman, has said she wants to debate Bowman one-on-one, without the distractions of fringe candidates getting their turn to ramble at the microphone. Bowman seems to be in no hurry to agree to a one-on-one with Motkaluk. Thats unsurprising because, unlike her, he has a political record to defend. The "debate" would likely consist of her attacking his record. The participation of fringe candidates also makes it harder for media. Trying to be fair, media outlets profile all candidates and cover, at least to some degree, their press conferences and appearances at forums. The unfortunate consequence is that a candidate for whom the race is a lark can receive media coverage that is overblown when measured by the paucity of the candidates insights. Some jurisdictions have tried to weed out fringe candidates by raising the threshold to run for office. An Edmonton city councillor has suggested the deposit for municipal candidates be hiked to $1,000, but this proposal is unlikely to pass. When a similar tactic was tried in Ontario, a judge cited the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in striking down a law that let $200 deposits be garnished from provincial election candidates who didnt win more than 10 per cent of the vote. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Legalities aside, there are solid reasons why the campaign should be open even to people who are highly unlikely to raise their arms in victory on Oct. 24. Its possible someone who is considered a fringe candidate in this election is getting experience to become a more credible candidate in a future campaign. Also, good ideas sometimes come from unexpected sources and are borrowed by more prominent candidates. For example, Bowman pledged Oct. 5 to meet with the road construction industry to implement 24-7 work schedules, an idea first suggested in the campaign by candidate Umar Hayat on Sept. 18. It would be ideal if mayoral campaigns only included candidates who are well-informed, of sterling integrity and able to back up their policy proposals with research and an accounting of costs. But restricting campaigns to such candidates wouldnt be democratic. We must all get a chance to speak our mind, and run for office if we think we can do better. If this means the process includes kooks and chaos, thats the price we pay for democracy. Carl DeGurse is a member of the Free Press editorial board. Newly elected Quebec Premier Francois Legault has announced his intent to use Section 33 of the Constitution of Canada, more often referred to as the notwithstanding clause, to prohibit civil servants from wearing religious symbols when interacting with the public. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/10/2018 (1130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Newly elected Quebec Premier Francois Legault has announced his intent to use Section 33 of the Constitution of Canada, more often referred to as the notwithstanding clause, to prohibit civil servants from wearing religious symbols when interacting with the public. Its an alarming announcement to me, as a lawyer and faculty member at a law school. Heres why. Legaults invocation of the clause, just weeks after Ontario Premier Doug Fords ultimately unnecessary threat to use it in his legal battle to shrink the size of Toronto city council, sent a signal to the prime minister and other premiers: Ontario and Quebec do not play by the rules. Legault issued his threat even earlier out of the gates than Ford did, following a similarly stunning provincial election result. Hes musing about using the notwithstanding clause to short-circuit the Supreme Court of Canada and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on a matter of fundamental religious freedom and freedom of expression. While the two NDP governments in British Columbia and Alberta duke it out over pipelines on the West Coast, central Canada is threatening the tenets of democracy. Right-wing populism The early signals of both the Ford and Legault premierships suggest that Canadas two largest provinces have fallen under the spell of a right-wing populism of the type associated with Donald Trump and Brexit. Central to this style of politics is its total disregard for the rule of law on the premise that their governments electoral mandate means that they can do whatever they please, including exerting their will over municipal governments. Have no illusions, this is an authoritarian tendency and presents a clear and present danger to the rule of law. In Canada, the most obvious avenue of expression for this tendency is through the invocation of the notwithstanding clause. An attempt to marry the rule of law with right-wing populism has played out to a rapt global audience in the debacle surrounding the Trump administrations nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Culture wars Although the cultural politics of America are different than they are in Canada, no country is closer to the U.S. economically and socially than Canada. Pierre Trudeaus old adage about the mouse at the foot of the elephant, and the old saying about American sneezing and Canada catching a cold, are true. In fact, in the context of globalization, Americas realities are generalities. So much so, the current mainstreaming of extremist populist politics not only in the Anglo-American world, but across the globe, is borne out by the evidence. Freedom House, a well-respected and still objective U.S. government agency with a storied history that advocates for democracy and human rights, describes 2017 as the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom as measured by net declines in political rights and civil liberties in 71 countries with only 35 registering gains. It will be interesting to see how things look in 2018. I am not optimistic. Right-wing, often xenophobic and nationalist politics characteristic of downward trends in global democracy and the rule of law are apparently beginning to thrive in Canada. Wherever there is a declared willingness of elected officials to escape, short-circuit or otherwise undermine courts, constitutions and established standards of conduct, alarm bells should sound. Its essential for Canadians to understand were not immune from similar abuses of our institutions and our laws. Today, what we see occurring in Trumps America is part of an alarming global tendency. It can happen here and anywhere. Nativist, reactionary Although some commentators have celebrated the apparent demise of the Parti Quebecois in that provinces recent election, the Legault victory speaks to some of the most nativist and reactionary impulses of Quebecers by redirecting popular politics along the lines of ethnic rather than civic nationalism. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. We must not be smug or look down at Americans for their crass political culture and race to the bottom. I worry that what were now experiencing in Canadas two major provinces is an expression of a similar downward trajectory at highest level of our politics. As a federal election looms next fall, Canadians must be alert to the risk posed to our entire legal and constitutional order if the notwithstanding clause is routinely invoked and used to short-circuit the application of Charter rights in Canadas most populous provinces. The notwithstanding clause is a dangerous defect in Canadas legal order. Absent a convention of not triggering it routinely, there would indeed be a constitutional crisis. A constitutional crisis occurs when it is no longer certain whether the Constitution can be relied upon and courts judgments enforced. In many countries, including our own, we are on the brink of just such a crisis. Jeffrey B. Meyers is a lecturer in the faculty of law at Thompson Rivers University. This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca. Husky Drama presents Thoroughly Modern Millie Winterset High Schools fall musical was Thoroughly Modern Millie, performed in the Henry C. Miller Auditorium from Nov. 5-6. This is the first full-scale production Husky Drama has done since the fall of 2019, said... Historical Victorian mansion dressed for mourning It was a good night for mourning as citizens gathered at the Madison County Historical Complex recently to learn some of the funeral traditions and rituals practiced during the Victorian era. Two evening sessions were... 75th annual All-State Music Festival and OPUS Honor Choir In the state of Iowa, being accepted into an All-State ensemble is among the highest honors. This year, Winterset High School had 11 musicians accepted. Ethan Suddarth, on horn, completed a perfect All- State run... Ceremony, grand re-opening at The Cellar in Winterset The Cellar celebrated joining the Madison County Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, Oct. 22. In addition, they celebrated their grand re-opening, which they were unable to have last year due to... Commercial breeders in Ohio can no longer cram dogs into cages that are stacked on top of each other and deprive animals of basic necessities, like space to move, exercise and access to veterinary care. A pathbreaking new law upgrades standards of care for dogs kept in breeding kennels that churn out large numbers of puppies, also called puppy mills. Under the new law, each dog must be given daily exercise that allows the animal to extend to full stride, play and engage in other types of mentally stimulating and social behaviors, receive an annual veterinary exam, and be housed with other dogs in temperature-regulated kennels, among other reforms. The law also mandates that only healthy dogs can be bred, and limits the number of times a female dog can be bred. It requires retailers selling puppies in Ohio to acquire animals solely from breeders who meet these standards, regardless of what state they are in. After 2021, the law will ban wire flooring and will require an increase in the size of the kennels. Today is the culmination of years of work to improve the lives of dogs in Ohio and advocates all across the country have reason to celebrate. This is one of the strongest puppy mill laws on the books anywhere in the United States, and I want to commend our colleagues in the Humane Society of the United States puppy mills campaign, our Ohio State Director Corey Roscoe and the many volunteers in the state who worked long and hard for this outcome. We also thank Gov. John Kasich for signing this bill into law. This is a major victory for companion animals and their welfare, and we hope it will set the trend for more states to pass similar legislation to stop some of the most abusive practices in puppy mills. As if we needed more evidence of the harm puppy mills cause to both animals and humans, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals what we have long suspected: that commercial dog breeders, transporters and pet stores are routinely giving puppies strong antibiotics to prevent disease, rather than to treat it. Using antibiotics widely and recklessly in this way renders them ineffective in fighting human and animal diseases and conditions by contributing to drug-resistant strains. Already, we know of one zoonotic disaster caused by such antibiotic use: the study revealed that a number of puppy-selling pet stores, including Petland, were linked to a disease outbreak caused by an antibiotic resistant strain of campylobacter, a disease-causing bacterium. The outbreak is known to have infected at least 118 people, with some ending up in the hospital. The CDC has called for the commercial dog breeding industry to be more judicious in its use of antibiotics, but those of us who fight this problem daily know that much more work is needed before these problems can be erased. We also need to work to keep new, exploitative practices from taking hold. For instance, a practice called pet leasing has been growing in popularity and has come under the spotlight in recent years. Predatory marketers lease out pets to people for a period of time and then allow them to make a final balloon payment to keep these pets. There have been well-publicized cases of consumers who had no idea they were leasing their new four-legged family member and were terrified their pet would be taken away from them because they missed a payment. California and Nevada have already passed laws against pet leasing, and this week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had earlier committed to create a stronger, more humane New York, signed a law banning this practice in his state. Kudos to our New York staff and volunteers who pushed for the passage of this bill. Our work to fight puppy mills is one of our most important priorities at the Humane Society of the United States. Our federal and state legislative teams, attorneys, puppy mills campaign staff, investigative team and our Animal Rescue Team attack this problem from every angle, whether its reaching consumers through education, working with pet supply stores, taking unscrupulous online puppy sellers to court, collaborating with responsible breeders and other stakeholders, helping pass state and federal laws, saving animals from terrible situations in puppy mills, conducting undercover investigations, and raising awareness about puppy mills through our annual Horrible Hundred report. Every victory we achieve takes us closer to the day we can end this scourge once and for all. You can do your part too, by making the right choice when you acquire your next companion animal: from a shelter, a rescue group, or a responsible breeder, and not from an internet seller or a pet store or a puppy mill. America needs a fundamental change in how dogs are raised and sold here, and as the victory in Ohio shows, we can work together to make that change happen. P.S. You can also help fight puppy mills by coming to our Puppy Mill Action Boot Camp in Malvern, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The boot camp, which will run from Oct. 20-21, will help anti-puppy-mill advocates learn how to work with lawmakers, speak to the media, and organize grassroots efforts. It includes eight workshops, four meals, many dynamic expert speakers and even some fun surprises, all for only a $25 registration fee. Hotel discounts are available for those who register by Sept. 29, so sign up now. The post Ohios new puppy mills law, one of the strongest in nation, takes effect today appeared first on A Humane Nation. Related Stories Ohios new puppy mills law, one of the strongest in nation, takes effect today Ohios new puppy mills law, one of the strongest in nation, takes effect today - Enclosure Hawaii leads with a historic decision to ban tigers, elephants and other wild animals in traveling circuses The following companies are subsidiares of Crane: "CPI-Kiev" LLC, ARDAC Inc., AeroHose, Alfa Laval - The Industrial Flow Group, Armature d.o.o., Automatic Products (UK) Ltd., Automatic Products international - Assets, B. Rhodes & Son Ltd., Barksdale GmbH, Barksdale Inc., CA-MC Acquisition UK Ltd., CR Holdings C.V., CashCode Co - Assets, Coin Controls International Ltd., Coin Holdings Ltd., Coin Industries Ltd., Coin Overseas Holdings Ltd., Coin Pension Trustees Ltd., Conlux Matsumoto Co. Ltd., Consolidated Lumber Co, Corva Corp, Crane (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Crane Aerospace Inc., Crane Australia Pty. Ltd., Crane Canada Co., Crane Composites Inc., Crane Composites Ltd., Crane Controls Inc., Crane Currency, Crane Electronics Corporation, Crane Electronics Inc., Crane Environmental Inc., Crane European Financing LLC, Crane Fengqiu Zhejiang Pump Co. Ltd., Crane Fluid & Gas Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Crane Global Holdings S.L., Crane GmbH, Crane Holdings (Germany) GmbH, Crane International Capital S.a.r.l., Crane International Holdings Inc., Crane International Trading (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Crane Ireland Ventures Designated Activity Company, Crane Ltd., Crane Merchandising Systems Inc., Crane Merchandising Systems Ltd., Crane Merger Co. LLC, Crane Middle East & Africa FZE, Crane Ningjin Valve Co. Ltd., Crane North America Funding LLC, Crane Nuclear Inc., Crane Overseas LLC, Crane Payment Innovations GmbH, Crane Payment Innovations Inc., Crane Payment Innovations International Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Pty Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Sarl, Crane Payment Innovations Srl, Crane Pension Trustee Company (UK) Limited, Crane Process Flow Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies GmbH, Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.P.R.L., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.r.l., Crane Pumps and Systems Inc., Crane Resistoflex GmbH, Crane SC Holdings Ltd., Crane Stockham Valve. Ltd., Crane Yongxiang (Ningbo) Valve Company Ltd., Croning Livarna d.o.o., Cummis-Allison Corp, Delta Fluid Products, Delta Fluid Products Ltd., Dixie Narco, Donald Brown (Brownall) Ltd., ELDEC Corporation, ELDEC Electronics Ltd., ELDEC France S.A.R.L, Edlon - PSI division, Environmental Products USA, Etex Group - Business, Flow Technology Inc., Friedrich Krombach GmbH Armaturenwerke, General Technology Corp., Hattersley Newman Hender - Assets, Hattersly Newman Hender Ltd., Hydro-Aire Inc., Inta-Lok Ltd., Interpoint S.A.R.L., Interpoint U.K. Limited, Kessel (Thailand) Pte. Ltd., Kontron America - Mobile Rugged Business, Laminated Profiles - Assets, Lasco Composites, Liberty Technologies, MCC Holdings Inc., MEI Australia LLC, MEI Auto Payment System (Shanghai) Ltd., MEI Conlux, MEI Conlux Holdings (Japan) Inc., MEI Conlux Holdings (US) Inc., MEI Payment Systems Hong Kong Ltd., MEI Queretaro S. de R.L. de CV, MEI de Mexico LLC, MOVATS - Nuclear Valve Division, Merrimac Industries, Merrimac Industries Inc., Mondais Holdings B.V., Money Controls, Money Controls Argentina SA, Money Controls Holdings Ltd., Multi-Mix Microtechnology SRL, NABIC Valve Safety Products Ltd., Nippon Conlux Co. Ltd., Noble Composites, Noble Composites Inc., Number One Supply, Owens Corning - FRP Panel Business, P.L. Porter, P.T. Crane Indonesia, Pegler Hattersly Ltd., Resistoflex, Sequentia Holdings, Signal Technology, Sperryn & Company Ltd., Stentorfield, Streamware, Telequip, Terminal Manufacturing Co., The Dow Chemical - Plastic-Lined Piping Products division, The Krombach Group, Triangle Valve Co. Ltd., Unidynamics / Phoenix Inc., Ventech Controls, Viking Johnson Ltd., W.T. Armatur GmbH, Wade Couplings Ltd., Wask Ltd., Westlock Controls, Xomox, Xomox Chihuahua S.A. de C.V., Xomox Corporation, Xomox Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Xomox France S.A.S., Xomox Hungary Kft., Xomox International GmbH & Co. OHG, Xomox Japan Ltd., Xomox Korea Ltd., Xomox Sanmar Ltd., and Yilme Holdings B.V.. There is not enough analysis data for American Premium Water. 3.9 Community Rank Outperform Votes American Premium Water has received 24 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes American Premium Water has received 17 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment American Premium Water has received 58.54% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about American Premium Water and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe HIPH will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe HIPH 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 Franklin Resources: AdvisorEngine, AdvisorEngine Inc., Alumcreek Holdings LLC, Athena Capital Advisors, Balanced Equity Management, Balanced Equity Management Pty. Limited, Benefit Street Partners, Bissett & Associates Investment Management, Brandywine Global Investment Management Europe Limited, CCPF GP Holdco No.2 Limited, CCPF No.2 (GP) Limited, CCPF No.2 LP, CP Industrial Management LLC, CP Intermediate Holdco Inc., CRM Software LLC, Clarion Gramercy (Deutschland) GmbH, Clarion Gramercy (UK) Limited, Clarion Gramercy Limited, Clarion Partners Europe Ltd., Clarion Partners Holdings LLC, Clarion Partners LLC, Clarion Partners Securities LLC, Clarion REIM South America Holdings LLC, Clarion REIM South America Invsetimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure (North America) Pty Limited, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure International Pty Limited, Darby - Hana Infrastructure Fund Management Co. Ltd., Edinburgh Partners, FT FinTech Holdings LLC, FT Opportunistic Distressed Fund Ltd., FTC Investor Services Inc., FTCI (Cayman) Ltd., FTPE Advisers LLC, Fiduciary International Holding Inc., Fiduciary Investment Management International Inc., Fiduciary Trust (International) Sarl, Fiduciary Trust Company International, Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania, Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada, Fiduciary Trust International LLC, Fiduciary Trust International of California, Fiduciary Trust International of Delaware, Fiduciary Trust International of the South, Franklin Advisers GP LLC, Franklin Advisers Inc., Franklin Advisory Services LLC, Franklin Marketplace Loan GP LLC, Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin SystematiQ Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Alternative Investments (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Asset Management Mexico S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, Franklin Templeton Austria GmbH, Franklin Templeton Capital Holdings Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Chile SpA. V., Franklin Templeton Companies LLC, Franklin Templeton Digital Advisory Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Fund Management Limited, Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Global Investors Limited, Franklin Templeton Holding Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Investment Management (Shanghai) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Investment Services Mexico S. de R.L., Franklin Templeton Investment Trust Management Co. Ltd., Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., Franklin Templeton Investments Japan Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Poland sp. z o.o., Franklin Templeton Investments South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Franklin Templeton Investor Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Investimentos (Brasil) Ltda., Franklin Templeton Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Magyarorszag Kft., Franklin Templeton Management Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Franklin Templeton Private Equity LLC, Franklin Templeton Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Servicios de Asesoria Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Franklin Templeton Slovakia s.r.o., Franklin Templeton Social Infrastructure GP S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Strategic Investments Ltd., Franklin Templeton Switzerland Ltd., Franklin Templeton Trustee Services Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Turkey Advisory Services A.S., Franklin Templeton Uruguay S.A., Franklin Venture Partners (Talos Cayman GP) LLC, Franklin Venture Partners LLC, Franklin/Templeton Distributors Inc., ITI Capital Markets Limited, K2 Advisors, LM (BVI) Limited, LM Holdings 2 Limited, LM Holdings Limited, LM International Holding LP, Legg Mason & Co (UK) Limited, Legg Mason & Co. LLC, Legg Mason (Chile) Inversiones Holdings Limitada, Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Hong Kong Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Singapore Pte. Limited, Legg Mason Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Legg Mason Holding (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Inc., Legg Mason Investment Funds Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Europe) Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor LLC, Legg Mason Royce Holdings LLC, Onsa Inc., RARE IP Trust, RARE Infrastructure Limited, REDROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Random Forest Capital, Random Forest Capital LLC, Rensburg Sheppards plc, Riva Financial Systems Limited, Royce & Associates GP LLC, Royce & Associates LP, Royce Fund Services LLC, Royce Management Company LLC, TSEMF III (Jersey) Limited, TSEMF IV (Jersey) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Labuan) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Poland) TFI S.A., Templeton Asset Management Ltd., Templeton Global Advisors Limited, Templeton Global Holdings Ltd., Templeton International Inc., Templeton Investment Counsel LLC, Templeton Restructured Investments III Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments IV Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments L.L.C., Templeton Turkey Fund GP Ltd., Templeton Worldwide Inc., Templeton do Brasil Ltda., Templeton/Franklin Investment Services Inc., WHITEROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Western Asset Management (Brazil) Holdings Limitada, Western Asset Management (Cayman) Holdings Limited, Western Asset Management Company Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios Limitada, Western Asset Management Company LLC, Western Asset Management Company Limited, Western Asset Management Company Pte Ltd., Western Asset Management Company Pty Ltd, and Winfield & Company. ConocoPhillips engages in the exploration, production, transportation and marketing of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and liquefied natural gas on a worldwide basis. It operates through the following geographical segments: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe, Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Other International. The Alaska segment primarily explores for produces, transports and markets crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. The Lower 48 segment consists of operations in the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment is comprised of oil sands development in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta and a liquids-rich unconventional play in western Canada. The Europe, Middle East and North Africa segment consists of operations and exploration activities in Norway, the United Kingdom and Libya. The Asia Pacific segment has explorations and product operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. The Other International segment handles exploration activities in Columbia and Argentina. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More Targa Resources Corp. provides midstream natural gas and natural gas liquids services. It also provides gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil and storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. It operates through the following business segments: Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Transportation. The Gathering and Processing segment includes assets used in the gathering of natural gas produced from oil and gas wells and processing this raw natural gas into merchantable natural gas by extracting NGLs and removing impurities; and assets used for crude oil gathering and terminaling. The Logistics and Transportation segment includes all the activities necessary to convert mixed NGLs into NGL products and provides certain value added services such as storing, fractionating, terminaling, transporting and marketing of NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; storing and terminaling of refined petroleum products and crude oil and certain natural gas supply and marketing activities in support of its other businesses. The company was founded on October 27, 2005 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Read More First American Financial Corp. operates as an insurance company. It provides title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company operates its business through the following segments: Title Insurance & Services and Specialty Insurance. The Title Insurance & Services segment provides title insurance, escrow, closing services and similar or related financial services domestically and internationally in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. It also maintains, manages and provides access to title plant records and images and provides banking, trust and investment advisory services. The Specialty Insurance segment issues property & casualty insurance policies and sells home warranty products. It also provides title plant management services, which include title and other real property records and images, valuation products and services, home warranty products, property and casualty insurance and banking, trust and investment advisory services. First American Financial was founded in January, 2008 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, CA. Read More Hannover RAck SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services worldwide. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance, and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The Property & Casualty Reinsurance segment offers specialty lines comprising marine, aviation, facultative and direct business, credit, surety, and political risks reinsurance products; and treaty, catastrophe XL, and structured reinsurance, as well as insurance-linked securities. This segment also provides risk solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock businesses; aviation and space business; and marine and offshore energy business. The Life & Health Reinsurance segment offers group and individual credit life, enhanced annuities, group life and health, and Sharia-compliant Takaful reinsurance products. This segment also provides risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality and morbidity, as well as underwriting services. In addition, it offers various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and divestiture of non-core businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover RAckversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover RAck SE in March 2013. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Hannover RAck SE is a subsidiary of Talanx AG. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business. Hochschild Mining plc, a precious metals company, engages in the exploration, mining, processing, and sale of gold and silver in the Americas. The company holds a 100% interests in the Inmaculada gold/silver underground operation and Pallancata silver/gold property, which are located in the Department of Ayacucho in southern Peru; and Arcata, an underground operation located in the Department of Arequipa in southern Peru, as well as a 51% interest in the San Jose silver/gold mine is located in Argentina. In addition, the company has a portfolio of projects in various stages of development located in Peru, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, and Chile. Further, it is involved in power transmission business. The company was founded in 1911 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. 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 Idaho Independent Bank, a state-chartered bank, provides commercial banking services to individual and business customers in Idaho. The company offers checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts, as well as credit and debit cards; and loans comprising home mortgage loans, construction loans, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, personal lines of credit, business term loans, operating lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, secured personal loans, commercial real estate loans, and small business loans, as well as agricultural equipment loans, farm acquisition loans, and government guaranteed loans. It also provides cash management services, including express deposit, wire transfers, automated clearing house, sweep accounts, imaging, positive pay, and other payment services, as well as merchant services. In addition, the company offers online banking, bill pay, overdraft opt-in/out, e-statements, cashier's check, safe deposit box, and mobile banking services. It operates through three branches in Boise, as well as branches in Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Mountain Home, Ketchum, and Star, Idaho. Idaho Independent Bank was founded in 1993 and is based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Read More Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. is a supplier of precision instruments and services. The firm manufactures weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial, packaging, logistics, and food retailing applications. It also manufactures several related analytical instruments and provides automated chemistry solutions used in drug and chemical compound discovery and development; and also, metal detection and other end-of-line inspection systems used in production and packaging and provides solutions for use in certain process analytics applications. Its operations are conducted by the following segments: U. S. Operations, Swiss Operations, Western European Operations, Chinese Operations and Other. The U.S. Operations segment represents certain of the company's marketing and producing organizations located in the United States. The Swiss Operations segment includes marketing and producing organizations located in Switzerland, as well as extensive R&D operations that are responsible for the development, production, and marketing of precision instruments, including weighing, analytical, and measurement technologies for use in a variety of industrial and laboratory applications. Th Read More 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. Polypipe Group plc manufactures and sells plastic piping, and water and climate management systems in the United Kingdom, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Residential Systems, and Commercial and Infrastructure Systems. It offers above and below ground drainage, and rainwater drainage systems; plumbing tools and accessories, plastic plumbing fittings, and plumbing and heating pipes; underfloor heating products; and ventilation systems. The company also provides water and gas supply systems, such as water supply, pre-insulated pipe, polypropylene, clamp saddle, PVCu pressure, and ABS pressure pipe systems, as well as accessories. In addition, it offers water management solution, such as rainwater harvesting, geo-cellular system, terrain controlled flow rainwater outlet systems, large diameter pipe systems, chambers, flow controllers, penstocks and valves, manholes, surface water treatment devices, and rain water re-use solutions. Further, the company provides terrain and surface water drainage systems; sewer systems; and cable protection products. It offers its products for use in the residential, commercial, civil, infrastructure, and public non-housing sectors. Polypipe Group plc was founded in 1980 and is based in Doncaster, the United Kingdom. Read More Surge Energy Inc. explores for, develops, and produces oil and gas in western Canada. The company holds interest in the Greater Sawn Lake assets located in Northern Alberta; Valhalla/Wembley property located in northwestern Alberta; Sparky assets located between Provost and Wainwright in eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan; and Shaunavon properties located to the southwest of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It holds an average working interest of approximately 83% in approximately 109,941 net developed acres and approximately 92% in approximately 152,344 net undeveloped acres in Greater Sawn area; approximately 70% in approximately 16,032 net developed acres and approximately 74% in approximately 8,208 net undeveloped acres in Valhalla area; and approximately 76% in approximately 80,213 net developed acres and 96% in approximately 58,598 net undeveloped acres in Sparky area; and approximately 61% in approximately 88,178 net developed acres and approximately 39% in approximately 10,483 net undeveloped acres in Edmonton and other minor areas. As of December 31, 2020, it held interests in 316 net oil and 13 net gas wells in Greater Sawn area; 56 net oil and 4 net gas wells in Valhalla area; 466 net oil and 10 net gas wells in Sparky area; 176 net oil wells, as well as an average working interest of approximately 100% in approximately 23,409 net developed acres and 13,698 net undeveloped acres in the Shaunavon properties; and 28 net oil wells and 7 net gas wells in Edmonton and other minor areas. The company was formerly known as Zapata Energy Corporation and changed its name to Surge Energy Inc. in June 2010. Surge Energy Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Beechcraft Service Company UK Limited, Bell Helicopter GK, Bell Helicopter KK, Bell Textron Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron Miami Inc, Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc, Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS, Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA, Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Italia Srl, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems Ltd., PEINER Umformtechnik, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited, Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, Wuxi Textron Specialized Vehicles Co. Ltd., and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc.. Zalando SE operates as an online fashion and lifestyle retailer. It offers a range of products, including shoes, apparel, accessories, and beauty products for women, men, and children, as well as free delivery and returns services. The company also sells its products through its Zalando Lounge; and brick-and-mortar stores in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, Hamburg, Hanover, MAnster, Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Ulm. It serves in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The company has a strategic partnership with Sephora SAS to create the online prestige beauty destination. Zalando SE was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Read More Schools throughout the state now require mental health to be added to the curriculum. A change to the states education law makes New York the first state to require mental health education be taught in schools. One in five people live with mental disorders nationwide. In New York State, nearly 20 percent of people are affected. More and more students are coming to school with mental health issues and whatever we can do to help them with those situations is something that we think is beneficial, said Dr. Brian Bellair, superintendent of Whitesboro Central School District. Bellair says while mental health education is not a new topic being taught in their schools, they are updating their curriculum to align with the new mandate. Studies show that the average age for a mental illness diagnoses is 14, but most people dont seek help until theyre adults. The earlier that we can give them strategies and implement programs for them to make them feel good about themselves and to make them become productive citizens, thats our goal as a K-12 program, said David Russo, Assistant Superintendent of Whitesboro Central School District. Charlene Emeterio, clinical supervisor, says the stigma associated with mental illness prevents people from getting proper help. The earlier that you start educating our youth, the better it will be and hopefully in the future there wont be a stigma about mental health, Emeterio said. The law aims to help students understand and cope with issues associated with mental health, and also lessen the threat of violence in schools. Thats certainly the hope that all those violent incidents that are occurring in schools will decrease, Bellair said. We know that those that are the perpetrators, in those cases, often times have mental health issues that either were unknown or unaddressed. So, certainly the aim of this initiative is to decrease all those types of situations that happen in schools. In Sept. 2018, Institut Montaigne, a French think tank close to French President Emmanuel Macrons government, published a report that calls for a stronger regulation of Muslim religious practices by the state in order to better counter Islamism. Entitled Islamism Factory, the report triggered a turmoil among French Muslim communities since it conflates regular Muslim practices, such as wearing the headscarf (for women), the five daily prayers, consuming halal food etc., with Islamism and extremism threats. Yet, the Islamism threat remains the strongest argument for the French state to intervene in Muslim affairs, and thus contradicting the very principle of French secularism, mainly defined by the 1905 law, which imposes a strict separation between the state and religious affairs. In fact, Macrons government is currently planning to introduce a tax on halal products and pilgrimage in order to finance French imam schools and oversee mosque-building projects. This interventionist approach to Muslim affairs is not a new trend, however. From 1990 to 2016, French governments, be they left or right wing, created several official structures in order to organize (i.e. nationalize), to control (i.e. secure), and to modernize (i.e. enlighten) Islam in France. Although these different policies do not constitute a monolithic and coherent organization of Islam, they produced an intertwined set of mechanisms, all aimed at controlling and influencing the way Muslims practice their faith in France. On the one hand, this complex system seems to have been first conceived as an answer to what is called the consular Islam, a policy of delegating the management of Islam to the countries of origin of the post-1945 migrant workers, especially those from Algeria, Morocco, and Turkey. On the other hand, the policies of organizing, controlling and modernizing Islam stem from the old colonial discourse that promotes the domestication of the good Arab. The French states attempts at regulating Islam have been taking place in the wider context of the creation of a Muslim problem. Indeed, when we look at the 1980s, we can see a clear correlation between the rise of Arab-origin French visibility in the public sphere and the rise of the far right. The pressure on immigrant communities further increased with the far-right Front National getting historic results in consecutive elections: the 1984 European elections (11 percent), the 1986 Parliamentary elections (10 percent) and the 1988 Presidential elections (14,4 percent). It is in this context that what had hitherto been perceived as an Arab immigration problem suddenly became a Muslim problem at the end of the 1980s, particularly following the Islamic Salvation Fronts (FIS) victory in the Algerian elections and the consequent civil war (1990-1991), the expulsion of three hijab-wearing girls at the secondary school of the Northern city of Creil (Oct. 1989), Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeinis fatwa against Salman Rushdie and his Satanic Verses. This Muslim problem is rooted in an old, and still persisting, French post-colonial disposition towards North African workers and families with established lives in France. It is a range of segregating discourses materialized in law, urbanism and symbols that lead to the relegation of the targeted population to subaltern jobs, to the citys periphery (suburbs), to limited social rights and to poor civic participation. The discourse of Muslim problem legitimizes official measures and statements defining the North-African population as the other: those who are unlike the French and whose existence in France can never be fully justified. This asymmetrical relation of power between the French state and Arab-Muslim communities also led to the creation of state-sponsored organizations from 1990 to 2003 with the purpose of reframing and reshaping the representation of Islam in France. The goal was also to regulate the training of imams and their speeches, mosque-building projects and the Islamic discourse at large. Yet, until the establishment of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) in 2003 on Nicolas Sarkozys impulsion, none of these attempts had a significant impact on Muslim practices. Despite its unpopularity among ordinary French Muslims, the CFCM became the main official interlocutor of the French state on every issue related to Islam and the Muslim rites of worship in France through a national council and regional councils. In parallel to the CFCM structure, the same government launched the Foundation for the works of Islam of France (Fondation pour les oeuvres de lIslam de France) under an initiative by the Gaullist Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin in 2005. The project had the aim of organizing fundraisers to finance mosques under the supervision of the state. However, this foundation has never become a reality. In 2015, the then interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, tried to launch it once again under the name of Foundation for Islam of France (Fondation de lislam de France). It is a consultative council that aims at imposing an autonomous and Republican Islam particular to France. Surprisingly enough, the interior minister chose to nominate another former interior minister, Jean-Pierre Chevenement, to be the head of the foundation, which demonstrates the French states lack of confidence toward French Muslim actors. The foundations website presents the aim of the project through a statement of the French orientalist Jacques Berque: I dont want for France a French Islam but an Islam of France, which is a Gallic Islam; I mean an Islam aware of modern societies issues, an Islam that resolves problems that it never had to resolve in the past. Imagine the repercussions of this kind of Islam in the rest of the Islamic world! This continual state intervention in Muslims affairs did enable the state to impose its agenda upon Muslim federations, i.e. its concerns for identity, security and a modern Islam. Yet, French policies on Islam has failed to reach its most important objectives: they have not succeeded in representing the French Muslim communities, proposing clear policies that realistically reflect the religious needs of Muslims (imam training, halal certification, financing of mosques etc.), and in taking over the role the countries of origin played (as part of the consular Islam) in the French Muslim affairs. Indeed, the difficulties experienced by the CFCM -- the biggest and most elaborate structure to have come out of all the mentioned attempts -- reflect an ongoing competition between foreign countries and organizations as well as egos. A number of French Muslim activists, such as Marwan Muhammad, the former president of the CCIF (Initiative against Islamophobia in France), attribute this failure to state interventionism, which is perceived as an attempt to impose top-down policies upon Muslim communities. This is the reason why Marwan Muhammad organized, with a group of scholars -- among them French sociologists, anthropologists and activists -- a tour of the mosques in France and Muslim organizations in order to assess Muslims needs and to federate French Muslim communities from the bottom. This wide consultation led, in Sept. 2018, to the creation of a national platform, L.E.S Musulmans, which is already able to bring together hundreds of local mosques and organizations under its roof. Yet, Macrons government does not give too much attention to this initiative. On the contrary, the French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb officially praised the report on Islamism published by the Institut Montaigne (mentioned above), which proposes that the state impose new taxes on halal food, pilgrimage, and a number of other Muslim activities. For nearly three decades, French governments, regardless of their positions on the political spectrum, have attempted to design a French Islam resorting to top-down policies while neglecting the needs and opinions of the main group of people involved: French Muslim communities. Mostly motivated by security reasons, these governments have tried to assume the official representation of French Muslims; an obedient kind of representation that is fully in line with the states directives. As for Emmanuel Macron, he has postponed, several times already, his reform on policies on Islam since it is a highly contentious issue. Yet, in many statements Macron has repeated the objectives of security, control and integration, which are the main elements of the French official approach to Muslims. In fact, the constant production of laws targeting Muslim citizens with a colonial mindset, the increase of terror attacks in the last five years as well as the use of a hard discourse on laicite do not encourage Macrons government to change this security approach. Media outlets removed by Facebook on Thursday, in a massive purge of 800 accounts and pages, had previously been targeted in a blacklist of oppositional sites promoted by the Washington Post in November 2016. The organizations censored by Facebook include The Anti-Media, with 2.1 million followers, The Free Thought Project, with 3.1 million followers, and Counter Current News, with 500,000 followers. All three of these groups had been on the blacklist. In November 2016, the Washington Post published a puff-piece on a shadowy and up to then largely unknown organization called PropOrNot, which had compiled a list of organizations it claimed were part of a sophisticated Russian propaganda campaign. The Post said the report identifies more than 200 websites as routine peddlers of Russian propaganda during the election season, with combined audiences of at least 15 million Americans. The publication of the blacklist drew widespread media condemnation, including from journalists Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald, forcing the Post to publish a partial retraction. The newspaper declared that it does not itself vouch for the validity of PropOrNots findings regarding any individual media outlet. While the individuals behind PropOrNot have not identified themselves, the Washington Post said the group was a collection of researchers with foreign policy, military and technology backgrounds. PropOrNot, which remains active on Twitter, publicly gloated about Facebooks removal of the pages on Thursday. Russian propaganda is VERY VERY MAD about their various front outlets & fellow travellers getting suspended by @Facebook &/or @Twitter, it wrote. The tweet tagged The Anti Media and The Free Thought Project, and included a Russian flag emoji next to an emoji depicting feces. PropOrNot did not attempt to reconcile its own narrative that the targeted organizations were front groups for the Kremlin with Facebooks official claim that they operated independently of any government but sought to stir up political debate for financial motives. This is because both accusations are hollow pretexts for political censorship. In a separate post, PropOrNot added: Well, look at that... @Facebook removed some of the most important gray/black Russian propaganda outlets from their platform! Bravo @Facebook - better late than never, so a BIG thank you for this. It added, ominously: All of these [organizations] are cross platform & have websites, but one thing at a time. These comments by PropOrNot make clear where the censorship measures supervised by the US government and implemented by the internet companies are going. While these organizations still have websites, the authorities are handling one thing at a time. The clear implication is that censorship will not end with Googles manipulation of its search platform or the removal of accounts by Facebook and Twitter. The ultimate aim is the total banning of oppositional news web sites. The publication of the PropOrNot blacklist and its promotion by the Washington Post helped trigger a wave of censorship measures against oppositional news sites by the major technology companies, working at the instigation of the US intelligence agencies and leading politicians. Last year, the World Socialist Web Site reported that it an other sites, including Global Research, Counterpunch, Consortium News, WikiLeaks and Truthout, saw their search traffic plunge after search giant Google implemented a change to its search ranking algorithm. In the subsequent period, search traffic to these sites has fallen even further. Search traffic to Counterpunch has fallen by 39 percent, and Consortium News has fallen by 51 percent. These developments confirm the analysis made by the World Socialist Web Site in its open letter to Google alleging that it was censoring left-wing, anti-war and socialist websites. Censorship on this scale is political blacklisting, the letter declared. The obvious intent of Googles censorship algorithm is to block news that your company does not want reported and to suppress opinions with which you do not agree. Political blacklisting is not a legitimate exercise of whatever may be Googles prerogatives as a commercial enterprise. It is a gross abuse of monopolistic power. What you are doing is an attack on freedom of speech. On Tuesday, Google admitted in an internal document that it and other technology companies had gradually shifted away from unmediated free speech and towards censorship and moderation. The document stated that an aim of the censorship was to increase revenues under conditions of growing government and commercial pressure. The document acknowledged that such actions constitute a break with the American tradition that prioritizes free speech for democracy. BRAZIL, Ill. (WTHI) - The City of Brazil is working on implementing a system that could save lives. It's called Project Lifesaver and it's already being used in the Wabash Valley. Earlier this year, we reported that Vigo County implemented the program. It allows families to put tracking devices on those who suffer from Alzheimer's, Autism, or Dementia. By doing that, law enforcement would easily be able to find someone if they went missing. Nothing has been passed on the program yet, but a committee of Brazil city council members has been made to discuss setting up the program. Soon, they will start talking to emergency agencies to bring them up to speed. The council said the would also like to get the county involved in the program. Leona Marquis stands among the treasures at her new shop on Robertson Avenue in Worland, Marquis' House of Tre'sors. WORLAND - Marquis' House of Tre'sors opened in Worland Thursday with a variety of treasures. Owner Leona Marquis said her last name is French so for the name of the business she went with the French version of treasures. She said she has wanted to open up a small curio-type shop for a while and has been looking for property in Billings, Montana, where she and her husband reside, as well as in Worland, where her mother and several siblings live. She found the perfect location at 808 Robertson in a little two-bedroom home. The living room serves as the shop and she said she is looking at renting out the front bedroom as office space for anyone interested. "My husband and I have been real estate investors since 2000, we purchase properties to buy and then sell or rent. We have multiple rental properties including one in Worland," Marquis said. Marquis is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, with her family in 1968, where she attended school her senior year. The family moved to Worland in 1977. She moved to Montana when she got married in 1990. HOUSE OF TRE'SORS Ideally, Marquis said she wants her House of Tre'sors to be filled with handcrafted items from area artisans on sale by consignment. She said she has several prospective clientele but they are working on getting enough items to have for sale. There are a few handcrafted items available for sale now, including some crocheted items and some woodcrafted items from her brother including a nightlight in the shape of an outhouse and some wooden wagons that attach to the back of bicycles. Her brother also does wooden frames that can be ordered through Marquis. Other items found throughout the shop on Thursday's grand opening included jewelry, some new, some old, high quality items purchased through auctions and estate sales over the years. There is a China set, a variety of crystal glassware, Depression glassware. Marquis said in addition to shopping at estate sales she also likes to bid at storage unit auctions to see what type of hidden treasures can be found. "Through the years I've learned to recognize quality," she said. Marquis' House of Tre'sors is open Monday through Saturday but Marquis said she does not have specific set hours at this time. She will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and this Saturday for the grand opening. Sextortion scam hits area residents WORLAND BBB Scam Tracker has been receiving reports of an old scam with a new twist and while some area residents were targeted they did not fall victim to the scam and did not lose any money. Revenge porn is the distribution, or threat of distribution, of explicit photos or videos of a victim in order to blackmail them. Sometimes the victim knows the perpetrator, and its personal.... WORLAND Big Horn Federal Savings Bank in Worland, located at 1006 Big Horn Avenue, is still in a temporary facility while the former bank building was removed this summer and replaced with a new, upgraded and larger building. Construction is scheduled to be completed by November, by Hughes Truss of Worland, and the bank operations should be fully moved in by January. The new building sho... Prince William spoke of the heartbreaking thought that by the time his children are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos and tigers could be extinct in the wild. Making the keynote address at a major conference to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife parts in London on Thursday, the royal dad, 36, said, I, for one, am not willing to look my children in the eye and say that we were the generation that let this happen on our watch. It is time to treat the illegal wildlife trade as the serious organized crime that it is. It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos and tigers might well be extinct in the wild, he said. Its heartbreaking to think that when my children George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos and tigers might well be extinct in the wild, Prince William tells the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference #EndWildlifeCrime pic.twitter.com/JWd13Wqs9g Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) October 11, 2018 I feel it is my duty, and our collective responsibility, to leave our planet in a stronger position for our children. He delivered the speech at the fourth Illegal Wildlife Trade conference, which is backed by his United for Wildlife consortium. Organized criminal networks are adding to their profits through involvement in wildlife crime, he said. They see it as a lucrative and relatively low-risk activity. They are the very same groups who move drugs, people and weapons. And he noted that during his recent tour of Africa, I saw [rhinos] under such threat that they have more bodyguards than I do! Wouldnt it be better though if the demand for rhino horn dropped to the extent that they didnt need anyone to protect them at all? Story continues On his recent visit to Africa, Prince William noted that some endangered rhinos have more bodyguards than I do he told the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference #EndWildlifeCrime pic.twitter.com/Z7nca0Ty8s Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) October 11, 2018 As he toured some of the exhibits at the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference, William met officials from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. RELATED VIDEO: Prince William Condemns Barbaric Illegal Wildlife Trade Miwa Kato, director of operations at the UNODC, praised him for making the connection with trafficking and other organized crime. She tells PEOPLE, He is a new kind of leader. He is not just passionate and emotional about it, but is also talking about the economics of this. We dont have that clearly from many other leaders. He was not on script but talking with passion and with a longer term vision. This issue requires a new generation of leadership who can talk to people and come up with solutions. Prince William on his recent visit to Africa in support of ending wildlife crime. William also heard the powerful story of how a ranger had been turned from poacher to keeper in the mountainous kingdom of Bhutan. He met Jampel Lhendup, 30, explained how he had poached alongside his father Therchung, 60, from the ages of 5 to 9, in order to feed their family. But when they killed a deer cub and its mother, it was a turning point. It was the affection that they had felt to each other. We first killed the cub and when we were carrying it out when the mother followed and we killed her too, he says. Seeing the blood in the mothers eyes had an impact, he adds. It changed the mind of my father, and he sent me to school and I became a ranger. I was explaining the affection that the mother had for the cub [William] seemed emotional when I told him my story. The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is organized crime, estimated to be worth up to $23 billion annually. Astronaut Nick Hague is in good condition after making an emergency descent to Earth following a failed launch into space on Thursday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration says. Nick is okay, NASAs Megan Sumner tells PEOPLE. So, too, is cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin, who sat alongside Hague in the space capsule, according to NASA. The two were forced to parachute to safety after a rocket booster failed when the two launched in the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft early this morning from Kazakhstan, headed for six months aboard the International Space Station. The Russian space agency Roskosmos tweeted pictures of the two astronauts after rescue crews collected them from the steppes of Kazakhstan, where they landed. RELATED: Air Force Dad Prepares for the Ultimate Military Deployment as He Blasts Off Into Space The launch appeared to go well until 123 seconds into the flight. The Russian-built Soyuz booster failed, prompting Hague and Ovchinin to abort the mission. A pre-staged recovery team, which is always on standby during space launches, sped toward the landing site to recover the crew. In a statement, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine explained the situation further, saying, Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the launch ascent was aborted, resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft. The Soyuz MS-10 The Soyuz MS-10 Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site. Hague and Ovchinin are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition, said Bridenstine. They will be transported to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia outside of Moscow. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and the NASA team are monitoring the situation carefully. NASA is working closely with Roscosmos to ensure the safe return of the crew. Safety of the crew is the utmost priority for NASA, the statement concluded. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted. Earlier this year, Hague and his wife, Catie Hague, talked to PEOPLE about the mission. Story continues Our families understand that this is risky stuff, but not so risky that we wont do it, Hague said. While preparing his two young children for their dads space flight, Hague had them watch launch videos, and helped them build a giant rocket. Theyre building it and seeing all the levels of protection, that theres a huge team watching every little sensor on the vehicle thats working. In a comment that proved true, Hague added: If things go wrong theres things we can do. Hurricane Michael survivor: 'It's going to be forever before we get back to normal' Hurricane Michael survivor: 'It's going to be forever before we get back to normal' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com His home damaged and his spirit crushed by Hurricane Michael, Kenny Day broke down in tears as he stood outside a Pensacola, Florida, motel and contemplated his future amid the sprawling devastation. Day's home in Panama City, 140 miles southeast of where he stood, was one of many that were damaged or completely destroyed by the Category 4 storm that made landfall on the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, killing at least 18 people in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. "It's going to be rough for a while in Panama City," Day told ABC News. "I'm originally from Indiana and a couple of times I thought [that] while I've got a little money in my pocket I might as well head home to Indiana because it's going to be forever before we get back to normal." Rescue crews with search dogs continued to comb through the wreckage on Sunday, hoping to find survivors. Hundreds of people have been reported missing. At least 46 people remained unaccounted for in hard-hit Mexico Beach, where the hurricane made landfall, the city's mayor, Al Cathey, told ABC News on Sunday. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, toured the hard-hit areas of Mexico Beach, Panama City, Blountstown, and Bristol on the Panhandle Sunday. PHOTO: Members from South Florida Task Force search a flattened home destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. (AP) "We will continue working with impacted communities to make sure they have all the resources available," Scott said in a tweet on Sunday morning. Day has lived in Panama City for two decades and said riding out Michael was "the most scared I've ever been in my life." "The whole house shook. It felt like the whole house was going to come apart at some point," Day said. "Luckily it didn't. I'm amazed it didn't." Story continues Day's home suffered minor damage, and he's been staying at a motel in Pensacola, but he immediately headed out to buy supplies and has traveled back and forth to Panama City to help others whose homes were damaged worse than his. Im on the ground with @FEMA_Brock this morning to survey damage in Mexico Beach, Panama City, Blountstown, and Bristol. We will continue working with impacted communities to make sure they have all the resources available. Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) October 14, 2018 "How does it feel to have that help? We need it. We're gonna need it bad," he said. "Man, it's gonna be rough for a while in Panama City." Hurricane Michael's death toll climbed to 18 on Sunday. Officials expected the number of people killed by the storm to go higher as crews sifted through the wreckage of once-bustling oceanside cities, like Mexico Beach and Panama City Beach. Mexico Beach was largely decimated when Michael made landfall there Wednesday. "There are individuals who are deceased. We do not have a count, but we are working to identify them," Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, leader of a search-and-rescue team in Mexico Beach, told The Associated Press. Of the 18 people killed in the storm, nine were located in Florida. Four people died in Gadsden County and three died in Jackson County, in addition to one recovered so far in Mexico Beach, located in Bay County. One fatality was reported Sunday afternoon in Gulf County. Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Rodney Andreasen said one of the fatalities in Jackson County occurred when a man was struck by a tree in Alford. (MORE: Images, video show Michael's destruction: 'All I can see is devastation') FEMA Administrator Brock Long warned on Friday that the death toll will likely climb. "I hope we dont see that climb dramatically, but ... we still havent gotten into some of the hardest-hit areas," he said. PHOTO: This aerial photo shows debris and destruction in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, after Hurricane Michael went through the area on Wednesday. (AP) Ray Jadallah, from the Miami-Dade County Florida Task Force 1, has spent the last few days -- 20 hours a day -- digging through debris in Mexico Beach, where on Saturday firefighters put up an American flag on a makeshift pole in the middle in a neighborhood reduced to splinters by the monstrous storm. Jadallah said his task force is ignoring intact structures and painstakingly going door to door of collapsed buildings, first making noise to alert anyone who could be inside that they are not looters, and then sending in a cadaver dog to search for any bodies. (MORE: At least 46 missing in Florida city hit hard by Hurricane Michael: Official) So far, they have located just one dead body, a relative relief for Jadallah, who did the same work following Hurricane Katrina when they found "numerous victims." The destruction in Bay County has largely been from wind damage, as opposed to the flooding during Katrina. (MORE: Death toll rises to 17 as 'tremendous number' unaccounted for in hard-hit Florida) "We were just surprised by the sheer damage," Jadallah said of arriving in Mexico Beach after Hurricane Michael. "Literally overnight it went from a Category 1 or 2 to a Category 4, almost borderline 5. This type of destruction we haven't seen since I was a kid and that was Hurricane Andrew. This is pretty extensive, the damage. It's going to take some time for them to get back on their feet." Hurricane Andrew killed 44 people in South Florida when it made landfall near Homestead on Aug. 24, 1992. About 285 people defied mandatory evacuation orders in Mexico Beach. Police made two sweeps of the town Wednesday morning and recorded names of everyone who planned to stay, though officials said it is impossible to know who might have left during or immediately after the storm. "We don't have a building -- from my understanding, the water surge moved it off its foundation," Mexico Beach Police Chief Anthony Kelly told ABC News on Friday. "The officers, I finally made accountability of them all today, two days after the fact. ... They're not just my officers, the people that I work with, they're my family." Emily Mitchell returned on Saturday afternoon to what was left of the house her family owned in the city. The roof was ripped off, walls were blown in and she called it a "total loss." They expect to just bulldoze the lot. They are unsure what their next step will be because her parents had decided they couldn't afford to pay for hurricane insurance. "We didn't want to tell anybody about Mexico Beach because it was such a sweet town, we were scared that people would know about it and keep coming," she said. "It's just totally wiped out." PHOTO: Lavonia Fortner helps her father-in-law, John E. Fortner, search for memorabilia his wife collected, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. (AP) Neighboring Panama City was hit just as hard as Mexico Beach. Many survivors told of hunkering down in their homes as they were torn apart by the 150 mph winds. "I decided to stay because my family decided to evacuate, but the pets had to stay here," Panama City resident John Pandullo said. "They didnt have a place to go. So I wanted to protect them or be there for them in case something like this happened -- and it did." Pandullo rode out the storm in a closet with his dog, Rosie, as the house literally collapsed around him. The roof caved in and the living room and garage of his parents' home no longer exist. (MORE: 'Complete devastation' at Tyndall AFB after direct hit from Michael) "It was just so crazy and its just so bad," he said. "The dog was right here and she would not leave my side and she would not move. She was shaking extremely bad. And the winds were coming in and the rain was all pouring down on us and basically, I waited for over an hour. "I managed to make a phone call actually at the peak of the storm, and I was actually able to talk with my parents at the time," Pandullo continued. "And my mom was praying with Jesus on the phone about it the whole time you know -- 'Please let him be alive.'" PHOTO: A banner hangs from a damaged home as a South Florida urban search and rescue team checks for survivors of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP) Five people, including a firefighter, died in Virginia as flooding caused massive damage in an area already hard hit by Hurricane Florence last month. Three people died in North Carolina, all due to falling trees, and a young girl was killed in Georgia when debris was blown through the roof of her grandparents' home. There were still 600,000 customers without power across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Virginia as of Sunday morning. ABC News' Rob Marciano, Will Carr, Jeffrey Cook, William Gretsky and Acacia Nunes contributed to this report. Russian investigators partly identify cause of Soyuz spacecraft's failed launch originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Officials investigating the failed launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft said Friday they had identified part of the reason for the accident. The rocket lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan early Thursday on what was scheduled to be a six-hour flight to the International Space Station. PHOTO: The Soyuz rocket is launched with Expedition 57 Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Oct. 11, 2018. (Bill Ingalls/NASA/Reuters) But roughly two minutes into the flight a booster rocket failed. The launch was aborted and the two-man crew, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut, Nick Hague, were blasted free of the rocket inside their capsule and hurtled back to Earth, falling from almost 40 miles. The capsules parachutes deployed and they landed in central Kazakhstan safely, where rescue teams recovered them. PHOTO: In this photo provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, left, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague, second from right, are evacuated by the rescue team after an emergency landing, Oct. 11, 2018. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP) On Friday, the executive director of Russias space agency, Roscomos, said the immediate cause of the booster failure was clear. Sergei Krikalev told reporters that part of the first stage of the rocket had struck the second stage after separating, damaging the booster. (MORE: Rocket carrying American and Russian malfunctions, forcing emergency landing) There was a collision with one of the side sections, which is part of the first stage. During the separation, the first and second stages came into contact, Krikalev told reporters. But they said they needed more time to establish what exactly had caused the rocket to fail. It was not clear why the two stages had collided, Krikalev said, saying it was possible the rocket had changed trajectory slightly. That means it could have moved into the path of the falling first stage. It was also possible that the first stage parts had failed to separate properly, he said. He said one version was that the first stage had not separated correctly. Investigators needed a lot more information before they could provide a detailed cause, such as whether a part had malfunctioned, Krikalev added. Story continues Russia has said it will suspend all its manned flights to the International Space Station until the cause of the accident has been investigated. A state commission has been established to investigate the incident. PHOTO: In this photo provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, the rescue team gather next to the Soyuz MS-10 space capsule after it made an emergency landing in a field 280 miles northeast of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Oct. 11, 2018. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP) Krikalev said it would present its first findings around October 20, and before the end of the month. The accident throws off the launch schedule for the ISS, as Russias Soyuz is the only route up to the station for astronauts. There are currently three astronauts aboard the ISS: Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency; Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA; and Sergey Prokopyev of Russia. But the delay represents no danger to them, experts have said. The station is currently stocked with sufficient supplies for six months and can be re-supplied by unmanned cargo ships. Krikalev said the launch of the next supply craft, a Russian Progress rocket, may be delayed. Roscomos would try to speed up the launch of the next Soyuz, but the crew already aboard the ISS had been planned to remain there working with Hague and Ovchinin, Krikalev added. Hague and Ovchinin have now returned to Moscow to the Russian space center, known as Star City. Photos released by Roscomos showed them walking down a staircase from a Roscosmos plane. Medical staff overseeing them said the two would not need to spend more than two days in the hospital for checks. The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, on Twitter pledged that the two men would still make it to the ISS. The guys will definitely fly. We are planning their flight for the spring next year, Rogozin wrote, posting a photograph of himself with his arms around the two men aboard a plane. The accident is the first failed launch of a manned mission to the ISS and the first time a Russian rocket with a crew aboard has failed since 1983. (MORE: SpaceX launch lights up night sky in Southern California) Russias space industry, however, has been going through a troubled period, hit by corruption cases and problems with its newer rockets, according to Yahoo! News. In 2016, Roscomos suspended launches of its Proton-M rockets after it had to return 70 engines to production lines over concerns about faulty parts. A Progress rocket was lost in the atmosphere in December 2016. Rogozin, who was brought in to oversee the transformation of Roscomos into a state company, in 2015 accused one of Russias main suppliers of launch systems of embezzling $128 million. PHOTO: In this photo provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, the Soyuz MS-10 space capsule lays in a field after an emergency landing near Dzhezkazgan, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) northeast of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Oct. 11, 2018. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP) Other failures have been blamed on corruption within the manufacturing process of the rockets. On Thursday, Russias Investigative Committee, the equivalent of the FBI, said it had opened a criminal probe to examine whether there had been any violations in the construction of the failed Soyuz rocket. The U.S. has been using Russian rockets to reach the ISS since the American space shuttle was retired seven years ago. NASA is planning to replace it with commercial partners, including SpaceX, but that remains in the works. SpaceX and Boeing are both due to hold their first test flights for the ISS route in December and January and hope to make their first NASA flights next summer. British couple Gina Lyons and Mark Lee got so drunk on their honeymoon, they bought their hotel. (Photo: Caters News Agency) A newly married couple got so drunk on their Sri Lankan honeymoon, they bought their hotel and now run a successful bed and breakfast. After a rustic December wedding ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, Gina Lyons, 33, and Mark Lee, 35, of London, set off for a monthlong honeymoon in Sri Lanka, where they had booked a beachside hotel in the town of Tangalle. After checking in at the Reggae Zone Beach Resort, the couple of six years purchased a bottle of rum and sat on the beach, chatting with hotel staff. We must have drunk 12 glasses of rum each were British, its what we do and we became friendly with a barman named Isuru, Lyons tells Yahoo Lifestyle. We said how dirty and undecorated the hotel was, and he mentioned that the owner was ending the lease in June. Intrigued, Lyons, a television producer and Lee, a sales director for telecom events, inquired about the cost of the lease. It was drunk banter, but Mark and I are dreamers we egg each other on, and were not good at being voices of reason, says Lyons. After learning the lease was 12,000 per year (nearly $16,000), Lyons and Lee got excited. We started writing numbers down on napkins and envisioning what the hotel could look like, she says. Isuru offered to introduce us to the landowners if we were serious. Married couple Gina Lyons and Mark Lee bought the Reggae Zone Beach Resort in Sri Lanka while drunk on their honeymoon and turned it into a B&B. (Photo: Caters News Agency) The following morning, while waiting for previously scheduled massage appointments, the couple started panicking at the enormity of their plans. Then, Lyons got inspired by a young general manager named Milinda who was running around, delegating duties. After 30 minutes of observing him, I asked if he would be interested in working at a smaller hotel we were considering taking over, says Lyons. We offered to match his pay and give him a profit share. The deal sounded sweet, and later that day, Milinda accompanied Lyons and Lee to a bar to meet the husband-and-wife owners of the Reggae Zone Beach Resort. After hours of negotiations and cocktails much of which was translated from Sinhalese (or Sinhala), one of the two main languages in Sri Lanka, the newlyweds agreed to take over the three-year lease for 30,000 (roughly $40,000) paid in two installments, with Isuru and Milinda as managers. Story continues Back in London, the couple started saving money and clipping coupons, avoiding parties, restaurants, and clothes shopping. Our life was all work, says Lyons. In March, Lyons noticed that despite a busy exercise schedule, she wasnt losing weight. So, feeling different, she took a pregnancy test, which was positive. I was like, Oh sugar,' says Lyons. I felt like an awful mom, guilty as if we were doing something irresponsible and stupid. The couple briefly considered pulling out of the deal, but they were encouraged by the commitment of Isuru and Milinda. Gina Lyons and Mark Lee are hotel owners in Sri Lanka after making a drunken deal on their honeymoon. (Photo: Caters News Agency) Over the next few months, Lyons and Lee traveled back to Sri Lanka to rebuild the hotel with their bare hands, replacing its tin roof to prevent animals from entering, building beach and interior furniture, gutting the kitchen, and reviving surfaces with fresh coats of gray-and-white paint. In July, the seven-bedroom Lucky Beach Tangalle was open for business, a two-hour drive from safaris and surrounded by waters known for whale-watching. We wanted the word Lucky in the name because we were praying for luck, says Lyons. The couple also adopted two dachshund dogs named Lucky and Larry, who live at the hotel and frollick among visitors. At seven months pregnant, Lyons is excited for her daughter to spend time in Sri Lanka, and shes excited to give back to the community. Crazy ideas require biased self-belief and a bit of naivete, she says. The staff is now our family and this hotel our second life. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Still Her Royal Highness. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank married at St. Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle, but Queen Elizabeth II did not bestow a new title on her granddaughter and her new husband on Friday, October 12. While Brooksbank will not receive a royal title, Eugenie will likely remain an official member of the British Royal Family by keeping her stature as a princess. (The bride is the daughter of the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and the Duke of York Prince Andrew, who is the third child of the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as the younger brother of Prince Charles.) The BBC reported that Eugenie will be given the option to keep her current title after the wedding, alongside the option to take Brooksbanks last name. Prior to her wedding day, Eugenie went as Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York. If she chooses to take her husbands surname, she will go as Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie Brooksbank. It was long speculated that Brooksbank wouldnt be the recipient of a title especially after the couples joint monogram was revealed in the official Buckingham Palace store leading up to the wedding. While Eugenies initial includes the royal coronet above her E, Brooksbanks J lacks the same symbol implying just that. princess eugenie jack brooksbank monogram (Credit: The Royal Collection) princess eugenie jack brooksbank monogram (Credit: The Royal Collection) The latest couple to wed at Windsor, however, are very different from predecessors Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who received the title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex the morning of their wedding May 19. Prince William and Kate Middleton were also dubbed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they married in April 2011. While the Cambridges and the Sussexes are officially working members of the royal family, Eugenie and Brooksbank have jobs outside of the realm with the bride being employed by art gallery Hauser & Wirth as an associate director. The groom, meanwhile, is a long-standing wine merchant and European Brand Manager for George Clooney and Rande Gerbers joint tequila venture Casamigos. Story continues Brooksbank proposed over New Years Eve in Nicaragua dropping down with a sapphire ring inspired by the Duchess of Yorks engagement ring. Shes this bright shining light, he noted Thursday, October 11, in an interview with ITV. Follow along with The Knot as we continue our coverage of Eugenie and Jacks Royal Wedding at Windsor Castle. Related Articles Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is running to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, at a rally in September. (Photo: John Raoux/AP) The Florida ad wars are in full swing. Rick Scotts Senate campaign sent a letter to Florida television stations this week demanding that they pull what it says is a false, misleading, and potentially dangerous negative advertisement produced by a political action committee supporting incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Released by Senate Majority Pac, the ad targets Scott over education funding in Florida, splicing together a news report that proclaims that he cut $1.3 million dollars from K12 education with narration that proclaims and gave tax breaks to corporations instead. Beyond disputing the specific claims in the ad, the statement from Scotts campaign described it as a literal threat to public safety: The people of Florida rely on Governor Scott for accurate storm response and safety information and a false ad suggesting Floridians should not listen to the Governor isnt just ill-timed, its dangerous, the statement, which made three references to Hurricane Michael in two paragraphs, said in part. The demand that television stations stop running the ad follows a similar demand by Democrat Andrew Gillum, who is running against Ron DeSantis to succeed Scott as governor. Gillums team says a Republican-funded ad implying he is the target of an FBI investigation is defamatory. The letter from Scott campaign lawyer Steve Roberts Friday charged: The Advertisement falsely asserts that Governor Scott cut state general revenue funds for education. This claim is a blatant manipulation of the facts. The largest portion of the decline in education funding from October 2011 to November 2012 was the expiration of two years of federal stimulus funds. The expiration of federal funding is not the same as cutting general revenue funds. Democrats would like to make education a central issue in the Senate race, in which Nelson has opened up a slight polling lead, according to the Real Clear Politics average. The ad also hits Scott for cutting $20 million from pre-K and slashing Bright Futures scholarships. Story continues Scotts lawyer disputed both the figure and the implication of the claims. This number completely ignores the fact that funding has jumped to $398 million and that the governor had proposed increased funding that would be the largest boost for early learning in the past decade, Roberts wrote. The Advertisement continues to totally mislead the viewers by stating that Governor Scott slashed Bright Futures scholarships when in fact Governor Scott signed legislation permanently expanding the Florida Bright Future Scholarship Program. The new ad echoes many of the claims made against Scott by a previous ad produced by the Democratic Party in 2014, when Scott ran for reelection as governor. The Tampa Bay Times PolitiFact reviewed the content of the earlier ad, and rated its central claim, that Scott cut education to pay for even more tax breaks for big, powerful, well-connected corporations, to be only half true. Scott and the Legislature did cut K-12 in 2011 and money for universities in 2012. And Scott and the Legislature implemented a series of business tax breaks in 2012, PolitiFacts Amy Sherman wrote. However, the ad exaggerates when it focuses attention on tax breaks for big, powerful, well-connected corporations. Some such companies benefited, but so did many other types of businesses. And the question of whether the tax cuts and the education cuts had any causal relationship is murkier than the ad lets on. Roberts concluded his letter with a warning to the stations in Florida that are still airing the ad. Knowing that the Advertisement is false, and possessing the legal authority to refuse to air it, your station is obligated to exercise such authority in accordance with its duty to protect the public, Roberts said. We trust that you are aware of your responsibility, and that as a licensee, you may be held liable for knowingly broadcasting false claims. But its unclear whether Scotts campaign will prevail in convincing stations to pull the ad. On Thursday, Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren told Yahoo News that courts are reluctant to become involved in fact-checking the content of political ads. I dont think the courts are going to get involved. I mean this is not an issue for the courts to resolve, Warren said on a conference call with prosecutors speaking out against an ad produced by Floridas Republican Party that made claims disputed by Democrat Andrew Gillum. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: This week, when Taylor Swift, for the first time, threw her support behind candidates running for office, she didn't make a flashy campaign appearance with a rising national political star, like Beto O'Rourke. Instead, on the eve of the last day of voter registration in many battleground states, she opted to back two decidedly unflashy Democrats from her home state of TennesseePhil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representativesin a post on Instagram. The accompanying black-and-white photo of Swift was subdued, depicting her in a plaid shirt, leaning forward and looking into the camera, her chin resting on her hand. Likewise, her statement was strong and pointed but measured. She soberly stated her reasons for not supporting the female Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn, including her votes against equal pay for women and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. She closed with an empathetic nudging for her young fan base and 112 million Instagram followers to register to vote: "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. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do." Celebrity endorsements are often little more than candidate ego boosters. While musicians like Madonna and John Legend have long intertwined politics with their celebrity stature, Swift has mostly shied away from politics, so much so that she's been lambasted for it in the past. But her call to action this week seemed to portend something greater rumbling below ground: the political awakening of America's once politically neutral white women. It hardly seemed coincidental that her post came on the heels of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the highest court in the land, jammed through right after his raging partisan testimony at the hearing on Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault accusations. (Bredesen publicly supported Kavanaugh, but Swift, perhaps, sympathetic to the contours of Tennessean cultural landscape, understood that a very different kind of Judiciary Committee leadership would be installed if Democrats took back the Senate.) Story continues In the run-up to that hearing, sexual assault survivors chanted on the Capitol steps, interrupted hearings, and confronted politicians with their stories in offices, hallways, and elevators. Their impassioned pleas were dismissed by conservatives as fodder for a "Kavanaugh bump," energizing conservatives and pushing moderates towards Trump. "The tactics that have been employed both by judiciary committee Democratic Senators and by the virtual mob that's assaulted all of us in the course of this process has turned our base on fire," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. While vicious retaliation to societal progress is often the calling card of the reactionary right, it didn't quite pan out in big numbers this time around. Going into the hearings, Democrats led Republicans of registered voters in party registration states, 40 percent to 31 percent, about 12 million more people. Following the Kavanaugh hearings, according to a Morning Consult/Politico survey, Democrats widened their lead of party preference among all voters in generic ballot polling to 10 points, and their "very motivated" enthusiasm for the midterms, comparable to that of the 2008 presidential election, topped that of Republicans 77 to 68 percent. Furthermore, a new ABC poll published Friday showed that 70 percent of women between 18 and 49 supported a deeper, more robust Congressional investigation into Kavanaugh, one that could potentially lead to efforts to remove him from his post. Twenty-seven years after the disreputable Clarence Thomas hearings on Anita Hill's allegations, which included three days of witnesses and a perfunctory FBI investigation, the one-day hearing on Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault seemed to be a step backwards. Not a single witness was called to testify; the sham FBI investigation was controlled by Kavanaugh's longtime buddy White House counsel Don McGahn, who had pushed his nomination. And the Republican side of the Judiciary Committee, which, as the majority party, controlled the hearing, is still entirely composed of white men, with an average age of 64. It is often said that the Anita Hill hearings, in which an all-white, all-male Senate Judiciary Committee stared down at her in between turns of snarling chauvinism, led to the election of five women to the Senate in 1992. We've already seen a similar reaction to Trump, with several Women's Marches and a record number of women running for office. A total of 274 women, after winning Senate, House, and governor primaries, will be on ballots around the country in November. In a tone-deaf attempt to avoid the creepy-old-men optics, Republicans mostly avoided slut-shaming Blasey Ford, hired a "female assistant" to question her in the hearing, and propped up Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), as another female representative, to regurgitate right-wing talking points in a painful speech on the Senate floor. None of it worked. The videos of a red-faced Lindsey Graham screaming and Kavanaugh crying, lying, and snapping at Sen. Klobuchar (D-Minn.) may have galvanized hardcore partisans and men inclined to distrust women. Indeed, support for Kavanaugh among men actually rose slightly after Blasey Ford's accusations became public. But many women saw raging men reminiscent of alcoholic dissembling and entitled excuse-making, and the reactions of his supporters were equally disturbing. At a Mississippi rally following the hearing, Trump mocked Blasey Ford's memories of what happened; the crowd chanted "lock her up." The accumulation of Trump-era offenses has been chipping away at those who'd cast themselves in a shell of neutrality. In the early fall in most years, my Facebook feed is filled by women of a certain age posting photos of their young children hamming it by pumpkins or husband appreciation posts and successful home improvements. But this autumn, I noticed something different. Trump had, two years ago, ignited one subsection of previously politically disengaged women; Kavanaugh triggered another. For those who might not identify with the predictable misogyny of a brash billionaire leering at teenage Miss USA contestants, Kavanaugh was something altogether more familiar: an entitled frat boy, who may have been at the top of his class, but acted terribly in private. We all knew the type. Friends, who, like Swift, typically avoid political rants became atypically outspoken. "I couldn't even listen to most of the hearing yesterday. It literally made me sick," said one friend, who had taken a years-long political hiatus, and later texted me. "He represents a thing. I think a lot of women are reevaluating things." Another posted: "Vote out the old, white f$@&s!! This is disgraceful. I'm so angry." Even more interesting were the women hitting "like"women I'd never before heard make a political utterance. It wasn't just my greater circle of friends and acquaintances either. There were signs of Swift's growing political awakening. Last March, she posted an Instagram in support of the gun-control movement March for Our Lives. And before that, she appeared on the 2017 Person of the Year cover of Time honoring the "Silence Breakers" on sexual assault. In 2013, well before #MeToo, Swift reported a Colorado DJ to his station for grabbing her ass while they took a photo together. After an investigation, he was fired and, two years later, he sued her for defamation. She counter sued him for a symbolic $1 and won. Her testimony was full of zingers that seemed straight out of a female empowerment movie. When the defense attorney asked her if she felt guilty over the DJ losing his job, she retorted: "I'm not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I'm being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisionsnot mine." Later, Swift told Time, "I was angry," noting that the man's attorney bullied her team, including her own mother, and accused her of lyinga pattern with reverberations in the case of Blasey Ford and others who come forward with sexual misconduct allegations. She also noted that she called Kesha, who has been entangled with her own years-long public battle over sexual abuse allegations, for advice. In a recent The New York Times article on the white evangelical women deep in Texas supporting Beto O'Rourke, former Republican female voters in their thirties spoke about their reasons for turning away from Trump's Republican party, including the blatant disrespect of women and cruel family separation policies of migrants seeking asylum. "We've been asleep," said one of her previous one-issue pro-life votes for Republicans. "Now, we've woke up." She became enraged when an older evangelical man told her that a Christian couldn't vote for O'Rourke. Evangelical voters overall still overwhelmingly support Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), but these women are part of larger, quiet backlash, both to Trump and the attitudes of men in the face of misbehavior. Another usually apolitical friend recently told me of her deep disappointment in her own father who questioned Blasey Ford's memories and timing in coming forward, noting that she'd never told him of her own sexual assaults. For every vocal protestor or Facebook poster, there are dozens more women silently nodding along with them. According to a new CNN poll, 63 percent of women now support the Democratic party, while 33 percent support the Republican partya yawning 30-point differential. For those who grew up in the post-Roe vs Wade era, long past bouts over college admittance and overt gender discrimination in the workplace, the threat to women's rights that seemed safe has become stunningly clear. While Democratic offenders, like Al Franken, have been cast out, each week brings a new Roy Moore, Rob Porter, or Brett Kavanaugh, all protected by the Republican establishmentfresh reminders that the gendered workplace slights and sexual misconduct women have long tried to bury to go about their daily lives are part of a vast collective experience rigged to protect mediocre white men. Following Swift's call to political action, Vote.org, the site she mentioned, saw a surge of 166,00 new registrations. "We have never seen a 24- or 36- or 48-hour period like this," the organization's spokeswoman, Kamari Guthrie, told The New York Times. "So many dumb articles today on how Taylor Swift's Instagram post supposedly goosed voter registration," Blake Hounshell, Politico Editor-in-Chief, snarked on Twitter. "Hint: It was probably the deadline today in many, many states." That didn't explain why 42 percent of the registrants were between the ages of 18 and 24, which typically accounts for the lowest turnout group in any election and makes up a good chunk of Swift's fanbase, or why that individual voter registration site saw a jump. Within 72 hours, as more celebrities joined Swift in directing followers to Vote.org, new registrations ballooned to 413,000, with 65 percent of those under 30. Republicans too were dismissive of the potential of female power. McConnell did his part to secure two seats and a far-right majority in the Supreme Court, setting it up to nullify Roe v. Wade, in a show of raw partisan power, fueled by a cabal of men inflamed by challenges to their place of privilege. "These things always blow over,"said McConnell of the aftermath of the Kavanaugh hearings, during which support for him fell by 19 net points among GOP women. Something is certainly blowing in the wind, but it doesn't seem to be more patience for more entitled male villainy. This is what Buffett thinks about Elon Musk. Berkshire Hathaway (ticker: BRK.A, BRK.B) CEO and legendary investor Warren Buffett has always been generous in sharing his time and his investing philosophy. In a pair of recent interviews with CNBC, Buffett discussed a range of important market topics. For decades, Buffett's long-term value investing approach has consistently outperformed the S&P 500. Even during the past five years, when many value stocks and investors have lagged the market, Berkshire's 88.5 percent overall gain has outshined the 72.4 percent gain of the S&P 500. Here are seven things investors have learned from Buffett lately. Stocks are expensive. When Buffett was asked if U.S. stocks are expensive, Buffett said frankly that American stocks are "definitely" pricey at the moment. Buffett said there's simply no reliable way of predicting whether stock prices will go up or down over the next week or year, but stocks with high returns on capital will always eventually outperform bonds returning just 3 percent annually. "If you had your choice between buying and holding a 30-year bond for 30 years or holding a basket of American stocks, there's just no question you're going to do better owning stocks," Buffett says. Berkshire buybacks are not a guarantee. Berkshire currently has more than $100 billion in cash on its balance sheet. In the past, Buffett has said that he would only buy back Berkshire Hathaway stock if the share price was at or below 120 percent of book value. Buffett said he uses intrinsic book value as a gauge rather than book value, and Berkshire has been buying back a limited number of Berkshire shares as of late. "We need a big enough discount, so we're buying it at what we know is a price where the continuing shareholders are going to be better off," Buffett says. Buffett still loves Apple. Buffett's most aggressive investment in recent years has been a $56 billion stake in Apple (AAPL), which is now Berkshire's largest holding. Buffett owns more than 5 percent of Apple, but he's still buying more. When asked if he's been adding to his Apple stake since the end of the second quarter, Buffet said he's been selectively adding to his Apple holdings. "I bought just a little bit," he said. "I like to buy them cheaper." Since Berkshire first began buying AAPL stock in 2016 at around $100, the stock is up about 129 percent. Story continues He's maxed out on airlines. Buffett raised some eyebrows on Wall Street when Berkshire accumulated roughly 10 percent ownership stakes in Delta Air Lines (DAL), American Airlines Group (AAL), United Continental Holdings (UAL) and Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV). Some analysts have speculated that Buffett may be considering a full buyout of Southwest or another airline. However, Buffett said he has maxed out his airline investment and gave no hints at a bigger deal down the road. "I would have been happy to buy 20 percent [of the four airline stocks], but we've got about what we can handle," he says. Another financial crisis is coming. There have been several measures implemented in Washington and on Wall Street since the last financial crisis to help protect financial markets from disaster, but Buffett said another crisis is inevitable simply due to human nature. He said Americans feel a tremendous amount of pressure during financial bubbles because bubbles make it seem as if making huge amounts of money is easy. "The guy next door, who they know is dumber than they are, is getting rich, and they aren't," Buffett says. He says that contagious type of thinking is never going away, and neither are financial crises. He doesn't support Trump's biannual report plan. President Donald Trump has proposed that U.S. companies might benefit from shifting from quarterly financial reporting to reporting once every six months. Trump has even ordered the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the potential impact of shifting to a six-month reporting schedule. Buffett and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimo have previously spoken out in opposition to companies issuing quarterly guidance, but Buffett said he is opposed to eliminating quarterly earnings reports. "I like to read quarterly reports as an investor, and we've got a couple hundred billion dollars worth of common stocks," Buffett says. He has advice for Elon Musk. Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's use of Twitter, including his infamous tweet that he had "funding secured" for a deal to take Tesla private, recently cost Musk his position as Tesla chairman. Buffett says Musk's tweeting is clearly not helping his cause and explains why he mostly stays off Twitter (TWTR). "It'd be particularly dangerous to start commenting on Berkshire daily, which I never would do." Buffett says he has better things to do with his time than tweeting and said investors who want to get his opinion on Berkshire should read his annual shareholder letter. Wayne Duggan is a freelance investment strategy reporter with a focus on energy and emerging market stocks. He has a degree in brain and cognitive sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and specializes in the psychological challenges of investing. He is a senior financial market reporter for Benzinga and has contributed financial market analysis to Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha and InvestorPlace. He is also the author of the book "Beating Wall Street With Common Sense," which focuses on the practical strategies he has used to outperform the stock market. You can follow him on Twitter @DugganSense, check out his latest content at tradingcommonsense.com or email him at wpd@tradingcommonsense.com. PARIS (AP) Emmanuel Macron won't be rushed. The 24-hour news cycle? The French leader isn't interested. At least, that's what he wants people to think. France's president is turning a government reshuffle into a soapbox against the time-pressures of modern politics and wall-to-wall news coverage. Behind the scenes, Macron's government is struggling to quickly plug the gap left by the sudden resignation last week of his interior minister, Gerard Collomb. But Macron and his aides are spinning the delay in appointing a replacement. The message from his office: Relax everyone. "He makes no apologies for taking time in order to do this famous reshuffle," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said, just before Macron set off Wednesday afternoon for an overseas trip to Armenia that will further postpone the appointment of a new minister at least until the president's return on Friday. Collomb's resignation, to free him up to re-run as mayor of the southeastern city of Lyon, initially appeared to blind-side Macron, who tried but failed to get the minister to reconsider. His departure was so sudden that when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and European interior ministers gathered for a long-planned meeting to discuss anti-terrorism and other issues this week, Macron's prime minister had to be dispatched to greet them, standing in temporarily in the absence of a French interior minister. Opposition leaders quickly argued that not swiftly replacing Collomb was symptomatic of a government in disarray. Guillaume Peltier of the right-wing Republicans asked if France "still has a captain." A "mess," sniffed far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. Sometimes proudly sporting a made-in-France watch, on a red-white-and-blue wrist-strap, Macron likes to describe himself as the "master of the clocks." But he is almost always late even at meetings with other heads of states. As the days without a reshuffle have stretched beyond a week, Macron has sought to use the mini-saga to signal that his schedule is his own and that he won't be pushed around. Story continues Usually, reshuffles take a few days, at most. One reason this one is taking longer may be that Macron has equilibriums to maintain. Recruiting more men than women to his administration would violate his promise of equality between the sexes. Recruiting too heavily from the left or right wings of French politics would risk tilting his government too far from its centrist, middle-way axis. And background checks have to be conducted to ensure that candidates don't have legal or other skeletons in their closet that could soil Macron in the same way that ugly scandals undermined previous French administrations. In short, Macron is far too busy to be rushed. "He takes responsibility for breaking with usual practices when some were changing the minister of so-and-so within a few hours, moving him from one ministry to another," Griveaux said. "He said, with his own words, that ministers were not objects on shelves but people with whom it was necessary to have an extensive dialogue before deciding to give them the important mission we have started of transforming the country." So hold the presses. As 24-hour news channels have breathlessly speculated about who might be shuffled to which ministry and talked of a possible split between Macron and his prime minister over candidates, the French leader took a sunset stroll on Tuesday evening along the banks of the Seine River, where lovers have long hoped that time will stand still. A journalist who seemingly happened to luck across the unusual scene snapped Macron walking ahead of his bodyguards, a mobile phone glued to his ear . "Crisis? What crisis?" the image seemed to say. Macron has even coined a phrase the "tyranny of immediacy" to describe his manifest refusal to become enslaved by the tick-tock, tick-tock of the right-here, right-now. Defending the right to take one's time all seems very French, fitting with France's fondness for leisure, for two-hour lunches and slow food. It's a far cry from the famously frenetic style of one of Macron's recent predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy. He was so in a hurry as president that he dared to remove cheese from presidential palace menus so meals would go quicker. That anecdote came courtesy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who lamented the axing of fromage at the Elysee Palace. Sooner, or later, there'll be a new minister, probably more than one if the reshuffle concerns several portfolios. But all in good time. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE Sylvie Corbet has covered French politics for The Associated Press since 2010, and John Leicester has been based in France for the AP since 2002 and was the Paris bureau chief from 2005-2009. EDITOR'S NOTE _ Sylvie Corbet has covered French politics for The Associated Press since 2010, and John Leicester has been based in France for AP since 2002 and was the Paris bureau chief from 2005-2009. WASHINGTON (AP) Hurricane Michael has shown that President Donald Trump can't always be counted on to give accurate information to the public when a natural disaster unfolds. Trump wrongly stated that the hurricane moved across land with blazing speed, which stopped a terrible situation from becoming even worse because the storm didn't linger. He also at least mildly exaggerated the ferocity of the storm's winds. His rhetorical record in times of calamity has been spotty. Trump described last year's Hurricane Maria as a Category 5 storm when it hit Puerto Rico; it was a 4. He invented a story that Democrats made up a high death toll on the island and, in the case of Hurricane Harvey and Texas, stated without evidence that thousands of water rescues resulted from people going "out in their boats to watch" the deadly storm. The political winds swirled, too, over the past week, as Trump rallied hard for Republicans in the Nov. 6 elections that will determine control of Congress. A look at some of his recent statements: HURRICANE TRUMP: "The only thing we can say about Michael with certainty is that it was so fast, it went through like a bullet, but it was a devastating bullet. It was complete." remarks Thursday at a meeting about human trafficking. TRUMP: "The one good thing we can say, we were just discussing, is that it was the fastest hurricane anybody's seen. It just was speedy. If it wasn't, there'd be absolutely nothing left." remarks Thursday during signing of a bill to reduce sea pollution. THE FACTS: No bullet here. Michael moved across land at a relatively normal pace. Michael moved at 13 mph to 17 mph for most of Wednesday, then sped up to as high as 23 mph on Thursday. Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach notes that does not hold a candle to Hurricane Hazel in 1954. That one raced along at 55 mph. Atmospheric scientist Brian McNoldy, from the University of Miami, said Michael's forward movement was "perfectly average." Story continues "Very average forward speed," agreed meteorologist Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground. In contrast, a 1961 tropical storm hurtled at 69.75 mph from the mid-Atlantic over the Northeast, and a 1938 hurricane hit Long Island while traveling over 50 mph, he said. ___ TRUMP: "It was winds about as big as we've ever seen in history. We've never had anything like this." remarks Thursday at human-trafficking meeting. TRUMP: "Some of those winds reached almost 200 miles an hour, which is unheard of. People are saying it's the third most powerful that they've seen hit our country anywhere." remarks Thursday during bill signing. TRUMP: "The level of power, people have not seen: the 170-, 180-mile-an-hour winds. At one point, it reached almost 200 miles an hour. So we haven't seen that before. And I guess you have two or three cases where maybe there might have been slightly stronger wind. But this is in history." Fox News interview. THE FACTS: This part is right: Michael was the third most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland. But Trump overstated wind speeds. Michael's top measured sustained winds were 155 mph and that's from a plane, while the ground top wind speed measured was 129 mph. During the storm, a top wind gust of 130 mph was recorded at a University of Florida site before the instrument broke. Gusts can be 25 percent higher than maximum sustained speeds, Klotzbach said, a prospect that would still leave winds considerably short of 200 mph on the ground. Masters says the highest wind gust measured in a U.S. hurricane was 186 mph in Massachusetts in 1938. Only four reliably recorded wind gusts of 200 mph or greater have been recorded in world history, he said. The world record wind gust is 253 mph at Barrow Island, Australia, during Tropical Cyclone Olivia in 1996. ___ JUSTICE KAVANAUGH TRUMP: "What happened to the Kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency, and due process. ...I must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent." remarks Monday at swearing-in of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. THE FACTS: There's no proof of innocence or of guilt. The presumption of innocence does not equate to proof. It's true that a supplemental FBI background check did not appear to substantiate sexual assault allegations made against Kavanaugh or show any "hint of misconduct," according to Republican senators who read the confidential report. But that does not mean the review, which the FBI director described as limited in scope and lasting a week, proved Kavanaugh was innocent. One of Kavanaugh's accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, alleged that he sexually assaulted her when they were teens in the 1980s. Ford identified several people in the house where the alleged assault occurred; three did not refute her account but said in brief statements submitted to senators that they did not remember the gathering. That leaves open the possibility that people at the small gathering forgot about it or were not in position to witness the alleged assault. Democrats have complained the supplemental FBI review was constrained by the White House and may not have conducted interviews with a number of vital witnesses. They have also argued that Kavanaugh's nomination should be assessed broadly in terms of his fitness to be a Supreme Court justice, such as his truthfulness during the confirmation hearing and judicial temperament. FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Wednesday that the FBI's additional review of Kavanaugh was limited but consistent with previous background checks of nominees. He said that unlike criminal or national security investigations, the FBI's authority in background investigations is determined by the agency that requested it the White House in this case. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has praised Kavanaugh's confirmation as affirming the "presumption" of innocence. ___ 'OPEN BORDERS BILL' TRUMP: "Every single Democrat in the U.S. Senate has signed up for the open borders, and it's a bill, it's called the open borders bill. What's going on? And it's written by, guess who? Dianne Feinstein." Kansas rally on Oct. 6. THE FACTS: It's not called the "open borders" bill. More on point, nothing in the text directs borders to be more porous than now. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is sponsoring a bill that has the support of every Democratic senator, but it's called the "Keep Families Together Act." The bill's aim is to stop the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy of criminally prosecuting all adults caught crossing the border illegally and putting their children under Department of Health and Human Services custody and care. The bill seeks to limit family separations by barring federal agents and officers from removing a child from a parent within 100 miles of U.S. borders. Exceptions would apply in cases where a child is danger of trafficking or abuse or neglect, or when there is a strong likelihood the adult is not the parent. While Trump charges that the bill would spur "open borders" and change immigration law, nothing in the legislation would prohibit the removal or detention of immigrants who arrive in the U.S. illegally if the families are kept together. ___ CHICAGO CRIME TRUMP: "I have directed the Attorney General's office to immediately go to the great city of Chicago to help straighten out the terrible shooting wave. We want to straighten it out. We want to straighten it out fast. There's no reason for what's going on there." remarks Monday to police group in Orlando, Florida. THE FACTS: In pointing to a "terrible shooting wave," Trump suggests an intolerable crime situation in Chicago that requires strict measures, such as use of the controversial "stop and frisk" policing strategy. In fact, according to Chicago officials, the crime situation has been improving. Chicago police said this month 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. ___ PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS TRUMP: "As a candidate, I promised that we would protect coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions and create new health care insurance options that would lower premiums. I have kept that promise." op-ed column published Wednesday in USA Today. TRUMP: "If you listen to my speeches, pre-existing conditions, I'm saying it's being covered 100 percent and Republicans are doing that." Fox interview broadcast Wednesday. THE FACTS: It's a stretch for Trump to claim he is protecting health coverage for patients with pre-existing medical conditions, or that Republicans are "doing that." His Justice Department is arguing in court that those protections in the Obama-era health law should fall. And the short-term health plans Trump often promotes as a bargain alternative offer no guarantee of covering pre-existing conditions. Government lawyers said in legal filings in June that they will no longer defend key parts of the Affordable Care Acr, including provisions that guarantee access to health insurance regardless of any medical conditions. Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote in a letter to Congress that Trump approved the legal strategy. The decision was a rare departure from the Justice Department's custom of defending federal laws in court, even if the administration in power does not like them. It came after Texas and other Republican-led states sued to strike down the entire law because Congress repealed a provision that people without health insurance must pay a fine. The Trump administration said it won't defend the provision shielding people with medical conditions from being denied coverage or charged higher premiums. The health overhaul requires insurers to take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and patients with health problems pay the same standard premiums as healthy ones. Bills supported last year by Trump and congressional Republicans to repeal the law could have pushed up costs for people with pre-existing conditions. ___ MEDICARE TRUMP: "The Democrats' plan means that after a life of hard work and sacrifice, seniors would no longer be able to depend on the benefits they were promised. By eliminating Medicare as a program for seniors, and outlawing the ability of Americans to enroll in private and employer-based plans, the Democratic plan would inevitably lead to the massive rationing of health care. Doctors and hospitals would be put out of business. Seniors would lose access to their favorite doctors. There would be long wait lines for appointments and procedures. Previously covered care would effectively be denied." op-ed column Wednesday in USA Today. THE FACTS: He paints a speculative doomsday scenario that may capture some negative consequences of Democratic plans while ignoring the upside. America's health care system is a hybrid, with employers, federal, state, and local governments, and individuals sharing the cost. Under "Medicare for All," the federal government would take the reins. Seniors are being promised more health care from the government, not less. The plan by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, includes benefits not now covered by Medicare such as dental, vision, and hearing aids. A House bill would also cover long-term care. The idea is also known as "single-payer," because the government would pay nearly all the bills and set rates for hospitals and doctors and for all patients, not just the elderly. "Medicare for All" would also eliminate or reduce costs now directly paid by seniors themselves. Retirees would no longer have to fork over premiums for supplemental private insurance to cover gaps in Medicare. There would be no deductibles. Copayments for most care would be eliminated. The same benefits would accrue to privately insured people. With almost no out-of-pocket costs, people would probably seek more health care services. And there lies a potential problem. Single-payer would also dial back what hospitals and doctors now get paid for their privately insured patients, to a level based on Medicare rates. Medicare generally pays less than private insurance. The combination of greater demand for services and new limits on reimbursement would put a squeeze on the health care system. But would it "inevitably lead" to "massive rationing" as described by Trump? Maybe. Academic experts critical of single-payer have been much more guarded, though. "It is impossible to say precisely how much the confluence of these factors would reduce individuals' timely access to health care services, but some such access problems almost certainly must arise," wrote Charles Blahous of the libertarian Mercatus Center in a recent analysis that pointed out cost problems with Sanders' plan. Other experts and Sanders himself say that would not happen because single-payer would take costs out of the system by eliminating insurers as the middlemen and using government's clout to bring down drug prices. ___ Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Cal Woodward contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures As Indonesian authorities halt their search for bodies and begin the long recovery from a devastating earthquake and tsunami, humanitarian workers warn that around 300 children who survived the catastrophe remain separated from their families while almost half a million more urgently need assistance. The 7.5-magnitude quake caused widespread destruction in the city of Palu, where the powerful temblor set off tidal waves and a dangerous phenomenon called liquefaction. At least 2,073 people have been confirmed dead and as many as 5,000 others are believed to be missing. More than 80,000 were displaced. In the chaos that ensued, an estimated 300 children across affected areas were left either separated from their parents or unaccompanied by any adult relatives, according to the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF. Although 74 children have been officially registered with the organization as missing, UNICEF Indonesia has partnered with a local branch of Save the Children, the countrys Ministry of Social Affairs, local police and a few smaller organizations to pool information about families that have been torn apart. Read more: Indonesia Winds Down Search for Victims of Devastating Earthquake and Tsunami As of Friday, just five registered cases of separated or unaccompanied children have resulted in reunification, while another is expected to be reunited soon, according to Save the Children. Akbar Halim, a child protection specialist for UNICEF Indonesia, said success is hard to measure when it comes to bringing fractured families back together in the wake of a disaster. The numbers dont really matter, he told TIME, I always tell people, We cant guarantee that well bring back your child, but well do the best we can.' What I can say is that we never close a case, he added. Even if it takes 10 years, we will not give up. Rescue teams continue searching works at the earthquake and tsunami devastated area in Central Sulawesi, in Indonesia on Oct. 2, 2018. But low awareness is a chronic challenge; many families in the remote region do not know how to go about reporting the loss of their loved ones. Some were seen driving around the city with cardboard signs strung to their backs bearing the names of their relatives in hopes they would be spotted. Story continues There have been additional accounts of strangers taking in unaccompanied children and claiming them as their own. While such illegal adoptions are often well-intentioned, child protection experts say they make family reunions extremely difficult to facilitate. Read more: As Indonesia Reels from Earthquake and Tsunami, Experts Warn of More Deadly Disasters Aid workers have received reports that some groups of children have been taken by boat to the city of Balikpapan, in the neighboring island of Borneo, or by road to Sulawesis capital Makassar. We are concerned about human trafficking, Muhammad Zubedy Koteng, a child protection specialist for Save the Childrens local partner Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik, told TIME in Palu. He also estimated that hundreds of children were without their parents, but conceded that there could be more. UNICEF estimates about 475,000 children in total have been affected by the disaster, and has launched an appeal for $26.6 million to provide for their safety. Our utmost priority at the moment is to ensure that children receive life-saving support in the form of health and water and sanitation, nutrition and child protection services, said UNICEF Indonesia representative Debora Comini. Much of the city still lacks power and clean water, and many of the displaced are living in open-air camps while they await new shelter. President Donald Trump argued that he has expanded the Republican Party to be more of a home for the working man and woman in an interview for this weeks TIME cover. In a brief call from Air Force One to discuss his relations with Republicans on his way to an Oct. 10 rally in Erie, Pa., Trump cited his 2016 win, his renegotiation of free-trade agreements and his combative foreign policy as reasons that the GOP is stronger than before his presidency. The party is a much bigger party now, and its like really a party for the working men and women in this country, in addition to plenty of others, he said. In the true sense, it has been changed, and I think thats why I won an election nobody else would have won. If you look at the places Ive won, nobody else would have won those places. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have seen drop-offs in recent years in the number of voters who identify with them, and there are fewer self-identified Republicans now than when Trump won the 2016 nomination. But among Republicans, Trump has support in the mid-80s, in line with Ronald Reagans. Read More: How the Midterms Will Test Trumps Hold on the GOP Read a lightly edited transcript of Trumps interview below. Hi, Mr. President. Thank you for talking to me today. Good. Ill try and get a good cover for a change. Thats nice. Weve been talking to a lot of your supporters. And were trying to explain to readers the different reasons people support you, and thats what I wanted to talk to you about. We are doing a lot of good things, I think. You know, we just had a great judge put on the Supreme Court and a lot of people would have said that was not going to happen. Now thats two of them in less than two years, substantially less than two years. That was my honor. But all of the things that are happening have been really great, including jobs and regulations, everything. The markets had a little bit of an off day, but I understand why that is. Thats easy to figure. Story continues Do you think that youve changed the Republican Party permanently? Well, I dont think of it that way, Brian. I mean I really like much of what the Republicans were doing. I think we have brought a lot of people in. You know. The party is a much bigger party now, and its like really a party for the working men and women in this country, in addition to plenty of others. I guess in the true sense, it has been changed, and I think thats why I won an election nobody else would have won. If you look at the places Ive won, nobody else would have won those places. And a lot of that is because of my views which are very strongly held. There are hundreds of Republican politicians out there, what do you think they can learn from you, the things you say, your policies and the way you say it? Well I think for one thing we have to fight harder for our country. And I think we have to put America first. We, people have not been doing that. Theyve been doing these horrible trade deals. You know we just renegotiated and there were tough negotiations. But NAFTA was one of the worst deals ever made. We lost thousands of factories and plants and jobs, millions of jobs, millions and millions of jobs. And it was a horrible deal. Thats why I refused to call the new deal anything to do with NAFTA, you know the USMCA. And you know its a deal that will make it very hard for people, for companies to move out of the United States because if they move out of the United States theres going to be a very big penalty to pay. And you know we were losing our companies and therefore we were losing our jobs. People were being fired. And that was something that I refuse to allow to happen. Thats a big difference right there. I think more than anything else, its putting America first. And you know, Im proud of our country. I want to be proud of our country. So many things were happening so bad so foolish that, you know, its just unacceptable. Our trade deals were horrible and frankly our military deals were horrible. Were protecting wealthy countries and not being reimbursed for it. Its ridiculous. You look at our military costs and theyre ten times what other large countries are, more than ten times. And yet because we are protecting half of the world and much of that are wealthy countries and were not being reimbursed. Well we are going to start being reimbursed. You know, why should we be protecting countries of massive wealth and not be reimbursed for this military protection? That was not a very Republican thing to say, but it wasnt a very Democrat thing to say either. It was neither. But I say it. And its happening, as you see. You see whats happening. NAFTA if you look at what we did with NAFTA but if you take a look at NATO. Because NAFTA now is gone, you know, it has to be approved by the Senate, but we have to have good bipartisan, you see that. But if you take a look at NATO, last year they paid $44 billion more. I said youre going to have to pay folks. Because payments were going down everyday for 10 years. You could speak to Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg. And last year I went in, I said, Look, youre either going to pay or youre going to have a problem. And they paid $44 billion more. This year its the same thing. Theyre paying billions more. But its still unfair, NATO. Because were paying for 80% the cost of NATO in order to protect Europe and on top of everything else Europe takes advantage of us on trade. Thats a mouthful, Brian, but you understand what Im saying. Ive had people say to me, Ive had generals say to me, Sir, we do this for trade. I said, really? We lost $151 billion with the European nations, you know the union, but you add those nations together which are largely the same, and we lost because they have trade barriers, they have tremendous tariffs. [Note: In 2017, the European Union had a $153 billion trade surplus in goods with the U.S. When trade in financial, tech and legal services are included, the total trade surplus is $101 billion.] And they took advantage of our country and theyre not going to be able to do that any more. We talked to supporters in Missouri, in Pennsylvania, in West Virginia, we heard from some people who love the way you talk, some of your harsh attack lines that you use, and we found people who love your policies but are uncomfortable with the harsh ways that you talk. How do you thread the line of different types of people that support you? Well, if I dont talk that way, Im never going to get the point across and Im never going to be able to make the deal. There is nothing nice about telling a country that we arent going to allow you to make $151 billion against the American taxpayer. There is nothing nice in telling China that we are not going to allow you to take 500 billion dollars a year out of the United States. [Note: According to figures published by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. goods and services trade deficit with China in 2017 was $335.4 billion.] We just cant do it. And I have a great relationship with President Xi. But we cant allow this to happen. There is nothing nice about saying to Saudi Arabia: You have to pay for military protection. Were not going to do this unless, you know its ridiculous, were spending money and theyre paying for just a fraction of the cost of the military. Now I can say it nicely or I can say it less than nicely. The bottom line is a lot of people agree with me. Oftentimes, you cant be overly nice. Look, our politicians have been nice for many years, for decades. And look whats happened. Look what Ive done with North Korea. When I came in, the day before I came in, if you look, we were going to war with North Korea. President Obama said it was by far his biggest problem. Of course he gave me a lot of problems with a lot of things including Iran. Look at Iran. Theyre a weakened nation now. Look at them after what I did. They are a weakened nation. They have riots all over, in every city, the people are rioting. They are pulling back military. They have a lot of problems. The day before I came in, Iran was taking over the Middle East, it was just a question of which week will it be. Now they have everything they do to save themselves. You look at North Korea. We were going to war with North Korea before I came in. That was going to be a war. President Obama said it was by far his biggest problem. That was going to be a major war. Millions of people would have been killed. Now, and the media gives me no credit for it, and thats fine because Im used to them. Obviously they dont mean as much as I used to think. I used to think they meant a lot. But now, my relationships with Kim Jong Un are excellent. We are having great dialogue. Mike Pompeo just left yesterday and they had a great conversation, a great five hour meeting and conversation, setting up another meeting. But the bottom line is: theres no missiles going off, theres no nuclear testing, theres no rockets. We got our hostages back, Brian, and were getting our remains back. When you leave office what do you think the Republican Party looks like? And then the media, and then the media says, Why arent you going faster? Well, I left there three months ago. And these other presidents have been negotiating 30 years on this stuff. And more. But 30 years on the dangerous things, on the things of danger, to put it nicer. So, Ive done North Korea, and thats moving along very nicely. The only thing they can say is, Oh, why isnt it moving faster? Its been three months, Brian. Three months. Why isnt it moving faster? Thats the only thing they can say. Or they say something else: He met. I met. Obama paid 1.8 billion and he gave 150 billion. With me they say, He met. That was like, you know, this major concession. Thats not a concession. I met. Im glad I met. By meeting, we now have a civil relationship and even a good relationship. So thats just two of many things. Ill give you and example: Idlib. I met with a person at a big rally in Ohio. It was a person backstage where various people were saying hello. And a woman came up. She was Syrian. She said, Sir, this is five weeks ago she said, Sir, my sister lives in Idlib province and sir she is going to be killed. Russia, Iran and Syria are surrounding it and they are going in and they are going to kill the 3 million people or a million people but tremendous amounts of people. Theyre going to kill my sister and theyre going to kill my family. And I said, That wont happen. But I wasnt that aware of it. I got back and I read an article in, of all places, the New York Times, the failing New York Times, and I read an article about Idlib being surrounded by Russian troops with Iranians and with Syrians. And they were in fact going to go in. Take a look at the tweet I put out at that time. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Dont let that happen! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2018 Guess what, they didnt do it. Theyre still talking. I said just you got to be surgical. You cant blow up every building and kill millions of people to get 35,000 terrorists. And look what happened, Brian. They didnt do it. I said, You better not do it. And Im not saying they shouldnt get the terrorists, Im saying you cant kill 3 million people in order to get, or a million people, in order to get 35,000 terrorists. You cant do it. So, you know, that happened. I was the one that got it stopped. And then Turkey also got involved after I stopped it. I stopped it. They were going to go in the next day. And they stopped. Totally. Cold. Now they have the town surrounded and theyre doing much more surgical work. And thats the way it should be done if you want to get the terrorists. You cant kill millions of people. You just cant do it. Its unacceptable. So what Ive done, nobodys done what Ive done. Nobody. I say it myself because the media will never say it. But the people get it. The people understand it. And in a way it shocks me cause I always gave too much credit to the media. Because in theory, based on media, I shouldnt have gotten 306 electoral college votes. I shouldnt have got it. Because its really staged for the Democrats to win. But the people get it. Its really amazing to see. Its really a beautiful thing to see. And one of the advantages I have like Im going to a rally right now, you know, I would have canceled it because of the hurricane but there are thousands of people lined up yesterday to get to a rally that takes place at 7 oclock tonight in Pennsylvania but one of the assets I have is Im able to speak to people in tremendous numbers. We have thousands of people lined up outside right now trying to get in. But Im able to speak to them and often times its on live television, you understand. So Im able to get my word out. I wish I could speak to you more often. I think I would have gotten instead of having 90 percent bad TIME covers, I would have had 60 percent good TIME covers. Lets talk more often. I think we should. Its always an honor to be in your magazine. TVLine.com Mondays semifinals broadcast of Dancing With the Stars was all about the number two. Not only was the episode remarkably! already the second-to-last outing of Season 30, but it featured two routines from each remaining duo, then wrapped with one last double elimination. (Two is also the number of Kleenex boxes you might have [] Australia must act immediately to prevent further "tragedy" from unfolding at the migrant detentions centres on Papua New Guinea and Nauru, the UN said Friday, renewing its harsh criticism of Canberra. The health situation of those being held at the two sites is "collapsing" and Australia is failing to medically evacuate all those in need of urgent care, UN refugee agency spokeswoman Catherine Stubberfield told reporters in Geneva. One adolescent girl remains on Nauru despite having "doused herself in petrol before attempting to set herself alight and pulling chunks of hair from her head," she added. "UNHCR does not agree with the government of Australia's assertion that such cases are solely 'matters for Papua New Guinea and Nauru,'" Stubberfield added. She underscored that Australia "designed, financed and managed" the offshore migrant processing system. "Australia remains responsible under International Law for those who have sought its protection." Canberra says its harsh policy of sending migrants to offshore centres is necessary to stop refugees and people smugglers from attempting the treacherous boat journey to Australia. Since the current policy was introduced in 2013, an estimated 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers have been transferred to Papua New Guinea and Nauru, according to the UN. About 800 are still on Nauru and 650 on Papua New Guinea. Earlier this month, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called for all detainees to be removed from Nauru as those held there were in a "complete state of hopelessness and despair". That call came after Nauru's government had ordered MSF to cease its work treating asylum-seekers and locals suffering from mental health problems. The UN has repeatedly urged Australia to accept an offer from New Zealand to take in those held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. UNHCR has previously made clear that it does fully understand Australia's motivation for persistently declining New Zealand's offer. "In the absence of any other alternatives, UNHCR appeals for all refugees and asylum-seekers to be immediately brought from Papua New Guinea and Nauru to Australia, to avert further serious harm and loss of life," Stubberfield said. Rep. Beto ORourke, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in next months Texas Senate election, raised $38.1 million for his campaign in the third quarter triple what Cruzs team collected. ORourkes campaign said its fundraising for the three months that ended Sept. 30 was a record for a Senate race. The contributions came from 802,836 individuals, the majority from Texas, the campaign said in a statement. You just raised a record-breaking $38.1 million in three months. From 802,836 contributions. No PACs, no special interests, no corporations. All people, all the time, everywhere, every single day. pic.twitter.com/IDMFNFwezB Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 12, 2018 The people of Texas in all 254 counties are proving that when we reject PACs and come together not as Republicans or Democrats but as Texans and Americans, theres no stopping us, ORourke said in the statement. This is a historic campaign of people: all people, all the time, everywhere, every single day thats how were going to win this election and do something incredible for Texas and our country at this critical moment. Cruz and ORourke have been embroiled in a surprisingly tight race for the Senate seat, with Cruz holding a 7-point edge, according to polls. The last Democrat to serve as a U.S. senator from Texas was Bob Krueger in 1993. Cruzs campaign said it raised a total of more than $12 million in the quarter. ORourke raised about half that amount online alone during the last several days of September. ORourkes fundraising in the second quarter also dwarfed Cruzs effort, $10.4 million to $4.6 million, according to the Texas Tribune. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS) ORourkes campaign has a two-day goal of knocking 102,733 doors and making 102,733 phone calls this weekend, according to the Daily Beast. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this piece said that Sen. Krueger was elected to office and that he left the Senate in 1994. In fact, he was appointed by Gov. Ann Richards as an interim senator after the resignation of Lloyd Bentsen in 1993 and lost a special election later that same year. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Bududa (Uganda) (AFP) - On a muddy outcrop on the banks of the Sume river, grief-stricken families gaze at enormous boulders that stand testimony to the force of the deluge which engulfed their homes. Hundreds of newly-deposited rocks, each the size of a van, litter the riverbanks after Thursday's landslide which killed 42 people and swept away nearly 150 homes. At one spur just below Wanjenwa village, two colossal boulders match the size of the houses they smashed as the torrent propelled them down the mountain, crushing everything in their path. Evelyn Wantsema was at home in the riverbank village of Nyehe with her two boys, Muhammad, 4, and Joseph, 2, when she heard unsettling noise approaching. "I looked out and saw this catastrophe coming with a lot of rocks and trees," she said. "There was no time. I ran with Joseph and had to leave Muhammad," sobbed this young mother of 20. "I thought I'd lost him." As soon as the worst of the waters subsided, Wantsema rushed back to her home and found Muhammad buried in mud. "I saw one of his hands, grabbed it and pulled him out alive." - 'So fast' - Thursday was market day in Wanjenwa and although it had been raining for a couple of days, witnesses said it was not unusually heavy and people were walking around meeting friends. "Until this week, the Sume was like a stream -- even children could play in it," said Amos Wabianga a 45-year-old farmer. "The first sign something was wrong was soil in the water which made it dark," said Michael Namutambo, a primary school teacher. "People didn't think it was a problem and didn't run. Then what followed was the real calamity -- rocks, timber. People couldn't manage the speed of the mudslide -- it was so fast," the 33-year-old said. "Whoever took this direction survived somehow," he said gesturing to the right. "Those who took the other direction died" Story continues The official death toll stands at 42 with 858 people displaced and an unknown number missing. - Improved monitoring - The government agency in charge of relief said a landslide in the forest high above the villages blocked the Sume river causing it to burst its banks and sending a cascade of huge rocks tumbling down the hillside. "The Bukalasi landslide-triggered disaster is the 67th registered between May and October this year," said a statement by Martin Owor, commissioner for disaster preparedness. He said there had been 67 landslides this year, but only this one had resulted in deaths whereas in previous years, every landslide had caused fatalities, attributing the improved preparedness to a community-based Landslide Risk Monitoring System. But Godfrey Mujuni a government meteorologist told AFP there was no early warning system in the area, with local people confirming that other than the standard seasonal advice, they did not receive any additional warnings. The government says families at risk of landslides across the country will be resettled elsewhere but villagers say the land offered them is unsuitable and promises remain unfulfilled. - 'Where should we go?' - Nathan Tumuhamye, director of an organisation which helps communities recover from natural disasters and conflict, told AFP that although several households had been resettled under a government programme, the scheme had largely failed. "People were being moved from mountainous land which is so fertile you could just throw a seed in the soil and it will grow, to areas which are extremely flat and where the conditions for farming are extremely different." Those living in vulnerable areas were hesitant to leave their ancestral homes and "felt a great psychological attachment to the mountains," he said. In March 2010, at least 100 people were killed in the same mountainous region, which lies on the border between Uganda and Kenya and is a high-risk area for landslides. Namutambo, the school teacher, was also caught up in that disaster and recalled how government officials turned up to register people for resettlement but took no further action. "They came and took our photos but then disappeared and never came back," he told AFP. "The place they told us to go in 2010 is land that floods and no one can farm," he said. "We have always been warned we should move but the question is, where do we go?" Nine climbers were at a base camp of Mount Gurja in the Himalayas of western Nepal when a snowstorm struck on Saturday. The team consisted of five people from South Korea and four Nepali guides, according to BBC News. Family mourns climbers killed - AP Images Family members of Nepalese guides cry as bodies of those killed in Gurja Himal mountain arrive at the Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. Rescuers retrieved the bodies of five South Korean climbers and their four Nepalese guides from Gurja Himal mountain, where they were killed when their base camp was swept by a strong storm. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) The weather conditions were so severe that a rescue helicopter was unable to land at the scene. However, rescue crews in the helicopter spotted eight bodies lying among the wreckage of their camp. The ninth climber was confirmed dead shortly after, according to the Kathmandu Post. Among the dead were five South Korean climbers and four Nepalis. South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen, is believed to be among the dead, according to local officials. "We assume the incident happened because of a snowstorm because trees are broken and the tents. Even the dead bodies are scattered," Thapa told AFP. Rescue crews are hoping to return to the camp on Sunday if the weather cooperates. Bridgetown (Barbados) (AFP) - Tourism and fishery-dependent Caribbean nations plan to test the acidity of the Caribbean Sea as a result of increased absorption of greenhouse gases, a senior regional official said Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency "will assist" with the project, said Milton Haughton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. "I am very positive that we will have things going by next year," he told AFP in Barbados where Caribbean agriculture ministers are holding their annual meeting. Haughton said the Caribbean would also be establishing laboratories and training personnel to conduct future testing. Scientists already believe that the increased acidity is caused by the sea's absorption of carbon emissions. "In more recent times scientists have realized that the absorption of carbon dioxide in the ocean is actually causing serious, serious problems in the ocean itself. Basically, the seawater is becoming more and more acidic and that is not good for the living marine organisms," Haughton said. He added that acidic and increasingly warm seas were causing coral bleaching and dissolving the carbonates that shellfish require to make their shells. "The fact is that for many of our countries, our fisheries are based on the health of the coral reefs," Haughton said. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the United Nations said Monday. It warned that the world must become "carbon neutral" by 2050 to have at least a 50/50 chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 C. The US has extradited and charged an alleged Chinese spy for conspiring to steal trade secrets US companies including GE, which makes military jet engines including the F/A-18F Super Hornet for the uS Navy - REUTERS China has rejected US espionage claims against a Chinese national arrested in Belgium and extradited to America as mere fabrications plucked out of thin air, adding further pressure between Beijing and Washington. The US Department of Justice charged Xu Yanjun on Wednesday for conspiring and attempting to steal trade secrets from major US aviation and aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, a top jet engine supplier for US military aircraft. Mr Xu, a director for Chinas intelligence and security agency, appears to have been lured to Belgium as part of a dramatic global sting operation, according to the 16-page indictment. Mr Xu, who thought he would attend a meeting to receive proprietary information about jet fan blade designs, was instead arrested under a US warrant on April 1 and extradited this week to face charges in America. US aerospace companies invest decades of time and billions of dollars in research, said Bill Glassman, an attorney for the US justice department. In contrast, according to the indictment, a Chinese intelligence officer tried to acquire that same, hard-earned innovation through theft. Tensions between the US and China have heightened significantly amidst a trade war. The Trump administration has also accused China of implementing a military, economic and political campaign to undermine Washington and bolster Chinese influence claims that China continues to deny as unwarranted and ridiculous. Mr Xus case the first time the US has extradited a suspected Chinese spy indicates the US is unlikely to back down on China anytime soon. For years, the US has indicted in absentia alleged Chinese spies amid growing allegations and evidence that Beijing has been using espionage and hacking to modernise its country. This unprecedented extradition of a Chinese intelligence officer exposes the Chinese governments direct oversight of economic espionage against the United States, said Bill Priestap, an assistant director with the FBI. Story continues There is zero chance Beijing will ever allow extradition of its citizens from its own soil, said Scott Harold, Asia Pacific policy director at nonprofit think tank RAND Corp. The US and China do not have an extradition treaty, and Chinese authorities generally always deny allegations of spying and hacking as it did again on Thursday. US officials insist such activity, however, is rampant and damaging to American security interests. Mr Xu, for instance, invited US engineers and experts at key companies on all expenses paid trips to present talks in China, asking them to meet local scientists and to bring specific documents with them. Such technical experts are often targets for Chinese hacking and spying given their proximity to proprietary information, and Mr Xus activities should not come as a surprise. In a world where everything is connected you can be hacked; it can be stolen, said Mr Harold. This case is not an isolated incident. It is part of an overall economic policy of developing China at American expense, said John Demers, a US justice department assistant attorney general. We cannot tolerate a nations stealing our firepower and the fruits of our brainpower. Another Chinese national was arrested last month for allegedly providing information about American defence contractor employees in efforts to recruit them as informants. Donald Trump has promised severe punishment for Saudi Arabia if it is proven that the kingdom was responsible for murdering Jamal Khashoggi, the missing journalist. The US president said he was very upset and angry about the case and indicated that he was not fully convinced by the Saudis repeated claims of innocence. Could it be them? Yes, he said. In the not too distant future I think well know an answer, Trump told CBS News in an a "60 Minutes" interview that will air on Sunday. We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment. Mr Khashoggi, who would have turned 60 on Saturday, has not been seen since he went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish officials claim to have tapes of Saudi operatives torturing and murdering Mr Khashoggi, possibly recorded by the journalists own Apple Watch. Saudi Arabia has vehemently denied involvement in the journalists disappearance. Jamal Khashoggi has not been since October 2 Credit: AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File While Mr Trump said he would punish Saudi Arabia, he said he would not cancel arms sales to the kingdom in response, as a bipartisan group of US senators have demanded. I don't want to hurt jobs, he said. Mr Trump, who has previously referred to journalists as enemies of the people, said it was really terrible and disgusting that a journalist had been targeted. Sources close to the royal court said the inner circle of Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, was shocked at the speed and intensity at which global anger over Mr Khashoggis disappearance turned towards Saudi Arabia. "There will be severe punishment." In his first 60 Minutes interview since taking office, President Trump tells Lesley Stahl that if Saudi Arabia is found to be responsible for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, there will be consequences. https://t.co/BRZfIPHbNYpic.twitter.com/s6X98AylBR 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 13, 2018 After eleven days of issuing blanket denials of responsibility but offering little evidence of its innocence, the Saudi government is now trying to chart a more proactive course to deal with the fallout while also trying to shield Crown Prince Mohammeds own reputation. Story continues The crown prince has summoned home the Saudi ambassador in Washington, his younger brother Prince Khalid bin Salman, a former fighter pilot, for consultations on how to appease both the White House and Congress. He also dispatched a team of Saudi officials to Ankara to meet with the Turkish government as part of a newly-formed joint working group to look into what happened to Mr Khashoggi. The Saudi government is pointing to the joint group as evidence it is taking the situation seriously and hopes that the appearance of an investigative process will buy some time in the short term. In a statement on Saturday, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, the Saudi interior minister, praised the cooperation with the brothers in Turkey through the Joint Investigation Commission and other official channels. His statement, which also denounced the lies and baseless allegations against the kingdom, was the first public comment by a Saudi minister since the crisis began on October 2. The royal court is trying to insulate Mohammed bin Salman from criticism Credit: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images A theory discussed in pro-Saudi circles is that Riyadh will try to get the Turks to agree to a joint statement explaining Mr Khashoggis death in a way that causes minimal damage to Crown Prince Mohammed. One possibility is to say Mr Khashoggi died of a heart attack inside the consulate and his body was hidden by panicked diplomatic staff. It is not clear that Turkey could agree to a sanitised version of events, given that Turkish officials have leaked lurid claims to the press of Saudi spies and soldiers allegedly murdering Mr Khashoggi. And on Saturday evening, Ankara appeared to harden its position, accusing Saudi Arabia of failing to cooperate with the probe amid claims it was stalling over a deal to allow a search of the consulate. Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, said: "We still have not seen cooperation in order to ensure a smooth investigation and bring everything to light. We want to see this." But Turkey has not made any official allegations nor presented any public evidence, leaving some diplomatic room for a compromise. Ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent years but neither regional power wants a complete breakdown in relations and a joint statement could offer a way out. If Turkey refuses to go along and presents proof that Mr Khashoggi was murdered, the Saudi government may try to blame the killing on rogue elements of the security services and say Crown Prince Mohammed did not know of their plans. Turkish officials told Middle East Eye they suspected Saudi Arabia may take this course. It is not a feasible option, but at present, it looks like it's the only option and one that might head off the Senate's pursuit of the Global Magnitsky Act, Dr Neil Quilliam, senior research fellow at Chatham House. Saudi Arabia has faced global anger over Mr Khashoggi's disappearance Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images American senators of both parties have banded together to trigger an investigation under the Global Magnitsky Act, a US law named after a Russian accountant murdered by the Kremlin. The law forces the White House to investigate suspected kidnappings and killings by foreign governments and to consider sanctions. The senators have said the probe should look at whether the highest ranking officials in the government of Saudi Arabia were involved in Mr Khashoggis death. Blaming the security services comes with its own risks. Turkey may demand Saudi Arabia hand over the alleged killers for prosecution, potentially causing a backlash for Crown Prince Mohammed at home. The prince would also be loath to say publicly that he was not fully in charge of the Saudi military. He would face the question: does this guy have control over his own security forces? That in some ways is a worse question for MBS to face, said Richard LeBaron, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. For now, the government looks set to hunker down and try to get through the Riyadh summit, scheduled for October 23. They will have been heartened to see that Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, said she still planned to attend the summit even though she was horrified by reports of Mr Khashoggis death. DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (AP) Half-centuries by captain Eoin Morgan and Joe Root set up England's win over Sri Lanka on the Duckworth/Lewis method in another rain-hit one-day international on Saturday. England made 278-9 in 50 overs, and Sri Lanka was 140-5 when rain stopped play after 29 overs. Sri Lanka was 31 runs short of what it needed under the D/L calculation, so England won by 31 runs. The first ODI on Wednesday was rained out after only an hour's play. England leads the five-match series 1-0. The next one is on Wednesday. Sri Lanka won the toss and wasted fast bowler Lasith Malinga taking 5-44. He removed Jason Roy without a run on the board. Root joined Jonny Bairstow and the pair added 72 runs for the second wicket before Bairstow was bowled by seam bowler Thisara Perera for 26. Root added another 68 with Morgan before being dismissed for 71. He faced 83 deliveries and hit six boundaries. Morgan fell eight runs short of a century, caught and bowled by Malinga. Morgan's aggressive innings came off 91 deliveries and included two sixes and 11 boundaries. England fast bowler Olly Stone, who could not bowl a ball on his debut on Wednesday, struck with the last ball of his first over by removing Upul Tharanga with Sri Lanka's score on 9. The hosts soon stumbled to 74-5 as Chris Woakes took 3-26. Thisara Perera, 44 not out, and Dhananjaya de Silva, 36 not out, shared an unbroken 66-run stand in their attempt to rescue Sri Lanka but their effort was curtailed by rain at the end of the 29th over. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Food and Drug Administration called out an e-cigarette company Thursday over concerns that its products contain unapproved drugs meant to treat erectile dysfunction. The FDA said the China-based HelloCig Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. has 15 days to respond to the charge that two of their e-liquid products sold in the U.S. contain unapproved drugs that are active in Viagra and Cialis. One of the products was even called E-Cialis. E-Cialis HelloCig E-Liquid contained sildenafil and tadalafil and E-Rimonabant HelloCig E-Liquid contained sildenafil, the FDA said in its press release. These ingredients can be associated with significant safety issues and the risk of serious adverse events. For example, they may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs used to treat, high blood pressure or heart disease, and can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Both Cialis and Viagra are FDA-approved but the drugs contained with in those medicinces are not approved by the agency to be added to e-cigarette liquids. HelloCig used Cialis bottles and pill imagery in their ads, implying the e-liquid could treat erectile dysfunction. HelloCig also advertised Acomplia bottles and pills, which is a unapproved anti-obesity drug, the FDA said. FDA warns HelloCig Electronic Technology Co. Ltd for the illegal sale of two unapproved new drug products and false FDA-approved marketing claims for several other e-liquids. https://t.co/6YyFmMoMj2 FDA Tobacco (@FDATobacco) October 11, 2018 The administrations commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said they were calling out the vaping company because including these ingredients are potentially dangerous to younger consumers. This action is part of FDAs broader effort to regulate the safety of vaping products, and crack down on misleading claims and illegal and dangerous e-liquids that may entice youth or put consumers at risk. he said. There are no e-liquid products approved to contain prescription drugs or any other medications that require a doctors supervision, Gottlieb continued. Prescription drugs are carefully evaluated and labeled to reflect the risks of the medications and their potential interactions with other medicines, and vaping active drug ingredients is an ineffective route of delivery and can be dangerous. The FDA sent a warning letter to the company, listing its grievances and demanding a response within 15 days. Madrid (AFP) - Fresh from his release after four years behind bars, Venezuelan opposition activist Lorent Saleh said Saturday he had seen the sunrise for the first time since he was detained as he arrived in Madrid. Emotional, the 30-year-old spoke to reporters and Venezuelans at Madrid's airport just a day after being freed from the cells of state intelligence services in Caracas. "After four years I can see the sunrise, I saw it today," he said. His release -- which was welcome by Spain on Saturday -- was such a surprise that he was still digesting it, he said. "In Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars," he added. They "deserve to cross the bridge like I did". His release came just four days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage. Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out. Saleh had in the past denounced what he said was the torture inflicted on detained activists and the deaths in custody. The United States and Venezuela's opposition say Maduro's authoritarian government has some 200 "political prisoners". The Venezuelan regime is struggling to manage the fallout from economic collapse in the once wealthy country, whose leaders are under US sanctions. Maduro, meanwhile, accuses the United States of manipulating the opposition in his country and of seeking to oust him. Saleh is the president of NGO Operation Freedom, which works to promote human rights, democracy and civil liberties in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America. He was kicked out of Colombia in September 2014 for illegal "proselytising activities" and the Venezuelan government says he has links with Colombian paramilitary forces. In 2017, he was one of the recipients of the European parliament's prestigious Sakharov prize for human rights, which went to several Venezuelan opposition activists. Paris (AFP) - French prosecutors have requested the dismissal of a probe into the deadly 1994 attack on former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, which sparked the country's genocide, according to legal papers seen by AFP Saturday. The long-running probe has been a major source of tension between the two countries following accusations that a Tutsi militia headed by current Rwandan President Paul Kagame was responsible for the attack on the plane in April 1994. In a statement dated October 10, prosecutors demanded that the charges be dropped against seven suspects because investigators had not been able to gather "sufficient evidence". The final decision now lies with the investigative magistrate. Lawyers for Habyarimana's widow Agathe called the prosecutors' move "unacceptable" and "largely politically motivated". The missile strike on Habyarimana's plane near Kigali's airport in April 1994 triggered 100 days of bloodshed that left an estimated 800,000 people dead, mostly members of the Tutsi minority. Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide by supporting the Hutu regime, training the soldiers and militiamen who carried out the killings. Ties had been on the mend until 2014 when Kagame repeated accusations that French soldiers had been involved in the bloodbath. The relationship took an even worse turn when the French judiciary decided in October 2016 to reopen an investigation into the attack on the plane, as the French crew were among the victims. Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's ruling party won just over half of the parliamentary seats in the first round of legislative elections last week, in a vote marred by low turnout, the elections committee has said. Headed by President Ali Bongo, the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 74 of the 143 seats in long-delayed parliamentary elections, it said in a statement late Friday. The figures were slightly lower than an initial estimate by Bongo's spokesman last week, in which he said the party had won 80 seats, describing it as "a landslide" victory. Turnout was "relatively low," a presidential spokesman said, without giving figures. Campaigning for the second round began on Saturday with the vote to be held in 61 constituencies on October 27. The October 6 vote, which also included municipal polls, was the first election since a presidential race two years ago which was marred by deadly violence and fraud allegations. Gabon has been ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century. By contrast, last week's elections went off peacefully, although a local town hall was set alight several hours after the voting. African Union observers described the running of the election as "satisfactory" and without irregularities, but several civil society organisations complained that there had been attempts to buy votes. Thessaloniki (Greece) (AFP) - Eleven people died on Saturday in northern Greece when a car thought to be carrying migrants crashed head-on with a truck and burst into flames, police said. Firefighters recovered 11 bodies from the vehicle, which had been travelling towards Thessaloniki. The driver of the truck, which had been heading towards the town of Kavala, escaped the unscathed. Greek police said the car involved in the crash had been used for migrant smuggling in the past. It had failed to stop earlier Saturday when police officers tried to pull it over for a check. Last June, a migrant smuggling van carrying 16 people, mainly from Syria and Iran, crashed near Kavala, killing six people including three children. We are deeply saddened by the devastating news from an area where thousands of refugees have risked their lives and crossed into Greece on irregular routes, said Philippe Leclerc, the UNHCR representative in Greece, in a statement. More than 12,700 refugees and migrants have crossed into Greeces northeast since the start of the year, according to data compiled by UNHCR, more than double the number in 2017. At least 40 deaths have been recorded in the region in 2018, nearly half having drowned in the fast-flowing Evros River. "These horrific deaths are part of the broader dangers faced by people who find themselves at the mercy of human smugglers, who exploit their vulnerability", the UNCHR statement added, calling for "alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection". KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) Animal-rights campaigners are hoping this year's festival season in Nepal will be a little less bloody. During the 15-day Dasain festival that began this week in the Himalayan country, families fly kites, host feasts and visit temples, where tens of thousands of goats, buffaloes, chickens and ducks are sacrificed to please the gods and goddesses as part of a practice that dates back centuries. Animal rights groups are hoping to stop or at least reduce the slaughter, using this year's campaign as a practice run to combat a much larger animal sacrifice set for next year at the quinquennial Gadhimai festival. Such a campaign is novel in Nepal, where four out of five people are Hindu and animal sacrifice is a deeply rooted tradition. Activists first organized after the Gadhimai festival in 2009, when an estimated 250,000 animals were killed at a single temple in southern Nepal. Images of carcasses piled up on an open field were widely published and broadcast. Though there are no official data, fewer animals were believed to have been sacrificed at the subsequent Gadhimai festival in 2014, according to rights group Animal Nepal. The number of buffalo sacrifices alone dropped from 20,000 in 2009 to 3,000 in 2014, said campaigner Pramada Shah. "We are very few campaigners but we have a very loud voice. We are a loud minority," Shah said. Shah and other campaigners are visiting temples where animals are slaughtered and where devotees line up around the blood-soaked floors, offering the blood to the temples' idols. They are hanging banners and distributing pamphlets denouncing the practice and speaking to devotees, hoping to persuade them to take the animals they've purchased for sacrifice to animal sanctuaries instead. At the Bhandrakali temple in the heart of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, priests and volunteers prepared for the estimated 100,000 devotees expected to visit during the festival. It is one of the main sites for animal sacrifices. Story continues One of the priests, Anuj Pujari, said that while the number of devotees had increased, there appeared to be fewer animals brought for sacrifice. "It is because more and more people are now against" it, he said. Truckloads of goats were brought in from other parts of Nepal and neighboring India to Kathmandu's goat market. Chandra Pokhrel, who has been selling goats for the last two decades, said sales for this year's Dasain festival were down compared to previous years. Krishna Prasad Dhangal, a shopkeeper and devotee who was at the market to purchase animals for sacrifice, defended the practice. "It is a tradition that our fathers and grandfathers have followed and we will continue to follow this path. We believe offering the blood to the goddess Kali will please her and bless us. The meat is not wasted and we distribute it with neighbors and we all feast," he said. As Princess Eugenie, new husband Jack Brooksbank and their guests were recovering from the Royal Wedding celebrations, gift bags from the big day were already being listed online. Several of the burgundy fabric bags, embossed in gold with the letters E and J, the date and venue which were given to the members of the public who had been invited inside the grounds of Windsor Castle, were already up for sale just hours after the pair tied the knot on Friday. The bags contained an order of service, a Windsor Castle chocolate coin, a commemorative fridge magnet, chocolate chip shortbread, a poncho and a can of natural spring water and some were listed for hundreds of pounds. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank partied at an evening reception at Royal Lodge, in Windsor after their nuptials at Windsor Castle (Picture: Steve Parsons/Pool via REUTERS) One seller, listing their bag for 50, described it as a chance to buy your very own piece of British royal history and memorabilia. Another, asking for bids of 200, said it was a very rare collectors item for those who love the British Royal Family and British Royal Weddings. MORE: Princess Eugenie weds Jack Brooksbank in Peter Pilotto dress and the Queens emerald tiara MORE: Robbie Williams, Demi Moore and Cara Delevingne among celebrity guests at Eugenies royal wedding Gift bags from the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May were also offered for sale online, with some auctions fetching more than 1,000. At the time, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said that such transactions are private sales between consumers, so are not covered by trading standards. Celebrations celebrities posted pictures of the celebrations, including John Caudwell with Robbie Williams (Picture: Instagram/John Caudwell) Meanwhile, the Royal couple were starting married life after parting with some of the famous faces spotted at their big day. After a wedding breakfast at Windsor Castle, the couple reportedly held a fairground-themed evening reception, complete with dodgems, in a marquee decorated with autumnal flowers. Unlike Meghan Markle, Eugenie didnt change into a second dress for her reception, sticking to the gown she tied the knot in. MailOnline reported that the drinks menu was specially curated by Jack Brooksbank and included tequila, while Robbie Williams who also attended the ceremony with wife Ayda Field gave an impromptu performance of some of his greatest hits. Story continues Caroline Sieber shared a picture showing the autumnal flowers that are said to have decorated the marquee (Picture: Instagram: Caroline Sieber) Many of the guests in the evening had been spotted earlier in the day and included Demi Moore, Chloe Delevingne, Made in Chelseas Oliver Proudlock and fiancee Emma Louise Connolly. Austrian fashion stylist Caroline Sieber shared a picture of herself in front of the impressive floral display, while Phones4U founder John Caudwell, who reportedly flew to Windsor by helicopter for the celebrations, shared a selfie with Robbie Williams and Ayda Field. The party was expected to continue on Saturday with the couple reportedly hosting a festival-style event complete with a fairground rides and food stalls. The Palace has reportedly said that the Queen and the Duke of York have paid for Eugenie and Jacks three wedding parties from their own funds. In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States in years, a group of inmates at the Walton County Jail in Florida have volunteered to clear roadways and clean debris, all while showing their community they are in the relief efforts together. With winds reaching a terrifying 155 mph, Michael made landfall on Wednesday afternoon and left a path of destruction in its wake. At least 13 people have died so far throughout Florida, Virginia and Georgia, and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days. Millions of residents are still without power, including 495,000 in North Carolina, according to CNN. Rescue and clean up efforts are still underway, and photographs of the aftermath showed entire neighborhoods decimated by the storm. At Floridas Walton County Jail, inmates have a chance to enter several vocational programs, one of which includes a heavy machinery operator class. So when officials asked five members of the class if they would like volunteer to help out in clean up efforts after the storm, they rose to the occasion. Despite being incarcerated, they are still a part of this community. When they get out of jail, theyre still going to be part of their community, Corey Dobridnia, PIO of Walton County Sheriffs Office, tells PEOPLE. Inmates at the Walton County Jail who volunteered to help clean up after the storm RELATED: Girl, 11, Killed in Freak Accident During Hurricane Michael When Carport Crashed into Her She continues: Theyre going to return to their community. Its imperative that they feel like theyre still involved, that theyre still participating. On Thursday and Friday, the inmates, along with other deputies, hit the rural roads around Walton to clear out trees and downed power lines. They faced hot temperatures, spurred on by the humidity of the area, for nearly eight hours each day. These guys dont have to do this, theyre not told to do it,, Dobridnia, 31, says, before adding that the inmates efforts may help them shorten their sentence. They dont have to be out on roadways with chainsaws and things like that its not anything they dont offer to do. Story continues Walton County, fortunately, was spared the worst of the devastation, Dobridnia says, but their work will be meaningful to the numerous residents who live many miles away from the city. Inmates at the Walton County Jail who volunteered to help clean up after the storm Thanks to the newfound skills they acquired while in jail a place that may not typically come to mind for new learning experiences these inmates were able to become a productive part of the clean-up. My sheriff believes in reducing recidivism and getting people in a position where they can graduate from jail and not just get out of jail, Dobridnia says. Theyre going to re-enter the community, and eventually, theyre going to be part of the community. I just want people to see that not only are they volunteering, but there is a recovery process that needs to happen for them. Dobridnia hopes other jails around the country see the benefit of such programs. Were not just throwing them in jail and letting them sit there, they want to be engaged in their community, they want to do better, she adds. I think this just shows that. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker speaks at the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 8. (Photo: Hunter Walker/Yahoo News) DAVENPORT, Iowa Sen. Cory Booker joined President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in the pages of a childrens book earlier this week. As he mingled for selfies and hugs after delivering a speech on the stoop of a small home in a Des Moines suburb on Monday, a woman handed Booker a copy of Woodrow, the White House Mouse and asked him to sign it. She explained that the book was a gift for her child and that it had been signed by various politicians she met as they passed through the state. The familys unique political keepsake was evidence of the special status Iowa enjoys as the traditional home of the first presidential primary contest. Booker spent Monday barnstorming the Hawkeye State. In four appearances campaigning for local Democrats, he drew large crowds and standing ovations. The response was likely a reflection of Bookers reputation as a charismatic speaker and of widespread interest in next months midterm elections. But it also was boosted by the extensive groundwork Booker has begun in the state far ahead of many of the other high-profile potential 2020 hopefuls. And local politicians and political operatives are taking note. Along with the public appearances he made in the past week, Booker has been working behind the scenes in Iowa. Yahoo News has confirmed that Booker has placed a number of allies and former staffers on campaigns in the state. Hes also helped Iowa candidates with fundraising, including during multiple events on his recent trip to the state, which stretched from Oct. 6 to 9. One campaign operative working on a local Iowa race told Yahoo News Booker helped them find a staffer who had been a huge help. The operative praised the senator as the only one of the tier-one candidates whos made any sort of serious contribution to Democrats in the state up and down the ticket. Booker is not the first potential 2020 hopeful to visit Iowa during this cycle. Maryland Rep. John Delaney, who launched his presidential bid in July 2017, has traveled to the state 14 times. California Rep. Eric Swalwell, who has said hell make a decision about whether to run after the midterms, has made 10 trips to Iowa. Story continues And Booker isnt the only one whos working behind the scenes in the state. Multiple local leaders and activists who talked to Yahoo News say a slew of national figures have touched base with them, including the aforementioned congressmen, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. Cory Booker signs an autograph at an event in Adel, Iowa, on Oct. 8. (Photo: Hunter Walker/Yahoo News) At Bookers event in Boone on Monday, Peter Leo, a candidate for Iowas House of Representatives, rattled off all of the potential presidential candidates hes seen in recent months. Sen. Merkleys been here a few times, Gov. [Jay] Inslee from Washington, congressman Delaney has been here multiple times, hes already toured all 99 counties in fact, Leo said. Congressman Tim Ryan has come to town; Andrew Yang, who has also filed papers, has been around quite a bit and his message on universal basic income thats turning a lot of heads in rural Iowa. But those visitors to Iowa, particularly Yang, an entrepreneur, are not among the candidates who are considered favorites in the early presidential speculation. The top tier of White House hopefuls is generally seen to include Vice President Joe Biden, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Booker is also one of the leading potential contenders and, like the rest of them, has remained coy about whether he will officially enter the race. But Booker is the member of this group who has gotten the most involved in Iowa. The local campaign operative said they had interactions with other potential presidential candidates, specifically Harris, who has written fundraising emails for local politicians. However, the operative said she was not offering access to her list of supporters and instead was simply providing a letter for the Iowa candidates to send out to their bases. In terms of the commitment to electing Democrats in legislative seats, statewide seats and certainly federal seats, Sen. Booker has probably had the most sophisticated and deeply invested operation of any of those tier-one candidates, the operative said. That experience was echoed by a campaign manager for a Democrat running a statewide race in Iowa. Both the campaign manager and operative requested anonymity to frankly discuss influential figures in the party. The campaign manager told Yahoo News that Booker helped them find a staffer and raise money for advertising earlier in the summer when we were a one-man operation. They contrasted Bookers support with the contacts they had from other leading potential White House hopefuls, whom they described as interested in receiving something from the campaign rather than offering help. The only person who has called where the first thing out of their mouth was What do you need help with? was Sen. Booker, the campaign manager said. Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines power broker who has helped Democratic presidential candidates navigate the Iowa caucus for over three decades, said several of the leading Democratic hopefuls have done a nice job of being of assistance to the party and its candidates in Iowa. However Crawford, who met with Booker during the senators Iowa visit, said the New Jerseyan had set himself apart by working with politicians at every level. Sen. Booker has probably been among the folks doing the most. Over and above financial support, staff support, anything else, what Booker did was he did events from every single entity, from statewide to local, when he was here. He did events in a compressed amount of time. That was impressive, Crawford said. Indeed, during his public appearances on Monday, Booker stumped for candidates for Congress, the statehouse, Iowa agricultural secretary and county Democratic organizations. Last Sunday evening, Booker held a fundraiser for Iowa secretary of state candidate Deidre DeJear. His trip also included private meetings with state auditor candidate Rob Sand and with Cindy Axne, who is running in Iowas Third Congressional District. And on Saturday night, Booker headlined the Iowa Democratic Partys fall gala, which was attended by over 1,000 people. Booker drew crowds of over 100 people at three of his events on Monday. According to Crawford, Bookers crowds were incredible for this stage in the process. He attributed this to buzz from the gala speech and Bookers approach. I cant remember many first swings that were quite as dramatic in terms of their success, Crawford said. He struck just the right tone in talking about others and not himself. Cory Booker at a campaign rally in North Liberty, Iowa, on Oct. 8. (Photo: Hunter Walker/Yahoo News) Along with appeals for local figures, Bookers appearances included a few pitches tailored to Iowa audiences. He noted that his grandmother was born in the state and that he has more than 50 relatives remaining there. In rural Boone, Booker touted a bill he introduced to halt agricultural consolidation that he said could help farmers who are being squeezed on both ends by rising costs from suppliers and falling prices for their wares. Booker came to the state fresh from the Senate vote on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday. Two days later he told an audience in North Liberty that he came to Iowa with a broken heart, but that the fellowship he found there had energized him. I will go back to Washington tomorrow, and Im going to tell folk I had the healing tour, Booker said. Presidential cycles typically begin in earnest following the midterms. While Booker has clearly taken an early interest in Iowa, his potential 2020 rivals arent just sitting by. Warren, the Massachusetts senator, has been similarly active in New Hampshire, where two of her staffers were sent to work for the state party. Warren staffers have also popped up in three other key states: Nevada, South Carolina and Ohio. Booker has also been active in other states. Harris, Biden and Booker are all due in South Carolina next week. And a source told Yahoo News that Harris also plans to visit Iowa before Election Day next month. As the runner-up in the 2016 Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders has already established robust organizations in key states, including Iowa. Sanders lost the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Hillary Clinton by less than a percentage point, the smallest margin in the history of the contest. Pete DAlessandro, who was Sanderss Iowa state coordinator, said the senator could absolutely build on his prior work in the state. This was a movement. It still is a movement, DAlessandro said of Sanderss candidacy. Heres where its different this time. If you just look at the numbers in Iowa we literally didnt have one person above the position of county supervisor that was willing to endorse publicly, and yet we put this thing together going up against all of the electeds with no infrastructure . DAlessandro predicted Sanders could have an even stronger performance this time around since hes no longer an insurgent going up against Clintons overwhelming establishment support. On Tuesday, Sanders announced he will head to nine states including Iowa later this month to support candidates running in the midterms. All of this early activity is a sign Democrats will be in for an intense primary season and it seems to be starting in earnest. In the year before an election, the Iowa Democratic Partys fall gala is traditionally a showcase for the top primary candidates. Booker had the stage to himself this year, but local party officials are already acknowledging that the 2019 edition of the gala will be a unique challenge due to the size of the field. He was really the first big one to come in, a state party official said of Booker. For a lot of activists, it felt like the beginning of what is going to be a very long caucus season. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Abidjan (AFP) - A man was stabbed to death in clashes between rival political groups in southern Ivory Coast during tense regional and municipal elections held Saturday, hospital sources said. More than six million Ivoirians were eligible to elect 201 mayors and 31 heads of regional councils in the polls, which come ahead of a presidential election in 2020. Tensions have overshadowed the polls as the ruling RHDP coalition has imploded due to divisions over who should be its candidate in the 2020 vote. The two parties making up the ruling coalition -- the RDR of President Alassane Ouattara and the historically dominant PDCI -- fielded rival candidates in many areas on Saturday. Oumar Djiguiba, a man in his thirties, was killed during fighting between supporters of Samy Merhy, the independent mayor of Lakota town, and those of his challenger from the ruling RHDP coalition. Scuffles and clashes took place in several localities in the area, where campaigning was carried out in a very tense atmosphere. Elsewhere the Alerte-Info agency reported two people injured in Divo, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Lakota, during similar clashes. In other incidents voting urns were smashed up torched in Bonoua, east of the commercial capital Abidjan. A missing Saudi journalist may have recorded the moments he was allegedly tortured and killed on his Apple Watch, a Turkish newspaper reported. Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish officials have said they believe the 59-year-old was murdered there by a 15-member Saudi assassination squad. The moments when Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and murdered were recorded in the Apple Watchs memory, Turkish newspaper Sabah reported. The pro-government, privately owned daily, said the watch had synced with his iPhone, which he had left with his wife outside the consulate. Two senior Turkish officials previously told Reuters that Mr Khashoggi had been wearing a black Apple Watch when he entered the consulate, and said it was connected to a mobile phone he left outside. Footage shows the writer entering the consulate on Tuesday of last week, but there is none showing him leaving. Sabah, which cited reliable sources in a special intelligence department, said Mr Khashoggi was believed to have turned on the recording feature on the phone before entering the consulate. The paper said Saudi intelligence agents had realised after he died that the watch was recording and initially tried to gain access by guessing Mr Khashoggis PIN, then using his finger to unlock it and delete some files, but not all of them. However, unlike iPhones, Apple Watches do not have fingerprint identification something the newspaper did not address in its report. It said the recordings were subsequently recovered from his iPhone and iCloud account. The watch can record audio which can sync with an iPhone over a Bluetooth connection, though is it unclear whether data from Mr Khashoggis watch could have been transmitted to his phone outside or how investigators could have retrieved the data without obtaining the watch itself. Story continues It comes after US intelligence officials told The Washington Post they had been presented with video and audio recordings of the murder. The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered, The Post quoted a source as saying. You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic. You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered. While it is unclear whether the alleged audio recordings came from Mr Khashoggis watch, it remains possible the Turkish intelligence service obtained them by bugging the Saudi consulate and used the Apple Watch as a cover story to avoid revealing their espionage. Related Video: Turkey Reportedly Has Recordings of Murder Spy agencies main goal when foreign embassies are built is to slip in as many devices as possible without detection, Theodore Karasik, of Gulf State Analytics, a research and security consultancy, told The Independent. It is a common practice. Saudi Arabias interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, has condemned the lies and baseless allegations against the kingdom, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Donald Trump has declared the US will uncover the truth about what happened to Mr Khashoggi, who was a US resident. The US president promised to personally call Saudi Arabias king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, about the terrible situation in Turkey. Were going to find out what happened, Mr Trump pledged on Friday when he was questioned by reporters in Cincinnati, where he was headlining a political rally. Mr Khashoggi had reportedly been banned from writing in newspapers, making TV appearances and attending conferences in Saudi Arabia after criticising Mr Trump when he was president-elect. On Friday, a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived as part of the investigation into the writers disappearance. The Turkish foreign ministry said the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would be searched as part of the investigation. Additional reporting by agencies President Donald Trump has warned of severe punishment if Saudi Arabia is found to be behind the suspected death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet Mr Trump stopped short of threatening to ban arms deals with the Saudis, claiming such sanctions would only hurt jobs in the US defence industry. The president revealed US authorities were now investigating the suspected torture and killing of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Turkey on 2 October. Its being investigated, its being looked at very, very strongly, he told CBS News in his first 60 Minutes interview since becoming president. Mr Trump said the US would be very upset and angry if the Saudi authorities were found responsible. They deny it they deny it every way you can imagine, he added. In the not too distant future I think well know the answer. Were going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment. Later, after welcoming freed pastor Andrew Brunson to the White House, the president said that his hopes that Mr Khashoggi was still alive were not looking too good. Our first hope was that he was not killed but maybe thats not looking too good from what we hear but theres a lot to learn, there really is, he told reporters. Trump said that he would meet with Mr Khashoggis family but added that he had not yet discussed the case with Saudi King Salman. He also appeared to rule out a ban on selling arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, adding: I actually think wed be punishing ourselves. The president said that the sale is a tremendous order for our companies and suggested that the kingdom would only purchase weapons from Russia or China. There are other things we can do that are very, very powerful, very strong and well do them, Mr Trump added. A critic of the Saudi government, Mr Khashoggi went missing more than a week ago after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials have said they believe the 59-year-old was murdered there by a 15-member Saudi assassination squad. Story continues The Turkish newspaper Sabah has reported that the moments during which Mr Khashoggi was allegedly tortured and killed may have been recorded by his Apple Watch. Senior Turkish officials previously told Reuters Mr Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate, and claimed it had been connected to a mobile phone he left outside the building. It follows reports that US intelligence officials have already seen video and audio recordings of the murder. On Friday, a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey as part of the investigation into the reporters disappearance. The Turkish foreign ministry said the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would be searched as part of the probe. Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi authorities, had reportedly been banned from writing in newspapers, making TV appearances or attending conferences in Saudi Arabia after he criticised Mr Trump following his election victory in 2016. Even amid reports that agents for Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman brazenly killed a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, some of the worlds richest and most influential business, media and political figures still plan to attend a Saudi-sponsored schmoozefest in Riyadh this month. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde plan to attend the event, the second annual Future Investment Initiative, scheduled for Oct. 23 through 25. It is a government-backed conference bankrolled by the countrys sovereign wealth fund. On the agenda at what has been dubbed Davos in the Desert, after a similar gathering of elites every winter in Switzerland, are the sorts of topics beloved by the globe-trotting superrich. Investing in transformation, technology as opportunity and advancing human potential are listed as the conferences broad themes. The real attraction, to be sure, is the promise of lucrative deals with the Saudi government. HuffPost reached out to over a dozen companies and individuals set to speak at, sponsor or attend the conference. Only a handful, including The New York Times and The Economist (both media sponsors of the conference), said they had pulled out in light of recent events. CNN, Bloomberg and CNBC, also sponsors, later ended their involvement as well. Arianna Huffington, who sits on Ubers board and runs a consulting firm called Thrive Global, said through a spokeswoman she would no longer attend. (Huffington is no longer affiliated with HuffPost.) Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced late Thursday evening that he would not be going. Im very troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi, Khosrowshahi said in a statement. We are following the situation closely, and unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I wont be attending the FII conference in Riyadh. Mellody Hobson, the president of Ariel Investments, resigned from the FII advisory board on Thursday. Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and head of the Case Foundation, tweeted on Thursday that he would be putting his plans to attend on hold pending further information about Khashoggi. Story continues On Friday, a spokeswoman for Rob Lloyd, the CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One, said that he was dropping out of the event, according to a report in Axios. Fox Business Network another media sponsors of the event said they were monitoring the situation. Nikkei, a Japanese conglomerate that owns The Financial Times, did not respond to a request for comment, though the newspaper reportedly said it, too, was monitoring the situation. In another change to the FII event, the section of its website listing the conference program removed the names of all executives participating in panels. It is unclear whether those executives still plan to attend. Others didnt respond to HuffPosts queries, including investment firms Blackstone, BlackRock and TPG Capital; and former Gen. David Petraeus, currently the chairman of investment firm KKR. (See below for a list of attendees.) Its perhaps not surprising that so many companies are sticking with Saudi Arabia, since the White House has so far been unwilling to condemn Mohammed for human rights abuses, including the alleged killing of Khashoggi, who disappeared on Oct. 2. He was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and has not been seen in public since. A senior Turkish official told The New York Times that a team of Saudi agents killed him and then dismembered his body with a bone saw. However, those reports have not yet been confirmed. The Saudi government has reportedly been unhappy with Khashoggis columns, which were critical of the countrys recent policies. The White House has so far given a muted response, with President Donald Trump saying he has discussed the case with Saudi leadership but little else. Its unclear if the U.S. government plans to introduce any punitive measures against the Saudi government, with which Trump and his family have developed extensive ties in recent years. Khashoggis alleged killing was predated by a string of rights abuses and warning signs of the Saudi governments willingness to use violence. The FII is being held at the same Ritz-Carlton that Mohammed turned into a makeshift jail during a crackdown late last year, in which the government rounded up hundreds of political and business elites on thin corruption charges. After they were released, some detainees spoke of beatings and constant threats. Mohammeds crackdown went beyond his mass sweep at the Ritz, extending to human rights proponents and dissidents, including prominent womens rights activists. In a bizarre incident last December, the Saudi government essentially kidnapped Lebanons Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Saudi Arabia has fiercely contested any international pushback for example, demolishing its relations with Canada over the summer in response to a fairly milquetoast Canadian statement on the arrest of human rights activists. Then there is the brutal ongoing Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen, which is one of the deadliest facets of a civil war that has killed thousands of civilians. Saudi bombings have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. In August alone, a Saudi airstrike killed 40 young children after one of its U.S.-supplied bombs hit a school bus. Here is a list of the individuals HuffPost has reached out to who are slated to attend the event: David Bonderman, chairman and founding partner, TPG Capital Jamie Dimon, CEO, JPMorgan Chase Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock Inc. John M. Flint, executive director and group chief executive, HSBC Holdings PLC Christine Lagarde, managing director, International Monetary Fund Jean Lemierre, chairman, BNP Paribas Kanetsugu Mike, president and CEO, MUFG Bank Ltd. Steven Mnuchin, secretary, U.S. Treasury Lubna S. Olayan, CEO and deputy chairperson, Olayan Financing Co. David Petraeus, chairman, KKR Jeremy Weir, executive chairman and CEO, Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd. Stephen Schwarzman, CEO, Blackstone Peter Thiel, partner, Founders Fund Alexander Kaufman contributed reporting to this article. This story has been updated to note that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Case Foundation chairman Steve Case, Virgin Hyperloop CEO Rob Lloyd, CNN and CNBC will not attend the Saudi conference. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Tesla Inc is in the process of obtaining land in Shanghai for its first factory outside the United States, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, as it pushes ahead with plans to set up production in China. The automaker is the sole bidder for a plot of land with an auction price of around 1 billion yuan ($145 million), the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is not public. A decision by the Shanghai municipal government to allocate the land to Tesla could be made as soon as this month, they said. In July, Tesla reached a preliminary agreement with the Shanghai authorities to build a factory that the electric-car pioneer said will eventually produce 500,000 battery-powered vehicles annually, more than what its lone US assembly plant has made. Kanye West says he will work with Apple to make a hydrogen-powered "iPlane" to replace Air Force One. Neither the president or Apple itself appears to want to take the rapper up on his plan. And the plane that West suggested he wants to use actually appears to have been a concept created by a design student years ago. But West was clear that he hopes to design the official plane nonetheless. The proposal came during one of the most strange moments of an already bizarre meeting between the rapper and the president in the Oval Office of the White House. Reaching for his phone and showing the entire world his worryingly simple passcode in the process Mr Trump showed the president a picture of what he said was a hydrogen-powered plane that should replace Air Force One. "This right here is the iPlane 1," he said, though Apple has mostly dropped the naming scheme of the iPhone and the iPad. "This is what our president should be flying. "If he don't look good, we don't look good," he continued. "This is our president. He has to be the freshest, the flyest" and have "the flyest planes." He also went on to suggest that he would make it with Apple because it is an "American company", apparently in an endorsement of Donald Trump's commitment to bring manufacturing back to the US. But the current Air Force One really just a designation that is given to any plane flying the president is made by Boeing, an American company based in Chicago. Apple declined to comment on the proposed partnership. London (AFP) - Prince William and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions called on Thursday for the international community to crack down on trafficking that is driving elephants and tigers to extinction. The Illegal Wildlife Trade conference drew royals, presidents and ministers from 80 nations to London to debate how to save endangered animals and better track financial transactions from wildlife smuggling gangs. "It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children, George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, animals, rhinos and tigers might well be extinct in the wild," Prince William said. Sessions came to London as head of a US team spearheading global efforts to fight transnational criminal gangs whose wildlife trafficking business is broadly estimated to be worth between $17 billion and $26 billion (14.7 and 22.5 billion euros). "The only time criminals care about borders is when they hide behind them. It's our job to stop them," Sessions said. "We cannot allow the illegal extermination of entire populations of species." Experts now believe criminal networks trafficking arms and people are also involved in wildlife poaching and black market animal product sales. - Beyond lip service - Prince William on Wednesday signed up 20 of some of the world's largest banks to a commitment to better track financial transactions from illegal wildlife trade networks. In a statement, the banks said they "will not knowingly facilitate or tolerate financial flows that are derived from illegal wildlife trade and associated corruption." The bank taskforce is headed by former British foreign secretary William Hague. "We are following the commodity. We are not following the money at the moment," Hague said. US intelligence analyst Gloria Freund said this approach should interest global crime fighters because it will also help track major arms and drug smugglers. The international security community must realise that "wildlife is the most visible data point ... that could lead us to other threats topping the priority list," she said. Animal protection group leaders said they were starting to see tangible progress after decades of nations paying lip service to fighting the illicit wildlife trade. "It's about attacking the enablers instead of the facilitators of wildlife crime," World Wildlife Fund's crime initiative leader Rob Parry-Jones told AFP. "These things do gradually build a certain momentum and political will." Mopti (Mali) (AFP) - Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga visited central Mali on Saturday in a show of authority by the state in a region plagued by terror attacks and ethnic violence. In the town of Tenenkou, where the prefect, the highest representative of the state, was kidnapped several months ago, Maiga vowed the government's presence and security would be strengthened. "Nothing can be achieved without security. The terrorists will be hunted down, the security apparatus will be stepped up," he said. "The president himself tasked me with telling you this. The state will do everything to support this mission, and to assure the future of your town." Maiga arrived in Tenenkou by helicopter and went on to visit the beleaguered town of Toguere-Coumbe, a 20-minute flight away. The helicopter arrived with a large quantity of food for the local people, signalling what Maiga described as "the end of a de-facto embargo imposed by the jihadists." The eighth largest country in Africa and one of the poorest in the world, the Sahel state has been grappling with violence since 2012. Touareg rebels staged an uprising in northern Mali which jihadists then exploited to take over key cities. The extremists were routed in a French-led military operation in 2013 but large stretches of the country remain out of control. Jihadists overran Toguere-Coumbe, imposing sharia law for several months, before being forced out by the army. But they still surround the town and control river traffic on the nearby tributary of the Niger, locals said. They said that many people were too afraid to leave the perimeter of the town, and the Malian army remained hunkered down inside it. Maiga was greeted on a square by thousands of people who chanted "Mali! Mali!" "If we are shouting 'Mali, Mali' it's because this is the first time in more than that we've had anyone from the government who has come to see us," Sandy Toure, a 55-year-old trader said. Story continues "We are no longer in the hands of the jihadists." Chronic instability and the state's weakness have also inflamed ethnic competition for resources in central Mali between Fulani pastoralists and Dogon and Bambara farmers. Saturday's visit marks the latest step by the state to restore its authority in the troubled region. On October 2, the prime minister chaired inter-community talks that saw an armed Dogon group, Dan Nan Ambassagou, commit to a ceasefire. He also formally reopened schools that had been shuttered because of the violence. Around 600 civilians across the country have died in "inter-communal violence" since the start of the year, according to UN figures. By Imani Moise and Saeed Azhar Oct 11 (Reuters) - Media companies are pulling out of a Saudi investment conference as outrage grows over the journalist who went missing inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey earlier this month. Economist Editor-In-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes will not participate in the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, spokeswoman Lauren Hackett said in an email. Andrew Ross Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Times business journalist, tweeted that he was also not attending the conference, saying he was "terribly distressed by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and reports of his murder." The New York Times Co has also decided to pull out of the event as a media sponsor, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said. The Financial Times said in a statement that it was reviewing its involvement as a media partner. Viacom Inc, whose Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish is slated to speak at the conference, said it was closely monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia. Other media companies slated to appear at the conference include CNN and Bloomberg according to the event's website. The disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2 has cast a shadow over the three-day conference known as "Davos in the desert," which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 23. The Post is owned by Amazon.com Inc founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos. The event, in its sophomore year, attracts some of the world's business elite including Wall Street's top bosses and executives from multinational media, tech and financial services companies. Turkish officials have alleged that Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to get documents for his planned marriage. Riyadh has said the claims are baseless. JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon is scheduled to speak, as is Mastercard Inc CEO Ajay Banga. Representatives for both companies did not respond to requests for comment. Khashoggi's disappearance has led officials and business leaders to drop out of another one of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's large projects. On Wednesday, former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that he had suspended his role on the board of Saudi Arabia's planned mega business zone NEOM until more is known about what happened. Moniz was named on Tuesday as one of 18 people advising the $500 billion NEOM project. The Crown Prince said last week that the NEOM business zone would build two to three towns each year starting in 2020 and be completed by 2025. (Reporting by Imani Moise and Saeed Azhar Editing by Toni Reinhold) Jack Brooksbank, pictured here in 2017 with Princess Eugenie. - PA He was working as a waiter in a cocktail bar when he met her. But it was no rags to riches story for Jack Brooksbank, who is set to marry Princess Eugenie today in this year's second Royal wedding. Educated at Stowe School in Buckingham, where boarding fees are currently almost 12,000 per term, Brooksbank, 31, is a descendant of the Brooksbank baronets and reportedly a distant cousin of Eugenies. (Her mother, the Duchess of York, is the great-great-granddaughter of Lady Julia Coke, who is the daughter of Jack's great-great-grandfather, Thomas Coke.) Son of George Brooksbank, 68, a chartered accountant and company director, and his wife Nicola, 64, Jack has a younger brother called Thomas, 29 - a possible candidate for best man. Since 2001, the family address has been an apartment in a gated period conversion in Wandsworth, not far from Battersea Park. Brooksbank was introduced to Eugenie, the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, during a ski holiday in Verbier, Switzerland and the couple have been together for more than six years. Back then, Eugenie was studying English literature, history of art and politics at Newcastle University and Brooksbank is said to have been waiting tables and serving drinks at Devonshire Terrace, a bar and restaurant near Liverpool Street in London. Having left school in the mid-noughties, he had given university a miss, choosing instead to launch himself straight into a career in hospitality. He went on to work at Chelseas Admiral Codrington pub, from where he was poached by businessman and nightclub owner Piers Adam and employed by the Markham Inn nearby. At the Markham Inn, I had to deal with lots of strange people, and everyone was demanding, he once said of his experience there. I also got to know the locals, which I loved. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at the Qatar Goodwood Festival at Goodwood Racecourse on July 30, 2015 in Chichester Credit: Tristan Fewings/ Getty Images Europe These included Prince Harry and his close friend Guy Pelly who, according to Tatler, pulled him into the Mahiki set. He went on to manage the Mayfair nightclub, a favourite among royalty and celebrities, and also owned by Adam. Story continues Then, in August 2016, he set up his own company, Jack Brooksbank Limited, a wine wholesaler. He is described by those who know him as kind and selfless and a perfect match for Eugenie. Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, a friend of the couple, tells the Telegraph: Never have I known a couple with so much lust for life, who light up every room they enter with joy, laughter and unprecedented warmth. Im sure youll hear this a lot but Jack possesses one of the most infectious laughs youll hear, and you will hear it!! It has been a pleasure watching their relationship grow over the years, two people who enjoy each others company so much. They are two of the kindest, [most] selfless and sensitive people I know. In that they have met their match. But Brooksbank hasnt entirely avoided scandal. In 2013, a tabloid newspaper reported that explicit photographs of him touching the naked breasts of a stripper while blindfolded and covered in candle wax during his 21st birthday celebrations had been leaked online. The pictures were quickly removed from the internet after they had been discovered. Sign up for Your Royal Appointment an exclusive insight into everything you need to know about the Royal Family, delivered straight to your inbox each week. Melania Trump on her recent solo visit to Africa, where she was interviewed by ABC News - AP Melania Trump dismissed allegations that her husband cheated on her with a porn star, saying she had "much more important things to think about". In an interview with ABC News, excerpts of which were broadcast early on Friday, the US first lady was asked about "your husband's alleged infidelities". She said: "It is not a concern and focus of mine. I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about, and to do." Mrs Trump, 48, added: "I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage, and circulate the gossip. I understand the gossip sells newspapers, magazines and, unfortunately, we live in this kind of world today. "It's not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true, and not true." Asked whether she loved her husband, the first lady replied: "Yes, we are fine. Yes. It's what media speculate, and it's gossip. It's not always correct stuff." Mrs Trump gave a wry smile when asked about comments about her marriage Credit: AFP ABC conducted the rare interview with the Slovenia-born former model, the president's third wife, while she was on a solo visit to Africa last week. The network said no subjects had been declared off limits before the interview. In asking about the president's "alleged infidelities" the interviewer was referring to allegations by women including porn star Stormy Daniels, who has claimed she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006. Mr Trump has denied the allegation. Mrs Trump, dressed in jodhpurs with a safari pith helmet at her side, kept her answers short and to the point. She gave a wry smile when asked about comments about her marriage made by the president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Mr Giuliani said in June that the first lady believes her husband's denials about the alleged affair with Ms Daniels. Mrs Trump told ABC: "I never talked to Mr Giuliani." She also rejected speculation that she wants to move back to New York. Mrs Trump said: "I am enjoying it. I really love to live in Washington and the White House," Polls show her current approval rating at 54 per cent, higher then her husband's. First Lady Melania Trump said she is not concerned about alleged infidelity by President Donald Trump. In a new interview with ABC News during her recent trip to Africa, Melania Trump said she didnt have time to think about the gossip surrounding her husbands alleged affairs. Im a mother and a First Lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do, Trump said. She later added: Its not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true and not true. EXCLUSIVE: First lady Melania Trump brushes aside allegations of her husband's infidelity. I'm a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do," she tells @ABC. https://t.co/VILtmVBA2E pic.twitter.com/MSLsRksVu8 ABC News (@ABC) October 12, 2018 Donald Trumps alleged affairs were brought into the spotlight this year after former porn star Stormy Daniels said shed had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump in 2006. Melania, Trumps third wife, was pregnant with son Barron at the time. Daniels spoke out as she sued Trump to break an agreement made to prevent her from talking about their alleged affair and drew attention to a $130,000 hush payment she received from Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen before the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trump has acknowledged that he reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels, but says he did not have an affair. Melania Trump insisted she and Donald Trump remain in love. Yes, we are fine, she said. Its what media speculate, and its gossip. Its not always correct stuff. Trump has said Seoul cannot do anything without approval from US Seoul is not considering lifting its unilateral sanctions toward Pyongyang as US President Donald Trump retorted that Seoul could "do nothing" without Washington's approval. "No detailed review (on lifting the sanctions) has been made," the Republic of Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers during a Thursday government audit. "Still, in seeking inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation and amid improving relations between the two neighbors, we have been taking measures in a flexible manner," Cho said. Cho's remark came a day after ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that the government is reviewing whether to lift the sanctions called May 24 Measure and imposed on Pyongyang in 2010. The US remains firm that no sanctions relief will come until the Democratic People's Republic of Korea completely gives up its nuclear weapons program, Associated Press reported. Trump has responded that Seoul cannot lift sanctions without Washington's say-so. "They won't do that without our approval. They do nothing without our approval". Trump has also encouraged US allies to maintain sanctions on the DPRK until it denuclearizes as part of what his administration has termed a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Pyongyang. At a Thursday parliamentary session in Seoul, Kang watered down her statement, saying there are no full-fledged moves under way to remove the May 24 Measures. Sun Xihui, an associate professor with the national institute of international strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the ROK is the US' important ally in Asia, and also a crucial source of support for Washington's policy toward Pyongyang. As Seoul has been at the forefront of the tensions with Pyongyang, it needs the US' security protection and thus has to obey Washington's strategic arrangements. Sun noted that the ROK has natural advantages in communicating with the DPRK, and has played an important role in improving US-DPRK relations. During ROK President Moon Jae-in's visit to Pyongyang last month, he and the DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un agreed to normalize operations at the Kaesong factory park and resume joint tours to the DPRK when possible, voicing optimism that the international sanctions could end and allow such projects. The neighbors also announced measures to reduce conventional military threats, such as creating buffer zones along their land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border. Kim also said it would dismantle its main nuclear facility if Washington takes unspecified corresponding measures. The US, however, has insisted efforts to improve relations between Seoul and Pyongyang should move in tandem with efforts to denuclearize the peninsula. Zhang Liangui, a Korean studies expert at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that the ROK hopes to use the lifting of sanctions to improve ties with the DPRK, yet the US thinks this may not be cohesive with its policy. He noted that the US call for complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization is seen by the DPRK as an unilateral demand which runs counter to its promise to build better US-DPRK relations and establish a peace regime on the peninsula, as agreed at the Kim-Trump summit in June. With regard to the denuclearization issue, Cho expressed optimism that there will be "progress" when the leaders of the US and DPRK meet again following their Singapore summit. The two earlier agreed to hold their second meeting "at the earliest possible date". "When it comes to the results, there could be different expectations so we are preparing for all possible scenarios to keep inter-Korean relations, exchanges and cooperation going," Cho said. Luo Huining and Yonhap News Agency contributed to this story. panmengqi@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily 10/12/2018 page11) Melania Trumps recent solo trip to Africa sparked a familiar controversy for the First Lady: a heated critique of her wardrobe. Trump responded to her detractors who said she wore clothing reminiscent of European colonizers (including a white pith helmet) while visiting four African countries, on Saturday by saying that the attention given to her clothes should be centered on other aspects of her trip. I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear, the First Lady said during her final stop in front of the Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt, all while clad in a fedora and a khaki suit and tie outfit that called to mind Meryl Streeps Danish colonizer in Out of Africa. The sentiment is one that Melania and her team at the White House have reiterated on multiple occasions, following fashion moments that were questioned by some members of the public and the media alike for being insensitive or tone deaf. Chief among them is the time Melania wore stiletto heels while en route to survey the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 (it should be noted that the First Lady changed into sneakers before disembarking in Texas) and when she caused an uproar on social media in June by wearing an olive green jacket that read I really dont care. Do U? while on her way to visit a detention center for immigrant children in a Texas town on the border of Mexico in June this year. Following the jacket backlash, Melanias spokesperson, Stephanie Grisham, issued the following statement: Its a jacket. There was no hidden message. After todays important visit to Texas, I hope the media isnt going to choose to focus on her wardrobe. Todays visit w the children in Texas impacted @flotus greatly. If media would spend their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids - rather than speculate & focus on her wardrobe - we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children. #SheCares #ItsJustAJacket Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45) June 21, 2018 Is a jacket with a puzzling message ever just a jacket or a pith hat merely an accessory? In the case of a First Lady, probably not to many Americans watching. First Ladies and subsequently, their sartorial presentations have been notoriously scrutinized throughout history and while some critics have derided the attention paid towards their fashion choices as sexist or trite, what they wear communicates how they choose to present themselves as public figures. Story continues With her penchant for European luxury houses and glamorous style, Trump is hardly the first to be studied for her style as a First Lady: Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, among others, were all actively discussed in relation to their fashion choices. Dr. Rhonda Garelick, a professor of English and performing arts at the University of Nebraska whose work focuses on the the intersections of fashion, culture, and politics, believes that the fashion of a First Lady is inherently political given the way that we interact American politics. The symbolic aspect of political culture how presidents and their spouses look, how they are received in public, the kind of photographs we see of them, is an enormous part of our political landscape and the fact that were all talking about it proves that theres great fascination for it, so that in itself, is politics, Garelick said. Politics is not just policy or legislation. Politics is how people live the experience of witnessing leaders interact and how we talk about them with one another. So yes, the fashion choices of the first lady partake in politics. For Melania, her background as a model means that her fashion has long been a part of her public identity. This, coupled with her more reserved demeanor as a First Lady, has led many to look for meaning in her clothes, something that Garelick considers a form of nonverbal communication. Read More: How Donald Trumps Clothes Reinforce His Campaign We need to accept that for the moment anyways we have a very traditional president and First Lady couple in that the First Lady has restricted herself to more ceremonial public appearances. We dont hear very much from her, she doesnt give very many speeches, Garelick said. One of the few expressive modes to think about Melania Trumps role is, in fact, her sartorial communication. I think its perfectly fair and not in the least sexist or dismissive to take it seriously. Its a way of taking seriously a form of communication. We know that Mrs. Trump is a fashion expert, with a career in fashion so why shouldnt we take seriously her use of this mode to present herself in public? I see no reason to push that aside. Garelick said its tough for Trump and her staff to dismiss her fashion choices and how theyre received. You cant obviously present such a carefully constructed presence in the world and at the very same time say, what I wear isnt important, disregard it, she said. If what the First Lady wears really does matter, then what should we make of the way that Trump has chosen to dress herself as a public figure on her recent trip through Africa, where she represented the U.S. and the Trump Administration? Dr. Laura Seay, an assistant professor of government at Colby College whose work centers on African politics, thinks that the First Ladys fashion choices and her activities during this trip influenced perceptions of what Americans think of Africa. When you show up in full colonial get-up, it really sends a message to Africans about what the Administration thinks about the continent and what its policies will be like, and I think thats true whether you intend it to be that way or not, Seay said. Its not just the clothes, but what she did she wants us not to talk about her outfits and to focus on her activities, but the stuff that she did didnt have much substance either. Its very nice to go to an orphanage, hand out blankets, teddy bears theres nothing wrong with that. But thats not going to make substantive change in the life of individuals the stuff that she did was bare minimum engagement, lots of cliched activity, trite. The overall message both the look and the action, sends the message that the United States doesnt really know or care about the real, modern Africa, in the 21st century. President Trump raised eyebrows earlier this year when he announced plans to create a Space Force, which would become the sixth branch of the military. Vice President Mike Pence later announced in a speech that the branch was needed in order for the US to maintain military dominance in space. The proposed Space Force is estimated to cost $13 billion in its first five years. And despite some snickers among political observers, renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson doesnt think the Space Force is that crazy of an idea. But Tyson, one of the authors of Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, has a note of caution. Just because it came out of Trumps mouth doesnt mean its crazy, he said this week on Midday Movers (video above). But, if while doing this, you do not continue to invest in innovations in science and technology, you are making a fatal mistake that will compromise the future health, wealth and security of the nation. (Photo: Rick Kern/WireImage) What Tyson means is that a lack of investment in other forms of space innovation could mean the US would begin to fade. And well continue its not a cliff edge, he said. Its a fade. One day, you wake up and say, No one is asking us to have a seat at the table. Japan, China, and Russia are mounting this mission to Mars, and they didnt even invite us. While detailing the administrations plans for the Space Force, Pence cited threats by Russia and China as reasons why the new military branch is necessary. A different state of mind Tyson doesnt think the US has the ability to keep up, at least for now, despite the fact that NASAs budget for 2018 is roughly $19.1 billion. We dont have a spaceship that can take anybody into space today, he said. Were hitching a ride on the Russian Soyuz capsule to get our own damn space station. Vice President Mike Pence speaks in August, during an event on the creation of a United States Space Force. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) And that is how the fade begins, Tyson said, when you wake up and realize that the US is no longer relevant on the world stage. Story continues Its a really different state of mind than I had growing up being shaped in 20th century America, where we did what we wanted, he said. No one denied the objective truths of science. They used science as advice to make policy, not science as something to combat. Whats next? he asked. Were going to say, I gained three pounds last week. I want to repeal the law of gravity? You dont have these options when it comes to scientific results. So my biggest fear is that we will have the collapse of the American civilization simply because people are not heeding the advice of informed scientists. Adriana is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. Tom Steyer's NextGen group is putting $4 million into digital ads that aim to increase youth turnout. (Photo: Mike Blake / Reuters) Tom Steyer, a potential 2020 presidential candidate and one of the Democratic Partys biggest donors this cycle, is preparing to spend more than $4 million on digital ads targeting more than 4 million young voters in the final weeks before the midterm elections. The massive digital ad buy through the Steyer-backed group NextGen America will target voters ages 18 to 35 in 11 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. This is our closing statement, said Ben Wessel, the director of the youth vote program at NextGen. Its that last kick in the ass of motivation to get people over whatever hurdles there are between them and voting. Youth turnout typically plummets during midterm election years fewer than one-fifth of registered voters between ages 18 and 35 voted in 2014 and NextGen has spent heavily to turn them out. Some early polling has suggested that young voters are more enthusiastic in 2018 than in a typical midterm year. The ads will run on most digital platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, Hulu and Spotify. But this buy will also include the first-ever political ads on Twitch, a video game streaming platform. There are a lot of eyeballs there that are only there, Wessel said of the Twitch buy. The people who are on Twitch are not watching MSNBC. The folks who are there are only there. The buy is focused on two ads: The first, Last Chance, features a young woman talking about the need to prevent Republicans from repealing Obamacare. There are now enough young voters to protect health care, but only if we show up, the woman says in the 30-second ad. The second ad, the minute-long Show up, features audio of former President Barack Obama discussing how young voters failed to show up at the polls in 2014, while a young man performs an interpretive dance. Is it any wonder this Congress doesnt reflect your values and your priorities? Obama can be heard asking. Story continues Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager, has spent tens of millions of dollars boosting Democrats in the past several election cycles. His push to gather support for impeaching President Donald Trump has rankled Democratic leadership. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. (PHOENIX) Smugglers in recent weeks have been abandoning large groups of Guatemalan and other Central American migrants in Arizonas harsh cactus-studded Sonoran Desert near the border with Mexico, alarming Border Patrol officials who say the trend is putting hundreds of children at risk. Collectively, more than 1,400 migrants have been left by smugglers in the broiling desert or in one case in a drenching thunderstorm in remote areas by the border since Aug. 20. One group was as large as 275 people. Weve seen large groups in the past, but never on this scale, Tucson-based Border Patrol Agent Daniel Hernandez said. Its definitely a serious concern because their safety is being put in jeopardy. Hernandez said the latest case involved 61 people rescued by agents last week from rising floodwaters caused by unusually heavy rains in an isolated area and it could have been a much, much worse situation if the rain continued. Unlike Texas, where people turn themselves in on the banks of the Rio Grande, the smugglers in in Arizona have been dumping groups of migrant families on a remote dirt road running along the southern limit of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument west of the Lukeville border crossing with Mexico. Summer temperatures there can soar close to 120 degrees (49 Celsius). The migrants are sometimes provided with food and water, but not always, and they often require medical care for back and ankle injuries or lacerations. The traffickers have no regard for the safety and well-being of these families, Tucson Sector Chief Rodolfo Karisch said last week. Two larger groups of migrants from Guatemala and Honduras were also found abandoned last week near Yuma. Border Patrol officers said 108 people were found just before midnight Oct. 2 a half-mile west of the San Luis Port of Entry and five hours later, agents apprehended 56 Central Americans a mile east of the same border crossing. While Mexican men traveling without relatives once made up the bulk of the migrants, Guatemalans and other Central Americans traveling in families or as unaccompanied minors are now the norm. Story continues U.S. Immigration and Control Enforcement in Arizona began releasing hundreds of people Sunday to await court dates, saying it didnt have the capacity to hold an incredibly high volume of migrant families showing up at the border. Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona on Wednesday asked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other officials to investigate ways of dealing with a wave of migrants he said was overwhelming Yuma and other parts of southern Arizona. He said at a Senate hearing that he worried about people being threatened by an enormous number of illegal entrants some of whom may not be making asylum claims. Nielsen said she didnt know how many of the migrants in southern Arizona had made asylum claims, but would look into it. Randy Capps, research director for U.S. programs at the Migration Policy Institute think tank in Washington, said Thursday the smugglers may be bringing the Central Americans through Arizona because its less patrolled than Texas. He noted that migrants traveling as families are likely to be released much more quickly than lone adult travelers because of limits on holding children. As families, they can then often wait years inside the U.S. until they hear back on their asylum claims, he said. Under federal law and international treaties, people can obtain asylum in the U.S. if they have a well-grounded fear of persecution in their countries, but Trump administration officials charge that the system is rife with fraud and groundless claims and have called for stricter standards. About eight of every 10 asylum-seekers pass an initial screening and are then either held in an immigration detention center or released on bond into the U.S. while their cases wind through immigration courts. Many claims are ultimately denied. Hernandez said the smugglers instructed the migrants to seek asylum or some other kind of U.S. protective status, but interviews have indicated they came to the U.S. to improve their economic situation and were headed to places including Charleston, South Carolina; Oakland, California and Homestead, Florida. Ali Noorani, executive director of the Washington advocacy group National Immigration Forum, said the government doesnt have the resources to deal with the wave of migrants and should use some of that money to address the root causes of poverty and violence in Guatemala and process the asylum cases in a fair manner. Central Americans typically cite violence in their homelands when applying for asylum claims. The recently apprehended migrants came from Honduras and El Salvador, which like Guatemala are home to deadly gangs like the MS-13. From Oct. 1, 2017 through Aug. 31, nearly double the number of Guatemalans and more than twice as many Salvadorans were arrested compared with the same 11-month period the year before. The most recent statistics from the Customs and Border Protection agency show that apprehensions of people traveling in families and as unaccompanied minors were also way up. Of the more than 90,000 migrants traveling in families who were apprehended during the 11-month period, close to half were from Guatemala. The rest were from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. Murder investigation The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation after a man has died and another was seriously injured in a stabbing in north-east London (Picture: Getty) Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was killed and another left seriously injured in a stabbing in London. Officers were called to the scene on Manford Way in Hainault, north-east London at about 10.20pm on Friday night. One man, believed to be 23, was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second, thought to be 22, was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The Metropolitan Police said a murder investigation had been launched and that no arrests had been made. On the same night, a man thought to be in his 20s suffered gunshot injuries in a separate incident in Hackney. The man, who police believe was shot at by two people on a moped, was taken to an east London hospital following the incident on Amhurst Road, near the junction with Downs Passage, at about 9.30pm. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening. MORE: Ex-policeman, 83, found guilty of raping a woman after she was unable to pay a fine MORE: Boarding school head did not report rape claim by student against classmate The incidents come amid heightened concern about rising levels of violent crime in the capital. The total the number of homicides in London so far this year reached 100 last month. President Donald Trump is looking to influence the 2016 elections with a strategy he knows well: dominating the news. With less than a month until the first midterms of his presidency, Trump has been ramping up media appearances, hosting more campaign-style rallies to stump for congressional candidates and using every trick he knows to tap the 24-hour cable news cycle. On Thursday, that meant hosting rapper Kanye West at the White House, who gave a passionate but disorganized 10-minute soliloquy about Trumps male energy, relations with North Korea and his belief he was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. Lets stop worrying about the future; all we have is today, West said, in a speech that was broadcast on TV. Trump is on his heros journey right now. He might not have thought hed have a crazy mother-fucker like (me). Earlier in the day, Trump himself gave an extended 45-minute interview with Fox & Friends that touched on financier George Soros, former Attorney General Eric Holder and a theory offered, without evidence, that Hillary Clinton colluded with Russia in 2016, among other things. In addition to these off-the-cuff remarks, Trump has also been hitting the campaign trail to boost Republican candidates. In just the past week and a half, Trump has traveled to Tennessee, Mississippi, Minnesota, Florida, Iowa and Pennsylvania. In each of these settings, Trump makes news and changes the narrative, engaging in the hand-to-hand combat style of politics he enjoys. On Oct. 2 in Mississippi, Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford, who had accused now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, for gaps in her memory. On Oct. 9 in Iowa, he indulged his crowd in a lock her up chant with a new target: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California and the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. On Fox & Friends, he insulted potential 2020 challengers, saying of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, I have more Indian blood in me than she does and I have none, unfortunately. Story continues As in 2016, these moments are just compelling enough that they will end up getting replayed and discussed on cable news for the rest of the day, keeping the conversation centered on Trump. That could make it hard for Democrats to break through in the crucial final weeks before Election Day with a different message on health care or other issues. But its also cut against Republicans who once hoped to run on the 2017 tax cuts. In a phone interview with TIME from Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump argued that the rallies and other remarks would help get the word to his supporters about his accomplishments. One of the assets I have is Im able to speak to people in tremendous numbers, he told TIME. Im able to speak to them and often times its on live television, you understand. So Im able to get my word out. Read More: How the Midterms Will Test Trumps Hold on the GOP But while the White House believes that putting Trump front and center will help them politically, Democrats think it may help them instead. Democratic strategists note that its historically difficult for sitting presidents to motivate their voters during midterms. In 18 of the past 21 midterm elections, the political party of the sitting president has lost seats in the House, according to data from the American Presidency Project, and in 15 of the past 21 the party in the White House has lost seats in the Senate. The more that Trump becomes the issue, it helps probably Democrats, says Kenneth Baer, a former Obama official who is now CEO of Crosscut Strategies. As Trump gins up controversy and cultural issues in his appearances, Baer says Democratic candidates should focus on policy health care, infrastructure and kitchen table issues that will motivate their voters. Recent polls support that argument. An ABC News/Washington Post survey of 1,003 adults conducted from Aug. 26-29 found that 56% of those who approve of Trumps job as president said it was important to vote this year compared to past midterms, but a much larger 73% of those who disapprove of Trump said the same. Ultimately, Baer added, the president may not be able to change the conversations going on in each state and congressional district that much. Candidates are still running their campaigns, Baer says. Theyre ignoring the bubble of Washington. With additional reporting by Brian Bennett/Washington KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysia's new government said it will abolish the death penalty for all crimes and halt all pending executions, a rare move against capital punishment in Asia that human rights groups hailed Thursday as a major advance. More than 1,200 people are on death row in Malaysia, which mandates hanging as punishment for a wide range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror. Law Minister Liew Vui Keong announced Wednesday that the Cabinet had agreed to abolish the death penalty and that amendments to laws with capital punishment were expected to be presented when Parliament resumes Monday, local media reported. Liew couldn't be reached for immediate comment. Communications Minister Gobind Singh Deo on Thursday confirmed the Cabinet's decision. "This is part of our election pledge and also in line with the move away from capital punishment in the rest of the world," he told The Associated Press. Amnesty International said the move would be a major advance but urged the government to "completely abolish the death penalty for all crimes, with no exceptions." It said the death penalty has been a "terrible stain" on Malaysia's human rights record, and death row prisoners often have to wait years for their appeals to be processed. "There is no time to waste, the death penalty should have been consigned to the history books long ago," the human rights group's secretary-general, Kumi Naidoo, said in a statement, adding that 142 countries worldwide have rejected capital punishment. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's alliance won a stunning election upset on May 9, ousting a scandal-tainted coalition in the first change of government since independence from Britain in 1957. Its promises included eradicating corruption and bolstering human rights. The Malaysian human rights group Lawyers for Liberty praised the government's decision, saying the death penalty is barbarous and pointless as it has never been proven to deter serious crimes. Its adviser, N. Surendran, said the new government has shown that "it is a force for moral good, and an example for the region and the world." Story continues Many Asian countries such as China and neighboring Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam still impose capital punishment. Surendran urged the government to not forget the hundreds of Malaysians who are languishing on death row in Singapore and other countries, particularly for being drug mules. "We call upon the government to vigorously speak up for our citizens facing death in distant shores. Having rejected the death penalty in this country, we now have the moral authority to fight for the lives of our citizens abroad," he said in a statement. Istanbul (AFP) - US President Donald Trump threatened Riyadh on Saturday with "severe punishment" if a journalist was killed inside its Istanbul consulate, as Saudi officials were to hold talks in Turkey about his fate. With the mystery over Jamal Khashoggi unresolved 11 days after he walked into the consulate and failed to reappear, a pro-government Turkish daily said the Saudi national had recorded his own interrogation inside the mission on an Apple Watch. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and lurid claims have been leaked to media that he was tortured and even dismembered. Saudi insists Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor whose writings have been critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left the building safely but has yet to offer visual evidence of this. The outcry surrounding his disappearance threatens to not just harm brittle Turkey-Saudi relations but also alarm the kingdom's supporters in the West and tarnish the reform drive spearheaded by the crown prince. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they (Saudi) deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. But he again voiced his reluctance to limit US arms sales to the kingdom, which analysts see as one of Washington's key potential levers. Trump, who has become notorious for his attacks on American journalists, added the matter was especially important "because this man was a reporter". - 'Sensational claims' - The Saudi delegation was in Turkey and due to have talks this weekend in Ankara and take part in a working group on the disappearance, official Turkish media said. The NTV channel said the 11 person delegation had on Friday inspected the consulate in Istanbul. Story continues Riyadh has warmly welcomed the creation of the working group but Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef slammed claims that the kingdom ordered Khashoggi to be killed inside the consulate. He described the allegations as "baseless allegations and lies". Ankara has so far trodden carefully in the controversy, with the most sensational allegations splashed in the pro-government press but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far stopped short of directly accusing Riyadh of wrongdoing. Turkey and Saudi have an uneasy relationship, with disputes over the ousting of the Islamist government in Egypt and the blockade imposed on Ankara's ally Qatar. But Erdogan has generally been wary of needling the oil-rich conservative kingdom and on Saturday again gave a long speech to supporters without mentioning the issue. The spokesman of Erdogan's ruling party, Omer Celik, acknowledged Saturday that there were "extremely sensational claims" about Khashoggi's fate in the media and said there would be "severe consequences" for anyone found responsible if they were true. "Far from the speculation, work is being carried out in the most sensitive way to find out what happened," he said in televised comments. - 'Recorded by Apple Watch' - The latest claims reported by the pro-government Sabah daily said that Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate which was synced with an iPhone left outside with his fiancee Hatice Cengiz. It said that the watch had recorded what happened inside the consulate and this was uploaded to his cloud, although Saudis sought to partially delete it. "The moments of Khashoggi's questioning, torture and killing were recorded on the Apple watch," said Sabah. Analysts say that Turkey is hoping to find support from its NATO ally the United States in the case, although Ankara-Washington have been in crisis over the detention for the last two years of a Protestant pastor. But the pastor, Andrew Brunson, was freed on Friday and allowed to fly home by a Turkish court, in a move that could help normalise ties. - 'Horrified' but still attending - Meanwhile Prince Mohammed's big October conference -- the Future Investment Initiative dubbed by media as the "Davos in the Desert" after the annual conference in the Swiss resort -- has suffered a litany of cancellations over the controversy. Key business figures like the chief executive of ride hailing app Uber -- into which the Saudi's own investment fund injected money -- are no longer showing up while media groups like the New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg have pulled their sponsorship. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that he still planned to attend, as did IMF chief Christine Lagarde. She said she was "horrified" by the case but has to "conduct the business of the IMF in all corners in the world and with many governments". Moutai's chairman Li Baofang articulates vision for better world forged through expanding cultural and economic exchanges During the third Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo held in the city of Dunhuang in Gansu province on Sept 27-28, Li Baofang, chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group, shared his insights into how to make the world a better place through cultural and economic exchanges. When we meet in Dunhuang, a historic city that has played a crucial role in the cultural and economic exchanges between China and the world for more than 2,000 years, we feel the expo we are attending - which bears the name of the Silk Road - is an extraordinary event. The world today has entered a critical period after the ending of the Cold War in the early 1990s. There are increasing uncertainties in global af airs, considering growing trade frictions and a new trend of anti-globalization. Here in this hub of ancient cultural exchanges, I believe we can profoundly learn from its past experiences. More than 2,000 years ago, despite various tough conditions, especially in transportation, merchants from countries and regions along the Silk Road overcame all the adversities to trade commodities. The ancient trade route was also a great channel for cultural exchanges, which we can feel today when taking in the many cultural relics, such as the Mogao Caves or Thousand Buddha Grottoes, and other places of interest in this city. The theme of this year's expo is to "showcase the cultural fruits of the Silk Road, facilitate exchanges in the humanities and build the world into a better place to live" - and this is exactly the reason why we are meeting here. Compared with various periods in history, we are now in an era of information, which makes all kinds of exchanges much easier. With an open mind and a global vision, we should have the confidence to build a better future for all human beings. From the perspective of an entrepreneur, I'd like to share my opinions on this occasion on how to build a Silk Road in the new era. Openness and courage Building a Silk Road in the new era demands openness, inclusiveness, courage and confidence. More than 100 years ago the Chinese people still relied on horses and slow boats for transportation. At that time Moutai representatives traveled from the landlocked Guizhou province in southwestern China all the way to San Francisco on the west coast of the United States, for an exhibition at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, an event showcasing the world's latest industrial developments and also celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The journey to a destination several thousands miles away in San Francisco, where Moutai liquor garnered a gold medal and gained its international reputation, was not easy at all. Behind the success of the brand is our enterprising spirit that is similar to the spirit that motivated the merchants on the Silk Road 2,000 years ago. In addition to this enterprising spirit, our forefathers at Moutai stuck to a humble principle - the competitiveness of products or services comes from the recognition and respect of people in various cultures. Edwin M Lee, former mayor of San Francisco who died last year, considered the exhibition of Moutai at the expo a significant event for the history of his city, which has strong cultural links with the Chinese people. Moutai's trip to San Francisco, as well as its subsequent recognition as a successful Chinese brand, was monumental in our company's history and gave spiritual support for us to constantly pursue perfection. In the long history of human civilization, be it the bronze, industrial or information eras, a yearning to go to the outside world is always a driving force for progress. During the past decades, we experienced a lot of difficulties - isolation, scarcity in material supplies and cultural deprivation - so we long for openness and inclusiveness just like anyone else. We see the Silk Road of the new era as a golden opportunity for opening-up and for bringing benefits to more people in the world. With such a recognition of the role of the new Silk Road, we still need courage, confidence and perseverance to make our expectations come true. Despite all the uncertainties in today's global trade, we know that the difficulties we need to overcome are much smaller than those that the pioneers faced some 2,000 years ago. We are confident that we have the wisdom required to create a more friendly environment for business and cultural exchanges. Golden crossroads Over the centuries, Dunhuang was at the crossroads for important business and cultural exchanges. As a hub on the ancient trade route, Dunhuang witnessed the fruitful exchanges of both commerce and cultures. Cultural exchange is the result of international trade and business connections and in turn it helps to promote social prosperity and results in increased openness and inclusiveness. As in ancient times, such hubs for commercial and cultural exchanges as Dunhuang can still play an important role in today's society and economy. The success of such hubs relies not only on their unique geographical locations, but also on the support of governments. We are happy to see that Dunhuang is still playing a role in international exchanges. The current Silk Road expo is expected to inject new vigor into the city and the ancient trade route as various cultures meet here, helping to increase understanding among peoples from different countries and regions. Belt and Road The new Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which are also known collectively as the Belt and Road, is a new initiative proposed by the Chinese government for promoting the economic and cultural prosperity of countries along the routes. During the past few years, Moutai has found great opportunities and ample space for growth through its engagement with the Belt and Road countries and regions. We have discovered the strength of culture when promoting our brand to the world. We hope in the future that more countries along the Belt and Road can foster more cultural exchanges, making their unique cultures better known to the world. We expect that more win-win collaborations can be developed, based on openness and inclusiveness. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. During the past four decades, China has made miraculous achievements in both the economic and social fields thanks to the concerted efforts of the Party, the government and the people. Great changes have taken place in this ancient country. Our land has offered a home to the operations of the world's great companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Coca-Cola. Through learning their advanced operational skills and their corporate cultures, a great number of great domestic companies have emerged in the country, such as Tencent, Alibaba and Huawei. Samuel P. Huntington, the US political scientist and author of the Clash of Civilizations, stated in the 1990s that the conflict between cultures would be the biggest threat to world peace in the future. However, we might find better solutions to the pressing concerns of the world by learning from the cultural prosperity of Dunhuang and the booming commerce brought by the ancient Silk Road over two millenniums. Dunhuang was the intersection of three main silk routes in ancient times. As a hub of commerce, it welcomed Buddhism - a foreign religion from India - from the first century AD. While Buddhists used this city as their main stop to spread the religion to the rest of China, they left behind them rich, brilliant cultural legacies, such as the Mogao Caves, as well as a great number of Buddhist manuscripts, murals and statues. As a result, the city at one point became the hub of Buddhism in China. Another successful example of how a country benefits from cultural and economic exchanges with the world is China's opening-up policy over the past four decades. Moutai has long been fond of the cultural inclusiveness of Dunhuang. It began to use the image of the Flying Apsara - a female spirit of the clouds frequently depicted in the Dunhuang murals - as its trademark six decades ago. As Moutai goes global, this beautiful Indian goddess known for her elegant dance has also become better recognized by the world. Grasping the historic opportunity of the Belt and Road Initiative, Moutai is successfully expanding to global markets. The company has a presence in 26 countries and regions involved in the initiative, with sales there accounting for about one-fifth of Moutai's total overseas sales volume. With increasing investment in foreign countries, we are creating more jobs for locals and paying more taxes to local governments. In the meantime, we are engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives in many countries, especially in the field of education - building schools in Mozambique and setting up a scholarship at the University of New South Wales in Australia, to just name a few. We hope more companies can join us to offer the best products and services to the world, promote our excellent Chinese culture and make the world a better place to live. The murals in the Mogao Caves are one of the valuable cultural legacies left behind from the city's time as a hub on the ancient Silk Road.Chen Yuxiao / For China Daily Various deities related to the Buddhist culture, including the Flying Apsaras (in the left picture), are depicted in the Dunhuang murals.Sun Zhijun / For China Daily The Mogao Caves are a popular tourist attraction in the city of Dunhuang.Cao Zhizheng / For China Daily (China Daily 10/12/2018 page12) Moscow (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was a "provocation" backed by Washington. He described the move as "provocation by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, undertaken with direct public support from Washington" during a media interview, according to a transcript of the exchange on the foreign ministry's website. "Interfering in Church life is forbidden by law in Ukraine, in Russia and, I hope, in any normal state," he said. The Holy Synod chaired by the Patriarch of Constantinople in Istanbul on Thursday said it had agreed to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has historically operated under Moscow's umbrella. The move was met with fury by the Patriarch of Moscow, who would effectively lose influence over thousands of parishes if they decide to split off and join the new independent church. Earlier Friday, the Kremlin said it would "protect the interests" of Orthodox believers in the country. This protection would be "exclusively political and diplomatic," he said. The Patriarchate's announcement is set to drive a further wedge between Kiev and its Soviet-era master. Relations broke down during the Maidan uprising of 2014 followed by Moscow's annexation of Crimea and ongoing conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi - REUTERS Saudi Arabia dismissed on Saturday accusations that Jamal Khashoggi was ordered murdered by a hit squad inside its Istanbul consulate as "lies and baseless allegations", as Riyadh and Ankara spa over the missing journalist's fate. As the controversy intensified, the Washington Post reported Turkish officials had recordings made from inside the building that allegedly proved their claims Khashoggi was tortured and killed at the consulate. A Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey for talks, officials said on Friday, with the case risking fragile relations between the two. In the first Saudi ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef said that "what has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations". The Kingdom "is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions", he added according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The case risks damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home. A security guard walks into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey Credit: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP On Friday night, former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind called for Britain to impose sanctions against Saudi Arabia following the disappearance. Sir Malcolm said the UK Government should work with its allies to punish Riyadh. If other countries refuse to take part, Britain should consider taking unilateral action, he added. He told BBC's Newsnight: "If the current Crown Prince remains in power for the indefinite future, then in the first instance the United Kingdom must work with the United States, France and other countries to see if there can be a combined response, a punishment of some kind, of sanctions of some kind. "If the United States was not willing to take part then the United Kingdom has to consider action that it will take in its own name." Story continues Big names from media and business have already cancelled appearances at a major conference in Riyadh this month. Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish government sources say police believe he was killed but Riyadh denies that. The Saudi delegation, whose composition was not immediately clear, is expected to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara at the weekend, state media said on Friday. It is likely that they will take part in a joint working group on the case, whose creation was announced Thursday by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin following a request by Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official source quoted by SPA news agency said it was "a positive move" Turkey had agreed to the creation of what it described as a "joint action team" over Khashoggi's disappearance. Demonstration for missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Washington Credit: Getty The Turkish leadership has so far stopped short of accusing Saudi Arabia, although pro-government media have published sensational claims, including that an "assassination team" was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi. In a rare public comment on the case by a Saudi official, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud, told the BBC that Riyadh was "concerned" about its citizen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi left the consulate safely. Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in the US since September 2017 fearing arrest, criticised some policies of Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. The Washington Post reported the Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings which show how Khashoggi was "interrogated, tortured and then murdered" inside the consulate before his body was dismembered. Turkish officials refused to comment on the veracity of the report. Ankara and Riyadh have been on opposing sides in the region on key issues, including the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and last year's Saudi-led blockade on Turkey's regional ally Qatar. Yet as key Sunni Muslim powers they have maintained cordial relations. But despite Riyadh's agreement on Tuesday to let Turkish authorities search the Saudi mission, the probe has not yet taken place. The two sides have been in intense contacts to resolve the issue, local media reported. Pro-government Turkish newspaper Sabah said the search of the consulate had not yet happened because Saudi officials would only allow a superficial "visual" probe. The Turkish side did not accept the offer and Sabah said officials wanted to search the building with luminol, a chemical that allows forensic teams to discover blood traces. Officers were looking into sound recordings sent from a smart watch that Khashoggi was wearing when he was inside the consulate to a mobile phone which he gave to his Turkish fiancee waiting outside, Hatice Cengiz. Milliyet daily reported that "arguments and shouting" could be heard on the recordings, but Sozcu newspaper said only "some conversations" could be heard. Bloomberg, the Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times withdrew as media sponsors from the second Future Investment Initiative to be held between October 23-25 in Riyadh dubbed "Davos in the Desert" after the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort. The CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that he will no longer be attending the event unless "a substantially different set of facts emerges". British entrepreneur Richard Branson said he would suspend two directorshipslinked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia over concerns about the missing journalist. Amnesty International demanded the Saudi authorities reveal what happened to Khashoggi as it said Riyadh was "responsible at a minimum for enforced disappearance". Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has welcomed a joint investigation with Turkey into the "circumstances" of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, its official news agency SPA tweeted on Friday. "Official source welcomes the response of the Republic of Turkey to the request of Saudi Arabia to form a joint team... of specialists" from both countries "to investigate the circumstances of the disappearance of Saudi citizen, Jamal Khashoggi", SPA said on Twitter. In a separate English-language statement, the agency quoted an official source as expressing "appreciation" for such a move and "reaffirming full confidence" in the work of "the joint action team... to carry out their set assignments in the best of ways". Riyadh has made little comment since Khashoggi vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, triggering unconfirmed allegations that he was killed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its account that Khashoggi left the consulate safely. A Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey on Friday for talks on the case, a day after Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said a joint working group would be set up to look into Khashoggi's disappearance. The delegation, whose composition was not immediately clear, is expected to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara at the weekend, Turkish state media said. In a rare public comment on the case by a Saudi official, Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al-Saud, told the BBC that Riyadh was "concerned" about its citizen. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's international trade, environment and Brexit ministers told Prime Minister Theresa May at a meeting on Thursday that they are concerned the whole of Britain could remain in the customs union for an open-ended period of time, the BBC said. Brexiteers are particularly worried that Britain could be tied to EU mechanisms indefinitely, hindering the country's ability to strike independent trade deals after it has left the bloc. London and Brussels are racing to reach a Brexit agreement by the end of the year. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Kate Holton) At least eight climbers from a South Korean expedition have died on Nepal's Mount Gurja after their camp was devastated by a violent snowstorm, officials said Saturday. The bodies of eight climbers -- four South Koreans and four Nepali guides -- were spotted among the wreckage of their camp by a rescue team early Saturday morning, but unstable and icy conditions were hampering the search effort. "We assume the incident happened because of a snowstorm because trees are broken and the tents. Even the dead bodies are scattered," police spokesman Sailesh Thapa told AFP. Thapa said a ninth climber may also be missing. A helicopter reached the site and managed to land just above the expedition team's camp, but were unable to retrieve any of the bodies. "Everything is gone, all the tents are blown apart. The conditions were too icy to continue the search," pilot Siddartha Gurung told AFP. Gurung said a rescue team would hopefully return to the camp on Sunday, if conditions improved. Wangchu Sherpa, managing director of Trekking Camp Nepal, who organised the expedition, said they raised the alarm after they had not heard from the team for nearly 24 hours. "After they (the climbers) were out of contact since yesterday we sent people from the village and a helicopter to search for them," he said. The group of South Korean climbers and their Nepali guides had been camped at the foot of 7,193 metre (23,599 foot) Mount Gurja since early October, waiting for a window of good weather so they could attempt to reach the summit. Feted South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho, who in 2013 became the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains without using supplemental oxygen, was leading the expedition, according to a government-issued climbing permit seen by AFP. Kim is believed to be among the dead, officials said. The climbing permit listed four South Korean climbers, but a fifth member had joined the team later, according to Suresh Dakal of Trekking Camp Nepal. Story continues Dakal said they were still struggling to confirm if the fifth South Korean had reached the base camp when the powerful storm tore through the area on Friday. Rarely-climbed Gurja lies in Nepal's Annapurna region, next to avalanche-prone Dhaulagiri -- the world's seventh highest mountain. Gurja was first summited in 1969 by a Japanese team but no one has stood on its summit for 22 years, according to the Himalayan Database. Four climbers have perished on its flanks and a total of 30 have successfully reached its peak -- a fraction of the more than 8,000 people who have summited the world's highest mountain, Everest. Thousands of climbers flock to Nepal each year -- home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks -- creating a lucrative mountain tourism industry that is a vital source of cash for the impoverished country. Panama City (United States) (AFP) - Since Hurricane Michael roared through on Wednesday, a wide swath of Florida's northwest coast has been without telephone or Internet service, adding to the daunting challenges facing residents, loved ones trying to reach them, and the work crews struggling to bring them relief. "We have had some sites come back in service following the restoration of fiber links," cable operator Verizon said in a statement Friday. It has deployed five mobile cell sites with satellite connections "to assist with recovery efforts" while full service is restored. But in Michael's devastated wake, and with tens of thousands still without electricity or electronic communications, those five sites have made only a modest dent. A wide coastal zone between Panama City and the much smaller town of Mexico Beach, 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the southeast, remains cut off. In Mexico Beach, which suffered the full wrath of Michael's intense winds and catastrophic storm surges, rescue teams have no choice but to rely on satellite phones. An emergency communications tower has been installed for their exclusive use. The town has been placed on lockdown, with no one but residents allowed to enter. People arriving on the scene to check on friends or relatives or offer their assistance have been stopped at police blockades, unable to get through. - 'Everything has shut down' - The situation in Panama City varies -- communications are better in the city's western neighborhoods than in its east -- and even there signals are patchy. "We have no cell," said Mark Bateman, associate pastor of St. Andrew Baptist Church, in an unassuming western neighborhood. "AT&T and Verizon (the area's two big telecom operators) don't work." "We have barely any way to communicate with our ... 800 members," he said. "Some have evacuated, and we have been messaging back and forth with OnStar (the car-based emergency communication and navigation system). We also checked door-to-door in the neighborhood." Story continues Two blocks away, Daniel Fraga, an electrician, said he has only an extremely weak and intermittent signal. To reassure family members who had evacuated to the neighboring state of Alabama, he turned to a friend with a stronger signal. "Basically everything has shut down," he said, adding that there are "too many people on the same service." - Neighbors helping neighbors - A neighbor, Twyla Williams, is surviving without running water along with her diabetic husband and her eldest son, a teenager. Other families had fled to Mississippi. "My customers have been checking on me," said Williams, who works for an architectural blueprint firm. "One of them just pulled up to give us Gatorade, water, some food." But with no Verizon signal, she said she used another carrier to log onto Facebook and let relatives know her family was safe. The city's emergency services say they have received thousands of calls from people desperate for news of loved ones. But they too are struggling with little or no service. At nearby Tyndall Air Force Base, on the coast between Panama City and Mexico Beach, the army has set up a dedicated website for those "who are worried about someone." Tyndall, which itself suffered serious damage both to its facilities and to warplanes parked on its tarmac, is forwarding requests to local agencies. Damascus (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has signed into law a new bill expanding the powers of a government ministry overseeing religious affairs and limiting the term of the country's top Muslim cleric. The draft, which state media reported Assad had signed into law Friday, had been amended by parliament this month after sparking controversy among Syrians at home and abroad. The new legislation grants additional powers to the ministry of religious endowments, or "waqf", which already oversees Islamic affairs in Syria. Specifically, the waqf minister will have a role in naming the next mufti. The mufti had previously been appointed by the president, as was the case with current mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, appointed by Assad in 2004. The new law also sets the mufti's term, previously unlimited, at a renewable period of three years. The waqf minister will now oversee religious schools, head the Council on Islamic Jurisprudence, and regulate religious programming on media outlets. The new law also stipulates that Muslim imams are not allowed to travel outside of Syria or attend any conference even inside the country without the waqf minister's permission. It forbids preachers and religious instructors from "stoking sectarian strife" or "taking advantage of religious platforms for political purposes." Syria's pre-war population was overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, with smaller numbers of Shiite Muslims and Alawites, the sect from which Assad's family hails. Christian and Druze minority communities are also scattered across the country. It appears that non-Muslim communities are not affected by the new law. The legislation had sparked controversy this month, with many saying it was state overreach into religious affairs. Others said it was a way to regulate religious discourse in order to "fight extremism." In a recent television interview, current waqf minister Mohammad Abdulsattar al-Sayyed described it as a "huge achievement". Story continues "This is the first time there's a law that issues controls and standards for religious work and conditions for appointing imams and preachers," he said. But a Syrian lawyer told AFP that the law was a worrying expansion of state control. The waqf minister could now intervene "in activities unrelated to the ministry's administration, including in religious literature," said the lawyer, speaking on condition of anonymity. Berlin (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched in Berlin Saturday in a protest against racism amid growing concern over xenophobic incidents in the east of the country. Organisers said at least 242,000 people turned out for the rally. Police spoke of "several tens of thousands". "Say it loud, say it clear, we are all indivisible," the demonstrators chanted as they marched through central Berlin in blazing sunshine. Some held up signs in support of migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean, while others waved placards reading "More love, less hate" and "No room for Nazis. The crowds eventually gathered at Berlin's famous Brandenburg gate where a number of German groups performed. "It's already a success," said Theresa Hartmann, spokeswoman for the #unteilbar (indivisible) movement, who said they had only been expecting 40,000 people to turn up. The #unteilbar collective, made up of a number of activist groups and individuals, has already staged demonstrations in the northern city of Hamburg and Munich in the south, that attracted thousands. They are supported by trades unions, religious organisations and some charities. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), posted a message of support on Twitter. The march was partly in response to the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Building on the backlash to Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to admit more than a million refugees in 2015 and 2016, it won its first parliamentary seats in elections last year. At the end of August a far-right demonstration in the eastern city of Chemnitz after the murder of a German that was blamed on a refugee degenerated into attacks on foreigners. Early in October, German police arrested six men on suspicion of having taken part in the attacks, describing them as members of a far-right "terrorist" group. Former U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly. Courtesy photo. Time is running out for lawyers and law enthusiasts to hear some of Connecticut's top legal minds discuss the most-talked-about legal subject of the year. On Monday, Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m., the University of St. Joseph will host former U.S. attorneys Deirdre Daly and Kevin O'Connor for a discussion of the special counsel investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Recently appointed State's Attorney Margaret Kelley will introduce the two former prosecutors for a forum in the college's Mercy Hall surrounding the investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller. In an interview this week, Daly said she does not have any bombshells to drop, but she does anticipate a thorough investigation by Mueller. "I can't anticipate when the case will be resolved, but I do have a significant amount of confidence that Mr. Mueller himself and his team are highly experienced and competent, and whatever criminal cases exist here, they will bring them against whoever may be responsible for criminal activity," she said. As Mueller investigates possible links between the campaign of then-candidate and now President Donald Trump, the oft-repeated phrase from the president has been that there was "no collusion." Daly acknowledged the term "collusion" does not connote a crime in itself, but "I think it's become a shorthand that people have learned to assign to the Russia investigation," she said. "It's a shorthand way of saying 'I did not engage in any activity with the Russian government.'" The closest thing to an allegation of a crime, under the circumstances, would be conspiracy, Daly continued. "I think the word that's likely to be most accurate is conspiracy," she said, noting that such crimes require intent and taking steps to conspire, even if the conspiracy is not successfully executed. "You have to knowingly intend to commit a violation of the law. And you also have to take an overt step toward the objectives of the conspiracy." Daly, who joined Stamford's Finn Dixon & Herling this year, is a member of the firms government and internal investigations and litigation practice groups. She was the states 51st U.S. attorney and the first woman to be presidentially appointed to lead the office. Earlier in her career, she served for 12 years as a prosecutor and supervisor in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. OConnor is chief legal officer for Point72, a Stamford-based hedge fund, and a former partner and chairman of the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani. He served as U.S. attorney for Connecticut from 2002-08 and as U.S. associate attorney general from 2008-09. The attorneys will share perspectives on the Russia investigation covering topics such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants, the recusal of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteins appointment of former FBI Director and U.S. Attorney Robert Mueller as special counsel. They will also take questions from the audience. We welcome the Greater Hartford community to join us as we learn more from two legal experts about the current federal investigation regarding the 2016 presidential election, said USJ President Rhona Free. Daly said it's too early to make any predictions as to when Mueller will bring the next action related to the Russia investigation. "I'm not speculating either way," she said, but her perspective should offer insights for those interested in the investigative process. Japan unveils plan to attract more foreign workers China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-13 07:04 TOKYO - Japan on Friday unveiled a plan to attract more foreign blue-collar workers, as the world's number-three economy battles a labor shortage caused by an aging and shrinking population. The plan reportedly aims to fill gaping shortages in sectors such as agriculture, nursing, construction, hotels and shipbuilding. Under the draft legislation, foreign nationals with skills in fields identified as facing shortages would be awarded a visa allowing them to work for up to five years. Foreign workers in those fields who hold stronger qualifications and pass a Japanese language test will also be allowed to bring family members and can obtain permanent residency status. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday that the bill would be submitted to parliament "at the earliest possible time", with a possible launch in April. Japan has traditionally been cautious about accepting unskilled workers from abroad and currently limits residential status to highly skilled professionals. The only exception to this rule is for South Americans of Japanese descent. And Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has stressed the reforms are not intended as a wholesale overhaul of Japanese immigration policy, and mass immigration is not expected. Japan will not rely heavily on foreign immigrants and the policy "remains unchanged", Suga said, asked if this represented a drastic shift in immigration policy toward accepting a large number of foreigners. Businesses have long lobbied for looser immigration rules, saying they struggle to find workers in a country where unemployment hovers around 2.5 percent and there are 163 job vacancies to every 100 job seekers. The government has not set a target for foreign workers under the new proposals, although local media put the figure at more than 500,000 people by 2025. According to government figures, there were 1.28 million foreign workers in Japan in 2017 - twice as many as a decade ago. But more than 450,000 of those are foreign spouses of Japanese citizens, ethnic Koreans long settled in Japan, or foreigners of Japanese descent, rather than workers coming to Japan to seek jobs. A further 300,000 are students, who are allowed to work part-time during their studies but are expected to return home afterward. Japan had fewer than 240,000 foreign skilled workers and just over 250,000 foreign trainees in the country in late 2017, according to government figures. It has bilateral deals admitting limited numbers of nurses and care workers from other parts of Asia. Agence France-presse (China Daily 10/13/2018 page8) President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2018. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS) WASHINGTON The American president who has made a habit of calling news media the enemy of the people is now facing a possible consequence of his words: the disappearance, perhaps murder, of a Washington-based journalist at the hands of one of the presidents closest allies. This is unprecedented. Ive never seen or heard of anything like this, Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. A legal permanent resident of the United States and a contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to receive some paperwork on Oct. 2 and never emerged. Published reports suggest he may have been killed at the behest of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman whom President Donald Trump has praised effusively since shortly after taking office. Khashoggi has been a critic of the Saudi ruling family and wanted to start an organization promoting democracy in Arab countries. A Washington Post report, based on intercepted Saudi communications, indicated that bin Salmans government had previously tried to lure Kashoggi back to Saudi Arabia so he could be detained. Saudi Arabia has never been a bastion for press freedom, Radsch said, but added that Trumps repeated cries of fake news and enemy of the people have made life dangerous for reporters around the globe. Anti-press rhetoric coming from the highest office of the land and the constant attacks on journalists have sent a message worldwide. In recent days, Trump has said he wants to find out what exactly happened to Khashoggi. We dont like it. And we dont like it even a little bit, he said Thursday during an Oval Office photo opportunity. He told Fox & Friends a few hours earlier, I dont like it. I dont like it with respect to reporters. It is a terrible, terrible precedent. We cant let it happen. But on Wednesday, asked specifically whether his use of the phrase enemy of the people made famous by dictators from Adolf Hitler to Joseph Stalin to Mao Zedong to disparage journalists may have contributed to Khashoggis disappearance, Trump did not answer. Instead, he walked to his waiting limousine for a ride to a political rally. Story continues Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Greece and then NATO under both Democratic and Republican presidents, said Trumps words cannot be directly linked to Khashoggis fate. Thats the responsibility of the Saudi authorities if they murdered him, Burns said. Its hard to make that connection to President Trump. But he added that he disagrees completely with Trumps attacks on the media and said that Trumps more general failure to make human rights a priority is encouraging repressive regimes worldwide. The president has not been a champion of human rights. When has he ever talked about it? Burns said, noting that previous presidents of both parties regularly spoke on the topic and that their words made a difference. It sent a signal that we were watching, and there would be repercussions. Other foreign policy observers said Trumps words have clearly had an effect on the treatment of journalists abroad, very likely including Khashoggi. Its not only possible. Its a certainty, said former CIA analyst and National Security Council spokesman Ned Price, whose group National Security Action has put together examples of authoritarian leaders mimicking Trumps phrasing. Syrias Bashar Assad, the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro and Hungarys Viktor Orban have all used the phrase fake news a Trump favorite to attack negative coverage since the start of Trumps presidency. Russias Vladimir Putin, whose spy agencies boosted Trump during the 2016 presidential election by disseminating actual propaganda on social media, has blamed both fake news and the deep state another Trump favorite for his difficulties in achieving a closer relationship with Trump. In 2016, the term fake news was used to describe the propaganda being generated to help Trump and attack his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in large part from a troll farm on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, Russia. But after his election, Trump began using it to describe news articles that reflected negatively upon him or his administration. He started calling the news media the enemy of the people at about the same time. A few days ago I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are they are the enemy of the people, he told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2017. Despots and strongmen the world over have imported some of Trumps language to justify their own repressive actions, Price said. People around the world once looked to America as a beacon. Increasingly, however, autocrats look to our president as a model. Eliot Cohen, a top State Department official under then-President George W. Bush, said the message Trump has sent is terrible, both about journalists and everybody else. I think the tacit encouragement is worse: Its clear he really does not care about human rights at all, even for American residents, Cohen said. Well see what happens when an American citizen who is not one of his supporters, or from a constituency that he is concerned about, is the victim. Im not optimistic. Trump, meanwhile, said that while he wants to get to the bottom of what happened to Khashoggi, he does not want that effort to interfere with planned arms sales to Saudi Arabia. As to whether or not we should stop $110 billion from being spent in this country, knowing they have four or five alternatives, two very good alternatives, that would not be acceptable to me, he said in the Oval Office. The president pointed out that Khashoggi is not an American and the incident did not happen in the United States. Again, this took place in Turkey, and to the best of our knowledge, Khashoggi is not a United States citizen, he said. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Julia Harte and Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States would be "punishing" itself by halting military sales to Saudi Arabia even if it is proven that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the country's consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Riyadh and a U.S. resident, disappeared on Oct. 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate. Turkey's government believes he was deliberately killed inside the building and his body removed. Trump has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and is under international and domestic pressure to help determine what happened to Khashoggi and punish Saudi Arabia if investigations show its government had him killed. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have demanded firm action. There was already mounting concern over civilian deaths caused by a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen's civil war and some lawmakers have said Washington should block military sales to Riyadh if the allegations over Khashoggi are proven. But Trump is firmly opposed. "I actually think wed be punishing ourselves if we did that," Trump told reporters at the White House. "There are other things we can do that are very, very powerful, very strong and well do them," he added, without saying what those measures might be. Under U.S. law, major foreign military sales can be blocked by Congress. An informal review process lets key lawmakers use a practice known as a "hold" to stall deals if they have concerns such as whether the weapons being supplied would be used to kill civilians. Major U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co , are among the beneficiaries of Washington's close ties to Riyadh and would be hurt by the halting of major arms deals. Trump said on Saturday his administration won a $110 billion military order from Saudi Arabia and that the deal, combined with Saudi commitments to invest heavily in the United States, was worth hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs. "If they dont buy it from us, theyre going to buy it from Russia or theyre going to buy it from China," he said. "Think of that, $110 billion. All theyre going to do is give it to other countries, and I think that would be very foolish. It was unclear what specific measures, if any, Trump is considering against Saudi Arabia, which is the world's largest oil exporter, and one of his top allies. The Trump administration plans to reimpose sanctions on oil exports from Iran on Nov. 5 and Trump has urged Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to help make up for the loss. Trump said he would probably speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman over the weekend "because I think its appropriate for me to ask him whats going on." (Reporting by Julia Harte and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Kieran Murray and Marguerita Choy) Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday accused Saudi Arabia of failing to cooperate with a probe into the disappearance of a journalist inside its Istanbul consulate, as US President Donald Trump threatened "severe punishment" if it turns out he was killed. Comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu represented a hardening of Ankara's hitherto circumspect tone over the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has not been seen since he stepped inside the consulate on October 2. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and lurid claims have been leaked to media that he was tortured and even dismembered, while Trump has also struck a pessimistic tone about the missing journalist's fate. Saudi Arabia insists Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor whose writings have been critical of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left the building safely but has yet to offer visual evidence of this. The outcry surrounding his disappearance threatens to not just harm brittle Turkey-Saudi relations but also alarm the kingdom's supporters in the West and tarnish the reform drive spearheaded by the crown prince. "We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes," according to an extract of an interview that was released on Saturday. "As of this moment, they (Saudi) deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump said in the interview, which was conducted on Thursday. At the White House on Saturday, Trump said that "nobody knows what happened" at the moment, and reiterated that he does not want potential repercussions for Saudi Arabia to include limitations on arms sales. "I actually think we'd be punishing ourselves if we did that. There are other things we can do that are very, very powerful, very strong," Trump said, without providing specifics. Story continues Speaking about Khashoggi's fate, Trump said: "Our first hope was that he was not killed, but maybe that's not looking too good ... from what we're hearing." - 'We want cooperation' - Ankara had said that a search of the consulate had been agreed but this has yet to materialise amid reports the two sides are at odds over the conditions of entry into what is Saudi sovereign territory. "We still have not seen cooperation in order to ensure a smooth investigation and bring everything to light. We want to see this," Cavusoglu said. He said Riyadh must let Turkish "prosecutors and experts enter the consulate" to carry out their investigation. A Saudi delegation was in Turkey and due to have talks this weekend in Ankara and take part in a working group on the disappearance, official Turkish media said. Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate when he went inside to sort out marriage paperwork, echoed the call, urging Saudi on Twitter to "officially reveal what happened" to him. She said Saturday marked the 60th birthday of Khashoggi and she had previously planned "a surprise party" in Istanbul by the Bosphorus. Interior Minister Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef slammed claims that the kingdom ordered Khashoggi to be killed inside the consulate as "baseless allegations and lies." Ankara has so far trodden carefully in the controversy, with the most sensational allegations splashed in the pro-government press, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has so far stopped short of directly accusing Riyadh of wrongdoing. Turkey and Saudi Arabia have an uneasy relationship, with disputes over the ousting of the Islamist government in Egypt and the blockade imposed on Ankara's ally Qatar. - 'Recorded by Apple Watch' - The latest claims reported by the pro-government Sabah daily said that Khashoggi had been wearing an Apple Watch when he entered the consulate which was synced with an iPhone left outside with his fiancee. It said that the watch had recorded what happened inside the consulate and this was uploaded to his cloud, although Saudis sought to partially delete it. "The moments of Khashoggi's questioning, torture and killing were recorded on the Apple watch," said Sabah. Analysts say that Turkey is hoping to find support from its NATO ally the United States in the case, although Ankara and Washington have been in crisis over the detention for the last two years of a Protestant pastor. But the pastor, Andrew Brunson, was freed on Friday and allowed to fly home by a Turkish court, in a move that could help normalise ties. Meanwhile Prince Mohammed's big October conference -- the Future Investment Initiative dubbed by media as the "Davos in the Desert" after the annual conference in the Swiss resort -- has suffered a litany of cancellations over the controversy. Key business figures like the chief executive of ride hailing app Uber -- into which the Saudi's own investment fund injected money -- are no longer showing up, while media groups like the New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg have pulled their sponsorship. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that he still planned to attend, as did IMF chief Christine Lagarde although she said she was "horrified" by the case. A powerful Emirati businessman, Khalaf Al-Habtoor, has called for Gulf countries and allies of Riyadh to boycott companies that have pulled out of the conference. In an effort to overcome stigma and address mental health issues, the U.K. appointed a new minister for suicide prevention on Wednesday, which also marked World Mental Health Day, the New York Times reports. Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price will be charged with ensuring mental health remains a top priority as the National Health Service receives new funding. We can end the stigma that has forced too many to suffer in silence, Prime Minister Theresa May said while announcing the new position. We can prevent the tragedy of suicide taking too many lives. And we can give the mental well-being of our children the priority it so profoundly deserves. While suicide rates have dropped in recent years, about 4,500 people take their own lives annually in England, according to government research. It remains the leading cause of death for men under age 45, the Times reports. In my time as health minister, I have met many people who have been bereaved by suicide, and their stories of pain and loss will stay with me for a long time, Doyle-Price said in a statement. Its these people who need to be at the heart of what we do, and I welcome this opportunity to work closely with them, as well as experts, to oversee a cross-government suicide-prevention plan, making sure their views are always heard, she said. May also announced additional funding for the Samaritans help line, a confidential 24-hour suicide hotline. In January, May also appointed a minister for loneliness to deal with she called the sad reality of modern life for too many people. ANKARA (Reuters) - U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, at the centre of a row between Ankara and Washington, arrived at the airport in Turkey's western Izmir province on Friday, a Reuters photographer at the scene said, hours after a court ruled he could go free. Brunson was released after the court sentenced him to three years and 1-1/2 months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time. Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, was jailed two years ago and has been under house arrest since July. Broadcaster NTV said Brunson would get on a private jet at Izmir's Adnan Menderes airport and fly to the United States. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Andrew Heavens) London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May will not "trap" Britain in an endless customs union with the European Union after Brexit, her office insisted Friday amid growing unease in her cabinet and party that this might be the price of a divorce deal. Negotiations in Brussels have stepped up in recent days ahead of a high-stakes EU summit next week, with both sides seeking a breakthrough less than six months before Brexit in March 2019. May briefed selected members of her cabinet late Thursday on the talks, at which several ministers reportedly expressed deep unease at a plan to avoid frontier checks with EU member Ireland. Some eurosceptics, notably House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, are said to be considering quitting. Britain has proposed that it continue to follow EU customs rules after Brexit as a fall-back option to keep open the land border with Ireland, until a wider trade deal is agreed that avoids the need for frontier checks. May says this will only be temporary, but her spokeswoman was forced to clarify the point after media reports that the final "backstop" arrangement will have no legal end date. "The prime minister would never agree to a deal which could trap the UK in a backstop permanently," she said. The Downing Street spokeswoman repeated that Britain wanted a new trade deal by the end of December 2021 at the latest, although she declined to confirm the backstop would be "time-limited". Her careful words only fuelled speculation of a compromise with Brussels, although Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab later said the backstop would have to be "finite", "short" and "time-limited". Brussels has insisted that, as an insurance plan, the backstop cannot by its very nature have an end date. However, eurosceptics in May's Conservative party are wary of being tied to the bloc indefinitely. "That won't wash. The British people voted to take back control over money, laws, borders and trade," said former Brexit minister Steve Baker, one of a powerful group of eurosceptic Conservative MPs in parliament. Story continues - Threat to bring down government - Amid speculation she could quit, Leadsom told the BBC: "We are at the final stages of a really complicated negotiation and I do think we have to give the prime minister the opportunity to be able to do a good deal." But May is also facing a revolt by her Northern Irish allies over the long-term trading relationship, an outline of which London wants set out before Brexit. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has threatened to bring down the government if the deal results in new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain. DUP MP Nigel Dodds said his party -- without which May has no majority in the House of Commons -- also needed any backstop to be time-limited. "This is critical. If it isn't then the UK including Northen Ireland would be trapped in unacceptable arrangements unless and until the EU decide otherwise," he tweeted. A full meeting of the cabinet is due next Tuesday, the day before May heads to Brussels, where she has been invited to address the other 27 EU leaders on her plans. Both sides had set the October 18 summit as the deadline for a divorce deal, but the timetable is slipping, with another summit in November now looking likely. European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker told French newspaper Le Monde there must be "substantial progress". "I want to believe that we will be able to find a deal with our British friends between the European Council meeting next week and the possible one in November," he said. British finance minister Philip Hammond said there had been a "measurable change in pace" in the talks, but there were "some big differences left to resolve". If a deal is done, he suggested Britain could enjoy a "deal dividend" which "should deliver us an upside in the form of higher economic growth and better outcomes". London published its latest round of documents planning for a "no deal" Brexit scenario Friday, including warnings that Northern Ireland could face electricity supply disruptions and hinting at problems with Eurostar cross-Channel trains. UNITED NATIONS (AP) Banned charcoal exports from Somalia are thriving, generating millions of dollars a year for al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremists and often passing through Iran to have their origins obscured, according to U.N. sanctions monitors. Six years after the U.N. Security Council prohibited exports of prized Somali charcoal to try to choke off a money stream to al-Shabab, an estimated three million bags of the commodity are making their way out of the Horn of Africa country each year, the monitors say in excerpts of a yet-unpublished report seen by The Associated Press. The main destinations are ports in Iran, where the charcoal already falsely labeled as coming from Comoros, Ghana or Ivory Coast is transferred from blue-green bags into white bags labeled "product of Iran," the report says. The bags are then loaded on Iranian-flagged ships and sent to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with certificates claiming Iran as the charcoal's country of origin. Iran "has been a weak link in implementation" of the charcoal ban, the monitors said, adding that Tehran largely didn't cooperate with their investigation. The spokesman for Iran's mission to the U.N., Alireza Miryousefi, told the AP that "Iran fully implements the Security Council-imposed sanctions on Somalia, and accordingly precautionary measures have been taken to prevent their violations. Iran will continue its constructive cooperation with the relevant U.N. bodies in this regard." There was no immediate response to inquiries made with the UAE's U.N. mission. The monitors credited the UAE with seizing some Somali charcoal but said the Persian Gulf country didn't "substantively engage" with their questions about the shipments allegedly made through Iran. There was no immediate response from Somali officials. Made from acacia trees, charcoal from Somalia is cherished in Gulf nations for the sweet aroma it lends to grilled meats and to tobacco burned in waterpipes. Story continues It's also highly valued by the Somalia-based al-Shabab, which effectively taxes the charcoal at checkpoints, according to the U.N. monitors tasked with assessing compliance with sanctions on Somalia and Eritrea. The monitors say the checkpoint payments yield at least $7.5 million a year for al-Shabab, which a year ago carried out the deadliest terror attack in sub-Saharan Africa's history. The October 2017 truck bombing killed at least 512 people in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. At a U.N.-sponsored summit in May on the illicit charcoal exports, Somali officials asked for international cooperation to stop them, saying they fuel insecurity by channeling money to extremists and worsen environmental degradation as trees are cut down in a country already vulnerable to drought, flood and famine. "We need cooperation to implement the U.N. Security Council (sanctions) resolution and ensure the environmental, economic and human losses that happen because of illegal charcoal trade are curbed," Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled told the gathering. The excerpts of the monitors' report seen by the AP don't specify what individuals or groups may be involved in the illicit charcoal trade, aside from al-Shabab's de facto tax collectors. The group controls parts of southern and central Somalia and continues to target high-profile areas of the capital with suicide bombings. The report says some of the fake origin certificates for the exported charcoal are outright forgeries, made without any official involvement from the relevant nations. But others, such as the Iran certificates, are "evidently issued through official channels," the monitors said. The monitors said other countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast "have allowed charcoal traffickers to exploit weaknesses" in their systems for issuing such certificates and "bear some responsibility" for the patchy enforcement of sanctions. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa By Amanda Ferguson and Gabriela Baczynska LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British and EU negotiators making headway on the Irish border hope for a Brexit deal breakthrough on Monday, diplomats said, though the British prime minister's Northern Ireland ally has stoked uncertainty by warning it could vote against her. Under pressure from all sides, Theresa May told journalists at Downing Street reception that talks on the key issue of the Irish border were likely to continue until November, while cabinet ministers who met with May on Thursday evening were cited by the Financial Times as saying the border issue was close to being settled. However, the Brexit spokesman of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), May's parliamentary partner, said the DUP's 10 members of parliament would vote against the UK budget and consider voting no-confidence in May if the British government breaks the DUP's red lines in Brexit talks. "In breaking her promises she would be agreeing to break up the United Kingdom," Sammy Wilson said. Asked about the threat, May said: "The DUP will do what the DUP will do." The DUP vehemently opposes any checks between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain after Brexit, which is due in March and would be the United Kingdom's biggest trade and foreign policy shift for more than four decades. But at the same time, neither side wants to upset peace on the island of Ireland by winding down the open border between the British province there and EU member state Ireland. That will become the only land border between the UK and the bloc. EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Wednesday rammed home that - while the bloc was looking at ways to carry out checks on many goods away from the actual frontier - animal and animal products would have to be screened on the border. May has said she wants "frictionless" trade with the EU after Brexit to help safeguard Britain's economy while regaining full sovereignty. Her spokeswoman said on Thursday London would present further proposals, which she described as "regulatory aspects", for the backstop border arrangement "in due course". "HEADWAY" Agreeing on how to maintain an open Irish border after Brexit is the key hurdle now to sealing a divorce deal between the EU and Britain. While London wants to regulate that by a future trade deal with the EU, the bloc insists on an emergency fix in case negotiating new relations takes longer, or fails. Both sides have made positive signals in recent days though also indicated they were still short of a deal, which would define the divorce terms and include an EU declaration stating that it would seek the closest possible ties with Britain after Brexit ranging from trade to security to research. "We are not there yet. There is no breakthrough - yet," Margaritis Schinas, chief spokesman for the EU's executive European Commission, told a news briefing on Thursday. Still, diplomatic sources on both sides of the talks told Reuters that "it was going well" and that Brexit negotiators locked away in Brussels this week were "making headway" specifically on the Irish issue. They said tentative planning could see a breakthrough announced on Monday when EU negotiators representing the bloc's national leaders meet in Brussels without Britain. Britain's Brexit minister, Dominic Raab, could also come to Brussels then if weekend talks cover enough ground. Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU, some other British officials have voiced more caution, saying "big issues" still lie in the way of any agreement. The 27 states remaining in the bloc hope to announce "decisive progress" in divorce talks at an EU summit next week and then finalize their offer of close future ties with Britain next month. PRESSURE ON MAY As that departure date creeps closer, pressure on May from various directions is intensifying. After meetings in Brussels earlier this week, the DUP issued a series of terse warnings to May over the compromise that is in the making between the EU and British negotiators. "She will not have DUP support regardless of whether the government tries to bribe, bully or browbeat us into accepting it," Wilson also said. By withdrawing its support, the DUP could make it difficult for May to pass legislation through parliament, including the budget which will be voted on later this month. In May's own Conservative party, some eurosceptic lawmakers want to vote against her approach to exiting the EU as it would not bring a sharp enough break from the bloc in their view. The parliamentary arithmetic is difficult for May who commands a majority of only 13 lawmakers including the DUP. She needs to keep either her own party onside or attract votes from the main opposition Labour Party. Labour demands that Britain retain "the exact same" perks it now has within the EU's customs union and single market - something May's so-called Chequers plan does not meet and which the EU rules out since London decided to leave both. Former Labour leader Tony Blair added his voice to calls to vote down any Brexit deal by May, hoping that would open the way for another referendum in which Britons would this time decide to stay, after their popular vote in June 2016 that resulted in a narrow "Leave" victory. (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper in London, Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Elisabeth O'Leary and Mark Heinrich) Monrovia (AFP) - An acclaimed US charity operating in Liberia has admitted to major failings after girls at a school set up to save them from a life of sexual exploitation were systematically raped. "We are profoundly, deeply sorry," the charity More Than Me said on its website on Saturday after US investigative media said girls at a pioneering school in a slum had been repeatedly abused by the charity's co-founder, Macintosh Johnson. Johnson eventually died of AIDS and there are fears that he infected some of his victims -- who were aged as young as 10 -- with the HIV virus which causes AIDS, the investigative site ProPublica said in a lengthy investigative piece co-published with Time. "To all the girls who were raped by Macintosh Johnson in 2014 and before: we failed you," More Than Me said. "We gave Johnson power that he exploited to abuse children. Those power dynamics broke staff ability to report the abuse to our leadership immediately. "Our leadership should have recognised the signs earlier and we have and will continue to employ training and awareness programmes so we do not miss this again." The assaults took place at a school at West Point, a notorious slum in the capital Monrovia. It opened in 2013 to a blaze of publicity, becoming the first of 18 schools that More Than Me opened in the impoverished West African state to empower girls. The charity eventually raised more than $8 million in funding, nearly $600,000 of which came from the US government, and gained the support of Liberia's then president and Nobel Peace Laureate, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. ProPublica described Johnson as a "charming hustler" who insinuated himself with Katie Meyler, who created the charity. Meyler, an evangelical Christian, had come to Liberia to try to help the country after its emergence from 14 years of civil war. She threw herself into the task of helping girls in the slums. Back in the US, she rubbed shoulders with philanthropist Warren Buffett, TV star and activist Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities in her campaign to drum up donations. Story continues After some of the girls came forward to reveal what was happening, Johnson was suspended by the school and arrested. He was put on trial in 2015, but this ended in a hung jury amid suggestions of bribes, ProPublica said. He was facing a retrial when he died in 2016 from an illness that the site said was AIDS. In its statement, More Than Me said it had been "naive to believe that providing education alone is enough to protect these girls from the abuses they may face - strong institutions, safeguarding policies and vigilance are needed to do that." Among the changes it had introduced, the charity maintained, was the providing of "private, school-wide HIV testing" to all students. Xia Boyu, who climbed Qomolangma on his fifth attempt to become China's first leg amputee to conquer the world's highest mountain at 8,844 meters, refuses to give up Since he conquered the summit of Qomolangma recently, the 69-year-old leg amputee, Xia Boyu, has become an inspirational figure for the Chinese public with his story of never giving up. After achieving the feat on May 14, he returned to Beijing to receive medical treatment. But over the past five months he has visited many parts of the country, giving speeches to the public about Qomolangma, the lack of oxygen there, the mountaineering equipment needed to climb it and the risks he faced. Nusa Dua (Indonesia) (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushed back Saturday against warnings that Washington's trade fight with China imperils the world economy, saying that pushing Beijing to open up will be good for all. The IMF has warned this week at annual meetings in Bali that the escalating US-China trade confrontation would hobble global economic growth, as the fund lowered its forecasts for this year and next. But Mnuchin told reporters on the Indonesian resort island that President Donald Trump's drive to punish China with tariffs to encourage it to adopt fairer trade practices would have the opposite affect. "Our objective with China is very clear: it's to have a more balanced trading relationship," Mnuchin said. "I think that if we are successful, this is very good for US companies, US workers, Europeans, Japan, all of our other allies, and good for China." Mnuchin said, however that the IMF's warnings were "all the more reason for China to be incented to address these issues with us". The IMF Tuesday cut its outlook for global GDP growth by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7 percent for 2018 and 2019, saying that "everyone is going to suffer" from a clash between the world's two biggest economies. Tensions have soared in recent months with Donald Trump's administration rolling out billions of dollars in tariffs against China in a bid to tackle its trade deficit and rein in what Washington views as unacceptable trade practices by the Asian giant. "Our objective is to increase exports and have a more balanced, fair relationship where our companies can do business there on terms that are similar to how they can do business (in the US)," Mnuchin said. "(A) free fair and reciprocal relationship." Attention has begun to turn toward hopes that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit next month in Argentina and bury the hatchet with some sort of agreement. Story continues "I don't think any decision has been made in regards to a meeting," Mnuchin said. "To the extent that we can make progress toward a meeting, I would encourage that and that's something we are having discussions about. "But for the moment, there's no preconditions. The president will decide on that." Washington (AFP) - A Tennessee man sentenced to death for a double murder won a last-minute appeal Wednesday to stop his execution by lethal injection, after insisting the state should use the electric chair. Edmund Zagorski, 63, was sentenced to death in 1984 after slitting the throats of two men who had reneged on a promise to sell him drugs. He asked to be put to death via the electric chair, but Tennessee's prison authorities rejected the request. Zagorski's lawyers then launched an emergency appeal in federal court to demand the chair be used for the execution, which was scheduled for Thursday in Nashville. But the appeals court on Wednesday said the execution must be stayed while his appeal is considered. In Tennessee, people condemned to death before 1999 have the right to choose between the two methods of capital punishment. But they must do so at least two months before the execution, according to the state department of corrections. According to one of his lawyers, Kelley Henry, Zagorski was late in making his choice known because he was awaiting the results of a motion to bar the use of a three-drug cocktail, including the powerful but controversial sedative midazolam, in Tennessee executions. The state supreme court only rejected that suit on Monday, forcing Zagorski to "choose between two absolutely barbaric methods of death," Henry said. "The state's three-drug protocol is certain torture," she charged. "Mr Zagorski's lungs would fill with fluid as the lining is burned away by acid. He would be paralyzed, then burned alive chemically from within," she added, noting the procedure would cause pain for 10-18 minutes. Tennessee is one of nine US states that still uses the electric chair for executions. It has only been used nationwide for 14 executions out of nearly 900 since 2000, and has not been used at all since 2013. The southeastern state had not carried out an execution since 2009 until this past August, when it used the three-drug combination to put to death a man convicted of raping and murdering a child in 1986. US pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, here escorted by plain clothes police officers on his transfer from prison to house arrest on 25 July 2018 in Izmir, Turkey: AFP/Getty US pastor Andrew Brunson has been freed two years after he was imprisoned over allegations he was helping to plot a coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Turkish court sentenced the preacher to three years and one month in prison on charges related to terrorism and espionage, but suspended the rest of his jail time based on his time already served. Mr Brunson was charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in 2016. In July, after nearly two years in prison, Mr Brunson was moved to house arrest. His house arrest and ban on leaving the country has also been lifted," the privately-owned NTV news channel reports.The ruling paves the way for the 50-year-old's return to the United States. Before the judges ruling, the evangelical pastor is reported to have told the court: I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey. Mr Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, preached in Izmir, a city on Turkey's Aegean coast near some of the sites of Christianity's first communities. His detention was widely condemned and led to US placing tariffs on Turkey's ailing economy and a bitter diplomatic row between the two nations. President Donald Trump reacted to news of Mr Brunsons release on Twitter, saying: My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon! Trump's evangelical base is likely welcome the victory ahead of his mid-terms and the release will also help smooth relations between Ankara and Washington. Credit: Shutterstock Washington Wrap is a weekly look at the biggest legal industry news and Big Law moves shaping the legal business in Washington, D.C. Send tips and lateral moves to Ryan Lovelace at rlovelace@alm.com. It's been a roller-coaster year for the Washington, D.C., legal market, from the sexual assault allegations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the many controversies surrounding President Donald Trump and his businesses, to regulatory moves like the Justice Departments aggressive enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. But so far it's been relatively quiet on another front: law firm merger activity. The first nine months of 2018 produced a record number of law firm mergers nationwide and across borders: 56 total, according to the consulting firm Fairfax Associates. The mergers at firms of all sizes amounted to one-third more than the average number of mergers at any point in the preceding 10 years. Lisa Smith, principal of Fairfaxs Washington office, said D.C. firms have not been very active as either the acquirer or as the acquired in recent years. During the last four years, Smith said Fairfaxs data recorded one inbound merger each year where the smaller firm was based in Washington, and maybe one or two where the D.C. firm was bigger. That being said, there seems to be interest in at least talking about mergers from a number of D.C. firms so those numbers may tick up, Smith said in an email. Altman Weil similarly found that 2018 looks to be well on its way to becoming the busiest year ever for consolidations, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region. For the second consecutive quarter, according to Altman Weil's analysis of the third quarter, the mid-Atlantic was the top region targeted by acquirers. Almost every law firm we work with is actively considering its merger options in 2018, and some large firms are becoming serial acquirers, Eric Seeger, Altman Weil principal, said earlier this month. Arnold & Porters 2017 combination with New York-based Kaye Scholer made the biggest splash in the Washington merger market in recent years past. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer chairman Richard Alexander said he doesn't think Washington firms are immune from the factors leading to increased merger activity, but each will forge its own individual path. The driving force behind Arnold & Porters combination, Alexander said, was the firms desire to lead in the life sciences realm and compete in New York. Nearly two years since the merger went live, Alexander said the firm is exactly where I expected it to be. Weve been very blessed, Alexander said. Weve not seen a tug on our culture that some firms see. Alexander said he wouldn't have done anything differently, but would have wanted to spend more time one-on-one with partners of the combined firm in advance of the marriage. The combined firms first year was about integration, Alexander said, and its second year is focused on execution. He described the combination as intensely people-oriented and noted that a firms staff typically have the most anxiety of anyone at the firm about such moves. Such lessons could prove beneficial for Washington-based Venable as it prepares to combine with New York-based intellectual property firm Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto next month. While the combined firm won't rival Arnold & Porter in size, it's expected to place Venable among the nations largest 50 firms by head count and could be a harbinger for things to come in the capital and mid-Atlantic region. Story continues Law Firm Moves, News and Notes A pair of Covington & Burling lawyers formed a new firm, Brown & Peisch, in Washington this week. Caroline Brown, a partner at Covington for nearly 20 years, and Philip Peisch, who was an associate and special counsel for more than seven years at the firm, shared the news on LinkedIn. At Brown & Pesich PLLC, we will focus on federally-funded health and benefit programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, as well as other assistance programs like Title IV and food security, the pair wrote. They said their clients are public agencies, consulting firms, health plans and providers. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz summer associate Leon Cains death was ruled an accident and the result of multiple blunt force injuries by a Washington, D.C., medical examiner investigating his death. Cain, a 27-year old Stanford Law School student, was found dead at the Woodward Building in downtown Washington in August. Before his death, the summer associate in Wachtells New York office accepted an offer to work at the firm after graduation. Following Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court by a narrow 50-48 vote in the U.S. Senate last weekend, the right-leaning Judicial Crisis Network dropped a six-figure ad campaign thanking Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, for supporting Kavanaugh. Collins late-declared support for Kavanaugh appeared to help swing other indecisive senators into his corner. Alongside the six-figure thank you note from JCN, Kavanaugh also thanked Collins for being brave during his public swearing-in at the White House. Speaking of the U.S. Senate, Peter Hyun joined Wiley Rein after more than three years with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, as chief counsel. Hyun will work as a partner in the white-collar defense and government investigations practice from Wileys Washington office. White & Case added Era Anagnosti as a partner in Washington, D.C., for the firms global capital markets practice. Anagnosti most recently served as acting assistant director for the Office of Financial Services in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Shearman & Sterling lured Ben Gris to its antitrust practice in Washington as partner after more than 11 years at the Federal Trade Commission. Gris most recently worked at the FTC as the assistant director of the Mergers II Division of the Bureau of Competition. Scott Ferber, former counsel for cyber investigations in the U.S. Justice Departments National Security Division, has returned to King & Spalding. Ferber rejoins the firm after a decade in government, and he will be a partner on the data, privacy and security team in D.C. He was previously an associate at King & Spalding in Atlanta from 2004 to 2008, before going to work for the government. Eversheds Sutherland added Robert J. Neis to its tax practice group as partner in Washington, D.C. Neis is rejoining Eversheds Sutherland, where he practiced for 22 years before joining the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2012. He has spent the last six years as benefits tax counsel and deputy benefits tax counsel at the Treasury Department. Diogo Pereira, a former associate at Paul Hastings in D.C. and a pair of Magic Circle firms, has opened a new firm in Washington, D.C., named De Almeida Pereira. Pereiras firm already has a sister firm active in Sao Paolo, Brazil. De Almeida Pereira will focus on cross-border investigations, international disputes and international project finance, public international law, and white-collar criminal matters. Royal or not, all eyes are on the bridal gown at any wedding, and for Princess Eugenie, the design was extra personal. As she made her grand entrance up the steps at St. George Cathedral on Friday in a sweeping silk gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, for her autumn wedding to Jack Brooksbank, the back of her silk dress was low-cut. And it was intentional. Without a veil, those watching closely could see the long scar up to the nape of her neck. The Queens granddaughter underwent major surgery to treat scoliosis when she was a girl, and she hoped her style statement would inspire those watching. Princess Eugenie of York arrives for the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York to Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images) I had an operation when I was 12 on my back, and youll see on Friday [at the wedding], but its a lovely way to honor the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this, she told ITVs This Morning ahead of her big day. Scoliosis is the sideways curvature of the spine thats most common to appear during the growth spurt right before puberty. This is not the first time shes spoken up about her surgery. It was a scary prospect for a 12-year-old; I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt, Eugenie wrote on the website for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where she was treated. Eugenie is a patron of the hospitals charity, and a number of members of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust attended the royal wedding, along with representatives from other charities. Princes Eugenie is ninth in line to the throne following her older sister Princess Beatrice, who took up the maid of honor mantle. Eugenie and Beatrice are daughters of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, the Queens second son and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; who divorced back in 1996, but remain on good terms and both attended the wedding. BERLIN (AP) Two women have tied the knot in Austria's first same-sex marriage, months after the country's Constitutional Court ruled to legalize it. Vienna's city government said the wedding took place Friday at a registry office in the capital. Austrian media reported that the women who married at a private ceremony were one of the couples whose case prompted the court ruling in December. Same-sex couples in Austria, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation of some 8.7 million, have been allowed to enter civil partnerships since 2010. All will be able to marry starting Jan. 1. The five couples involved in the court case were allowed to marry earlier. On Thursday, the parties in Austria's center-right governing coalition announced they were giving up their resistance to same-sex marriage and accepting the court ruling. It might be a cliche to say this in the Middle East, but in the present case the cliche rings true the days ahead are crucial for Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority. In each sector, key decisions will be made that will greatly influence reality in the region. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Gaza Half a year has passed and almost 200 Palestinians have been killed since the launch of the "March of Return" campaign along the Gaza border fence. The campaign had ups and downs and in the past three weeks, with Hamas's encouragement, it has reached a boiling point. Palestinians preparing incendiary balloons (Photo: AFP) Just a few days ago, the IDF neutralized and destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel that infiltrated 200 meters into Israel from the Khan Younis area in the central Gaza Strip. The violent demonstrations have a regular timetable known to both sides. On Mondays, a flotilla embarks from Gaza towards the strip's naval border with Israel, accompanied by a violent confrontation on the northern Gaza border, opposite Kibbutz Zikim. This week, the 11th flotilla was launched as part of the "March of Return" campaign. Gaza border riots (Photo: AFP) On Fridays, the main riot takes place at various locations along the eastern fence of the Gaza Strip border. This Friday, the 29th demonstration has taken place along the border. Every night, Palestinians frighten residents of the Gaza region by firing fireworks and throwing firecrackers. The nightly confrontations occur mainly in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. On average, once a week an organized violent demonstration takes place on the Palestinian side of the Erez Crossing. For the time being, Hamas is worried that clashes might spill over into the Kerem Shalom Crossing, since it can lead to its closure by Israeli authorities. In addition, since mid-September, Hamas permitted the launch of incendiary balloons, after a brief respite. IDF footage of the Gaza security fence breach (: ") X GazaJerusalem In recent weeks, Hamas has begun to reap the harvest of the riots along the Gaza border. The constant documentation of infiltration attempts into Israel's territory and the burning of IDF positions have given a boost to the organization's propaganda war. Hamas wants to demoralize Israel in order to prompt criticism that will force the government and the IDF to find solutions. Although some say is a military strike is the solution, Hamas thinks that after the downing of the Russian plane in Israel's northern front, the state wants to avoid a military confrontation on two separate fronts. Hamas, therefore, believes that it operates within the Israeli limits of restraint. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP) Meanwhile, Hamas's plan seems to be working. While criticism is heard throughout the country (especially by the media), the IDF maintains relative restraint on the ground. Until Friday, Israel approved the entry of huge quantities of fuel into the Gaza Strip in what sources said was a Qatari and UN-backed drive to improve the conditions in the enclave and stem the escalation of hostilities. This has a major effect on life in the Stripthe Palestinians in Gaza can enjoy eight hours of electricity a day, instead of four. Israeli officials assume that this kind of adjustments will moderate the violent confrontations on the border fence. To date, this assumption has yet to be realized on the ground. Incendiary balloons continue to fly from Gaza and set fire in the fields surrounding the border. But if we are dealing with assumptions, the most significant test will be the weekly border riots demonstrations. Gaza flotilla (Photo: AFP) Cairo Egypt as usual is in the picture and it appears that Egyptian head of Intelligence Abbas Kamel is on his way to Ramallah and Jerusalem, for a visit focused on negotiating a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Last week, Ynet reported that there are indications Cairo might be considering focusing on ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and abandoningat least at this stagethe reconciliation efforts. Egyptian head of Intelligence Abbas Kamel There are two reasons for that: one, the futility of the reconciliation efforts; the second and more important reason is that Egypt feels Israel and Gaza are drawing dangerously close to an escalation. Kamel's visit may be related this change in tactics. Ramallah Though It is not yet clear exactly when Khan al-Ahmar a Bedouin village in the West Bankwill be demolished, it is reasonable to assume that Israel will implement the High Court of Justice's ruling and destroy the village soon. Khan al-Ahmar demolition (Photo: AFP) The Palestinian Authority has already taken control over the Bedouin struggle there and is exploiting it to attack Israel's policy in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank. Except for the Tanzim organization, the Palestinian public is quite indifferent to this issue, but the relative calm does not guarantee it will end peacefully. Beyond the embarrassment it caused Israel, the fact that two terrorists managed to escape after carrying out terror attacks, raises the status of these terrorists and turns them into heroes and a source of inspiration, especially among the younger generation. According to the Palestinians, Aisha Muhammad Talal Rab, 47, from the village of Biddya in the West Bank was killed Friday on Route 60 after settlers hurled stones at the vehicle she and her husband were riding in near the Tapuach junction. A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey as part of a joint investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, three Turkish sources said on Friday. A Saudi source also said a senior royal, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, visited Turkey on Thursday for talks. Later the same day Turkey said the two countries had agreed to form a joint working groupat Riyadh's initiativeto investigate the case. Saudi state news agency SPA later quoted a Saudi official as welcoming Turkey's approval of its request to form the team. Israel, Syria and the United Nations have agreed to open the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights on Monday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Haley said in a statement that the opening "will allow UN peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region." Quneitra crossing (Photo: EPA) The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring operations in a demilitarized zone established in 1974 between the Israeli Golan and the Syrian sector, but the peacekeeping mission was disrupted by Syria's civil war. Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six Day War and fought Syria again on the strategic plateau in the Kippur war in 1973. "We look to both Israel and Syria to provide UN peacekeepers the access they need as well as assurances of their safety. We also call on Syria to take the necessary steps so UNDOF can safely and effectively deploy and patrol without interference," Haley said. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (Photo:AP) Military police from Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, have been patrolling on the Syrian side of Quneitra. The Syrian side of the crossing was captured four years ago by the rebel groups opposing Assad's regime, prompting the UN force to evacuate from the area. Over the past four years, the crossing was under the control of various groups, until recently when Assad recaptured. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the Israeli side of the crossing on Sept. 27. He said then that in the past, traffic through Quneitra mainly comprised shipments into Syria of apples grown by Druze farmers on the Israeli Golan and the entry of brides for partners on both sides of the armistice line. The defense minister added that any resumption of operations at the facility depended on Syria. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) The fact that we have come here, to Alpha Gate, and as far as we are concerned UNDOF forces have begun to operate and patrol with the Israeli militarys assistance, says that we are ready for the crossing to reopen, he told reporters. When asked whether reopening the crossing is an acknowledgement of Assad's regime, he replied, "We've said we would not interfere (in Syria's civil war). Assad is not our friend, I consider him as a war criminal. "I don't see all those human rights organizations operating on the Syrian side asking Assad foe explanations. It doesn't concern us. Our only interest is the safety of Israel's citizens. The police said Saturday they have launched an investigation into the incident in which a 47-year-old Palestinian woman was killed in the West Bank. According to the Palestinians, Aisha Muhammad Talal Rab was killed by settlers who hurled stones at the vehicle she and her husband were riding in. A general strike was declared Saturday in the village of of Biddya in the West Bank following the death of one of the village's resident, Aisha Muhammad Talal Rab, 47, near Tapuach junction in the west bank. The Palestinians say that the woman was killed by settlers who hurled stones at the vehicle she and her husband were riding in on Friday. In addition, her husband was wounded. The strike will include all public businesses in the village. The police have launched an investigation into the incident. A cluster of Incendiary balloons was located Saturday morning in the Ein Karem neighborhood in Jerusalem by a passerby who gathered the suspicious objects and handed them over to a police patrol vehicle he encountered while driving in the area, being the second time this week flammable balloons are found in the capital. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Following the incident, the police called upon the public to avoid from touching the suspicious objects, and immediately report them to the police emergency line. Police sappers were called to the scene to neutralize the balloons and searched the area. Incendiary balloons The police stressed that strict precautions are required when dealing with incendiary balloons, urging civilians to avoid al contact with the object, which can contains explosives and inflammatory materials endangering public safety. "Citizens coming across suspicious objects must immediately report them to the police emergency line. Handling the balloons is under the sole responsibility of the police sappers," the police said. Meanwhile, the Palestinians released footage showing incendiary balloons flown from the Gaza Strip into Israel during Friday's weekly security fence riots. The balloonwhich was said to be the biggest launched into Israel so farhad the caption: "If we are to suffer, we will not suffer alone." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who attended the violent demonstrations on the border fence, said, "The willpower and determination of our people during the "March of Return" protests have defeated the crimes of the occupation. Incendiary balloon flown from Gaza to Israel X "The Shahids' (martyrs) blood brings us closer to achieve victory over the Zionist enemy. Our marches are not meant to gain money or fuel. We have the right to break the siege (imposed on Gaza) and live with dignity," Haniyeh asserted. "The marches will not cease until the siege over Gaza is completely lifted," he stated. Furthermore, a balloon attached to an explosive device was located Saturday morning in the Eshkol Regional Council. The device was hidden in a carton shaped in the image of the Dome of the Rock, and was found by Eshkol's military security coordinator. Later, an additional suspicious balloon was located in Kibbutz Zikim. Both of the balloons were neutralized by police sappers. On Friday, an incendiary balloon, with Arabic inscription, was found Friday on the side of the road on Sprinzak Street in the central city of Rishon LeZion. Incendiary balloon (Photo: Israel Police National Spokesman ) The device was neutralized by police sappers without causing any damage. This is the fifth such balloon to land in the Shfela region this week. Neutralization of explosive device in Eshkol X Two and a half weeks ago, an incendiary balloon was located in a parking lot of Jerusalem's Malha Mall, and a day later a suspicious balloons was found in Kibbutz Tzurim in Gush Etzion. In July, a balloon rigged with flammable material landed in the backyard of a home in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, but security forces could not immediately confirm that it was terror-related. The balloon did not set on fire and sappers who were called to the scene took it for inspection to examine the flammable object. Four children in the family home spotted the balloon which was carrying a linen cloth and an incense stick. A government study shared with Washington argues that Palestinian refugees number in the thousands, not the millions designated by a UN aid agency whose funding has been slashed by the Trump administration, an Israeli official said on Friday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The fate of Palestinians displaced during the 1948 War of Independence and their descendants has long clouded US-sponsored peace efforts. Frustration over the issue is among factors fuelling often violent weekly protests at the Gaza border over the last half year. Palestinians refugees (Photo: Reuters) Palestinians demand a refugee right of return to Israel, which rejects this, insisting they settle where they are or in a future Palestinian state. Negotiations on founding that state in the West Bank and Gaza stalled in 2014. UNRWA was founded in 1949 in the wake of the exodus of around 700,000 refugees who fled or were driven out of Israel on its founding as a state. As a result, UNRWA now looks after more than 5 million descendants of those original refugees, in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The nascent state of Israel absorbed Jewish refugees who were expelled or who fled from neighboring Arab countries, while other Arab states refused to grant the Palestinians citizenship. Israel argues that UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem by grossly inflating the number of bonafide refugees. Since the agency includes descendants of Palestinian refugees from the War of Independence, it grants refugee status to Palestinians according to a criteria that is not adhered to in any other refugee question. UNRWA has become the subject of significant scrutiny since President Trump entered the White House. Israel says only survivors among the original 1948 refugees should be considered refugees todayan idea fiercely opposed by the Palestinian leadership, which hews to the UNRWA numbers. The Israeli study has not been published and there was no immediate reaction from Palestinian officials or from UNRWA on its numbers. Tzipi Hotovely, Israels deputy foreign minister, described 2018 as a turning-point for UNRWA and its definition of Palestinian refugees, in that the United States has said no more and the State of Israel is closing rank with this policy. Speaking to Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM, Hotovely said researchers in her ministry and in the National Security Council had compiled a report determining that there were a limited number of thousands of Palestinian refugees today. It does not come close to millions, she said, without elaborating on how Israels researchers had calculated those lower figures. Asked to respond to Hotovelys remarks, a US official who requested anonymity told Reuters: While the United States believes the UNRWA model is not appropriate or sustainable, we will not elaborate further at this time. In August, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said UNRWA should change the number of refugees to an accurate account in return for a restoration of US funding for the agency. US National Security Adviser John Bolton lambasted UNRWAs aid program as the only one in history based on the assumption that refugee status is hereditary. In an open letter issued the following month, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl said the protracted nature of the Palestinian refugee crisis was not unique. He said the children and grandchildren of long-displaced refugees in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Congo and elsewhere are also recognized as refugees and assisted by the United Nations. Thousands of people are demonstrating in Berlin against racism and discrimination, a protest that comes amid concern about an increasingly confident far right. A wide range of groups, including pro-refugee, gay rights and Muslim organizations, backed Saturday's "Indivisible" protest in the heart of the German capital under the slogan "solidarity instead of exclusionfor an open and free society." Among supporters was Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who in comments to the Funke newspaper group welcomed "a great signal" that "the majority in our country stands for tolerance and openness." Last year's German election saw the far-right Alternative for Germany party enter the national parliament. Anti-migrant violence a few weeks ago in the eastern city of Chemnitz added to concerns. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday, "The willpower and determination of our people during the "March of Return" protests have defeated the crimes of the occupation. "The Shahids' (martyrs) blood brings us closer to achieve victory over the Zionist enemy. Our marches are not meant to gain money or fuel. We have the right to break the siege (imposed on Gaza) and live with dignity," Haniyeh asserted. "The marches will not cease until the siege over Gaza is completely lifted," he went on to say. The Jerusalem's Magistrate's Court issued a gag order on Saturday over the investigation into the death of Aisha al-Rawbi, 47, from the village of Biddya in the West Bank. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Palestinians say al-Rawbi was killed after Jewish settlers hurled stones at a vehicle she, her husband and their nine-year-old daughter were riding in near the Tapuach junction on Friday. The court, at the request of the police, barred the publication of any detail from the investigation. Aisha al-Rawbi and the passenger's seat of the car "On our way home, and as we were approaching the Tapuach checkpoint, a big rock was thrown at our vehicle, hitting my wife in the head," he said. He decided to take his wife to the hospital. "I kept driving while my wife was covered with blood. Our daughter screamed and wept seeing her mother dying," he said. The victim and her husband "I was in a very bad shape. All the way to the hospital I was asking my wife to answer me, and at the same time tried to calm down our daughter, who wouldn't stop crying." The incident sparked ire among Biddya's residents. A general strike, which included all public businesses and institutions, was declared in Biddya on Saturday following al-Rawbi's death. Thousands of Palestinians from the area are expected to attend her funeral. The shattered windshield of the couple's car "All of us are going to take part in the funeral of the heroine shahid (martyr), said one Biddya resident. The Israeli government must stop the murderers and not dismiss cases like this. Mosques and vehicles and houses were set on fire, and we didnt see anyone arrested. He went on to say that in my opinion, this disaster couldve been avoided. This isnt the first time stones are thrown at Palestinian vehicles. There were many cases that ended without death. Polish authorities are searching for three teenage girls who posed for a picture at the entrance of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp while doing a Nazi salute, according to the British Daily Mail. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The girls shared the picture on Instagram this Tuesday, but deleted it shortly after. A group called Center for Monitoring Racist and Xenophobic Behavior, which monitors online anti-Semitism, shared the picture on Facebook and criticized the girls behavior. Polish teenage girls doing a Nazi salute during a visit to Auschwitz. The center said that this kind of behavior proves that there is a dire need for educational activities that deal with the horrors of totalitarian regimes and of the Holocaust, in light of the rising anti-Semitism in Poland, adding that youth are absorbing hate messages unconsciously. The center was able to save a copy of the photo before it was deleted, and authorities are trying to identify the girls in order to report them to their school. This is not the first such incident to happen at Auschwitzlast year a group of teenage boys from Sweden was photographed doing a Nazi salute during their visit there. BEIRUT - The Islamic State group stormed a settlement for displaced people in eastern Syria and abducted scores of civilians in the latest attack by the extremists on civilians, a US-backed Syrian force and a war monitor said on Saturday. The area in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province has been witnessing days of intense clashes between ISIS and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces amid bad weather and low visibility. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's war, said as many as 130 families were abducted by the extremists. The Observatory warned that IS might kill them. The Observatory said the families are mostly made up of foreign women, including widows of IS members who had been killed earlier in the Syrian war. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned on Saturday that as long as the violent rioting continues on the Gaza border, there will be no supply of fuel and gas to the strip. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter In Gaza, thousands attended the funerals of the seven Palestinian killed during Friday's violent clashes along the border. Some 15,000 Palestinians were rioting in several spots along the Gaza border on Friday. During the clashes, a group of terrorists planted an explosive on the border fence, which went off and opened a hole that allowed 20 terrorists to infiltrate Israel. Defense Minister Lieberman (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) IDF snipers opened fire meant to deter the terrorists. Most of them returned into the strip, but three continued advancing on an IDF position. In response, the soldiers shot at them, killing all three. None of the soldiers were hurt in the incident. The Palestinians were able to grab the bodies and flee back into the strip with them. The unusual incident led Defense Minister Lieberman to order a halt to the transfer of fuels into the Gaza Strip. Palestinians sabotaging the border fence Speaking at one of the funerals, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that "the Palestinian people's willpower and determination in the Marches of Return have led to a victory over the crimes of the occupation." He went on to say that "the blood of the shahids (martyrs) brings us closer to victory over the Zionist enemy. Our marches are not for diesel fuel or dollars, and it is our right to lift the siege and live in dignity." Haniyeh on the Gaza border (Photo: AP) "We won't be swayed by half-solutions and partial steps. The marches won't end unless there is a complete lifting of the siege over Gaza," Haniyeh added. "We appreciate any effort to lift the siege, whether it's by an Arab element or an international one." With this Hamas continues its line of publicly supporting efforts to reach an arrangement for a ceasefire in Gaza, while at the same time continuing the escalation on the ground. Clashes on the Gaza border (Photo: AFP) The commander of Hamas's security forces in Gaza, Tawfiq Abu Naim, attended another funeral for his nephew, Ahmad Abu Naim, who was killed in Friday's clashes and was likely part of the group that crossed the border into Israel. Meanwhile, the Palestinians released footage showing incendiary balloons flown from the Gaza Strip into Israel during Friday's clashes. One balloonwhich was said to be the biggest launched into Israel so farhad the caption: "If we are to suffer, we will not suffer alone." The IDF Spokesman said that a number of incidents involving infiltrations have been detected along the Gaza border. He noted that the perpetrators were under constant surveillance and that they returned to the Gaza Strip almost immediately. One, unarmed, Palestinian was arrested and taken in for questioning after crossing the northern section of the fence. France's most famous Nazi hunters, Serge Klarsfeld and his German wife Beate, received top honors in a ceremony led by French President Emmanuel Macron this week. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Serge Klarsfeld, 83, received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, France's highest award, while the 79-year-old Beate Klarsfeld received the National Order of Merit, having already been decorated with the Legion of Honor in 2014, with the rank of Grand Officer. The Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, was among those who attended the ceremony at the Elysee Palace limited to family and close friends and associates. The couple in 1979; Famous for locating the notorious Nazi criminal Klaus Barbie (Photo: AP) Born September 17, 1935, in the Romanian capital Bucharest, Serge Klarsfeld escaped the Holocaust after his family moved to France but saw his father taken away to die in the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp. He was naturalized in 1950, and 10 years later, while studying at the prestigious Science-Po university in Paris, Klarsfled met Beate Kuenzel, the daughter of a former German soldier, on a metro platform. The two, who married three years later, decided to bring fugitive Nazis to justice, a mission they pursued for more than half a century. Emmanuel Macron giving the Klarsfeld's France's highest honours In one of their most high-profile cases, the Klarsfelds found the notorious Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie, a former Gestapo officer known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for his wartime torture of prisoners, who had escaped to South America. In 1971, the Klarsfelds revealed that Barbie was living in Bolivia, and in 1983 he was extradited to France. Four years later he was convicted in a trial, and later died behind bars. They also pursued members of France's collaborationist Vichy regime, including Rene Bouquet, Jean Leguay and Marice Papondespite obstruction from president Francois Mitterrand. Mitterrand's successor Jacques Chirac finally recognized France's role in the deportations, a declaration Serge Klarsfeld said owed much to his and Beate's campaigning. "Neither could have succeeded without the other," their daughter Lida once said. The Shin Bet internal security service is investigating the death of Aisha al-Rawbi, 47, the Palestinian woman killed in a car accident in the West Bank, allegedly after the vehicle she was riding in was pelted with stones by Jewish settlers near the Tapuach Junction. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said al-Rawbi was one of the martyrs who sacrificed their blood for the sake of their homeland and their people," in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Aisha al-Rawbi killed on Friday "This is a very ugly crime committed by the settlers in the defense of the occupying state," Abbas said, adding that "our people will continue to stand firm on its land, no matter how many victims. These crimes will not harm the determination of our people to continue on their path to freedom and independence; to establish an independent state with its eternal capital, Jerusalem." A doctor at the Palestinian hospital Aisha al-Rawbi was brought to said the woman was dead on arrival and that she had suffered a head injury. Her relatives said an autopsy will be carried out. On Saturday, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court issued a gag order on the investigation into the incident in which Rawbi, a Palestinian resident of the northern West Bank village of Biddya, was killed. Her husband and nine-year-old daughter were in the car as well. She was laid to rest on Saturday. Funeral in Biddya In recent days, following the two terror attacks in the West Bank, defense officials have been concerned of a possible increase in Jewish revenge attacks against Palestinians. For the time being, there is no known detainee, nor is it clear whether Jews are indeed responsible for the tragedy. The investigation is being handled by the Judea and Samaria District Police, in cooperation with the Jewish Division of the Shin Bet, which is responsible for nationalistic crime committed by Jews against Arabs. The victim's husband, Aykube al-Rawbi, 52, said he went to pick up his wife after attending a family wedding in Hebron. Aish and her husband Aykube "(We were) on our way home, and as we approached the Tapuach checkpoint, a big rock was thrown at our vehicle, hitting my wife in the head," he said. He decided to take his wife to the hospital. "I kept driving while my wife was covered with blood. Our daughter screamed and wept seeing her mother dying," he said. "I was in a very bad shape. All the way to the hospital I was asking my wife to answer me, and at the same time tried to calm down our daughter, who wouldn't stop crying." "Aisha the martyr waited for her daughter's wedding, which is supposed to take place in two weeks, and she has been talking about the wedding a lot in recent days, and she has asked us all to come and participate in the great joy," said a relative. "But unfortunately she was killed by settlers and instead of a wedding, we all participated in the big funeral." A general strike, which included all public businesses and institutions, was declared in Biddya on Saturday following al-Rawbi's death. The Israeli government must stop the murderers and not dismiss cases like this. Mosques and vehicles and houses were set on fire, and we didnt see anyone arrested, one Biddya resident said. He went on to say that in my opinion, this disaster couldve been avoided. This isnt the first time stones are thrown at Palestinian vehicles. There were many cases that ended without death. We do not know what our response will be, but the incident will not be tolerated. TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says members of the country's intelligence service have killed two Kurdish separatists in a clash in the western city of Kermanshah. Saturday's report quotes Iran's intelligence ministry as saying in a statement that, along with the two killed, a "separatist terrorist team" was dismantled. The ministry's statement also says some ammunition and documents were uncovered from their house, indicating the militants were supported by some Arab countries. It offered no other details. Previously, Iran has accused the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia of supporting separatists and inciting chaos in Iran. The tantalizing aroma of grilling meat wafts from the open kitchen of Arais, a no-frills restaurant that occupies prime corner space along the northern exterior of Sarona Market. Most of the restaurants seating is al fresco, with views of both the Sarona compound and the chef at work. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Arais opened its doors in 2015 and has been a mainstay of Sarona Market ever since, even while many of its similarly outdoor neighbors closed. The architect of the restaurants menu was Chef Yaron Kestenbaum, who currently helms the highly acclaimed Carmel Market eatery M25. Arais The restaurant serves no cocktails, and the selection of beers and wine is rather limited. The good news is that all wines are available by the glass. The menu -- with separate versions in English and Hebrew -- comprises six sections: Starters (under the heading Grab-Em), Salads, Main Courses (under the heading Old School Market), On a Stick (referring to skewers), From the Butcher -- a grouping of premium steaks -- and Desserts. There is also a Kids Menu. Arais meat We started our meal with the house meatballs -- lamb kebab and merguez meatballs, served on a bed of baba ganoush. The kebab element was dominant in these meatballs, which were plenty tasty, especially together with the slightly spicy baked eggplant salad. Meatballs To accompany the meatballs we asked for the house bread and were served fresh, warm pita, which was an ideal accompaniment. Our first main course was the Smokin Beef, consisting of -- in spite of the name -- lamb breast and citrusy smoked Denver cut. The chewy chunks of lamb and Denver cut -- which the Hebrew menu renders as entrecote -- were quite flavorful, as long as you remember to dig them out from under the mound of tomato salad dressed with tehina, as well as a generous dollop of the restaurants special pickled lemon condiment. In this context it is worth pointing out that on a previous visit, I had ordered the Denver cut listed in the From the Butcher category -- and it was actually one of the best steaks I had eaten anywhere, in a long time. This time around, I was keen to taste the butchers picanha, that prime cut of rump steak so favored by carnivorous Brazilians. The thin slices of beef were served in the same manner as the restaurants premium steaks -- on a sizzling hot metal platter, with a hot stone for extra cooking, if desired. The slices of meat may not have been thick, but they certainly packed a surprising amount of robust flavor. Picanha Also on the hot tray were two excellent sides: roasted potato and grilled onion, both wonderful complements to the meat. The potato halves were a perfect golden brown flecked with grains of black pepper, while the onion practically melted in the mouth. Arais steak There are four desserts on the menu, including one dessert of the day, which is explained by the waiter. He recommended the malabi, which is a very common dessert in restaurants specializing in grilled meats; and the version here was as ordinary as most of the rest. Malabi On the other hand, the daily special on the evening of our visit was considerably more extravagant: nutella mousse, in a candy shell, with squiggles of chiffony white chocolate and drizzled caramel -- all in all, a very sweet and memorable finish to our meal. Arais has become a reliable standby in Sarona Market, thanks to a menu that offers a variety of quality meats, from the everyday familiar to upscale steaks suitable for special occasions, at prices commensurate with that range. Arais, House of Meat Not kosher Kalman Magen 3, Tel Aviv CORY GARDNER, with the Michigan Department of Transportation, shows the potential width of the sidewalk along U.S. 2 in Bessemer Friday during a meeting on whether the highway should have three lanes or four. A four-lane design would narrow sidewalks through some of the downtown. By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - While no decisions are expected any time soon, talks continued Friday regarding the number of lanes U.S. 2 should have through Bessemer. A group of roughly 15 city council members, residents and Michigan Department of Transportation officials walked the downtown section of U.S. 2 Friday morning in an effort to visualize how the various plans would work. The city is being asked to choose between making the highway three lanes or four through the city. The change is necessary to bring U.S. 2 into compliance with state requirements rega... News Washington, DC - The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory Thursday to help financial institutions better detect and report potentially illicit transactions related to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The advisory is also intended to help foreign financial institutions better understand the obligations of their U.S. correspondents, to avoid exposure to U.S. sanctions, and to address the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) risks that Iranian activity poses to the international financial system. The advisory provides information on the threats the Iranian regime poses to the U.S. financial system as well as to institutions that have correspondent banking relationships with U.S. financial institutions, describes deceptive financial strategies that the Iranian regime uses to evade sanctions, and provides red flag indicators related to specific malign activities and typologies. This advisory lays out in great detail the extent to which the Iranian regime uses deceptive practices, including front companies, fraudulent documents, exchange houses, seemingly legitimate businesses and government officials, to generate illicit revenues and finance their malign activities. Irans deceptive practices have been orchestrated not only by elements of their government such as the IRGC-Qods Force, but also by Central Bank of Iran officials who were at the highest levels. Any country that allows its Central Bank to be involved in deception in support of terrorism requires the highest levels of scrutiny, particularly when the country itself is the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism, said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Governments, financial institutions of all types around the world, and other companies need to be on high alert to the types of schemes described in this advisory. More than that, as we expect Iran to continue to attempt to engage in wide scale sanctions evasion while simultaneously using its resources to fund a broad array of malign activity, financial institutions should continue to sophisticate their compliance programs to keep these actors from exploiting them. On June 5, 2018, Under Secretary Mandelker delivered extensive remarks on the surreptitious means by which the Iranian regime finances itself. Crucial insight provided through Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and other valuable information conveyed by the financial sector have been instrumental in identifying money laundering and other financial schemes associated with the Iranian regime, added FinCEN Director Kenneth A. Blanco. This advisory focuses financial institutions attention on the current risks associated with transactions involving the Iranian regime. It also provides concrete red flags and typologies to help them identify potentially illicit Iran-linked activity. In so doing, this advisory not only increases industry awareness; it also enhances the future value of related SAR reporting and ultimately strengthens the safety and security of the U.S. financial system. The advisory details how the Iranian regime has abused the international financial system through illicit means. For example, the Iranian regime has masked illicit transactions using senior officials of the CBI, who used their official capacity to procure hard currency and conduct transactions for the benefit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its terrorist proxy group, Lebanese Hizballah. Accordingly, financial institutions are advised to exercise appropriate due diligence when dealing with transactions involving exchange houses that may have exposure to the Iranian regime and/or designated Iranian persons, and the advisory details examples of exchange house-related schemes. Iran-related actors use front and shell companies around the world in procurement networks through which the Iranian regime has gained goods and services related to currency counterfeiting, dual-use equipment, and the commercial aviation industry. The advisory further warns financial institutions to be on the lookout for possible evasive practices involving Iranian shipping companies. Financial institutions should also be aware of possible Iranian abuses of virtual currency and precious metals to evade sanctions and gain access to the international financial system and to conceal their nefarious actions. In order to help financial institutions identify deceptive activity potentially linked to the Iranian regime, FinCEN has included red flags in its advisory. For example, CBI officials routing transactions to personal accounts rather than central bank or government-owned accounts, and individuals or entities with no central bank or government affiliation withdrawing funds from such accounts, may be a red flag for financial institutions to investigate. Similarly, wire transfers or deposits that do not contain any information on the source of funds, contain incomplete information about the source of funds, do not match the customers line of business, or that involve jurisdictions where there is a higher risk of dealing with entities linked to the Iranian regime may be red flag indicators of illicit Iranian attempts to gain access to the U.S. financial system or evade sanctions. Following the full re-imposition on November 5, 2018 of sanctions lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), FinCEN expects that Iranian financial institutions, the Iranian regime, and its officials will increase their efforts to evade U.S. sanctions to fund malign activities and secure hard currency for the Government of Iran. Treasury and the U.S. Government are interested in information related to the Iranian regimes efforts outlined in this advisory, as well as information pertaining to how the Iranian regime or Iranian entities subject to sanctions, including the CBI, otherwise evade the sanctions and access the U.S. financial system. When filing a SAR, financial institutions should provide all pertinent available information in the SAR form and narrative. FinCEN requests that financial institutions reference this advisory by including the key term Iran FIN-2018-A006 in the SAR narrative and in appropriate SAR fields to indicate a connection between the suspicious activity being reported and the persons and activities highlighted in the advisory. 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. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Daniel Barraza Nevarez has plead guilty to two felony counts of Fraudulent Schemes & Artifices and Money Laundering. Between November 2017 and February 2018, Nevarez filed a series of fraudulent quit-claim deeds transferring him ownership of single family homes in Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. Nevarez then attempted to use the victims homes as collateral to secure cash loans. Nevarez used a false identity to execute this fraud, but his true identity was discovered through an undercover operation conducted by agents of the Arizona Attorney General's Office and Scottsdale Police Department. The plea agreement requires Nevarez to pay $21,708.43 in restitution for legal fees incurred by the victims as a result of these crimes. Nevarez will also serve no less than eight months in Maricopa County Jail. Assistant Attorney General Adam J. Schwartz prosecuted the case. Nevarez will be sentenced on November 8, 2018, at Maricopa County Superior Court. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - The community is invited to come out and attend the Arizona Western College Theater performance of Trifles, a masterful blend of murder mystery and social commentary. Farmer John Wright has been murdered, but the men investigating can't find any clues. John's wife, Minnie, is suspected of the murder. Written in 1916 before women could vote or serve on juries, this one-act play is considered an early feminist masterpiece. The show will be held Oct. 18-20 and 26-27, at 7:30 p.m. as well as Oct. 28, at 2:30 p.m. at the AWC Theatre on the Yuma Campus, 2020 S. Ave. 8E. Admission is $5 or free with an AWC ID. For more information, contact Professor of Theatre Ann Wilkinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at (928) 344-7592. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, October 24, 2018, from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., the Yuma County Victims Rights Committee will hold a vigil as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The vigil will take place outdoors at the Centennial Heritage Area at the Yuma County Main Library, 2951 South 21st Drive, Yuma, Arizona. This is located on the North side of the library. There will be speakers, music, refreshments, informational booths and a balloon launch. Please join us as we gather to mourn those who have died as a result of domestic violence, celebrate those who have survived, and connect with those who work to end the violence once and for all. This event will provide us the opportunity to recognize the need for all in our community to step up and support not only victims of domestic violence but those who support and advocate for such victims as well. None of us are immune from the violence and it affects victims of all ages. In Arizona alone, it is estimated that at least one (1) child will witness a domestic violence incident every 44 minutes and in 2015, Arizona experienced 107 domestic violence related fatalities. Nationwide, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Please join us as we Stand up and Speak Out Against Domestic Violence. Today Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Mainly clear. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Tomorrow Partly cloudy skies. High 84F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. iShares Latin America 40 ETF's stock was trading at $22.49 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, ILF stock has increased by 11.8% and is now trading at $25.15. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 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 Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design is one of the most interesting institutions of higher learning in Ghana, in the creative industry. It is a college that focuses on turning people's talents into careers that can sustain lives. The fashion industry is one of the few industries that most people have looked down upon for a long time, yet it has an outstanding potential for growth. At Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design, students get to learn how to turn talents into livelihoods. The institution focuses on helping students advance their skills to levels that bring financial gain. Most successful people will tell you, find yourself something you like and build up on it. That way you will earn a living. For that reason, institutions that support talent and creativity are coming up. Institutions like Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design are coming up to enable students expound on their skills and become better people in the society READ ALSO: Anglican University College of Technology courses and admission requirements About Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design Accra Ghana The birth of Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design dates back to about seventeen years ago. The college came about as a result of the efforts of one lady, Mrs. Joyce Ababio. Mrs. Joyce Ababio ventured into the fashion industry by starting a fashion institution in Accra, Ghana. The name of the institution is Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design. It was the first institution to offer fashion related courses then. Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design stayed in operation for close to seventeen years, all this time, under the leadership of its founder Mrs. Joyce Ababio. In 2013, Mrs. Joyce Ababio felt the urge to expand her territory. That is how Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design Accra Ghana came into existence. This entailed changing the title of the institution from Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design to its new name. She also incorporated new courses in the new school. The new courses that Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design Accra Ghana introduced are graphic design and textile design, to mention but a few. Right now, Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design Accra Ghana is a private institution that has been in operation for the past three years. Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design is an accredited college and is an affiliate of the University of Cape Coast. Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses If you wish to pursue a fashion related course, consider booking an appointment with Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design. There are so many reasons why you should be part of the institution. The college has been in the fashion industry for close to two decades now. That guarantees the best results based on experience. The school has been around to witness the fashion industry revolutionize to what it is today. This means that that it has the capacity to train and direct you in a manner that will be relevant to your carer. The other reason is that its parent name, Vogue Style School of Fashion, was the first institution to offer fashion related courses in Ghana. Those are reasons enough to make you go for Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses. The Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses are: Fashion design Graphic design Textiles (Surface design) Jewelry design The Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses have one thing in common, design. Fashion design, for instance, focuses on all the principles of design in fashion. This programme aims at bringing up individuals who can compete favorably in the fashion industry. It also helps build the creativity of the students which makes them relevant in a versatile industry. The programmes offered for fashion design include: Certificate in fashion design and Advanced certificate in fashion design. The Graphic design programme is also an extensive programme. The course aims at ensuring that the learners are conversant with the visual language. Graphic design also builds an individual's creativity when it comes to branding. Graphic design also majors in product packing (particularly branding), entrepreneurship, and interface design for improved user experience. For graphic design, Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design offers: Certificate in graphic design. For textiles (Surface Design), students are taught the principles of dyeing and designing for printing. Joyce Ababio College of Creative Arts offers certificate in textile. For jewelry design, students learn all the forms of bead work. The work includes fabric beading as well as how to make beaded jewelry. The program offered for jewelry design is: Certificate program in Jewelry. READ ALSO: Top graphic design schools in Ghana Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees The doors to Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design are open for both local and international students. The Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees charges are pocket-friendly. The charges are organized in two different categories. This is the national group, which exclusively covers students who are Ghanaian citizens, and The international category, for foreign students. Other fees details are as follows: The annual Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees charge for certificate programs is 150 Ghana Cedis for admission and GHC 4,700 for tuition. The charges are the same, both for the national and international categories. For students who wish to pursue an advanced certificate in fashion design, the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees charges is GHC 200 for admission, both for international and national categories. The tuition charges for domestic students is GHC 3,500 while that for international students is GHC 4,500 per semester. If you wish to pursue a certificate in graphic design, the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees costs are GHC 150 for admission, and 3,700 Ghana Cedis for tuition, both for national and international students. The Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees charges for any of the certificate programs includes the charges for pattern kits, handouts, and graduation fees. While paying the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees, students are advised to deposit their amounts to the bank. No cash payments are accepted at the school. Use these details to pay your fees: The stipulated bank is Fidelity Bank Ghana, Osu branch. The account number is; 1300480804419 and The account name is Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design. If you wish to directly transfer money from your account and channel it to Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees, the only thing that changes on the bank draft is that you insert the words, 'Pay to, then proceed to giving the account name as; Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design and The account number as; 740480804413. The bank draft has a slot for the swift code. Provide FBLIGHAC on that slot. Take note of the fact that students are also allowed to pay Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design fees in installments. Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design admission requirements Like most institutions, you must fulfill a set of conditions before you gain admission to a course. The same case applies to Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design. The admission requirements for Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design are given in different sets, depending on the type of exams that a student sat for in his or her O levels or A levels. Here is a brief overview of the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design admission requirements. For candidates who are holders of the SSSCE certificate, the entry requirement is a minimum of six passes in all subjects, including Mathematics and English and the three passes from the subjects that the candidates area of specialization. For candidates who are holders of the WASSCE certificate, the entry requirement is a minimum of six passes in all the examined subjects, inclusive of Mathematics and English language, and not less than a C6 in any of the three subjects within their area of specialization. Meeting these requirements means that a candidate qualifies for any of the Diploma or Higher National Diploma programmes. For candidates who have a Diploma, the entry requirement is a minimum of a Second class lower division. The candidate should have graduated from the University of Cape Coast or any other equivalent institution. The candidate should also have not less than two-year working experience. The admission requirements for students who wish to enroll for any of the certificate programmes is a Senior High School certificate or a JSS certificate. How to apply for Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses After going through the admission requirements and confirming that you qualify for any of the categories, as a prospective student, you can proceed to the application phase for the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design courses you want. The procedure first involves obtaining the admission form. The form is available at the school. A prospective student can also download the form from the schools website. The form is available at a fee. The form for certificate program goes for GHC 50. The Diploma program form goes for GHC 80 which is the same as the one you need for a degree program. After obtaining the form, the student should then fill it in with the correct details and send it back to the school. While submitting the form, the student should attach two passport pictures, copies of the required transcripts and certificates as well as an essay. The essay is a mandatory part of the admission requirements. Mature students, aged above twenty-five years should call the school. They are not supposed to go through the application process. Instead, they are supposed to contact the school and make arrangements for an in-house examination which the school administers before their admission into the school. International students are also required to send copies of their academic certificates. The school will arrange on how all the certificates will be sent for accreditation to ensure that they are legit. This process is done to ensure that the student is legible for admission. For this reason, the student is expected to pay 100 Cedis towards facilitating the process. READ ALSO: Valley View University distance learning programs Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design contact Are you good at fashion, or do you have a liking for fashion design? Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design is the place to be. The college is more than willing and equipped to make you realize your dream. All you need to do is enroll for your courses and let the school do the rest. First things first, before we get to enrolling at Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design, it helps to understand the location of Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design. Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design is along Switchback road in Accra, Ghana. For any inquiries concerning the admission process, or for advice on which course to pursue, a prospective student can reach the school through any of these Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design contacts: Postal address: Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design, P.O Box CT 1097, 26 W Cantonments, Accra. Email: jaschoolofdesign@yahoo.com Phone number: +233 23-5682600 or +233 302-797471 Life is all about doing what you love most. All you have to do is realize your passion and invest the right energy towards it. If fashion is what you like, invest in it by enrolling at Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design for a great experience that will lead you towards your career. READ ALSO: Catholic University College of Ghana fees and programs offered Source: Yen Hypocrisy is when someone claims to have certain moral standards or certain moral principals, but their behaviour speaks differently. This could be your friends or people close to you. They could say they are very religious, and they condemn acts that oppose a specific religion, but they do the same things they condemn. This can be a bothersome behaviour, and it sometimes feels very unfair. Some hypocrites, however, are not aware that they are practising hypocrisy until they are told the truth of their behaviour. Below is a detailed list of hypocrisy quotes and sayings that you can use to identify and point out hypocrites. Quotes about hypocrisy Here are some of the quotes you can use to notify someone of their unconscious acts of hypocrisy and make them learn change. Three things in the world deserve no mercy, hypocrisy, fraud, and tyranny. Hypocrisy does not deserve mercy. This is a saying from Fredrick William Robertson, the English divine, that shows that hypocrisy is a very shady character that some people tend to acquire. The fact that it is placed in the same group as fraud and tyranny, shows that hypocrisy is wrong. The only negativity that is unforgivable is hypocrisy, the repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy. This is among the quotes about hypocrites. It is a quote from William Hazlit that suggests that hypocrisy should not be forgiven. He points out that if a hypocrite prays to be excused of this virtue, they should not be taken seriously but should be ignored. This is because their repentance prayer is hypocrisy itself and you will never know if it is genuine repentance. Hypocrites are used to the life of embracing hypocrisy, and so if they claim to repent, one cannot be sure of their repentance. Hypocrites are like false-talkers, so you never know if they are speaking lies or not. An open enemy can be a curse, but a fake friend is worse. A genuine face is better. We all have friends but if we have an enemy disguised as a friend, it is far more dangerous compared to having an open foe. When you have a public enemy, you will always be careful when around them. You can decide not to share your secrets with them. However, if you have an enemy who pretends to be your friend, you will be like a town with no guards or a house with no doors. You will end up sharing some of your information, and they can use the information to destroy you. The worst thing is that it is hard for you to identify who your fake friends are and this is why it is better to have an open foe than a pretentious friend. Keep off people with two faces. Avoid the person with two faces. This is one of the jokes about hypocrites. So you have these friends that are with you when you are loaded with cash and then disappear once the money is gone? It's better to avoid such friends. They are hypocrites who will never be of any help to you when trouble comes, they forget the meaning of friendship. There is the second group of friends who gossip behind your back. They pretend to be extra friendly to you but once they are far away from you, they are your enemies. These are the type of people referred to as the people with two faces. Men have quarrelled about religion that they never practised. People who never practice the religion they preach is an explanation of the social hypocrisy quotes. You have probably heard people talking or even arguing to defend a specific religious doctrine, which they never follow. These kinds of people are hypocrites. They do different things than what they say. They are the people who would point fingers and say that a particular person is not following the correct religious doctrine. However, if you have the chance to know them better, you will find that they do the same thing that they are condemning. These kind of people are all over, and they are the loudest. You will find them in many religious meetings to show how they are, but in reality, they never follow what the doctrines they are defending say. They pray to Buddha with their mouths but their hearts are full of evil. This is a Vietnamese quote relating to prayers directed to the Vietnamese god. Buddha is a Vietnamese god that people love to pray to. This quote talks about those always praying to their holy one, but whose hearts are full of all kinds of evil. When someone prays, they seem innocent and holy but their hearts may be full of guile. They pray innocently with their mouths, but they could be evil in their hearts. READ ALSO: Witty sarcastic quotes about love and life Often those that criticize others reveal what they lack. Living a double life is a sign of hypocrisy Some people pretend to be wicked to instil fear but keep doing good all the time. This too is hypocrisy because they claim to have a particular type of standard while they do not have it. It does not matter that they are doing a good thing while claiming to be wicked, the fact is that they are hypocrites. Hypocrisy is not a good virtue, someone might need help, but they would be afraid of asking for it from an individual if that person always talks about how wicked they can be towards other people. A hypocrite does not see their sins Counting other peoples sin will never make you a saint. Some hypocrites seem to be very fond of pointing out other people's sins while they make the same mistakes. They think if they point out other people's sins they will look holy and sinless. This is nothing but pure lies, and if you point out someone's mistakes and fail to correct your errors, you are the same as that person you are condemning. A hypocrite only sees the sins of others but fails to look at their crimes. Hypocrites hate the truth Hypocrites get offended if told the truth. Hypocrites are fond of lying, and they can get irritated if you start speaking the truth in their presence. This can be a good trick to find out the characters of your friends. Hypocrisy is another form of lying and hypocrites are aware of this, so if you happen to speak against them, they can quickly get angry. No liar likes being told the truth, and this is why hypocrites hate the fact. Hypocrites say do not judge me by my past,' but they will not get over yours. Everyone has a past, but hypocrites consider theirs' a righteous one. They would keep telling you to stop judging them according to how they lived in the past, but they would always remind you of what you did in the past. This is a great way to know if you have a genuine friend or a hypocrite as a friend. A saint abroad and a devil at home This quote by John Bunyan states how hypocrites behave. Hypocrites show how good they are when they are not at home but change when they are in their homes. They treat their families differently from outsiders. These hypocrisy quotes are not only meant to condemn but also to educate on the vice. It is rather unfortunate that someone can consistently demean your stature simply because of what you choose to become yet they live by what they are advising you against. Learn how to carefully select the people you choose to heed advice from and all this may be a thing to be unheard of. READ ALSO: Insightful silence quotes Source: Yen Toyota Ghana Company Limited (TGCL) was incorporated in Ghana in January 1998 through the investment of Marubeni Corporation, a Japan and Marubeni Auto Europe S.A, Belgium. The companys business activities started in April same year. In 2008, Marubeni became the sole shareholder of the company. TGCL is the sole distributor of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan. The prime activities are the sale of new Toyota vehicles and Spare parts; and the After-sales service support. Toyota Ghana contact numbers and other address details have been stated in the subsequent paragraphs, just in case you want to buy l your first Toyota branded car. Toyota Ghana head office Over the years, Toyota vehicles have proven to be counted among the top brands in vehicle, ranging from saloon cars to SUVs. This is evident in the strength of the body to the engine of their vehicles. Hence, the Toyota brand has been accepted by most economies and countries of which Ghana is no exception. Just in case youre in any part of Ghana and youre in search of where to locate any of their branches and After-sales service centres, then this article is just for you. TGCL has two offices in the Greater Accra region with its head office located at the Ring Road Industrial Area, and the other in the Tema metropolis. Toyota Ghana Company Limited contact details Ring Road Industrial Area Ajuma Link Accra Email: info@toyotaghana.com Website: www.toyotaghana.com P. O. BOX 1644, Accra-Ghana. Tel: (00233) 0302 221 316/ 0302 228 813/ 2458 241/ 223 122 Fax: (00233) 0302 221 351 (admin), 222 682 (sales). Service Workshop: (00233) 0302 241 239 Showroom: (00233) 0302 910 204 Body Workshop: (00233) 0302 257 163 Spare Parts: (00233) 0302 229 484 BRANCHES AND THEIR ADRESSES: 1. Tema Tel: (00233) 0302 913 460 Mob: (00233) 0544 331 420 2. Kumasi (Adum) Tel: (00233) 0322 026 375/ 27837 Fax: (00233) 0322 025 375 3. Tarkwa Mob: (00233) 0544 100 230/1 DEALERS and Service Centres in Ghana; 4. Kwansa Motors Limited (Takoradi) Tel: (00233) 0244 700 5. Gerco Vnetures (Ho) Tel: (00233) 0208 120 042 6. Ansuare Company Limited (Tamale) Tel: (00233) 0208 246 826 7. Cape Coast Technical Institute Tel: (00233) 0243 630 869 8. Tamale Liason Office, Guamani Tel: (00233) 03720 98068/ 03720 2893 Toyota Ghana Company Limited sells all kinds of spare parts, and conducts maintenance services in addition to the selling of their cars. They do well to meet all the needs of their customers at any given time. We hope this article was helpful. READ ALSO: Hypocrisy quotes and sayings How to make a Girl Love you Forever How to write a song for beginners Source: Yen.com.gh A man took to social media to share how someone robbed him- however, what the thug stole raised some eyebrows. On Thursday, a man, who has been identified as Honourable Sibusiso Makamole, took to Facebook to share how someone stole his bathtub. "So we got home last night and found that our bathtub had been stolen, a f@cking bathtub. If you see anyone selling a second hand bathtub please let me know," Makamole captioned the photo. The photo was also shared on Twitter by parody account Man's Not Barry Roux and it sparked quite the reaction from tweeps, Briefly.co.za learned. READ ALSO: Rev. Owusu Bempah blasts Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi Nesane Ace Mashudu, who goes by the Twitter handle @Acemashudu, commented: "This country is lit! Who could ever have thought such could happen? The next thing they will still the whole house i tell you!" READ ALSO: Shatta Wale replies Sarkodie (Video) READ ALSO: Moesha Boduong reveals getting new boyfriend However, one social media user, Thamie H, accused the man of not being truthful. Thamie H, who goes by the Twitter handle @ItsThamie_H, wrote: "I'm a plumber and I can tell this is a lie, where are the bricks were used to support the bathtub, the soil should have some cement on it." Ghana News Today: Ebony Wins Big at 2018 Ghana Music Awards UK | #Yencomgh Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YEN's official Facebook page. Source: Yen.com.gh Former President John Dramani Mahama has dared the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to arrest him or any other member of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who visits any Senior High School (SHS) in the country to campaign. This follows a police invitation to NDC National Organiser hopeful, Joshua Hamidu Akamba, for allegedly campaigning and inciting students of the Tempane SHS in the Upper East Region against the ruling party. The Headmaster of the Tempane SHS, Dominic Ndegu Amolale, has also been interdicted pending investigations into the incident. Addressing delegates in Garu in the Upper East Region, Mr. Mahama urged the government to fix the problems in the high schools and stop intimidating political opponents. He said: I remember when NDC was in government, NDC is a tolerant party and we believe in democracy and we dont see why we should hinder anybody from speaking the truth. So, if Akamba did not go to the school, does it mean the school is not congested? Does it mean bedbugs are not chewing the children? They are, and so what he did was to bring it to the attention of the government, and so what you should do is, rather than invite Akamba and interdict the headmaster, do something about the conditions in the school. When we were in government, many NPP officials went to the schools and openly campaigned and yet we didnt find anything wrong with it. We didnt do anything, we didnt interdict headmasters and the point is, if we want, all of us can go to those schools [so that you] come and arrest all NDC members. If we want, I can go to a school, come and arrest me. Do something about the condition in the school and stop intimidating headmasters and stop inviting political opponents for investigations. 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 - Aggrieved customers of Menzgold have blamed the Bank of Ghana and the Securities and Exchange Commission for allowing the company to operate - They said the two institutions should have stopped Menzgold from operating long time ago - The customers said that would have saved many of its investors whose money are locked up with Menzgold Some angry and disappointed customers of Menzgold in the Ashanti Region have blamed the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allowing Menzgold to operate. According to them, the two state institutions failed to take decisive actions in halting Menzgolds operations earlier than they have done now, as reported by kasapafmonline.com.. They complained that Menzgold being in business for over five years while the BoG and SEC looked on unconcerned was what deceived many that Menzgold was a legitimate business. READ ALSO: Moesha explains how economic difficulties forced her to date a married man They believed that if the BoG and SEC had cracked the whip earlier, thousands of Ghanaians would have been saved from investing with Menzgold. We are disappointed in SEC and BOG. If they were proactive, it would have saved thousands of people from investing with Menzgold. If they had done this two years ago, am sure thousands of people wouldnt have entered because Menzgold has been in existence for five good years and people believed in them, Amankwa Baffour, spokesperson for Ashanti Region Menzgold customers lamented. Meanwhile, a group calling itself Aggrieved Customers of Menzgold, has given the company a four-week ultimatum to pay 50% principal investments of all customers. READ ALSO: Stolen car saga: Sarkodie and lawyer clear air after 5 years According to the group, they do not subscribe to the prolonged period of 90 days stated in Menzgold communication as the company has not adhered to timelines in the past periods. The group also said it is afraid that Menzgold would vacate their premises soon since it has re-branded its vehicles and laid off staff. In a related development, the angry customers, according to an earlier report by YEN.com.gh, have threatened to embark on a naked demonstration to register their displeasure with Menzgold. READ ALSO: Money talks: Akua GMB'S PA bows to her in public Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh READ ALSO: Health expert explains why Northern Region men last longer and are powerful in bed Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone swho is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page Source: Yen - President Akufo-Addo said the government is working on making Ghana a bilingual state - He said plans are underway in that regard - The president said such a move would help create more jobs for Ghanaian youths President Akufo-Addo has revealed that his government intends to transform Ghana into a bilingual state. In a report by Citnewsroom.com sighted by YEN.com.gh, the president said adding French to English as the official languages of Ghana is his governments goal. According to the president, the government has already introduced a bilingual classroom project at the basic education level, where certain subjects are taught in both English and French. READ ALSO: Arrest me if I go to a school Mahama dares govt He added that the study of French is being made compulsory at the basic level of Ghanas educational system. This, the president said, would strengthen Ghanas co-operation with la Francophonie. Akufo-Addo reportedly made this revelation at the 17th Summit of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie in Armenia on Friday, October 12, 2018. Our goal is to live, one day, in a bilingual Ghana that is English and French, together with our own indigenous languages. We have already begun to work towards this. On 15th May, 2018, I authorized the signature of a language pact with La Francophonie, towards helping to make this a reality, he said. The president explained further that Ghana, which finds herself between three francophone countries and the Atlantic Ocean, has the lives of its citizens intimately linked to that of the francophone world. He was optimistic that Ghanas membership of La Francophonie would serve as a big boost to addressing some of the countrys mutual concerns. As a country bordered to the north, east and west by French-speaking countries, and to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana recognises the strategic importance of her immediate neighbours, to whom we are bound by profound ties of blood, geography and history, and, indeed, of all French speaking countries, to the development of our country, the president said. According to him, after he had personally led Ghana as a Foreign Affairs Minister in 2006 to become an associate member of la Francophonie, he believes Ghana is now ready and determined to transition from an Associate Member of la Francophonie to a Full Member. Ghana, an anglophone nation, is only one of a handful of countries that enjoy membership of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, and we value this situation very muchThat is why we are determined to strengthen the bonds of friendship and co-operation with la Francophonie, by transitioning from an Associate Member to a Full Member," the president announced. While advocating for increased trade and investment among member countries, Akufo-Addo said with the help of digital technology, la francophonie can assist to create more jobs for the countrys youth. He emphasized his governments willingness to make Ghana a bilingual state a reality, calling on La Francophonie for assistance. READ ALSO: Killer port charges will send NPP to opposition Kennedy Agyapong Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh READ ALSO: Sarkodie granted bail after over his 'stolen' car case 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 Newspaper - Former President Mahama has described the current economic conditions in Ghana as superhard - According to him, a survey may reveal that Ghanaians regret voting for the NPP in the 2016 elections - He was speaking with party supporters at Garu in the Upper East Region Former President John Mahama has described the current economic conditions under which Ghanaians live as hard. Interacting with party supporters at Garu in the Upper East Region, he stated that the condition of living was better when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in power. NDC has proven to be a party that cares about the people, that has undertaken massive development for our people and under who prosperity and economic activities flourish. READ ALSO: Shatta Wale rains dollars on Hitz FM presenters They say when we were in power life was hard and I say that today life is super hard. Any Ghanaian will attest he was better off under the NDC than he is today under NPP, he said to the crowd. According to him, majority of Ghanaians are facing hardship, and a survey may reveal that most Ghanaians regret voting for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2016 elections. John Mahama is currently on a campaign tour in a bid to get his party members to give him another chance to lead them in the next elections in 2020. He accused the NPP of reneging on their campaign promises and called on members of the NDC to throw their weight behind his candidature by voting for him in the upcoming flagbearership race in December 2018. READ ALSO: KiDi explains why he is still a virgin Ghana News Today: Ebony Wins Big at 2018 Ghana Music Awards UK | #Yencomgh 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 - 50 members of the NPP in the Eastern Region have allegedly joined the NDC - Allegedly led by two men, Asuo Peprah and Sam Tuga, they stated that the NPP has failed to develop their communities - They added that most of the developmental projects in their area were provided by the NDC . About 50 members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have reportedly switched camps to the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Their decision, YEN.com.gh understands, is based on economic hardship and bad governance. A number of the defectors claimed that they played various roles, including polling station agents while others were instrumental in grass root mobilization for the party. Source: Starrfmonline.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Photo of a man rejoicing over his father's death leaks online The defectors, allegedly led by Asuo Peprah and Sam Tuga. set fire to 2016 campaign T-shirts of the sitting president , Nana Akufo-Addo, to signify their disappointment in his administration. At short ceremony at Asamama to usher the defectors into NDC by the Eastern Regional Executives, Sam Tuga said they have never liked nor voted for NDC before because they are members of the NPP. Source: starrfmonline.com Source: UGC However, upon reflection, they have noted that the NPP is only using them and their communities as election winning machines and have failed to bring development to improve their living standards. He added that most of the developmental projects in Atewa were provided by the NDC . READ ALSO: Mzbel reveals the identity of her baby daddy Ghana News Today: Ebony Wins Big at 2018 Ghana Music Awards UK | #Yencomgh YEN is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via Instagram or on YENs official Facebook page. Source: Yen Angry resident of Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo Region have allegedly attacked the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Atebubu-Amantin, Hon. Edward Owusu, and some police officers. According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, Hon. Owusu was however rescued and whisked away to safety. YEN.com.gh understands that the irate residents destroyed the windshield of his official Nissan Patrol cross-country vehicle. Source: MyNewsGH.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Eastern Region: 50 NPP supporters switch to NPP and destroy Akufo-Addo-branded t-shirts A Toyota Tundra belonging to the police was also not spared by the mob who claimed the police officers were providing cover for the MCE to perpetuate an illegality and put them out of business. Hon. Owusus driver and some policemen were injured by stones thrown at them by the residents who failed to stop their attacks even after warning shots were fired. Information available suggests that Hon. Owusu has stormed the town in a bid to help collect Business Operation Permits (BOP) from shop owners. Source: MyNewsGH.com Source: UGC In the process, he was said to have directed his men to lock up shops of defaulters ranging between GH120 and GH400. He however promised to open them for business if only the owners paid up their indebtedness to the assembly. Some youth in the town got wind of the activities of the MCE and decided to confront them. Source: MyNewsGH.com Source: UGC Wielding life-threatening objects and determined to cause harm, they disrupted the locking up of the shops and vented their spleen on the MCE and his men who had to seek cover. A Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) meeting was immediately convened in order to determine the next line of action. READ ALSO: Photo of a man rejoicing over his father's death leaks online Yenkasa: Sex Addict or Alcoholic Which Do You Prefer? | 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 - NPP's Old Tafo constituency chairman, Moses Donkor, has referred to members of the Delta Force group as ungrateful - According to him, the MP for the area, Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto, has done a lot for the area and should be commended - His comments were in relation to a disruption of a meeting by the Delta Force group The Old Tafo constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Moses Donkor, has stated that members of the Delta Force group are ungrateful. According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, he said that claims that nothing has been done for the constituency by the Member of Parliament (MP), Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto, are false. In a press statement released with respect to a recent disruption of a meeting with the MP, he said that I, the chairman and the entire constituency and polling station executives, would like to condemn in no certain terms the unwarranted and reckless act at a general meeting by this group who tag themselves as Delta Force in the constituency. Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto, MP for Old Tafo Source: Supplied Source: UGC READ ALSO: Eastern Region: 50 NPP members defect to NDC and destroy Akufo-Addo's t-shirts According to him, Dr. Akoto has done a lot and therefore needs to be commended for his efforts. He explained that the MP is behind the engagement of over 350 residents of the constituency by the National Builders Corps (NABCO) programme. He went on to say that 137 were also engaged by the Youth In Police and 150 others were taken up by the Youth In Afforestation project. Donkor further revealed that three mechanized boreholes have been constructed for the Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the community and the Old Tafo Central Mosque has also been renovated. In the opinion of the constituency executives, there was no need for people to complain about inadequate developmental projects in the constituency. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that members of the Delta Force group disrupted a meeting at which Dr. Akoto was present. He was however whisked away before he could have been harmed by the group. READ ALSO: Photo of a man rejoicing over his father's death leaks online Ghana News Today: Ebony Wins Big at 2018 Ghana Music Awards UK | #Yencomgh 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 Newspaper A lucky day usually means finding five bucks on the ground, nabbing a really good parking spot, or getting a free Snickers from the vending machine when you only paid for chips. Conversely, an unlucky day might entail a flat tire, a forgotten wallet, or persistent buskers on your subway car who will simply not accept that you're not feeling a mariachi cover of Limp Bizkit's "Nookie" at that moment. But sometimes the coincidences start to pile up, and you're left to wonder if this is all down to dumb luck, or if the Universe is actually messing with you. Look at what happened to these people. 5 The Randolph Family Has Survived Multiple School Shootings In 2006, lawyer Celia Randolph's 14-year-old daughter Chelsea was attending class at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado when a gunman walked in and took six female students hostage. Chelsea hid under the table with a friend, and after four harrowing hours, she was able to escape when a SWAT team broke the door down. Shortly afterward, the Randolph family moved to Florida, thinking that the warm weather and convenient Disney World access would help get them away from the nasty memories. All was well until 2018, when Celia's son Christian was a junior at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As you may recall from before even more mass shootings pushed it out of the news, there was a shooting there. Christian had to hide in a cupboard, unable to reassure his mother that he was OK because he had forgotten to charge his phone. And while moms may get less nervous when its their second child performing in the school play, the same logic doesn't apply to a goddamn active shooter scenario. A 39-year-old Pakistani national was arrested by the Police Narcotics Bureau officers on charges of possessing heroin worth around Rs.30 million at the BIA early this morning, PNB sources said. The suspect had arrived in the country from Doha, Qatar. PNB officers had found heroin weighing 2kg 426g concealed in a false bottom of his main luggage. The investigations had revealed that its the suspects sixth visit to the country since 2014. (Thilanka Kanakarathna) Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. 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 Shirin Wheeler/EIB A major agreement to further develop green infrastructure in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in Indonesia was signed today by the Ministry of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed on Saturday (10/13) afternoon at the Inaya Putri Bali Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali, was also on the margins of the 2018 International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group Annual Meeting. The MoU, signed by the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas Bambang Brodjonegoro and EIB President Werner Hoyer, in the presence of His Excellency Vincent Guerend, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, will contribute to the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as the European Union and Indonesias climate action agendas. The Government of Indonesia is on track to mainstream the implementation of green economy to achieve inclusive development as well as to reduce greenhouse gasses emission. Driven by the New Climate Economy 2018 Report data which revealed that bold climate action could deliver US$ 26 trillion in economic benefits such as creating new jobs and providing better health outcomes globally, between present time and 2030 compared to business-as-usual routine, I am sure it is timely for Indonesia to put in place sustainable development principles that balance the economic, social and environmental aspects by using strategies such as implementing renewable energy and green financing mechanisms and initiating Low Carbon Development Program, to name a few, also with this Memorandum of Understanding signage with the European Investment Bank (EIB), Minister Bambang said. The development of renewable energy such as hydro, wind and solar energy infrastructure will support the country in its transition to a more diversified energy mix and improve energy supply to people living in both cities and rural areas. Urban transport is another area where projects could be financed to enhance peoples mobility, cut journey times and improve safety. The EIB has a strong track record of Inter city and regional transport projects, is another area where the such as its investment in the Bangalore and Lucknow metros. I welcome this landmark agreement. The focus of the European Investment Banks operations on climate mitigation and adaptation will provide additional opportunities for important projects for low carbon development, resilient cities and infrastructures. This is a key element of the partnership between the European Union and Indonesia, His Excellency Vincent Guerend concluded. The EIB-Indonesia MoU strengthens the collaboration between Indonesia and the EIB initiated in 1995 and fits into the partnership agreement between Indonesia and European Union which entered into force in 2014. The government of Indonesia and the EIB will focus on key investment in green infrastructure sectors that will increase the countrys resilience to natural disasters in the medium and long term, and improve the lives of people in an immediate way. Areas of potential collaboration notably encompass: renewable energy, transport, including urban transport and waterways, lower carbon and efficient energy generation, forestry, waste and water management as well as low carbon technologies. I would first of all like to express my deepest sympathy to the government of Indonesia for all the human lives lost during the terrible disaster on the Lombok and the Sulawesi islands. This is a wake-up call for all of us to support the building of more resilient societies, and to do so in partnership. Collaboration is the only way to deal with the scale of the global challenges facing us today. This Memorandum of Understanding represents a new chapter in the partnership between the European Investment Bank and Indonesia. With this agreement we want to bring our expertise and support where it is most needed. As the European Union Investment partner, we intend to complement what other International Financial Institutions and foreign governments are already doing in the country to develop green infrastructure, supporting projects that help communities adapt to the effects of climate change and through investment in clean energy to mitigate its impact as well as improving peoples daily lives, EIB President Werner Hoyer emphasized. Trump: There is no deal for Brunson Trump said no agreement was made for the pastors freedom American pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested on Dec. 9, 2016 on charges of being member of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). On July 25, citing Brunson's health problems, an Izmir court ordered him moved from jail to house arrest. PASTOR BRUNSON WAS RELEASED On Friday The Second High Criminal Court in western Izmir province ruled for American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson to be sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days in prison, but said he will not spend anymore time in custody because of the time he has already served. The court credited his time spent in detention, and ended his house arrest and travel ban. TRUMP TWEETED AGAIN As soon as pastor Brunson released Trump welcomed the news and interviewed with press. Also Trump tweeted. "HOPE TO HAVE HIM SAFELY BACK" Shortly after the court announced the decision, Trump sent a tweet on Friday, saying, "Working very hard on Pastor Brunson!" "My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!" Trump wrote in another tweet. TRUMP: NO AGREEMENT WAS MADE Asked Trump if U.S. sanctions imposed on Turkey to try to win Brunsons release might be lifted, Trump said no agreement was made for the pastors freedom. There was no deal made at all. There was no deal. But were very happy to have him and have him in good shape. Trump told reporters. Pastor Brunson will visit Trump at the White House. Yoho! Group, a Shangai, China-based operator of streetwear platforms, raised $25m in Series E+ round financing. The round was led by C Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its online and offline omni-channel strategy. Founded in 2005, Yoho! operates a comprehensive ecosystem of media platforms including: YOHO!BOY and YOHO!GIRL, annual brand flagship event YOHOOD, e-commerce platform YOHO!BUY, multiple offline experiential retail locations YOHO!STORE and YOHO!BLU, streetwear brand incubator YOHOPE, a urban lifestyle app mars and street art program YO!GALLERY. Previously, the company secured funding from CDH Investments, Vertex Ventures China, SAIF, China Media Capital, Fortune Capital, Shanghai Zhichen Asset Management Co. Ltd, Telescope Investment, etc. FinSMEs 13/10/2018 This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. The city gave Urban Commons Queensway, LLC, the Queen Mary's previous operator, $23 million to repair the ship in late 2016. But two years later, most of the 27 projects Urban Commons and the city had agreed were most urgent had not yet been finished, the audit. Traffic news for autumn holidays : Delays can be expected on these routes BONN/DUSSELDORF The autumn holidays are starting today. Many people are going away by car, by train or by plane. Heres an overview of possible delays and traffic restrictions. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The autumn holidays started this weekend. Many people are going away by car, by train or by plane. Heres an overview of possible delays and traffic restrictions. Most motorists will be stuck in traffic jams this weekend because 12 federal states in Germany are either starting or ending their autumn holidays. Traffic situation in North Rhine-Westphalia The Auto Club Europa (ACE) and ADAC reported that the typical holiday routesas well as the metropolitan areas will be affected by long traffic jams already on Friday. On Saturday motorists must expect the drivers on their return journey from the Southern areas of the country. Sunday will also be a day with a lot of additional traffic. Here are the main roads that will be most affected: A3 / A4 Cologne Ring, particularly the motorways leading up to the coast: the A1, A31, A40, A57 and the A61. A2 Dortmund - Hannover A3 Oberhausen - Koln - Frankfurt - Nurnberg - Passau A43 around Bochum and Recklinghausen A44 near Werl A45 Hagen - Gieen - Aschaffenburg, particularly near the Lennetal bridge between Hagen-Sud and Ludenscheid-South where there are road works. A61 Monchengladbach - Koblenz - Ludwigshafen Please note: The A1 bridge across the Rhine in Leverkusen is still closed for vehicles over 3.5 tons. Train traffic: Deutsche Bahn is closing the main train route between Duisburg and Essen, from Friday, October 12 until Monday, October 29, 4am. Airports: Dusseldorf airport is expecting 89,000 passengers on Sunday, October 14, alone. Usually only 66,400 passengers pass through this airport on a normal day. For the two-week holiday this autumn the airport is expecting a 20 percent increase in passenger figures as well as in take-offs and landings. But according to the airport spokesperson this is due to the insolvency of Air Berlin last October as well as the fact that the autumn holidays are entirely within the summer timetable, which includes more flights coming in and leaving Dusseldorf than in the winter. Original text: GA Bonn Public harvest initiative : Stealing apples: the city files a complaint Bonn Public harvesting initiative has to be cancelled as four tons of fruit have already been taken by unidentified fruit pickers Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken It will probably be impossible to find out who has harvested almost four tons of apples from the orchards in Uckesdorf, Schwarzrheindorf and Geislar, despite a complaint from the Bonn city council. Presumably, it was passers-by who repeatedly grabbed at the branches. The citys forestry office only noticed recently that nearly all of the 40 apple trees no longer bore any fruit. The long planned public harvesting iniative due to take place this Saturday therefore had to be cancelled. Only a few trees in Uckesdorf still bear apples not enough to invite the people of Bonn to pick them. "It is basically a good development that local fruit trees are again finding consumers and enthusiastic fans," says Markus Schmitz from the Bonn press office. The orchards are specially designed so that they are accessible to everyone - people and animals alike. "All users should be aware that the harvesting of entire stocks by individuals cannot be in the best interests of all members of the public," says Schmitz. That is why the city has now filed a complaint. Because without the permission of the council, no one can take the fruit from the trees. It is unlikely that the apples were harvested on a grand scale and then transported away on trailers, believes Renate Graf. The 81-year-old pensioner, who walks past the orchards two or three times a week along the footpath from Bruser hill to the graveyard in Uckesdorf, has often seen families with children taking apples home in bags in recent weeks. "Some of the fruit was beaten out of the trees with sticks," she says. According to city forestry office, this is not allowed as it damages the branches and the trees cannot carry as much fruit in the following year. The city states that it is generally allowed to collect fallen fruit and to pick it from some trees. "All fruit trees in municipal parks, for example at Grunzug Nord or at Apfelallee on the Venusberg, may gladly be used without further questions, says Markus Schmitz. But only for personal use and in small quantities. The city council wants to put up signs so that in the coming year, the orchards will not be empty again before the start of the public harvesting initiative. However, there will be no additional fences, so far only a few orchards have been protected. "But the general rule is that even unfenced fields usually belong to someone and you can't just help yourself," says Schmitz. Original text: Nicole Garten-Dolle bohlah at 13-10-2018 07:33 PM (3 years ago) (m) The revelation was made in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu. However, the names of the affected persons were not revealed. . The revelation was made in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu. However, the names of the affected persons were not revealed. . ]The statement reads: Quote Following the instant judicial affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of the Executive Order 6 (EO6), Pres. Buhari has mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to implement the Order in full force. To this end, a number of enforcement procedures are currently in place by which the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies have placed no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly affected by EO6 on watch-list and restricted them from leaving the county pending the determination of their cases. Also, the financial transactions of these persons of interest are being monitored by the relevant agencies to ensure that the assets are not dissipated and such persons do not interfere with, nor howsoever corrupt the investigation and litigation processes. It is instructive to note that EO6 was specifically directed to relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50m or equivalent, subject to investigation or litigation are protected from dissipation by employing all available lawful means, pending the final determination of any corruption-related matter. The Buhari administration reassures all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the general principles of the Rule of Law. Accordingly, this administration will uphold the rule of law in all its actions and the right of citizens would be protected as guaranteed by the Constitution. We, therefore, enjoin all Nigerians to cooperate with the law enforcement authorities towards ensuring a successful implementation of the Executive Order 6 which is a paradigm-changing policy of the FG in the fight against corruption. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 13-10-2018 07:33 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero Tracking personnel might never be as important as it is for incident commanders to track firefighters on fire attack. Knowing what fire personnel are present, who is on fire attack and for how long might mean the difference between life or death for someone.Thats the idea behind the Battalion 3 Technology (BATT3) digital Incident Command (ICx) and fire roster software using a Zebra rugged tablet to help incident commanders manage a fire scene.An incident commander and fire chief himself, John Morrison and a counterpart developed the technology when their search for a tool to manage a fire scene proved fruitless.We started our digital command board and wanting it to be more than just a tactical worksheet, we built a rostering program, Morrison said. So a fire department is able to put its members into a roster, which we would then grab with our command program, and I would know as incident commander that Engine 1 is on scene, so I know which individuals are inside the building doing the search.The system has been in use at the Northern Lakes Fire Protection District for several years in Hayden, Idaho, where relatively small fire departments count on mutual aid during incidents, especially the larger ones. That makes the roster software so valuable, as visiting departments can link together on the system and fall into the command system.Our firefighter accountability capabilities have improved significantly in the last few years, said Northern Lakes Fire Protection District Chief Pat Riley in a press release, as has our ability to maintain insight into all activities, assign our resources more efficiently and effectively coordinate with partner agencies.The solution has timers built in to let incident commanders know how long certain personnel of been on fire attack. When a firefighter is entered as on fire attack, the icon is green. At the end of a preassigned timeframe, the icon will turn yellow, signaling that the time interval selected for that firefighter has expired.That feature allows incident commanders to track firefighters rehab and active time history and ensure compliance with the National Fire Protection Association standard 1854.Riley said, With the tablet, we can easily keep track of 20 to 30 resources. My battalion commander can see and update each of the assignments on the one tablet display, no matter where he or she is on scene.There are other benchmark features built into the system, such as reminders and lists. Mayday is a nightmare and you need to be on your A game, Morrison said. In my mind the biggest nightmare is to forget something important to help mitigate this emergency for somebody who needs it.The solution also generates a digital incident log, recording every action taken. Say a firefighter gets injured or loses his or her life. The department needs to have data to show that its doing things correctly, Morrison said. And a crumpled up, coffee-stained piece of paper is not going to cut the mustard, whereas an extensive log that you can print out and shows every move you made will. Haiti - ALERT : Risk of WhatsApp hacking The Monitoring Center of the Digital Observatory in Haiti (OBNH) was informed on October 12 of the existence of a significant security breach, concerning WhatsApp, the multiplatform instant messaging application of more than 1 billion of person every day. This breachallows malicious individuals to take control of the application by responding to a simple video call by opening a door in the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) [which is also responsible for how applications communicate on the internet] from which a malicious code can be injected into the RAM of the user's device, which makes it possible to take control of it. The OBNH recommends users to update WhatsApp without delay on their device, to fill this gap and avoid any danger of hacking, a new version of WhatsApp is already available for this purpose. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Propane gas price explosion Disturbing increase in propane gas prices in the capital. For example, in some gas stations in Delmas, the cost of the 25-pound bottle has increased by 24%, in the space of 2 months, from 705 Gourdes in August to 875 Gourdes today. CIMO selects 30 new members On 2 October, the UNPol component of Minujusth supported 12 instructors from the Intervention and Maintenance Corps (CIMO) in conducting written and physical tests to select 30 new members out of 358 police officers from the 29th Promotions of the National Police of Haiti (PNH). Fall of the Gourdes, the solution is... For the economist Eddy Labossiere, it is not by decrees that the Government can stop the depreciation of the Gourde. For the economist, the solution is : no budget deficit financed by the BRH https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25776-haiti-flash-state-loans-to-the-brh-jump-from-96-to-188-billion-in-3-months.html and facilitate investment credit in order to increase domestic production. Awareness of schoolchildren about natural hazards Friday in Trou-du-Nord, the Departmental Coordination of the North-East of the Civil Protection continued its activities of sensitization for 350 schoolchildren coming from several establishments of the municipality. Tony Denis, the Departmental Technical Coordinator gave a presentation adapted to children on the hydro-meteorological and geological risks of the Far North. Orlando : Closure of the Consulate of Haiti "The Consulate of Haiti in Orlando informs that the Consular Post will be closed Wednesday, October 17 on the occasion of the celebration of the death of the Emperor of Haiti Jean Jacques Dessalines. The activities will resume on Thursday, October 18, 2018 from 9:00 am." France commits to continue French-Haitian investments Friday, at a party given in his honor by the Franco-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFHCI), Jose Gomez Ambassador of France in Haiti committed with the CFHCI to continue with mixed investments Franco-Haitians and to support the agenda of the reforms proposed by the Chamber and the private sector. Several other topics were discussed such as smuggling, accountability and transparency as well as tenure security and state and institutional reforms. HL/ HaitiLibre At the talks (Source: VNA) During their talks in Bali, Indonesia, on October 12th, the leaders exchanged views on orientations to deepen the bilateral ties and elevate cooperation between the two countries to a new high, bringing tangible benefits to their people. They agreed to lift bilateral trade to 10 billion USD by facilitating market access for each others goods, reducing technical barriers, simplifying customs procedures and closely cooperating in product origin inspection and quarantine. Apart from further facilitating the operation of businesses, the two sides will create dialogue mechanisms between businesses as well as between businesses and governments to swiftly settle bottlenecks hindering investigation and business activities. The leaders consented to review the 1990 agreement on economic, commercial and technical cooperation and consider making the Joint Trade and Economic Commission the leading mechanism in promoting bilateral economic ties. The leaders concurred to expand collaboration to such new areas as digital technology, new technology, intellectual property, clean energy, smart city, information-technology, smart agriculture, logistics and startup ecosystem, aiming to utilise opportunities generated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The two leaders stressed the need to further strengthen maritime cooperation, and agreed to assign the two countries competent agencies to study the establishment of a marine cooperation mechanism to discuss related cooperation, especially in fishing, seafood processing, and building a favourable framework for their fishermens operation in a safe, sustainable and legal manner. PM Phuc thanked the Indonesian Government for the return of 177 Vietnamese fishermen arrested and detained in Indonesia, proposing both sides regularly exchange information and handle the issue of arrested fishermen and fishing vessels in a humanitarian spirit and in accordance with the good relations between two countries. The two sides agreed to accelerate the establishment of a hotline on fishing and sea-related issues, while actively coordinating to implement the joint communique on voluntarily international cooperation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing signed last month. The two leaders welcomed the progress in the demarcation of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) between the two countries after 11 rounds of negotiations, and consented to work harder for a solution suitable for both sides and in line with international law. They acknowledged new steps forwards in cooperation in agriculture, education-training, connectivity, and agreed the need to further expand collaboration in potential areas such as training labourers to meet demands of the digital economy, strengthening tourism cooperation, and studying the opening of direct air services connecting major and tourist cities of the two countries. They shared their visions on and committed to increasing cooperation and coordination at international forums, especially within the frameworks of ASEAN, APEC, and the United Nations. They affirmed to closely cooperate and work together with other ASEAN member states to build an ASEAN Community of unity, self-reliance and inclusive development, promote the blocs central role in the region, and actively participate in the process of shaping regional cooperation initiatives. President Widodo committed to supporting Vietnam when it undertakes the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020. The two sides also affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, while closely coordinating with each other as well as other relevant sides to ensure the fully and effectively implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and early conclusion of an effective, substantial and legal binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea. After the talks, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President Widodo held a joint international press conference, announcing their talks outcomes./. 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. 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 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. Superintendent Jason McCandless presented the awards to Katherine Dumigan and Tricia Victor. Victor, Dumigan Presented Pittsfield Schools Superintendent Award PITTSFIELD, Mass. Whenever Tricia Victor or Katherine Dumigan walk into a room, they are likely going to be the smartest one there, according to Superintendent of Schools Jason McCandless. "It's every parent's wish and desire in work and life to hope for, and aspire to, and blood sweat and tears toward, making sure our own children are smarter and better informed than we are ... I can tell you wherever these two women go, they are probably the smartest, most knowledgeable, hardest working people in the room," McCandless said. The two received the Massachusetts Association of Superintendents Certificates of Excellence on Wednesday night. One student from each high school is presented the prestigious award annually and this year Taconic's Victor and PHS's Dumigan are the recipients. "The criteria are three-year cumulative grade-point average, rank in class, and personal selection by the superintendent," School Committee Chairwoman Katherine Yon said. According to Taconic guidance counselor Kathryn Place, Victor ranks first in her class with an average grade of 102.4. She scored advanced on all three Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams, has been recognized for her academic success in French, algebra, chemistry, human geography, and history. She is a recipient of the Smith College Book Award and is a member of the National Honor Society and a member of the French National Honor Society. "At Taconic, Tricia continuously challenges herself with rigorous coursework. She has already successfully completed AP U.S. History, AP Human Geography, AP European History, and AP English language," reads a letter from Place. The senior is now taking in the anatomy and physiology dual-enrollment course through Berkshire Community College. She is taking AP statistics, AP psychology, AP English 12, and honors French. She was named a Questbridge College Scholar. Victor is also a member of the Taconic Student Council and heads an annual coin drive to adopt a local family for the holidays. "She takes an active role in her school community as a member of the social justice club, class council, green and gold club, and Berkshire youth united," Place wrote. She does all of that while still working 24 to 28 hours a week at Berkshire Medical Center. Victor has her eyes set on some of the most prestigious colleges including Harvard, Columbia, John Hopkins, and others. She hopes to major in political science or international relations and eventually become a humanitarian affairs officer with the United Nations. "She is an exceptional young lady and is extremely deserving of this award," Place said. Pittsfield High School guidance counselor Amy Higgins described Dumigan as a "natural leader and an academic star." "She is on track to graduate with high honors, as an AP scholar and has been awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. Kate is no stranger to academic accolades and has also been awarded with the University of Rochester Book Award, the PHS School Improvement Leadership Award, and the Geometry Excellence Award," Higgins wrote. Dumigan has completed eight AP course and 11 honors course in a wide range of topics from physics to art and then filled her electives with engineering and computer design. She looks to mesh all of her interests into a college major in architecture and design. "Her biggest challenge will be narrowing down her varying interests and fitting in all of her passions, from arts to computer science to robots. She has revealed that her interest in design is something that started a long time ago and was inspired by her father and grandmother, both talented in art and technology," Higgins wrote. Dumigan leads the class with a 100.3 average grade. But that's only part of the story, according to Higgins. "Surprisingly what is most impressive about Kate is not her lengthy resume of achievements but rather how meaningfully she has applied her natural skills and interests to improve herself and positively impact those around here," Higgins wrote. Dumigan is the founder of the PHS Mural Club that has brightened the classrooms and hallways throughout the school. "She has not only beautified the building but has lifted the spirits every day of those who pass through its hallways," Higgins wrote. Dumigan enrolled in BCC's STEM starter academy, taking college courses and attending lectures to prepare herself for her chosen career path. She even found time to earn a brown belt in taekwondo. Higgins said Dumigan has shown a "consistent desire to learn and master more." The pair received the honor in front of the School Committee on Wednesday night. McCandless presented the award to each of them. "If you are ever feeling pessimistic about the state of the world, these are two young people you can think of that are making a positive change," McCandless said. Mark Shapp was honored by Patrick Carnevale, director of the governor's Western Massachusetts office, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, and A.J. Enchill from state Sen. Adam Hinds' office. Mark Shapp Honored as RSVP Volunteer of the Year Mayor Linda Tyer presented a certificate of recognition to Shapp. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mark Shapp knows his way around, whether that be City Hall or a train. And Shapp is happy to share his knowledge with anyone. In the last decade, he's volunteered 4,316 of his hours to do just that. In the last year, he's spent 629 hours volunteering as the City Hall ambassador and with the Berkshire Scenic Railway. And that is why he was recognized with the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program's Volunteer of the Year Award on Friday. "Mark is always willing to help with any of our City Hall tasks. During election time, he helps sort the voter registration forms. He will help stuff envelopes. He helps the city clerk's office. He is always willing to do a little bit more than just be the ambassador at the front door," Mayor Linda Tyer said. RSVP is the city's largest volunteer program and, for 47 years, has been connecting those over the age of 55 with volunteer positions to keep them engaged and giving back to the community. "RSVP recruits valuable people with a lifetime of wisdom and experience that is shared by the community. You are everywhere. You are in our schools assisting our teachers, mentoring our children. You are in our food pantries providing help to those in need. You are in our offices providing direction and information. You are giving rides to medical appointments, cancer treatments, and other volunteer opportunities," Director Jeff Roucoulet said. Every year the city and the state say thank you to the volunteers with a luncheon at the Country Club of Pittsfield. "You can't function in society without volunteers. There is not enough money to hire all of the people we would like to hire. So without you, we'd be lost," said Patrick Carnevale, the director of Gov. Charlie Baker's Western Massachusetts office. Carnevale knows the value of volunteerism particularly from his previous role with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. There he worked with a number of volunteer organizations and saw firsthand how important those individuals are. He said neither the city nor the state have the resources to hire all of the people it would like to hire, so they lean heavily on volunteers. Tyer also knows the value of Shapp from her time in City Hall. Shapp isn't just the ambassador, sitting at the front door welcoming and helping people around City Hall, but an extra hand all around. "This award honor volunteers who go above and beyond their roles," the mayor said, adding that Shapp is smart, well read and lively, and has an energetic personality. Tyer read a certificate of recognition for the honor as did state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier from the state Legislature. A.J. Enchill from state Sen. Adam Hinds' office offered his congratulations as well. The country club was filled with the 282 volunteers enrolled in the program in 2017. Roucoulet said they donated 34,292 hours during the past year. "That is 34,000 hours of dedication, passion, and commitment. That is 34,000 hours of smiles and thank-yous," he said. The mayor said those volunteers hours aren't just work, but also community building. "Being engaged in the community keeps up connected to one another, helps us to build a community that is lively and engaged, that really reflects all of us from all age groups," Tyer said. iciHaiti - Social : Valierie Alcide to represent Haiti in Miss Grand International contest The Haitian Valierie Alcide (23 years old) top model, actress and member of the Chamber of Commerce of Women Entrepreneurs of Haiti (CCFEH) and Junior Chamber International (JCI), will represent Haiti in the 6th Edition of the Competition "Miss Grand International" in Myanmar, Burma (5-25 October 2018), with candidates from 80 countries. The grand finale of "Miss Grand International" will take place on October 25, 2018, to dedicate the one who will be crowned and who will succeed Miss 2017, the Peruvian Maria Jose Lora. Recall that "Miss Grand International" is a beauty contest, created by Nawat Itsaragrisil in Thailand in 2013, with the aim of encouraging the fight against violence and war in the world. PI/ iciHaiti iciHaiti - Social : Alarming situation in homes for children On October 11 at a press conference, Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin the General Director of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR) indicated that the IBESR had identified 754 welcome homes (formerly called orphanage) in the 10 departments, which host a total of 25,813 children. Of these 754 houses she revealed that only 35 (4.6%) met the standards set by law, stating that this low number is the cause of the very strict criteria imposed. The 35 houses authorized to operate in Haiti are classified in the green category. 139 are in the yellow category and will have 3 months to improve their operating conditions, provide a better living environment for children and comply with standardized standards. Finally, 580 houses are classified in the red category, including shelters at risk of trafficking, sexual and physical abuse. Regarding this red category, Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin said that the IBESR held all the information concerning these centers and that measures will follow. Recalling that in 2016, 160 children's homes had been closed. Moreover, Mrs. Villedrouin regretted that despite the 70 million US dollars invested in Haiti each year by the partners for children "their situation remains precarious" adding that in this regard, she had asked the partners to invest rather directly in families and communities. Concluding that "The environment of a foster home is not the most appropriate place for the development of a child" emphasizing that nearly 80% of these children have an extended family or a close relative... On 5 October, IBESR) closed the "The Goodness of God" orphanage, which housed 51 children (29 boys and 22 girls). "These children were in a vulnerable situation and were in a situation of vulnerability and were subject to sexual abuse and serious negligence," says a note from the IBESR. The children were moved to another, more respectful shelter. S/ HaitiLibre Netherlands condemned Germany to yet another victory after putting three unreplied goals past them at the ongoing UEFA Nations league tournament in Amsterdam, Holland. Former Manchester United winger, Memphis Depay, was the star of the night as he constantly tormented the Germans with his pace and marauding runs all through the match. The winger was signed by former Red devils boss, Luis Van Gal, during his short stint a the helms before he was fired. Depay was also shipped off to Lyon after some inconsistent performance in the Red Devils shirt and was even told not to be good enough for them. However, his stock has risen since his move to Lyon and has started delivering again for both club and country which was evident in his display against Germany tonight. As a result of this impressive showing, fans have taken to social media to request that Manchester United should activate his buy back clause. What they are saying: https://twitter.com/NeymxrFlair/status/1051206269963567108 https://twitter.com/26scholes/status/1051209742138396673 Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to thr recent ban of 50 prominent Nigerians from travelling abroad by president Muhammadu Buhari. This ban according to presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu is part of steps to enforcing the executive order 6, recently signed by President Buhari. Fani-Kayode in his response said the move is shameful and condemnable, especially because the court hasnt granted such orders. The former Aviation Minister said the decision is a violation of the fundamental human rights of the individuals involved and a descent to fascism. He said this via a post on Twitter on Saturday, he wrote: The banning of 50 prominent Nigerians from travelling out of the country by Buharis Executive Order and the power to confiscate their assets even though they have not been empowered to do so by a court of law or convicted of any offence is utterly shameful and condemnable. Buhari is so desperate To remain in power that he has now resorted to attempting to muscle and intimidate the opposition. He forgets that he is not God and that he will soon leave power. I condemn his lawless and desperate ways in the strongest terms. Only dictators behave in this way and Buhari has proved to be the most brutal and callous of them all in the history of our nation. A descent into fascism and a violation of the fundamental human rights and civil liberties of the individuals that have been directly affected and the Nigerian people. It is also a usurpation of the role of the Judiciary. descentlenge him to do his worse and enjoy the short time that he has left in office. Sadists never last. Soon it will all be over and he will account for his evil ways and brought to justice. President Muhammadu Buharis media aide, Lauretta Onochie, has said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) got its choice of president and vice president very wrong. Former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi was on Friday named as the running mate of the partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar for the 2019 presidential election. Onochie via Twitter in reaction to both Atiku and Peter Obis candidacy said Atiku is the prince of corruption whereas the former vice president failed the party, as he put PDP behind APGA and APC in his state. She also threw a slight jab at the new VP candidate calling him, the wife of governor Willie Obiano. She wrote: What is wrong with PDP? Nigerians don use prayers scatter dem 1. PDP chose Prince of corruption as their flag bearer 2. PDP has now chosen Gov. Peter Obi, a man who took PDP to the 3rd position behind APGA and APC in Anambra. Chai, everyone knows Gov. Obiano is Gov Obis husband. Senate president Bukola Saraki may no longer have his office under threat of impeachment as senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have forgiven him. APC Senator, Ahmad Lawan, made this known yesterday while speaking with journalists at the state house after a meeting with president Muhammadu Buhari. According to Lawan, for the sake of national interest, Saraki would no longer be impeaches. Recall that the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, that said Saraki, must be impeached for defecting to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the APC. In Lawans words: National Assembly will continue to remain focused on national issues, we must be patriotic, nationalistic, we must put national interest above individual, parochial or partisan interest. We definitely have to bury our hatchets for us to work for Nigeria and Nigerians perhaps that might have informed the disappointment of many people that there will be crisis in the National Assembly. Let me also say that disagreements are usual, in fact, there are very practical components of any parliament, when you have two to three parties or even within parties, you will have views that may differ. It is traditional, it is usual for us to disagree, maybe these disagreements may crop up and some other issues, but for now our focus is on national interest. National Assembly is a Nigerian Parliament and therefore the best thing to do is to ensure that Nigeria gets a good deal and for now the good deal is for Nigeria to have all those pending requests of Mr. President approved by the National Assembly. I think the national interest for now overrides any other interest. Wednesday and Thursday witnessed the focus and concentration of members of the National Assembly on the request of Mr. President for the funding of INEC for elections to be conducted in 2019 and we passed it in the Senate and the House did also. We passed the request of Mr President for N189 billion for INEC activities for 2019. We also had the referral of the request of Mr. Presidents approval for foreign loan component of the 2018 appropriation and that is about 2.78 billion dollars Eurobond. We have gone full blast consciously, purposely to ensure that Mr. President gets what he requested for. We lost time because some of the issues were requested for before we went on our recess. But we have also in the Senate passed confirmations of the CBN deputy governor, ICPC governing body and we are determined to continue to do this throughout this period. Vanguard There were indications yesterday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the National Assembly may have dropped the threat to impeach the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to ensure that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was not truncated. The Nation Activist lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has said that it is the right of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to support any presidential candidate of his choice.Reacting to his recent endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he said Obasanjo has a constitutional right to do so.Former President Obasanjo has a constitutional right to support any presidential candidate of his choice.It is however hoped that God will forgive him for supporting Thisday A former Group Politics Editor of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, has been appointed the new National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). THISDAY gathered that his appointment was approved at a meeting of the APC National Working Committee held Friday night in Abuja. Issa-Onilu vied for the Guardian Vice-President Yemi, Osinbajo says investing in Nigerians is a major pillar of the President Muhammadu Buhari administrations Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). The Sun South East Governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo will this afternoon in Enugu meet over the choice of former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Daily Times The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has described as false and baseless report making rounds that he claimed graduating from the Daily Trust Beside increased interests in what happens in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the 2019 general elections draw nearer, some politicians whose names ring a bell in their comfort zones have thrown their hats in the contest for the presidency using some of the upcoming political Leadership Mr Daniel Onjeh, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue South Senatorial candidate has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is not a threat to President Muhammadu Buharis chances of re-election in 2019. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says its totally rejects the move by president Muhammadu Buhari to place 50 prominent Nigerians on a watchlist. According to presidency, the move as part of steps to enforce the newly signed executive order six by the President. However, the PDP says he will not accept the move, as they are sure it was targeted at members of the opposition party. In a statement signed by the party on Saturday, it said the decree is against the constitutional rights of the people and the principles of democracy. The statement reads thus: President Muhammadu Buhari Travel Ban on 50 Nigerians: We reject in its entirety, attempt by the failed Buhari Presidency to foist a full-blown fascism on our country, beginning with the placement of illegal travel restrictions on Nigerians. This draconian step is clearly targeted at members of the opposition parties, perceived political enemies of President Buhari, well-meaning Nigerians, business community, religious leaders, religious leaders who are perceived to be averse to President Buharis re-election bid. This decree is a direct clampdown on our democratic order and an overthrow of rights of our citizenry as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). This is another ploy by the failed and discredited Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government to harm certain eminent Nigerians on the claims of resisting travel restrictions. We understand that the failed Buhari Presidency has gone into panic mode since the popular emergence of Abubakar Atiku as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, but the resort to total clamp down on the opposition and our supporters will be totally resisted. The world can now see how fascism is fast taking over our democracy and judicial system and how the Buhari administration, by fiat, has directly ordered that citizens be secretly trailed, movements and financial transactions restricted without recourse to due process of the law. On the occasion of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day (October 13), Nhan Dan has noted down a number of entrepreneurs opinions on the measures to help businesses quickly adapt to the fourth industrial revolution. Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of FPT Corporation Digital transformation is inevitable Under the strong impacts of the fourth industrial revolution, proactive digital transformation is now an inevitable requirement to help enterprises overcome difficulties, reduce losses and take advantage of the opportunities brought about by the revolution. Many experts have warned that if Vietnamese enterprises fail to begin the digital transformation immediately, they could lose on their home ground, let alone conquering regional and international markets, because most business models in the digital age are common in that they are borderless. A successful digital transformation requires those in leadership positions to change their mindset and dare to take on new challenges. Business leaders should understand that the process cannot be avoided or postponed because it doesnt rule out any country or form of business. With that in mind, enterprises need to determine an appropriate roadmap for themselves, focusing on investment and building a digital culture in a serious and proper manner, not only internally but also between enterprises and their customers and partners. Concerning solutions for digital transformation, conventional enterprises could make use of and build on technological solutions from digital enterprises and start-up businesses and develop their own research and development systems. In the digital economy, digital solutions are the foundations of all innovation processes and the application of other advanced technologies in corporate operations. Many would think that these aforementioned requirements are too demanding for Vietnamese enterprises and imagine a less bright future when looking at their current state. But in the digital age, thinking and speed are the most important, not money or existing infrastructure. Therefore, the competition is fair in terms of opportunities and challenges for both small and large enterprises. The winners could even be start-up businesses that few have ever heard of. As such, instead of hesitation, Vietnamese enterprises should begin their digital transformation as soon as possible. I believe that there are still ample opportunities if we get down to it now and with gumption. Hoang Manh Trung, CEO of Fumee Tech Adapt so as not to be knocked out As one of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mechanical engineering, we have been feeling the clear impacts of international integration and the fourth industrial revolution. Such impacts are not only the concern of large companies but also present questions for SMEs: adapt to the new situation to turn challenges into opportunities or accept being washed out by foreign competitors. When mentioning Vietnams competitive edges, people usually think of cheap labour first. This advantage has been utilised for years to offset for the limits in capital and technology. However with the influx of new technologies into Vietnam, cheap labour is no longer an advantage, especially for the mechanical sector. Lets take robotics for example. Robots can now, not only imitate human actions with greater precision and productivity, but also possess a greater ability to make judgements, handle different situations and learn new things. Therefore, if we are slow to change our thinking and improve technologies, the mechanical sector will soon be defeated in the near future, even though it employs little advanced technology. Le Tien Truong, General Director of Vinatex Focusing on changing the production method The wave of technology in the fourth industrial revolution is expected to bring about exponential changes, placing labour-intensive sectors under the greatest pressure to come up with quick, aggressive and correct solutions. But this is also a new opportunity for the garment sector to apply automation, reduce the number of direct workers and link data between production machines. Therefore, the next five years will be a key period to either achieve new development or be eliminated. According to a recent survey, the number of enterprises approaching the standard on new technology in terms of equipment currently accounts for less than 10%. However, with technology being partly renovated in recent years, productivity has improved considerably. Ten years ago, 80,000-90,000 additional workers were needed to produce an additional US$1 billion in exports, but now only 50,000-60,000 are needed. In the future, enterprises need to transform themselves into original design manufacturers and original brand manufacturers because with new technologies, bulk orders from abroad will fall dramatically. They also need to concentrate their finances on technological innovations, keep a close watch on and update new technologies of the world, and make plans to substitute new technologies so as not to be eliminated due to outdated equipment, high costs and the failure to meet environmental standards. Moreover, the government needs to introduce specific policies, take bold actions to develop the supporting industries, and attract and encourage investment in producing raw materials for the garment and footwear industries. We already know that Apple has deployed vehicles all around the world to survey what they can see, all in an effort to help improve the Apple Maps experience. And while vehicles are the primary use case, especially for navigational purposes as people use the software to get from one place to another, theres still plenty of information to gather from folks walking on foot. Which is where the Apple Maps backpack comes in. As noted on Friday by MacRumors, an individual was found out on the streets of San Francisco wearing the rig on their back. From the image we can see that there is a LIDAR setup, along with GPS, and a variety of different cameras equipped on the rig. We can see this same equipment on the Apple Maps cars. This appears to be the first time that an Apple Maps backpack has been seen out in the wild. Which certainly makes sense as Apple buckles down and tries to improve its mapping service. Apple Maps has been improving over the years, but there is certainly still room to grow and improve. Indeed, the company is working on rebuilding the app from the ground up, all in an effort to provide even more detail. Of course, Google Maps still leads the way, especially when it comes to built-in features. Just recently it was reported that Google is now integrating Apple Music and Spotify right into the app, which will allow users to control music playback while they use the app. If Apple ever implements something like this (which would obviously be Apple Music-only), it feels years away. Our Take As someone who tries to use, and tries to like, Apple Maps, its not hard to admit that there is still so much room to improve. We certainly need better data in Maps, especially for navigation, and hopefully Apples efforts with their vehicles, and now people with Maps backpacks, will speed that upgrade along. [via MacRumors Rumors about Kristen Taekman returning towent viral on social media after she and Bethenny Frankel reunited for lunch. To two documented their time together on social media, which spurred speculation that Taekman could return to the Bravo hit reality series.Following their reunion,reported that Taekman was returning to the show, but their insiders claimed that it would be likely a one-off appearance.However, new sources reveal that despite recent reports, Taekman will not return to the Bravo hit reality show's upcoming eleventh season.Kristen ran into Bethenny earlier this week while they were separately grabbing lunch, a source close to the star told. They had some fun with one another on their Instagram Stories, but in no way is Kristen coming back to Housewives and filming anything, the source continues. Shes busy being a mom and working on her businesses.A second source confirms to the publication that Kristen was not filming.Photo Credit: Bravo The awarding ceremony was co-organised by ASEAN Korea Centre and Maekjung Media Group, one of the most influential media groups in the RoK, held in Seoul, the RoK, under the framework of the World Knowledge Forum. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Lee Hyuk Secretary General of ASEAN Korea Centre said: We are very delighted that President and CEO of Vietjet, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, was selected as one of the two winners of the ASEAN Entrepreneurs Award 2018. This is an acknowledgement of Vietjets high quality operations, its creative services and meaningful contributions during the past few years. I firmly believe that the award will serve as a springboard for Vietjet to promote its business and to expand its presence in the RoK and make more contribution to the economic and trade cooperation between ASEAN and the RoK. Since Vietjet commenced our debut flight connecting Vietnam and Korea in 2013, the fact that we have positively contributed to the development of travel and trade exchange between two countries is of great pride to us. As of 2017, the passenger turnover back and forth between the two countries reached more than five million passengers, a trifold increase compared to that of 2013. The number of airlines commencing routes in the network increased from 03 in 2013 to 10 in 2017. There are around 750 flights per week, 8 times higher than that of 2013. Vietjet itself carried more than two million passengers, many of whom were first time flyers. Realising others flying dreams is our utmost happiness. The World Knowledge Forum is a forum that attracts the interest and participation of leading world political and business speakers. The Lao PM expressed his deep condolences over the passing of Party chief Do Muoi, and spoke highly of his significant contributions to the struggle for national independence as well as the construction, development and protection of the country. Also, he acknowledged Do Muois great efforts to treasure the friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries Parties, Governments, and people in the past years. On behalf of the Vietnamese Party, State and Government, PM Phuc thanked the Lao leaders and people for their sentiments towards former General Secretary Do Muoi, saying that this is a vivid illustration for the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. It also helps young generations of both sides to have deeper understanding about the bonds between the two Parties and peoples, he underlined. On the occasion, the two PMs talked socio-economic situation in each country as well as discussed measures to bolster the Vietnam-Laos relations. With strong determination to deep the bilateral ties into a more practical manner, they agreed to further coordination in carrying out high-level agreements as well as seek solutions to removing bottlenecks to accelerate key collaboration projects. They said that both sides should make meticulous preparations for the 41st meeting of the Vietnam-Laos Intergovernmental Committee, scheduled to take place in early 2019. Photographer Annie Leibovitz speaks during her "WOMAN: New Portraits" exhibition at the ewz-Unterwerk Selnau in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. The Nova Scotia government says it won't be paying to help the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia exhibit pictures by famed American photographer Leibovitz. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP 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. MASON CITY, Iowa- On Friday the Mason City Library Board gave the Genealogy Lab a little extra time to move their belongings to a new location. The board said the genealogy volunteers are being given more time to move because of bad weather that has plagued our area the last several weeks. The volunteers said they have started packing, but have not yet found a permanent location. Vice President of the group, Rodney Hungerford, said they are negotiating with two different locations, but are not ready to make a public announcement. He said the move could still have a negative impact on the library. The library is going to be losing a great resource, he said. People are having a hard time getting a handle on the future with regards to research. The board approved the group to stay through the end of November. ROCHESTER, Minn. A man is pleading guilty to drug possession and domestic assault after an August incident in Stewartville. Samuel David Earl Steward, 34 of Chatfield, entered guilty pleas Friday to 5th degree drug possession and domestic assault. Authorities say an argument over a child escalated to physical confrontation between Steward and a woman. Steward claimed the woman was in no condition to take care of the child in a stroller. His sentencing is scheduled for December 10. ROCHESTER, Minn. A man facing four drug charges is pleading guilty to one of them. Cory Peter Dozark, 35 of Rochester, entered a guilty plea Friday to 1st degree sale of drugs for a July 18 incident where the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team says Dozark sold 22.4 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $1,000. A 2nd degree controlled substance charge and two other counts of 1st degree sale of drugs will for meth sales on July 10 and March 14 will likely be dismissed as part of a plea deal. Dozark is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26. ROCHESTER, Minn. - As elementary students will be transititioning to the middle and high school building in Adams, Southland School District is looking for funds to update the building and accomodate new students. In November, the district will vote on 2 questions. One would approve renovating the building and adding a new, secure entrance. An area of the building would be converted into an elementary wing and the media center would be reduced in size to be turned into new classrooms and office space. The other question would approve the building of a new gym, as the school is losing the gym space in Rose Creek. "We're just asking everyone to get out and vote and make sure that they are informed before they go out to vote, especially if they get mail ballots instead of having to go to their polling places," says Superintendent Jeff Sampson. The bond referendum would approve $15,800,000 "for acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities?" and $2,400,000 "for acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities including the construction of a gymnasium addition." ROCHESTER, Minn. - According to the National Institute of dental and craniofacial research, around 20% of children age 2-5 have untreated tooth decay. That number jumps to almost 25% in children age 6-11. Area leaders in oral health care gathered at Olmsted County Public Health for the 'Status of Dental Health in Olmsted County' conference, hosted by the Olmsted County Children's Oral Health Task Force and the Minnesota Oral Health Coalition. "Unfortunately, the access to oral health by children in our county is very poor. Two out of three children that are on Medicaid or government programs do not have access to a dentist," says Dr. Valeria Cristiani, a community pediatrician at Mayo Clinic. Attendees of the conference agree that education for parents, lawmakers, and providers is key to improving the dental health care of area children. "Children who do not have adequate dental care, it can affect their speech, it can affect their health, they can have issues concentrating at school because they're dealing with pain in their mouth and sometimes they don't understand what that pain is and may not communicate it adequately to their parents," explains Dr. Kelly Jones, pediatric dentist and owner of Rochester Pediatric Dentistry. "So it's really important that those children are screened and monitored on a regular basis." The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children see a dentist for the first time when they get their first tooth, or no later than their first birthday. The government official made the remarks at a meeting with Politburo member,of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee and Governor of Vientiane, Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, in Hanoi, on October 12. Deputy PM Binh expressed his delight at the increasing development of the relations between localities of the two countries, including the ties between Vientiane and Hanoi, through cooperation in the various areas of politics, economics, education, culture, health, and others. He also expressed his wish that the two cities would continue to support each other in socio-economic development in order to contribute to consolidating the friendship and solidarity between the two countries. Governor of Vientiane, Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, informed Deputy PM Binh of the results of his work with Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai, under which the two sides shared experience and solutions to boost their cooperation in various fields. Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune hoped that the Vietnamese Government would create conditions for Vientiane to foster its cooperation with Hanoi and other localities of Vietnam. By Park Si-soo The trade volume between China and North Korea has fallen by 59 percent this year from a year earlier, a Chinese newspaper reported Friday. The sharp fall was credited with China's compliance with international sanctions against the nuclear-armed North, China's state paper Global Times reported. According to Beijing's customs office, Chinese exports to North Korea totaled $1.6 billion, from January to September 2018, down 59.2 percent from the previous year. Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for the customs office, was quoted as saying $144.6 million worth of North Korea imports into China also fell 90.1 percent from January to September. The data came at a time when North Korea is denying the impact that sanctions have had on its economy. "Place sanctions on us for 10 years, even 100 years," Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Friday in an article titled, "This is the spirit of high-class pride and self-reliance." "The enemy is using the blockade of murderous sanctions as a method of last resort, for fear of the complete collapse of their policy of crushing Korea with military power," the Rodong stated. The paper added that North Korea will gradually overcome sanctions to emerge as "the most powerful nation" and as a "socialist Shangri-La." The paper also charged "the enemy" of placing sanctions on technology. "Our response is to develop our style of breakthroughs in state-of-the-art technologies," the Rodong stated. U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has said President Donald Trump's second meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, will take place in the "next couple of months." The remark was made following U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent visit to North Korea last weekend where he had hourslong talks with the North Korean leader. "We'll see a meeting, I think, between Chairman Kim and President Trump sometime in the next couple of months," Bolton said in a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show that aired Friday. Earlier this week, Trump said the meeting will take place after the U.S. midterm elections slated for early November. Referring to the Obama administration's policy of "strategic patience" as a synonym for "doing nothing," the U.S. top security adviser said the combination of the potential use of military force and maximum pressure on the economic front seem to have brought Kim to the table. The security adviser also reiterated the need for complete and irreversible denuclearization by the North. "If they do that and walk through the door, the future could be very different for the North Korean people," Bolton said. (Yonhap) 'Juice Revolution' on street. By Emanuel Pastreich The consensus was reached at their bilateral meeting in Bali, Indonesia on October 12, on the fringes of the ASEAN Leaders Gathering (ALG) and the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). The government leaders consented to boost cooperation between the two nations, particularly in economy and trade. PM Hun Sen said his government will continue offering incentives for Vietnamese investors. PM Phuc thanked his Cambodian counterpart for his attendance at the State funeral for President Tran Dai Quang, saying it reflects close friendship between the two nations. He took the occasion to congratulate the new Cambodian royal government for its stable operation since it was established a month ago, adding he believes that the Cambodian people will obtain more significant achievements, thus increasing the countrys position in the region and the world. At the meeting, PM Phuc thanked his counterparts close assistance toward creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese-Cambodians to secure legal status and integrate into the local society. Concerning the relocation of Vietnamese-Cambodians floating houses in Kampong Chhnang provinces Tonle Sap area, PM Hun Sen has directed the governor of the province to ensure suitable duration for the process, and in the long term, arrange a resettlement area for the community with necessary infrastructure like schools, hospitals and power and water facilities. 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 Los Angeles Unified school administrators said Friday that three sessions with a state mediator have failed to break an impasse over a new labor contract for the district's teachers union. The 30,000 members of United Teachers Los Angeles have already given their union leadership the power to call what would be the first teachers strike in LAUSD since 1989 -- a work stoppage that would leave 480,000 students in limbo. But the union and the district must complete one last stage of negotiation before teachers can legally walk off the job: fact-finding. 'ALEXA! DEFINE: FACT-FINDING' Both LAUSD and UTLA have been rehashing many of the same arguments over their contract positions since the two sides began talking in January 2017. A mediator doesn't formally rule which sides' arguments are better -- a mediator is solely focused on trying to find a way to get the two sides to agree. That's not the case in fact-finding. In fact-finding, a neutral arbiter comes in, looks at evidence and issues a ruling -- of sorts -- on who's right and who's wrong. The term "fact-finding" itself "is kind of a misnomer," said Tim Yeung, an attorney at the firm Sloan Sakai who's practiced public sector labor law for more than 20 years. Fact-finders, he said, "are not just after the facts ... they actually make recommendations" about which side's bargaining positions to adopt. The fact-finder's recommendations are non-binding -- either side could choose to ignore them. But sometimes, Yeung said the fact-finder's report can force one side or the other to make the concession that breaks the stalemate. HOW LONG WILL THIS ALL TAKE? Fact-finding takes around six weeks, on average, Yeung said. On the short end, the process takes only a few weeks, he said, but the process can stretch on as long as two months. HOW DOES THE FACT-FINDING PROCESS WORK? Fact-finding is organized around a three-person "fact-finding panel" -- a state-appointed "chairperson," one representative appointed by UTLA and another representative chosen by LAUSD. How the panel goes about its work often depends on the fact-finders' preferences. Some fact-finding proceedings are organized around "quasi-judicial" proceedings, Yeung said, where the two sides present witnesses, evidences and closing arguments. Other panels operate more informally. The chairperson's really in charge of the proceedings, Yeung explained: "The idea is that the neutral [chairperson] can have these two people in a room, bounce ideas off of them ... A lot of times the fact-finder is trying to find a resolution -- to get the parties to settle." WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF FACT-FINDING? In the end, the fact-finder issues a recommendation for how to settle the contract dispute. At that point, a lot of things can happen: the two sides could go back to the bargaining table or meet again with mediators. State law says they could even go to binding arbitration. But it's at the end of fact-finding that both the union and the district can legally go for their respective nuclear options: LAUSD could unilaterally put their "last, best and final" contract offer into effect and UTLA leadership could legally call a strike. THIS SOUNDS PRETTY GRIM -- THE BRINK OF A STRIKE? IS THERE NO MORE HOPE IN THIS WORLD? If you've been looking for a reason to be optimistic about this rhetorically-heated LAUSD-UTLA drama, Yeung has one for you. UTLA and LAUSD did meet for more than one session with the mediator, which Yeung called a "good sign." He said in some negotiations the employer and union meet once with a mediator and immediately request the help of a fact-finder. Multiple mediation sessions indicates to Yeung "they [were] making some progress." "Until they get through fact-finding," Yeung said in an interview Friday morning, "there's always hope." But on Friday afternoon, district officials issued a statement announcing they had lodged a formal complaint against UTLA "for refusal to participate in good faith" in the mediation. NEW statement: @LASchools files an unfair labor practice charge against @UTLAnow alleging the union didn't engage with the mediation process. "After just one mediation session, @UTLAnow was seeking to have the mediation process terminated and was openly inciting conflict." #lausd pic.twitter.com/tfTQRQSzrR Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) October 12, 2018 "After just one mediation session," LAUSD's top lawyer David Holmquist said, "UTLA was seeking to have the mediation process terminated and was openly inciting conflict. UTLA insisted that mediation was futile after one mediation session." In September, before mediation began, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner had said he was "open-minded, but not optimistic" that mediation could resolve the district's dispute with UTLA. JUST IN: @UTLAnow's statement says @LASchools also did not make a good faith effort in mediation, accuses the district of "failing to offer any substantial proposals." #utla #lausd pic.twitter.com/AL7f1JoJBT Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) October 12, 2018 Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now. Hello! Im books editor Carolyn Kellogg with this weeks books newsletter from the L.A. Times. THE BIG STORY Although Susan Orlean is a staff writer for the New Yorker, she lives in Los Angeles part-time, and for the last six years has been writing a book that investigates a mystery many of us longtime Angelenos forgot about: Who started the devastating 1986 fire that destroyed or damaged more than a million books at L.A.s Central Library? Theres a lot more to the book its called, brilliantly, The Library Book read all about it here or in print Sunday (online she gives us a video tour). Susan Orlean at the Central Library in downtown L.A. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Advertisement CRIME IN THE FAMILY Mickey Edwards reviews In My Fathers House by award-winning journalist Fox Butterfield. The riveting, multi-generational story explores how criminality runs through one family the Bogles, whose extraordinary story is perhaps not all that uncommon. Butterfield comes to L.A. next week and will be in conversation with Warren Olney at Zocalo. Two Bogle brothers at Oregon State Penitentiary. (Oregon State Penitentiary) BESTSELLERS Appearing at No. 4 on the fiction list is the debut novel from Hank Green, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing about a young woman who must deal with her celebrity status after a video she posts goes viral. Green is the brother of bestselling YA author John Green; together they host a vlog and run the charitable Project for Awesome. Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson has a stellar second career as an author. This week, two of his books are in the Top 10 nonfiction list: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry at No. 8, now in its 71st week, and at No. 7, Accessory to War, about the relationship between the military and space science, co-written by Avis Lang. You can find all the books on our bestseller lists here. Astrophysicist and author Neil Degrasse Tyson at New York Comic Con on Oct. 4. (Roy Rochlin / Getty Images) MORE IN BOOKS The National Book Award finalists were announced this week. We review two books that prompt us to think a little differently about photography: Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop by Vikki Tobak, which takes us behind the scenes of some of hip-hops most iconic images, and Fashion Climbing: A Memoir with Photographs by Bill Cunningham, in which the famed street style photographer recounted his early years in fashion. Barnes & Noble has seen a huge jump in sales of books about politics this year, with Bob Woodwards Fear topping the charts, followed by Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff. On Monday which, depending on your location, was either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day we ran this essay by Latinx professor and writer Yvettte Dechavez about decolonizing that syllabus. Journalist Charles Bowden chronicled some of the grimmest stories of the U.S.-Mexico border. Reissues of two early books, Blue Desert and Frog Mountain Blues, show how prescient he was about issues such as immigration, development and the environment and, more surprisingly, that, in those days, he was full of hope. Charles Bowden in 1995 (Jack W. Dykinga) Thanks for reading! When Toys R Us closed its doors, customers mourned the loss of a beloved brand that conjured memories of their own childhoods. Retailers, on the other hand, saw an opportunity. Rather than cede any more ground to online behemoth Amazon, companies including Target, Walmart and Party City ramped up their offerings. Now, ahead of the pivotal holiday season, theyre going even further by focusing on making their stores a dynamic shopping experience. That means creating play areas for kids, offering demos of new toys and staging events like scavenger hunts in the stores. Retailers are trying to grab a piece of the nearly $3 billion left on the table by Toys R Us, or 12% of the U.S. toy market, according to NPD Group Inc., a market research group. Advertisement Last month, Party City opened 50 Toy City pop-up shops that feature 6-by-8-foot Lego dinosaurs and other interactive displays. Walmart says 30% of its holiday toy assortment will be new. It will also offer 40% more toys on Walmart.com compared with a year ago. In November and December, the companys toy area will be rebranded as Americas Best Toy Shop. Starting in late October, Target will devote extra space at 500 stores near former Toys R Us stores for bigger toys such as electric cars, playhouses and musical instruments as well as adding nearly 200 more products. And 100 Target stores will see new layouts and fixtures in the toy area. The company is also expanding the number of kids events it hosts. Most recently, it had a Lego Minecraft event that featured a scavenger hunt. Meanwhile, Amazon is reportedly planning a toy catalog to be distributed at its Whole Foods stores. The company declined to comment on the catalog, but analysts say Amazon could expand its market share in toys from 15% to 20% this year. Toy sellers had been long taking advantage of Toys R Us woes but stepped up their efforts when the chain filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the fall of 2017 and accelerated the pace when the chain announced it was liquidating its operations in March. Early this year, Toys R Us had more than 800 U.S. stores. It closed the last 200 stores at the end of June. With reports of the retailers demise, there was an outpouring of nostalgia from shoppers, and some analysts credit that empathy for helping to drive an uptick in toy sales for the first half of the year. U.S. toy sales from January through June increased 7% to $7.9 billion, according to NPD. Last year, toy sales increased 1% to $20.7 billion from 2016. I am convinced that the strong toy industry growth so far this year has been at least partially supported by the empathy that people felt toward losing a store like Toys R Us, Juli Lennett, NPDs senior vice president and industry advisor for toys, said in a statement. I think it brought about an emotional response that resulted in parents buying more toys overall. Jessica McCune, 30, said she was a big fan of Toys R Us and stocked up on a number of toys when the stores were closing. Although she said she plans to shift her toy shopping to Walmart, Target and Amazon, she still misses her old go-to. Theres a void, she lamented. Its one less place dedicated to toys and babies. At a meeting with Director of Ciputra Group Budiarsa Sastrawinata, also President of the Indonesia-Vietnam Friendship Association (IVFA), PM Phuc acknowledged the groups investment projects in Vietnam, including the Ciputra urban area in Hanoi. He said the Vietnamese Government has made efforts to improve the local business environment and create optimal conditions for investors, including Ciputra. Budiarsa Sastrawinata told the Vietnamese leader that Ciputra is operating in various spheres such as mining, manufacturing and hotels. Ciputra has cooperated with various Vietnamese partners, including the Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Association and the Vietnamese Ambassador in Indonesia to organise business forums, helping promote investment ties between the two countries, he said. The group will continue to invest in luxury hotels and the Ciputra Hanoi International City, he added, calling for more support from the PM and the Vietnamese Government for the groups operation, especially its cooperation with Vietnamese partners. PM Phuc expressed his hope that the association will continue working with its Vietnamese counterpart to boost Vietnam-Indonesia relations. As two populous countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam and Indonesia can help reinforce regional development through their bilateral ties, he said. Meeting with Harianto Solichin, President Director of PT Nikko Sekuritas Indonesia, which provides investment banking, investment management and securities brokerage services, PM Phuc noted the companys prestige and achievements. He welcomed the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in building an expressway worth US$200 million in Jakarta between the Indonesian company and Vietnams Licogi 16 JSC. He noted that the project opens up cooperation opportunities for the two countries in infrastructure construction and other potential realms. He urged the two sides to launch more projects in Indonesia and Vietnam, and voiced his wish that Nikko will continue supporting Vietnamese investors in Indonesia as well as Indonesian enterprises and regional and international groups in Vietnam, particularly in airport and seaport building. For his part, Solichin said Nikko has invested in securities in Vietnam for many years and deployed investment projects in its central province of Da Nang. He extended his wish to receive more attention and favourable conditions from the PM and relevant Vietnamese agencies during the implementation of projects. PM Phuc suggested Nikko and Licogi 16 become strategic, trustworthy and effective partners, and that the two sides should step up their partnerships in different investment forms, especially the public-private partnership model. On this occasion, PM Phuc and representatives of some ministries and agencies witnessed the signing of a document on cooperation in infrastructure construction between Nikko and Licogi 16. Accordingly, the two sides will team up to build the US$200 million expressway and a commercial centre worth about US$50 million in Jakarta. At the same time, Nikko will invest in another solar power project with a capacity of 50MW and a funding of US$50 million in Vietnams central region. Construction of the projects is expected to begin early next year. It was one of President Trumps very first acts: to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping 12-nation trade agreement that had been the centerpiece of President Obamas strategic rebalance toward Asia. Trump had alleged that such deals hurt American manufacturing, and on Jan. 23, 2017, he signed the withdrawal order in the Oval Office. A great thing for the American worker, what we just did, Trump said. With that, he set in motion a political and economic storm that is still reverberating in Vietnam. Advertisement Freed from conditions imposed by the Obama administration to join the trade pact, Vietnams communist government has scrapped plans to allow independent trade unions and unleashed its most severe clampdown on dissent in decades. Authorities have arrested scores of social activists, bloggers and democracy advocates, sentencing many to jail terms of 10 to 20 years. Vietnam offers an example of the little-noticed fallout from some of Trumps earliest decisions. The Trans-Pacific treaty, known as the TPP, quickly faded from American headlines as Trump launched high-stakes trade battles with China, Europe, Mexico and Canada. But the abrupt policy change has had far-reaching ripple effects, according to diplomats and activists. As soon as America withdrew from the TPP, you saw a radical change in the way [the Vietnamese] government treated workers, labor activists and unions, said labor activist Do Thi Minh Hanh, 33, speaking in a cafe in Ho Chi Minh City. A lot of people have been harassed, followed, imprisoned and threatened. Trumps policy change wasnt the only factor in the Vietnamese crackdown hard-liners had become dominant in the Communist Party and were concerned about a rise in social activism and protests. Nor is he solely responsible for the fate of the TPP. Obama had failed to persuade a skeptical Congress and public of the deals merits before leaving office, with the result that his signature Asian foreign policy initiative was widely maligned. Such was the prevailing mood that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton signaled her intent to pull out of an agreement she had once lauded as the gold standard of trade deals. Asked about the TPP decision and crackdown in Vietnam, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Garrett Marquis, said trade treaties werent necessarily effective in achieving democratic reform. He pointed to Chinas accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, saying it proved beyond all doubt that increasing international trade doesnt always liberalize authoritarian single-party states. In fact, it may delay liberalization by making the ruling party stronger. The pros and cons of the trade pact are debatable. But some things are more certain. The United States decision to construct and then exit from the TPP struck an enormous blow to the nations credibility in Asia, one that China was not shy about exploiting. The decision also exacted a real human cost in Vietnam, activists say. As the TPP was being negotiated, a budding movement of Vietnamese activists used social media to spread ideas about workers rights, transparency, accountability and even democracy. The U.S. government had engineered the trade agreement to also secure promises from Vietnams leadership that it would permit independent trade unions, strengthen environmental controls and allow a free and open internet. When the TPP was scrapped, that dynamic was thrown into reverse. Minh Hanh has seen fellow labor activists arrested and given long jail sentences. She has faced constant harassment, including being attacked by masked men hurling rocks and explosives when she was staying at her fathers house. Another activist, environmentalist Le Dinh Luong, was charged with subversion and sentenced to 20 years in jail. He has not been allowed contact with his wife, who fears his fragile health means he will die in prison. The TPP could have been some wind in the sails of Vietnamese activists, trade unionists and environmentalists, said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch. Pulling out of the TPP has been a big setback. Children play ball in front of a war memorial in a park in Hanoi. (Linh Pham / For the Washington Post) Driving force for Reforms 2.0' Obama had billed the TPP as a chance for the United States to write the rules of trade in the worlds fastest-growing region and to raise labor and environmental standards so U.S. companies would not be undercut. The deal was also a thinly disguised attempt to contain Chinas rise by forming a regional, rules-based order that excluded Beijing. Liberalizers in Vietnams Communist Party saw the TPP as the incentive the government needed to bring about change, with its offer of greater access to one of Vietnams biggest export markets: the United States. The TPP is the driving force for Reforms 2.0. The business environment, anti-corruption, labor reforms, said Tran Viet Thai, deputy general director of the Institute for Foreign Strategic Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, a foreign ministry think tank. Vietnam pledged to not only allow independent trade unions, but also outlaw child labor and give private firms a greater chance to compete against the Communist-run state sector. Citizens were promised a free and open internet. In February 2016, the United States and 11 other countries signed the treaty. It still needed to be ratified domestically in those nations. But for the first time since the Vietnam War, the United States had real leverage to force the Communist Party to give greater political freedom to the people. Then, the Trump administration withdrew. It pulled the rug out from under the reformers, said Ted Osius, then U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. Arrests of activists During TPP negotiations, Osius had continually emphasized the need to get the trade pact ratified by Congress, and he would bring letters from members of Congress to the Vietnamese government underscoring the attention they paid to human rights. It was a very, very powerful message, said Osius, a career diplomat appointed ambassador by Obama. It didnt mean they threw open all the prison doors, but they did consider American views when they made decisions. I dont think thats the case since we pulled out of TPP. But in Vietnam, other forces were at work. Protests had erupted in the spring of 2016 after a toxic spill caused the countrys worst environmental disaster, with marine life washing up dead along a huge swath of shoreline. The spill came from a plant operated by a Taiwanese company, but the anger was directed at the Vietnamese government for its slow response, lack of transparency and corruption. It was the largest outpouring of anger in four decades of Communist Party rule. Within Vietnams ruling Politburo, hard-line conservatives had gained the upper hand during a leadership transition in January 2016, while Obama was still in the White House. They were not about to tolerate an uprising. The first hint of a crackdown came even before Trump won the presidential race, with the October 2016 detention of the blogger known as Mother Mushroom. But it wasnt until the summer of 2017 that the arrests of activists started coming thick and fast. Mother Mushroom, whose real name is Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, had been arrested in the past, but this time was different, with a 10-year sentence handed down in June 2017 for conducting propaganda against the socialist state. She was one of at least 29 Vietnamese activists arrested in 2017 for their writings and advocacy on behalf of human rights, the environment and democracy, according to Amnesty International. One month later, on the evening of July 24, 2017, environmental activist Luong was on his way home when a dozen plainclothes security officers stopped him, beat him and took him away, his wife said. Luong is a business executive turned community organizer and blogger. He wants to help others, the weak and the poor, to combat injustice, said his wife, Nguyen Thi Quy, 53. The couples son and daughter-in-law were beaten when they asked police about his whereabouts, she said. Luong, 52, who suffers from gout, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the peoples administration. Nguyen Van Dai, a lawyer, founded the Brotherhood for Democracy in 2013 with several activists, and toured the country teaching others how to defend their rights. On April 5, after a trial with five other leaders of the group, Dai was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Dai and one of his colleagues have since been sent into exile in Germany partly on health grounds and partly thanks to international pressure, he said. If the U.S. government had stayed in the TPP, Vietnam would have had to make many commitments about improving human rights, about improving the situation for workers, Dai said in an interview at his modest, two-room home outside Frankfurt. It would have been a chance to change my country. Vietnam still intends to join a version of the TPP that will move forward without the United States. But that deal excludes many of the tough steps that Vietnam had committed to, including on workers rights. A store sells flags and communist signs in Hanoi. (Linh Pham / For the Washington Post) Two presidential styles As the backlash has intensified, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert has said several times that the Trump administration is deeply troubled by the conviction and sentencing of Vietnamese activists, calling on the government to let people express their views freely and assemble peacefully without fear of retribution. The administration also presses Vietnam to respect religious freedom, said a senior White House aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the record. But the official acknowledged that Hanoi has largely ignored outside pressure. The situations bad, the official said. I think it is an impediment to an even closer partnership with Vietnam. Adams, at Human Rights Watch, said communist authorities now largely discount the State Departments appeals. When they look at Trump, they see a U.S. president who makes clear over and over again he doesnt care about human rights and seems to like strongmen, Adams said. The story behind the United States flip-flop over the TPP is also one of two dramatically different presidential styles. Despite long-standing concerns about Vietnams record on human rights, Obama decided that he wanted the country in the TPP, to draw it away from China. In July 2015, Obama broke with precedent to meet the Vietnamese Communist Partys general secretary in Washington. The U.S. president had spent four hours prepping for the meeting and had a crucial message to convey. The United States, he told Nguyen Phu Trong, respects different political systems, according to three people who attended. Human rights and democratic freedoms still mattered, Obama said, but Washington wasnt looking to overthrow the Communist Party. That meeting opened the way for a series of groundbreaking bilateral agreements, according to Evan Medeiros, then senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council. They included the lifting of an arms embargo in 2016 and a side letter to the TPP agreement, in which Hanoi promised to amend its laws to allow independent trade unions. The basic premise under one-party rule is that the party controls everything, said Tom Malinowski, who served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under Obama. To set up associations politically independent from the party would have been pretty revolutionary. Members of a military honor guard march during a flag-raising ceremony in front of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. (Linh Pham / For the Washington Post) Trumps signals Trumps original objections to the TPP were that it would be a bad deal for U.S. businesses, workers and taxpayers. In a Republican presidential debate in November 2015, he complained that it failed to address currency manipulation by China even though China was not part of the deal. He later tweeted that he meant China would come in the back door at a later date. By the time Trump took office, withdrawal was a foregone conclusion, said Thomas Shannon, a longtime diplomat who was then acting secretary of State. Trump had made a clear evaluation that the TPP was dead on arrival in our Congress, Shannon said. Why was he going to invest his political capital supporting a deal that he hadnt negotiated and had gotten a lot of political mileage [out of] by attacking as another example of foreign policy elites negotiating stuff largely secretly? The Trump administrations approach to Vietnam has been similar to Obamas in two ways: It has placed considerable emphasis on the growing military and security relationship, and it has given Vietnamese leaders access to the top levels of the U.S. government. But in other ways, it has been very different. In May 2017, Trump hosted Vietnams prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, at the White House. Then-national security advisor H.R. McMaster had only five minutes to brief Trump, said Osius, who was there. Some of that briefing was taken up with Trump telling an off-color joke, he said. It was quite clear the president didnt know who was coming to meet him, didnt know what the meeting was about and wasnt even remotely interested, Osius said. White House officials denied that Trump was unprepared. The senior White House aide said the president is briefed on upcoming meetings with foreign leaders in short, focused sessions over weeks. The preparation with McMaster was a final review, the aide said. In November 2017, Trump met then-President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi as part of a five-nation tour of Asia. A joint statement mentioned that the two leaders recognized the importance of protecting and promoting human rights. But it was clear Trump was focused elsewhere. Whereas Obama, on a 2016 trip to Vietnam, had met with civil society activists and young people, Trump emphasized reducing the trade deficit and selling American military equipment. We would like Vietnam to buy from us, and we have to get rid of the trade imbalance, Trump said. Other than that, I think were going to have a fantastic relationship. Never give up Suspicion of China runs high in Vietnam, not least because the two countries fiercely contest islands in the South China Sea. Whoever is in the White House, Hanois leaders will continue to look to the United States to balance Beijings influence. In late July, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo visited Southeast Asia touting the administrations alternative to the TPP, an Indo-Pacific Economic Vision, promising greater economic engagement based on the principles of freedom and openness, and led by American companies. Meanwhile in Vietnam, U.S. Embassy spokesman Pope Thrower said the U.S. government has maintained its long-standing commitment to work with official and nongovernment partners to advance labor rights in Vietnam. But Minh Hanh, the labor activist, sees things a bit differently. She is grateful for the U.S. support that helped free her halfway through a seven-year jail sentence in 2014, but now she feels more alone. The fact that the United States pays less attention to trade unions makes my task as an activist a little harder, she said. But we activists will never pull back, never give up fighting, with or without American support. Denyer and Nakamura write for the Washington Post. Near the end of the UCLA Hammer Museums big retrospective exhibition of American expatriate artist Adrian Piper, who has lived in Berlin since around 2005, four vintage blackboards spell out a theme the artist has engaged for many years. A single sentence is repeated over and over again in neat rows, written in chalk in the manner of a classroom punishment the kind a naughty schoolgirl might be required to complete. The outlook is brusque: Everything will be taken away. The cursive penmanship is graceful and precise practiced and assured. Some words are smudged, a few completely erased. The rest could be wiped clean with an easy stroke. Taken away. On one hand, the blackboard exercise is a simple still-life on the theme of mortality and loss. Its a Conceptual art interpretation of an old vanitas motif in painting. Advertisement In place of overripe camellias on the brink of wilting, a snail munching holes in green leaves or a fresh but bitter lemon peel unfurling in a continuous downward spiral from a sumptuous plate of fruit, Piper gives us a classroom lesson: Sooner or later, everything is gone. But theres more to it than that even though that might be quite enough. Adrian Piper, Everything # 21 (detail), 2010-2013, chalk on vintage blackboards (Christopher Knight/Los Angeles Times) Piper is one of those artists whose work unpeels like an onion, layer upon layer, perhaps betraying her other professional capacity as an academic professor of philosophy. (Piper, 70, earned a Harvard PhD in the subject in 1981.) The word taken implies the possibility of unwilling removal or even theft rather than natural decay. African American (both her parents are biracial), Piper inserts a suggestion of autobiography into the mix. Society, not just nature, can be the agent that takes everything away. The handwriting is on the wall. Yet, all is not bleak a dirge of forfeiture and death. An important aspect of Pipers blackboard is that it recalls several other, earlier works of art. In 1971, Los Angeles Conceptual art pioneer John Baldessari famously instructed students at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to write I will not make any more boring art on gallery walls, later making a video and print of the installation exercise. A few years later, German Conceptualist Joseph Beuys made a series of drawings on blackboards, each executed during public lectures on art and politics. In the 1990s, Gary Simmons, an African American artist like Piper, began to make erasure drawings bracing images in chalk on blackboard that are forcefully scuffed and smudged but hanging on for dear life. Black experience in America is their subject, as in a monumental example related to vintage films that feature African American casts, currently at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park. Everything will be taken away but as long as the conversation among artists persists, so does cultural community. Art is born of other art. Adrian Piper, LSD painting and drawings, 1965-66 (Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times) When a gallery attendant passes by in the exhibition while wearing a sandwich board printed with the blackboards warning text, Piper gives us a sly if sober bit of witty self-awareness. She might be like that cartoon doomsayer shaking a fist at the sky (and at passersby) to declare, The end is nigh! The Hammer retrospective, organized by New Yorks Museum of Modern Art, is the largest show of her work to be seen in Los Angeles since 2000, when MEDI(t)Ations: Adrian Pipers Videos, Installations, Performances, and Soundworks 1968-1992" appeared at the Museum of Contemporary Art. With more than 270 works plus a large-scale 1991 mixed-media installation, What Its Like, What It Is #3, addressing racist stereotypes, off-site in the project room at downtowns Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles its the kind of exhibition that will require repeat visits to fully take in. I suggest beginning by devoting a good deal of time to early work in the entry room. Many parameters that are elaborated over the next 50 years are sketched out. First is a wall covered with 22 psychedelic drawings and paintings made under the influence of LSD in 1965 and 1966. Piper was a teenager. Suggestions of human figures mesh with abstract swirls, patterns and marks of bright color. Adrian Piper, Recessed Square, 1967, Masonite on wood frame (UCLA Hammer Museum) Forthrightly bridging the periods stark aesthetic divide between figurative and abstract art, yet not formally accomplished in the sense of traditional paintings, they nonetheless put the artists desire for altered perception front and center. Messing with common awareness would mark virtually all of her subsequent work. These youthful examples would also differ from everything that came after, simply by being the last moment when color would play an important role. Almost the entire show is in black and white. Charcoal, pencil, printed texts, research binders, gelatin silver prints, newspaper ads and columns, Instamatic snapshots, photocopies, early videos these and other materials dodge chromatic play. Color was a foe. In the 1960s and early 70s, a narrow range of poured, sprayed and thickly troweled Color Field painting was being advanced as the victory of an establishment avant-garde. Pipers art plows it under. Across the way from the psychedelic paintings, 35 Barbie Doll Drawings in pencil and ink on notebook paper rearrange the toys body parts. A corporate-designed male ideal of white femininity, circa 1967, is gleefully dismantled. Piper, just 18 at the time, tore it limb from limb, then reconstructed it in dozens of imaginative, Surrealistic ways. In between Barbie and psychedelia, culture and counterculture, two geometric sculptures are installed. One is a recessed black square within a protruding white frame on the wall; the other is a step-down, double-recessed white rectangle on the floor. As with a group of geometric drawings nearby, they demonstrate the profound impact artist Sol LeWitt had on Pipers direction. Compared to the surrounding works, these two spare geometries arrive with the force of a thunderclap. The exhibition is dedicated to LeWitt, whose Minimal and Conceptual structures were rigorous in removing the artists subjectivity from an art objects form. Piper followed suit. For instance, she made a series of photo-text works that document the process of submerging metal plates in trays of sulfuric and nitric acid. She is, in effect, employing an etching technique developed in the Renaissance, in which a line drawn into a coating on a metal plate would be incised with acid. Except, here, something is missing. Nothing is drawn on the metal plates in Pipers snapshots. Rather than create a picture and print an image, she documents the metal plates dissolving in the acid bath. Everything, you might say, is being taken away. Immersion in those first works from the late 1960s provides a template through which subsequent galleries can be productively approached. Pipers work can be opaque and uninvolving, especially when it consists of charts, densely typed sheets of research and image-text aggregations. None of it is pointless, but sometimes experiencing the work can feel like homework. Race is her great subject, and it is bracingly unraveled as a stubborn fiction in drawings like the 1981 Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Negroid Features. The face that looks back at us, head-on like most any artists self-portrait drawn while looking into a mirror, appears to be perfectly ordinary. But she summons a viewers prejudices to decide exactly what those exaggerations might be. Adrian Piper, Self-Portrait Exaggerating My Negroid Features, 1981, pencil on paper (UCLA Hammer Museum) Adrian Piper, Funk Lessons, 1983-84, film transferred to video (UCLA Hammer Museum) Two years later, she made one of the shows stand-out pieces the very funny film Funk Lessons, transferred to projected video. Piper tutors an eager group of mostly white young people in the rhythmic moves of soul dancing. The format is American Bandstand by way of Soul Train, the kids moving in ways awkward or soulful, cadenced or clumsy, to the immersive and seductive sounds of Funkytown, the global dance hit by the group Lipps Inc. Piper cheerfully instructs them in assorted body moves using the elevated, post-structuralist language of a university professor. As in the self-portrait, she lampoons the very concept of racial identity as something inherent. The concept of race is taught, much the way racism is a learned behavior. If theres a surprise to the retrospective, perhaps it is the degree to which her sometimes parched but never ungenerous Conceptual program exerts a spiritual dimension. Shared humanity is a through-line in Pipers work. Conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists, Sol LeWitt famously wrote. Pipers fascination with the fundamental nature of existence animates her study of philosophy, and its right there in her antique blackboard piece. Repetition is ritual, the reiteration of a mantra on mortality a soulful sound. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, (310) 443-7000. Through Jan. 6. Closed Monday. www.hammer.ucla.edu christopher.knight@latimes.com @KnightLAT Aaaand were back! Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, with your roundup of whats good in culture featuring slapping, shredding, head-banging and very large puppets: ESSENTIAL IMAGE Deborah Castillo performs Slapping Power at the Broad museum. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times) In a performance titled Slapping Power at the Broad on Thursday night, artist Deborah Castillo slapped a wet clay bust of an anonymous man a stand-in for authority until his face was unrecognizable. I found it terribly satisfying. The piece was part of the series En Cuatro Patas, which resurfaces Nov. 15. The Broad Advertisement A GANDHI OPERA WITH PUPPETS Philip Glasss 1979 opera Satyagraha is landing at the Los Angeles Opera this month. Staged by director Phelim McDermott and scenery designer Julian Crouch, it employs very large puppets in a nonlinear narrative about Gandhi. Times contributor Catherine Womack spoke with Glass about why it remains relevant: Gandhi was really the beginning of social change, and were still doing it that way today. Los Angeles Times The Times Jessica Gelt, in the meantime, sat in on a rehearsal and chatted with McDermott, as well as L.A. Opera resident conductor Grant Gershon and mezzo-soprano JNai Bridges. The message in Satyagraha, says McDermott, is that strength doesnt come through ego or force. Los Angeles Times One of the giant puppets from Philip Glasss Satyagraha. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) FLUXUS IN FLUX Fluxus, the art movement known for its anti-art gestures musicians hitting their head against a wall (voila, music!) will be a focus for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in conjunction with the J. Paul Getty Museum, this season. Times classical music critic Mark Swed grapples with Fluxus indescribable legacy, which could be found in a performance by Reidemeister Move at REDCAT. Los Angeles Times Reidemeister Move performs as a duo of bass and tuba. (Steve Gunther) BANKSY SHREDS The weeks big arts story has been the photogenic, sort-of destruction of a Banksy painting at auction. When the hammer went down on his 2006 work Girl With Balloon at Sothebys, a mechanism in the frame shredded the work. When The Times August Brown reached out to Banksys representative for comment, he was offered a quote by Picasso: The urge to destroy is also a creative urge. Los Angeles Times Times art critic Christopher Knight is skeptical: We are supposed to believe that a painting that committed suicide through a weighty shredding mechanism hidden behind the backing just happened to be the very last item in a routine modern art auction studded with famous names? A painting whose seller and buyer are both a secret? Los Angeles Times The buyer of the shredded Bansky said via a statement that she is going to keep it. It is indeed now a valuable part of art market history. Los Angeles Times Seriously, I havent had this much auction house fun since Damien Hirst sorta sold that diamond skull to himself. A Sothebys employee poses with the shredded Girl with Balloon by the artist Banksy. (Ben Stansall / AFP/Getty Images) PRESERVING MODERNISM The Salk Institute in La Jolla, Cubas National Art Schools and an unfinished Oscar Niemeyer complex in Lebanon are among the recipients of important architectural conservation grants from the Getty Foundations Keeping It Modern Initiative, reports The Times Deborah Vankin. Los Angeles Times The National Schools of Art of Havana is a Getty Foundation Keeping It Modern grantee. (Leonardo Finotti / Getty Foundation) ART CARS Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School at the Petersen Automotive Museum explores the longtime intersection between cars and the artists of Juxtapoz magazine. It all started with a 90s exhibition called Kustom Kulture, notes Matt Stromberg, which brought together hot-rodders such as Ed Big Daddy Roth and Von Dutch with then-emerging artists such as Jim Shaw and Mike Kelley. Los Angeles Times Hot Rod Race, 1976, by Juxtapoz co-founder Robert Williams. (Collection of Gwynned Vitello) But there is a major oversight in the exhibition, writes Christopher Knight: It makes no mention of the late Von Dutchs well-documented racism. The show whitewashes Von Dutch, he writes. His outrageous bigotry goes unmentioned. Los Angeles Times X-TRA AT 20-ISH! When artists Stephen Berens and Ellen Birrell launched X-TRA magazine in 1997, the plan was to publish one issue and only do a second if they had the money. This year, the magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Its never been up-to-date journalism, Birrell tells me. Its asking people, Whats bugging you? What are you interested in? Los Angeles Times Ellen Birrell, left, and Stephen Berens, founders of X-TRA, with executive director Shana Lutker. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) REDISCOVERING A PHOTOGRAPHER Times contributing reviewer Leah Ollman has a fascinating story about groundbreaking Victorian photographer Anna Atkins, who created handmade publications of her images of flora and innovative photograms of algae in delicate blue tones Los Angeles Times A detail of a a cyanotype by Anna Atkins of British algae. (Spencer Collection, the New York Public Library) Plus, check out my Datebook for the latest art happenings, including art that takes inspiration from the termite. Los Angeles Times ITS THE BOMB Oppenheimer, the Tom Morton-Smith play about the life of atomic scientist Robert Oppenheimer just premiered in L.A., courtesy of Rogue Machine Theatre. The dramatic poetry may fall short, writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty, but the storytelling moves in a contrapuntal rhythm, and the shifts from prose to an audacious lyricism reveal a writer impatient with prosaic chat. Los Angeles Times James Liebman and Rachel Avery in Tom Morton-Smiths Oppenheimer. (John Perrin Flynn) THEATER THERAPY Dear Evan Hansen, the hit Broadway musical about an anxious teen and his holding-it-together single mom, has sparked all manner of conversations about mental health with its fans. Los Angeles Times ON STAGE F. Kathleen Foley checks out Everything That Never Happened at the Boston Court Pasadena, a play that re-imagines Shakespeares Merchant of Venice from a Jewish point of view. It is, she writes, audacious, imaginative and moving. Los Angeles Times Plus, The Times Daryl H. Miller reports on a work that riffs on Chekhov and the history of theater. Christopher Durangs Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike can feel a a bit stilted, he notes, but the actors otherwise spur the proceedings with funny line readings and comic bits. Los Angeles Times A scene from Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, at South Coast Repertory. (Debora Robinson / SCR) Millers also has got the lowdown on the 99-Seat Beat, including a Dalton Trumbo-inspired work at the Actors Gang. Los Angeles Times And Matthew Cooper comes through with weekend picks, including a festival of disruption. Los Angeles Times DANCE DANCE DANCE It was an evening devoted to contemporary and neoclassical works that were flecked with folksy charm. Contributing reviewer Christina Campodonico has a look at Los Angeles Ballets season opener at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Ballet dancers Bianca Bulle and Tigran Sargsyan in a dress rehearsal for Lickety-Split. (Reed Hutchinson / Los Angeles Ballet) IN OTHER NEWS The city of San Francisco will now require that public art feature more women. SF Gate Plus, the citys Galeria de la Raza, a key outpost of Chicano art, is being pushed out due to rent increases. Mission Local L.A.s Bob Baker Marionette Theater is leaving its home in Echo Park. A new home will reportedly be announced soon. Los Angeles Times The Museum of Contemporary Art has named longtime trustee Maria Seferian board chair; Carolyn Powers will serve as board president. Los Angeles Times How the Womens Center for Creative Work is helping female artists afford healthcare. Los Angeles Times Kerry James Marshall on the art of Bill Traylor. Hyperallergic Work by L.A. painter Mark Bradford made an appearance at Princess Eugenies wedding. Metro Can the Olympic Games be sustainable for a host city? Questions of gentrification still loom large. New York Times Architect Richard Meier is stepping down from the leadership of his firm after allegations of sexual harassment. New York Times Stella Lee, who came forward with the allegations, says the field hasnt yet reckoned with harassment. New York Times A good Q&A with USC architecture dean Milton Curry: Walking around South L.A. or Watts or Beverly Hills is really important to do ... you really start to unpack what these spaces are. Los Angeles LAST BUT NOT LEAST A website that allows you to upload your art to the Banksy shredder. Boing Boing Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter carolina.miranda@latimes.com | Twitter: @cmonstah For years, the professor told the assistant dean that she was beautiful and greeted her with hugs and a kiss on each cheek. During their time together at UC Irvine, Francisco J. Ayala, 84, and Benedicte Shipley, 50, perceived their encounters in dramatically different ways. He said he believed he was showing her admiration, respect and the courtly manners of his native Spain. She said she felt objectified and humiliated. Her version won out this year, when officials concluded that Ayala had sexually harassed Shipley and two other women. The university swiftly moved to erase his presence. The world-renowned geneticist resigned, was banned from campus and stripped of prestigious University of California titles. And though he had given Irvine $11.5 million in donations, his name was taken off the university buildings he helped support. Advertisement The sanctions have bitterly divided the campus, drawn international attention and underscored the growing complexity of the nations pitched battles over sexual harassment. A year has passed since the start of the #MeToo movement. How has it affected your life? As the #MeToo movement empowers more women to share their stories and hold powerful institutions accountable, the UC Irvine case highlights conflicting views about how to define sexual harassment and whether all offensive acts deserve equal punishment. That debate is likely to deepen if, as expected, the Trump administration changes federal sexual harassment standards for campuses. Under Title IX standards followed by UC, one marker of sexual harassment is unwanted conduct sufficiently severe or pervasive to unreasonably interfere with a persons education or employment. The administration is considering moving to a definition used by the U.S. Supreme Court that states the conduct also must be objectively offensive. Unwanted fondling or forcible kissing clearly crosses that line but people sharply disagree about Ayalas conduct, which included a 2015 incident in which he jokingly offered one of the women his lap as a seat at a faculty meeting (and then apologized after he learned she was offended). Elizabeth Loftus, a UCI professor of social ecology, law and cognitive science, said she found Ayalas hugs and cheek kisses adorable. Shipley, who said Ayala also on occasion rubbed his hands up and down her sides when hugging, viewed his behavior as more than creepy. Of the 10 women besides the complainants who said Ayala gave them compliments or greeted him with kisses, two said it made them feel uncomfortable, according to UCIs findings. The Times obtained an unredacted copy of the report. Others who witnessed Ayalas actions called them inappropriate. One called him a dirty old man. Rose McDermott, a Brown University professor who specializes in gender issues, believes younger women are more sensitive to perceived harassment than older ones. How we draw the line between inappropriate or patronizing behavior and genuine harassment is really challenging because women themselves dont agree, she said. Those in-between spaces are getting harder to negotiate. More than 100 scholars at UCI and around the world have signed a statement expressing concern that the sanctions were a massive overreaction. Kristen Monroe, a political science professor who signed the letter, described herself as a feminist whose natural proclivity is to be sympathetic to women. But she called the severity of the university sanctions against Ayala excessive and said close supervision and training might have been enough. A UCI spokeswoman said Ayala received multiple training sessions, both online and in person. He says they didnt address his routine greetings and compliments. The #MeToo movement has gone too far, Monroe said. On the other hand, 38 tenured professors who were Ayalas colleagues at the School of Biological Sciences have written an article supporting the women who took on the influential scholar despite potential risks to their careers. They said that excusing his unwelcome behavior as Old World manners was offensive, and that Ayala knew the rules but chose to break them. A powerful man sexualized junior colleagues in the workplace in a way that eroded rather than improved their self-confidence and morale, they wrote. Prolonged exposure to this kind of harassment can be as damaging to careers and mental health as demands for sexual favors in return for advancement. Last fall, UCI launched what turned into a six-month investigation after Shipley, assistant dean of the School of Biological Sciences, filed a complaint of sexual harassment, as did three members of the UCI Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department: Michelle Herrera, a graduate student; Kathleen Treseder, professor and department chairwoman; and Jessica Pratt, an assistant teaching professor. All four asked UCI to release their names. The investigation concluded that Ayala had sexually harassed Treseder, Pratt and Shipley. Investigators sided with the women on some claims that Ayala denies and that they could not corroborate including Treseders allegation that he told her he wanted to grab [her] ass and that he talked about her having an orgasm. Investigators noted that Treseder was so unnerved by Ayala that she stopped assigning him female teaching assistants and asked a male colleague to attend events with her. UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman accepted the investigation findings, praised the womens courage in stepping forward and justified the sanctions by noting the multiple substantiated allegations and the power differentials at play. UC President Janet Napolitano approved Gillmans actions. During a recent interview at a friends home, Ayala a former Dominican priest whose family vineyard made him a millionaire said he is continuing his academic research and does not plan to sue UCI, his academic home for three decades, or demand the return of his donations. Still, he said he felt dreadful, and that the university had done me as much damage as possible. He said he was troubled that, among the women who complained, only Pratt told him his behavior bothered her. If others had, he said, he would have stopped immediately. Unfortunately, these things I see as courtesies are interpreted by three or four women as sexual harassment, he said. Most people who know me will acknowledge my manners are very gentlemanly, very proper and I treat women and men with utmost respect. Shipley, who spoke to The Times in a campus conference room, acknowledged that she had not told Ayala how she felt but said she feared doing so would jeopardize her career. Over 28 years at UCI, she said, she worked her way up from an administrative assistant. Youre afraid of whats going to happen to you, Shipley said. Youre afraid for your future promotion. Even though her claims were vindicated, she said that speaking out cost me dearly in backlash from colleagues. Ayalas greater status is evident in photos of his office taken before he was expelled from campus: the framed images of him posing with U.S. presidents and the queen of Spain, the international awards, the more than two dozen honorary degrees. Shipleys office is stark. She explained she removed all personal photos and items because she felt threatened after some faculty members confronted her. In a letter to faculty last month, UCI Provost Enrique Lavernia said the administration welcomed ongoing conversation about the case but not insensitive or confrontational actions against the women who came forward. Fear of retaliation in the male-dominated world of science is a genuine barrier to reporting sexual harassment, according to a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. A 2003 national study cited in the report found that 58% of those surveyed in academia had experienced sexual harassment. Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Womens Law Center, said academic institutions too often fail to mete out meaningful consequences to sexual harassers. Im not deeply worried that institutions are going overboard in strong accountability for harassment, she said. I do not think we are anywhere near that. But Candace Hetzner, Boston Colleges associate dean for academic affairs who has spoken out about academic sexual harassment, said she worries that cases like Ayalas could jeopardize the progress that has been made. I am hearing from lots and lots of feminists who say its all gotten too complicated and heavy-handed, Hetzner said. Weve lost perspective on what truly matters. Rape and forced sex is heinous. Saying why dont you sit on my lap? is not. To the extent you dont make distinctions you risk getting a backlash that destroys much of what many of us have fought for for many, many years. teresa.watanabe@latimes.com Twitter: @TeresaWatanabe For many Corona City Council candidates, the issues are the run-of-the-mill stuff of local politics: improving traffic, better planning, a balanced budget. For Councilman Randy Fox, a pastor, the election is a spiritual battle. There is a bent toward throwing off the rule of God, he said recently at a local church. The way forward, Fox said, is to support three Christian pastors who are running together for council, one in each of three districts up for election next month for the five-person council. Advertisement Video of Foxs presentation at New Hope Family Worship Center was posted to a local politics blog. It prompted questions about the role of religion in the politics of this bedroom community during its first election by district a change made to help city leadership better reflect Coronas growing diversity. Fox appealed to the congregation to support pastors Shawn Kelly, Jeremy Mercer and Doug Husen, including by donating and walking door-to-door. Pastor Shawn Kelly is running for Corona City Council. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) He also warned of open proponents of gay marriage in the city and said a Muslim candidate who was involved with the local mosque would not say no to Sharia law, most certainly. He suggested that a candidate who works for Planned Parenthood would bring an abortion mill to the Riverside County city. Corona, long a diverse city, has grown more so as its population doubled in the last 30 years to more than 160,000. A mosque in town serves hundreds of Muslim families, and the city is about 43% Latino. But even as it grows, and commuters clog its roads, it has kept a small-town feel. It used to be that you couldnt go anywhere and not run into somebody you knew, said Vice Mayor Eugene Montanez. Thats not the case any more, he said, but the community itself feels very small still. The pastors have said they did not plan to run together and got to know one another well only after entering the race. Each is running his own campaign, though they share common beliefs, they said. Were kind of cut from the same cloth, said Husen, an associate pastor at Crossroads Christian Church. They have held fundraisers as the pastors for City Council and made the rounds together on local Christian radio shows. They have raised tens of thousands of dollars and are endorsed by the Republican Party of Riverside County, but as of late last month, each had raised significantly less than other candidates in their districts. Pastor Jeremy Mercer is running for Corona City Council. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) In August, the Corona Firefighters Assn. endorsed Jacque Casillas, a healthcare advocate with Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest who is running against Kelly. In response, the pastors wrote a joint letter withdrawing their requests for the groups support and saying Casillas endorsement crossed a moral line for us and we must take a stand. Casillas did not respond to requests for an interview. Mercer, who has lived in Corona for 17 years and is a pastor at Connection Church, said fellow pastors had long encouraged him to run, but it wasnt until this year, after praying with his wife, that he decided to do so, making him one of 11 candidates for the three seats. He said he agreed with Fox that the city is in a spiritual battle. Christians feel very much under attack. They have felt outcast, Mercer said. Mercer has said he was motivated to run in part by a proposed state law to curtail paid conversion therapy, which claims to change a persons sexual orientation. The proposal was shelved by its author after opposition from religious groups. I know so many who are former homosexuals who have been forgiven by God, been set free by the power of the gospel, Mercer said recently on a local Christian radio program. Locally, he said, his priority is safety. He does not feel he can leave his wife and son at home alone, a problem he attributed to a growing homeless population. If elected, he said, he would work to make the citys message to the homeless: Were not going to allow you to come here and set up shop. City Council candidate Fauzia Rizvi campaigns door-to-door in a Corona neighborhood. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Asked whether he agreed with Foxs comment that Fauzia Rizvi a Muslim woman running in the same district as Husen would seek to impose Islamic law in the city, Mercer said: I dont know Fauzias beliefs. Im concerned for anyone that wants to bring any other law to Corona. When asked whether Rizvi had ever said anything to suggest she would bring any religious laws to the city, he said: Not that I have heard her say. Husen, who has campaigned with the motto Business Mind, Pastors Heart, said he knows some pastors stay away from politics but, like Mercer, he and his wife prayed and decided he should run. I dont live under the illusion that government is the hope of the world. The local church is the hope of the world, he said. But government can create a free environment where people thrive. Husen said his priorities include improving traffic, balancing the city budget and honoring our promises to our retirees. He said he had seen video of Foxs comments only once, and declined to comment on it. Husens campaign website includes a section on Inspirational and Devotional Bible readings. In one post, he writes about cults like Mormonism and Jehovahs Witness lured by a type of trickery. He said its not really a campaign issue and noted that some posts were written years ago. He was simply describing those religions, he said, adding, its not a derogatory term, its an explanatory one. Kellys campaign website describes him as the founder of Coronas Hope Recovery Center, a non-profit center born out of Shawns own life experience. On its website, Hope Recovery Center Inc. bills itself as a Christian, Non profit 501c3 Recovery Center. According to the IRS, Hope Recovery Centers federal tax-exempt status was revoked in 2017 for failure to file returns for three years in a row. Kelly declined to be interviewed. Montanez, the vice mayor, said he felt Fox was in part reacting to local gadflies when he spoke about a spiritual battle in Corona. In his talk, Fox spoke about a set of hecklers there...every City Council meeting, referring to them as a hate group. The state Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating a complaint against Fox made by one frequent City Hall critic over questions of how the councilman paid for a trip to Washington, D.C. In a brief interview, Fox said his speech was giving voice to the concerns of local churchgoers. He said his comments about sharia law were made because church members had approached him fearing that if Rizvi were elected, the mosque would begin broadcasting a call to prayer. Rizvi has not made any such proposal, nor have mosque leaders, which Fox acknowledged. Some locals are asking if Foxs statements at the church violated the Johnson Amendment, which bars tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from actively supporting political candidates. Robert Boston, a senior advisor with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he saw a clear violation. This church is clearly trying to intervene in an election by helping three City Council candidates get elected, he said. But Lawrence Rosenthal, a law professor at Chapman University in Orange, disagreed, based on what he saw in the video. It appears that the pastor was endeavoring to present this in terms of voter education, which is permitted, Rosenthal said. Ron King, the pastor who introduced Fox at New Hope, declined to be interviewed. When Rizvi and her family moved to Corona from Anaheim Hills about 18 years ago, there were already a number of Muslim families in town and people were very open to us, she said. The biggest drawback was the commute for a time, she worked in Carlsbad and grew to dread sitting in traffic for hours a day. A few years ago, she became the first woman in a leadership position at Coronas mosque, the Islamic Society of Corona-Norco. Rizvi decided to run for council this year with a message of improving traffic, sensible development and making the city more attractive to business. I feel like its time, she said. I wanted to bring diversity to the City Council. Earlier this month, Rizvi campaigned in a neighborhood of tract homes with street names like Patriot Way and Freedom Drive. At one home, a man listened as Rizvi, in a black headscarf and flowing blouse, described the new district elections and said that Corona is approving development without proper planning. When she was done, he said: The only real concern is traffic. They commiserated about long commutes and the man told her he would look into her candidacy. As she walked away, Rizvi said she does not see the spiritual battle Fox described in her town. This race [has] nothing to do with race or religion, she said. Traffic is the biggest issue. paloma.esquivel@latimes.com For more Inland Empire news follow me @palomaesquivel Oscar Levi Dominguez was 8 years old the last time his father took him to hear Archbishop Oscar Romero speak outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador. Romero, who implored the countrys right-wing government to do more for the poor and was an outspoken critic of the repressive tactics of the military, was a regular part of Dominguezs young life: He baptized him and gave him communion. One Sunday Romero was in the middle of Mass when gunfire erupted in the crowd. There was panic. Dominguez said his father took him by the hand and they fled to the National Palace, where they hid until things quieted down. Advertisement Romero survived the incident, only to be killed a few weeks later while celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel. An unknown assailant approached the altar and shot Romero in the heart. Dominguez, now 45 and the president of the El Salvador Community Corridor along Vermont Street in the Pico Union neighborhood, said he thinks of Romero often. As the Vatican readies to canonize the heroic bishop this weekend, Los Angeles large population of Salvadoran immigrants are remembering the man they called Monsenor Romero. He had the heart to empower people, Dominguez said from his small office on Vermont Street, holding a small scarf emblazoned with Romeros image. He had the heart to fight injustice. He gave poor people hope that someone was going to stand up against the violence and the government. Romeros image is found scattered around the neighborhood. The intersection of Pico Boulevard and Vermont Avenue is officially known as Oscar Romero Square. There are two murals of him at the intersection, including one overlooking a bus stop that is painted on the walls of the Pulgarcito, a family restaurant that specializes in Salvadoran food. Nobody has painted over it, said Nelsy Valdez, 24, the granddaughter of the Salvadoran woman who started the restaurant in the early 1990s. People today still have a lot of respect for him. A mural of Oscar Romero seems to bless pedestrians who wait to cross the street on Pico Boulevard. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Valdezs parents grew up in El Salvador near Usulutan, but she was born in the United States and didnt know much about Romero until after the intersection was named after him around 2012. She learned about his impact on the poor and the reverence many in her family even those who are not Catholic hold for him. He is like the pope of El Salvador, she said. Forty-five-year-old Yesenia Seepas, who works as a travel agent along Vermont, still remembers the daily terror that came with growing up during El Salvadors civil war during the 1980s. She and her family would hide under their beds when gunfire broke out near their hometown of San Buenaventura. She still remembers seeing bodies hung by their feet, sometimes without their heads. It could be a hopeless place to grow up. But Romeros Masses were sometimes broadcast on the radio and inspired hope, Seepas remembered, simply for their honesty about the countrys struggles. He fought for human rights, he defined the poor and he told the truth thats why he was killed, she said in Spanish, shaking her head slowly. It is important to her that he is remembered by new generations of Salvadoran immigrants in the United States. She hopes his canonization will ensure his place in history. . It has been a long time coming and a long fight, she said. A few blocks away Gloria Elisabeth Mancia, 62, sat underneath a tent and tended to her table where she sells mangoes, red beans and tamales. She tried to recall Romeros impact when he was alive. Mancia was in her 20s when Romero was delivering his sermons and growing into a popular activist figure among the poor. But she didnt get to know him and his history until after his assassination. Thats when he achieved larger fame throughout the country. He inspired a lot of us, she said. Here is more about Romero from the archives of the Los Angeles Times: What is Romeros story? Born in 1917, Romero began his career in the church as a relative conservative. But years of seeing how El Salvadors poor were mistreated by a handful of rich oligarchs turned him against the elite. He was spurred to social action a few weeks after being appointed archbishop in 1977, when a fellow priest who had called for workers rights was slain. It was the early days of El Salvadors civil war, which pitted rebels against a right-wing government backed by the United States. In homilies and widely broadcast radio shows, Romero implored the government to do more for the poor and criticized the repressive tactics of the military. He gained international recognition when he wrote a letter to President Carter asking the U.S. to stop military aid to El Salvador. The day before he was killed, Romero delivered a sermon begging soldiers not to obey orders to kill civilians. In the name of God I beg you, I beseech you, I order you to stop the repression, he said. The next evening, while delivering a Mass at a chapel in a hospital, an unknown assassin approached the altar and shot Romero through the heart. Although no one was convicted of the crime, a United Nations truth commission concluded in 1992 that army Maj. Roberto DAubuisson gave the order. Chaos ensued at Romeros funeral, and dozens of people were killed. The left and the right blamed each other for sparking the violence. That incident and Romeros death were seen as key events at the start of El Salvadors 12-year civil war, in which 75,000 people were killed and thousands disappeared. What was Romeros path to sainthood? There was talk of sainthood in the wake of his assassination, but its been a long road. Conservatives within the church long blocked efforts to name Romero a saint, arguing he was slain for his politics, not his religion. The case for Romeros canonization stalled at the Vatican under the papacy of John Paul II, part of a generation of clergy who disliked Romeros associations with liberation theology a movement that argued that while clergy members should care for the poor, they also should push for political changes to end poverty. Pope Francis, a Jesuit from Argentina who became pope in 2013 and whose core belief is helping the poor, has made Romeros ascension a priority. He cleared the way for him to be beatified in 2015 and now for canonization, the last step to sainthood. Francis announced the sainthood move in May. Why is Romero such a powerful symbol in Los Angeles? Hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans fled to Southern California in the 1980s to escape the civil war and continue to emigrate here today. Romeros activism became a symbol of hope, and he long has been a highly honored figure. In 2013, a plaza was established in his honor at 7th and Alvarado streets in the Westlake neighborhood of MacArthur Park, home to many Salvadorans. In announcing the plaza, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the monument will be a symbol that shows our city stands in agreement with Romeros principles. This is more than a monument of a man, Garcetti said at the time. This is a monument that salutes courage, humanitarianism and the rights of the poor. A Los Angeles County judge Friday reversed an order he issued two days earlier that barred journalists from publishing a description of two men charged with murder who have appeared in open court. The reversal came after The Times challenged the order on grounds that it was an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech. Superior Court Judge Gustavo N. Sztraicher acknowledged he did not fully understand the scope of an objection he sustained from a defense attorney Wednesday that any descriptors of a defendant not be published in the media because doing so could unduly influence potential witnesses. Alternate Public Defender Ernesto Pacheco clarified Friday that he didnt want details including the gender, race, height, weight, hair color or tattoos on his client, Dejone Wright, to be publicized. Wrights age, height, weight, hair color, eye color and race are listed on a public online roster of county jail inmates. Advertisement In reversing his order, Sztraicher said any observations made by a reporter who is lawfully in court may be reported and disseminated. The move marked the second time in less than a month that Sztraicher reversed an order he made prohibiting journalists from publishing aspects of a court proceeding. Last month he allowed photos to be taken in court of a man charged with killing multiple homeless people but later told journalists they were not permitted to publish the images. He soon undid his order after The Times and the Associated Press said it violated the 1st Amendment. At a proceeding Wednesday attended by Times reporter Cindy Chang, Sztraicher addressed a request from The Times to take photographs in the courtroom. Pacheco asked the judge to deny the picture request and to prohibit journalists from publishing any descriptors of his client. Sztraicher disallowed photographs and sustained the objection about the descriptors. On Friday, Pacheco said he did not know to what extent [witness] identification is critical in the case, but he argued that any information about his clients appearance, if published, would affect the outcome of a jury trial. Dan Laidman, an attorney for The Times, told the judge that Pachecos reasoning was too speculative and that general concerns about witness identification issues were not sufficient to allow for an infringement on speech. No court has ever approved of prior restraint on those grounds, Laidman said. Wright, a slight, dark-skinned 20-year-old with close-cropped black hair in a blue jail uniform, stood handcuffed in an enclosed space in the courtroom. He and Brandon Dixon, 23, were each charged with one count of murder and four counts of premeditated attempted murder in the July 1 death of Garry Dorton, a 48-year-old gang interventionist. The pair also face firearms charges. A third suspect was charged in juvenile court with one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder and a count each of assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle. The judges order and reversal applied to Wright and Dixon, with Pacheco representing both Friday during the hearing. Dixon waived his appearance. The U.S. Supreme Court has held perhaps most memorably in the case that allowed the press to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971 that the government is generally forbidden from prohibiting speech. Numerous other rulings have said members of the public cannot be barred from publishing what they observe in court. It takes a very great deal for a judge to be able to order the media not to report what is in the public record, whether it stems from observing someone in court or based on a journalists own research and interviews, said Eugene Volokh, a 1st Amendment law professor at UCLA. John Eastman, a constitutional law professor at Chapman University, said it would not be unheard of for a judge to bar publication of certain elements of a court case to preserve witness identification, but it would only be justified if there was specific evidence that the risk of an unfair trial to a defendant was extraordinary. In 2010, a California appellate court overturned an order that blocked The Times from publishing images of a murder suspect. A judge in that case had authorized pictures to be taken in court but later ordered the images not be published after a defense attorney said the photos could jeopardize his clients right to a fair trial. A three-judge appellate panel said the defendant failed to prove his rights would be violated and ruled the order unconstitutional. The next hearing in the case involving Wright and Dixon is Oct. 24. maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau A special Mass in Los Angeles on Sunday will honor seven people, including former Pope Paul VI and slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero as theyre elevated to sainthood during a canonization ceremony in Rome. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels downtown will also pay tribute to four other religious leaders and an orphan boy during a Spanish-language Mass at 12:15 p.m., hours after they are canonized by Pope Francis at the Vatican. Three thousand people are expected to fill the L.A. cathedral for the special mass. The event will be livestreamed from the cathedrals Facebook and YouTube pages. For many in attendance, the focus will be on Romero, who is revered as a hero for fighting oppression and resisting the massacre of poor people during the civil war in his native El Salvador. Advertisement Romero was shot in the heart by a right-wing death squad as he celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel in 1980. For years, church conservatives tried to block Romeros canonization because they perceived him as a left-wing radical. Salvadorans at home and abroad cheered the Vaticans announcement in March that Pope Francis had cleared the path for Romeros sainthood, with some calling it a sign of hope at a time when the Trump administration was rescinding temporary protected status for Salvadorans in the U.S. We thank God for these canonizations, said Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles. Our new saint, Paul VI, was prophet for our times. ... Monsenor Romero was a heroic bishop and martyr for the faith. Thousands of Salvadorans, many of them from Los Angeles, have traveled to the Vatican over the past week to witness the canonization firsthand. Parishes across Los Angeles, home to a large community of Salvadoran immigrants and their descendants, have been holding vigils and Masses highlighting Romeros life. A chapel featuring relics and photographs in his honor will be open inside the cathedral through Oct. 26. maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau Roelof Pik Botha, the last foreign minister of South Africas apartheid era and a contradictory figure who staunchly defended white minority rule but recognized that change was inevitable, died Friday. He was 86. Botha died in the early hours of the morning at his home after an illness, his son, also named Roelof, told South Africas eNCA news outlet. Internationally, Botha was the most visible representative of apartheid at the height of protests and sanctions against the racist rule that ended with Nelson Mandelas election as the first black president in 1994. Often willing to passionately debate critics, the longtime foreign minister was vilified around the world while drawing the ire of his own boss, President P.W. Botha, when he said in 1986 that South Africa might one day have a black leader. Advertisement Merely because you are riding on a plane doesnt mean that you agree with the pilots decisions, Botha said in a 1996 interview with peace advocate Padraig OMalley. Pik Botha, who was not related to the apartheid-era president, later served for two years as minister of mineral and energy affairs under Mandela, and said in 2000 that he would join the African National Congress, the ruling party that had led the movement against white minority rule for decades. Botha was one of the few in the apartheid structure who realized at an early stage that apartheid was a wrong and crime against humanity, the ANC said in a condolence message. He will be remembered for his support for South Africas transition to democracy and for his service in the first democratic administration, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa quoted him as saying. It said Bothas 17-year stint as foreign minister was a world record in the diplomatic community. Apartheids last president, F.W. de Klerk, said Botha was a unique and colorful personality who advocated reform, constitutional negotiations and the release of Mandela from prison during intense discussions within the white minority government in the 1980s. But some South Africans are critical of Botha and other apartheid-era leaders who negotiated their own political exit in relative peace, saying their association with a system that denied basic rights to most of the population was unforgivable. Botha dropped out of active politics in 1996 after leaving Mandelas Cabinet when the National Party, the ruling party during apartheid, pulled out of South Africas national unity government. He has said he opposed the partys decision. He made few public comments after that, though said in some interviews that he felt remorse and was even haunted by apartheids legacy, while also highlighting his efforts to change the system from within and oppose international communism. Botha was absolutely delighted when Ramaphosa, a key ANC leader and negotiating counterpart during the transition to democratic rule in the early 1990s, became president in February, Bothas son said. Ramaphosa replaced Jacob Zuma, the scandal-marred president who resigned. Botha, also a former South African ambassador to the United States, was foreign minister from 1977 until the end of apartheid in 1994. He was involved in negotiations in the late 1980s that led to independence in neighboring Namibia and the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, where South Africa had been involved in a conflict of Cold War proxies. The reduction in regional tensions was followed by the 1990 release of Mandela, who had spent 27 years in apartheid prisons. In the 1996 interview with OMalley, Botha pondered the hard choices he made as apartheids frontman. Now you can say to me, but I should have resigned and gone into the desert and isolated myself and shout and kick. That was one choice, yes, he said. The other one was to say the things I did say to change peoples minds and to try and be a factor in the transformation that took place, Botha said. Maybe I should have resigned and maybe I should have left politics, but I hung in there. When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. But two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred up by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. Were nowhere near done, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. The groups work today is the same thing that was there 20 years ago. Days before the anniversary of Shepards death, about 200 people attended a forum in Laramie questioning the prevailing view that he was murdered because of his sexual orientation. Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low ... We Go Dance. Advertisement The acrimony over Shepards legacy runs high here, just as it did when anti-gay and gay rights protesters squared off at his funeral in Casper. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. Once people find out Im from Laramie, Wyoming, they still zero in on this hate crime, said Trudy McCraken, who spoke at the forum and was Laramies mayor at the time of the slaying. Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, Burlingame said. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. Today it has fewer women in its Legislature than any other state and remains hesitant to adopt policies to counter anti-gay bias and violence. It is among just five states along with Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina that have not passed laws focused on crimes motivated by the victims identity, such as sexual orientation. President Obama signed a federal hate crime prevention act named after Shepard in 2009, a law that Shepards mother, Judy Shepard, said has been helpful. Laramie did not pass an ordinance barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity until 2015. The University of Wyoming created its diversity office only last year. Attorneys for Wyoming in 2014 argued in defense of the states definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, a case later rendered moot by higher court rulings. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. This 1989 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard in San Francisco. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S. (Matthew Shepard Foundation) Twenty years on, its a heck of a lot closer to being a place where people can enjoy their lives more or less equally, said Marsden, who was a newspaper reporter and friend of Shepards at the time of his killing. The convicted killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, are each serving two consecutive life sentences. Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthews family, and for my family, for all of us, to go through, it opened up all of us to be better people and really think about who we are, Henderson said of Shepards death in a prison interview Tuesday with the Associated Press. Still, he said, neither he nor McKinney was motivated by anti-gay hatred when they offered Shepard a ride home from a bar. Instead, he said, they were out to rob him of money and possibly drugs when they drove him to the edge of town on the night of Oct. 6, 1998. He described himself as a follower of others, including the more charismatic McKinney, and was afraid to lose face by doing more to prevent the crime or just going home. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. Henderson tied Shepard to the fence after McKinney told him to do it, he said. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. The next day, a mountain biker found him. Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. For the last 20 years, his parents have kept his ashes, fearing a gravesite would be a magnet for vandals and be continually desecrated. He will finally be laid to rest, with last weeks announcement that he will be interred in the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul commonly known as the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The cathedral has more than 200 prominent individuals buried there, including President Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. Because of overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. McKinney is now in a Mississippi prison and not agreeing to interview requests, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. Henderson, who pleaded guilty to avoid a possible death sentence, is serving his time at a medium-security prison in Torrington, a quiet farming-and-ranching town a few miles from the Nebraska line. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. I think about Matthew every single day of my life. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this, Henderson said. One gay rights activist argues that Henderson has paid his dues for what he described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think he has atoned. I think he has a contribution to make to society, said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Philadelphia-based LGBTQ group Equality Forum and a former federal prosecutor. Marsden pointed out that only Wyomings governor could commute Hendersons sentence, a prospect that he called super unlikely. Burlingame of Wyoming Equality said she believes in redemption but doubts Henderson has really atoned for the crime. She said her organization will continue its unapologetic advocacy, reaching out to churches, businesses, legislators and regular citizens about their policies and attitudes. For the last 20 years, the work of Wyoming Equality has really been this race, that we want to get to every LGBT person out there, Burlingame said. But were also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells. Q: What are the significant results of the high-level Vietnamese NA delegations trip to MSEAP 3? A: NA Chairwoman Ngans working trip clearly demonstrated Vietnams viewpoint of wishing to be a sincere friend and reliable partner of all countries in the world, as well as to enhance the effective cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and other countries parliaments in the region. MSEAP 3 recorded the largest number of participating delegations, at 35, showing the great interest of the member countries parliaments. The theme of the meeting, Economic Cooperation, Environment and Sustainable Development in Eurasia, both focused on the issues that could be immediately resolved and long-term strategic issues. In addition to discussing the general theme, the speeches of the heads of delegations comprehensively covered the major areas of security, politics, economics, and the environment, as well as emerging issues in the Eurasian region. The member countries focused deeply on terrorism, violence, migration, and even such sensitive issues at present as trade protection and trade conflicts. Most of the comments were made in the spirit of facilitating cooperation and development in the region, thereby ensuring sustainable development and prosperity for the countries. In her speech, NA Chairwoman Ngan emphasised the responsibilities of parliaments in encouraging governments of countries in the region to foster economic links and accelerate multilateral trade to contribute to the growth of each nation and the entire region. Hailing climate change as the cause of disasters, poverty and the risk of lagging behind, the senior Vietnamese legislator called for joint hands to overcome the impacts of climate change and strengthen support for developing countries to help enhance their self-defence capabilities against the adverse effects of climate change. MSEAP3 issued the Antalya Joint Statement, and the Vietnamese delegation also participated in the drafting of the document. Vietnams contributions to the Joint Statement were strongly recognised and supported by the member countries. Particularly, the Vietnamese delegation raised a major issue that all disputes must be resolved by peaceful means and in accordance with international law, including the East Sea issue. Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attends the opening ceremony of the MSEAP 3 in Antalya, Turkey, on October 9 (Photo: VNA) Q: What do you assess of the results of NA Chairwoman Ngans four bilateral meetings on the sidelines of MSEAP 3? A: Most of the parliament speakers saw MSEAP as an ideal opportunity to meet their counterparts in other countries to discuss bilateral cooperation. During MSEAP 3, Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Ngan held separate meetings with Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Republic of Korea (RoK)s NA Moon Hee-sang, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the NA of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko, and Chairman of the Mazhilis (lower house) of the parliament of Kazakhstan Nurlan Z. Nigmatulin. At a meeting with the Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, the two sides agreed on the establishment of the high-level Inter-parliamentary Committee of the Vietnamese NA and the State Duma of Russia, at the initiative of the Russian side, aiming to deal with the cooperation issues between the two countries, thus boosting bilateral cooperation in a more effective manner. Receiving the Speaker of the RoKs NA, the two senior legislators agreed that with the potential, advantages and good relations between the two countries, the goal of increasing two-way trade to US$100 billion in the near future is quite feasible. The Chairman of the House of Representatives of the NA of Belarus raised the issue of bringing the relations between the two countries to new heights. He invited the Vietnamese NA leader to pay an official visit to Belarus in order to organise a joint business forum between the two countries, urging the two sides to promptly sign a cooperation agreement. The Chairman of the Mazhilis (lower house) of the parliament of Kazakhstan also voiced his wish to develop Vietnam-Kazakhstan relations to new levels, while strengthening bilateral transport and seaport connections aiming to facilitate the trade of goods between the two countries. Q: What are the results of NA Chairwoman Ngans official visit to Turkey? A: During her visit to Turkey, NA Chairwoman Ngan held talks with Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Binali Yildirim and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish leaders highly appreciated and considered Vietnam as an important partner of Turkey in the Asia-Pacific region. The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly voiced his wish to further enhance bilateral ties, especially the exchange of high-level delegations and parliamentary friendship groups of the two countries. Between now and the end of the year, Turkey will send a Turkey-Vietnam parliamentary friendship group on a working visit to Vietnam. The working trip of NA Chairwoman Ngan and the high-level NA delegation to Turkey for MSEAP 3 and for an official visit to Turkey came to a successful end, clearly showing Vietnams standpoint of wishing to be a sincere friend and a reliable partner of countries around the world, while strengthening the effective cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and other parliaments in the region. As homeless encampments have sprawled across sidewalks throughout the city of Los Angeles, officials have struggled to balance the needs of the people who live in them with the needs of the other city residents who walk past them, work around them and live nearby, and who are alternately annoyed and discomfited by their presence. The city has yet to get that balance right. In March of 2016, the City Council set new rules specifying (to the gallon) the amount of personal property homeless people can carry with them and setting guidelines for the confiscation and storage of any excess by city workers. At the same time, the city was slapped with a lawsuit alleging that sanitation workers had thuggishly snatched homeless peoples possessions and destroyed them during arrests and cleanups. As a result, a court put the city under an injunction limiting the confiscation of belongings in the skid row area of downtown. The case is pending, and downtown business groups contend that the injunction has discouraged any enforcement at all, leaving sidewalks choked with the tents and other belongings of homeless people. In another attempt to clean up sidewalks, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the council rolled out a program to place new, city-run bridge shelters in areas with concentrated homeless populations. The mayor vowed that if neighborhoods embraced the shelters, which would take in homeless people from the surrounding streets, he would step up sanitation services and the enforcement of ordinances against lingering on sidewalks during the day and amassing excessive property in those particular neighborhoods. Shortly after the city announced the start of this effort in the Olvera Street area around the new El Pueblo shelter, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles sent Garcetti a letter warning that such enforcement could result in violations of homeless peoples constitutional rights. Homelessness wont be solved by pushing people from street corner to street corner or by taking away their shopping carts. Advertisement This seesaw between protecting the rights of homeless people and trying to address the broader needs of all city residents will continue as long as there are thousands of homeless people living on the streets. Rather than engaging in an endless series of battles in court with homeless people and their advocates, the mayor and council should work out plans with those advocates for making the sidewalks cleaner and functional while not infringing on homeless peoples rights. Thats just what the Legal Aid lawyers asked for in their letter to the mayor. Of course, the city should not give up on trying to keep the streets clean, safe and usable, and especially to address issues that affect public health. (See the recent article in the Los Angeles Times about the spread of typhus among the homeless.) Toward that goal, there are some basic things the city should be doing right now. It should provide more toilets and shower facilities in areas with large concentrations of homeless people (such as skid row). And it should have sanitation workers provide trash cans on streets with homeless encampments and schedule pickups. It also needs to provide more storage facilities for peoples belongings. If the city is going to stick with its 60-gallon limit on belongings, or if it is going to more aggressively enforce its existing ban on sitting and sleeping on the sidewalks during the day, officials must remember and so should we all that the ultimate solution, the only real long-term solution, to this crisis lies in getting more people housed faster. Homelessness wont be solved by pushing people from street corner to street corner or by taking away their shopping carts. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion As of now, not one room of housing funded by Proposition HHH, the $1.2-billion bond measure city voters approved two years ago to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless people, has opened. Nor will any open this year. Almost 2,100 units of supportive housing have been approved; a few hundred of these are in construction, the rest are still in preliminary stages. Some will open next year. But most wont open until 2020 or 2021. Its difficult to speed up the completion of low-income and homeless housing development projects. The city pays for only a portion of the project. Rounding up the rest of the funding sources often takes more than a year. Thats before construction, which takes an additional year or two, even starts. Given that timeline, the mayor and the City Council need to push for more innovative approaches to building this housing. That could mean using prefabricated units, building shared housing (which would get more people off the street faster) or finding speedier ways to secure financing. Miguel Santana, the former city official who now chairs the citizens committee overseeing HHH funding, is working on a new set of guidelines for developers who want to take different, faster approaches to financing and building. Progress on that front is crucial if the city is going to make headway anytime soon on its homelessness crisis. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook. The allegations that a Saudi Arabian journalist was killed and dismembered by agents of his own government earlier this month are both grotesque and chilling. They obviously require a thorough investigation and, if true, must be followed by punishment or sanctions for those responsible. But the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi could also lead to an overdue shift in U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia, which under the Trump administration has been irresponsibly indulgent. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post, has been critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old de facto leader of the kingdom, comparing him in one column to Vladimir Putin. On Oct. 2, Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork necessary for his upcoming marriage. He hasnt been seen since. The Saudi government insisted that Khashoggi left the consulate shortly after he arrived. Turkish security officials, however, have told news organizations that Khashoggi was killed and his body cut into pieces. According to a report in the Washington Post, the Turkish government has told U.S. officials that it has audio and video recordings that prove Khashoggi was killed. Speculation has raged about what exactly may have happened, with scenarios ranging from premeditated assassination to a bungled kidnapping. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi could also lead to an overdue shift in U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia. Advertisement President Trump, who presumably has been briefed on what U.S. intelligence has learned about this incident, said that to reporters, to anybody, we cannot let this happen. But he also, disappointingly, tried to distance himself from the situation, noting that Khashoggi wasnt a U.S. citizen and that he disappeared in Turkey rather than in the United States. Members of Congress have taken a firmer stand. Last week, Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the ranking Democrat, wrote a letter to Trump triggering an investigation of Khashoggis disappearance under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. That law requires the president to conduct an investigation to determine if a foreign person has committed human-rights violations against individuals who seek to obtain, exercise, defend or promote human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression. Those found responsible can be subjected to sanctions. A finding that the Saudi government violated Khashoggis rights by kidnapping him or killing him could have another effect: It could lead to even greater skepticism in Congress about the Trump administrations embrace of the crown prince, who has been viewed by the administration as a bulwark against Iranian influence (as well as a steady customer for U.S. arms sales) but is regarded by others in the region as a disruptive force. A particular concern in Congress has been the humanitarian cost of Saudi Arabias aggressive air campaign in support of the internationally recognized government of Yemen in its war against Houthi rebels backed by Iran. The U.S. has provided the Saudi-led coalition with intelligence and reconnaissance support and refueling while urging the coalition to try to minimize civilian casualties. Nevertheless, civilians continue to die. In August, a coalition airstrike attacked a school bus that military officials thought was carrying Houthi fighters. Dozens of children were killed. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion The Yemen war has been designated the worlds worst humanitarian crisis by the U.N. and the European Union. More than 22 million people are desperately in need of aid and protection, said the U.N. Secretary General earlier this year. On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contesting his certification that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had undertaken demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of these governments. The senators countered that civilian deaths and casualties due to coalition airstrikes have increased dramatically in recent months. Whatever the truth behind Khashoggis disappearance, the U.S. needs to stop writing Saudi Arabia a blank check. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook All happy partisans are alike; each unhappy partisan is unhappy in his own way. Max Boot, the Russian-born hawkish polemicist, was a deeply unhappy Republican. His cells hurt when Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency in 2015. Then Trump kept amping to 11 the note of racism latent in Republican thinking, and Boot was struck by deeper plasmic horror. I had denied that Republicans were racist, Boot said recently. I couldnt deny it anymore. Tom Nichols, an author and professor at the U.S. Naval War College, was also an unhappy Republican. Earlier this month, during the Supreme Court confirmation vote, when Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) gave her never-ending spiel of sophistry in announcing she was all-in for pity-party Brett Kavanaugh, Nichols knew his party was jacked. Advertisement The GOP, Nichols wrote last week, exists only for the exercise of raw political power. David Weissman a U.S. Army veteran and once, in his words, a full-fledged, unapologetic, red-hat wearing Trumper was an unhappy Trumper. He had bought Fox News spiteful gibberish for a long time, but then marquee liberals on Twitter got Socratic on him. He gamely followed their links to reliable articles about Hillary Clinton, Planned Parenthood and gun control. Surely there are still Republicans whod die for Trump? In 2017, he decided hed been brainwashed. I slowly began reevaluating my principles, he wrote in June in the Forward. All three of these men have changed parties. Nichols is a newborn independent who has said hell vote his conscience. Boot registered as an independent in 2015, and now says he wants Democrats in charge. Weissman, in a still more aggressive 180, has registered as a Democrat. On Twitter, he promised no less than @hillaryclinton that he will help bring the blue wave. An American citizen living in Israel, Weissman recently tweeted a picture of his mail-in ballot. He voted true blue. Boot, Nichols and Weissman are hardly alone. At the time of Trumps nomination, former New Hampshire Sen. Gordon Humphrey fled the Republican Party. Steve Schmidt, onetime Republican strategist, also peaced out and now urges all Americans to vote for Democrats. Columnist and former Republican member of Congress Joe Scarborough quit in 2017 as the GOP Congress seemed to be losing its mind. Presidential aide Peter Wehner left both the evangelical movement and the Republican Party in December 2017, when Trump backed alleged child molester Roy Moore in a special election to fill Jeff Sessions Senate seat in Alabama. There are times in life when the institutional ground underneath you begins to crumble and with it, longstanding attachments, Wehner wrote. Such is the case for me when it comes to the Republican Party and evangelicalism. August conservative columnist George F. Will re-registered as unaffiliated before the 2016 election. He has since denounced the GOP as a bunch of abject careerists and especially denounced the partys family-shredding policy along the southern border. James B. Comey, who was FBI director until Trump fired him last year, was a Republican until 2016. Then, after Trumps obsequious joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July, Comey tweeted, All who believe in this countrys values must vote for Democrats this fall. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Michael R. Bloomberg, the financial-services/media mogul and former mayor of New York, was a Republican until 2007, then he became an independent. Now hes moved to the left, and on Oct. 10, he announced (on Instagram) that hes a registered Democrat because we need Democrats to provide the checks and balances our nation so badly needs. I know what youre thinking. Boot, Comey, Bloomberg? These are all freethinking white men of accomplishment and high intelligence. (Freethinking figures of all other genders and races gave up on the GOP ages ago.) But what about the blind loyalists who follow Trump like bots, through thick and thin, Fifth Avenue shootings and family-shreddings at the border? Surely there are still Republicans whod die for Trump? Maybe. Or maybe not. On Thursday around noon, as Internet sleuths observed, a middle-aged voter in New York fired up the website of the states Albany-based Board of Elections. No one quite knows what the man was thinking, but he cant have had heart eyes for Trump as he navigated to his voter profile. The voter then tapped a couple of keys. As of last week, Michael Cohen, Trumps former fixer who once said hed take a bullet for the president, is a Democrat. Twitter: @page88 When it comes to the amount of letters to the editor we receive on any given issue, there are topics that draw a lot of submissions over a long period of time (cough, Brett Kavanaugh, cough), articles that result in a brief but voluminous burst of responses (weekly columns, for example), and topics that lead to a prolonged back-and-forth between a handful of readers. I find that the latter category produces some of the most interesting, print-worthy letters sent to the L.A. Times. The latest example is the Sept. 30 op-ed article on the rescue of Denmarks Jews during World War II, which prompted a response from a reader, printed on Oct. 10, who said his father risked his life during the Nazi occupation of France by hiding Jews in his barn. That letter moved others to write. Barbara Grillet of El Cajon thanks resisters in every occupied nation: Thank you to reader Robert Grillet, who wrote of his fathers heroism in sheltering more than 60 people, including Jews, from the occupying Nazis in France. In every Nazi-occupied country, including Germany, courageous individuals risked their lives to protect the innocent in defiance of their own governments powerlessness in the face of, and even complicity with, Nazi atrocities. Advertisement They may not have thought of themselves as heroes, but they were, and are. Eileen Barish explains why Denmark deserves special recognition: Denmark was the only occupied European country to save almost all of its Jewish residents from the Holocaust. After being tipped off about imminent roundups by prominent Nazis, resisters evacuated the countrys 7,000 Jews to Sweden by boat, a historical anomaly. They left at night by any means possible and fled to the countryside. Members of the Danish underground movement emerged who could tell the Jews who was to be trusted. There were police officers who not only looked the other way when the refugees turned up in groups, but also warned about Nazi checkpoints. Denmark was a small county with a big heart. Although the French did try to help the Jews, of the 340,000 Jews living in France, more than 75,000 were deported to death camps. Although most deported Jews died, the survival rate of the Jewish population in France was up to 75%, among the highest in Europe. But it was nowhere near the scope of the efforts of the Danes. Recall the Vel dHiv roundup of Jews in Paris, which was aided by the French police. This roundup included more than 4,000 children. They were held in extremely crowded conditions, almost without food and water and with no sanitary facilities before being shipped to death camps for their mass murder. Thomas V. Mertens of North Hills praises an American rescue group: It is time to recognize an American organization that saved more than 1,000 Jewish children from Europe in 1941. It is the Quaker organization American Friends Service Committee. I was one of 56 youngsters on the Serpa Pinto, a merchant ship from Portugal that made it to New York on Sept. 26, 1941. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook A new book by author Michael Schumacher looks into how the 1968 election between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey shaped the countrys politics into what it is today. In The Contest: The 1968 Election and the War for Americas Soul, Schumacher explores how the players in that election Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Eugene McCarthy, George Wallace, Nixon and Humphrey as well as the political climate and historical events affected that election. Schumacher will be at the Buena Vista Branch Library, 300 N. Buena Vista St., on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss his latest book. The Wisconsin-based writer said the 1968 election was the catalyst that led the country toward a more conservative way of thinking. When Nixon won the election, Schumacher explained that it was like he unseated the old Democrat establishment and allowed Republicans to be the dominant party in the White House. There was a little bit of a respite with Jimmy Carter, but I find it almost unbelievably funny when the Republicans blame the Democrats for what has transpired, even though since 1968 its been largely Republican rule, Schumacher said. In the authors perspective, Schumacher said the 1968 and 2016 elections has many similarities to one another. He compared Humphrey to Hillary Clinton, McCarthy to Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Wallace to President Donald Trump. Their messages were similar and their methods were very similar, Schumacher said. It all has this echo effectI dont think there was continuum from what happened in 1968. I think its more of a repeat. He explained that people were on the cusp of a revolution in the late 1960s, and the author believes something similar happened in the country leading up to the 2016 election. Schumacher said that the alt-right wanted a revolution in the country and they succeeded. Looking back at things, had the late-John McCain not had Sarah Palin as his running mate, he believes the alt-right would have been kicked out. History is so full of ironies, twists and turns and just outrageous occurrences that its hard to understand it sometimes, he said. You have to put them all in context. Having seen what has transgressed over the past years, Schumacher said he does not believe people will learn from their mistakes. Though many red flags have popped up, he said people have chosen to ignore them. I dont want to be cynical, but I think weve hit a tipping point in our history where learning from our mistakes is not on the table anymore, Schumacher said. We have a president that tells us that the media is our enemy, who insists that theres fake news. Do I believe we can learn from our mistakes? I think we could, but I dont think we will, he continued. No matter how bad it got, this country has always managed to pop back up. Im not sure its going to take anything short of something bordering a civil war to make us come to our senses. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said he has enough left in his political tank to represent the states 28th Congressional District, but his opponent thinks otherwise. In the Nov. 6 general election, the Democratic incumbent will be defending his seat against Republican candidate Johnny Nalbandian, a former seafood mogul who lives in Glendale. Both candidates are scheduled to take part in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Glendale/Burbank at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Burbank Council Chambers at 275 E. Olive Ave. Schiff, 58, is currently serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and he said his time in the state post has gone by quickly. He added that he was surprised to be the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee so early in his career. Ive worked hard overlooking intelligence agencies to make sure that we keep the country safe, make sure that the agencies are talking to each other and getting the right mix of intelligence, Schiff said. Im also proud of legislation I had signed by President Obama to try to address the issues of nuclear proliferation, as well as freedom of the press, he added. Schiff also said the legislation approved during the Bush administration to expand the size of the Santa Monica Mountains recreation area is finally coming to fruition. Last year, Schiff reintroduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, which, if approved, would protect more than 191,000 acres of open space in his district. Should he be reelected next month, Schiff said he wants to see completion of that legislation, as well as expansion of the Metro Gold Line, hopefully as far as Ontario. He added that he wants to continue addressing other quality-of-life issues, such as helicopter and aircraft noise. Back in Washington, D.C., Schiff said he wants to continue his work on the Intelligence Committee, by defending the Robert Mueller investigation, in which the former director of the FBI is investigating whether there were any links between President Donald Trumps campaign and the Russian government. The congressman also said he thinks he plays an important role in pushing back against the presidents attacks on the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the intelligence community and, more broadly, on the rule of law. This was not a role that I felt was necessary to play during the Bush administration, Schiff said. I certainly had my differences with George [W.] Bush, but I got some of my most important work done during that administration. But this president is a real threat to our democracy, and I do feel a significant responsibility to do what I can to protect our democratic institutions from a president that doesnt seem to understand the system of checks and balances. I believe in shaking and moving Though it is his first time running for public office, Nalbandian, 64, said he is not deterred by his opponent. Born in New Jersey and raised in California, Nalbandian said he has been obsessed with history and politics since he was a child. He added that he has not missed a presidential debate or Democratic or Republican national convention since he watched the debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. The Republican candidate said he has been following Trumps political career since 1989, and he even campaigned for the president during the 2016 election. As an entrepreneur, like the president, Nalbandian said he agrees with much of Trumps ideologies and believes he is the president who can turn the country around. Seeing the country going the way its going, toward socialism, we need a businessman that knows how to read a balance sheet, someones thats got a payroll and knows the struggles of the everyday person, and that person is in [office], Nalbandian said. Hes an East Coast guy, and Im an East Coast guy, and a lot of people tell me that Im very much like the president, he added. Nalbandian said that Trumps election to the countrys highest office was the main reason he decided to run, adding that the president proved that a businessman, like himself, belongs in politics. On the other hand, Nalbandian said he thinks that Schiff has not done enough for the 28th District, and he thinks the congressman is too busy with the Mueller investigation. Should he be elected into office, Nalbandian said his goals would be to address homelessness by creating a business plan in which businesses invest money into those who are looking to become entrepreneurs. Then, those who become successful would return that initial investment with 15% to 20% interest. I believe in shaking and moving, Nalbandian said. [Schiffs] problem is hes got his direction in the wrong direction. If Adam Schiff or President Barack Obama did something right, Id be the first one to get up and salute them, but I cant see anything good that theyve done in the last eight years. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio Acting President Thinh made the statement while hosting a reception in Hanoi on October 12 for a delegation of exemplary Vietnamese farmers, who will be honoured at the upcoming sixth Pride of Vietnamese Farmers programme 2018. She praised the VNFU for its active and creative activities to build trust and motivate the farmers to achieve numerous achievements in socio-economic development, thus contributing to the cause of national construction and development. As 2018 marks 70 years since Uncle Hos call for patriotic emulation, the leader asked the VNFU to focus on facilitating the emulation movements in a stronger and more effective fashion, while giving better care to policy beneficiaries, national contributors and those living in disadvantaged circumstances. * On the same day, Acting President Thinh also met with representatives of outstanding small and medium-sized Vietnamese enterprises (SMEs) in 2018. These are the firms and businesspersons who have provided practical support for needy children via the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) at all levels, as well as social security programmes. Acting President Thinh poses with SMEs delegates. So far this year, the Vietnam Association of SMEs and the NFVC have signed a five-year cooperation deal (2018-2022), in order to provide joint efforts in supporting disadvantaged children. The association has launched the movement Businesses and businesspersons act for Vietnamese children 2018, to which the business community has widely responded. Acting President Thinh applauded the good deeds and kind hearts of the SMEs in offering practical support for needy children across Vietnam, while asking the NFVC to continue calling for further support from businesses, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, aiming to ensure a safe and healthy environment in which for all Vietnamese children to live, study and grow. By making up 45% of the countrys GDP and 31% of budget revenues annually, the bloc of SMEs has become a crucial driving force of the socialist-oriented market economy, contributing to accelerating national economic development in a rapid and sustainable manner, she affirmed. I knew Id arrived at the corner of senescence and belated teenage reverie, when my wonderful primary care physician, Dr. Angela R. Adelman, an internist and gerontologist practicing in Burbank, handed a folder to me containing my prescriptions and various doctors orders. Her lovely folder reminded me of my Pee-Chee folders from high school. I was instantly transported to a hallway on the James Monroe High School campus in North Hills, where after fumbling with the combination to my locker, and flashing a braces-filled smile at my boyfriend, he charmingly agreed to carry my cumbersome educational materials. I feel confident Pee-Chee folders played a part in our years-long courtship: notes were passed and stored, drawings were shared and laughed at, and homework was carried to far-flung classrooms. This was a school supply marriage made in heaven. I cant think about this period in my life without remembering the yearly ritual of covering my new school books with homemade book covers. Id take plain brown bags, cut them to size and create a virgin landscape upon which to draw or write. These book covers and Pee-Chee folders were a roadmap to my teen life. They charted the highs and lows of the school year and were a billboard for young love. I doubt Dr. Adelman knows her folder acted as a retrieval device for ancient memories, or that its utilitarian value was enhanced by the pricelessness of this journey, but her simple gesture speaks to her attention to detail and the unwavering kindness and care she shows her patients. Its no small thing to link the past with the present and in so doing, be a compassionate guide to the continuum of life. Pamela Lang Burbank -- Burbank City Council members and City Hall management personnel are banking on voters passing Measure P to pull the city out of the financial quagmire that council members past and present and department heads created with out-of-control, unaccountable spending of taxpayer dollars. If the measure passes, it would authorize a three-fourth cent increase in sales tax, the increase to be used wholly in Burbank. And if passed, the sales tax here would be a double-digit whopping 10.25%. Its disheartening how many Burbank residents are unaware of this ballot measure. I speak to people at my favorite coffee house, at the grocery and drug stores, at my auto mechanics shop, and I ask them if they are Burbank residents and if they are registered voters. If they answer yes to my two inquiries, I ask if theyre aware of this ballot measure. Most are not, so I tell them what they might be facing next April if Measure P is enacted. Not surprisingly, no one Ive spoken with wants to shell out more in sales tax. And why should they? City Hall created the multimillion dollar deficit. Now it needs to undo the financial mess and rein in excessive spending without placing an additional tax burden on residents. In June, voters already approved Measure T legalizing the transfer of $12.5 million of Burbank Water and Power income to the citys general fund. I urge ALL Burbank registered voters to vote on Nov. 6 and vote No on Measure P. Dont let city officials instill fear about the possible reduction in police, fire and paramedic services if the measure is defeated. A retired police officer and a retired firefighter currently serve on the Burbank City Council. They and other three council members are not going to let emergency services be downgraded, not if they want to remain city leaders. Molly Shore Burbank -- Measure P is a sham being perpetrated by the Burbank City Council. The deficit is the result of poor planning and wasteful spending. Supporters of the measure who believe the Council has been transparent are simply wrong. Nowhere in the text of Ordinance No.18-3,904 or the city attorneys impartial analysis is there any historical explanation of the reasons for the shortfall. That is because such analysis would reflect badly upon past decisions of the City Council. In recent pronouncements, the mayor and her minions refuse to identify how wasteful spending has been cut or eliminated. They only present a doomsday scenario if the voters reject what would be one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation. The ordinance does not even specify how potential revenue would be allocated. Vital services need to be prioritized but the cost of pay raises, accumulated pension obligations, private use of city vehicles and the overuse of outside contractors need to be part of the equation. Those costs, as well as frivolous expenses such as fireworks, have been ignored in any discussion of Measure P. How much potential revenue is lost to preferential tax treatment for specific corporations? The voters are being deceived by the intentional omission of such important information. Importantly, the independent oversight provision provides no specifics. Who will comprise the oversight board and audit the revenues from Measure P? Also, what is the mechanism for ending the tax what will prevent this emergency tax from becoming permanent? Nobody wants Burbank to be degraded or in a state of decline, but the City Council helped to create the current shortfall and needs to devise a better plan that does not place financial responsibility on the citizens. Do not reward poor financial planning and mismanagement. Vote NO on Measure P. Thomas Saito Burbank -- Regarding the Oct. 6 Mailbag and its letter to the editor about bike lanes on Verdugo Avenue being useless: Having spent over 35 years riding a bike in Southern California (still do), I can tell you that what letter-writer Davison considers a useless lane can be a lifesaver for us riders. That 4- or 5-foot wide bike lane gives us riders hope that someone in a 2,000+ pound car wont send us to the hospital/morgue that day. The Verdugo Avenue lane and other bike lanes/paths give us riders a chance to enjoy our sport with just a little bit of safety on our side. If Davison is bothered by this useless lane on Verdugo Avenue, I suggest he find another route that will be less painful to his eyes. We riders love the Verdugo Avenue lane even if the numbers dont meet someones count. Thank you to the city of Burbank for continuing to build bike lanes/paths. We need more. Doug Remington Burbank -- Hardly a month goes by without a bicyclist-hater like Michael Davison having a letter published in the Leader whining about bike lanes on Verdugo Avenue, which I and many other local cyclists are grateful to have there to help us safely navigate on our bikes through town. In the recent past there have been two bike riders run over and killed in Burbank, one on Empire Avenue and another on Riverside Drive in the Rancho neighborhood. The city of Burbank, to their credit, responded to the latter fatality by installing a wide bike path along Riverside Drive, which gets now heavy use since local horseback riders were successful in having bicycles banned from using the Mariposa Bridge access to the L.A. River Bike Path. Doug Weiskopf Burbank Law enforcement is seeking additional potential victims after a Costa Mesa teenager was charged Thursday with exposing himself to two female students in Costa Mesa, police said. Brandon Alexis Mumtaz, 18, is accused of two counts of indecent exposure and one count of child annoyance, all misdemeanors. He was released Friday on $25,000 bail. Just after 4 p.m. Oct. 1, a man standing behind a vehicle at Orange Coast College exposed his genitals to a female student, police said. She reported the incident to the Costa Mesa Police Department the same day. On Oct. 3, a man driving a black convertible pulled up next to a female high school student as she was walking in the 900 block of Presidio Drive at about 4 p.m. The man spoke to her from the vehicle while exposing himself, police said. Mumtaz was arrested Thursday after police received a tip, according to a news release. If convicted, Mumtaz could face a maximum sentence of two years in Orange County Jail and be ordered to register as a sex offender, the county district attorneys office said. Mumtaz is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 8 in Orange County Superior Court in Westminster. Anyone with information about the incidents or who may be a victim is asked to call Costa Mesa police Det. George Maridakis at (714) 754-5051. julia.sclafani@latimes.com Sales of relatively inexpensive homes in Orange County dropped abruptly in September, a local economist told the audience Friday at an economic forecast in Newport Beach. Selma Hepp, chief economist and vice president of business intelligence for Pacific Union International real estate brokerage, said countywide sales in the sub-$1 million range dropped to about 1,600 transactions, despite a significant boost in inventory. She characterized that as a dive but didnt know why. Home sales in the under-$1 million range have dipped across California, but the state hasnt seen the same overall increase in number of homes for sale that Orange County has about a 40% increase over the last year in that price range, Hepp said. The median Orange County home price where half were lower and half were higher was within that range, sitting at $739,000 as of June. (For comparison, the median price was $2 million in Newport, according to Zillow.) But it could be an anomaly, she told the crowd at the 2019 look-ahead sponsored by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Despite the drop, home sales havent deviated from the historical trend. And Orange County does have a bright spot in its preference for new-built homes, which sell better here than elsewhere in the state, she said. She estimated about 5,000 to 5,300 new homes selling per year in the county through 2021. hillary.davis@latimes.com Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD About six weeks into her job as Newport Beachs city manager, Grace Leung is working to make headway with John Wayne Airport carriers as she oversees structural changes with the emergence of two new departments and generally finds her place in her new professional home. At a community breakfast meeting Thursday presented by the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce, Leung said she knew from the get-go that airport relations would be one of her biggest issues. About three weeks ago, accompanied by the citys airport consultant and representatives of Newports three resident-led airport interest groups, she met with most of JWAs commercial air carriers and found the airlines receptive to the longstanding local concerns about noise and pollution, she said. Residents frequently tell her theyre interested in airport issues, homelessness and balancing development with local character. Newport residents are probably the most engaged that Ive experienced, said Leung, who before arriving in town in early September was assistant city manager in Irvine. On the operations side, Newport Beach is peeling the harbor division out of the Public Works Department to stand as its own department and is returning to a standalone Utilities Department. Previously, utilities had been coupled with general services, which maintains beaches, streets, facilities, equipment, parks and trees. Those services will go under the public works umbrella, which broadly covers infrastructure and planning. The city announced the rearrangement in May and is refining the new structure and leadership. Leung said she is looking forward to using technology in utilities with automated meter reading, a feature she knew in Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, where she worked for 18 years before her Irvine stint. City administrators are interviewing candidates this month for Harbor Department director, or harbormaster, and should have someone in place by the end of the year, Leung said. Leung said shes aware of how well-liked and integrated her predecessor, Dave Kiff, was citywide. Kiff worked for Newport Beach for 20 years, and acrimony flared toward and within the City Council this year after Kiff announced he would depart a few months ahead of the previously planned end of his contract. Kiff is now interim chief executive of the Assn. of California Cities-Orange County, a public policy group. I feel like I have big shoes to fill because Dave was a big part of the community for so long, Leung said in an interview after the chamber appearance. But Ive found everybody open and supportive of me. hillary.davis@latimes.com Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD Editors note, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 16: Tonights event has been canceled due to a power outage. Students with aspirations of someday working at La Canadas Jet Propulsion Laboratory may well harbor passions in science and engineering, but a panel discussion Tuesday evening aims to demonstrate those arent the only career pathways that will get you there. At the La Canada Unified School District Governing Board room, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., parents and students in grades 7-12 can meet four JPL employees who contribute to the facilitys important space mission through work in a variety of professional fields. Speakers include: JPL Business Administration Manager Lyn Repath-Martos; Web producer and social media lead Kristen Walbot; Heather Doyle, a public engagement networks supervisor; and Erica Beam, group supervisor for institutional cost and schedule evaluation. JPL is an amazing place to work and to be, but you dont necessarily have to be a scientist or engineer, said LCUSD science coordinator Amy Nespor, who organized the event. Maybe you could help JPL with their finances. (Or) you can get a job at JPL as a welder and weld something that goes into outer space. Tuesdays speakers will deliver brief introductions about their work and backgrounds and will then take questions from the audience. Nespor, who earned her doctorate in science and is married to a JPL engineer, said she hopes students of all interests will attend and be inspired. There are all kinds of career possibilities for people, she said. I wanted to show them the world is their oyster. The talk is sponsored by LCUSD Science Enrichment Programs. The La Canada Unified Governing Board room is located at 4490 Cornishon Ave., in La Canada. sara.cardine@latimes.com Twitter: @SaraCardine A lot of you have been asking for an update on Victor Espinoza and its mostly good news. His doctors have still not cleared him to return to racing, but hes hopeful he can make it back by the start of the big Santa Anita meeting on Dec. 26. Both my neurosurgeon Dr. [ Frank ] Coufal and my neurologist Dr. [ Mary ] Kalafut are pleased with the course of my recovery from my spinal cord injury as well as the injury to the vertebral artery, Espinoza said. I want to come back to ride again and would love to be back by the time Santa Anita opens in late December. Im still dealing with issues in my left arm and so my return to riding wont happen until Im 100% ready to go. If you didnt read it, our columnist, Bill Plaschke, did a great story on Victor a couple of months ago when he was going through his rehab. You can read it here . Victor fractured a vertebra in his neck when he was thrown from his mount Bobby Abu Dhabi when the horse suffered a catastrophic injury during a work. The horse broke his right front leg and hit the ground so hard that it also broke his back. He died almost immediately. The response to Victors plight was swift. One of the first people to visit him in the hospital was Bob Baffert , who had Victor ride American Pharoah to the Triple Crown. Others visited Victor and, on the surface, you had to wonder why would he want to return to racing. I remember talking to him at the Kentucky Derby this year where he was to ride Bolt dOro. Even though trainer Mick Ruis was a few feet away at the barn, Victor was talking about how he didnt understand why he wasnt first call on Bolt after Ruis and Corey Nakatani had split. Victor got the once promising colt only after Javier Castellano elected to ride another horse. I want to say thank you to everyone that has sent cards and letters, Espinoza said on Friday. I very much appreciate all of the kind words. Heres our weekly contribution from Rob Henie of the WCHR (West Coast Handicapping Report) and the ECHR (East Coast Handicapping Report). The thinking is if you can know and understand the strategies, it will make you a better handicapper. This is a maiden special weight at six furlongs. Our reports over the years have become known for a few things, one of which is our winning first timers. Lets first set the stage with regard to maiden races in general. Were usually looking for either one of two things first timers who are displaying a work pattern which is either different in a good way, different than we typically see from the trainer in question. Or a pattern which has resulted in past first-time winners for the same trainer, all the while coinciding with a group of mediocre to poor types of opponents. If a first timer doesnt jump off the page for us, were now looking for the veterans whove already run, those offering the most room to move forward. This is precisely why weve soured over the months with regard to 5-2 COCOA KISSES, who we believe has lost the room to move forward. In her debut, she was actually our top pick when second at 36-1, working well at the time and facing nothing. Ever since that first try, though, shes offered the same mediocre effort, always looking the winner turning for home, but rarely finishing. Those close calls also leave her short on the tote board when running next time out. Whats the definition of insanity? Its doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Thats our mindset with this Jeff Bonde filly, same state-bred level, same running style, still sprinting, same efforts over and over, thus, well again look elsewhere. There is room for improvement today though with SMOOVIE (#8) . Her second career start actually came in the debut of KISSES, a decent third, and just when the connections were seemingly fond of her, entering her in an open company race, things went south and she went to the sidelines. Off the seven-month layoff here today, shes returned with a really strong worktab down at San Luis Rey, even adding blinkers, usually a very strong sign off the time away. It means theyll be asking for everything in her return, with the blinkers on and the usual Doug ONeill nasal strip in place (all his runners where em, take a look on the track). ABSOLUTELY PERFECT (#7) is a first timer worthy of looking at here. Dan Blacker works his runners slow, thus, when a hint of speed is present, its a good thing, made even better when he asks a gate type of rider such as Tyler Baze , to hop aboard. Viable at first asking for Dan. 4 Paprika - Her best tries coming down the hill on the turf following a prep on the main track. Are they using a similar pattern for this one? Or, are they expecting a top effort? We would side with the latter, even adding blinkers with Flavien Prat taking the call. 1 Into Rissa - Eleven tries to date, already trying this dirt sprint, most recently a turf route, now back on the main track, seemingly not a clue with where or how to place her? The card wasnt that strong on Friday but the performance by Amuse was very strong. The once-raced filly settled in to fourth or fifth for the first half of the six-furlong maiden special weight and around the turn made her move and by the top of the stretch it was clear she was much the best. She won by 5 lengths under jockey Mike Smith . She had trained OK going into her first race (1 1/16 miles on the turf), but coming out of that race, she really trained like a serious horse, trainer Richard Mandella told Mike Willman of Santa Anita. The way she trained before she ran, we thought shed probably want grass, but once she ran, she really turned it around. There are big fields in almost all 10 races on Santa Anitas Saturday card. The featured stakes in not the best, but its got an 11-horse field, unlike the five and six-horse fields that have populated some of the graded stakes of late. Half of the races are on the turf. The feature is the $100,000 California Distaff Handicap for, you guessed it, Cal-bred fillies and mares, going five furlongs on the turf. Its a test of promise vs. class. S Y Sky has won three of her four races including the last two. She has been the favorite in her last three races for trainer Phil DAmato and jockey Joe Talamo . Shes at 5-2. The second favorite at 4-1 is well traveled. How About Zero is three for 15 lifetime but has been running on the lower stakes schedule of late. She runs for Doug ONeill and Mario Gutierrez . Sophomore filly was claimed by Bill Spawr for $25,000 at Del Mar and is promptly protected in this Cal-bred allowance/optional claimer. The barn is strong with this move, and 'Bonita is fresh and training well, so expect a good effort in this spot. She is only making her third start for high-percentage trainer Justin Clark and has upside while making just third start since January. She faced tougher when fifth over the daytime one-mile oval in last out one month ago and was fourth at shorter route two races back. Avail, the 8-5 morning-line favorite who lacks early speed, seems vulnerable from the rail post where she could get shuffled back. Always looking to add more subscribers to this newsletter. Cant beat the price. If you like it, tell someone. If you dont like it, then youre probably not reading this. Either way, send to a friend and just have them click here and sign up . Remember, its free, and all we need is your email, nothing more. Any thoughts, you can reach me at johnacherwa@gmail.com . You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa Santa Anita Charts Results for Friday, October 12. Copyright 2018 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. 9th day of a 22-day meet. Clear & Fast FIRST RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $30,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies. 2 year olds. Claiming Prices $50,000-$40,000. Time 22.33 46.37 59.73 1:13.38 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 6 All Tea All Shade 122 6 6 81 71 62 1ns Stevens 1.70 9 She's a Dime 122 9 3 6 51 3 22 Van Dyke 3.50 2 Sassy Kitty 120 2 2 2hd 1hd 2hd 31 Roman 6.80 8 Superhotamolly 117 8 1 41 3hd 1hd 4 Espinoza 4.20 7 Athleisure 122 7 4 3hd 41 42 51 Conner 40.80 1 Boolicious 122 1 10 10 92 85 64 Elliott 15.50 5 Rolinga 120 5 5 1hd 2hd 5hd 72 Fuentes 7.10 10 Depende de Ti 122 10 7 72 62 7hd 85 Quinonez 38.00 3 Alystar 115 3 9 5hd 82 92 91 Fuentes 84.00 4 Tiz Your Way 115 4 8 910 10 10 10 Payeras 31.80 6 ALL TEA ALL SHADE 5.40 3.20 2.80 9 SHE'S A DIME 4.00 3.40 2 SASSY KITTY 4.20 $1 EXACTA (6-9) $10.40 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (6-9-2-8) $16.83 $1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (6-9-2-8-7) $287.20 50-CENT TRIFECTA (6-9-2) $30.50 WinnerAll Tea All Shade Dbb.f.2 by Merit Man out of Why So Serious, by Whywhywhy. Bred by Schroeder Farms LLC (CA). Trainer: Robert B. Hess, Jr.. Owner: Schroeder Farms LLC. Mutuel Pool $125,659 Exacta Pool $77,894 Superfecta Pool $36,449 Super High Five Pool $1,042 Trifecta Pool $52,541. Scratchednone. ALL TEA ALL SHADE chased off the rail, went outside a rival leaving the turn and three deep into the stretch, came out in midstretch and rallied under urging to get up on the wire. SHE'S A DIME stalked outside then three deep, came five wide into the stretch, bid three wide in midstretch to gain the lead, inched away and was caught in the final stride. SASSY KITTY had good early speed and dueled inside, fought back in the stretch and held third. SUPERHOTAMOLLY dueled four wide, put a head in front between rivals in midstretch and weakened late. ATHLEISURE prompted the pace between horses then three deep between foes to the stretch, drifted in some in the drive and weakened in the final furlong. BOOLICIOUS hesitated to be away well behind the field, drifted out when green early, angled in, came out into the stretch, drifted to the inside in upper stretch then came out again just past midstretch and finished with some interest. ROLINGA stalked early then bid between horses to duel for the lead, drifted inward in the stretch and weakened. DEPENDE DE TI angled in off the rail then split rivals approaching the turn, continued just off the rail on the turn and lacked a rally. ALYSTAR broke a bit slowly, saved ground chasing the pace, came off the rail some in deep stretch and was lacked a further response. TIZ YOUR WAY angled in and settled inside, dropped back on the turn and had little left for the stretch. SECOND RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $32,000. Starter Optional Claiming. 2 year olds. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 22.28 46.14 58.34 1:11.04 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 5 Give Me a Hint 119 4 4 21 22 13 16 Stevens 0.50 3 Irish Terrier 120 2 5 4hd 4hd 44 2ns T Baze 9.40 6 Bea's Boy 120 5 1 5 3hd 3hd 31 Franco 3.00 4 Three Ay Em 120 3 3 11 1hd 21 46 Bejarano 8.20 1 The Creep 120 1 2 3hd 5 5 5 Roman 10.60 5 GIVE ME A HINT 3.00 2.40 2.10 3 IRISH TERRIER 5.20 2.80 6 BEA'S BOY 2.20 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (6-5) $10.60 $1 EXACTA (5-3) $7.90 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (5-3-6-4) $2.81 50-CENT TRIFECTA (5-3-6) $7.55 WinnerGive Me a Hint B.f.2 by Merit Man out of Hint of Promise (GB), by Beat Hollow (GB). Bred by Schroeder Farms LLC, Welton Manfield &Robert Hess (CA). Trainer: Robert B. Hess, Jr.. Owner: Schroeder Farms LLC and Mansfield, Welton. Mutuel Pool $115,392 Daily Double Pool $29,458 Exacta Pool $59,516 Superfecta Pool $19,778 Trifecta Pool $35,888. ScratchedOracle of Omaha. GIVE ME A HINT stalked the pace off the rail, bid outside a rival leaving the turn, took the lead into the stretch and drew off under a moderate hand ride. IRISH TERRIER close up stalking the pace between horses to the stretch, split rivals in deep stretch and edged a foe for the place. BEA'S BOY was well placed tracking the leader three deep to the stretch, continued outside a rival and was edged by that one for second. THREE AY EM had speed between rivals then angled in and set the pace inside, dueled leaving the turn and weakened in the stretch. THE CREEP saved ground stalking the pace, came off the rail in upper stretch and had little left for the drive. THIRD RACE. About 6 Furlongs Turf. Purse: $30,000. Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $50,000-$40,000. Time 21.29 43.47 1:06.62 1:12.82 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 8 Kris' Wild Kat 120 8 3 22 21 11 11 Bejarano 6.00 3 Rumpus Cat 120 3 4 51 41 2hd 21 Roman 8.10 6 Bahamian 120 6 6 3hd 31 41 3ns Gutierrez 2.10 2 Atonarun 123 2 9 6 71 61 4hd Conner 19.70 1 Data Central 115 1 5 10 91 83 5ns Espinoza 5.10 10 Silver Fury 120 10 7 7hd 82 7 6nk Stevens 21.80 5 All I Can Say 123 5 10 8hd 5hd 5hd 7nk Quinonez 41.40 4 Seahawk Wave 120 4 1 1hd 1hd 31 85 Talamo 7.90 9 Capall 118 9 2 4hd 6hd 92 92 Van Dyke 3.60 7 Rak City 123 7 8 91 10 10 10 Pereira 73.60 8 KRIS' WILD KAT 14.00 7.60 4.60 3 RUMPUS CAT 9.40 5.40 6 BAHAMIAN 3.00 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (5-8) $25.40 $1 EXACTA (8-3) $55.80 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (8-3-6-2) $306.35 50-CENT TRIFECTA (8-3-6) $160.95 $1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (8-3-6-2-1) Carryover $890 WinnerKris' Wild Kat Grr.g.3 by Wildcat Heir out of Passeporta, by Rockport Harbor. Bred by Lynn Jones (KY). Trainer: Richard Baltas. Owner: J K Racing Stable LLC and Chandler, Bruce. Mutuel Pool $262,667 Daily Double Pool $16,285 Exacta Pool $152,839 Superfecta Pool $64,657 Trifecta Pool $91,814 X-5 Super High Five Pool $1,167. ClaimedRumpus Cat by Slam Dunk Racing. Trainer: Richard Baltas. ClaimedBahamian by Wilson, Holly and David. Trainer: Vladimir Cerin. ClaimedSeahawk Wave by Hotter Than H Racing LLC. Trainer: Ronald Ellis. ScratchedHenry County, June Sixth, Magnum Maduro. 50-Cent Pick Three (6-5-8) paid $24.90. Pick Three Pool $41,482. KRIS' WILD KAT angled in and dueled outside a rival, was fanned wide on the dirt crossing, took the lead in upper stretch, inched clear and held under some urging. RUMPUS CAT stalked a bit off the rail then inside, bid along the fence in the stretch and went willingly to the end. BAHAMIAN close up stalking the pace between horses or a bit off the rail, swung five wide into the stretch and just got the show. ATONARUN saved ground chasing the pace, continued inside in the stretch and was edged for third. DATA CENTRAL saved ground chasing the pace, came out past midstretch and split rivals with a late bid at a minor award. SILVER FURY stalked four wide then three deep leaving the hill and into the stretch and was outfinished for a minor share. ALL I CAN SAY chased between horses, came three wide into the stretch and also was outfinished between foes late. SEAHAWK WAVE had good early speed and angled in, dueled inside, drifted out on the dirt crossing, continued just off the rail and weakened between foes late. CAPALL chased three deep, came four wide into the stretch and lacked a rally. RAK CITY settled between horses chasing the pace, continued a bit off the rail leaving the hill and into the stretch and did not rally. Rail on hill at 14 feet. FOURTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $50,000. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Time 21.73 45.22 57.61 1:10.43 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 9 Amuse 120 8 2 53 21 11 15 Smith 1.60 4 Creative Contessa 120 4 5 1hd 1hd 23 25 T Baze 3.80 1 Tivat 120 1 3 32 33 38 35 Franco 5.70 3 Giveherdalute 120 3 1 4hd 53 4 4 Van Dyke 5.00 7 Sandona Girl 120 6 6 71 72 51 51 Pedroza 110.00 2 Glitznglamour 120 2 7 62 6 73 61 Elliott 33.80 6 Dancing Belle 115 5 8 8 8 8 75 Espinoza 8.50 8 See That Kat 120 7 4 21 42 6hd 8 Bejarano 5.70 9 AMUSE 5.20 3.40 2.40 4 CREATIVE CONTESSA 4.40 4.00 1 TIVAT 3.60 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (8-9) $45.60 $1 EXACTA (9-4) $12.30 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (9-4-1-3) $18.65 50-CENT TRIFECTA (9-4-1) $33.20 $1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (9-4-1-3-7) Carryover $2,178 WinnerAmuse Dbb.f.3 by Medaglia d'Oro out of Witty, by Distorted Humor. Bred by Raydelz Stable (KY). Trainer: Richard E. Mandella. Owner: Claiborne Farm, Bass II, Perry R., Bass, Ramona S. and Dilschneider, Adele B.. Mutuel Pool $182,470 Daily Double Pool $27,720 Exacta Pool $90,122 Superfecta Pool $43,040 Trifecta Pool $63,629 X-5 Super High Five Pool $1,687. ScratchedJohansson. 50-Cent Pick Three (5-8-9) paid $30.00. Pick Three Pool $19,991. $1 Pick Five ((STRONACHP5)11-8-6-1-5/9) 5 correct paid $3,629.80. Pick Five Pool $103,151. AMUSE stalked outside or off the rail, advanced three deep on the turn, bid outside the runner-up leaving the turn to gain the advantage nearing the stretch and drew clear under a brisk hand ride. CREATIVE CONTESSA broke out a bit, had speed between horses then angled in and dueled inside, inched clear on the turn, fought back inside the winner leaving the turn, was not a match in the stretch but clearly second best. TIVAT saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the rail leaving the turn and into the stretch and bested the others. GIVEHERDALUTE stalked off the rail or outside a rival, fell back just off the inside on the turn, drifted inward in the stretch and weakened. SANDONA GIRL broke in a bit, settled off the rail, came a bit wide into the stretch and lacked a rally. GLITZNGLAMOUR saved ground chasing the pace, continued inside on the turn and into the stretch and did not rally. DANCING BELLE broke a bit slowly then steadied when squeezed back, settled off the rail, came three wide into the stretch and was not a threat,. SEE THAT KAT had good early speed and dueled outside the runner-up, stalked between foes then off the rail on the turn and weakened. FIFTH RACE. 1 1/8 Mile Turf. Purse: $40,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $50,000-$45,000. Time 23.68 47.72 1:11.61 1:35.39 1:46.82 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 9 Oscar Dominguez 123 9 7 7hd 7hd 6hd 31 1nk Talamo 4.20 6 Unapologetic 123 6 4 42 42 41 2hd 23 Van Dyke 4.80 4 Conquest Typhoon 123 4 2 1 11 1 1 3 T Baze 4.10 3 Terrys Tom Cat 123 3 3 31 3 31 51 4ns Gutierrez 22.40 1 Saltini 123 1 5 61 61 5hd 61 5 Stevens 3.80 8 Hard Fought 123 8 1 21 21 2 41 6nk Roman 38.00 7 Twentytwentyvision 118 7 9 9 8hd 9 81 7hd Espinoza 14.80 2 Acker 121 2 8 8hd 9 8hd 9 8 Bejarano 8.20 5 Cool Green 123 5 6 5hd 5 71 7 9 Elliott 4.50 9 OSCAR DOMINGUEZ (IRE) 10.40 5.00 3.00 6 UNAPOLOGETIC 5.40 3.80 4 CONQUEST TYPHOON 3.20 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (9-9) $33.00 $1 EXACTA (9-6) $27.40 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (9-6-4-3) $110.01 $1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (9-6-4-3-1) $3,990.90 50-CENT TRIFECTA (9-6-4) $44.10 WinnerOscar Dominguez (IRE) Ch.g.5 by Zoffany (IRE) out of American Queen (FR), by Fairy King. Bred by Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Rockingham Ranch. Mutuel Pool $220,044 Daily Double Pool $16,244 Exacta Pool $125,391 Superfecta Pool $53,474 Super High Five Pool $2,377 Trifecta Pool $78,498. ClaimedConquest Typhoon by Michael Johnstone. Trainer: Robert Hess, Jr. Scratchednone. $1 Pick Three (8-9-9) paid $152.40. Pick Three Pool $39,984. 50-Cent Pick Four (2/5-8-5/9-9) 502 tickets with 4 correct paid $189.15. Pick Four Pool $124,477. 50-Cent Pick Five (6-2/5-8-5/9-9) 560 tickets with 5 correct paid $639.55. Pick Five Pool $416,192. OSCAR DOMINGUEZ (IRE) chased three deep, came four wide into the stretch, bid three wide under urging in midstretch, gained the advantage in deep stretch and gamely prevailed. UNAPOLOGETIC stalked a bit off the rail then outside a rival, angled in leaving the second turn, came out in upper stretch, bid between foes in midstretch, fought back inside the winner in deep stretch and went gamely to the end. CONQUEST TYPHOON broke out and bumped a rival, had speed between horses then angled in, inched away briefly on the backstretch, fought back inside into and on the second turn and in midstretch, came off the rail in the drive and held third between foes. TERRYS TOM CAT stalked inside then off the rail, bid three deep leaving the backstretch and on the second turn and into the stretch and was edged for the show. SALTINI saved ground chasing the pace, continued inside in the stretch and was outfinished for a minor award. HARD FOUGHT three deep early, pressed the pace outside a rival then stalked off the rail, re-bid between foes into and on the second turn and weakened some in the final furlong. TWENTYTWENTYVISION a bit slow to begin, chased between horses then outside a rival on the second turn, came out into the stretch and lacked the needed late kick. ACKER pulled along the inside then saved ground chasing the pace, cut the corner into the stretch and could not offer the necessary response. COOL GREEN bumped at the start, chased outside a rival then between foes into and on the second turn, came out some in the stretch and lacked a rally. SIXTH RACE. 1 Mile. Purse: $22,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $12,500-$10,500. Time 24.09 48.39 1:13.14 1:25.81 1:39.02 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 1 Tenthousandreasons 121 1 7 3hd 2hd 14 16 16 Talamo 6.30 5 Lea's Reward 121 5 3 42 42 3hd 21 25 Quinonez 3.50 3 Princess Leia 121 3 2 21 3 41 43 3nk Pereira 13.20 2 Revenue Virginius 121 2 1 1hd 1hd 2 32 46 Franco 2.20 7 Moscato Girl 121 7 6 6 7 71 72 51 Roman 8.60 4 Ipray 123 4 5 71 8 8 8 61 Elliott 3.90 8 Honor Maker 121 8 8 8 61 51 51 73 Pena 42.90 6 Online Request 121 6 4 51 5 65 61 8 T Baze 7.50 1 TENTHOUSANDREASONS 14.60 7.00 4.60 5 LEA'S REWARD 4.80 3.60 3 PRINCESS LEIA 7.40 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (9-1) $90.80 $1 EXACTA (1-5) $41.30 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (1-5-3-2) $109.90 50-CENT TRIFECTA (1-5-3) $142.60 $1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (1-5-3-2-7) Carryover $2,117 WinnerTenthousandreasons B.f.4 by Ministers Wild Cat out of Alluring Tune, by Unbridled's Song. Bred by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC (CA). Trainer: Craig Dollase. Owner: Highlander Racing Stable LLC. Mutuel Pool $222,107 Daily Double Pool $18,352 Exacta Pool $115,563 Superfecta Pool $57,128 Trifecta Pool $85,474 X-5 Super High Five Pool $2,775. ClaimedLea's Reward by Francisco Cardenas. Trainer: Armando Cardenas. ScratchedAtrevida. 50-Cent Pick Three (9-9-1) paid $63.80. Pick Three Pool $28,396. TENTHOUSANDREASONS saved ground stalking the pace, bid inside a half mile out, inched away on the second turn and drew off in the stretch under a moderate hand ride and a long hold late. LEA'S REWARD four wide into the first turn, stalked off the rail then bid four wide a half mile out, tracked the winner and angled in some leaving the second turn and bested the others. PRINCESS LEIA dueled outside a rival then three deep between foes leaving the backstretch, angled in some and stalked on the second turn and just held third. REVENUE VIRGINIUS dueled a bit off the rail then between foes leaving the backstretch, angled in and stalked leaving the second turn and was edged for the show. MOSCATO GIRL chased off the rail then a bit off the fence leaving the second turn and into the stretch and lacked a rally. IPRAY settled outside a rival chasing the pace, came out into the stretch and did not rally. HONOR MAKER angled in and pulled along the inside and steadied into the first turn, saved ground chasing the pace, had the rider lose the whip midway on the second turn, swung out into the stretch and lacked a rally. ONLINE REQUEST four wide into the first turn, chased off the rail then outside a rival, came four wide into the stretch and weakened. SEVENTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $32,000. Starter Optional Claiming. Fillies. 2 year olds. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 22.24 46.30 59.50 1:13.43 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 8 Midnight Miracle 120 8 6 6hd 5 1hd 1 Stevens 2.30 5 Be Lifted Up 120 5 8 72 4hd 41 2 T Baze 22.20 2 Time for Suzzie 122 2 7 2hd 2hd 2 31 Maldonado 9.40 1 Six Pack Gal 120 1 4 1hd 1hd 31 42 Van Dyke 4.50 6 Chitter Chatter 120 6 3 5 62 61 5 Talamo 4.80 7 Secret Maneuver 120 7 5 8 8 76 63 Bejarano 3.00 4 Zip's Secret 115 4 2 32 31 51 719 Espinoza 7.10 3 Pretty Hussar 120 3 1 4hd 7 8 8 Pereira 51.40 8 MIDNIGHT MIRACLE 6.60 4.00 3.20 5 BE LIFTED UP 15.00 8.20 2 TIME FOR SUZZIE 5.40 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (1-8) $60.20 $1 EXACTA (8-5) $55.50 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (8-5-2-1) $232.95 50-CENT TRIFECTA (8-5-2) $176.85 $1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (8-5-2-1-6) Carryover $7,882 WinnerMidnight Miracle B.f.2 by Midnight Lute out of Glory Be Mine, by Dome. Bred by Bobby McQueen & Dale Taylor (KY). Trainer: Robert B. Hess, Jr.. Owner: Loooch Racing Stables, Inc.. Mutuel Pool $236,691 Daily Double Pool $24,264 Exacta Pool $130,731 Superfecta Pool $66,469 Trifecta Pool $93,758 X-5 Super High Five Pool $7,554. Scratchednone. 50-Cent Pick Three (9-1-8) paid $116.85. Pick Three Pool $26,540. MIDNIGHT MIRACLE stalked outside then four wide leaving the backstretch and on the turn and into the stretch, bid three deep to gain the lead in midstretch and held on gamely under some urging. BE LIFTED UP a bit slow to begin, chased just off the rail then inside, came out in midstretch and finished well between foes late. TIME FOR SUZZIE had good early speed and dueled between horses, fought back between foes in the stretch and was edged for the place. SIX PACK GAL went up inside to duel for the lead, battled along the rail on the turn, also fought back inside in the stretch and was outfinished. CHITTER CHATTER stalked off the rail then three deep between foes, angled in outside a rival nearing the stretch and lacked a rally. SECRET MANEUVER settled off the rail then a bit off the fence on the turn, came out in the stretch and could not offer the necessary response. ZIP'S SECRET dueled three deep on the backstretch and turn and weakened in the drive. PRETTY HUSSAR had speed between horses then stalked a bit off the rail, swung out four wide into the stretch and gave way. EIGHTH RACE. 1 Mile Turf. Purse: $32,000. Starter Allowance. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 22.74 46.09 1:10.75 1:23.21 1:35.07 Pgm Horse Wt PP St Str Fin Jockey $1 2 Super Patriot 118 2 7 61 61 5hd 11 12 Van Dyke 4.20 6 Trust Fund Kitty 118 6 8 7hd 7hd 81 2 21 Quinonez 9.70 3 Sunday Prophet 121 3 6 91 9 7hd 4 31 Franco 6.30 1 Foxtail 121 1 3 21 22 1 51 4ns T Baze 1.60 10 Take Charge Gal 118 9 2 81 81 10 8hd 51 Bejarano 61.40 11 Lil Bit Dangerous 121 10 4 4hd 3hd 2hd 3hd 6hd Conner 7.40 5 Conformation 118 5 5 51 51 61 61 7 Gutierrez 31.60 4 Mongolian Humor 118 4 1 31 41 41 71 8 Blanc 5.70 7 Ezpzylemonsqueezy 113 7 10 10 10 92 93 913 Espinoza 21.40 8 Don'teatmycookies 118 8 9 1hd 1 3 10 10 Arias 45.50 2 SUPER PATRIOT 10.40 5.20 3.40 6 TRUST FUND KITTY 8.20 4.60 3 SUNDAY PROPHET 4.40 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (8-2) $40.00 $1 EXACTA (2-6) $65.00 10-CENT SUPERFECTA (2-6-3-1) $74.73 $1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (2-6-3-1-10) Carryover $29,909 50-CENT TRIFECTA (2-6-3) $153.90 WinnerSuper Patriot Ch.f.3 by Unusual Heat out of Patriot C H, by Redattore (BRZ). Bred by Harris Farms (CA). Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Bolton, George, Davenport, Jeff, Leidel, Peter, Lipman, Barry, Mathiesen, Mark, Molasky, Andrew, and. Mutuel Pool $334,930 Daily Double Pool $112,675 Exacta Pool $203,237 Superfecta Pool $114,684 Super High Five Pool $28,861 Trifecta Pool $151,536. ScratchedArrowsphere, Demigoddess, November Tale (IRE), Summer Down Now. 50-Cent Pick Three (1-8-2) paid $94.45. Pick Three Pool $118,891. 50-Cent Pick Four (9-1-8-2) 317 tickets with 4 correct paid $797.85. Pick Four Pool $331,493. 50-Cent Pick Five (5/9-9-1-8-2) 58 tickets with 5 correct paid $2,190.45. Pick Five Pool $166,466. 20-Cent Pick Six Jackpot (8-5/9-9-1-8-2) 13 tickets with 6 correct paid $6,957.50. Pick Six Jackpot Pool $169,305. Pick Six Jackpot Carryover $403,214. SUPER PATRIOT chased inside then outside a rival on the second turn, swung four wide into the stretch, drifted in and took the lead nearing midstretch and won clear under urging. TRUST FUND KITTY chased between horses then outside a rival or a bit off the rail, came out on the second turn and six wide into the stretch and gained the place. SUNDAY PROPHET stalked inside, came off the rail on the second turn, split horses five wide into the stretch and finished with interest. FOXTAIL had speed inside to duel for the lead, fought back leaving the second turn, came a bit off the rail into the stretch, could not match the winner in the final furlong and weakened late. TAKE CHARGE GAL chased three deep then outside a rival, went three wide again into the second turn, fell back some on that turn, angled out into the stretch and bested the others. LIL BIT DANGEROUS stalked outside a rival then bid three deep leaving the second turn, took a short lead into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. CONFORMATION angled in on the first turn and stalked inside, came out on the second turn and three wide into the stretch and lacked a rally. MONGOLIAN HUMOR between horses early, angled in and stalked inside, cut the corner into the stretch and weakened. EZPZYLEMONSQUEEZY angled in and settled a bit off the rail then inside, came out into the stretch and lacked a rally. DON'TEATMYCOOKIES pulled three deep early then dueled outside a rival, battled between foes leaving the second turn, fell back into the stretch and had little left for the drive. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said Saturday that he was sticking with plans to attend a government-sponsored investment conference in Saudi Arabia this month despite the uproar over the disappearance of a prominent Saudi journalist, although he said he would reconsider that decision if more information comes out. Mnuchin said he was concerned about the fate of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, last week and has not been seen since. For the record: An earlier version of this story referred to Xi Jinping as Chinas premier. Xi is Chinas president. Turkish investigators say Khashoggi, a well-connected Washington Post columnist who had become a critic of the powerful Saudi crown prince, was killed and his body dismembered by an elite Saudi security team. Saudi officials say Khashoggi left the consulate freely, but have not substantiated their claim. President Trump, who had said little publicly about Khashoggi for more than a week, acknowledged for the first time Saturday that the Saudi government could have ordered his killing, saying there would be severe punishment if that were confirmed. Advertisement In an excerpt from an interview with CBS 60 Minutes released Saturday, Trump said his administration would be very upset and angry if the Saudi government was behind Khashoggis disappearance. As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently, Trump said. Could it be them? Yes. Until now, the Trump administrations relatively muted response to Khashoggis case and its continued support for a summit seen as a pet project of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman reflects its close economic and military ties with Saudi Arabia. Mnuchin spoke on the sidelines of a World Bank and International Monetary Fund meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, where Khashoggis fate shadowed discussions of the trade dispute between the U.S. and China, the worlds two biggest economies. Saudi Arabias ambitious Oct. 23 investment summit dubbed Davos in the desert after the annual economic forum that draws the worlds biggest political and business leaders has become a lightning rod in the wake of Khashoggis disappearance. Media companies including the Financial Times, CNN, Bloomberg, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times withdrew their participation. British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim have also said they wouldnt attend. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said that despite her concerns over Khashoggi, she did not intend to change her plans and would attend the summit. Horrifying things have been reported, and I am horrified, Lagarde said Saturday. But I have to conduct the business of the IMF in all corners of the world, and with many governments. This was my response to a press question about attending the FII conference in Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/AEC76YDHMv Christine Lagarde (@Lagarde) October 13, 2018 At the meeting in Indonesia, which was attended by many of the worlds finance ministers and central bankers, Mnuchin also faced questions over the escalating U.S. trade war with China. Speaking to reporters, the Treasury secretary reiterated Trumps demand for free, fair and reciprocal trade and disputed the view that U.S. economic policy was moving in a protectionist direction. Mnuchin said the U.S. was still working toward negotiating free trade agreements with the European Union and Japan. He added those moves would not amount to a coalition to pressure China. Amid a tit-for-tat dispute that has seen the U.S. and China impose import duties on goods from the other country, making them more expensive for consumers, the IMF last week cut its global growth forecast for the 2019 fiscal year from 3.9% to 3.7%, citing uncertainties caused by protectionism. The U.S. has threatened to impose tariffs on another $267 billion worth of Chinese imports, which would place almost all of what China sells to the U.S. under restrictions. The face-off has alarmed world leaders. At the meeting, Indonesian President Joko Widodo likened the U.S. and China to the warring kingdoms portrayed in the fictional HBO series Game of Thrones. Argentinas finance minister, Nicolas Dujovne, told reporters that it was up to the U.S. and China to resolve the dispute, while Malaysian finance minister Lim Guan Eng said the tariff hikes were already impacting global growth. While countries like Malaysia could theoretically stand to benefit from investment by businesses seeking to sidestep the trade war, Lim told The Times: In the long term, everyone loses. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said this week that the trade friction is provoked by the U.S. side alone and that China was simply responding. The U.S. disputes that, accusing China of unfair trade and investment rules. Many leaders expressed hope that a proposed meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, at a summit of G-20 countries in Argentina, could soothe the tensions. But asked whether that meeting would take place, Mnuchin said, I dont think any decision has been made. Special correspondent Roughneen reported from Nusa Dua and Times staff writer Bengali from Hyderabad, India. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Shashank Bengali is South Asia correspondent for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali Pope Francis on Saturday defrocked two more Chilean bishops accused of sexually abusing minors, and to show greater transparency about how hes responding to the churchs global sex abuse crisis, he publicly explained why they were removed. The Vaticans unusually detailed statement announcing the laicization of retired Archbishop Francisco Jose Cox Huneeus and retired Bishop Marco Antonio Ordenes Fernandez signaled a new degree of transparency following past missteps by Francis that showed he had grossly underestimated the gravity of the abuse scandal. The statement said the two were defrocked for abusing minors with evidence so overwhelming that a canonical trial was unnecessary. The Vatican said the decision cannot be appealed. Cox, who is in his 80s and suffering from dementia, is a member of the Schoenstatt religious order and had served as a bishop in Chillan, Chile, before becoming the No. 2 official at the Vaticans Pontifical Council for the Family, a high-profile position during John Paul IIs papacy. Advertisement He returned to Chile and became bishop in La Serena until he left in 1997 under unclear circumstances, but took on administrative jobs in Rome and at the Latin American bishops conference in Colombia. In 2002, the Vatican office for bishops asked the Schoenstatt Fathers to take him into one of its houses, apparently because of abuse allegations. He has been living in Germany since then but last year a new, formal accusation was received by the Vatican about an alleged case of abuse that happened in Germany in 2004. The Schoenstatt Fathers said Saturday that the Vatican had asked that Cox remain in their custody. The order said it would cooperate with the justice system, given that victims in Chile have made criminal complaints against him. We receive this news with much shame for the damage caused to the victims, the community said. We show solidarity with them and their profound suffering. Today more than ever, we deplore every act of abuse that offends the dignity of people. Given the favor that Cox enjoyed in John Pauls inner circle, his fall is yet another stain on John Pauls legacy. It also calls into question the senior Schoenstatt cardinal in Chile, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, an advisor to Francis who has long been accused of covering up for abusers. Ordenes Fernandez, 53, for his part, was made bishop of Iquique, in northern Chile, in 2006 at the young age of 42. He retired six years later for what were described as health reasons. But subsequently allegations of abuse were leveled against him. Previously, the Vatican has rarely, if ever, announced laicizations of individual priests and issued only a single-line statement if a bishop had resigned, without further explanation. Before Francis papacy began in 2013, it was Vatican practice to reveal if resignations were retirements because of age or some other grave reason that made a bishop or priest unfit for office. But Francis early on removed even that minimum amount of information. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Saturdays more detailed statement suggested a new trend in the way the Vatican will announce the results of investigations of bishops accused of abuse. A similarly detailed statement was issued when Francis defrocked Chiles most notorious abuser, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, last month. Politburo member Vuong spoke highly of the Vientiane delegations working visit to Vietnam and the outcomes of the talks between them and their Hanoian counterparts. He expressed his delight at the increasingly effective collaboration in all spheres between Vientiane and Hanoi, as well as other Vietnamese cities and provinces. Politburo member Vuong hoped that the Lao capital will maintain strong connections with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other localities in the areas in which they hold strength, including education and training, experience-sharing in Party building and high-tech agriculture, local economic management, economics, especially in investment and trade, and infrastructure building. Sinlavong, who is also a Politburo member of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party Central Committee, congratulated Vietnam on its significant recent achievements and applauded the extensive development of the special bilateral relations in all aspects. He also informed his host on Vientianes situation, the Lao citys cooperation with Hanoi and other Vietnamese localities, and the outcomes of the talks between officials of the two capitals. The official thanked Vietnamese localities for their effective support for Vientiane over the past few years. He affirmed that Vientiane will coordinate closely with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and other Vietnamese localities to further improve cooperation and increase the sharing of experience in all fields, thereby helping to realise the agreements between the two Parties, countries, and capital cities in order to lift the Laos-Vietnam special solidarity to a new height. Kochi : The Kerala police team investigating the ATM robbery has launched a massive hunt for the gang who allegedly robbed Rs 35 lakhs by looting three banks in the state. According to the police, the gang used a gas cutter to break open the ATM and decamped with Rs 25 lakhs, police said. Police said that the CCTV footage revealed that a gang member had sprayed paint at the cameras in the kiosks before committing the crime. The investigation team also reached the consensus that a tree-remembered gang from outside the state is behind the robberies. As per the reports, they even used a stolen vehicle for committing the crime and abandoned the pick up van later. THE Department of Justice on Friday objected to the appeal of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 to recall its order for his arrest, in connection with the DoJs move to revive the coup detat and rebellion cases against him. In an 11-page comment, the DoJ state prosecutors asked the Makati City RTC to dismiss the motion for reconsideration filed by Trillanes for lack of merit. Trillanes lawyer did not oppose the DoJs filing of the comment, but manifested that it was filed out of time or 11 days after the appeal itself was filed on Oct. 1. Nonetheless, the court gave Trillanes camp up to five days to file its reply to the comment, while the prosecution was given five days, within which to file its rejoinder. Judge Elmo Alameda, the presiding judge of Branch 150, earlier ordered the arrest of Trillanes, in connection with previously dismissed rebellion charges in late September, but allowed him to post bail. This prompted Trillanes to file a motion for reconsideration seeking to vacate and set aside the order for his arrest for being premature and for lacking factual and legal basis. The senator also asked the court to set the DoJs motion seeking his arrest for hearing for the reception of testimonial evidence and to ultimately deny the government motion. However, Assistant State Prosecutor Josie Christina Dugay argued there was no need for a hearing on the reception of evidence. In its 11-page comment, the DOJ stressed there was no basis for Trillanes to request to set the case for reception of evidence on the factual issues. The DoJ insisted the Makati City court had already ruled in favor of Dutertes Proclamation No. 572 after both parties were able to present their evidence. Further, the issues/grounds raised by the accused in their motion for reconsideration were comprehensively and correctly ruled upon by the Honorable Court, the DoJ said. It cited Alamedas finding that Trillanes failed to substantiate his claim that he applied for amnesty due to his failure to present a copy of his application form. As correctly held by this Honorable Court, the best evidence to prove that accused Trillanes filed his application for amnesty is the duly fill-up application form itself, its duplicate or photocopy, the DoJ comment stated.Without this document and given a negative certification from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, there is no application to speak of, and its existence is suspect, the DoJ pointed out. It also cited portions of the transcript of a hearing at the Makati RTC Branch 148, which handled the coup detat case against Trillanes, that was held last week. It said the judge set the original motion for hearing even before the Supreme Court referred the factual issues of the case to the RTCs. The DoJ sought the revival of coup detat and rebellion cases against Trillanes after Duterte nullified the amnesty granted to him by then President Benigno Aquino III. These criminal cases, which were in relation with the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, were dismissed in 2011 after Trillanes was amnestied. The court which handled the coup detat case has not yet ruled on the DoJs motion for an arrest warrant and a hold departure order against the senator. Meanwhile, Judge Andres Soriano of Makati City RTC Branch 148 has submitted for resolution the DoJs motion seeking the issuance of warrant of arrest and hold departure order against Trillanes. In a four-page order dated Oct. 11, Soriano admitted all of the evidence Trillanes offered except printouts of the official Facebook page of the Department of National Defense and a throwback picture of his, since these were not duly authenticated and never identified by defense witnesses in court. The rest of the evidence, which includes Trillanes certificate of amnesty, the affidavits of four defense witnesses, and a printed photo of the senators application for amnesty, were admitted, but noting the objection raised by DoJ prosecutors. The order comes a week after Soriano heard testimonies from both prosecution and defense witnesses during a full days hearing, where it became apparent that while there were persons who supported Trillanes claim that he applied for amnesty and admitted his guilt, the corresponding official records remain missing. Soriano had set the motion for hearing instead of immediately granting or rejecting the government request for the issuance of an arrest warrant and a hold departure order against Trillanes. Branch 148, which then had a different presiding judge, dismissed the coup detat case in connection with the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny in 2011, after the senator was amnestied. The meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, and Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Veng Sakhon, took place within the framework of the 40th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) and the 18th AMAF Plus Three (AMAF+3) meet-up in Hanoi. They reviewed their cooperation outcomes and expressed their wish to step up bilateral ties. Minister Cuong said that agriculture plays an important role in holding up the economy of each country. The two agriculture industries also complement each other well and as such, Vietnam will provide the best possible support for each side to develop. Minister Veng Sakhon appreciated Vietnams technical assistance for Cambodias agricultural sector, noting that cassava prices in his country are falling sharply due to the spread of disease. Cambodia hopes that Vietnam will further assist its market to deal with disease of the cassava plant and increase the buying prices of cassava in border areas. Sharing Vietnams experience in dealing with cassava diseases, the host official said his ministry is ready to give technical support, including new cassava varieties, to Cambodia. He said several agricultural products from Cambodia, such as cashew nuts and rubber, hold great development potential. He pledged to promote the Vietnam Rubber Groups investment in processing facilities as scheduled and to purchase Cambodian rubber latex at reasonable prices. At the meeting, the two officials also talked about cooperation to remove the European Commissions yellow-card warning against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the two countries fisheries sectors. With regard to forestry, Minister Cuong said Vietnam pays special attention to the sustainable development of the forest-based economy. Forest coverage in Vietnam reached 41.45 percent in 2017 and the country is striving to expand its forested surface area with certificates of sustainable forest management practices to roughly 1 million ha by 2030. In recent years, the two sides have exchanged information on forestry and cooperated effectively in forest protection and development, sustainable forest management, forest certification, forestry product management, and forestry science, he added. A new, round-the-clock childcare center and greatly expanded healthcare services will soon be available in Riverton thanks to investments from the Northern Arapaho Tribe, First Interstate Bank, and MoFis New Markets Tax Credit program. In addition to providing needed services in the community, the projects will create 80 new permanent, full-time jobs as well as 30 construction jobs. Both projects were expanded to better serve the community, the Northern Arapaho Tribe, and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. The two projects will be catalytic on the Wind River Reservation. The new Arapaho Childcare Center, which is being built behind the Wind River Hotel & Casino, offers a solution to a barrier that many people face, a lack of affordable, high quality childcare. The new 13,000-square-foot center will open in December 2019 and will provide space for over 300 children ranging from infants up to 10 years old. It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide a sliding fee scale to ensure affordability for low income families. The casino, which employs over 500 people but often has unfilled positions due to employees? limited access to childcare, is one of many local employers expected to benefit from the new center. "It took a lot of hard work from local folks here on the ground, and support from our funding partners, to make these two important projects a reality," said Patrick Goggles, President of Northern Arapaho Tribal Housing, which is developing the childcare center. "We couldn?t have done it without the dedication and efforts of so many; The Northern Arapaho Business Council, MoFi http://mofi.org, the teams at Wind River Cares, Northern Arapaho Tribal Housing, WR Casino management and our local funding partner, First Interstate Bank. All the parties contributed throughout the due diligence period to make this NMTC project a reality. We are all excited about the outcome. The legacy of the late [Northern Arapaho Business Council Member] Norman Willow, Sr. lives on; we will complete his work and his vision." Across town, the Wind River Cares Clinic is undergoing a remodel and expansion to support an integrated, whole-patient model of care. New and expanded services will include a part-time endocrinologist to support pre-diabetic and diabetic patients, increased behavioral health services to address and prevent substance abuse issues, an OB-GYN, a psychologist, a full-time physical therapist, a full-time pediatrician, full-service dental (with six dental operatories), optometry services, lab, radiology and x-ray services, a full-service pharmacy, and several other specialties to support the growing medical needs of the tribal population. It will also extend evening and weekend hours, becoming the only clinic in Fremont County that will be open seven days a week. Expanded services will be available in December 2018. "Expansion of the 12th Street clinic will help to address critical health care needs of our people. With the support of New Markets Tax Credits and all of the parties involved, we will be able to bring new and expanded services to improve the overall quality of life for our Tribe and the surrounding communities," said Richard Brannan, Director of Wind River Cares. "MoFi is thrilled to work alongside the Northern Arapaho Business Council, the Northern Arapaho Tribal Housing, Wind River Cares, and First Interstate Bank to help these projects get off the ground," said Dave Glaser, President of MoFi. "Both facilities are helping the community by providing much-needed services whether its creating a safe place for parents to leave a young child so they can work the night shift, or giving chronically ill patients access to high-quality care in Riverton. Its not an exaggeration to say that these projects will profoundly improve everyday life for members of the tribal community." The New Markets Tax Credit Program is an innovative federal program that helps incentivize and finance economic development projects in low-income census tracts around the country. MoFi http://mofi.org works with investors to turn the credits into cash, and then uses that cash to fund catalytic development projects in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This project is MoFis second in Wyoming since expanding to the state earlier this year. In June, MoFi helped finance the Cobblestone Hotel & Suites in Torrington, Wyoming, a project that will bring an economic boost and much-needed lodging capacity to the city. While receiving Vice Chairman of the International Friendship Exchange Council (FEC) Yoshihiko Nakagaki, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, Le Thanh Liem, said the city also desires to further boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially exchanges between students and youths, in order to enhance the mutual understanding and bilateral relations between Vietnam and Japan. Vice Chairman Liem affirmed that Japan is a close friend of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, adding that the city has increased the exchange of visits as well as cooperation and friendship activities with Japan and its cities and prefectures. The two sides have also organised a range of cultural exchange activities such as the Japan-Vietnam Festival and the Vietnam Festival in Aichi with the theme of Ho Chi Minh Citys Integration and Development, he said. At the meeting, Vice Chairman Liem and Nakagaki also discussed a number of issues in which Japan is interested, such as the settlement of pressure from the growing population, traffic congestion, flooding and the citys education work. Nakagaki, who is also Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Cultural and Economic Exchange Committee, said this is the eighth time he has had led a FEC delegation on a working visit to Vietnam, enabling him to witness the rapid and impressive changes of both Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City. He commended the citys remarkable contributions to Vietnams strong economic growth in recent years. Japan highly evaluated the potential for socio-economic development of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in the future, Nakagaki added. Sharing Ho Chi Minh Citys plan to build itself into a smart city, Nakagaki said Japanese businesses want to join hands with the city in dealing with challenges in the process of urban development, especially in water supply and drainage, transport infrastructure and energy, among others. The FEC was established in May 1983 as a non-profit international exchange organisation that, on the private-sector level, promotes relationships of friendship and cooperation between Japan and other countries, as well as fostering public understanding of international circumstances. Members of the FEC include many people with deep knowledge and experience in diplomacy and international relations, both from the public and private sectors, including ambassadors to Japan. The FEC is committed to developing and promoting relationships of mutual benefit with people of other countries from the perspective of independent, private diplomacy, by uniting the wisdom of members and reflecting the peoples wishes in diplomacy. The contest welcomes participants from all universities and colleges across the nation as well as in Asia. They will have a chance to research, create, and experience the latest technologies in the self-propelling field, in addition to competing for prizes worth a total value of over VND1.5 billion (over US$64,000), of which the champions will obtain a VND1.1 billion prize. With the aim of boosting automobile technology research and development in Vietnam, following the latest trend of the fourth Industrial Revolution, since 2016, FPT has organised the Digital Race with the theme of creating self-propelled vehicles. Bui Quang Ngoc, General Director of FPT, said that the race is a playground for young Vietnamese people to approach and practice with the latest technology in the world, and also creates a global environment that enables young people to equip the skills to be confident and ready to enter the fourth Industrial Revolution. The new self-propelled vehicle model for the 2019 season, featuring modern equipment and technology. Do Quoc Khanh, Head of the Science and Education Department of VTV, expressed his wish that the event will be an attractive and educational playground for students, offering them a particularly effective learning environment to promote creativity in the field of new technology in Vietnam. Contestants are allowed to register for the event at http://dangky.cuocduaso.fpt.com.vn until November 5. Each team consists of 3-4 members from the same university, with knowledge related to image processing, statistical machine learning, embedded programming, artificial intelligence, Linux programming and C/C ++ language. The preliminary races will be held in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City from November 15 to December 15 to select the top 20 teams for the next round. The semi-finals will take place from March 1 to March 31 next year to find at least the six best teams to progress to the finals, which will be held from April 20 to May 25, 2019. Previously, the 2017-2018 Digital Race attracted over 800 participants from 32 universities across the country. The UET Fastest team from the Vietnam National University- Hanois University of Engineering and Technology were crowned champions. * The death toll from multiple strong quakes and an ensuing tsunami in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province rose to 2,073 on October 12 as the national disaster agency extended the search mission. * The 10th China-the Republic of Korea Media High-Level Dialogue was held in Seoul on October 11, with participation of representatives from the mainstream media groups of the two countries as well as local experts. * Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on October 17 in Russia's Sochi, the Kremlin said Thursday. * Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Thursday called on Asian countries to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to help it uphold its operations. * Greece and Germany share the same vision for the European Union Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Thursday, welcoming his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Athens. * Mongolia and the Philippines have pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation in various sectors, especially in economy, trade, culture and education, the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Friday. * Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 11 warned Hamas not to try Israel after the destruction of a Hamas tunnel. * Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayif bin Abdulaziz vowed Thursday to boost bilateral security cooperation. * Germany has provided 2 million (US$2.33 million) to assist Libya's municipal elections through the UN electoral support project, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced on Thursday, October 11. * The US Department of Defense said Thursday it is suspending all F-35 fighter jet operations after an F-35B jet crashed last month. * The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Mexico have exchanged a diplomatic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa exemption, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Thursday. * The preliminary tests of the Russian modernized Mi-26T2V heavy military transport helicopter are expected to be completed by the end of the year, local news reported Friday. * At least 16 people including six security personnel and 10 militants have been killed as clash erupted in Dasht-e-Archi district of the northern Kunduz province on October 12, district governor Nasrudin Nazari said. * Ukraine plans to build 15 modern ammunition depots, which are protected against manmade incidents, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted on Thursday. * More than 30 people were killed in eastern Uganda after heavy rains caused a landslide, reported local media on October 12. FRANCONIA The message at the Nov. 13 Veteran's Brunch in the Souderton Area High School Library was simple and straight forward. "We're excited to have you and host veterans from all different branches and we appreciate your service to our country," said Hannah Lavery, a senior at the school and president of the Interact Club, which with the Support... * China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political reconciliation in Afghanistan and help with the country's peaceful reconstruction, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the meeting on October 12 with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of Government in Tajik capital Dushanbe. * Mongolia and the Philippines have pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation in various sectors, especially in economy, trade, culture and education, the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Friday (October 12). * Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo on October 12 spoke over the phone following the release of US pastor Andrew Brunson, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. * Portuguese Defense Minister Azeredo Lopes resigned from the government on October 12, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported. * The US state of Virginia said Friday that five people have been killed by Hurricane Michael, bringing the death toll to 11. * Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed Friday to enhance multilateral trade cooperation, thereby further tapping on the potentials of common development among the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries. * Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the European Union (EU) on working with full steam on programs aimed at the settlement of migrants to Europe, in an interview with the national radio MR1 in Budapest on October 12. * US top aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company Friday delivered the first 737 MAX 8 airplane to Indian budget airline SpiceJet to expand the fast-growing commercial market in the country. * US top social media network Facebook admitted Friday that the accounts of 29 million users have been illegally accessed by attackers in the latest cyber attack it announced last month. * NATO requires Norway buy two new purpose-built transport aircraft that will supply F-35 fighter jets with fuel while they are in the air, Norwegian media reported Friday. * Militancy and counter-militancy have left 39 people dead, mostly the armed opposition fighters, in the conflict-riddled Afghanistan over the past two days, officials said Friday. * The construction of the 250 m-tall Bank of Africa Tower in Morocco, set to become Africa's tallest skyscraper, will start on November 1, local media reported on October 12. *A petrol pipeline explosion in early hours of Friday had killed at least 19 people in two villages of Osisioma local government area of Abia state in southern Nigeria, a para military body said. * A 21-year-old Palestinian died late Friday from the wounds sustained from Israeli gunshots, bringing to seven the death toll of Palestinians killed during violent clashes near the Israel-Gaza borders. * The Islamic State (IS) has kidnapped as many as 130 families in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a war monitor reported late on October 12. October 13, 2018 U.S. Bullying Of The Two Koreas Endangers Its Alliance ... And Peace The Trump administration is haranguing South Korea for taking steps the U.S. had already agreed to. The New York Times believes that North Korea's insistence of sticking to signed agreements is a means of war. This only unites the two Koreas and does not bode well for the alliance. bigger North Korea Weaponizes Its Deal With Trump to Tangle Talks In hailing the deal he reached with Kim Jong-un this summer in Singapore, President Trump said it largely solved the North Korean nuclear crisis. He has since doubled down on that statement, most recently on Tuesday. People dont realize the importance of the first meeting, he said. I mean, we said, Point No. 1: denuclearization. Theyve agreed to denuclearization. It was actually the third bullet point in the four-point Singapore agreement, and for the North Koreans, the order of those bullet points is everything. It will only agree to denuclearize once Washington commits to the first and second points: Mr. Trumps promise to build new relations and a peace regime in Korea and makes North Korea feel secure enough to disarm. The standoff shows how North Korea has turned the deal Mr. Trump signed with its leader, Mr. Kim, into one of its most effective cudgels in talks with Washington over denuclearization, ceaselessly flaunting it to force American concessions. The highlighted paragraph is the first time the New York Times admits that the Singapore agreement is indeed a numbered list of tasks that are to be taken step by step. Moon of Alabama explained the sequence proscribed in the Singapore Statement, which is also included in the inter-Korean Panmunjom Declaration, back in July: Pyongyang Talks - How Pompeo Put The Cart Before The Horse. Ignoring the agreed upon sequencing was the reason why the talks Secretary of State Pompeo held in Pyongyang nearly failed. The hawks in the Trump administration tried to ignore the Singapore Statement as soon as it was signed. They wanted to jump to point 3 - North Korea's aspirational commitment of eventual denuclearization - before the U.S. even starts to fulfill the concrete measures it committed to in point 1 and 2 - establishing diplomatic relations and a peace agreement. The U.S. mainstream media supported the administration's false and a-historic interpretation that claimed that denuclearization comes first. It insisted on ignoring the sequence and wording of the Singapore Statement. The only exception was an op-ed by a Duyeon Kim in Foreign Policy. We welcome the NYT to the small club of those who acknowledge the reality of the Joint Statement. But how is North Korean insistence on the written agreement "weaponizing" it? How can an amicably agreed and signed sequencing be a "cudgel"? Who is really trying to "tangle" the issue? The piece does not give any substance that supports its diction. It is the Trump administration, and the main stream media who support its fudging, that deviates from the agreements. It is the U.S. that is in the wrong here, not North Korea. Other countries accept the sequencing and the necessity to start with point 1 and 2. A recent joint press release by the deputy foreign ministers of China, Russia and the DPRK emphasizes it: The three parties shared the understanding that such processes should be ensured to progress in a stage-by-stage and simultaneous way while giving precedence to confidence-building and that they should be accompanied by corresponding measures by the countries concerned. China and Russia want to adjust the international sanctions to honor the steps North Korea has already taken. President Moon Jae-in of South Korea also insist on following the signed agreements. But when he recently took steps to fulfill the inter-Korean Panmunjom Declaration, which Trump had endorsed, the U.S. intervened. Moon needs to lift some sanction his country had put onto the north in 2010, to allow for the resumption of aid to North Korea. Trump rejected that in a rather humiliating way: Well, they wont do it without our approval, Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday when asked about reports Seoul is considering the idea. They do nothing without our approval. Even the right leaning Korea Times found that insulting: While Washington leads the international community's sanctions regime on Pyongyang, Trump's excessive remarks are seen as denying South Korean sovereignty. In a just revealed earlier incident Pompeo reportedly even used swear words in a phone call with South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo furiously harangued Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in a telephone call on Sept. 17 about South Korea's rapid rapprochement with North Korea. A diplomatic source in Washington said, "Pompeo was informed of the terms to be agreed on during the inter-Korean summit and became very angry that he was not consulted in advance on issues that could have a major impact on the U.S." The source added Pompeo "used strong language" in the phone call with Kang. Pompeo was incensed by plans to begin reconnecting severed inter-Korean railways and a cross-border military agreement that aims at reducing arms along the border. The reconnection of the railways and the military agreements to avoid conflicts in the demilitarized zone follow directly from the Panmunjom Declaration. The Declaration was formerly endorsed in the Singapore Statement Trump himself signed. It is ridiculous that the U.S. claims it was not informed about these steps and that it blocks the necessary procedures. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha Pompeo especially came off as the bully he is. Washington's pressure was successful though - for now. South Korea's government stepped back and said that the lifting of its sanctions is not imminent. But it insists on fulfilling the agreements with the north which will require to take this step. Korean media warn that the boarish American behavior may well destroy the alliance: It would be best for Pompeo to clarify whether he used improper language. If he did, he should apologize. If he didn't, his clarification would suffice. Korea and the U.S. have been allies in good times and bad. If that tradition of alliance is kept, manners are adhered to, or it could end up among the first cracks that lead to its collapse. The inter-Korean politics of Moon Jae-in are supported by more than two-thirds of the South Korean population. The conservative Liberty Korea Party, which supports Washington's hawkish stand, recently polled below 20%. Everyone but the U.S. believes that unilateral denuclearization is a fantasy and that only accepting peace can defuse the problem. If this haranguing by Washington continues, South Korea may well act on its own. Posted by b on October 13, 2018 at 17:22 UTC | Permalink Comments National Coming Out Day(NCOD) is observed annually around the world on Ocotber the 11th to help create an environment where living openly and honestly is possible. On Oct. 11, 2018, the Greater Dayton LGBT Center will celebrate the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day, raising awareness of civili rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Coming out is one of the most courageous acts any LGBTQ person makes, and on this National Coming Out Day that courage remains essential to our continued progress toward full equality, says president of the Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin. HRC is the largest LGBT advocacy and political lobbying organization in the United States. The local celebration will also serve as the coming out party for the Greater Dayton LGBT Center. The Center, at 24 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 200, has undergone a huge transformation and will open to the public for our Grand Opening on October 11th at 6 pm. The Grand opening will also feature an art show with works by local and national artists which will include two pieces by the artist Keith Haring. The Center will serve hors doeuvre beginning at 6 pm as a social hour with a program at 7 pm featuring members of our local community sharing their coming out stories. Randy Phillips, President of The Greater Dayton LGBT Center shares, These coming out stories from different eras offer a built-in history lesson of our community. Greater Dayton LGBT Center 24 N Jefferson St Ste 200 Dayton, Ohio 45402 (937) 274-1776 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C, front) attends the 17th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Oct. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries to further promote win-win cooperation in various fields and achieve common development. Addressing the 17th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, he highlighted, among others, the areas of multilateral economic cooperation and trade, production capacity cooperation, and connectivity. He noted that at the landmark SCO summit held earlier this year in the Chinese city of Qingdao, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other SCO leaders reached important consensus and injected strong impetus to the SCO's future development. In order to build on the sound momentum, Li proposed advancing SCO cooperation in six areas: security, multilateral economic cooperation and trade, production capacity cooperation, connectivity, innovation, and people-to-people ties. The SCO serves as an important platform for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, Li said, adding that China is ready to further synergize the BRI with development strategies of fellow SCO members to make the SCO an example of openness, cooperation and common development. FREE TRADE Noting the setbacks in economic globalization and backlash against the multilateral trading regime, Li said the SCO member countries are faced with new challenges in economic development. "Past experience shows that development cannot be achieved behind closed doors, and opening up is the right way forward," Li said. He called on the SCO member countries to firmly support free trade and the rules-based multilateral trading regime and further advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. SCO members, Li added, also need to take solid steps to promote multilateral trade and economic cooperation, launch feasibility studies on establishing an SCO free trade area, and develop institutional arrangements for closer regional economic cooperation. Zooming in on agriculture, Li said China hopes to expand imports of high-quality agricultural products from fellow SCO member countries and also hopes that more specialty Chinese agricultural products will be made available for customers in other SCO countries. PRODUCTION CAPACITY On production capacity cooperation, Li said China has joined hands with other SCO member countries to set up seven overseas national-level economic and trade cooperation zones, which have started to boost growth and create jobs for local communities. The stock of Chinese investment in SCO member states has now reached 84.6 billion U.S. dollars, much of which has been channeled to projects in this area, he added. The premier said that China will continue to encourage competent Chinese enterprises to invest in other SCO member countries and expand cooperation in infrastructure, processing, manufacturing, energy exploitation and agriculture. SCO members also need to make the best use of financing platforms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Silk Road Fund, the SCO Interbank Consortium and the China-Eurasia Economic Cooperation Fund, Li said, while calling for continued discussions at the expert level to explore a feasible plan for setting up an SCO development bank. CONNECTIVITY The Chinese premier also stressed that interconnectivity among the SCO member countries is not only a necessary requirement of regional development but also a focus of BRI cooperation. "Convenient and efficient transportation networks are critical to the free flow of production factors, cross-border trade and travels," he said. He noted that recent years have seen notable headway in SCO connectivity building: better railway infrastructure along the routes of the China-Europe freight train service, more sophisticated intra-region cross-border road networks, and a number of oil and gas pipelines. Li called for more efforts to enhance cooperation among railway administrations in SCO countries, improve the harmonization of policies, technologies and standards, and expand the cross-border railway networks in the region. "Efforts should also be made to set up multimodal logistics centers and equip them with up-to-date technologies to automate and simplify border, customs and sanitary procedures for goods clearance in order to create an enabling soft environment," Li said. Talking about China's economic policies, Li said China will keep to the course of reform and opening-up and roll out reform measures in all respects to maintain China's position as a magnet for foreign investment. Prime ministers and representatives attending Friday's meeting said that under the new circumstances countries in the region particularly need to strengthen solidarity, maintain stability, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and safeguard multilateralism and free trade. They agreed to implement the outcomes of the Qingdao summit, cement cooperation in trade, investment, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges, and jointly fight against terrorism and extremist forces. The leaders issued a joint communique and ratified several resolutions and cooperation documents involving trade, technology and environmental protection. MERIDEN The Planning Commission gave unanimous approval to a realty company to raze a vacant house on Broad Street and build a new drive-thru only Dunkin Donuts. The commission unanimously approved an application last week submitted by Graceful Bee Realty LLC, an entity of Batista Companies, which owns several other Dunkin' Donuts franchises in Meriden and surrounding towns. The Dunkin Donuts store, which would be Meridens seventh, will be built at 944-950 Broad St. and will feature only drive-thru service. The store will be about 900 square feet and will have 12 parking spaces, according to the site plan application. An attorney representing realty company couldnt be reached for comment Friday. Graceful Bee Realty LLC bought a property at 944 Broad Street in 2015 for $300,000 and plans to raze a vacant two-family home on the property to make room the for the Dunkin Donuts, according to the application. City Planner Bob Seale said the applicant plans to finish demolition by the end of this year. The realty company will also purchase an adjacent parcel at 950 Broad Street and a portion of an adjacent parcel at 476 Pratt St. Ext. to create a .64 acre lot for the new store, according to information submitted to the Planning Commission. The commission approved the new store with several conditions primarily focused on addressing traffic concerns for the store along Broad Street, which is in close proximity to a Cumberland Farms, Shell gas station, and Dairy Queen. The Dunkin Donuts will have two points of entry and exit a curb cut along Broad Street and access from a new driveway that will be built off of Pratt Street Extension to the rear of the store. Because Broad Street is a busy road, the commission required the applicant to install signage directing traffic turning left out of the Dunkin Donuts onto Broad Street to exit onto Pratt Street Extension and then turn left at the light at the intersection of Pratt Street Extension and Broad. Seale said if a car has to wait a while to turn left onto Broad Street, it could cause a backup. Itll be better for operations that people arent clogging up that outbound lane trying to turn left, Seale said. City officials had previously considered making the Broad Street exit right-turn only, but Seale said the city has limited authority because Broad Street is a state road. The project still needs final approval by the state Department of Transportation, Seale said, but said DOT has reviewed the application and is happy with how it is. mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek WALLINGFORD Valenti Chevrolet on Route 5 was sold recently to the Executive Auto Group. The acquisition is among the first domestic lines Executive Auto Group will showcase in what is now 14 dealerships in Wallingford, North Haven, Berlin, Guilford and Hartford. We got together and David (Valenti) decided to sell it, Executive Auto Group founder and owner John Orsini said. We bought the dealership and the real estate. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. David Valenti, who assumed ownership of Valenti Chevrolet from his father Fred Valenti, could not be reached for comment. Orsini interviewed the sales, service and administrative staff at Valenti and said they would be staying under the Executive Auto Group brand. Those are your assets, Orsini said. Executive will be changing the signs in the coming weeks and has a billboard marketing campaign along Interstate 91 that includes the new Executive Chevrolet. All of Executives dealerships from Berlin to North Haven are along the Route 5 corridor. We have a large market share, Orsini said. Valenti Auto Sales celebrated 90 years last year and was in its fourth generation of ownership. It sold new and used Chevrolets and other used brands. Ferdinand Valenti began selling Chevrolet cars in 1955, a top-selling brand in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s. His two sons, Fred and Robert, continued in the family businesses. Valenti Auto Sales expanded throughout the years, adding a new showroom and expanded repair shop. The dealerships strategy changed with the downturn of the domestic market in the U.S. David Valenti bought the business in 1999 and it survived an elimination round of General Motors dealerships that took out competitors such as Harte Chevrolet. Executive Auto Group was founded in 1972, when it opened Executive Honda on Route 5. From there it added Toyota, Acura, Nissan, Land Rover, Jeep, and many more. Orsini is sold on the Chevrolet brand and the variety of cars, SUVs and trucks. Were excited about it, Orsini said. Chevrolet is one of the best domestic lines. That was another reason for the acquisition. Were just happy about it. Word of the sale surprised some members of the towns economic development community. This is the first Ive heard of it, said Joseph Mirra, chairman of the Economic Development Commission. Its a net win for the town. Executive is a good dealership. mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz National No support for separatist movements in India: Meghalaya Gov Correspondent Shillong, Oct 13 | Publish Date: 10/13/2018 12:36:45 PM IST Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy Saturday said that separatist movements in India have failed because it did not have the support of the majority. Not single one succeeded. Why it did not succeed is because that they did not get support from the majority who wanted to live together, Roy said addressing the Central Puja Committees, Get-Together of Harmony held here. He said that different ethnic groups and religions living together is very endearing experience as he reminded the gathering that he, his wife and children were products of Roman Catholic Schools. The Governor also said that he learnt the Lords Prayer even before he had learnt the Hindu mantras and saw nothing different in it. Veteran Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Assembly, Mukul Sangma, said that peace and harmony will enable the people of the state to realise their true potentials and take it forward. All people aspire to have peace, happiness and well-being, said Sangma while urging that all must come together to ensure the future generations interests. We are committed to see Meghalaya demonstrate to the world that we can come together to ensure peace, happiness and well-being, he said. Earlier, Governor led the gathering in prayer. The Get-Together of Harmony was also attended by heads of different religious faiths.